Phew! I've been cloistered up in the Ancient Temple of Homework for a while- I had to get my grades up before I could write any more.

Not much to say about this chapter. New characters are met, places are traveled to, foreshadowing happens, and Morrigan is snappy. Nothing new.

DISCLAIMER: The old CD-i games are proof that I do not own the Zelda series. I would never have let my franchise touch that with even a 100-foot pole.

CHAPTER FOUR: JUST OVER THE HORIZON

--

"These three are new users, Ma'am," Dizene said to the lady at the desk of the garishly colored room. Link and Zelda looked between themselves anxiously, eying the ceiling and praying that the two girls knew what they were doing. It was silly, they despaired in unison. They had magic that the pair could only dream of, yet they were helpless in how to deal with this new world. Their lives had been straightforward (Rescue the princess, defeat Ganon, etc.) but now the entire world seemed like a jumbled clumpy mess of loose ends. Their obstacles weren't monsters. It was a lack of knowledge concerning the new time's technology and protocol.

Link had gotten a few funny looks for addressing someone as 'fair lady,' and he didn't want to think what would happen with a more serious faux pas.

The lady at the desk looked on her computer screen in boredom. "Not true, miss. There are three characters already under their names. And good ones, too! Are you trying to cheat me?"

"No! No, ma'am! I just…" Dizene frowned, turning to the three Hylians and hissing, "You didn't tell me you played in Hope before!"

Zelda looked alarmed and held up her hands in a defensive gesture. "We haven't at all!"

"What is this nonsense?" Ganondorf grumbled, eying the strange metal boundaries marked out on the floor. "There's no problem here. If anything, this is easier. No paperwork, no nothing! Just get on with it!"

"I have to say Ganny's right," Morrigan said. "Get your butts in gear- we're moving out."

Ganondorf's eyebrow twitched at the nickname. "Don't call me that."

"I'll call you whatever I want. You're no king of mine," Morrigan said, meeting his gaze halfway and doing her best to repel his withering look. "Lady, just put us in. Don't lock the gate settings. We're headed across the country."

In the past, he would never have let such a little brat get away with such disrespect. But his snarl only grew as his body refused to respond to him, fists trembling dangerously, all the strength of his godsent power unable to assist him. This girl was supposed to be afraid of him? Yes, he could see fear in her fierce silver stare, but she buried it underneath untold layers of ice and steel. Not exactly the typical coping measure: mocking exactly what she dreaded most. Even the Dizene girl treaded lightly around him, so why wasn't this girl struck heart-dead?

It was quite possible, he concluded, that Morrigan simply didn't care about her fear. His blood boiled at the grotesque show of apathy- he thrived on manipulating fragile mortal hearts and breaking them asunder for his own gain. This would be a chore instead of a pleasure, he cursed, if she didn't use what sensitivity she had been given…

The woman at the desk nodded slowly and input some data into her computer. "Okay. Your session begins in 5…4…3…2…1…"

A smooth, artificial voice droned out as the woman faded from sight, the hum around them growing. To Zelda, it was very unsettling. When something like this happened, she was used to the distinctive feel of magic about her. The same magnitude of phenomenon without magic at all left her feeling quite naked.

"Hope v.2.3 initializing… complete. Players are as follows:

Player One: Swift Blade Dizene Solov. Level: 38. User Rank: B.

Player Two: Arcane Fist Morrigan Rengard. Level: 40. User Rank: B.

Player Three: Hero of Time Link. Level: 100. User Rank: S.

Player Four: Princess of Hyrule Zelda. Level: 100. User Rank: S.

Player Five: Lord of Darkness Ganondorf Dragmire. Level: 100. User Rank: S.

Return gate unspecified. Reset?"

Dizene's voice rang out from the rapidly darkening surroundings, calm and composed despite the strangeness of the situation. But then again, it wasn't so strange for her. "Reset the return gate to 1B. Start the session."

"Confirmed. Gate reset to exit 1B: Hallifax district 112573. Session start."

There wasn't any glow or flash of light or even sound. It was a blink of nonexistence, and then abruptly they all were somewhere else. Link squinted in the sudden shaded light, scents of damp earth billowing up like a cloud. The humidity invaded like a rolling wave, replacing the sterile, medical-tasting air from the Hope Port room. Link rubbed his eyes as people suddenly materialized around him, out of thin air. Ganondorf joined him shortly, followed by Zelda once again in her courtly gown.

A third person appeared to his left, who he studied in bewilderment for a moment. A moment passed before he recognized from the glasses and platinum hair that it was actually Dizene, dressed in light, brightly-colored garments of linen made for ease of movement. Swinging from two belts was a pair of long knives, the sort that Zelda recognized as traditional Shiekah tools of combat. Link easily guessed it was the sort of outfit that would be common wear for a fighter-for-hire or other mercenary- if it hadn't been sewn in such gaily whimsical colors. As it was, she looked a little too fashionable to be an assassin.

"No way," Dizene said. "The level cap is at 99. It's just not programmed that way… There's no such thing as level 100…"

Ganondorf grimaced at her bright blue-and-green outfit and rolled his eyes. "Apparently there is," he grunted, looking about. "Where's the Rengard whelp?"

"You shouldn't call her that. She probably would give you a smack or something."

"I'll do as I please," Ganondorf said, words feeling deliciously sharp on his tongue. It was blatant mockery of the one in question. "And I still don't see her."

"You didn't look," Morrigan said suddenly off to the direct right, glaring at the King of Evil cautiously. "Sorry, everybody. I had some lag signing in."

Zelda had to laugh a little due to Morrigan's appearance. It wasn't outwardly funny, but it seemed very ironic to Zelda that Morrigan would choose to dress in a way that complimented her outward impression instead of trying to foil it. And compared with Dizene, the duo was laughable at the least.

Morrigan wore a short robe of dark silk, edged with silver. The robe, which reached only to the top of her thighs, was over a fitting pair of hose, and paired with long boots. A gray riding-cloak sat hood-down and somewhat lopsided on her shoulders, barely gracing the mane of black that was tamed away from her face by braids. Zelda immediately understood why the cloak's clasp and mantle were off-center: her right arm carried a long glove that looked much like a light gauntlet- tipped with razor talons that didn't exactly give her a friendly impression.

All and all, she looked both somewhat sinister and somewhat ridiculous next to the garish aquamarine of her best friend.

"What are you looking at?" Morrigan said. "Is there something on my face?"

"N… no," Zelda said, stifling soft laughter. But it was shortlived as out of the corner of her eye she could spy Ganondorf crack a wide, wry smirk at the same sight, and she was unnerved that she and the King of Evil could find some dark humor in the same situation. "How do we get to this other place? And where are you taking us?"

Dizene frowned deeply. "Aw, darn… we actually have to go back to town to exit at the home gate. We're going to lose all of our progress in this dungeon!"

"Don't be stupid," chided Morrigan, pointing to a little chalk sign that she had graffitied on the crumbling stone wall.. "I already drew a warping rune here; I learned how at around level twenty or so. We can get back whenever, as long as nobody else erases it. And if somebody does, I promise you they'll get a nasty surprise."

"Uh," Link sighed, not caring to be informed on the nature of Morrigan's idea of a 'surprise.' "Zelda's question?"

"Right," Dizene nodded. "Actually, we're going to regroup at our hometown and figure things out in a more permanent way. Tell our parents that we might be gone a while, tell about the lizalfos, other things…"

Morrigan glared. "Shh," she hissed. "I'm going to use Evac to get us out of here, and from there we can get to town and land our sorry behinds home. Father's going to be furious that I charged two rooms for a night at that hideously overpriced eyesore of a hotel."

All three champions squinted slightly as Morrigan closed her eyes and began to mutter under her breath, appearing to focus deeply. There was a faint echo of magic in the air, they all were shocked to discover. But it was restrained, broken, caged. It didn't belong to Morrigan, but she was using it like anyone would use a tool at their disposal.

At once her eyes snapped open as a bizarre sensation of movement yanked at the whole party as if on a sudden carnival ride. The scenery whipped by and a peculiar sickening sensation washed through the blur as they phased through very solid walls and up at least three floors to the ground level. In a very disorienting thundercrack of vertigo they were thrown upon mossy ground on the surface level, a great fissure and ruined structure collapsed behind them. The sun blasted their eyes through the trees that descended down the crater and to the last room they had been in, but they were far larger. The scenery was fantastic, constructed on an unbelievable level that clearly marked the world as a game.

"I don't suppose you can perfect that," Ganondorf reeled, hardly wanting to admit that he had become motion-sick. "The technique is disgraceful…"

"It's a pre-set skill," Morrigan explained bitterly. "If I knew how to fiddle with it, I would. I'm not really magic. It's part of the game- my character uses things like this. It's not really mine. I guess I'm a thief in your eyes."

Dizene looked to the path ahead. "That's why you guys are so out of place to us. Magic isn't really real to us. It only exists here, in games. We're basically stealing it, like Morrigan said. Not compared to you guys, who probably learned it the real, honest way."

"Through no fault of your own," Zelda said. "You have not stolen anything. You simply didn't know it was real. But be assured, if this world is a façade, the magic used just now definitely was not."

"But it makes a little sense," Link said. "If this really is another world, why can't there be magic? It's a fantasy world to them. Zelda, it's just that our reality is different from theirs. Maybe this is where the magic went in their world? You said it was too far away to find…"

"Are you guys still going on back there?" Morrigan called from some distance ahead in the bushes. "Come on! We've got to get moving before the game decides to throw us a random encounter for standing around!"

"Absurd, all of you," glared Ganondorf sharply. "Fools! Even I can tell this is no place of magic! This is where it's enslaved, not where it is kept!"

Zelda closed her eyes as she began to march forward. "Enslaved magic," she sighed. "Not a foreign concept is it, Ganondorf?"

He had no reply.

--

"That's the city?" Link asked. "It looks awfully gloomy to me."

The city in question had high, white walls like a castle, but the forlorn clouded sky stained them a drab and cold gray. Faint heat lightning flickered in the distance as they cleared the drawbridge from the highway. Zelda suddenly felt remarkably homesick. The setting was so close, she felt, it was uncanny. This place reminded her of her home very badly, in fact a little too badly. Something was off about this game-world. It was too real feeling to be just a metal and electricity game. Yes, she had heard how computers were quite complex. But this world was more complex. She was beginning to wonder about Eclipse, and exactly what sort of power it had to practically become gods and create a world anew.

"Weather simulation," Dizene frowned, pulling her clothes tighter about her in the chill wind. "Gusty day. Ick. Looks like rain."

Morrigan rolled her eyes. "We won't be here that long. As soon as we get to the inn, we're clocking out and going to see my father. Your mom is probably with him. They're still working on the same project together."

"These people…" Zelda shivered, gazing to the not-quite-human stares of the half of the population that looked like they actually lived in the town instead of passing through on some errand or another.

"Don't bother talking to the ones who keep doing the same thing over and over again. They aren't real. They're dolls called NPCs, Non-Player Characters. They exist to give you information and maybe point you to some shiny treasure or somebody who needs saving. Neither of which we need weighing us down right now."

That was a strange chord to strike. Ganondorf was reminded of the many redead he once kept in Hyrule Castle Town's main square, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel somewhat sickened. He liked his resources; he would use his moblins and other creatures to the greatest degree, but these pathetic marionettes were a little more than that. Their entire purpose was to be fake, to give an illusion. They were human-shaped gossip stones. Faintly he wondered if they were even alive like any useful creature should be, or if they were like his undead constructs and more tool than flesh.

"Here it is," Dizene said, opening a heavy door. "Tavern. Otherwise known as an exit port."

"That was fast."
"It's a game. Things like distance are messed up here. There's no sense taking the real time to hike across the world when it's not fun to do in a game. News flash, we just literally walked the width of the entire nation."

"Just like not knowing how to fight," Link said. "That doesn't seem to be fun either, if you're able to tear apart things here without an effort. There's really no call for that outside, is there?"
Dizene gritted her teeth. "Oh, no, the game doesn't fight for you the same way it does magic. And even that needs focus. It just sets parameters and you have to learn how on your own. I mostly taught myself to use knives. It's how you play the game."

"You're the lucky one out, Diz," Morrigan convicted. "You've been playing this game since before I met you. You've had a lot of time to practice. Me? I had training in the real world before I even got mixed up with you."

Zelda looked very hard at Morrigan. Yes, she seemed to be a normal girl, but why would a normal girl ever 'training' in a purely diplomatic world? But the fact that she did have such experience was obvious. It wasn't blind struggle that pinned boys twice her size to trees. "Forgive my curiosity, but… why? Why learn to use your fists? It seems peaceful now, despite shortcomings in the past."

They all had reached the desk by now, the attendant looking at them with those heartless, glassy eyes. Morrigan was laughing. Perhaps at Zelda's question, which was an answer enough for the princess. Clearly things were not as serene as they seemed, at least in Morrigan's eyes. Or was the laughter mocking, from it's somewhat sharpedged tone? Zelda couldn't much tell if it was sincere or not.

Regardless, the girl soon calmed down in a moment and addressed the stiff, statuelike figure at the desk. "Save our progress. My party is porting out. End the session."

"Your party? I thought Iwas player one, Morri."
"Whatever. Doesn't matter to an NPC."

And the world ceased to be for a moment. It was a mirrored, reverse sequence from their strange entry. The same cold feeling of the world shifting around. The same magic-less void. Both Dizene and Morrigan lost their fantasized attire, returning to their more normal-looking clothes. Zelda's costume disappeared. The metal markings on the floor returned, a hospital-uncanny scent replacing the drafty tavern.

"I don't think I like that," Link admitted. "It's just… too weird."
"You get used to it," the attendant at the desk said, raising an eyebrow at the strange clothes of two in the group. It was a different lady. Ganondorf looked out the plain window. There were no more neon lights. They really had traveled across the country. As bizarre as it may have seemed. And having his path cleared of foes before he could hatch a chance by two 'useless' harlots was bizarre enough for him.

Zelda gazed about as they all rushed out of the unpleasant-smelling room with a bit of wonder. The daylight she had stepped into was different. She felt extremely muddled and confused… she had left in the early morning, spent merely an hour inside the strange gameworld, but it appeared to now be early evening. She had literally skipped hours in the day, a bizarre phenomenon she concluded was brought on by traveling great distance in but a little time. Distantly, she was reminded of the sun's song.

"Where have we ended up?" she asked quietly. The faint scent of the sea stung the air like a lemon's taste, not unpleasant at all but very sharp and startling. Gulls called in the distance, but most of all was the noise of the vehicles (cars, she had been told) rushing by on the busy streets. "I've never seen the likes of it before…"

Dizene chuckled and straightened up proudly. "This is Port Halifax, my hometown. I live with my mom, and Morrigan's father is a representative to Eclipse of his lord's wishes. He has with an office here."

"What's your point?" Ganondorf snarled with a little exasperation. He hadn't applied for a tour, and he was getting sick of gallivanting about with no goal like a certain annoyance in a green tunic he had come to know… "Frankly, I don't care about your parents."

Morrigan rolled her eyes. "You're starting to really pester me, Ganny. Keep your yellow head-dingle on. We have to start somewhere, and I know you know that just as well as I do. Quit being so pig-headed."

Zelda restrained her laughter at the comment, only halted by the fact that Ganondorf whipped his glare around and silenced the two who truly knew of him. He could hardly recall being this angry in his entire life, and that was a statement. There was no lust for the blood of these girls… just indignation and a seething anger that made him sure he would die if he was restrained any more. He had always had an outlet. Now he just felt like exploding.

"Anyway, the beds are free here- my mom has lots of space."

Zelda fished a few rupees out of her pocket, ones of extremely high value. She had no small change- she was a princess after all, and even though she lamented it, it was improper for a princess to carry around even a red. "We have a lot of money, though, so it's no bother. How much do these go for in your currency?"

Dizene squinted as a gull took flight by her foot. "What the heck are those?"

--

Morning broke over the little house on the corner that Dizene called her own. It was a very pleasant place, small with homey charm but just large enough to accommodate everybody in the extra beds. The city itself was not a busy one, the only commerce being the few boats in and out of the harbor. Dizene had said that Hope had actually become a major shipping asset, and cut a lot of business in the real world by making the whole of the continent smaller and easier to traverse.

Speaking of Dizene, she was happily awake, already dressed, and taking a bite of her bagel in preparation for the day. Today was they day to try and find out things, she reflected positively. She was going to see the good in this strange situation, she told herself, no matter what…

Beside her, the three odd almost-strangers she had acquainted were pouring over the note that her mother had left. It was unusual- she had been out on a meeting abroad and was expected home any moment in the morning…

Dizene,

I got your call, and I'm glad you're all right. No, you're not in trouble. It was very smart of you to leave there when you did. More strange things could have happened if you had stayed. You all can stay in the house tonight. There's no point in sending Morrigan back to Lancar's apartment for only a few hours.

I'm coming home tomorrow morning. I'm sorry I couldn't be here, but Lancar and I had urgent business out of town. I want to hear all about these three people you've met. Lancar will be returning to deal with Morrigan a little later- he had a meeting of his own with some bigwig or another.

Thank goodness you're safe.

Love, Mom.

"She seems quite relieved," Zelda said. "I wonder what she'll think of us…?"

Ganondorf frowned, looking to the bread he held in his hand and deciding to forgo the cooking contraption (a 'toaster,' he reminded himself) and simply shot a very small fireball at it, searing it to his liking. "She'll either think us insane or a miracle," he said. "Probably insane."

"Now, it can't be all that bad," Link said. "I've had no trouble convincing people how urgent things are in the past."

"Somehow I doubt people have improved with time."

"Anyway, mom should be home after Morrigan gets out of bed," Dizene said. "Which should be right about…"

A creaking shuffle descended the stairs, walking heavily to the kitchen.

"About now."

She was dressed, but that didn't count for much. Her shirt was crooked, and her pants wrinkled. It was safe to say that Morrigan looked a little more than dreadful. Her braids were undone into an untameable mane of black brambles, and her jaw was clenched into a vicious scowl. All and all, Link was reminded of a hung-over Wolfos.

"Grr," she snarled, more beast than girl and incapable of coherent speech. Ganondorf decided to give her a bit of space, at least to see her reaction as she shuffled to the kettle on the stove.

There was none. Grumbling, and with heavy bags under her eyes, she mechanically filled the kettle with water and set it to boil, tapping her foot menacingly and glaring as if that alone could create steam.

After a minute or two, the Karai fumbled about for a teabag and set it in a pot just as the kettle began to hiss. Yet more tapping ensued after the boiled water was poured as she waited for the tea to infuse. All the while, everybody present looked on in skeptics, hardly believing that this cranky thing was the sharp-tongued Morrigan.

Finally, she poured herself some very dark and pungent-smelling tea from the pot and took a long drink from it, the scalding drink burning down her throat. Zelda's eyes widened as the girl lowered the cup and inhaled the acidic steam. The transformation was nothing less than remarkable. At once her posture straightened up, and her hair fell from the wild tangles and snarls into a mane of vagabond shadowed waves, and her eyes at long last opened to the sharp silvered glance that had grown familiar.

"Good morning," she said, voice sounding unusually pleasant. "Any particular reason you're staring at me like I'm in the zoo today?"

Dizene rolled her eyes. "Morri's not a morning person," she said. "See what I meant about not waking her up?"

"I can wake up whenever I want," Morrigan retorted. "Big talk for the girl who collapses after midnight."

"She's not supposed to be up past midnight, anyway," a voice said as the back door swung open, revealing a tired-looking woman in businesslike attire. Upon coming in she immediately removed her severe-looking heels and cracked a congenial smile.

Zelda nodded her head as she looked to Dizene, and then to this woman. There was a distinct similarity in the shape of their eyes and the curve of their cheeks- and the color of their hair. This was definitely Dizene's mother… yet, she seemed young. This person couldn't have been older than thirty-five. How young had she been when Dizene was born…?

"Guys, this is my mom," Dizene said somewhat awkwardly. "Sofia Solov. She works in Eclipse's Public Relations department, with Morrigan's father."

The woman straightened up tiredly and gave a good-natured 'mother-look' to Dizene, who promptly shut her mouth. "I can introduce myself, Dizene. I'm not as blonde as I look."

"Hey, Sofia," Morrigan said, utterly familiar and casual in her tone as if the woman was not her elder. "Rough trip?"

"Worrying that my daughter was eaten by lizards? You don't know the half of it," Sofia replied. "By the way, you look pleasant today, Morrigan."

"Don't I always, Sofia?"

There was a collective groan in the background. It was not clear who or what combination of people groaned, but clear that several found the situation somewhat ironic in a painful way.

"You sound like your father when you say that," said Sofia with a laugh. "Anyway, I'm very rude. These are the people you've been traveling with, Dizene? They… look like cosplayers to me."

Dizene motioned to the table. "Boy, have we got a story for you. And I don't even know the whole thing… Maybe you three can explain it to everybody?"

"I see," Zelda acquiesced. "Well, we were all sent by the three goddesses to…"

-Elsewhere-

"What… what are these things?"

The other militiaman nudged his companion lightly with the butt of his rifle. "Dunno, Jace. But whatever they are, there's tons."

Their eyes were cast on the sky. They already had called the guardmaster and he had called the military. The alarm was due to sound any moment… as soon as the evacuation facilities were in order. But… it was the breakfast hour. Few people were out of bed, and there was an undertone of anxiety in the fact that it would not sound in time and there would be dead men in their own homes that day. For there was only one thing the police force could call the swiftly-approaching cloud on the horizon.

An air raid.

"Brent! One of them's close, ahead of the others! I'm gonna gun it down!"

"Jast, we have no orders…!"

"That thing aint' natural! It's headed to us, and I aint' gonna let it!"

With drilled movements, the FA-97 rifle was trained it's crosshairs on the single swooping foe. The aim was carefully plotted. The safety was turned off. The trigger was pulled…

Nothing.

"What the… what the hell?" Brent the trooper cursed, "Not even jammed! Jast! Something just aint' right! It won't fire- it's stuck!"

"I'll say."

The cloud of flapping things darkened the rising sun now. Hundreds of shrieking bats, enlarged to terrifying size beat a wake through the air that made the militiamen's blood run cold. Upon the wind was a faint scent of brimstone, fleeting but pungent and heavy as stone.

And all at once, the winged nightmares burst aflame, staining the clouds with fire. Soldiers all around dropped their weapons in pure shock and terror. The sky was burning crimson with beast-blood.

"God… what are they…?"

Neither of them thought ever again. A stalchild had erupted from the ground and had flayed them apart where they had stood.

-Meanwhile,-

"Far-fetched is right! Why don't you tell me the real story?"

The stern, motherly tone in the woman's voice betrayed her harsh skepticism. Link gritted his teeth in worry, doing his best to look completely honest. "Ma'am, we're not trying to mislead you. Every word is true."

"I don't see how that is possible," the woman said. "It's the stuff of fairytales!"

"But- Mom!"

"Not a word, young lady. Rabid animals I can believe. Magic and goddesses, that's where I draw the line."

Morrigan rolled her eyes and finally put down her mug of tea. She had a feeling that she had not heard the whole story. For example, she knew that Ganondorf and the other two 'Hylians' were definitely not friends, and perhaps he was connected to the lizalfos at the Camp. Once-upon-a-time, maybe. But she didn't know why, or how, or when. It was beginning to really irritate her.

"Either way, Sofia," Morrigan pointed out, "They did manage to save our lives. Factor that in before you kick them out."

Miraculously, this seemed to work. Sofia dropped the dreaded tone, but looked aside as if unsure what to do. "Well, I have to thank you, then."

"Don't thank us yet," Ganondorf cut in suddenly, glance drawn to some ominous ripples forming in Morrigan's tea.

"Get down!"

A sudden, gruff voice pierced the scene just as the wall to their left literally exploded. Zelda gave a harsh cry and by reflex put up a barrier between them and the blast, but it wasn't quite in time. Debris sprayed the scene, and Link was aware of a sudden presence to his left…

Quickly as it had come, the chaos faded. Amid the dust that used to be the kitchen, Dizene coughed and looked to the hole in the ceiling. In the clouds flew some flaming shapes possibly the size of a dog, on hideous webbed wings. In the distance sirens began to blare, a faint drone on the horizon. Zelda's spell had been enough to prevent the collapse of the house, but not enough to stop destruction.

And the culprit for their chaos was clear. A helicopter flying overhead had been hit with a living bomb, been torn asunder and thrown to the ground in an ugly metal fireball. As it was, the smoking shrapnel had neatly obliterated the kitchen corner of the house.

But that was not what anybody was paying attention to.

By far the loudest scream had been that of Dizene's mother, as the helicopter's burning frame was resting exactly where her chair had been a minute before. But, she was safe, unharmed, in the arms of a man that none of the three had seen before.

He was not as tall as Ganondorf, but that didn't say much. Carefully, the man put Sofia down, adjusting the collar on his enveloping overcoat and the purple flower in his breast pocket. His hair was dark gray, like dulled charcoal: long, and pulled back.

"L… Lancar!"

The man turned around, smirking something eerily familiar. A black patch covered his left eye, but the other was narrow and the color of keen steel. Like Morrigan, he was pale-skinned and dark-featured.

"Hello, father," Morrigan said as she dusted herself off. "Too occupied to bother saving your own daughter?"

The man only laughed back, a strange, unsettling, male echo of his daughter. "If you really needed to be saved then you're no spawn of mine."

"Look," Ganondorf interjected. "We don't have time for this nonsense. If you're going to say something, say it quick. The keese flying around won't ignore us for long."

"Keep your hat on," Lancar said, replacing his own gray fedora hat from where he had taken it. "I've heard about you three from my daughter's phone call. Morrigan Rengard Ti'Sinclair, I'll deal with you later. For now, Sofia, let's get to the evacuation shelter."

"What… what about us?" Dizene questioned suddenly, confused at the older man's words.

Lancar shrugged and turned his back, walking briskly to the chaos outside. "It's clear that you're with others more qualified than me to handle you. Do what you want. I don't particularly care where you go. But… Morrigan, if you die today I'll be sure to take a piss on your corpse."

"Love you too, father."

And taking Sofia in hand and letting her spare her one last "Be safe!" to Dizene, he was gone with astounding haste. He had simply walked off, but he seemed to vanish with some strange and mysterious talent. Zelda shivered a little, uncannily reminded of Morrigan, yet not.

"He seems a… decent man," Link said with a small shrug and awkward, unnerved hesitation in his words. "Well, if my experience is anything to speak by, I say we figure out what's going on ourselves."

Zelda seemed to agree. "That would be easy enough. These monsters overhead don't seem too taxing, so as long as we avoid a swarm we should be fine. What do you think, Ganondorf?"

"Whoever's behind it all, he has no idea how to control a force," he grumbled, not wanting to say anything at all. But it felt like a great weight was pressing on his chest, forcing the air out of his lungs and stealing his voice- forcing him to speak his mind. "And this world is completely hopeless if it cannot repel a few pathetic keese."

This is ridiculous, he thought as he scowled. I cannot speak my intentions, yet I must speak? What would Din have me say, the fool goddess?

"Now, wait a minute!" interjected Dizene. "You're not leaving us behind!"

"Forget it, kid," Ganondorf said. "I'll have no use for stragglers like you."

Morrigan scowled and pressed a pair of kitchen knives in Dizene's hands, "These will do for now, Diz," she whispered, but then turned to the outside hole blasted in the wall. "Come on, if they won't take us, we're going ourselves."

"Don't! Stay here; it's too dangerous!" Zelda said. "The monsters will kill you!"

"Are you stupid?" Morrigan snarled. "Somebody just blew a hole in Dizene's house! It's not like staying inside is going to make us any safer. It's either stay here and die like rats or go out there and give those bastards a piece of my mind!"

Dizene turned the knives over in her hands with a solemn look. "Morri… maybe she's right. They're the ones who are here for the monsters, not us. We should stay…"

A solitary skeletal soldier erupted from the rubble just outside the house, eying the hole with an eyeless stare of violence. With a sort of hoarse roar, it began to advance, followed by another of its fellows.

"No time left now, anyway," Morrigan said as she cracked her knuckles. "Damn, it's way too early for this…"

--

"Goddesses!" cursed Link as yet another foe appeared from behind the shadow of a building. "There's no end to them!

Zelda seemed to agree, readying an arrow of magic on Link's bow to an approaching wolfos. "The town's a shambles. Thank the heavens that everybody seems to have evacuated."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Morrigan panted as she did her best to temper herself. She was weary, she knew. She had fought plenty in her life, but never so many at once. She was the best at home, but this was pushing it. The feeling of death replayed in her head as she attempted to stave it off. It was an unpleasant feeling, and one she had no intention of experiencing again any time soon.

Ganondorf grunted, but said nothing. In reality, they had never agreed to take the two girls along. They had insisted on going out on their own, but Link and Zelda had followed them out of worry. And by extension, he had to go too. At notion of leaving (and he had tried many times by now) he would receive a single result- hellfire-pain and complete mobility failure. In conclusion, he had become the unofficial rear-guard for the group, while Link and Zelda spearheaded the front.

"We're close to the town center, by now." Dizene coughed up in a hoarse whisper. By now she was exhausted and breathing heavily. The kitchen knives were a little too heavy for weapon use, she reflected, and were less than wieldy. A small murmur of envy slithered its way into her mind as she saw her friend barely winded, where she was struggling. Quickly it was snuffed. Morrigan was not better than her, she told herself. Morrigan just had more stamina. She had more speed. They were equal… she thought.

The sunlight peaked as they reached the wide avenue, and they all dove into the welcoming cover of their alleyway. It was not wise to risk it, that they all knew.

Especially because in that central avenue a great host of beasts familiar and otherwise marched in artificial, mechanical perfection. Link squinted. The way all of them moved… he was eerily reminded of the wind-up toys that were incredibly expensive in the trinket shops of Castle Town, back in Hyrule. Stiff, measured, and untiring was their gait: not natural at all.

"Look at them all," Dizene whispered with a hint of fear. She had been pretending to be inside Hope thus far. But this was a slap to the face for her. Suddenly the knives seemed alien and a hopeless cause. This wasn't pretend. This was real… these real monsters were tearing up her hometown. "There's so many… we can't defeat them all."

Link placed a hand of assurance on Dizene's shoulder. "We shouldn't have to. It's likely that there's a leader monster in the area. Once that one is destroyed, these all will scatter," he said, turning an eye to the Gerudo that was looking on in barely-restrained anger. "Right, Ganondorf?"

Ganondorf did not reply. The sight of his army marching in ranks, marching against him was intolerable. He had half a mind to continue on himself, if only to remind his useless minions exactly who was in charge. "Get out of my life," he muttered under his breath, more growl than words. "Give it back to me…"

"Ganondorf, these monsters do not belong to you, anymore," Zelda said. "We do not know who they belong to. We must find out. Ganondorf, we have no choice but to turn to you. What do you know of the monsters?"

The Gerudo looked to the motley crew that somehow he had been mixed up with in pure contempt. He screamed at himself from within as he felt the Triforce of Power inside him resonate strongly with the other two close by. It was unbearable and corrosive and not at all the glory and triumph he thought it would be those centuries ago. He could feel Wisdom connecting and infecting him through the power etched into his hand. Zelda could see his truth- and he could not lie. For once. He struggled, but in vain. He lived for deception. His mind was his greatest strength. Yet, for the Power embedded within him, he felt weaker than he thought was possible and he was in the foulest mood he had ever wielded.

"I bound these monsters with their word and the old magic," he spat bitterly, unable to lie and unable to live in the face of Wisdom. "Their fate was in my hands alone. To see them mustering like this is an insult."

"Okay, you lost me," Morrigan frowned. "But I don't give a damn about who they worked for before. Who the hell is pulling the strings now?"

Ganondorf's glare only intensified as he gritted his teeth. He hated it. He hated these girls, he hated these do-gooders, and he hated this world. But, even with all the power in the world, there was nothing he could do. It was driving him mad. "If I knew, he would be dead by now," he growled. "Idiot whelp."

"If you say so, Ganny," replied Morrigan with a slight smirk, which was reimbursed with an annoyed grunt. "Anyway, we have to do something about this."

Dizene rolled her eyes. "And since' when are you Miss Righteous?"

"Since' never. I just want to see what kind of thing can steal beasties out from under Ganny's hat."

"Well," Zelda interrupted, "Whatever's binding them now either isn't magic, or it's extremely well-hidden magic, because I cannot trace it anywhere. In that case, we're going to have to find out…"

The warehouse they were hiding beside trembled unpromisingly as a huge explosion sounded from inside it. In horror, Dizene recognized it as the central hub office for the seaport. In the basement was the port's supply of ocean-liner fuel. The concrete shivered and collapsed to dust as plumes of flame shot out from the windows. Glass shattered, and the monsters in the square before them scattered as Morrigan dragged Dizene down to the ground. In some amazing stroke of luck Link had managed to grasp the little magic he knew and cast Naryu's Love upon the group in an effort to buy time.

"Princess! I can't…" he yelled as he collapsed in exhaustion. Never before had he spread the magical effort over so many people, and the strain sapped his strength. Zelda finally managed to raise a protective barrier against the maelstrom, straining as earth and stone ground against her efforts.

But as she dug her heels into the ground to steady herself the pavement cracked and splintered under her feet. Solid earth collapsed into empty space, blackness, and a long fall.

--

Ganondorf knew he was dying. The long blackness, a fall that even he succumbed to… he knew he woke to what should have been his final moments.

Zelda's barrier had not affected him. Oh, no, he had reacted more quickly than the foolish children. Link's protection charm had not dared to so much as touch him. His own sorcery coated him like a thick shroud, repelling all other magic just as well as the debris. It was the only magic he was able to summon up as of late, beyond tiny cantrips of no consequence.

But as the ground gave way under them, Ganondorf realized that he had indeed lost the power of flight. He had not tried his levitation magic since he had fallen in his tower: it was power-draining and only useful to evade arrows and other projectiles. So he had fallen, fallen, fallen into the black, without the cushioning aid of Zelda's barrier to guard against the impact.

His body lay broken on the rocks in the deep, black expanse far below the city. Consciousness barely flaring, he recalled the particular sensation of dying from previous experience. The most vivid was on that fateful day that his empire was crushed and his black fortress had tumbled to the ground. Others danced like phantoms on the edge of his memory, as if he had been asleep and was recalling dreams that weren't his own. Recollections of other places simmered quietly in his fading mind. A glowing sword of white in his hand, and a great burning wound in his core… the incessant sound of water piercing his ears, feeling his body stiffen and die…

Those… idiots, he scolded, though he did not quite know what he should insult. My army… my life… is marching past me in full ranks. How dare you decide to die now? Are you that weak? Pathetic! You will all die by my own hand! My own! I shall kill you myself when this hideous ordeal is over- I shall not let you die from a measly earthquake! Killing you is a privilege that belongs to me, and me alone!

He quaked slightly as his body began to numb, but strangely he could not feel himself slip away. His vision blurred, and the pain dulled to a haze. Yet, he could clearly sense one thing in this thick miasma. Laughter. Laughter from a perfect, all-encompassing voice that he had before resented.

Is that what you truly think, my boy? The goddess Din asked through mirth. Is that your true mind speaking, or is it a child of thoughts rife with poison?

Do not toy with me any longer, goddess, he half-thought, half-pleaded. Do not mock me. I have sworn before to kill the two, and I hold my word. Nothing would please me more to have this opportunity, goddess! A measly earthquake is an insult and an offense to me!

I see you are coming along quite nicely, my champion. I doubt you will ever be the sister's sort, but what use do I have for a man of that ilk? I see that without your shackles and without a scent to chase, you come along nicely. It will not be so long until the day that I will not have to police you so carefully, I suspect...

Why do you keep me fettered and tied, goddess? Why do you cast me to the stone? I'll do your cursed task, if you would let me be! I'll do it myself, without the nonsense of your sisters and their folly.

Their 'folly' has slain you nearly a thousand times, so do not dismiss them so easily. Ganondorf, you are my child. Your soul harbors the bloodline of Gerudo kings, but this flesh you thrive in now is born of my own womb. As a mother, I cannot let my child run rampant without discipline. Learn your manners, and you shall receive privileges. Dishonor me, and you shall feel all the hate you cast about as pain to your soul. As my son, I love you, Ganondorf, as I love Hyrule. Do not tell your mother what she can or cannot do.

She cannot do much now, with a broken body. Good riddance.

For one as brilliant as you, you are remarkably foolish. The Triforce has kept you alive under dark power before. Do you think I will sit aside and let my son die before my eyes? Yet, I have a condition for you.

Name it.

You shall tolerate the two children that have taken to your side. I cannot say what role they will play, but they are Important, as are you. Have you not noticed the magic of the world, and the Triforce's reaction?

What's your point?

They may, or may not be special. But these children are now caught in this tale, unable to leave. The Triforce creates a field of magic when it comes together, my boy. They are caught in that web, tangled beyond hope. This is why I ask you to tolerate them, if you can. Disrupt their snarls and knots, and you will harm the Triforce. Do not disrupt its work.

Ganondorf paused, in the misty place. He could no longer frown, move, or breathe. He was dead. Yet, he was still here, with this voice that seemed a direct contrast to the ugly gravel of the Demon in his mind's deepest corner.

I accept, goddess. If I live another day, I will accept.

I suspected as much. Do not make such a mess of yourself in the future, my boy!

In a jolt that felt like a reverse thunderclap, Ganondorf's eyes snapped out of the dead, glassy stare. His flesh was extremely cold, but without prompt a heart began to beat in his breast once more. Faint breath passed his lips, tasting sweeter than all of the delicacies of the world to him.

The image of the Triforce escaped his glove, burning with all of the sun's harsh fury. In a set of sickening snaps and cracks, bones aligned and mended themselves. Blood drew back inside open wounds, which knitted together with astonishing speed. Vision sharpened, and his surroundings became clear at once.

As he straightened, Ganondorf half expected his body to fail him again, but it did not. In fact, he felt good. 'Good' failed to describe it… he could feel power flooding his system in a reassuringly nostalgic way. He could feel every muscle and sinew, all screaming that he was overpoweringly alive.Yet, it was more real than what he could remember, as if the magic of the sacred realm did not have to be forced through him, but flowed freely.

"Fool goddess," he muttered, and found with pleasure that nobody seemed to be policing his thoughts. He could have cried, for the elation that swept over him. His fetters had been loosened, if not severed. He felt very free, as if a stifling blanket had been lifted off of him that he barely had noticed before.

To his left was a great heap of sand and debris. From within, Ganondorf could feel the resonance of the two other pieces of the Triforce. Zelda's barrier still held.

But this was not of his concern. Ganondorf turned away, walking off into the darkness and silence of the hidden caverns. A promise to a goddess was treacherous, he knew. But that did not matter to him at the time. This time, he laughed to the shadows, he was free.

--

Why is it that I keep ending chapters with Ganondorf? Maybe because he's the best semi-cliffhanger person. Hm. And if you're confused, you should be. Where they are will be explained next chapter, and I promise you it's not all that mysterious.

A 'cantrip' is a roleplaying term that I have borrowed. It refers to a very low-level spell, or a spell used only for convenience. Toasting bread with a marble-sized fireball, for instance. Excuse me for being a DnD nerd.

I'd like to point out that at this point, the Chosen Three have been doing most of the work.Morri and Dizzy have been mostly hangers-on... Dizzy out of fear, and Morri out of mistrust. But they both understand that the safest place to be is with the Chosen Three, and Link and Zelda are just too nice to let them go and get themselves killed. Ganondorf has little choice in the matter.

Hopefully the next update will be quicker. Yeah, right.