"Link, that's the worst grapple hook I've ever seen."
"Shut up!"
"You shut up!"
Link attached the metal hook onto the long rope. He rolled it up until it was fit to hold. Link and Navi were beholding the steep rim of the Eldin Volcano's namesake, the crazy freak of nature that was a dangerous mountaintop of pain.
"I need some way to get up there, don't I?" Link began swinging the hook.
"Yeah, you need a way to get up there, not a way to get yourself killed!"
"Oh, please. This'll be a piece of cake." Link flung the hook and it stuck onto the volcano's top. The momentum pulled Link up with the wind, all the way to the top. As he stared down his destination, Navi floated up beside him.
"Long drop," Navi pointed out.
"You don't say. Well, here goes nothing," Link threw himself down the gaping hole.
"Wait, w-what! Link!" Navi quickly rushed to his falling body, but he fell faster than Navi could reach him. In mid-air, Link threw out the grapple hook onto a spare branch, slammed his feet into the wall, and dropped a meter onto a platform.
"Are you crazy?" Navi asked.
Link shrugged and rolled up his grapple hook. "Alright, so I feel like a piece of the Triforce is around here."
"Why?"
"My hand's glowing." Navi looked to confirm Link's words. On the top of his left hand, a golden triangle glew.
"That's the Triforce!"
"I was thinking so," Link said. Suddenly, the duo heard a loud thud somewhere else in the volcano.
"Who else could be here?" Navi whispered.
Link didn't answer. Instead, he crept in the direction of the noise before leaning against a wall, listening closely:
"Go ahead and retrieve the Shard. That's what the Master is searching for."
"That's fine and all, but think about this: is he really going to handle this treasure properly? In my opinion, it's time for new leadership."
"What are you suggesting, Trickster? You wouldn't dare to defy the Dark Lord. Not some pathetic scum like you."
"If you wanna live in the constant turmoil we've gone through ever since that Gerudo assumed command, keep kissing his ass. I'm taking this shard. Ganon doesn't need it, anyway."
"His name is Ganondorf to you, TRICKSTER! He-"
"Call me 'trickster' are much as you like, Zant. But know that I make illusions. Tricks are what whores perform for cash. You'd know about that, wouldn't you? With Midna."
"Y-you, I'll report this treason to our Lord immediately! I can't believe you, Ghirahim. Ganondorf gave you power, fame, riches. I never understood what he saw in you."
"Quiet, imbecile...I hear..."
A sleek, skinny man covered in gray makeup and revealing white clothing leapt out of the shadows, next to Link. His moon-white hair covered half of his widening grin as he held a long fencing sword by his side, and with his free hand holding onto the volcano's wall. Link did a backflip, difficult because of the extensive amount of equipment on him, and pointed his sword to the swordfighter.
"A boy," Ghirahim noted, "did you not sense him, Zant? The fools I work with..."
"I've come for the shard," Link demanded.
"Join the club," Ghirahim snickered as Zant stepped out from the shadows. He wore an ancient helmet with runic symbols emblazoned upon it, and a cloak that stretched past his hands and feet.
Zant slightly turned his head. "Who...who do you think you are? Dressing as the 'Hero of Time'?" Zant turned to his partner. "Did you not recognize him, Ghirahim?" Mocking, "the fools I work with..."
Ghirahim's gleeful smile quickly reduced itself to a scornful scowl as he extended his weapon at Link. "Whatever, Zant."
"Ghirahim, wait, look at his hand..."
The Triforce glowed bright in the relative darkness of the volcano.
"The Master would probably find use of him...only he could explain what this significance means. Take the boy, Ghirahim."
Link prepared for a defense, but Ghirahim quickly disappeared. Link's confusion was fixed when Ghirahim reappeared from behind and reached out. Link span with his sword and slashed Ghirahim's bare stomach, causing the villain to lurch back in pain.
"UGH! I will DESTROY you!"
"Ghirahim!" Zant shouted and waved his hand, creating a black wall between Ghirahim and Link, stopping the former from ripping into Link's throat. Zant waved again, throwing Link at a wall, before the black wall faded as Ghirahim recollected himself.
"Heheh...sorry, Zant. I lost my temper."
Link recovered and lunged at Zant, who merely dodged and allowed him to smash into a wall.
"Look, Zant. He's pathetic. Let's just slay him and leave."
"Very well. Have you got the Shard?"
Ghirahim nodded and began searching his clothing for the piece of Triforce. He then looked questionably to Zant after being unable to find it, then glared at Link.
"Link!" echoed through his head, as Ghirahim began understanding Link took the Shard during the battle, "Link! C! A! High C!"
Without thought, Link pulled his ocarina from his satchel, rolled backwards, and played the notes. As Ghirahim, in air, moved forward to slash Link's throat, Link disappeared.
Link opened his eyes. He was laying down. Under him, he felt cool marble. Around him was the same marble white, all covering the inside of perhaps, a church? A temple?
"Link."
Link sat up. Before him was Princess Zelda, her hair slightly more ragged than before, her dress a little less bright. Her face more sad. She sat next to him and set her hand on his. She closed in for a kiss...
Everything was purple now. Zelda was gone. The Desert Man resided in an altar, staring out to the vast nothing.
"You think in such a centered way, child..." he said. "Simple, though. I applaud that."
Ganondorf turned to Link from his position. Link was struggling to stand himself up.
"Why I brought you here, Hero, is, your Music, while beautiful, is dangerous to the security of my mission. I decided to, ah, kill two birds with one stone, by rescuing you by giving you directions to your Ocarina, and-" he showed the Ocarina Link received from Saria, and crushed it in his hand, "make sure you don't risk my journey. Good luck, Hero. Continue searching for your Triforce."
Link awoke again, the constant dream cycle wearing out his being. This time, he appeared to be in...
"There you are, mophead. How'd we get here? This is the Lanayru Desert!" Navi had reappeared after being mysteriously absent from Link's dream worlds. Link was glad of that, embarrassed by his thoughts of Princess Zelda. Link shrugged and continued to lay down in the plush sand.