Chapter 11: A Shadow of Doubt

To reach the lava trench, Link got a ride on a mine shaft elevator. The area itself was ineffectively blocked off with a broken metal fence. As a Hylian, Link could easily duck through the hole and enter. The edges were melted, hinting that the lava creeper wasn't held back by fences. In the initial tunnels, he had to rely on Sophie's lamp for light.

Once in the trench, there was enough red light from the lava and torches to put the lamp away. The heat down here was heavy in the air but still bearable. In a large cavern, he saw strange machinery standing in a pit of the lava. Gale had told him on the way here that the lava trench was home to a power generator, which was why the Gorons and people of Kakariko had machines and lights running freely. The miners had advised him to keep an eye out for side rooms and shelters that would help him if he felt overheated down here. While he had brought some water down with him, Link felt like he didn't want to be down here long.

He walked quickly along a stone path that somehow didn't melt even though a wide ditch of lava flowed right near by it. Tunnels alongside this cavern were blocked off with chainlink fences like by the elevator; some were obviously patched up from being melted. Was the creeper going to be down here? It could be down any of the tunnels since it could melt obstacles. Fire bats were everywhere and strange octoroks managed to survive in the lave. If he still had his old shield from Taven, it would have turned to ashes within a couple of attacks.

Halfway to the room where the medal was supposed to be, Link had to move into a side passage to get out of the heat for a few minutes. He sat down by the wall and got a bottled water to drink. Since he was taking a break, Link let his mind drift. His thoughts soon turned back to Gale. He really was a good man; Link was grateful to have met him. Gale had said he hit all the right notes for him, and Link felt the same way. If he had to deal with Epona's death on his own, he might not have gathered his wits to continue so soon. He still felt Epona's absence, and his guilt for leading to her death. However, she had let him tame Balrog, so she didn't have any disliking of him. Link wished Gale could have stayed through this, so they could keep talking and fighting together. But that was all the more reason to get this medal and then the sword quickly. The sooner he fulfilled whatever this legend wanted, the sooner he could pursue his own goals.

As he tucked the water bottle back into his bag, he noticed a gurgling sound from the lava trench. That wasn't the noise he'd gotten used to out of the molten earth. There was a massive pile of lava that slithered along the floor, one he could easily picture swallowing up even the Gorons. Pieces of itself tumbled down and got reabsorbed into its body. Although it didn't appear to have a head, the lava creeper did have four spindly dripping arms that felt the way ahead.

He had placed the trirang in the top slot of his bag so that he could take it out quickly. Once it was in hand, he glanced down to click the water slider on. The lava creeper gurgled at the sound and lifted part of itself off the ground. It was still in the hot trench area; if he could get it into this cooler side tunnel, it would work out for him better. Link got up cautiously, keeping his shield in front of him.

The lava creeper swayed in the air, then bolted towards him with surprising speed. Backing up quickly, Link drew it further into the cool room. It responded by coughing up molten rocks and making them ding off his shield. He spotted a bright white gem within its molten body as it did so. When the creeper spat a lava rock too wide to hit him, Link responded by throwing the icy trirang at it. The magic hardened the outer lava of the monster, stopping it in place. The trirang kept going into the lava trench while the lava creeper burst out by shaking the solidified rock off its body. Then the trirang froze it again as it came back.

The lava creeper was almost half its size now, not able to gurgle as loudly as before. It fired a wide fan of rocks at him, but they weren't super-heated as before. Not wanting the creeper to have a chance to flee back to the trench, Link took a risk and threw the icy trirang at it again to freeze it twice. The fourth time it was struck, the rocks were blasted towards him; a smoky serpentine form emerged behind the rapidly fading white stone. It gave off a pitiful tiny wail as the magic that kept it going was unraveled. The stone then dropped to the floor with a chink and cracked in half.

For all the fuss that this creature caused, it fell incredibly easily when attacked the right way. The Goron kids would be happy to hear that Shalan's plan had worked perfectly. Link walked over to the cracked stone and carefully put his hand near it. While it had stopped glowing, it still radiated heat. He decided to leave it where it was until it cooled down enough for him to handle with his gloved hands.

With that taken care of, he braced himself and headed back into the lava trench itself. The path he was on curled around at one point, but it was basically a straight shot to the room that held the Medal of Vigor. There were some dodongos along the path, but he found that using the fire boomerang on their tails was enough to make them explode. Past them, a lizardfos with near molten armor jumped across the path to challenge him. It snarled and brandished a heavy black axe.

Link wondered for a moment how it wasn't burned to death with its metal armor almost hot enough to melt. It couldn't be a smart idea to challenge it to a sword duel since its axe had to be heated as well. Backing up quickly while it swung its axe, he swapped the trirang back to its ice setting to cool the lizardfos down. The monster then whirled around wildly, forcing him back even further. After two hits with the ice, the armor stopped glowing. The lizardfos stumbled as the armor solidified, making it easier to dispatch. He continued on, keeping a wary eye out for any more lizardfos.

At a doorway with right markings, Link went into another cool room to find a shrine dedicated to the mountain gods that the Gorons believed in. The red medal was placed at an effigy dedicated to the Hylian goddesses. A sign nearby stated, 'If you believe in the power of your heart and body being in balance with the rest of your self, take this medal and it will test you. If this causes you any pain, leave it behind for the one who is worthy of it.'

Link took the medal in hand, expecting that it would send his mind back into the past again…

It was a long road to the final temple, starting with the graveyard to those who had fallen in an old war. Ganon's forces still haunted him, eager to obtain his blood so they could resurrect their master and put the beast king back in control of Hyrule. This had been a long and often lonely journey, made difficult at points due to his curse of silence. But Link wasn't about to falter now. The one he loved was waiting for him.

...that other hero had also fought for the sake of someone he loved? Although, that wasn't surprising. They all had their own reasons for fighting, even if they mostly kept it to themselves. Or couldn't share their reasons, as was apparent that this one incarnation had truly been a silent hero. It made Link feel ashamed for his anxiety over speaking for most of his life. He had his own voice that has lost the faults of childhood, so he shouldn't let such old problems continue to hold him back. He had to pull himself out of that.

As Link had all three medals now, he stayed behind in the shrine room for a few minutes in order to pray to the goddesses. He wanted to serve them and bring peace back to Hyrule. And he wanted to do it without ruining any more lives in this awful scheme of conquest and manipulating legends. He may have fallen into the role of the hero because he happened to have the right secondary qualities like his name, but he wanted to fulfill it just as well as other heroes had done.

He also ended up adding in a more personal wish that he could be with Gale more often and make him proud in all this. Maybe it was selfish that his own love was part of the reason he was doing this. But if he did well enough, maybe no one would care exactly why he had done things. Besides, the legends might even acknowledge Gale as someone who helped him as the hero this time around.

The shadow charm flashed on the summoning chain once he finished his prayer. What was summoning itself now? He put the Medal of Vigor in his bag, then looked around the shrine room. Nothing seemed to have changed here. After getting another drink, he readied himself to go back out into the lava trench. Link got as far as the door when he found what had been summoned: a shadowy version of himself.

As soon as they saw each other, the shadow drew his sword and jumped at him. Link rolled out of the way, towards the way he came. If this was going to be a fight, he didn't want it going into the Gorons' shrine. The shadow was quick to follow up, lunging downward while Link was trying to get to his feet. The dark blade got within inches of his head. Not letting that intimidate him, Link used quick draw to strike back.

The shadow blocked the move with impressive strength. His next move was a relentless combo that forced Link into defending with blocks just to keep up. When the shadow finally paused, Link had nearly been backed up into the lava. He stepped to the side while keeping his sword in front of him. He hadn't had a sword fight this difficult since testing himself against his master. While Gregio was limited in his movements due to his injured leg, this shadow of himself wasn't held back by such handicaps. Noting the posture his opponent had, Link attempted to disarm the shadow.

The move was countered, bringing the shadow closer to knock him into the wall with the flat of his blade. Link nearly lost his own sword, then found the dark blade against his neck. As he was pushed against the rock wall, there was no easy way to get out of this. His shadow self only had the impression of a face; its eyes narrowed at him. "Unworthy," the shadow said in a grating distorted voice.

"What?" Link asked. His sword skills had been enough so far. Maybe it wasn't enough for Ganon?

It definitely wasn't enough for this shadow. "You're deluded," the shadow said. "You seem right and they may find the right qualities in you. But a seed of corruption has already entered your soul. Unless you find the truth and let yourself become unclouded, you will be the fault that brings Hyrule to total ruin. I will not kill you now, but if this corruption grows, I will end you. You should make your skills worthy of the Master Sword too." The shadow then vanished back into the charm.

That shadow could have killed him in a blink if it wanted. Link glanced around, then put his sword away. Should he find a way to better his swordsmanship? He didn't want to waste time in claiming the Master Sword and challenging Ganon. Although if his skills weren't how they should be, that was going to be a rough battle even if this incarnation of Ganon was more magically inclined. And how did the shadow think he was deluded?

When he got back to the room that he'd defeated the lava creeper in, the cracked stone was cool enough for him to pick up and place in his bag. The fire keese and octoroks had come back in spite of him clearing most of them out. By the time he got back to the mine elevator, he was worn out and didn't want to try going to Onduran right away. Maybe he could take a couple hours for a break, then head over and spend the night in that town.

He went right to the elder's room when he returned to the Goron town. "I took care of the lava creeper," he said, giving him the two cracked halves of the white gem. "This seems like its power source."

"It has the right look," Micah said, examining them. He showed one half to a guard that was in the room. "This is what you all were seeing in it?"

The guard looked surprised. "Y-yes, that's it! That's the gem that kept showing up when it fired rocks. Wow, so you really took care of the creeper? You don't look that strong."

"Strength alone was never enough for that monster," Micah said. "This gem needs to be purified so that there's no chance of the creeper reforming itself. Leave that to me. How did you manage it?"

"I used Shalan's trirang to defeat it," Link explained.

"You used one of the toymaker's items?" the guard asked, confused.

He nodded. "It has the capacity to strike with ice magic. That solidified the outer part of its body. To keep fighting me, it had to shake away the new rock shell and grow smaller. Once it got small enough, the gem broke."

"We can handle another lava creeper if one appears knowing that," Micah said. "Well done, Link, we're grateful for your assistance. You may keep Shalan's trirang for that; I'll inform the blacksmiths to make sure we have a few weapons of ice just in case. And how did it go in retrieving the medal?"

"I found it," he said, bringing that out as proof. "I also found out that I need to better my swordsmanship, but I should have enough now to claim the Master Sword."

"If you can handle that without pain, it belongs to you," Micah said. "And be sure to hang onto those three medals even after you find the sword. The ones who forged those made sure to put passive enchantments on them. Even if you do seek to improve your skills, which is sure to be valuable to you, the medals will help boost you so you can fight the evil king hiding in Hyrule Castle now."

"All right, I will," Link said.

"If you want some practice, we'll be glad to help out a hero like you," the guard in the room said cheerfully. "It would be an honor."

"Sure, I might come back later," he said. Fighting against a Goron was sure to be tough; he would really need to prove his skills to win against one.

"What is going on outside the castle?"

Zelda knelt in front of the room's fireplace, her mind focused on that question. She wore a white and silver cloak that had been in the wardrobe here. Initially, she had dismissed it as being a couple sizes too big on her. Then she realized that it had been crafted to assist a spellcaster. It dragged on the floor and the hood nearly fell over her eyes. Still, it helped to block out what was around her. She needed to be able to direct this intentionally.

A golden shine appeared on her hand and she felt like she was entering a dream.

Scanning around the countryside, she found fear and grief everywhere. People were hastily putting together barricades in hopes of keeping monsters out of their towns. Nobody dared go outside after the sun went down, not without armor and weapons to protect themselves. Farms were being trampled, then abandoned. By a small group of trees, there was a marking of a grave put up just this morning.

In the far reaches of Hyrule's borders, she saw another castle. Joachim was there, wearing a brown and gold uniform that she recognized as being the colors of Sudain royalty. He was in front of a crowd, including Kimbera and some of her troops. Others in the crowd were common people, afraid like the others. But in these people, there was a hope in something new. If this worked…

Others stepped away from Joachim as he asked of them. He looked to the sky and whistled, holding his right arm out. In a flash of golden light, a mythical spirit emerged in the shape of a falcon. The great falcon of Sudai obeyed Joachim's call and landed on his arm. It had accepted him as its master, and the new king of Sudai. As the people there cheered, Zelda felt proud of him. He was clever; he'd find some way to use this new station to set things right.

And Ganon was… outside the castle? He was with someone on a mountain trail, but Zelda found that person out of focus. No wait, that was earlier today. Currently, Ganon was back in the castle. He seemed bothered by something. What was it? Zelda didn't care if he was troubled, but she wouldn't mind troubling him further if she could.

She couldn't figure that out before the vision shifted and showed her where Link was. He also seemed troubled, deeply saddened about something. Currently, he was standing in a hall carved out of a mountain, observing an engraving of horses running in a field. The blocky style of the mural and the hall itself indicated that he was in the Goron town on Death Mountain. What about the medals?

He had all three now, kept together in his bag. While he didn't have the Master Sword yet, Zelda smiled. The medals had accepted him as worthy. He was the one that the Triforce of Courage was watching, after all. It might not be long before this time of darkness was over.

Or was it? The vision flicked to an earlier point, Link trying to fight his own shadow. Shadow Link appeared from time to time, although there wasn't much evidence for why or when it would show up. Still, Zelda had a feeling that this appearance was a bad omen. There was something that would keep Link from his destiny as the hero this time around. He could claim the Master Sword now, she knew that, but something was going to keep him from being able to defeat Ganon.

"What is the problem?" Zelda asked, trying to direct the vision.

"Don't worry," a faint voice told her. "Have faith in him; have faith in the power of legends. Stay quiet and wait for the right moment. You will survive as long as you don't do anything rash."

"You just want me to sit here doing nothing while my people suffer?" she asked with a frown.

"Don't grasp for power too much; it will undo you."

"I don't think that's much of a danger when I'm mostly powerless and helpless right now."

Something happened to her vision, flickering in echoes. Zelda winced at the sudden change. When it stopped, she found herself looking farther into the past. Ganon was sitting at a piano in a parlor with a stone block floor. This was… a place in Sudai Castle where the royal family lived, in a winter before the last. He was playing the piano slowly, thinking over things. Why was she watching this? She didn't want to.

Abruptly, Ganon slammed his hands down on the keys. "I really am powerless in all this," he muttered.

"Hard to believe that," Zelda said.

"Couldn't you have taken me from the start if you're not going to give me a choice?" Ganon said, even though no one was there. "Or take someone more inclined to go along with your ambitions? Are you that reluctant to take on the helplessness of a child when trying to come back into the world?"

Something replied, in words that Zelda could not hear even with the assistance of the Triforce of Wisdom. Ganon grimaced. Still, she couldn't care about this situation.

"Fine, but I will fulfill my own ends," he said to whatever was with him.

There was a brief image then of an even younger Ganon standing on an ocean pier, surrounded by seagulls. That remained enigmatic as her visions then switched to Link in the past. Earlier this spring, he was fishing somewhere in the woods around Taven. Zelda had not thought about fishing much, but Link seemed completely comfortable doing so. His horse Epona was grazing nearby.

"I didn't get around to telling you," Link said in a quiet voice, not tense at all since it was just the horse listening. "But during yesterday's outing, the kids wanted a new story and we decided to tell them about the child hero who used the Picori blade. She's a good storyteller, but for some reason, I felt like I could see what was going on like I had been there. Then last night, I had a dream about it. But it was so real. I felt like a kid again, meeting up with my friend Zelda and being excited for the festival."

Knowing that he was talking to her, Epona paused in her grazing to bump his arm with her snout.

Link laughed and patted her with his free hand. Nothing was biting at the moment. "Watch it, grass breath," he said affectionately. "I wonder if the current Zelda would want to go to a festival with me. Not that that could ever happen; I've not even seen her except from a distance and she'd probably not be impressed with how I talk."

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the way you speak here," Zelda said, wondering. "Why do you get so nervous about that?"

Turning his attention back to the fishing rod, he added, "I wouldn't like becoming a hero anyhow. I like these peaceful days too much. If only the rest of Hyrule was this quiet; we wouldn't be seeing new kids arrive and we could take more time to get the ones here to new families." He closed his eyes. "I wonder if… if I'll ever have my own family again. I'd work hard to make sure my kids had a good home, even if I had to take an official job at the orphanage or the stables to support them. Though, it'd have to take someone special to love me enough to start a family with. Maybe too special." He shook his head. "And not Charlotte, she's too overbearing."

Epona nosed him again. Thanks to the vision, Zelda could tell that the horse noticed Link was feeling unhappy and was trying to help him. "So you two are close," Zelda said.

Link did smile at his horse. "Yeah, I do have you as family now."

With those words, the scene flickered back to something she'd seen earlier: the simple grave marking by the trees. The scene itself was back to this morning. Link was kneeling by the new grave, his heart devastated and his mind self-conscious for knowing most people wouldn't understand. This was a loss that cut deeply and yet he had to keep it under wraps because he was now a hero with a mission.

"Oh, your horse died," Zelda said, some tears of sympathy coming to her. "It was because of Ganon's monsters, wasn't it? It must be tough, but it seems you're continuing on. I need to be strong like that."

She should write him. But when she went to send off a letter, it bounced right back into the room. Ganon must have caught on. Annoyed at the timing, Zelda had to calm herself back down to see about undoing the letter block.

When Link arrived back in Onduran, he found people here doing their best to continue on with their daily business. Stationary Armos monsters were everywhere, but those were easy enough to work around. He hadn't given the town much of a look when he'd last been here, but it was easy to see this was an agricultural town. Windmills and grain towers were placed at the edges of town. There was even a prominent brewery not far from the main street. As it all looked so ordinary, it was a curious place to have placed a legendary weapon.

The shrine was easy enough to find, a white stone pyramid on one of the side streets. Statues of the goddesses and past heroes were placed on well-kept grounds. Link spotted some dried bouquets placed at the bases of the statues, an offering of some kind. Walking around the building, there was no obvious entrance and the windows near the tip looked secure. It was like a place people would visit on a pilgrimage, finding it too sacred to enter.

At the southern face of the pyramid, there were indentations in the walkway that matched the backs of the three medals. There was also an armos standing right beside those indentations, sternly keeping guard there. But armos weren't really a worry; Link drew his sword and provoked it into moving. They were intimidating with their stiff scowls and large shields, and they could do a lot of damage just by throwing their weight around. However, throwing their weight around was the only thing they did. A large frail gem was their source of power, easily in reach on their backs. As such, a quick circle around and a strong attack was all it took to destroy the armos. It would have been more trouble if there was other monsters around, like a beamos or two.

The way was clear, so he brought out the medals and set them into the three slots. They each shone while a bell nearby rang out in approval. As the walkway shuddered, Link stepped off right before it sunk into the ground to form a staircase into the pyramid. It was a simple walk down to reach the interior of the pyramid shrine. He found himself feeling uneasy in that this shrine was being simple. He could recall past legends where the Master Sword had been in a long and winding forest to keep it safe. The medals had taken some work to reach, but this should take something more.

Inside, the Master Sword was nowhere to be seen. Link wondered if there was indeed some trick to this place. But it was clearly one chamber within this pyramid and no more. Light from the windows above fell down on the center where the Master Sword should have been. Instead, there was a rough hole within the otherwise smooth surfaces of this place.

Some black graffiti had been left behind in the illuminated spot: 'With this, I have proven myself to be the greatest thief in the history of Hyrule. I have claimed the Master Sword through treachery, trickery, and deceit! -H. Rat'

H. Rat… that had been the graffiti maker that had given him some tips on getting the Helmaroc feather and dealing with the Dust Devil twins. No wonder that person had been looking for the medals. Shaking his head, Link took another look around the chamber in case some other clue to the Master Sword's current location was left behind. This was not helping.

There was nothing else around that indicated where H. Rat had taken the sword. Link could remember hearing about the thief before, but such talk had not interested him enough to remember what the talk had been about. Perhaps Zelda could help locate it? She had found where the medals had been hiding, even the two that had been taken out of place. Maybe she hadn't heard that the Master Sword had been taken by the same thief. Although, why hadn't she thought to check in on the sword itself when she had done so for its keys?

However, he didn't have a way to contact Zelda. She did seem aware of what he was doing, so she might become aware of this problem. But Link hadn't heard from her in a while. She was supposed to be locked in the prison tower of Hyrule Castle. Could he possibly get in the castle, rescue her, then get out without encountering Ganon? The Sudain troops had gotten away while Ganon had been out. He might be able to get someone to distract Ganon into leaving. Or, he could just go in to take her unexpectedly.

No, a direct incursion was foolish. He did have Gale to write to. As a nobleman, he might have connections to get into the castle or get Ganon out for a day. Gale might even have some information on H. Rat that would help him figure out where the Master Sword was. Link left the shrine, disappointed that this was going to take more diversions. Although, this would give him more time to better himself.

There were some people who had gathered because the bell had been ringing. "You got the shrine open?" one man asked.

"Yes, but the Master Sword was already gone," Link said, stopping to pick up the medals. The walkway remained as stairs, thankfully.

The group there gasped and whispered. "It was gone? But that shrine hasn't been opened in decades."

"Someone still managed to steal it," Link said. "Excuse me, I have to figure out what happened."

Dear Gale:

I have a rather serious problem that I could use your help on. I got the Medal of Vigor successfully, but this came up at the shrine itself. Although the locals say it's never been opened since it was sealed up eighty years ago, the Master Sword was missing from the shrine. It looked like someone went to the trouble of cutting through the stone floor to remove the sword without actually touching it. A piece of graffiti there claimed that a thief with the name of H. Rat had stolen it to prove their greatness.

Now I have no idea of how to find the Master Sword. I don't know much about this thief, so I don't know where they might have taken it. I don't have the means to search for the sword by magic or anything of that nature myself. Although, I'm sure Zelda could locate the Master Sword once she becomes aware of this. She writes me sometimes, but I have no way to ask her unless I can get in to rescue her now. But then I have to get in and out somehow without Ganon catching me doing so.

Is there any way you can find out where the Master Sword is? Or find out more about H. Rat, or how I could get into the castle. I'm at a loss now since I know many people are counting on me to be a hero. But I can't face Ganon without the Master Sword. Or the Triforce of Courage, but then I'm not sure how to get that to appear either. It doesn't appear until its chosen bearer proves themselves, but trying to go into Hyrule Castle now isn't courageous. That's reckless.

I may go back to my hometown and ask my sword master if he knows anything about the thief, since he was a former knight of Hyrule. But anything you could tell me now would be helpful.

From Link.

Ganon swore under his breath on reading this letter. Someone was stupid enough to go stealing the Master Sword when they couldn't possibly use it? Maybe there was some way to get the Triforce of Courage to manifest still. Or maybe he should go ahead and kill off Zelda, deal with a problem he could handle now. But then he'd be dealing with two parts of the Triforce being hidden instead of just one. As long as it was separate, there was a chance that the force of legend would find some way to make things work out according to its usual plot.

Given some time, he could look up in the castle records for information about the idiot thief. But he was wary of taking too much time doing that. Zelda was starting to think more clearly after the loss of her handmaiden. She'd already attempted to escape herself, somehow undoing the lock from inside. While she hadn't been able to make it down the tower without being spotted by his monsters, she was sure to try again. And she could get help from Velken, a person who could easily set up a charade to fool the monster guards and slip away with her.

But she was definitely capable of locating the Master Sword. And if he took the right measures, Ganon could make sure he could locate her no matter where she ran off to. Maybe it was a good time to let her go. He'd have to keep an eye on what she was up to, given that he'd told her why she had to die. With a sample of her blood to set up the surveillance magic, he could let Link come and take her from the castle. He was right in that going in without a plan was reckless. But if he did have a plan, getting her could be a strong enough show of courage to get the Triforce to manifest. The Master Sword would need to be tracked down so he didn't end up surprised at it showing up at a bad time, but Link's main role in Ganon's plans was getting the Triforce of Courage available.

Although, lately Ganon had been entertaining the notion of securing Link's loyalty to him, unquestionably strong. The hero would win in the legends, although there was an aberration or two of tragic legends where the hero died. But even in those, another hero would succeed the first's legacy. On top of that, love made people act irrationally. If he could sufficiently manipulate Link into giving up the Triforce willingly, Ganon could win because he had the hero on his side. And if that ended up with the princess falling to them, that was all the better.

Was this a good time to reveal himself to Link? He'd been completely willing to go far with him in spite of the relatively short time they'd known each other. While Link's letters showed that he wasn't clear on how things would go, it wouldn't take much pressure to get him to agree. There was a risk in that Link could not accept Ganon as Gale and turn against him. But Ganon felt like he could bet on Link trying to rationalize the situation with the right motions.

Ganon was getting an idea of how to do that. For this to work, he needed to contact Link again before he tried asking anyone else about this situation. He started up a letter to draw him in.