Hey peoples! Chapter 41, here ya go :) One warning: the timeline is a little screwed up. See, Link's point of view is one day behind Zelda's. So like, they're points of view are at completely different times. You'll get it when you read it... I hope. And if you don't, review about it! I'll be happy to message you and explain :D Enjoy, and don't forget... POLL ON MY PROFILE! Sorry to be bothersome, but I need input hahha!

Chapter Forty-One: Discoveries

Still seething, Link stood there for a while, staring blankly ahead. Zelda was in bed, sound asleep, and he could barely stand to turn away from her for even a moment. Yet he knew that he had a duty to fulfill, and he reluctantly turned his back to the small, unnoticeable window. He cursed under his breath as he began his trek forward, noticing that the light in his lantern was beginning to dim. Running a hand through his tangled hair, Link closed his eyes and just let his instincts lead him for a few minutes, while he reminisced in the darkness behind his eyelids. Each time, the image of the man popped inside of his head, and he saw pure red. He had to refrain from throwing the lantern as hard as he could, simply to channel the anger. But he didn't. As he had done so many times before, he suppressed his emotions and simply moved forward.

It seemed as if centuries were passing as he continued, and thankfully, he didn't come across any more staircases. It was simply a straight corridor, and Link walked through it silently and with determination. It went on forever, and his stomach was beginning to irk him with its periodical somersaults. Each moment dragged on like decades, and Link finally reached the end of the corridor...

It was a dead end. Link couldn't take this anymore. Dropping his dying lantern, he clenched his hands into fists and drew his sword. Letting everything out, he began swinging uselessly at the wall, the sounds resonating echoingly through the passages. He swung because he was angry with everything: the plague for threatening his kingdom, the Royal family for ripping out this page, Ganondorf for pulling him from his happy life so long ago, Midna for leaving him when he needed her most, the goddesses for refusing to defeat the plague, the Royal Council for taking Zelda away from him. It was all driving him insane, and he let out a savage scream as he gave the wall one last strike. Bright sparks flew as the Master Sword made contact, and then fell, scratched and twinkling, at his feet. His breathing was heavy as he looked down, catching himself in the reflection of the blade.

As the final light in the lantern faded out, Link gritted his teeth and lifted his fist. Just before he was engulfed in a dense darkness, he struck the wall before him heavily with his fist, leaning against it as he did. The knuckles of his gloves literally began tearing from the force of the wall, but Link barely noticed. At this point he was blinded by rage and had his forehead up against the wall, and for a moment, didn't notice the crack that was spreading through the wall. At first, he could only hear the sound of his heavy, exasperated breathing. But soon, he could hear a quiet cracking noise. Lifting his head, he saw the crack, beginning from where his fist still lay against the wall. It was rapidly spreading through the entire wall, creating a dramatic sound as it did.

As the crack took over the grimy surface, Link's fist glowed with the Triforce, and he lifted it as he stepped back cautiously. Soon, there were large, scattered cracks throughout the wall, and small cluttered ones where his fist had been. Then, for a few deafening moments, there was silence. Finally, a large, blinding Triforce appeared on the cracked wall itself, and as Link shielded his squinted eyes, the entire obstacle crumbled. He was astounded when he lowered his hand. The pile of rubble glowed for a moment, and then the light faded. Yet Link was no longer in darkness. Just ahead, he saw a bright light, and he felt as if it were beckoning him to come towards it. Subconsciously leaning down to grab his sword and lantern, Link moved forward.

In a matter of moments, he'd reached the source of the light. A wide smile spread across his face, and he let out a sigh of relief and exhaustion. It was a podium, and set atop the podium was a glass box, like the one that Prince Ralis had showed him. His excitement was growing inside of him as he looked through the glittering glass. Anxiety built up inside him, and was full to bursting when he placed his shaking hands on the glass. He could barely believe that after all of this time and effort, things were finally starting to work out for him. This could mean the end of deaths in Hyrule, and it could stall the plague itself while they figured out how to defeat it. This could be the thing that gave Link and Zelda an advantage over whatever this horrible source of evil was.

As Link lifted the glass, a rush of power and vivaciousness rushed through the blood in his pumping veins, and his heart beat faster than usual. His breathing was unsteady again, but this time, it was in a good way. However, inside the box, there wasn't a piece of paper; there were two, and Link furrowed his brow curiously. After setting the glass box gently on the ground, he gingerly picked up the first piece of paper, the one with writing on it. After simply glancing over the words, he knew that this was it: the paper that would reveal the cure. Barely able to contain himself, Link hastily put it in his tunic with the other parchments; he wanted to wait until he was with Zelda to reveal it.

But there was still the other paper, and Link truly had no idea what was written on it. The side facing him was blank, and as he picked up the parchment with his hands still trembling, he braced himself for what might be on the other side. He looked around him anxiously, as if somebody would pop up out of nowhere. As he stared down the corridor, he could immediately tell that there was an exit at the end. Where it led, he didn't know. But he would find out eventually. Then, he turned his attention back to the page in his hands. Finally summoning the courage, he flipped it over.

He couldn't help but gasp at the sight before him.

ZELDA POV

Zelda was still at a loss as she lay down in her bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. The tax had just been passed, and it was her fault for being away from the castle so long. She felt as if so much had been decided in her absence, and there was nothing she could do to reverse that. Caine was taking over the council, she thought. The other members looked up to Caine more than they looked up to her. They respected his opinion more, and were blinded to what was truly good for the kingdom by a lust for wealth and corruption. This was exactly what Zelda had been fearing the entire time she'd been head of the Royal Council; she'd been warned about this ever since she was little, and the nightmare was now coming true.

She was wearing her most comfortable nightgown, and her hair was let down and sprawled out on the pillow beneath her. She'd been in this state ever since the meeting had let out that afternoon: simply laying there, in an unkempt fashion, thinking about her current, sticky situation. Zelda believed herself to be a fool, because she'd believed that just being the princess would make it easy to get her way. The reality had hit her like a smack across the face, and left her contemplating her entire role as Princess of Hyrule.

And, as always, there was Link. But she tried to put him from her mind, because it only brought her more pain. She wanted to feel him sleeping beside her in that bed, yet she knew it couldn't be. While she was here, trying to figure out how she was going to appease the newly taxed people of Hyrule and reverse the situation, he was off actually helping to cure everyone of the plague; at least, she hoped that he was. Sighing heavily, she put her hands on her face, covering her eyes and groaning quietly. Everything she stood for was crumbling all around her.

When she closed her eyes, a scene replayed in her head. She wasn't asleep, which meant she wasn't dreaming. Yet she remembered this scene; it was an image from a previous dream she had had.

"Power is the key," Link says. "The key…"

Zelda was sent back to the dream where she was dying, lying in Link's arms after being fatally wounded.

"The key…to what?" Zelda asks. Around them is a scene that Zelda has never seen, neither in real life or books. Link gasps, but he is still glowing. The sky is golden, with no clouds, and Zelda and Link are now on a bed of grass. But it's unusual grass. It's a more vibrant green, and seems to have more life than the grass in Hyrule. The rest is blurry for Zelda.

Zelda moved her hands from her face, gasping as if she was being suffocated. Her eyes became wide and bloodshot, and she felt something taking over her mind as the images replayed, one after the other, each moment bringing a new picture as Link's voice resonated. It was the one part of the dream that she hadn't been able to figure out.

Suddenly, the Triforce on her hand starts shining bright blue, and then Link's starts glowing green. Above them, the shape of it appears. It's an incomplete Triforce, with two on the bottom, but the top triangle is missing.

"Power is the key..."

Her entire body was trembling now, and Zelda's nails dug into the mattress as she continued hyperventilating. Something strange was occurring, and she didn't know what. Her mind was so blurred and filled that she could barely make out the surroundings of her own room.

It's an incomplete Triforce...the sky is golden, with no clouds, and Zelda and Link are now on a bed of grass...the Triforce on her hand starts shining bright blue, and then Link's starts glowing green...

The images moved faster than Zelda could even fathom as she put a hand instinctively to her flustered forehead, and she felt as if she were burning up.

It's an incomplete Triforce, with two on the bottom, but the top triangle is missing...

"The key..."

"The key!" Zelda suddenly shrieked, sitting up in bed with a jolt of energy. Everything made sense, but it was extremely crucial this time. The reality of their situation astonished her, and she was drenched in sweat as her chapped lips curved up in a smile. The dream made sense, and a new path became clear before her. When Link heard about this, Zelda knew that he would be excited. Even she could barely contain herself at this sudden epiphany.

Zelda knew now how to get the final piece of the Triforce, and she wasn't about to waste any time searching for more information. Without another moment's waste, she swung her legs over the side of her bed, kicking the blanket of her body. The hard stone ground was cold beneath her bare feet, and it gave her chills. She put that aside as she lit a candle, being cautious while she carried it out of her room. She was light on her feet, and closed the door as quietly as she could so that she didn't wake anybody up.

The halls of the grand castle were deserted as Zelda sneaked through them, keeping an eye out for anybody who might be snooping around, as well. Thankfully, she found nobody on the whole way to the library, where she began searching ravenously for a book that might help her. The princess enjoyed the silence, and the comfort of the library that she knew so well. She had always loved sneaking into the library in the middle of the night, alone, to read fairy tales and stories of the ancient heroes. Yet this time, she wasn't here to enjoy herself and simply read for the sake of her frivolity. She was here to help her kingdom, and help her people survive, not to have fun.

After finally finding the perfect book, Zelda sighed happily and made her way to her favorite little nook of the library. Gazing up, she felt small compared to the vast night sky, transparent through the glass dome, and the stars twinkled beautifully. She loved the feeling of getting lost in the beautiful darkness. Still reminiscing in her memories, Zelda cozily placed her candle on the table and curled up in the armchair like a child. She hadn't felt so comfortable in ages; well, except for when she was in Link's arms.

Without further ado, she opened the book to the first page. Exhaustion was far from her mind, and she was intent on reading every page of this book:

Secrets of the Sacred Realm.

LINK POV

Link, still staring intently at the page, slowly began his journey toward the exit at the end of the corridor. He was confused, yet dazed slightly at the image on the page. His eyes scanned every miniscule part of it, trying to pull apart in a subconscious part of his racing mind. Each color deserved his attention, and he didn't even realize that he was trying to decipher the symbolic meaning of the picture.

It was a picture of a strange creature, one that Link had neither seen nor ever heard of. Frankly, it was a frightening monster. Simply looking at it made Link's heart drop into his stomach, and it gave him a feel of antique heroism. This was, obviously, a force to be reckoned with. The painter that had drawn this image had obviously put much time and effort into it, for each detail shined like a brilliant star in a vast, dark night sky. There was not a single line out of place, and though the picture itself was beautifully painted, Link still had the strange urge to discard it at the first chance he got. Yet he had a feeling that he shouldn't.

It seemed to be depicting something unfathomably large, as Link could tell from the surroundings of the creature. It was crushing an entire city, and people running away were as big as its sharp, bared teeth. The setting was colorful and shaded with different hues; the monster itself, however, was black and white except for its eyes, which were a piercing red. It had six arms protruding from the sides of its body, and devilish horns embellishing the top of its head. It was down on two hands and two back legs, while the other four arms were being used to wreak havoc.

Its mouth was open wide, while a long black tongue dangled out. Dripping from it was a strange, slimy looking green liquid. That's when Link noticed that the entire beast was giving off an eerie green glow in the image. The white face was marked with intricate black lines, as if they created a mask, but the red, beady eyes still shined brightly. At the monster's feet was something that caused Link to discover what exactly this picture meant: bugs. There was an innumerable amount of bugs scattered about the landscape. He narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized this detail, which led him to another discovery; the people weren't just running away and trying to escape. The majority of them were horridly ill...

"This is it," he murmured, halting abruptly and widening his eyes. "This is the Source!"

He was now moving in a haze, his eyes still glued on the small picture. He had no idea where he was even going, but the intuition in his gut—the one that had helped him so many times and was the reason for his survival—told him to just keep walking. Link had the final piece of paper, and in addition, he had a picture of the monster he was indubitably going to face. However, for reassurance, he reminded himself that there was no way to know whether this depiction was even accurate or not. It could be an exaggeration, or a dramatization; he kept thinking while setting aside his fear. But if it was in the same place as the ripped page, it was bound to have some important meaning. Perhaps it was a warning...

Suddenly, Link found himself stepping down, and his heart jumped a bit at the sudden change in level. He felt grass beneath his feet, and the sounds of the night began to bless his ears. Not even five seconds had passed before there was a heavy thudding behind him, and Link whirled around to see that the wall behind him had closed off. There was now no visible entrance to the secret system of passageways of the castle at all.

It took Link a moment to register where he was. But after looking around for a few moments and stuffing the paper with the rest of his things, he realized that he was in the part of Hyrule Field directly outside of Hyrule Castle Town. Relief washed over him as he let out a deep, cleansing breath. He felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, and he was light and airy. Yet at the same time, he was exhausted beyond belief. It was no doubt the middle of the night, and Link was ready to curl up in bed and never get up.

As quickly as he could possibly go in his current state, he rushed towards Telma's Bar, a place where he knew he could sleep.

"And where were you?" Telma raised her eyebrows as soon as he walked through the door, completely drained of all his energy. The bar was deserted but for Telma, Louise, and, of course, the Resistance. They all turned around to stare at him when the door closed.

Ashei and Shad shot each other worried yet curious glances, and then turned their attention on Link.

"Oh," he scratched his head, taking off his hat to free his head from the cover. "I had some...things to do." Telma didn't look satisfied.

"You worry me, when you go off and do things like this!" she cried. "You disappear for hours, and then turn up exhausted and completely drained...sometimes, mortally injured!"

"Yeah, Din knows what he's up to," Ashei mumbled her breath, rolling her eyes. Shad shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Link simply sighed, stretching his back.

"Would you mind if I slept in the room upstairs?" he asked, ignoring her interrogations. Telma just scoffed and continued scrubbing the counters.

"Make yourself at home, sweet pea," she replied coldly, but Link saw the smile beginning on her thick lips. "What's mine is yours."

"Thank you," he breathed out, walking up the stairs. Ashei was staring daggers at him, and Shad was looking around anxiously, as if he'd seen a ghost or something. So, just to satisfy them, Link reached into his tunic. As he passed them, he discreetly flashed the piece of paper, smirking triumphantly but avoiding their eyes. They both had difficulty suppressing their gasps of astonishment while he put it away again, making his way upstairs.

"Good night," he said meekly before disappearing into the room.

All right people. I can't believe this, but I actually have 600 reviews. That...INSANE! THANKS SO MUCH EVERYBODY! I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART SO PASSIONATELY! hahahah not in a creepy way ;) I'd love more input, but I don't wanna be greedy. hahahah thanks again everybody! I hope you keep up with the story! :DDD