Disclaimer: All I wanted for Christmas was to own The Legend of Zelda. That's ALL I wanted! But did they give it to me?... NO! So I still don't own it!

Author's Note: Hello, peoples! I'm sorry I haven't updated this one for a while. Life has been pretty busy lately. But hey, I finally posted up another chapter! My new year resolution is to try and get these chapters down and my other stories down faster. It might take some time, but it's worth a shot. Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter seems kinda slow, I had to put this in here. We shall have more climbing action later on. And you'll be happy about this, I didn't put a cliff hanger in this chapter. Wow, that's 3 chapters in a row. Must... put... cliff hanger... in... next... chapter! BEWARE! Anyways, please enjoy!

Ch. 2 – Distressing Encounters

The night air was peaceful. The only sounds to break it were the occasional melodic chirps of a cricket, or the beating of wings as a bird took flight from a nearby tree. Of what could be seen from beneath the trees that shaded the Sacred Grove, there was not a cloud in the sky. Stars shone like small scattered diamonds upon the land of Hyrule.

This atmosphere was not what Link had expected as he cautiously made his way through the shadows.

Sure, he wouldn't have felt so tense if Shad had come to the Grove earlier that day. But as he left the castle, Link found out that Shad had been missing for two days.

With sword in hand, Link silently made his way through the woods, ready for any unexpected attacks.

No enemies lurked in the shadows as Link approached the ruins of the Temple of Time. His feral eyes scanned the area. Not a soul was in sight.

"Shad?" Link's call echoed into the night, breaking the silence for a moment. He thought maybe Shad was hiding from him, believing him to be an enemy. He believed if the researcher knew it was a friend, he might show himself. No answer.

Link's brow furrowed with concern for his friend as he backtracked through the woods. He searched every nook, every cranny, every shadow, making sure not rock went unturned.

Suddenly, an ominous breeze brushed past him, rustling the trees around him. Though it was a warm night, a chill went through Link's body. The feeling that he was being watched filled the hero's mind. His hand gripped tightly around the hilt of the Master Sword as he looked around him. His eyes rested on a shadowy figure leaning against a tree, but it vanished before he could approach it.

What's going on?! Link thought as he searched for the figure he had never seen before. Why didn't I see him before? Did I imagine it?

Link's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden gasping sound that echoed through the tunnel to his right.

"Shad?!" Link sprinted through the tunnel. It led to a small waterfall flowing into a crystal clear pond. A figure lay on the edge of the pond, gasping for air as if someone were choking him.

"Shad! What happened?!" Link rushed over and knelt beside the researcher. His eyes were wide with terror, his skin was pale white and his body shook uncontrollably.

Link found no injuries anywhere on Shad's body. Not knowing what to do, the hero unclipped a bottle from his belt and released a fairy over his friend.

The fairy flew about Shad's body, equally confused as to what the problem was. After a few seconds, it eventually just sprinkled its magic all over him before it disappeared into the air.

Though he wasn't completely healed, Shad let out a long breath as his eyes slowly began to droop. He continued to shake, but he seemed a little bit calmer.

"Shad, can you tell me what happened?" Link attempted to find out what happened once more.

"S… Sh… Shadow…" Shad's voice came out as a whisper, but slowly gained volume. "R… red… ey… eyes… dark… darkne…" As his voice grew louder, he began to breathe harder again; gasping for air just like before.

Link gently placed pressure on Shad's arms, trying to keep him from shaking so much. "Easy, Shad. Relax," he spoke softly. "Just relax."

As Shad began to calm down once again, his eyes closed all the way and his breathing became very shallow.

"Hang in there, buddy. I'm going to get you some help," Link gently lifted Shad's limp body until it draped over his strong back. As soon as the hero had a firm grip, he hurried out of the woods to the one person he knew that could help Shad.

The triforce of wisdom's glow slowly began to fade from Zelda's right hand as the healing process neared completion.

Zelda sat upon a chair beside a large bed within the castle. Shad's limp body lay upon the bed, beginning to breathe normally once again. His eyes had opened just enough to see the King, Queen, Auru, and Ashei circling around him. Fear, worry, and now, relief, flooded the many eyes that gazed down upon him.

As Zelda delicately lowered her hands into her lap, she let out a long breath and gazed around the room. "I'm not quite sure what was wrong, myself, but whatever it was, it appears to have passed."

Sighs of relief escaped everyone as a small smile crossed every face. Zelda also smiled tiredly as she addressed Shad. "Try to get some rest now. We shall attend to your needs until you are well again."

Shad gave a small smile and nodded back. Drowsiness was clearly pasted on his pale face.

"Do not ask him about what happened," Zelda spoke quietly as she gazed back up at Auru and Ashei. "He is traumatized by whatever the events were that happened tonight."

Auru knelt down next to the bed. "Hey there, buddy. You had us worried," he gently patted Shad's cold hand. "Don't go by yourself next time, okay?"

"You are welcome to stay here for the night," Zelda stated. She could see the look of longing of not wanting to leave their friend flooding their eyes.

"As much as we'd love to, we can't," Ashei spoke up for the first time that night. "I must tell Telma what's going on and Auru needs to go to Ordon to inform Rusl."

Auru stood up next to Ashei as they both bowed. "You have done more than enough. Thank you, Queen Zelda."

Zelda smiled. "I'm glad I was able to help. I'm going to retire, but please, stay as long as you like."

Link gently took Zelda's arm as he helped her stand up. He was about to follow her out of the room when a weak voice made him turn around.

"Link…" Shad attempted to sit up, but found it to be rather difficult. "Thanks…"

Link gently lowered Shad back into the comfort of the bed. He gave the researcher a smile and a pat, then followed his wife out of the room.

___________

"So, what attacked him?" Zelda broke the silence as her and Link traveled down the hall to their bed chamber.

"I don't know," Link started slowly, trying to remember what he had seen in the woods. "No fiends, no nothing in the woods. It was actually very peaceful. I searched through every part of the grove until I found him collapsed on the ground. When I asked him what happened, all he could say was 'shadow' and… 'red eyes'," Link decided to not mention the shadow he had seen before he had found Shad. "I found no injuries on him and when I let a fairy examine him, it couldn't find anything either."

Zelda stopped walking. She stood in the middle of the hall, her eyes narrowed as she gazed at the floor. "This is troubling. I found no injuries either," She moved her gaze back to her husband. "I don't like this, Link. This could be the start of something big and we have no idea what it is and if we can stop it. Our people will begin to feel unsafe and insecure and… what about Stacia?"

Link stepped closer to Zelda. He cradled her chin in his hand, not wanting her to look away from his gaze. "We won't tell Stacia about this. It has only happened once. I will start a watch tomorrow to keep a close eye on the people of Hyrule."

Lowering his hand from her delicate chin, Link wrapped his arms around Zelda, holding her protectively close to him. "You once told me I couldn't save everyone, but I did… with your help. We can stop whatever is threatening Hyrule, together. All right? Now, don't think about it anymore for tonight," Link planted a quick kiss on Zelda's forehead, then led her down the hall.

Little did the King and Queen know that a small eight-year-old girl hid around the corner, having heard everything they said.

"No, Stacia. You must keep your back straight. Little bit more… there you go."

Link knew patience was a key trait when teaching someone to use a sword. His daughter, of course, was no different.

The morning sun shone down brightly upon the castle courtyard where Link was teaching the dangerous art of wielding a sword to his young daughter.

Usually, Stacia loved the graceful movements of the blade her father showed her, but Link noticed that today, her heart just wasn't in it.

"What's wrong, Stacia? You're no yourself today," Link looked at his daughter with concern.

Stacia let the blade she held fall to the ground as she let out a long breath. Her eyes locked with her father's as she asked. "How did Mr. Shad get hurt last night?"

Link was surprised to see the determination in Stacia's eyes as her question sounded more like a demand. He let out a long breath as well. "You were awake last night?"

Upon seeing her nod, Link let out another long breath as he thought of a lie to cover up the real truth. "Well, you see, Shad was researching in the woods, when he… fell into a ravine. He got himself stuck pretty good. When I found him, I almost couldn't get him out."

Link thought his story sounded convincing enough, but Stacia's gaze told him otherwise. She stared at her father for the longest time, obviously not believing what he had said. But she didn't ask any more questions as her gaze shifted to the blade that stuck out of the ground beside her.

After a few moments of silence, Stacia asked one more question. "Is he going to be all right?"

"I'm just fine, Princess."

Link and Stacia both turned their gazes to the familiar voice as Shad hobbled through the courtyard towards them. He leaned heavily upon a long wooden cane, but Link was relieved to see that color had returned to the researcher's skin.

"This is just to help me balance until my strength recovers," Shad answered the question that lingered in both Link and Stacia's eyes as Link realized they were both staring at his wooden cane.

Coming back to his senses, Link walked over to Shad, then helped guide the researcher over to a nearby stone pillar. "You shouldn't be out of bed."

"As much as I love to sit down in the comfort of a room with a good book, I love to be outside as well," Shad spoke calmly as he lowered himself to the ground, his back now leaning against the pillar.

Link made a mental not of Shad's calmness and decided to try asking him what happened again later.

As Stacia began telling Shad about her sword lessons at a mile a minute, Link noticed something was a little off about the researcher. Yes, Shad looked better, but something about his appearance was missing.

Upon scanning his body, Link's gaze rested on the ground. He saw Stacia's shadow dancing on the grass as she demonstrated sword attacks and defense techniques. Once his gaze shifted to Shad's shadow, his eyes widened. Shad's shadow was gone!

Before Link could question this further, a familiar young servant came running up to them. His black hair stuck to his head, his green eyes wide with urgency.

"Your Majesty, another call!"

"Who's it from?" Link asked quietly, not wanting Stacia to overhear.

"A Zora," the servant lowered his voice. "Apparently, one went missing last night."

"All right. I'll go take a look," he nodded to the young servant as he rushed off again.

Stacia stared at her father as he approached her, curiosity filling her eyes. "What's wrong, dad?"

"Shad, take Stacia in for lessons with her mother," Link didn't answer his daughter's question as he knelt down and gently kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, Stacia, but I got to go."

"So the Zora was last seen near Zora's River in Lanayru Province, right, Link?" Rusl rode next to Link, wanting to help in case it was needed.

"Yes. Wow, I didn't realize how close it was," Link hadn't thought about how close these "attacks" were to his home; to his family.

Link's thoughts were interrupted as he heard Rusl unsheathing his sword. "Worry about that later, Link. We've got some 'company' to deal with."

Looking forward, Link saw that they had already reached the Province. Upon the bridge, three Lizalfos had spotted the two men and were running in for the attack.

Link let out a long breath as he rolled his eyes. "Will they ever learn?" He released Epona's reigns as he reached for an arrow and a bomb. He fused them together, lit the bomb, then took out his bow and brought back the arrow. "Let's get this over with."

He let the bomb fly through the air towards the small group of Lizalfos. Upon hitting the target, the giant lizards were caught in the blast from the bomb and their bodies were flung into the air. They came crashing back down to the ground, not able to get back up and fight ever again.

"We should look around the river first," Link told Rusl as he dismounted Epona and headed for the bridge where the Lizalfos had been.

Rusl nodded. "All right. I'll search the banks."

Both the Hylian and the Ordonian unsheathed their swords, in case of another attack. But no fiend approached them as they neared the Zora's River.

Rusl traveled along the banks of the river, scanning the water from the side, while Link scanned the water from the bridge's point of view.

It wasn't long before something on the bottom of the river caught Link's eye. A silver streak lay motionless under the water.

Quickly, the hero changed into his Zora garment, stepped up onto the side, and dove into the rushing river.

Using powerful strokes, Link pushed himself to the bottom to find that the silver streak was a Zora.

The Zora's eyes were closed. Her breathing was shallow and her gills had begun to bleed. She didn't shake like Shad had; she almost looked peaceful. But Link knew she wasn't in any condition to help herself.

Planting his feet as best he could upon the ground, Link gently lifted the Zora up and began to head for the surface.

As soon as she felt his touch, though, her eyes shot open. She attempted to push Link away from her, but she was too weak.

"Calm down," Link spoke gently as his grip firmed around the Zora's delicate body. "I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help."

She gazed at Link through tired, glossy eyes as she began to realize that he wasn't about to hurt her. Her body relaxed and her eyes closed again as Link broke through the water's surface.

As he swam towards shore, Link saw Rusl wading into the water towards them, obviously having seen the hero dive in.

"She isn't looking too good," Link panted as Rusl helped lift the Zora onto the bank.

"Don't worry," Rusl reassured. "We know where to take her."