Chapter Nineteen: A Narrow Escape

Link awoke with a start in his darkened room, bolting upright with eyes wide. He involuntarily shivered as the cool air brushed up against him, and he realized he had a cold sweat. It must have been very early still, as he heard nothing in the house stir, and the only sound he heard outside was the wind against the window. At some point, the rain that had returned last night had ceased, which would be welcome for travel.

Not that travelling was on his mind. Instead, it was the dream he had just woken from, though honestly, nightmare was probably the more appropriate term. Admittedly, there was nothing particularly startling or even frightening about the images of the dream itself, but in that dream, a fear had gripped him so strongly that it had rendered him feeling powerless and pathetic. He had seen darkness and shadows, with feelings of intense malice and vile cruelty, and he had watched it descend upon Hyrule like a blanket, covering all with its indiscriminate hatred. It was the strength of those dark intents that had frightened him, and now that he was awake, he was frightened of what it meant.

Knowing he would most certainly not sleep again, he rose quietly, dressed, and stepped out of the room to head outside, leaving the door open a crack for Navi.

The serenity that greeted him outside helped to ease his troubled mood some, but not entirely. Something felt wrong, and he didn't like it one bit. Hoping to take his mind off it some more, he decided to expend of his pent up nervous energy by jogging around the track. After the third lap he ceased, not wanting to wear himself out before the day was even started. He sat by the same tree as yesterday to catch his breath, and began to gather his thoughts. While the energy he had had was now gone, his unease remained, and so perhaps meditation would provide him some comfort.

His ominous vision had given him a renewed sense of urgency concerning his quest. His aura was augmented by this, which, on top of his already new strength, made him feel very powerful indeed. While he rather enjoyed having such power, he took advantage of it to practice further control, forcefully diminishing his aura until it was only a trace on him. It took a surprising amount of effort, and his concentration allowed him to put his unease to the back of his mind.

Sounds from inside the house a while later told him his practice was over, so he stood and stretched before making his way back inside. Navi was probably awake, and she would likely want to hear of his dream.

Ten minutes later, he finished his explanation. He sat on the edge of the bed, while Navi had taken a seat on the bedside table nearby the candle that was currently the only other source of light, other than herself. She was worried, that was obvious by her expression as she mulled over her own thoughts. She too had felt the darkness growing rapidly, but such a dark omen so suddenly was very troubling.

"We should leave as soon as possible," Navi stated, rising. "I don't want to admit it, but we might be already too late, but if we aren't, or if we can stop it, then we should hurry."

"I can agree to that," Link responded, already properly outfitting himself with his gear. "I hope we do make it in time. I don't want to think that we failed just because of my decision to come here," he added, downcast. Navi shook her head.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think it was good of you to come here. You made some improvement with your aura, and if you don't mind me saying so, I think the two of you are good for each other." She smiled at the last bit, taking off into the air to land beside him. "I mean that seriously, too, no teasing, I promise."

"But if we are too late, does that matter?" he asked. He was pleased Navi thought as she did, and it did actually ease his guilt a little. But that was hardly what was prevalent in his thoughts; the threat of failure in his task was. Failure meant the beginning of the end, as far as he was concerned. If he failed to stop Ganondorf here, what could he hope to do? If Ganondorf could kill Father, what chance did he possess?

"Of course it does. When evil grows, what do you think is the balance? Even a candle on a clear night can be seen from a great distance, do not think something so small is insignificant. And if we're too late to stop Ganondorf now, we'll find another way. You never gave up facing those monsters before, and you won't stop now, will you?"

Link nodded, glad to have Navi there. She was right, what had he been thinking? He had broken curses and slayed giant monsters to make it this far, and he was going to avenge his Father, the Great Deku Tree, one way or another. He would make him proud, and he would make the Kokiri proud. Link took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever was going to come that day. Through his window, the clouded sky was beginning to brighten. It was time to go.

"Thanks Navi, really," he said, turning his head to see her. She smiled and nodded her appreciation.

"Then let's get going. We'll say our goodbyes and be off."

Link put out the candle on the table and left the room in search of their hosts. He found them all in the kitchen and dining area seated at the table, and they greeted the two of them cheerfully. Well, Talon, and Malon especially, did, while Mr. Ingo gave a terse 'good morning', which was arguably his best greeting yet. Link respectfully declined staying longer for breakfast, politely insisting that should be off as soon as possible. He spared them the details of his premonition, not wanting to cause alarm or fear.

"You'll be back soon though, right?" Malon asked, who now stood up and walked over to him.

It was a question that should have been easy to answer. Of course, right? But he wasn't so sure that was the right answer. In truth, he wanted to tell them all to be aware of danger, flee if they could. With the castle near as it was, if anything happened, they were the next closest and at risk, outside Castle Town. Malon might trust him enough to hear such a warning from him, as she knew he had dreams, but her father and Mr. Ingo? Welcoming to him as they had been, he still wasn't sure.

"I'll be back, promise," he reassured, and they exchanged a farewell embrace. He would come back, he had already decided that. He wasn't so sure if soon was a possibility.

Talon rose as well, and extended a friendly hand, which he grasped.

"It was good seeing you two again, take care of yourselves and come back anytime."

"And no stalchildren on our doorstep preferably," Mr. Ingo added, continuing his meal without pause.

"I'll keep that in mind," Link replied with a smile. The man nodded his approval, and he could have sworn, though his head was down, that he saw that awkward smile from him again. "Stay safe everyone, thanks again for everything," he continued, beginning to walk back to the exit. Malon followed him out a short ways, and stopped him at the door. Her usual cheer was diminished, and she looked at him with worry.

"This has to do with stopping that man, doesn't it?" she asked. Her perception caught him by surprise. There was no point hiding the truth from her, was there? He nodded.

"I…I had a dream last night. Like the ones I told you about before the Great Deku Tree called me. Something's happening, something bad. If we can stop it, we will do everything in our power to. But it might be too late, for now. That's why I said stay safe. Whatever is coming, it's going to affect everyone. I don't want anything bad to happen to you guys."

Malon nodded her understanding, and again came forward to hug him.

"As long as you stay safe too. I've never heard of anyone ever doing the things you've done. If anyone can stop him, you can." She planted a kiss on his cheek and stepped away, blushing a little. "For good luck."

Link blushed as well, but welcomed the contact, and was touched by her concern. Truly, she cared for him more than he had even realized. At that moment, he wished there was something he could do for her.

An idea sprung to mind suddenly, recalling how he had first used his magic, involuntarily. Could he do something similar now, consciously? Navi still sat on his shoulder, and quickly in a whisper he asked her about his idea. If she was surprised by it, she didn't show it. Instead, she smiled and gave her approval, adding her confidence he could do it easily. Emboldened, he took Malon's hands into his own.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to give you something too," He told her, and he called his magic forth, drawing upon it carefully. He shaped his aura within himself, as he had practiced that morning, imbuing it with his own feelings of his care, and his desire to protect. In essence, he was creating a magical charm of sorts, and when he was satisfied with the result—Navi, able to sense his magic, also approved of his work—, he pushed it through from himself into her, through their physical contact. He watched her reaction, as she first gasped at the contact and it's absorption into her, and her joy as she recognized it for what it was.

"It's not much," Link finally said, the whole process taking only about 4 minutes, "But with this, if anything threatens you, you'll at least know."

"I love it, thank you," She said, and again embraced him. "It's like you'll always be with me." She held him for a moment longer before pulling away. "You have somewhere to go now, don't you? Don't let me keep you any longer, forest boy, go save the world." She smiled, and with one final goodbye, Link left the residence, and another minute later, he left Lon Lon Ranch.

"That was a wonderful thing you did Link, and you did it beautifully, I'm impressed," Navi commented. "Let's not let her down now, after you went through all that trouble."

"I won't," he answered, "I can't afford to." Navi nodded, understanding what he meant.

"What gave you that idea, I'm curious to know?"

"It was kind of spur of the moment, really, I don't know where I got the idea, but I remembered how I did something similar with the first time I used magic, remember with Princess Zelda?"

"Ah yes, I do remember that. That was the basis of your idea then?"

"Yeah."

"Very clever, to think of that. Now that you know you can do that, you can extend that same concept to other applications as well. You gave Malon some slight protection; if you amplified that upon yourself, you could shield yourself from certain attacks or dangers, or turn it into an attack."

"I hadn't thought of that," Link said, realizing the new realm of possibilities he had discovered. "Magic can be used for an awful lot, huh?"

"If you know how to and you're strong enough, you can do just about anything." She answered, "I wouldn't try doing anything new just yet though. What you did was small and simple, yet effective nevertheless. You're strong enough now I think we can start working on exploring more of what you can do, but that will take time and practice, as always."

"It'll be good to learn what I can do though. I look forward to learning that later."

Conversation drifted on and off from then on as they made their way toward Castle Town. As they drew closer they spoke less, and Link felt his unease grow, furthering his belief that something was most certainly wrong. Even the weather seemed to hint at the change, for as they drew nearer the clouds thickened, the wind grew still, and there was an unnatural silence across the plains. By late morning the walls of Castle Town were in sight.

"Something's not right," Navi murmured, echoing his own thoughts. From a distance, nothing seemed out of place, and indeed nothing was. But just looking at the castle beyond…something was wrong.

A moment later, their fears were confirmed. Smoke began to rise from one of the castle parapets, and then one of its towers. Link broke into a run, Navi following beside him. Hyrule Castle was burning; Hyrule Castle was under attack!

Princess! He forced himself to run even faster. She was safe, right? She had to be! The two of them were all that stood in the way of Ganondorf! He finally had the stones! Now that he had them, they could…

What could they do?

It was a startling question, one he, until now, had not even considered. The stones and the Ocarina of Time were the keys to enter the Sacred Realm. Link had gathered the stones for the cause of stopping the Gerudo king, but what then? What had they planned on doing with the keys? Attempt the same thing as Ganondorf? To enter the Sacred Realm themselves? How were two children supposed to protect the Triforce?

The Castle Town gate was within a dozen feet when he slowed to a stop and leaned over, breathing heavily. Navi flew in front of him, looking very ready to scold him, but she hesitated. Link knew very well what was at hand, and what was at stake, so why was he stopping? Link straightened himself up and looked at his partner.

"Navi...are we sure we're not playing right into Ganondorf's hands?"

She frowned, trying to read his face. Where was this coming from?

"What do you mean?"

"This dark feeling we have, the timing of this happening…I don't think it's a coincidence. He had to have known, somehow. You can do that with magic too, right? If he knows the legend too, and he knows about us, then we're heading right toward him with all the keys!"

Navi looked back towards the castle, whose flames began climbing higher now, thinking quickly. Link was sharp, she had missed that line of logic, and worse, he was right. There was little doubt to them that Ganondorf was behind this. If he was truly after the stones and ocarina, and this was happening now, then he must have been confident he would succeed. All the stones were gathered in one place, with them. And they were heading right towards him. The timing was too good, too perfect. He had known.

"Goddesses, help us," she breathed. They were in danger. The princess too. But what could they do? She knew better than to suggest the most obvious answer. Fleeing would buy them time, at best. But that was an option Link would refuse, and she was not so partial to it either. Rain began to fall, but still they remained still, at a loss.

A new sound over the rain met their ears, and they watched from beyond the haze as a white horse came across the cobblestone, galloping at full speed towards them. Even from a distance in the rain, there was little mistaking who was upon it.

The princess! Impa! Link quickly moved to the side when he saw no sign of them slowing, and his quick relief was shadows by worry. Such a mad dash only testified to the severity of the situation. In a desperate attempt to learn more, he called out, beginning to run the way he had come.

"Impa! Zelda!"

The princess, clutching her guardian with face buried, heard Link's cry and whipped her head around in time to see them race past. He had come back!

"Link! Impa, stop the horse please!" she cried, looking up toward Impa. Impa, eyes fixed ahead of her, shook her head, though her face clearly showed she wished otherwise.

"I cannot, or we will surely perish!"

"But Link!"

"I am sorry, Your Highness!"

Zelda looked back, watching Link still give chase. He was remarkably fast, she could tell, but there wasn't a race alive, even the rolling Gorons, that could outstrip a horse. After all this time, he had returned, as he had promised, and now they were apart again, all because of Ganondorf. That bastard! That horrible, horrible man had finally shown his true colors, and had attacked the castle with Gerudo warriors and monsters! The soldiers had fought, and the Hylian knights had acted quickly to uphold their duty to the family they served. The Sheikah that remained hidden had revealed themselves, quickly moving against the threat. But it was to no avail. The soldiers were no match for the desert people and the cursed things that were bound to their sorcerous master. The knights and Sheikah tribe had done all they could just to allow their escape. The castle had fallen, almost pitifully quickly, and she had not even had the chance to see her father again…

She had to do something! Their efforts would be in vain if she did nothing! She was forced to flee, but Link…Link was their only hope left!

Acting quickly, before they were out of reach, she withdrew the Ocarina of Time from hiding, whispered a few choice words over it, and then, with all her might, threw it as far as she could towards the Kokirian child running after them.

"Princess!" Impa called over the rain, looking down at her charge. Zelda pulled herself back into her, holding her tightly.

"Link is our best hope now!" She answered. She prayed to the goddesses then, begging for their aid and protection for all of them.

Seconds later, Link finally stopped, panting, in front of where he had seen whatever the princess had thrown land. He spotted the blue familiar shaped object in the tall grass, and immediately retrieved it. She had left behind the Ocarina of Time.

"I don't understand, why did she give this to me?" He had all the keys now, with this treasure in his hand. But there was no way he could face Ganondorf, she had to have known that, so why? Uncertain of her motives, he pocketed the ocarina away. Now that he had this as well, he would need to keep them all safe. He needed to think quickly to find out what to do next.

"Link, behind us!"

Link whipped about at Navi's alert, and found another horse, this one black, slowing to a stop near them. Atop the animal sat a man he recognized, from one of the visions Father had shown him, and his blood ran cold. Ganondorf, the Gerudo king. The man looked down on him from his steed, and grinned.

"Well well, so you're the one who's been running around. I've been looking forward to meeting you, boy, you've impressed me, and not many can."

So he did know! Link remained silent, staring back at the man hard. He wanted to run, his instincts screamed at him to flee from this man, the danger he sensed from him was almost palpable. But he defiantly stood his ground. He would not—could not—give in to the fear. He had to survive.

"Silence, hm? I like the look in your eye. You're one of the forest children, are you not? How is it you can survive beyond your realm?"

Again, Link said nothing, only stared.

"Hmph, fine, enough small talk. You have something I want, but that can wait for now. Those stones of yours are worth nothing without the royal family's treasure, did the princess tell you that? I've taken a liking to you boy, so I'll let you run around a little longer. All I want from you is to tell me where that white horse went."

He doesn't know I have the ocarina! He knew right away as soon as he mentioned the stones and the treasure. And he inexplicably was fine with him having the stones and running free with them. He wanted the ocarina first. Keeping him alive on a whim was his lifeline. How far could he push it, while protecting Zelda?

"Still nothing? Do you think you can protect them from me, kid? Interesting! Come then, I see you have a sword and shield. Try me!"

Link gritted his teeth, hating this man even more. This man played with people lives, and had taken Father from him, and now he was playing with him! He drew his sword and shield, lowering himself into a defensive stance.

"Link?" Navi whimpered beside him. "Don't do it Link, please…"

"If we want to survive," he whispered back, not taking his eyes off the Gerudo king, "I'll have to humor him."

"…Be careful then. Don't try to be brave, not now, please."

Link nodded, and cast a smallest hint of a smile her way. He didn't think he could even if he tried, honestly, but he had to do something. Goddesses, help me. He took one step forward, then another, before finally charging to close the distance between him and the mounted rider. He leapt up into the air, bringing his sword up and back down with both hands. Ganondorf, with a chuckle, brought his arm up and deflected the blow easily. Twice more he tried, and twice more the man swatted his attacks away like they were nothing.

"Ha, that last one might have stung a little! You've got guts kid, I'll give you that. Enough of this game," he said, and brought his hand up. Black energy swirled about in a vortex, gathering into the center, and flared brightly. Link jumped back, bringing his shield up. Could he block a magical attack with a shield? The shining orb in his hand flew towards him, and struck his shield. The force of the attack slammed into him, sending him flying several feet before crashing into the ground.

"Link!" Navi cried, dashing to his side. Link struggled back to his feet, visibly shaken from the blow he had received.

"Link, so that's your name," Ganondorf mused, shifting in his saddle. "You took that well, I'm impressed again. I've wasted enough time here though. I'll find them myself, and then I'll find you again, Link." He grinned again, before dashing away into the rain.

"Are you alright?" Navi asked, quickly looking him up and down for any injuries. After a moment, he nodded, but it took himself effort to do so. He cringed toward the ground, replaying his first encounter with Ganondorf, the man that had taken the Great Deku Tree's life, had harmed the Gorons and Zora, and had destroyed the royal family, all in the name of attaining a power that rested in the Sacred Realm, the Triforce.

And he had been powerless in front of him.

That truth resonated in his thoughts, and he hated it. Everyone he had met had put faith in him for this. He had promised he would stop the evil king. But having met him now, he felt his courage fail. He had known he would not have been a match, but shades, the king had toyed with him, and had let him live out of amusement! And he was going to return for him again, and when that happened… Some blessing the goddesses had given him!

"Navi…How can we win?" He asked weakly. "I couldn't do a thing to him, how am I supposed to stop him?"

"I…I don't know," Navi admitted quietly. "I never imagined he'd be so strong. I'm sorry, Link."

Link stood in the rain, at a loss for what to do now. All their effort to secure the stones had been for nothing, and once Ganondorf found out he had the Ocarina of Time as well as the stones…

Link drew out the ocarina, examining it. This was now the second time he had come to hold the Royal Family's treasure. The first, when Zelda had quite accidentally left it in his possession, on the day they had explored Castle Town together. He had returned it to her their next meeting in the castle courtyard, without realizing what it was until she told him. Now, she had entrusted it to him. He still couldn't understand why though.

The ocarina in his hand suddenly began to glow, And before either one of them could react, a white light enveloped them.