Imperial Base

Zant marched through the Imperial camp, searching diligently for his so-called "superior". Ghirahim was not in his quarters, which Zant was quite happy not to be in. He wasn't within the dungeon, where Zant expected as well. Ghirahim constantly hovered around the location where Ganon fell, reciting how his old master became prisoner to the people who once feared him. Zant didn't understand any of that, and constantly ignored the Demon Lord's loud thoughts.

Zant found Ghirahim outside the camp, standing on a cliff overlooking the land. Zant strolled up to the demon's side, and folded his arms. "Quite the scenic view."

"Fabulous, isn't it? I remember when the world was much...different. Human nor monster didn't inhabit the land for thousands of years, nature took its course. The war between good and evil had stilled, but the world continued… It doesn't matter who wins, nature will outlive us all."

"Quite the philosopher, Ghirahim."

"Hmm... Tell me you have good news."

Zant sighed. "That depends on how you look at it. For one, I don't have the location of the pendants."

"His Majesty won't be pleased to hear our reports."

Zant shook his head. "No, this is the gods' doing. In Ordon, I met an agent of the Resistance. You saw one of them take the Pendant of Power. The gods want the Resistance to obtain the items. We won't be able to find them if we tried." The masked man kicked a rock off the cliff, and then began to chuckle. Ghirahim looked at his comrade with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you thinking?"

"The king stated we had to retrieve the pendants. He didn't say how. I say we let them take their prizes, and then-"

"-we will take them, like stealing candy from a baby." Ghirahim whipped back his hair, smiling brighter than the moon above them. "Oh, this is a delicious plan, but how will we get them in one place?"

"Oh we don't have to do a thing. The ticking of a clock will bring them together. It has already captured Power, if intel is to be correct… And speaking of time, have you entertained our guest?"

Ghirahim shook his head. "I leave the pleasure to you, Prince of Twilight. He still hasn't given up the base of the Resistance, nor anything else of usefulness. Don't kill him though. He's an asset, for now." Zant nodded his head, and left Ghirahim on the cliff. Passing through the monsters inhabiting the Imperial base of operations, Zant easily located the location where Ghirahim had his prisoner held. He swiftly entered, seeing the beaten, bloodied body of the boy in their capture resting from hours of cruel torture. In the day since he has been captured, Zant questioned as to why Ghirahim still had him strapped to the torture rack instead of in chains. No matter, Zant will have his answers.

After all, this was the last person in the world he knew that could tell him about his long lost sister.

Taking a seat, Zant watched as the boy stirred in his sleep, and wondered if he was dreaming of better times. Times that didn't exist, and never will because of Zant, Ghirahim, the Imperial Army, and most importantly, the King of Hyrule. Time to wake the boy up. "I had no idea that Ghirahim had captured one of the Resistance's best warriors, if what he said about you fighting was true." The boy slowly awakened, and faced Zant with cruel, murderous yellow eyes. Zant smiled underneath his mask. "Comfortable?"

The boy could hardly muster the breath to speak."...N...N...No…"

Zant stood up, and walked slowly towards his prisoner. "I'm impressed. Ghirahim hasn't been able to get out of you the location of the Resistance base, nor as to why you were at the Demon in the first place. However, I hear you're of the Dragmire lineage. Trying to live up to an ancestor, eh?"

"I am nothing...like him…"

"Oh, but that's where you are wrong. You don't see what I see, what Ghirahim saw. I see the devil himself desiring to be unchained, yet for some reason, you have something keeping you away from the dark side. But what I can also see is that you have unleashed yourself before… Nabooru Town, wasn't it? Your former home? I think we dueled there, did we not? As there is only one Gerudo male every hundred years or so, I suspect you were once it's future king?"

This riled the boy up as he lifted his head in anger. "Shut up."

Amused, Zant lifted the mouthpiece of his mask so that the boy could hear him speak with his own voice. "I remember that day, especially two significant parts. One was... Oh, the king. That's right, I knocked his head off. Heh. The other... I was there, cutting down those desert whores like paper mache. But there was one person there who stood out. I figured she was important, giving that her attire was quite different from the typical Gerudo. She had on an all red attire, not old enough to be the town leader but maybe around your age back then…" Zant glanced at the boy, who now pasted a horrified look on his face. So he knew this girl… Zant continued, "She was guarding a pair of girls, tired of fighting my monsters, but when she saw me walk up to them, she had to protect them. We fought, and fought, and fought, but like the rest of those bitches, she fell. Hard. I remember her words. 'Für meinen Freund, meine Liebe, mein König, ich sterbe.' Do you know what that means?"

The boy lowered his head. "For my friend...my love...my king… I die." With tears washing the caked blood, the boy lifted his head in fury. "You killed her!"

Zant chuckled. "Oh no, I didn't kill her. I let her live, just so she can watch the ones she strived to protect be taken to my king and queen." At this the boy tried his best to wrestle out of the torture rack and the bonds that held him down. Zant had found the boy's weakness. "Those two kids, you knew them as well. If the girl was your love, and she protected those girls so diligently, they must have been her sisters...or yours." Zant leaned down to the boy's face, snickering sinisterly. "Oh, but that's tame compared to what I did to your friend. I kept her alive, and made her mine in every way imaginable. She would try to resist, which only makes it so much better. She would cry for her dear friend, beg me to kill her, ask me to stop. But I remember at times she would sob for hours, praying to the gods that someone named Ganondorf would come for her, and save her from me."

The boy's anger was reflected in the tears rushing down his face. "You're a monster. A sick, psychotic monster!"

"Maybe I am, no, I know I am, but it takes a monster to know a monster. I know what you did. I was leaving the city, your bitch in tow, when I heard the screams. Not the screams of sorrow, but of rage. Pure, unbridled rage. I heard how you single-handedly nearly took out a mob of my own monsters, forcing them to run. I remember going to seek this power, and the fight I had afterwards with it. You lost, as history will tell, but... Even then, I felt power, the power that hides within you. The power that even shook my king. A power only the Gerudo Kings could possess. But like a candle, it burned out. I thought you were dead. But here you are, alive and well. If only I could show your friend that you are alive, but she's dead. Suicide. I know, I was bummed too. She had a fantastic body, and while it was wasted, I don't bang the dead. I'm surprised she lasted five years, honestly. She almost made it to today." Zant went back to his seat, leaned back, and crossed his legs. "I hear you have a new gal, but unlike your friend, we both have a special interest in your runaway companion. I believe she's also the reason you're against your true name."

Gan lowered his brow, desperately wishing he could kill Zant with his looks. "What do you mean we have 'special interest' in her?"

"Oh, I forget my mannerisms. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zant Twilight, and I believe you know my sister, Midna."

Gan's face was horrified by the revelation. "No...no no no no."

"Yes...yes yes yes. I know it's surprising. Tell me, how is my sister? I miss her dearly."

"She...she thought you were dead. She mourned for you. She's fighting the Imperials because she thinks you were killed when Rauru was destroyed, yet here you are, a member of the organization that destroyed your sister's life!"

Zant shrugged. "Oh, that was all me. I'm the reason Rauru Town became likes its namesake: a light in the dark night. As for Midna, I didn't think she would have lived, but I see I overlooked that. Shame. Midna wouldn't have killed herself, and maybe I could have had two girls instead of one. A submitter and a rebel."

Gan was completely disgusted. "You will never lay a finger on her."

Zant leaned forward, smirking. "I did once before, I will again. And it will be deja vu, except this time, if Ghirahim doesn't send you to the Sacred Realm, I will have an audience." Gan once more jumped at Zant, but the bonds held. Zant crackled. "Or maybe I will just kill her. Whatever happens, I will unleash the devil within you. I know where Midna is, so if I wanted, I would go to her now. But I got bigger plans for now, so sit tight, King of Thieves. The one you care for will be here soon enough." Now finished with torturing the boy, Zant stood, and turned to leave the prisoner alone. Gan continued to attempt to free himself, and while Zant knew the boy was too weak to do so, he couldn't help but watch the bonds struggle to hold Gan back. Zant couldn't help but smirk.

"If you dare touch Midna, I will make you suffer a thousand men's deaths. I will slowly cut you to pieces, tendon by tendon, bone by bone. I will keep you alive until the very end, when I burn the very organ you love the most. I will avenge Aviel, Koume, Kotake, and my people one way or another. Then you will truly know who I am."

Zant scoffed, and threw his hand forward, telepathically pushing Gan back. "You think I'm afraid of you? You're nothing but a homage to an animal. I was going to spare you, and let Ghirahim do the dirty deeds, but it seems you don't know who you're talking to." Zant put pressure on the skull of Gan, threatening to crush it if he so decided to. "Now you'll tell me, for Midna's sake, where is the Resistance base."

Although he was in immense pain, the boy looked at Zant, grunting. Using whatever strength he could muster, Gan slowly but sure began to push back on Zant's telepathic hold. "I will not tell you. The Resistance will not fear you."

Zant added pressure, causing the boy to scream. "Where is it?"

Gan dropped his head, looking up to Zant with the wildest smirk on his face. "Eh...heh...heh...heh ha ha ha!"

Eastern Woods

"Come, Hero, inside, and face destiny. Enter The Eagle."

For the first time in 18 years, Link could say that he couldn't sleep. So many things rushed through his head, it was impossible to rest his mind. So while all except him slept, he separated himself from the group, and stood in front of the massive opening of the tree leading down to whatever was inside the tree.

"Come, Hero, inside, and face destiny. Enter The Eagle."

For some reason, Link felt different when he stood upon the grounds of the dungeon. He had this feeling that he was supposed to be here, not by chance, but by some underlying fate. He could feel the dungeon call to him, whispering his name, yearning for him to enter. Why is was so, Link didn't understand, but after today, Link was a high believer in fate. Fate would have it Ordon would be attacked, and Link's life would be destroyed, yes, but Link already shed those tears. Besides, he knew his father and Impa. They were resourceful, and he bet they made it out. If they didn't… He would mourn them later. Now all he had was Spryte, Epona (who Link was very excited to see), and Zelda, and Link had to protect them all.

"Come, Hero, inside, and face destiny. Enter The Eagle."

Link's mind began to race. The same phrase was repeated in his head, and it confused him. He, a hero? No way? What has he done to be a hero? The way the voice sounded, it was like Link was being called not a hero, but the hero, like the Hero of Legend or the Hero of Hyrule. Link looked up to the 'face' of the tree, denying the voice's claims. "I am no hero, and definitely not the Hero."

"Come, Hero, inside, and face destiny. Enter The Eagle."

"I am not a hero!"

"Come, HERO, inside, and face destiny. Enter The Eagle!"

"Link?" A blue light blinded Link for a second, until it focused into the orb of Spryte. "Is something wrong?"

Link shook his head, and crossed his arms. "No, it's just… Ah, you wouldn't understand. "

"But I can." Zelda appeared on Link's left, and took his hand in hers. She looked up to him to his confused eyes, and Link did all he could not to blush. "You hear something don't you?"

"Yes, voices… How did you know?"

"You're looking at the sky, idiot? What did they tell you?"

Link turned away, back to the dungeon's entrance. "They spoke to me, telling me to enter the Eagle. They called me Hero."

"Hero? Like the one of legend?" The three of them, stood in silence for Nayru knows how long. Each pondered over whether or not to enter the dungeon. The fairy made her mind up first, and flew in front of Link and Zelda.

"Okay, we went through some crazy things today, but look at where we are right now. Now I don't know anything about fate and stuff, but I do know that the gods must have something special for you two if you survived Ordon. I kinda understand this 'Hero' business, and if Lady Destiny wants you two to follow her into the depths of this dank dungeon, I say we go in, and follow her. So grab your swords, and let's go. Just the three of us." Link looked to Zelda, and vice versa, sharing a nod. Spryte's advice will be followed. As the Hylians went to gather their belongings, Link carrying his sword and shield, while Zelda had her katana, and a set of throwing knives. "Ready, Link and Zelda?"

Zelda turned to Link, a short smile on her face. "As long as Link is ready."

Link faced the dungeon, glaring at it. "The last time someone entered this dungeon, it was supposedly in 1986, 30 years ago. Who knows what dangers we might face. It would be dangerous to go alone." Link turned to Zelda, and patted her shoulder. "If these voices believe I'm some fated warrior, like the Hero of Hyrule, then I'm glad I'm taking you with me, Zelda. You as well, Spryte. Let's go meet destiny and see what's up." Without hesitation, the three went inside the tree, walking down into the underground dungeon of The Eagle.

"Wow…" Spryte flew the first room of the Eagle, zipping to each statue in the three rows and four columns. Link and Zelda were thankful for the light their fairy broadcasted, although it was not enough to fully illuminate the room. But it was enough to see the green-blue walls and matching floor, and it amazed the Hylians, Link more than anyone.

"All this time… and we were right near it." He whipped to Zelda excitedly, and ran to hug her. "The legends! Ha ha! They are true! I knew it! There was a hero, and he indeed walked these very rooms!"

Zelda pushed herself out of Link's hold, but didn't lower his excitement. Unlike Link, who believed in such stories, Zelda was totally skeptical that a little boy could have braved this place alone. There's no denying the legitimacy of the story, as there was a green-garbed hero, but as a 12 year old kid? Zelda didn't think so."Yeah, no… Maybe they are just legends, but that's not why we are here." Zelda touched one of the many dragon statues, and looked around. The fairy's light were pathetically lightening the room, and it was really getting on Zelda's nerves. "Lux." A small ball of light formed in Zelda's hand, the room was fully illuminated, and the duo of humans and Spryte could see three exits out the room. However, the northern exit was lock, leaving the human with a choice to either go left or right. Zelda turned to Link. "Your choice, Master Shortpants."

Link frowned as he began to walk left. "You will stop calling me that one day." Zelda chuckled as she jogged up to him. They walked through a short hallway, and came into an empty rectangular room, only inhabited by a trio of bats hanging on the ceiling. Link scratched his head, and shrugged. "Maybe we came the wrong way?"

"Maybe so." Zelda turned to exit, but then heard a high pitched screech from the fairy in front of her and from behind. She heard Link draw his sword, and she did the same. The three bats had grouped together, and flew towards the teens. In one fluid motion, Link and Zelda cut through the trio, taking one for themselves and sharing the one in the middle. Instead of bodies on the ground, the bats vanished once they were defeated. Sheathing their blades, Zelda looked to Link, confused as to what just happened. "What were those bats?"

"Not bats...Keese." Spryte flew in front of the Hylians, and to the room's center. "Annoying devils they are, but easy to kill." She picked up a key from the floor, and flew back to Zelda, giving it to her. "I guess coming here was not a total waste."

Link took the key from Zelda, and led the way to the first room. "Where did the key come from? It wasn't there before."

"Hmm… Maybe defeating the Keese triggered something. Maybe there was some spell tied between the appearance of the key, and the defeat of the Keese." Back in the first room, Zelda pointed to the opposite door, the one formerly to the right. "Let's check that part out."

Link was already halfway to the locked door when Zelda said this. "But we got the key to go this way."

Zelda looked at her preferred destination, and pressed the matter. "Link, we don't even know why we are here, and why some voices want us to be in this place. I think we are looking for something, so we should search every spot in this dungeon for it." Link sighed, and joined Zelda to the right door, leading them to another rectangular room, with two sets of six raised blocks. They could hear footsteps in the room, and ran to the blocks in front of them, drawing their swords. Link raised his finger to his mouth, and pointed to Spryte, signaling for them to hide. Spryte went for Link's and the boy motioned to the girl for silence, and did some two way pointing gesture. Zelda seemed to get the gist of it, as she moved to the right as Link moved left, strapping his shield to his right arm. Link turned back to Zelda, and she to him. Link turned away, and looked around the corner. He couldn't hear any footsteps, and sighed.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A skull popped up into Link's face sending the boy to his butt as he screamed in terror as the monster approached him. The skull was revealed to be a boomerang-carrying skeleton, and Link had to block the item thrown at him before standing back up. Away from him, he could hear Zelda crying out, but not in distress, humiliating Link as, once again, Zelda was besting him. He stood up, and before the skeleton could attack him again, Link beheaded it, and like the Keese, it just vanish once it was defeated, and Link crossed to the center of the room, where Zelda was facing two more of the boneheads, swords and shields up. Seeing Link fast approaching, Zelda quickly held her hand, and aimed it at Link's shield. "Aqua!" A burst of water shot from her hand, and past the monsters. Link timed his block, reflecting the water, and sending it towards the face of the monster on the left. It was blinded, and Zelda jumped into the air and off one of the large blocks, ramming his knee into the temple. What would be a very dangerous hit to a human was fatal to the monster, as it fell down and poofed out of existence. The final skeleton had Link's sword removed from its ribcage, and vanished as well.

Another key fell on the floor, and Link picked it up. It looked the same as the other key, but he stored it anyway. "Guess you were right. Something we need was here."

Zelda sheathed her sword, and nodded. "Spryte, it is safe to come out now." The fairy appeared, and led the way out of the room. "Spryte, what were those boneheads?"

"Stalfos. Nasty creatures, they are. They use boomerangs and swords as well, so be on your guard."

Link scoffed. "Now you tell me." Back in the first room, Link and his comrades went to the locked door, and the boy took out one of the keys. It, by chance, fitted the lock, and once it did its job, vanished from sight. They all frowned, but said nothing about it as they ventured deeper into the labyrinth. Three more Stalfos guarded the room, and cornered the young warriors. Link stretched his sword out to Zelda, and winked. "Let's blow them away."

"Right." Zelda touched Link's blade, and whispered, "Ventus." A small gust surrounded Link's sword, and he pointed it at the skeletons, blasting them to the back walls and from this plane of existence. Zelda then calmed the wind, and they continued onwards. The next area immediately launched the two into battle, splitting themselves up between the five bone squad of Stalfos. Zelda ignited her blade with fire, and charged forward. The first bonehead tried to hit her with a vertical swing, but she ducked and slid right under it, cutting its legs as she moved, Popping back up, she sent a fireball right to the second Stalfos face, and flipped back to finish the first.

Link jumped into the air, landing a shield bash on his first monster, taking it out immediately. Looking at the two on each side of him, he ducked as they came towards him together, ramming their swords into each other. Link stood back up, and in one swipe, ended both of their lives. A third key landed on the floor beside Zelda, and she tossed it to Link, who put it in one of his many pockets with the other key. Pointing to the exit on the left, Link directed Zelda to the right. "You check that room, and see what's inside. I'll check over here." Zelda nodded, and went to the right room with Spryte, and was greeted by a flock of Keese.

Spryte frowned, turning bright red. "Of course Link sends us to an infestation. You don't have a way to take them all out, do you?"

Zelda grimaced, realizing that she did not have the most effective way of ridding of the bats. "Impa never taught me light magic, and bats are blind, so it would have been useful. Guess we go with the next best things." Stepping fully into the room, Zelda flipped into the air, attracting the attention of the bats, and yelled as she smashed a fist to the ground. "Din's Fire!" A dome of flames surrounded the young woman, and seared every single Keese in the room. Watching small sparks disappear as they touched the ground, Zelda and Spryte began to search the room for any sort of relevant item. Spryte gasped as he found something along the right wall, and pointed Zelda to it. She followed, and curiously picked up a small, circular, brown compass. "What is this doing in here?"

"You think it could help us out?"

Zelda shrugged as she tossed the item in and out of her hand. "They do lead somewhere, don't they? Maybe it will direct us to whatever we are in here for." Exiting her current location and passing the area Link and her split, Zelda and her fairy followed their friend, finding him waiting in front of a locked door. Link looked up as he noticed

"Hey, what's that? A compass?"

Zelda bobbed her head. "Yes, Spryte, it is a compass."

Link folded his arms as he looked at the item in Zelda's grasp. "Why would it be here? As a guide of sort?"

"I guess so. Makes no other sense."

Link nodded, and turned to the door, sticking a key in. "Well, surprise surprise, it looks like the keys are one size fits all. We just have to collect them." Twisting the key into the lock, the door became open, and reveal a path deeper into the dungeon.

They carried themselves further into another room, inhabited by three gelatinous creatures. Link took a back seat as Zelda jumped into the fray, as they both believed only she could damage them. She whipped her sword into flames, and Link watched in amazement as Zelda easily tore through the creatures. Once she was done, the boy nodded his appreciation and looked around. To the right, there was an open passageway, and the two went in that direction. More Gels scoured the room, and Zelda ignited both her sword and Link's, making a quick sweep of the place. As the Hylians sheathed their blades, their fairy found an item of interest, and went to retrieve it. They gave it to Link, who chuckled. "Of course this is why it is called The Eagle. It is shaped like one."

Zelda hunched over Link's shoulder, looking for their placement. "So where are… Wait, the compass!' She held the compass under the map, and two dots appeared. One, white in color, appeared on the 'torso' of the Eagle, while a red dot appeared on the wing. "We must be the white dot, and the red one has to be what we are looking for."

"But what are we looking for?"

Link rolled up the map and returned the compass to Zelda. "Good question, Spryte. I guess we'll find out soon enough." Turning to Zelda, noticing a little exhaustion on her part. "You tired?"

"Well, Link, I have used a considerable amount of magic, plus the attack of Ordon on my mind and the lack of a full sleep, so yea, I'm tired. I am honestly surprised you are not."

Link chuckled. "Well, the excitement is fulfilling my reserves, but after this, I might drop. You rest here for a bit," Link looked north towards the open passageway, and gestured to Spryte, "We'll be back."

Before they fully vanished into the dark, Zelda called out. "Link…"

"Yeah?"

"Stay safe. Spryte, watch him."

Link and Spryte nodded, and faded into the next room.

Water filled various parts of the room, and Link found no trouble with the guarding Stalfos, opting not to attack them in favor of breezing through the room. As he began to unlock the door, however, he could hear six footsteps gather unto him. Spryte muttered a swear to herself as Link groaned as he turned to face the skeletons. "Come on guys, I didn't want to fight." The three monsters lined up one after another, since the pathway was narrow enough for one person to cross. Link used that to his advantage, holding his shield up as Stalfos #1 swung its blade. Link pushed the attack aside and bashed his shield into the monster's chest, causing a domino effect. Stalfos #1 and #3 fell into the water, while #2 fell to the ground. Link impaled it in its bony chest, and in its place popped a key. Link picked it up, and shrugged to Spryte. "Guess we needed to beat them." Returning to the halfway locked door, Link and Spryte finally was able to enter into its interior. Marching around the water filled room were a trio of boomerang tossing beasts, and while they did not attack Link, if the previous room taught him anything, there could be something to gain if he did. "Spryte, what are these things?"

"Goriyas, I believe. Yea, definitely Goriyas, not Moblins. They are masters of the boomerang."

Link jumped after the closest one as he continued talking to his fairy. "How do you know all of this about monsters?"

Spryte smiled as she watched Link knocked Goriya #1 into the water. "Ah well, you know, fairies have stores of knowledge. Monsters, weapons, geography, gossip, whatever you need, I can tell."

"Oh great."

"Yes, I know." After the Goriyas were defeated, and another key was gathered, Link and Spryte headed to the room to the left. Spryte flew ahead to survey the area, Link following slowly behind her. She deemed the room safe, as it was monster-free, until she looked to the corners, and called to her companion as he took a step inside . "HEY! STEP BACK!" Link quickly did so, and yelped as two large blade traps collided where his foot formerly was. As they recessed, Spryte motioned Link forward, and he cautiously followed her instructions, relieved to see the traps did not bounce back as they returned to their corners.

"Thanks, Spryte. I would not have seen them."

"You are welcome, Link. Now, behind these blocks is a set of stairs. I believe we must push one to access the lower level." Link nodded, and attempted to push his way in a clockwise direction, starting at the 3 o'clock block. It wasn't until the 9 o'clock block, and another avoidance of a blade trap later that Link was finally able to form a path to the steps. Wiping his brow, he felt exhaustion coming upon him, but moved onwards. Walking down the steps, Link batted away the flock of Keese until he came to the end of the corridor. On a pedestal was a quiver and bow, but no arrows. Link picked them up, and turned to Spryte proceeding out of the lower level. "Well, that's one problem down. I guess Zel can have the bow, since she's so much better than me."

Spryte nodded, and analyzed the bow. "But is this what the guy, whatever his name is, wanted us to pick up? A simple bow and arrow?"

Link shrugged as the two made their way to the top of the stairs, beginning to backtrack to Zelda. "He never told us we were looking for anything. We just assumed that, really, because of the map."

"It would be a correct assumption, right? Why else would we be here? The last time someone came down here, it was to find a shard of Wisdom. Now, 30 years later, the dungeon is reinfested with wretches, and we are here for some unknown reason? Yeah, we're looking for something… I don't trust that guy. He's all different kinds of shady."

"I trust him."

"You trust too easily, Link. Hell, you made friends with Zelda 10 seconds after you saw here. Remember Pipit, Groose, Karene, Mido, those stupid Know-It-All Brothers, Aryll, and all your other friends? You made quick friends with them as well, albeit with Zelda's help. I'm telling you, something is up with that guy, and you are quick to deny it. Yes, he saved us, but don't you think it was convenient that he was there, and not attacked, as far as I know, by the Imperials? How do we know he is not one of them himself?"

Link paused in his step, and pondered over Spryte's words. Sure, the man was mysterious, and did save Link and Zelda from seemingly out of nowhere, then sends them to this labyrinth without instruction (although, in the man's defense, Link and Zelda went in alone, on their accord), but him being an Imperial was way too left-field. Link glared up to his fairy, finality set in his eyes. "I trust him."

"Hmph. Fine, have it your way, bigshot."

Link and Spryte came to find Zelda waiting beside the locked door, impatiently awaiting the return of the boy and his blue fairy. Once the latter duo walked up to the former, Zelda had undeniably reached the limits of her patience. "Oh come on! Did you find anything?"

Link held up the quiver and bow he obtained earlier, and handed both to Zelda. "Here. They came with no arrows, though. Sorry."

Zelda's mood seemed to brighten as she gave the bowstring a practice drawback, then strapped the bow and quiver to her back. "At least I got a new bow."

"Amazingly, the bow actually is in very neat condition for its location. Like it is brand new." Link unlocked the door, using the last key in their reserves, and began the procession deeper into the dungeon. "I just wish we had some arrows. Guess we'll have to make do for now." Link turned back to the fairy, remembering the conversation they just had. He turned back to Zelda, whose attention was directed to her front. "Hey, Zel?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think of the man?"

Zelda shrugged. "He's interesting. I desire to know his story."

Link chuckled. "Of course… Goriyas, incoming!" Link rolled (yes, he rolled) into the room, standing himself up next to the closest Goriya, killing it with a thrust to its porky stomach. He saw a small, shiny object implant itself into another Goriya a few feet away. The final one tossed its boomerang at Link, who caught it and threw it back. Of course the beast caught it as well, but it mattered not to Link as the swordsman leaped into the air and sliced the monster vertically. Upon its defeat, the boomerang it possessed fell to the ground, not vanishing like its brethren when the owner did so. Link picked it up, and once he deemed it would not disappear, kept it for himself. He found Zelda watching him near the exit, twirling a throwing knife between her fingers.

"Finish being a thief? Come on, I think we're almost at the red dot." Link nodded, and joined Zelda as they marched to the final room on the eagle's 'wing'. The room was empty, save for the many blocks in the room and the newfound inhabitants inside. Link and his friends immediately went for the northern exit, only to find it locked to their disappointment. No one was more disappointed than Spryte, however, as her light began to turn into a depressing grey.

"I just want to get out of here. This...dungeon hunting is not good for my complexion." The girl scoffed while the boy in the blue shirt ignored the fairy. and began to walk down to the south side of the room. Link looked both ways before finding the last key to his left, and skipped to it. Glad to have a way out, Link bent to pick it up, just as a warning chill came over the boy's spine. Quickly picking up the key, Link drew his blade, waiting for whatever gave him such a foreboding sense of danger to appear as he began to return to his comrades.

"Zelda?"

"...Link… Have you found a key?" Link turned the corner, and saw Zelda standing in fright. Holding up the newfound item, Zelda quickly gestured for him to unlock the door. "Good, now hurry up. Link jogged to the door, and hurriedly unlocked it when Zelda screamed in terror. Link turned around, and froze on the spot.

Now they have faced many dangers so far, but they were monsters. They were not giant, floating hands with unkempt nails, flying onto their position in a huge fist.

Spryte kicked Link in his ear. "Boomerang!" Link gripped the item in his pocket, and threw it towards the hand. It paused in place as the item returned to Link, who quickly ushered his friends into the hallway between rooms. Zelda knelt in exhaustion, and looked up to Spryte hovering around Link.

"What were those things?"

"Wallmasters," Spryte quietly said. "I heard that you can tell they're around because you feel a chill on your spine. I didn't know fairy had a spine… Well, I know I had one. I think we are almost done. I say we make haste, please?" The Hylians nodded, and ventured to the next room. It was poorly lit compared to the rest of the dungeon, although Zelda's light spell did brighten things up a bit. Platforms were stacked alongside the eastern wall, almost in a pyramid shape had not be a gap between the two stacks. However, the view of the door was blocked by a huge, green object, much bigger than LInk and Zelda. Because of the light, they couldn't see what it is.

"Spryte, what is that?"

Spryte, was too scared to even attempt to see what the barricade was, but luckily for her, the higher powers answered the question. Flames appeared on the torches lining the walls, giving light to the room. It reflected off something, blinding the three for a few seconds before the glare went away. A low growl pierced the ears of the Hylians, and they opened their eyes to see that the green object was very much alive. It stood up on four legs, slowly dragging its tail against the ground. Its wings stood erect, but didn't seem useful for flight as they never made a flap. The head of the beast glared down on Link, Zelda, and Spryte, the yellow eyes showing them the windows to their doom. Three horns stuck out around its mouth, two on the sides and one right above the snout. It walked up slowly to the three, Link throwing himself in front of Zelda with his shield up (although he knew Zelda's spells could protect them more) and both Hylians slowly drew their blades. Spryte now could answer Link's question as she flew in fear into his cloak.

"Aquamentus, Subterranean Dragon."

As if responding to its name, Aquamentus roared, spit flying from its mouth. Link was able to block most of the digestive fluid with his shield, and quickly wiped down his barrier. "Eww." He looked back up to Aquamentus, sword pointed towards the dragon. "It is on now, dragon breath!" Aquamentus responded by twirling its head back, and shooting three fireballs from its mouth. Link and Zelda divided, choosing the space between the middle ball and one of the outer two balls of fire. They collided with the ground, not harming the teenagers in the slightest. Feeling the thrill of the battle, Link charged forward, leaping out the way of Aquamentus' attempted bite, and slid under the underbelly of the dragon, shoving his sword into where the heart should be. The boy in blue smiled, then gagged as blood seeped onto his face. Aquamentus winced in pain as Link removed his blade, and rolled away.

Zelda looked between Link and Aquamentus, confused as to why the dragon was still standing. "Link?"

"I stabbed it in its heart! Why is it still-WOAH!" Link raised his shield as Aquamentus released a blaze upon the boy in blue, allowing Zelda to come up with a hypothesis as to why Aquamentus was still up and about. If it was like some of the other creatures she has seen since seeing that horseman, it was summoned by magic, not of nature. Which meant beating it by conventional means as not going to kill it. Its weakness is upon it, but it is subtle… Zelda eyed the two stiff wings on Aquamentus' back, and made a silent prayer as she ran to the the body of the beast as it finished cooking Link's shield. The boy and the girl shared a glance, and Link looked back to the beast, throwing the boomerang at the neck of the dragon. It choked on air a bit, enough for it to continue to focus on Link, and totally forgetting about Zelda. She used her magic to vanish from the ground, and reappeared in the air over Aquamentus. She landed on the dragon's back and began to hack her katana into the left wing. The dragon still only winced in pain, and reared its head away from Link. Zelda hadn't noticed it, causing Link to gasp and call out to her. "Zelda!" The girl turned around, and yelped as the dragon opened its mouth. Fearing for his friend, Link threw the boomerang again, this time for the face of Aquamentus. As Link aimed for the right side of the dragon's face, it flew straight through the right horn on the side of the monster's mouth, breaking it into pieces.

The dragon began to squirmed in sudden pain, causing Zelda to hold on for dear life. Link regained his boomerang, and watched as Aquamentus fretted upon its feet. Link saw the other two horns, and figured they must be instrumental to the defeat of the beast. Once the beast shook off its pain, Zelda teleported to Link's side, standing with him in front of Aquamentus. "Nice work. I can't believe it was the horns, not the wings."

Link smirked. "Lucky shot, I guess." Another roar interrupted their conversation, and the teens gazed back up to Aquamentus. Splitting up once more, they ran towards the east side of the room for the stacking pillars. Aquamentus didn't know which to choose until a blast of water stuck his face. The dragon turned to the girl, and angrily released a stream of fire upon the girl.

"Nayru's Love." A blue barrier surrounded Zelda, much stronger than the last time she used the spell, and the fire engulfed the shield instead of the girl.

While the dragon was busy, Link climbed up the pillars, and leaped onto Aquamentus' back. The dragon took notice as it discontinued its attack on Zelda, and turned to Link. His shield up, Link blocked the fireball shot at him, and threw his boomerang again. It barely missed the top horn, curving at the last second. Link felt dejected at his failure until the boomerang began its return cycle, cleaving through the left horn. Link jumped off a raging Aquamentus as the beast began to rage in place. Furious that the boy clipped off two of his horns, Aquamentus spun around, knocking Link to the ground with a powerful tail whip. The boy flew near the west wall of the room, rolling and laying face down on the ground. Zelda ran to his side, and checked on his. Link groaned as he looked up to Zelda, her face filled with worry. "Link, are you alright?"

"No...Not really. This is exhausting." Link smiled as he turned to the east, then quickly turned the smile into a frown. "Zelda, move!" The girl heard the incoming footsteps and flipped back, just as Aquamentus rammed the last and largest of the three horns into the wall, getting stuck in the process. Link yelped at the impact the dragon made, and looked up to Zelda. "Now, while it is stuck!" Zelda landed on her knees, and drew her sword, leaping forward. Her sword cleaved through the large horn, and it broke into pieces. Aquamentus reared its head up, and roared as it backed away from the wall, and vanished in a bright, blinding light.

The door leading to the final room opened, but neither Link or Zelda entered it as the girl fell down on his butt to sit beside the still floored Link. The boy raised his head up to face it, and lowered it back down. "Spryte, it is over." The fairy reappeared, and hovered over her human companions as the young boy made an attempt to stand. He was successful, despite the pain to his body, and helped Zelda to her feet. Facing the door, they began to proceed to it. "Whatever is inside better be worth it."
Spryte agreed. "It better be." Entering the well lit room, the three could see a small display podium in the center of the room. Link walked up to it first, Zelda right on his heels. On the display was a necklace with a green gemstone on it. Link looked to Zelda, who gestured for him to pick it up. He did so, and the gem seemed to react to his touch, as it began to glow.

"What is it?"

"Looks like a pendant of some sort." Zelda analyzed the gem, and recognized the symbol on it. "Hey, that's the symbol of Farore. A dot followed by two crescents."

"Look!" Spryte flew to the north wall, and the Hylians and the group could see writing illuminated by Spryte's glow. Zelda cast another lighting spell, and walked over to the wall, trying her best to read it. Link, on the other hand, knew it was unreadable, for all it was were symbols arranged in some order.

"Zelda, I don't think we can-"

"No, I can read it. This text is ancient in writing, but...it looks like current-day text as well."

Link sighed, and pocketed the pendant. "Well, what does it say?"

"'Puer defecit, clausa puella, et praevaluit homo. Speravi, esset et flagellavit. Mundus non arte, quia incideris reddidisse. Animo imminente scit unum negare non eligit. Virtute fuerit caelum et pergit ad tenebras, et invenies sapientiam.' In our words, 'A boy failed, a girl jailed, a man prevailed. Trusted, he was, but beaten because. The world needs not skill, for it has already paid that bill. Courage, the pendant knows, for the one it choose can't say no. Courage he shall be, and to the dark sky, he shall find wisdom.'" Zelda turned back to a confused Link, and shrugged. "Or something like that. I have no clue as to what that means, besides the third line. The pendant chooses a courageous person, and based on that glow, it has chosen you, Link."

Link looked down to the pendant, still confused about everything, but accepted it anyway. Looking to Spryte who returned to his side, he spoke, "Remember these lines, alright?"

"You can count on me. Now can we leave? There's a portal over there in the other room where we fought Aquamentus."

Link excitedly rushed out the room. "Yes, let's get out of here." Spryte, Link, and Zelda went back to the previous room, and began to step into the newly appeared green portal lying on the ground.

It was early morning when the three dungeon hunters returned to the entrance to the Eagle. The sun had barely rose over the forest canopy of the teens' former home. To their surprise, the man in the green robe was awake, sitting still in his position by the campfire, and due to his features being blocked by his hood, it was indeterminate if he was happy to see them alive and well. Link, Zelda, and Spryte paced over to the man, and the Hylians quietly sat in front of him while the fairy sat on their respective companion. He didn't acknowledge the teenagers, only staring into the dying fire, willing it to continue burning as it had during the night. Zelda looked to Link, and nudged him in his shoulder. Link slowly looked up to Zelda, seeing the message of wanting him to say something first in her facial expression. He returned the gesture, and mouthed, "No, you speak first."

She mouthed back, "Why? This is your fault!"

"My fault? You didn't have to come… No, this is Spryte's fault!" Zelda looked to the fairy, who didn't understand the silent language, and halfheartedly agreed.

"Yeah, but you have the pendant, so have some courage, Link." Defeated, Link turned to the hooded male, and reached in his pocket for the green charm. He held it out to the man, who made no movement as to whether or not he noticed the item. Link sighed, and finally put a sound to his words.

"We found this in the Eagle. Do you know what it is?"

The man didn't visibly move, but Link and his companions felt he moved his eyes, for he spoke, "I do. It is the legendary Pendant of Courage. You may remember when it first appeared, if you know of Hyrule's legends." Link honestly didn't know, but the man didn't care for Link's ignorance as he looked up to Zelda's puzzled face. "I take it you know, Zelda."

She slowly nodded. "If I am correct, it was the sign that both the Hero of Legend and the Hero of Two Worlds were of their respective titles as the next Hero of Hyrule… But those people were just stories. That's all they were to us."

"Right." The man returned his gaze to Link. "Everything you have heard is not legend. The stories are true. Ganon, the Hero, the Triforce, all of it is real. I know it because I have seen it. Your Impa and Rusl have seen it. The definite proof these legends exist is right in front of you, glowing in your hands, because it has deemed you, Link, as the next Hero."

"What?" Link shook his head as he retracted the Pendant of Courage. He looked to the hooded man in denial. "No, that can't be right! Hyrule is not in trouble by some demon like Ganon. It was just saved not too long ago, and the Hero of Hyrule should still be alive. The country is just in the midst of some civil war, that is all."

The man held a hand up, pausing Link and speaking for himself. "You are telling me that you don't know what happened almost two decades ago? You don't know why the Resistance is fighting the Imperials? What you call a civil war is not some simple war. You saw the monster army, and the monsters in the dungeons. No, this is something for more than a war."

Zelda interrupted. "Wait, what do you mean what happened almost 20 years ago? If something terrible happened, I'm sure Impa and Rusl would have told Link and I."

The man paused for a moment, keeping Link and Zelda in the dark as to what he was thinking. Slowly, he removed his hood, and frowned at the fire. "Do you know of the second adventure of the Hero of Hyrule in North Hyrule to the six palaces to awaken the princess? What I am about to tell you begins about 20 years ago, and ends the year when you two were born, and all you see here, the Imperials, the Resistance, it all began when evil returned...and the two who could save Hyrule died."

"Two?"

"Despite what people say, the Hero is nothing without the Princess. Without her, he cannot complete his destiny, and vice is a shame that the Hero. a commoner, is always remembered for his deeds, while Her Majesty takes a back seat. Maybe that is why some wish for the next hero to be a girl… But I'm getting into other stuff. Let me share the tale of two people who loved each other so much, it tore them apart, it killed them, and Hyrule fell once more…"