The Master Sword whistled through the air and clanged as its tip hit solid ground. Above it, another re-dead fell in multiple pieces.
"I'm getting so damn sick of these things," Link panted. The tunnels were cool, but he'd been running for the last twenty minutes to avoid the re-dead. Not that running had helped.
"Looks like he got you," Navi fluttered beside Link's left arm, "not badly, though."
Link glanced down at the row of claw marks in his skin. His already tattered undershirt was beginning to come apart. He pulled at his sleeve and it came off in his hand. He used the white rag to wipe the blood from his arm.
"You're right," he tossed the cloth away, "not deep."
More moaning from far behind them reminded Link why he was running in the first place.
"I think they smell your blood," Navi whispered.
Link stared at her in disbelief.
"What?" Navi darted nervously back and forth.
"Four years of consciousness," Link gestured angrily with his sword, "That's how long you've been with me. And it didn't occur to you until now to tell me the dead people can smell blood?!"
"I thought you knew!"
"What in our history made you think that?!"
"We don't have time for this!"
Link turned and began jogging down the tunnel. Navi flew ahead of him.
"Good reasoning, Navi," he muttered, "the kid grew up in a forest. Had only half a childhood and no education, of course he knows everything about the walking dead!"
"Take it as a compliment," Navi shot loudly, "I thought you had half a brain."
Something to Link's right moved, and he jumped aside as a re-dead awoke with a scream. He sliced at the thing, and it fell, allowing him to keep running.
"Navi," he whispered viciously at her, "when we get out of here, I am going to rip your wings out."
"Good luck seeing in the dark, then."
Link groaned to himself and kept moving.
Zelda leaned against the wall, watching as Impa cleaned the wound in her side. The burned gash had healed almost completely, but the flesh around it was still badly bruised. The potion had done its work, however, and the pain was more manageable.
In the dim light, Zelda once again felt safe. As Impa ran a wet cloth over her hip, Zelda could almost pretend she was a child, and that this was one of her escapes into Castletown gone wrong.
"Do you remember," Zelda whispered, "when I snuck out at night to scare the guards?"
"Yes. None of them were ever amused that their princess liked to throw deku nuts at them."
"They didn't know it was me."
"Oh yes they did," Impa smiled, reaching for the extra bandages she'd brought, "give them a little credit, child."
"They never said anything."
"Who would have believed them? Certainly not your father."
Zelda chuckled, "True."
A loud clanging noise echoed from outside the chamber, and Impa glanced up. The women froze as faint voices seeped through the walls.
"Link," Zelda murmured.
"Mm," Impa whispered, returning to her work, "and probably the rest of the cemetery's occupants as well."
"We should help him."
"We should stay put," the Sheikah said firmly, her voice low, "and heal."
Zelda leaned her head back. She knew Impa was right. The sounds of voices faded away after a few minutes, and the silence overwhelmed the caverns yet again.
"How did he get down here, anyway?" Zelda asked softly.
Impa glanced up, tying off the bandage, "I believe our friend at the bazaar could tell you."
A grating sound of stone against stone interrupted the conversation, and Impa moved quickly to stand in front of Zelda. The hidden door to the room was being slid aside.
A large hand pushed the door back, and the bazaar shopkeeper's distinct face appeared in the light. Impa relaxed as Zelda tensed.
"Sorry," he stumbled into the small room and let the door slide to a close behind him, "I 'ad to come down."
"We heard the Hero go by," Impa said calmly, nudging Zelda with her foot.
Zelda flexed her hand, begging her power to gather faster. The triforce mark began to glow softly, but a sinking feeling told her it was no use. She couldn't transform before...
"Din, Nayru and Farore," the shopkeeper swore, his eyes on Zelda.
The princess sunk lower against the wall, the mark on her hand fading.
"Who is she?!" the giant asked loudly, "Where's Sheik?!"
"Keep your voice down," Impa barely whispered. She turned to glance at Zelda, revealing that her face was several shades whiter than it had been moments ago.
"But Sheik...?" the man was obviously as concerned as he was clueless.
"Sheik..." Zelda said gently, "had to leave."
The man stared at her. He looked to Impa for an answer, then looked sharply back at Zelda.
The princess realized belatedly that her arm was still in a sling, and that her open dress was exposing her bandages.
"Don't I know yer voice?" the man asked her.
"I..." Zelda couldn't tell if this was good or bad fortune, "have been to your shop before."
"No," the man narrowed his small eyes at her, "it's not that. I know e'ry customer."
Impa sighed and moved to sit beside Zelda. The bazaar keeper moved into the center of the room, still squinting at Zelda.
"Well?" he asked gruffly, "Who are yeh?"
Zelda simply watched him breathe, hoping he would give up and ask about Sheik again.
"Impa," he turned to the elder woman, "I've been out on a limb enough for yeh, haven' I? Don't I deserve to be told?"
"For that matter, Domel," Impa said sharply, "You should not have told the Hero where we were."
"I didn't!" the man crossed his arms, "He followed me."
"He would not have done so if you hadn't left. You wouldn't have left if you had remained true to the plan, so what changed?"
The man looked from Impa to Zelda for help.
Zelda raised an eyebrow, "Domel?"
"S'a stupid name," he admitted bashfully, "an' I didn't tell the Hero anything. I jus' called him Hero an' he followed me."
Impa placed her forehead on her fingertips, "You were not to acknowledge you knew his identity."
"I know, I jus'... I got so excited..."
"Your misplaced patriotism could have cost us all our lives," Impa snapped.
"Why?!" Domel put his hands on his hips, "He's the Hero, righ'? Saves things! He wouldn't hurt us!"
"He wouldn't," Impa's voice could have cut ice, "Ganondorf would."
Domel's face went blank.
Impa opened her mouth to snap at him again, but Zelda spoke quickly, "Ganondorf has spies following the Hero. If you had lead him here, those spies would have given away our location, as well as the secret tunnels. Kakariko would likely be destroyed in the process."
Zelda had tried to put it gently, but Domel looked as if he'd been slapped.
"Oh, hells," the shopkeeper stared into Zelda's eyes.
"Precisely," Impa quipped.
"No," Domel shook his head slowly, still watching Zelda, "I mean..."
Zelda felt a strong pull at the bottom of her stomach. The look in Domel's eyes was that of realization.
"I... y..." he sank to one knee, "... Princess?"
After a moment, Zelda realized she was not dreaming, and had in fact revealed herself to the most talkative person in Hyrule.
"Yes," she said, and the word tasted wrong, "I am Zelda."
Moving slowly down the tunnel, Link was beginning to wonder if he wouldn't be stuck beneath the earth until he joined the re-dead.
"So you were wrong," Link muttered at Navi, "and now we're in a tunnel."
"I was wrong?" Navi darted in front of his eyes, sending white stars across his vision, "It was your idea to follow the guy!"
"Wait," Link stopped walking, realizing the white streak in his vision hadn't gone away. He pointed toward the light, and Navi floated away from him, looking at it.
"A... door?" Navi asked.
Link sprinted toward it, not caring what Navi's analysis was. The light got brighter and larger as he ran toward it, and the outline of stairs appeared through the doorway.
As he reached the stairs, he could see the sliver of a brighter light from above them. The stairs lead to a square opening, which was covered by something made of stone. The uncovered edges were letting the dim light in.
"Daylight," Navi said dramatically, "finally!"
Link flexed his fingers and pushed against the stone above him. He heaved the thing upward and it tipped over, exposing the bright blue sky.
He grasped both sides of the hole and pulled himself up as Navi flew past him.
The daylight was blinding, but after his eyes adjusted, Link realized he hadn't gone as far as he'd thought. They were in the Kakariko Cemetery, and he'd just climbed out of a grave.
Link shivered despite himself and stood up, glancing around. The burial grounds were deserted, save for a wandering Poe.
"Link!" Navi shouted from far above.
"What," he called back in annoyance.
"Link," her voice was laced with panic, "You have to see this! Get up here, now!"
The concern in her tone was enough to convince him, and Link ran for the gravekeeper's hut, launching himself onto it with a well-timed jump. He stood and gazed over the cemetery gates. What he saw froze his blood.
"Nayru..." he breathed.
In the valley beneath, Kakariko Village was burning.
Ganondorf arrived in the midst of the chaos, deeming the event important enough to warrant travel by magic. He appeared on the roof of the Skulltula house, overlooking the town.
Nabooru had herded the villagers into the center of the town, forming a crowd around the well. Meanwhile, the Gerudos had set fire to the houses, vacant or otherwise. The smoke drifted up high into the air, catching beneath the clouds and blotting out the sun.
If the Hero was here, this display was guaranteed to draw him out.
Building a charge of energy in his hand, Ganondorf knelt and slammed his fist into the roof beneath his feet. The yellow magic rippled through the house, setting it afire. Ganondorf leapt from the burning roof and landed on a ledge far below. The ground shook mightily beneath him.
He looked up at the terrified villagers and smiled. Theatrics were always a favorite of his.
"My lord," Nabooru was moving down the central stairs, "there is no sign of the boy, but his Sheikah friend passed through."
The Thief King nodded distantly, "You have guards at the gates."
"To Death Mountain and to the fields. No one will escape or enter without our knowledge."
A vague throbbing in Ganondorf's hand caused it to twitch. He recognized the feeling with a jolt of pleasure.
"He's here," Ganondorf said, a smile twisting the side of his mouth.
"The Sheikah?" Nabooru asked blankly.
"The boy," her king chuckled, "I can feel his power."
"Power soon to be yours, my lord."
He laughed again, "By the way, I received your gift."
Her eyes flashed, "Did you enjoy it?"
"Very much so."
He glanced over the crowd. The villagers were huddled in small groups, clinging to each other pitifully. Only two bodies lay on the ground.
Nabooru followed his gaze, "They resisted when we attempted to search them."
"Who were they?"
"No one of importance. A construction worker and a lunatic with some sort of musical instrument. He kept yelling about the wind."
Ganondorf considered them a moment, then decided Nabooru's judgement was sound. She always was the most competent fighter under his command. He could trust her on such trivial matters.
"Good," he brushed past her, admiring the gleam of his black armor in the sunlight, "And tell your guards to be alert."
"They always are, my lord."
He turned, "Of course they are. That's why we lost him in the first place, isn't it?"
Nabooru barely concealed her furious glare. Ganondorf smirked and walked away from her, moving toward the mass of Hylians in the center of the town.
He nodded to one of the Gerudo guards, then gestured to a young girl clutching her mother's leg. The guard moved forward.
Ganondorf drew his sword as the child tried to escape behind her sobbing mother's skirts.
"If need be," he called, "kill the mother as well."
He allowed his eyes to search the town for signs of the Hero as he savored the smells of charred wood and flesh.
If the boy was here, he couldn't afford to wait much longer.
Link crouched in the entrance way to the cemetery path. The Gerudo guards hadn't spotted him, and the villagers were too terrified to look away from their burning homes. Ganondorf stood just beneath the Skulltula house, which was burning wildly on its ledge.
"Damn him," Link breathed.
"Link, we can't attack him now," Navi was whispering into his ear, "there's too many of them, and we'd be wide open."
"I am going to kill him."
"Are you listening?!"
Link let his senses buzz and drown Navi's voice out. He glanced over the houses and buildings, trying to discern any winning strategy.
His eyes snapped back to Ganondorf, who was heading toward the villagers. The king nodded to a Gerudo, then pointed at the crowd. The Gerudo moved forward, reaching for something.
Link's breath caught in his throat as the red-haired women dragged a little girl free of the crowd. She held her scimitar out above the girl's head, waving it slowly back and forth in front of the villagers.
Ganondorf stepped forward, sword in hand.
"Navi..." Link heard himself say.
"Don't!" she was whispering.
But he was already standing, the arrow was notched, then it flew across the short space and buried itself in the Gerudo guard's chest. She fell backwards with a short cry and the child ran back to her mother.
All eyes turned to stare at the Hero.
He stepped out from behind the rock wall, notching another arrow. He saw Gerudo archers readying themselves from various elevated places.
Near the well, Ganondorf watched in obvious amusement.
"Good shot, kid," he said.
There was a panicked silence. A poorly-timed crash resounded as the Skulltula house caved in on itself, the flames roaring higher.
"Link..." came Navi's voice in his ear, high-pitched and frightened, "You picked one hell of a day to die."
Ganondorf slowly raised a hand in the air, "Stand down."
The archers lowered their bows, and the guards turned back to their duty.
Link was confused, but only for the moment.
"This is personal," the false king finished, his hand falling to his side.
"Shoot him," Navi whispered, "Shoot him right now."
Over the sounds of the burning houses and crying villagers, Link could barely hear Ganondorf say, "Try it, Hero boy."
Link released the arrow with a roar, drawing his sword and charging forward.