It was a dismal morning the following day. The sun shone brightly, but a collection of grey clouds let only a little of that sunlight through. The ground was damp from a rain storm that had occurred during the night, and by the looks of the clouds there could be another one before the day was up. For the entire southern region of Hyrule, not one bit of sunlight could pierce the thick, black smoke rising from the ruins of the Lost Woods.

In the Kokiri Forest, only a few trees remained as a barrier between the Lost Woods and the Kokiri Forest. With the flick of a wrist, five Wizzrobes shot fireballs out of their wands and into the trees totally incinerating them on impact. As the flames died down, hundreds of Arcanites flooded through the opening and into the Kokiri Forest.

The Arcanites immediately spread out and searched every house in the forest. They turned the houses upside down looking for anyone that might be hiding. When they were sure the area was clear, they sent a runner back into the Lost Woods and then formed ranks. They waited until a trumpet sounded and then quickly stood at attention. As they stared at the entrance to the Lost Woods, several columns of Darknuts came marching through. Though there was no sunlight shining through the smoke, the Darknuts armor still shone brilliantly.

When the columns of Darknuts had finished, another figure stepped through the entrance. He stood at least seven feet tall, and his body was built like a god. On his chest he wore a black chest plate, and the rest of his body was protected in reinforced leather. On his shoulders he wore spiked shoulder pads. A long, broad sword hung from his side. His face resembled that of Ganon's, except is was much older looking and battle-worn. His one distinguishing feature was a deep, nasty scar that ran diagonally from the top of his right eye all the way down to his neck.

"Lord Arcana sir," said one of the Arcanites, bowing as he did so, "the Kokiri Forest has been secured. There are no signs of any traps or ambushes, and the Kokiri are nowhere to be found."

"I'm a little disappointed to see that no one is here to greet us," Lord Arcana replied with a wicked looking grin. "Send word back to the camp that the forest is secure. Tell everyone to start making their way here. When they arrive, allow them rest. I'm not about to go into battle with a weary army. You all can rest for now. The attack begins at sunset. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

Lord Arcana now made his way down into the forest. Two Darknuts went to follow as an escort, but he waved them back. This was something that Lord Arcana wanted to do himself. As he made his way down into the deserted forest, he looked around for the entrance to the Deku Tree. He missed it at first, but on second glance he saw what looked like an opening that was overgrown with big, thick vines. He smiled another wicked smile as he made his way over to the vines.

Lord Arcana stopped right before the vines and stared at them. He could definitely tell that there was an opening behind them. Lord Arcana extended a hand and touched one of them. The vine rustled, and it had looked to those that were watching that the vine had winced under Lord Arcana's touch. Lord Arcana just let out a loud, bellowing laugh that echoed throughout the entire forest.

"Your powers are slipping Great Deku Tree," he stated when he was finished laughing. "I was expecting more of a challenge from you than this. You can't even hide yourself properly. It's time for you to meet your doom."

Lord Arcana drew his sword out of it's sheath. The blade of the sword was as black as his armor. As Lord Arcana stood there holding his sword, he started pumping some of his magical energy into it. When the sword started to glow, he raised the sword high up, and in a super quick move slashed through the thick, vines as if they were tissue paper. The vines stayed in place despite being cut in half, but at the edges where it was cut the vines began to decay. The decay quickly spread throughout all of the vines and before long the vines were nothing more than mush on the ground.

Lord Arcana now looked beyond and saw another such wall of vines. He walked over to them and did the exact same thing he did to the first wall of vines. He had to do this two more times before finally gaining access to the Deku Tree Meadow. When he finally gained access, his heart dropped at the sight of the decaying ruins of the original Great Deku Tree. Wondering how the forest was still able to defend itself without the Deku Tree, Lord Arcana lowered his head in thought. As he did so he saw the Deku Tree Sprout.

"Ah, now I understand," Lord Arcana laughed. "My son killed the original Deku Tree. It looks like he was too weak though to prevent him from regenerating."

"So you're the infamous Lord Arcana," stated the Deku Tree Sprout. "As I understand it you and my predecessor were mortal enemies in days long past."

"You got that right. In a way I'm glad my son didn't fully destroy the original Deku Tree, but I'm more disappointed with what he left me; a pathetic stump with hardly any power at all. I was wondering why it was so easy for my forces to make their way through the Lost Woods, and if your predecessor was still alive I'd still be searching for this meadow."

"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture. I'm nothing compared to the original. I did my part though. I stalled you as long as I could so that Hyrule could prepare themselves. I have no regrets with what is about to happen to me."

"Ah, the scent of sweet victory. I just hope it will be this sweet when I finish off those meddlesome Sages."

"So you are the reason why the Sages are losing their power?"

"Well duh, I thought it was obvious. I knew the Sages could prove to be a nuisance if left unchecked, so I made sure to eliminate them from the equation. No Sages equals an easy victory for me. Besides, with the Sages gone I can break the seal on my son, release him from his prison, and then kill him so that I can receive what is rightfully mine, the Triforce of Power. Mwhahahahahaha."

"You won't win. You can kill me, and you can kill the Sages but you will not win. The people of Hyrule will not go down without a fight."

"Yes, I already know that much from this little one. He was. . .quite annoying."

Lord Arcana snapped his fingers and in a big explosion of smoke, Mido popped out of thin air and fell face first into the ground. His tunic was torn all over, and his body was covered in bruises and cuts. He moaned as he tried to stand up.

"Mido!" shouted the Deku Tree Sprout.

"Deku. . .Tree. . .I'm. . .sorry," was all Mido managed to say.

"This one, playing the part of the hero, fought us with every last ounce of his strength so that his fellow Kokiri could run and hide," said Lord Arcana. "I must give him credit though. He managed to kill three of my Lizalfos before being subdued."

"Why are you doing this?" asked the Deku Tree in a worried tone. "The Kokiri mean you no harm. They are not warriors. Do with me what you will, but leave them alone."

"Oh, I plan on doing to you what I will, but I will not forget about the Kokiri. I know their secret. I know that the Kokiri hold the life of Hyrule within them, and if they die then so does Hyrule. But first, it's time for you to meet your end."

Lord Arcana raised his right hand above his head. It began to glow, and within seconds a huge fireball had formed. With a mighty swing of his arm, Lord Arcana threw the fireball directly into the Deku Tree Sprout. The Deku Tree Sprout was incinerated immediately, but not before experiencing an excruciating death.

"Noooooooo!" shouted Mido as he leapt up off the ground and charged at Lord Arcana.

Lord Arcana just smiled as he watched Mido run at him. Before Mido could even reach him though, Lord Arcana extended his arm out in front of him and toward Mido. Mido stopped dead in his tracks and scrunched his body as if he were being crushed. Lord Arcana then raised his arm and Mido was lifted up off the ground.

"Foolish Kokiri," Lord Arcana chuckled, "you are no match for me."

"Maybe. . .so," choked Mido, "but. . .Link. . .will. . .stop. . .you."

"Nobody can stop me now."

Lord Arcana now clenched his fist tight and Mido exploded in a brilliant eruption. With a smile on his face Lord Arcana wiped off the few drops of Mido's blood that had splattered on him. He then turned to face the smoldering ruins of the Deku Tree Sprout. He couldn't help but laugh as he watched the cinders of the Deku Tree Sprout slowly burn out, and the dust from Mido's explosion slowly drift to the ground.

"Ah, the first two casualties of this war," stated Lord Arcana with a grin, "and they won't be the last. Ah, I just love the smell of death and destruction in the morning. There's only one thing that can top this, and that'll be the sweet, sweet smell of victory. Mwhahahahahaha."

Zelda ran out of the castle in a hurry. Clenched in her right hand was a piece of paper. She had gotten up an hour ago and was planning to rest until she continued her training with Alexis, but a messenger had interrupted her rest with a note from Link. The note had asked Zelda to find both Alexis and Gerik and then come meet him, so after searching the entire castle and having no luck she came outside.

It didn't take her long to see a set of golden armor twinkling in the distance and a dark blue outfit against a green background. She wasn't surprised to see the two of them together seeing as how both she and Link believed that they were now a couple, so she was actually anxiously wondering what excuse the two of them would come up with when she reached them. As Zelda approached, she saw Gerik leaning in to kiss Alexis. As much as she would've loved to see that, she had more urgent matters to attend to.

"Gerik, Alexis, there you are," Zelda shouted as if she had just seen them.

"Um Zelda, what are you doing here?" asked Alexis as she tried to hide her now deep red face. "I thought you wanted to rest a bit before training today."

"Yeah, I did but Link sent this note to me. He told me that he had urgent news, and that I was supposed to find the two of you and the three of us are to meet him at the Bombchu shop. I'm a little worried. I mean, why would Link send this in a note rather than come to us?"

"I don't know," replied Gerik, "but it must be important. Even though I've only known Link for a few days, I know he wouldn't pull anything, especially with a major battle only hours away. Let's see, if I remember correctly the Bombchu shop is located in a back alleyway. Well whatever it is, apparently Link doesn't want anyone eavesdropping. We better get going."

Note still clenched in her hand, Zelda started off at a fast pace toward Hyrule Market. Alexis and Gerik nearly had to jog to keep up with her. Just by Zelda's pace Alexis and Gerik could tell that she was worried. The two of them just hoped that her worries were unwarranted. Things were already bad enough as it were without Link adding more troubles to the list.

Not wasting any time upon entering Hyrule Market, Zelda quickly made her way down the nearest alleyway with Alexis and Gerik on her heels. They weaved in and out of several alleys trying to get to the one that contained the Bombchu shop. Zelda was far ahead of Gerik and Alexis by this point, and she showed no signs of slowing down. Gerik had to wonder though as they progressed from alley to alley whether Zelda really knew where she was going or if she was just checking every alley she passed in hopes of finding Link.

As Gerik looked around, he finally found a familiar landmark and knew that the Bombchu shop was down the next alley. He yelled out to Zelda, who was halfway down the alley they were currently in, to take a left at the next intersection. Zelda did so, but stopped dead in her tracks when she did. Alexis and Gerik saw this and ran with all their might to see what the problem was. When they looked they saw Link's body lying face down in the street with an arrow sticking out of his back.

"Link!" screamed Zelda, Alexis, and Gerik at the same time.

"Aha!" shouted Link as he jumped up off the ground seemingly unharmed. "I knew it was you. Oh shit!"

"You GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!" shouted Zelda as she stormed over to Link and started hitting him. "You scared me half to death! I ought to burn you to a crisp right where you stand!"

"Ow. . .Zelda stop. . .ow. . .I'm sorry. . .please. . .that hurts," stammered Link as Zelda continued her attack. "Come on. . .ow. . .quit it already. Just give me. . .ow. . .a chance to explain."

"Fine, but you better have one hell of an excuse for pulling this stunt."

"Don't worry, I do. Remember when I kept telling you that there was more to Alexis than she was letting on; that she was hiding her true identity from us. I finally figured it out yesterday, but I just needed to prove it."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Gerik. "Alexis is Alexis. Who else could she be?"

"Just look at her Gerik. She's getting all nervous because she knows I've discovered the truth. Why she didn't come out and tell me right away though is beyond me."

"Just get on with it already," stated Zelda with a serious look on her face. "I'm still waiting for your excuse."

"Anyway, as I was saying I needed to prove who I believed Alexis to be. I wasn't lying when I said her voice was extremely familiar to me. What I needed to do though, was make her do something that nobody else could. I needed to make her scream out my name in a worried tone. The only way I could do that was to either have someone hurt me or fake my own death."

"But in order for you to know how she screams your name out in a worried tone, that means the two of you would've had to travel together and have been in danger together. I thought you said that you've never seen her before though?"

"That's true, I haven't seen her before. The reason is that her voice remained the same, but her physical form didn't. It's true that we've been in danger together; the worst kind of danger. It was the two of us that took on Ganon's army seven years ago. Isn't that right, Navi?"

Link kept his expression calm and composed as he said this. He just looked straight at Alexis without a hint of what he was feeling at the moment. Zelda and Gerik were the complete opposite. Both of them had their mouths wide open in shock as they too stared at Alexis. Alexis wasn't looking at anyone. She had her head lowered, and as a result her expression was unknown.

"Navi?" Gerik managed to say after a while. "Are. . .are you mental or something? Navi was your fairy companion, wasn't she? I mean, just look at her. Does she even remotely look like a fairy? I. . .I. . ."

"Gerik, please stop," said Alexis solemnly as she slowly raised her head. "Link is correct. My real name is Navi, not Alexis. I was the fairy that accompanied Link on his journey seven years ago, and then left when the adventure was over. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you guys sooner, especially you Link."

"But why?" asked Link, his expression turning soft. "Why didn't you tell us from the very beginning who you were? Why all the secrets?"

"I didn't want to do it, but the Sages ordered me to. They didn't want something like my return after all these years to distract you from the danger at hand. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I had no choice but to obey their wishes."

"Wait, you've been in contact with the Sages?" asked Zelda. "I've been trying to contact them for days now. Why haven't they answered my calls?"

"Because they didn't want what is affecting them to start affecting you. You see, something is draining the Sage's power. They believe that it's Lord Arcana. They are very weak right now. They are standing at Death's doorstep."

"Hold on a second," said Gerik, disbelief still in his eyes. "How can you be Navi? Navi was a fairy. She was small enough to fit in Link's hat. You're a grown woman. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Actually Gerik, this is my true form. I am a Guardian of the Triforce. You see, it's our duty to protect the Triforce at all costs. Seven years ago, that involved my accompanying Link on his journey to save Hyrule."

"But why were you a fairy?" asked Link, his own confusion now growing. "I mean, another warrior sure would've been useful. And what do you mean by Guardian of the Triforce? I've never heard of that before."

"Zelda can explain it. Since she's a Sage I'm sure she knows all about the Guardians."

"Well, I know the history behind them anyway," said Zelda when all eyes had fallen on her. "Before the six current Sages, there was obviously another group of Sages. Unfortunately, something happened that no one could've ever predicted. Three of the Sages became corrupted by the allure of the Triforce and tried to seize it. The other three Sages who remained true to their duty fought them, and a battle of the Sages ensued. The battle lasted several months if I recall, and in the end the three good Sages emerged victorious. With three of the Sages dead though, a new group of Sages had to be awakened, the same ones that you yourself had to awaken Link. Though having to relinquish their status as a Sage, the Goddesses themselves bestowed a unique honor among them. They made them Guardians of the Triforce, protectors of the sacred triangle till the end of time."

"You mean to tell me that you were once a Sage?" asked Link dumbfounded.

"That's right," replied Navi. "Little old me was once a Sage. Since there were three of us, each one of the goddesses took us for their own. I was chosen by Farore."

"But you still haven't explained why you were a fairy when you helped Link out," said Gerik.

"The Guardian's home is in the Sacred Realm with the Triforce. It is in there that we keep our true forms. Within there time stands still. I haven't aged a day since becoming a Guardian. In order to come to this realm though, our bodies are transformed so as not to disrupt our true selves. The reason I am in my true form now is because of the Sages. Together they used what power they had left to bring me into this realm in my true form. As a result I can longer go back, but that's a small price to pay when it comes to Hyrule and you guys."

"Who are the other two Guardians?" asked Link.

"Well, you already met the second one. Remember the owl that helped you out seven years ago, Kaepora Gaebora? He's also a Guardian. He was chosen by Naryu. The third Guardian, is no longer with us. When we realized the danger Ganon posed, it was decided that two of us would come to this realm and help you Link, while the third stayed behind to protect the Triforce. She died when Ganon made his way into the Sacred Realm and tried to get the Triforce. She fought her hardest, but he was too powerful. With her dying breath she separated the three pieces of the Triforce so Ganon couldn't get his hands on it. Her name was Alexis."

"Well that explains where you got the name Alexis from at least. Well Navi, it's certainly good to see you again. It's also nice to see that you've found someone special."

"What do you mean!" asked both Navi and Gerik astonished, their faces starting to blush.

"Oh come on you two," said Zelda with a smile, "the two of you are so obvious. Link and I figured it out early yesterday. You both may be good warriors, but you stink at trying to hide your love from others."

"Yeah," said Link, "I mean, did you really think you could hide it from me. I've been on enough adventures to figure out even the toughest puzzle, so something like this was a breeze."

"Sure, for other people he can figure it out, but yet he can't even see what's right under his own nose," Gerik whispered to himself as he walked over to a nearby stoop and sat down.

"Gerik wanted to tell you guys as soon as it happened," said Navi, "but I convinced him to wait. I wanted to wait until the war was over and I would be allowed to reveal myself to you guys. Actually, I wanted to tell Gerik my true identity first before we told you guys our little secret."

"Oh, I understand," said Link as he looked over at Gerik. "Um Zelda, why don't we let these two talk for a bit. Let's go check out the preparations being made on the wall."

"But why would we. . .oh, okay," said Zelda nodding in understanding. "Let's go then."

With that Zelda and Link walked away without another word. That left just Navi standing there and Gerik still sitting on the stoop. Navi had been regretting this moment ever since their first kiss. She knew that he had loved her as Alexis, but she wasn't sure how he was going to react now that she was herself. So far he hadn't said a word about their relationship, only about how she could be Navi, but she figured that he kept quiet because Link and Zelda were there. She had rehearsed this moment in her head many times before, but now that it was actually here she wasn't sure what to do. Finally gathering all of her nerve, she turned around and walked over to Gerik.

"Gerik, I am so sorry about all this," Navi said with her head down. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"What's there to be sorry about?" Gerik replied in his usual cheerful tone. "I mean, nothing's changed, has it? The only difference is that I have to start getting used to calling you Navi."

"Yeah, but I thought. . .never mind."

"Thought what, that I wouldn't love you anymore?"

"Well yeah. I didn't know how you were going to react to my past. I used to be a fairy for heavens sake. Let's also not forget about the fact that I've been lying to you and Link and Zelda since the beginning."

"Listen sweetie, I don't care about your past. All that matters is the present. And about you being a fairy, who cares? I love you for what's on the inside, not the outside. Sure, I'll admit that I was at first taken in by just your looks, but if you were to turn back into a fairy at this very moment I would still love you the same. You are the first person that I have ever loved, and you can quote Zelda on this. I'm not about to give you up just because you kept your true identity from me."

"I. . .I don't know what to say. You know, underneath that gruff exterior you're the sweetest guy I know."

"Yeah I know, and you're the sweetest girl I know. Now get over here and give me a kiss."

With a big smile Navi ran over to Gerik and the two of them embraced each other in a big hug. In no time at all though, they had pulled their heads apart so that they were staring into each other's eyes. Gerik then leaned in and gave Navi a lengthy kiss, the same kiss that he was going to give her earlier when Zelda had interrupted. After the kiss, Gerik wrapped his arm around Navi and the two of them headed to the wall to catch up with Zelda and Link.

As the two of them approached the wall, they could see that much work had been done to the wall since the day before. The barricade that the knights had been building was finally finished. It was four feet high, and whatever quivers of arrows and barrels of bombs and spears that couldn't fit on top of the wall were situated behind it. Also situated behind the barricade as well as on top of the wall were torches, all waiting to be lit for the battle.

Navi and Gerik finally spotted Link and Zelda standing on top of the wall. They were talking to the Captain of the Royal Guard. Navi and Gerik tried to see if the conversation was a good one or bad one by the expressions on Link's and Zelda's face, but they were too far away. Not wanting to wait for Link and Zelda to come to them, Navi and Gerik started making their way up the wall.

"Well there you two are," said Zelda as she spotted them walking over. "I see that everything is good between you two."

"You bet it is," said Gerik before he kissed Navi on the cheek. "Tell me Zelda, have you ever seen me so happy before?"

"No, I can honestly say I haven't. You've certainly had an effect on him Navi."

"Well, he's had an effect on me too. I've never been this happy either. So what are you guys talking to the Captain about?"

"The strength of the Hylian Army," Link replied as he entered the conversation. "The Captain was just telling me our numbers, and I'm glad to say that they're pretty good. We have 200 Royal Guards and 300 regular knights from the actual army. In addition to that we have roughly 700 recruits. That gives us a total of about 1,200 troops. Now the Gorons and Zoras have promised us 500 troops each, but they won't arrive until tomorrow morning. So basically by tomorrow morning, if we can hold out, we can have a total of 2,200 troops. That's a hell of a lot better then I thought it would be."

"It won't be enough," Navi said gloomily.

"What do you mean? Do you know the strength of Lord Arcana's Army? If so tell us."

"50,000 strong, at least."

Link's, Zelda's and Gerik's hearts all sank at that moment. They just stood there, wide-eyed, staring at Navi. The Captain of the Royal Guard had overheard Navi as well and he had stopped what he was doing. They were all shocked, and none of them had any clue as to what to say."

"50,000 strong," said the Captain. "That's it, we've lost. We can't defend against an army of that size. We should just abandon the castle now while we still have the chance."

"Bite your tongue Captain!" ordered Zelda. "There is always hope. We will not abandon this castle, and we will not give up. If need be we will fight to the last man, but we will not allow these invaders to just come in unopposed."

"I'm sorry your highness. Please forgive me."

"Captain," said Link, "send out riders to the Gorons and Zoras. Tell them that we need those troops tonight, otherwise there may not be a Hyrule to come to the rescue of in the morning. Now go, get going. As for the rest of us. . .Gerik, hey Gerik! What the hell are you doing?"

Not answering, Gerik grabbed a hold of the edge of the wall and flung himself over it. Link, Zelda, and especially Navi ran over to the edge to see what he was doing. As he was falling, Gerik did a midair flip and landed on his feet onto the drawbridge below. He then ran out into the field a little bit so that he had a clear view of the others.

"Gerik, what the hell do you think you're doing?" yelled Navi.

"I'm sorry honey, but this is something that I must do. We need more troops."

"You're going to the Gerudo?" asked Zelda.

"There's no other choice. You're father may be too pig-headed to ask for their help, but I'm not. Whether he likes it or not we need them. Don't worry, I will be coming back, and I won't be alone. I'm not about to turn my back on Hyrule like my parents did. It's about time I started regaining some of the honor my parents lost. I'll see you all again, I promise."

"Gerik, why does it have to be you," Navi said to herself as Gerik ran off toward the Gerudo Valley.

"Don't worry Navi," said Zelda. "Gerik always keeps his promises. Isn't that right Link? Link?"

"This is it," said Link as he stared off towards the south. "The pieces are all set, and each side now patiently awaits their doom. Each side knows what is expected of them, and though filled with fear they are ready to fulfill those expectations. It will be before these walls that the fate of not only Hyrule, but all those who dwell within it is decided. The War of the Triforce is about to begin."