A/N: Hi everyone! I'm sorry about taking so long of this chappie, but the computer got a total wipe and everything vanished so I had to wait to get it off my calc to comp. Good for you, though, because it's up to Nineteen typed, just gotta computer it.

Chapter Sixteen- Castle Showdown!

"Zelda!"

"Ah, I see the Hero of Time is your bodyguard. Well, this should make for an interesting fight." The stranger tossed Zelda onto the ground next to the wall and grabbed Link, throwing him onto the shore. "I assume you're gonna fight me for her, then?"

"You leave me no choice!" Link said as he drew his sword. "What do you want with her?"

"To see her brought to justice in the court of the One True King."

"She's the princess!"

"And her justice shall be final."

"Why would her father want to sentence her?"

"The King has no daughter. The False King who now rules shall be soon slain."

"Honestly, I doubt it, and if the king's a false king, then who's the so-called 'true' king?"

"The True King is Ganon, King of Thieves and Lord of the Gerudo," the stranger declared.

"Ganon?" Link asked. Suddenly, as if in a dream, everything began to fade. A long tower appeared with Link halfway up it. As if pulled by a strange force, he continued up the tower. Reaching the top, he drew his sword. Link opened the doors and entered a large room with an organ, music echoing in the room. The man playing it turned to look at Link. The second the Gerudo looked at him, Link felt an overwhelming evil surge over him.

"So, the Hero of Time has spaced out. If you plan to fight, now would be a good time."

Link looked at him. Without giving the stranger a chance to react, Link swung his sword, He slammed it into the stranger's side, but instead of being surprised, the stranger had been ready.

The stranger laughed, removing a black sword from underneath his cloak where Link had swung. "I am too smart for you and you know it." He charged forward, slashing in a left-right-stab-sweep technique.

Link blocked each, then blocked a few more attacks, each obviously trying to knock him off balance. After a few more blocks, and a few non-lethal blows, Link stopped for a second. "Your fighting style is familiar."

"As it should be." The stranger attacked Link with a downward slash, but Link easily blocked it.

"Oh, come on! That's my favorite move!" Link retorted, bringing his sword in a defensive stance, preparing a plan.

The stranger rained blow after blow upon Link, who was simply blocking each attack.

"So what, is little Linky gonna go down defending the pathetic princess? Is she even worth protecting? Poor, frail, weak, spoiled princess brat!"

"You can insult my intelligence, you can insult my name, but you cant insult my Zelda!" he roared, slamming his sword into the stranger's sword, which went flying. Link brought the point of his sword to the stranger's covered face.

"Now what? You can't kill me."

"Oh really? And why not?"

"Because..." the stranger said, and slipped through the wall, vanishing.

Link took no time investigating the wall, but instead ran to Zelda.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine enough." She smiled. "Thanks."

Suddenly, a knight jumped into the water and sloshed to Zelda. "Princess! Come with me to the castle. You'll be safe there."

Not wanting any more fights, Zelda followed the knight, Link following them both.

-

"Wait up!" Link shouted after the Knight. Once outside the Domain, the Knight had gotten on a horse and rode off. Link tried to keep up, but he was not as fast as a horse. He collapsed onto the ground, leaning against a low wall that, for some apparent reason, ran through the field. "Remind me to never chase after a horse."

"You'd think I wouldn't need to tell you," Navi replied, landing on the wall beside him.

"Yeah, but still, at least I tried to do something. I'm going to rest for a minute, then on to the castle."

"And what makes you think they'll let you in?"

"Nothing make me think they'll let me in, but I might as well try." He stood up, turned toward the castle, and took a step.

-

"You gotta let me in!" Link shouted.

The guard glared at him. "And why is that?"

Link stared at the castle guard dumbfounded. He had a point. Link shrugged, turned around, and came face-to-face with the cloaked stranger. He jumped back and drew his sword, sending the guard scurrying to the castle.

"Sorry about not finishing our fight earlier, but there was another issue I had to attend to." The stranger drew his own sword.

"No worries. We can pick it back up," Link replied, sliding into a defensive stance.

"Oh no you don't," the stranger said as his sword darted around Links, knocking it out of his hands. Link grabbed his sword just in time to block a blow that would have otherwise split his head.

"Any last words?" the stranger asked, lunging for Link.

"Yeah, I have a few choice words," he growled as he narrowly avoided the lunge. "Other than those, I'd like to know who you are."

"I'll tell you when I win." The stranger continued to launch off lunges and slashes.

"And if you don't?" Link asked, blocking every attack.

"I'll reveal myself and never bother you again. Sound like a good bet?"

"Good enough," Link replied, barraging the stranger with random attacks, most of which he himself couldn't block. Many attacks landed on the stranger's sword, but several smashed into the stranger.

"Well, well, well. It seems you're not as strong as I thought you were. Try this on for size!" Link shouted, bringing his sword to his side. Link jumped in the air, spinning around in a circle, then brought the sword down on the stranger, sending him stumbling back. Link once again pointed the sword at the stranger.

"Once again, you cannot kill me."

"And once again, why not?"

"Because," the stranger grabbed the top right of his cloak, "if you kill me, you kill YOURSELF!" Dark Link shouted, throwing his cloak in the air.


A/N: Well, here's something to read until the rest are finished. Have fun!