SURPRISE! :D Here's a little something that I cooked up and finished about two weeks ago and forgot to post… Wow, I'm terrible. xD

Nothing.

It was just one door and one room, but my spirits were promptly crushed. Maybe we weren't going to find Zelda. I knew better than to hope vainly that love would prevail – yet, didn't it always prevail for me and Zelda?

"Try another," Sheik commanded, tugging at my consciousness.

Obeying silently, I walked through the corridor, praying that I wouldn't meet up with any more guards. Something about this whole ordeal made me feel uneasy, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong. However, I chose to press onward, refusing to let myself give up. I wasn't going to compromise the lives of everyone else just because I was discouraged.

Door after door, I was rewarded with nothing – no Zelda. Still, I kept on, Rota fluttering around my head. Why was my Triforce leading me on? It was telling me Zelda was near, yet she wasn't in any of the rooms I checked. Was it lying to me? It wasn't supposed to do that.

Finally, I heard movement in the room to my left, "Do I go for it, Sheik?"

"Yeah, check. That's the music room; Zelda always spent a lot of time in there," Sheik stated, squirming around in my shadow anxiously, worried about his beloved sister.

Tentatively, I pushed the door open, uncertain and fearful.

It was a mistake.

I just made the biggest mistake of my life.

My father – Ganondorf.

He hadn't noticed me yet; his back was turned to me, but he could sense me, just like I could sense him. My Triforce was glowing like crazy, and it wasn't a good thing; it was a burning pain, and I felt as though I wanted to retch. My fear escalated, and the tension in the air was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

Yet I forced the fear and bile at the back of my throat back down, remaining as calm as I possibly could. This was the man that I had called my father for twenty one years; I couldn't just forget that while facing him. Now, I wanted the Master Sword, the one mentioned in the legends read to us as children. That was the only way I would be able to defeat him, right?

"Welcome, Link," he stated, "son," he added sardonically, and shivers traveled down my spine. How long ago was it that he had said that word lovingly? It felt like ages ago, and it was.

"Ganondorf," I responded coldly.

He laughed bitterly, "What – No 'father'?"

"My father's dead," I said, my hand clenching even tighter around the hilt of my sword. "You've become someone else, Ganondorf. You're no longer my father, and you never were in the first place." My voice rang throughout the room boldly, and I couldn't believe myself.

Ganondorf shook his head ruefully, banging his fist on a piano. I could feel Sheik boiling with rage from within my shadow. "So, what're you going to do, Hero?" Ganondorf questioned mockingly. I hated the way he said 'Hero'.

I took no time in looking around the lavish room but locked eyes with Ganondorf as soon as he turned around to face me. "I'm going to go find Zelda; then I'll finish you. You won't break me," I stated flatly. "You won't break me."

"Ah, yes – You lost your arm," Ganondorf shook his head 'sadly'. "I must say that I've never heard of the Hero having only one arm. How do you expect to beat me with only one arm, Link? You won't be able to. I don't even have to break you – You're already broken as it is. Good luck in trying to beat me because you won't be able to. It will be impossible. I'll let you go for now, but the next time I see you, I won't hesitate to kill you."

"I told you my father's dead," I responded simply.

For a split second, I caught a flicker of something beyond the bitterness, anger, and hatred harbored in Ganondorf's amber eyes. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, and I questioned whether or not I had really seen it.

Ganondorf lifted his hand and waved me away, his gaze hardening once more, "Go – NOW."

Not bothering to watch my back, I just left as quickly as I could; I had to get to Zelda. I had to find her. And the next time I met Ganondorf, I would plunge a sword through his back.

My footsteps were no longer disguised, and I didn't bother to go softly. I didn't care anymore; if Ganondorf knew I was there, then everyone else in the castle probably did. But where were the king, Arvid, and Katrin? How could they have just allowed Ganondorf to take over their castle? Were they really overthrown?

Questions ran through my head rapidly, and I immediately felt slightly woozy and overwhelmed.

"He was certainly frightening," Rota commented, her shiver visible as she flew around my head. "That was really your father, Link?" Where were my real parents? I knew they were still alive from the last person I asked – Zelda. She said my parents were still alive; they had to be. I didn't want to be alone.

Sheik was certainly worried for his sister, though not as scared, "We have to find the Master Sword. That's the only way we'll be able to get rid of Ganondorf for good. Zelda is the only one that knows its location so we need to find her."

Everything was so intermingled that it was so complicated. It was like a giant puzzle that we had to crack with all the pieces missing yet connected in an intricate fashion; I even confused myself when thinking about it. "This sword won't even dent Ganondorf with the Triforce I'm guessing, right?"

Sheik nodded, "That would hardly do any damage. The Master Sword is the only true weapon that will do any damage at all, let alone defeat that monster."

I remembered what my Triforce felt like when it was reacting to Ganondorf's Triforce. It was more of a stinging sensation rather than the calming one I felt when I sensed Zelda. Furrowing my brows in concentration, I jogged through the halls, trying to force the stinging to the back of my consciousness. I needed to focus on the warm, calm feeling I was receiving.

I passed a room, but it didn't seem any different than any of the other rooms – But there was warmth coming from it that wasn't coming from any of the other rooms. That had to be her. I tried to open the door, but there was a barricade of some sorts blocking any exit or entry. I tried to apply my weight to it, but to no avail.

Slipping out of my shadow, Sheik stepped up next to me and attempted to help me. It was difficult; whoever had built the barricade was well-knowledgeable in creating them or something because it took both me and Sheik pressing our backs to the door to finally break through.

There by the window, poised and ready for attack, was Zelda. "Din's Fire," she said, a ball of magic releasing with the flick of her wrist. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was, "Link? Sheik? Is it really you two? Or is it just another trick from Ganondorf? I can't believe my own eyes anymore."

"It's us, little sister," Sheik responded, his red eyes flashing with worry. "What have they done to you?" he questioned quickly, rushing over to her and looking her over.

I stepped closer with Rota flying behind me after I had shut the door and redid the barricade. It wouldn't do to have any unwanted guests around right now. "Zelda?" my voice cracked, sounding of unshed tears.

"Link?" she whispered after releasing Sheik from her embrace. "It's you?" she asked once more in soft tones.

Nodding, I responded, taking one step closer, "Yeah – Yeah, it's me, Zelda. Are you alright?" Then, tears broke past the rims of my eyes, beginning to roll down my cheeks.

We approached each other cautiously, unsure and uncertain. We met in the middle with Sheik and Rota watching us carefully. For the last three seconds, Zelda broke into a bright smile, rushing into my waiting embrace. I wrapped my arm around her, stroking her beautiful blonde hair and rocking us back and forth, "Zelda," I whispered, crying silently.

I could die happy right then.

"Link – What happened to you?" Zelda questioned, noticing the absence of my other arm; she looked horrified.

"I'm sorry, Zelda," is all I could say. I hoped that that would be enough, but I just couldn't talk about it. It hurt too much, and the pain was too fresh. Would Zelda continue to love me, or was I too broken, like Ganondorf said?

Zelda responded by burying her face in my chest, sobbing like a little girl, "Oh, Link," she cried, wrapping her arms around me tightly, "I'll never let you go."

"Never?" I questioned, feeling warmth wash over me like a tidal wave.

"Never," she repeated as a new wave of sobs passed over her. We just stood there together, knowing that this might be the last time we would see each other, knowing that Ganondorf was out there after our Triforces, knowing that Ren was out for my blood, knowing that we could die. That was in the prophecy, wasn't it? Death and betrayal?

That was when I noticed the many bruises and scars covering her arms – new ones, ones that I had never seen before. "Zelda?" I questioned, touching her skin softly, worried about hurting her. "What happened?"

Breathing in with difficulty, she replied, "At first it was just my father and Arvid – But now Ganondorf is here. He came here a couple of times but remained hidden from everyone except me; even Father doesn't know he's here; I don't think even Ren does."

At this point, Sheik stepped in, taking control of his little sister, cradling her close to him and gazing into her crystal blue eyes worriedly. "Did they touch you?" he questioned frantically, trying to keep his voice steady. "I swear, if they even touched a hair on your head…" his threat hung midair, and he gulped.

"I'm fine, Sheik," she responded, hiding her face in his chest. "I'm fine – now that you and Link are here. I can defend myself."

Sheik shudders, "But I should have been here for you – to protect you. That's what you and I do, right? We protect each other. You're my sister forever, and you come first – your safety comes first. I'll kill Ren with my bare hands if I have to."

"Not if I get to him first," I say, my eyes glazing over at the thought of having Ren at my mercy. He'd be the one in pain; he'd be the one having to endure hurt and hardship. He would know how it felt to be tortured. I would rescue Relena and Crimson's mate. I would make sure that Nabila, Nabs, and Aziz were safe. Aqua, Marine, and Cove would be able to return to the Zora Domain to be with their families. Darron could go home, be with his sworn brothers, and eat all the rocks he wanted.

Rota would be able to live in peace without having to deal with someone like me. The Kokiri would be safe and secure in their forest. The Sheikah in Kakariko Village wouldn't have to worry any longer about Ganondorf. There wouldn't be any more animosity between the Sheikah and the Gerudo. Impa and Nabooru were living proof that there didn't have to be any fighting between the two races. They got along just fine – most of the time. It was nearly impossible to be completely at peace with Nabs; she loved arguing with people too much; sometimes, I suspected that she picked fights with me on purpose when we were younger.

"Zelda," Sheik began, his tone darkening and becoming more serious, "We need to find the Master Sword, and you're the only one in all of Hyrule that knows where it is." He kicked idly at the floor, scuffing at a fluffy pillow, but Zelda didn't seem to mind.

"How do I know that you're real?" Zelda questioned, her eyes snapping to attention, darting back and forth nervously between me and Sheik. "How do I know that you both aren't magic beings Ganondorf created in order to coerce the secret from me? How do I know that you are real?" she questioned again, turning away from the two of us.

"Mistress?" Rota finally asked, tired of remaining quiet. "He's Link, and that's your brother, Sheik."

Whipping around, Zelda's eyes found Rota, "Rota?" she whispered. "But how can you all prove to me that you're real? I want to believe you, but I don't know if I can – not without proof."

"My song," Sheik whispered, unearthing his lyre from his magic pouch. His eyes locked with mine, seeming to communicate with me, and I found the Ocarina of Time. His feet tap a slow tempo, one that I was unused to when it came to Sheik's Song. It was always lively and cheerful, but this time, it seemed to be almost mournful or reflective – promising.

His fingers found their places at various strings, plucking them carefully and creating beautiful notes; my fingers pressed on the carved holes of my instrument, my notes serving as a harmony for Sheik's main melody. Without even thinking about it, Sheik and I transitioned into Zelda's Lullaby, and Zelda seemed more at ease immediately. Rota flitted around us serenely, seemingly at ease.

Sighing, Zelda nodded at us, "You're real. I know you all are. OK, I'll show you, but we have to be careful – very careful. Ganondorf has been haunting these halls like a ghost, and I don't want to bump into him now – not without the Master Sword. He'd cleave us all in half." Her hand slipped into mine, linking us together.

"So, Sheik, are you going to be a cucco and stay in my shadow, or are you going to stay and fight?" I smirked at him. I felt a pain shoot up through my right arm and cringed – until I realized that my right arm was gone. Phantom pain. Gritting my teeth, I questioned why this had to happen now – Couldn't it have waited until I got back home? I paused. Home where? Where was my home? Did I even have one?

I had been so focused on trying to make sure that everyone else had a better future that I had forgotten about my own – What would happen to me after this whole mess?

"I'm fine with staying in your shadow, thank you," Sheik rolled his eyes playfully. "It makes more sense, you know. There'll be less people so we won't draw as much attention to ourselves." He then slipped into my shadow easily once more.

Walking toward the bed in the room, Zelda stood on top of it and felt around the ceiling; I was surprised that she could even reach the ceiling, although it was rather low. Apparently, she found what she was looking for because a part of the ceiling swung downward. She then reached her hand into the compartment, pulling out a necklace with three pendants: blue, red, and green.

She then slipped it over her neck, looking slightly worried while remaining in a defensive stance. "Let's go."

I held my sword out before me, opening the door carefully and peering outside cautiously. Zelda glided across the room to stand behind me, and we peeked our heads around the door. Rota stuck very close to Zelda, and I presumed that it was because she missed her mistress, was annoyed with me, or both. We slipped out of the room, Zelda making sure that it was locked and secured, if only to assure us a little extra time if someone broke in and realized we were gone – any advantage that was available to us we had to take.

The hall was silent, and I swallowed briefly. I had Zelda; we could just make a break for it now, but what good would that be for everyone else in Hyrule depending on me? That would be no good – no good at all; that would be selfish, me putting my own desires above everyone else's. I had to find the Master Sword to defeat Ganondorf.

No one dared speak, and even Sheik limited our telepathic communication so that I could focus completely on the task at hand. Zelda acted as a guide, seeing as she knew the Castle better than anyone in our group besides Sheik. We went through back stairwells and hidden passages, eventually ending up in a wine cellar.

"Zelda?" I finally whispered questioningly.

Glancing at me slightly, she merely placed a finger on her lips, telling me to remain quiet. We made our way around barrels and crates filling the room, and I almost tripped a few times, having to regain my footing. Once, I knocked over a barrel but managed to make sure that it didn't actually fall. It was like a maze, and we had to weave around all the obstacles in our way. It wasn't a terribly large cellar, but it was big enough that it took us around fifteen minutes to just navigate it to a wall... It was slightly anticlimactic, if you asked me.

Zelda pressed her hand to it, her right one, and waited for something. Something shimmered, her hand I realized, and she stepped up to it; that panel of the wall slid upwards, and she motioned for us to follow her. The "door" led to, surprise-surprise, another secret passage.

"This time, the Pedestal of Time has a rather unusual hiding place, unlike its normal resting place in a forest or the Temple of Time. It's actually here in the Castle – The Bane of Evil is within these walls, right under Ganondorf's nose, but he doesn't know it," Zelda stated seriously with slight hint of amusement at Ganondorf's ignorance.

"And we're going to retrieve it," I added in, and she nodded.

The hall was short and barely lit at all, a dim light being cast from one lone torch in the middle of the passage. Thankfully, I wasn't claustrophobic; otherwise, I would have fainted because there was hardly any room. Within a minute, we reached the end of the hall which had broken off into several other routes; each route blocked off by a door. Zelda pressed her hand to yet another door, the one at the very right end.

This process was repeated multiple times, and I realized that this had a certain pattern to it that only Zelda knew. Her brows were furrowed in concentration, and she looked rather jittery. I laid a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped in fear, her eyes darting to me; she then visibly relaxed when she saw it was me, and I could only wonder what had happened to her during the time we were separated.

After some time, I was growing frustrated. How long were we just going to wander through halls with no other exit except another door and another passage? That was when Zelda slipped her necklace over her head, casting me a quick glance. Then, she pressed those precious gems to several grooves in the stones that made up the walls beside the door. A glowing light bathed the corridor, and a deep rumbling sound was heard as the door lifted upward, allowing us entry.

Zelda went in first, and I followed her, Rota flying around excitedly. "This is it!" my fairy exclaimed. "We finally made it, Link!"

Her words echoed through my head, and I repeated them: We made it – we finally made it. Wordlessly, I linked hands with Zelda, and we entered together. Sheik exited my shadow and stood behind us, knowing that we had to do this, just the two of us. Rota stayed behind with him, and they watched us silently.

Gulping, I let go of Zelda's hand to remove the sword from the sheath on my back and let the weapon clatter to the floor; the sheath remained on my back. My hand found hers again regardless, and we approached the Pedestal of Time together. It was elevated on a dais, the Master Sword's hilt just beckoning for me to come and remove it from its home of so many years.

Zelda allowed our hands to drop halfway there, and she stayed. I looked back at her questioningly, and her eyes seemed to tell me that this was something I had to do on my own. I had to do this; I was the Hero, and this was my responsibility. She was here to support me through this, but I had to do this on my own.

With every step I took, a change took place. I didn't realize it until I heard Zelda and Rota gasp. Glancing down, I saw that my apparel had simply changed. No longer was I wearing the clothes of a Gerudo prince or a lonely, wandering traveler. Now, I wore a green tunic and dark brown breeches; leather boots clad my feet, and my eyes traveled back to see that the only thing that had stayed the same was my sheath.

My arm.

My breath hitched at the back of my throat, and I allowed myself to look but not daring to hope. Reflexively, I closed my left hand experimentally, and my right hand closed along with it…

A choked sob echoed through the room and continued until I realized that it was me. Clenching and unclenching my right and left hands, I dropped to my knees, holding back the tears. Everything – the new clothing, the sheath, my body – felt perfect in that moment, and I wanted to hold on to it for as long as possible, just in case it disappeared like a vapor.

Then, I remembered – I had to retrieve the Master Sword. With this thought in mind, I didn't bother getting up but crawled to where the sword was embedded in the pedestal. I was sure that I was a sight – so broken, exposed, and vulnerable. Those waiting behind me were seeing a side of me that I never wanted to face, and it made me feel slightly uncomfortable; I forced myself to remember that they loved me. They were parts of my family. They wouldn't judge me; we were all broken in our own ways.

That was what helped to bind us together.

As I neared the pedestal, I forced myself to stand to my feet, still shaky. With my left hand, I gripped the hilt of the sword and, using barely any strength, was able to pull the sword from the pedestal. It was calling to me, singing to me; it showed me how the other weapons I had used, the hammer and the other sword lying abandoned on the cool stone ground, paled in comparison to its beauty. It was made for me.

Experimentally, I drew an arc in the air with my sword, and it seemed to glow in response to being used once more. For a moment, it felt as though something – or someone – was measuring me, seeing if I was worthy of wielding this beautiful sword. Then, as quickly as I had that feeling, it faded away.

"Yes, you are my master," a voice stated in my head. I was hallucinating, I believed.

Shaking my head desperately in order to clear it, I threw a few jabs at an imaginary enemy, testing the sword and getting a feel of how it worked and its balance. It was perfect.

"There is a 97% chance that you are the Hero of Time; I can sense it," the monotone voice spoke to me again. "You are the Hero, and you are my master. I can feel it, sense it, from deep within me."

Ignoring the voice once more, I took firm steps toward Zelda, Sheik, and Rota, all waiting for me. Without a second thought, Zelda threw her arms around me, crying joyful, thankful tears. "You're alright – the magic of this place must have healed you and made you whole once more," she exclaimed.

Releasing her gently, I nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. I don't suppose Ganondorf can feel that we have the Master Sword now, can he?"

Sheik breathed in, his brows furrowed in concentration. With the exception of his piercing red eyes and his narrowed brows, I couldn't tell what his expression was because I couldn't see his face. "He can't as of yet, but he will. I can travel through the shadows if you want me to find out or distract him."

"I really have no plan," I responded frankly, returning my sword to my sheath. Somehow, that messed up time warp where I met Crimson had to have given me my sheath for a reason. Like the Master Sword was finally where it belonged. Maybe I had taken the sheath from another Hero. Maybe – just maybe. Everything about what had happened was pure speculation on my part. I wasn't even sure of what happened myself, and neither was anyone else.

Zelda fingered the stones of her necklace, "We need to get out of here. It's not safe here anymore."

Rota was anxious, and I could sense it in her consciousness. Somehow, it felt as though another sense had been awakened from deep within me as soon as I pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal.

"How do we get out of here, Zelda?" Sheik questioned. It was plain to see that even Sheik was unfamiliar with this place.

"We're not getting out the same way; it's too risky," Zelda responded. "Come on," she began walking toward the other end of the room, passing the pedestal in the middle. "Are you all coming or not?"

Sheik entered my shadow, and lost energy seemed to return to my being. "I'm lending you some of my life force," he stated in response to my unsaid question. "You need to be as strong as possible if you're going to face Ganondorf and Ren."

This was becoming tiring – all this walking through secret passages and corridors to escape Ganondorf and his plans; I could feel myself exhausting, but I also felt invigorated – refreshed and ready for anything. Everything in me was contradicting and canceling each other out, and I felt a clash of feelings overcome me. I was tired yet not tired at all.

"Thanks, Sheik," I responded, beginning to follow Zelda and taking one last look at the room we were in. Tapestries and murals decorated the walls, similar to the décor of the rest of the Castle. Yet these – these were different somehow. Determination and strength could be seen in the Heroes of old, and all those legends of Hylian lore came to life before my very eyes. I could see the desperation of Ganondorf, the anxiety of Zelda, the fear in Link. That desperation drove Ganondorf mad for power; that anxiety caused Zelda to reach deep within her to find her wisdom; and that fear in Link gave him something to overcome, a reason to fight, something to ignite the courage deep within him.

"Courage isn't the absence of fear; it is merely the act of overcoming it," Sheik stated in my head.

Training my eyes straight ahead, I knew what I had to do. Adjusting my tunic and clenching my free hand, my right one, I allowed my jaw to set. I was going to find Ganondorf once more, and this time, he would be at my mercy. He should have killed me when he could have. Now, he was going to have to deal with the Hero of Time; I was no longer the boy he raised in the Desert. Now, I was the Hero of Time, and the lines were blurring, almost to the point where I couldn't tell the difference between the ocean and the desert.

Um… so, I kinda had decided very firmly that I was going to maybe take an indefinite hiatus from writing and reading fanfiction, but I just couldn't stay away! I mean, Lindsey Stirling is about to release her newest album, Brave Enough, and I mean, music ALWAYS gives me inspiration. Then, Breath of the Wild was announced and TOOK MY BREATH AWAY…

So, anyways, I had this chapter finished (two weeks ago) and edited it tonight. I kinda just had a mini-surgery this morning. I'm OK, though; to be honest, the anesthesia injection hurt more than the actual surgery, and the surgery only lasted five minutes. xD Either way, I was terrified, psyching myself out and all that. :P

Thanks to you amazing people that have stuck with me! 3 you guys are fantastic. Thanks to all my faithful followers, favoriters, reviewers, etc. You all make my day! 3 3 3 Hugs to AnriMia24, Flik98, HeroofTime73, and Night Rider 7 because you all are amazing… And don't think that Link and Zel are gonna have an easy time now that they're reunited – oh no. I mean, he still hasn't met HIS PARENTS YET… Hint hint… OK, I'm done – Good night! And of course, *smiles* :D

~Elsie {Zel}

Total Word Count (excluding Author's Notes):

4,693