A/N: Hi guys, I hope you all are having amazing weeks. This chapter will jump back to Link and Aveil, and horse chases, just because I love them XP Oh, and I really enjoyed hearing your theories, they are awesome.

Storm Dragon Wolf Princess: Both of those things were very nice to hear/read, thank you so much for your encouraging comments :D

Generala: I wish we could play as her in the games too. A ferret would be cool too, I think... Thanks!

xXx skytale xXx: Thank you! I did quite enjoy writing them. XP

Yami no Nokutan: Thank you for your input, it does help quite a lot. You shall just have to wait and see about that one. Link is back this week, only to be gone again next week. I hope you can get control of that evil fan-girl of yours XP. Thanks again!

CupcakePride101: Some pretty amazing adventures, that you should be able to read soon XD thank you!

Scarlet Curls: Well in all fairness to you, it's hard to be an expert on something they were never really clear on C: I am liking your thoughts, though. Awww, Jade gets her first fan-girl lol. They are pretty good reads. She is still having issues because the premiere is only a day away now *fan-girl squeal* Cool, I did give a lot of clues, you could PM me with what you guess if you want :D Oh, thanks for telling me, I shall fix it. Happy break! I hope you have fun writing! Good job on your exam.

TheObsessedBookworm: I am so glad you liked it, and am pleased that my mood change came across. I love the Hero's Shade and thought it would be awesome for her to help like that. Oh, crumbs, and I have honestly been trying so hard not to do that, I am sorry, and it shall be fixed pronto. Thank you!

silverheartlugia2000: Yes, together they shall be unstoppable }:D jk. Thanks for the review.

Gojira Geek: Sounds like a good one to me! Thank you!

Eclipse

Aveil turned her head to look back at Link. It was hard to crane her neck to get a glimpse of the rider behind her when she was chained to face forward. Link had been especially sullen since their encounter with Xiphos the day before. She wondered if it was because that he was depressed that he had been recaptured after two escape attempts, or because of the rather miserable, freezing, humiliating night he had spent, or all or neither of these things. She honestly did not know because she did not fully understand the mind on the male species. The only soldiers around were Darknuts. The three other men and Ganondorf were up front so she judged it safe enough to speak.

"Are you alright?" she asked concerned, staring into his eyes solemnly from her contorted position. His dark blue eyes met hers, his expression blank almost sorrowful. He said nothing just continued to stare dully ahead of him at her.

"Link?" she asked, hushed.

Then his mouth twitched slightly before it quirked up into a smile that turned into a broad grin. Only then did she realize that she was grinning back, just as madly.

"Darn you and your stupid contagious smile," she muttered crankily forcing a frown.

"Why the frown?" He asked his smile never faltering, " I am sure there is much fun yet to be had at my expense."

"Link," She chided, trying to keep the frown, as she strove to ignore him but it soon began to become over exaggerated. This only made the both of them burst into silent sniggers. 'As is usually the case when one tries to hide laughter it only makes it last longer,' she thought grumpily as she tried and failed for the third time to stop. "Tell me what I missed," she said smiling. "I know you buried Ganon's men and the power source in an avalanche, but I don't know the details. I wanted to ask you yesterday, before we left, but you looked so sullen and deep in thought that I didn't want to disturb you."

"Well you pretty much heard and saw it all. The only things you missed was me, shouting like a deranged goat header, swinging through the trees like some overgrown monkey, with Ganondorf chasing after. Then me, running through the snow at the pace of a granny with back problems, shaking like an aspen leaf in a windstorm after Ganon shot me out of a tree. In fairness to myself though, Ganon was not running much faster than I was. He was wheezing and shambling like some over fat pig, and then howling like a Redead when he found I had lost his precious stone."

"I wish I could have seen that," she chucked at his comical interpretation before her expression once again sobered. "Are you sure you are alright? Not that I care, but you were looking pretty depressed all up until a few moments ago."

"It warms my heart to hear that a beautiful woman was worrying on my behalf. I had no idea you cared so very much for me. You should be more careful, or people will start to doubt the though act of yours." He said sweetly.

Aveil snorted and turned away from him.

"Actually," he added, sounding more serious this time. "I looked depressed yesterday because I was trying really hard not to smile, it hurt really bad then and it still hurts today," he said, massaging his lightly bruised cheek where an angry red cut and some small gashes ran down the corner of his mouth. "I was also humiliated by my appearance," he said pulling an arrogant face.

"What do you mean?" she asked expectantly.

"What do I mean?" he snapped back teasingly, "You can't tell me that you did not notice the period of time in which I looked like bloated bulblin troll because of my swollen lip. It absolutely dreadful bearing the appearance of my enemies. My pride took an absolutely devastating blow."

"That wasn't you pride," she replied grinning, "That was your face."

"Oh that does it! I cannot stand to be insulted in such a fashion by a woman," he countered.

"Better a woman than a man," she shot back, trying to hide a chuckle.

"How are you?" he asked seriously, "You pride took just as hard a hit as mine,"

"It's about as good as your face, "she replied smiling before turning back around.

"That bad then?"

She rolled her eyes, even though she knew he could not see.

"I am sorry I put you through that," he said quietly to her back.

"If you can take a hit for doing what's right than so can I," she retorted huffily. "We kept Ganondorf away from the power, which is a victory. Just don't do something like that again anytime soon, that Xiphos is a monster," she admitted quietly.

Link stared hard at Aveil's back. Her clothes were in taters and he could still see the angry red marks upon her flesh. Despite this, she held herself a proudly as he imagined the Gerudo Thieves had long ago. He had not exactly told her the truth. He supposed he had looked sullen because he had been thinking hard about something Ganondorf had said to him. Before they had left camp to ride through the night, Ganon had whispered something in his ear. He had said that even though that move at the mountain was pretty clever it still did not change anything. It would make things harder and the link might not be as strong but things would go as planned. The only difference would be that he, as Ganondorf's prisoner would suffer more for his actions. It was this that bothered him. It appeared that he had slowed down Ganon's schemes, but had not actually succeeded in stopping them. Escape was still on his top priority list. It was hard for him to stay depressed for too long though, he had long since learned that being stoic or angry did nothing to aid ones predicament. If he was forced into the blackness of the abyss he would rise to face it with a smile of defiance, not necessarily for his sake but for the sake of those beside him.

The cavalcade had successfully made it down the mountain and three quarters of the way through the mountain pass and it was not yet evening. Everyone, both soldiers and horses, needed a rest after traveling all night and most of the day. Ganondorf ordered a halt near a slow moving stream. While they were waiting, Whiny came over to where Link and Aveil were tethered to give them food and water.

"Lord Ganondorf thinks you need to be fed, but if it were up to me I would let you starve," he said in his arrogant sonorous voice. He then unceremoniously dumped the food at their feet and stood waiting. After a short pause he demanded, "Well? Say thank you, scum-filth."

"Thank you scum-filth," Link said with an insolent smile. The sound of Malver's sniveling whiny voice never failed to irritate him.

"Why you obstinate… You will pay for that," Malver cried his thin face contorted with anger.

"Well it looks like they are going to start punishing us for doing what they ask now," Aveil commented dryly, "don't tell them I said this, but I am starting to think that they are not so very smart."

Malver ignored her and instead turned to Link. "How does it feel to finally be put in your rightful place as a slave? You took everything from me, and to see you like this… It's like divine justice for me. I use to have it all, money standing, and then you ruined it."

"You were nothing more than an arrogant glorified thief preying on the weak," Link said quietly.

"You are nothing more than a naive fool," he snapped back. "I don't understand how you haven't sunk into misery; you have to understand that your situation is without a shred of hope."

Link looked whiny directly in the eyes as he answered. "Our circumstances do not define out personalities. They can greatly influence our moods if we let them, but in the end we decide our own attitudes. Whether we act in bitterness, hatred, anger, joy, kindness, love, or any other emotion in between, your response is always up to you."

Malver glared at Link and aimed a scornful kick in his direction that fell short of its mark.

"Your master does not share your loyalty and he does not share power. He only wants you as long as he needs you." Link said to Malver's retreating figure. "What do you stand for?"He asked. "I only ask because we were once on the same side."

"I stand for my new master," Malver announced boldly.

"Then you are as much of a slave as I am," Link said with a wry chuckle. Much to his surprise, Malver did not turn around to strike him for his impertinence he only walked back to his horse in silence.

"It appears that I am not the only one to have fun poked at my expense." Link grinned, once he was out of earshot.

Aveil whispered to him, "What you said about circumstance was surprisingly wise for just poking fun."

"Don't mind me; I am only trying to sew dissention." Link grinned.

"I thought that boys were supposed to be empty headed prideful fools, in fact most are. Where did you learn what you told Malver?"

"The hard way-" Link replied, "with personal experience."

"Have you come up with any new escaping schemes, O Brainy One?" she asked him with a half smile. Her golden proud eyes still shone with defiant determination, yet with every passing day they seemed to grow more desperate. Link wondered if his own eyes looked that way. 'We are surrounded by a guard all the time and I have no more weapons up my sleeve. I have only one scheme left but it requires an incredible amount of luck.' He thought to himself. Aloud he said, "A good horseman does not need reigns to control a horse."

~x~X~x~

Link grumbled inwardly the following day. He had spent all morning trying to get the black Friesian horse he had named Eclipse to listen to him as if he were her master, but the infernal horse was being stubborn. All she wanted to do was follow the lead of the horse her halter was tied to. He had tried nearly all the techniques that he had used on his own horse Epona, but Eclipse was obstinate. He felt a pang of homesickness and longing when he thought of his own beautiful horse. Eclipse was not as high spirited as his horse but she still should have been at least a little responsive. After all, she had been trained as a soldier's war charger. Technically, he should have been able to get her to turn by clutching with his knees and shifting his weight. War horses were supposed to be trained to be sensitive to commands like that because sometimes during battles their riders were unable to have both hands, or even one hand, on the reigns.

He vainly and uselessly wished that he had his Twilight Shard. If her were a wolf it would be much easier to communicate with this horse. He let out his breath in an irritated sigh and decided he would take a break and try again later.

He scanned the breathtaking scenery around him. The snow and frigid biting winds had faded as they traversed the low-lands instead of the high mountain peaks. Although the land seemed to have temporarily escaped winters grip to go back to that of a more natural and mild autumn, the land behind the mountains were still forested with pine. He loved pine forests the air was always crisp and cool, scented with a sharp fresh tang. The ground was sparsely covered with wiry grass and course plants. The woods were dotted with silver-grey sedimentary rocks, some jutting up as large as houses in some places, others mere pebbles. Many trees were dotted with moss, and the rocks were covered with sage green lichens. The rocks had mica imbedded in them and they sparkled as the sun filtered through the trees in great patches of light, for the canopy of the pine woods were thin. They did not blot out the sun and sky unlike the deep woods of Hyrule. Hyrule had few pine forests, the only ones being on Snowpeak, and the mountains that jutted up behind Ordon.

The pine wood abruptly thickened and, for a short while, the cavalry wove in and out of thick trunked ponderosas that were towering high. Link caught a light whiff of vanilla as he passed a hairsbreadth by one of the great trees. He was awed by these awesome sights, his predicament momentarily forgotten. The sights and smells filled his senses and his previous dark mood momentarily evaporated. He had often wondered why ponderosa trees smelled like vanilla. 'The world was a beautiful place even if one was viewing it in the company of one's enemies,' he thought to himself smiling. Eclipse perked up her ears and snorted, nearly prancing as if she had picked up the mood of her rider. She tossed her head and scented the air as if she enjoyed it as much as he. Animals were very sensitive to the emotions of people, Link knew. Perhaps she felt his elation and desire for freedom, freedom to roam the beauty of the word. It was almost as if they had connected. It was like the feeling that a good rider gets when they are almost one with their steed. A war horse had to trust and know the feel of their rider for them to respond properly. 'Maybe,' Link thought with a gleam of hope, 'maybe now she would respond to me or listen.' He leaned forward into a proper riding position his face bushing up against Aveil's sleek copper-red hair.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Lean forward a bit," he whispered.

'Why," she whispered back, but did what he asked.

"Now, shift your weight to the left like you are trying to guide the horse that way with your knees."

They both shifted at the same time and Eclipse veered a little to the left. Link's face lit up with a smile.

A few hours later, Link and Aveil had nearly mastered guiding the horse without the reigns. They had to do it discreetly so as not to draw attention to themselves. The pine forest still rose up around them but it gradually started to thin out. Link seemed to sense a dark feeling of evil all about, and he guessed that they were nearing Ganondorf's fortress. The closer they got the stronger the odd sense of foreboding grew. It was making him feel on edge and uneasy. He couldn't let Ganon win.

"You two are not looking to happy," Malver grinned at them. "Have you finally given up? It's about time. We will reach lord Ganondorf's fortress before sundown." He laughed before riding ahead.

As the sun sank lower and lower in the sky, Link and Aveil were becoming desperate for a chance to escape. When Aveil turned around to looked at him, he saw that her face was pinched with worry, her nut-brown skin had grown pale, and her eyes were afraid. He did not know what to say or do to console her, he was just as nervous, every minute their chances dwindled.

Suddenly the perfect opportunity presented itself. Ganondorf called halt by a stream to give the horses a drink and everyone dismounted to lead their steeds to water, except for Link and Aveil who could not. A Darknut headed over and untied Eclipse's lead rope so he could guide her to the stream with Link and Aveil still on her back. As soon as the Darknut untied the halter Link nudged Aveil and she nodded.

"Hyah!" Link yelled kicking the horse in the side with his heels. The horse whinnied, rearing up. The halter was yanked out of the hand of the startled soldier, who fell in a heap as he dived out of the charging steed's way. Eclipse speed off into the forest.

With a cry of dismay all the soldiers hurriedly mounted their steeds to peruse. Eclipse was a powerful horse and together Link and Aveil weighed about as much as a darknut in his light set of armor, so many of their pursuers fell behind. Unfortunately; several Darknuts had steeds that were fleet of foot. The light Bublins on their riding boars were keeping pace as well. Ganondorf, Xiphos, Tirkon, and Malver were riding hard, hot on their tail. Eclipse dashed madly through the trees. Link and Aveil were hard pressed to dodge all the whippy pine branches. As he was down low, Link noticed something glinting in Aveil's belt. It was the dagger of the Darknut who had tried to lead their horse to water's. She must have pick-pocketed him when he passed by their horse.

His smile soon faded as he caught sight of Ganon maneuvering his cavalry to the left of their escaping horse. Link's heartbeat quickened as he recognized what Ganondorf was doing. He could recognize it easily for it was the same thing he did nearly every day in Ordon. Ganondorf was herding them to the left. If he could get Eclipse to go to the right and pass Ganon before he sided up to them, then Ganondorf would lose his edge. Link desperately tried to get Eclipse to turn to the right, but she was tired and she did not understand why she was supposed to be running. She had been used to traveling with the pack of horses she was running from and was therefore not as desperate as they to get away. Her pace was slowing. Ganondorf's maneuver was working. Soon, Link caught sight of what they being herded towards. It was a burned clearing. The trees were dead and the grass was scorched. Broken arrows rusted weapons and other signs of a battle were lying in the desolate ruined landscape. In the center of this huge bleak barren valley was a fortress made of some blackened metal. He heard Aveil give an angered cry when she saw it.

"That was the fortress of the king, this was once the most beautiful valley in the entire kingdom! It guarded the paths to the desert. " she yelled angrily.

"If Ganon manages to herd us toward his fortress, we're done for," Link shouted back.

He yelled for the horse to gallop faster and prodded her sides with his heels. To his surprise the horse obeyed instantly and put on a burst of speed. But it was not because of his urging. The cavalry had begun firing with their bows and an arrow had grazed Eclipses flank. She bolted with terror. She had almost completely outdistanced all their pursuers, when she gave a pained whinny and stumbled, falling to the ground. There were several arrows protruding from her withers. Link and Aveil were trapped underneath the animal. Their hands were chained to the saddle horn and their legs were chained to the stirrups. Aveil grabbed the stolen dagger and slashed through the leather, breaking them free. They struggled and succeeded to pull themselves out from under the horse's weight. It was too late to run. Ganon was upon them.

They had no chance. Aveil's heart was pounding as fast as if she had done the running, not the poor horse. She and Link were chained together and even if she were not momentarily petrified with terror, hobbled as they were they would not get far. She had started to panic, when she heard Link whisper urgently to her.

"Aveil, he wants me alive!"

She turned staring at him confused.

"He wants me alive!" Link repeated, nearly yelling.

She realized what he wanted. Grabbing her dagger, she maneuvered herself behind him and pointed the dagger at his throat, just a Ganondorf reached them and dismounted.

"Stay right there," she commanded, "or I will slit his throat."

Ganon laughed, "You expect me to believe that? He is your ally and you wouldn't hurt him."

"Is that what you think?" She challenged. "Well I will have you know that I am nothing like him. I am a descendant of the Gerudo Thieves and I was raised to follow their code. You are familiar with the code are you not?"

Ganondorf's smile faded, and Aveil continued.

"If you think that I won't kill to save my own skin, then you are sadly mistaken. I will do anything to secure my freedom. As the Gerudo's say, 'make alliances outside your race when it's an advantage, but one's self and people are always the top priority'."

Aveil started to back up pulling Link with her. Ganon stayed where he was. Elation and hope filled her as Ganon grew further and further away. Then it died as Link cried a warning. A blunt arrow barely missed her head. Turning, she saw Xiphos in the trees to her side. As soon as she turned her head, Link gasped as he tried to side step but could not because of the chains. He made a sound like all the wind had been knocked out of him and went limp in her arms. She gave a cry of alarm and surprise before she realized what had happened. When her attention was on Xiphos, Ganon had fired a magic ball at Link. Her dagger was wrenched from her grasp as he fell to the ground. She tried to make a dash for it, dragging Link's unconscious body with her but this hindrance made her too slow and she found herself surrounded.

"Bravo little girl," Ganondorf said with a grin, "I like my slaves to have spirit; you will do well in my service after a few lessons in manners," He laughed. She felt something strike her on the head and everything went dark.

I hope you all enjoyed, as always thanks for reading! Disclaimer: no actual animals were hurt in the writing of this novel XP Until next time!

Question:

If you could be any race, aside from Hylain or human, what would you like to be?