This one's a lil short. An interlude, of sorts! Please enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Getting the Gang Back Together

Ganondorf's fingers danced idly along the arm of his throne, lost deep in thought.

He had to admit, being the ruler of all Hyrule was pretty great. He could force people to bow or kneel wherever he went, be served the best food, and sleep on the nicest bed…

And nobody said a word if he cut in line anywhere he went.

Making Hyrule into a shadowy hellhole felt rather delightful too.

Absolute power absolutely rocks. He thought with a smug grin.

And yet, not all was well. The Gerudo King sighed, leaning forward a little. That girl. That stupid, stupid girl. How was she alive after all that? Even his phantom was subverted by that light of hers.

"Hmm…" His fingers rattled faster across the arm of his throne. "How to kill a so-called hero…"

He was reciting the title of the book he was reading. Actually the "so-called" comment was his own addition, but the book was packed was filled with different methods of murder. Well, she'd be going to the volcano next, immolation seemed like a decent way to be rid of her…

Ganondorf raised his fingers, a circle of dark magic flowing from his fingertips.

"Volvagia."

"My lord." A hissing rasp echoed out slowly, obedient and reverent.

"The "Hero" is on her way. Kill her. Burn her. Use the Gorons as hostages if you must. The girl must die."

"It will be done."

I very much doubt that. Ganondorf thought glumly, closing the communication spell.

Linkle was neatly deposited in front of the long-since petrified Deku Tree.

"How appropriate!" Gohma hummed. "Where this whole journey started."

Linkle nodded, but her smile was a bit sad.

"...Would someone please catch me up on things?" The Phantom asked meekly. "I was only just born. Everything is very confusing."

Gohma began reiterating the story of how Linkle had kicked her ass the first time they had met, while the young woman knelt by the tree, placing a soft hand on a root. Her gaze lowered and she gasped.

"Oh! Oh oh! Navi, look!" She knelt. "Is this a tiny little sapling?"

Navi fluttered closer. "Ah! It's a new Deku Tree. Funny, it took seven years? These usually get to a decent size by-"

And then with a loud pop, the sprout burst upwards, swelling until it was nearly the size of Linkle.

It should be noted that it happened about as fast as a punch, and with more force than one, sending the girl sprawling back in a heap.

"I think I cracked my ass." She groaned. She turned and paused, blinking. "Wow! You grew fast!"

"Hiya!" The baby Deku tree squeaked. "It's me! The Deku Sprout!"

"Ohmygod he's so cute." Linkle mumbled.

"So happy to finally meet you!" The sprout bobbed. "I woulda grown sooner, but that jerk Ganondorf made it so that I couldn't. Thanks to you, the forest will be back to normal in no time!"

"As normal as this place can be." Navi mumbled.

"Anyway… So, so, Linkle… Time for me to reveal some deep secrets to you! Ya gotta listen."

"Sure!" The girl said, smiling cheerily.

"You're adopted! Your parents are dead! All your childhood friends will stay children forever and you won't!" The Deku Sprout cheered.

Linkle's smile slowly fell.

"Woah." Gohma mumbled.

"That sounds rather heavy, even lacking context." Phantom crossed his arms.

"So… I'm not a Kokiri."

"I mean you should probably have noticed that when you woke up." The sprout never once dropped his cheery tone.

"Yeah, that might've clued us in but we were a bit distracted with the obliteration of the Castle Town…" Navi mumbled.

"I do have boobs now."

"As you've informed me, yes." Navi bopped Linkle's head lightly.

"...This doesn't change what we gotta do, right?" Gohma suggested dryly. "Don't let it bug you kid! Uh… You're just a Hylian! Nothing to be ashamed of. That I'm aware of."

Despite the lack of quality, Gohma's efforts to cheer the girl up seemed to work. Or at least they gave her a bit of resolution. She stood.

"Right! Let's go find King and Barinade! Then we'll go wake up the other sages! Uh… What's next?"

"Well, this was the forest." Phantom shifted his skull a bit, thoughtfully. "And that girl- Saria, I think? Had a symbol at her feet."

"Oh, right. The forest symbol…" Navi mused, opening her mental encyclopedia. "Then the next one would be… Fire. Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow, Spirit."

"Huhn. Not exactly the classical elements." Gohma mused.

"It's more like… The forest is earth, fire and water are self-explanatory. Shadow is death, Spirit is life after death. And Light, obviously, is everything else."

"You know a lot." Linkle hummed. "I mean I always knew ya were smart but how do you know all this stuff?"

"Fairies have free higher education and very long lifespans." Navi smugly announced, though she had a pink tint from the indirect compliment. "So I spent a lotta time reading about history and mythology. Not to mention the biology of monsters! Among other stuff."

"Woah. Woah." Linkle blinked. "I don't think I could fit half of that in my head." She turned to Gohma. "So… Where's the others? I think you said but I forgot."

"Barinade is either around Lake Hylia or Zora's Domain. Probably Hylia. The Domain is uh… You'll see when we get there. King is still trudging around the mountain."

"Then we'll pick up Barinade and then King, and then find the Fire Temple."

Linkle's eyes cast towards Death Mountain- because in Hyrule, when you think "fire" you think Death Mountain. Her eyes then continued to cast higher to notice the bright orange flaming ring circling the volcano.

"I would hazard a guess that that is abnormal?" Phantom crossed his arms.

"Yeah." Navi mumbled. "It wasn't like that seven years ago."

"Seven years is a long time!" Gohma cheerily announced, casually shepherding the group away. "Wait till ya see the rest of Hyrule…"

After nearly being eviscerated by a flying plant, Linkle and company arrived at Lake Hylia.

"What-" Linkle croaked in shock. "What the hell?!"

The lake was nearly dry. The place was barely a puddle.

"Ganondorf dried the place up." Gohma ran a claw along the dirt. "I hear rumors that he unsealed the Water Temple and either killed or took control of its guardian spirit. Either way, the place isn't really accessible to non-Zora.

"I can breathe underwater." Navi said smugly.

"And I do not require air to live." Phantom added.

"Yes, but Navi can't open doors, and Phantom has no idea what he'd be doing." Gohma nudged the undead fellow.

"It's true, I really wouldn't."

"Then the water temple is a no-go for now." Navi frowned. "...So are they here? Barinade isn't exactly… Subtle."

"WHO INVOKES THE MIGHTY NAME OF THE LAW?!"

"Ah, there!" Navi cheerily drifted up, flashing brighter. "Over here, you insane invertebrate!"

Linkle cheerily waved. "Hi Barinade!"

"Hm?!" The anemone rushed forward, and Linkle had to assume those things were their eyes. "You! I recognize you! Linkle! Where have you been? It was not unlawful for you to vanish like that, but it was rather rude!"

"Sorry! I guess I fell asleep for seven years."

Barinade hummed thoughtfully, twisting their gaze to Phantom, who was staring at them in utter bafflement.

"Hm? You resemble that no-good criminal scum Ganondorf! You are not a lackey of his, are you?" They crackled threateningly, lightning popping from their tentacles.

"I am an undead puppet, whom Ganondorf breathed life into in order to attempt to commit murder. Apparently this young lady forced his influence to leave my body. I am still… not entirely sure what that makes me now."

"So! I can add a count of "defiling the dead" to his vast list of crimes!" Barinade whipped out a notepad, scribbling.

"That's… a lot of notes."

"Ganondorf's crimes have filled six of these things, this month alone!" Barinade griped.

"Wanna go find King Dodongo and help kick Ganon's ass?" Gohma cheered.

"Absolutely! A criminal like that requires an ass-beating of epic proportions! I have some of these damned notes memorized." Barinade cursed, falling into pace with the Heroine's growing convoy. "Regicide for killing the Hylian king, numerous counts of homicide, slavery, biological and ecological warfare, necromancy, defilement of the dead, theft, vandalism, arson, general smarm…"

They continued raving like that all the way to Kakariko.

"...Larceny, grand theft equine, Cucco harassment, attempted genocide, littering…"

"Uh, Barinade? We're here." Linkle nudged them with a squishing noise.

"Ah! So we are."

Kakariko seemed not at all concerned with Barinade and Gohma. Apparently, the town was used to them by now, though they seemed a little freaked at the sight of Phantom. To be fair, he did resemble Ganondorf at first glance, but they relaxed upon seeing the other two monsters escorting him.

"Looks like this place mostly survived Ganon's influence." Navi hummed. "I noticed it last time, but… Things seem kind of normal."

"To a degree." Gohma hissed. "They still live in fear of his shadow. They pretty much have to fork over all of their money to him whenever his whim decides on "enforcing taxes"."

"We can add tax fraud to Ganon's crimes! That's a bad one!" Barinade muttered crossly.

"Please hush for a bit, you're giving me a headache." Phantom begged.

"Very well!"

"Well, things are better here than elsewhere in Hyrule. For now." Gohma hummed. "Ganondorf seems uninterested in them. Probably because he could slaughter them all bare-handed."

"Grim." Navi exhaled, turning. "...And Linkle has adopted a chicken."

"An egg." Linkle corrected.

"Egg."

"Who said that?"

"No idea." Linkle shrugged, tucking the egg gently into a pouch where she could carry it safely. "Let's keep going, there's not much I can do here. The shooting gallery kicked me out after I won three games in a row."

"Is using a crossbow with a sight cheating?"

"Hm…" Barinade pondered this. "...I think it is acceptable, so long as the establishment itself has no rules against it."

"I think the shopkeeper underestimated me because I'm a girl." Linkle admitted, making a sour face, but brightened quickly. "But he did hand me a nicer quiver and plenty of rupees, so it wasn't all a loss!"

"Okay, can we move on?! Let's find King, we might need the muscle."

"His muscles, and his laid-back vibes." Gohma chirped happily.

"He's much kinder than you." Barinade agreed. Gohma hit him. "That's assault!"

Phantom rubbed his brow. "...I wonder if perhaps I have made a mistake."

It was probably a good thing that King was a decent way off when he saw the group, because he came bounding towards them like a puppy. "Hey hey! It's you!" He cheerily bounced in front of Linkle, the earth shaking with each step. "Finally! I knew you'd eventually show up but geez."

"You did?" Linkle looked up, surprised.

"Well I didn't know but I coulda guessed." He shrugged cheerfully. "You could NOT have picked a better time to show, cause I could USE the help."

"What's gone wrong now?" Navi bounced, a touch of irritation creeping into her voice.

"Well… Dodongos aren't the only ancient enemy the Gorons had! We weren't even the worst!" King shifted, heading upwards along the mountain path. "Way back when, a big ol dragon would slaughter and eat Gorons pretty much for fun. And I guess Ganon brought him back."

"Hm…" Barinade scribbled in their notepad. "Another point of necromancy on Ganondorf's rap sheet. And this dragon has murder and consumption of sentient beings on his…"

"Great. Back into the flame." Gohma groaned.

That's the end of that one! I hope you liked it!

Goodnight Everybody.