A/N: Massive thanks to alwaysingirl, who reviewed (again :D) and mentioned this story in her fic :3 Had a pretty messed up day today, but hopefully it'll get better from here on out!

Here we go!

Chapter 4 - Wagon

Zelda awoke to a rhythm of hoofbeats. The ground beneath her shook and swayed, and she hit her head against the wall, which seemed to absorb her weight.

'Huh?' she managed to mutter. Her back throbbed with pain every time blood pulsed through her veins, and her right hand was stinging like crazy. She looked at it and found that whatever she was travelling with bandaged it. It was really dark, so she couldn't see where exactly she was.

'Hello?' she called out as loudly as she could. At that point, the front of the 'room' opened like a pair of curtains, and a Lizalfos poked its head through. Zelda screamed and fell backwards onto the floor, and a wave of pain pulsed through her entire body.

'What do you want?' the Lizalfos asked in perfect Hylian.

'I... I...'

'Spit it out!' the Lizalfos growled menacingly.

'Wh... Who are you?' Zelda managed to ask.

The Lizalfos glanced behind him for a second, then turned back to the terrified girl cowering before him.

'Call me Drazzil.'

'Where are we?'

Drazzil sighed, as if he'd grown bored of speaking with Zelda already.

'Usually by this point, people we kidnap would be screaming out for help. Why not you?'

'I asked you a question first,' Zelda responded curtly.

Drazzil's face turned into a scowl.

'Don't talk to me like that,' he whispered.

'S... sorry,' Zelda replied. She made a note in her mind to do what Drazzil said.

'Okay. At the moment we are in the middle of Hyrule Field, going back to Hyrule Castle.'

'Why?'

'Because... Ganondorf will give us a hefty reward for capturing a member of the royal family who's escaped under his nose. Fortunately for you, he pays more if we keep them alive.'

'Us? How many of you are there?'

'Five.'

Zelda shrank back. With her crocked back and limited magic abilities, she could barely take out one of these monsters let alone five.

'No need to be scared. Yet. As long as you comply by our rules, we won't kill you. Don't know what Ganondorf is gonna do, but that's his choice.'

A thought came to Zelda's mind.

'What did you do with Impa?'

'You mean that woman with you?'

'Yes.'

Drazzil spat disgustingly into the hay next to Zelda, causing her to jump.

'Stupid woman escaped. Lucky for her, as well. We would kill her if she was with you right now. After all, she isn't part of the royal family.'

He stretched out his hands until a loud click echoed off the walls, causing Zelda to cringe. She hugged her knees in misery. She would rather Drazzil kill her there and then, quickly. She knew Ganondorf would want to make her suffer, and for the time being it seemed there was nothing she could do about it.

'Okay. Well, do whatever you want to back here. I'm going to check on the horses.'

Zelda nodded, but his head was out of the room by that time. From the information she gathered, she concluded that they were in a wagon.

Suddenly, the familiar feeling that she was being dragged into unconsciousness occured again. She sighed, knowing again she couldn't stop it, so she just let it overtake her.

XxX

The sound of trickling water filled Zelda's ears as her eyes opened. As her vision returned, she could see waterfalls running from the ceiling down into who knows where. Looking down, she was lying on a large Triforce crest, raised slightly over the rest of the ground, which was wet with seemingly endless water which came out of nowhere. Surprisingly, her back didn't hurt, and she could stand up easily.

'Zelda...' A voice came from nearby. She looked around, trying to pinpoint where it came from. Her eyes fell on a man, who was pretty large. He had pure yellow robes on, with a bright red cloth in the middle, and a white beard covered his face.

'Who are you?' Zelda asked.

'I am Rauru, the Sage of Light.'

'Where am I?'

'The place in which you are now is called the Sacred Realm, home of the Sages and dwelling place of the Triforce.' He hesitated. 'Well, it was. But the Triforce has been taken.'

'What do you mean?'

'It has resided here for many years. A young boy blessed by the goddesses entered and tried to claim the Triforce as his own. Unfortunately, though, he was too late.'

Zelda's heart sank. 'You don't mean...'

'Yes, Zelda. Ganondorf claimed the Triforce before young Link could.'

'No... It can't be!'

'Alas, Zelda. It's true.'

Zelda fell to her knees in despair. 'I... I failed. The task the goddesses had entrusted to me. I failed them...'

She then burst into tears, wallowing in her misery. The goddesses had obviously thought her worthy of carrying out a simple task like this, and yet she failed.

'Zelda. You have not failed.'

She looked up from her position, her face stained with tears.

'Indeed, you carried out your task as instructed. Ganondorf, however, used you in order to gain access to the Sacred Realm. If anyone is to blame, it is Ganondorf. Him and him alone.'

Zelda wiped away her tears and stood again.

'There is still hope, Zelda. The young boy known as Link is resting here as we speak, unlocking his full power. Once that power is reached, he has a chance to kill Ganondorf and claim the Triforce from him, and we will reside in peace.'

'What of me? I am to be killed at Ganondorf's hands because of that wretched Drazzil.'

'I am aware. That is why you must escape him and hide.'

'Impossible. There are five of them. It doesn't seem likely that they would spare my life after I have escaped them. If I escape.'

'Zelda. I can tell you are frightened. Please allow me to aid you in your plight.'

He held out his hands, and a beautiful blue light shone upon him. Slowly, an item started to descend and he caught it. Zelda leaned forward to see what it was. It looked like some clothes.

'In this bundle are everything you will need, Zelda,' he said as he handed the item to her.

Upon closer inspection, she saw the symbol of the Sheikah emblazoned on the front of the top. There were some daggers, needles and bandages among the clothes, plus a small bag.

'These items will help you to hide from, and, if necessary, kill your captors. Alas, it should never come to this, yet we have no choice.'

'Where do I change into this?' she asked timidly.

Rauru responded by flicking his fingers, and Zelda warped to what seemed like nowhere. It was just white space wherever she looked. She sighed, and quickly took off her dress and jewellery, laying them in a neat pile next to her feet. She looked around, as if expecting something to come and see her. When nothing came, she put on the Sheikah outfit. It fit her perfectly. She grabbed the bag and slung it over her shoulder. A small belt lay at her feet, which she put on and placed the daggers and needles in the holsters that came with it.

Now she was done, she wondered how to get back to Rauru. She needn't have worried, for she warped back to him after she finished.

'Please keep that garment for yourself. I put a spell on it so it will grow as you do.'

'Thank you so much, Rauru. I'm sure these items will aid me in my quest.'

'One more thing, please, princess.' He waved his hand at her, and her long hair braided into one long plait which draped across her shoulder.

'I... I thank you. Pray we meet again,' Zelda whispered.

'Indeed, princess.'

Suddenly that feeling fell upon Zelda once again, of someone dragging her into sleep.

'Thank you...' she whispered before she fell unconscious.

XxX

She awoke. The familiar hoofbeats of her kidnapper's horses were still going. Looking down, she could make out that she was wearing the Sheikah outfit she had just been given, weapons in place.

She grabbed a hold of one of the daggers in her sweaty palms and crawled quietly over to entrance of the wagon. She could hear Drazzil casually speaking to someone, whom she assumed was one of the cohorts. She muttered a silent prayer to Farore for courage, then jumped out.

The scene was a blur. As soon as she was outside Drazzil and the Lizalfos he was talking to looked back at her in surprise. Before they could react, she slashed their faces with the dagger, causing them both to cry out in pain. Drazzil cursed loudly as he held his cheek, which was bleeding profusely. The other Lizalfos was out for the count, the attack apparently to much for him.

Zelda quickly stabbed at Drazzil in his stomach. She hit, and he cried out again.

'You piece of...!' He shouted. Before he could finish his sentence, the wagon quaked. Apparently, the Lizalfos next to Drazzil was leading the horses, but now they were starting to panic, running in different directions. Zelda saw her chance, and jumped off of the wagon. As she met the ground her legs gave way, and she landed on her side, causing her to cry out.

Now she was off, she jut wanted to get as far away from that cursed wagon as soon as possible. The horses were still apparently confused, and they sped in the opposite direction. As she ran, she could hear Drazzil's voice, distant.

'Curse you! Whoever you are! Curse you! You better hope I don't find you again, 'cause when I do, I will kill you!'

Zelda covered her ears as she ran, wanting to get as far away as possible. The voice behind her dimmed more and more as she ran.

But the threats still rang in her ears.

'Curse you... I will kill you...' The voice, raspy and gravelly, echoed within her brain.

She closed her eyes and sprinted faster.

'No, you won't.'

A/N: Aaaaand, scene! *cracks knuckles* This is the best of the lot, imo. Well, I did say it would get better, didn't I? :3 Review, pl0x XD