A/N: Here's chapter 4! Comments welcome as always. There is some mild language, but it's nothing terrible.

Chapter 4: Reminders of the Past

It had been a few hours since the attack. Zelda stared into space as she awaited the guards to report.

"Link was gone," she thought terrified of what it meant for Hyrule, "And the Master Sword as well… what does it all mean?"

The Guard captain entered the throne room, which was still in bad shape after the fight with Ganondorf three years ago.

"Princess, I have some good news," he reported. She stood up, anxiously waiting what he had to say. "The enemy has been eliminated. All those who attacked the citizens of Castle Town are either dead or have fled. We suffered minimal casualties amongst civilians, with only one death and few wounded." She stared absently. This wasn't the good news she wanted to hear.

"And if I may Princess," the guard captain stated, "they weren't well trained. In all honesty, I think that they got what they wanted though."

Zelda sighed in agreement. From what she understood of the attack, the robed men had entered through the gates earlier in the celebration. They waited until Zelda and Link went inside the castle gates away from the town guard. In the initial commotion started by the robed men, the guard went to help out civilians, while one single guard went to warn her and Link. They let their guard down and let the black robed man enter the gates which were off limits to anyone. And by the description of the fighting skills of the underlings, it was clear that they were a distraction.

"Princess, I'm scared." She turned in the direction of the now shaking guard captain.

"The hero is gone. What will become of Hyrule? Who will protect the kingdom?"

She stared down at the man, wishing that she could tell him off for being so cowardly. It was a rather daunting to think that considering she was scared as well, but it didn't make it easy on the Princess to know her guard was as frightened as she was.

"It will fall on you and your men captain. As for Link, I'm sure he is alive somewhere."

"Yes… but where is somewhere," she thought.

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"Hey, buddy, you alive?"

"Of course he is. He just needs to come around, that's all."

"Shut up you two. We need to get to base and fast. So unless you feel like dragging him on your back, then I suggest we get moving."

"Wait a second, I think he's starting to come around."

Link started to come to when he heard voices. He started to open his eyes, his vision foggy. His head felt like it was about to explode with pain. Then it all came back to him. The monster. Princess Zelda. Everything in his dreams. He jumped up on two feet and looked around.

In front of him stood three men, all dressed in stained and torn clothes. They were a colorful bunch. One carried a bow and quiver on his back and had light armor covering him. He stood at average height and had deep blue eyes like Link. The second man carried a sword as well, but it was in considerably worse condition then the bow of his comrade. He was the shortest of the bunch, and was balding. Before Link could see the third man, the bald man spoke.

"Whoa, buddy, take it easy. We're friends, OK?"

Link looked and without realizing it, he had his left hand grasped around the handle of the Master Sword, as if he was about to draw his weapon on the next thing that moved.

"Sorry," Link said, "I was thinking of something else."

"Well next time you get caught in a flashback, don't go crazy on us," said the tallest man. He had a long broadsword on his back, and he carried a small shield made of wood. His green sharp eyes and big frame made him look rather intimidating.

"Now, are we going to get going or what," he said impatiently.

"Excuse me, but where exactly are we going," said Link.

"We're going to the base off course," said the big man, "Look at the time! If we don't get there soon, then we're screwed!" Link looked very confused as two of the men walked into the forest ahead of them. Only one of them stayed behind.

"Hello," he said. It was the man who asked if he was alive, the bald guy. "I'm Othae. May I ask who you are?" The man was very polite for someone who just ran into a complete stranger.

"Umm… sure. My name is Link,"

"Well Link, Thornir does have a point. If we don't get going soon, we'll be done for. Let's catch up."

Link followed the strange man as he wondered what he had gotten himself into.

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"Where in the world am I," thought Link.

His head was still a little foggy, but he could tell just by the unfamiliar forest he was in, that it wasn't the Hyrule he knew and loved. There was just something that didn't feel right either. Call him crazy, but he felt like he had been through this same forest before, despite never seeing it in his life.

"God I wish you were here Midna," Link thought, "At least it would save me from forcing conversation with these strangers."

When Link and Othae caught up to the group, Othae made proper introductions on everyone's behalf. The tall man who had a big frame was called Thornir, as Othae had stated earlier. He was also the man who talked with an impending sense of doom about him. The third man, the archer who was mostly silent, was named Lithe. As they walked on into the forest, they continued to make conversation.

"So," Othae stated, "Why were you just in the middle of the forest Link? I mean, it's rare enough that you see people outside in the wilderness, but even rarer to find someone passed out."

"If I told you," Link stated, "You would never believe me."

Othae laughed as he said, "Oh yeah, try me." Then Thornir snapped.

"Dammit Othae, you have NO sense of danger do you?" Thornir spoke angrily. "Here we are, about to be doomed to a fate worse than death, and you're here small talking with some random."

"Hey, he may be some random guy you don't know, but you know as well as I do anyone with a sword and shield can be of use to us," Othae said.

"He has a point Thornir," Lithe said quietly, "Well trained warriors are hard to come by."

"For all we know, he just found them," Thornir said bitterly.

"I'm seriously tired of your cynical attitude towards everything, you know that?"

The fight between Othae and Thornir was escalating until Link had to have a question asked.

"Guys, what is it that we're in danger of? I don't feel anything dangerous in these woods."

As Link traveled with the strange band, he noticed that despite the claims of danger and hazards Thornir and the rest of group felt, he failed to notice them. There hadn't been a single Bulbin or Moblin, or even Deku baba in their path once.

"Have you been living under a rock for the past three months," Thornir questioned, "Look, I don't have time to explain it to you. As soon as we get to base, we'll explain there."

Link looked onwards; wondering where in the goddesses name the shadow beast from the nightmare had sent him.

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Dawn broke over Hyrule Castle. Princess Zelda awoke in her chambers, still pondering the events of yesterday. When word got out that Hyrule's hero was gone, all hell would break lose and she knew it. Hyrule's enemies, although few in number with Ganondorf dead, would come out once they learned that there was no hero to stop their attacks and misdeeds. Zelda sighed as she felt the invisible weight of leading a kingdom with no one to help her. She wondered how she ever did it before Link came along.

"Princess," said a voice at the unopened door, "Are you awake? This is urgent."

Zelda quickly threw on more appropriate attire over her nightgown and answered the door. The Guard captain stood, nervously shaking. He held a note in his hand.

"This note… it was found on the body of the black robed man." Zelda took a look at it and gasped.

"But if this is true…" she said as she trailed off in thought.

"Aye," said the captain. "If it's true, then Hyrule is in more danger than we thought, and sooner too."

"We need to make preparations. Get in contact with the leaders of every race in Hyrule. Tell them Link is gone, and we need all we can get to stave of this threat."

The guard nodded in agreement and was off. Zelda shivered with trepidation. "Goddesses protect us all," she thought.

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Link had been walking through the dimly lit forest with his new comrades for a while now. He thought they should reach their destination soon. Othae had told him a little more about the place they were headed. It was said to be a small sanctuary, a retreat where the dangers they were running from could not reach them. Link was skeptical of course. Where he came from, he knew there were no true safe havens during times of strife. Finally, Thornir stopped.

"It's beyond here," he said. Thornir and the rest of the travelers went through the tress ahead, with Link following behind. When Link went through the trees, he was amazed. An ancient temple made of stone was in the center of a village of many people who looked as ragged and mangled as Thornir and his men. Tents were set up everywhere around the temple. People paraded the place and walked with the same sense of urgency that Thornir had.

"This place is huge," thought Link.

"Thornir, you're just in time!" The group turned towards the noise. A tall woman of about forty or fifty years of age with gray hair stood with a short steel blade equipped in one hand, and a small crystal of some sort in the other.

Thornir shouted back to her, "We wouldn't have taken so damn long if we hadn't have found this random." The woman frowned.

"A random? You know how much the boss hates randoms."

"He has a sword and shield," Othae shouted back to her.

"Well why didn't you say so earlier," she shouted with a smile. Thornir still did not look too pleased.

"We'll see," he shouted back. He looked up at the sky.

"Hey, you better but that light in place, unless you want to be the death of us!"

"Ah, I got it under control."

The women then proceeded to take the little light crystal and screw it into the ground. It wasn't a great fit, but it got the job done. The woman then came over to Link and the rest of the crew.

"Hi, I'm Renava. Not everyday I get to meet a random with such good equipment."

Link looked at her, and then at everyone else around him. He was finally about to burst. Yet again, he was in a situation no one could understand, and he was sure no one could give him a straight answer. He was so fed up with all this impending doom and not knowing where in the world he was, his calm demeanor finally snapped.

"Will someone here," he shouted angrily, "tell me what the hell is going on? What does that crystal do? What are we in danger from? Where are we?" Othae was the first to respond after such a sudden outbreak.

"The crystal protects us from the danger we speak of. As for the rest of your questions, they will be answered in time." Lithe turned and spoke.

"We don't need to answer one of his questions…"

"Why," said Othae.

"Because," Lithe said, "It comes."

He pointed up into the sky towards the sun setting it the west. Just as he did so, day turned to night, and Link fell to his knees at what he saw. The serene glow of orange light and beauty was something one could not forget easily, and in Link's case, was something he could never forget. In this new land Link had been warped into by a monster of darkness, stood the way to all his dreams. Shadow and light had mixed once more as the glow of Twilight covered the forest.

A/N: No, he isn't in the twilight realm. All will be revealed soon enough.