A/N: Zelda is back in all her glory, on her mission to hunt down Ganondorf XP So when Jade talks, a few times, I have purposely spelled a few words wrong, and that is only because she does not yet have a proper handle on the language and I spelled a few words like how I pictured her pronouncing them. It is only in a couple places, and I do hope that it does not really bother you or detract from the story. I hope you all enjoy this week's chapter! It is not chocked full of action but I do hope you find it entertaining all the same. :D

TheObsessedBookworm: I am glad you liked it! I do apologize for the few SPAG issues; rest assured I will try fix them as soon as I can. Thank you so much for the compliments they really made my day. :)

xXx skytale xXx: Link is quite smart I think. You have to wait no longer! Thanks!

Generala: You shall see, as soon as I go back to Link's perspective. Thank you!

Scarlet Curls: sorry I was late D: I do hope you kicked major butt on those exams. Fangirls never think that doing anything other than being completely obsessive is time well spent, do they? XD Yes! That's nice to hear. I am happy you liked it. Awww no extra funds to get rid of overly persistent fangirls eh? Pity. I can't seem to get rid of mine either. She is too excited about The Hobbit.

Yami no Nokutan: Dawww thanks :D that makes me super happy. Yes Xiphos is indeed a disgusting man. Link is awesome! That's actually really cool and I would like to see it. I think yelling out giant spiders is a great swear word XP Thank you!

Silverheartlugia2000: thanks! (for the compliment and the well wishing) yes poor Link indeed.

Gorjira Geek: Yes I suppose that is pretty true. Thank you.

Hot on the Trail

Zelda knew she was gaining on her quarry. She had traveled light and fast up the mountains, following the unconcealed trail of the army. She was sure it was an army because there were so many tracks. A blind person could have followed their trail. This was rather fortunate for she was not an experienced tracker by any means. The weather had gotten cold fast and there was often sleet, cold rain, or even snow as she climbed higher, but she was warm enough under her tightly woven wool cloak. It kept her warm and the wetness out. At night, she was glad of the company of her tiny dragon. Zelda found herself sure that Jade was some form of fire dragon. Although Jade could breathe no actual flame she could make tiny sparks which were good for starting them. Also, her body radiated heat and this helped to keep her warm at night. Jade was a fast learner and a fair scout so Zelda often sent her ahead to reconnoiter. She had already picked much of Zelda's speech and could nearly speak cohesive sentences.

Zelda trudged doggedly on, stopping only to gather some autumn nuts and edible plants. She had hardly foraged before in her life but she had once harbored a small interest for natural science, and had learned a bit about plants. Not as much as a woodsman or herbalist knew, but enough to keep her alive, and that was all that mattered. She also knew the basic plants to avoid like poison ivy and poison oak. Though she still had about a week and a half's worth of supplies left, she thought it wise to supplement them with whatever she could find, to make them last longer. She had been tutored nearly all her life for it was a requirement for royalty to be knowledgeable in reading writing arithmetic politics history and public speaking. She had also been fascinated by logic philosophy and science, and had studied them on her own. 'Perhaps they should teach princesses tracking and the arts of a woodsman.' She thought with the barest trace of a smile. Jade, who she had sent on a scouting mission, came flapping back towards her. Her flight was no longer clumsy and, with every passing day, she could stay aloft longer.

"Up ahead in snow mountain tip, I see track of many men, trampled snow, and track of fire. Come and see," she chirruped happily.

Zelda's spirits rose as she dashed after the dragon. She had thought that she had heard a faint far-off sound of yelling and rumbling the day before. It had been so distant that she had assumed that it had been the wind or her imagination, but now she was not so sure. She was surprised that she had gotten so close. 'Perhaps Link had found a way to stall the troop's progress,' she thought with a smile.

When she reached the open spot Jade had found, she looked hopefully around at the trampled chaos. This was definitely the remains of a campsite, a rather large campsite. She spotted a large tree near the edge of the clearing and went to sit down by it. Her fast trek up the mountain had worn her out and the tree looked like a nice spot to rest. When she reached it she saw that someone else mist have thought the same, a whole army rather, based on the tracks.

She studied the trampled snow. The dark frozen ground showed through in some places, almost like a scuffle had taken place. Right near the side of the tree, something red on the snow caught her eye. It was next to a large indentation. She stared at if for a moment before she realized that it was blood. She reached her hand down towards it hoping it belonged to some random animal, but her hopes were dashed as the Triforce birthmark on her hand began to glow. It was not on the triangle that stood for wisdom, which usually glowed when she performed magic, but on the one that stood for courage.

"Link," she breathed in a whisper. It was not a lot of blood, not enough to be anything serious, but it was still maddening. The thought of him in the middle of enemies was sickening and heart wrenching. She knew the feeling of being trapped and helpless all too well. In fact she was tired of being the damsel in distress it was high time she was something more than a pathetic maiden who was unable to protect herself let alone her kingdom or her friends. She sighed as she sat down with her back against the tree trunk. There was probably a much bigger picture than what she was aware of, way bigger than just the two of them and Ganondorf. After resting a while, she got up and tried to find the path that the troop had left by. Unfortunately, the entire area was disturbed with footprints and she had no idea where to go.

"Jade," she called to her the dragon who was practicing her pouncing in the snow. She lifted her head out of a deep drift to face Zelda expectantly. "Could you sniff around and tell me if you can find which way the enemy went?"

Jade leaped with excitement at the prospect of an important task. She flew around, sniffing the air and then the ground.

"Bad guy smell all crisscrosseded. I not know the way," she admitted reluctantly. Her tail and frills drooping with the weight of her failure.

Zelda could not hide her disappointment. Jade flapped over and landed on her head, hanging her own head over to look Zelda in the eyes with her large upside down cat-like ones.

"Not worry," she piped, "we will find the Yink you lost."

Zelda's mouth twisted into a smile, "I know we will. I just have to figure out what to do next."

"Funny," Jade said quietly, "bad guy scent seem to grow more stinky fast."

"Wha-" Zelda started but was cut short by an arrow whizzing by her head. With a yelp, she dove behind the nearest tree for cover. She cautiously peaked around the trunk to see what she was up against. It was a lone Bulblin archer, twenty paces away but gaining ground fast, despite the fact that it walked with a heavy limp. A bandana was wrapped about its mouth so only half of its ugly face showed. It was close enough for her to see its evilly glittering beady black eyes. She hid her face, as it fired at her again.

Soon it would be upon her and she knew she would have to fight it. There was also the added worry that if this Bulblin was one of Ganondorf's hoard he could give her away. She wished desperately that she still had her bow, then she would not feel so helpless and cornered against his archer. The bulblin kept steadily advancing and firing upon her hiding spot. Collecting her wits, she noticed that there was about a five second pause between each of its shoots as it reloaded its bow. She pulled her dagger from the side of her belt and waited for the thwacking sound as an arrow hit the tree she was behind. She would have five seconds to emerge from her cover to attack; her timing had to be perfect. She held her knife lightly between her thumb, index and middle finger, right at its balance point, her mind mentally reviewing the Sheikah knife techniques her mother had taught her. The Bulblin fired off another shot. At the sound, she leaped out from behind the tree, took aim, and threw. Her dagger hit its mark before the Bulbin could notch its next arrow, and it fell.

She detested killing, even if it was a soulless monster, but at the same time she knew there had been nothing for it. When she went to retrieve her knife, her hope that Ganon's army might be nearby were dashed. This monster could have been a part of Ganon's hoard at one time, but she could tell by its wounded leg that it was now just a straggler. Ganondorf would not go out of his way to help his solders if they were to injure themselves on the march. He would just leave them behind.

"You made a good hit," Jade complimented. Being a dragon, Zelda assumed that Jade would admire any skill displayed in the ways of hunting.

"I probably should have tried to capture him, and ask him to tell me if he knew which way Ganon was headed, but he did not give me much of a chance," she mused quietly. "I am right back where I started," she groaned, pressing her hand to her forehead.

Then, she had an idea. Standing near the blood spot, she raised her hand up as if she were telling someone to stop. She slowly turned around in a circle, watching the back of her hand. When her hand was pointing up and over the mountain it started to glow on the mark that stood for courage. The direction was slightly east of north. She repeated the process a few more times and got the same result. Now she was positive she knew which way Ganondorf was headed.

'Why was he going back down the mountain, why did he even bother going over the mountain, if he simply could have gone through the pass she had seen a few days ago?' she wondered as she finally caught sight of the trail again, after about a mile of following her hand's ever fading glow. Based on the trails trajectory, she assumed that they were heading straight for the mountain pass. If she had only known this was his plan she could have easily cut him off. The thought that she had just missed him frustrated her. The sun was getting ready to set and she knew she would not be able to make it out of the snowy parts of the mountain before night. She needed to make camp.

A year ago if this had happened, she would have been terrified of camping in the snow, but thanks to Link she knew what to do. This past winter one of her handmaiden's children had gotten lost in the snow outside the castle. Link was in Castle Town at the time and had offered to help look for the boy; he could probably take something of the boys and follow the sent trail in wolf form. She had elected to go too, if only for a chance to get out of the castle, much to the disapproval of her soldiers, ambassadors, and political advisors.

They had at first traveled with an entire guard of soldiers, but she had opted that they spit up and fan the area because it would increase their chances of finding the boy. Her captain and guards had objected fiercely, saying that it was their duty to protect her and they would not leave. She had been angered because the boy needed help and protection more than she did. Also, that sort of talk had always annoyed her. Not only was sticking together in a big group an illogical move in such a situation, she had thought then, as she did now, that she was quite capable of protecting herself. She was irritated at her guards' refusal to see the perfectly simple logic of her view, was worried for the life of the young boy, and had also perceived her captain's words as a slight against her capabilities, even though, deep down, she knew he had not meant it that way. When all these things were put together, she did something that she had rarely done. Her placid demeanor had shattered. She had stood straighter and had spoken to her captain in an utterly calm controlled yet icy voice, never once dropping her regal stance and baring. She had said that Link would be all the protection she needed because his skill matched that of all her guard put together. She had then ordered her soldiers to fan out, grabbed Link by the arm and stalked off towards the west, dragging him behind her. As soon as she had done it she regretted her rash childlike behavior and the thought of it still made her blush, but the memory of Link's face made her smile. Most of her soldiers or warriors would have puffed themselves up with pride, but not Link. He became rather embarrassed by compliments, yet pleased as well.

Although what she had said about him was true, she had mostly said it to irritate Chefra as much as he had irritated her. She had not been very wise and she knew it, but when something is said or done it can never be taken back. It can be amended but never taken back. That remark had unfortunately caused a bit animosity between her captain and Link, until Link helped to save Chefra and his family from a monster raid a month later. Then Chefra no longer viewed Link as a threat, but rather almost like one of his knight apprentices.

After she had stomped off with blushing Link in tow, she had to decide which way to go. She had had a hunch that the boy had gone northwest and her hunch had proved to be correct. They had found the cheeky youngster around sunset. Unfortunately, as they had been heading back, they were caught in a small blizzard. Zelda had tried to keep them warm with magic but her attempts had failed. She had been worried that they would freeze to death until Link showed them a way to survive storms, which he had learned in the mountains of Snowpeak. They had spent a relatively warm if not a bit snug night. All three of them had made it back safely to the castle the next day.

Snapping out of her revelry, she found relatively deep snow drift and set about hollowing the inside. She burrowed into the drift leaving the entrance small but widening out the inside so that she fit in fairly comfortably. Then she lined the interior with fir branches. Her work was finished as twilight fell. Once she was within her shelter wrapped in her warm cloak, her satchel as her pillow, and her warming pan of a dragon at her feet, she curled up and fell asleep.

Zelda woke suddenly in the night, with an odd sense that something had shifted or changed. She waited for her sleep-filled mind to clear and she listened, her body suddenly going on the alert. Her muscles tensed and she reached for her ever-present dagger. It was then that she noticed what was wrong- she could actually see what was around her, much clearer than she should have been able to, considering the darkness of night, and her nearly completely enclosed shelter. She could see the ice crystals that made up the snowy walls around her, glinting gently in the murky blaze. She shifted her eyes towards the source and was able to see a gentle golden glow just outside of the narrow aperture that served as the door of her snowy shelter. Jade had not stirred with a warning of enemies and still lay contentedly sleeping at her feet. Zelda had not really expected her to though, for her heart told her that she knew what the source of this quiet light was. Silently, Zelda pushed herself up and began to worm her way outside. She had been sleeping fully clothed and had not even taken off her boots or cloak, so there was no need for her to dress. Outside, the world was painted an inky black, interrupted only the burning lights of stars that hung overshadowed by the black bows and needles of the mountain pines as they blocked out much of their distant light.

A gentle freezing breeze rustled the branches of the firs so that they whispered softly in the silence. The wind caressed her cheek with its freezing touch and she shivered at the temperature difference between her shelter and the open night. Her boots crunched delicately in the snow as she straightened fully and stepped forward. When she looked around, she caught sight of the source of the golden glow. It seemed to pool in the powdery white ground at the feet of the one eyed wolf and the very air around him. His shining coat did not even rustle in the breeze as if he was apart from effects of the very world he stood in. She could see her breath hang in the air before her eyes as she slowly breathed out, bracing herself for what she knew was coming. Sure enough, the wolf leaped at her head. Strangely, knowing that it meant her no harm; really did nothing to ease the jolt of fear that was aroused by being rushed at by a snarling golden wolf.

As it had happened before, her vision went black and she awoke in the shrouded mist laden world of the shade. The wavering projections of the landmarks of Hyrule still loomed around her. The sight of them tugged a little painfully at her heart as they reminded her of the fact she was no longer in her home country. Her homesick thoughts were distracted however, as the golden wolf howled and shifted into the body of the shade, so familiar in his battered helm and ivy laden armor.

"Princess," his voice carried gently towards her, dispelling any unease she might have harbored instantly. "Fate indeed seems to smile kindly upon us to share in the fortune of another meeting." His tone hardened slightly as he continued. "The hour is late and there are words that you must hear. The country in which you stand is not empty of people. So that you do not find yourself lost, there is knowledge I would share. After you have it, I trust that you will use it wisely. There is something you must see, if you seek to save this world from despair and the horrors it would face. If this is your purpose then you are worthy to receive the secrets of the past I hold. Come forth."

Zelda did not hesitate as she stepped near him and he placed a hand upon her forehead. This time she did not recoil at his cool touch.

She was staring at the aftermath of a field of battle, and the sight of it, even though she had experienced the field of combat many times herself, still made her stomach churn. Though the majority fighting appeared to have been finished, there were places in which a few skirmishes still dragged on. The outcome of this battle however, was clear- the victors were solders who wore what used to be the uniforms of the army and knights of Hyrule during the Hero of time's era. She remembered seeing them depicted in the history texts she had studied when she was younger.

Her sight suddenly narrowed from the wide picture of the ending field of combat, and centered upon a green clad figure in the midst of the final surges of battle. Although the Hero of Time was still wearing his usual loose fitting tunic it had been overlaid with the plate-mail and thick leather breastplate and shoulder armor of an army commander of his day. In his hand he held a longsword that was stained with the evidence of battle. Around him lay what once must have been a fairly large attack force. Zelda's eyes widened in slight surprise as she realized that he must have fought all those men single handed.

The Hero of Time's bearing was tensed and weary form the fatigue of battle, but his eyes spoke plainly of unyielding determination as he thrust his shield hard into the chest of his last attacker. The black clad, and thickly cowled, figure reeled backwards from the strike and the Hero of Time took the opportunity to lunge foreword in a vaulting leap over his shorter opponents head. As he flipped over his temporarily stunned enemy, he brought his sword down hard upon the attacker's metal helm. There was a crack as the battered metal gave way and the figure fell. She saw the Hero of Time land and then stagger slightly as he placed the tip of his sword in the ground to support himself as if he would fall. Zelda soon saw why. The white tights over his left leg were stained crimson and some of the liquid had already spattered from his upper thigh to the brown, soft-leather, turned-over top of the boot below. There was other evidence of the battle he had fought marring his features, but the wound on his leg seemed to be the worst.

Suddenly, the foe he had just struck down, rose to their feet again, obviously not as stunned or wounded as the hero had thought. The foe rushed forward, curved sword raised high. Link tried to take a step back into a fighting crouch but, he either slipped upon the blade of a fallen sword, or his wounded leg simply gave out on him, or perhaps both at once. It all happened so fast; one moment he was standing and the next he was on his back, almost totally at the mercy of the enemy. Zelda opened her mouth to cry out a warning as the enemy reared his sword up for the killing strike. The Hero of Time's fingers scrabbled franticly beside him for the hilt of his own fallen sword when suddenly his attacker fell to reveal the red-clad form of a familiar Gerudo woman. She withdrew her scimitar from where she had struck down the bandit.

"You're not looking quite so well, Link," she observed aloud as she looked him up and down. "At least I got here in time."

She was greeted only with silence, as the dazed hero looked upwards.

" What? No thank you?" She asked mildly.

"Aveil?" he gasped in complete surprise as his eyes focused upon her and the two Gerudo women at her back. "What are you doing here?" he managed to gasp.

"Saving your hide, that's what." She said bluntly as she knelt beside him and began to take a look at the nasty wound on his leg. "I would have thought that obvious considering that's what I just did." She sucked her breath in and winced, "Damn, they got you good," she whispered.

"You know perfectly well what I- ouch!-" he hissed in pain as she slit the leg of his pants so she could bind the wound tightly to stop him bleeding to death before she got him proper medical help, "-meant by that question," he finished his voice betraying the pain that he was feeling. "I was there a week ago when Nabooru, her followers and those few hylains went through the gate of time. Neither I, Zelda, nor Ganondorf opened the passage again, so that means you never left. How in Hyrule did you slip away unnoticed?"

"Thief," she drawled with a proud smile as is it was the simplest thing in the world. She allowed him to place his arm over her shoulder. She helped him up and supported him as they made their way back to the main camp, after directing her two followers ahead of them for help.

"When it came down to it, two of my friends and I, decided that running and hiding in another land with a rag-tag group of Hylains was not exactly our style." She said smugly as they slowly made their way along.

"T-those Hylians were some of the few supporters of your race, people who were fed up with all the political turmoil, or who had lost everything in one of Ganon's raids and wished to start a new life, hardly-" he paused to draw in a few struggling breaths, "-rag-tag." He finished in a soft, strained voice.

Aveil took in his pale features sweat and blood stained face and Zelda saw her expression soften from its former pride to concern.

"Hold on Link, were nearly there," she told him softly. He nodded tiredly in response.

"Though what I said before was true, you are right," she finally said after they had trudged alone in silence for a few more moments, "There is more to my staying than just personal preference. When Nabooru fled, she took with her and ancient relic of our tribe. It was a crystal called the Light Shard, said to have been created by one of our ancestors. Ganon never knew of it for it was a rather closely guarded secret that Nabooru's family held. It was even rumored that it might even contain enough power to best a piece of the Triforce itself because it was made with the help of the Triforce, but those are just as I said, rumors. Though Ganondorf did not know of its existence before, Nabooru had no idea how much he knew, if he did indeed know, of it and its existence now. She asked for me to stay and make sure that your battle strategy was successful and Ganondorf was contained. Even if its power is a myth, she never wanted something like it to fall into enemy hands. I was happy to stay in Hyrule, so I hardly objected to her suggestion. I am glad I did, it would have been a shame to see you killed after you carried the army to victory."

"It was the sages and the main force of the military that was responsible for his capture," Link said, his voice still far too soft for Zelda's or, it seemed, Aviel's liking.

"Yes but it was you who were the strategist behind this battle's victory. Also, you should be proud; from what I have seen your side did not suffer near the amount of casualties Ganondorf's did. Your people have finally been avenged. I saw you lead the charge that tilted the scales in our favor. I saw you deal with that last skirmish force single handed. In fact I would have helped you sooner if my two warriors and I had not been stuck in a blasted skirmish fight ourselves. I hope you can forgive me for being a little late."

"I was nothing more than a figure in the background."

When the Hero of Time said this, Zelda saw that old look in his eyes as they seemed to cloud over. Despite his young features he looked almost ancient to Zelda. Ancient, tired, and sad, as if his eyes had seen far more than a person of his age should ever have.

"Not to me, never to me," Aveil's response was almost gentle, and Zelda saw her abruptly shake her head as if she were ashamed to have shown such emotions. "Let's get you help, before you bleed to death," she said, her usual tambour coming back into her voice, her golden eyes shining with mild amusement. "I think the princess and a certain red haired farm girl would be devastated if I failed to bring you back," she teased as the army tents came slowly into view.

A slow pleased smile, began to grace the Hero of Times face as if the thought of the farm girl cheered his heart somehow. Then, as if trying to hide that fact from her, he added, "What about all the other fair maidens you listed last time, will they also be devastated?" his face held that rather childishly innocent expression. "And, what about you? Will you be devastated too?"

Aveil merely rolled her eyes, "I do still have my dagger, Link," She told him mildly. He had the grace to wince as he remembered her threat from their last encounter alone.

"Aveil," The Hero of Time said after a short pause, his voice still terrible strained and now barely over a whisper, "I hope that the next king of your race…" he trialed into silence, but Aveil nodded.

"Me too." She said shortly.

The Hero of Time was nearly unconscious when they finally reached the long rows of tents. Zelda suspected it was from blood loss, but she could see that the wounds would not have been serious enough to claim his life. He must have been and amazing swordsman and warrior to have survived such a battle with so few wounds. It reminded her of her Link, and the thought made a stabbing sensation of loss worry, and even guilt twist inside her. The Hero of Time though, was not her Link. They were so very different from each other, and yet at the same time, so very similar. The thought of it made her head whirl.

As she watched the pair struggle along together. Zelda heard Link deliriously whisper something against the silken fabric of Aveil's sari.

"Nobody will ever remember."

"I will never forget," Zelda found herself saying simultaneously with Aveil.

The image faded into blackness as Zelda's eyes met the one red orb of the Shade. He had been very careful to show her that particular memory for a reason and her mind began to focus as she instantly gleaned several reasons why. She took her mind off of the tale itself and narrowed her view to concentrate only on the facts she had heard. She had learned about a power source the Ganondorf might be after this time, and that was a well heeded warning. She had also learned that the Gerudo had not been alone when they fled; a group of Hylains had gone with them. If the Gerudo had gone alone, she had a feeling that their race would probably have been extinct, but now that seemed to not be quite a correct assumption. Gerudo woman were only able to produce female heirs, except for the birth of a male once every hundred years. She had no idea why that was, perhaps their race had simply been created that way by the goddesses. If, however; there had been others, there was a good chance that their race survived. Also, if Aveil and two others had stayed behind in Hyrule then that also answered the question as to why a few people still looked as if they had Gerudo blood in their veins; Telma of the Resistance came to mind. It was all very useful information indeed. She snapped out of her thoughts as the shade took a step backwards.

"Everything you needed to know has been passed on."

He took a rasping breath before he continued, "A desire holds no purpose unless it is carried out with wisdom, and an action that is logical is not always wise. The princess of my time told me that once and I believe she would have wanted you to hear that." He took another backward step. "Remember, heed the past, and you like your hero, can gaze at the future with vision unclouded. I hold faith that you can turn back this world's evil. There are two other things I would tell you, Hyrule's people are not the only ones to suffer when Ganondorf reigns. The other is that it is possible for friendship and trust to span across the bounds of time itself. You can trust her, and even the young king."

Zelda did not understand what he meant by that last bit, but she was sure that she would find out his meaning sooner or later, otherwise he would not have waited his breath to tell her this. His voice carried towards her more faintly and he seemed to be losing substance, becoming more like the tendrils of mist that shivered around them. Zelda knew that he was leaving, and she had a feeling that this would probably be the last time that they spoke.

"Farwell my princess; go, and do not falter."

"Thank you," Zelda whispered, and she meant it. For a moment his skeletal face seemed to gain substance in a ghosting reflection of what it used to look like. The single eye's hew shifted from glowing red to a clouded blue and an echo of his lips curved upwards into smile. Then he was gone, and she was kneeling alone in calf deep snow. She shivered in the bitter cold of the fragile wind, got up and turned to crawl back into the relative warmth of her shelter and went to sleep.

In the morning she made a quick breakfast of her supplies and the few things she had foraged the day before and headed down the mountain, with her dragon sitting on her shoulder.

A/N: well, that chapter is a fair bit longer than I had initially planed for it to be. Oh well, I hope you all liked it anyway :D yes, I could not help but bring the Hero's Shade back again. I really really love that guy the idea behind him and his execution was quite awesome in TP. I also hope that my portal of OoT link in the flashback/memories is in character and realistic. The snow hut that Zelda made, yes that is actually how you should go about making a shelter for yourself if you are ever lost in the snow, just so you know, just in case. XD Huge thank you's to everyone who read, review, followed, and or favorited, you all are amazing!

Question: You have all heard my theory as to what happened to the Gerudo (for this tale anyhow) Why do you think that there are none in Twilight Princess?