Link quickly drew his sword as he walked within the Portal, the hilt pulsing warmly in his hands, "Master," Fi's familiar voice spoke as her body emerged before him. Link had nearly forgotten she lived within the Master Sword. He was glad to have another companion other than Midna, as her attitude could be a handful. "Master, I detect you are crossing between Realms. I am unfamiliar with your destination," the robotic voice stated, "I am afraid I will not be able to assist you once you are through the Portal."

"Thank you, Fi," Link said graciously before Midna's shadowy form appeared in front of him as well.

"'Master?' Really?" Midna questioned.

"She lives within the Master Sword," Link quickly explained, "Whoever it chooses and can wield it will be her Master."

"Well don't get any bright ideas," Midna joked, disappearing into Link's shadow. Link huffed out a sigh. He was grateful for Midna, after all, if not for her then he would still be a beast in the Twilight Realm, but he could do without her sass.

Link continued through the Portal, marvelling at the Light. He was grateful to Faron for opening the Portal, and even more so that it was filled with the calming Light that made up the deity himself; the same Light that now flowed through Link's awakened veins as the true Hero of Time. It gave Link the strength he knew he would need once he reached the Otherworld. He had no idea what to expect on the other side, and as fear edged its way into his mind his breaths slowly became shallower. What would he find in this forbidden realm? What creatures would he have to face in order to save Zelda? Did he have the strength to conquer this realm?

Link looked up at the end of the Portal and took a deep breath. He could not see the other side and so he knew there was some sort of barrier that blocked his view. All he could see was blackness at the end of the tunnel-like Portal. He tightened the grip on his sword, let out the breath he had been holding, and took his first step into the Otherworld.

Sunlight blinded Link and warm air met his skin. He brought his free hand up to shield his eyes from the harsh glare. As his eyes adjusted, they slowly widened. He was in the centre of a valley, lush green grass spread out before him, multicoloured flowers speckling the grass, and blue sky as far as the eye could see. Link smiled as he looked at this realm. It felt no different than Earth, than Hyrule even!

But his smile soon faltered as he turned around. Above him, in the midday mark, was the sun. But to the west there was another sun currently setting, possibly explaining why it was so warm. Two suns. Link turned, his eyes searching the sky and found a blue moon, and then another that was red. He had never seen anything like it. And then he was suddenly on his knees, a feeling so strong that made him feel completely helpless and devoid of all energy. There was no pain, but he lacked the strength to stand. His head began to get fuzzy as he looked around, nothing but the valley-meadow and the foreign sky in sight. With one last gasp of air, Link fell to the grass. Looking up at the blue moon, he drifted into darkness.

"I've been waiting for you," a low voice said as Link awakened. "I've been closely monitoring each and every Portal that has been opening up into this land of mine."

Link's eyes shot open. He was in a large, comfortable bed, there was a fire roaring in a hearth, and all the curtains were drawn. Then Link saw who was speaking. Before him was a tall man, burly with muscle, and flaming red hair.

"Who are you?" Link said.

"Ganondorf, King of this realm," the man said. Ganondorf. The cruel and wicked man the Sages had warned Link about.

"So why am I here and what do you want with me?" Link asked, glaring at Ganondorf.

"There is a small issue with a plan of mine," Ganondorf began, placing his hands behind back and pacing before Link. "There is to be a wedding shortly, and after tonight's meeting, I expect the wedding will be tomorrow, if not sooner."

"So explain what this has to do with me," Link said, growing impatient.

"Ah, I will get there. Now, the wedding is my own. However, my bride is less than willing to marry me, but I'm thinking that perhaps after the life of the one she loves is put on the line, she will accept that this is her fate," Ganondorf continued. Link didn't like where this was going. "You see, my bride-to-be is Princess Zelda of Hyrule," Ganondorf grimaced.

"You're lying!" Link shouted, quickly sitting up, but he soon felt impossibly dizzy.

"I am not. And you would do well to rest. You see all the magic within your body is being drained out of you and into myself and Ghirahim. You will be exceptionally weak for a few days. But that makes my job so much easier," Ganondorf smiled.

"What magic?" Link tested. "I am of the human realm, there is no magic within my veins."

"Ah, but you are so wrong. It would be quite the divine prank for the Hero of Time to be a human. You are no human. It is proof enough that your body is being drained. You are of Hyrule. I do not know how you found your way to earth, but I assumed you grew up as an orphan. Your parents were probably killed during the first of my rebellions."

Link took a deep breath. What could he possibly say to that? Everything Link had thought he knew was a complete lie! He wasn't human, he was Hylian! Was that why he had always been so interested in finding out its history? Was that why he had so blindly accepted everything Zelda had said to him? A normal human would have questioned everything, questioned their role, questioned being brought into Hyrule. But Link hadn't, he had accepted his role with ease and greatness. He had wanted it.

"Like I said," Ganondorf began, snapping Link's thoughts back to him, "Only Hylians are drained of their magic. I will fetch you tonight and throw you before your beloved Princess. And then she will have to choose," Ganondorf said, his scowl clear on his face. He turned on his heels and left the room, closing the large doors behind him.

Link let out a frustrated yell. How could things have gone so horribly wrong? He had ventured here to save Zelda! And now… Now he would be used against her, and for something he didn't even know. Not to mention he would have the nagging thought of finding out whom his parents had been…

"Link," Midna's shadowy form said, "Ganondorf is right; you need your rest," she said and for the first time, Link thought he detected worry in her voice. "You are impossibly weak," she continued on, "Just try to sleep."

"How do you expect me to sleep when Zelda is in this castle somewhere? She will be forced to marry that bastard and I cannot save her!" Link said, getting more frustrated with every word.

"If Zelda is so weak that she won't put up a fight then we risked everything coming here for absolutely nothing. And you –" Midna continued, this time turning on Link, "If you are so ready to give up just because you're a little drained then you're the saddest Hero of Time yet!" She said, leaving the scene by becoming one with the shadows once again.

Link sighed, of course Midna was right. They had been through worse; mere hours ago he was still a wolf! He needed to rest for now and be on his feet before Ganondorf came for him. But then exactly how was he being 'drained'? And what did that even really mean?

A soft blue glow suddenly caught Link's attention. He looked towards a table near the bed he was in only to see the Master Sword pulsing the light. With great difficulty, Link hoisted himself up on his arms and then slowly shuffled to the edge of the bed, swinging his legs off the bed his feet gently touched the cold marble floors. It sent a shockwave through him that gave him the energy to reach for his beloved sword before falling back to the bed.

"Fi, please aid me," Link feebly whispered. The blue light pulsed before Fi was before him.

"Master, perhaps if you could find an apothecary someone could create a concoction that would revive some of your stamina."

"That'd be great, if I knew someone here who could help me. But I'm trapped here, I don't even have enough energy to get out of bed, let alone wander the halls of a foreign castle in the hopes someone would help me."

"Link," Midna's voice sounded, "We will help you. We won't allow Zelda to get away while you remain stranded… We're your friends."