The Legend of Zelda: Glaive of Souls

by lavender phoenix

AU. Nothing was as it should be. That's what Del thought after her and her friends were suddenly transported to the land of Hyrule. Since day one she's running from bokoblins, arguing with heroes, pursued by an unseen force, and searching for a legendary weapon that doesn't even exist in the games. Everything she thought she knew about The Legend of Zelda will be put to the test.

10. The Master Sword

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a good summer!

This chapter has been in the works for awhile (sorry, combo of busy summer and hard-to-find motivation :S). But because of that this is a looooooong one. So, sit back and (hopefully) enjoy.

As always thank you all, both old and new readers, for your positive and remarkable comments; and for just taking the time to read this story in general! Every one of you is truly amazing!

PS: Iron-ninja I hope this chapter answers some of your questions :)

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ; only my OC's and plot

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I dreamt of my father that night.

He was standing in front of me- his wavy ebony hair falling into his eyes like it used to- and smiling. Just smiling. He opened his arms to me and I ran to him. As I was about to reach him I woke up with a start. Someone was calling my name and shaking my shoulder to get up.

I turned my head to see Telma standing over me, a soft smile on her lips as she spoke. "Time to get up, sweets."

I was about to close my eyes and ask for another ten minutes when I remembered what today was: the Master Sword quest. I sat bolt upright, causing Telma to jump back slightly. "I'm up… I'm up," I rasped, my voice still thick with sleep as I crawled out of bed.

I started to gather my clothes as Telma walked over to Calli and gently woke her.

I noticed that the oil lamp was still lit and I looked above me at the skylight to see the world outside just starting to wake up as well; the silver dawn stretching forth to overtake the inky night. A shiver crawled down my spine as I stared at the gray light. I almost expected to hear the village alarm to go off again, signalling another attack.

"Del," Telma said, breaking me from my thoughts, "we do not have a lot of time. You must get dressed."

I gave her a nod, grabbed the last of my clothing and excused myself to the bathroom.

The air was freezing this morning as I ran through the hall and down the stairs into the unoccupied bathroom. Unlike the past couple mornings, I wasn't too thrilled with the cold water and my teeth started to chatter violently as I brushed them, then washed my face. I ran my fingers through my hair a few times then pulled it back into a high ponytail. I quickly put on my Hylian clothes, hoping that being fully dressed would warm me up- but it didn't.

I made my way back upstairs, and when I entered my room Calli was awake, sitting on her bed examining something in her hands. She looked up and smiled, only to have it replaced by concern when she saw me. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Why?" I said as a cold shiver overtook my body.

"You look nervous," she said softly, worry floating within her words.

I blinked.

She's right… I am nervous.

And I realized that that was the reason I was shaking so much. It wasn't because of the cold. It was because somehow, deep inside, I knew that today marked the beginning of something huge- something life changing.

"I guess I am a little nervous," I said.

"There is nothing to be nervous about," Telma chuckled. "You are blessed by the goddesses, and you are traveling with Link. You could not be more protected." She beamed at me.

I gave her a half smile because it was all I could muster.

"But I did bring you something that should put your mind more at ease," she said as she picked up whatever Calli was examining a moment ago. She held it up in front of her and smiled widely once more. "I think this should be your fit."

She was holding an old, dark leather corset. This time I did smile and I laughed a little. "It's very pretty Telma, but I don't think I need a corset."

Telma rolled her eyes with a smile. "This is not a corset, sweets. It is armor."

"What?" I asked, hearing the skepticism in my voice.

Telma handed it to me. It was cool and smooth and flexible. Its pattern was simple with thick shoulder straps, full back coverage, and a scoop neckline. Symbols were carved in intricate thin designs along the straps and top and bottom seams. Triangles depicting the Triforce were alternated with figures that resembled the Hylian loftwing. The dark leather was worn and faded in a few places, but overall it seemed to be in pretty good condition.

"It's beautiful. But it's only leather," I said, not believing that this material could protect me.

"Faron leather is the finest in all the provinces," Telma stated. "It is extremely supple, but extremely tough. I would even say it rivals most armor."

I looked at it again, stunned.

Telma took the leather and started to loosen the back laces until it was wide enough for me to slip into. After I adjusted my red tunic underneath, Telma laced me in. The neckline fell about an inch below my collarbone and the bottom seam stopped just below my hips. The leather molded nicely to my body, hugging every curve snugly, and I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it was. It was almost like a second skin, smoothly moving with my body, never bunching or pinching no matter how I moved. I was impressed.

"You look great!" Calli said.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"Calli, dear, would you go and wake the boys?" Telma asked.

She nodded then hopped off her bed and went across the hall.

"One last thing," Telma said as she pulled out a pair of long, black gloves from a pocket in her skirt and handed them to me. They were leather as well, fingerless, and went just shy of my elbows.

"Thanks. Are they Faron leather too?"

"They are."

Calli came back with the boys and Charlie let out a whistle when he saw me.

"Damn Del, looking hot!" he said.

I looked at him and rolled my eyes, Parker gave him a glare that only 'brothers' are capable of, and Calli punched him in the arm.

"What?" he laughed innocently.

"It is time to go," Telma said with a smile, and the four of us followed her out of the inn, passed Renado's hut, and through the passageway to the entrance of the mountain range.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

There were more people here than I expected.

The growing light of dawn barely touched further than where the barrier stood, but it was easy enough to make out who everyone was in the brightening shadows.

Zelda and Nobu were standing closest to the barrier, talking to Bo and Renado, while Rusl and Shad stood off to the side, looking at a long piece of paper by lamp light. Ashei was leaning against the mountain wall next to Shad, the glow of the lamp revealing nothing but boredom on her face.

I didn't see Link, and I took a good look around before I asked Telma where he was.

She laughed. "He is probably dragging himself out of bed as we speak, the lazy boy." Then she walked away from us to join Renado, sidling up close to him.

I was secretly enjoying Renado's obvious discomfort when I noticed that Nobu was looking at me. He said something to Zelda before bowing to her and then walked over.

"May I speak with you?" he asked as he approached me.

"Sure," I nodded. "I'll be right back," I said to the others, and he inclined his hand for me to initiate our walk.

"I heard you had an eventful day yesterday," he said as we walked back up the passageway.

I laughed lightly. "You could say that."

"Princess Zelda tells me that she will be training you on how to use magic. That's quite an honour."

"Yes, it is," I said humbly. Then I grinned. "I've been told it's an honour to be trained by you as well."

The passageway was starting to lighten, and I was able to see the corner of Nobu's lip twitch slightly upwards. "You'll be in good hands with the princess," he said. "You'll learn everything you need to protect your friends."

I stopped walking, to which he stopped too. There was something in the tone of his voice that left me feeling confused. "Wait? You're still training me too, right?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "You've been given magic. I don't think swordsmanship is a necessity anymore."

"But- you promised me."

He blinked.

"I did," he agreed then paused before speaking again. "Okay, if that's what you'd like?"

I nodded. "Until magic is reliable I want to know how to use a weapon."

"Fair enough," Nobu said looking impressed and I allowed myself to swell with pride.

"Did you find anything with your lead?" I asked, curious.

"No. It turned out to-" but he stopped talking as something caught his attention and he turned his head to look down the passageway.

I followed his gaze and I saw that Link was walking towards us- dressed in his green tunic.

Finally, I thought as I watched him approach us. My heart started beating with giddy excitement at seeing my video game hero in his iconic outfit.

"You're late," Nobu said to him gruffly.

Link ignored him. "Are you ready?" he asked me.

"As I'll ever be," I answered back.

Link smiled and my giddy heart skipped a beat then changed into something wild. I felt my cheeks warm.

But then my body went cold as I saw who was now coming up behind him.

Luda was walking up the passageway, leading a fully equipped Epona. However, it wasn't her that made me shiver with nervousness again: it was Talon. And he was leading a fully equipped Ai.

I had to ride a horse…

"Del, are you okay?" Link asked as he looked at me then behind him.

"Umm… ah, I didn't- didn't know we were riding horses," I said lamely.

"It's a long journey," Nobu said, his eyes puzzled. "Did you think you were going on foot?"

I glared at him.

Okay, I should've known. But modes of Hyrulean travel were not at the forefront of my mind. "I don't know how to ride a horse," I confessed.

Nobu sighed and I glared at him harder.

"Don't worry, Del. Riding isn't that hard," Luda said, stopping. However, Epona kept going and walked right up to me, placing her head into my chest and knocking me back a step.

"Hi there, girl," I laughed and scratched her cheek.

"Hey you traitorous beast, I'm over here!" Link said, crossing his arms. Epona snorted once then pulled her head back and bumped her nose on his shoulder. "What did you do to my horse?" he asked, giving me a curious glare.

"Nothing," I shrugged.

"She just likes Del more," Luda said with a laugh then tugged Epona's reins and walked past us, Talon following behind, chuckling.

Nobu, Link and I tagged along and rejoined the others at the barrier; Link breaking away to talk to Rusl and Shad. The three of them started discussing and looking over the contents of whatever was on that paper.

"What did Nobu want?" Parker asked as I stood next to him.

"Just to talk about training," I said.

"Cool! When-" he started but was interrupted by someone calling my name.

We turned and I saw Uli coming down the passageway, Colin in tow.

"Colin," I breathed as I jogged to meet them halfway.

Uli smiled as I approached. "He wanted to see you before you left."

"How are you doing?" I asked as I crouched in front of him, my eyes searching his face for any visible signs of injury.

His little cheeks turned pink in the soft golden light and his eyes lowered to look at the ground. "I'm okay," he said meekly. "Thank you for saving my life." He looked into my eyes that time.

"I'm really happy you're okay," I smiled then I stood. "You know, you're a pretty brave kid."

"No I'm not," he said in a small voice. "I was so scared."

"So was I," I said and I watched his eyes widen. "But just because you're scared doesn't mean you can't be brave, right?"

He smiled and nodded, then looked at Uli, whose eyes glistened as she smiled at her son. Colin then let go of her hand and she gave him a long object wrapped in cloth. He un-wrapped it and pulled out a sword that was almost half his height.

"This is my sword. My dad made it for me but I can't use it until I'm older. My dad said that you don't have a sword. You can use mine until you get one," he said, beaming as he held out the weapon for me to take.

"Colin, thank you," I said, completely astonished. "But- I can't take your sword away from you."

"It's okay. You need it more than I do. It will protect you."

I smiled at this kind-hearted, adorable little boy and took the sword.

It was heavier than I expected. The grip was a painted red leather; and the blade had a pearlescent shine that mimicked an oil slick when I turned it in the light. There was a small etching at the base of the blade where it met the grip and I held it closer to make out the design.

"It is a hawk," Uli said. "They can be found all over our village in Ordon. They are Colin's favourite animal."

"It's a beautiful sword," I said to Colin, who smiled proudly.

Uli then gave me the sword's holster (which thankfully buckled around my hips) and I sheathed the sword at my side.

I turned around, ready to walk back to the entrance with Colin and Uli when I froze. Everyone had stopped talking and were all looking at us.

I frowned and was about to yell at them to mind their own business when my eye caught Rusl's. He was smiling softly then inclined his head as if thanking me.

I smiled and nodded back, trying to ignore the soft hit to my gut at how much his warmth reminded me of my dad's.

"Link? Del?" Zelda said. "It is time."

Link took the paper, folded it, and put it in a pocket in his pants. He then walked over to Epona, and with a feline grace, mounted atop the horse.

"Del?" Talon called, motioning me over with his hand.

Oh God…

"Del, riding a horse? This I have to see!" Calli chimed as she walked behind me.

I walked over to Ai and noticed his obsidian eye following my every move. He wasn't as big as Epona but that didn't make him any less intimidating. I took a few steps back only to bump into Talon.

"Do not worry. Ai looks more daunting than he is," he chuckled.

"Del would you like me to help you?" Charlie asked.

"Yes please," I squeaked.

He helped me place my shaking left foot into the stirrup and then gave me a steady boost. I got my leg over on the first try, and I sighed my relief that I didn't end up making a huge fool of myself.

"Guys look! I did it," I said with awe.

"Aw, Charlie, our little Del is finally on a horse," Calli said, placing a hand to her chest.

Charlie pretended to wipe away a tear. "I have never been so proud."

"Here, let me take a picture to commemorate this momentous occasion," Parker said as he took out his phone from his pajama pants pocket. "Smile!"

I gave him the biggest smile I could- as well as the middle finger.

"Classy," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Alright, enough fooling around," Nobu chided. "It's time for you two to go."

Talon gave me the reins and then took a few steps back, smiling.

"Uh, how exactly do you drive this thing?" I asked him.

I heard the sound of hooves and I looked to see that Link was steering Epona my way. He turned her around, stopping her right beside Ai where he took the rein that was connected to the bit. "Let's go," he said, giving the rein a tug. Ai started moving.

I pressed my knees against the saddle and gripped the reins for dear life as Link started to lead us towards the barrier.

I felt someone place a hand on my shin and I looked down to see that Telma was walking next to me. "Del, remember: What does not kill you makes you stronger," she said, her voice soft and airy as she smiled serenely.

I blinked at her. It sounded almost as if she was reciting a prayer or bestowing a blessing of protection upon me. I didn't know whether to laugh or cringe at her odd choice of using the saying.

"Thanks, I think," I managed to say, giving her an awkward smile.

She nodded then stepped away and back over to Renado.

Link stopped Epona and Ai right in front of the barrier where Zelda was standing just off to the side of the opening. She turned and grabbed something that was leaning against the rocky wall then passed it to Link.

My eyes widened. It was the Hylian Shield!

I swiveled in the saddle, looking for Parker. I found him standing against the wall next to Luda.

His eyes were round as he stared at the shield (now hooked onto Epona's saddle). A need burned through them; a child-like hunger to hold the shield that once lived solely in his fantasies.

I had to bite back a wave of laughter at seeing Parker looking so childish.

"May the goddesses bid you a safe journey," I heard Zelda say, and I snapped around to see her bowing her head.

Link bowed back before tugging on Ai's rein once more, and then we were moving through the barrier and away from the mountain.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I remained quiet for the first half hour of our journey.

Link let go of Ai's rein once we got to Kakariko Bridge and just never took it back after that.

At first I was terrified that Ai would go wild and start going off in a different direction, but I was relieved to see that he remained behind Epona the whole time.

Within the first five minutes of riding my body was already sore from being so tense; but by about ten minutes in I started to slowly relax. I found the rhythm of Ai's movements as he traversed over the hard ground rather soothing.

The air was warming up as the sun started to peak over the mountains; and now that Ai wasn't covered in shadow I finally got a good look at his colouring. His mane and tail were onyx, and his body was a dark gray- as I originally thought- but in the sunlight his coat flashed a brilliant indigo.

I could see why Talon prized him so much- he was quite striking.

By the time half an hour rolled around I found that I was pretty comfortable riding Ai. I was comfortable with his pacing and with my balance; and I came to terms with the fact that he probably wasn't going to run off with me still on top.

But now that I no longer needed to focus all my attention on the three hundred pound animal between my legs, I began to feel the creeping prickle of silence.

"So, how long till we get there?" I asked Link.

"We need to get to Faron Woods and that'll take us to about midday," Link said without turning around. "But at the pace we're going…" and he let that hang in the air with a taunting shrug.

I rolled my eyes at the back of his head; however, I turned to look behind me. The blinding light made my eyes water, but I could see that the sun was still low to the mountain range. I sighed.

Yeah, this is going to be a long trip…

"So once we get to Faron Woods, how far is the Sacred Grove?" I asked, not really remembering where it was on the game map.

Link turned to look at me. "How'd you-? Never mind," he said, shaking his head. "Why I'm surprised by the things you say…" he mumbled as he turned back.

I pursed my lips at his floppy hat.

A few minutes passed in silence and I decided to try again.

"Did you really try and find the Master Sword?"

I saw his shoulders tense and his back straighten at my question. "I did. And as I said before, I didn't find anything," he said coldly.

Okay, touchy subject. Let's try something else.

"What's on the paper that you were looking at with Shad and Rusl?"

He let out a short bark of laughter. "You really like asking a lot of questions, don't you?" he said, turning to look over his shoulder at me.

I glared at him. "What do you mean I ask a lot of questions?"

He gave me a pointed look.

I huffed and rolled my eyes as he turned away. "Yeah, well, at least I'm trying to have a conversation with you," I shot back.

"Really?" he drawled. There was something almost predatory in the tone of his voice, and it made me feel like he was backing me into a corner. "So now you're willing to talk to me- after days of rebuffing my attempts? Why the change of heart?" he purred darkly.

I froze as my gut feeling was right: He had trapped me into a corner; blocking me within the recesses of this awkward situation.

My mouth went dry as his query pressed in on me and a mild bout of guilty panic fluttered across my chest. But then I felt my defenses start to rise, and my claws came out, ready to strike.

"Change of heart?! Hardly! I'd just like to know the details of this "little adventure" we're on," I exclaimed, sneering at his back.

"Ah, I get it. So you'll talk to me, but only if it's beneficial to you?" he said. He looked over his shoulder again and I bristled with indignation. His dark blue eyes held a blatant smugness in them- as if I just proved that I was nothing more than a selfish bitch.

I was about to yell at him- and become the bitch he thought I was- when I paused. A realization whacked me in the back of my mind and it made me laugh softly under my breath.

Link raised a questioning eyebrow at me.

"You're right," I said with a nod. "Maybe I am only talking to you for a selfish reason. But I can guarantee that that reason is not what you think."

He didn't say anything but just kept staring expectantly.

I sighed heavily. "Okay, fine. You want to know the reason? It's because… Uh, it's-" I tried. I suddenly became very self-conscious and blew out a puff of frustrated air as I felt my cheeks go pink.

Link still didn't say anything as he looked back at me. However, I could see that there was a slight change to his eyes- a softness to the narrowed edge, a curious glint in his steely glare. And I don't know how- even thinking back to this day I don't know how- but there was something in his gaze that made me want to be seen; to be understood.

"Silence," I said in a rush, looking down at my hands. "It's the silence. I know it's weird and lame and makes no logical sense- Parker likes to thinks so, anyway- but… But when my dad died, everyone was just so silent around me," I explained. "During the funeral, and many times after, I'd walk into a room and people would just stop talking. They'd look at me and cry, or just walk away, never saying a word." Then I shrugged my shoulders, "It's funny, children grow up believing that adults know just what to say in all types of situations; but no one knew what to say to me. I guess it just really freaked me out to the point that when I'm out of my comfort zone with people, I feel more comfortable with chatter," I finished lamely.

"I'm sorry," Link said, his voice sounding close.

My eyes snapped up and I saw that he was no longer ahead of me but riding right beside me.

I felt my cheeks warm again. "Oh, ah, there's nothing to be sorry about," I said, embarrassed. "It's my own neurotic-"

"No," Link interrupted. "About your father."

"Oh," I breathed, my heart squeezing tight.

Link's gaze changed once more, shifting to stare in that intense, searching sort of way of his that seemed reserved only for me.

"Why do you look at me like that?" I asked, annoyed.

"Like what?"

"Like you're trying to figure me out?"

"Maybe I am," he said with a shrug.

I actually laughed at that. "Well, good luck, because I'm still trying to figure me out."

I was surprised when he laughed too.

I smiled.

"How old were you when your father died?" he asked, all trace of laughter gone from his face.

My smile sobered. "Ten."

"I was twelve," he said.

"I'm sorry, Link. How did he-" but I stopped, feeling like I was overstepping my bounds.

"Ambush," he answered without hesitation. "He and a few other knights were patrolling the outer wall of Castle Town."

As I looked at him I saw something flicker behind his dark blue eyes. It took me a moment to realize that I've seen it before- right after the bokoblin attack. The first time was nothing more than a flash, so fast and abrupt that I thought I'd imagined it. But now, as he gazed back at me with open and unguarded eyes, I saw within him the same thing I see within myself every time I look in the mirror:

Loss.

My heart broke again, and I had to fight back the tears that were welling in my eyes. "My dad died in a car accident. My uncle was with him- Parker's dad- and they both didn't make it."

"I'm sorry," Link said again.

"It was a long time ago," I said, taking a deep breath.

Link nodded. "Still doesn't make the pain go away, does it?"

"I miss him every day."

"I miss mine too."

We fell silent and I had to bite my tongue so as to not say anything, when Link said, "What's a car?"

I smiled and thought how best to explain. "Um… A car is pretty much a horseless carriage that uses mechanics to move," I said. (It was the best I could come up with).

"Oh," Link said in understanding- but his eyes betrayed his confusion.

"You have no idea of what I'm talking about, do you?" I assumed with a grin.

He gave me an embarrassed smile. "No. No, I do not."

I laughed lightly. "Yeah, I'm not the right person to offer explanations on cars. That'd be Charlie's field of expertise. You should ask him," I suggested.

"Maybe I will," Link said with a nod. "I'd like to know how a carriage can move without horses pulling it."

He smiled at me, and I smiled back.

But my smile fell as I looked at him. There was an ease to his attitude towards me- and it was a little disconcerting. So I started to search his face with the same intensity that he used to search mine.

"What?" he asked, giving me a suspicious look.

"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" I questioned.

He gave me a wry smile. "Contrary to what you believe, I'm not a jerk."

"Really?" I countered, raising my eyebrows.

"Yes, really," he defended, narrowing his eyes at me.

I started to snicker but stopped. His mouth had fallen into a sullen line and his bright eyes became gloomy. He turned his head and shifted slightly in his saddle.

Is he uncomfortable with the idea of me thinking that he is?

"Well, can you blame me for thinking that after the way you've acted towards me?" I asked.

His body went still; then his shoulders drooped and he let out a sigh. Suddenly, he chuckled lightly and said, "You're right. I wasn't the most welcoming, was I?"

I snorted softly. "That's an understatement."

He chuckled again then rubbed the back of his neck. "Del, I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

I blinked at him, slightly taken aback. But then a smile started to grow on my lips. "It's okay," I said, accepting his apology.

He smiled softly then said, "It's just hard to trust people these days."

My heart squeezed uneasily as the truth of his words hit me. I looked down at my hands, shame forming in the pit of my stomach. Here I was, in a world that's not my own- during a time of turmoil and war- expecting to be treated properly? I inwardly groaned at how childish and foolish I was being.

"Link, I owe you an apology as well," I said, turning my eyes to meet his.

He raised a quizzical eyebrow at me. "For what?"

"For being so hard on you," I said sheepishly.

He smirked and my stomach did a funny little flip-flop. "Nah, I deserved it," he said with a shrug. "If my father was around he would've slapped me upside the head and said I had it coming."

I laughed.

Link then turned his body to reach into a large satchel that was connected to Epona's saddle and pulled out a wooden canteen and a small loaf of bread. He passed me the canteen (which I took a long drink from), then broke the bread in half and gave me a piece.

"So your dad was a knight?" I asked curiously, taking a bite of my bread.

"One of the best. At least, to me he was," he said as I handed him back the canteen.

"Well, he probably was then," I smiled.

He took a drink of water then placed the canteen back into the satchel. "He hated it though."

"Really?"

He nodded. "It kept him away from home a lot. My mother got sick when I was two and medicine was expensive. Then my grandfather moved to Castle Town to help look after us, and my father had to work longer shifts because of the extra mouth to feed."

"You lived in Castle Town?" I asked, surprised.

He nodded again. "My father didn't like it. He was born in a small village close to Snowpeak Mountain, so he never got use to the large crowds and pace of life in Castle Town." Link paused then laughed under his breath. "He told me once that when he decided to swear the Royal Oath he was expecting to protect justice and honor, but ended up protecting privilege and pretension instead. He was about to join the King's Elite- uh, knights that travel around Hyrule to help keep the peace," he clarified, seeing my puzzled expression, "but, then he met my mother."

"So he stayed," I affirmed.

"He stayed," Link nodded. He took a bite of his bread, and as he chewed quietly his eyes became distant as if he was deep in thought.

"My mother never got better and died before I turned three," he continued. "After that, my father wanted to leave. He wanted a new life for us away from the castle, away from the Hylian Army. He didn't want me to become a knight."

"Why not?"

"He thought that I could get more out of life if I had a simple one- like the one he use to have before he left his village. Being a Hylian Knight wasn't what he believed it would be." He paused then said, "He liked to call Castle Town a "hub of thinly veiled corruption"; and no matter what he did or how hard he tried, he couldn't change that fact. I guess he didn't want me to become a knight to save me from wasting my life on a hopeless cause."

"Oh," I said, fascinated by his story. "But you were supposed to join?"

"Sons usually follow fathers into Knighthood, yes," he answered matter-of-factly.

"But you didn't want that life either," I assumed.

He didn't say anything but just rubbed the back of his neck. I took that as a sign of confirmation.

"My father swore an oath to protect the Royal Family- and that's an oath you don't break. But when I was twelve there were rumors about a rising evil in Hyrule. The king started sending knights to help guard all the villages and my father saw his opportunity to get us out of the city. Not many knights were eager to move, but my father was, and was able to secure us a house in Ordon Village."

He paused to finish off his piece of bread, then dusting his hands of crumbs he continued. "Not long after he was killed. All he wanted for me was to grow up away from the castle, so I packed what possessions I could carry, took Epona- who my father recently bought- and left for Ordon. I moved into the house, got a job as a wrangler, and even helped Ilia look after the village children every once and awhile. I started a life that I hoped my father would've wanted for me."

"I'm sure he'd be really happy for you," I said softly.

He smiled.

The morning sky was brightening, changing from pale yellow to a light blue, and I turned to look behind me to see our progress. But as I shifted, that painfully numb feeling of pins and needles shot across my rear. I started fidgeting, trying to get the blood to flow again when I heard Link clear his throat.

"You okay?" he asked, his eyes shining with curious amusement.

I felt my cheeks burn. "Of course," I said turning my head, making it seem as if I was scanning the landscape. The sensation started crawling up my lower back and I knew that I had to get off this horse, quick.

"Hey, how long would you say we've been riding?"

"A little over an hour and a half," he said.

"Really? Wow, that's quite a long time. I think we should let the horses take a break from carrying us." I pulled on Ai's reins and he stopped with a snort and a shake of his head.

Link- caught off guard- stopped Epona then turned back to look at me. "We shouldn't stop. We still have a long way to go."

"I never said we'd stop walking," I said, rolling my eyes.

Link sighed. "You know, Hyrulean horses can travel long distances before getting tired. Even with a rider."

"I don't doubt it; but horses need breaks too," I said as I leaned forward, placing my head to the left of Ai's and slipping my right foot out of the stirrup. Before I dismounted I gave him a quick scratch on his cheek, then I whispered, "But between you and me, my butt has fallen asleep and I need to walk it out."

I swung my right leg over the saddle and slid off Ai. I hit the ground with unstable footing- the prickly numbness stabbing at everything below my hips- when I heard Link start to laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked as I looked up at him from under Ai's muscular neck.

"I don't think I've ever met someone whose butt has fallen asleep after only an hour and a half of riding," he answered with a chuckle as he dismounted.

"You heard that?!" I cried with both shock and embarrassment.

He lowered his head as he tried to control another wave of laughter, the movement causing his dark blond hair to shift- and my eyes found his ears. His overly long, elf-like ears. "Huh… So, what, you have super hearing or something?" I gibed, crossing my arms.

He smirked smugly. "Well, Hylians do hear better than humans."

I started to giggle softly then turned to whisper quietly into Ai's neck. "Just like a dog." I quickly snuck a peak at Link to see if he heard me again- and from the set of his jaw and the narrowed look in his eyes I'd say that he did.

This time I was the one who laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But you'll be thankful for my ears when I hear danger long before you even know it's there," he said, rearranging Epona's reins over her head so that he could lead her.

Smirking, I moved to Ai's other side then did the same.

The corners of his mouth turned upwards as he started to walk; Epona following right behind.

I gave Ai's reins a gentle tug and he followed me without hesitation.

"Your father, what was his occupation?" Link asked as we walked.

"He was a contractor, building houses for people. He and my uncle owned their own business," I answered.

"Is that what you'll do too? Build houses like your father?"

"No," I laughed and shook my head. "My future is still something I'm trying to figure out."

"Maybe it has something to do with here?" Link suggested. "You and your friends had to have been brought here for a reason, right?" he shrugged.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "Maybe," I said, trying my best to give a convincingly innocent smile.

I don't think I was pulling it off as well as I hoped because he was giving me a curious look. He opened his mouth to say something when I cut him off. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"The other day, when you said that Hyrule doesn't need you? You don't really believe that, right?

He sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. I was expecting him to tell me to mind my own business, so I was surprised when he answered.

"I… I don't really know anymore." His voice was low and distant.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"A few days after we settled in Kakariko Village, Zelda tasked me with finding the Master Sword. I made it to the Sacred Grove but I didn't find it. I searched for hours, possibly days-"

"Days?" I interrupted, raising my eyebrows at him.

He nodded. "You see, time has a funny way of getting lost in that grove," he explained with a look that told me that was something I should be expecting. He looked away from me and paused. For a moment I didn't think he was going to continue when he said, "In the end I went back empty handed; and Zelda respectfully kept my failure a secret." He sighed again. "I failed my princess and my land. The Chosen Hero without his destined sword." He made a fist with his left hand and stared at the back of it. Then he let out a bitter laugh. "I couldn't find the one weapon that was meant for me. So, over time… I guess I just started to believe that my destiny was nothing more than a joke."

"Your destiny isn't a joke, Link," I said softly. "You are meant to save Hyrule. And you will."

He looked back at me, a half smile forming on his lips. However, his eyes were filled with doubt.

"Don't worry, you'll find the Master Sword this time," I said, giving him a confident smile.

"I hope so," he said, but I heard the skepticism he felt lacing his words.

"Of course you will. And you know why?" I asked.

He shook his head.

I gave him a cheeky smile. "Because I'm here this time," I answered. Then I leaned closer to him and whispered, "And I've been told that I'm guided by the goddesses." I winked.

"Good Gods…" Link laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Hey now! It's a win-win situation," I said with mock offense.

"Is that what you think?" he asked, giving me a playful smile.

I grinned widely at him as I flipped him off again.

"What does that even mean?" he laughed, confused.

"It means "fuck you"," I said, matter-of-factly.

"Hmm," he responded, as if this interested him.

"Don't you have a gesture like that here?"

"Nah," he shook his head. "Here, if someone wants to say "fuck you", they'll say it to your face," he said, giving me a wink this time.

"I'll remember that," I smiled.

Link turned to look over his shoulder, shielding his eyes from the rising sun, then looked back at me. "I think it's about time we start riding again."

With the pins and needles now gone I gave him a nod and we stopped walking, both horses following suit.

"I'm going to get on Epona first, and then you'll get on behind me," he said, throwing the reins back over Epona's head.

I nodded then paused. "Wait, what? Get on behind you?"

"You'll ride with me," he said, and before I could even blink Link was already mounted atop Epona.

"Why?" I questioned.

"We still have a long way to go and your riding skills aren't, uh… the best," he said with a tiny grin.

"But I want to learn," I argued.

He huffed and gave an impatient shake of his head. "Now is not the right time. I can teach you one day if you'd like. But right now, we have a sword to find."

I let out a puff of air and rolled my eyes. "Fine."

"Pass me Ai's reins, please," Link said. I did as he asked and he secured Ai's reins around the saddle's horn. Then he extended his left hand to me. "Okay, now place your left foot into the stirrup and I'll pull you up."

I grabbed his arm to steady myself as I placed my foot in the stirrup and braced myself for the embarrassment that was probably about to follow.

"On three: one, two, three," he counted then pulled me upwards as I pushed off the ground.

Luckily, I was able to swing my leg over the saddle on the first try; his arm steadying me as I settled myself into the saddle behind him.

"You ready?" Link asked. However, he didn't wait for my response- and I never got the clichéd chance to hesitate wrapping my arms around his waist- as he whipped Epona's reins and she shot off.

Yelling in shock, I tightly grabbed hold of him as we raced across the vast openness of the South Field.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

I wasn't sure how long we were riding for, but neither of the horses faltered.

The first stretch of the ride passed enjoyably. I was mesmerized by the landscape whizzing by in streaks of greys, browns, and greens. The wind jet streaming across my body cooled me down significantly as the sun was now overhead and blazing.

However, my amusement lasted only so long and I found myself getting antsy.

"How much longer?" I asked Link, yelling over the wind.

"Not too long," he answered, yelling over his shoulder.

Okay, I can do "not too long", I thought.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

As it turned out, "not too long" turned out to be "too long" when we finally came upon the seemingly never-ending treeline of the forest.

According to Link we made good time.

According to my butt, arriving an hour or two earlier would've been nice.

Link pulled Epona to a stop (Ai stopping alongside her) and told me that we'd dismount here. I slipped off the saddle to land on wobbly legs. I placed my hands on Epona's rump to steady myself, then once my legs felt solid once more I took a few steps away, stretching my arms and back to release the tightness in those muscles.

Link untied Ai's reins from the saddle and then dismounted as well.

"Del?" Link said and I turned to face him. He was adjusting the Hylian shield over his shoulders then reached for a plain looking sword hanging next to the satchel, which he strapped around his hips. "Can you watch the horses for a minute?"

"Sure," I said puzzled as I walked back over. "But wh-"

He didn't give me the chance to finish asking my question when he turned and walked briskly into the forest and out of sight.

"Maybe he just really needed to go to the bathroom?" I suggested to Epona as she placed her large head on my shoulder. Heavy gusts of air blew from her nose in rapid succession and a few beads of sweat rolled down her neck and dripped on my arm. She looked exhausted; and so did Ai.

The poor things. They must be so thirsty!

I remembered the wooden canteen in the satchel and went to get it, hoping that there would be enough water left to split between the two horses. Just as I stuck my hand in the bag to grab the container I saw from the corner of my eye Link emerging from the treeline.

"Where did you go?" I asked as he came up to me.

"Not to the bathroom," he answered with a smug grin.

I just stood there, my eyes round as I thought back to how far into the trees he was before I said a word aloud.

Whoa… He's like a fricking blood hound with those ears!

He let out a soft snort then said seriously, "To scout the area. We didn't come across any enemies on our way here. It's…"

"It's what?"

"A little concerning," he answered truthfully.

"Did you find anything in there?" I nodded towards the forest.

Link shook his head. "All's quiet." He then grabbed Ai's reins and handed it to me before taking Epona's and throwing it over her head once more. "We'll lead the horses through the forest," Link said. "There's a spring a few minutes from here, and the way to the Sacred Grove isn't too far from that."

He gave Epona's sweaty neck a pat and the two of them started towards the trees. Ai seemed eager to follow, tossing his head and snorting. I made sure that Colin's borrowed sword was secure around my hips, then gave the reins in my hand a light tug and led the indigo horse into the forest.

Walking through the thin line of trees, we stepped into a small clearing. Looking around, my heart did a funny jolt as I recognized where we were.

Off to my left, rising thirty feet into the air, was the cliff that me, Parker, Calli, and Charlie landed only four days ago. Four- terrifying and incredible- days since we were pulled away from our world to the land of Hyrule.

I stopped (Ai stopping with me), and stared at the cliff. My eyes scanned over every inch of the area, searching for… well I wasn't really sure. A rip in the dense trees; a crack in the sky; a ripple in the air- anything that would indicate a way home.

But I let out a shaky sigh as my head told me exactly what my heart said when we first got here: That this place never was, and never will be, the way back home.

"Are you okay?" Link asked as he came up beside me.

"That's where we landed when the Great- uh, goddesses brought us here," I said, thankfully catching myself before I said "Fairy" and poking holes in my cover.

Link lifted his head to look at the cliff, his eyes narrowing and becoming focused. His gaze raked over the rocky wall then turned to me, pity forming in the dark blue pools. "Whatever magic was there, it's gone now. I'm sorry, Del," he said, his voice gentle.

"I know," I said, smiling softly at the kindness in his voice. Ai snorted then bumped my shoulder and I gave his sweaty nose a rub. "Let's get them some water."

Link nodded and took the lead once more, taking us through the small clearing and onto a thin game trail.

We were no more than a few feet along the path when the sound of a twig snapping ricocheted around the forest. Link's head whipped in the direction of the sound and I held my breath. We stood still for but a moment when Link visibly relaxed. "It's alright. Just an animal," he said as he continued walking.

"You can tell?!" I asked, shocked. "How?"

He looked over his shoulder and gave me a crooked smile. "The footfalls. They were soft and measured. Most likely some kind of game."

"And if it wasn't an animal?"

"Well, bokoblins are the only creatures that have taken over these woods- that we know of. So, if you hear loud and bumbling footsteps then it's best to go in the other direction."

"No arguments there," I said as flashes of yesterday morning crossed my mind. I shuddered and shook my head lightly to rid my mind of the memories.

We walked for another couple of minutes, and I- surprisingly- kept quiet. I became so focused on listening to the sounds around me that I completely forgot how uncomfortable I can get without chatter.

A few more steps down the path then Link took a sharp turn to the right. I followed him through the trees, down a slight embankment and onto the narrow rocky shore of a large pool of water. Ai trotted ahead- this time pulling me behind him- and walked to the water's edge, lowering his head and taking a long, needed drink; Epona coming up beside him and doing the same.

Link went into the satchel and pulled out the wooden canteen. He gave it a shake then turned and walked a few feet along the edge of the embankment. He stopped in front of a recess in the earth where a small stream of water was flowing to the pool. He crouched to collect the water, took a long drink from the canteen, then collected some more before walking back to me.

"Thirsty?" he asked, holding out the water.

"Thanks," I said, taking the container. I took a drink then handed it back, to which Link put it back into the satchel.

The leaves overhead started to rustle and a sudden breeze drifted through the opening in the trees. As the branches swayed, rays of sunlight flashed into my eyes.

I turned away, my eyes lazily scanning the area as I moved, and I started to wonder…

"Link? How far is Ordon Village from here?" I wondered out loud, turning to face him.

He blinked as if shocked then said, "About a two hour walk south from here," and pointed back up to the game trail and straight across it. His eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second before going back to normal. But I caught the change nonetheless.

"What?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"I don't remember ever telling you that Ordon Village is in Faron Woods?" he said with reserved suspicion.

… Dammit.

"Rusl told me," I answered quickly.

"Of course."

I decided to ignore the soft layer of doubt in the undertone of his voice.

Both Ai and Epona seemed to be finished with their drinking as they were now grazing on small patches of long grass that grew in pockets around the rocky shoreline. Link went and grabbed both reins and led the horses back up the embankment and onto the game trail, me following behind.

He handed me Ai's reins once more and I waited for him to lead the way. But he didn't move and instead tossed Epona's reins over her head, gave her a pat on her left shoulder, and the copper horse started to walk on ahead down the trail.

"What are you doing?" I asked confused.

"She knows to stay along the trail," he said confidently.

I just stood there and stared at him. He sighed then reached across me to tug on Ai's bit. "Let's go," he said and I was yank slightly as Ai moved forward.

I kept my eyes straight ahead- watching Epona's wide rump swaying back and forth as she walked- when I heard Link make a noise in the back of his throat, as if he was clearing it.

"Del?"

I looked at him. "Yeah?" I said warily. There was something in his tone that I couldn't quite decipher, so I thought it best to brace myself for whatever was about to come.

"The other day when you said…," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I just want…," he cleared his throat again, "I want you to know that I'm not what you think I am. That I really do want to help save Hyrule."

This time it was my turn to blink in shock. "What I think you are?" I asked.

A light blush formed across his cheeks. "Lazy, cowardly, dishonorable, heartless-"

"Wait a minute," I said, cutting off his barrage. "I never called you heartless," I pointed out.

"It was implied," he said and surprised me by smiling; however, his eyes remained troubled.

I smiled softly. "I know. And I know that you're not those things. I stupidly made a snap judgement of you, and for that I'm sorry," I said sincerely.

Relief washed over his eyes, clearing them of their murkiness. The dark blue shone brightly as he said, "I'm sorry for judging you too quickly, too."

At first I was taken aback, but then I immediately realized that I'd be an idiot if I didn't think he'd come up with his own choice of unsatisfactory characteristics to describe me.

"Clean slate?" I asked, putting out my hand.

He didn't take my hand, but grinned cheekily. "Don't you want to know what I thought of you?"

I laughed, lowering my hand back to my side. "Nope, I'm good."

"That's not fair! You didn't give me an option before you started shouting your opinion at me!" he exclaimed with a smile.

"Exactly. I didn't give you an option; but you've given one to me. And I choose not to know about my- what I can only assume to be many- flaws, thank you very much."

He didn't deny my 'many flaws' claim and just continued to grin. Then he raised his hand to me. "Clean slate," he said, and I took his hand and shook it.

Epona then gave a soft whinny, alerting us to the fact that the game trail had ended and we were now emerging from the trees into a large, round clearing. Link then left my side to rejoin his horse and continued to walk beside her. He led us along a rocky wall, towards a giant opening and took us through.

We entered into another clearing, this one long and narrow, and my eyes widened as I looked around. Off to my left were gigantic, thick trunked trees; and to my right were monstrous boulders made of crumbling rock. And directly ahead was a massive tree that clung to the edge of a misty cliff side.

I stood motionless as my eyes became glued to the tree on the cliff, my heart pounding hard with excitement.

The Forest Temple…

I continued to gaze in awe at the temple before me until I heard Link call for my attention and I snapped out of my stupor.

It took me a second to find him. He wasn't standing next to Epona near the opening anymore, but rather standing on the right side of the cliff, precariously close to the edge.

Wow, he moves fast, I thought as I threw Ai's reins over his head before leaving him and making my way over to Link.

"That's where we need to go," he said as I came up next to him, pointing to the right.

I saw nothing but another rocky wall that seemed to go on forever, lining the expansive openness beyond the cliff.

"Where?"

"See that part sticking out from the wall?" he said, his finger tracing the misty shadow of a protruding piece of rock.

I now saw what he was pointing at and I nodded.

"We need to get to the other side of that."

I gave him another nod, took one more look at the rocky protrusion, then turned my gaze to the Forest Temple on my left. Starting at eye level, and descending downwards, were multiple branches and roots jutting out from its base. I thought about how their positioning reminded me of a set of stairs when my memory was suddenly jogged.

Right! Now I remember this part. Midna Jumps were needed to get across. But there's no Midna, so how…?

"How do we get over there?" I asked as I sifted through my knowledge, trying to remember all the things that helped the game Links traverse open spaces: Giant leaf? Hook Shot? Cucoos? Sailcloth?

"We have to climb up and across," he answered.

"Huh?" I said confused, turning back to look at him. He was pointing once again but this time it was at the enormous crumbling boulders that stood just before the cliff's edge.

"It's not the fastest way, but it's the safest," he explained.

Then, as if wanting to prove Link wrong, a few small fragments of rocks slipped and tumbled down one of the boulders, only to fall and disappear into the misty abyss below.

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"For the most part," he rectified.

I took another look out over the cliff, trying to determine if there was a better way.

"Hey Link? You don't happen to have a sailcloth, do you?" I asked on a whim.

"What's a sailcloth?" he asked, confused.

"Never mind," I sighed as I made my way over to the boulders. "We'd probably fall to our deaths that way too," I mumbled.

Link just shook his head. "Such an optimist," he groaned.

I gave him the finger and he laughed out loud.

"You really like your little hand gesture, don't you?" he teased.

"Right, I forgot. Here I'm supposed to say fuck you to your face," I fired back with emphasis.

He grinned. "Alright, follow me. Step where I step, and grab what I grab. We'll take it slow, okay?" he said, reassurance thick in his voice as his demeanor sobered.

I nodded then remembered something. "Wait, what about the horses?"

"Don't worry, they'll be fine here."

"Really?" I asked concerned. I suddenly had visions of a bokoblin sneaking up behind one of them, giant cleaver held high, ready to slice one up for its next meal.

"They're smart horses. They know to run if there's trouble."

"Okay," I said then waited for him to climb up a few feet before following behind.

I mimicked every move that he made; and after a few feet up myself, I started to feel comfortable with my balance, shifting it properly as my weight changed during the climb.

It took us about ten minutes to reach the peak of the first boulder, and about three to cautiously traverse the sloping top to the next one. Another minute or two and we were up against the mountainous wall that cut through the abyss.

Link reached his left hand out along the wall, feeling the surface until he found what he was looking for. Holding onto the handhold, he extended his leg and placed it onto a thin ledge, then pulled himself onto the rock face. He did that a few more times: feeling for a handhold and pulling himself along the thin ledge, when he stopped and told me to follow.

"I thought you said this was safe?" I cried as I looked at the misty nothingness below.

"No, I said it was the safest," he corrected just as a gust of wind blew past, whipping my ponytail into my face.

I groaned then swallowed nervously. My heart was hammering in my chest as I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants to dry them. Then I reached out, finding the first handhold, and pulled myself onto the ledge.

This part took us awhile. Link would move first then stop to watch me- only one of us moving at a time. Then Link came to a part in the wall that looked as if it had cracked opened. He slipped around the edge and stood- as if on flat ground- and waited for me. I made it to the edge and found that there was a large root jutting out on the other side. I grabbed it and swung around, landing on the surface of a bunch of thick, gnarled roots. I looked up to see them cascading from the very top of the rocky wall and down into the swirling mist below- as if it was an eerie waterfall.

However, I was thankful for these roots. They were all nestled deeply into the nooks and crannies within the rock and made scaling down them a breeze.

Once we became level with the protruding rock, Link stepped away from the roots and onto another ledge, this one a lot wider than the last. I followed his lead, and as we got closer I was able to see a soft light reflecting through the mist.

Link stopped suddenly and I almost plowed into his back.

"We made it," he said, grinning at me from over his shoulder. "Watch your step," he warned then jumped onto a platform of rock that extended just passed the protruding wall.

I looked down and saw that there was a two foot gap between the ledge and the platform. It was an easy jump to make; however, that didn't ease my mind as I stared at the roiling abyss inches beneath my feet.

"Here," I heard Link say softly, and I raised my eyes to see him extending his hand to me.

I didn't hesitate to grab his hand for stability; and when I leapt he tugged me forward so I landed safely onto solid ground.

"Thanks," I said, letting go of his hand.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

The both of us continued on, walking under a long stoned archway and came out onto another rock platform that was connected to a long wooden bridge.

I slowed my pace as I examined the area, falling behind Link. From what I could remember of the game, this place looked different…

Ahead, spanning over a small chasm, was a straight and solid bridge. Spaced evenly apart along the wooden surface were two tall wooden poles, each with a propeller on top.

I had a vague memory of this place and it wasn't until another gust of wind blew across the area- causing the propellers to spin wildly- that it clicked.

However, the bridge in front of me didn't move, remaining sturdy and in one piece.

I just mentally shrugged my shoulders in acceptance of the difference.

Link was already making his way onto the bridge, so I quickly followed behind. As I reached the middle of the bridge I noticed that there were giant knots, made from thick vines, which wrapped around a few places on both sides of the railing.

"What are these for?" I asked curiously.

"Hmm? Oh," Link said as he turned, "they're to stop the bridges from spinning. It's actually two pieces, see." He pointed to the large seam between the two halves. "Whenever the wind blew through here the propellers would turn the bridges different ways, making it a nightmare to cross. So I just tied them together the last time I was here," he shrugged.

I bit back a laugh and nodded.

Guess it's not so different after all…

We continued on, reaching the other side of the bridge. We made our way over the new earthy platform when we both stopped simultaneously and stared at the cavernous opening in front of us. It was dark as pitch in there and a shiver of apprehension went up my spine. I didn't like that reaction, but I shook it off considering I knew exactly what was just beyond the dark: the Sacred Grove.

Link inhaled deeply and I turned to look at him.

"Ready to claim your destiny?" I asked, grinning.

He nodded firmly, but didn't make a move into the cave-like entrance.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing really. Just…," he paused, still staring into the dark. "I'm sure this wasn't what my father had in mind for a simple life," he confessed.

"Probably not," I agreed with a light chuckle.

"It's true that I never wanted to be a knight, but…"

"But what?"

"I never wanted a simple life either." He smiled brightly as he looked at me. There was a fire burning deep within his eyes; a readiness to finally claim what was his.

I smiled back. "Ready?" I asked again.

"Ready," he answered.

Then the two of us walked into the cave's mouth and disappeared in the dark.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

We emerged from the cave-like tunnel into a wide and circular grove. Walls made of hard earth and vines encompassed the grounds where a few tall trees dotted the area.

I looked high above me to see that the leaves and branches of the trees intertwined to create a great, thick canopy, where thin shafts of light streamed through the tiny holes within the greenery. I watched as the ceiling flittered and swayed from the wind blowing overhead, listening to the breathy howling that floated down through the leaves and across the grove.

With the light of the late afternoon sun barely breaking through the canopy, the Sacred Grove looked as if it was immersed in glowing twilight.

I heard a soft rustling beside me and turned to see Link removing the paper he, Rusl, and Shad were looking at this morning. He walked away from me, but not before I caught a glimpse of the paper in the dim light.

It was a map.

Link stopped in the middle of the grove, looked at the map again, and then started to scan the area.

"I missed something the last time," he said walking over to the trunk of one of the trees and examining the base of it. "A path, or another cave…" he trailed off and walked again, but this time in the opposite direction.

I looked around at the enclosed shadowy grove, trying to remember what came next in the game. It was there, what I was searching for, nagging at me from the back of my mind. But the harder I thought, the more it eluded my mental grasp.

"What did Zelda tell you when she sent you here the first time?" I asked. I hoped that maybe hearing what she told him might jog my memory.

"All she said was 'find the Sacred Grove and you will be guided to the sword'," he said loudly as his shadowed outline was now feeling along the dirt wall at the back of the grove.

Guided…

And that did it. "The Skull Kid!" I said out loud.

"The who?" Link asked, walking back over to me.

"We have to summon the Skull Kid! He'll guide us to the Master Sword!" I explained as I started to frantically search around me. "Link, help me find-" but I stopped when I spotted something.

Just to the side of the tree nearest to the cave-like opening was a large, oblong stone covered in moss and vines. I quickly walked over and crouched in front of it.

"I found it!" I yelled, forgetting in my excitement that I didn't need to yell for Link to hear me.

"You're joking right?" he said from right behind me.

I jumped, startled. I looked over my shoulder to glare at him.

"Sorry." He gave me an apologetic smile.

"What do you mean 'joking'?" I asked.

"Stones like that are found all over Hyrule. And that's all they are: stones. They don't do anything," he said. He turned and walked away, looking at his map once more.

I followed his retreating form with puzzled eyes, then returned my gaze back to the stone. "Just a stone my ass," I mumbled under my breath as I started to pull away at the moss and vines. I heard Link snort in amusement somewhere off in the distance and I paused, rolling my eyes. Then I resumed cleaning the surface of the stone.

I manage to get my fingers onto a large chunk of moss, and with a firm tug it ripped from the rock- and I beamed.

There, carved deeply into the face of the large stone, was the symbol of the Triforce.

I choked back an elated laugh. Doesn't do anything. Ha! I thought smugly.

Now, to activate it…

However, a concerning thought crossed my mind. "Uh, Link?"

"Yeah?" his voiced echoed from the distance.

"You don't happen to play any instruments, do you?"

"Instruments?"

"Yeah, like an ocarina, or a harp, or a flute…?"

"No," he drawled, his confusion and curiosity sailing through the grove with his answer.

I thought again. "Oh! What about Hawk Grass?"

He let out a bark of laughter that reverberated off the earthen walls. "Hawk Grass?"

"Never mind," I sighed, dejected. I traced my finger over the deep grooves of the Triforce as I tried to figure out a way to play "Zelda's Lullaby". Absentmindedly I started to hum the first few notes of the lullaby when something happened…

The Triforce glowed.

I gasped in awe as the light faded. I quickly hummed the notes again and the Triforce flared once more.

"How-? What… what did you do?" Link asked as he ninja'd up behind me again.

"I hummed "Zelda's Lullaby"," I said, the amazement I felt reflected in my voice.

"Zelda's what?"

"Lullaby? Don't you… Didn't Zelda teach you her song?" I asked, surprised.

He shook his head slowly.

"Oh," I said in a small voice. "Well, you see, her lullaby has magic and it's used to, uh, make things happen," I said for lack of a better explanation.

"She taught you?" he asked, astonished.

"Uh, more or less," I said, scratching the side of my head nervously.

Ultimately, there was truth in my answer as Zelda did teach me her song. However, it happened to be her game self that did.

"Who are you?" he asked softly, his voice full of awe as he stared widely at me.

I felt my cheeks warm at the intensity of his gaze and I lowered my eyes back to the stone. "Just someone who's guided by the goddesses," I lied.

He crouched next to me and placed his hand on the Triforce. "Can you do that again?"

I nodded, cleared my throat once more, and hesitated.

Link was watching me and I suddenly became very self-conscious. To say I had a great voice would be a lie. Now, I didn't have a crappy voice and could carry a tune, but Parker was the singer in the family. He had a set of pipes that could make anyone swoon- if he was willing to sing in public.

I really wished he was here right now.

But he wasn't, so this was up to me. I took a deep breath, swallowed, and hummed a complete "Zelda's Lullaby".

The Triforce blazed with light and the Sacred Grove became saturated with a golden hue.

I smiled widely at Link, and he smiled just as wide back.

"Looks like I won't be doubting you ever again," Link said.

"Damn right," I said with pride then laughed.

He laughed along with me when we abruptly fell silent as we heard a high pitched giggle come from behind us.

Eyes wide, we both stood and turned slowly, raising our gaze to a thick, low branch of a tree, where a child-like figure sat, elbows to his knees, and round face in his palms.

The Skull Kid!

"It worked," I whispered to Link.

"Are you lost?" the Skull Kid asked, his bright voice filled with curiosity.

"No," Link answered. "We're looking for-"

"Only people who are lost come here," the Skull Kid interrupted, swinging his little feet back and forth in the air.

"We're not lost," Link tried again. "We came here-"

"Sometimes," the Skull Kid interrupted again, "people wander too far." He giggled then jumped from the branch to land at the base of the tree. He ran behind the trunk and stood in the shadow created by the light of the Triforce. "Sometimes people wander too far in the dark," he said as he placed his hands over his eyes.

Then he giggled again and split the fingers of one hand apart to reveal one of his gleaming eyes. "But I find them," he nodded, pulling his hands from his face. "I find them and I play with them." An eerie grin spread over his shadowy mouth and I swallowed nervously.

I looked up at Link, both of us too stunned to speak. Something didn't feel right and it took everything in me to not turn tail and run.

The Skull Kid suddenly leapt from the shadows and started to frolic around the tree. "When I find the people we have so much fun! We play and play and play and play and play, until they fall down and don't wake up." He fell onto his back in front of us and closed his eyes.

Then he jerked up, causing me to jump in shock, and turned his face towards us. "But I don't let them sleep forever," he said in a sing-song voice, then hugged his tummy and laughed as if he made a joke that only he understood.

The Skull Kid stopped laughing and stood, placed his hands behind his back and stared at me and Link. "It's been a long time since I've had new friends." Another grin split over his mouth, but this one seemed almost wicked in nature. Every one of his teeth were visible, and all of them looked sharp and pointed in the shadows casted by the golden light.

A horrible feeling started to claw at my gut, but I pushed past it and said, "We're not lost. We're looking for the Master Sword."

There was a tiny trill of unease in my voice but I hoped it wasn't noticeable. However, I heard Link shift beside me and then I felt his arm press lightly next to mine. I immediately took comfort at the contact and looked at him to see his eyes telling me that everything is going to be okay.

"Ooooh, the treasure!" the Skull Kid cried happily.

"Yes!" Link exclaimed. "Can you take us to it?"

The Skull Kid cocked his head to the side as if thinking. "No," he said then started doing cartwheels, his little cape flapping whenever he flipped.

"Aren't you the guide?" Link asked.

"Maybe," the Skull Kid smiled impishly, shrugging his shoulders before cartwheeling again.

"Then you have to take us," I said.

The Skull Kid stopped mid cartwheel, standing on his hands. "No I don't." Then he stuck out his tongue and fell onto his back once more with a giggle.

"Yes you do," I said forcefully. "Because we summoned you. Look." I pointed to the glowing symbol.

The Skull Kid rolled onto his stomach and lifted his head to stare at the stone. His gleaming eyes flashed crimson, a look of pure hate filling the round orbs as he glared at the piece of rock as if it was the vilest thing in the world.

He sprung from the ground, stomping and screaming. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Stupid, mean, awful old men! It's not fair, it's not fair!" he wailed. But suddenly his tantrum stopped and he floated into the air, turning upside down and grinning madly at us.

"We can play a game," the Skull Kid said and clapped his hands excitedly.

"No! No games," Link yelled, irritated. He stepped away from me before unsheathing the blade on his right hip and pointing it at the Skull Kid. "Take us to the sword." There was a warning in his voice that sent a chill over my skin. I knew then that I never wanted to get on his bad side.

The Skull Kid, still upside down, giggled maniacally at Link. "You already have a sword, dummy!" Then he started cackling as he bounced like a ball through the air.

"What do we do?" Link asked me, desperation in his voice.

I watched as the Skull Kid zoomed around the trees, bobbing and weaving in the same way the images from the game zoomed around my mind.

"We play his game," I told Link, cringing slightly.

Link looked as if he wanted to argue, but then thought better of it and sighed heavily. "Okay, you win," he shouted into the air. "We'll play your game."

"Hooray!" the Skull Kid cheered from on top of the thick tree branch again. "I'll hide and you find me!"

"Fine," Link said and he sheathed his sword. "And when we do, you'll take us to the Master Sword." His tone held no room for negotiation.

The Skull Kid nodded then smiled. "But don't let my friends catch you," he sang. "Because if they do, they won't let you go." His eyes gleamed red as he pulled out a four-horned pipe and blew hard, the blast of sound ricocheting off the earthen walls.

"Friends?" Link asked, turning to face me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but froze.

I heard them before I saw them.

Every shadow within the grove started to come alive with noise. A hollow, clacking, dry noise.

Then things started to move in the shadows, bobbing up and down, jerking left and right until multiple figures emerged into the soft golden light.

I stared at them in horror. They were the Skull Kids puppets- only they weren't made of wood.

They were made from the remains of people…

Skeletons, browned from age, floated towards us. And as they got closer I could see that some of them still had grisly residue. Some had large flakes of dried skin, peeling away from cheek bones or forearms. Some still had scraps of clothing tangled around their ribs.

One skeleton had thin strips of leathered lips pulled taught over its mouth; another had long and tangled hair. And one, small like a child, still had its eyeballs, both of them shriveled and haunting.

Every skeleton puppet was a different version of a waking nightmare, except for one similarity: All of them had a ghastly smile that promised something terrible.

The Skull Kid snapped his fingers and the skeleton puppets stop converging around me and Link. There were more than fifteen of them, all floating on the spot, waiting.

"Let's play!" the Skull Kid yelled gleefully, jumping from the branch and racing towards the solid dirt wall, only to have an opening to another grove appear. He ran through it shouting, "Come and find me!" then giggled and disappeared.

As soon as the Skull Kid was gone the skeleton puppets sprang to life.

However, so did Link. Quicker than lightning he unsheathed his sword, grabbed my wrist, and with a deft swing of his blade, sliced two puppets down before taking off at a sprint, dragging me behind him.

"Did you know this was going to happen?" he yelled at me from over his shoulder.

"Of course not!" I yelled back.

At least, not like this…

"But you knew about the Skull Kid!" he accused as he led us towards the new opening.

"Yeah, but I didn't know he was going to be psychotic!" I defended. The Skull Kid in the game was creepy, for sure, but this… this was something else entirely.

We ran into the new grove and stopped, taking a look around. The canopied area was enclosed by a circular dirt wall and tall trees dotted the grounds, just like the last. However, this grove had a large pool sitting to the left of the opening.

But without the warm golden light from the Triforce symbol the new grove was bathed in the cool glow of twilight, and it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust.

Link started towards the right, my wrist still grasped in his hand when three new entrances appeared within the walls on the other side of the grove.

"What the-?" Link paused then swiveled his head to look back through the opening behind us. "They're coming," he said and pulled me into a run again.

We were halfway around the circumference of the grove before I even heard the faint echo of the puppets dry, clacking bones.

He's right. I am thankful for his ears!

However, the awful rattle was growing louder and I looked back to see them drifting towards us.

Link, of course, knew what was happening and put on a burst of speed, yanking me in the process, as he made his way to the entrance closest to us.

But something in my gut told me that that wasn't the right one. And as Link slowed to make a turn into the opening I quickly twisted my hand to take hold of his wrist and shot passed, dragging him behind me this time.

"No, the middle," I said over my shoulder.

His eyes were wide at the abrupt change in lead, but he didn't argue as he followed.

We burst through the middle entrance into yet another circular grove; however, this one was almost completely flooded with water. Link and I had to stop fast and hard so as to not fall head first into the cold pool.

Breathing heavily we looked around this area too.

"This is insane," Link huffed, catching his breath.

I nodded in agreement, trying to breathe out the stitch in my side.

Link seemed to pause again, a look of concentration etched on his face, then said, "They're not far behind. Is he here?"

The second Link asked me that question, something caught my attention- a flittering in the corner of my eye. I turned my gaze to a tiny island floating just to the right of the pool where a large boulder sat.

And there, peeking out from the side of the rock, was the corner of a tiny cape.

"There!" I cried, pointing.

Link followed my finger then let out a bark of elated laughter. "We found you, kid!" he yelled.

The Skull Kid giggled as he poked his head around the boulder. "No you didn't."

"What?" Link said, confused.

The Skull Kid skipped away from the boulder, twirled, and then bowed before his tiny figure burst into leaves that floated to the ground.

"An illusion?!" Link exclaimed in anger.

"Illusion?" I repeated, baffled. "But… that's not how it happens in the game, is it?" I said to myself, thinking out loud.

"I'm guessing he plays by different rules," Link said darkly.

I blinked, confused, until a wave of understanding, and then relief, washed over me as I realize that I just dodged a bullet. Link thought I was talking about the game hide-and-seek, when in fact I was talking about Twilight Princess.

"Okay, let's try another entrance," I said and he nodded.

We turned around to head back through the opening when I screamed.

Blocking our path were the skeleton puppets.

Link and I were too engrossed with the Skull Kid's illusion that neither of us heard their approach.

Link swore under his breath, removed the Hylian shield from his back and pointed his sword at the puppets.

I whipped my head back and forth, looking for another exit, only to see none.

The puppets started to move, forming a wide circle around us. A few glided over the surface of the water, their sharp toes creating ripples on the pool's surface as they bobbed up and down in the air.

"Del?" Link said, and I turned to look at him. "I'm going to create an opening for you. When I do, you run straight for the other clearing."

"But-"

"I'll be right behind you," he promised.

"Okay," I breathed.

"Now, I need you to duck, and when I say run, run. Got it?"

"Got it," I said then crouched low, my heart jackhammering as I placed my hands over my head.

I saw Link's feet blur then heard him yell before the sounds of snapping and splintering filled the air. Within seconds he shouted for me to run, and I sprang from the ground and tore through the opening.

Emerging into the previous grove, it wasn't long before I heard the pounding of footsteps and I turned to see Link barreling towards me, broken and fragmented skeletons floating not far behind.

"To the left," Link panted, pointing to the entrance he originally wanted to go through.

I started to run, Link right next to me, as we made our way into the new grove.

This grove was larger than the others. Thin, tall trees grew in dense clusters within the circumference of the grounds. A ginormous tree stump, that was as thick as it was high, sat center in a shallow pool of stagnant looking water.

Link looked at the stump, craning his neck back.

"Do you see something?" I asked, looking myself.

"No. But I hear something," he answered. Then his eyes scanned the grounds. "I need to get higher."

He replaced his shield onto his back then walked around the edge of the water looking for something to climb, while I walked in the opposite direction. I looked at the stump, seeing if there were any grooves in the wood to use as hand and footholds, but the bark was entirely smooth. Next I looked at the trees that surrounded this place, but none had any lower branches to grab.

I wiped my hand over my mouth, at a loss of what to do, when I saw Link wave me over to the back of the stump. I quickly made my way to him.

"What-" I started to ask, but he placed his finger over his lips and I went quiet.

"Those puppets aren't far behind. I think they're attracted to noise, so if we stay quiet it'll take longer for them to find us."

I nodded in understanding.

"I can climb this wall to see what's on top of the stump," he whispered, pointing to the back where a bunch of rocky ledges jutted out from the earthy wall. "I won't be long, but take your sword out just in case."

"My sword?" I whispered, puzzled.

He gave me a look then nodded to my hip.

"Oh my god, right!" I exclaimed quietly, remembering that I had Colin's sword.

As Link walked towards the back wall to start his climb I drew the small blade. Once again, the weight caught me off guard and I had to adjust my grip to hold it properly.

With the sword held firmly in my hand I took a quick scan for the floating nightmares, and seeing none, turned my gaze to Link. He scaled the wall with grace and ease, and within seconds was standing on the top ledge looking at the stump.

"Found you!" he yelled in triumph.

"Wrong again!" I heard before seeing the Skull Kid sail into the air, stick out his tongue, and burst into leaves.

"Dammit!" Link cried in frustration. Then, as if his word was a cue, the skeleton puppets sprang out of the shadows.

I quickly dashed behind a cluster of trees- but not before a few puppets broke from the mass and shot towards me.

I had a second to realize they were right next to me when one rammed into my gut and sent me flying. I hit the ground hard, the momentum causing my feet to sail over my head, and stopped with a jarring thud on my stomach; the hilt of Colin's sword slipping from my fingers.

I wheezed and coughed as the air was knocked out of my lungs. My eyes misted with tears as I struggled for breath, watching in blurred horror as the skeletons advanced slowly upon me, their gleaming, ghastly teeth the only thing visible in my watery vision.

Suddenly, I heard Link shout. I blinked away the tears as best I could then lifted my gaze to the high, rocky ledge.

My heart pounded painfully with terror as I stared at him. The skeletons- minus the ones still gliding towards me- were attacking him. Floating high in the air, the puppets dodged every one of Link's swings with his sword. He'd slash madly at one, only to have it sail away before coming back and raking its claw-like fingers over any part of his body that was exposed.

One puppet managed to take hold of Link's ankle and pulled, causing Link to land hard on his rear.

The puppets were relentless in their attacks and Link couldn't find a break to pull himself back to his feet and grab his shield.

I pushed myself onto my knees- desperately trying to ignore the skeletons only a few feet away from me- and continued to watch hopelessly at Link, his sword still pointed forward in a feeble attempt to stave off their advances.

Suddenly, the skeleton with the long, wild hair raised its bony hand and slashed at Link's head. Link covered himself with his arm but the skeleton's claw ripped through his sleeve and a spray of bright red blood spurted into the air.

"Link!" I screamed, reflexively reaching my hand towards him. And then, without any warning, my hand blazed white hot and a beam of red energy surge from my palm, blasting through the puppets converging in front of me and blowing away the ones around the ledge, setting all that came into contact with the magic aflame.

A high pitched howl of rage echoed through the open air. The puppets stilled and then were yanked, as if by invisible strings, across the grove and into the stagnant water below, splashing and rolling to douse the flames.

I returned my wide gaze back to Link. "Ar- are you okay?" I choked out as my ribs pinched painfully at the expulsion of air.

He didn't say anything, but just stared at his sword, his mouth agape as he inspected the scorching orange glow of the blade.

Whoa…

He blinked, snapping out of his stupor to glare at me. "Watch where you're aiming!" he yelled angrily.

"I- I'm sorry! I'm sorry," I apologized quickly. I looked at my hand again, flexing my fingers before my eyes then said softly, "I don't know how to control it."

I heard a soft thud and looked up to see Link had scaled down the ledges and was now walking towards me.

As I pulled myself up from the ground (grabbing Colin's sword in the process) I was slammed by a wave of dizziness. I rocked back onto my heels and Link grabbed my arm to steady me.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good," I said as I shook my head and blinked away the stars dancing in front of my eyes.

He gave me a look that said he didn't believe me.

"Just a dizzy spell after using the magic," I explained.

"I'm not going to have to carry you, am I?" he taunted with a smirk.

I opened my mouth to retort when the puppets emerged like geysers from the pool; brown, splintered bones now charred black. The water raining off their remains glinted sharp in the glowing twilight of the grove, each drip a vow of pain to come.

"Time to run," Link said.

"Yup," I responded and we bolted for the opening.

Back in the grove with the three entrances Link broke away from me and ran towards the large pool. He submerged the glowing blade, which hissed and spluttered, into the cold water.

As I ran up to him he drew the now cooled blade from the smoking ripples then turned to me, frustration etched deeply across his brow.

"This is getting ridiculous! How do we find the real one?" he asked with an angry flail of his arms. The quick movement caused some beads of blood to drop from his torn sleeve and splash into the water.

"Your arm-"

"It's nothing," he waved nonchalantly.

I swallowed, looking at the dark red bloom on his sleeve with concern. However, I just nodded and said nothing more about it.

"How much time do we have?" I asked him, inclining my head towards the opening we just came through. I realized some time ago that whenever we went into a different grove we got a sort of grace period before the puppets appeared again.

Link paused and listened.

Suddenly, something clicked in the back of my mind as I watched him. "You have to listen for him!" I said excitedly.

He sighed loudly. "I'm trying to listen for them, but you're making that pretty difficult with your incessant-"

"No," I said forcefully, interrupting his inevitable insult. "You have to listen for the Skull Kid!"

"What?"

I huffed. "Listen for him! The running of small feet, giggling, music- anything. Just use your dog-like ears and find him!"

He gave me a look that told me he was unimpressed with being compared to a dog again, but I just stared him down until he closed his eyes. His head jerked towards the opening we just came from and I looked to see that the sodden skeleton puppets were slowly gliding out from the darkness.

My breath hitched painfully as I watched them get closer when I heard Link gasp lightly. "I hear music- pipes…" His eyes snapped open. "This way!" he said as he grabbed my wrist once more and ran in the direction that his ears told him to go.

That direction had us returning to the very first grove, where the oblong stone still shone with the golden light of the Triforce symbol. Link pulled me back to the cave-like entrance and for a moment I thought we were going to go through it when he veered to the left, racing into a giant tunnel that was made from a hollowed out tree trunk.

Once again we emerged into a large circular grove with massive trees and stumps littered everywhere.

Link let go of my hand and put a finger to his lips. "There," he whispered as he pointed to a tree branch high in the air.

Sitting in the crook between the branch and the trunk was the Skull Kid, swaying jauntily to the music he played softly on his pipes.

Link motioned for me to stay where I was then took off towards the tree. He moved so fast and so silently that if he wasn't just holding onto my wrist I would've believed he was a ghost. He managed to sneak under the tree undetected, and I watched his next move with baited breath.

He took a few silent steps backwards, and then with a burst of his inhuman speed, ran for the base of the tree and did a forward shoulder roll, using the momentum to smash his foot flat against the trunk. The giant tree shuddered and swayed dangerously from the force of the hit, and the Skull Kid was bumped out, tumbling over the branch and crashing to the ground.

"Oww!" the Skull Kid cried, sitting up and holding his head.

Link stood, walked briskly over and pointed his sword in the Skull Kid's face. "Found you," he growled.

The Skull Kid whimpered then let out a wail of anger, pounding his fists into the ground. "No, no, no! It's not fair!"

"We won. Now where's the Master Sword?" Link roared over the Skull Kid's tantrum.

The Skull Kid started to curl into himself, rocking back and forth before pointing a finger to our left. A stone archway, large and ancient looking, materialized within the grove's wall; and visible through it was a stone walkway, fractured and crumbling with age.

I sheathed Colin's sword and started to make my way towards the archway; Link doing the same then joining me as I passed by. Just before I walked under the stone arch a shiver made me pause, and I looked back over my shoulder.

The Skull Kid had stopped crying and was standing; his skeleton puppets silently gliding towards him. His little shoulders were heaving and his eyes, which were now a solid crimson, burned with wild fury. But then he did something that made my blood turn to ice: He grinned, wide and nasty, before he and his puppets dissolved into the shadowy twilight.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Link and I climbed the stone walkway and entered into the crumbling perimeter of what was once a giant atrium of a giant edifice.

I smiled as I looked around. "The Temple of Time," I breathed.

"I thought this was the Ruins of Rauru?" Link said, looking around himself.

"Rauru was the Sage of Time. He built this temple, so technically it's the same thing," I said absentmindedly, running my hand over the bumpy surface of a fallen pillar.

"And you know this how?" Link asked and my back straightened.

"Parker," I said quickly. "He read about it in one of Renado's books and told me."

Link paused then nodded. "He was reading pretty fast yesterday," he said, impressed.

I inwardly sighed with relief.

That's one too many close calls today, Del! Smarten up! I chastised myself.

We walked on, coming to a stop at the back wall of the atrium where a single stone door- flanked by two hulking statues, wrapped in thin vines- stood sentinel.

I remained where I was while Link went to examine the door.

"There's no handle," he said as his hands roved over the ancient stone, fingers testing the grooves of the Hylian symbol carved deep into its surface. "How do we open it?"

I took a step forward and my foot slid slightly on the ground. I looked down and smiled. "This might do the trick," I said knowingly.

He looked back at me and I pointed to where I was standing. Embedded within the floor of the ancient temple was a circular piece of gleaming marble- and at its center was a golden Triforce.

He gave me a puzzled look.

Still smiling, I walked into the middle of the adjoining triangles and hummed "Zelda's Lullaby". The moment the final note faded into the air the Triforce glowed gold around my feet.

Suddenly, the temple grounds were filled with the sounds of splitting rock, and I looked to see that the two sentinel statues were moving. I watched wide eyed as they snapped the vines that bound them, dirt and small pieces of rubble falling away as they removed themselves from the wall.

Link leapt back, sword drawn as the statues advanced. However, they didn't continue forward and instead stopped side-by-side, blocking the stone door.

"Del? What is this?" Link asked over his shoulder.

"I don't know," I said truthfully.

I actually don't remember these guys…

Then they spoke.

"We are the guardians of this land," a dual voice said. Blue light- veined all over their bodies in archaic looking patterns- flashed in and out of existence with each word.

"We are the guardians of the true Sacred Grove," the single voice of the statue on the left flashed.

"And of what lies within it," flashed the one on the right.

"Who are you?" they asked as one.

Link, lowering his sword, stood tall and said, "Link." When that yielded nothing but silence he added, "The Goddesses' Chosen Hero."

"Prove it," the statues growled.

"Prove it? How?" he asked.

When they said nothing Link turned to me, the look in his eyes telling me that he was at a loss of what to do.

I didn't know what to do either, until I noticed that the Triforce under my feet was still alight. "Link, come stand on this," I said as an idea came to me.

"What'll that do?" he asked as he walked over to me.

"Only one way to find out," I shrugged then stepped away from the symbol and pushed Link into it.

Almost immediately the Triforce reacted to his presence as the bottom right triangle blazed brightly beneath him. Then Link raised his left hand and I saw the true Triforce of Courage shimmer to life.

I felt a tingling deep inside me as I stared at the light the Triforce of Courage created; only to have it fade when the symbols on both the ground and the back of Link's hand extinguished themselves.

"The Hero," flashed the one on the right.

"Chosen by the Goddesses," flashed the one on the left.

"We have been waiting for you," they said as one.

Moving away from the door, both statues went back to their original posts where they stood guard once more. The moment their hulking bodies stilled the stone door slid open.

"How did you know that would work?" Link asked in awe.

"I didn't," I said honestly. "It was just a guess."

"Good guess," Link chuckled as he sheathed his weapon.

I smiled. "Let's go get your sword."

Link nodded, and the two of us walked through the opened door, down a small arched hallway and up a flight of broken steps. At the top of the stairs was a grassy landing that extended into a wide forest clearing.

And there, in the middle of the open space, was a pedestal. And standing within the pedestal was…

"… The Master Sword," Link breathed.

We walked steadily towards it, both of us pausing in awe at the edge of the pedestal's platform.

"Well…?" I prompted him with a smile.

He took a deep breath, stepped onto the platform and wrapped his left hand around the navy blue grip of the handle. The blade started to shine, growing in intensity until the entire forest clearing was saturated in white light.

Shielding my eyes against the blade's brilliance, I peeked under my arm to see Link's outline tugging the sword from its resting place. And in a flash of blinding light that brought the world back to its natural colour, the blade slid out of the pedestal.

The moment Link raised the Master Sword high into the air a rush of sound emerged from among the trees- a sound that was both soft and deafening at the same time.

It was almost as if the land exhaled a deep sigh of relief.

As if Hyrule knew it was going to be saved.

---

Progress!

Well, I hope this was a good read. For as long as it took me to work on it, I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

Now, for the next chapter I'm going to consciously make an effort to write something a little smaller, haha. We'll see if I can do it...

Thank you all once again!

Please review, follow, and fave if you like what you're reading :)

~lavender phoenix~