Hey it's this thing again!

I don't have much to say for the preamble except the fourth wall is a tad fragile at this stage.

And feel free to leave a review if ya want. I do try to respond to ones that have any actual content in them. No pressure but I do like to see feedback~

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter Seven

The Big Bad Appears! (For Real This Time!)

Linkle had to admit, having an ambulatory sea anemone wandering alongside her was a lot weirder than a massive arachnid or a big dinosaur. Barinade was more agile than their bizarre structure would indicate, but the way they moved only made things more unsettling. They had a large number of tendrils that were rapidly tugging them along the ground, and they seemed utterly unconcerned with the lack of water in the area. Perhaps they only occasionally needed to be wet? Or maybe some of the residual magic that had brainwashed them was keeping them from drying out.

Either way, it was still damn weird.

"We're gonna start a riot once we start going through Castle Town." Gohma muttered cynically.

"No need to fear. Once the people understand I am an ally of THE LAW they shall understand my presence as a necessary and helpful addition!"

"Yes of course." Gohma rolled her eye. "Castle Town, so well-known for being utterly infested with crime and sin. It's only one of the nicest and safest places in all Hyrule, and-"

"Why is the gate up?" Linkle frowned. She glanced at the sky. It was still daytime, although the gathering clouds were ominous and dark.

"That's… a good question. I guess-?" Navi began, but suddenly the gate began lowering rapidly. "Uh… That seems suspicious."

"I'm sure it's fine!" Linkle smiled cheerily, fists on her hips as the drawbridge sank rapidly, so fast that it thudded into the ground with a slight boom. Linkle's smile froze on her face at the sound of a horse galloping full speed. Instinct saved her life and she dove aside with a yelp, barely evading the white horse. She rolled to her feet in time to glimpse Impa and Zelda.

"Oh that's bad." Navi groaned as the horse galloped full speed.

Zelda's eyes widened as they passed, for a moment focusing on the monsters with a look of bewilderment, before zeroing in on Linkle. She twisted in the saddle, before hurling something full speed in a perfect pitch, arcing it high so that it landed behind the gang with a little splash.

The horse galloped away, and Barinade shouted after them.

"LITTERING IS A CRIME YOU KNOW!" They bellowed, pulsing angrily.

The clop of hooves approached, and the group turned again.

Linkle felt cold as ice.

There, perched on a massive black stallion, was the Gerudo King, the man responsible for all the terrible things that Linkle had seen happening in the past week or so. The dark magic user who had slain the Great Deku Tree, warped Gohma into a monster, resurrected the Dodongos, starved the Gorons, tormented the demigod of the Zora and brainwashed her newest friend.

Ganondorf, the King of Evil.

He looked a little puzzled at seeing his former minions and a small green-clad child, but otherwise his face barely revealed much emotion. He dismounted, rolling his shoulders back with a little pop.

"You." He gestured to the group. "...I don't know which one to address. You're supposed to be finding the spiritual stones."

"The tree is dead, the other Dodongos are dead and the way is cleared, and Barinade got horked up." Gohma supplied dryly.

"Wait, was leaving through the blue light the same as being horked up? Ew." Dodongo winced.

Barinade wriggled forward, their body writhing.

"YOU! You are in violation of so many laws, ethic codes, moral guidelines and other various things, that I do not even know where to begin with you!" They bellowed, pointing a long tentacle. "What say you, regarding these crimes?"

"...I don't… care?" Ganondorf shrugged, smiling easily. "Listen, I'm busy. Where did the white horse go?"

Gohma responded by lunging, all talons and fangs raised, slamming down into the earth…

Only to violently rear back as a fist slammed into her eye, Ganondorf having delivered a mighty blow, his hand surrounded with magical energy. The Gerudo King lunged quickly, spinning as he lifted and swung the spider as if she were a great club, hurling her hard into Barinade, who had been preparing an electrical shock.

Dodongo glanced at the two of them, laying in a heap, then at Linkle who looked frozen to the spot. He yawned and lay on the grass. "I fold." He hummed flatly.

"Ass…" Gohma mumbled weakly, as she dragged herself off of Barinade, grimacing as she was now coated in anemone juices. "Ew. Barinade slime."

"It's mucus…" Barinade mumbled as they pushed their body up, then swiftly unleashed a torrent of electricity at Ganondorf. The man raised his hands, quickly batting the bolts aside, expression utterly calm, an easy smile on his face. He then raised both hands, magic forming into spheres, which he hurled at the aquatic beast, sending Barinade sprawling back to the ground. Before she could react, Ganon lifted Gohma and slammed her back down on Barinade before turning on his heel towards Dodongo and the terrified Linkle.

" I had a little nut tree, nothing would it bearrrr, but a silver nutmeg and a golden peaarrrrr…" Barinade sang dazedly, clearly having some issues recovering from all the physical and magical damage they had received.

Ganondorf stood towering over Linkle, still smiling that calm, easy smile. The grin didn't reach his eyes, which were cold and sharp.

"You, kid. Where did they go?"

Linkle stuttered for a moment, but Navi quickly fluttered in, speaking rapidly.

"Thattaway!" She bobbed her body a few times, in a different direction than Zelda had actually gone. Ganondorf nodded, then suddenly snatched at Linkle, lifting her slightly. The tiny Kokiri yelped as she was lifted into the air, feet dangling slightly. Dodongo tensed, ready to pounce. While he wasn't about to fight a losing battle, he wasn't just going to let this man murder a child.

"What's this?" He hummed, snatching something off of her belt. For a horrifying moment, Linkle feared he had seen the spiritual stones, but remembered that those weren't just on her belt… He instead lifted the clay ocarina, dropping Linkle unceremoniously. "Could this be it? Hmph, I suppose I've time to see later." He chuckled darkly, striding back to his horse and mounting it.

He turned towards the battered, tense and frightened group, smirking wider.

"Stay out of my way. ...See ya." He grinned, spurring the black horse into action, galloping away, in entirely the wrong direction as Navi hoped.

"Welp. He absolutely steamrolled us . " The fairy sighed, glancing awkwardly at the still-delirious pair on the ground.

"...That's bad, right?" Linkle glanced at the distant dust cloud vanishing over the horizon.

"The bad guy just chased the princess out of her home and curb-stomped us, so yeah." Navi sighed.

"Well yeah that too, but um…" She nervously looked at her belt.

Navi turned from pale blue to stark white.

"Oh. Saria gave you that."

"Yeah."

"...She said she'd skin you if you lost it."

"...yeah."

"...We cannot let her ever find out."

"...Eek."

Eventually, the duo recovered. Barinade pushed Gohma off of them, moaning as they say up. "...Justice… is on… my side… I'll prevail. Eventually."

"Do you need a rest?" Dodongo sat up, sympathetically.

"I need… a doctor." Barinade collapsed again.

"I hurt in places I didn't know I had." Gohma mumbled, refusing to even try to stand up.

Linkle, not sure what else to do, remembered the shiny thing she saw Zelda fling into the moat. She headed over, diving in and retrieving it.

A cool blue ocarina, smooth, perfectly crafted. Beautifully sparkling.

And then-

Guess who!

Linkle jolted. She heard that in her head. She dragged herself quickly from the water and sat on the edge of the moat, closing her eyes.

"Navi, I'm hearing voices."

"Uh oh."

It's me, you idiot. Zelda.

"I'm hearing the princess's voice."

"Maybe you should lay down…" Navi drooped worried.

It's magic, you ninny. Zelda's voice was impatient and huffy. I can only do this for a minute or two, so listen up. You need to take that to the temple of time. Do you have the stones?

"Uh okay. It's some kind of magic spell from Zelda." Linkle relayed to Navi. "So it'll look like I'm… talking to myself."

"Oh geez." Navi groaned.

"Okay, um, yes, Princess. I have all three stones."

Ah good! I guess you are hero material! Okay, take them to the Door of Time, in the Temple, and play this song. The key to beating Ganondorf is there. And… Oh geez, I gotta hurry. Okay, listen carefully because I don't have much time to teach this one.

Luckily, the tune was memorable, and Linkle was soon playing it, perhaps a little off-key, but otherwise acceptably.

Zelda sounded relieved. Good. Good. I have to leave it to you now. And… Be careful, okay? Not only would it be bad for the whole world if something happened to you, but also I would feel bad about sending you to your death.

"Aw, that might be the nicest thing anyone's said to me."

That's really sad.

"They don't say nice things but I can tell that they like me anyway. Navi is like a mom."

"I am not!" Navi turned bright pink.

...Huh.

Cute.

Linkle flushed a bit.

Time to go. Good luck, hero.

And then the voice was gone.

"Hm." Navi tipped. "You're sure that wasn't just insanity?"

"I mean, um… Well I'm not sure now that you've said it!" Linkle stood, pursing her lips. "I guess there's only one way to find out." She turned towards her friends, who were slowly dragging themselves onto their claws and tentacles.

"You can just say feet ." Navi grumbled. "We get it, they don't literally have feet."

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Dodongo huffed, feeling very left out of the loop.

Castle town was in a frenzy, even before the monsters arrived, but the group had little time to dawdle. Instead, they made their way to the temple. Linkle cringed in horror as they passed an alleyway, seeing a castle town guard bleeding profusely, some people gathered around to help. There were soldiers everywhere, although they didn't seem too keen on trying to stop the monsters; Perhaps they had seen that the beasts didn't intend to cause any harm to the townspeople, and decided to focus their attention on the damage Ganondorf had done.

Linkle and the others slowly entered the temple. It loomed above the town, a solemn building, and the inside… pale, white stone, and a large black tablet at the end of the room before the door.

As Linkle approached, she yelped as suddenly the Spiritual Stones popped from her pockets, quickly hovering over the dias, floating above the tablet. She glanced awkwardly at the others, who shrugged nervously.

Linkle held the Ocarina of Time carefully, before pressing her lips to the instrument and playing each note.

"The Song of Time…" Navi murmured, as the gentle, melancholy melody filled the air.

"Spooky!" Barinade hummed. The group jumped in surprise, as the huge stone door slowly slid open. "I don't think this violates any laws, but this is certainly strange for sure."

"Well… it worked? What's inside?" Gohma peered in thoughtfully. Linkle trotted through the door as well.

"A sword." Linkle hummed.

"...That's not just a sword. That's a very important sword…" Navi murmured, awestruck. "...That's… That's the Master Sword! The blade of evil's bane! That thing is legendary! And it's real!"

"Pretty." Linkle hummed, examining it. "It's uh… kinda long though."

"Maybe it's magic and lighter than it looks?" Dodongo suggested dryly.

"Well, we opened the door. Let's give it a try." Linkle shrugged, wrapping her fingers around the hilt. She felt a strange tingle. Even if the sword was too big, it felt strangely right to hold it. She wasn't sure why.

For some reason, she could have sworn she heard a very faint voice, but it faded away. Gentle and encouraging.

Linkle pulled upwards, and her and Navi were engulfed in blue light.

And then everything went dark.

When Linkle opened her eyes, she had no idea where she was. A blue void. The ground looked a bit like the platform where she had taken the sword, but there was no pedestal for it to be pulled from.

"Welcome, hero!"

Linkle yelped a little. Standing a little ways away, on a similar, smaller pedestal was an old man. Something about him was vaguely familiar, but she wasn't sure what to say or do.

"Uh… Hi? Um… where…? Am I? And who are you? And… Okay, I have a lot lot of questions, but those two are good starts right?"

"Well…" The old man leaned forward a bit, looking a bit awkward. "This is the sacred realm… A place of safety, hidden away. The Light Temple, it is sometimes called. You entered here by pulling the sword forth; like a key. And your fairy as well."

"Neat." Navi hummed. "So why are we here?"

"Well… I brought you here. I am the Sage of Light, Rauru. You were brought here for the sake of Hyrule, as well as your own safety."

"Uh… Her safety?" Navi nervously fluttered.

"Yeah, I had big monster friends, I mean… Wait… No, Ganondorf absolutely thrashed them, huh…?"

"And he has only grown stronger." Rauru lowered his head. "By removing the Master Sword, you unlocked the gates to the Sacred Realm; the hiding place of the legendary power, the Triforce."

Linkle and Navi cringed simultaneously.

"Yikes." Linkle mumbled.

"Wow! We did the opposite of the thing we were trying to do." Navi sulked. "I didn't think we were that incompetent…"

Rauru cracked a bitter smile. "There is also something about the Triforce that I believe you do not know."

"Well, catch us up please!" Navi bounced impatiently.

"It holds great power, but it had a bit of a… failsafe of sorts, you see. Each piece represents a goddess, and their aspect. Din, Power. Farore, Courage. Nayru, Wisdom."

"We knew that ." Navi bobbed. "So what's the failsafe?"

"Balance. To properly make use of the Triforce on its own, one must hold the three aspects in balance. But if you do not… it splits; And the one who attempted to claim it will only be given a single piece. The one that they hold most dear."

"Well "Power" sure sounds right, that guy could have suplexed all of us at once." Navi grumbled.

"But the other two would find individuals of merit who could wield their aspects. And it appears that you, Hero, have been chosen to wield the Triforce of Courage."

"Is being too dumb to be scared really courage?"

"Hey!"

Rauru tried not to chuckle at the bickering. "Come now, allow me to maintain some gravitas here." He shook his head, biting back a grin as he spoke. "Now, for why you are here- forgive me, it took me a while to get to this point… But…" He gestured, the Master Sword appearing, tucked within a sheath. "The Master Sword could sense that you were worthy, but… Lacking. You had courage, and a pure noble heart."

"She is a pretty good kid." Navi nodded.

"But she was small. Not weak, by any means, but not strong enough. Linkle… take a look at yourself."

Navi let out a little choked sound as she gazed at the girl, glowing brighter. "L-Linkle! You're uh, tall! Well not tall, but taller . You're all grown up! Wait..."

Linkle jolted, looking down at herself, studying her body carefully. "Whoa! I have boobs now!"

"That's not the thing to focus on now!" Navi scolded. "How did Linkle grow up? It's been like, three minutes!"

Rauru pursed his lips. "...It's been seven years."

Linkle somehow managed to trip without walking.

Navi twitched in shock. "S-s-s-seven years ?!"

Rauru lowered his gaze. "During that time, Ganondorf has ruled over Hyrule as a mad tyrant, practically tearing the land apart, seeking the triforce. He invaded the temples that lay across the land, subjugating and tormenting the people." The sage lowered his gaze. "Without the magic of the temples… There is no hope."

"That's where we come in, right?" Navi bobbed. "That's why you needed Linkle all grown up."

"Yes." Rauru nodded. "And the Master Sword will be the key to it all." He clasped his hands together. "Do you wish to save Hyrule, young hero?"

"Sounds like I should." Linkle puffed her cheeks a bit. "I mean… I live here. And I like this place. Well, not the volcano, that place sucked but- overall, I like Hyrule."

Rauru chuckled. "A fair enough reason. Then you must seek the temples; They call out to the sages who can awaken their power. However, Ganondorf is aware of this. He's infested them with vile creatures, to prevent the sages from truly awakening…" He shook his head.

"Then that's where I'll go! I can figure it out." Linkle pumped her fists. Rauru nodded.

"You shall awaken in the temple of time. Be cautious. Hyrule is far more dangerous than it once was."

Linkle closed her eyes, and felt the blue light surrounding her body.

When she opened them, she and Navi were alone together in the Temple.

"The others probably left…" Linkle sighed. "I guess waiting seven years is too much to ask, heheh."

Navi lightly bounced on Linkle's head. "I'm sure we'll find them. There aren't many places an angry spider, a friendly dinosaur and a law-obsessed sea monster can hide, are there?"

"I guess you're right." Linkle hummed, extending a finger for Navi to rest on. "Still got you, though~!"

"Thank the goddesses for that." Navi huffed. "We'd be doomed if it was just you."

"I can't read maps, so yeah, sorry." Linkle pouted. "I'd probably still be wandering around the woods."

"...Hey Linkle?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever feel like you're being watched?"

"Yeah, sometimes…"

"You are being watched." A smooth, calm voice hummed out, echoing through the temple. Linkle jumped, spinning quickly, hand landing on the hilt of her sword, though she relaxed slightly when the stranger emerged.

Linkle tipped her head, trying to pin down who this was.

"I was going to do a big dramatic speech, but things are starting to drag a bit. I'm Sheik of the Sheikah. I'm a cool ninja, here to guide you a little. You're the heroine, Linkle, you have the Master Sword to kill evil…"

"And a new outfit. How… How did I get this?" Linkle paused, looking at her hooded tunic.

"Magic." Sheik supplied.

"Oh thank the goddesses." Navi hummed. "The alternative is horrific ."

Sheik cringed. "Well, it suits you I suppose… Anyway, you're supposed to learn this later, but I'm gonna cut the bullshit and teach you a song that can let you teleport here." Sheik quickly drew fingers to their face-

"Hey before you do, he/she/they?"

Sheik sighed. "He." He said- you know, like a liar . Sheik made a threatening choking gesture behind his back, reminding the narrator not to out the twist that everyone reading this should know, because sometimes others here have situational medium awareness and-

I should stop.

Linkle picked up the Prelude of Light easily enough and Sheik nodded.

"The first temple I would suggest you visit is in the forest you know well. Deep within the Sacred Grove. However… The entrance is impassable at this point in time. Hidden in Kakariko is an ancient tool that may be useful in entering the dungeon below."

Sheik slowly backed up, seeming to smirk behind the mask, before throwing down-

"AGH!" Navi shrieked. "NOT AGAIN!"

Linkle gently scooped Navi up, carrying her awkwardly out the Temple of Time.

Sheik, who was pressed up against the roof, dropped down, irritably twisting to glare at the fourth wall.

I don't see why you have to pretend to be male, you are a woman.

"It's important, okay? The less in common I have with who I really am, the less likely it is HE will find me."

Too bad for you, I know how this story goes! Good luck though Prin-

Before the narrator could finish, Sheik whipped her arm back and hurled a Kunai at the fourth wall and-

AWK!

We apologize for the inconvenience, but our previous narrator has suffered an unfortunate kunai-to-the-eye-socket related injury and has passed away. We shall soon have them replaced with a new narrator that has slightly more self-preservation instincts and doesn't go out of their way to provoke a badass incognito ninja.

Respectfully,

The Author.

Goodnight Everybody!