All four of the boys stared down the Link who had called himself "Shadow."

Green pointed his Four Sword at the enemy. "What did you do to my...our father!?"

"Don't worry." Shadow pointed his own blade forth. "He's not dead, he's just...away."

Vio took a step. "And I'll assume you'll say the same thing about Princess Zelda?"

"The princess?" Shadow tittered. "She's a stubborn little bird, that one. Carrying her off wasn't easy, let me tell you. If she behaves, I won't have to lay another finger on her. But I'll get what I want from her, one way or another."

It was Blue who made a move now. "We'll see about that!" He ran forward with his sword, but it was no use. Shadow easily dodged the slash and gave him a strike to the face with the pommel of his own weapon.

"Ack!" Blue stumbled and recoiled, grabbing his nose.

The other Links began to spread about. Green looked at the sword in Shadow's hands, the one he had stolen from the original Link when he had kidnapped the princess. It was a good, sharp weapon, with the hilt having been recently replaced a month before. Green went down, swiping up his father's shield from where it had been laying. It was a kite shield, with a maroon base and a yellow triangle for decoration. He knew there was a specific word for the triangle, but it did not matter to him. As he gripped the shield, he felt his father's spirit and strength emanate from it. With the shield in his right hand and the Four Sword in his left, he lunged forward.

He made a horizontal cut, which Shadow parried. Green grunted as he followed up with a swing with the shield, intending to slam it edge-first into Shadow's face. But Shadow jumped back, safe from harm. Red, who was standing closest to him, put both hands on his sword, but he was a split-second too slow. Shadow stomped on his foot before jumping away again.

"Ouch!"

Almost as an afterthought, Shadow twirled to dodge a strike from Vio as he set his sight on Green again. Green barely got the shield up in time, and he cringed as the force of Shadow's blow sent vibrations through his entire body. For something that looked so human, Shadow certainly had some monstrous strength on his side.

But Green did not let his surpise get in the way of his tactical mind. With the sword still pressed against the shield, he performed an underhanded swipe. Shadow gnashed his teeth and he dropped his weapon, but his reflexes were sharp enough that he moved away with just a flesh wound to his upper leg. As expected, the wraith jumped again, this time over Green's head. The hero kept hold of the shield and turned, before feeling a flush of anger as he watched his enemy go for a new weapon; the sword that belonged to Captain Alphon.

Shadow sized up the enroaching four Links confidently, gripping the gold-inlaid handle of the sword. As he moved the blade, the name etched upon it shone; Historia. Green cursed under his breath. It was not just the desecration, it was the nature of the weapon itself. Captain Alphon had inherited it from his own father with nary a scratch on it. Apart from the likes of the magical Four Sword, it was probably the best blade imaginable.

"We can't take him on like this!" Green shouted. "If we're going to stop him, we have to do it as a team!"

"How?" Red looked pale. "I've never worked on a team before!"

Green stood silently.

"Ha!" Blue sneered. "I'm a one-man team!"

Vio shook his head. "I don't need anyone's help, least of all from the likes of you."

Green felt faint.

Link! He heard his father's words once again.

You know better than to act on your own! We Hylian Knights work as a team!

"Give me one good reason why I should have to depend on any of you!" Blue shouted.

Green snapped out of his fog and whirled his head. "Because if you don't, Princess Zelda could be doomed!"

That gave them all pause, and Green continued.

"This guy kidnapped her and took on each of us alone!"

Shadow shrugged, giving the sword Historia a twirl. "Eh, you said it, not me."

"And we can't even stop something like him, how can we expect to get anything done?"

Shadow's face twitched. His voice lowered. "Something like me?"

"Blue!" The boy grimaced, but he decided to play along with what Green was saying. He darted forward, swinging his sword forward. As Shadow parried, Green shouted again.

"Red!"

The red Link followed suit. Shadow blocked that swing, too, but then heard another shout from the green-clad hero.

"Get him, Blue!"

With Shadow still crossing Red's sword with Historia, he was unable to stop Blue from performing another slash. He stepped back, but too late to stop the tip of Blue's sword from giving him a gash on his cheek.

"Ack!"

As Shadow stumbled back and grasped at the wound on his face, Vio sneered.

"Ah, first time getting hit by someone your own size? Why not fade like the shadow you are?"

"Are you-?" Shadow gnashed his teeth, his playful facade finally cracking. "Are you trying to say...you're better than me?"

Vio's smirk did not falter. "I'm getting there."

Shadow howled and ran straight at Vio, who held fast and held his Four Sword at the ready. Historia was a fine blade, but ultimately one made from mortal hands. The smith of the Four Sword was unknown, but Vio had no doubt over its supernatural might.

All he needed was the right pressure.

When the screeching Shadow brought his sword down, Vio moved to block the blow. But he did not use the flat of the blade, which was the tactic taught to preserve a sword's edge. A magical weapon would not give in, so Vio gambled that a common one would have to.

And he was right.

When Historia slammed against Vio's Four Sword, it immediately began to buckle. Another second, and the Four Sword's edge, combined with Shadow's raw strength, forced itself nearly halfway through Historia's blade.

Vio pulled back. "Green!"

Shadow saw the boy rushing at him again, and immediately began a vertical slash, hoping to end the fight quickly. But Green held the shield at the ready, allowing it to take the full power of the attack.

I'm sorry, Father.

Historia's blade snapped in two, having already lost its integrity against Vio's edge. Shadow stood with a useless hilt in his hand, with only three inches of steel protruding from it. And as he saw Green before him, he knew that Vio was approaching him from the back, Blue from the right, and Red from the left.

With a huff, Shadow disgustedly dropped the broken sword. Green cringed.

"No matter. This round doesn't count." He was starting to regain his composure, forcing his face into levity again. "Nothing you do or say matters in the long run...your world won't be your world for long."

"We won't let you turn it over to Vaati." Green's voice.

"Whatever." Shadow shook his head. "I'll see you around." And then he disappeared from thin air, leaving only purple particles behind.

The young woman sat back in her chair, studying the doll in her hand. It was an old one, but the face was still pristine, with unblemished hazel eyes and red lips. The clothes it wore had been stitched several times, but still hung on. It was the doll that the old owner of the house had left in the care of her daughter, Erune.

Erune pushed her sandy hair out of her eyes before giving her doll a tentative smile. It did not matter to her that the doll was not a real girl, or that she herself was almost seventeen years of age. But a part of her felt that such things should matter.

"Rosie...today might be the day to say goodbye..."

There was a loud shout from outside, and Erune jumped in her seat. She looked at the door, sighed warily, and got up. She put Rosie down, unable to stop herself as she made sure the doll was sitting in the chair as if it were a living thing. She walked over to push the door open, and sighed.

Of course Hyrule Castle Town had to have a small station for the knights, and it would normally not be a problem that her own home was right across from it. But there was a throng of people crowding around the door, banging on it to no avail.

"Come out!"

"I've been out here for hours!"

"Open up!"

Against her better judgement, Erune began to approach the half-dozen-strong crowd.

"I can't believe that all of the knights just disappeared like that!"

Erune shuddered suddenly. She tapped on the shoulder of the elderly, heavyset woman who had just shouted out the news. The woman spun around and brandished the length of stovewood that she had been slamming against the door.

"Excuse...sorry, ma'am, but what do you mean the knights are gone?"

"I don't have time for this!" The woman raised the stovewood. "Shoo!"

Erune flinched. But suddenly, the woman dropped the stick, and it fell to the ground. Next to it was a small, smooth rock. It had sailed through the air, striking the wood before the woman could try a swing. It occurred to them that the other townsfolk were settling down. They turned, and Erune felt her heart flutter as she saw who was coming by.

It was the left-handed hero, Link. The boy was walking with an outstretched hand, no doubt the one with which he had grabbed and launched the rock. But his face did not carry the same nonchalant confidence from when the pirates had attacked. He looked equal parts concerned, confused, and bewildered. He carried a sword in his hand, but it had a shining brass handle that the other one lacked. And there were three other boys behind him, carrying swords of their own. They wore different colored clothes, but their faces looked exactly like Link's! How could this be?

"Calm down!" Link shouted. The crowd by the station lapsed into silence, as did Erune. "There's no reason to panic!"

"But..." A middle-aged, bearded man stuttered. "The other knights disappeared! And all our kids are gone, too!"

"What do we do?"

"Have you seen anything?"

"What's wrong with the castle?"

The crowd was in full swing again, but the boys trained their eyes on the girl. They recognized her.

It was Erune, the one who had been saved from Jago and his pirates.

Here's my first try writing the Links working together as a team! I look forward to what I can do with this dynamic in the future. For the sake of streamlining the story, I'm combining Erune with the Hylian girl from the manga's first chapter, as well as having the Links go to Hyrule Castle Town instead of the Village of the Blue Maiden.