A/n: Sorry it took so long, but both of us were moving into college in different parts of the state, but we're only twenty minutes away, as opposed to five, but o well, we're going to write until this is finished.

Thank you all for your wonderful encouragement.

JELLA : Hey, hope you like this chapter. We're loving college and promise to keep in touch, but mostly we promise to complete this story in a most wonderful way. Lol, and yes, I realized that these characters are in fact teenage girls… they are going to gossip… though not quite the annoying kind like most girls because they are for the most part tom-boys. And… I completely understand the whole rage thing.

Wolf demon 2010: Thanks for the wonderfully amazing reviews. And yes, you finally find out what happened to Amy, well, sort of, you don't figure out exactly what happens so far as how she got off the island—that won't be fully explained until a couple of chapters later. We're getting more organized as the end is near, but the chapters might be a bit longer—take this one for example. And that last question—in the next couple of chapters as well.

Lectaelf: We were sad too during that chapter. We even got a little teary-eyed. We're glad to hear that it came out in our writing, and yes, we will be seeing more of Ignus in the chapters to come. Dragons are awesome.

Bluenavydragon: Thank you so much, it's always welcoming to hear that.

Chapter 34: Amy Returns

The night air was cool compared to the warm castle, but Link was still breaking a sweat for he and Epona had searched high and low for Amy. The hero's clothes were damp from his failed attempt to return to Termina via Lake Hylia; the way Naomi had gotten them all home. He despairingly began the long trek back to the castle, however, something caught his eye near the river that fed into the lake. As Navi and Tatl danced about it, his eyes widened and heart skipped and he leapt from his horse, running to the bank.

"Amy…" He called gently with some anxious apprehension. "What happened?" His words fell on deaf ears, for Amy lay unconscious. The moonlight provided poor visibility, but he could still make out many burns and bruises covering her shivering and broken body. Alarmed, he ran awkwardly through knee-deep water and pulled her into his arms.

He was surprised by how light she was, and when he shifted his weight to walk, Amy stirred groggily. As her dull red eyes fixated on his, Link couldn't think of anything consoling to say. Her tired face showed an emotion akin to sorrow.

"I'm sorry." She muttered in a weak voice before once more passing out of consciousness. So Link held her, lit by the light of the silent Tatl and Navi.

He felt angry, but this time he recognized the feeling; from the death of the first Deku Tree, the capturing of Princess Zelda, and, at one point, the falling of Hyrule. All of these events held one thing in common, a grave wrong had been committed by some bitter fool. The only difference between that and the present, him holding the broken Amy in his arms, was that Link felt he held some responsibility in this.

Amy groaned; a sign of some consciousness. So Link quickly set her upon Epona's back, and began riding back to Hyrule castle, pondering how she could have gotten there in such a state, but mostly, who had done this to her.

Naomi lay in her own bed and in her own room. Rays of moonlight came from her window and cast lonely shadows on the walls. She closed her eyes for as long as she could, but still no sleep came to her. Every time her eyes once more opened to see those shadows, she sighed in angry irritation. Finally, after many hours deep into the night, Naomi gave up. She flung off her sheets and pulled on a robe over her night gown so that she might walk about the castle grounds.

The night air was cool and crisp, and it brought a calm about her, now that she was away from her solitary room. Naomi didn't know why sleep evaded her tonight, but she thought deeply on it while staring towards the sleeping city. It was then that the distant figure of a horse and rider caught her attention. He seemed to be coming slowly up the path towards the castle. Being curious and having no other commission, Naomi quickly went to investigate.

It was upon this close investigation that Naomi soon saw that this horse was Epona and there was not one but two riders.

"Amy…" She whispered and began running across the courtyard towards the castle gate. The girl was upon them before the soldier had a chance to address Link. "Let them in!" Naomi demanded, much to everyone's surprise, but the soldier didn't hesitate to follow her orders. Link held Amy upright on Epona, and Naomi now walked at their side.

"What happened?" She asked Link, who was still asking that question himself.

"I found her in Lake Hylia… I don't know yet, but I intend to find out." He replied. They reached the drawbridge into the grand home of Zelda. It had already been let down for Naomi and now Link was able to march straight through it.

"Well, you bring her to my room, I will take care of her until we can get a proper doctor here." Naomi said, quickly taking charge of the situation. Link half-smiled with dreary humor.

"I always thought you were a proper doctor." He murmured. Naomi was taken off guard, for she had never seen the consoling side of Link, but his new approach was welcomed.

"I thank you, but I would still like to have some help for our dear friend… it looks like she may be injured beyond my expertise." Naomi noted the burns. They were strange to her, and therefore, rather threatening.

Link dismounted and pulled Amy into his arms. He carried her up to Naomi's room and placed her on the bed. Amy moaned from all the motion, her eyes opened only enough to see a small sliver of her now dulled, red eyes before closing them once more.

Naomi brought the embers to life in the stone fireplace within her room, then set to work in making her remedies and mending Amy's wounds. Link paced the floor pensively.

"Is there… is there anything I can do?" He asked Naomi while she busily made her way about the room, looking in the cabinets the castle always had stocked with supplies.

"Umm…" Naomi replied amid her rummaging. She looked back to Amy who lay soaking wet. Her lips came together in a thin line. She closed her eyes and went back to her working demeanor. "I need to get her in some dry clothes… so, you should leave." Link blushed slightly while Naomi looked down, trying to think of what else might be said. "Go get the doctor at Lake Hylia, or wake up the others and tell them what's happening… or both…" Naomi laid down an armful of bottles upon the floor. Link nodded and quickly complied.

He went out into the hall and shut the door behind him. Then, after a moment of hesitant steps, he shook his head.

"Good thing we have Naomi for these things…" Navi piped up. Link concurred with a nod and then went to wake up Aura.

After several harsh and urgent raps at the door, a rather disheveled Aura revealed herself. She narrowed her eyes and glowered at the now distressed Link.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed in a croaky voice. Link's eyes widened and he took a step back.

"What?" He asked nervously.

"I knew I'd have to give up my room!"

"Ummm… I brought Amy back, and she's… injured… Naomi might need your help…" He quickly explained.

"Oh," came the surprised reply. Her expression showed relief but then sobered as the news sank in. "I didn't know that." Aura then grabbed her bag and raced to Naomi's room, barging in without a knock.

"Close the!-- oh, it's yo--" Naomi's voice rang out just before the door slammed loudly. Upon the loud bang and shouts, Damien appeared at his door in between the two girl's rooms.

"What did Arian do this time?" He asked rather drowsily. One side of his hair was standing on end.

"What did I do? Is Naomi mad?" Another tired voice called from behind him. Link let out a hoarse laugh before sinking back into an empty and tired expression.

"Um… Amy's hurt… I'm going to go get a doctor…" Link answered. A short silence passed between them.

"Okay…" Damien finally said, understanding that there was nothing he could do, and closed the door abruptly to go back to sleep until he could be useful.

The girls were now fully dressed but far from fully awake. While Aura was now half-asleep in the chair, after helping with several bandages, Naomi, finished wrapping the final burn, which was the only way she knew how to cope with such injuries. It had been a long and tiresome night, and Naomi was slowly wearing down. After the last wrapping was complete, she slowly stood and turned to her napping companion.

"Aura…" She called. The young girl stirred. "Aura, you watch over Amy." In a hazy shade of sleepy dreariness, Aura stood from the chair as a sort of automatic response.

"What?" She asked with a yawn, but before Naomi could reply, the girl stole her chair and quickly drifted into sleep. "Naomi?" Aura turned around and nudged her unmoving friend. "She stole my chair."

Aura then delved into the cabinets to find a pot and some coffee grounds. Upon uncovering such items, she immediately set to work making coffee with robotic motions. Aura set the large pot with water onto the fire and sat upon the stool next to Amy's bed, staring at it. The water boiled and the grounds were added for a few minutes and then Aura set to work in straining it. Then, picking up the homemade pot by the handle and staring into it, she muttered to herself, "I don't have a cup…" So, in her dire need, she felt it was best to begin drinking as soon as possible. At this moment, with her lips pursed to the side of the large pot, a knocking sounded at the door. However, Aura had not finished her morning drink.

The door opened slowly to reveal Link and a curious doctor, Thrucian. Aura looked to them and set down her pot.

"There's coffee if anyone's interested…" She said while wiping her mouth.

"Uh… that's alright. How's Amy doing?" Link looked to the bed and then around for her original nurse, finding her curled up in the chair. "… and Naomi…"

"A little lethargic but otherwise pretty normal… chair thief…" Aura muttered the last few words while the doctor stepped in, recognizing the young chair thief.

"Why, little Naomi… I had wondered where she had gotten to…" Link at first seemed a little surprised that he knew her but then remembered that it had been Naomi who requested his aid.

"Yes, she's been taking care of our friend thus far, but she said it might be beyond her expertise… whatever that means." Link said, pointing him towards Amy who now lay wrapped and bandaged. Naomi had also pulled back Amy's loose and distraught hair and cleaned her face, helping her appear more like her old self.

"It would be nice to know what she meant, and what she's done so far. I hate to say it, but if one of you could wake--" Thrucian had been talking as he sat down on the stool next to Amy's bed when his sentence was cut off by a large 'thump'. All turned to find that Aura had flipped her friend out of the chair.

"Wake up, they need you." Aura told the moaning girl who lay on the floor. Naomi drearily stood, and oddly enough, didn't seem irritable at all.

"Oh, coffee…" She mumbled and headed over to pick up the pot. After taking a long swig, Naomi seemed ready to get to work. "Thrucian, I'm glad you made it."

"Link here called in a favor. He's done a lot to help me in the past, it's only fair that I should come to his aid as well, although it was rather early." He looked harshly at the boy. Naomi nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but thank you so much for coming on such short notice, and so quickly. Amy, our friend, seems to have encountered some rather rough company, and judging by the bruising around several scrapes, I suppose there has been some blunt trauma, possibly from falling or being beaten with blunt objects… and then there are these…" Naomi unwrapped one of the burns. "I don't know where these came from, or how to heal them…" Thrucian listened intently and examined the poor girl.

"She currently appears to be suffering from extreme exhaustion. Has she been able to eat or drink anything?"

"She's been out cold the whole time, so I'm not sure how long she's gone without sustenance. She was pretty hurt, so all I thought about was healing her as best I could." Naomi said, her brow creased. Thrucian nodded slowly and turned to his bag. He began to rummage through it, pulling out a glass bottle filled with a blue liquid. Link raised his eyebrows, a look of recognition sweeping across his features.

"Now, I'm going to give this to her. Lift up her chin and make sure she swallows this." Thrucian instructed as he slowly poured the liquid down Amy's throat. The three of them watched in dumbfounded awe as the rough burns and bruises still visible on Amy's body disappeared. When all of the potion was gone, Amy's body shuddered violently and then went back to rest. Naomi had jumped up, ready to be at her side, tending to her conscious and scared friend, but Amy had merely fallen back asleep.

"She only needs rest right now, but when she awakes, she will be as good as before, only very hungry… The medicine uses the body's resources up to perform such a powerful healing." Thrucian said, nodding authoritatively. Naomi sighed and reseated, trying to settle herself back down.

"I guess she won't need those wrappings anymore." She said slowly, only slightly aggravated. Link turned to Thrucian, both eyebrows raised.

"I didn't know blue potions were that powerful."

"Link, did you ever once look at yourself before you took one of those?" Navi questioned him. When no response came, she continued. "My point exactly."

"Yeah," Tatl added, "Death personified isn't the most pleasant thing to witness, but it perfectly described you after that run in with that giant fish thing." Link shuddered at the memory of that certain boss.

"Well, it looks like my job is done…" Thrucian said, standing from his place. Naomi, too, stood up, merely out of habit, it was Link who seemed intent on bidding the doctor farewell.

"How much do we owe you? I know that potion didn't come cheap. And for coming on such short notice…" Link asked earnestly, pulling out his giant's wallet. Thrucian put up a hand, though he ogled the great money bag, wondering how on earth it fit unnoticeably in Link's tunic, as did Aura and Naomi. They also took notice of Link's uncharacteristic worried behavior.

"For friends, it is free… Not to mention I owe both you and Naomi for your services." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Though, please do not wake me this early ever again." Link nodded in reply.

Thrucian smiled and walked out of the room, heading towards town to catch the early carriage. Link turned to the two barely conscious girls, who were currently chugging more of the coffee.

"Is that stuff good?" He asked with one brow arched.

"Heck no." Aura replied after swallowing the bitter stuff. "But it works." As they stood there, a servant walked by the room.

"Her ladyship requests your companionship for breakfast." He faced Link and then bowed, stepping away. Naomi smiled with a hint of cheekiness.

"So, when are you going to tell Zelda about your… possible heritage?" She asked.

"I don't plan on it." Link replied curtly. Aura rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go get breakfast." She stalked out of the room. Link stood in the doorway, looking back at a more peaceful Amy. He couldn't voice his utter relief upon her safety, nor could he convey his immense gratitude to Naomi. Though, when he looked over to the little pirate nurse, he figured he could try to repay her kindness.

"I'll watch Amy. You go and have breakfast… You look exhausted."

"What? I look that bad?" Naomi asked, hurriedly combing her fingers through her disheveled hair. Alarmed, Link held up his hands.

"NO! No… I just mean… ugh. Nevermind. You look… uh… dashing." He muttered, embarrassed. He turned to leave, deciding it was a lost cause. Naomi, realizing his blundering attempt at thoughtfulness, went after him.

"Link!" She called, running down the hall. He ground his teeth as he turned to face her. For some reason he expected her to lecture him, or question him about everything and anything, but all she did was stare into his eyes with an expression that he had not yet seen on her face.

"Thank you, Link, for bringing Amy back." She finally said. "I'm so proud of you for going out and doing the right thing like this, though I'm sure my pride hardly has any meaning for you." Link smiled in return. He nodded his head and went on to breakfast. Naomi was smiling as well, only she returned to Amy's bedside.

The fire had died out and Naomi had once more fallen asleep, despite the coffee that was still warm, sitting by the embers. Curled up in the large chair once more, Naomi had somehow propped her head up upon one hand while her elbow rested upon her knees, which were curled up into the chair with her. It had only been about an hour since all had gone to breakfast, including Damien and Arian who were forced awake by a page that had also brought bread, honey and milk to Amy's room on Zelda's request.

It was at this precise moment, when her surroundings were completely quiet and settled, that Amy blinked awake. She lay still for a moment, feeling the ache that pulsed through her entire body. Her mouth was parched and she licked her lips to give them some feeling of moisture, however, she also felt somehow rejuvenated, though there was an awful taste in her mouth. Amy got up, timidly touching her feet to the warm, wooden floor and wondering how she had gotten there.

Link had been the last face she had seen, but she vaguely remembered voices. Amy looked up to see Naomi asleep in the chair. A light smile crossed her face, for despite her delirium, she remembered being comforted by hearing her voice. Then, Amy saw it; the bread, honey, and milk from Lon Lon Ranch. As she clutched her stomach, she suddenly realized how famished she was, and therefore, ate quickly and without hesitation. Amy noted that she had never had anything that tasted so good, and when the satisfying sensation of being full came upon her, she sighed and tried to figure out where she was.

The girl had been extra quiet, so as not to awake Naomi who seemed so comfortable in her chair, and Amy was quite certain that the girl had stayed up, fretting about her. Therefore, she silently left, not exactly sure what she was looking for.

Naomi didn't stir at all, not until another member of their group entered the room a short while after Amy had disappeared from sight. Arian glanced over to her empty bed in a baffled reaction and then to Naomi who still peacefully slept in that awkward position. He quickly ran to wake her, nudging her shoulder and brushing the hair from her face in an attempt to be peaceful.

"Naomi…" He gently called when she didn't stir. Suddenly, her hand slipped from her chin and her head fell forward only to be stopped as she snorted and pulled herself back. Arian began laughing at her display while she began drowsily looking about.

"Where's Amy?" He asked, a stupid smile still on his face. Naomi blinked a little and looked at him, then to the empty bed, alarm filling her eyes.

"I-I don't know where she's gone to." Naomi's mouth drooped in a sort of awestruck position. "You don't think, anyone could have tak--" Before Naomi could finish, Arian noticed the crumbs and drips of honey that were splattered across her bedside table.

"I think she's fine." He quickly calmed the distressing pirate. "Amy always was a messy eater, look." Naomi laughed, in a sort of relieved and euphoric response. Impulsive conduct took hold of Naomi and she threw herself into Arian's arms with tears of joy attempting to well in her eyes, but she quickly forced herself away, trying to maintain her industrious nature.

"We have to find her." She kept her eyes from further watering and wiped away the evidence of their previous misconduct. Arian couldn't help but laugh for he had never seen the girl in this sort of state, but he certainly took pleasure in her joy.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. The guards wouldn't let her leave the castle, so she should be somewhere nearby." Arian answered. Naomi bit her lip and ran out the door, Arian running after her.

Link had escaped from breakfast. They had sent Arian back to check on Amy and Naomi, so Link tried to find a way to occupy his time, since Damien and Aura seemed to be absorbed in a very strange conversation that Link just couldn't follow. He left his boots in the castle and headed back out to the moat that lay around the royal home. Turning the corner, he lifted his head to find Amy, with her bare feet already soaking in the cool water. Link was dumbfounded, struck completely speechless, though he continued mindlessly walking towards her. Her back was turned to him, so she remained unaware of his presence.

With his head looking up, Link failed to navigate around a pair of boots that was laying by the bank. He stepped on them and tried to jump back, but his feet were tangled and he found himself falling into the moat. Amy turned upon the loud shout followed by the splash. Link surfaced near her and clumsily pulled himself onto the small stone staircase leading from the deep.

"So uh…" He coughed as some water had gone up his nose. "I'm glad to see you're better." Amy remained where she was, though she had made some room for the now soaked hero who was wringing out his hat and brushing back the long, drenched, blonde locks. Amy smiled, wondering whether or not she should laugh at what had just happened. Link glanced at her suppressed grin and smiled himself. Navi, who had forsaken flying above his head when he fell into the moat, quickly made her way towards him.

"Amy!" Navi swirled around her head. "I'm so glad the blue potion worked. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine…" Amy let out a small chuckle and cupped her hands, the little blue fairy hovered just inside of them. She looked back to Link, forced a smile with gritted teeth, and looked off into the rushing waters as the smile died.

"So… um… does Naomi know you're here?" He asked, though he truly wanted to ask her about what had happened. Amy shook her head in reply and shrugged her shoulders. A long silence ensued, though not the awkward silence that Link had become accustomed to. This was colder.

"Why are you so quiet?" He asked. Amy looked to him and then back to Navi who had resumed floating about them.

"I--" She struggled to start, thinking of how she could word her feelings. "You don't want me here, do you?" Amy avoided his stare. Link too remained quiet momentarily, for he was grieved by the distress he had caused and would now think carefully on what he said.

"I was wrong to say that earlier… You are important… to Naomi, Aura…" He looked to see that his words weren't having much of an effect on her. "And me too…" She looked back to him, extremely surprised.

"But you hate me!" Amy exclaimed sharply. Link grinned, seeing the old Amy again.

"No! No… ugh…" Link said, suddenly having some déjà vu, remembering a prior conversation with Naomi. "Granted, I know we get on each other's nerves, but… so does Navi, and I still want her around."

"That's right, and I get on his nerves on purpose!" Navi blurted out, making Amy laugh.

"Whu?!" He looked up at the fairy. "Nevermind…" Link shook his head. "Regardless, what I said before. I can tell you now, that I wasn't myself…"

Amy looked to her feet with a tired smile on her face. Relief and sorrow were swirling in her heart and she began pondering her thoughts.

"Alright… I believe you…" She finally announced. Link appeared relieved as well. "I really miss you guys, but…" Amy took in a deep breath. "I have to go…" Link's expression quickly changed to a mixture of horror and confusion.

"What? Why?"

"I…well…" Amy paused, not really wanting to go into a prolonged explanation, "I have some things I need to do." She twisted her mouth, slightly bitter. Link raised his brows.

"You can't get away with being so vague, you know."

"I just, have a… mission." She said for lack of a better term. Link grew frustrated, and surprised Amy by grabbing her shoulder.

"No, I let you come along on my mission to save Hyrule, so I'm going on yours! Whether you like it or not!" He shook her shoulder. "Here's the deal; we're gonna fix whatever problem you have, then we're all going to save Hyrule!"

"The world…" Navi corrected.

"What?"

"The world, Link. We have to save the world."

"F-Fine! We'll save the world." He announced. Their voices were raising.

Amy, feeling rather irritated, pulled her feet out of the water.

"Link! Stop being such a freaking her--Oh!" As she had tried to stand, Link's firm hand had remained on her shoulder, and her abrupt movement had caused him to lose his balance once more, sending him crashing into the cold water and she was pulled along with him. Both surfaced with surprised gasps.

"I'm going to help you!" He shouted, once he thought she could hear.

"FINE!" She screamed, kicking him away. All the commotion caused those searching inside to run out to the source of the noise.

"Amy!" Naomi shouted and began running towards the two wet warriors. "Are you?… uh… okay?" She began laughing at the scene as Amy violently shoved Link's head under the water.

"At least they're back to normal… for them..." Arian said from behind her. Aura, Damien, and Zelda had appeared on the balcony overhanging this part of the castle's moat.

"What's going on?" Aura shouted from overhead. Zelda had a hand to her heart and a passively worrisome appearance on her face.

"He's going to help me!" Amy shouted in an angry fashion. Damien and Aura exchanged confused expressions while Zelda remained in her passively worrisome expression.

Amy and Link weren't given any time to dry off so the two were making puddles in Zelda's grand dining hall. Naomi paced, Aura stood with arms folded, Damien leaned with arms folded, Arian sat nearby, and Zelda quietly stood before them all.

"Naomi!" Aura snapped at the pacing girl. "Settle down." Naomi merely sighed and crossed her arms.

"I-I can't… there's so much to say that I don't even know where to begin!"

"Then figure out what matters and start with a topic… anything." Damien suggested. Naomi nodded and turned to Amy.

"I want to ask you what happened and why you left, but right now I must tell you why weneed you." Naomi pulled forth the old scroll she had taken from the castle's archives. "This is a land treaty, telling us where all of the ancient kingdoms were, the ones that the old man had spoken of, remember? To seal this evil we need the Keybearer, the Guardian, and the blessed four, 'accounting for each of the distinct sects' as the old man said it." All nodded, remembering, though Zelda listened intently, hearing this for the first time. "Well," Naomi started again, very slowly. "I think that we were all destined together from the very beginning, because look around… this might be a leap of faith, but I'm pretty sure that we have everyone we need."

The group did indeed look around, making small notes to themselves, though most looked back to Naomi who realized that she would need to be more specific for some members of the group had a problem with self-doubt, or limited knowledge.

"Damien, you're obviously the guardian, and Link bears the key. Now are the four distinct sects." Naomi began to clarify that as well, "the Nynians, the Draconians, and then two Hyrulians—split between light and dark." The short, copper-haired girl who had taken the center of attention then turned to Amy. "You, you are the Draconian, and I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you told us that your island floated and all, but it was very far-fetched for a girl like me and I suppose I was just too involved in my own problems…" Naomi went a ways with that awkward tangent before realizing that her speech had quickly deteriorated into an apologetic rant. Her face became flushed and she laughed at herself before getting back on track.

"And me, I'm the Nynian." She turned to both Aura and Arian. "Now you two… this may be my farthest leap of faith, but it made sense when I was thinking about it this morning. You two are the Hyrulians; one of light and one of dark, and I'm going to make the random assumption that Arian represents the Dark Hyrulian and Aura the light." Naomi grinned at Arian who quickly made the connection between himself and night along with Naomi's inconspicuous embellishment on the word 'random'.

Damien seemed impressed by her reasoning skills and Naomi blushed in the awing silence, for she could tell by their eyes that all were rendered speechless.

"Well, I don't know about your leap of faith, but Arian does have black hair… and he turns into—." Navi was suddenly cut off.

"A wonderful person once you get to know him!" Naomi almost screamed, bringing the attention back to her awkwardly. "And so now that we have that cleared with everyone, I will ask you, Amy," She became serious once more. "What happened?" All became silent and turned to the dripping and now distressed girl.

"I—." Her throat suddenly became dry and she closed her mouth once more. "I went home, but… it was gone…" The faces of her listeners drooped to a sympathizing expression that only seemed to irritate Amy, but she continued nevertheless, though every word was harder to conjure. "My family got out, and they took some survivors of my island to some sort of safe place, but I don't know where it is. Ignus and I were searching for it—"

"Who's Ignus?" Naomi cut in, though she covered her mouth after realizing that she had rudely interrupted, but Amy didn't seem to mind.

"Uh… my dragon…" She blushed as she realized that she hadn't told anyone that she owned such a creature. After an awing silence and a dry smile, Amy continued. "During our search for my family, we—Ignus and I—thought we saw some other dragons below, so we were going to further investigate…" She rolled her eyes. "I thought we had gotten into a safe hiding place without being seen, but the next thing I knew, a whistle was blown and they were everywhere."

"They?" Naomi also asked, though after making sure Amy was surely finished this time. The poor girl took a deep, shuddering breath at the memory, but forced herself to continue.

"The pirates…" Amy answered. Naomi's throat grew dry and her lips puckered into a subconscious whimper. "They were in this desert-like area, above the lake. We were hiding right before a great bridge, and I was pushed down into the gorge… there was water down there, I remember that…"

"The pirates?" Zelda interjected. She had been struggling to fully comprehend the conversation, but as Amy began her explanation she had begun to follow the story line.

"Gerudo-type women…" Naomi quickly explained with a hint of bitterness in her tone. "How many were there? Did you see dragons with them?" She asked quickly, her nose wrinkled into a nervous snarl.

"Many… and yes… they were riding them." Amy said with a combination of shock at Naomi's new persona and bitter remembrance of what Mrs. Cassidy had said. "They had been changed, sort of 'poisoned', or that's how Mrs. Cassidy had described them." Amy looked to her friends. Though none knew of or had heard of her former mentor, they could tell that this woman held such an emotional attachment to Amy, and that forcing her to speak on the matter much more might be too painful.

Link stood, now ready for action.

"Gerudo valley then?" He looked to Amy. She sort of nodded, though she wasn't sure exactly what he was talking about. "I will go and see exactly what we are up against." Damien stood as well, bringing back the original predicament.

"This is beginning to sound all too familiar." His vague statement stopped Link in his tracks and all turned to him, waiting for an elaboration. Damien stood and looked directly to Zelda. He bowed in his disgustingly chivalric manner when he was in the presence of living royalty. "My lady, when this great evil first began to grow in his hatred of us, he fed on our fear and our ignorance, for he knew that knowledge was power. He built up armies of great force in complete silence. We were all completely unaware of his desire to destroy until the first great cities were ravaged and the first of the ancient kingdoms fell." Zelda's features were still carved in stern worry. "By the time we knew we had an enemy to deal with, we had already been weakened and cornered. That was why the great power of good came to our aid."

"So he's trying to gain the variable of astonishment…" Navi uttered. Though the moment had at first been grave, Navi's awkward statement had lightened the mood, for no one knew quite what she meant, save for Naomi who held a mere notion.

"You-you mean the element of surprise?"

"Element, variable… whatever. The point is that it is a very helpful tool!" Navi exclaimed. Most of them laughed very lightly but all agreed with the little fairy.

"True… princess, we might need to act faster than we originally anticipated." Naomi said, surprised that Damien's manner was suddenly impressed on her own. Zelda nodded, coming to fully realize the gravity of the matter.

"First I would like to know what we are up against. Link, you are right to go." Zelda said. "I should leave now immediately and request a sooner audience with the King." She sighed deeply. "Hopefully he will believe me. After all, I am no longer a foolish child with silly dreams. I have an audience of witnesses to present to him now." She grinned faintly. "I shall do my best." She stood, causing everyone else to do so, and then took her leave. Link looked back to the group who had all watched the exiting princess, and he nodded his head before also leaving them, Tatl and Navi both following the hero. Naomi then bit her lip and looked to her comrades before taking off after him.

"Link!" She yelled after him. The hero stopped, this time he didn't feel irritable about it, but merely surprised. Naomi began a quick, polite statement once she saw that she had his attention. "Once more, I am impressed by this course of action, but, compliments aside, I want to go with you, and help you with this."

Link merely stared at her, unsure of what to say. His silent response didn't provide Naomi with any sign that he would agree to this arrangement, so she continued to argue her case.

"I can help you with… gathering information or maybe even finding Amy's dragon, Ignus."

"No…" Link finally said. "I can't put you in danger."

"You won't be putting me there, and besides. I'm the best man-- woman… for the job." Tatl left Navi's side to twirl about Naomi's head.

"How so?" Link asked, wondering why he wasn't considered the best for it, being the hero and all.

"I was raised a pirate. I know how they live, how they fight, and in what manner they act. I know all of their secrets and even have their dress. We can easily dye my hair red and I know how to get by in their world without raising suspicion. I'm perfect for this job." Link contemplated this momentarily, remembering how quickly Amy had gotten caught, but he still didn't want to risk it, however, after spending so much time with this small group, he was beginning to comprehend their inner workings.

"You're going to go no matter what I say… aren't you?" Link asked in a grim tone. Naomi shrugged and nodded.

"Whether you like it or not." She replied.

The remainder of their group joined them in the hall, most of them having overhead the majority of the conversation.

"Maybe we should all work together on this one… you know, as a team for once?" Arian suggested. Link crossed his arms and looked at the motley crew. Each individual had thus far proved helpful in some aspect of their adventure through some strange quirk or talent. Link suddenly found himself believing what Naomi had said about fate, and began understanding their concept of team.

"You're right…" He submitted, to everyone's delighted surprise. "So I guess that means we need a plan?" He looked to Naomi who seemed to enjoy taking control of that matter. She nodded, understanding her charge.

"Give me some time, and we'll meet back out here about an hour before high noon—that is when the guard is changed for the Pirates." Naomi ordered. Link nodded and watched Amy and Aura follow after Naomi while Arian and Damien waited by Link's side for their orders. None truly knew what to expect, even Amy who had merely a hazy memory of what had happened. Each pictured a different kind of scene consisting on the warrior women, a desert, and dragons. Despite the minor differences in visualizations, all visions held a foreboding nature.

A/n: What'd you think? Glad she's back?