A/N: This is a short chapter, basically telling of Link and Zelgadis in the dungeons of Ganondorf's castle and what's happening to them. The next chapter won't be at the same point in time and will tell of Lina and Zelda's travels.

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or Legend of Zelda.

CAVE OF THE ANCIENTS: CHAPTER 6.

"Zelgadis? Are you alright?" Link asks, trying with great difficulty to sit up and check over his companion as they both regain consciousness.

"I'm fine, Link," Zelgadis replies softly, already towering above his companion. "How are you?"

Link ignores the question to stare at some point that the chimera can't see at first. Following Link's gaze, the chimera glances down at it and lets out a sigh. "Oh, that. It's fine. No need for worry."

It just so happens to be Zelgadis' bloodstained shirt, which is beige everywhere but at his side, where, there's a red stain from a wound.

"Do you want to clean off your shirt, then? I mean, unless you'd like to walk around, carrying your own blood with you..." Link offers.

Zelgadis shakes his head. "Would you want to expose skin such as mine for something as trivial as blood? Now, look around."

And Link does. He sees nothing but blackness and shadow until Zelgadis casts a Lighting spell. The Hylian doesn't make a single sound, but a spark of surprise flashes in his eyes. The bright side is that they're inside the castle, but the downside is that they're in a cell. It's one of those dank prison cells, pitch black aside from Zelgadis' floating ball of light.

All of a sudden, something...some things...shriek, piercing the air louder than any singular Redead's scream. And it hits Zelgadis like a bomb. He can't hear anything but the screams as his ears tune in to the multiple voices wailing, crying out, paralyzing. And from those many, oh, so many disembodied voices come just two sentences.

"HE IS FURIOUS THIS TIME. YOU, WHO BEARS THE TRIFORCE, ARE GOING TO DIE."

The screams and shrieks continue to wail the same two sentences, over and over again. Zelgadis feels as though he's going mad, and when the screams stop he collapses to the ground, blacking out immediately.

"Zelgadis! Zelgadis! Are you okay? What happened? What did they say?"

Link's very persistent and very annoying voice cuts through the empty silence of unconsciousness.

"Zelgadis, please! Wake up! Seriously!"

A sense of urgency enters his mind and pushes away the grogginess. He needs to tell Link, and then maybe ask for some lore about Hyrule.

"Seriously, Zel. You're starting to worry me."

Zelgadis' eyes flicker open to see the green-clad hero standing above him. Before Link can ask anything, Zelgadis whispers, "What's the Triforce?"

Link looks extremely surprised before his face becomes grim. "What did they say?"

With his ears still ringing painfully and giving him an extreme headache, Zelgadis murmurs, "'He is furious this time. You, who bears the Triforce, are going to die.'"

"No way." Link's voice is filled with horror and fear. "But...I don't understand this at all..."

"What's the Triforce?" Zelgadis prompts, sitting up and immediately regretting it. His mind swims, and for a moment he slips back into unconsciousness.

When he recovers, back to laying on the ground, Link wastes no time in getting to his explanation. "Once, hundreds of thousands of years ago, three goddesses came down the land. Their names were Din, Nayru, and Farore. Din brought to us the earth, Farore brought life to the world, and Nayru gave us law and the power of thought. When they left, behind them was a great golden triangle that represented each of their aspects. The top of the triangle, Power, represented Din. The bottom left, Wisdom, represented Nayru. Finally, the bottom right was Courage, and represented Farore. Is that all?" Link imitates Zelgadis from what seems like so long ago.

"Yes, Link-sensei," he replies obediently, with a smirk on his face. Then it becomes solemn. "What would the Triforce have to do with one of us, though?"

"Back when I was resisting against Ganondorf, I somehow obtained the Triforce of Courage," he says. "How soon did you...y'know, pass out last night?"

Zelgadis winces and looks self-conscious. "It was only a few seconds afterwards, and Ganondorf had just started talking again."

Link heaves a sigh. "Well, the thing that's bugging me about what the Redeads said is 'you, who bears the Triforce.' Ganondorf said that he couldn't sense the power of the Triforce in me anymore, and that I was practically useless to him now. But if I no longer have the power of the Triforce on my side, then that means..."

Zelgadis' mind goes blank for a second. "That's impossible," he murmurs after his brain processes Link's implied thought.

"I know how to check," the Hylian says. "See, the Triforce appears on a male's left hand and on a woman's right. You're a guy, right?"

Zelgadis lets out a breath. "If you're saying that I should remove my glove to check for a triangle on the back of my hand, I'm going to laugh," he grumbles.

"Well, I'm saying you should remove your glove to check for a triangle on the back of your hand. So go ahead," Link replies.

Zelgadis isn't amused. He rolls his eyes before another thought occurs to him. "Link. Remember when Ganondorf said he wasn't after the princess this time? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Maybe it just means that Zelda's meant to be the hero this time," he replies offhandedly. "Seriously, though. Take off the glove."

Zelgadis sighs and complies, removing the finger-less glove on his left hand and letting Link inspect it, although he looks somewhat ruffled.

Imagine his surprise when Link's eyes bug out. "What is it?" Zelgadis asks hurriedly.

"Remember when I told you each position of each virtue on the triangle?"

"Ye...yes...why?"

Link refuses to say more and releases Zelgadis' hand, allowing him to look at it. On the back of his hand is, indeed, the symbol of the Triforce, with a golden outline. However, the bottom left triangle is shaded with the same gold.

"I have...the Triforce of Wisdom..." he whispers. "But that means that Princess Zelda no longer has the Triforce, doesn't it? That's the theory I was starting to hint at, Link!"

Link is apparently still trying to shake off his shock. "Then where's the Triforce of Courage, if the Triforce of Power is still with Ganondorf?"

"Hurry up, fools!"

Zelgadis winces as a particularly arrogant and impatient Bokoblin jabs him in his injured side with a Moblin's spear. Her (yes, her) persistent hissing has grown even more infuriating than a Redead's screams.

Link, beside him, doesn't understand the Bokoblin but knows that her words aren't kindly, like an old woman's should be. Still, he's curious, so he keeps asking Zelgadis.

"She's calling us moldy-brained Moblins," the chimera replies after another stab from the sharp spear. He's sure at this point that his wound has reopened, as he feels blood oozing from his stone skin. After more hissing and growling, before Link can ask, Zelgadis shakes his head.

"You don't want to know."

From what he understands, the two of them are getting the honor of seeing Ganondorf himself.

And then being killed, of course, but let's overlook that for now, shall we? Now, where was I...?

Ah, yes.

Link and Zelgadis travel down the same straight, narrow, dank passage for what feels like hours and maybe days. Both are tired and hungry; Ganondorf has done a good job in making sure that both of them are too weak to fight back.

By now it's been weeks, not counting how long they may have been in this passageway. At first Zelgadis was better off, since he didn't need as much food, but as time wore on Link turned out to be stronger and more persistent. The Redeads just got louder and louder each day, and Zelgadis' barriers were hardly keeping the sound out now. Aside from that, Zelgadis' side wound had just healed, which took a lot out of him, and now the granny Bokoblin is prodding at it, reopening it probably just because she knows it's there.

Maybe we should go back to just a few days ago, when Link found out about this wound...

"Zel, you've been wearing that shirt for days now. It's probably best to clean it off, at least, so you don't look like you're weak or anything..."

Link has been urging for him to clean the shirt off for days now ("It could get infected or something! Clean the shirt!"), and finally Zelgadis mutters acceptance. He detaches the talisman which holds his cloak on his shoulders and, in one fluid motion, removes his shirt, then casting an Aqua Create to clean it off. He also uses some other spell to bleach it.

"Holy Goddess Din. What did Ganondorf do to you?" Link gasps, staring at the chimera's midsection openly.

Truth be told, it is gruesome. His stone skin has been shredded open, to say the least. The affected part is crimson in color, contrasting with his blue skin, and the very edges are tinged a deep, blackish-purple color.

"I've had worse happen, Link. I'm fine."

"Has it ever been long-term like this, with no treatment whatsoever?!" the Hylian demands, worry forcing him to panic and fret.

Zelgadis lets out a light sigh, using a warm wind spell on his now-cleaned shirt. "Look, Link, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but what good would it do? You said yourself that you don't have any more health potions, and my healing spells simply won't work on it. I'll have to wait for it to mend itself, and you fretting over my well-being wouldn't have helped matters anyway."

The green-clad hero groans. "I'm serious, Zelgadis! One of these days you'll kill yourself with logic like that! Couldn't we have done something?"

"No."

And it's true. The wound truly can't be healed by magic, and magic won't help dress it, either. It must have something to do with Ganondorf...

"We're here," the granny Bokoblin spits, stabbing Zelgadis one more time and Link, too, for good measure. She then casts away the spear and knocks on the door.

"Come in," Ganondorf's voice booms. He sounds almost happy.

Zelgadis thinks he knows why when they walk in the door to greet him.