((A/N: What are the Royal Jewels? What was Zelda talking about? Who is this voice we keep hearing? Tune in for… oh… wait… it is the next chapter… well. You may find out the answer to some of these questions. Hopefully… Well, if not now, you will know by the end of the story. ))

"You humans think you're so smart. Well, now… the seal will be broken. I now know the secret of unlocking the seal of the Shadow World. Foolish Zelda. My work upon her is now complete. And yet… I think I must stay within her, to make sure she doesn't go running to this… Link. Link… Kyeh, heh, heh... I believe he will be very useful for gathering these Royal Jewels… and he will also be useful to pulling the Holy Shadow Sword as well… Then, Hero… go… and save your precious Hyrule… Kyee, hee, hee, hee!"

"Link!"

Link opened his eyes, taking a glance around. How long had it been? He got bitten and then… It was still day outside… maybe it wasn't too long. Or was he really that out of it? Link shook his head as he got to his feet, "Yes?" He looked at the guard who had run in.

"Oh, you're alright. I saw you collapsing and so I came as quickly as I could," he explained. He looked down at Link's hand, and commented, "Is something wrong with your hand?"

Link lifted it up and looked at the pale purple colour. Link began to tremble. Was that from that bite? Well, he didn't have time to worry about it. "I'll be alright. It's nothing. Don't worry," Link said, smiling. He put his gauntlets on and was about to leave the room until he heard the guard say something.

"Be safe. I'm not sure if it has any importance, but sometimes, I feel like I'm being watched in this room. Sometimes, I hear voices and get this eerie feeling. None of the other guards listen to me… but anyways. I hope you are safe when you return," he said. Link smiled and nodded. He left and began pondering about what he had said.

Actually, he heard a voice while he was out of it. But, he wasn't really unconscious was he? That was too quick to get over it… or maybe not. Looking at his hand, he noticed to teeth marks. "It's so odd, though… I saw it… Zelda… yellow eyes… and fangs," Link said, recalling the image of the bite. He shrugged and figured he'd take her advice and gather these Royal Jewels. But where to start…

The Royal Knights Ground. They hold them, so maybe the one that was left would know something about it. So he set off for that end of town.

He walked into their building and glanced around at the emptiness. He called out, "Hello?" No one. He walked in further and called out again. He glanced in a room, which looked like a resting room, and noticed the room was covered in blood. Link took a step back, and ran into a rather large man. He turned around quickly. Looking up and down, he soon became full of fear. He was looking into a man who looked rather dangerous, so he readied his sword.

"Calm yourself," he said. Link blinked, becoming relaxed. He continued to speak, "I am not your enemy…" He sat down in a chair, running his hand through his short purple hair. Link looked back in that room, and couldn't understand. This man was acting like nothing was wrong, yet there was so much blood in that room.

"Don't you… see it?" Link asked.

The man looked at him, and asked, "So… you see it too?" Link nodded. The man sighed and said, "I'm not sure what's going on anymore… First Bril says he can see it and then Tayka goes crazy in there… Claiming it to be full of death and blood." Link kept quiet, and let him talk. "It all started on that day when Zelda fell asleep… Oh, pardon me, who are you?" The man switched gears pretty quickly.

"My name is Link," Link said calmly, "and you are?"

"My name is Likant. I am one of the four Royal Knights," he said. Link grinned. After he talks with him, he can leave.

Link asked, "So what were you talking about?"

Likant scanned Link, "I don't believe you're an enemy… but I'm not sure… No one comes in here without a purpose, so I'll tell you. That night that Zelda was found, motionless, Bril went to go see her. Ever since then, he had acted crazy, claiming blood and such was everywhere. Tynrian and I just thought that since Zelda was in a coma, he was crazy… but then after he died, Tayka was claiming the same things, until she was hospitalized. But that night at the Kakariko Gorge… was unlike any other." He paused, and asked, "You know of the Kakariko Gorge, correct?"

"What do you mean?"

"There has been that darkness looming over it? Well, it appeared the day before Zelda fell into her coma. We were assigned to find out what was wrong, and when we got there…" He hesitated to speak, but he said it, "A large… skeletal monster came out of the Gorge."

Link was silent. Likant shook his head, "You don't have to believe me if you don't want to…. What is it you want?"

Link was dumbfounded. This guy changed the subject very quickly. And he told him so much, too… Well, it was about time Link told his part of it, "Well, I'm not saying that you're wrong, or anything. But I think what Bril and Tayka had seen wasn't either… I've seen similar things, and they're connected to Zelda and to the Gorge. I was sent out to find out what was wrong, by the King. And believe it or not, Zelda herself told me what I needed to do."

Likant didn't speak, but he glared over at Link. Link cleared his throat and continued, "She told me… to collect the four Royal Jewels that your Royal Knights hold."

The glare Likant wore suddenly disappeared, "The Royal Jewels?" Link blinked and nodded his head. Likant looked up to the ceiling and said, "None of us have them. In fact, I've seen them once…"

"What?" Link said, feeling hopeless hearing that.

"The Royal Jewels are imbedded into the Holy Weapons wielded by the knights before us. In order to succeed the role of the Royal Knight, we hold the weapon, and if the jewel glows, we are bonded by destiny to become the next Royal Knight. As for the location of these locations, I have not a clue…" Likant said.

Link thought for a second to put this together. Each of these knights had to hold a weapon wielded by the previous knight in order to succeed them… so what if they know the whereabouts of the previous knight? It was pretty bad that they didn't know where the weapons were held. "Who was the knight you succeeded?" Link asked.

Likant thought for a moment and said, "My grandfather…" Link grinned, but Likant wasn't finished talking. "But he is dead." The smirk was swept off his face. What could he do now? No one else to talk to… "But…"

Link listened carefully. "Tayka succeeded her grandfather as well, who is alive. I'm not sure where he lives, but I don't think it would hurt to go see Tayka down at the asylum," Likant said. Link grimaced at the fact of seeing anyone there. But what had to be done, had to be done.

He stood up and thanked Likant. He found out a lot, even though he didn't get too much done. But there's a trail to be followed, and that was always good. After departing, Link took a step out into the city, but then, something happened. He couldn't move… he couldn't breathe. He felt like he was getting stabbed over and over inside his body. He fell to his knees, in hope for some air. His eyes became bloodshot and he continued to cough.

Link looked up at the crowd, passing him by without a thought. "Hel… Help… please…" Link called out, his hand around his neck. No one even bothered looking. Link became light-headed, and couldn't see at all clearly. He tried getting up, but he couldn't. He crawled away, but didn't end up too far. "Why… doesn't anyone… ugh!"

He felt another stabbing pain through his heart, and he was out.