Well, you didn't get 400 in the allotted time, but you got pretty damn close. And since that last chapter was posted way later than I intended it to be, I'm posting this early anyway.

Enjoy. Love you guys.

~Alyssa

PS: Someone sent me an absolutely adorable picture of Nox and Linden the other day. I made it as my profile picture here on Fanfiction if you want to see it. I'm in love. Thank you so much, Emmy!

"The Temple of Time." She had said as we parted at Lake Hylia, smiling as she bestowed a kiss on my cheek. "I'll meet you there tomorrow night, okay?"

And I had agreed, because traversing across Hyrule Field was so simple I could waste half the day at Lon Lon Ranch with Malon and still have gotten there by suppertime.

However, now it seemed as though it might take a bit longer than expected.

There was a thunderstorm approaching, lightning cracking through the sky as I hurried through the vast field, for once appreciative of my small stance.

If the lightning was going to hit anything, it wouldn't be me.

I was actually feeling quite confident as I ran along the path. Everything this last month had gone as planned. I had explored and defeated the three temples without so much as an appearance from Ganondorf, gotten all three of the stones without problem, and in just a few hours, Hyrule would be safe again.

More than confident, now that I think about it. Straight out cocky, more like. There was a part of me that even had the ludicrous idea that the Princess had some sort of crush on me.

After all, she had promised me a permanent home at the castle for my troubles. She said I could train under a knight, perhaps even one day become a knight myself. She had even picked out my surname for when that day came, as I had no family to honor—Greenhero. It suited me, she said, and after that she would not refer to me as 'Link' anymore, just 'Sir Greenhero'.

But I couldn't say that I minded.

In fact, I could rather get used to it.

And maybe, one day, I could love her, too.

These thoughts all flew from my head, however, when I saw Castle Town in the distance. The warning bells went off faster than I could comprehend what was the matter.

But then I realized.

Though it was only midday, the farthest time possible from the terrors that the night brought to the plain, the gate to the drawbridge was locked up tight. The warning torches were lit. Smoke was rising from the castle.

My ears quickly picked up the screams.

It was a loud clap of thunder that shocked me from my reverie, forcing me forward towards the terror of the town, not knowing for sure what I was going to do but knowing I had to do something.

The rain began as I drew close, soaking me to the skin and constricting my movements, but still I pushed onward, right until I was just in front of the gate.

And then the drawbridge began to lower.

Slowly, painfully, it creaked downwards, hitting the stone in front of me with a sharp clank.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves cut through the tortured sounds emitting from the town, pounding on the cobblestones. Before I knew it, they were just in front of me. I jumped out of the way just in time to watch the pure white blur of a horse gallop past, only two inches away from crushing me to death.

For a split second, this made me angry. But then, as a horrifically familiar voice filled the air, I realized who was on it.

"LINK!" Zelda screamed as she passed me, the sound of her cry slicing straight through my heart. A thousand scenarios played through my head in an instant: the Terminians were invading. A peasant revolt. A civil war. Why else would my Princess be fleeing with such haste, without so much as a second to stop and explain to me what was going on? "Zelda!" I tried to cry out, but my body would not respond, frozen in fear and shock and confusion.

As though she could somehow hear this cry, she whirled around, struggling to see me past Impa, her eyes meeting mine. The message inside them was clear.

Run.

I wanted to. Goddesses, I wanted to. But my legs were like lead, weighing me down to the spot. I shook my head frantically, hoping to convey the message.

Though her eyes became hopelessly alarmed, she seemed to understand, and a split second later something was flying through the air towards me.

I could only watch helplessly as it sailed over my head and into the moat behind me with a plunk.

And when I turned around, she was gone.

"YOU."

Fear shot through me as I whipped around, swallowing the urge to scream. Suddenly, I knew exactly why the drawbridge was up, why the torches were lit. Why Zelda was running as though Hell was at her back.

Because it was.

Because of him.

Ganondorf.

His eyes were like fire as they bored into mine, the menacing seven feet of him atop his ginormous steed enough to effectively paralyze me to the spot. It would be hopeless to outrun him anyway; better to divert him from his obvious intent: Zelda.

"You must have seen the white horse gallop past just now…" he growled, and his voice was exactly how you could picture power would sound like: deep and menacing and demanding and deadly. "WHERE DID IT GO?" he yelled when I didn't answer, arms clenching.

A lump formed in my throat as I tried to silently coax my legs into being able to run.

So much for courage.

"ANSWER ME!" he screamed, and the terror that shot through me gave me the strength to back up a step. I

When I didn't, he took a deep breath, a low, rumbling laugh sounding from his chest. "So you think you can protect them from me…" he murmured, almost speaking to himself. "You've got nerves, kid."

I breathed in a shaking breath to compose myself, steeling everything inside me as I tentatively unsheathed my sword.

Nayru, I could just imagine the look on my face.

Think "kicked puppy" but with the added bonus of being sopping wet to boot.

Glancing at my dagger (which at that point I realized would be nothing but a pinprick to the monster), he began to laugh again, louder this time, acidity burning in his tone. "How quaint." He sneered, beginning to pick at his nails. "The boy thinks he'll be able to fight me."

He raised a hand, a ball of crimson light forming in his palm.

Breathe, Link. I reminded myself, knuckles turning white with the death grip I was giving to my sword. Every second he's here is a second farther Zelda is from him.

And then, as the ball grew bigger, electricity humming in his hands, preparing to leave its host, This is going to hurt.

I was right.

It hit me square in the chest, sending me flying a good ten feet and onto my back. I screamed on impact, but the sound was quickly silenced when all the air was knocked out of my chest, the ball of electric fire searing my skin, melting my poor Kokiri tunic to tatters.

"Pathetic little child." Ganondorf smiled as he reared his horse, preparing to take off into the night again. "Does he not realize who he's dealing with?"

As I struggled to regain my breathing and regulate my erratic heartbeat, he snapped the reigns of his horse, kicking up the dust in his wake.

"I AM GANONDORF." He roared to the heavens, and the lightning struck, emphasizing his words. "AND I SHALL RULE THE WORLD."

For a long moment I simply laid on my back, chest burning with pain.

But then I remembered that Zelda had thrown something to me. She wanted me to have something, and I should get it.

Drawing all my will, I slowly flipped over to my stomach, crawling on all fours to the seven feet or so to the moat.

It may as well have been a mile.

Every bump, every rock and crevice and blade of grass was a whip lashing fire across my torso, the magic in the burn searing with agony. Tears leaked from my eyes, but I refused to cry out, gritting my teeth and forcing myself to be brave.

I all but collapsed into the river, feeling around with my feet until they encountered something smooth and cool. I dove down to get it, fumbling blindly for several breaths, finally finding it on the fourth try.

I held it up to the light, entranced by the crystal blue that reflected the light of the torches.

It was an ocarina.

Link. It whispered, sounding suspiciously like a certain princess I knew, and I was suddenly at full attention, holding the precious instrument up to my ear. Take…the stones…take….the Ocarina of Time…to the Temple of Time…play the song…that I taught you…be…safe…I will…see you… again…soon…

"The Ocarina of Time." I whispered, mesmerized.

And that was the last thing I can recall before I passed out.