I am soooo sorry this took so long...I had most of it written during the Christmas holidays, but when school started up again I had hardly any time to write it... T.T Thank you so much guys for being so patient! This chapter is almost three times the length of my last one though! So that's something! Right? XD
And thank you so SO much for all the reviews and follows, it means the world to hear back from you guys, even if it's only a few words! You're my motivation!
Again, I'm sorry I can't upload more frequently, but until late June, school is going to be super busy... T.T But, I hope to MAYBE have another chapter for you guys before I go back to school next week! Hopefully... XD
Also, someone pointed out that Zelda, Link and Ganondorf didn't get their separate pieces of the Triforce until OoT, but for the purposes of this story, assume that at the end of SS, the Triforce was split into three...it will make things more interesting! XD
But yeah, I hope you like this chapter, I had fun writing it! We're with TP Link this time round.
WARNING: The are SKYWARD SWORD SPOILERS in this chapter! Also, some violence/gore, and a little of Ghirahim's general creepiness... XD
Also, I tried my best not to make any mistakes, but while I'm uploading this it's 3.30am over here... XD So please forgive any little mistakes!
Link had forgotten how big Hyrule Castle was. He had gotten lost at least three times in the last ten minutes, and had few close encounters with some bokoblins, and other weird, little, yellow creatures with green shells on their backs. It was proving increasingly difficult to get around the castle. The further he went, the more monsters there seemed to be. If only he had his sword…
During the ambush on Hyrule Castle, Link became separated from Zelda in an attempt to get her out of the castle safely. Unfortunately, he had also lost the Master Sword. Ganondorf had snuck up behind him as he fought off the approaching bokoblins in the pitch black of one of the castles narrow corridors. When Link had noticed the presence behind him, he had just enough time to spin around, push Zelda out of harms way, and raise his sword up an attempted block before Ganondorf's own sword came down directly on Link's left hand, causing him to loose grip on his swords hilt.
What part of the castle was I in? thought Link desperately, as he made his way through one of the many rooms, holding his wounded left hand up against his chest.
Suddenly, he heard a loud clatter coming from a door directly in front of him. He froze for a moment. It sounded like a something metal hitting a tiled floor.
The kitchen, he thought. He approached the room quietly, and held his breath before pushing the door open. Thankfully, it was a double swinging one which made little noise when Link pushed against it. He glanced quickly around the room through the tiny crack in the door, not wanting to have it open any longer, or wider, than necessary.
There were a few different creatures wandering around the kitchen, all either eating something or rummaging through drawers and fridges. A few purple bokoblins were savagely tearing at some sort of meat, their sharp teeth grasping the flesh and ripping it from the bone. Other blue ones were fighting amongst themselves, pulling on each others pointed ears and slashing at each other with their butcher knife-like weapons.
Link was familiar with both of these types of bokoblins, and they posed little or no threat, but there was another sort there that he had not encountered before. They had a similar build to the others, but they were bright red in colour, with blue tongues and extremely jagged and sharp teeth. Their eyes had bright green sclera and red irises, and their ears were flopped downwards as opposed to the pointed ones of the others.
Although Link had not fought these particular bokoblins before, they looked oddly familiar. He thought for a moment before realising they were one of the creatures in the "Hero's Story" picture book that he and his friend Ilia had read as children back in Ordon Village. The creatures really did look like they were from a children's storybook. They were so brightly coloured compared to the other bokoblins. It was a combination of this fact, and the fact that they were in the storybook, that lead Link to come to the conclusion that they were from Skyloftian Link's world.
Suddenly, one of the red bokoblins dropped the food item they were munching on. Link looked cautiously in its direction. His heart skipped a beat as he realised the creature was looking directly at the gap in the door. Could he see him? This question was answered by the bokoblins next action. It reached down to its waist of pulled a white horn from its belt.
Link had a split second to decide what to do next. He could go back through the door he came through, or he could run down the room to the door at the far end, risking getting shot by one, or more, of the bokoblin archers. His decision was made for him when he heard voice coming from the corridor behind him.
The far door it is, thought Link, as he began to sprint down the room at full speed. He heard the horn of the bokoblin trumpet in the background, the creature notifying its comrades of the intruder. An enormous volume of the beasts burst through the door and scrambled towards Link, knocking over chairs, tearing paintings off the wall and destroying the entire contents of the room. Princess Zelda would not be pleased, but that was the last thing on Link's mind. He reached the door and grasped the handle with his right hand, pulling open the heavy wood, slipping through the crack and slamming it shut behind him.
Link continued down the corridor, looking for a room he could hide in. As he ran, he kicked something, sending it clattering along the floor. He stopped for a moment, breathing heavily.
"The Master Sword…" he gasped between breaths. He crouched down on the ground and started skimming the floor with his one good hand, desperately searching for the familiar metal of the blade or hilt. It was so dark he couldn't even see his own hand. He heard methodical slams against the door behind him as the bloodthirsty bokobolins attempted to tear it from its hinges.
After a few moments, they were successful. They all crashed through the wood, splinters flying in every direction as they piled up in the doorway. A few hoped over their fallen comrades and made their way directly towards Link, weapons raised high as they screeched their battle cry.
In a moment of desperation, Link began using his wounded left hand to cover more ground. Where was the damn sword?! As his hand hit the ground, a stab of pain made its way up his arm to his shoulder. It was more damaged than he thought. He was now sure something was broken.
The bokoblins were closing in fast. Link glanced around only to see two of the creatures a mere three metres from him.
"Damn it!" he yelled, as he pushed off his left foot and to his feet, immediately taking of into a run.
He wasn't quite fast enough. A blade from one of the blue beasts landed squarely on his right shoulder, causing him to loose balance and tumble to the ground. He struggled to get up, adrenaline willing him on. He soon got to his feet again, and, ignoring his new injury, ran around the corner at the end of the corridor, increasing the distance between him and his pursuers. As soon as he rounded the corner he noticed a door to his left and launched himself at the handle, diving inside the room, not caring what was there to meet him on the other side. He slammed the door shut behind him, sinking to the floor in front of it. He heard the bokoblins run past the door clumsily, still sure they were tracking their prey.
Link waited a few minutes after he heard the last creature pass by before he allowed himself to relax. He placed his left hand gingerly on his right shoulder, and it came away caked in blood.
Just great, he thought to himself, as he glanced at the blood stained floor.
He sat still for a few minutes, anxious to slow his breathing to avoid excessive blood loss from his new wound. When he was sufficiently relaxed, he got to his feet slowly. The area was quite large and was dimly lit by candles which had been placed around the rectangular room at intervals. There was a large circular table in the centre, with all sorts of files and documents sprawled out across it. Link walked warily over to it. It only took one look at the picture of the Triforce for him to realise that this was when the villains had set up their base.
Link checked his right hand quickly to make sure there was no fresh blood on it. Luckily, his tunic had absorbed quite a bit of it so it hadn't quite reached all the way down to his hand yet. He carefully pushed sheets aside to reveal others underneath them. He found a second sheet with the Triforce on it, this one with messy writing sprawled within each triangle. Link's own name was in the lower right triangle, with a small "x2" beside it, as did Zelda's name in the lower left triangle.
Link turned his attention to the top triangle, expecting to see Ganondorf's name within it. His name was there, but it was the other word that caught Link's attention.
Skyloft.
Realisation hit Link like a tonne of bricks. They knew. They knew the Triforce of Power was in Skyloft. Links fear suddenly turned to confusion.
But why would they need it? he thought questioningly, Ganondorf already has it… doesn't he? He thoughts were broken by loud footfalls coming from outside the door. He froze, holding his breath.
"Oh come now, I was only joking. No need to be so sensitive, Pitty Pat," said a low, unfamiliar voice from directly behind the door.
Link sprung into action. He noticed a closet to his right, and hoped to Hylia that there was enough room for him in it. He hastily opened the door and found the Goddess had answered his payers. There was nothing in the closet, leaving just enough room for himself. He quickly slipped inside and closed the door gently behind him, just as the main door of the room swung open.
Link peered out through the keyhole and watched the group of people saunter in.
"Don't call me that either!" snapped Pit, as he walked through the door frame.
Wait, Pit? On closer inspection, it wasn't Pit at all. He looked exactly like him, but rather than having mousy brown hair, his was jet black. His clothes and wings were black as well, the latter of which were folded in at his back, and his deep purple eyes were filled with hatred as he looked back at the large figure who walked into the room behind him.
This second person was so tall that he had to duck under the door frame to prevent his head coming into contact with it. His blue face was twisted into a smug grin, as he looked down at the dark little angel in front of him. Symmetrical red tattoos covered the areas around both of his bright, orange eyes which pierced through the darkness in the dimly lit room. His long green and red hair seemed to defy gravity as it floated in the air around his head. The rest of his body was a purplish-blue with more red patterns covering it, and he wore a purple cloak of sorts that appeared to be bubbling. Or maybe melting was a better word.
Link hadn't seen either of these two before. He did, however, recognise the four other people. He was familiar with Dr. Eggman, Bowser, and King Dedede from various other dilemmas he had helped with. King Dedede looked a little a little dazed as he walked through the doorframe, leading Link to believe he had be brainwashed…again.
The forth person he recognised was Dark Link. He was as he usually looked; an exact copy of Link himself except he was clothed in a grey and black. His dark grey hair partially covered his piercing red eyes, and he looked rather fed up.
"When is our so-called leader getting here?" he asked, rather sarcastically.
Link looked around the room through the keyhole and noticed Ganondorf was indeed absent.
"Grrrr…" growled Bowser, narrowing his eyes at Dark Link. He had always been the type of creature who wanted things his own way.
"What?! You wanna make something of it?!" retorted Link's doppelganger, "As much as I hate to say to say it, I'm calling him that! He's more of a leader than you are!"
Bowser roared at Link, moving towards him, his footsteps shaking the entire room. Link placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready for a fight.
"Stop!" yelled Dark Pit, moving in between the two with his arms outstretched, his wings spread wide and his feet hovering inches above the floor, "just stop. Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to help, and you both know it. Anyway, isn't that our plan for the others? Why would we want to do that to ourselves? Just… relax." Pit lowered his arms and touched back down to the ground softly.
"Oh my…tensions running high, are they?" said the tall blue man.
"Enough, Hades," sighed Pit, who had clearly had enough of the God of the Underworld's snide remarks.
Although the Hylian Link had never met Hades, upon hearing his name he instantly remembered the good Pit telling the heroic tale of how he, to use his own words, "kicked the God's butt."
"Oh, sorry Pitoo, I'll behave myself now," said Hades innocently.
"Don't call me that either," snarled Dark Pit, through gritted teeth.
"What would you rather then little angel? Gothic Pit? Fake Pit? Come on, you're giving me nothing to go on."
Dark Pit opened his mouth to answer but stopped short when the door suddenly swung open. The whole room fell silent.
A large figure thudded slowly into the room. His breathing was heavy and beast-like.
"Well, look who it is! Our leader!" exclaimed Hades, glancing sideways at Bowser.
Bowser looked like he was ready to snap Hades neck, but he knew better than to mess with a God.
So here's Ganondorf, thought Link, adjusting his position in the closet so he could get a better view of the doorway. What he saw caught him by surprise, to put it lightly. A huge being stood in the entrance of the room. His whole body was covered in black scales, his small eyes a bright orange. His hair was composed of nothing but fire, which was swept back behind him and flickering in the dim light. He was terrifying.
Link stared in sheer awe at the being as he walked towards the table, his black and gold robe on his waist trailing along the ground behind him. That is NOT Ganondorf, thought Link, his gaze following the beast as he made his way to the front of the table.
This was Demise. The antagonist of the "Hero's Story." The being that the first Link had destroyed. His friend Link. So how was he back?
"Hmm…" Demise mumbled, as he reached the top of the room, "has the spy been planted?" His voiced boomed around the room, causing the candles to rattle in their holders.
"Yes," replied Dr. Eggman, who had remained quiet until now, "and my machines are almost ready too. They're the best I've ever made, I'm quite proud if I do say so myself. Wait until you see them!"
Demise grunted in response.
"Wasn't he supposed to be back by now, though?" asked Dark Link, sitting down on one of the chairs around the table.
The others quickly joined him. Hylian Link was reminded of the meetings he attended with the others in times trouble. No doubt he had missed the one this time round.
"He was," grumbled Demise. It was impossible to tell whether Demise was constantly angry or if it was his normal speaking voice.
If it was his normal speaking voice, Link didn't want to hear him when he was genuinely angry.
Just then, something red covered the keyhole blocking Link's view. He clasped his hand over his mouth in an attempt to muffle his gasp. Unfortunately, out of habit, he had used his left hand, so not only had to muffle his gasp of surprise, but also his one of pain.
The red moved away from the closet, and Link was able to see it was in fact a person. He was tall and wearing a red cloak, with a high collar. He made his way over to Demise.
"Sorry, I'm late, Master," he said, as he bowed low. He then sat down in the chair closest to his "Master."
Everyone was now sitting down with the exception of Demise and Hades, who, quite frankly, wouldn't fit in a chair even if they tried. Surprisingly, Bowser seemed able to balance on the edge of one without breaking it.
"You were supposed to be back hours ago, Ghirahim," muttered Demise, glancing over at the tall white figure.
"Sorry, Master," mumbled Ghirahim in response.
Ghirahim, thought Link, narrowing his eyes.
Skyloftian Link had told him all about this "Demon Lord," about his sadistic, flamboyant, and generally "creepy" nature.
But the Link in hiding wasn't seeing any of this now. If anything, the man in front of him was a little reserved. Anxious even.
"Well?" questioned Dark Link, suddenly, "what did our secret agent find out?"
Ghirahim shot Dark Link a seething stare. "Quite a bit, actually."
For a brief moment, Hylian Link saw genuine anger flash in the Demon Lord's eyes, and decided he definitely did not want to get on the wrong side of him.
"Inform us, then," grumbled Demise.
"Yes, Master," Ghirahim answered, his attitude changing again, "they have split into groups, each group assigned to taking care of one of us. The Skychild and that little angel are to take on you two," he pointed at the Link and Pit in the room, "the two prince-like men are to take on Eggman, the hedgehog and pink puff-ball are to take on…that," he jabbed a thumb at King Dedede, who seemed to be asleep in his chair, "and the short, Italian one in red and the poke-whatever are to take on Bowser."
Demise nodded. "All of you remember that…" It sounded like a threat.
"I seem have been left out, although the sky child seemed to have been rather concerned about my involvement," Ghirahim smirked. Then his eyes changed again, suddenly full of blood lust. "So no messing with him… none of you. Leave him to me."
It was clear Ghirahim hadn't forgotten the humiliation Link had caused him. He had consistently been a thorn in his side, and at the end, when the Demon Lord had finally resurrected his precious Master, Link had put an end to him. Or at least, he thought he had. Clearly something had happened between then and now because Demise was standing at the top of the room, alive and well. It seemed to be the fact that the "sky child" had the nerve to even challenge Ghirahim's Master that was eating at him.
"They also left you out, God of the Underworld," Ghirahim continued, turning to Hades who looked bored out of his mind, "I don't believe they know you're in the mix. Oh, also, one more thing," he paused, relishing in the fact he had such important information to tell them, "they think Ganondorf is our leader."
All heads at the table turned towards Ghirahim, who was looking absolutely delighted with himself.
"It seems the Princess thought you were him, Master," he continued.
"Good…" replied Demise, the faintest hint of a smile playing on his lips, "that will work to our advantage."
"Speaking of which, when are we resurrecting him, or whatever it is we're doing?" asked Dark Pit, glancing around the table.
"We need his blood first," growled Demise.
"Why can't we just use him?" questioned Dr. Eggman.
Unfortunately, he was currently out of view, presumably at the weird mechanical device at the back of the room that Link had seen on the way in. Link tried to shift silently in the closet to see who he was gesturing at, but it was no good.
"It won't work, we've tried," replied Dark Pit.
Ghirahim chuckled. "Yes, that was rather fun…Oh! Speaking of blood, there was one more thing…they intend to use the Twilight Realm as an infirmary of sorts."
The Twilight Realm? thought Link, surprised, Does that mean Midna-
His thought process was broken by loud booming laughter that resonated throughout the room, shaking everything, including the closet he resided in.
"Excellent…how ironic," boomed Demise.
Just then the door opened to reveal a red bokoblin. A long silver object was in it's hands, glinting in the light of the candle's flames.
The Master Sword! thought Link, watching the bokoblin waddle up to Demise and hand over the blade.
Demise took it in his hands, turning it over once or twice, examining every inch of the metal. He seemed rather happy to have the sword in his possession.
The bokoblin glanced at the sword anxiously before sprinting out the door, closing it behind him.
Link decided that was a good decision. He wouldn't want to be standing in front of Demise holding over 30" of steel unarmed either.
Ghirahim looked sideways at the blade, pure rage clouding his eyes.
"Uh…sorry to interrupt," muttered Dark Link, breaking the somewhat awkward silence, "but am I the only one who's noticed the blood splattered all over the door and floor?"
Pure terror gripped Link's heart. He may have been able to fight off one or two of the villains, but he didn't stand a chance against all of them, not to mention the fact he didn't have his sword. Maybe if he was found he'd have enough time to snatch it and make a break for it? No… they'd never let him get away…
"It starts at the door…" said Dark Pit, getting up from his chair, and walking to the entrance, "then it goes up past the closet and to the top of the table. There's no one here but us, though…they must have left along the same path."
Link relaxed a little. They may not find him after all.
"It smells like the Skychild's blood but…a little different," informed Ghirahim, also getting up, "it's probably that other Link's blood. You said he didn't escape the castle, right Master?"
"I said I didn't think he had…" grunted Demise, walking towards the door, "it looks like I may have been right…I will find him." And with that, he left.
Ghirahim sighed, appearing to relax a little. He seemed nervous around his Master.
"Well…glad that bore fest is over!" said Hades, rather cheerfully, "I mean, come now, don't you guys know how to have even a little bit of fun? These meetings are so serious all the time, you know…wouldn't you agree Pitty?" He gave Dark Pit a playful slap on the back, almost sending him flying into the wall.
When Pit regained balance, he swivelled around furiously and stormed towards the God, his bow clasped firmly in his shaking left hand. He stopped a metre in front of him, his body titled forward and his eyes boring into the Hades's.
"I swear, I'm going to kill you!" he snarled into the God's face.
Hades chuckled. "Come now, my little dark angel, weren't you the one who told us not to fight amongst ourselves? Hmm?"
Pit stood for a moment, still glaring at Hades, before backing down. He let out a frustrated sigh before falling back into his chair; head tilted back and eyes closed. "Whatever…" he muttered, clearly too tired to argue.
"You certainly are a…lively bunch," said Ghirahim, a hint of sarcasm hanging on his final words as he looked around the room of emotionally drained people.
Dark Link sighed. "Shut up, Ghriahim." He stood up and stretched out before examining the blood on the floor again. "It's his alright."
Ghirahim ignored this last observation. He clicked his fingers and disappeared, leaving behind purple diamonds that floated in the air for a brief moment before dissipating.
This startled Hylian Link, causing him to jump slightly in the confined space. His elbow bounced lightly off the back of the closet. He froze, looking anxiously out through the keyhole to make sure no one noticed it. Thankfully, almost everyone in the room was looking towards where Dark Link was standing. However, Link saw Dark Pit's eyes glance briefly over at the closet before following the gaze of all the other villains. Link also looked over towards Dark Link.
Ghirahim was standing right behind him, his left hand clenched tightly around Dark Link's shoulder.
"Now, now, you don't want to upset me, do you?" said Ghirahim innocently, leaning in closer so his lips were centimetres away from Dark Link's ear.
Dark Link's red eyes narrowed as he swivelled on his heel and lashed out with his left hand. His fist met thin air as the Demon Lord vanished again, reappearing this time next to Hades, directly across from Link's hiding place on the other side of the room.
Ghirahim sighed. "You're nowhere near as fun as the sky child…"
"If you come near me again, I swear…" threatened Dark Link, through gritted teeth.
"My, my, you are an angry one…" continued Ghirahim, as he started pacing around the table. He stopped at the top and outstretched an arm. The white colour shattered off in little diamonds, revealing dark purple that covered his entire arm. "Stronger than any armor, boy. Still want to try your luck? I'm up for a fight…"
Dark Link glowered at the Demon Lord.
"I know, I know," sighed Ghirahim, admiring his new and improved arm, "You've been left speechless…I'm just too fab-"
Just then, a loud crash resonated throughout the entire castle, shaking every object in the room, including Link's closet.
King Dedede woke abruptly, sliding off his chair onto the floor.
"Uh oh…" muttered Dr. Eggman, as he hurriedly made his way out of the room, "seems one of my machines has…ah…malfunctioned."
"Oh goodie, some fun at last!" exclaimed Hades, practically skipping out the door after Eggman.
Bowser, a sleepy King Dedede, and Dark Link quickly followed, leaving only Dark Pit and Ghirahim.
"Tsk…" mumbled Ghirahim, not happy about the interruption, "I'm rather looking forward to meeting the sky child again…all this bottled-up anger is rather unhealthy. Wouldn't you agree?"
Dark Pit simply nodded, as Ghirahim slipped out the door after the others, the thought of encountering the "sky child" Link putting a noticeable spring in his step.
Dark Pit stood still, rooted to the spot. He stayed there for a few minutes, not moving an inch.
Please leave, thought Link desperately, his legs starting to ache from being stuck in the cupboard for what felt like an eternity.
Suddenly, Dark Pit spun on the spot, his wings unfolding as he turned to face the closet. His purple eyes were fixed on it as he spoke. "I know you're there…you can come out."
Link's breath caught in his throat. He contemplated the situation for a moment before deciding he could probably take on the angel alone. Plus, his sword was only a few metres away from his hiding place, closer to him than it was to the Pit impostor. He pushed the door open and launched himself at his sword which lay on the table. He instantly relaxed as his hand clasped around the familiar hilt, ignoring the searing pain in his left hand. He held the sword up in front of him in defence.
Dark Pit stared at the blade for a moment before rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to try anything…chill out."
Link narrowed his eyes at the angel, lowering his sword reluctantly.
Pit sighed. "To get out of the castle, go out of this room and take a right, then the first left. You'll meet a corner. Go right at the corner, and right again at the first turn you meet. If you follow that long corridor right to the end, you'll reach a door. If you exit through there you'll be outside, on the right side of the castle… beside the woods. Got that?"
Link stared at Pit for a moment, completely dumbfounded.
"You think I'm a "bad guy," don't you?" Pit asked.
Link nodded hesitantly.
"Jeez, everyone always seems to think I'm the bad guy…" muttered Dark Pit, as he started pacing up and down. He stopped and turned abruptly towards Link. "What is it? All the black clothes?" he questioned, as he gestured at his outfit, "well I'm not a bad guy. Or a good guy. I'm servant to no other but myself. I don't follow anyone's orders…not now, not ever. Not like that Goddess's lapdog."
Link opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the ranting Pit.
"So why did I help you?" he asked, answering Link's question, "because I felt like it. Simple as. Plus, I don't think anyone deserves to get caught by that "Demon Lord" creep. They had some pretty nasty plans for you, you know. Also," he paused, looking Link up and down, "you look pretty worse for wear. Look out for any creatures roaming the corridor, you look like you can barely stand let alone fight anything. And next time try not to get blood all over the place…I thought things were going to get messy in here when they noticed…"
Link glimpsed into the closet, and realised he'd left a rather large amount of blood in there too. One thing was certain, if the villains hadn't realised he was in the room before now, they certainly would when they came back. Looking at the blood, Link suddenly realised how faint he felt. He swayed slightly, leaning against the table to regain his balance. The angel was right. He wasn't about to clash with anything in this state.
Dark Pit made his way towards and door, but stopped momentarily in the frame, glancing over his shoulder towards Link. "Tell the lapdog to watch his back, too." And with that, he was gone.
Link was about to leave too, until a thought struck him. He walked to the front of the table and snatched up the drawing of the Triforce with the words in each triangle. It was probably better to have some sort of proof of their plans. Plus, Princess Zelda might interpret the picture more accurately. She had a keen eye for finding hidden clues that others would normally miss. With the picture clasped firmly in Link's right hand, and his sword in his left, he made his way out of the room.
Link walked down a long corridor, hoping he had followed Pit's directions correctly. If he had, the door out should be directly in front of him any moment. The area in front of him seemed to get brighter with each step until he reached a slightly ajar door. He glanced briefly into the bright room. It was the room he was in when they bokoblins had first started to pursue him.
Link sighed. He had been that close to the exit. Despite his annoyance, he decided it was probably a good thing he had found the villains base. If there was one thing Link hated more than anything else, it was the feeling of being useless. Now he could make up for not being at the meeting, and help them be one step ahead with the knowledge he'd acquired.
He continued on down the corridor until he reached a large door. He pushed against the door with his left shoulder, just about getting it open before he had to stop to take a breath. This was bad. He hoped that there was some horse grass nearby because there was no way he was getting away from here without Epona. He hadn't even thought of bringing his Horse Call charm with him on the routine visit to Hyrule Castle. He wasn't even going to bring his sword, but thank Hylia he'd decided against that decision.
He slipped out the door, not even bothering to close it behind him. The dramatic change in lighting caused him to squint as he scanned the area. He was indeed next to the forest, on the right side of the Castle. He spotted some horse grass about fifteen metres ahead of him, and shuffled slowly towards it, gently placing his sword back in it's sheath that was still securely fastened around his body. When he reached the grass he paused for a moment to catch his breath, which was now coming in short rasps. He reached down to pick some using the thumb and index finger of his right hand, his other fingers still firmly clasped around the picture. As he played the instrument, the soft melody was carried on the wind away from the castle. There was something oddly comforting about the sound of the little reed-like plant.
Link sat down on the grass, and waited. He closed his eyes, listening carefully for the familiar methodical beat of Epona's hooves against the earth. He allowed himself to completely relax momentarily. The calm before the storm, he thought. He was sure things were only going to get worse from now. The others were more than likely preparing to take back the castle and stop the villains from doing whatever it was they were planning.
Epona's footfalls became audible over the strong breeze. Link opened his eyes, and stood up carefully, just as his horse reached him.
She nuzzled his shoulder gently, aware something was wrong, and whinnied softly.
"Hey, girl…" murmered Link, gently rubbing her forehead with the back of his injured hand. He carefully took her reins in his right hand and turned away from the Castle, leading her over to a small ledge so it would be easier for him to mount with his injured shoulder and hand. He suddenly remembered the Triforce sketch clasped in his hand, and he stuffed it into a small bag at the side of Epona's saddle.
Epona pawed at the ground with one front hoof, eager to get going.
Link laughed. "Alright, let's get out of this pla-"
"That's not happening, I'm afraid…"
Link didn't even have time to turn around when a hand clasped firmly around his right shoulder. He was attempting to shake it off when another hand grabbed his left wrist. He struggled for a moment, desperate to break free, but it was in vain. He had lost far too much blood, and could feel his consciousness slipping.
Epona shied away from the intruder, kicking out as she did so. She paused a few metres away from Link, her ears right back, but she stood her ground.
With Link's last ounce of strength he managed to call out to the mare. "GO!"
Epona did as she was told. She reared, neighing loudly before galloping off back into the woods.
"Poor move…" muttered the being behind Link.
The last thing Link saw was a flash of red fabric to his right, accompanied by a sharp pain in the back of his head.
Then, everything went black.
Make sure to review and let me know what you guys think! ^^ I'll try to get the next chapter out ASAP!