Summary: After the attack on her castle, Zelda manages to escape, half dead. Found by Link in the wild, she is taken care of, but when fate plays its harsh hand once more, the princess must do everything in her power to aid the hero, recover her kingdom, and maybe fall in love. AU Twilight Princess.

Please read or review, or criticize, whichever comes first. Flames are not accepted, frowned upon, and possibly deleted.

Also remember, that this story is not a walkthrough, and that Zelda and its characters do not belong to me.

The important thing about a problem is not its solution, but the strength we gain in finding the solution.

-Unknown

-Chapter 9-

-Some Lavaland, Too Much Trouble-

"This place…is very hot," Link muttered as he removed some sweat from his brow. Behind him, sitting on the hilt of the Ordon Sword, Shannon flapped her wings in order to cool not only herself but the hero as well, or at least it seemed.

"Well, what did you expect?" asked Midna from within the hero's shadow. "We are inside of a volcano, after all." Link couldn't help but nod, as he and Shannon made their way into the Goron Mines. Lava was acting as a river nearby, and even some of that dangerous liquid raised up from the lava river to hit any wondering idiot that dared to cross above its burning waters. Link gulped nervously as he saw the lava before him, for this was the first time he had seen something like this before.

Living in a place where there was no such a thing as a volcano, Link felt tempted to leave as soon as he saw the river of red water, but, then he remembered that it was he gave his word to Gor Coron to help the patriarch of the Gorons, and he wasn't about to give up now. Taking deep breath, and looking down at his feet(already free from the Iron Boots, thanks to Midna), Link took off, Shannon already in the air, following closely behind in case he needed a wing or two.

Link had to jump on many rock platforms in order to cross the lava river, and almost fell down to such a river, had not Shannon giving him a good boost by grabbing her with her talons by his tunic. "Idiot…" Midna whispered, silently. And for once, Link agreed with her, despite the insult. He really had been an idiot. Taking another deep breath, this one to make his heart stop beating, Link examined his location. Lava came out from every single direction, acting as Lake Hylia acted upon the Zora home. Just how exactly do they manage with all this lava around? Link thought, as he spotted a tunnel nearby. …guess it never hurts to look…much…

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Link never wondered how things could get bad, really fast. In fact, Link had run around this whole mine, running into all monsters of the sort, and to collect the key shards from the Goron Elders that were scattered somewhere around the mines. As of now, Link had run-ins with over twenty or so Bulblins—how the heck did they get in? The hero wondered—some strange monsters that came out from the lava to shoot balls of fire to Link, which he easily managed to avoid had he not forgotten he still carried the Ordon Shield with him, which could easily be burned to the ground. He also had met some unfriendly group of flaming bats that Shannon had easily taken care of by flapping her large wings at them to extinguish the flames they were covered in, before Link went in to attack them with his sword. He even ran into fire breathing Dodongos, who he carefully avoided, and at times, defeated with a little luck and fast feet.

However, running into monsters came with a price, and Link's green tunic had many holes on it, and some blood from his unlucky encounters with the Bulblins, and those other monsters. Shannon, too, had not been so lucky. She carried two cuts near in her chest, and some burned out feathers, courtesy of a pair of blade-wielding Bulblins and a Dodongo respectively, but other than that, she was alright (she seemed a little toughen up by all of this, but Link still had to argue to check her wounds). Traveling through the Goron Mines was certainly not a safe trip, especially when Link had to use his Iron Boots to go upside down and the sort; something neither him nor Midna, who had the bad luck of being inside of his shadow, didn't enjoy the least. During some of the most awful parts of this little dungeon, Midna had suggested that Shannon go alone for the rest of the trip. "If we are going to go upside down in every single part of this mines," Midna had told him. "might as well let bird brain finish the place. We just sit back and enjoy our tan, or something…" Of course, Link objected, and now, they were back running, fighting, and going upside down.

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Link was actually very grateful when the platform he was on, stopped turning around now that it was in place. Removing his Iron Boots quickly, with the help of Midna, he made his way quickly towards a close door. He quickly opened it, and was greeted by an old Goron, even older than Coron himself. The Goron bowed to the young man, as he made his way towards him. "Oh…Ah…the young human…I am pleased to see you make it this far, Brudda…" the old Goron told him, and Link noticed that he had trouble saying the word, 'brother'. "I am one of the four elders of the Goron tribe. I am called Gor Ebizo…" Ebizo extended a shaking hand to Link, who shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Ah…it is good to see that Coron has found a worthy warrior to send to our patriarch's aid…" Ebizo turned around for a moment, before he faced Link again, this time, holding a piece of something in his hand. The hero seemed to recognize it as the shard of the key he needed to get to Darbus's chamber. "Here, take this, Brudda…" Ebizo said, giving the key shard to Link, who thanked him in kind. "Now...There is one more shard," Ebizo explained, looking at Link, as the latter put the key away, with the help of Midna. "Seeing you has reminded me of the dangers that line the path to it...There is something that may help you... A weapon said to have been left in this mine by a hero of old." The old Goron told him.

"A weapon?" Ebizo nodded.

"That weapon has no price…and so we have protected it throughout generations…of course…but, now that our tribe balances on the brink of ruin, it could aid in our salvation…"

"But, are you sure I should just take it like that?" Link asked him. Ebizo nodded.

"You have my blessings, and those of the tribe to take it, Brudda…talk to the guard that guards that sacred treasure…and take it with you…I believe having this weapon with you, will have give you the strength that you need…Please, take the hero's weapon and head deeper into the mines as quick as possible."

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Zelda didn't know who to feel more sorry for, either for the Gorons, or for Link, who having just entered a new room, was facing an all new dilemma. Another friendly Goron to take care off.

He had only taken a couple of steps into the room, before he had alerted a tall, armored Goron, far bigger than any of the other Gorons he had seen. Link and Zelda, who rested on top of the hilt of his sword, were a good distance away from the armored Goron, before he spoke, surprised by Link's presence, and ignoring Zelda completely. "Whoa…Human!" he cried, shaking his large boulder fists. "What business does a human have coming here! NONE! No business!" He cried, his voice heated by the lava below them.

"Well, I…I-" Link tried to explained, but the Goron brushed whatever he was going to say aside, and cried out,

"This is a forbidden place! I will protect this treasure from you!"

"But, I…!"

Too late. The Goron didn't hear anything else from Link, as he jumped, quite high towards the platform that Link was standing on. Both Link and Zelda were shocked by a moment, before the Goron's large body crashed against the platform. Link barely managed to keep his ground, as the platform fell to the lava river below, the chains broken by the Goron's weight. Zelda managed to yelp in surprise, and quickly left Link's side. She landed near a rocky ledge, looking worriedly back at Link, who barely managed to keep his footing on the platform, that was already being moved by the lava below. "Whoa!"

"I'm Dangoro!" The Goron cried, raising his fists in the air. "See if you can get past me!" Dangoro began to walk towards Link, causing the platform in where they were standing on move a little. Link almost lost his footing again.

"Use your boots, idiot!" Midna cried from within his shadow. At first, Link glanced curiously back at his shadow, then he noticed it. That blue surface covered all of the platform, and then, he nodded. With Midna's help, Link put on his boots, and slowly walked towards where Dangoro stood, already raising a fist to hit the coming human. Taking out his sword, and mentally asking for forgiveness, Link slashed the Goron in the stomach, whose part was free of armor. The hits hardly seemed to affect him, as Dangoro was basically made of stone.

Dangoro, on his part, groaned in frustration, and decided to try a different approach. He curled himself up into a ball, almost crushing Link in the process had not the hero rolled away. Oh, dear! Zelda cried in worry, as Link rolled away again before he was crushed by Dangoro's body. …please…be more careful, Link…The hawk princess sent a million of prayers to the gods for them to protect the hero, that with risky strength, managed to grab the large Goron with his two hands, and throw him to the side.

"AARRGGHH!" Dangoro cried, barely managing to hold himself from falling to the lava below. The Goron glared at Link, and began to charge another roll, determined to not fall for the same trick all over again. Zelda flinched when Link was hit and thrown to the ground by Dangoro, who only roared in laughter. "Take that!"

"Ouch…that hurt," Link mumbled, before he got up again. Zelda gave a cry to warn him, and the hero quickly rolled out of the way, as Dangoro made his way towards him. The Goron uncurled himself, and was ready to attack the hero again, but Link was quicker, and sent a good set of hits with his sword. Dangoro growled at this, and curled himself once more to charge and crush Link. The hero braced himself, and managed to catch the Goron on his tracks. With a swift throw, Link was able to sent the Goron down the platform, much to his shock.

The shock was short lived, however, as the Goron was sent up by the geysers in the lava, crying out in pain as the lava hit his stone body. One geyser was big enough, to send the Goron back to the platform. Link had to move out of the way before the Goron crushed him. Dangoro shook his head in pain, as the helmet he wore fell off, and looked back at Link, a tired expression on his face. "Ugh…that hurt…a lot. Who knew that humans were capable of such feats of strength?" Link was about to explain to him what he was doing here, when Dangoro caught him off. "Uh…are you maybe going to see the patriarch of our tribe?"

"Yes, well I was-"

"AH!" Dangoro cried, quickly standing up, and clapping both hands, a happy smile on his face. "So THAT is why you are here! In that case, you can go and take the weapon of the Hero!"

"Umm…tha-" But the talkative Goron quickly caught him off, talking once more.

"But in exchange, you must promise to help the patriarch of our tribe!" Link nodded.

"Well, I was go-"

"Wonderful!" cried Dangoro, interrupting the hero again. Link tried his best to hide a frown, for the Goron had not even let him talk one bit. Zelda laughed mentally, and wasn't the least surprised that Midna was laughing as well. "With skills like yours, even the patriarch can be brought to his senses!"

"Um….thanks for the-"

"But, I've hold you back enough as it is!" Dangoro interrupted again, causing Link to sigh. "Go on and get the legendary weapon and save our patriarch!" Link didn't even bothered to speak this time around, and quickly nodded.

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Getting the legendary weapon had not been any problem at all for Link, at least, for the moment. This so-called legendary weapon had turned out to be only a bow, with a quiver nearby. Midna had actually wondered how was it that this old piece of crap—her exact words—could be considered legendary. Link couldn't argue with her, however, but he believed that it was legendary for a reason, besides, it was still in good condition to be used, even after all those years inside of that chest. The bow had proved to be very useful to Link, as he managed to defeat strange pillar like monsters that guarded the way to the last Goron Elder's room.

With a little trouble, Link managed to free himself of any foes, and get into the Goron Elder's room, with Shannon accompanying him. This Goron was very different from the others, with darker skin, and had more decorative tattoos than the previous Gorons that Link had met. The elder quickly got up from sitting position and argued Link to come in. "Ah! You are here at last!" The Goron told him, smiling brightly. "I heard that you might pay a visit, young human…I am farsighted in all things…I suppose you had some trouble coming here?" Link thought back on his battle with Dangoro, and shrugged.

"Nothing I couldn't handle, really."

"Well, that is good to hear…My name is Gor Liggs, and as you may have guessed by now, I am one of the Goron Elders. Here you go…" Liggs was quick to give Link the remainder piece of the key to open the chamber where Darbus was kept. With the help from Liggs, Link was able to complete the key. The hero examined the key calmly, before Liggs spoke again. "Use that completed key to enter the place where Darbus is held…however, I must warn you to be weary, who knows how powerful Darbus is in his new grotesque form…" Liggs shuddered, as he thought back on the past.

"Don't worry," Link quickly told him, putting the key away. "I'll help him out." Liggs gave him a grateful nod, and stared back at him as the hero and his companion hawk made their way out of the room.

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Getting to the chamber that held the patriarch of the Gorons had not been a very easy task for neither Link nor Shannon. Figuring more puzzles out, Link and his hawk friend where able to enter the a room that led straight to the place where Darbus was kept. Unfortunately, many Bulblins were already guarding the place, shooting flaming arrows at Link like no tomorrow, but thanks to Shannon and surprisingly Midna, the young hero was able to come out alive from the rampage of arrows, clubs, and swords.

Link took a deep breath as he prepared to put the key in, Shannon watching on. "Hurry up, don't leave us in suspense," Midna told him, making the hero glare at her for a moment before he began to stir the key in the keyhole. At first, nothing happened, but then, the doors leading to the chamber opened, quickly releasing from their bonds to open up before the hero. Taking another deep breath, Link stepped into the new room, followed closely behind by Shannon. They were led through a dark tunnel, before they saw the light at the end. Once they got inside the chamber, the door quickly closed behind them. Link glanced back once, before he began to walk towards the rather warm chamber. He gasped at what he saw standing before him, chained.

It was a tall humanoid, with dark skin, he was held down by chains that were tied around its feet and hands. "Is…this?" Link asked, walking slowly towards the huge figure before him, with Shannon seated on the hilt of his sword, also looking at the figure before them curiously.

"…yeah. This must be that patriarch…I think…" Midna murmured. Link didn't say anything, as he approached the supposed patriarch of the Gorons. Once in front of said creature, Link examined it, it appeared to be in some sort of deep sleep, calmly breathing, in and out. As it continued to sleep, something on its forehead began to glow, catching Link's attention, as well as the hawk behind him. The light on its forehead became brighter, and brighter, until, its eyes snapped open. As soon as his red eyes were opened, it turned its attention to Link, and began to roar, scaring Shannon a little. The hero backed away a little, already getting out his sword and shield, with the hawk standing near him. The beast continued to roared, but when it noticed that it couldn't grab Link and crush him with its two hands, it began to move. Noticing its hands chained, it gave a loud roared, before fire sprouted from its body, making both Link and Shannon jump. With brute strength and fire, the creature pulled its chains and freed its arms and legs. "…he looks…radiant…" Midna murmured when the creature roared one more time to Link.

"Yeah…real radiant…" Link murmured and moved out of the way, before the creature hit him with the chain. Shannon was in the air almost immediately, trying to look for a weak spot. The creature noticed her, however, and sent a punch her way. Shannon moved out of the way before she could get hit. "Shannon! BACK OFF!" Link ordered. The hawk gave an indignant cry, but realized that Link only meant good, and flew as far away from the beast as possible.

Seeing that the bird was no longer going to disturb it, the beast quickly made turned its attention back to Link, who had his shield and sword up, tried to look for a way to hit the beast. Another roared made the room shake, and Link was hit by a chain. The hero fell face down, groaning in pain. Another loud cry filled the air, and Link quickly rolled out of the way, evading a chain that almost got him on the back. "Hey!" Midna's voice called from within his shadows. "Look! I think that bird brain found that thing's weak spot!" Looking up, Link watched as Shannon buried her beak on the strange gem that was glowing dark red, the same one that seemed to have awaken the patriarch beast in the first place. The beast cried in pain, and began to grab its head, as if dizzy. However, the beast's dizziness didn't last long, and before Link could take out his bow and arrows, the beast quickly punched the hawk, throwing her to the floor.

"Shannon!" Link cried, going over to aid his fallen friend. Before he could get any farther, however, the beast sent a chain his way, which Link easily dodged. On the ground, not too far away, Shannon shook the pain away, and took to the air again. She went towards the beast, and hit it once more in its weak spot. Link didn't waste a minute, and quickly aimed the arrow at the gem. A loud roar was heard, before the beast collapsed to its knees.

"Now, hit it!" Link raised his sword in the air, as he charged against the beast. He gave the gem good slashes, but still, it remained shining on top of its head. The beast quickly got up, almost sending Link to the air with Shannon. Having found its weak spot, Link ran around the room as far away from the beast. The beast, not having a clue of what the hero was planning, slowly made its way towards him, not taking Shannon in mind, as it had a new enemy: Link.

Taking aim with his bow, the hero calmly let the arrow fly. It missed its target the first time, and the beast was too close now for him to shoot another arrow. Link managed to evade another chain attack, but he didn't count on a second attack. Taking a deep breath, the beast nearby seem to explode, sending a parade of flames towards Link. The hero quickly took out his shield, but grimaced when he realized his stupid mistake. While the flames were in some way stopped by his Ordon Shield, Link was forced to throw it to the ground, for fear of burning his arm and some parts of his tunic. "You okay?" Midna asked him, sounding a little bit worried.

"Well, I'm still raw…" Link muttered, rolling out of the way before another chain crushed him. Running away from another chain attack, Link took his position in a far end of the room, and took aim. He looked back at Shannon, who was trying in vain to distract the monster…then, Link had an idea. "Shannon!" He cried, hoping the hawk could hear him. "Try to hit him, and then, come over here!" The hawk turned to face him, and nodded, and quickly charged towards the beast. Not bothering to pay attention to the hawk, the beast was about to hit Link again, when Shannon slammed her beak against the gem, causing a roar to emanate from said beast. The beast tried to hit Shannon while it was still dizzy, only to feel another sharp object crash against its weak spot. With another roar, the beast fell to its knees once again, and Link was up and running towards it. Another good swings from Link's sword, were enough to destroy half of the gem upon the beast's forehead.

Roaring again, the beast quickly got up, and caught Link by surprise, crashing its chain on Link's body. Link cried in pain, as he crashed against a nearby pillar. Shannon cried out in pain, too, as she was hit by a chain. She crashed nearby, and shook the pain away, and quickly flew up close to Link, but even though she was still flying, her exhaustion was evident by her slower than usual pace in flying.

The hero quickly got up, and both hawk and hero glanced at each other, and then, moved out of the way before another chain attack from the beast. Link took this as an opportunity, and quickly grabbed his bow and an arrow. A deep breath, he let the arrow fly, which hit the raging monster right on the spot. The beast tumbled a little, before another arrow got it straight in the gem, making him drop down to its knees, roaring in pain. Sword in a bloody hand, Link quickly ran towards the beast, slashing as fast as he could, before the beast could get up again. After a couple of slashes, the huge beast gave a roar, this time it was engulfed in pain. The fire that had surrounded the evil being was gone, leaving its body bare. It fell to the ground, face down, and then, its skin began to break, along with the red gem on its forehead. Touching its head in pain, the beast let out a loud roar, that forced Link to back away. Then, his sight was blinding by a red light.

Link covered his eyes as he moved away, and then, he took a peek at what was happening to the creature. Still roaring in pain, the creature only looked at Link once before something on top of its head blew up. His whole body turn darker in color, and then, its skin was ripping away from its body. The dark skin broke into a million of shadow particles, and the creature grew smaller in size, the dark skin became lighter, and on the beast's place stood a large Goron, a bit similar in size to Dangoro. Looking up at the particles of darkness that floated in the air, Link watched on in amazement as they decided to come together, and the hero braced himself, as if expecting a new fight to take place. Instead, the particles form a rather familiar object. "…a fused shadow…" Link breathed. From his shadow, Midna quickly appeared, grabbing the Fused Shadow with her strange hair.

"Eee hee hee! Well done!" Midna told him, giving him a grin. "Now we have two of them…"

"Lucky us," Link murmured as he looked worriedly at the fallen Goron before him. Shannon was nearby, examining the unconscious Goron, only glancing at Link once or twice as he and Midna spoke.

"Hmm…I wouldn't worry too much about him," Midna suddenly called, catching Link's attention. "He's just knocked out, no big deal."

"So…now you have a second Fused Shadow, right? So, what are they?"

"Well, maybe I'll tell you, you have been very helpful so far, so as a reward, I'll tell you an interesting story." She turned to face Shannon, the hawk was still looking worriedly at the Goron. "Zant." She told him, catching not only the hero, but Shannon's attention as well.

"Zant? Who's that?" Midna turned to face him, a frown on her face.

"That's the name of the King of Darkness who cast this pall of shadows over your world. And he's the one that killed your princess, too." Link only gaped at her. So, this Zant person…he killed the princess, and began to cause trouble and turn his life upside down…that Zant. "He's very strong. You would be nothing to him in your current state…but, he would never be my king! I have nothing but scorn for his supposed strength…"

"So, you hate this guy?" Link asked her, and Midna barely shrugged.

"Depends on your point of view…now, let's get out of here, before he," she pointed a small finger at the unconscious Goron nearby. "decides to wake up and be friendly." Link nodded, and called Shannon to him. The hawk looked back at the Goron for one final time, before she went over to Link's side, Midna already hidden within the hero's shadow.

Zelda sighed in relief when she and Link were out of the mines. The hawk princess could feel everything in her body ache, but at least, she knew why Link and Midna looked all over the place for this Fused Shadows, evil artifacts capable of corrupting even the purest of hearts. And…they thought the princess was dead! Just how much did this imp knew, anyway…Zelda didn't know why, but she began to think that Midna knew more than she led on, but that she was a good person at heart, even if she criticized Link and the hawk princess once in a while. But still…she found it quite odd. If Zant was her supposed ruler—not by her choice, however—then that meant that Midna was one of those shadows. Her intentions, whether pure or not, were still debatable. Zelda only hoped her thoughts of Midna held truth.

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After receiving a warm thank you from the Gorons, with Dangoro interrupting Link three or four times, Gor Coron and the other elders decided to open their arms to Kakariko, and were shocked to find what it had happened to their village while they were hold up with their own problems. Coron gave Link his word that the Gorons would protect the village on his name, and wished him good luck on his journey.

Now, both man and beast, were walking slowly back to the village, with Link rubbing his bruised arms. Zelda rested upon the hilt of his sword, also trying to relieve herself of the pain she felt upon her wings and chest. Getting hit by a chain wasn't exactly nice. "Well, I suppose we better go ask that spirit where the next Fused Shadow is," Midna told Link from within his shadow.

"Alright then…man…that guy…he was rough!"

"Rough and bothersome," the imp told him. "At least we don't have to worry about him, anymore…the mountain is okay, and we are on our way. Although, I would suggest you get yourself a new shield, or something to defend yourself with…you know, after that guy burned out your shield and all…"

"…don't remind me…my arm still hurts…"

"Yep. You must still be raw, then! Hee hee!" Zelda mentally smiled, as Link and Midna continued on with their little argument. She then sighed, looking down at the ground, guilt overriding her once more. If only she had…

"Hoy! Shannon!" The hawk princess suddenly looked up, and spotted the familiar raven flying towards her. Kaepora Gaebora landed nearby, nodding his head at Zelda.

"Kaepora!" Zelda quickly went to greet the raven, leaving her place upon the hilt. Link glanced behind him, and scratched himself in the back of the head, as he saw his hawk and a raven together.

"Hmm?" Zelda and the raven paid him no mind, however, and Midna told Link that she was probably exchanging bird tips or something.

"It's good to see you around, lady hawk!" Kaepora Gaebora told her, spreading his wings. "It would seem the mountain no longer spits fire, and the air is finally clean of evil…you and that warrior did a good job!"

"It was actually Link that did most of the work," Zelda admitted shyly. Kaepora Gaebora shook his head, chuckling.

"Really, then…well, I have some sad news for you, I fear…" The raven told her, glancing up to see Link staring back at them, an eyebrow raised.

"Sad news?"

"Yes…it seems that the sea is now plagued by evil…"

"The sea? Do you mean…Lake Hylia, the home of the…water people?" Kaepora Gaebora nodded.

"Yes. It would appear that the water is cooling…the lake is dying…"

"Dying? But…how?"

"I cannot tell you, however…evil plagues that land, and harsh winds touch the air. It is not stench like the one that circled around the rock dwellers home…it is different…even I cannot tell you, for I can no longer enter its home…" Zelda seemed to understand what the raven meant, and nodded. "Be wary, little hawk…and I hope the warrior can help the people of the water…for something…something strange is killing the waters…a bitter wind blows from their home… " Zelda nodded once more, and then, turned to face Link, who was waiting patiently for her to finish her conversation.

"I will heed your advice, thank you!" she called back.

"Think nothing of it." Kaepora Gaebora told her, and then, winked before he took off in the air. Zelda turned to face Link, who was looking at her oddly.

"…so, anything interesting you wanna talk about?"

"…that would be a little tad difficult to explain, Link…"

Especially…when I can hardly communicate with you myself…

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Link calmly walked towards the village, looking around for any shop, if there was any, to buy himself a new shield. He still was a bit far away from the spring, and Midna herself wasn't in such a hurry, but still, he fasten his pace. Shannon was resting on his sword's hilt, with her eyes closed, as if sleeping. The hero actually was wondering what she and that raven had been talking about, but he realized he would have to wait until he had a tail and fur again to question her. From what he had seen, their conversation seemed quite serious.

He finally spotted a nearby shop, and went to knock on the door, seeing if anyone was there. "Enter…" came a rather familiar voice. Link at first, puzzled, almost hesitated to open the door, but then, he remembered he needed the shield to survive, so he went in. What greeted him was a rather small child, the younger brother of Talo…Malo.

"MALO?" Link cried out in disbelief. Malo barley shrugged, and wave a small hand.

"Hey…" he told him, glancing a little at the group of merchandise nearby a table. In the middle of that merchandise, there was a shield. Malo noticed Link looking at the shield, and glared back at him. "You can look at stuff, but don't you DARE just take things…that's my valuable merchandise."

"Yours?" the hero asked the small boy. Malo only ignored the question.

"You want it, you pay for it…I decided to take this unnamed shop…buy something…it helps this whole village if you do…"

"Oh…I see…" Link said, understanding, although still he found it odd that such a young kid was running a shop. He quickly pointed at the metal shield lying nearby. "I want that shield, please…" Malo looked at the shield, and then back at the hero.

"Hylian Shield…two-hundred rupees…"

"TWO-HUNDRED RUPEES?" Link cried in disbelief, waking the small hawk on top of the hilt. The bird blinked a bit, before she looked lazily back at the young boy. Malo barely took noticed, and shrugged.

"Yeah, take it or leave it."

"….can you at least…give me some sort of discount? You know, as friends?" Malo shook his head.

"Nope." Link stood silent for a while, before he glared at the kid before him.

"…You're the worst."

"Yeah, I know. Now, take it or leave it."