Title: Ganondorf's Return

Game: Zelda

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure

Summary: They thought all was safe once the King of Evil was sealed in the Evil Realm. However, he now threatens to break out and return to Hyrule once again. What will happen and what else threatens to hinder the budding love between a Hero and his Princess? L+Z

Warning: none

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time belongs to Nintendo.

o O o

Chapter III – Separation

"Link!" Nabooru called as she and Ruto quickly made their way toward him.

Link smiled his arms still around Zelda, "Nabooru, Ruto, nice to see you both too. Are all of the sages here?"

Ruto frowned, looking very annoyed, "Yes, Link. What, did you think Zelda was the only one that cared about you?"

Link noticed Zelda's discomfort and let her go. Carrying on as though nothing had happened, Link grinned, "Glad to hear it, Princess."

"So, hero, what happened?" Nabooru asked, sitting on a crate nearby.

There was a short silence as Link and Zelda exchanged uncomfortable glances. How could they tell their friends that the evil force they had put all their energy into sealing had managed to break the bonds that kept it from wreaking havoc once again?

"Maybe we should get all the sages together for this," Zelda said quietly and Link nodded.

"Where's King Darunia?" Link asked, looking around, "And Rauru?"

"And Impa. Impa's not here either," Saria added.

"Yeah…" Link said, looking at Zelda.

Calmly, Zelda looked at Nabooru, "Could you please find Impa? Tell her we're all meeting in the Chamber of Sages."

Nodding, the Gerudo stalked off to find the sage, leaving the others to look for Rauru and Darunia. Saria frowned disapprovingly, her maturity showing through, as she shook her head.

"I'm willing to be a golden rupee those two are in the tavern."

The tavern was the building closest to the foot of the Death Mountain Trail. The group, led by an irritated Saria, walked toward it. Zelda stepped back in awe and some uneasiness as Saria kicked the door open and dragged the two male sages outside.

"Oh this is nothing," Link whispered with a grin, "You should've seen her when Mido stole her fairy ocarina."

Something in Saria's eyes and Link's grin told the princess that she would rather not see what had happened then.

"Link is awake!" Saria yelled at the dazed, and most probably drunk, sages.

The two didn't seem to take much notice of her and she frowned, kicking Rauru with rage, "He was unconscious for an entire day and when he wakes up, you both are DRUNK!"

Darunia sat up slowly and shook his head, "What? Saria? Oh, Link is awake? That's great news!"

Saria looked about to explode again, but Link put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down and then smiled at the male sages, Rauru had sobered up quickly, mainly out of fright when Saria had scolded him, and Darunia didn't seem to notice Saria's temper at all. At any rate, the hero knew a meeting in the Chamber of Sages was very urgently needed, even if he didn't quite want to be anywhere near the Sage of Shadow for a while

"Impa and Nabooru must be waiting for us in the Chamber of Sages," Zelda said as she looked at Link and sensed his tension.

Link turned to the princess when the others had warped away. "Zelda… what if… Impa…" his uneasiness prevented him from being able to form full sentences.

With a reassuring smile, she kissed his cheek, "It doesn't matter Link. I don't care what she thinks, remember?"

With a shy smile, he wrapped his arms around her and they shared a brief kiss before warping to the Chamber of Sages together.

o O o

Once within the Chamber of Sages, Link avoided all eye contact with the Sheikah woman and instead looked around, observing that instead of all standing on the central platform above the motifs of their respective medallions, the sages were each standing on separate floating platforms that hovered in the air a slight distance away and slightly above the central platform he stood on. That was a relief, for with the news he bore he knew he'd need all the space he could get if he was to recount the horrors that had seared an everlasting image on the back of his mind.

Looking to the side however, he was glad to see that Zelda still stood by his side. She smiled encouragingly at him and he seemed to lose himself in the deep azure pools before he shook himself and remembered the task at hand.

"Sages…" he began weakly, suddenly feeling nervous in front of the seven people he considered his friends, "Fellow protectors of our motherland… the news I bear is not pleasant. In fact, the thought of what I have to say terrifies me to the very core of my being. I do not know why, I do not know how, but I do know that Ganondorf, the very same beast we all fought so hard to seal away, has found a way of escaping his confines. Or so it seems."

He paused for breath as the sages murmured in shock. Saria's fear was evident in her eyes as she looked at Link. He looked back at her, giving her the silent comfort he had to offer. An unspoken promise it would all be okay. Ruto and Darunia glanced at each other, both knowing that as royal heads of their respective races, they would need to protect their people from any possible threat. Rauru and Impa were frowning, momentarily glancing at each other and Nabooru stood silent and alone, her arms crossed and tightly gripping each other as if she were trying her hardest to suppress her anger. Link could understand- the Gerudo man had betrayed her people and had given them an image of more than just threatening thieves- he made them look like evil murderers.

"When I lifted the Master Sword from its resting place in the pedestal," Link continued and the room fell silent again, "I was not only transported through time, but through dimension. I found myself in the Evil Realm, at a meeting of some sort between the terrors that had once invaded your temples and had trapped you. I remember him saying… the witch sisters have helped him formulate a plan to bring him and his minions back into this world… but I did not hear the plan… they discovered my presence before they could speak of it and I was attacked, but before they hit me, I was brought back to the Temple of Time…"

The confused expression on Link's face showed that he had not been able to comprehend what he saw, in fact he was unable to believe what he had seen, but something inside of him, the sinking feeling in his gut told him it was very real.

The panic spread through the sages and they all muttered worriedly to each other. Zelda's hand found Link's and she squeezed it gently, her expression betraying her fear.

"It'll be okay," he whispered to her, kissing her forehead, squeezing back protectively, "I'll do all I can to make sure you are safe."

Not able to keep it inside any longer, she let out a small sob and hugged him tightly, "I don't get it Link," she whispered as she shut her eyes tightly, "After we tried so hard… how could they find a way to beat the power of our seal?"

"I'll kill him this time," Link promised, "We let him live last time, but this time there shall be no mercy."

She looked into his eyes and saw a fierce determination that both scared and comforted her. She could do nothing but hold onto him tighter. Neither of them noticed the glares they received from Impa or Ruto, or the fading smile on Saria's face as the three female sages watched them embrace.

The commotion died down and Zelda turned, dry-eyed to her fellow sages. What could be done? Not a thing… Ganondorf knew how to get into their world, they didn't know how to get into his and even if they did, the princess strongly doubted anyone would be willing to do so… which left them at Ganondorf's mercy, not knowing when he would attack, how he would attack… they had nothing, except for the sick feeling inside that told them that something was going to go horrendously wrong. It was a horrible feeling when she looked into the eyes of her fellow sages, not knowing what to say.

Link shuffled slightly, gaining Zelda's attention. He seemed to have something to say. She nodded slightly and he cleared his through, drawing more attention to himself so he could speak.

"Well… I don't know about this, it's just a wild guess, but I was thinking… the Temple of Time is the way Ganondorf was able to claim the Triforce, wasn't it? It was his ticket to the Sacred Realm- back when it was the Sacred Realm, at least. So maybe now the Temple is a gateway to the Evil Realm? I think that we should take the Spiritual Stones off the altar and shut the gates. Perhaps that will tip the scales in our favour."

Murmurs of approval echoed throughout the sacred chamber and it was quickly agreed upon. Nodding in mutual understanding, they all warped to the Temple of Time once again.

Rauru tried to prise the stones from their resting-place, but seemed unable to. He made a low noise and looked at Link, "It seems only the Hero of Time is able to carry these stones any place but their origin, where only their guardians are able to."

Link nodded and stepped forward, lifting the three precious stones with ease. Turning to Saria, he held out the Kokiri Emerald and she smiled, moving forward before Rauru stopped her.

"Did you not hear what I said? Only the hero may carry the Emerald anywhere but the forest… and in the forest, only the Deku Tree will be able to hold it. The Deku Tree Sprout now, I would suppose. Link, returning the stones is a task you must perform to ensure their safety."

Link nodded, "I have some errands to run around the land anyway. I will return the stones while I do them."

"Be safe," Rauru said to the others before becoming a ball of light and hovering away.

Nodding, the others did the same until Link and Zelda were left.

"Link…" Zelda said, turning to him.

He watched her intently, making her blush uncomfortably, but she continued talking.

"Why don't you just transport yourself with the ocarina to the places you have to go?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

He smiled, "I seem to have grown bored of warping with songs. At first it was thrilling, but now it leaves me restless… it's been a long time since I've felt the wind against my body while riding on Epona. Well, okay, time travelling aside too, I just want to go back to basics for a while."

Zelda smiled, "Mind if I join you?"

Grinning, he decided immediately, "I'd love for you to come. Except… well, Epona isn't exactly the biggest horse. She's strong all right, but I don't think it'll be comfortable to ride together on her back. Especially not a long journey."

"Not a problem. I have a horse of my own, the mare Impa and I rode out on that night when Ganondorf chased us had a foal, which Impa gave to me. Her name is Flake. I'll ride on her, that way we'll be fine."

Link smiled, pleased that the obstacle had be overcome, so to speak, as Zelda lifted her fingers to her lips the way Impa did when she had taught Link how the play Zelda's Lullaby, only the sound that followed was a gentle whistle, the single note hanging in the air, silent until…

A neigh and then crashing of hooves against the earth as a white mare galloped towards them. It was perhaps a year or two younger than Epona and slowed down to a trot and gently stopping before Zelda, nuzzling the princess with affection that was evidently built on trust. With a look at Link, she nodded and they both mounted their horses.

"Where are we off to first?" Zelda questioned.

Link turned his head in the direction he was to travel, "Kokiri Forest. That way, we can return the Kokiri Emerald, and I can get a few things done."

Without another word, the two set off in the direction of Link's childhood home, but the hero frowned, not looking forward to confronting his past, what he was, and what he was not. Last time he had been to the forest, he had luckily gone unnoticed, or unrecognised... but that was before his name had been chanted across the land as the one who had felled the King of Evil. He wondered how things would change and looked into the distance grimly. If one thing were for certain, Mido would be much worse, if it were possible.