Ch. 6

Haeda was drifting in a dark haze, his whole body felt heavy as lead. Something from the outside world was soothing him, calming him, and there was that dream. He found himself on that ravaged battlefield again. The silhouette of the girl was no longer panicking. She was standing, back turned, gazing into the distance. Then it seemed that she was aware of him, and she turned. As she faced him, the shadow faded away, giving her color. She was beautiful. She had long fair hair that hung to her waist, and bright blue eyes. She wore an elegant pink dress and her forearms and hands were covered in delicate gloves. A golden circlet sat on her brow. It was Princess Zelda!

Haeda's eyes flew wide open, and he sat bolt upright. He winced and held back tears as his side protested intensely against the movement. When he opened his eyes, he blinked into focus. It was morning, and the sunlight was cheerily slanting down to the ground. Etota was nearby, grazing, and intently watching him all the while. The princess was kneeling next to him, blue magic only just fading away from her palms. She smiled and stifled a laugh. "Good, you're awake." She said, standing up.

Haeda followed her with his eyes. "So I ended up saving the princess! How?..."

The princess's face grew solemn. "The castle was attacked last night."

Haeda's gaze quickly fell to the ground. "Oh." Was all he said.

Zelda continued. "Ganon had his forces lay siege upon Hyrule Castle suddenly, accompanied by a sudden storm. No one was prepared for an attack; all grew dark in an instant, and the next thing we knew, fire and blood was upon us." She stroked Etota's neck as the horse wondered close.

"Father told me to take a secret passageway into the night, but I was easily tracked down by a squadron of hunters." Her voice started to quaver, "They dragged me away, and as I was being thrown into the caravan, I saw my father fall in battle…" Her words turned into choked sobs, which in turn became a stream of tears. She sank to her knees and covered her face, shoulders shaking. Haeda immediately started trying to console her, cradling her and comforting until it ebbed away. She stopped with a few sniffles and wiped away a few persistent tears.

The escaped moblin cackled as he ran from the scene, seeing how ridiculous Haeda had looked when he was thrown off the cart. The monster traveled non-stop to Hyrule Castle, where Ganon's banners flew in the place of the burned Hylian flags. The moblin sobered up just as he walked into the throne room. "My Lord, I bring news to you." It stated, performing a steep bow.

Ganon, dark and evil upon the beautifully sculpted Hylian throne, leaned forward. "What is it, Craag?" He asked, impatience tainting his voice.

Craag gulped, suddenly aware of his master's bad mood and his bad news. He hesitated, then replied, "Well, you see, when we were carrying the princess off to the-"

"Yes, yes, spit it out or I'll stomp your face in with my boot!"

"Um, well, a boy ambushed us, and, well…"

Assuming the answer, Ganon's face twisted into a scowl. "This boy got away with the princess?!" He growled, standing up in a flurry of his cape.

Craag cringed and whimpered, nodding feebly. "Yes, my Lord-" his words became a desperate cry as Ganon thrust his fist forward, sending a wall of energy toward the moblin. It shrieked as it was thrown against the wall. Craag's lifeless body slid down to the stone floor.

Ganon punched and arm of the throne, making a crater of splintered wood and tattered fabric. "GRRII!" He bellowed, making the stone walls shake.

An unidentifiable monster lumbered into the room and bowed. He was four feet tall and covered in matted black fur. He looked like a pile of fur, but sharp claws just barely stuck out from underneath, making him possibly a bird?... "Yes, master?" He inquired in a chilling, quavering voice.

Ganon walked toward him, saying, "Hold charge here. I'm going out on a little business trip." He snarled. As the evil Gerudo finished his sentence, he dissipated into a black mist, just avoiding running into Grrii.

The furry creature nodded, despite the departure of his master, and sat on the throne. He leaned to his right, on the unbroken arm of the throne, and bellowed, "Servant! Bring me some grapes!..."

Haeda checked the supplies in Etota's saddlebags. He cursed as he saw that there was not much food, especially since there were two travelers now. "Well, at least we can rummage through that cart." He said, already carrying back some fruit.

Zelda looked around, unsure what to do. "Where are we going?" she finally asked.

Haeda looked at her, dumbfounded, but then a realization – almost like a driving instinct – told him where. "The Temple of Time."