"He's not moving."

Link stared in horror down at the dead soldier slumped by his feet. Navi hovered beside him, obviously as shocked as he was. He had wanted to go to the Lost Woods one last time. He had wanted to go see Malon and relax at the ranch for a little while. He had wanted, he had wanted, he had wanted…

But all thoughts of doing anything else had shot out of his mind as he had stumbled upon the bloodied, dying soldier in the back alleys of Castle Town market. He was rooted to the spot, unable to make the physical connection between his brain and his legs.

"Link, we need to go," Navi said in a tattered whisper.

A volt seemed to run through him and his feet finally picked themselves up. He was suddenly running. He careened through the marketplace, brushing past people who didn't give him a second glance, tripping over dogs and cuccos, bumping into plant-holders so hard he knew he'd have bruises later. He ran… away from the dying soldier, away from the look in Zelda's eyes as she flung the mystical ocarina back through the air towards him, away from the unveiled evil in Ganondorf's prodding, away from the knowledge that there was a great chance that everything he knew as true and real was coming apart at the seams.

Link stumbled up the stairs towards the Temple of Time. The courtyard was held in a stony silence. To the left was the huge, dark outline of Death Mountain. The temple was made of a regal stone and a line of obelisks stood facing the stairs, their gaze unnerving. Link walked up the stairs of the temple, panting.

He paused before he put a hand on the handle to open the door. He pulled his hat from his head and ran a hand through his hair. He gripped the thick green fabric in clenched fists. His breathing was stilted.

He was scared; unsure of what he would find behind the heavy iron door. He had been scared for the past six months, though. Each dungeon he faced held a brand new kind of terror and he had the scars to prove it.

Link placed the hat back on his head. His face was a cold, stone mask and he gripped the handle firmly before throwing the door open.

The temple echoed eerily. As he moved through the thick, stifling air of the temple, voices seemed to hum in the background. He swallowed hard and ignored the feeling of something watching him. There was a pedestal, empty and wanting, and a large stone door behind it.

"The spiritual stones," Navi said, her voice reverberating through the high chamber. "You need to put them here."

Link reached into the pouch he'd collected the stones in. They shown, bright and heavy, in his hand. He carefully placed the Kokiri Emerald in the first slot. There was a bright, sudden beam of light that he shrunk away from and the haunting tones rose slightly, then dulled once more. He blinked away the painful brightness, then put the Goron Ruby in place as well. This time he was prepared for the beam and the overwhelming song that washed over him. Finally, he set the Zora Sapphire in the last slot. The light that shone this time was blinding and he shielded his eyes from it and the voices were so loud it hurt his ears.

It went silent all at once, not even the slightest breath of noise swept through the chamber. It took awhile to adjust to the change in light again. He looked at his fairy.



"What now?" he asked, whispering.

Navi, too, whispered, "The Ocarina of Time. Play the song Zelda taught you."

Link nodded, a little dumbfounded by the sparkling, floating crystals. He pulled out the mystical instrument and brought it to lips. As he struck the notes, the voices came back, joining him in the deep, melodic song. By the time he had struck the last note, the music was so powerful it washed over him like a wave and grew, splashing upwards, towards the ceiling. The stone door before him began to slide open and the voices swirled round the chamber until they were overbearing. As the door locked in place, the sound diminished.

Link climbed the steps towards the antechamber in awe, his brain not able to truly comprehend what had just happened. He slowly stepped through the doorway and paused. There was only one thing in the room. On a raised platform stood a pedestal with a magnificent sword stuck in it. Navi beside him gasped.

"Is that…?" she paused and flew over to it, circling around it. "…the Master Sword? The legendary blade of Hyrule." Her voice was awed. She flew back towards Link and he swallowed hard.

He walked up to the blade, climbing the shallow steps slowly. He looked over the beautiful sword trapped in the stone before him.

"I guess there's only one thing to do," he said, his voice swirling around the chamber eerily.

"What?" Navi asked, still transfixed.

"Pull it out."

And with that he stepped forward, gripped the handle firmly, and pulled upwards with a grunt of effort. He thought the blade would be stuck tight, but it slipped out of the stone easily, like it was slicing through butter, not stone. He held the heavy blade up in the air.

From around him a blue-white beam shot into the air, enclosing him. He gasped, suddenly unable to breathe. His head became light, his thinking unclear. From behind him there was a sinister chuckle.

With the last of his strength, Link wheeled around and there, standing in the doorway, was a smirking Ganondorf.

"I knew you'd have the key, kid," Ganon said with an evil grin. "Thanks for leading the way. Now, with the Triforce in my hands, I will rule all of Hyrule. Hell, I'll rule the world!"

Link opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't. He tried to move forward, the heavy sword still clasped in his ever-weakening hand. He took a step, stumbled, and all at once fell face-forward on the stone steps. Ganondorf threw his head back and laughed cruelly. Link's eyes opened, closed, opened… his vision swam painfully… And then there was nothing.

Nothing but blackness.