Inspiration: Istunka fighting style (it's a fighting style that uses clubs and sticks in a very blunt manner).

Original Shout Outs: Wolfstarspirit, Yuka, Lydia, twiggy, henslight, IAmTofu, James Fisher, LinkLink, and Colleen TJ.

New Shout Outs: DestinyPrincess289, Michael Mario, the guest with the Fierce Deity reference (that was hilarious my friend lol, thanks for keeping me on my toes),

Author note: Check out Rhetorical Girl's "A World of Our Own" it is a beautiful touching story. ADDENDUM 2/24/2013- Please read the first part of chapter 15 again with the conversation between Saria and Zant. There was an important point I forgot to add, that I added now. It will make chapter 17 make more sense, thank you. ~ZR~.

Chapter 16

I opened my eyes and gasped.

I blinked.

Once.

Twice.

I was trying to get my vision in focus, but when I shook my head to fend my diplopia I felt an intense amount of pressure on the front of my head. It took me a moment to realize what was going on, but I soon realized the reason for my sudden discomfort, I was hanging upside down from a tree. I tried turning my body to get a better view of my predicament, and was surprised to find Saria hanging upside down unconscious next to me.

What in the world…? I thought perplexed.

I wanted to reach for her, but my arms were bound behind my back, and my legs were wrapped in a noose suspended in a high branch of the tree. I tried wriggling myself free, but the binds were extremely tight. I lacerated my wrists several times.

Damn it! I thought from the rope burn.

I turned slightly by rotating the rope and looked behind me. I noticed a serrated branch a few inches from my grip. I was about to reach for it, but stopped myself when I turned back around and came face to face with a grayish-blue figure walking towards me, it was Zant. My eyes widened, but then narrowed in anger.

You cheating bastard, I thought.

"I knew it," he said quietly to me, as if vindicated.

I looked at him puzzled.

"You knew what?" I asked, trying to maintain a less intense work of breathing. My chest was heaving from the excess pressure flowing to my upper body.

Zant glanced over at Saria's unconscious body dangling next to me.

"I knew she didn't kill you," he divulged to me, "I knew she wouldn't kill you."

I looked over at Saria's body now myself.

I had a feeling, I thought in relief.

"What did you do to her?" I demanded, choosing not to address his words.

Zant smirked at my question.

"The same thing she did to you," he replied. "I gave her a paralytic concoction mixed with a blue potion. She should be waking up soon."

I raised my eyebrows when he said that. Zant studied my face for a moment.

"Are you surprised sir knight?" he asked me furtively. "Did you think your little... friend would honestly kill you?"

I wasn't going to play Zant's game. All he wanted was for me to satisfy his egocentric narcissism. Every psychotic killer relished in that. They felt the need to emotionally and mentally torture a person before they killed them.

He'll get no such pleasure from me, I thought, I know how that works.

"I wanted to test her loyalty," he went on, not caring that I didn't cue him, "as you probably guessed, she failed." He walked closer to where I was hanging and narrowed his eyes. "You see, you should have been dead five hours ago, but when I saw you were still breathing, and your stab wound was healed, I knew she had given you something when she stabbed you with that dagger. All of that spit and polish she did on that rag before she shanked you confirmed that. I decided to return the favor to her."

I looked over at Saria again, feeling a surge of guilt that her cover was blown by protecting me.

She's always putting herself at risk for me, I thought with a pang of remorse, always.

I looked back over at Zant.

"I guess she's not as dark hearted as you had anticipated," I said to him abruptly.

Zant merely shrugged at my words.

"I knew she was going to betray me," he said, "it was all a matter of when. She was working for Daphnes when she came into my company."

It was just as she said, I thought, looking over at Saria again, you're no liar or fraud at all Sar.

Zant saw the expression on my face and narrowed his eyes again.

"It's just as I suspected," he said with a subtle nod.

I turned my attention back to him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded.

Zant crossed his long arms over his chest.

"Tell me first knight, are you in love with this woman?" he asked me point blank.

I took in a deep, unsettled breath and glared at him angrily. I probably should have lied, because I knew I gave myself away just then.

Zant nodded and smirked again.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, then snickered and added, "my niece isn't going to like that very much."

This cocky... I didn't allow myself to finish.

"Drop dead!" I blurted audaciously.

Zant laughed at my remark.

"I wouldn't say that too loud," he said to me, as if my words had some hidden irony, "you know what they say about what goes around comes around."

I looked at him flummoxed.

What? I thought.

I blinked hard when the build up of blood inside my head was beginning to get too great. I was starting to get dizzy.

If I don't get down soon, I may blow a vessel in my head, I thought.

Zant saw what I was trying to do and smirked.

"Feeling a little heavy headed?" he asked me sarcastically.

I glared at him and didn't answer.

"Don't worry," he said to me, "it will all be over soon."

After saying that, Zant stepped back several feet and snapped his fingers. From around the edge of the road impasse, a Twili and a mountain man came over and underneath where Saria and I were hanging. They rolled away a veneer of foliage glued to a leather canvass. Underneath it was a circle shaped, sixteen feet by sixteen feet, gridlock iron gate. The mountain man and the Twili quickly cleared the way of the gate, and Zant pulled from his pocket an ancient looking transmitter. It was diamond shaped with a red crystal on the top. When Zant pushed the large red button, the grids separated revealing a deep, almost bottomless pit.

Great Farore, I thought.

I swallowed hard at the sight. I then looked back over at Zant.

"You just couldn't stand losing a fair fight, could you?" I demanded.

Zant laughed and shook his head.

"I already told you twice how I felt about that," he replied, "I'm not telling you again."

I knew I needed to do something and I knew I needed to do something quick, otherwise Saria and I were going to die. While his attention was on me, I furtively reached for the tiny serrated branch I had seen before. I grabbed at it, but it slipped from my grip and sliced at my palm.

Damn! I thought angrily.

I had to remain calm. I couldn't react to the discomfort.

"I'm just waiting for your little girlfriend to wake up," Zant continued. "Once she's awake, I'll loosen both of the ropes and you can both fall together like the lovers you two so desperately want to be. It'll be a nice clean death."

I got heated just then.

"You spineless son of a-" I tried

"The only one dropping dead here is you," he interrupted, then laughed.

This arrogant leech! I thought angrily.

"I swear to you when I get out of this I'm-" I tried.

"But you won't get out of it first knight," Zant interrupted me again, "and with you and the dark maiden gone there will be no more eyes and ears for Daphnes. My strike will be clean against him."

I was ready to lunge at him, but I knew there was nothing I could do at the moment. I was at an extreme disadvantage. I looked over at Saria again, and as if on cue, she started coming to.

Oh no, I thought of the irony, please Saria don't wake up yet.

Zant glanced at her and smirked.

"Looks like the celebration might start sooner than I thought," he said.

Zant then looked back over at me.

"It's a shame really," he said quietly, "I was going to make her my queen too. Ah well, it's no matter, I'll just have to find another. I think I have more of an affinity for Twili women anyway."

I looked at him with a brazen expression, he merely smiled, and then sarcastically saluted at me.

"Farewell first knight of Hyrule, and former future king," he said to me, "it was an honor to face you in combat. It's too bad we can't do it again."

Oh, we will, you asshole. I thought angrily.

With that, Zant and his two helpers turned and walked away from the pit. A moment later however, two sounds like a zipping whip precluded the air.

What the…? I thought.

I looked over to where Zant and his henchmen were standing, realizing the sound was coming from the release of several arrows being shot by the mountain man. I braced myself, thinking they were going to pierce my gut, but was surprised when I felt nothing.

Where'd they go? I wondered.

I looked around, but then up at the branch Saria and I were hanging from. I felt my eyes widened when I realized why the arrows had been shot.

Oh no, I thought feeling my stomach drop, if that was possible.

The arrows plucked the rope and serrated the threading of the noose. The archer had done the same to Saria's noose as well. In fact, it seemed as if hers were dethreading faster. I looked over at Zant in disbelief.

"You bastard!" I growled, not knowing what else to say.

Zant didn't even flinch.

"Traitor's are always dealt with harsher," he said to me simply, "you know that first knight."

Zant smirked at me once more, before turning and cuing his henchmen to leave. When they left, I twirled with my hands feverishly, trying to grab for the branch that was just within my reach.

"Come on," I urged myself, nearly grabbing the foliage.

As if at my beckoning, Saria moaned softly, then blinked slowly. It took her a moment to get her bearings together. However, when she saw the open pit beneath her, her eyes widened. She gasped and looked over at me.

"It's okay," I reassured, not wanting her to panic and finally locked my hand onto the branch, "I'm going to get us out of this."

Saria took in a deep troubled breath and just nodded, trying to remain calm. However, when she looked up at the rope and realized her immediate danger, all her solace left her.

"Oh my goddess," she whispered at the rope rapidly dethreading.

I glanced up at her rope and understood her new found terror, there were only a few threads connected to the tree. At seeing that, I quickly sawed my roped hands on the roughened branch.

I have to manage this quickly, I thought.

Tears filled Saria's eyes all of a sudden and she lowered her head.

"It's hopeless," I heard her whimper.

Don't say that, I thought, sawing faster.

Saria tried to keep her body still, but she inadvertently began trembling.

"I'm sorry," she said abruptly behind a sob.

I didn't want apologies just then. I knew what that kind of talk meant psychologically, she was starting to give up.

"Sorry for what?" I tried to joke. "For saving my life?"

I sawed faster, feeling my grip getting looser around the ropes. I felt my heart beat accelerate, excited that I had found the rhythm.

Just a little bit more, I thought.

"You know I'm not talking about that," she replied quietly, "I'm sorry for getting you involved in this mess."

I felt my wrists getting looser.

Come on, come on, I thought, twisting at the course fiber.

"You know me Saria I'm hard headed," I said to her, trying to keep the mood lighter than what it actually was. "Nothing you would've said would have stopped me from investigating anyway."

She tried to smile at hearing me say that.

"That's true," she said more to herself than to me, "you are pretty stubborn."

I sawed through the last obstinate fiber and was relieved when I finally heard and felt it snap.

Yes, I thought in triumph.

Saria stared down at the seemingly endless pit, and looked sullen for a moment.

"I-I'm sorry it has to end this way Link," she said to me all of a sudden, "there were so many things I wanted to say to you."

Don't do this now Saria, I thought, sliding one of my hands free.

"Don't you start giving up on me," I said to her, wiggling my hand free and sliding the rope off my other wrist.

Alright, I thought vindicated, success.

I pulled my arms from behind my back and stretched them spiritedly.

"You see," I said to her, trying to cheer Saria up, "I'm not so bad at this."

Saria looked at me hopefully just then and tried to smile.

"Wow, you're amazing," she said with a little elation to her voice, "I mean really."

I smiled back, then lifted myself up using my own body weight, and reached for the rope I was hanging from. Saria bit her lower lip as she watched me carefully untie my feet and climb up the rope to the ascending branch. When I reached the top, I turned and gave an 'ok' signal to Saria, she took in a relieved breath.

"And I thought I was acrobatic," she tried to joke.

I grinned down at her and quickly went to grip her rope, but I heard a snap before one of the threads completely gave way and snapped completely off.

Oh crap, I thought.

Saria's eyes widened in terror as her body began to fall. I immediately jumped for the rope and barely caught it with my free hand, her body swung momentarily like a pendulum. Saria stiffened when she found herself swaying in midair. She looked at the rope, then to me and swallowed hard. I knew she was worried whether or not I was going to able to sustain my grip.

Now, she should probably start to panic, I thought, feeling an onset of panic myself, flexing my arm and trying to get a better handling on the rope with my other hand.

Saria closed her eyes and sighed.

"Maybe it's for the best," I heard her murmur to herself.

I ignored her comment and braced myself by setting my feet against the branch I was on, and propping my back against an adjacent one to me for support. I started heaving her slender body up into the treetops.

She's actually pretty light, I thought in relief, her body is just well defined.

Saria's eyes opened wider and she looked up at me hopefully, but when she momentarily saw me stall she bit her lower lip.

"Are you okay?" she called up to me.

I needed to regain my footing.

"I'm fine," I called back.

Saria apparently didn't trust my tone.

"Are you sure?" she asked again.

That time I didn't reply, which maybe I should have because it precipitated an inverse reaction from Saria.

"That's enough," she said quietly when I didn't answer, "just let me go."

I took in a deep breath, still ignoring her and resumed my pulling.

Almost there, I thought.

"I'm serious Link!" she called up to me again. "It was my fault you got into this!"

I gave her a stern look.

"Be quiet!" I snapped, trying to grab for her feet, but they were still too far from my reach.

Saria saw that and took in a deep troubled breath.

"Let go Link," she said again, "seriously, save yourself!"

I was growing tired of her doom and gloom talk.

"Shut the hell up you hear me!" I demanded. "I'm not just going to let you die! Stop trying to be a goddamn martyr! You're going to live through this!"

Saria was a little surprised at the poignancy of my outburst. She bit her lower lip again and turned her attention back down to the pit. I sighed, realizing I should have used a more docile tone with her. After all, she did have a right to be afraid.

Maybe I could have worded that better, I thought, but all that death talk is not helping me.

I pulled at the rope until her feet were finally within reach of me pulling her up. When I had her situated properly on the branch, I untied her arms. When her arms were free she immediately turned around and threw them around my neck in a tight hug. She started sobbing into my chest.

"Th-thank y-you," she whispered in a very broken voice.

I held onto her close for a moment and sighed.

I was scared too Saria, I thought honestly, stroking her hair.

"You don't have to thank me," I whispered against her forehead, "I told you I'd get us out of that."

But I can't lie, I thought, I wasn't sure.

Saria nodded, still holding onto to me tight.

"Yes," she said quietly, trying to inject brevity in her voice, "yes you did."

I squeezed her securely for a moment more, then pulled away, realizing we weren't out of danger yet. I looked into her eyes.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" I asked.

Saria took in a deep breath, got a hold of herself, and looked around to map our location.

"We're in the deepest impasse of the woods," Saria replied. "Zant has an encampment right around the corner. We could probably sneak through when they've all gone to bed."

I shook my head.

"It'll be too late then," I said, "Zant will have discovered we're gone and send a search party out for us."

Saria sighed, troubled with that notion and shrugged.

"We don't have very many alternatives," she said, "we either have to do it now, or we wait until they go to sleep."

I chewed on what she told me for a moment, then shrugged myself.

"We have to try to escape now," I said, "they won't really be expecting it, and at least we'll have the element of surprise."

Saria stared deeply into my eyes, not altogether sure she agreed with me, but since she knew there was very little for us to go on, she nodded anyway.

"Okay," she said, "let's do it."

I nodded, but then turned my attention back to the ropes we were just hanging from. Saria saw my inquisitive expression and inquired of it.

"What is it?" she asked me.

I pursed my lips together and shook my head.

"If we just leave, they're going to know we escaped," I explained.

Saria didn't see my point.

"Well..." she trailed, "we really don't have a choice."

I looked back down at the pit and an idea came to me just then.

Wait a minute, I thought, we could... I didn't let my thoughts finish.

"I think we should let them dangle," I said absently out loud.

Saria looked at me confused.

"What?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

I turned my attention back to her.

"The ropes," I repeated with more clarity, "we should let them dangle so they can think we fell."

Saria opened her mouth in an 'O' of surprise, but then she frowned.

"I see your point," she said, "but it won't work because they won't hear us scream."

I raised my eyebrows at her conjecture.

"Let's just scream anyway," I suggested.

Saria took in a deep breath.

"But what about the reverberating echo?" she asked. "No one's going to believe we fell with only a short scream."

I shook my head, not seeing any other alternatives.

"We have to take that chance," I said.

Saria bit her lower lip and eventually nodded.

"I guess you're right," she reasoned, "there is no other way."

With that, I guided Saria to the descending branch of the trunk to secure her safety, then crawled back to where we were hanging. I reached over carefully and repositioned the broken ropes over the pit. I then joined Saria at the top of the trunk. I knew we were going to have to act quickly.

I hope this works, I thought.

"On three," I whispered.

Saria nodded, waiting for my cue.

"One...two...three!" I said.

After the countdown, we both screamed as loud as we could for as long as we could. I think it may have been enough.

"Let's get out of here," Saria said to me, quickly beginning her descent down the tree, "come on."

I followed after her. When we reached the ground, we immediately hid behind a boulder on the opposite side of the alcove. It was just in time too, because a torch bearing mountain man was heading over the impasse to the clearing where we were. When he saw that our bodies were gone, he immediately turned and ran in the opposite direction in which he came.

Oh no, I thought.

"Great," I muttered sarcastically.

Saria put her forefinger to my lips.

"Shh," she hushed me.

Afterwards, she pushed up against me to move me farther into the shadows of the big rock. When the henchman returned with Zant, I held Saria close so she would be in the shadows as well. I didn't want the shine of the moonlight giving our position away because of the glint caught in her hair.

"They fell boss," the man was saying, "it was a little sooner than we thought, but they're gone."

Zant looked down into the pit, then around the area disingenuously. It was obvious he had other thoughts on the matter.

"Did you search the perimeter?" he asked the henchman.

The henchman looked at Zant flummoxed, but then hesitated because he hadn't thought to do that.

"No, my lord," the mountain man stated honestly with a shrug, "they fell to their deaths."

Zant averted his gaze from the pit to the man disgruntled.

"And do you know that for a certainty you numbskull?" Zant demanded.

I had to give Zant credit, he was definitely perceptive.

The mountain man looked at Zant surprised.

"I heard them scream," the mountain man replied simply.

Zant groaned upset. "That's not what I meant!" he snapped with growing impatience. "Did you see them fall?"

The mountain man swallowed hard and shook his head no. If I had been that man standing there, I would have lied. There was no telling how this was going to go for him now.

"You were supposed to be watching them!" Zant said angrily.

The mountain man stepped back. "I had to take a leak boss," he said, "I couldn't hold it."

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

Oh crap, I thought, feeling for the guy, poor choice of words.

Zant look at him in disbelief with his reasoning. "You had to what?" he demanded.

"I had to-" the man tried.

"I heard you the first time!" Zant interrupted in fiery contempt. "You're a damn fool!"

The mountain man looked uneasy just then.

Zant closed his eyes in frustration. "You couldn't hold it," he repeated, more to himself than to the mountain man, "or perhaps just peed in front of them?"

The mountain man took another step back. "I heard them scream boss," he tried to reason.

Zant fell silent, and that's when I knew the poor man was doomed.

Just be quiet, I thought, wanting to help the man out.

"They were just right here," he was saying to Zant, uncomfortable with the sudden silence.

Zant took in an irritated breath. "I know that you imbecile, I was just in here with them!" he snapped. "Why the hell did you leave?"

The henchman shrugged nervously. "I told you I had to-" he tried again.

"-take a leak," Zant finished for him.

Don't say anything else, I thought, wishing I could transfer my thoughts to the man.

There was growing menace in Zant's voice. Zant closed his eyes and groaned disquietedly.

"I-I don't get it," the henchman went on, shaking his head.

Man just shut up, I thought with irritation, you're digging a faster grave.

Zant took in a deep frustrated breath.

"There are a great many things you don't get, you idiot!" Zant replied, then backhanded the man across the face.

I tried to cover Saria's ears. I didn't want her to have to hear Zant's abusive antics any more than she had to. However, given her circumstances I was sure she heard a lot worse. The man looked at Zant shocked and rubbed his sore cheek. He then looked over down at the pit confused.

"They must have fell boss," he said again, trying to make some conjecture behind the disappearance. "They had to of."

"Did you hear a scream you fool?" Zant snapped.

The man looked confused. "Yes, that's what I just told you, I don't understand-" the man tried.

Zant stepped towards him. "A continuous scream you idiot!" Zant interrupted. "One of extreme terror because you know you're about to die!"

Zant got extremely exasperated just then. The poor mountain man stepped back again.

"I didn't hear that kind of scream boss, but-" the man tried.

Zant looked at him menacingly. "You want to know what that kind of scream sounds like when you fall in a pit?" he threatened.

The poor henchman's eyes widened in horror.

"No boss I wasn't questioning you, I was just-" the henchman tried again.

Zant picked the man up by the collar of his shirt.

"Maybe you can come back and tell me if you see them!" Zant said, then threw the man over the side.

Oh my goddess! I thought.

Saria gasped and buried her head in my shoulder. I couldn't lie, I was shocked Zant just killed that man over something as slight as semantics.

That poor guy didn't stand a chance, I thought with a pang of remorse.

The man's screams echoed throughout the expanse, until they finally abated with a sickening thud. I winced at the sound.

"You see," Zant said to himself, "it's supposed to sound like that."

Saria gripped onto me tight after hearing him say that, she was trembling in fear. I held onto her securely, and pulled her closer to the shadow of the rock.

She knew how close that was to being her, I thought, understanding her fear. I can't believe she was forced to live in such proximity with someone like Zant for so long.

"It's okay," I whispered, "I've got you."

Saria merely nodded and closed her eyes.

Zant then spit into the pit and grunted with anger. He turned and went back to his encampment. When it was a little safer to move, I let Saria go and looked into her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

Saria nodded, then tried to shake her anxiety off.

"I'm fine," she said softly, and tried to smile.

I caressed her cheek in reassurance, before heading out to the clearing. I scanned the area and saw that the only way out was through the encampment Zant had set up through the impasse. I turned back to Saria.

"Do you know another way out of here?" I asked her.

She bit her lower lip thoughtfully.

"Unfortunately, the only other way out of here is through that pit," she told me.

I looked at her confused.

"What?" I asked flummoxed.

Saria nodded, understanding the inquiry.

"At the bottom is a tunnel that leads to a huge gorge near Kakariko," she replied. "I think this pit used to be an old well and the gorge used to be filled with water. It's the only explanation that makes sense."

I looked at her still confused.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

Saria nodded.

"I took the tunnel in Kakariko to see where it led," she stated, "it led me here."

I nodded surprised.

"Oh," I replied.

Saria looked past me to the impasse.

"What's the plan?" she asked, getting back on track.

I had to think quick.

"We have to sneak past everyone," I replied simply.

She gave me an oddball stare.

"That's it?" she asked.

I shrugged, not seeing any other way.

"What else is there?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

Saria sighed, seeing the point.

"Well, then you better let me lead the way," she said, "I know the encampment well."

I nodded.

"Alright," I said.

We headed through the impasse and stopped short when we entered the clearing. Zant's camp was a cluster of twenty or so tents surrounded by a barbwire fence. There were two lookout towers at the north and south end of the premises. In the center of the camp, surrounded by a ring of fire, was a large black and red treasure chest. I looked at the fixture as an oddity of the encampment, because it seemed out of place. About two hundred and fifty feet north of our vantage point was the exit leading back to the village of Ordon.

That's where we need to get to, I thought, knowing we had to tread softly.

Saria and I headed over a short pathway, but stopped momentarily behind the south tower when we saw Zant addressing his men.

"The prisoners have escaped," Zant was saying. "Anyone who finds and brings them back alive will get ten thousand rupees."

I felt my mouth drop after hearing that.

Ten thousand rupees? I thought in disbelief. That's incentive enough for anyone.

"It looks like this is going to be harder than we thought," I heard Saria mutter.

"Yeah," I agreed in absence.

The men in Zant's camp quickly dispersed and headed into the clearing Saria and I just retreated from. We laid low near a thicket of tied sticks as the men swarmed over the impasse.

"Let's go while they're all occupied," I whispered.

Saria nodded, then got on all fours and started crawling on the outer canthus of the backside of the tents. I followed behind her. We had to stop several times before we were at the halfway point. The tension in the air was palpable, my heart was beating at a thousand beats per second, I couldn't believe all of this was taking place in one day.

I'm sleeping in tomorrow, I pondered, trying to inject brevity in my thoughts.

Saria began crawling again after several shadows passed by heading south. We were nearly home free, when all of a sudden the entrance was barricaded. Saria halted in her tracks unsure of what to do.

"Damn it!" I heard her mutter.

"What is it?" I asked her.

She sighed and looked over her shoulder back at me.

"The exit is blocked," she whispered to me.

About twenty four men were standing watch with clubs and swords. Even with as skilled as Saria and I both were, there was no way we could take them all out and still have enough stamina to keep going.

Improvise, I thought.

"We need a distraction," I said to her.

Saria shrugged, knowing that was the case already.

"Yeah, but what?" she demanded in a low voice.

I reached for my pouch, but then realized I didn't bring it.

Crap, I thought, I need a bomb.

"Where's the artillery tent?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

Saria shook her head.

"It's on the other side," she replied, "if we move we'll be spotted and then it will all be over."

I sighed, trying to figure out how we were going remove those men before more reinforcements arrived.

What are we going to do now? I wondered.

"You wouldn't happen to have a bomb would you?" I asked, assuming it would be a futile question.

Saria turned and gave me an obvious stare, but then her face broke into a look of puzzlement.

"Wait a minute," she said lowly.

I raised my eyebrows and looked at her hopefully.

"Do you have something?" I asked.

Saria nodded.

"I might," she replied.

Saria reached into the back pocket of the pants she was wearing and pulled out a handkerchief with a tiny bag of serpentine powder. It was a combination of charcoal from willow extract, sulfur, and potassium nitrate.

It smells just like cannon residue, I thought.

"I have some propellant powder here," she divulged, "all I need is to mix it and it will cause an explosion."

I looked at her surprised.

"Why are you carrying that?" I couldn't help but ask.

Saria shrugged.

"I was living in Ordon," she said simply.

After seeing what I saw in that village, I could honestly deduce that I didn't blame her. It made plenty of sense.

I'd probably have a stock pile, I thought.

"Enough said," I replied, then crawled up next to her.

"We should probably prepare it in some kind of liquefaction," she suggested, "that way the explosion will be delayed and it won't blow up in our hands."

I nodded.

"That's a good idea," I agreed.

I looked around and saw some sodden foliage near my elbow.

"This should work," I said, picking up the wet leaves and ringing them out over the prepared mixture.

Saria then took a stick and blended the components carefully together. Once that was done, I stood up behind the tent for cover, squeezed the contents in my hand, and threw the material towards the barrage of henchmen. I immediately readied for impact, covered Saria's body with my own to protect her, and waited. Her cheeks flushed at the closeness. I smirked at her reaction.

"You still blush even when we're in danger," I joked.

She grinned back.

"I told you I can't help it," she replied.

We waited several minutes, before the sound barrier was interrupted by a loud explosion.

Bingo, I thought.

"What the hell was that?" one of the men shouted.

"A bomb!" another said.

"My clothes are on fire!" another man shouted.

"Don't just stand there you idiot!" the first man said to him. "Get on the ground and roll!"

The man finally obeyed, but soon after chaos ensued. The men around the barricade quickly dispersed and there was pandemonium everywhere. Men were running to get water, trying to help the injured, trying to save themselves, trying to report to Zant, trying not to report to Zant; it was chaos. That was the perfect opportunity for Saria and I to escape.

"Go now!" I ordered, hurrying her up with my hand at her back.

Saria quickly hurried through the middle of the mayhem virtually unseen. She accelerated when she saw the barricade, jumped over it, and then rolled into a standing position. She turned looking for me through the crowd, then waved to me when she saw me.

'Hurry up!' she mouthed to me.

I followed after Saria, secretly wishing I was shorter, my height was proving to be a hindrance. I had to hunch over and run through the crowd without really knowing where I was heading. On my way out, I bumped into a henchman.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped.

"Uh...sorry," I muttered, and tried to get past him, but he blocked my path.

"Wait a minute," he said, then his eyes got wide, "you're the prisoner!"

Saria looked at me in panic, and I immediately punched the man in his mouth. The man's cry alerted everyone's attention to me.

Great, I thought with sarcasm, then took off running.

I jumped over the barricade and grabbed Saria's hand. We sprinted toward the village. A group of men instantly started following after us. We were near the exit of Ordon when out of nowhere Zant teleported in front of us.

"Leaving so soon?" he taunted quietly.

Damn it! I thought, swallowing hard.

Saria's eyes widened and her stomach turned to knots. She squeezed my hand in nervousness.

"We just have to get past him to the bridge," she divulged to me suddenly, "he can't teleport outside of this village!"

Zant narrowed his eyes at her.

"You weren't supposed to tell anyone," he said to her with a creepy kind of indifference.

I turned and saw his henchmen starting to fill the village square.

Great, I thought sardonically, this is not going to fair well!

"Tell your men to stand down!" I demanded. "Let's just fight you and me!"

Zant just stared at me.

"If you're still on that fair non-" he started.

"We'll fight in the Twilight Realm," I interrupted. "Your turf, your rules."

Saria looked at me surprised.

"What?" she said confused.

I looked at her from my periphery.

"Trust me," I reassured.

She swallowed hard and nodded, she glanced back over at Zant. He was staring at me suspiciously.

"You want to fight in twilight just like that, huh?" he said to me with open distrust.

I nodded.

"Just like that," I repeated.

Zant stared at me hard for a few moments before finally agreeing.

"Fine," he replied, then raised his hand in the air to summon a portal.

I turned to Saria quickly.

"When you see me disappear I want you to run for the bridge," I instructed in a hurry.

Saria's eyes widened.

"What about you?" she asked worried.

"Don't worry about me," I replied, "just do as I said."

Saria bit her lower lip and nodded.

"Okay," she said a little frightened.

I tried to reassure her, and squeezed her hand affectionately.

"I'll be okay," I said, "I came here to get you you. I wouldn't just leave you."

Saria tried to smile when she heard that.

"You better be okay," she said.

I couldn't say anything else to her, because the light demarcation had taken into effect and Saria's body had transfigured into a tear drop of light. That familiar agonizing pain over took me momentarily as I was forced onto all fours and my body packed on four hundred extra pounds of muscle. My fangs curled down onto my chin and I howled loudly once the transformation was over.

It isn't so bad once you get used to it, I thought.

Zant didn't commence his stance of aku soku zan. Instead, he stood and held his sword out in front of him and commenced the stance of Istunka.

Istunka was another Hylian fighting style usually engaged with sticks. Swords were used once the style had been mastered. It was an aggressive, blunt form of fighting, and if the opposing fighter was not careful they could easily find themselves bludgeoned to death.

I, however, had other plans. I was not planning on fighting.

I just need a distraction for a moment, I thought.

I understood what Saria meant when she said Zant couldn't teleport outside of Ordon. When the light demarcation became evident it didn't pass the bridge. Zant could only teleport where there were strong gradients for twilight, and Ordon was the known central hub.

There must be others, I thought, that must be what Zant is trying to do, figure out how to spread the boundaries of the twilight to other locations.

I couldn't worry about that in its non-immediacy at the moment, but it was still important for me to know.

I hope Saria ran for it already, I thought suddenly, ready to go through with my end of the plan, I have to time this right.

Zant lunged at me and I dodged his attack, I then veered to his right and headed past him. He turned around and looked at me confused, until he realized what I was doing. I was heading for the casted light of Hyrule.

"Come back here you cowardly bastard!" Zant snapped and quickly followed after me.

I didn't turn around. I was close to the light when suddenly I saw a flash of green before my eyes. Saria had safely made it across the bridge.

I guess maybe there is some honor in Zant's men, I thought, none of them attacked Saria.

My heart accelerated at the sight of her being okay. I saw her turn around on the bridge, anxiously awaiting my reappearance. I knew she couldn't see me.

I'm coming! I thought, speeding up my pace at the sight of her. I'm coming!

However, my reverie was short lived, when out of nowhere Zant teleported in front of me right before I could cross to the other side. I halted and immediately and showed my fangs.

If it's a fight you want it's a fight you're going to get! I thought.

"It's not going to be that easy," Zant said, then broke into a creepy smile, "I'm going to bathe in your blood once this is all over."

I didn't reply, I waited for him to strike.

Zant resumed the Istunka stance.

I set my paws.

I waited.

Zant posed.

I pivoted my paws into the soil.

Zant struck.

I leapt out of his strike zone, and incised my canines into his trapezius muscle, or at least I thought it was his trapezius muscle. When I saw my attack had no effect on his anatomy, I headed past him to the bridge. Zant turned around and attempted one last mid-aerial strike. He grazed my left back leg, but not enough to stop me. I leapt out of the twilight onto the bridge. Saria's eyes grew when she saw my sudden reappearance. I quickly grabbed her hand and hurried across the bridge.

Zant looked after us heated. He wouldn't leave the demarcation of light.

"You tell Daphnes I'm going to have his head!" Zant screamed. "I'm going to have that bastard's head!"

Sure, I thought sarcastically, that brash manner runs in the family.

I held onto Saria's hand tight and ran out of Ordon and the forest for good.

You're never coming back here Saria, I thought, never.

Please write a review and tell me what you think. Chapter 17 will be out soon!