Author's Note: Whoa! I didn't think that I've been gone for this long! Again, I'm sorry for not updating sooner. School's been getting in the way... Seriously, I feel like the teachers are assigning me projects weekly ;_; So, if some of you guys are mad at me for not updating sooner, then I'm sorry, but I have a tortured life away from the computer... A life tortured by school...

Well, enough of my complaints. Here's the next chapter! (Finally!)

Btw, thank you to those who left me reviews despite the fact that I've been gone a while. I really appreciate them!

Chapter 8 - Plan Execution

Okay, here's what's been going on: Link and I have been listening to a lecture that the princess has been giving for the past, oh I don't know, ten minutes or so? That lecture was about magic and how it's connected to one's soul, and how it's only inherited nowadays, and more. Sepherene ended up showing herself out of her own will, and even the princess, who usually shows such a calm, composed expression, seemed somewhat taken aback. I didn't find it to be a very big deal; all I worry about is that Sepherene's gonna find out some embarrassing stuff about me, if that's possible since she "lives" in my soul.

I'm still unsure of what Sepherene can do inside my soul, but I'm gonna have to keep a close eye on her.

Anyway, Princess Zelda proposed a plan that has the possibility of taking me home. I, of course, jumped for joy and agreed to follow the plan immediately. But the thing is: I didn't listen to the conditions of the princess's plan. In other words, as soon as I heard the words, "It may take you home," I jumped to conclusions and decided to go along with it. And that led to...

"Oi, Link," I called.

"Hm?" Link looked up from his kneeling position and paid attention.

"Ya mind explaining why you need to tie me up in this chair again?" Yup! That's what's been going on so far! I'm sitting on a wooden, cushioned chair (which is actually pretty nice since it came from Princess Zelda's room) all tied up! My hands behind the chair, my waist around the back of the seat, and Link was already finishing the ropes around my ankles and the legs of the chair. It was very uncomfortable, I felt like a hostage or something. Besides, I think the ropes around my wrist were already starting to leave a mark.

"Princess Zelda said that if you are to travel back to your world, then you might as well return in one piece, right?" My face became a shocked expression.

"Y... You mean... I could return without a part of my body or something?!" Realizing what he just said, Link widened his eyes as well.

"Uh, um, I-I mean, this is just for safety! Don't worry about anything, Theresa. The princess is very skilled in magic!"

"The fact that she needs to tie me up like this gives me the sense that she's never done a teleportation spell at this level!" I honestly had no idea what I just said, but that seemed to make sense to Link. At least he got the message that I was freaking out. How would I explain it to my family if I lost an arm?! Link obviously didn't have anything to say to me, and continued with tying my legs.

I closed my eyes and began to breathe slowly; it's usually the best way to calm myself down. While Link and I were talking, the princess looked like she was drawing some sort of circle on the floor around me. You know, one of those fancy circles you'd see in magic games or manga. Either way, I guess it's supposed to strengthen her magic?

Another thing I noticed was that my bag was tied along with me. In fact, it was tied in front of my stomach so that it wouldn't fall off. Why would I need this bag? 'Cause Kappa's in it, of course, along with my other clothing and weapons! (Remember the dagger and bombs that I never seem to use!)

Apparently, if something goes wrong, I need protection, so Link went right ahead and wrapped some rope around it. It made it look as though he didn't want Kappa coming out though; the rope looked pretty tight. One way I knew that fact was Kappa's growling inside as Link finished. Really, I had to take in a lot of oxygen each time I inhaled!

"So, is this the end of the ropes?!" I asked with an annoyed expression.

"That should be about it." he answered. My former emotion quickly disappeared, and turned into sadness. I looked at him in the eye; he looked at me with the same emotion as well.

"Will I ever be able to see you again?" I muttered, lowering my head and staring at the white marble floor. I heard his footsteps coming closer. Damn, those pointy ears aren't just for show! I was pretty sure that I said that to myself anyway... Link put his fingers underneath my chin and made me look up. Honestly, I was pretty close to crying.

Why?

Because I finally got my wish to come to a world full of adventure, not boring school or a place where I need to deal with my siblings all the time, only to find that I'm returning after a short period of time. Don't get me wrong, over that period of time I realized just how much I missed home. Sure, the feeling of independence and freedom was great; it was exhilirating, in fact! But after a while, no matter how long or how short, it really drives you nuts about how much you miss the stuff you've grown up with all your life...

I bit my tongue to keep tears from flowing. "Tears are a sign of weakness," I always told myself. Most of the time, sadly, it didn't work since I'm such a sensitive girl, but now I didn't want to show a soft side to Link, for some reason. I dunno, my mind just works weird like that.

Link only smiled at me like nothing was going to change, almost as though I wasn't leaving at all despite the fact that Zelda was ready to take me home.

"Theresa," he said, "I know we've only known each other for a short amount of time, and we don't know much about each other in the first place." Aww, but I know much about you, Link! "But no matter where we are, we'll never forget our experiences together, because we're friends, right?"

I knew for a fact that this was one of those dramatic moments in a game where they use some cheesy line to make it look meaningful, but it was actually... working?! Eh, either way, I returned the smile, showing that I felt more comforted than I was before.

"Yeah..." I replied, "If I wasn't tied up, I would've given ya a hug." Pssh, that's what I've BEEN wanting to do as a Legend of Zelda fan! Without any warning whatsoever, he wrapped his arms around me despite the fact that I was sitting on a chair with a bunch of uncomfortable ropes. I was a little surprised at first; no, really, I didn't see it coming...

"It's okay..." And with that, he released me and gave me a final look of reassurance. I felt like my face was burning... No, my whole BODY was burning! All I could hear was my heart thumping continuously, beating away in my chest, beating loudly. Every other noise was reduced to nothing; I couldn't hear the soft wind outside the window, nor the maids scurrying about doing their business in the hallway, nor the annoyed growls of Kappa in front of my stomach (probably from when Link leaned over to hug me) nor even the Princess giving directions.

"Theresa... Theresa?" And then reality hit me. I had to blink twice to realize that I had kept them waiting.

"Eh? W-What?"

"Are you ready?" Princess Zelda was already holding her hands together in front of her in a relaxed posture. Glancing quickly at Link once more, I gave a firm nod to her.

Without a word, she breathed in, and breathed out slowly. Light emitted out of the floor, or more like the huge circle and markings that she drew. I was amazed that I was seeing an actual spell take place. It's much more different than seeing it happen in an anime or a movie! Well, doesn't everything look cooler in real life? The princess was muttering a few words to herself, slowly, calmly, yet you could tell that she was beginning to struggle. And before I knew it...

The ground fell beneath me.

I gasped at the sudden surprise. That familiar darkness that engulfed me in my travel to Hyrule returned, and that scary sensation of free falling; it was all frightening now that I'm actually awake.

Even though I was tied up, it didn't make that much of a difference. I still felt like the insides of my stomach were being brought to my back, because I have a huge fear of heights and falling. Sometimes I wonder how I even survived going through the Tower of Terror in Disneyland.

Moving on, the chair was spinning around wildly. I couldn't tell which was up or down, or left or right; everything was just spinning as though I jumped out of an airplane in this position. And just then... A light appeared beneath me. The light began to take shape of an area, and was reduced to smaller specks of light.

It was my house.

My eyes were brimming with tears just at the sight of it. The walls, the lamps outside, the front lawn, everything was true! And as I fell closer and closer to my destination, I noticed that the ropes were untying on its own somehow. Of course, I didn't care how the hell it was happening, my priority was reaching my house. I reached my hand out towards it.

It was getting closer...

Closer...

"Home... I'm finally home!" was all I could think of. I couldn't help but smile. Seeing my family and friends again, telling them how much I missed them... and...!

Then the unbelievable happened: I fell right past it.

It was... an illusion?! I looked back to find it disappearing as though it were a mist, eventually turning into nothing. What the hell was that?! All I could do was reach my hand out towards it, wish for it again, but I knew that Zelda's plan for taking me home was a failure.

"No...!"

Crying in disbelief was the only thing I was able to do as the darkness grew and obscured my sight. Soon enough, it was as though I was unconscious.

~ : ~ : ~

Something was lightly touching my face, but quickly changed spots now and again. Something sounded like rapid inhaling, and loud exhaling, and... whimpering? I cracked open my eyes to find that certain something to be... Kappa?

It was sniffing my face and... Wait... It's sniffing my face! I flinched along with a little "Gah!" of surprise as my senses were returning to me. Kappa seemed to be a little shaken by my awakening and staggered backwards a little, but it ceased its whimpering.

"Theresa! Oh, Theresa, I'm so glad you're okay!" That voice... Sepherene?! Oh wait, duh, she "lives" in my soul now, right? So, I'm guessing she goes wherever I go? "Are you hurt?"

I checked myself really quick. I was still lying on the floor, I felt tired, I felt hungry, and I had a huge, HUGE urge to pee! I still wonder how the characters ever used a toilet in a game.

"I'm fine," I answered, "I'm just feeling really sore... By the way, is there a bathroom nearby?"

"U-Um... I don't think that we'd be anywhere near a lavatory at the moment, Theresa! Just hold it or something and figure out where we are!" She's so mean, forcing me to torture myself by holding it in... With an annoyed "Tch..." I started to get up.

Amazingly, when I got up, the soreness began to go away and I actually felt like I was well-rested. Huh, I guess that's what happens whenever I teleport or something? Either that or I was sleeping well the whole time. I found my bag lying on the dusty ground opened up, but with everything still kept inside it. I guess Kappa got out of it on its own. Kappa walked beside me like how you'd imagine a monkey to walk. It was sorta cute, I think I'm actually getting used to Kappa being around now! Although in the back of my mind, I wondered how we were both falling through nothing and it kept all the water in its head.

I took a look around myself, and widened my eyes in an instant. Just looking at that post-lintel styled, wooden entrance and the sandy, dusty terrain already told me where I was:

The Hidden Village.

A soft breeze kicked up some dust, making the scene look like some old cowboy town in a movie, except I knew that this was once a village of the proud Shiekah tribe. Or at least that's what I heard. I stepped through the gate and entered the village. I had a very creepy sensation pass through me; heck, I even forgot about my bathroom problem!

As I entered, some cats noticed my prescence. Some walked up to me curiously, some only stared, and others that were further away didn't mind me at all. Wow, I've never seen so many cats in one place, not even at the pet stores! Anyway, those that did notice me took a quick sniff at my feet. Kappa growled at the mysterious, unfamiliar animals, though they didn't really pay any attention to it. As soon as they took about three or four whiffs of my scent, they left. I sighed to myself in slight dismay.

"What's wrong?" Sepherene asked. I continued to walk and look around as I "spoke."

"Nothing, it's just that all animals seem to hate me... No, I'm not kidding, even my aunt's dog loves my sister WAY more than me!"

"Well... Kappa likes you!" she returned, trying to comfort me. I made an expression that showed that it didn't really work.

"I'm... not... sure if Kappa counts as an animal. No offense!" I directed that last comment towards Sepherene, not the little sea monkey next to me. And the reason why I'm explaining that now is because Kappa was making a face at me that I didn't think was too friendly. Wait a sec, it can hear me?!

There was some silence for a time as I sort of toured around the area. It was eerily quiet except for the howling of the wind and some of the mewing of the cats. Geez, I felt like I was in a Silent Hill game instead of Legend of Zelda. Oh God, I hope I didn't switch games! Otherwise I'm dead!

But nah, I knew I was in the Hidden Village. I recognized Impaz's house anyway. I didn't want to look through the window to see if anyone's home though because my cowardly side was kicking in. It was like I was the only person left in the world, even though Kappa was right next to me.

It was so quiet... Sooo quiet...

I can't describe it any other way, other than scary. But I think I already mentioned that, huh? I'm only grateful that there weren't any Bulblins around to attack me, and I was lucky enough to land inside the village rather than the entrance of the tunnel where there were other enemies waiting with burning arrows!

I leaned against the rock wall behind Impaz's house and stared at the rocks strewn all over the ground. Kappa walked in front of me, sat down, and stared up at me as though it was waiting for instructions. At least that was somewhat comforting, even though it was the exact thing that tried to kill me back at that weird forest.

"Sepherene, are we in a different time period, or something?"

"On the contrary, I think that the Princess merely sent us to the wrong location, if not her magic sent us past your desired destination." Whoa, she sounded so much like a professor. Like, a professor of MAGIC! Well, she definitely knew more about magic than me, even though I was obsessed with it in my pre-teen years. Looking up towards the nearly covered sky, I wondered if I will ever return home.

"Oh, don't worry! We'll find Link and the Princess again and do our best to get you home safely!"

"Dammit, Sepherene, do you have to eavesdrop on my thoughts all the time?!" I thought angrily. I felt a strange sense of surprise, but it wasn't my own. Um, so I'm able to feel what she's feeling? Kind of like an empath or something?

"S-Sorry! My, my..." I interpreted that to be a fancier version of "Sheesh." I sighed again.

"Look, I'm sorry. First of all, it's invasion of privacy to do that. If you're gonna, er, stay in my soul, then you can't look into my personal thoughts, and if possible, my memories." I just wanted to get things straight and set down some ground rules since she could pretty much look up a bunch of stuff I've done in my life. "Next," I continued, "I'm just getting a bit stressed over the fact that I'm not where I belong..."

However, before she could reply, my head shot up from its depressed posture, and darted left and right. Something didn't seem right. I felt... something else nearby?

"Yeah, I feel it too," she confirmed. There she goes with reading my thoughts again, but this time it was necessary. Even Kappa looked a bit alarmed. It was a strange feeling; it was as though... I located something? I don't know how to explain it myself, but I'd say it's like that eerie feeling when you actually know that something's close to you. Yet at the same time, I wasn't panicking like I thought I would usually do. But rather, I was curious as to what it was.

I began to walk around again to search for it, to search for whatever it was that I just noticed. I could hear Kappa sniffing the air to find any scent that was suspicious as I looked around for any visible thing that was out of place. For one thing, the cats didn't notice what was going on, and I'm pretty sure that Kappa's instincts were just as sharp as theirs. And honestly, I'm not too bright either when it comes to finding people, and apparently, I already have proof that there's someone. Or something!

After a period of about five minutes, I finally felt sure of where I was going, like I knew exactly where the source was. I went through a house with a huge broken window through it and scanned the inside of the building. Another broken window led to the back, and that was where I believed the mysterious force was.

Passing through the large window frame, all I found were some plants, that one Cuckoo that asks Link to play a type of hide-and-seek game, and that Howling Stone, which no longer made any sound. Other than that, there was nothing, but I was so sure that it was here.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure it's here, Theresa!" said Sepherene. Hm, looks like even she knew about it as well. "Wait! I can see it! It's a Forbidden Gateway!"

"Huh?" I obviously wanted an explanation to all this, especially since I couldn't see whatever she saw.

"A Forbidden Gateway... It's a door invisible to the human eye, a rare door that leads to a special prison. It's where you and Link passed through to get to me. Only certain mages are able to sense this. I'm actually impressed that you were able to find it on your own!"

"Eh, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, technically you needed Link's help to get to me."

"That's 'cause you sang to him!" Our little quarrel was quickly ended by Kappa pulling at the end of my dress. Oh, right, gotta focus!

"Anyways, you were saying?" The sound of Sepherene clearing her throat erupted in my head. Sheesh, it's not like she's announcing it to the world.

"Forbidden Gateways are very rare prisons for certain people. Those certain people misused their gifts from the goddesses, similar to me. I'm not sure how many are out there; it's very hard to tell how many people gain privileges such as magic from the goddesses themselves!"

"Wouldn't that mean Ganondorf would be in one of those? If not, was in a Forbidden Gateway?" Then again, I wondered if she even knew who he was. Was he still trying to take over the world while she was alive?

"It wouldn't be able to contain his magic. Escaping a Forbidden Gateway would've been much easier than escaping the Sacred Realm like he did thousands of years ago." That answers that question!

"Wait, are you saying that the Ganondorf that died recently is the same one that's been attacking Hyrule for all these years?!"

"Eh, I could be wrong..." That mystery is still a puzzle to me. I haven't played enough Legend of Zelda games to understand that yet.

"So, if I was able to enter last time, will I be able to go through this one?"

"Most likely," she answered, "And besides, I'm sure that you will find a great companion if you save this soul. Just like how you did with me and Kappa!" Speaking of which, I wondered what type of monster I would face this time. The fact that I was completely unarmed was sending terrible thoughts through my head. And... Oh, shit, Link's not with me to protect me!

Shaking my head, I attempted to push those thoughts away. I'm a strong, independent girl! I can handle this! I think... Anyways, it seemed as though Sepherene could see something that I couldn't. To solve this problem, all I did was squint, and rub my eyes. It's a classic trick anyway. And then...

One part of the scene in front of me was sort of distorted.

And it was in the shape of an arched door as well. Walking up to it somewhat hesitantly, I reached out my hand to see if I could feel anything. The distortion only increased and made the background wave like water. Moreover, the tips of my fingers disappeared from sight. I drew back quickly in alarm. I didn't notice that at first, probably because I was on a horse. Speaking of which, I ditched her outside of Castle Town... Poor horsie...

I gathered up what little courage I had and stepped through.

I have to admit, though, I closed my eyes through the process. Yeah, of course I'm afraid! I nearly died in the last Forbidden Gateway, and now I have to face this one on my own! Who wouldn't be scared?!

I opened my eyes slowly to check if I've passed through completely. Instead of the former dry back area of a house, it was a huge, rugged terrain. In fact, the ground looked more like a stone-like sea; large, curling waves were seemed to be in place. It could've been a skater's dream-come-true. The floor was a tan-colored stone and there were walls completely surrounding the area. The distance was very big between me and the walls as well. There was no ceiling, but rather, it was a dark, cloudy sky, yet the lighting wasn't too dim. If one was able to climb those walls, which seemed impossible since they looked so smooth, it could lead to another land... Nah, I dunno. The point is that it looked as though I was in a huge stone pit with no escape.

"Would you like me to check?" inquired Sepherene. I blinked a few times and put my hand to my chin in thought. As I thought about it, a blue light engulfed me momentarily and streamed out in front of me. Her beautiful form was revealed once more.

"I can fly up there, you know. There really are some advantages to being a wandering soul!" I was a bit hesitant for some reason. It just seemed a bit suspicious that there would be an easy escape route for those who could fly... But why not?

"Okay then. See if we're still in Hyrule," I said. With a nod and a smile, Sepherene gracefully ascended into the air like an angel. It was such a nice sight to daydreamers like myself. But suddenly, just before she reached past the cliffs, it looked as though she slammed into something. I even heard a surprised "Oh!" from her as she made contact. Is this a type of invisible wall... Er, ceiling... that blocked all possible escape? This was like last time, too! But there's one strange fact: Sepherene's DEAD. Technically, she's a ghost, so how could something like that possibly keep her from leaving?

"Oh my, it seems that we're in a pinch..." she said, floating back to me. Yeah, obviously. I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, a deep, rumbling sound erupted from the floor and walls. I was already struggling to maintain my balance. Hell, even Kappa was trying its best to keep the water in its head!

"A trespasser?!" a loud, booming voice cried. Seriously, I had to cover my ears as soon as it said "A".

"Theresa!" Sepherene pointed up to the sky in alarm. I looked up quickly, but as soon as I did, I widened my eyes in awe and fear. There seemed to be a gigantic, swirling portal hanging in the cloudy sky; in a way, it looked beautiful, but menacing at the same time. Great, time for the boss!

A large red claw with dark nails protruded from the spinning vortex and crashed down onto the stone "waves," crushing many underneath its weight. Sepherene and I could only stare, speechless, at the being that came out:

A DRAGON!

I'm sorry, I just had to add one at some point in the story, y'know? 'Cuz dragons are freakin' AWESOME!! :D Those of you who agree with me, say "Aye!"

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