Michael awakened to find himself on top of a bed a small one room cabin. Opposite him was the kitchen, where a large woman was cooking with a stove. Four muscular men wearing the same blue shirts all hovered behind her, waiting impatiently for their dinner. He put his hand to his head in immediate response to his large headache. What he felt was a bandage on the spot that struck the rock. He sat up with his hand still on his head. A lock of his tangled black hair fell between his fingers.

"Oh, you're awake," cheered a deep feminine voice from the kitchen on other side of the room. Michael glanced over to see an enormously fat woman. A small cloud of brown frizz crowned her head, while faint traces of a beard and mustache adorned it. Naturally, Michael did his best to hide his contempt for her virile appearance. After all, she was kind enough to take care of his wound and lend him her bed. It seemed necessary for him to fight his inner snob and not be repulsed by the fact that he was probably laying on top of her bed. "Dinner's just about ready, young man. You should stay and…"

"How long was I out?" Michael interrupted.

"Almost five hours," answered one of the carpenters. 'That is a pretty nasty bruise you got."

"Bruise! Ha! I would call that a concussion!" another of the carpenter's insisted.

Gazing at the ground right in front of the door, Michael muttered, "Thanks for taking me in. Isn't it a little late for dinner?" Michael asked after looking at his wrist watch.

"Of course not! How does your head feel, sweety?" inquired the woman.

"I have a headache, but it's not that bad." The carpenters all stared at Michael. One opened his mouth to speak, but stopped before anything came out. "I've had worse before," Michael continued. "I suppose I was lucky."

"Speaking of having worse injuries, where did you get those scars on your belly and all over your stomach?" asked the curious carpenter.

"Ichiro, that's enough! It's rude to ask that man personal questions like that!" scolded the obese lady. "I'm sorry, sir, please forgive my sons."

Michael stared at Ichiro in scorn. "My scars? I got hurt," he replied smiling, "I mean, that's probably how I got them." Turning to the mother, he asserted, "I'll be alright from here, thanks for taking care of me." He slowly proceeded to put his feet on the ground and rise up off the bed.

The mother's hurt showed on her face. "You're not staying for dinner?"

Michael smiled. "I wish I could, but I don't have enough time. You said I was out for five hours?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then I have to hurry." Michael opened the door and walked through it.

Once out of the cabin, he began heading straight to the town's gate. Hyrule Field was beyond that gate. "Shit! He must have awakened that sixth sage by now. I'm probably too late." Michael's fast walk broke into a steady jog, which took little time to become a full-fledged sprint in complete disregard for his head. By the time Michael finally left the borders of the Kakariko Village, he was panting. After making his way down the stairs onto Hyrule Field, he was completely winded. Michael collapsed to his knees, holding both hands on the side of his head. 'Ahhh!" he yelled. It took well over a minute for Michael to get back up to his feet and continue towards Hyrule Castle in a slow walk. "Link's probably there right now," he muttered.

When Michael approached twenty feet of the castle drawbridge, he heard the galloping of a horse behind him. Quickly turning around, Michael caught sight of a green figure riding a strong brown horse, capped with a white tail and a white mane. The horse came to sudden halt not more than a couple yards from Michael. Seeing no need to dismount, Link yelled "What are you doing here? How is your head?"

Michael gazed up at the hero. "I've seen better days."

"Why are you back here? You shouldn't be here!"

"I made a promise to the princess seven years ago, and now is my chance to uphold it."

"What did you promise her?" Link demanded.

Michael shook his head. "I shouldn't tell you. It's not your business."

"Before, when I found you by the rock, you were trying to get into the castle, weren't you?"

Michael nodded. "Yes, I was trying to get into the castle."

"Why didn't you say so then?"

"I had no reason to tell you," asserted Michael.

"So you lied to me instead?" Link accused.

"Michael rolled his eyes. "I didn't lie to you, Link. I just didn't tell you everything. Why is this such a big issue with you?"

"Why do you want to get into that castle so badly? Would it not be really dangerous for someone defenseless like you?"

"You really have no business asking me all these questions. I appreciate what you did for me earlier but—"

Michael was interrupted by Link dropping the reins and dismounting Epona. He drew his sword and pointed the tip of the blade right at Michael's neck. "You're intentions in that castle are my business! What do you want in there? Do you work for Ganondorf?"

"I'm sorry," Michael bellowed, "but if you want to talk to me, then you are going to have to lose the weapon."

Link pressed the tip of the blade lightly against Michael's neck. "Answer my question," he demanded.

"I don't work for Ganondorf! In fact, I told you exactly who I used to work for. You know, seven years ago. As I said, I didn't lie to you! I have returned to Hyrule to keep a promise I once made to the princess."

"And that is?"

"First you have to lower the sword."

Link considered the request for a few moments before finally obliging. With the sword pointing about forty-five degrees from the ground, he asked "What did you promise her?"

"That's none of your fucking business! Now take a few steps back!" Michael ordered. Link hesitated, still gripping the sword. Michael rolled his eyes. "Do I look like I pose any threat to you? Just do it! You're making me extremely nervous."

Link, seeing the determination in Michael's eyes, took a few steps back. "What was the promise?"

Michael shook his head. "I won't tell you. You are approaching the end of your quest, and you need to concentrate on defeating Ganondorf. Stop worrying about me and what you fear my intentions are. Ganondorf is the threat to Hyrule, not me."

Link nodded. He raised his sword and sheathed it over his shoulder.

"Good luck." Michael smiled.

Link stared blankly at Michael for a few seconds, waiting for him to say something more. Michael only returned the stare. Link finally remounted Epona and took off toward the castle.

"That little shit better succeed," Michael muttered under his breath.

(Back to Joanne and Link's meeting months after the quest)

Link was shaking. The answer to her questions, the truth she was seeking was on the close to the tip of his tongue, but it was far too volatile to remain there. "I can't remember exactly what happened."

"What?" Joanne asked. "Don't do this to me! You can not do this to me!"

"I know I can get it to come back," Link declared, "but you'll have to be patient. I never wanted to speak of this, especially to you."

Joanne glared at the hero. She nodded and asserted, "Don't worry, Link, you have all the time you need."

Link looked down at the wooden floor. His head became locked downward as he studied the grain of the boards. Joanne continued to stare at him, but said nothing. Finally, Link opened his mouth. "I—" he began, "I killed him. I remember seeing him impaled against the wall, leaving a trail of blood as he sunk into a sitting position. I couldn't read any anger or fear from his facial expression. All I could see was pain." Link stopped there. His chin was fiercely chuckling. Chills bombarded his chest. He could feel a hand grab his stomach from inside and turn it. Joanne's gaze was still fixated on him. Her brown eyes were relentless, seemingly devoid of emotion; From a blistering inferno of rage to a suffocating freeze. "Hold on," Link requested. "I need to start from the beginning."