Chapter 6: Tragedy Strikes

It was raining the day after our trip… Because of this, most of the knights and squires were given unexpected time off, which I decided to spend with Zelda and Gauron. The rain was hard, like the storm that proceeds after the Song of Storms. Thunder and lightning struck all over Hyrule, and I worried for the safety of my friends in the forest.

"Link…" Gauron started, apparently sensing my mood. "Is everything all right?"

"Not really…" I replied, completely honest with the man I had come to trust with my life. "I'm… Worried about some friends… They live in the Forest on the east side of Hyrule, and don't know what to do in a storm like this…"

"Then it's settled…" the Knight said. "I'll see to it that they're safe, so don't worry…"

Gauron put on his regal armor. It shone a reddish shade of silver in the torchlight. Being a General, he had a long, royal blue cape that flowed with the wind, as well as a similar feathery decoration atop his helmet. He bore the mark of the Triforce, with wings below it. That was the sign of a Hylian Knight. It was a sign everyone trusted, even the Kokiri. When they saw that symbol, they all knew… Everything was going to be OK… He quickly ran towards the stables, calling for his horse, and rode off into the malestrom…

"Link…" Zelda said. "Don't worry… Gauron is one of the best knights in all of Hyrule. The Kokiri will be fine…"

I looked at the Hylian Princess and made a weak smile. "I hope so… I really do…"

Hours passed… Hours that I spent pacing back… and forth… Zelda never took her eyes off me… She, too, must have been extremely worried.

Upon the fourth hour, I heard the clatter of horse hooves on wet earth. Despite the mud, I knew it was Gauron and his horse, for only they could make such an impact on the earth when they rode. Zelda and I made haste as we made our way to the Grand Entrance Hall.

Gauron made it back… But he was gravely injured…

"GAURON!" I called, rushing to the side of my seregate father.

"Link…" Gauron replied, weakly. "I tried my best, my boy… But…"

"Don't talk…" I stated. "Talking makes you die…"

"But… I must tell you…" the knight continued. "There was a girl… Unlike all the others, she ran… Towards the Temple where the gods of the Forest are worshipped… I tried to persue her, but I was stopped by a man in… Dark armor… He wore a strange helmet… When he saw me, he raised… His right hand… Upon the back, he bore the mark of the Triforce, with only the top triangle… Power… Emblazoned… He snapped his fingers, and… Horrible… Horrible skeletons… They bore swords and shields, and I could not match them alone… They gave me these injuries… I only barely escaped… Link… You must… You must help that girl… Only then, will I find peace… I'm sorry, my boy… I… truly… am… sorry… Link…"

Gauron fell limp… He needed healing, that much was certain… So… I did what I could… I took out my ocarina, raised it to my lips, and played the Song of Healing… His lifeless corpse dissapeared into thin air, leaving only a mask behind… It was named Gauron's Mask…

The girl he spoke of was obviously Saria, and the figure that stopped him… That killed him… There was only one possible person to bear the Triforce of Power… Ganondorf!

"Link…" Zelda started. She looked at me with warm, compassionate eyes. Which was just what I needed… "It's OK… You don't have to hold it in… Go ahead…"

With that, I grabbed Zelda and held her like I would never let her go… And… For the first time that I could remember… I cried… Holding the Princess as close as possible. While weeping, I swore to myself, I would never lose Zelda… I felt comfort as her arms wrapped around me… But nothing could make the pain of that day go away…