Hey guys – I made it with chapter 16; things are approaching the end because I'm pushing for another one or two chapters and an epilogue. To be honest, I'm trying to wrap things up as quickly as I can without making it seem rushed so I haven't delved into the prophecy and a lot of other story elements I'd been planning on delving into. I'm so sorry! :P

Flying on Crimson's back, I had made sure that my sword was properly sheathed. Everyone else had saddled up on their horses, gathering their weapons and supplies. Against Sheik's and my advice, the Zoras and Darron were tagging along. A sickening feeling arose from the pit of my stomach as I watched them walk besides the trotting horses. Darron wouldn't have been able to get on a horse – He was way too massive.

Crimson and I flew on ahead, passing the team on foot by a great deal. Eventually, we could see the Castle in the distance, and I had to squint just to be able to make out the imposing towers and huge structures that made up the edifice. I spotted ranks and ranks of guards on the outside of the gates that surround the Castle and decided that that wasn't a really wise idea; I mean, where were the guards toward the back of the Castle?

Feeling Crimson begin to convulse underneath me, I knew that he could sense his mate nearby. That was when I saw her –

A beautiful, majestic periwinkle blue bird. A huge collar had been placed around her neck, choking her. I was no animal expert, but I could tell that it was hurting her terribly, most likely chaffing her neck. She wasn't about to be chained up without a fight, though. She was scratching and biting and making a number of indignant noises, all while glaring dutifully at her captor –

Ren.

Oh, how long it had been since I'd seen him – at least it felt that way.

Hadn't I traveled all the way across Hyrule? From the Desert to Zora's Domain to Death Mountain to Kakariko Village to Lon Lon Ranch to the Castle of Hyrule. I had matured over time, love and the choices I made shaping and changing me into the Link that I was now.

But what was my archrival doing here at outskirts of the Castle? That's when I saw Relena. She had a look of scorn and contempt on her face, yet she was clutching Ren's arm. Her face had matured over the time that I had left as well, and I could spot the bruises on her arms even from where Crimson and I were, still a good deal away from the Castle.

Crimson continued circling over the Castle, making these whining noises.

Wearing a sadistic smile, Ren raised his whip and brought it down on the poor bird. This wasn't right – seeing a bird this beautiful and majestic in chains, only to be whipped and beaten cruelly – it just wasn't right. With every crack of that whip, I could feel Crimson flinch; he wanted to go down there, but I made sure that he didn't.

"What're they doing to that poor bird, Link?" Rota questioned, her voice cracking, even in my head. "How could they do that to her? To see such a noble bird as a Loftwing reduced to such a terrible fate – I can't watch!"

"Ren is cruel – He takes pleasure in the pain of others," I responded bitterly. I could still remember some of the terrible things Ren did to me. They replayed over and over in my head until I wanted nothing more than to be able to kill him. I wanted to kill him. Nothing else would satisfy me other than his death – preferably a slow one.

Pausing in surprise at my thoughts, I suddenly slowed my train of thought. I didn't want a person dead, did I? That would be horrible – Was I becoming a monster? Some uncontrollable being with bloodlust running deep in my veins?

Shaking off the thought, I forced myself to focus. We were going to have to figure out a way to infiltrate the Castle so that we could rescue Zelda and Crimson's mate by the time everyone else made it here. I prepared myself for a long wait. "Are you OK, Crimson?" I questioned, stroking the bird's red feathers affectionately.

He seemed to understand me because he made some move of acknowledgement.

Rota was flying around worriedly, wringing her tiny hands. "Link – What're we gonna do? Should I go scout out the Castle while we wait for everyone else?"

I silently thanked Zelda for sending me a competent fairy or, at least, one that had a brain in her little head. "Sure, Rota. Make sure that you're super careful, and if you run into any trouble, come straight back up here, OK? I don't want to have to come and get you."

"Alright, Link. I'll be back eventually, and we can still communicate through our mental link," Rota responded; I could hear her little wings flutter near my ears.

"OK," I nodded, "Be back soon, Rota."

"I will," she answered before flying down to where Ren was still furiously taking out his anger on the poor animal. She was very careful, for which I was grateful.

Seeing my dear friend, Relena, lowered to being on Ren's arm angered me. She looked so defeated, so unlike the Relena I knew before I met Zelda. She used to be so firm and enjoyed teasing me all the time. I hadn't realized how much I had missed her – She reminded me of happier times, times where I hadn't had to be on the run constantly, times where I was with my friends with no danger looming over my head.

I felt bad for Crimson, who'd been flying for quite some time without rest; he just had to hold out until the team arrived. I prayed that he would make it – We were going to rescue his love; I had promised him that. I watched as Ren turned his whip from the bird to Relena.

She didn't flinch, as though she was used to the abuse – and that was when I realized – she was. She was used to being hit and abused by Ren. This wasn't new to her. I had to force a fist in my mouth in order to stifle a scream. No.

I could see that her lips were pressed into a firm, determined line and that her amber eyes were steely and resolute. She was going to endure this. I wanted to scream because I thought of her like a sister. I couldn't watch her go through this.

Finally, after another hour of watching Relena and Crimson's mate be tortured, we watched as Ren spat near the gate to the Castle. The guards looked nearly ready to try to chop off his head with one of their swords. I doubted that they actually knew how to use them. Then I thought about things – Why was Ren even near the Castle in the first place? How did he get here? He was supposed to be out looking for me…

Then I thought more – Zelda was being held captive by her father and brother while Ren was waiting outside near the Castle gates, close but not close enough that the Castle guards had an excuse to try to slice his head off – I could only assume that Ganondorf was nearby as well with another band of the Gerudo.

But why would they be waiting at the Castle – then it clicked… It was so simple! Ganondorf, Ren, and the Gerudo were going to raid the Castle to try to capture Zelda and gain leverage over me. Wasn't that how things always worked for previous Heroes? But I was one step ahead of them – I was going to get Zelda back and infiltrate the Castle before they could.

The only question was – how? Crimson was tiring, this I could tell; Loftwings were always strong birds with a great deal of stamina, but I knew that he shouldn't be flying for this long with no rest. Thankfully, I could see the trotting horses in the distance, making their way to the Castle with Darron and the Zoras trailing behind.

There were so many pieces to this plan, and Rota was still not by my side. I became worried instantly. "Rota?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you now?" I question, absentmindedly patting Crimson consolingly.

"I've made it into the Castle, and I'm trying to find a weak spot in their defenses," Rota replied easily; she didn't sound too concerned at all. "And, I won't lie – I'm looking for the Princess in this crazy mazelike place."

"You're looking for Zelda?" I questioned.

Rota snorted, "Isn't that what I just said, idiot?"

Rolling my eyes, I willed Zelda to be OK. I willed Relena to be OK. I willed Crimson's mate to be OK. I willed myself to win – to beat Ganondorf and Ren. Deciding to ignore Rota, I nudged Crimson, telling him to swoop downward to where our team was arriving. Ren had still not noticed us because we hadn't ventured too close to the Castle. We were close but not close enough to be seen.

Crimson firmly planted himself on the ground, and I leaped off easily, walking toward Sheik and his horse. "Rota's searching for Zelda."

Sheik snorted. "I know where my dad would put Zelda. We're going to get her out of there. I don't want my father or brother even laying a hand on her. Come on – we're going to have to sneak past the guards, who are thankfully very predictable. They're all clumped around near the gate most likely. I've always told my father to change that, but he never did, claiming he 'didn't have the time to change anything'. I always knew that was a lie."

"So how are we going to break in?" Marine questioned.

Smirking, Sheik spoke once more. "Follow me." He led us near the rear of the Castle, past the guards near the gates and Ren, who looked ready to pounce on his prey. We had to bring our horses along, and I made sure that Crimson was alright; I didn't want him rushing down Ren, at least not yet. There would be time to pummel Ren later.

Before we made it to where Sheik was heading, I caught sight of Relena once more, and my heart went out to her. She looked so unhappy, and I wanted to rescue her so desperately. But, I knew that if she were here, she would insist that we rescue Zelda first; she was just that selfless.

Darron and Aziz opted to stay with Nabila to watch out for the horses and Crimson; I didn't want Nabila to be here; she was too young, and I didn't want her to get hurt, but she insisted, saying that she was now twelve and could handle herself well. As long as she wasn't in the brawl, I supposed she would be safe enough.

There were multiple bases we would have to cover, such as rescuing Crimson's mate. I turned to him, silently promising him that we would rescue her from Ren's clutches. He seemed to understand, nuzzling my hand softly. Then there was Rota. "How's it going, Rota?" I questioned.

"I've searched all through the west wing, and she's not there. I can't find her anywhere. It's completely empty, Link. I haven't bumped into any servants or anyone," she responded back instantly.

Furrowing my brow, I answered. "OK, well, Sheik has a way to get in so we'll be in pretty soon. You should probably just keep on searching. We need as many people as we can get to find her. She has to be somewhere."

"I'm on it, Link," she replied.

Sheik let out a small chuckle, satisfied about something, as he surveyed the area beyond the gate that surrounded the Castle. "They're all so stupid here – I mean, they basically left the back door open for us."

Curiously, we all watched him, trying to figure out what had him so relieved, but we couldn't see what it was.

"Beyond all that thick foliage is a hidden passageway," Sheik stated easily. "There are numerous ones throughout the Castle, all leading to various chambers. They were built years ago to protect the Princesses of Destiny or all other royalty in case of a siege or coup or something," he clarified while Impa nodded sagely.

"Good thinking, Sheik," she commended.

"I think we should split up and take different ones so that we have more luck in finding my sister. How does two or three per passage sound?" Sheik suggested.

Zilla reached out to take Kron's hand. "We'll go together. I don't want to separate and lose sight of you in the mêlée."

Gesturing to the Zora twins, Cove nodded at them. "We'll take one."

Nabooru and Impa agreed to go together, leaving me with Sheik.

"So that's four passages," Sheik mused. "Alright, you guys will have to follow me and keep a low profile."

We decided that the back of the Castle would be our meeting place, and there was still a great deal of foliage and trees around in the Castle grounds, great for hiding Darron, Aziz, Nabila, Crimson, and the horses. Malon would kill us if her horses were hurt.

Nabila, still the mostly innocent little twelve-year-old girl she was, picked a white blossom from a nearby tree and tucked it in her flaming red hair. She was humming softly to herself, stroking the horses' manes and whispering to them. I caught one of her little phrases: "I can't wait to see my big sister, Zelda, again. She loves Link so much; I hope they're both safe and come back to me. They're my family now."

I could feel my heart clench at those heartfelt words.

"Are you ready, Link?" Sheik asked, jerking his head.

Setting my jaw, I nodded. "I'm ready to rescue my princess."

"Let's go then," Sheik stated, slipping into my shadow.

The other Sheikah merged into others' shadows as well, and those of us remaining (Marine, Aqua, Cove, Nabs, and myself) scaled the gate with hookshots and clawshots; it was actually not that difficult, at least for me. Aqua and Marine seemed to be having a bit of trouble at first, but they finally figured things out. As soon as we were on the other side, all the Sheikah exited our shadows as easily as they had entered in the first place.

Then, we sneaked around to the east side of the Castle with Sheik in the lead. He smirked when he saw the guards fumbling about, trying to figure out whether or not they should attack Ren and the Gerudo he was with. Little did they know, but Ren and his team was providing the perfect distraction for us.

Breathing a silent prayer that Relena would be OK, as well as everyone else I loved, I watched as Sheik motioned for Cove, Aqua, and Marine to step forward. Feeling along the Castle wall, Sheik looked concerned until he happened upon a latch, concealed by vines and plants growing on the Castle wall. A creaky door was opened as quietly as possible, and Sheik motioned for them to step inside. "Good luck, guys," he whispered.

The Zoras just nodded in response before entering, completely sobered.

We went around to the back once more, near where our horses were stationed outside the gates. Sheik repeated the same process before nodding at Nabs and Impa. Nabs caught sight of Aziz just before stepping in and waved her twin scimitars at him, her face completely straight. She then mouthed a few words, "I love you," before stepping into the dark, barely lit passageway.

And just like that, my sister had vanished. Sheik took special care to make sure that the foliage covered the door once more once he had finished before we headed to the west side. There we said farewell to Zilla and Kron, all of us knowing that some of us could very well be dead by the end of this.

With that terrifying thought, Sheik and I finally crept to the front of the Castle grounds where a passage was hidden by the front entrance. Those guards still hadn't spotted us, and neither had Ren or his Gerudo. Apparently, luck was on our side because we were able to slip into the passage undetected.

"Rota," I said. "We're in."

"Good," she responded. "I still can't find the Princess! Everyone else is missing!"

"We'll be there soon," I promised.

I felt cramped, and it smelled terribly in here. There was only a little light, provided by one torch located near the beginning of the passage; Sheik took it from its sconce, and it provided light – a little bit of it, at least. I could barely see a yard ahead of me. There were inscriptions and drawings on the wall, and I found them fascinating. This was no time to spare, though, and we hurried through the corridor as quickly as we could while remaining as silent as possible.

Finally, we emerged from a crude hole in the wall into a chamber that looked all girly with comfortable cushions, pink wallpaper, and frilly lace drapes over the windows. The hole in the wall was covered by a tapestry that Sheik had pulled off the wall in order for us to escape that passage.

Making our way to the door, Sheik pulled out a few throwing knives while I readied my sword. My Triforce was glowing dully; I supposed that it could sense that Zelda was nearby but didn't dwell on the thought. I felt a surge of energy and knew that I had to be prepared for anything, including meeting Zelda's father and brother. I wasn't sure if I would be able to control myself around them, wanting to take a swing at them.

"Rota – Where are you?" I questioned uncertainly. "We're in."

"I'm searching the north corridors, but I can't open doors! They're too heavy!" she exclaimed.

I sighed. "OK, Sheik and I are toward the front of the Castle – is that the north part of the Castle or the south part?"

"That's the north part. Alright, that's good. We'll probably bump into each other somewhere," she responded.

Sheik pushed the door open tentatively, as though daring someone to come and find us. Following behind him, I made sure to keep out for any flying ball of light near the ceiling. Fancy portraits and tapestries adorned the walls, depicting various periods of history and different monarchs, including the great Hero of Time himself with his Princess of Destiny. It was incredible how similar my Zelda and the Zelda in the painting looked.

"Link!" Rota shrieked.

Sighing in relief, I found my fairy as she dive-bombed my head, hiding in my messy blonde hair. "Good to see that you're alive, Rota."

"Ditto," was all she said before clamping up. We had to focus.

Where could she be?

"Darn," Sheik whispered before merging with my shadow. There were guards just around the corner. Preparing myself for a fight, I held my sword firmly.

"Cucco," I pretended that I could see Sheik so that I could glare at him.

I could feel him shake his head, "No."

"Then get out of there and fight with me," I responded.

Sighing, Sheik refused to speak. I gritted my teeth in annoyance as the guards approached from down the hall. They hadn't spotted me yet, but they would soon, and there was nowhere to hide. Why did Sheik have to go into my shadow? Why? Weren't we supposed to preserve our strength? Wouldn't it be easier to do so if we were fighting as a team?

The guards spotted me, and I groaned deeply. They stepped forward, and one guard raised his spear threateningly, probably thinking that I couldn't use my sword properly. As if. Our weapons met with a clang, and I could feel that he was strong – terribly so, almost to the point where I felt myself struggling.

Planting my feet firmly into the ground, I braced myself, knowing that he wasn't someone I would be able to beat easily. I would have to tire him out – But how would I do that with two other enemies and my back exposed? I tried to twist my sword in a disarming trick I learned from Ganondorf himself, but the brute refused to budge with his broad shoulders and heavy weight. He was sneering at me, as though my attempt was like that of a child against a man.

Sparks were flying from the metal, and I could feel myself weakening. I couldn't afford to lose any more strength so I pulled back suddenly; the guard was caught off-guard, and he fell forward, due to the amount of pressure he was applying. He stumbled but caught himself quickly, and I gritted my teeth. I used the opportunity to make a sweeping arc with my sword, bringing it down on his arm. I could feel his agony, almost as though it was my own. I knew what it was like to lose an arm and instantly felt guilty. But there was no time for guilt because he was soon roaring in pain.

Using my only arm was getting tiring, but I had to persevere. The first guard raised his spear once more, and that was when I noticed something. He tried to step forward, applying all of his pressure, but couldn't. I then glanced down at his shadow. It looked as though it had wrapped itself around his legs tightly, like the coils of a snake.

"Sheik?" I questioned.

Sheik just chuckled, "Just trust me – Believe me, this is best. I'm helping you more here than out there."

That was when I realized that all the other guards were stagnant as well, as though paralyzed, made captive by their own shadows. The guard swung around blindly, and I took the opportunity to meet his spear. "Now we're even," I stated. "You can't move, and I don't have my right arm."

He glared at me before snarling. It proved to be a challenge in navigating around his spear point which seemed to be constantly twirling near my face. Although he couldn't take steps forward or backward, he could still twist his body to face different directions. Our weapons clashed once more, and his partners tried to reach him to help him out but to no avail. Their feet were firmly rooted to the ground.

Finally, the guard got in a good hit; I felt a stinging pain and lifted my hand to feel a slice in my cheek – it didn't feel too deep, but I knew that there was blood. Hissing in pain, I let my sword pierce the air, coming in contact with his stomach. It was a clean hit, and I saw where the blood was beginning to flow; I had mostly likely damaged an internal organ. The guard's face was turning pale, and he sunk to his knees in defeat, groaning in agony.

My mind fogged momentarily, and I allowed myself to feel sympathy for the man. He was another man, just like me – or maybe not like me, Prince of the Gerudo; not like me, the Hero of Time – but he was a man. He was a man that had a family. He might have had a girl of his own, maybe a few kids. He didn't deserve to die.

"Link!" both Rota and Sheik's voices flooded my mind quickly. I snapped back to attention as the other two guards were fighting Sheik's hold on their shadows.

Ignoring the pain that radiated from my cheek, I allowed my sword to meet the second's; I found that I couldn't overpower him because I had less power than him without my right arm. Choosing to focus on finding his weak points, I circled around him carefully, keeping track of every opening I found that he had left unguarded. He kept making swipes at me with his sharp sword, and I could tell that he was more competent with his weapon than the first guard who relied completely on brute strength. I would have to outsmart him.

He made a strike at my legs, and I found myself jumping to avoid the blow, landing on my feet seconds later. Caught off-guard from his attack and attempt to lunge forward, the man tried to recover quickly, but I had already made my move, slicing at his dominant arm. He tried to hold on to the weapon but found that he couldn't with his injury. It was too deep, and his blood was seeping through his uniform easily; he gagged and fainted, obviously unused to the sight of blood.

I turned to the third guard who was trembling where she stood. I supposed that they had all underestimated me because I had only one arm. How wrong they were. I decided that there was only one thing that I could do in this situation. "Sheik, are there any rooms that are completely and totally secure? – like without windows or hidden passages?" I questioned.

"I get where you're going, Link – Two doors down the hall to the left," Sheik said calmly, slipping out of my shadow.

"Now you decide to come out," I rolled my eyes at Sheik, shaking my head, annoyed.

Sheik gets straight to business, apprehending the shaking third guard. She had looked so lethal before, but faced with me and Sheik with her partners severely injured, she knew that she didn't stand a chance. He dragged the woman to the second door down the hall to the left and bound and gagged her. Next, he and I took the two injured guards and made sure that they were resting on beds in that room. They too were bound and gagged, unable to speak or move.

Locking the door behind us, Sheik brought a finger to his lips before merging with my shadow again. I couldn't help but roll my eyes in annoyance once more. Was he trying to get me killed? "Keep on going, Link. Can you feel her Triforce? You're the one with the closest connection to Zelda right now," he stated.

"Hadn't you said that you knew where your dad and brother would keep her?" I questioned dryly, rolling my eyes. I had become really comfortable with Sheik recently; he was my best friend other than Zelda, and he'd become my confidant. I could tell him anything, and the same went for him. We trusted each other, loved each other like brothers, and definitely weren't afraid of teasing each other.

"Well… I mean, yeah, I said that, but that doesn't mean I actually know where she is. I'm just about as clueless as you are," Sheik responded.

Nevertheless, I hadn't thought of that before. I tried to focus all of my energy on my Triforce; eventually, I could feel something, and my hand began glowing brightly. My eyes flew open, and I knew that I had to go forward. Then, the hall we were in split into two different corridors. Choosing the left one, I continued down the hall and went down a flight of stairs, peering into the first room I saw.

My schedule hasn't lightened up even a bit, and the end of school is in, like, two more months. I'm not gonna make it! DX No, I will, but I won't be updating anything over the summer either because I'll be away on a lot of trips then, hence why I'm at least trying to finish this story. BTW, this is the longest chapter I've written for this story (I think :P). "Hey" has chapters twice as long as the chapters for this story.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed; thanks to those who've subscribed, favorited, read, and reviewed! You're the best! So… Please favorite and follow, and, if you feel so inclined, please do drop a review down below. It makes my day. ^^ LOVE! And *smiles* :D

~Elsie {Zelda}

Total Word Count (excluding Author's Notes):

4,504