Chapter 1: Those Who Do Not Heed
"Slash! Jab! Parry! Thrust! Slash! Cleave! Thrust! Cleave! Jab! Jab! Parry! Slash!" A booming voice like a drill sergeant's filled the air of southern Hyrule as the sun set. A purple rabbit in a waistcoat twitched its nose in irritation at the noise before diving into the grass. "Right then, how many's that? Two hundred? Three, maybe? What do you mean, it's five hundred already? Are you sure, lad? Fine, fine… and just where do you think you're going, my lad? Ha, thought I'd forget, did you? You've still got your shield training to do! No complaining, you'll thank me someday! Right then… left! Left! Left! Right! Left! Up! Right! Up! Right! Down! Forward! Forward!" An old lady, walking along the path east from Kakariko Village, chuckled as she heard the bellowing.
"He never lets that poor boy have a single day's respite…" As she neared her destination, she could hear the thumps of wood hitting wood repeatedly. This continued until she was climbing the final hill, when she heard instead a grunt of pain.
"Ha! Told you that your defense was still weak! You've done better on the sword, I'll grant you that, lad. But your shield's just as important! It's no good sticking your sword in the other man if he's already gotten his into you! Be glad I was only using the flat of my blade! If you had learned off of old Captain Hassan, like I did, you'd be walking away from that mistake with a new scar!" Incomprehensible mumble. "What was THAT? I DON'T think it was sir, yes, sir!" Another muffled grunt. "Try again, lad!"
"Sir, yes sir." This time, the old woman could hear young Link's response. Finally reaching the hilltop, she smiled at what she saw. Link was sitting on the ground, shield and sword lying near him. Though he and his uncle lived alone a good way east of Kakariko Village, Link had still been a common sight among the other children running through the streets when he was younger. Now a sturdy young man of eighteen, his normally cheerful visage was at the moment replaced by a tired frown. In front of him, the man who had been doing all the yelling stood, smiling slightly underneath his huge mustache. Link's uncle Albert was a hefty man in his forties. Once a Knight of Hyrule, he had left the service after the deaths of Link's parents and raised the boy as his own. Now in his late forties, many would assume that the grizzled former knight's skills had left him, and they would be wrong; under his tutelage, Link would become a master of the sword. Eventually.
"Working hard, boys?" The old lady greeted them cheerfully, and both heads turned to face her.
"Miz Emma!" Albert grinned and sheathed his sword. "What are you doing out here so late?"
"Well, I didn't know it was this late when I set out." Emma admitted. "I just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing, and bring by a few things…" She winked as she held up the basket she was carrying. "Know you both too well, that's my problem. Neither of you'd notice your larder was empty until the entire thing had collapsed."
"You're too kind to us, Miz Emma." Link smiled and jumped to his feet, taking the basket from her. "What would we do without her, eh, Uncle?"
"Die, probably." Albert chuckled. "You're probably right, Miz Emma; we'll appreciate this tonight. Thank you. I'll go by Lake Hylia tomorrow to replenish our food stores, and I'll bring back a few of those crab claws you like so much for you."
"And I'll accompany you back to the Village." Link nodded. "My uncle's right, it's too late out. It's the least I can do in thanks for this."
"Why, thank you both." Emma smiled. "But your dinner'll be cold by the time it gets back if you do that, Link."
"Better cold than none." Link shrugged, picking up his equipment, and Emma gave in.
"All right, if you're determined. Let's be off, then." She blinked. "Oh, Albert. The Chief-no, I suppose he'd just be Sahasrala now-sent a letter back to the town. Says he wants to talk to you sometime, though how he'll do that now is beyond me, wherever he is…" Albert's smile vanished.
"Hmph… very well. I suppose eventually I'll see him again… we can talk then. No reason not to. Go on, lad, take Miz Emma back home."
"See you in a bit, Uncle." Link nodded, and they set off. As they walked back down the path to the west, Link's eyes fell upon a wanted sign next to the road, and he scowled.
"I will give a hundred rupees to anybody with information on the descendants of the Seven Sages. The King. Ha!" He angrily chopped the sign in half. "The King? Yeah, right. Why don't they just sign it 'Agahnim the Wizard?' It's not like anybody doesn't know." Emma nodded gravely.
"It was a dark day when that man came to Hyrule Castle. At least Sahasrala's letter proves that he's still uncaptured, though I wish I could say the same for his poor daughter…"
Ten years ago, rumors began running through Hyrule of a mysterious calamity. People had begun disappearing without a trace, never to be seen again, and strange monsters had been seen on the rampage here and there. In addition, the weather had been behaving oddly… violently… and many people felt an inexplicable feeling of dread towards the future. Respected elders across Hyrule, including King Lucas IV, had struggled to assure the people that everything was under control, but the problems continued; eight years past, Link's own parents had been two of the victims. And then Agahnim arrived. Emerging from the Lost Woods in the northeast, the mysterious sorcerer had journeyed to Hyrule Castle and pledged his services to the King. Using his vast magical arts, he was able to calm the weather and stop the monsters from appearing. And yet, the people did not trust Agahnim. With good reason; more and more, it seemed the sorcerer was the one who truly controlled Hyrule Castle. None had seen King Lucas in months, and the once-revered Knights of Hyrule were now little more than mindless slaves, obeying Agahnim's every command without question. Seemingly random people would be rounded up and taken to the Castle, and none of them had been released. Agahnim might have solved one disaster… but he brought another far worse in exchange.
"Has anybody else disappeared from the village?" Link asked sadly as they continued walking.
"Well, there's still no word from Simon or Larry." The old woman sighed. "Simon is understandable, considering his family, but Larry… Mr. George has been more depressed than ever. And of course, there's Mr. Tom and his granddaughter…"
"Wait, Tom the Smith?" Link's eyes widened. "And Wendy? I hadn't heard about that!"
"They both vanished when Sahasrala's daughter was taken." Emma explained. "Not even Mr. Harry knows what happened to them… he's been worrying his head off. We're all afraid the soldiers took them for some reason too, but…"
"But nobody can do anything about that." Link finished. "Agahnim's got his hand around Hyrule, and none of us can do a blasted thing." He shook his head as they reached the edge of Kakariko Village. "Here we are, then. Miz Emma… please don't take a risk like this again. It's not just wild animals you have to worry about this late any more. If the soldiers had found you…"
"Yes, I know." Emma nodded. "Thank you, Link."
"Just be more careful, please." Link smiled briefly. "I'll be heading back, then." As he walked back the way he had came, he saw another identical wanted sign. The young man started to raise his sword, then lowered it. "Won't so any good… the damn things are everywhere anyways. Another'll be up tomorrow, even if they don't serve any purpose… that's just the kind of man Agahnim is. If he is a human." Sheathing his sword, Link set off back towards home, muttering to himself.
"Should be a good half hour before he returns." Albert grunted as he closed the equipment cabinet in his house. "Might as well get this over with, then…" Reaching behind the cabinet, he pulled out a long metal rod. Taking a tube of adhesive from a drawer, he coated one end of the rod with it, then reached that up to the ceiling. After a minute of probing in the rafters, when the old warrior withdrew the rod there was a burlap sack attached to it. Inside this were eight candles. Seven of them bore the emblems of the seven legendary Sages of Hyrule… Fire, Water, Forest, Spirit, Shadow, Light, and Time. The eighth was marked with a sword. Placing the eight candles in a circle on the floor, Albert lit them one by one, the sword-marked one last. Each burned with a flame of a different, unnatural color. When he was done, Albert stood over the last candle and waited as the room grew darker. Within moment, nothing was visible save a small sphere of light around each flame… and then others were there. Two men, hooded and robed to mask their identities, were standing above the candles of Light and Spirit. The others remained empty. Albert raised an eyebrow. "Only two? Are the others busy?"
"No, Albert… they will not come to this summons at any time now." The man above the Light candle threw back his hood, revealing himself as an ancient, lean-faced elder with a high, bald head and a white beard. "Tom has not been seen in some time… and Quincy was killed yesterday."
"Damn…" Albert growled. "You made the right move getting out of there, Sahasrala. What about the others?"
"Morris remains silent… he refuses to heed the summons, just as he has ever since he left our fellowship." The other man sighed. "And we have heard nothing from the King ever since we became aware of Agahnim's betrayal."
"So it's down to us, then…" Albert chuckled grimly. "And yet, I'll guess you still have no real idea what the heck Agahnim's trying to do, do you?"
"We… are attempting to discover this." Sahasrala said uncertainly. "You know that, Albert. My daughter… and Aginah's… surely you must realize that we are giving our utmost to fix this calamity."
"Maybe I do…" Albert admitted. "But that doesn't mean I know you're telling me everything YOU know. As a matter of fact, I'm actually pretty sure you're not. You never do, and you're not the sort of folks who'd change… even for this."
"You dare-!" Aginah growled.
"I dare, all right." Albert snarled. "Don't even TRY and convince me that I've ever had an equal part of this. When my old man passed away, his will directed me to these candles, and I discovered who he'd been… who I was. You told me that, and then years passed before I ever saw any of you in this role again. I only found out who YOU were by dumb luck, Sahasrala."
"And I apologize for that." Sahasrala bowed his head. "But this is the way it has always been done. We cannot change that."
"And that's the way it'll be done when I'm gone, is it?" Albert inquired coldly. "DON'T deny it. I don't have any kids, and I never will… and my brother's dead. Which means the only one left to carry on the line after me is my nephew, who by some coincidence just HAPPENS to be named Link!"
"Does the word 'chance' cross your mind?" Aginah demanded.
"Not since I looked up the old pictures of HIM!" Albert shot back. "Now that my nephew's eighteen, he looks almost exactly like HIM! That's no coincidence, so stop insulting my intelligence!"
"Even so, why do you blame us for that?" Sahasrala inquired mildly. "Surely you don't think we somehow influenced your brother and his wife when they chose a name for their son?"
"For all I know, you could have!" The warrior threw his hands into the air. "I've felt you watching the boy from afar, all of you! Even Morris and Lucas! Trying to gauge his gods-damned potential!" He spat. "Well, I've got news for you. Link isn't the answer to this problem. I'll be doing what my dad did, and that's keeping him completely unaware of all of this until I'm on my deathbed. And that's years off yet."
"And what if none of us are in existence then?" Aginah shook his head. "This is a crisis, Albert! If we don't stop Agahnim, Hyrule itself may be destroyed!"
"And what can Link do to stop that?" Albert wondered. "He's still just a lad. No, he's not the answer you're looking for. And before you ask, neither am I. I left the Knights of Hyrule when the boy became my responsibility, and that action carries the same meaning here. You two'll have to find some way of dealing with Agahnim that doesn't involve me or my nephew, and that's the end of it. Good day, sirs." Bending over, he extinguished his candle, and as he did the scene around him vanished to be replaced by his house. Sighing, he put out all the candles one by one and placed them back in the bag; as usual, none of them had melted one bit. "He's just too young… he can't do it. I have to keep him well out of it… or they'll get him killed. Not on purpose, of course, even I have to admit that… but they won't keep him out of things that are too much for him, and sooner or later… no." Shaking his head, he closed the bag and picked up the metal rod; he had to hide the candles before his nephew returned.
Link had returned home to find his uncle in a strangely depressed mood. After eating the dinner Emma had brought them, both of them had turned in for the night. Now, the young man was fast asleep… but tonight, his dreams were strange.
"Where… am I?" Link wondered as he looked around. He was standing on a ridge high above Hyrule. To the south, he saw Hyrule Castle looming above everything else… everything else but where he was. "Am I on Death Mountain?" Looking around some more, he saw several people clustered around something. Most of them were wearing the armor of the Knights of Hyrule; among them was his uncle. "Uncle Al? Strange…" Six others were wearing robes and hoods that concealed their forms. Shrugging, Link turned to one of the few who was not wearing either armor or robes, and again his eyes widened in recognition. "King Lucas!" He stared at the last two there, and this time he did not speak. They were his parents.
"This is it… we found it just like this, your majesty." Link's father was indicating something on the ground that they were all clustered around. He seemed not to see or hear Link; neither did the rest of them. "I don't know what it is, but it looks like bad news."
"So it seems…" The King agreed. Walking over there, Link took a look at the center of the crowd. There was a blue square of shimmering energy there. As he watched, it suddenly began glowing.
"Get back!" One of the hooded figures yelled. "Something's coming through!" As they all jumped away, something climbed out of the portal as if from a deep hole. First one heavily muscled arm grabbed the edge, and then the rest was pulled up… completely ignoring the fact that the beast was far too large to have fit through the square portal. It seemed at first to be a brawny, heavily muscled man, wearing animal furs… but then it turned its head, and Link saw that its face was bristling with fangs, and only a single eye was set above it. Growling, the monster pulled something out of a large sack on its back; a green metal sphere with a string attached to it, which it lit with a match.
"A bomb!" King Lucas realized. "Get down, everybody!" Growling, the monster lobbed the weapon at the most helpless targets; Link's parents. Both of them screamed once as the explosion slammed them into the cliff's side, then fell silent, smoking. Bellowing with rage, Alfred charged the monstrosity, and the other Knights joined him, but before they could reach it, the cyclops had picked Link's parents up, one in each hand. Even as Alfred's sword swung at the beast's neck, it had already hurled them at the portal… and as their limp bodies hit it, they vanished. Alfred's sword sunk into the monster's neck… and lodged there. The cyclops laughed once, but no more; the swords of the other Knights were upon it then, and even it was no match for so many. As its body collapsed, King Lucas drew near the portal.
"Is there any way to bring them back?" He demanded of one of the robed figures, the one who had called the warning.
"No… none." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Albert… we can't bring them back." Albert simply stared at him, eyes furious… and the scene around Link disappeared.
"WHOA!" The young man yelled as, after a few chaotic moments, another place formed around him. Now, he was standing outside Hyrule Castle. Link shook his head. "Was that… was that what happened to my parents? Uncle Al never told me the specifics… just that they were gone… then what's going on here?" The drawbridge was down, and every Knight on duty was raising their sword in salute as another one of their kind walked out, face like stone. It was Albert. As he walked off the drawbridge, somebody ran up behind him; a golden-haired girl of ten in a regal dress.
"Commander Albert, please don't go!" Link choked.
"Commander!"
"It's just Albert now, princess." Link's uncle smiled sadly at her. "It's too late… once I left the castle there was no turning back. Really, there was none far before that, when I told your father of my decision. But it's true even more now. I've left the order, princess… I'm not a Knight any more."
"But why?" The Princess demanded. "We need you here… father needs you! You're the one he relies on the most! Why did you do this? He won't tell me!"
"He won't?" Albert's eyes hardened. "Well, that's not right. You do have a right to know." He sighed. "Princess… my brother and his wife disappeared a week ago. There… was an incident involved with the problems in Hyrule lately, and they were both caught up in it… they vanished, and they're not coming back. For all intents and purposes, they're dead. They had a son… my nephew Link. I have to take care of him now… and if I stayed here, he'd get caught up in this mess too. I can't let that happen… so I'm going to bring him up away from the Castle, away from everything."
"But what if we need you?" The Princess whispered. "What if my father needs you? What if I need you?" Albert frowned.
"Your father… won't call me back, princess. He won't. I think he knows more about this than he's telling me… and his pride as the King… no. But…" He shook his head. "Zelda… if you truly need me for something… if there is something that absolutely must be stopped, that nobody else can do… call me. I will return to aid you. This I swear on my sword, as a Knight of Hyrule… and on the grave of my ancestor, the Hero of Time."
"What…?" Link whispered, stunned by this revelation. "His ancestor… the Hero of Time? But that means I'm…" Before he could complete that thought, the world swirled and vanished again… and this time, no new world formed. There was only a voice.
Help me… please, help me. Albert… I need your help. For eight years I have respected your decision… but now I have nowhere else to turn, and no hope remaining. Albert… it's me. Zelda. You know of the Wizard Agahnim, I'm sure… but what the others haven't told you… is what he's been doing. Albert… the portals lead to the Dark World. And Agahnim… has been sending the descendants of the Seven Sages to there. Tonight, he works his dark magic on the sixth one… and then only I will remain. Even his own daughter, I fear, was a victim to his evil. Agahnim controls the entire castle now… and he has locked me up in the dungeon. Tomorrow night, Agahnim will send me to the Dark Realm as well… and that will shatter the seal placed upon it by the Sages! He is a servant of the Forger of Power… the Evil King! He serves Ganon! Albert… please help me! You're the only one left!
"Uh…" Link shook his head as he awoke. "What… was that? Weird dream…" He blinked; downstairs, he heard a clanking sound. "Huh?" Throwing on some leggings and a green tunic, he ran downstairs. His uncle was opening the front door, holding sword and shield.
"You're awake, Link?" Albert wondered. "What… no, never mind. Listen… I'm going out. Stay here and go back to sleep."
"What?" Link blinked. "But… where are you going?"
"That's… none of your business." Albert answered curtly. "Just get back to sleep… I'll be back in the morning."
"But-" Link started to protest again, then stopped as his uncle turned around. Albert's eyes were burning with a fury that Link had never imagined him to be capable of. "Oh… okay. Okay…" Albert nodded, then slammed the door behind him. But Link did not go back to sleep; he simply sat in a chair, thinking.
"That dream… was it a dream?" He wondered. "It seemed so… real. Like memories… but I never saw any of that. I never knew how my parents disappeared… or that Uncle Al was once Commander of the Knights… and especially not that my family's descended from the Hero of Time." He frowned. "Could it be… Uncle Al's memories instead? Somehow, I got hooked up to his dreams… but that last part didn't seem like a memory. It was… a message… for help. From Princess Zelda…" Like most people in Hyrule, Link had only seen the King's daughter from a distance, and had never actually met her, though she was the same age as him. "Maybe… she meant to send it to Uncle Al, and somehow accidentally did the same to me. But then… that means Uncle Al's going to the castle to save her!" He jumped up. "Stay here? To hell with THAT!" Crossing to the equipment cabinet, he swore; all that was in there was their old lantern. "Damn… he hid my gear! No time to look for it… this'll have to do." He picked up the lantern, pulled on a cap and left the house. It was raining heavily, but Link ignored it and headed north, towards Hyrule Castle.
"Lot of Knights out tonight…" Link muttered to himself as he continued down the path, making sure to stay away from the telltale glint. On a night like this, the Knights sent out their finest men, the Gold, whose armor was more visible to each other then the other colors would be in the downpour. Fortunately, Link's own clothes were much drabber, and he was able to remain unseen until he approached the castle. "No sign of Uncle Al… not good. He must already be inside…" He walked across the bridge to the castle, then paused; another glint of metal was visible through the rain in front of the closed gate.
"Hey, hey!" A voice yelled, and Link jumped as the Knight on duty in front of the gate approached him. "Who are… here now, you're just a kid! What are you doing out here, son?"
"Uh…" Link thought quickly; through the rain, the Knight would still be unable to see him too clearly. As he spoke, he changed his voice in an attempt to sound younger. "I'm looking for my uncle, sir. He hasn't come home yet."
"Well, he won't be in the castle, that's for sure, son." The Knight chuckled, but it sounded strange… wooden, automatic. "Tell you what, though, I'll tell everybody to keep an eye out for anybody. Now go on home and get some sleep, huh? You can stay up late when you're older!"
"Yes, sir." Link nodded and turned around. Damn… no way I can get in. How did Uncle Al make it…
Albert… Link froze as he heard the voice in his thoughts again. Be careful, Albert… the Knights belong to Agahnim now. They will not let you into the palace… you'll have to use the secret way into the basement… outside the east wall…
"Bingo…" Link whispered to himself. Once across the moat, there was a thin strip of land around the castle walls. Checking to make sure the Knight had returned to his position, Link snuck back across the bridge, this time heading to the right, around the castle walls. "Outside the east wall… a secret passage…" Walking forward, he stumbled into an area overgrown with bushes. "Around here, somewhere…" Searching, he soon found it; a hole in the ground, deeper than he could see. "This has to be it… simple, but effective. Better be careful… don't know how deep it is…" Link hit himself on the side of the head. "Duh! The lantern I brought!" Crouching over the hole to keep the rain from putting it out, he lit the lantern and looked down. "Hm… ten-foot drop, looks like… manageable. And that's stone down there… this is it, all right."
"There you are, Albert…" A voice came from the hole. "I was wondering how much longer it would be before you showed up…"
"Agahnim!" Albert's voice echoed out of the passage as well. "How did you know I was coming?" Link jumped.
"Agahnim? Aw, no!" Jumping down, he quickly ran down the passage, but all he saw ahead of him was empty space, stretching on.
"Did you think I wouldn't sense Zelda's little call for help?" The first voice-Agahnim's voice-laughed. "Please. It figures that, after staying out of it for this long, you only come when SHE calls. When the others asked you, you turned your back on them, but SHE's different…"
"Far better than what you've done, you traitorous scum!" Albert roared. As he kept running forward, Link heard a noise like a crack of thunder, a pained scream and triumphant laughter… and then he saw the passage turn left. Racing around the corner, he looked around quickly and instantly spotted the only thing visible. Albert, sitting against a wall.
"Uncle Al! Are you okay?" He ran up.
"Uh… Link…" Albert looked up, and Link took a step back in shock. His uncle's entire body was badly charred, as if he had been struck by lightning, and he was bleeding from several large wounds in his chest. "Link… what are you… doing here?"
"I came to help you…" Link whispered. "What… what happened to you?"
"Agahnim… was waiting for me." Albert groaned. "Knew… I was coming. Tried to fight him, but… I never had a chance. Gone now, thank the Goddesses… strolled off after he blasted me. Listen, Link… I don't have much time. He got me… I'm dying, lad."
"No…" Link shook his head numbly. "No! You can't die… you… you were the commander of the Knights!"
"So you know about that…" Albert coughed. "Yes, Link… I was. Past tense… not any more. The Knights… have fallen, Link. They're under Agahnim's control… their minds are his. The castle… is his. He controls… it all."
"All except the princess?" Link demanded. "You came here to rescue her, didn't you, uncle?"
"Heh… looks like… I wasted my time… trying to keep you… out of all this." Albert chuckled grimly. "Figures… even after I told you… not to leave the house. Link… you're the only one now. Go… into the dungeon… save Princess Zelda. Or else… Hyrule shall fall." He coughed again, spewing blood this time. "Look for… two Knights… Remos and Romulos… brothers. The best… after me. If any would… have any mind left at all… those two would. They might… help you. The others… are nothing but… walking corpses, Link. Do what you have to… just get down there… and save Princess Zelda."
"I… will, Uncle." Link promised. "I'll do it."
"I… know you will." Albert grinned weakly. "You can… do it, Link. Save her. Zelda… she is… your…" His voice trailed off, and his head slumped.
"She is… what?" Link asked. "What, Uncle?" There was no response from Albert. Link shook him, slowly at first and then more frantically. "Come on, Uncle… say something! Please!" But there was nothing more the old Knight could say, ever again. Link let go of him and bowed his head for a moment. "Uncle… who were you? Who were those men in the robes? One was Chief Sahasrala, from Kakariko Village… but who were the others? Who IS Agahnim? I never knew… you were involved in that kind of thing at all." Slowly, he stood up. "But I'll find out… and one of these days… I'll kill Agahnim for this. With your sword, and your shield… I'll kill that wizard. I swear it." The sword and shield lay at his Uncle's feet; picking them up, Link stood. "I'm sorry I can't take you out of here and bury you properly, uncle… but you knew that when you told me to rescue the Princess, no matter what. That, at least, I shall do for you." Turning away from his uncle's body, Link continued down the passage until a set of stairs brought him out into the castle's courtyard. Two Knights of Hyrule were milling around aimlessly. "Green armor… the lowest order. Still, best to avoid them if possible…" By crawling under the bushes, Link was able to reach the door into the castle proper unseen. Once he entered the Grand Hall, however, he realized that there were several more Knights of the Green inside there, all armed with daggers.
"Hey, who's that?" One of them called.
"Just some kid intruder." Another answered. "Somebody kill him." However, none of the Knights seemed particularly interested, and so Link made the first move, driving his sword through the visor of one of them. Most people his age would have been uncomfortable, to say the least, at killing another human… but Link had stood at his uncle's side warding off bandits from outside Hyrule's borders attacking Kakariko Village. And besides, as Albert had said, these poor Knights were not truly alive any more anyways… their eyes were glassy, their faces wooden. They were just puppets for Agahnim now… the two remaining didn't even yell when Link pulled his sword out of their comrade and charged them. They simply thrust their daggers at him, and watched him dodge and strike back, slicing them in halves. Looking around at the gore on the expensive red carpet, Link shuddered.
"Well, so much for not getting noticed… they'll raise the alarm once they see THIS for sure. Better get going…" He paused. "Except I'm not sure WHERE the dungeons are… problematic. Just have to look, I suppose…" Choosing a door on his left, Link set off. The halls of Hyrule Castle were almost mazelike in construction; several times, Link emerged into rooms he had been to before. More Knights of the Green patrolled the halls, but they were as inept as the ones in the grand hall had been, and Link disposed of them all. Eventually, he opened an ornate-looking door, convinced that here would be the dungeons… and emerged onto a balcony around the throne room. Looking down, he saw a large, wide figure sitting on the throne.
"Huh? King Lucas!" Link ran forward, then stopped in shock as he saw the throne's occupant more clearly. Clad in royal robes, with a crown on its head and a scepter in its hand, a human skeleton grinned eyelessly at nothing. "…So he's dead. I should have guessed. Agahnim truly does control everything in Hyrule now." Shaking his head, Link started looking again, and soon found another door different from the others. "All right… now, THIS door is the dungeon…" It turned out to lead to the castle's roof. Sighing, he looked around and spotted the entrance to the Castle Tower. "Hm… Agahnim's probably in there…" Crossing to it, he blinked; a barrier of glowing energy stretched across it, flashing through every color in the rainbow every second. At the center of the barrier, the energy formed an orb with a pair of evil eyes glaring out at him. "Some kind of security system…?"
"That's right, boy." A voice behind him said. "I wouldn't touch it, if I were you." Spinning around, Link saw a Knight of the Gold standing behind him, hands raised. "Don't worry, I won't bite like the rest of them." Indeed, his voice lacked the mechanical quality of the other Knights Link had encountered; there was only a great weariness. "Hey… you look kind of like a guy I knew once. Are you related to a man named Albert, by any chance?" Link decided to go for broke.
"That's right… and would you be either Sir Remos or Sir Romulos?"
"Remos is my name… Albert must have told you." The Knight chuckled grimly. "Romulos, though… he's fallen, just like the rest of them have. My brother… if you find HIM in the castle, you'll have to kill him. Not that that's likely, since he's been assigned to guard Princess Zelda's cell." Link frowned.
"You say you're not like the others… and yet you speak so calmly of the Princess' imprisonment?"
"That's right, kid." Remos sighed. "Listen, Agahnim's spells are incredibly powerful. I'm the last one… and even I won't be able to resist it forever. It takes all of my willpower just to retain my own thoughts… actual action is beyond me. Before long, I WILL be like the others. There's nothing I can do for the Princess."
"…Yes, there is." Link disagreed. "You can tell me which way the dungeons are." Remos gave him an incredulous stare, then laughed.
"You're a relative of Albert's, all right. Okay, kid. Go through the door opposite of the one you came in by, and then head straight towards the back of the castle. The dungeon entrance is in the rear."
"Got it." Link nodded. "Thanks, Sir Remos."
"And hey… take this with you." Remos pulled something out of his armor; a small purple boomerang. "Albert gave this to me when he left the Knights. Goddesses know I won't be using it for any good purpose any more." Nodding, Link left him alone on the roof and followed the path he had been told. In the rear of the castle, he found a door opened onto stairs, leading downward. Following them down led him to a large room without much of a floor. The only way across was a thin strip of land that widened at several points, each with a Knight on it, these ones with purple armor and shining swords. On either side of the path, huge pits waited, too deep for him to see the bottom even with his lantern. "This looks like a good place to use this thing…" Pulling out the boomerang, Link waited until the closest Knight wandered near the edge, then tossed it. The flying projectile struck him in the head, and he tumbled over the side, wailing. The remaining soldiers, hearing this, saw Link and decided on a plan of action that left something to be desired; namely, charging onto the narrow portion of the path. One by one, Link knocked them off as well and continued on. At the other end of the path, more stairs led down. And at their bottom, Link finally found what he had been searching for. Rows of cells lined the room, but only one occupant was visible; he wore black armor and a horned helmet. As he saw Link, he jumped to his feet.
"Who are you? How did you get down here?"
"Sir Romulos, I presume." Link inclined his head. "A Knight of the Black… judging by how my Uncle trusted you, you're probably the head."
"Your uncle…" Romulos' eyes narrowed. "Then… you're the nephew of Albert? Hm… no matter. It seems he taught you enough to get you past those fools of the Purple, but I'm a different story. Prepare to die!" Reaching under the table he had been sitting at, Romulos drew out a spherical spiked metal orb the size of his head, on a length of heavy chain. Yelling a battlecry, he whirled it above his head and then swung it out at Link, who narrowly dodged. Before Link could move in for a counterattack, though, Romulos was swinging it again, and once again the young warrior was forced to scramble to avoid having his head bashed in by the heavy steel ball. "Ha… that's right, keep running! I'll hit you eventually!"
"Can't get close to him until I stop him from attacking…" Link muttered to himself, looking around the room. "What can I… aha!" There were a few clay chamber pots in one corner. Grabbing a used one, Link turned and hurled it straight at Romulos' head.
"Ha! Won't get me that easily!" Romulos crowed as he smashed it, then choked as the second pot Link threw hit him, straight in the face. His helmet protected him from the force of the blow, but the contents of the pot had gone through his visor, straight into his face. Cursing and sputtering, he attempted to clear it away, but was unable to fit his gauntleted hand into the helmet. A moment later, he felt his chain mace yanked from his grasp. "No! You cur! Wait until I get my hands on you-" He screamed as he felt the sword blows.
"What hands?" Link deadpanned as Romulos clutched at his head with the stumps. "You're finished… sir." It took several more blows to get through the helmet, but eventually the Knight lay still. Stepping over the corpse, Link checked the cells until he came to the last one. Stepping in front of it, he saw Princess Zelda for the first time.
"You've come, Al… you're not Albert! Who…?" She was a beautiful girl of around Link's own age with long golden hair, wearing a simple blue dress. And yet… Link could not shake the feeling of having somehow seen her before. An image entered his mind, of a garden deep inside the courtyard of a palace that both was and somehow was not Hyrule Castle… both of them younger… Link shook his head.
What was that about? He wondered. That never happened… bizarre. Control yourself, Link… this is no time to go nuts. "I'm Albert's nephew, Link." He introduced himself, looking down. "Uncle Al, he… I'm afraid… he didn't make it. Agahnim was waiting for him."
"Oh, no… I'm so sorry…" Zelda lowered her head as well. "He must have sensed my message… I never meant to… to…"
"I know… he knew." Link assured her. "He wouldn't have had it any other way… and after I get you out of here, his spirit can rest peacefully."
"Yes…" Zelda's head came up. "Your name is Link, you say… how much did your uncle tell you about… the Sages?"
"Nothing." Link shook his head. "When you sent your message, I picked up on it, and got some of his memories… but not enough. Do you know about them?"
"Yes… but we can't stop to talk." Zelda decided. "Agahnim controls all the Knights of Hyrule, as you've obviously figured out. We'll never be able to get out the front way… but there's a secret passage."
"Where is it?" Link asked as he searched Romulos' corpse for the key to her cell. Finding it, he opened the door.
"The throne room." The Princess explained as she walked out. "I only worry… about my father…" Link lowered his head.
"…I'm sorry, Princess. I saw… your father as I was looking for this place. He's… dead too."
"…As I feared." Zelda whispered. "We've both lost somebody dear to us, then…" Link nodded.
"Yeah… and the same man was responsible. Agahnim." The young warrior spat on the ground. "He's too strong now… but one of these days, I'm going to kill him. I swear it." Zelda's eyes flashed.
"Yes… and I'll help you. But for now, we need to move before Agahnim notices anything and comes down here." The two of them practically raced back up the castle proper, and from there to the grand hall. Link had thought Zelda might be disturbed by the corpses lying around, but if she was she gave no sign; she simply ran along with him. As they entered the throne room, however, she slowly stopped. "Father…"
"…" To both of their surprise, the skeleton's skull turned to stare at her. After a stunned moment, Link stepped forward.
"Damn… Agahnim made him into some kind of guard. I'm sorry, Princess, but I'm going to have to deal with… this."
"I understand." Zelda assured him. "I'll open the passage… it's in the back, behind the ornamental shelf. You have a light, I hope?"
"Never leave home without one." Link tossed her his lantern as he stepped forward to square off with the former King. "Dark in there?"
"It's the sewers." Zelda explained as she carefully edged around the walls. The skeleton took no notice of her now; all its focus was on the one with the sword. "It stinks, I know-in more than one way-but it's the only way out that we have."
"Just open it up while I hold him off!" Link instructed as he watched the skeleton for moves. When it was still a good five feet away, the King reared back as if to deliver a punch… and his skeletal fist actually flew off, heading at Link's face. Even as he swiped it away with his sword, the young warrior knew that the other hand would follow it, and he sliced at the air before his face again without even looking. Two bony hands clattered to the floor, and Link rushed at the King, sword first. The charge hit the king right in the chest, and ribs tumbled out from the bottom of the robes, dislocated. The King, unimpressed, lunged and took a bite out of Link's shoulder. "Yow!" Wincing, Link swung his sword one-handed and knocked off the skull, then jumped again; something was grabbing his feet. Looking down, he saw that the disconnected hands had crawled over to his ankles. The King's body was now trying to throw itself on him in a tackle, and the skull was actually jumping around, clacking its teeth. Link shook his head. "Damn… I can't beat this with just a sword!"
"You don't have to!" Zelda called. "It's open!" Looking, Link saw that the passage was gaping widely. Shaking off all parts of the King, he ran for it.
I'm sorry, your majesty. He thought. I can't put you to rest right now… but the next time I come back here, I will. I promise. He looked at Zelda, running alongside him. "So, where are we going in the sewers?"
"I know my way through here… my father instructed me on it. This has been a secret escape way for my family ever since this Castle was built." Zelda explained. "There's a way that leads into the back of the Sanctuary Chapel, north of here."
"I know it." Link nodded approvingly. "Father Brian's a good man… he'll help us. And Agahnim won't be able to track us through it?"
"Only my father and me know the way… and even when Agahnim was tricking us, my father would never tell him that." Zelda assured him. "We'll be safe there, for a little while at least, until we can figure out what to do next."
"And then…" Link smiled grimly. "We figure out how to take Hyrule back… and take Agahnim down, hard."
"Who should tell him?"
"He is the master…"
"But he'll kill whoever it is…"
"Somebody has to…" Even under Agahnim's mind control, the Knights of Hyrule were milling around uncertainly on the roof of Hyrule Castle, arguing quietly amongst themselves as to who would break the news to their master of the Princess's escape. Then, a new Knight approached, and one by one, they turned to face him.
"I'll do it, guys." Captain Remos, Commander of the Knights, smiled easily. "It's my duty… I'll take the heat for this." Slowly, the Knights nodded; Agahnim's spell muddled their brains so much that they could not even tell he was not controlled like them. As one, they parted to let him through. Remos glanced at the magical barrier once, then shrugged and walked through it easily, grunting only slightly at the pain. "As I thought… the spell's effect on me let me go through… still hurt, though." The Captain muttered to himself as he walked up the tower. After a good ten minutes of walking, he finally emerged on the top floor. Walking forward, he emerged in the room at the very back.
"Captain Remos." Agahnim spoke calmly, facing away from him. This room was completely bare; its only feature was that the back wall was covered entirely in sheet glass, allowing the occupant to gaze out upon Death Mountain to the north. The rain had cleared up, and sunrise was just starting to spread. Remos shrugged.
"Bad news to report, sir. We had an intruder last night."
"I know of this." Agahnim did not turn. "Your former Commander, I believe… I have already taken care of him."
"Another intruder, my lord." Remos coughed. "A second one. This one, we did not spot… until it was too late."
"Meaning?" Agahnim's voice was as calm as ever, but now Remos detected a shift in his bearing… anger. The Captain smiled inwardly as he continued.
"Sir Romulos and a good twenty other Knights, Green and Purple, are dead, sir. He broke Princess Zelda out, and the two of them escaped through a secret passageway in the back. We're preparing to send search parties after them."
"I see." Now Agahnim turned around, and Remos could see his eyes. They were empty sockets, with tiny flames burning in the backs of them. "Do you know anything more about this intruder, Sir Remos?"
"Nothing." Remos shook his head. "Not a thing, sir… only that he must have been a highly skilled warrior, if he was able to defeat Romulos."
"Your brother…" Agahnim nodded. "And yet… I detect something in your eyes, something in your mind. I think you are lying to me, Sir Remos."
"And why would I do that?" Remos bowed. "We are all your loyal servants, my lord… we obey your every whim-"
"Except you, Remos." Agahnim chuckled. "Did you think I didn't know? You've been fighting my spell… the only one who held out this long. It amused me, and so I left you alive… and it seems that was a mistake. You aided this intruder… I see it in your mind. This… Link…" One of Agahnim's eyes twitched. "And now you came here, knowing I would kill you for this." Remos' face stiffened.
"Yes, wizard. I would rather die than become like the others."
"Then I shall grant your wish." Agahnim chuckled. "One thing I have always respected, if only in the slightest, is bravery… however misguided it may be. Goodbye, Sir Remos." His hands began waving in the air, and between them, a sphere of glowing energy formed. A moment later, a lightning bolt blasted out from the sphere and slammed through Sir Remos like a javelin, electricity crackling through his armor and frying him thoroughly. Remos slumped to the ground, smoke pouring from every opening in his armor, and Agahnim turned away, looking out the window again. "A Princess named Zelda… rescued at the last moment by a hero named Link. How it all comes back to you… sometimes I wish I was the sort of conqueror who believed such things as chance and coincidence really existed." He shook his head. "No… that would be a weakness. One I got out of my system a long time ago." He sent out a mental summons, and after a few moments of walking, another Knight of the Gold entered his room.
"Sir?"
"Dispose of the body properly." Agahnim instructed. "And tell the other Knights to prepare for hard work. Starting tomorrow, you will be scouring Hyrule for any trace of a certain young man. I will provide you with a description of him before you depart. Make sure everybody is ready."
"Sir!" The Knight saluted and left carrying Remos' body. Agahnim continued to stare out the window, and his eyes narrowed as if in concentration. And then… the window changed. The sky above Death Mountain disappeared, and was replaced by running water… a great amount of running water, deep underground where no light penetrated. In the darkness, something shifted.
"Master?"
"Yes." Agahnim confirmed. "I'm calling in for the report, Arrghus. Did the sixth one arrive?"
"Just like all the others." The creature named Arrghus confirmed. "She's up in the Tower, waiting for us to put her somewhere. All four of us have one… are you going to set another monster to watch her, like the King Helmasaur?" Agahnim thought for a moment.
"No… let us give her to Kholdstare instead."
"Kholdstare?" Arrghus sounded surprised. "Your majesty, he would not accept… his mind would see it as another intrusion…"
"He allows you and Vitreous to enter the Ice Palace." Agahnim reminded his servant. "Go there, and persuade Kholdstare… say that it's a gift or something, maybe even a gesture of tribute to his power. It doesn't matter, just get him to take the wench."
"I'll try." Arrghus gave in. "The crystal casing might get him to think it over, anyways… goes with the décor in the Ice Palace."
"There you go." Agahnim grinned. "I shall deal with Kholdstare when the time comes… as I did before. Until then, let him think what he wants. Speaking of Vitreous, how is he? And Mothula? Is her work progressing well on… the project?"
"Vitreous is the same… he doesn't change much, milord." There was a rippling motion, like a shrug, in the darkness. "As for Mothula, she's tried twice more. Both failed, but on the second try they all remained adhered together, at least… so it's improving."
"Good." Agahnim nodded. "I have something… someBODY… special in mind for THAT one." His eyes narrowed. "And… how is Blind doing with our little troublemakers?" Arrghus winced.
"Uh… well, they kinda blew up your statue in the Village of Outcasts again, boss."
"That's the third time this month…" Agahnim muttered. "Don't bother replacing it with the same design this time… try something more neutral, like a gargoyle. That might get them to leave it alone… for a while, at least. How did Blind take it?"
"Pretty much what you'd expect." Arrghus shrugged again. "Roared out screaming bloody murder and chased them all the way to the Palace of Darkness before they lost him. Didn't get any of them, though."
"Figures." Agahnim shook his head. "Ah well, I'll deal with THEM at the proper time as well. I'll call back again in a few days, Arrghus. Keep on top of things."
"Milord." Arrghus saluted with something that might have been a tentacle, and then the window was showing northern Hyrule again. Agahnim stood there for some time more, watching it… watching, and thinking.
No coincidence that new ones were born in Hyrule at just the right time… Hyrule knew I would return, and prepared. But Hyrule is mistaken in thinking this can save it. I will conquer Hyrule. I will kill both of them when I am finished with them. Without that damned sword, they can't do a thing to stop me… they're just running for time. Time that will run out soon enough. This time… THIS time, I WILL triumph. Slowly, Agahnim began to laugh… a long, slow deep laugh that sounded entirely unlike his normal tone of voice. The laugh echoed down through the tower, and was heard by none… and yet the meaning of it remained in the air like a foul stench, even after its passing.