Hello again everyone! Welcome to chapter twenty-six! I really don't have much to say, except that there are only four chapters left after this one, and a big battle will be coming soon. But that is all I'm telling you. :)
As always, thanks to my reviewers since my last update- Alli-dunno; adrian-air-fire; Futuristic-dudette; Some Guy; lilykat14; TheGoddessKnight; Sakurelle; Gir Crazy; Infernal Flame Zero; Ygfi; Kariah; UlrichYumiforever; and Hououza (for two reviews).
Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of the Legend of Zelda series.
Malon and I looked on from the window as Link and Sir Cullen raced into the barn. I caught something in my peripheral vision. Something that Malon apparently saw, too, as she let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Link! It's Ganondorf!" I threw open the window and shouted, watching a black horse with a huge, red-haired rider, clad in all black, race off into the distance.
Link and Sir Cullen rushed back to the house, as I helped Malon sit down. She managed to calm herself, taking several deep breaths.
"Stay here," Link commanded, motioning for Sir Cullen to follow him to the stables. They hurriedly hopped onto their horses, riding them bareback as they chased Ganondorf. It was clear they didn't anticipate catching him, but wished to at least collect some clues as to his direction.
Malon and I waited anxiously for the next couple hours, fearing what had happened to them. Finally we could see Sir Cullen returning. He put away his horse and came back into the house, breathless.
"He went...towards...Kakariko..." he panted. "Link...followed...said...to get help."
The three of us hurried on to the castle. Sir Cullen normally would've gone straight there, but feared to leave us alone at the ranch any longer.
When we arrived, I commanded the guards at the drawbridge to sound the alarm. Within several minutes, the knights and soldiers were gathered in the castle courtyard. My father and I had already come up with a plan, with the help of Sir Cullen and Impa, and made quick work of dispatching a search party.
Some of the soldiers would remain at the castle and along its perimeters, to protect the town and the castle itself. The knights split into groups, going to various points in Hyrule to secure them. Myself, Impa, Sir Cullen, and Malon would head to Kakariko to see what had happened to Link. We chose not to bring along anyone else with us, for fear of drawing even more attention.
We got to Kakariko at sunset and inquired amongst the townspeople. Few of them knew of anything; those who did simply said that Link had come riding into town looking for a "suspicious person," and they hadn't seen or heard from him since. It was if he'd disappeared.
At last we found an elderly woman near the graveyard that knew something more. "I saw your young fiancé, Princess," she confirmed. "He came through on Epona, desperately searching everywhere for something. He left Epona on the hill near the windmill to rest and graze, and ran off. The last I saw, he was entering the House of Skulltula."
We thanked her for her information and went away quickly. Sir Cullen and Malon went to the windmill to see if Epona was still there, while Impa and I went to the place where Link had last been spotted. We found nothing more than some footprints in the soft mud outside the door, evidently his. The tracks led in, but not back out.
I opened the door quietly, and Impa and I entered. As the Skulltullas came down on us, I used a dagger to stab their soft bellies, killing them easily. We crossed the room, and upon lighting the webs on fire and allowing them to burn up, noticed there was a corner that seemed empty. Impa and I went ahead and investigated it anyway.
Impa saw a rug tossed haphazardly onto the floor and called my attention to it, remembering how Link and I had discovered the secret underground tunnels. I threw aside the rug and found a trapdoor like the one at the farm.
"Should we alert the others, Princess?" Impa asked. "I don't want them to think we've also mysteriously disappeared."
"Good idea," I said. "You stay here and guard this, while I tell Malon and Sir Cullen. They can keep an eye on the town, because anyone-or anything-coming through this tunnel should meet up with us along the way. So unless something is in town already, it should be safe."
I hurried out of the building and over near the windmill, calling for Malon and Sir Cullen. They clambered down the hillside until they were at the base of the slope, a few feet above me. They kneeled down, and we whispered amongst ourselves. Finally, with their good luck wishes, Impa and I were ready to descend underground.
She helped me open the trapdoor, and we climbed down the ladder and into the tunnel. We walked for what seemed like hours before we came to a fork. I quickly discovered that it was the same fork Link and I had come across; if we kept going straight, we would end up back at the farms, whereas if we looped around slightly to take the left branch...
"This is it," I proclaimed. "Now I know where the right branch of the tunnel leads to-Kakariko town. Straight ahead is Kiefer and Adalia's farmhouse, and taking the left branch should lead us to Ganondorf himself, provided he went home."
"So that must be where Link went," Impa added.
My heart sank as I realized the possible implications of all this. Particularly that Link most likely did not go to Ganondorf's Tower on his own volition. As much as he wanted to get rid of him, he would know better than to go there alone. More than likely, he was taken there by force.
Suddenly the tunnel felt very hot, and I found myself leaning my back against one side, and sliding to the dirt floor. I fanned my face with my hands, my skin warm and sweaty at the thought of my love being captured by Ganondorf.
"Princess, are you alright?" Impa asked, kneeling next to me.
"I...I'll be fine," I insisted. "It's just that...Link...what if..."
Impa pulled me into a warm hug. "He'll be fine, Princess," she soothed. "Trust me."
"But-"
"Hey, I was right about him being in love with you, was I not?" she teased.
"Okay, okay," I finally smiled, allowing her to help me up. "Let's go."
I reached the ladder at the end of the tunnel and ascended it. Somehow managing to press my ear to the trapdoor, I listened for any indication that someone-or something- was in the chamber. Assuming it was clear, I motioned for Impa to help me push the door open.
Looking around and seeing that it was indeed empty, we scrambled out of the tunnel, closing the trapdoor behind us. I immediately went to the cell in the corner, where Kiefer and his family had been imprisoned. The bars were still fused together from when I had freed them.
I turned around and gestured in the direction of the door leading to the small room with the staircase. We crept over to the door and opened as quietly as possible. Like Link and I had done recently, Impa and I peered into the room before entering and closing the door behind us, then walking slowly over to the staircase.
We began to make our way up the steps, ducking into dark corners along the way, then waiting to make sure we didn't hear any noises before continuing our ascent.
We made it to the top of the steps after what seemed like forever. I pointed out the double doors, asking Impa to make a mental note of them, as they would be the way out, should we be unable to get back to the tunnel safely.
Impa and I made our way to a door in a corner and put our ears to it. Hearing nothing, we slowly opened it and found it led to another staircase. Making our descent, we found ourselves in another massive chamber, this one with many cells. We looked in every cell, but all were empty.
I took a deep breath as we went to the last one. I let it out in relief as I noticed it housed Link, who had apparently heard our footsteps and was standing as if ready to attack, despite having been stripped of his weapons-and his clothing, for that matter.
"Zelda!" he nearly shouted, biting his lip to keep from saying it too loud.
"Link, what happened?"
"No time for questions now, Princess," Impa advised. "You can ask the dear boy all you want once we are safely at home."
Agreeing with her, I placed my hands on the bars and melted them in the same way as I had the other ones. This time, however, I found it not so draining.
Once Link was free, he went to hug me, but blushed as he remembered he was nude, using his hands to cover himself. Impa simply snapped her fingers, and within seconds he was again dressed. Not in his typical garb, but it would do.
He hugged Impa as a thank you, before coming over to me and picking me up, swinging me around. He set me down and kissed me forcefully.
"Okay, you two, save that for your wedding night," Impa teased.
Link and I broke apart with a laugh, happy that she hadn't revealed our secret.
"I love you," I whispered to him.
"And I you," he whispered back.
We held hands and, along with Impa, began to make our way back towards the stairs.
"And just where do you think you're going, Princess?" a voice hissed from behind us.
I whirled around, and my eyes went wide upon locking with a pair of red ones.
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