A/N: Yes, I made Ganondorf return. I am aware that that sort of plot idea is pretty overused and a bit uncreative, but I promise not to make this tale a cliché and have plans and a couple plot twists in store so this will be new fresh and interesting despite that. I hope I have not turned anyone off by this. So, this is when Zelda finally makes her appearance! I hope you guys enjoy chapter 4 :)

Yami no Nokutan- Nooo don't hurt me I am just a helpless bystander XP I am actually glad to hear that cause a writer dearly wants people to experience emotions :D As for King Bulblin I hated him at first but absolutely adored battling with him I thought it very fun and end the end when he switched sides I almost could say I liked him.

MiniJen- Thank you! Yeah he does deserve to be punched in the face XP I made myself pretty sad writing that scene :P his ultimate plan shall start to reveal itself in the next chapter or so.

Gojira Geek- I love the backslice, along with the helm splitter it was one of my favorite attacks. It works amazingly on Darknuts too.

Storm Dragon Wolf Princess- yeah I agree with you. Yeah Ganondorf has definitely never put himself on the characters you would like to cuddle list, (he must go down!) XP

ArianandXaia- Thanks for the review! The hero's bow is pretty awesome. I love archery but it took me a while to actually get good at it. Good luck with your costume!

Call to Action

Colin headed fervently toward Link's horse Epona. She was lazily tied to a pole near the lower of Kakariko's springs. His dad had been taken back to the village and the Shaman, who was a healer, was taking care of him. The shaman was a gifted healer and Colin knew that his dad was in good hands.

He and Ilia had heard the terrible story his father had to tell. After it was told, Ilia had left the shaman's adobe house and had run off into the night. Colin had no idea where she had gone, but it was safe to bet that she had not left the village. His dad had said the in all likelihood Link was dead… but Colin did not believe it. He did not know how he knew this but he was sure that Link was alive, even though no one else seemed to think so.

As it was, Colin knew of only one person who would believe him and would be willing and able to help: the princess Zelda. He was a little apprehensive that he, a mere peasant without so much as a name, would dare to seek audience with Hyrule's ruler, but he saw no other option. Colin did not really know what he thought about the princess for he had never seen her. But both his father and Link spoke very highly of her; especially after his first quest and after the political mess of a few months ago was cleared.

With quite a bit of difficulty, he managed to maneuver his small frame upon the massive steed's back. He cautiously urged her down the canyon path. It was almost a miracle that Epona had not thrown him. Usually, she let no one ride her except for Link, or someone that she was familiar with. She couldn't stand to bear another rider unless her master rode with them or he commanded her to. Perhaps she sensed that her master was in danger and that Colin needed her help. He often wondered what the extent of Epona's knowledge was. There was no denying that she was an intelligent horse and he had even caught Link carrying a conversation with her as if she could understand him and he her. He had always talked to her but the back and forth, almost conversational, talking had not started until more recently. Perhaps it had something to do with all the time they had spent together when they had first saved the kingdom. Link had changed quite bit since Ganondorf had first invaded, but that only served to heighten Colin's admiration of his brother. He gritted his teeth—he had to help him.

The village had decided to send a messenger to the castle in the morning but Colin could not wait that long. If the warlord was back, then it meant the whole kingdom was in danger. Also, he feared that every moment he waited caused Link's chances to dwindle. He would probably get in trouble for his rash actions, but he did not care. Not even the prospect of meeting with some horrible fate or creature along the way dampened his courage. The kingdom and his friend's life could depend on his actions and he was determined not to fail. He urged Epona into a gallop.

~x~X~x~

Princess Zelda, ruler of the kingdom of Hyrule woke unsettled very early in the morning, long before the sun had risen. She got out of bed, knowing she would not fall back to sleep. It would be a few hours before the rest of the castle would wake and so she decided to try to take a walk to clear her head. She slipped into her hunting dress and exited her chamber.

There had been so much to deal with lately and she had not had a moment to herself for nearly three weeks. Bother all the work, she thought to herself rebelliously, before regretting the sentiment. It was true that it was rather vexing that it was her responsibility to fix this entire hash that the kingdom was recovering from-even though the mess in question was not of her making. But it was also true that it was her duty to do just that. Sometimes she wished she had not been born with the monstrous task of princess. Ever since her parents had passed, the kingdom had been solely her responsibility. However, that was who she was now. It was a part of her, and honestly, she did not know what she would be without it. Perhaps life would have been easier if she had been born a peasant, the thought idly as she made her way through the shadowed arching corridors of the castle that she called home.

Nonsense, she tied to tell herself as she continued along, the life of a peasant was just as hard, only in a different way. She passed several sentries on her way out into the castle courtyard, but they, of course, did nothing to hinder her. She glanced up at the sky. It was still dark but there was the faint glow of dawn beginning to lighten the world. If she was quick, she could take a walk around the battlements of the outer wall before the sun rose and her duties would officially begin.

Decided, she began to make her way out of the inner wall. Several guards fell in step with her as she made her way through the nearly deserted town and up to the outer wall. Much to her gratification, she saw that wall sentries on duty, like the castle guards, were all wide awake and alert. That, at least, was an improvement.

When she attained the height of the battlements, the fringe of light lighting the horizon had become more clear and noticeable. She swept her gaze around her absently, taking in the landscape around the castle's outer walls. As she looked out over the flatlands to the west—near the canyons and great gorge—she thought she saw the form of a horse galloping through the darkness.

Squinting, and idly curious, she tried to make out exactly what it was. She recognized the steed as Link's horse as it rode closer, but the rider was much too small to be Link himself. When they drew almost level with the gate, she saw that it was a child. A felling of worry rose in her she was painfully aware that something was wrong.

"Open the gate," she commanded the men on watch. They obeyed without question.

~x~X~x~

Zelda sat and stared intently at the young boy who had introduced himself as Rusl's son. She had taken him to her throne room in the castle and he had explained the horrible situation on the way. The boy's face was white with fear and worry and Zelda felt compelled to reassure him even though she felt little comfort herself. It seemed that her best friend was in danger, and seemed also that the entire kingdom was in danger once again, from Ganondorf no less. It was in impossible shock to learn that her enemy was alive, for she had seen Link kill him, but she had no reason to doubt the child's words. She believed him because, deep down, she knew that he spoke the truth. His words seemed to provide the answer for the foreboding feeling she had felt in the pit of her stomach.

"Don't worry Colin," she told the child, hoping that he could not hear the uncertainly in her voice, "I promise that I will do everything in my power to protect our kingdom."

"What about Link?" Colin asked, his lip trembling. "We can't let him die. You have to help him. He's my brother and I love him. He has always been there to help me and you too. He has saved the kingdom twice so far," he finished his short speech and blushed at his furious outburst and complete lack of decorum, "Sorry," he whispered, "It's just that…" his voice trailed off.

"It's alright, I understand, I promise I will do what I can," she said quietly. "Chefra," she commanded her head guard, "double the wall guard and send out riders to warn the other villages."

Chefra bowed and left.

"Fenna," she called to one of her handmaidens, "please make sure this child is well taken care of. I need to think. I am going to my chambers; bring me news as soon as it comes." With that, she rose from her seat and left the throne room and headed for her chamber.

Colin did not think that Link had been killed and she found herself agreeing with him. Although it was perfectly logical that Ganon might have killed Link out of revenge, she could not bring herself to believe that he was dead. It did not feel right; it was almost like she could sense he was still alive. She had no idea whether her gut was right or if this was just an overemotional denial sort of response but she had a way of discerning between the two. She needed quiet.

Her mother had taught her a trick to see brief glimpses of the present or the past. The person who was born with the mark of wisdom was also born with the ability to do small amounts of magic. It was mostly for the purpose of defense but she knew a few offensive moves, had a slight ability to heal and transfer energy, and this trifling skill. It required a lot of concentration for millisecond flashes of information, so it was almost completely useless for trivial matters, but this was serious and even a flash of information was better than none at all.

After almost an hour of concentration, she was finally rewarded with a flash of an image. By this time, she was perspiring from the effort. The image showed a familiar green-clad figure: Link. He was being dragged after an army of darknuts his hands in chains. His tousled mop of hair far more unkempt than usual, his eyes were closed and his form was limp, as if he were unconscious. She felt a cold prickle of fear as that image faded away to reveal a vision of Ganondorf. He loomed huge before her mind. His spectral mouth was agape with almost hysterical laughter as darkness grew around him. Behind the shuddering imposing image of the fiend, she could see the ghosting image of a golden wolf howling at a blood red moon. A deep airy insistent voice was interwoven with the howl as it repeated a phase over and over.

"Hyrule will fall to ruin unless you heed me.

Seek the time gates that were broken,

where the bandits were forced to go ,

where the one who bore their token,

sent them to safety long ago.

The one who set them free,

held only one of three.

The balance is the key."

Her eyes snapped open with the speed of a reflex brought on by terror. A cold sweat beaded forehead and a shiver ran down her spine that quickly turned into a shudder. It was not the sight of Ganondorf or the glowing wolf's message that brought on this fear, but the feeling of despair and evil that surrounded the vision. Her vision seemed to whisper of impending doom; whisper that unless action was taken to prevent whatever dark plan was in motion the world could be thrown out of balance. She tied to focus.

She had never before heard anything like the rhyme of the golden wolf when she had used her scrying magic before, but perhaps Din, Farore, Nayru, or Hylia were trying to tell her something. The poem or warning meant almost nothing to her. She knew not what a time gate could possibly be or who the one who bore the token of bandits was, or how that rhyme could help her save Link or Hyrule. She assumed that the riddle the wolf had spoken had something to do with finding Link, and had wanted her to go somewhere, but at the moment she could not think of where he meant.

At least she now knew for sure that Link was alive. She had to save him. She could not leave him to suffer at the hands of such a foe. It was quite possible that she was the only one with power enough to face up to Ganondorf, it had to be her. Only a person infused with a piece of the Triforce would be able to defeat him, since he bore the mark of power.

She was going after Link. Her determination made her leap up from her seat but a sudden realization made her slump back down again. She was the princess and she had a duty to her people. Hyrule was still in turmoil and she could not abandon her people at this critical time. The kingdom needed her here and now. It was her duty to put her subjects before herself, friends or family.

She was at a standoff within herself. Why did every choice she made have to carry with it such weight. What could she do? Send her best warriors out to rescue him? She knew that would never work.

A powerful feeling of shame swept over her. Not too long ago, she had been stuck in a similar situation. The one time, aside from this business now, that Link had needed help, she had done nothing, only watched helplessly as he had been hurt. She had been forced to choose between him and the lives of her entire kingdom, and he had paid the price for her decision, and he had paid dearly.

As she looked back, she knew she had made the right choice morally. She had sworn to defend her people. There was no way her duty as ruler would have allowed her to choose otherwise, but that did nothing to alter the fact that it was wrong. Even though things had been set right, she had felt guilty for that choice ever since. She felt guilty even though he had forgiven her for it. Honestly, she did not know how he had managed; if she were him, she would hate her. He had insisted that it wasn't her fault but she knew it was, maybe not entirely, but she had been the one to choose. She couldn't allow it to happen again. She felt she needed to make things right, to redeem herself. She was not going to abandon him this time. She had spent her life doing what was best for the people, and though she knew that was the duty of a ruler, she could not help but wonder if it was, in fact, wrong for her to do what was best for her once, and what was best for those whom she held the closest.

Also, if her vision could amount to anything, there was much more at stake than the obvious. She had to do something. The best way for her to safeguard her kingdom might indeed be for her to find and stop Ganondorf, instead of just sitting in her castle and waiting for him to make the first move. Her eyes suddenly grew wide as a plan started to form in her mind. She knew how she could save Link and be there for her people at the same time, but she was going to need a bit of help. Rising from her chair, she went to go find the Resistance, the people few people who had had the guts to stand up to Ganon last time, and had helped in the fight for freedom.

Late that night, disguised as one of her handmaidens, she was let out the side gate of the outer wall, which was used mainly by soldiers. She was allowed to pass after she handed the guard a note written by herself. It said that she, or rather the princess, was sending her handmaiden on an urgent errand and not to hinder her. The soldiers could not refuse a request with the royal seal.

She adjusted the heavy pack she was carrying to spread its weight more evenly. It contained everything she thought she might need on this particular quest and was quite a bit heavier than she had planned for. She could sort it out better when she had her bearings. For her plan to be successful, no one could know that she had left the castle.

On her way through Castle Town, she had noticed that no one had paid the slightest attention to the lowly servant that she had disguised herself as. What a difference just a slight change in appearance made to people's perception of one,' she thought to herself, it was a bit unfair, but that's the way it was, and she had been counting on it.

She headed west towards the canyon land, thinking it best to start where, according to Colin, the mess had started. She was to meet her captain of the guard, Chefra, at the entrance to the canyon and they would travel together. Her plan had been to put the Resistance in charge of the kingdom while she was off traveling. They would act as and for her while pretending that she was still there for the sake of the people. Aside from Link, the people of the Resistance were her most trusted friends.

Shad was a thinker, Ashei was a doer, and the three older people kept them in check. Telma was wise in the ways of cities and their inner workings, Rusl understood the minds of the farmers, tradesmen, and peasants, and Auru was one of the wisest people she knew, he had been an advisor of her fathers and she trusted him completely. Together, they would be able to lead and protect her country in a way that she trusted. They all seemed more than happy to help when she had explained the situation.

They all loved Link, and would do almost anything for him; Ashei had even demanded to go with her. In fact, it had taken her the better part of the day to convince them to let her go without a massive escort or a retinue of soldiers at her side. She had argued that she would have better success were she to go alone. She would draw less unwanted attention that way. In the end, they had agreed, on the condition that her captain of the guard accompanied her.

All of them had agreed to her scheme in turn aside from Rusl who, according to Colin, had been badly wounded. The Resistance would let him in on the scheme as soon as he was well enough. She would have liked to have had Ashei and Shad, who were around her age, to accompany her. But she knew the kingdom needed them for her plan to be successful; thus the best placement for them would be to stay at and around Hyrule Castle. Though, now that she thought about it, going alone, aside from her captain did not exactly seem the safest course of action. Perhaps she was being a fool. However, she told herself logically, if it were to become necessary for her to have more help she could always work things out when the time came. It was not as if she was actually going to leave Hyrule after all, or at least she hoped not.

As the castle grew further and further behind, her heartbeat quickened with apprehension. She had hardly left the castle at all during her lifetime, at least, not alone. She had certainly never gone adventuring before. She knew all about Hyrule's geography and history but she had a sneaking suspicion that studying and reading about something would be very different than actually experiencing those things for herself. She knew how to fight. Her father had taught her the arts of a warrior and she had even fought against Ganon the last time he had invaded. That, however, did nothing to calm her nerves.

When she was positive that she was safely away from all prying eyes, she halted and lowered her pack to rummage inside for what she needed. Peasant clothes were not suitable for questing. She had spent a bit of time figuring out how best to disguise herself and she was satisfied with what she had come up with. She had heard that her great grandmother had disguised herself as a male sheka, to fight for and help to save her people. She had the means to disguise herself that way, and had done so before, but the story of her grandmother was well known throughout Hyrule and it might prove to be rather obvious if she tried it. So, she had come up with a better plan.

She had modified her armor and some old soldier armor to make suitable traveling and fighting clothes: a tunic and pants with boots. She made no attempt to hide the fact that she was a woman. In her opinion women could be just as skilled in the arts of weaponry as a man, though in different ways. She could never best one in a contest of outright strength but she could compensate for that with other skills. She knew her face was highly recognizable so she had brought some face paint made of plant dyes to disguise herself. They were special because they did not wash out but would fade away in a couple of days if she did not reapply it.

She changed into her tunic and buried the savant's dress. She used a small mirror fragment and her lantern to painstakingly paint her face. She tried to make this mask match that of a picture she had seen in one of her books that depicted some of the weird styles the old clans of Hyrule had painted their faces for battle. She had only three colors, grey, black, and white, but they were sufficient.

She frowned slightly at her reflection when she was finished. If it were not for her brown hair, she would almost look like being from the twilight realm. She had decided that her cover story would be that she was a traveling mercenary. She had even picked a name for herself: Serhild. It meant armored battle maiden. She thought it quite fitting since her own name, Zelda, meant warrior princess.

She took out her rapier and buckled it to her waist. Her father had given it to her and taught her how to use it. This time, the memory did not make her sad, only grateful. The small sense of peace that came with the memory faded abruptly as the full weight of what she was about to do hit her. This most defiantly was going to be dangerous. Suppose she died, or worse…what if she failed? As she stood in the middle of the huge flatlands, she felt suddenly small and week compared to the vastness of the word around her. How in Hyrule would she even find Link, let alone rescue him? She viciously shook away the feeling of doubt. She was going to find him or die trying. All she could do was start where the attack had happened and work her way from there. Colin had told her where to find the side path in the canyon. Resolved, she straightened up, shouldered her now lighter pack, and strode off into the night, her hand on her sword hilt.

~x~X~x~

Zelda stood inside the bowl shaped dell deep inside the canyons with Chefra at her side. The sun was rising red over the grounds of a battlefield. Broken arrows, dropped swords, and the horror of death were all around, marring the once quiet beauty of the desert hollow.

"What are your orders, milady?" Her captain asked her. His normally grim face seemed to have hardened into even sterner lines than usual at the sight that assailed them.

"Search for Link and any survivors," she said, though she was positive they would find nether.

She began to make her way forward and ordered Chefra in the opposite direction. He saluted her and set off. The grisly scene of battle made her stomach knot inside her but she pushed forward in the hopes of discovering any clue to Link's whereabouts. She carefully picked her way through the chaos. She was slightly gratified to see that all of the fallen seemed to be dark creatures.

A sight towards the middle of the field made her catch her breath. Link's sword lay gleaming in the sunlight. Its blade looked as pure and as sharp as it had on the day it was forged, despite the evidence of battle that covered it. Not far from there, she saw his shield. It was battered and cracked—far too damaged to be of any use anymore. She reached out for his blade and cleaned the polished metal before wrapping it in a cloth and slinging it over her back. Ganon and his cronies had not taken it because evil could never touch the master sword. It was useless, she knew, for her to take it because only Link could wield it, or more specifically, only the one with the triforce of courage could wield it, but she felt compelled to do so just the same. She took it with her now because she could not leave it here, and she knew Link would want it if she managed to rescue him. 'Not if,' she told herself furiously, 'when.'

She called Chefra over and then stood and looked around her. The fight had taken place here but she had no idea which direction they had gone after the battle. They had not gone into Hyrule and she could see no other way out of the hollow other than the way she came in. So logically, she assumed that there had to be hidden exit. She voiced her thoughts to Chefra and he agreed.

"I think it would be wisest, milady, if we scout the edge of this dell and see if we can find any clues." She looked sympathetically at the old captain. He was almost as fond of Link as she was and, she knew, shared in her guilt over what had happened all those months ago. His face however, was as inscrutable as ever. Years at court had taught him well how to hide his emotions and she could glean nothing of his feelings.

"Agreed." Zelda finally replied and they parted ways again.

She headed to the high red-rock wall that surrounded the hollow and skirted its perimeter for any clue. About half an hour later, she came across something familiar wedged in between a boulder and the sandstone wall. She felt her breath catch as she recognized it. It was her colors. She bent down and pulled at the fabric but it was tightly wedged.

Link must have left it for her to find. He was a very resourceful person and that seemed just like the sort of thing he would do. Her eyes widened with hopeful realization that this huge boulder might be blocking a hidden path. How else could a silk scarf become wedged so tightly? She would need help if she was to move it though, and she had the feeling that the added might of herself and Chefra would not be enough.

Kakariko village was not far from here and Gorons often visited there. They were allied with Hyrule and had helped them through many a situation. Link had saved their kingdom, so she was positive that, if she explained the situation, they would be glad to help. She could do nothing more at the moment. Before she left, she glanced at her colors one last time and then she looked at Link's colors that she had tied just above her own slender gauntlet. His emblem was a sycamore leaf on a green background. The sycamore tree stood for strength and protection, and it was rather fitting that it belonged to him.

"Be strong Link," she whispered, "I'm coming for you, I promise I won't fail you this time."

Be strong myself rather, she thought as she signaled Chefra and headed out of the hollow and towards Kakariko village, explaining what she had found and her plan as they went. While they walked together in silence, her mind kept flitting back to the weird echoed words of the glowing wolf she had seen in her vision.

Please don't forget to drop a review to tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcome too.

Chapter Question:

In your opinion, which Zelda bad guy is the worst developed character wise?