A/N This was my final chapter before I decided to move on to my original works. This was, in my opinion, my best chapter. I will be rebooting this fic now in 2021 after this chapter. This was posted in late 2011/early 2012, if I recall. Almost a decade ago...

The bandit leader and his lackeys made it back to their base as quickly as they could, and found an unexpected guest waiting for them. The leader got off his horse, and approached Lieutenant Joro, who was sitting down, smoking a pipe.

"Hit it big?" Joro asked, standing up and greeting the leader, "I didn't expect you all to be working in this cold weather much, Silas."

"Well, when the mark is good enough, any weather's good weather," the bandit leader Silas replied, shaking the Lieutenant's hand.

"Well, let's get out of the snow. I have news from Essen," Joro said, opening the door to go into the abandoned keep they used as their base. It was obviously used as a fort of some kind long ago, but it was now occupied by Silas's bandit group.

"Glad we came back to the main base instead of staying in the town then," Silas said, following Essen in the base. They went upstairs to the second story of the keep, and took a seat in an office that was obviously Silas's.

"So what's this important news from Essen?" Silas said, pouring some whiskey into two glasses.

"We've had some issues lately, with two, maybe three people. You know Bruiser, of the Clearwater group?" Joro started, taking the glass of whiskey from Silas.

"Yeah, what's been happening from his side, haven't heard from him in a while," Silas replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"He's been killed."

"What?" Silas asked, nearly dropping his drink, "How... how is that even possible? Who killed him?"

"It was Phane," Joro said.

"Wasn't he supposed to be executed?" Silas questioned, now gripping his drink tightly. Bruiser's group was quite valuable to their operation, as he had the best chance to bring in the most profit for their scheme. His job was just to get the people who got out of Clearwater in time.

"He was rescued about a week ago," Joro explained, "some kid saved him in Ninso. He blew up the south wall, and they made their way to Clearwater."

"I assume Essen wants you to find them before they cause any more trouble."

"Yes, that's why I'm here. They're supposed to be heading through this way," Joro continued, "Essen has ordered us to kill Phane and the boy before they get in the way of his plans."

"The king's dinner is still on soon, right?"

"Yes, Justiciar Essen is on his way there. Your group is to find this boy and Phane and kill them, and then join in the raid. We have bribed several factions in Toryn City to storm the castle, giving Essen good enough opportunity to assassinate King Toryn and gain the throne."

"I've got a good idea of how Phane looks, but what about the boy? Any descriptions?"

"The boy is a skilled swordsman, and has blond hair and speaks in a foreign accent."

"Were they traveling with anyone else?" Silas asked, starting to remember that the boy he met when they stormed the hotel looked just like the description Joro just gave.

"A lizalfo possibly disguised as a monk. No one knows how they somehow... domesticated it. It's red, so it sounds a bit more like a Kontaran lizalfo. They are a bit more human-like in appearance, and are highly intelligent. Not like their feral green dinosaur-like cousins."

"We've just raided the inn, and a boy matching that description was there," Silas remarked, remembering the boy he confronted, "it's either one hell of a coincidence, or that was them. If that's the case, locating them shouldn't be too hard."

"Indeed," Joro said, "I'll suggest you get a group together to search for them. We need to go through the plans more in-depth anyways."

Meanwhile...

"I hate winter..." Phane said, slightly shivering at the thought of walking another minute in heavy snow.

"You're not the only one," Link replied, holding his arm over his eyes so he can see through the heavy snow that was pelting him, Phane, and J'on. "We're gonna get these guys for stealing our stuff and making us brave the snow just to go after them."

"I could just burn their fort down, let the blaze warm us all up," J'on said, causing Link and Phane to gaze back at him, "... Just a suggestion."

"I'll take that under advisement," Phane said, and was then slapped on the arm by Link, who pointed to something in the distance.

"You see that light?" Link said, pointing at something in the distance "I bet that's their base, let's go."

"Right behind you," Phane replied, being beckoning J'on to follow them, and then caught up with Link, who broke into a swift jog.

They reached the outer palisade, and Phane peeked in and saw that the entrance was well guarded by three guards at the gate. The palisade was shaped by several pointed logs, lashed together in order to create a crude fence, but it was enough to keep Link, Phane, or J'on from scaling it.

"This place is pretty well guarded," Phane said, "who knows how many else there are… We'll shred our hands trying to scale this fence as well…"

Link peeked around the corner as well, and sighed. "Well, if we have one thing going for us, it's the lack of visibility in the snow. I can barely see them."

Link saw a small gap in the fence a few feet away, and pointed at it.

"There's a gap in the fence right there. It's a little bit far up, so you'll have to boost me up. I think I can see if there's anyone else outside from there," Link whispered to Phane, "right there."

"All right, come here," Phane said, walking over to the wall and holding his hand out to boost Link up.

"Here goes," Link said as Phane lifted him up and held him as he stood on Phane's shoulders.

"What do you see?" Phane said, trying to keep Link balanced.

"I don't see any more bandits, just the three at the gate, but…" Link started, and then cracked an evil grin, "I think we have our way in. We'll have to get close enough, though. I also see a short building on the top of the hill inside here. I'm guessing that's where their leader's camped out at."

"How close do we need to get? We don't want them seeing us," Phane said, letting Link down. "Don't worry, Phane," Link said, "I've got an idea."

"That… slightly worries me," Phane said, noting the devious grin on Link's face. He had something good in store.

As long as he doesn't blow the whole damn place up, I think I'm fine, Phane thought as he shuffled along the outer palisade with Link.

"Wait there, J'on, secure the perimeter when we get inside," Link called out to his lizalfo friend.

"Not a problem," J'on responded, getting into a more stealthy position. He would have to make his move as soon as there was commotion, so he could make sure no one could escape.

Phane and Link made their way up to a decent distance, where they found another gap in the gate. However, this one was short enough for Link to look through without being boosted up, and he confirmed what he was seeing. There was a small group of cuccos eating behind the guards.

"Okay, kid, what's your plan?" Phane said, watching Link rummage through the snow until he found a sizable rock.

"Well, you take this rock," Link said, and then chucked it as hard as he could, "and watch the scene unfold."

The rock sailed over the wall, and hit a soldier in the helmet, and then ricocheted right at a cucco's head, where it hit it with a loud crack. The group of cuccos looked up, right at the guard, who turned around after recoiling from being hit.

"Oh…"

Link and Phane watched as the small group of guards proceeded to be assaulted by the angry group of cuccos. The guards screamed in freakish misery as the onslaught of fowl consumed them.

"That might be the most evil thing I've ever seen," Phane said, watching Link snicker as the guards were still being swarmed.

"Come on, before anyone else sees us," Link said. They both bolted through the gate, and to the hill before anyone could see them.

Silas was refilling his drink when he heard the screaming and clucking from outside. He went to the window, and saw the cuccos assaulting the guards outside.

"It seems someone made a mistake," Silas said, watching the cuccos leave the traumatized guards alone after their apparent revenge was exacted, "No matter, they probably had it coming." Silas sat back down at the table on the other side of the room and watched Joro take a map out.

"Here is a map of Toryn City and Toryn Castle," Joro started, "First, Essen will be greeting the King after his security rounds have finished, and then Captain Tanto will give the signal. Your group is to ambush the gate of the castle, along with the rest of our mercenaries and volunteers, and then occupy the dinner hall. Essen will attempt to bring the King to safety, where he will kill him and take the throne. You are to prevent any of his other guard from reinforcing Essen, including the other captain, Kaila."

"I see, so Kaila has to be stopped," Silas examined.

"Yes, Captain Tanto will handle her; you just have to make sure the swarm is hard enough. When the gate is broken, your group is to filter in through the kitchen, which I've marked here on this map. When the deed is done, you are to occupy the castle so Essen can be crowned, and the throne is his."

"What're they saying?" Phane whispered, holding Link on his shoulder again as Link listened in on Joro and Silas's conversation.

"Um..." Link whispered, "They're planning a coup. Essen's planning on killing the king at their dinner."

"What?!" Phane rasped in an angry yet surprised voice.

"That's not all, they're planning on taking Captain Kaila out," Link whispered, trying to calm Phane down, who shifted after hearing the news.

"That bastard..." Phane said, "Have they said when this 'dinner' was?"

"No," Link said, holding onto the edge of the window sill as Phane was really getting fidgety.

"We've got to get to Toryn City," Phane said to himself.

Kaila, they replaced me with you? I hope you're ready for this, Phane thought, thinking about the woman that succeeded him after his arrest. They had a history, and hearing this news made him very concerned for her and for his king. They were going to have to risk a lot to save them, but it might also mean them clearing their names.

"We're here to get our stuff back first," Link said, then saw Joro and Silas get up, and walk out the door, leaving the map on the table. Link looked up and saw the map, and had an idea

"Phane, I'm going to climb in," Link said, "They left their map. We might learn their plans and be able to stop them."

"All right," Phane said, letting Link lift himself into the window.

"Find our stuff, I'll meet you later," Link said, "Don't worry about me, we need our stuff back and then we need to get to Toryn City."

"Be careful, kid," Phane said, knowing Link had something planned. Whatever was going to happen, it was only a matter of time before they would be discovered trying to haul everything out, "What's your plan?"

"I'm going to steal this map, and then I'm going to confront the soldier," Link said, "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"That's crazy," Phane said, trying to convince Link to take a safer option, "What happens if you're captured?"

"Just go get J'on, and please, find my ocarina," Link said, grinning slightly, "Go, now!"

"Dammit," Phane said as he ran towards what he thought was the storage building across the fort, "Link, I trust you, but I hope you know what you're doing."

Link went and grabbed the map and folded it up, then put it in his pocket. He then closed the book the map was on top of, and then hid in the corner as he heard footsteps.

Joro came back in the room, and grabbed the book, and then walked back out, mumbling to himself about how he couldn't believe he left it there in the first place.

Link came out of the corner, and silently followed him out the door into a long hallway.

Joro walked down the hall while opening the book to look for the map. He started to get nervous as he searched frantically for the map in the book. When it wasn't there, he turned around and tried to go back to the room, when he found himself face to face with Link, who was pointing his now drawn broadsword at him.

"Looking for something?" Link said, holding the map in his right hand. Link had his sword pressed against the Lieutenant's chest, ready to kill in case he had to.

"You..." Joro started, "You're that boy Essen has been talking about. The one who he's been looking for."

"I take it you're one of his errand boys," Link said, "Where is Essen now? I have a few questions to ask him, so I'd like to see him again."

"Oh, he would most appreciate that," Joro said, "You know, he had ordered me to kill you and Phane. Where is your friend right now?"

Just then, there was shouting and a bell ringing from outside. Link looked back at Joro, and then motioned to the window.

"He's probably busy," Link said, keeping his blade on Joro, "and you never answered my question."

"He is on his way to Toryn City," Joro conceded. "Essen tells me that you are quite skilled with that sword of yours. If it's enough to impress him, it must be something. Let's see if that claim holds true."

Joro quickly retreated and drew his own broadsword, and got into a guard, pointing his sword horizontally at Link, who got into his own guard, a saber style guard with the tip pointing up at an angle toward Moro's eyes. Joro had an advantage of reach and strength, but Link was faster.

"Hmmmm," Joro said, examining Link's form, "Maybe Essen was right after all."

Joro slashed at Link, who parried it away, and started on his own offensive. He attacked at several different angles, causing Joro to parry Link away, and then push him to the other side of the room, prompting Link to turn around and get into his guard again. Joro then went on his offensive, thrusting at Link in repeated attempts to stab him, causing Link to retreat slightly, while parrying them away. The thrust turned into slashes, and then back into thrusts as he tried to keep Link off balance, which wasn't working as he had just parried everything away with authority. Joro kept on his attack with a slight curious grin on his face. After another slash, Link ducked, and then cut at Joro again, hitting him in the shoulder and slicing off part of his armor.

Joro scampered back, and surveyed the damage. Link was definitely better than he expected, and the knowledge that Link was able to get a solid strike on him enraged him. His demeanor changed from curious to incensed.

"A luck hit," Joro said, getting into a more aggressive stance, "Yes, I will enjoy watching you die, boy."

Link spun his sword around his hand, and then got back into his stance, not saying a word. He knew Joro meant business, so he needed to concentrate. He was glad his swordsmanship had improved drastically over his adventures, and he had learned some great tricks from many people, but he still felt awkward with no shield.

Joro attacked, and this time it was way more aggressive and nearly feral in nature. Link really got to him, and it showed. Link had to definitely adjust to the assault, but he managed to parry everything away, and then Joro tried chopping at him with his broadsword, holding the sword in both of his hands as he chopped downwards repeatedly. Link blocked again, as they locked their blades together. Joro had most of his weight allocated to getting through Link's guard, and since Link knew he wasn't strong enough to stop a man of Joro's size from overwhelming him, he pushed the blade away to his right, and then punched Joro in the head with his pommel, sending him to the ground.

Link was about to point his sword at Joro to get him to surrender, but Silas came of the corridor and thrusted a spear at him. Link reacted just in time, and managed to slice the tip off, prompting Silas to pull out a sword and attack with his other hand. Link ducked, and then tumbled away and blocked Silas's overhead chop. Their swords locked, and Link used all of his strength to stand up, pushing Silas's sword away. He then kicked Silas away from him and backed off as Joro stood back up, giving Link two opponents to fight. Joro attacked with a feral slash, which Link ducked under and pulled Joro's short sword out of its sheath on his belt. He then slid in between both of them, and opened up a way to exit. Link, now with a sword in each hand, got in guard as both of his opponents looked at him with a fascinated, yet frustrated gaze.

Both Joro and Silas raised their swords, and Link got ready for the next contest.

Meanwhile, Phane had just gotten busy as well. After he had separated from Link, he had made his way down to the second building, which he originally thought was just a storage facility, not the guard barracks that he encountered. He was lucky that most of them were busy helping the soldiers who were attacked by the cuccos earlier, but it still meant he had eight guards to contend with. As he had accidentally alerted them by knocking their door down, he grabbed the closest weapon to him: a broadsword.

"… Well, this is not exactly how I imagined this to go," Phane muttered before the dumbfounded guards armed themselves. Phane screamed loudly, and got into a very aggressive guard, hoping to intimidate them.

"Do you not know who I am?" Phane bellowed in a more guttural voice, "I am the man who killed Bruiser of Clearwater. I am the Captain of the Royal Army and Guard, I am Captain Phane!"

The guards looked at each other, obviously recognizing what he had done, and his description. There stood Phane, the man who avoided execution at the last second thanks to a well-timed explosion in Ninso. He was also one of the most renowned fighters to have ever been given the title of Captain.

"Captain Phane…" One of them said, dropping his weapon, knowing that they would be most likely defeated by him.

"Boo." Phane growled, raising his sword, causing a couple more guards to drop their weapons and run off. That left five guards, plenty easy enough for him to handle.

"Now that we've separated the boys from the men," Phane started, "Let's go."

Link would kill me right now, if he was here, Phane thought as the guards attacked him. He immediately found two gaps in the defenses of two guards, and he spun around, and hit both of the guards in the face. The guard on his right received a hilt to the face, as the other received an elbow. Both of them fell to the ground, out cold, as Phane parried a sword thrust away with his sword, knocking the sword out of the guard's hand. He promptly kicked the guard between the legs, and then finished him off with the hilt of his newly acquired sword. The last guard attacked, and Phane easily disarmed him as well. He held his sword to the guard's neck, threatening death if he so much as screamed.

"Unlike my young friend, I am far less merciful. Be thankful I'm sparing your life. Leave, before I change my mind," Phane threatened, drawing a tiny bit of blood from the neck of the guard for greater measure. The guard cowered back, and then scampered away, leaving Phane alone. Quickly, he barred the door and then looked around. After opening another door, he discovered a staircase that led downstairs.

"Well, if they're going to hide anything," Phane stated to himself, "It'll be down here."

Phane crept slowly downstairs, still armed with his broadsword, until he came to a room with four cells and a few chests accompanied by many bags, undoubtedly full of the money that was stolen from them. Out of curiosity, he browsed the cells first, and found someone he did not quite expect…

Link had both his swords ready for Silas and Joro to attack, but he had to think quickly. Taking both of them on at the same time was not the smart thing to do, and now that he knew their plans and the location of Justiciar Essen, he had to regroup with Phane or J'on as soon as possible.

"Don't feel bad, child," Silas said, "It was only a matter of time before you and your friends were found."

"Let's end this, Silas," Joro said, getting into an offensive stance. Link knew that he was in a bit of trouble, but he knew he was still able to get out of this alive if he kept his composure.

Both Silas and Joro shouted before they attacked, and Link parried both swords out of his way, and moved back, into the doorway.

"You know, if you're planning on cornering someone, it's probably not that good of an idea to back him up to the doorway," Link said, before throwing his short sword at them and shutting the door behind him, using a halberd from one of the display armor suits to brace it.

"There we go," Link said, before breaking into a run. He had to escape and find Phane as soon as possible. He made his way to the balcony where he heard shouting. Apparently, his position was given away, and several archers started shooting at him. Link, taking cover, sheathed his sword and grabbed a large kite shield from another armor set. He then stood up, and started running towards the end of the balcony, arrows hitting the shield he was covering himself with as he jumped off the balcony, straight into a hay bale below. He rolled out of the hay, and kept running, abandoning the shield as he reached an open door. An arrow sailed past him, scratching his shoulder, causing him to flinch. Link recovered, and shut the door behind him again, and found himself outside, facing five quite angry guards, who were still pulling feathers out of their armor.

"I guess you're having a bad day?" Link commented, watching the guards draw their swords. With archers to his back, and armored guards at his front, things weren't looking so good.

"I'd say their days just got fowled up." A voice behind the guards said. All of them turned around and found the flaming crimson lizalfo staring at them, holding a burning staff, and lighting a torch with his breath. The guards tensed up in fear, as Link exhaled in relief.

J'on blasted a decent fireball into the air, and breathed the cool air in, then stared at the guards.

"Hi."

"Aidan?!" Phane gasped, not believing his eyes, "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Phane!" The voice from the cell responded, "Aren't you supposed to be dead too?"

The man in the cell was in his early thirties, had jet black hair, blue eyes, and was about the same height Phane was. They resembled each other quite a bit.

"I guess so," Phane said, "Aidan, what are you doing here? How'd you get here?"

"Essen's guys came after me, captured me on my way to Toryn City," Aidan said, "Phane, the bandit leader, Silas, said that Essen's going to take over the throne, we've got to get to Toryn City as soon as possible."

"I know, me and my friend broke in here to get our stuff back, and then we heard," Phane said, "Let me get you out of there."

Phane grabbed the keyring off of the wall near the cells, and proceeded to find the right key to unlock Aidan's cell.

"They were saying that you were going to be executed," Aidan said, "I was on my way to Toryn City to appeal to the king himself when Essen's guys came out and got me."

"I was very close to being executed, then my friend broke me out," Phane said, "You still good with the sword?"

"Of course," Aidan said, picking up a sword that was on a rack, "So, you're a fugitive, eh? Who would've thought my brother would've gotten in such trouble."

"Ha – ha," Phane retorted, "let's grab our stuff, find Link, and get out of here."

"I'm assuming Link is the man who broke you out?" Aidan said, "must be one hell of a man to be able to do that."

"He's just a kid, actually," Phane said, giving his brother a few bags, "Hold on, I've got to go through this chest real quick. Gotta find an Ocarina."

Phane opened the chest, and there sat Link's Ocarina. It was the first time he had ever really seen it up close, so he picked it up, and examined it closely.

"I've seen this before," Phane said, "in some book… a long time ago…"

Phane then remembered what Link said about his ocarina, that he received it from the princess of Hyrule herself. There is only one such relic that the royal family kept; keeping it safe until the right person came to take it. The instrument that would be played to open the door of time.

"It can't be…" Phane said, holding it up so Aidan could see it. "Phane…" Aidan started, seeing what Phane was holding, "That's…"
"The Ocarina of Time," Phane gasped. It made perfect sense to him now. The reason why Link was so resourceful, so skilled with the sword, so experienced, was because he was already a legend.

The Hero of Time, Phane thought, Link… You really are special, aren't you, kid?

Phane stood up, and then turned to his brother, "Aidan, we've got to get back to Link as soon as possible. We have to make sure he's safe, do you understand?"

"Yeah," Aidan said, still shocked by what he had just seen. That was no ordinary child Phane met; that was the Hero of Time.

Phane and Aidan ran up the stairs, swords drawn, and opened the door that Phane barred shut.

What they saw was a quite large fireball, with Link and J'on running away at full speed.

"Time to go!" Link shouted over to Phane, who nodded, and caught up with them.

"We've got to regroup, let's head back to town," Phane said, watching Aidan catch up with them.

"All right, who's that?" Link said, seeing Aidan for the first time, Man, he looks like an older version of Phane.

"That's my brother, Aidan," Phane said, "I found him locked up in there."

"You didn't tell me you had a brother," Link said, not remembering Phane ever mentioning him.

"I guess we never really had time for that," Phane said, "He's my older brother… by 6 years."

"I assume you're Link," Aidan said, now slowing down with Link and company into a walk.

"Yeah, I'm Phane's friend," Link said, shaking Aidan's hand, "You two look a lot alike."

"Oh yes, but I must admit that Phane's the better looking," Aidan said, "However, I'm the more charming one."

"Am not," Phane remarked.

"Tell me, how many dates have you gone on?" Aidan retorted, grinning as he teased his younger brother, "Oh, right, all work, no play. Got it."

"That was bad, and you should feel bad," Phane said, then looking at Link, who was snickering quietly.

Link enjoyed seeing the two brothers bicker with each other. It really did make him long for a sibling of his own, but it also reminded him of his best friend back home. Saria; the closest thing he ever had to real family.

After a little while, they made it back to the hotel, which was in the process of clean up after the incident. Phane dropped off a bag of rupees to the front desk to help with fixing everything, and turned back to everyone.

"I think it's about time we get some dinner and then pack up. We're heading out tonight," Phane said. J'on, Aidan, and Link started towards the dining room, but Phane put his hand on Link's shoulder, stopping him.

"Not yet; we need to talk," Phane said, "Come on."

"What's wrong?" Link asked, a bit nervously.

"Come on," Phane ordered, taking Link with him into the library and closing the door behind him.

"Sit, please," Phane said, watching the bewildered Link sit down.

"What's wrong?" Link asked again. Phane was making him really nervous; he didn't really act this way often. Something was up.

"I found your ocarina," Phane said, pulling it out and putting it into Link's hand.

"Thank you," Link said, relieved, "I don't know what I would've done if it was gone."

"Yeah, I know," Phane said, dropping to one knee to look Link in the eyes, "The real question is...

Why didn't you tell me?"

"About what?"

"About the fact that that's the Ocarina of Time," Phane said, "there isn't a Hylian in the world who doesn't know what that is."

Link sighed. This isn't something he really wanted to discuss, especially with Phane who definitely showed some concern about what he had just found out.

"I didn't think you'd believe me if I told you," Link said, looking directly at Phane, "But yes, that is the Ocarina of Time. It was handed to me directly by Princess Zelda."

"The Royal family wouldn't hand that to anyone," Phane said, "Only to the person who would use it."

Link remained silent, prompting Phane to get up once he confirmed his suspicions. It was obviously a sore subject, but it was something Phane definitely needed to know.

"Link, I have to know, that journey that the Hero of Time is to embark on…"

"Phane, stop. Please," Link interrupted, a bit more forcefully than Phane was expecting.

Link really didn't want this conversation to go there.

"Don't you understand? You are a legend to our people. You're the one chosen by the Gods to save all of us from eternal darkness," Phane said, trying to at least get Link to open up a little about it.

"Phane, STOP!" Link yelled, bolting up in an angry outburst as he looked directly into Phane's eyes. "I have been chosen by the Gods to be the salvation of this world's people so many times. It's always me. I'm sick of being the chosen. I am sick of being the hero. I am so sick of seeing my own people suffer because of the war games played by those more powerful than us."

"Link…" Phane said, trying to calm Link down.

"I've seen the world burn, Phane," Link said, "I've seen people run away from something that was inescapable, and still hold onto the hope of survival when everything that they believed in

and loved was destroyed right in front of me, and I was the only one who could walk away from it, and act like NOTHING ever happened, as they lived on constantly in the same fear I've tried to save them from. I even thought I did at some point! And now... it's all gone. All gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

"It all ceased to be... I saw it at the end, even after I thought I won... it just... disappeared..." Link quivered. It wasn't like him to get emotional in front of others, he had learned that some people might think it was weak. "Everything's gone and forgotten now. Nothing remains of my journey except for Epona an my Ocarina. That's all I have. All I have left to hope for, all I pray for, is that whatever experiences I have from now on… with you, with J'on, even with Nigel, won't be taken away either."

Phane fell silent, and sat in the chair opposite of Link, putting his hands to his face in shocking disbelief. After a quick contemplative moment, he looked at Link, who sat back in his chair. He had to look closely, but there were tears in his eyes; tears that were fought back by nothing more than anger and defiance.

"Link, I'm not going to pretend to know what you've gone through," Phane said, "All I know is that no matter what happens, no matter where we go… you will never have to bear that burden alone again. I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" Link muttered, looking away from Phane.

"Because I'll be there," Phane said, standing up and walking over to Link, and putting his hand on Link's head, "I owe you my life, Link, and I swear to you, I will spend the life you gave me making damn sure that I keep that promise."

"Would you still do it even if I wasn't the Hero of Time?"

"Of course… it didn't stop me before," Phane replied, reassuring Link that he was there to stay, "You saved my life, kid. You saved Logan's life too. I'm not going to let a 'title' get in the way of my judgment."

"Seriously?"

"Yes," Phane responded, putting his hand on Link's head, "I won't abandon you, Link. We're in this adventure together."

Phane left Link sitting in the chair, and walked to the doorway, "Come, we've got a country to save first. Let's get some food and get to it."

Phane was about to leave the room and allow Link to follow him, but he was interrupted by Link.

"Phane?" Link said, still sitting in his chair.

"Yeah?" Phane replied, still half-way in the doorway.

"Thanks."

"Any time, kid," Phane said, leaving Link alone. Any time...

A/N: Well, here we are. The final bit of the original fic that I never finished. I am in progress with my reboot of this story. Thanks for taking this journey with me, and I can't wait to have you all back here with the newer, better version.