Hey, there, everybody! I appreciate the reviews and I'll take my liberty to reply to some of them right here.

Link99: Well, this chapter is actually about Zelda and what she's been up to lately. Now, it is a good idea, but it's still a bit early for that, and I had a different idea for how to get into more of what Link's party is doing. Lucina, while she has taken a liking to Link, doesn't entirely trust him yet. She is willing to give him a chance, yet she doesn't want to let her guard down around him just yet.

Linkcina: That was in the plans. Marth and Link are going to be training regularly, but expect to see more Link and Lucina develop that way as well. Because remember, she's just as skilled, if not more so, than the Hero King.

A note to all readers. When you reach the line "Just as her hope faded," take an opportunity and start playing Eternal Bond from Radiant Dawn. Makes it better.

Chapter 3: The Radiant Hero

Zelda looked from her balcony, seeing the dark fields of Hyrule which surrounded her castle that very evening. Countless guards stood around the castle itself, poised to defend it with their lives. The winds which whipped around her blonde hair were cold and befitting of the sorrow she felt as report after report of an unknown kingdom came to her pointed ears; reports came in constantly that a kingdom by the name of Daein had invaded Hyrule and was conquering the land piece by enormous piece.

"Princess," a voice of an older woman sounded from inside her room behind her. "I'm here to protect you as long as you need me to." Zelda turned from the field and looked at her attendant. She had long white hair, slight wrinkles surrounding her blood-red eyes, and traditional Sheikah markings tattooed in places across her lightly armored body. Though she only carried but one dagger that was visible, Zelda knew she had hidden weapons stashed all throughout her tight blue clothing.

"Are you sure I'm the one who needs protecting?" asked Zelda, thinking of the rest of her kingdom. "What about my people? Our land?" She walked back into her room, which was extremely ornate and decorative, fitting for a Princess of her status. She felt for the rapier at her side.

"I'm sorry, but it is far too late for that," answered Impa, standing resolutely firm as Zelda paced her bedroom. "The enemy came with forces far larger than we've ever seen in Hyrule's history, and there are but few lands remaining which haven't been conquered, including where we stand now. Only a week, and we've been brought as low as when the demon king reigned over Hyrule."

"I know there must be something we can still do," sighed Zelda. "You don't think—?"

"I do. There is no doubt Ganondorf has returned. Our small army is no match for his seemingly endless forces, all claiming to hail from this 'Daein.'"

"They're coming for me."

"I'm aware of that," said Impa, walking to Zelda's wardrobe and opening it swiftly. She reached inside and pulled an ornate breastplate from within, handing it to Zelda. "You can't walk away from here with naught but your dress." She reluctantly placed it on, tightening the straps so that she could barely feel it resting on her.

"Are you ready to flee?"

Zelda nodded at her faithful attendant, taking a long cloak to conceal her identity from any onlookers. She had more than just a simple desire to stay with her people, but she held the Triforce of Wisdom, and she knew it was more important for her to keep that sacred triangle safe than anything else. The latest reports informed them that the largest army of enemy soldiers were inbound as they spoke, and they had already readied the horses for Zelda's escape.

"Do you think he'll come again?" asked Zelda, as Impa opened the door into the castle for her. "The Hero of Time?"

"He's come many times over Hyrule's long history. He'll come again."

Zelda and Impa walked through the castle, which was full of all of Hyrule's most elite guards, all shaking somewhat with fear, for they had all heard the rumors that the largest army they'd ever seen was on their way. Zelda had been somewhat a practitioner of magic, and as such she attempted to place charms on her soldiers as she passed by them. It had little effect, but many of them seemed to at least stop shaking when the magic took effect.

"We'll make for Faron Woods," said Impa when they reached the royal stables. "As of yet, the enemy seems to have taken no interest in the place. Not to mention…"

Zelda understood what Impa meant without her having to speak it. Faron Woods was home to farmers and peasants alike, but more than that, it was the secret resting place of the legendary blade within the ruins of the Temple of Time. If they were going to find the Hero of Legend, it would certainly help to start there.

Zelda's white horse stood waiting within her stable. A loyal horse bred specifically for the Princess in case of such dire needs as escape or battle, she was strong and firm, not to mention one of the fastest in the Kingdom. She was quickly saddled and ushered from her stable with care by the Princess, following the large carrots in her hands.

Sitting atop the white horse, Zelda rode from the stables. Impa followed on a chestnut brown horse, not nearly as special as Zelda's own, but reliable all the same. In the streets the people continued as if there was nothing wrong in the world. They were unaware of the dire situation at hand, and Zelda felt guilt surging through her body, thinking of how doomed they all were. She prayed to the goddesses that the enemy would have mercy on the people, but felt hopeless in her own faith.

Slowly they rode until they reached the castle gates, which were closed and the drawbridge lifted as it always was when the evening approached. Impa leapt from her horse and walked swiftly to the gate guards. They had on typical Hyrulean armor, over a layer of chainmail on a blue tunic. Their helmets hid their faces from view.

"Lady Impa, what brings you to the gates?" asked the guard. Only the privileged few elites were informed of Zelda's fleeing. "The Princess needs you back at the castle, I'm sure." All of the troops were well informed of the impending invasion, and an official announcement from the King of Hyrule would be made shortly for the citizens. The guard who addressed Impa looked at Zelda, sitting in her cloak atop the white horse, though it was impossible to hide her beauty.

"I…"

"That is all you need to know of the situation," Impa interrupted before he could make the claim that it was Zelda. "Now you will open this gate, and let us pass, soldier." Without hesitation, the soldier quickly ran to the operators, and the gates creaked open. A clanking sound followed as the drawbridge fell rapidly to connect them to the land.

"Thank you!" shouted Zelda as she prodded her horse into a run. Noting the mote and enormous walls surrounding the city, she knew that it would be a well-fought battle, in which the enemy forces would be severely damaged. Certainly they would have to lay siege for days before the walls would fall and the moat filled in.

As they rode across the bridge, she saw that the moon had begun its ascent into the clouded sky. It was barely visible, but its faint light gave its position away. Zelda swung the reigns and prodded the horse to turn its pursuit towards the South, headed towards Faron Woods. There were several forests over the lands of Hyrule, but none were as vast as Faron. It was also relatively close to Hyrule Castle as compared to the Lost Woods which were set to the West of Faron.

A few minutes of riding through the cold air passed, and a slight drizzle settled over Zelda and Impa, who continued on without speaking. The terrain began to grow more challenging to maneuver, with small rivers and streams surrounded by rocks beginning to appear everywhere.

Zelda looked up into the sky as thunders began to sound in the distance. The sky was dark, but the flashes of the lightning illuminated flying creatures high above them. She grew intensely curious as to what those creatures could've been, but was filled with horror when she realized the direction they were headed.

"Impa, what are those?!" she shouted over the thunder.

"I… I don't know, Princess," replied Impa in a yell. "They look like dragons, though not as fiery or intimidating." Zelda was plenty intimidated by their bat-like wings beating through the rains. "We must take shelter soon; we won't make it to Faron when these conditions get worse!"

Zelda acknowledged that it was indeed getting worse, but she couldn't tear her mind away from the figures above her. There were dozens of them, and if they truly were enemies, the castle would have no defense against them. As if reading her mind, Impa shouted, "We cannot go back, Princess. If we do, the Triforce will surely fall into their grasp, much sooner than we'd thought!"

Against her will to fight for her kingdom, Zelda continued to ride on through the darkness. "We make for Kakariko, then." She was aware that Kakariko was occupied by the enemy, but she was confident that the enemy had no way to recognize her. It was the closest town that might've been somewhat safe.

She veered her horse off the straight course to Faron Woods and aimed for the small city of Kakariko. It was slightly to the West of Castle Town, and would not take long to reach. Impa made no protest at their destination and followed her.

Zelda's blood felt chilled by her own abandonment of her people, and disgrace filled her heart. As the royal family's heir, she couldn't believe her requirement to run. If it had been her choice, she would've confided the Triforce of Wisdom to Impa and had her flee, but as fate had it, that was impossible.

Zelda dismounted her horse a small distance away from Kakariko's main entrance. The horse itself would attract her unwanted attention, and she wished desperately for a way to conceal her face, as her own beauty would attract it as well. She tied the faithful horse to the signpost which plainly read "Kakariko ahead," and continued her walk to reach the village.

"Keep your hood up, and your head down low," said Impa. The drizzle had turned into a heavier rain, starting make their clothing wet. Impa herself had used a secret Sheikah art to conceal her identity, though it was only visible to those Impa desired to be fooled. To Zelda, she looked the same as always, but to an unknowing onlooker, she'd appear to be an old woman, relying on a cane to walk.

They walked casually into the small village of Kakariko, Zelda doing as Impa told her and keeping the hood up. The usually bustling town was dead as could be. The enemy soldiers were all clad in different arrays of armor and clothing depending upon which weapons and armors they specialized in.

Zelda looked around, for any sign or tell of an inn, and was able to find a scraggly little hub, guarded by two swordsmen, that fit the bill perfectly: out of the way, and capable of housing the two for the night. She walked subtly towards the small hub, and approached the guards, who looked stupid, yet they were clearly not to be trifled with.

"I seek residence here tonight, if you please," said Zelda politely. This was her first mistake.

One of the men looked at her keenly underneath her hood. She resisted the urge to turn her face away from him, however terribly his breath smelt. "You some kinda royalty or summat?" he said in a nasally voice. "Oy, Gober, what was it the King said about royalty?"

"You dumb bastard," said the other swordsmen, though his voice was gargled. "He said to keep our eyes open for royalty and such." One of his rugged hands grasped Zelda's arm, and she felt herself be pulled toward him. His beady eyes looked over her face. "But I don' think tha's what we 'ave here…" An evil grin spread across his face. Within her cloak, Zelda could feel her rapier hanging on her belt, and prayed that she would have no need to use it.

"Le's take this lass out for a stroll, shall we?" the beady-eyed man sneered. "She looks to be a bit cold in this here rain." Zelda felt his grip grow tighter around her arm, and resigned herself to go with him. He was no real threat to her if she could use her magic, and if he got her alone, she'd be fine.

Impa made no move to reveal herself, knowing that Zelda was capable of handling herself. Still her eyes had a stern look, and Zelda nodded at her to reassure her. Zelda walked away while the man dragged her to where she thought would be a secluded place where she could use her magic. As soon as they were out of earshot of Impa, however, the man spoke without the gargled voice this time. "You're coming with me, Princess. Didn't think I'd find you on my watch, but I'm damned lucky I did." His voice was cool and easy, and Zelda felt petrified at his touch.

"My mate there is as thick as bricks," he continued, as Zelda felt herself be forced to move with him. "I've studied the darkest of magics, so I know a thing or two about secrecy and detection. Your ol' lady there isn't hiding anything from me, that's why I had to get you away from her. Next time you want to conceal yourself, try not to speak so stingily. Even my dolt of a companion figured something unnatural."

"Where are you taking me?" questioned Zelda, though she could feel that a mysterious power kept her voice from rising too high. Her body continued to move on its own. She knew this was because the fiend had direct contact with her. If she could just get her arm away from his hand, she could regain control.

"There's a high price on anyone royal here," said the mysterious dark mage. His ugly face was mangled beyond repair, probably due to some failed experiment. It made him appear to be more of a thug than any kind of intelligent man. "I'm taking you to my general. He'll take you from there. As long as I get my pay, I don't care." Zelda struggled to resist and move her arm, but her efforts were pointless. She hoped that Impa would figure it out and follow her soon.

"Right up here," said the man. "He's in this small house, just resting up from the day. Oh, you'll like him, nobody even knows what he looks like underneath all of his armor. So mysterious." The house was dainty and weak, some of the tiles from the roof hanging lazily off the sides. Zelda tried to swallow the lump that had grown in her throat as she was taken inside.

"Yes?" a dark voice sounded, muffled by an apparatus. The room was just as dainty as the house looked from the outside. Zelda was shocked by the massive knight who stood in front of her. He was covered from head to toe in thick, black armor, a red cape reaching his ankles. A dangerous longsword hung from his side, and Zelda felt doomed just standing in his presence.

"Royalty," said the thug without breaking his grasp on her. "Thought she could sneak in without being noticed. Almost pulled it off, too." The Black Knight walked towards Zelda, peering at her through his helmet. She couldn't see anything past the shadows of his helmet.

"Leave us," he said simply. "I'll take her from here."

"But sir!"

"Do I need to ask again?"

The man loosened his grip on Zelda's arm and retreated from the house. She felt the ability to control herself immediately return to her, and took a few deep breaths to ensure that she could. "You must be Zelda."

"…"

Zelda refused to speak to her captor. She reached within her cloak and drew her rapier, infusing it with magic and lunging at him. He made no attempt to defend himself or even dodge the attack. As soon as the tip made contact with his armor, however, Zelda felt the pressure grow immense as if hitting a steel wall, and the rapier bent and snapped in half, falling uselessly to the ground. Following the sword stroke, she tried to shoot a stream of fire, but in the same effect he made no movements nor sounds of pain. Zelda was dumbfounded at this knight's terrifying resistance.

"Are you finished?" he asked beneath his helmet.

"…yes," she said after resigning herself to his custody. "What do you want with me?"

"I think you know what our Lord wants with you," said the Black Knight, taking Zelda's right hand and observing it. "Supposedly you carry a sacred power with you." Without another word, he dragged her from the dainty house back into the rain, which was now pouring.

Impa was only feet away with her dagger drawn in an attack position, her stance unreadable. She leaped up and brought the small blade down towards the enemy, but like Zelda's rapier before, the dagger broke against the Knight's armor. How could someone even walk with an armor made of whatever it was?

The Black Knight didn't even draw his sword. Impa landed in front of him, though she was off-balanced from the previous strike and threw a shuriken directly at his face, but once again it made no effect but a pinging sound. He swept his right arm in front of him and knocked Impa pathetically to the ground at his right.

Zelda was under no spell this time, simply trapped in the Knight's incredible grip around her right arm. At this pace, it would be morning by the time they reached the castle. The Knight seemed to be in no hurry. Over already? thought Zelda. I thought we stood a chance, but this simply isn't fair.

Just as her hope faded, Zelda heard a shout in the rain. She couldn't make out what the voice was shouting, but she felt comfort in the very voice itself. Before she could react, she was thrown to the ground by the Knight, who rapidly drew his massive longsword and turned to defend himself from an aerial attack. A man with a golden longsword appeared above him and their swords clanged loudly. The man jumped back and swung his sword out in front of him in a challenge.

"So you've followed us here!" shouted the Black Knight in a rage.

The man had blue hair, with a black bandana wrapped beneath it over his handsome face. He was wearing light armor and most of his clothing was blue, albeit he had a flowing red cape. The best description Zelda could think was that the man was the image of a hero, bravery shining in his eyes, clear through the rain.

"You won't get away from me again!" shouted the hero, taking a stance of attack. Zelda was surprised with the ease at which the man was able to hold the massive longsword in his outstretched hand. His composure was intimidating to say the least.

Impa was already at Zelda's side, holding onto her as she was splattered in the mud from the ground. "I think we may have found our hero." Zelda looked at the man who had so much courage in his eyes, believing the words of Impa without question.

The Black Knight charged at him with his sword to his side. The blue-haired man blocked the side-swing with ease, kicking him back to gain some distance. The size of the swords kept the battle at a distance as the two continued to match blows. Zelda stood up with Impa and the two looked on at the fight. If anything a blade of the hero's own size would be able to cut through that armor.

"Ike!" shouted a female voice from behind Zelda. She looked behind her and saw a young girl with auburn hair running towards the battle, though she didn't engage with them. "We don't have time for this! We have to grab her and go!" The fury in Ike's eyes as his blade was blocked in an overhead swing was obvious. He hated the man in the armor.

"You can go!" shouted Ike, jumping away from the Black Knight. "I'll take care of him."

"No!" shouted the girl. "Ike, I know he has to pay for what he's done, but our route has been blocked off! They knew we were coming!"

"Mist!" shouted Ike in fury. He looked in Zelda's direction, though Mist stood in front of them. The rage in his eyes faded, and he looked back at the Black Knight. Enemy soldiers immediately started to surround them. "We'll finish this another time." He charged at the Knight and took a swing, but it was also blocked. He passed him and continued to run towards Zelda's group and stretched out his hand as the Knight pursued him with unrealistic speed.

Mist turned to face Zelda and Impa who stood frozen in confusion about what was unfolding in front of them. "Don't worry, just grab my shoulders." Without having another option but to trust the auburn-haired girl, Zelda and Impa both placed one hand on her shoulders. An elegant looking rod materialized in her hand, and she waited for Ike's hand also to reach her before she spoke in a language Zelda had never heard before.

They were swallowed in a bright light which quickly faded. When the light faded, the rain was still strong, which meant they hadn't gone far. But the town of Kakariko was now below where they stood on a mountain side. Death Mountain to be exact.

"Sorry, I can't get us too far away with that one," said Mist, the rod which had appeared in her hand falling apart. "But I don't think they'll find us here." Zelda and Impa released their grips on Mist's shoulders. Ike did the same and stepped away from their group, sheathing his sword.

"Th-thank you," said Zelda over Mist's shoulder to the mysterious Ike. "A-and to you, too," she said looking back at Mist, who grinned back at her, her blue eyes shining in the dark.

"Just doing what we needed to," said Mist simply. "Our problem got dragged into your world. It just doesn't feel right." Zelda was surprised at so simple an explanation.

"You don't mean—."

"She does," Ike spoke up, turning his head to them. "This war that has torn your entire lives apart. It came from our world."