Chapter 3 - The Dream

I was lying on my back, half-asleep, in another world.

But how did I get here? No other worlds exist, do they? I looked up at the many, beautiful, moons. They were waxing from the crescent phase. They were the most inspiring sight I have ever seen –my heart pounded hard against my ribcage at the sight of them. I tried to reach out towards the sky, but a heavy hand held mine, holding me down, grounding me. I struggled against the hand, but it would not let go of mine. I was going to look over at whoever was holding me, but it was then. It was then that I saw it. My destiny.

A winged wraith was in the sky, blocking out the stars. It soared over me, screaming my name in my head. I winced and tried to block it out, but it wouldn't bend to my will. The wraith circled closer. Closer to me – and to the shadowy figure beside me, holding my hand, making sure I didn't go anywhere.

Who *was* that? How could this person be so cruel as to clip my wings, to stop me from flying to the stars and moons and finding my purpose? I gritted my teeth and tried to pull away.

The wraith was growing larger, floating downwards, towards me. My throat went dry. I was afraid of that thing – I couldn't recall being more afraid in my life. What *was* that thing?

The figure beside me groaned, slowly waking up. I pulled on the hand desperately, willing the person to get up, to help me. If that wraith got any closer, bad things would start to happen.

The figure finally yawned and stood up, scrubbing sleep out of its eyes. I tried to scream at the person, tell them to stop being lazy, something bad was happening! The person didn't hear my screams, though, and I was left to fend for myself.

I was too late, though. The wraith had swooped down on me before I could make another move, and it carried me into the air, laughing loudly. I heard not one, but four voices screaming after me, cursing the wraith. Was I so loved in this world that four people, not just the one who had been holding my hand, would miss me?

I saw three flashes of light, and one continuous bluish glow. What could the flashes mean? Were they signaling me to hang on, that they would help me? Were they fighting other wraiths, like the one that had me by the upper arms?

I wiggled again, but it wouldn't let go. Its grip was steely – in fact, I'm not even sure if it knew I was moving around.

I looked down at my legs and tried to move them. They remained limp. So *that* was why I couldn't break free. I couldn't move.

It carried me forever, over a moving mass of something I couldn't make out – could it be the sea? – and many mountain peaks. Then, the ground was flat for a long time, definitely a field. When we started to descend, the air was colder than ice, and there were no landforms within sight. I was blinded by blowing sand, and when we touched down I started to sink. But the creature, still holding me, screamed long and loud. We sank faster, until finally the ground opened up and we fell through a deep hole. There was a huge cavern underneath the ground, and the creature opened its wings to slow our descent. It flapped them, and we flew some more, but much more slowly and lazily than before. Finally the wraith dropped me into a large cage, and as I struggled to climb the bars without being able to move, a heavy wooden lid was dropped over the cage. Large rats scurried around my feet, but I didn't really care. My attention was completely concentrated on the thing in front of me. My mouth dropped open; the first movement since this whole thing started.

My throat ripped open, and my blood curdling screams resounded throughout the cavern as the thing advanced on me. I couldn't back away.

It took my face in its hand and laughed, and the laughter echoed in my head. I was trapped…

My body stayed behind, but my mind flew out of that deep, dark hole, out into the desert sky, and headed for those moons, trying to remember…

***

"Link…"

"ZELDA! GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

The King pushed Tarun against the back wall, hard, and lashed out at Link with his broadsword, cutting his lower right arm before he could scramble back. Luckily, the cut was little more than a scratch – it was already beginning to heal, even as Link watched. He wiped away the blood with his left hand, glaring at the King, who was angrily glaring at his daughter.

"What are you doing down here? Didn't I tell you the other day to never, under any circumstances come down here? Oh, never mind. Get out! Get out now!"

Zelda seemed to stiffen a bit, but she nodded compliantly and walked in the direction the King pointed. Link called after her, willing her to remember, but she ignored him.

"Princess! Why are you actually *listening* to him? What does he know?"

The King tried to stab him again, but he moved back, still shouting after Zelda.

"Zelda! Remember your magic! Remember, the day we tried to sneak out… you told me you didn't want to get married!"

The King snatched Tarun's spear away from him.

"Did he even tell you what I said? I wanted to tell you myself, but they took you away…"

The King glared at him through the bars, actually baring his teeth.

"One more word, boy, and I will throw this."

Link ignored him, and kept shouting. "Zelda! Remember the day we climbed that tree, and I fell out of it, and almost drowned in the moat?"

The King shrugged and hefted the spear, aiming for Link's neck.

"Remember that your father is a fool, who doesn't care about anybody, not even you!"

The spear went flying through the air, but the King's anger had made his hands shake so badly that the spear only bounced harmlessly off of the wall. Link finally noticed and picked it up, smiling crazily at the King.

"Well, your Majesty…" He received a warning look from Tarun, and remembered to appear to be compliant to the King. "You might need this, if you're going to kill me." He nonchalantly sauntered to the bars and handed back the spear, metal point first. The King stared at it, amazed, and seemed to catch himself.

"I want to see you suffer. You don't deserve a quick death. But if I hear one word more out of your mouth, I *will* kill you."

Link grinned at the King, and as he turned to leave, he couldn't resist shouting, "More!"

The King turned purple with frustration, and Link knew he was pushing it, but he didn't care. Zelda hadn't remembered anything – the memory potion must have had permanent effects.

No, that wasn't right – no potion was permanent. The magic always wore off, and a potion that was strong enough to erase memory certainly wouldn't stay for long. That meant that the King was regularly dosing her with the stuff. Yes, it all fit! Tarun had said that she was getting worse every day, and a single dose of it wouldn't erase all memory of the castle she had grown up in; he knew for sure that no memory potion that strong existed. It was the only explanation. He almost laughed, but instead waited a few moments, then beckoned Tarun close to the bars.

"Listen, mate. I need you to do something for me. It's about Zelda…"

***

Tarun came running back into the dungeons, with two laughing guards on his tail. He panted in between words.

"Sorry, mate…I couldn't…get into…the kitchens."

Link stared at the various pinpricks of blood staining his tunic, where the guards had prodded him with their spears.

"What happened?"

"I tried to…smash all the bottles I could find…but they stopped me as…soon as they…saw me…"

"I see." Link was disappointed, but he tried not to let it show. "Well, there's always next time, right?"

Tarun shook his head, and spoke normally, having caught his breath.

"Wrong. The head cook said she'd skin me alive and cook me if she ever saw me out of the dungeons again. Besides, mate, I don't think they'd keep potion in the kitchen. The head cook makes Zelda's meals herself, and I heard her complaining about how little they're feeding Zelda; I don't think she'd willingly put in anything that might hurt the princess, intentionally or not."

Link paced the cell, digesting these words. It was now the fourth day of his imprisonment; he was growing weaker with every step, but he tried not to let Turan see this. Suddenly, he stopped and whirled around to face Turan.

"What do you mean, how little they're feeding her? They're starving her?!"

Turan nodded slowly, and his gaze turned downwards. Link's blood boiled.

"I'm going to kill the King if it's the last thing I DO!"

He slammed his hand against the wall with this last word, immediately regretting it as pain shot up and down his arm. Turan looked around cautiously.

"You might not want to go around yelling things like that. Besides, it's not the King who's starving her. Word is, he's secretly sending her extra food. He doesn't want to offend the prince, I think the gossip was."

Link was starting to get extremely angry. The fire cooled to ice, and he closed his eyes, willing his temper not to boil over.

"What do you mean, offend the *prince*?"

Turan shrank back, recognizing Link's sudden calmness for what it truly was – white – hot anger. He unwisely continued speaking, sharing the latest gossip with Link, whose anger boiled higher and higher as he spoke.

"Well, the gossip says that the prince – what's his name again? Gaesry, that's it." He stopped nervously, hoping Link wouldn't ask him to continue.

"Talk, Turan. Spill it, *now*." Link crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from Turan so the guard couldn't see his tightly clenched fists.

"Well, apparently it's Gaesry that's ordering the head cook to feed her less. I think she gets a few cups of soup a day, and some bread. Anyway, there's a new tapestry in the north wing –" Link cut him off. "Turan, if you don't tell me *why* that bastard Gaesry is starving my best friend, I'll strangle you with my magic."

Turan gulped and reluctantly told Link.

"Well, apparently it's because…um…see, now…oh, Goddesses." He closed his eyes and spoke very quickly.

"Hewantsertobesmallanthin."

Link ground his teeth together and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"What was that, Turan? I couldn't quite *hear* you."

"Goddesses preserve my soul. It's because he hates that she's taller than him, and he wants her to be shorter than him, and he thinks she's too fat."

Link bit his lip so hard he drew blood. "And…?"

"And…well, you've seen him, he's kind of – um - *wimpy*, so he wants to give the appearance of being stronger than her, because he's a man and she's a woman were his words, I think."

Link was starting to shake. "*And*…?"

"That's it. That's all."

"You're lying. Tell me, or I will throttle you to within an inch of your life."

Turan sighed. He had hoped that Link wouldn't even *want* to know the last reason, the most horrible one. Maybe he did know, and just wanted it confirmed.

"Well, Link…he doesn't care about her. He just wants her to *produce* a heir for him, then… I guess if she dies slowly it'll seem more natural than if he poisons her… Link, I know you know what I'm saying, and I don't want to say it out loud."

Link was shaking so hard, Turan almost thought he was having a seizure.

"So he just sees her as some lowly creature, to be used and then thrown away?" He almost screamed out loud, but managed to contain himself. His body calmed down, though his mind was still in turmoil. Zelda, subjected to this torture…

"Forget the King. I'll kill the prince first. I'll kill him nice and slow. I'll drown him in the moat, or maybe drop him out of the library window. Yes, that would be fitting."

Turan sighed. "Link, if anybody hears you talking like that, you'll be dead in an instant, and you won't have a chance to get the princess out of here. You have to think of her welfare too, not just your own."

Link grimaced and flopped back against the left wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the dirty ground, then lifted his head to stare at the barely visible roof. There was no window in his cell – the dungeons were below ground, the philosophy being that if someone was escaping they would have to run through the Elite Guard's barracks, where they would most certainly be caught.

Link spoke to the ceiling, not caring if Turan could hear him or not.

"Well, when we escape, we'll have to take Zelda with us, whether she remembers us or not." He rolled his head around on his neck, making his spine crack loudly, and spoke more directly to Turan. "When is the night guard coming?"

Turan checked the small timetable engraved on the wall.

"About two hours or so, six o'clock. It should be dark by then. We can make a run for it, I guess, though I'm not too familiar with the way out from here."

Link smiled a cold, deadly smile. "Oh, don't worry, Turan. I know *exactly* how to get out from here. And I can make sure that Zelda's on our way out, too. You just make sure the drawbridge is down. An hour after shift change all right?"

Turan nodded, all business. "Yep. But how can you know that Zelda will be on our way out?"

Link smiled that cold smile again.

"Oh, I just know. You make sure the drawbridge guards are lowering the contraption by the time Zelda and I are running, all right?"

"Okay." He paused for a moment, considering. "Link, when you and the princess kind of… went into that *trance*… what happened?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, but basically our minds connected, and we both experienced a dream she's been having lately."

"How did that happen?" Link smiled. "Magic. Just like everything else."

Turan shook his head nervously. "Link, it was strange. You were just standing there, slumped against the bars; the King tried to pull you apart, but you wouldn't move. You were stuck like that for a few minutes, and the King got mad at me for letting Zelda get within arm's reach of you… he said another blunder like that would cost me my life."

Link sighed. "Something is wrong with all of this. The King isn't…isn't who I thought he'd be. This doesn't seem right."

Turan nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. He just seems a lot more irritable lately…well, not just lately, but more irritable than he should be, because he's the King, right? I don't know what I'm saying, but… I just don't know."

Link looked over at Turan, whose face was hidden by shadows.

"I know what you mean. Well, we won't have to worry about the King for much longer. We're getting out tonight, right?"

Turan was still unsure. "What if I can't get them to lower it?"

Link frowned.

"Then I have to do what I have to do. Just think of it this way – it will preserve more lives if you can convince them to lower the bridge, all right?"

Turan swallowed the lump in his throat. "All right. I'll try my best."

***

The silent night guard, who was a coward and tended to sleep while on duty, was now slumped against the wall, unconscious. Link gently massaged his left knuckles – the guy was big, and had been hard to knock out once Link had convinced him to let him out of the cell. He immediately slipped into the shadows at the side of the wall, running a hand along the stones to guide him as he blindly walked forwards, hoping that the dungeons were one long corridor, and didn't branch off into other divisions. They actually did, but Link was following the wall that led straight to the stairs; had he walked on the other side of the hallway, he would have gotten lost.

He hurried along, pausing every now and then to listen for shouting upstairs. Turan's diversion was either very quiet or very delayed, Link decided. He just hoped to the Goddesses he wouldn't have to shed any blood besides his own tonight.

For the past two and a half hours or so, he had concentrated on bending Zelda's will and forcing her to wait for them under the stairs in the entrance hall. He hated meddling around with free will, but he didn't have much of a choice. They had to get out, *now*, and Zelda's father had undoubtedly prohibited her from going anywhere near the dungeons or having contact with Turan and him, leaving him with no other way to contact her.

He saw the light of the stairs and ran faster, still fuelled by his white-hot anger. How dare that stupid little ape that called himself a prince even *touch* Zelda?! He ground his teeth and ran silently through the guard's barracks, half-deserted due to the night watch in the main hall, what they called the mess. When he saw the usual bonfire at the end of the hall, he slowed, shimmying sideways and staying in the shadows. He glanced under the stairs and saw Zelda standing there, looking as unresponsive as usual. Link grimaced; she was accompanied by two guards. He shimmied up one of the tall, grooved stone columns surrounding the large open area as quickly as he could, then jumped off on the next floor, overlooking the mess hall. There were paintings on the cold stone wall behind him, and a wooden door a little to his left. Feeling daring, he sneaked over to it and opened it a crack, peeking inside.
It was the prince's room! There was the little bug, sleeping in a huge four poster bed. Link snickered. His pyjamas were woolen, and crocheted with the pattern of either sheep or clouds, he couldn't tell from here. He glanced around – the coast was clear – and stepped inside, searching for something he could use. He found it – the prince had a number of velvet sashes in one of the many drawers of his chest, and Link took all of them out. He tiptoed beside the prince – he was sleeping like a rock. Quick as a flash, Link stuffed one of the sashes in the prince's mouth and tied the other one around his head, tight enough that it didn't allow him to move his jaw. Link laughed quietly. It looked like the prince had a toothache, and it sounded like that too. The prince finally woke up, eyes rolling and muttering through the sash, but not making enough sound for anybody who wasn't listening to hear. Link wrestled Gaesry to the floor, sitting on his back and tying his wrists and ankles together. With the last few sashes, he bound the prince's legs together, and tied his arms close to his chest.

Link stood up to admire his work. The prince wiggled like a helpless larvae on the floor, trying to get free, but Link's knots were too complex and tight to loosen. Link flexed his right arm – the deep gash on his shoulder was feeling much better, and the scab was starting to give way to softer, pink skin. He grinned and hoisted the prince onto his right shoulder, not even caring that the fine material of the sashes irritated the skin on his face. He stopped for a moment and penetrated Zelda's mind again, forcing her to dismiss her guards; he waited until she had done so, then walked outside, resisting the temptation to whistle.

The prince was a little bugger and didn't weigh much, so Link didn't even break a sweat as walked to the stairs and leapt through the space between the wall on his right and the handrail. He landed softly on both feet and his left hand, wincing a bit when the shock throbbed through his nerves, but forgetting about all of it as he tiptoed over to Zelda, who was staring out at the soldiers. He threw the prince down – well, he would have liked to, but the need for silence outweighed his need for revenge. So, instead, he *placed* the prince on the floor, using hand signals to tell him that if he made any noise he was dead meat. The prince immediately lay still, and Link walked to Zelda, slipping a hand over her mouth and touching her shoulder.

She turned to him with wide eyes, pulling at his hand. He felt her saying something against his palm, and he tried to motion her to silence by holding a finger to his lips; she wouldn't listen, and she narrowed her eyes as she finally pried his hand off of her mouth. She spoke quickly, in a whisper.

"You *idiot*! What do you think you're doing? Get back to your cell, now!"

Link was confused. Zelda almost seemed like her old self, but she was still trapped, on memory potion! He shook his head slowly.

"Zelda…"

"Link! I *was* going to come for you tomorrow night, after I was sure the effects of the memory potion would be gone, but you had to be stupid and go and escape by yourself! And why did you take *that* with you?"

Link snarled, "I'm going to kill him. Why?"

Zelda gritted her teeth. "Although he's a selfish, arrogant, stupid little monkey, you can't just *kill* him!"
"Oh, yeah? That's what he was going to do to you!"

"I know, and I don't exactly care!"

"Well, I damn well do, *Princess*; he was starving you!"

Zelda took several deep breaths, making sure her voice was a whisper again. Some of the guards were beginning to look around.

"I *know* he was starving me, and I know he was going to kill me, and I still don't care. We're all going to escape, but not now."

Link glanced to the left and right, then leaned towards her.

"I have Tarun setting up a diversion. He'll get the drawbridge down for us."

She shook her head in frustration. "No, he won't! My father has been expecting this, waiting for it. Don't you see? It's a trap!"

"I don't care, Zelda. I've gotten out of countless traps before."

"You won't get out of this one. There's too many guards in the way."

"Well, I didn't really want to kill anybody besides Gaesry there, but it looks like I might have to."

Her eyes widened. "What? You're going to *kill* those guards? They're acting on orders! It's not their fault, or their choice!"

His nose wrinkled, and he looked down at her, leaning in closer.

"Don't you get it? There's *always* a choice."

"Those guards are bound by duty."

"No, they're not. Those are just invisible bonds, excuses to do something wrong."

"The Elites would never hurt a fly without good reason!"

"Then why did Oran try to kill me in the library? You were unconscious at the time, I believe."

"What are you mad at *me* for?"

"I'm *not* mad at you!"

"That's what you always say!"

"When have I said that before?"

"I…I don't know, you just have!"

"Oh, well *that's* a first – class recovery."

"Just shut your mouth and get back in your cell, now!"

"What, trying to tell me what to do?"

"I'm not trying, I am! Do it, now!"

"Sorry, Princess, but I'm a traitor, remember?"

"That's just what my father thinks."

"I will *never* swear allegiance to your *father*."

"Don't you DARE insult my father!"

"He's a fool! He tried to make you forget who you are!"

"Well, he didn't, so what do you care?"

"I care, all right? I care a lot!"

"Well I DON'T!"

Zelda clapped a hand over her own mouth, seeing the hurt look on Link's face. She was even able to ignore the multitudes of gambling guards staring in their direction. Link, however, was not.

"Well, now you've done it. Get behind me."

"What?"

When she didn't move, he shoved her backwards roughly, and she tripped over Gaesry's bound body. She made a face of disgust and slid backwards until her back was against the wall. Zelda stared at Link, outraged at the way he had just shoved her aside like a rag doll, until she saw that the guards, beyond simply staring, were reaching for their weapons. She almost wanted to apologize, but didn't get the chance before the guards started advancing on Link.

"Zelda, run! Leave that bastard there!"

Zelda whimpered as she glanced to the drawbridge. It was sealed shut, as tight as always. She shook her head as she stood up, then shouted over the rising din, "No, Link. I'm staying."

He looked back at her for a moment, and she was surprised by the genuine concern reflected in his eyes.

"Zelda, I told you to run. I'm not going to see you get brainwashed and die in this old castle." He turned back to the guards, some of whom were buckling on their armor nonchalantly, knowing that this kid didn't stand a chance. "Zelda, just go. Tell the Kokiri what happened to me – make sure you tell Mido, he'll be jumping with joy. And let Saria know – "

"So, the Kokiri *do* exist!" The King pushed aside several soldiers and stood before Link, glaring at the escaped prisoner. They were standing eye to eye – Link was slightly taller, but not by much. He smirked at Link.

"Well, maybe I *will* lead that contingent into the forest, if only just to see what's there. We'll make sure to bring lots of torches…"

Zelda could hear Link grinding his teeth from where she stood, but neither of them moved an inch.

"Well, I see my daughter has shaken off the memory potion. Too bad. I'll have to force that old witch to brew a stronger one." A muscle in Link's jaw was working overtime.

"But, you know, the hag said that the one she gave me was the strongest you could give someone without making them forget that falling from heights can kill them, or they can't hold their breath forever underwater, or that if they don't breathe they'll die…"

Link snapped. He was sick of taking crap from people, least of all the King of Hyrule. He drew his sword in a flash and pointed it at the King's throat. Zelda choked back a scream, and the guards all drew in huge breaths. Another person was shoving through the throng.

"Stop, stop it!"

Captain Vespin pushed through the final barrier, coming out into the open space that had formed with Link and the King in the middle.

"Link, get a hold of yourself! Control that temper, now!" He turned to the King. "Your Majesty, surely you cannot be serious. I mean, the princess has always been absent-minded, but *memory* potion? "

The King closed his eyes for a moment, then drew his own sword.

"Well, Vespin, it's the truth. By the way, how is Aaron's training coming along?"

"He's almost ready to be a Captain. But Sire, what does that have to do – "

Vespin never saw it coming. In an instant, the King whirled on him and slashed him across the legs, making him fall. With one blow, the King killed Vespin; he wiped his sword on Vespin's old ragged tunic. He turned to his troops, who had fallen into a hush. Many of them had respected Vespin deeply, but they feared to speak out against the King.

"Aaron is your new Captain, from now on. That fool was getting too old, anyway."

"You are the fool, not him, *Your Majesty*."

The King turned back to Link, who had spoken, and smiled coldly.

"Well, I'm sure there are other, more foolish people in this room. By the way, how is that spear wound healing?" The King took his broadsword by the blade and poked Link's leg with the hilt. He fell to one knee, moaning in pain. The King kicked him joyfully under the chin, and Link fell backwards, landing on his back. Infected blood ran down his leg, staining his worn leather boots and the cobblestone floor. His sword skittered away, coming to a rest at the feet of a soldier. Link looked up through blurry eyes, and saw the angry face of the man standing with the sword lying prone on the ground before him. He gulped hard. It was Oran, and his anger morphed into insane joy. Oran bent down to pick up Link's sword, laughing.

In that moment, many things happened all at once.

The prince sprang up, free of his bonds, and grabbed Zelda, dragging her away. The King swung downwards with his sword, aiming for Link's neck. Oran picked up the Master Sword, still laughing insanely. Link looked at his sword longingly, hoping that, once Oran touched it, a wave of light would send him flying somehow. But nothing happened. Oran had the sword in his hand and was rushing towards Link, changing his grip so he could stab downwards. Zelda screamed, struggling to break free.

Link looked upwards, feeling as though everything was moving in slow motion, and saw the King's face. Something was wrong, he knew that much. Something about this whole catastrophe was wrong.

The King roared, and time sped up again.

Oran made it to Link just a moment before the King, and made to stab downwards. Instead, though, he swung upwards, blocking the King's sword. Link hoisted himself onto his elbows, unable to move. He looked at Oran, and saw grim determination; the King seemed to be turning purple again. Link scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain shooting through his leg, and ran after Zelda and Gaesry.

He leapt through the air and landed on both of them, knocking them to the ground and stunning Gaesry, who hit his head on the stone floor, effectively knocking him out cold. Link grinned and grabbed Zelda's wrist, pulling her after him. She rubbed the small of her back, where Gaesry's short, wiry fingers had pressed into her skin, pushing her onwards. Zelda grimaced and started running towards the drawbridge; the soldiers standing around watching the King and Oran moved out of her way. She called out to Link, but when he didn't answer, she turned back.

Oran was wildly swinging Link's sword, and Link was behind him, preparing to spring. The crazed guard took one misstep and half – tripped over a loose stone in midswing, and by some odd chance, the sword cut into the King. The King fell to the floor, dead before he hit it, and Link took up the fallen Royal's sword, facing off against Oran, who had lost it. Oran screamed when Link landed a hit with the large, heavy broadsword, but laughed when he fell backwards over the King's body. Oran launched himself forward, putting the sword before him, intending to drive it into Link's stomach, but a spear came sailing out of nowhere and pierced his sword arm, forcing Oran to drop the Master Sword. Link watched in amazement as Tarun tackled Oran, who was crying like a small child. Tarun shouted, "Go, go!" but Link saw that the drawbridge was still sealed shut. He tossed away the broadsword and picked up his own, lighter one, watching Oran and Tarun struggled, waiting for an opening.

His chance came, and he slashed, opening up Oran's side. He fell limply to the floor, and Link finished him off, unwilling to let him lie there and die slowly, as Turan ran and took up the dead King's sword.

Link believed in mercy, but the Elites, apparently, did not. They shuffled forwards, and Link made out one of them shouting, "Traitor!" at the top of his lungs. They cared more that Link had killed one of their own then about Oran having killed the King. Link and Tarun stood back to back, Tarun with the King's broadsword and Link with his own. They stared around at the guards, and Link sighed, shouting to Tarun over his shoulder.

"Well, looks like this is it. Let's take a few with us, shall we?"

"Sounds good, mate! Today is a good day to die!"

A soft, commanding voice spoke over the din, somehow making itself heard. The entire ranks fell silent as they saw their new Captain sitting nonchalantly at the bottom of the staircase, fiddling with his spear.

"Today is *not* a good day to die. There are other matters that must be dealt with before either of you walk in the next world."

Link gulped as he recognized the guard who had been kicked by Ganondorf's horse and left to die in the back alley in the alternate timeline. It was Aaron.

"I see that Captain Vespin has been killed." He looked over at the dead body of his tutor. "Along with the King… and a good soldier." Aaron stared at Link with his odd green eyes. "Am I to understand that this is your fault, Link?"

Link nodded, but Turan elbowed him in the side.

"No, sir, it was me. I tried to open the drawbridge and help him escape. I encouraged him to create trouble. It was my fault, sir."

Aaron looked at them both, blinking slowly.

"Well, I would say that you both share the fault. Prince Gaesry, would you step forward, please?"

The prince stepped out of the shadows, holding a struggling Zelda.

"What do you want, Captain?"

Aaron turned his slow, patient gaze on them.

"Would you release the princess, please? No person of nobility and honor would manhandle a woman, or any other person, for that matter."

The prince reluctantly let go of Zelda. She ran to Link and Turan, and placed her back to theirs, so they formed a sort of triangle, prepared to fight for their lives. Aaron, however, would have no such thing.

"Princess, it seems that you find these two men – " he waved at Turan and Link – "worthy of your acquaintance, though one was a prisoner for attempted High Treason against yourself. Now, maybe it's just me, but that doesn't seem to make much sense. I'd like an explanation, please."

"Link wasn't trying to kill me; a skeleton was attacking me, a winged skeleton! It was trying to drag me out the window, and Link destroyed it." A few soldiers tittered, but Aaron stared in their direction, and they soon quieted down.

Link looked sideways, in Zelda's general direction. "Actually, Zelda, I didn't destroy it. It jumped out the window itself before I could, which is why the glass is broken."

Aaron nodded slowly. "I believe I see. But, Princess, however was Link to come to your rescue when he was obviously not in the castle, and you were not calling out for help?"

It was Link's turn to explain. "Captain, the Princess called me using magic. I would ask her to demonstrate, but I'm not sure if she can talk with anyone here. It's… hard to explain."

Aaron's face remained as stoic as ever, but several of the Elites in the back were openly laughing. Link closed his eyes and set his jaw, ignoring it.

"A demonstration will not be necessary, thank you. Now, why were you trying to get out of the castle?"

Turan couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Isn't it obvious, sir? The King was planning to have him killed, after torturing him for two weeks. They weren't feeding him or giving him any water, sir; and then they were going to string him up and leave him for the birds."

There were whisperings among the Elites, but Aaron looked entirely unshaken by this news. In fact, he almost looked like he was falling asleep. He leaned back against the stairs.

"I see. And just how did he survive for a week without food and water, and with those wounds?"

Turan's voice was proud as he answered. "I gave him a share of my food and water, sir. I knew Link as a small boy, and he was always a good kid. He tries to do the right thing, sir."

Aaron actually smiled at Link. "Well, it seems you have loyal friends, Link! And any man with worthy friends must be worthy himself." He signaled to the guards standing in the entrance way. "Lower the drawbridge."

When they paused, he frowned. "I said, lower the drawbridge, now."

The guards reluctantly complied, but they hadn't even touched the huge wooden levers before the prince was objecting.

"No way! Don't touch those levers, guards! Captain, how dare you do this to me! I am now in control of this castle, not you! Guards, take these three to the dungeons."

Nobody moved. Aaron smiled. "Perhaps you are unfamiliar with our system, Gaesry. When no members of the Royal Family are fit to rule, the Captain of the Guard must step in and take command."

Gaesry steamed at the ears. "But…but…I *am* a member of the Royal Family!"

Aaron shook his head. "Technically, no. You have not yet married the Princess, and, judging by the look on her face, I doubt you ever will. Guards, please lower the drawbridge. Link, Turan, - you are free to leave." He frowned, and turned his intense gaze on the Princess. "Princess Zelda, you may do as you wish, but when you believe you are fit to rule this land, you must return to the castle and take up the throne. You have a duty to your people, and if you do not fulfill it, I will be forced to turn the crown over to the prince in one year. Do you understand?"

Zelda nodded, then walked towards the lowering drawbridge, smiling.

"Come on, Link, Turan. Let's get going."

The three began to walk out of the castle, but as soon as they turned their backs, the prince was crying again. "But…but…you can't let her leave! She'll be my wife! She is *mine*!"

Aaron turned away. "Believe what you wish, but no person can own another."

Gaesry cried out, and Turan happened to glance back. His eyes widened, and he shouted, "Princess! Look out!" He shoved the princess in front of him, and Zelda actually felt the spear the prince had thrown poke her in the back. She whirled around in time to see the life fading from Turan's eyes, and she stared at the prince, who was laughing and wiping drool off of his lip. Her hatred radiated through the room. Link cried out and tried to run to his friend, but Zelda held him back.

"I should have let Link kill you when he had the chance. When I return a year from now, you will pay for what you've done."

Link couldn't resist adding his own insult, though his happiness was falsified. "Bye – bye, slimeball. Aaron, throw him in the dungeon for us, will you?" Link was the only one to catch Aaron's tiny nod, and he grinned, resisting the sagging of his face muscles. He forced the well – used mask of carefree cockiness to go up and stay up as he shrugged.

"Well, then… see you in a year, I guess. C'mon, Zelda."

He wrapped his left arm around her shoulder, and she felt him leaning on her shoulder just as bit as they walked out. They turned to watch the drawbridge close, and Link stared longingly after the body of his best friend, not wanting to believe that he had just died to save Zelda. Zelda wasn't sure if it really was rain that was dripping down his face as the drawbridge slammed shut.

The closest path guards peered at them through the torrent, and one pointed at Link and shouted in a slightly distorted voice, "There he is! He got out! Get him, he's got the princess!" The guards started running towards them. Zelda tugged on Link's sleeve, and he finally became aware of the path guards running towards them, shouting and waving. He looked at Zelda, who smiled weakly and cleared her throat. Link shook his head – now was not the time to talk – and, with a single nod of understanding, they began to run.

***

This chappie has also been revamped. I would have split this into several chapters and elongated the whole thing, but that would screw up my system. All hail the almighty system! No, seriously, I saw this documentary on Henry Ford's assembly line techniques on the Learning Channel yesterday and had a nightmare about it last night.

Oh, dear. I have nightmares about assembly lines…good Lord, I need to see a psychiatrist.

-Shawshank