"Brace the door! Regroup at the back!"

Rusl shouted this through the door of Telma's bar a split second before he slammed it shut. He turned and ran up the passageway between the entrance and the rest of town. He stopped in the middle and readied his sword. The passageway was not too wide; most of his slashing attacks would be of little use here. He would have to rely on thrusts. Fortunately, the passageway would be just as much a hindrance to the enemy as well; they would have to run single-file through the impromptu funnel and risk close-quarter combat.

It was not long before the struggle began.

One of the beasts, the kind with the jet-black skin and the pinkish markings, jumped into the entrance. The silver mask made reading its expression impossible, but it ran on all fours towards Rusl. The swordsman barely swerved out of the way of the swiping claw, and jabbed his blade forward. He winced a little in pain, for the wound to his leg had not quite completely healed, but his strike was true and the monster collapsed. Rusl withdrew his sword as the enemy fell to his feet and braced for another attack.

The next time, three monsters appeared at the entrance. One stayed, and two rushed forward. Rusl moved more aggressively than before. He feinted, retreated, and ran through the next enemy, then the cohort close behind. He was going to get ready for another attack when a deathly and bone-chilling roar, such as he'd never heard before, tore through the air. His eardrums hurt and his teeth reflexively clenched, but Rusl could see the third monster at the entrance rearing its head back.

What happened next was almost too fast to perceive. Rusl was on his back in seconds, his sword clattering to his side as he threw out futile kicks and punches. There were six claws going at him; the monsters he had slain were back on their feet, despite the mortal blows he had dealt them. His mind was all over the place; Colin, Uli, the new baby, Link, the group, Colin, Ordon, Hyrule, death, blackness, blackness…

It was over almost as soon as it started. The spear, standard-issued to the guards of Hyrule Castle, bore its way through the flesh of all three in one motion. The monsters suddenly went limp, skewered on the pole. Rusl's ear registered a thumping noise, and he felt a hand grab his. He was lifted off the ground, and found himself staring face to face with none other than Link himself.

The boy did not waste words. With Rusl's sword in hand, he dragged the older swordsman behind him. Rusl knew automatically that they were headed for the secret window above the bar.


Link took stock of the room. Telma's bar was crammed with several dozen Hylians. There were no guards among them. Those that did not flee must have been run down by the Shadow Beasts. Still a little weary from the carnage, Link watched as some men played cards, a distraction made difficult by their trembling hands, while mothers and grandparents comforted their children. Telma walked around in her cautiously jovial manner, handing out cups of soup for everyone. Agitha stood behind the counter, moving about fastidiously as she put the next pot out with a dexterity one would not have expected of the little lady.

And Zelda herself sat at the middle of the room, tending to the wounds of everyone who needed her attentive touch. The bar had a dwindling supply of bandages and oils that the Group had kept safe, but the princess did the best she could with them. Civilians came to offer tribute, but each time Zelda would wave her hand politely and indicate her priority.

Link could not help but let his eyes flicker to the rafters. There was one other opening in the ceiling that led to the bar, but thankfully no one had bothered to look beyond the rafters. He suddenly picked up another flash of movement.

It was the young scholar Shad, waving at him from the corner. He was seated at a round table with an old map on it. Rusl, Auru, Ashei, had taken up their own seats, and there was one empty stool. Each spot had a bowl of soup except the unoccupied one, which instead had a plate of bread, grapes, and diced potatoes.

Link hesitated. He had told them everything about Hyrule Castle. About the meeting with Zelda, and about the dark lord Ganondorf. He did not know how to explain he was a Link from a different world than this one. He had only heard Auru murmuring in passing about civilians claiming a portal opening in the streets of town, then closing again.

Link moved, not wanting to weigh the possibilities for and against the possibility of going back home, the original world. He was stuck in World B for now, and his stomach felt like it was caving in.

But in the end, he did not sit down with the group. He absentmindedly waved a hand and proceeded to a couple of crates in the corner. The few people around them said nothing as he made his way up the boxes and onto the rafters. He went through the opening there, as he had when...

He shook his head, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. Midna was where he had left her, curled up in the blanket he had procured from behind the bar's storage. The imp was turned away from him, her hair disheveled and loose. She shifted occasionally but did not make a single sound.

He found himself sitting down, wincing. His back still hurt. When it was him running through the streets towards Telma's bar and those he guessed would be inside, leading the way for Zelda and Agitha, it was Midna who flew ahead, looking straight ahead. One of the beasts had jumped out from an alley that crossed the road, its claw raised.

In the split-second before Midna shrieked, Link had already put everything he had into his feet. He knew intellectually that Midna could just float out of the way. But nonetheless, he leaped forward, pulling Midna out of the air and holding her tight against him. The claws had raked across his back, but that had not stopped him from taking a half-step and dealing the monster a blow to the neck.

"You idiot!" Midna had shrieked. "Why?!"

Link shook his head, trying to get the scene out of his head. He looked upon Midna, who was still laying down with her back to him. He sighed. It did not matter that he was not in his own world, where his burgeoning camaraderie with the Twilit Princess and the trip to Snowpeak after Ganondorf's death had actually happened. World B, as she called it, had none of the experiences that had made everything seem a bit brighter.

Link coughed. His throat was dry, and his cords felt strained.

It did not matter.

"I love you."

Link slumped into himself, letting his arms wrap around his legs and his face fall forward.

Unbeknownst to him, Midna was not sleeping.


Jovani had never felt so shaken as he had that particular day. The monsters had come out of nowhere, ripping through the streets and letting out their unearthly howls. He did not know how he managed it, but he had managed to crawl all the way up the side of the mansion, scurrying for dear life, clawing at every available crevice in the old stone surface.

He had stayed there on the roof, heedless of the fact that he was bleeding from the fingernails. He had waited until dusk, when the newly yellow sky finally began to darken, before he finally dared to climb his way down. When his feet finally healed the ground, he had immediately wretched as he beheld the body of an old woman in the road, his eyes zeroing in on the deep claw marks on her midsection.

Another man was sprawled near the doorway, unresponsive. Jovani had practically tiptoed past, doing his best to stem his trembling lips and keep his heart steady.

It was easy enough to find the secret spot that held what was known as the Harp of Ages. Even if a different world, it seemed, some things were the same.

But...

Jovani stayed inside the mansion, fiddling with the Harp. He had his objective. With the instrument, he would have the time he needed to find his loved one.

Still, he hesitated. He reflected on the sudden attack on Hyrule Castle. Maybe he had to spare more.

He sighed. As much as he hated the idea of dealing with any more of those monsters, maybe this crisis could be averted if he went back to find the source.

Who would he find? Who would he talk to? He shook his head. Questions for later.

He studied the Harp, and with jittery fingers put his hand to the strings and pulled right. A stroke rightwise, and he would go back to the past. Leftwise would send him the future.

The tune rang, and there was a flash of sudden light.

Right; past. Left; future.

Jovani blinked as the light enveloped him.

Or was it the other way around?

Hiya!

It's been fun to write this, and I hope to keep at it! I've had to pare the story down a bit from the outline; keeping things cohesive is kind of touch-and-go sometimes.

I'm still feeling out how to make Link vocalize. I started off having him react to things, thinking the game version was a slate I didn't want to add to/disturb just yet. But as of this chapter, I"m testing the waters.

Next up; Link remembers his trip to Snowpeak...