-1Alaina

Third chapter! As corny as it sounds, it was a little hard to write this (I told you it was corny!) And to help write this, I listened to this really cool Ocremix of Dragon Roost Island, which had a sad tune to it. As usual, I don't own Zelda but I own the characters listed in the last two chapters. Don't like it, don't read it!

Chapter 3

In a totally different place, basically connected to the Temple of Time, was the Sacred Realm. Deep in the Sacred Realm was the Chamber of the Sages. There was a big platform with the Triforce in the middle, while six different colored circles surrounded it. One was yellow, with a symbol of Light. The second one was green, with a symbol of the forest. The third one was red, with the symbol of fire. The fourth was blue, with the symbol of the water. The fifth one was purple, with the symbol of the shadows, and the fifth one was orange, with the symbol of the spirits. All six circles glowed their respected colors and lights appeared. One by one, each sage appeared; the Light Sage, Rauru, the Forest Sage, Saria, the Fire Sage, Darunia, the Water Sage, Ruto, the Shadow Sage, Impa, and the Spirit Sage, Nabooru. They all started talking with confusion and fear in their voices.

Rauru was bald, and had piercing gray eyes and a white beard. He was a big, powerful man with a long, flowing gold robe, and he was basically the leader, so he stepped to the middle. "Sages!" he boomed. All of them stopped talking and looked intently at him.

"Rauru, what happened?" Saria's timid voice asked. The Sage of the Forest was a Kokiri, a tribe made up of all children and never grew up. She had green hair and green eyes, and was one of Link's best friends.

"Hyrule, as we all know, is now in grave danger," Rauru announced gravely. "Ganondorf has escaped from the Sacred Realm, and how that had happened is beyond me, but because of it, he has become extremely more powerful than before."

"But Link and Zelda have their Triforce pieces as well," Darunia, the Fire Sage, spoke up. He was from the Goron tribe, a species that were a golden color and looked like giant rocks. Darunia had blazing red eyes and a gray beard. "They can at least stop him, right?"

"Where is he now?" the Water Sage, Ruto, asked. She was a Zora, a tribe that were like fishes but could walk like humans and breathed air as well as water. She was also the former princess of the tribe.

"The cyclone is at the middle of Hyrule Field, so that's probably where Ganondorf and his army will be approaching," Rauru said. "As for Link and Zelda being able to stop him, Darunia, I don't know. Nabooru, does the Gerudo tribe still follow Ganondorf?"

"No, not at all," Nabooru, the Spirit Sage, answered. She was once the second-in-command of the Gerudos (Ganondorf was once the actual leader). She had long, red hair, tan skin, and gold eyes.

"Rauru," Impa said, her eyes wide. "Link and Zelda's daughter and her friend were at Lake Hylia. They must've seen the clouds and are trying to get home. We need to find them!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Rauru agreed. "Link had already retrieved the Master Sword, and I supplied Zelda with the Light Arrows. They are heading to Hyrule Field now, and the Hyrulian army is getting ready as we speak."

"Rauru, if Ganondorf is more powerful as you say," Saria said slowly. "Will Zelda and Link…survive?"

Rauru didn't answer the question directly, but he did say, "That's why we need to get down there."

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Alaina and Aiden rode through Hyrule Field with incredible speed, their horses galloping as fast as they could. The rain was falling down even faster and heavier, making it hard to see. The wind was howling and the speed was incredible, often throwing Alaina and Aiden off course. The clouds were quickly approaching, the eye of the cyclone growing even bigger. No matter how far they tried to ride from it, it seemed to be getting closer.

"Aiden!" Alaina yelled. "I don't think we're going to make it!" There was a deep pit in her heart as she said those words.

Despite the rain blinding her vision, Alaina could faintly make out Aiden shaking his head. "No!" he yelled back. "We will! Castle Town is right over there!"

All of a sudden, the rain stopped. Just like that. The wind suddenly stopped blowing as well. However, the clouds were still there. As if they were in a trance, Aiden and Alaina stopped their horses and looked to see what was going on.

"Oh. My. Goddesses," Alaina gasped, going deathly pale.

The eye of the cyclone grew even bigger, and one by one, monsters started falling out. Aiden quietly handed his bow and arrows to Alaina, and then drew out his sword. More monsters, in all different shapes, colors, and sizes, kept falling out of the eye, but even then it was silent as stone. Alaina and Aiden slapped their horses' flanks, causing them to gallop, as a last ditch effort to get away, but deep down they knew it wouldn't be possible. Alaina suddenly remembered a lesson from her magic classes with her mother and Impa. Alaina was had an extremely strong bond with her parents, and therefore had a mental connection with them. She forgot the pandemonium and everything else around her and completely focused on contacting her mother through her mind.

Mom! MOM! Can you hear me?

Silence. Alaina kept trying, hoping that Zelda could at least listen to her.

Mom, Aiden and I are trapped in Hyrule Field. Ganondorf-

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh." A slow, deep laugh disturbed the eerie silence.

Alaina and Aiden slowly turned to the direction of the noise, but they saw nothing, not even any monsters.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

The horses reared with complete fear, causing Alaina and Aiden to fall off, and rushed back towards the castle, leaving them behind. Ganondorf had suddenly warped himself to land right in front of them, which had caused the horses to bolt.

Alaina almost started screaming hysterically but miraculously caught herself. Aiden got up and held up his sword threateningly.

Ganondorf merely laughed even harder than before. "A sword? You think that will stop me?" he laughed, pushing Aiden aside. "You remind me of your so-called Hero when he was a naïve kid."

"Don't you ever say anything bad about the Hero!" Alaina burst out. She gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. She wasn't sure if Ganondorf knew who she was, but it seemed like he didn't. But if he did learn that she was the daughter of the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny, she would be in big trouble.

"You dare to threaten me?" Ganondorf boomed, a ball of electricity in his hand. He shot it straight at her, and Alaina braced for the hit that never came. She opened her eyes and looked up. Aiden had blocked it with his sword. Alaina sprang up during the distraction and set up her bow and arrow. She quietly murmured, "fire." A flame erupted at the tip and she shot it at Ganondorf's head, which instantly struck him.

"ARGH!" Ganondorf shouted, ripping it out. To Alaina's shock, it left a mere cut. Blood streamed down in a little ribbon but it didn't seem to bother Ganondorf. Alaina and Aiden slowly stepped backwards as Ganondorf started to unleash a wave of dark magic.

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Link mentally cursed to himself as he and Zelda rode through the vast field. They were only halfway through until the reached the very middle, where Ganondorf, Alaina, and Aiden were, and for all he knew…

He gulped, refusing to accept the worst. All he wanted to do was just get to the middle of Hyrule Field and defeat that bastard all over again. It was easy last time, and Link and Zelda had only gotten more experienced afterwards, so he wasn't worried. Also, Joes was rounding up the army and they should be going out into the fields any minute, and no doubt the Sages were all warped back to the Sacred Realm.

Alaina and Aiden were good fighters, and they'd be able to hold off Ganondorf until they got there. Then all they had to do was seal his ugly green ass back into the Sacred Realm.

Just like last time.

Link smiled to himself. This was going to be a piece of cake.

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A little bit to the east, back in Lon Lon Ranch, Lila was outside playing with the Cuccoos when she noticed the dark clouds approaching.

"Mom? Dad?" she called out.

Malon and Lionel emerged from the house at the sound of her calls, followed by Talon, who was moving remarkably fast for a slightly overweight man in his middle 60s.

"Oh Goddesses!" Malon gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. No, it can't be. Not again!

"Mom?" Lila whimpered, tugging on Malon's skirt.

Malon looked over at her. "Lila, honey, come with me and bring the horses into the stables." Lila looked at her with panic. "Don't worry, it's only a storm," Malon continued. A really bad storm is more like it, she added inwardly. Lila looked a little more relaxed and she and Malon went over to the horse ring to retrieve the horses.

Lionel, clearly not convinced, moved Talon over to the side. "What's happening?" he murmured to Talon.

Lionel didn't live in Hyrule when this happened twenty-two years ago; of course he has no idea, Talon thought to himself as he studied the ground with worry.

"Talon?" Lionel said urgently.

Talon looked up at the young man staring at him. He needed answers. "Son, you're good with your Hyrulian history, right?"

"Yes…" Lionel replied slowly. "Why?"

Talon sighed. "Have you ever heard about Ganondorf?"

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"Unnnhhhh…"

"Alaina. Alaina, wake up!" Aiden hissed in her ear.

Alaina was lying on her back, but what she was lying on didn't feel like grass. She looked up. She was still in the middle of Hyrule Field, but she and Aiden were placed in a cage. They must've been knocked unconscious when Ganondorf attack them with the Dark magic. She looked over to her right, where Aiden was sitting.

"Is there anyway we can get out of here?" she hissed to him.

"No," Aiden whispered back. "This cage is pure Dark Magic, so it'll kill us if we try to escape. Besides, Ganondorf's got his army everywhere, and even if we could escape, they'd be the ones to kill us."

"Why aren't we dead now?" Alaina questioned, shuddering at the thought.

Aiden sighed. "I don't know. I think he senses something strange in you or something. He seems to be waiting for someone now."

They glanced over, where Ganondorf was pacing, swinging his mighty weapon around. The Triforce of Power on his hand was glowing brightly.

"The Triforce of Power," Alaina muttered.

"What?" Aiden asked.

"The Triforce of Power, Aiden!" Alaina repeated. "Ganondorf still has the Triforce of Power which means…"

"Your mother and father have the other two," Aiden finished, staring intently at her.

Alaina almost started freaking out. "Oh my Goddesses, that's who he's waiting for!" she cried, not caring if he heard or not anymore.

Ganondorf turned his head toward them and walked to the cage. "You can stop pulling your little charade. I know exactly who you are." He looked up to the red sky and cackled. "The daughter of the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny! How adorable!"

"What do you want with me?" Alaina dared to ask.

"For someone whose mother has the Triforce of Wisdom, you seem to be very naïve," Ganondorf replied, evil amusement creeping on his face. "Your mother and father are on their way as we speak, and they're probably thinking that all they have to do is get you two back to your precious castle and defeat me as easily as last time!" He laughed loudly again. "But I'm afraid that they're wrong. Absolutely wrong!" His voice lowered to a dangerous tone. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to escape out of the Sacred Realm?"

"It's impossible!" Aiden said.

"How dumb can you two possibly get? If it's impossible, how did I get out?" Ganondorf roared. "It took practice, patience, training, and most of all, power!" Lightning flashed above him as he spoke. "All of this has made me even more powerful that I'm unstoppable. Not even the Hero of Time and his precious wife can defeat me! Especially when I use the Triforce of Power to my advantage!"

"But where do I come in?" Alaina asked shakily.

"You, my dear, will watch your parents perish." Ganondorf grinned evilly. "And you and your little friend will watch in chains as I take over your once peaceful land, just as I done before. And this time, there will be no one to stop me. Then, you two will work for me in hard labor and torture and you will do whatever I say. Not even the Sages will be able to stop me. They are powerless without the Hero of Time!"

Alaina's body filled with rage and ran toward the bars, determined to get through them no matter what, but Aiden held her back, trying to soothe her while she screamed intelligible words, flailing her arms all over the place. Finally, she grew exhausted and collapsed in Aiden's arms, her body trembling.

Ganondorf watched this with the evil smile on his face. "I think that because of your intolerable behavior, I should send my army to battle your parents themselves. Is that enough punishment for you?"

Alaina's eyes opened wide. "What? NO!"

An arrow suddenly zoomed past Ganondorf's head, obviously serving a distraction. "HEY GANONDORK! MISS US?!"

Alaina turned to the voice, and her eyes filled with surprise and slight relief as her parents rode up and jumped off the horse, which immediately ran off. Alaina couldn't believe her eyes. It was like a flashback fifteen years ago. Her father was dressed in his old green tunic and elfish hat, carrying most of the same weapons, and her mother was Sheik again, letting needles fly and letting magic loose. Screw Ganondorf and his whole threat. Her parents have this all covered.

As the battle went on, Alaina's confidence slowly waned. Link and Zelda were fighting as hard as they could, aiming everything perfectly at Ganondorf. He had tears and cuts all over him, and no matter how many Light Arrows struck him, he didn't seem to be going down. Link and Zelda, however, were panting, their strength slowly leaving them, their movements slower. Alaina watched this with fear. Goddesses, where are the Sages or the soldiers?

The hooves of thousands of horses were thundering on the ground, and the whinnies caught Alaina's and Aiden's attention. The Hyrulian soldiers quickly approached the scene, waving their swords and letting out battle cries. Ganondorf momentarily stopped fighting and turned to his army, who were waiting a few yards behind him.

"MY FOLLOWERS! ATTACK THEM!"

Ganondorf's army let out cries of their own and galloped to meet the Hyrulian army. Swords clashed and shields were raised. Bodies were soon flying all over the place. Alaina covered her eyes as Aiden gently rubbed her back.

"Aiden! Alaina!"

Joes ran up to them, avoiding the pandemonium, being extremely careful not to touch the cage. "It'll be okay. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can."

Meanwhile, it was even more evident that Link and Zelda were losing the battle. There were numerous cuts on Link, and the left shoulder of his tunic was stained red with his blood. Zelda had it no less better. She also had many deep cuts and it looked like she would collapse any minute. Alaina watched with horror as she finally dropped to the ground and Link ran over to hold her up.

"How did you become so powerful?!" Link shouted at him with terror.

"You know, Hero" he said with a mocking tone, "Being locked in the Sacred Realm had its benefits. As I explained to your daughter just before, I practiced my powers day after day, and each time I became stronger. Strong enough to break free!" Lightning pierced the sky once more as he laughed. "And now both you and Zelda are too weak to fight, and you seem to have forgotten my true power!" He roared with laughter and flew up into the air, holding out his hand. The Triforce of Power glowed even more brightly, and suddenly Ganondorf was surrounded by a bright light. He slowly began to change shape into a giant ferocious beast. Both armies stopped fighting to look at this incredible spectacle. Alaina uttered a low cry as she, Aiden, and Joes looked on in horror.

In a few seconds, Ganondorf had morphed into Ganon.

"YOU SEE!" the beast roared, picking up Zelda and Link with his giant paw, holding them up in the air. They struggled weakly, and it was hopelessly clear that they couldn't get out of this one. The soldiers turned away from Ganon's armies and focused their fighting on Ganon, hoping to free Link and Zelda. But Ganon was so strong, the blasts from the bombs and the piercing of arrows and swords didn't even leave a mark.

Alaina suddenly realized the fate of her parents, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. "MOM! DAD!" she screamed, choking back a sob.

Ganon picked up a sword so gigantic, it could kill multiple people with one stab. Alaina forced herself to watch as he leveled it at Link and Zelda's hearts. They gave their daughter looks of sorrow, sadness, and their last attempt at love. Tears streamed down Alaina's face as she watched Ganon pull the sword back, and then…

It was over.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Alaina screamed hysterically, thrashing around wildly while Aiden tried whatever he could to calm her down. The Master Sword dropped from Link's limp hand, and Joes dashed to grab it and hurried back before Ganon could strike him. Ganon roared angrily, and was about to slash at him, but then six different colored beams shot at him, paralyzing him.

"What?" Aiden murmured, looking up at the sight, ignoring Alaina's violent thrashing.

One sage left the scene quickly to shoot a beam of light into the dark cage. The cage instantly disappeared. Alaina lifted her tear-stained face to look at the sorrowful face of Rauru. The Sages finally arrived…a few seconds too late.

He returned to shoot his beam while Impa was the one to break free, dodging the fighting around her and immediately wrapping Alaina in a tight embrace, sobs wracking both of their bodies. While Alaina cried hysterically into her shoulder, Impa turned to Joes.

"Joes, Alaina has to be brought out of here right away," she told him shakily, narrowly avoiding an arrow shot by a Moblin. She quickly shot a beam at it, and it died. "Take her and Aiden back to the castle, and have Alaina retrieve her belongings. Quickly!" She pulled Alaina back so she was looking at her. "Alaina, listen to me. Be brave about this. Do not be afraid, at least not now. You're going to have to flee Hyrule. The Sages will hold off Ganon as long as we can, and the Hyrulian army will take care of Ganon's. You'll be safe."

Alaina nodded, wiping her eyes. "Good-bye Impa," she choked out.

Impa tried not to completely lose it as she hugged Alaina again. "Good-bye, Alaina. Remember, you will return eventually. Don't forget that." She nudged her toward Joes. "Get out of here before any of Ganon's followers have time to catch you."

She handed a now silent Alaina to Joes, and Impa quickly returned to the other Sages. Joes, Aiden, and Alaina quickly hopped on Joes's horse and galloped away fast enough that nobody took notice.

Impa turned to Rauru. "RAURU!" she shouted. "How much longer can we hold him off?"

Rauru gazed at Ganon. "Long enough so Alaina can flee. She can't afford to waste any time."

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About an half hour later, Joes, Alaina, and Aiden rode through Castle Town at incredible speed, where townsfolk stared from their windows in confusion. The dark clouds now completely enveloped Hyrule, and Joes knew that they couldn't afford to use up any more of their precious time.

They approached the castle and Alaina hopped off. "Alaina," Joes said hurriedly, and Alaina looked up at him. "You only have a few minutes to pack your belongings, so you must be ready by then. Aiden and I are heading to our quarters to pack ours, so we'll be right back."

Alaina only nodded and dashed into the castle and up through the tower into her room. She looked out the window for a second and could see the beams of light in the distance. She shuddered and kept back another sob as she took out a gigantic bag and packed her plainest dresses and her tunics, and she dumped any accessories in as well. She reached into her jewelry box and pulled out her locket. With a feeling of deep sadness, she carefully packed it in a special case and placed it in the bag. When she was certain she had everything she needed, she ran back downstairs but instead headed through a hall to another room. She took out a special key and unlocked the door, and barged inside.

This room was the Royal Family treasury, and also where she and her family kept various weapons. Alaina grabbed her Boomerang, Long shot, and her sword and shield. She attached the shield on her back and placed the sword in its sheath. The Iron boots and Megaton hammer made the sack much heavier, but with some magic, Alaina could carry it once more with ease. She was about to run out when she remembered something. She found a secret wall and pushed it, revealing another room, lit with torches that surrounded a treasure chest. Alaina opened the chest which revealed the Ocarina of Time. She knew that it was extremely crucial that Ganondorf didn't get it. She closed the chest and walked out of the rooms, locking the door again. Certain that she had everything, she ran out of the castle, grabbed Reya from the stables, and waited for Aiden and Joes to arrive. A little less than a minute later, they did.

"Where's the Master Sword?" Alaina cried, just noticing that Joes didn't possess it.

"I quickly handed it to Impa before we left," Joes answered. "She and the other Sages will place it back behind the Door of Time, where it will be safe." Another guard rode up, who Alaina recognized as Eira's husband Miles.

"Alaina," Joes began. "Miles will take you to a village where his friend lives. You'll be living with his family."

"How long?" Alaina asked flatly.

Joes sighed. "I don't know," he finally answered.

Alaina bowed her head down. Then she looked back up. "Where is this village?"

"In the kingdom far east of Hyrule, which is Catalia. The path there is behind the mountains. Aiden, I'm going back to the field. I need you to go to Kokiri Forest. You can get there by also traveling behind the mountains."

"All right," Aiden agreed softly.

Joes looked at Alaina with genuine emotion. "Alaina, I promise you, we will meet again," he said, wrapping Alaina in a giant hug. "We will stop Ganondorf eventually. I know that much."

Alaina nodded, remembering Impa's warning not to cry. "Good-bye, Joes," she murmured, hopping on Reya. As Joes rode the path to Castle Town, Alaina, Miles, and Aiden took the other path that would lead behind the mountains. Only Alaina looked back, getting a last glimpse at the place that was once her home.

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Alaina, Miles, and Aiden rode in complete silence through the forests behind the mountains. They had been traveling for about an hour now, and Alaina was filled with dread knowing that pretty soon she and Aiden would have to separate.

That time came a few minutes later. The big path split into two separate paths; one leading to the forests, and one branching out even farther from the mountains. The three of them stood still.

"Alaina, I'll be behind those trees. I won't hear or see anything," Miles told her, and rode off to a bushel of trees. Alaina and Aiden looked after him for a minute, and then they jumped off their horses and stood behind them, blocking them from view.

"Alaina," Aiden said softly, using his fingers to lift up Alaina's chin. "You and I both know that we're going to be separated for a while."

"I know," Alaina whispered, her ice blue eyes filling up with tears.

Aiden smiled faintly. "You can cry in front of me if you want," he told her.

Alaina started to, but not loudly. "I'll miss you," she said, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly, never wanting to let go.

"I'll miss you too," Aiden responded, pulling back, staring at Alaina fiercely, drinking in every part of her so he'd remember her clearly for months, even years, to come. Before Alaina and even he knew it, he kissed her softly on the cheek.

Alaina looked at him with her pain-filled eyes as he looked like he was going to say something important. However, he didn't. "Good-bye," he whispered, getting on his horse.

Alaina hopped on hers and rode up to Miles, and they rode on through the path to Catalia while Aiden continued on to the forest. Neither of them looked back.