WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT! I only got three reviews! I thought you guys all wanted to read the sequel! I knew I should have enforced my "five review and I update" policy for the sequel… but I thought that everyone who reviewed the original would be eagerly awaiting this story! Starting this chapter, it's back to five reviews or no update!

Mxedcherub: Eh, the first chapter was a little slow for me. Unfortunately, so is this one. Yeah, your supposed to read "Trust Me"; otherwise you won't understand the next chapter all too well.

JMG: You'll find out what happened to Link around Chapter 5 or 6. You want to see James, huh? Oi, I've gotta get that website updated sometime soon…

Zeldafreak123: Glad you like it!

Okay, that was shorter than I would have liked. Just so you know, I'm not too pleased with all of you right now. Here's the next chapter anyway.

Chapter 2: Interruption

"Navi!" James yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify the sound. Link shook his head. "You'll never find her like that," he said with a sigh. "If it was that simple, I would have found her a long time ago…"

James looked at Link with unhappy eyes, then broke into a mad fit of song and dance. "Fairy, fairy!" he sang. "Oh so hairy! Very merry! Fairy, fairy!" Link's eyes grew wide with frightened astonishment and he backed away very slowly as to not attract the attention of his… dancing friend.

"Come on, Link!" James laughed, grabbing his non-dancing friend's useable hand. "Dance like a Sim! Come on! Dance like a Sim!"

Link wrenched his hand free and stared in horror until James finally stopped. "Whew," the ex-Bomber panted, leaning on his knees for support. "Man, that was good! You should try that sometime! It makes your whole body happy!" he giggled.

Link cleared his throat and began walking off into the nearby field. "Hyrule Field," he breathed as he looked in the direction of the former castle grounds. He knew all too well what was there now… His shoulders stiffened at the very thought of visiting that place again, but he knew it had to be done. It would be disrespectful not to go see her upon his return.

"Come on," he whispered. "There's someone I need to see." He stalked off towards the sanctuary of the Guardian Tree with James following closely by. On the way they passed Malon, who seemed to be in a rush.

"Oh, Link!" she exclaimed when she saw Link and James. "You're back! Where did you go?"

Link shook his head. "It's not important now. Where are you going?" he asked. Malon looked surprised to receive such a query. "To the sanctuary, of course. Today is the Festival of Guardians!" she answered with an ecstatic grin. Link, having left before anything official was passed in regards to his journey with Hieke, stared at his friend in confusion.

"Who's this, Link?" James asked quietly, not wanting to be noticed. "My name is Malon," the redhead smiled. James nodded and gave his name in reply. They went into a conversation about where the ex-Bomber was from and how he knew Link. The Hero of Time, however, was lost in his own thoughts.

They created a holiday in her honor, he mused. Link chuckled to himself. I wouldn't have it any other way… She deserves no less… He brushed a stray tear away at the memory of his dear friend. She had given herself to protect the world without a second thought. For that… she deserved so much more than just a celebration…

Malon turned from her conversation with James and looked at Link with a smile, but her grin quickly dissipated at the sight of her friend. His shoulders were drawn tightly, his eyes dark and downcast. His good hand was clenched into a fist and quivered slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked, settling a concerned hand on his shoulder. Link sighed and shook away the comfort.

The small group reached the top of the highest hill in the field and looked at the crowds gathering at the castle walls. Many had colorful costumes on and carried flags bearing images of the Guardian Spirits. The emerald branches of the Guardian Tree towered over the stone walls of the sanctuary. There were lanterns hanging from those branches.

The sun was beginning to set. Link looked at the pale stars glowing in the young twilight with remorse. Malon took his hand and ran towards the crowds. James followed zealously behind them. In the midst of the masses of people of all races, Link felt all the more saddened. Many of the young girls were wearing golden wings while the boys darted about with bird, dragon, and wolf masks.

James somehow managed to procure a mask of a black wolf that Link recognized to be Jaroku. The hero almost snatched away the costume, feeling that James had no right to take part in such events since he didn't even know why all of Hyrule was celebrating, but he stopped himself.

Within the stone walls, Link could see Zelda standing in front of the Guardian Tree. He growled in contempt when he saw that the young princess was standing on the place where the spiritual flowers grew.

"Presenting… Queen Zelda!" one of the Royal messengers announced. There was a moment of applause. "Queen?" Link murmured to Malon. The ranch girl nodded. "The King died in your absence, so they crowned Zelda," she explained. Link stared at the new queen in disbelief. She was still awfully young… And she was wearing an extravagant silver gown with a golden cloak cascading about her shoulders. That was what Hieke was wearing when she…

"Hylians! Zoras! Gorons! Gerudos! Even the Kokiri! We are all here today to honor a great hero and a greater heroine! Together they traveled across Hyrule to protect all of you. When the plague washed across Hyrule, the brave heroine sacrificed herself to seal away the darkness that spawned the illness!" Zelda continued her speech until Malon grabbed Link's right hand and thrust it up into the air.

"Link is here!" she announced, despite Link's attempts to hush her. James grinned from behind his mask. Zelda smiled broadly at the Hero of Time. "Link! You've returned! Come here!" she beckoned. Link gave Malon a quick glare and made his way through the crowd to stand in front of the queen.

"This is the hero!" Zelda said simply with a small flourish. The crowd cheered wildly. Link kept to himself, waiting to see how things would proceed. The applause died as a man with a tattered coat came stalking up to the head of the crowd. "You're all fools!" he denounced bitterly. "Decorating a hero who's a tree! How's this for decoration!" The man then performed a most contemptible deed: he spat on the roots of the Tree.

In mere seconds Link had his sword to the criminal's throat, blade pressed against his flesh. "Link, stop!" Malon cried as she attempted to pull the sword out of his hands. The frightened man screamed in terror, for Link was only pushing forward with his steel.

"Hey! Is that any way a Bomber—even an ex-Bomber—should behave?" James asked calmly. Link's grip on the hilt loosened somewhat, just enough for Malon to free the man from his iron grasp. Link let out a shuddering sigh and dropped his sword, closing his eyes and clutching at his injured arm.

Zelda cleared her throat quietly. "May I remind you all that the Festival of Guardians is meant to be a peaceful time for us to revere the heroes and heroines that protected us," she said. The people all glanced at each other timidly, trying to search out another person who may attempt such a despicable act as the other man.

Link stood from his crouched position and moved back into the ranks of the crowd, giving the Guardian Tree an apologetic glance. Zelda smiled, thinking that the apology was meant for her. "Two years ago, there was a girl by the name of Hieke Tadaka. She was a Hylian girl raised among the Gerudos," she began, obviously moving into a speech. Link stared with a slightly appalled expression on his face. She was not two sentences into the tale and already had two details wrong!

"One day she followed her friends as they went on a plunder. She was trying to stop them when they ran into some Hylian guards. She was brave and stood up for her lying, thieving friends even though she was at no fault. The guards dismissed them all thanks to her diplomacy. Later she renounced the Gerudos and set off on an adventure with Link to protect the very people she despised…"

"No!" Link objected. "You couldn't have it more wrong! Her name was Hieke, not Hieke Tadaka. Tadaka was the name the Gerudos gave her! She went out with her friends that day with the intent to help them, not apprehend them! She only left the Gerudos when you yourself talked to her and showed her the strife upon the land that was a result of her people's pillaging. The guards only let her go, not her friends! She returned to Gerudo Valley and forgave them all! And she never despised the Gerudos, not in the least! And the journey was to protect everyone, not just her family!"

The townspeople murmured amongst themselves at this news. They were being fed lies, but who was the liar? Who could they trust more: their queen or their hero? James pushed through the masses and stood in front of Zelda. "Guys! I don't know a whole lot about the situation, but I know that Link is no liar!" he announced. The villagers people all looked at each other in confusion, still not knowing who to turn to.

Zelda sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry, everyone," she apologized. "What I just told you… I know it to be false."

This ignited a rather miffed uproar. "Stop! Please stop!" Zelda begged, trying to calm the crowd. "I know what you just heard may be disturbing, but I'm willing to explain! Link," she paused, turning to the young hero, "I need you to be ready."

Baffled, Link nodded. Zelda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "The speech was written by my new advisor. His name is Wythe and I am positive that he means nothing but ill. He's trying to turn Hieke into a villain instead of a heroine. He must be—"

Before she could finish, the queen collapsed to the ground with a soft moan. The crowd gasped. Link, taking this as his cue, took the golden-bladed sword he received in Termina in his hand and glanced around for a sign of the enemy. James had a slingshot ready to fire and moved to stand beside Link. Malon crouched beside Zelda to try to rouse her.

There came a malicious laughter echoing from the sky. A cloaked figure appeared in a shroud of black mist. The star and moonlight faded away as blankets of gloom fell upon the sky. James lowered his aim in awe, staring at the black figure that was perched on a branch of the Guardian Tree. The crowd dissipated in a rush of fear.

Link was furious with this. "Get off of her!" he demanded, swiping at the air with his sword. The robed figure chortled in amusement. "You turn your sword on me?" it asked in a deep, masculine voice. He lifted his hands above his head and sent out pulses of dark energy. Wherever the waves touched on the Tree, it would wither.

James, regaining his courage, fired a few exploding pellets from his slingshot. They seemed no more a bother to the dark man than a mosquito. "You challenge me as well, child?" he said in a booming voice that made James slink back behind Malon.

"Who are you?" Link inquired authoritatively. A tall, frail man appeared from behind the Tree. He had a book in his hands. "Excellent, Wythe. I see you've acquired the tome I seek," the robed man hissed, disregarding Link's query. The newcomer, apparently the Wythe character Zelda spoke of, nodded and tossed his parcel up into the branches.

The two evildoers vanished in a wisp of black fog, leaving Link, James, and the rest of the crowd staring uneasily. "She's coming around!" Malon, who had been attending to the unconscious Zelda, announced. Link crouched beside the queen and looked on worriedly.

"Wythe," she muttered as she opened her eyes. "He's evil… I know it in my heart to be true. We must apprehend him…" Link glanced at James and they both sighed. She had missed the whole event. So James took it upon himself to fill her in.

"It was like this!" he began, leaping backwards and curling into a fetal position. Then he sprang up into standing position with a cry. "BOOM! He appeared! And it was all like WHOOSH and BANG!" As he spoke he moved his arms wildly to imitate the flowing of the black mist. Then he collapsed to the ground. "And when it touched the Tree, it did this!" he described. "Then that guy, Wythe, he came in and had this book thing! And—"

"James. Enough," Link commanded sternly. "Ignore him, he's just hyperactive."

Zelda giggled, but Link was far from amused. James reminded him of Hieke, and sitting beside her only amplified the feeling. He turned to the Tree with regret. I should have helped, he thought. If I had fought harder, she would have lived

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Here's an idea! On all the chapters that don't end in cliffhangers (what few of them there are), I'll give you a preview for the next installment!

Next time on "Face Your Demons":

The main plot is revealed! Kaze from "Trust Me" guest stars! And I'm not gonna say any more than that! Now go review! I'm back to the five reviews policy, but updates are still around 11 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time). At least until school starts… Oh boy.