Chapter 11: When Hell Freezes Over

Alone. So alone. Always alone.

Ice king. King of ice and snow. King cold. All that is cold. All mine. All.

Nothing.

Time stolen from me, life stolen from me, all gone, how long ago? Memory stolen from me… always the ice king. Nothing before. Not any more.

King of the ice, of the palace of ice, of the lake of ice… of the world of ice? No… that would upset the family. And they have paid proper homage to their brother, the ice king… that is good and well. Even Ganon bows before the ice king, offers tribute.

The girl. Again she is silent, again she is cold. She is not encased in ice, despite the sister's exhortations… but it is close enough. Blue crystal, blue ice, none can tell down here… none except me. She is not ice. Make her ice, encase her in ice, fill her with ice-NO. She is no ice queen, she would die, and she is a prize only when alive. The magic of water fills her veins, as it once did mine… no. There is no once. There is only the ice king. Leave the girl. She is prize enough as she is, tribute to the ice king from Ganon, and from the family.

The family. How long as it been since they visited? Bringing the prize with them… weeks? Months? Years? How long have I been here, in my palace of ice… how long? Centuries…? It matters not. Time matters not. The ice king is always, and the ice king shall be always. Always alone… only the ice king and the prize. And…

The other. The flickering one. He darts here and there through the palace of ice, always out of reach, never truly there… just seeming. Pretending to be… to be what? To be… period. He pretends to be, but he does not. He is gone. Gone from my sight, gone from his life… soon shall he return again? Of course. Shall the ice king attempt to engage him in conversation? Talk with him, order him, make him a subject in the palace of ice he dances through like a reflection? He is cold like me… NO. No subjects, no servants, none allowed but me. Me and the prize… and none else.

The family may come, but only to visit, and to pay tribute. But not the others… not the insulting, grinning one whose touch burns… not the flying one who sneers in misguided contempt as she flitters around… and not the Forger, the one who tried to enslave me, who tried to break the ice king. He tried, but he failed, and the ice king reigns triumphant. Even that one now bows down… bows to the ice king. Shall he be destroyed for past insolence, for daring to try and rule the ice king? It would be so easy… to freeze it all, the freeze the world, to bring ice down upon it all. But no… the family would not like it. So it shall not happen, because they have behaved correctly. But some day, ah, someday…

The ice world. Such a pleasant sound to it. The siblings shall be allowed to leave with their lives, and maybe the others as well if they mend their ways and beg for forgiveness… maybe. All the rest… shall perish. Gone, frozen forever, by the ice king triumphant. Cold as ice, cold as snow, cold is all I ever know… and I shall be here in the ice world, alone. Someday… alone. Someday.

Alone. So alone. Always alone.

Ice king. King of ice and snow. King cold. All that is cold. All mine. All.

Nothing.

"Ah, good morning Link." Sahasrala greeted the young warrior as he stumbled into the Kakariko bar. "Tom's already been here… you're feeling unwell too?"

"The Rag over in the Dark World gave him a sending-off party." Link explained. "They had a bottle of something that's probably been banned in Hyrule, and I had one of some booze made by Simon. That's why when we came back here the two of us were singing the Ballad of the Frogtown Six. At least they're letting me keep their bottle too."

"I was wondering about that." Aginah remarked. "At least you had the sense to leave the sword here… Tom's already gone to temper it with Harry. They said it would take all day. I believe you said you had something in mind to do during that time last night?"

"Yeah… you guys know all about the activities of the Sages, right?" Link inquired. They nodded. "Good. What became of the Medallions after the struggle? The ones given to my ancestor by the Sages to show their faith and connect their power to his?"

"The Medallions, hm…" Morris's eyes lit up. "Oho… they were reforged, fused together into three of greater power. Bombos, Ether and Quake, hm… sealed away in three different locations across Hyrule." Link snapped his fingers.

"Ether. KNEW that sounded familiar… it's up by the Tower of Hera, right?"

"Correct." Sahasrala took out a pen. "Let me see your map, and I'll indicate the locations of the other two. The Medallions were so powerful, they took extensive measures in protecting them, and linked them to the Master Sword… only its wielder can take them. So I'm afraid you can't actually take them until Tom is done with the sword."

"Darn." Link shook his head. "Well, are there any other trinkets I should know about?"

"Actually, yes." Aginah admitted. "After they finished their work with the Medallions, the Sages each decided to craft another artifact in order to prepare for future conflicts. You've already found three of these artifacts, believe it or not… the Moon Pearl, along with the Fire and Ice Rods. Made by the sages of Spirit, Fire and Water. The other treasures were the Cane of Somaria, the Cane of Byrna, and the Magic Cloak." He shook his head. "Regretfully, the Canes and the Fire Rod were lost to the Dark World in a raid through the cracks between worlds two hundred years ago… the Magic Cape, however, can be found by you as well if you wish, correct, Morris?"

"Yes, I still know where it is, you old coot." Morris grumbled, leaning over the map and making a mark. "My ancestors didn't miss a beat, and neither will I, hm. It's at the site of the old Shadow Temple, though most of that's collapsed by the activity in Death Mountain ages ago, so that one room's all that's left, hm."

"All right." Link stood up. "I'll be off, then… tell the smiths I'll be back tomorrow for my sword."

"Hey, hold it." Sahasrala held up a hand. "One more thing you should check while you're out; Larry's been spotted." Link's eyes widened.

"Seriously? Where?"

"Simon found him in that one forest glade halfway between here and your house." The village chief explained. "He was playing that flute of his, charming the wildlife as usual… but the thing is, when Simon approached, he just sort of faded away. Like a mirage."

"Bizzare." Link scratched his head. "Well, I'll check that out too, I suppose. See you around, guys."

The ruins of the old Shadow Temple, as it turned out, were surprisingly near the Temple of Time's location. Thinking back, Link recalled that a stretch of Death Mountain had once separated the original Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko Village, where the two temples had been respectively located. Now, all features save the temples themselves and a large graveyard had been erased, and even the Shadow Temple was no more than a hole in a wall. Climbing the ladder, Link walked down the hall, noticing in passing that the passage was clean and tidy; apparently, Morris' line kept the last remnant of their temple in as good shape as possible. In the back, on a raised altar, was a treasure chest that contained a long red cape, trimmed with white. Link couldn't resist trying it on. "Heh heh… look at me, I'm count whatisface! No, wait, I'm the invisible man! Ha ha!" As the name suggested, as soon as he had slipped it on he had vanished. "Probably a real killer on the magic, though…" Reluctantly, he removed it and placed it in his pack along with all his other possessions. "Sheesh, I have a lot of junk. I wonder if Sahasrala will lend me a pack mule. On second thought, never mind; Goddesses know what the Dark World transformation would do to the poor thing. Right, time to go see Larry."

Walking south, Link came to the grove of trees Sahasrala had talked of. As he approached, he heard a familiar tune. "That's Larry's flute, all right…" Running forward, he saw his childhood friend sitting on a tree stump, happily playing a tune. "Larry! Hey, Larry!" As soon as he yelled, the young man became transparent, and a moment later was gone entirely. "…What the heck! I've got a bad feeling about this… I'll have to check it out in the Dark World." Shaking his head, he returned to Kakariko and the smithy. The two smiths were inside, pounding cheerily on the Master Sword with hammers almost as large as their bodies.

"Hey, Link!" Tom turned to greet him. "It'll be another hour at least."

"Really? Huh." Link pulled out the Magic Hammer. "Maybe I could-"

"NO!" Harry, the other smith, yelled, then stammered. "Uh, I mean… thanks for the offer, but amateurs really shouldn't try this." He grinned suddenly. "If you want something to do… why don't you go see Mad?"

"Mad?" Link frowned. Tom grinned as well.

"Ho ho… there's an idea. Mad lives in a cave right next to this smithy, Link… it's hidden by the trees, so most people don't know about it, but it's there. Why don't you go meet her?"

"Well, okay." Link shrugged. "Still. A simple request to go meet a friend… and yet, why does this feel like a set up?"

"Because we're weird old men." Harry harrumphed. "Now go on." Muttering to himself, Link did as they said and soon located the cave. It was short and simple, and the only thing inside was a strange, barbarous altar flanked by a pair of stone dragons. Both they and the altar were green, as was a pair of human hands protruding from the top. Palms up, they held a huge lens of red crystal. Looking at it, Link fought a strange urge to use it as a monocle and instead examined a plaque below it.

"Absolutely do NOT sprinkle magic dust on this… on penalty of bat?" The young warrior raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm REALLY worried… but it doesn't look like there's anything else to do, so here goes nothing." Taking his pouch of magic powder, he sprinkled a healthy handful on the lens. There was a puff of smoke and a screech of raucous laughter, and out of the lens, a purple bat flew up.

"After ten thousand years, I'm free! It's time to… wait, no it ain't. This isn't ten thousand years, there's not enough explosions! What the heck?" Hovering in place, she glared at Link. "OY, YOU! Didn't you read the sign? It said quite plainly, no human sacrifice on penalty of Cucco! Now I'm gonna-"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT!" Link yelled, unpleasant memories of a Cucco incident in his childhood returning. "It doesn't say that! It says no magic powder on penalty of bat!"
"Really?" The bat flew down and looked at the plaque. "BAH! Oh well. So no Cuccos for you today. Nice to meet you kid! I'm the Greary Fate of Cigam!" Her eyes crossed. "Cigam… cigas… cigars? Cigars! I'm the Cigar Fairy!" A massive stogie appeared in her fangs, and she began puffing. "But you can just call me the Mad Batter. Anyways, where was I…? Oh yeah!" Her eyes began flashing ominously. "You DARED to wake me up from my deep, dark sleep… a curse shall be placed upon you…" She grinned and held up a sign reading Thanks. "A curse of thankfulness! Thanks a lot, kid!"

"Uh…" Link blinked again, completely lost for words. "No problem…?" He noticed that sometime during the conversation, a ridiculous derby hat had appeared on the Batter's head without him noticing.

"Sure! But now… it is time for my revenge!" The Batter's eyes flashed again, and the sign changed to Tanks. "Get ready for it! A revenge of…" She looked at the sign. "Tanks? Sure, you can have a tank-wait, no, those aren't invented yet. Hmph. Well, I suppose it'll have to be magic, then." She raised an eyebrow. "That okay with you, kid? Magic? Come on, I ain't got all day and we'll have to fill the forms out in triplicate."

"Uh… that's fine." Link agreed, still confused. The Batter cheerfully produced a huge stack of papers from nowhere and burned them into nothingness in the same motion.

"Triplicate's done! And BANG!" Four tiny lightning bolts burst out from her wings and orbited the startled Link for a few seconds before exploding harmlessly in bright light, confetti and puppet Ganondorf heads with happy smily faces. "Heh heh heh! I laugh at you, miss fortune! No wait, MISTER fortune!" She blinked. "Wait, that's you? I need your help on a card game on Friday… but never mind that! Now your magic power will drop by one-half!" This registered in Link's brain.

"Say WHAT!"

"Sorry, no returns without a warranty or proof of purchase!" The Mad Batter cackled, and the sign changed to Congratulations. "Now then deary, do your best, although I'm sure it won't be enough!" She drew up a wing in a salute, and fell down back into the lens, vanishing once more. "Have a nice day, and tell that punk Ganon to stop teepeeing my house! See yas!" Link stared at the lens, motionless, then turned and walked out without a word. It was only when he neared the smithy again that he spoke.

"I need another drink. Bad."

"Hey, kid!" Tom poked his head out the door. "Before you get too upset, Mad's little gifts are the exact opposite of what she says they are. If she said she took your wallet, you'll find a grand on the floor of your house. If she said she's turning you into a chicken tomorrow night, then whichever Eye of Ganon you're going after at the time may just sprout feathers."

"She said she halved my magic power." Link replied shortly. A moment later, the realization struck him, and his eyes widened. "Wait. So does that mean… my magic power is actually doubled?" He shook his head. "Well, I still need that drink. If you'll excuse me…"

The next day, Link set off for Death Mountain bright and early, the Master Sword shining even more bright and sharp with its tempering job. The Ether Medallion near the Tower of Hera, the Bombos Medallion on a rise overlooking the Hylian Desert, and the Quake Medallion on a rocky island near Zora's Domain. The first two were no problem; finding the green stone slabs, he held the Master Sword high and was rewarded with a pair of golden disks roughly a foot in diameter. Ether and Bombos, polar opposites, like the Ice and Fire Rods on overdrive; by directing his magic power through them, Link discovered he could release massive bursts of ice or fire that would freeze or fry everything within fifty feet of him. When he went to find Quake, however, there was nothing there; by diving into the Hylian River and dodging Zoras, Link discovered a shimmering blue portal on the lake bottom where the island should have been. "Great. An underwater one… and it took the Quake Medallion when the island collapsed, looks like. King Zora's smart enough that he wouldn't have let his people steal it… which means it's in the Dark World." He shook his head. "About time I got back to there anyways." Returning to Kakariko, he shifted over to the Village of Outcasts the next day and crept around to the shooting gallery. Inside, he found the Rag members lying around, clutching their heads (Handy was just curled up in a lump) and moaning.

"Hey, kid…" Neosquid feebly waved a tentacle. "Try to be quiet, okay? We're unwell."

"Still?" Link demanded in a whisper. "The party was three days ago!"

"Yeah, well, the morning after we all decided on the oldest cure known to mankind." Handy explained. "More of what made us bad in the first place. Same thing yesterday, except we ran out. The two bottles are out in the hall, and you're welcome to ours; I never wanna see it again."

"Right." Link sighed. "Well, anyways, you're all in no condition to go out, so it looks like my next job's solo. Which is probably best anyways."

"Izzat so?" Neosquid muttered. "Found some way into the Misery Mire, have you?"

"Nope." Link shook his head. "I'm not hitting Vitreous next." It took a moment for this to register, and then all the Rag members stared at him.

"Kholdstare!" Handy demanded.

"Yeah." Link nodded firmly. "I'll have to take him out soon anyways… and Vitreous as well as Agahnim will both be expecting me to hit the eyeboy next. They'd never figure I'd be crazy enough to go for Kholdstare before I had to."

"That's because WE'RE not crazy enough to do that, and kid, we ARE crazier than you!" Neosquid protested. "Do you really think you're a match for him? ALONE? I mean, I know you're hot, but…"

"Yeah." Link nodded. "I picked up some arsenal over in Hyrule… and I mean it. I can't even demonstrate these things to you, they're too big. They'd blow up this place." He thought for a moment. "But one of the set got sent here… is there anything bad up in the northeast, where the river comes from?"

"Just a cranky old catfish." Handy shook his fingers. "Doesn't associate with us or Ganon… just stays down there by himself, hoards treasure and throws things at anybody who messes with him."

"Hoards treasure, huh?" Link smiled.

"Yeah, anything he can get his fins on. Think he might have something of yours?" Neosquid inquired. "Be warned, he won't let it go easy."

"That's okay. I think I can persuade him." Link shrugged. "Anyways. Kholdstrae hangs out at this place's equivalent of Lake Hylia, right? If my guess is correct… specifically, his palace's entrance is on an island in the center?"

"Got it in one." Handy admitted. "But it's completely frosted over."

"That firepower I mentioned should handle it… plus, some buddies of mine pointed out that there's a portal that leads directly onto that island, so I can start there without being followed or spotted approaching." Link explained. "That's another reason to do this solo. Less chance of being seen by Kholdstare when I'm in there."

"Kholdstare sees everything in his domain." Neosquid disagreed. "You'd just better hope you interest him enough to get close and dispose of him."

"I'll have to." Link agreed. "Well, I think I'll go see that catfish. See you guys around." Heading northwest, he eventually found the river mouth. Where the island in Hyrule was supposed to be was a circle of stone, and a sign nearby pronounced a curse on anybody who did anything to them. "Hey, catfish!" The young warrior yelled. "You there?" There was no response. "Hello! Catfish! Want to talk to you!" Again, nothing. Shrugging, Link tossed a small pebble into the circle, and a few seconds later, an angry head emerged.

"Stupid brat!" The catfish bellowed. "Here's a present for you, now get lost!" Link jumped back as the catfish spewed a lit bomb at him and dived under. Once the explosion had cleared, Link stood up.

"Oh, that's IT…" Chucking another rock in, he quickly turned and, using the strength of the golden gauntlets from Blind's Lair, hefted a titanic boulder. The catfish emerged once more, even more furious.

"You again! I'll-" He froze as he saw Link holding the boulder.

"I tried being nice, and it didn't work." Link remarked to him. "So we do this the other way. You have a golden medallion, about a foot in diameter. It's mine. Return it to me, or I'll chuck this in your circle of rocks… and that's where your horde is, isn't it? Either do what I say or it's pancaked. Your call." Making strangled noises, the catfish dived and surfaced with a third medallion, like Ether and Bombos. Link took it and nodded. "Right. I'm out of here." Leaving the catfish, he started to walk back to the shooting gallery, then remembered something. "Larry!" Detouring to the grove of trees, he looked inside, then slowly walked forward. "Oh, man… I was afraid of something like this." Sitting on a stump in the center of the clearing was a creature resembling a hybrid of a young man and a tree. He skin was brown and wooden, his arms stuck out like branches and his face had growths and sprouts as well. "Larry? Goddesses, is that you?"

"Li… nk…?" The treeman creaked. "Link… you're… here?"

"It's okay." Link promised. "What the heck happened?"

"Agahnim… the wizard… jumped me." Larry explained slowly. "Said he wanted… to experiment on… sending somebody who wasn't a descendant… without a portal. And then… I came here." Link nodded somberly.

"I'll bring you out." He took out the magic mirror and held it in front of his friend's face, but nothing happened. "What? Why isn't it working?" Looking closer, he realized that Larry's eyes had already become knots of wood. "You can't see… can you? Damn, Blind was right…"

"Yeah… I'm blind… who was-never mind. It's too late…" Larry muttered. "I'm turning into a tree. It was slowed down... somehow… everybody else transforms instantly, but my flute… did something… I buried it when Agahnim cornered me, before he brought me down. In the grove… right in front of this stump. When I was sent… it started playing by itself… and I only transformed slowly. But… it's not permanent. I'm lost. Can't move, Link… can't walk, can't even twitch, can barely speak." Link shook his head.

"Larry, I'm so sorry…"

"Can you… get it for me?" Larry pleaded. "Bring it… let me hear it… one more time?" Link nodded.

"Just hold on. I'll be right back." Looking into the magic mirror, he returned to Hyrule and ran to the town, where he surprised both blacksmiths by bursting in and grabbing a newly made shovel off a rack. "I need to borrow this! Sorry, I'll explain later!" Running back to the grove, he dug where Larry had told him and soon unearthed the instrument. "I never thought this looked much like a flute." Link murmured to himself quietly, picking up the strange blue, vaguely fish-shaped instrument. "It's a woodwind, but… something familiar about it? If he's right, and it affected his transformation… what kind of power does this thing have? Wonder about that later. The closest portal… the swamp." Crossing back to the Dark World, he ran up to Larry. "Okay. I'm here." Taking a moment to remember, he lifted the flute to his mouth and began playing an old, familiar tune Larry had always been fond of.

"Thank you." Larry whispered once he was done. "One last… request. Take… my flute… back to my grandfather. Let him know… what happened to me. Goodbye… Link." And then his clothing turned to bark as well, and the bark of his body flowed together and joined with the dead stump… and there was nothing there but a squat, young tree. Sighing, Link placed a hand on where the shoulder of his friend had been, then turned and left.

"These have been sad times for all of us." Sahasrala spoke sadly to the crowd of Kakariko Villagers gathered before us. "With the troubles, we had forgotten to give proper respect to those who have fallen already. Our king, Lucas… Brian, caretaker of the Sanctuary… Albert, former Captain of the Knights of Hyrule… and Quincy, a good friend of mine. And now another, Larry, a child of this village whose life was undeservingly cut short. Those whose bodies we have been able to claim are buried in the graveyard… and all that remains, are our memories of them." He nodded at Link, who began to play the flute, the same tune that had been Larry's favorite. As he did, Tom raised his voice in a slower, solemn version of one of the ballads the Rag had sang a few days ago, remembering their own fallen.

"One by one we pass on, we become dead and gone, and others are left here to grieve… so here's to the friends who have gone to their ends, and here's to the next one to leave." As the last notes of the song faded off, everybody's eyes were drawn to a speck in the sky, approaching at high speed. It was a bird, a white flat-beaked one of unknown species, almost as large as a man. Silently, they all watched as it landed in front of Link.

"An avian familiar?" Aginah wondered. "Your ancestor was befriended by an owl of tremendous proportions… it seems this fellow intends to aid you in a similar fashion. But if it's summoned by that instrument…"

"Sir, if you don't mind…" Morris turned to George, Larry's grandfather. "How did your family line come across that instrument?"

"I'd heard one of my ancestors was given it be the royal family as a gift…" George explained quietly.

"It's not a flute at all, then…" Link realized, looking it over. "It's an ocarina… THAT ocarina…" He shook his head. "Well… what can you help me with, buddy?" The bird held out a wing, and after a moment Link dittoed the action with his arm. Instantly, the bird flew forward, grabbed his arm in its talons, and flew off, somehow carrying him as well. "WHOA!" Link stared down at the disbelieving faces of the villagers below as they soared off. "Geez! A little lower, maybe? Just a little?" The bird complied obligingly. "Good… now just don't let go! Where are we going?" As if uncertain itself, the bird began circling. "How about Lake Hylia? Can you take me there?" In response, the bird immediately turned and flew southeast, reaching the Lake in only a few minutes. "Right, land on the island in the center." Doing so, the bird released his hand and turned to face him. "Whew… that's convenient. Thanks, buddy." It quacked happily. "So… will you come whenever I play this baby in Hyrule?" It nodded. "Awesome. I'll see you later, then… I've got a job to do." Quacking again, the bird flew off. Link began to uncover the pile of rocks that blocked the portal, then paused. "Actually… I think I'll take a look around here first." All that was on the island, aside from the portal, was a small cavern… the remains of the Water Temple that had once laid below Lake Hylia. Glancing inside, Link raised his eyebrows. There was a pool of water, with several fairies flying over it… and one of them, far larger than the rest, identical to the Great Fairy of Wisdom.

"Hello, Link." She greeted him. "I was wondering when you would come to see me."

"Hello, ma'am." Link smiled. "I would have come by earlier, but I didn't know where you were… good thing I decided to look in here before heading off on my next mission."

"Indeed." The Fairy nodded. "Like my sister, I am only too glad to aid you once more. Now what can I do… aha, I know." She concentrated, and Link suddenly felt the weight on his back lighten. "There you go… I've enchanted that pack of yours. It can carry as much as you need without weighing you down now… and your quiver of arrows and bomb bag, too. Their size isn't a limit anymore… they'll hold a practically infinite amount."

"Handy." Link thanked her. "I appreciate it, ma'am. Now then, I'd better go fight the good fight and all that."

"You may call on us for aid any time." The Great Fairy waved as he walked back out and stepped onto the portal. The world shimmered around him, and Link appeared in the Dark World, standing in front of a massive slab of ice that covered the entrance of the cavern. Ice covered the island completely, and ice covered the waters beyond it, freezing the lake's waters in perpetual immobility. Link looked at the entrance, then chuckled. "Well, then… if Neosquid and Handy are right, and Kholdstare sees me here no matter what I do… then I might as well start things off with a bang to get his attention." He raised the Bombos Medallion above his head, and from the golden disk a chain of fire spiraled outward, encircling him once and leaving a trail of flames behind it before blasting violently outward, filling the air with explosions. Only Link was untouched by the burning blast; all around him, the ice had been ruined. What was not melted had been shattered and blown away. The way forward was cleared. "Right… if THAT doesn't interest him, nothing will." And Link walked forward, into the frozen tomb.

"You have arrived…" A voice hissed ahead of him. Embedded in the wall, two frozen humanoid figures stood silently watching… and then their eyes glowed red and they peeled themselves out of the stone, and lurched forward. Link started to go for his Bombos again, then shook his head.

"No, can't overuse that or I'll be out of magic in no time, even with a green and two blues… and a red, but enough semantics. Yah!" Whipping out the Fire Rod instead, he hit each of the frost ghouls with a shot from it, and they melted in seconds. He walked beyond them, and down a flight of stairs. As he entered the next room, several bizarre green creatures turned to glare at him. They had feathers and scales, both green, and were bipedal with flippers, but their faces were elongated with maws full of sharp teeth. "What the hell? Some kind of penguin… alligators?" The Pengators grinned and advanced on Link, who was forced to fend them off with the Master Sword before they chewed him to shreds. Once they were all dead, he examined the room; there was no door or staircase, but a hole in the floor was visible through the encasing ice. Melting that spot with another Fire Rod blast, Link prepared to jump down when something caught his eye… something reflected in the ice on a wall. Turning to look at it, he saw nothing. "Hm…" The young warrior thought for a moment, then shrugged and jumped down, landing on the floor below. "Right then, I… oh, MAN…" Standing before him was a huge human skeleton, over ten feet tall, wearing shreds and tatters of armor, and holding a massive longsword. Eyes glowing, it lunged at him. Link barely managed to dodge the swing, but his return stroke smashed the skeleton apart into a heap of bones. "Phew… now-aw, no." He groaned as the bones rose and began to come back together.

"No sword can defeat the Stalfos Knight alone…" The same voice that had greeted Link at the entrance of the Ice Palace informed him, and he jumped. He had thought that was the icemen, but it seemed not to be the case.

"Just like King Lucas, huh…"Link smiled grimly, remembering the royal undead. "Well then, I'll take this guy down the same way." Felling the Stalfos Knight once more, he dropped a lit bomb into the bone pile and jumped away. The explosion obliterated the skeletal guard. "Right. Now then, who… are you…" Looking around, Link discovered that the room was empty. "Hmph… that could get annoying real fast. Oh well." Entering the next room, Link passed a long conveyer belt with inconveniently placed spiked walls and descended another floor, where a line of Pengators greeted him with open maws. This time, the young hero took a nasty bite on one arm before wiping out the last enemy. A moment later, the room began shaking wildly. "Uh-oh… Kholdstare's doing?" As if in response, the floor of ice crumbled away, revealing open air beneath. "I'll take that as a YES!" He cursed mildly as he landed a floor below, in a long room floored with ice like all the others and walled with spikes. "Have to be careful not to slide too much here…" He frowned as he saw a dim reflection in the icy floor. Before he could look clearly at it, it moved behind him. He didn't turn. "All right, whatever you are. You seem to be interested in me… so don't run away when I turn around this time. Just let me see you." Turning as he had said he would, Link saw the shadowy reflection standing still and gazing calmly at him. It was a thin old man dressed in blue, with a paintbrush mustache and a tiny hat… and despite his reflection, he was not in the room.

"Link… Albert's nephew… the hero." The old man whispered. "Here to save my daughter…" A chill ran up Link's spine, and it wasn't the temperature of his surroundings.

"Then there's only two people you could be… and you don't look at all like Agahnim's actual soul. Which means… you're Quincy. The one that died."

"Indeed… slain by the forger, in the body of my friend." Quincy confirmed sadly. "And my soul has remained by my daughter ever since, watching her… I can do no more. But you… you have slain four of the Forger's deadliest demons, and rescued four of the girls. Perhaps you can even slay the beast who rules this frozen tomb… and bring my Wendy back to Hyrule."

"That's the plan." Link agreed. "Can you show me the way?"

"Follow me…" The shade of Quincy flickered towards one of several doorways in the large room, and Link followed it through. Two more Stalfos Knights menaced him there, and though they nearly overpowered him, Link brought them both down in the end. It was only then that he noticed the door was covered by a metal shutter. Looking around, he saw no trace of a switch; only a gargoyle with a protruding tongue.

"Why the hell not." Grabbing the tongue, he pulled, and it extended outward with a click as the door opened. "Huh! Whaddaya know." He followed Quincy's shade onward, through colder and deeper and darker tunnels, facing Stalfos Knights, ice guardians and Pengators by the score, until they came to a cross-shaped room and Quincy paused.

"The path on the right is quickest to Kholdstare…" He explained. "But to the left, we will find a treasure you may need. If you wish it, then we must take the key to that chest from the north…"

"Haven't missed a treasure yet… let's go for it." Link decided, heading north. This actually took him up several levels through single rooms, until he found the key and went back down, losing track of just how far down he was… at least six floors. Maybe even seven. Back to the crossroads room, and take the left path, to another room floored only in ice. Two ice wraiths attacked, and Link burned them… then sat down, hard, suddenly feeling weak. "Uh… finally out of magic…" Taking out his green potion, he drained it. "There we go… took longer than I'd think. The Mad Batter knew what she was doing… no, wait, she totally didn't. Ah well." Burning a path through the floor, he dropped down in front of a huge chest and opened it with the key. Inside was an aged, faded blue tunic of the same cut as the green one he was wearing, along with a yellow cap. "Huh? A wardrobe change?"

"The tunic was manufactured by the Zoras." Quincy's shade informed him. "It is highly resistant to ice and water, as well as having more general defensive capability than ordinary cloth… and you can even breath underwater."

"Nifty." Link nodded. "Right… which way to Kholdstare now?" Quincy's shade obligingly led him to a huge steel block on the floor.

"Under here is the master of this domain."

"That's all I have to do to get to him now? Lift this block?" Link scratched his head. "Wow. And here I thought it'd be harder."

"I must confess I was surprised as well, considering how much there is in the rest of the palace." Quincy admitted. They both stared at the block for a moment longer, then shrugged. "Who knows."

"Yeah. Oh well, here goes nothing…" Grunting, Link managed to grab the edges of the block with the Titan's Mitt and heft it overhead, then hurl it away from him and jump down into the pit that was revealed beneath it. The room he landed in was perfectly cubical; identical, flat ice on all sides. Save for the one before him… for embedded in it was a massive structure of frozen crystals, jutting out at every angle possible. And inside this mass… a single eye looked down at him.

"So… you have come to me." Kholdstare boomed. "Small one… you would have been a frozen statue long ago, but your impudence… your sheer arrogance… interested me, from the beginning when you dared unleash such fires upon my domain. And now you are here… doubtless to bow down before me, and proclaim servitude for the king of ice and snow." The eye bulged with madness as it beheld Qunicy's shade. "And you as well, flickering one… you have been here long, but I have never stopped you, and you have never shown yourself to me… until now, when you finally give in and beg me for forgiveness, yes?" Slowly, Link drew his sword.

"No." He said flatly. "I come here to stand against you, Kholdstare… and all that you represent. You are no king… you're just another one of the Eyes of Ganon."

"INSOLENT PUP!" Kholdstare roared. "Do you realize who you are dealing with? I am KHOLDSTARE, and soon, I shall rule this world as a frozen wasteland!"

"Talk is cheap… and that sounded a lot better then your boss said it." Link taunted him. "Do your talking with your strength, not your mouth, from now on… you don't have much time to do it left, after all."

"Very well! Then I shall do as you wish, and bury you in the cold!" Kholdstare howled, and the room began shaking. Link was knocked off his feet despite himself, and he looked up… as the ceiling began breaking, and massive chunks of ice fell towards him. Forcing himself up, Link tried to avoid them; the pieces of ice were large enough to flatten him instantly. But even when he managed to scramble away, the chunks broke into shrapnel that struck him sharply. Growling, he lunged with the Master Sword, but only succeeded in removing a tiny chip from Kholdstare's icy casket. "GAH HA HA! Is that all you can do, whelp?" Growling, the young warrior tried a mighty over-handed blow, and the Sword sank deep in the ice… and lodged there. Kholdstare's laughter doubled as he was knocked away from it by an ice chunk, and was forced to move further back to avoid death. "Pathetic… I feel sympathy for you, lad. I shall give you another chance… apologize profusely, and I shall forgive this insult!"

"Forget it… we're just getting started!" Link growled, pulling out his Fire Rod and unleashing it, straight at the point where his sword was stuck. The ice melted, and Kholdstare screamed in rage as the Master Sword slipped free in a rush of boiling water. The room's shaking doubled in intensity, and ice chunks fell more frequently, but Link continued to fire the Rod, wading through the rising water at his feet… then stumbling… then swimming. "Hey! What the-?"

"You finally notice, but too late!" Kholdstare yelled as the water level rose even more. "This ice is mine to control in all of its forms! Let us see how you fight when you cannot even breath, lad!" The water level reached the room's ceiling, and Kholdstare laughed… and then he saw Link having no trouble breathing at all. "What in the name of Morpha-oh, yes… I forgot! You stole my tunic… my treasure!"

"Yeah, I did." Link snarled, whipping the Fire Rod out… with no effect. He stared, and Kholdstare laughed once more.

"Ha ha ha! Trying to start a fire in water… your foolishness knows no bounds! Give up now, boy? Ready to accept me as your lord and master?"

"Not EVEN when Hell freezes over!" Link roared defiantly, swimming forward with the Master Sword. Dodging a slowly falling ice chunk, he reached Kholdstare and began hacking wildly, chipping him away bit by bit. "I'll just keep at you… keep breaking you down until I reach the real you, and then I'll break that too!"

"Brave words, but futile!" Kholdstare brought another chunk of ice down, and Link was grazed on the shoulder by it. "Such would take you days, and I will destroy you long before-eh?" The barely visible eye widened noticeably… as the water began going down. Link turned and stared as well, at the shade of Quincy trapped on the icy wall.

"I am the descendant of Ruto, Sage of Water…" The spirit growled. "I may be dead, with my power gone… but converting water from one form to another is nothing for me! Not when my daughter's life is on the line! Finish it, Link!" The air above the water was filled with clouds of water vapor that grew and grew as the liquid shrank. As Link's feet touched solid ground once more, he pulled out the Bombos Medallion.

"I've had enough of the cold." The fiery medallion filled the room with explosions, and Kholdstare screamed as all the ice came down at once in a furious collapse. Link was battered all over by the collapse, and he felt even more drained internally… his magic had been used up once more. "Did I do it? Did that finish him…?" He stared at the enemy eye, hovering in place, and looking not at all defeated. "No… good thing I brought this much stuff!" He drained a blue potion as a pink gas began to be emitted from Kholdstare's core, spreading out to fill the room. By the time Link could stand once more, all around him was pink mist. He couldn't even see Quincy's Shade any more… just the one, single, angry eye before him. And then… it was not one, but three eyes. Separating, they began moving around in the mist.

"You wretch…" Kholdstare hissed. "Damn you… it's so hot now… but I still live! Even without my ice, I live! I am unstoppable… I am the KING OF THIS WORLD!" Shooting forward, the masses hidden in the mist slammed forward, pinning Link between them. They backed off, then slammed forward again, repeating the attack. "Perish! Die and perish, fall to the ice king!" Link stood up.

"No."

"FOOL!" Kholdstare hit him again, bringing him to his knees. "Yield! Yield, boy! Bow down to me, worship me, beg for mercy, and I shall spare your miserable life!"

"NO." Link repeated, standing and drinking his red potion. As Kholdstare started forward again, he raised the Bombos Medallion once more, and fire blazed out, igniting the pink mist. Kholdstare screamed as all the eyes were engulfed, and shot forward once more, but this time Link stood without faltering, and activated the Bombos again. "Your ice is gone… all that's left is you. So I'll burn you, and burn you, and burn you again and again, until NOTHING is left!" The Bombos flared, and Kholdstare screamed. "And not just you! All of you, all the Eyes of Ganon! You! Blind! Mothula! Vitreous! Arrghus! Agahnim! Even GANON himself!" The Bombos flared, and Kholdstare whimpered. "After you die, I'll kill the last ones… I'll kill Ganon, too! Just like I'll kill you… like I killed you sister, Arrghus, before you! She's already DEAD, Kholdstare, and you're joining her, here and now!" The Bombos flared, and Kholdstare burned. Link, as he had been, had gone… in his place, something else had arisen. Something as old as Ganon… something terrible, and wrathful. "You, all of you, are nothing more than a plague on Hyrule, and on this world too… and it is MY task, as the Juror of Courage, to remove you!" As two of the eyes withered and boiled away into nothingness, taking most of the pink mist with them, Link discarded the Medallion and advanced grimly on the remaining eye, in the last clump of haze, beaten and bloody. He forced the Magic Mirror into it, and Kholdstare screamed one last time, as an agony greater than any flame filled him… and then the Master Sword descended, and the last of the mist faded and disappeared, leaving the room empty and silent. Link stood and looked around for any sign of Quincy, but there was none; the ice was all gone, and there was nothing to reflect the shade. There was only the blue crystal, descending from the ceiling, and enlarging to reveal Wendy, his daughter.

"My father thanks you, Link." She told him right away. "He's already gone on… the moment Kholdstare's death was assured, he left this plane. He thanks you for rescuing me… and adds his blessing to those of the other descendants."

"I couldn't have done it without him." Link said honestly.

"No… I think you would have found a way." Wendy disagreed. "Your power is amazing, Link… it still remains as strong as it was centuries ago, in the time of the original Sages. Their powers were beyond comprehension… but with time, their blood has thinned. Unlike you, we are far weaker than they were… our power has dwindled. In his spectral form, it was all my father could do to simply change the water's form." She looked downcast for a moment, then brightened up. "But if we combine all of our powers… the seven of us, plus you… we can stand against whatever Ganon has. I heard your speech… you may just be able to do it." Link's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what he had said.

"Kill… Ganon? I can't… my ancestor couldn't, I mean… I couldn't, back then. And if I couldn't then, how can I now?"

"You may have to." Wendy urged him. "If we've miscalculated somehow on the massive opening at Hyrule Castle… if it opens completely before we can stop it, or if it remains strong enough even after we are all freed…" Link winced.

"Goddesses, I hope that doesn't happen. Let's just focus on what we know right now… freeing the other two."

"Very well… but I think you could do it." Wendy encouraged him. "For now, though… shall we leave this pit?" Link nodded.

"Yeah… I've got an appointment with a hot shower back in Kakariko. VERY hot. Let's get going."