Hey, guys. I'm sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I apologize big time for that. I'll try to work on this story more often in the future to prevent a gap that goes for months.

Anyways, a lot has happened since I wrote a chapter, but I won't get into that since I know you guys probably just want to read the chapter. I don't own Legend of Zelda or Minish Cap. Enjoy!

South Hyrule Fields

Link and Ezlo made their way back to Hyrule Castle Town. On the way there, they encountered a new type of enemy. It looked like a purple orb that had propellers to keep it hovering. Ezlo called it a Peahat. Link called it annoying, especially since he could only kill them with Belari's bombs.

Ezlo noticed Link's difficulties with the Peahats and chuckled. "Tough little creatures, aren't they?"

"They certainly are," the boy grumbled. He left the Peahats behind, and walked east, past the farmlands. They soon heard the sounds of a hammer striking an anvil.

"What's making that racket?" asked Ezlo, looking from his perch on Link's head.

Link walked towards the sound. "That's probably my grandfather. He's a blacksmith for the Hyrule guards, and he makes the swords and spears for everyone at the castle." He took out his own sword and smiled. "He even made this one. It was supposed to be a prize for whoever won the swordfighting contest during the Picori festival." His face fell. "That is until Vaati came along…"

Ezlo sighed in sympathy, feeling slightly responsible. He looked at the sword. "Hm… Very nice workmanship… for a human, at any rate," he observed, hoping to cheer Link up.

It seemed to work. "That's right. He's the best smith in the kingdom." He walked towards the house, slashing through some saplings in the way. "We should probably stop by there." A thought went through the boy's head. "Hey Ezlo, is there a way for you to, well, hide your appearance? It might be awkward enough explaining why I have a new hat, let alone a talking one."

The hat considered this request. "You do bring up a good point… How about this?" Ezlo hid his head with a concealing spell. "Now if anyone looks at us, they'll only see you in a green stocking cap."

Link grinned. "Nice." He made his way to the house and opened the door. He showed the hat around.

"Nice place you have." Ezlo looked around. "So… Where's my bed?"

Link chuckled and went into the forge, where Smith was hard at work. He was currently hammering away at a sword. "Grandpa!" He shouted over the hammer.

Smith turned away from the anvil. "Link?" He smiled at the boy and gave him a hug. "You're back early! Did you find the Picori that quickly?"

Link returned the hug. "I did, Grandfather." He looked at the blacksmith. "But my journey's only just begun." He briefly explained what happened, being careful not to mention Ezlo.

Smith processed what he was told. "So you have to collect four elements to reforge the sword? In my years as the kingdom's blacksmith, I've never heard of such a procedure. Still, magic is something few of us humans are familiar with."

Link nodded, remembering how Ezlo shrunk him.

"Well, I'll help you in any way I can, lad. The king requested that I forge more weapons for the guards, but if you ever need anything, let me know. Remember, the door's always open for you."

"Thank you, Grandfather." Link went to the kitchen and resupplied on food since there wouldn't be much to eat on Mt. Crenel. He went back into the forge and hugged Smith again. "Sorry I can't stay for much longer, but Zelda needs me."

Smith nodded. "Of course. Come back whenever you need a rest. I'm glad to see that my sword has helped you in your quest. Make sure to keep taking care of it!" Link nodded, and Smith went back to the anvil.

Ezlo smiled from his perch on Link's head as they left. "Well, your grandfather seems very nice. And those weapons aren't bad, either." He looked at the sword Link carried. "Though the one you're carrying seems to be one of his best works, by the looks of it."

Link nodded and walked towards Castle Town. "It is. I actually helped him with this one."

The conversation stopped as they entered the town. A strange tune filled the air as an even stranger man walked up to him, an entourage of children following him. The music was coming from a hurdy-gurdy hanging on the man's neck. "Come one, come all! See how many Kinstones you can collect! Don't miss this once-in-lifetime opportunity!"
"Kinstones?" muttered Link.

The man saw him and walked up to him. "Hello, there! Are you here for your free Kinstone bag? They're free for all the kids right now!" He gave the boy a bag with a puzzle piece half-circle emblem on it.

"Okay, that's great and all, but what the heck is a Kinstone?" asked Link, still a little confused.

"My word, you don't know about Kinstones?!" The man was flabbergasted but recovered quickly. "Kinstones are special stones that come in pairs. When you fuse two together, it's called a Kinstone Fusion. Great happiness will come your way if you get two pieces to fit together!"

The Hurdy-Gurdy Man took out two blue Kinstone pieces and gave one to Link. He suddenly saw what looked like a cloud with a heart in it over the man's head. "What the-?"

"Whenever you see that cloud over someone's head, that means that you have a matching Kinstone piece, and can fuse it with whoever has the other half. Let's fuse them now."

Link and the Hurdy-Gurdy man brought their pieces together. They fit perfectly, and the fused Kinstone disappeared in a flash of blue light, vanishing into parts unknown. "Okay, so what happens now?" asked Link.

The Hurdy-Gurdy man pulled out a map of the region. He pointed out a mark that looked like it was recently added to the map. "Go to that area, and you'll find your happiness!" Link copied the mark on his map, noting that it was close to his home in South Hyrule Fields.

The Hurdy-Gurdy man left with his following of children. "Well, should we check out this mark and see if Kinstone fusing is all it's cracked up to be?" asked Link. Ezlo said they should, and so they went to investigate.

They arrived at a tree that had been covered with thorny vines. However, those vines were now gone, revealing a small entrance into the tree. Inside was a small chest. Link opened it, and pulled out a heart-shaped gem, not unlike one of the lottery prizes from the Picori Festival. Ezlo called it a Heart Piece, and that collecting four would strengthen his stamina. "Of course, it's rare to find them, so I wouldn't put all my energy in searching for them. It's best to build up your strength the old-fashioned way, in my opinion."

Link collected the Heart Piece anyways. "I agree with you, Ezlo. A jewel that magically enhances your stamina sounds too easy. That being said, every little bit against Vaati helps."

He walked back into town, avoiding the Octoroks that respawned. "You know, that guy didn't really explain how to find these Kinstones."
"It's pretty simple, my boy. The Minish hide them everywhere. Look in bushes, cut the grass, break some pots… even some monsters drop Kinstones when slain."

Link nodded, then checked his map. "Let's see… We'll need to go west, past the Trilby Highlands. Then we climb up Death Mountain itself."

Ezlo grunted an affirmative. "Then let's go, boy!"

Link smiled and put the map away as he walked to the west side of Hyrule Town. However, his progress was cut short by a guard who stood in front of the exit. "Halt! No one may leave through this side of town!"

"What?!" Link protested, a tic mark appearing on his head. "What gives?!"

"There are many dangerous monsters about this way!"

Ezlo, hidden in his stocking cap guise, mumbled, "News flash, they're everywhere."

"Just because you have a shield and sword doesn't mean you'll be safe! I can't let you go out there alone! Not until you learn some sword techniques," the guard continued, not hearing Ezlo's comment.

Link walked away from the guard, very annoyed. Ezlo glanced at him, concerned. "Well, what do you suppose we should do now, boy? I know very little of swordplay, and even if I did, I couldn't possibly show you in my… condition."

The boy smiled. "Fortunately, there's someone here who can." He walked to the south of town and looked up at a building that had the appearance of a dojo. "He lives here."

Link walked into the building and opened the door. A man sat on his knees in the back of the room with his eyes closed. He had light blonde hair and wore a blue robe, and when Link entered, his blue eyes focused on the young hero. "Ah, hello, Link. It's nice to see you again."

Link bowed to the man. "Master Swiftblade." He sat across from the swordsman.

Swiftblade looked into his eyes. "Hm… You seem troubled. Tell me, what ails you, my young friend?"

Link gave him an abbreviated account of his travels, not mentioning Ezlo because it might cause more questions than needed, especially since he didn't have answers for them. "So in short, I need to go to Mt. Crenel, and I can't do that unless I've learned a sword technique."

The swordsman nodded. "I see…" He got up from the floor. "The monsters that just appeared to the west are no laughing matter, young one. However, I do know of a technique that may help you on your quest. It's called… the Spin Attack." He gestured to Link. "Please, take out your sword."

The boy stood up and drew his sword. "Now, I want you to focus your energy on your sword. When it gets high enough, spin it around! That's all there is to it."

Link did as he was instructed, and as he focused, he could have sworn that some sort of energy was emanating from the sword. He spun it around, and Swiftblade smiled approvingly. "Excellent! Now, do it again."

The boy repeated the action at Swiftblade's request, making sure that he had the technique down. The swordsman nodded in satisfaction. "Very good." He gave Link a tiger scroll that that described how to do a Spin Attack. "Just in case you forget. I have a feeling you will need to learn more techniques in your journey, so come back here after you can run as swift as the wind."

Link bowed again after putting the scroll away. "Thank you, Master Swiftblade." As he exited the dojo and headed back to the guard blocking the way to the Trilby Highlands, he couldn't help but wonder what Swiftblade meant by coming back after he could run as swift as the wind. He mentally shrugged, thinking that a solution would reveal itself in due time.

The guard, recognizing the young boy that approached him again, took a position in front of the gate. "So you're back, huh? Have you learned any techniques, boy?"

"Just one. The Spin Attack." Link took out his sword and demonstrated the sword technique.

The guard put a hand to his head in thought. "Hm… Well, it's still dangerous, but maybe you can handle it." He stepped out of the way. "Alright, you may go ahead. But promise me you won't get killed. It would look very bad on my report."

Link smirked and nodded. "Don't worry, I don't plan on dying." He walked through the gate, relieved that this errand was done with.

"Now all we have to do is climb Mt. Crenel, see the Minish blacksmith, get the Fire Element, and maybe even get the Picori Blade fixed," said Ezlo. "What could possibly go wrong?"

Okay, I realize I may have gotten a little detailed about the Kinstone fusing process, but I just wanted to get it out of the way. And I know that some people may be thinking, "But Thrawn92, why isn't Swiftblade going to teach Link the 'Pot Breaker' skill?" Well, it's a very simple skill, and I don't think it would be that interesting to write about.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and for the readers who've stuck around patiently... thank you. I mean seriously, thank you. Leave a review, and I'll see you next time!