Chapter 9

Shocking Revelations

Link woke up with a moan. He blinked his eyes to get his bearings. He discovered he was back in his wolf form and chained up in a cell. He was back in the Twilight Realm! He groaned in exasperation. He started gnawing at his chain in a desperate effort of escape. It was all in vain. These chains were fang proof! He gave up and took a look around his cell. To his astonishment, he saw, Gandalf, Aragorn, Ilia, and a strange hawk! That must be Malon! But there was no sign of Midna! Was that a good or bad thing? He shrugged. Midna had been getting on his nerves anyways. He hoped she had gotten lost or something.

All of a sudden Gandalf woke up with a start and tried to flap his wings. To his horror, he discovered his wings chained behind him and that his talons were bolted to the floor. He hooted in fury. Link growled quietly for the Owl's attention. Gandalf became silent and saw Link. He cocked his head in a question. Link briefly told him that they were locked in a cell somewhere in the Twilight Realm. Gandalf hooted once again in fury. How could they all have been captured so easily?

Aragorn opened one eye with a yawn and looked around for a minute before almost going back to sleep. But as he was about to close his eye he suddenly realized where he was. He tried to get up but his feet were bolted to the floor. He growled in outrage and bared his teeth in anger. Link raised his front paw for Aragorn to calm himself. Aragorn grew calm once more and eyed Link with a question. Link growled an explanation similar to the one he had just given to Gandalf. Aragorn nodded. After a few hours, Ilia and Malon had woken and discovered their situation.

The five companions were in the middle of planning an escape when the door to the cell swung open with a creak. The companions turned towards the door to see four Moblin guards holding several leashes and collars. The biggest Moblin, Link had ever seen walked in with an evil smile as he swung a giant key in one hand and held an open cage in the other. Gandalf eyed the cage with fear, knowing it was intended for him. He would have none of it. He gave a loud war like hoot and began to break his chains and bolts with his magical powers. With a blast of blinding light he was free and flying all over the cell with fury. He zoomed over to his companions and set them all free with a bang. The Moblins began backing up with fear. Link howled with joy as he pounced on the giant Moblin. He sank his teeth deep into his enemy's neck until the Moblin began to choke. Link quickly finished the task with a swipe of his lethal paw and the Moblin soon breathed his last. Link howled in triumph.

All of a sudden the great metal door at the end of the hall opened with a great bang. The companions looked up in surprise. Out of the door glided none other than Zelda! She had a satisfying smile on her lips. A smile that sent chills down Link's spine. He had never known Zelda to act like this. Zelda gave a short queer laugh as she stopped in front of the bodies of the dead Moblins.

"I knew you couldn't resist a good fight, Link. You fell right into my trap! Now, you shall die!" she said with an evil laugh.

Link cocked his head in confusion. Then it dawned on him. Zelda had joined Ganondorf! He howled in shame. Zelda just gave him a smile of evil triumph. Link calmed himself in the Force. He reached out with his feelings towards his sister. He sensed good in her still. Just like the story of Luke Skywalker's last moments with Darth Vader! If he could just get Zelda to see that goodness within her!

"I feel the good in you, Zelda. Turn from this twilight! Ganon only wants the Triforce of Wisdom!" he said earnestly.

Zelda just cocked her eyebrow with a laugh.

"Is that what you think this is? That I was brainwashed? On the contrary! My brother, I have willingly taking this role!" she said with an evil laugh.

Link remained one with the Force and saw an image of his brother, Anakin Skywalker appear next to him.

"Hope is not lost! Stay the course, brother! Stay the course! Hyrule's destiny rests on your shoulders. Choose and act!" Anakin said as he disappeared once again.

Link went into a meditation trance. He delved once more into the Unifying Force searching for guidance. Zelda looked at him in bafflement.

"What in the name of Rauru is he doing?" she asked herself.

Link had a vision just as he closed his eyes. The twilight had devoured Hyrule and was even now entering Middle Earth! Zelda had won! He saw himself leaving Hyrule and making for Middle Earth with his companions resolute. He came back to the present and opened his eyes and looked straight at Zelda.

"Hyrule is lost then. I shall go into exile, never to return." He said solemnly.

Gandalf gasped in astonishment. What had Hyrule come to? The Hero of Hyrule had given up! Hope was lost! He hooted in outrage. Zelda smiled in triumph.

"I thought you'd see it my way!" she said with a smile and a familiar gleaming red eye as she ordered the guards to escort the prisoners out of the cell.

Aragorn rolled his eyes in indignation. What had come over the Zelda? He sensed all these worlds were somehow tied together and it was Link's destiny to unravel this mystery.

"We'll be back, Princess!" Aragorn said menacingly.

Zelda laughed and cocked her eyebrow at him.

"Oh, sure, you will! I'll be ready for you!" she cackled as she kicked all of them out of the twilight realm.

The companions landed with a thud back in the Lost Woods. Link got up with a groan. To his utter amazement he was still in his twilight form and so were his companions! He sighed in exasperation.

"Don't get up too quickly you guys. You aren't going to like what you look like." He said with a chuckle.

Gandalf got up and ruffled his feathers in an uproar.

"Oh, she's done it now! I am going to kill Zelda or Midna, or whoever she is, if it is the last thing I do!" he hooted.

"It will be the last thing you do! If you so much as lay a hand on my sister you will regret it for the rest of your short life, bird brain!" Link growled.

Gandalf began to peck at the wolf with all his strength. Link howled in rage and pounced on the owl. Gandalf was now pinned to the ground under Link's massive wolf body.

"How has it come to this?" he sighed in exasperation.

Link growled a warning. All of a sudden they heard a rustling in the bushes. A luminescent being approached. It was Anakin Skywalker! Link at once got off of Gandalf and lowered his head in shame. Anakin walked over to his brother. He knelt down in front of Link and ruffled the wolf's hair.

"It's all right, Link. But, you are all in danger now. The enemy knows you are here in Hyrule and are intent on stopping them! It is indeed true that our sister, Zelda, has betrayed us and turned to the Dark Side. What you don't know is that Ganondorf has met with the Dark Lord Sauron and the Emperor! Grand Admiral Thrawn is the mastermind behind this twilight. He has taught Ganondorf to learn from his mistakes. Ganon now knows your weakness: items!" Anakin informed them.

Link growled in surprise. Aragorn walked over with his sword drawn.

"Well, then we will just have to set them a trap, won't we?" he said with a smile.

Link nodded.

"Ganondorf's weakness is power, Sauron's weakness is the One Ring of Power, the Emperor's weakness is power, and Grand Admiral Thrawn's weakness is power as well. Does anyone see a pattern here?" Link asked with a smile of satisfaction.

Anakin rubbed his hands together in excitement.

"We have the beginnings of a plan, excellent!" he said with a smile.

Gandalf hooted in agreement.

"The first thing we need to do is gather the sages." Link began.

Anakin nodded for his brother to go on.

"From there, we will need to lay a trap for Ganondorf. I'll walk into his castle and seemingly surrender my Triforce of Wisdom. While I am distracting him, Aragorn will sneak into Ganondorf's secret lair and release all the prisoners of the twilight. Once that is done I'll meet up with Aragorn at Kokiri Forest. If we succeed, Ganon will never know what hit him." Link finished.

Anakin sensed there was something Link wasn't telling them. He reached out to his brother with his feelings. If there was something Link was hiding from him, he was shielding it well from the Force. Anakin gave Link a stern look. The two stared eye to eye for several tense moments. Anakin finally caved and had to look away.

"What are you hiding from us, Link?" he said with an eyebrow raised.

Link scowled at Anakin.

"What makes you think I'm hiding something? I'm just not telling you my whole plan!" Link growled.

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. He sighed in exasperation.

"We don't have time for this, Link! Hyrule and all the free lands are at war! You must embrace your destiny now before it is too late! As you know, the Force is strong in our family. What you don't know is that, the Triforce is strong in our family. You must learn the ways of the Triforce, Link. It is your destiny; you are the Hero of Light!" Anakin explained.

Link staggered back in shock.

"I'm the Hero of Light?" Link managed to gasp.

Anakin nodded. Malon was beaming with pride. Aragorn and Gandalf exchanged looks of bewilderment.

"You have the power to dispel the twilight inside of you; you must learn to use it!" Anakin continued.

Link nodded in fascination.

"Embrace the Triforce of Courage and let it loose, Link!" Anakin commanded.

Link got up and closed his eyes in concentration. After a moment he began to rise above the ground. All of a sudden the Triforce of Courage on his head began to shine in pure golden light and began to drive away the twilight that had surrounded them all. Moments later the companions were all back in their normal forms.

"Link, you did it! You've learned to dispel the twilight!" Anakin exclaimed.

Link got up and drew the Master Sword and held it up high in the air.

"I, Link, am the Hero of Light! Beware beings of twilight!" Link yelled in triumph.

Anakin nodded in farewell and vanished in a blink of an eye.