Note: This story is the sequal to the Hyrulian Civil War. Please read that story first unless you have already done so.

Preface:  The year is now 2069, and 12 years have passed since the end of the Hyrulian Civil War. The land of Hyrule had been in a time of transition, with most ethnic groups in the land living peacefully thanks to Zelda's wish upon the Triforce in June of 2057.  However, though peace ruled, it was easy to see that Hyrule’s differing races of people were still rather wary of one another.  Regionalism was the flavor of the day, as most of Hyrule’s outer lands struggled for autonomy.  Worse yet, prosperity had not grown since Zelda’s ascent to the throne of Hyrule in December 2057. Sensing these problems, 2 years into her reign as Queen, Zelda wished upon the triforce again.  This time she wished that the many groups of Hyrule would finally be able to trust one another. The wish was granted.  Within months the economic and social stability of the land improved exponentially. Trading between the races, which was never robust in the postwar years, really took off. Gerudo Valley and Kokiri Forest, which had remained autonomous nations throughout the postwar period, rejoined the Kingdom of Hyrule early in 2060. Everything seemed to be working perfectly. By 2062, Zelda was so beloved she was regarded by most Hyrulians as a deity, a divine manifestation of Nayru, the Hyrulian goddess of wisdom. It all seemed like a dream to Zelda, who had piloted her land toward greatness. She believed that with all her past sacrifice, the good times were meant to last forever.

 

 

 

Chapter 1: Forest and Fire

”Fire!  Fire!  Run for your lives!”

 

Those words rang through Link’s head as he rode through northern Hyrule Field.  The date was May 15, 2069.  Everything he had known, his first home, the homes of his friends, the guardian spirit of the forest, was gone.  In a flash of lightning, the winds of change had turned in a very cruel manner.  Saria, Mido, the know-it-all brothers, they were now simply refugees of what had once been one of the small, sweet locales of Hyrule.  He did not want to leave them in such a time of need, but he had a civic duty to fulfill.  He hung his head low as he entered Hyrule Castle Town.

 

Link was for all intents and purposes, the King of Hyrule by way of marriage to Zelda.  Ordinarily he did not choose to wield any real power except in times of emergency, but this was a day that required his full attention.  He had been at a weeklong retreat in his hometown of Kokiri Forest when the horrifying natural disaster forced him to change plans.  It was his one chance a year to get away from his life in the castle.  Things had changed drastically over the 12 long years since the end of the Civil War.  Link (and Zelda too) was now thirty years of age.  Not only that, they even had a child, aged 10 years.  They were one happy family at the top of Hyrulian society.  But this was no happy day. 

 

Link entered Hyrule Castle.  Princess Zelda was waiting for him in the castle foyer.

 

”What is it Link?” Zelda said with concern.  “You're back so soon, I thought you were going to take 2 more days down in the forest.”

Link sighed.  “That was the plan. Listen, we have a big problem on our hands. It involves the forest.”

”What?” Zelda asked.

”There was a horrible fire in the forest.” Link said.

”Oh no...”

”Yeah, it started last night during an awful thunderstorm, lightning must have hit some trees or something, and the whole forest was in flames. It started in the Deku Tree meadow, so I don't think anybody was gravely injured.  It spread fairly quickly though, and by the time it was out a great part of the forest was burned and ruined.  Most of the houses in Kokiri Forest are destroyed.”

 

“What about the Deku Tree Sprout, did it make it?” Zelda asked.  Link simply shook his head in disgust.  Zelda’s face dropped.  “Oh that's horrible. We have to get any remaining Kokiris out of there right away. Link, send word to the Hylian Knights stationed in eastern Hyrule Field.  They are to round up any remaining Kokiris and bring them to Hyrule Castle Town.  We can't just leave them vulnerable without any sort of protection from the Deku spirits.”

Link agreed.  “I understand completely. That area is very vulnerable without the Deku Tree Sprout.  The Kokiri have lost their invincibility within the forest region.  If they were to suffer an attack, the results could be disastrous.  I’m leaving now.  I’ll try to be back in a few days.”

 

“Honey, do whatever you have to do to protect the children of the forest.” Zelda said.  Link and Zelda kissed, and then Link left the castle.  He mounted Epona and rode south back into town.  Zelda turned around and returned to the castle courtyard.  It was a beautiful spring day, and the flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom.  Zelda preferred to spend her days in the luscious courtyard, especially after long mornings of meetings and governing tasks.  She sat down next to the marble fountain in the center of the courtyard and proceeded to run her gloved hands through the flowers around the outside of the fountain.  But before she could get too involved, Sheik, her top advisor and Sage of Shadow ran into the room with a pained look on her face.

Zelda turned around.  “Sheik! What's wrong? You look like you’ve been running for miles.  What’s going on?”

”You won't believe what is happening in Sandtopolis!” Sheik responded.  “Really bad, some news of a flood rolling up Zora’s River.”

 

Zelda sighed.  It looked like this day would be long and dire indeed.

 

 

 

Chapter 2: Water and Sand

By the year 2069, Sandtopolis had grown into a bustling port city, the third biggest city in Hyrule.  Thanks to the 2061-2062 construction of a grand canal east of the Water Temple, Hyrulian goods flowed to other kingdoms of the universe and back.  Sandtopolis became the marketplace where these goods were exchanged, and the town’s economy flourished.  Greatly dedicated to history just like the rest of Hyrule, the town never forgot what the Gerudos had done to them in 2057.  Despite Zelda’s wish for solidarity, they still remained very leery of their northern neighbors.  The people of Sandtopolis never suspected that a natural disaster could be far worse than any invasion.

Naruto, the Queen of the Zoras and daughter of the late Laruto, waded in a flooded neighborhood near Sandtopolis’s beachfront.  Days of heavy rains had caused the northern coast of Lake Hylia to overshoot its banks.  She, along with a Zora relief team, was in charge of assessing the damage.  Since Sandtopolis sat at the mouth of Zora’s River, the city was home to not only Hylians, but also a large population of Zoras.  Their duty was to protect the river from contamination or mistreatment.

 

She was checking out an abandoned residence when she felt a strange feeling.  It ran through her legs, then her gills.  The water was trying to communicate with her.  She got the message.  She turned to talk with her assistants, who agreed that they had felt the same strange feeling.  She made a b-line for Sandtopolis’s mayor, who was standing on a hill overlooking the flooded beachfront.

 

The mayor shouted down into the valley.  “Everybody, please get back from the beachfront and travel to higher ground, the water is too high and it is dangerous to traverse. Do not attempt to traverse through waters that are more than thigh deep.  Get away from the water any way you can, thank you.”

”Mayor, I need to speak to you immediately!” Naruto exclaimed.

 

“What is it, I'm kind of busy?” the Mayor said.

”Look Mayor, I just got a report from up Zora’s River, near Gerudo Valley. Zora's River is extremely high.  It’s about halfway up the canyon on both the east and west banks!”

 

The Mayor was absolutely speechless.  He knew what this meant for his town.

 

Naruto continued.  “We have to get everybody out of here now. Get any and all Hylians you can find and start sending them off toward Hyrule Field!  Round up the Zoras and tell them to make way for Lake Hylia immediately!”

The Mayor shook his head.  “Ma’am, it will be done, but you'll have to come with me. We can't have anything happen to you.”

The next few minutes were an absolute mad frenzy, as the Zora Relief Force called in because of the flooding started rounding up people from off the streets and led them out of town toward South Hyrule Field. They only had a few minutes. People started over trampling each other, and the few people who owned horses trampled over others on foot just to get safely out of the city. They were the lucky ones, for a few minutes later; a gigantic tidal wave came rushing down Zora's River. Within seconds, homes were destroyed, businesses were washed away, and people were swept away in the fast moving flood waters. Within minutes, the entire city of Sandtopolis was covered by an ocean ten feet high.  The rubble moved quickly out toward the open waters of Lake Hylia. In the confusion, it was uncertain how many people were swept away to their deaths.

Meanwhile, up the river in Gerudo Valley, the weather was typical.  Just like every other day, the sun was out and the temperatures bore down on the sandy terrain.  No region of Hyrule had undergone such change in the past twelve years as Gerudo Valley.  Following the death of Ganondorf, the Gerudos had completely rebuilt their once uninviting fortress into a luscious open-air palace.  While the fortress was being rebuilt, the gerudo domain expanded, as new settlements surrounded the rocky valley to the west of Zora’s River.  In total, the gerudo kingdom formed the fourth biggest city in Hyrule, behind Hyrule Castle Town, Kakariko, and Sandtopolis.

 

Kotarika, the great gerudo military strategist, walked along the far eastern edge of town.  She had been informed by several locals that Zora’s River was up really high, so she had come to investigate it.  She took a look over the edge of the vast canyon from the bridge that crossed it, and then signaled for Dragmira to join her.  Dragmira ran over quickly.

”What's all the racket Kotarika?!” Dragmira asked, referring to the crowd.

 

“That.” Said Kotarika as she looked down.

Dragmira was uninspired.  “The river is awful high today.” Dragmira said.

 

“Awful high?!” said Kotarika.  “It's halfway up the canyon!  We ought to have our workers out there collecting the water from the ladders.  Send out the order to our laborers in the east side of town. I'll tell you what else, I wouldn't want to be in Sandtopolis right now…”

Just as Dragmira was about to leave, Natasia, the Sage of Spirit, came in on her horse.  The other gerudos stood at attention.  In the absence of another male gerudo being born since Ganondorf’s death, Natasia had ascended to the Gerudo throne.  Never really a big friend of Ganondorf during his second reign, Natasia had overseen a lot of the changes in the desert since his death, including the remaking of the fortress.

“Girls, you must come quickly. It's the Haunted Wasteland! Something's really wrong out there.” Natasia said.  The three gerudos headed quickly by horseback to the lookout tower on the far west side of town.  Beyond the tower stood the Haunted Wasteland, a sandy desert so inhospitable that attempts at colonizing the area had been futile even for the Gerudo.  The trip across the wasteland to the Desert Colossus and the Spirit Temple, horribly arduous during the Ocarina era, was still very difficult in 2069 due to the almost blinding sandstorms that gripped the region.

”Do you see anything out there?” Natasia asked the others. 

”Not really.” Kotarika answered. 

”Exactly, the sandstorm out there is so blinding.  According to Koume and Kotake, the storm is coming this way.  Last night they got blasted out at the Spirit Temple, even now they are still hunkered down deep inside.”

Dragmira again was inspired.  “Nonsense, these sandstorms never reach our valley.”

”That's where you’re wrong.” Natasia said. This storm looks different, more ominous.  “I have a nasty feeling this one is coming at us. We must warn everybody.”

 

“You're being an alarmist; we've got nothing to worry about.” Dragmira said.

Just after Dragmira finished her sentence, a wall of sand whooshed quickly out of the Wasteland.  It came in with such force that the three Gerudos were knocked off of the lookout tower.  Carried by the hurricane force wind, they were lucky to land on a nearby hill.  Natasia and Kotarika scrambled to their feet, and just as they got up, they were hit again by a blinding wall of sand. Before they knew it, they were engulfed inside a humongous sandstorm. Barely able to see anything and barely able to breathe, the three Gerudos attempted to get back inside the Gerudo Fortress. They were blown around by the winds and the sand quite a bit, but they make it back inside safely, albeit with a bit of sand inhalation. All three of the gerudos are coughed and hacked horribly as they began to look over the fortress area, hoping that the other gerudos were able to make it to safety.   Never before had a sandstorm of that magnitude hit their valley so quickly.

 

 

 

Chapter 3: Earthquake and Eruption

The date was May 18, 2069, three days after the fire in Kokiri Forest, the tsunami in Sandtopolis and the sandstorm in Gerudo Valley.  Unexpected and unbelievable tragedy had fallen upon a great portion of the Hyrulian kingdom, especially the south and west.  The people of Hyrule’s northeast watched the events with concern, but they never thought that they would be next.

It was sunset in Kakariko Village.  Sheik, Princess Zelda’s top advisor and the daughter of Impa the 2^nd, (also known by now as Impa the Martyr) had retired to her house for the night.  However, her duties for the day were not yet complete.  The head of the Carpenter’s Guild in Kakariko sat across the kitchen table.  The two discussed all the expansion and construction efforts that had been taking place in Kakariko.  As the main stop between Hyrule Castle Town, Zora’s River, and Death Mountain; and complete with Hyrule’s main graveyard, Kakariko had become the tourist capital of Hyrule.  The rebirth of the Sheikah way of life had elevated Kakariko to a new level of cultural and historical prowess.  It had boosted the town’s population as well.  Most Sheikah ninjas chose to live in Kakariko, as it was the birthplace of the Sheikah race.  With such diversity, the town remained Hyrule’s 2^nd biggest city, as it was during the Ocarina years.

Sheik lauded her praises.  “I'll tell you what, all of you carpenters; have done a great job with the construction plans of this great town. We are a bigger and stronger Kakariko thanks to your exploits.

”Thank you very much.” The carpenter said. “As sure, we are working diligently toward the construction of the Bombchu Bowling Alley now that the brand-new Potion Shop has been completed.”

”I cannot wait for that thing to go in, it'll be better than the one in Hyrule Castle Town!” Sheik exclaimed.”  A true fan of anything that involved explosives, the thought of a bombchu alley in Kakariko really inspired Sheik.

”You better believe it, its going have all the modern specifications, state of the art alleys, everything needed in a modern entertainment complex.”  The carpenter noticed that Sheik was somewhat aloof all of a sudden.  “Sheik, what's wrong, are you okay?”

”I thought I just heard something. Ah well, go on.” Sheik said.

”As I was saying, the Bombchu Alley will ha—“

The head carpenter was in the middle of his sentence when Sheik grabbed him and immediately fled outside the house. As they were going through the door, the earth began to shake violently. It continued to shake for about a minute and a half. In that time, buildings were leveled, rubble caught fire, the cuccos in the giant cucco pen flew away, rocks flew everywhere, debris flew around like birds, and the whole geological foundation of the village shifted some 8 feet. By the time the main earthquake had ceased, most of the buildings in Kakariko were leveled.  Many people were trapped inside their homes underneath piles of debris.  Aftershocks continued to raise havoc in the town through the night. Sheik immediately notified Zelda via ocarina, and called for the Hylian Knights in the Kakariko region to hurry into the Village with all speed on a rescue mission.  Sheik knew they had to work fast, because if there was in earthquake of this intensity in Kakariko, an eruption of Death Mountain was likely to follow.

Up in Goron City, the ground shook lightly for a bit, but it was nothing compared to what had occurred some thirty-five miles down the Death Mountain trail.  Goron Link, the old guardian of the Gorons, knew that even a small earthquake was trouble though.  His worst fears were confirmed at around midnight that night when reports of the earthquake in Kakariko began to trickle up Death Mountain.  He immediately called the Gorons to a special emergency briefing on the city’s lowest level.
Goron Link: Gorons! I've gotten word of a big, bad earthquake down in Kakariko! It leveled the city.  As you know, this confirms the worst.  Death Mountain is becoming very unstable, and it could blow any second! We need to plug up the throne room so no magma breaches into our city. Bengoro, Sevegoro, gather your troops and start blocking off the top entrance to the city with rocks and iron pieces! Everybody else, I want the throne room to be completely filled with hard igneous rock. We must block the magma or our city is going to be destroyed. Go!!!

The Gorons started frantically filling up every hole they could find.  They knew that if the mountain erupted they would be in big trouble. The threat of collapse was evident, even if the Gorons were able to stop the hot magma from filling up the city. They could withstand the magma, but they could not let the side of the mountain collapse in on their city during the eruption, or they would drown inside the crater of Death Mountain itself.

They were ready just in time for at 23:30 that night, three hours following the earthquake in Kakariko, Death Mountain erupted.  It blew with such force that it could be heard in Zora's Domain, seventy miles away. In Kakariko, Knights trying to rescue the people trapped under debris were thrown backward from the huge force of the eruption. They knew they had to work fast and hope that the lava flow from the eruption did not reach Kakariko. In Goron City, the shriek from the blast was deafening enough to bust eardrums. The Gorons were luckily able to stabilize the right side of the city enough to prevent a collapse upon impact of the eruption, but it was rocked quite a bit nevertheless. Now they just had to wait for the mountain to settle down before assessing the damage.

 

 

 

Chapter 4: BLIZZARD!!!

May 21 was supposed to be a slow Sunday afternoon, a day of rest in Hyrule Castle Town.  But instead, it was a day of mourning for the other towns and cities in the kingdom.  It was also a day of dynamic talks inside the Hyrule Castle courtyard.

Everybody in Hyrule other than in Hyrule Castle Town and Hyrule Field had been touched by disaster of some kind within the past week.  It was the single worst week of Hyrulian history since the day Ganondorf touched the Triforce over seventy years ago. Representatives of every race in Hyrule went to Hyrule Castle to plead their case for disaster relief.  Because of the large number of refugees descending upon the castle, Link and Zelda decided that they would invite them into a joint meeting inside Hyrule Castle to hear everyone's concern.

 

Zelda was just about at the breaking point, seeing her land fall into such trouble in such a short period of time.  The worst part about it was that there was seemingly nothing she could do about it, since the disasters had been entirely natural in nature, not caused by any sort of supernatural power.

”Thank you very much, everyone for coming here today.” Zelda greeted the crowd.  I know that you all have been through some unimaginable pain the last week or so. I understand that there have been many injuries, even deaths, and lots and lots of damage. I am committed to helping each and every one of you.  That is a promise. But we must all work together efficiently to rebuild our homes and businesses, and our lives. We simply do not have the resources to help everybody at once. Now, we will hear all of your concerns one by one here in a minute, so please be patient.” She turned to Link.  “Link, does it seem cold in here to you?” she asked him.

”Well, now that you mention it, it is a bit chilly.” Link said.

”It was supposed to be hot today, like yesterday. Don't you think this is weird?”

”I don't know, it is May, but the weather can still be fickle this month.” Link responded.

Zelda turned her attention back to the crowd.  “Okay, I understand that the Sage of Forest would like to speak first, so step forward please.”

Saria stepped forward to the steps where Link and Zelda were standing.  “Thank you Zelda.  As I am sure most of you know, this week has been one of the most destructive in Hyrulian history. Never is this more the case than in my homeland forest.  In a giant thunderstorm last Monday night, we had a lightning bolt strike a tree and set the tree into flames. The flames quickly spread over most of the forest, taking out a good portion of the village and destroying the Great Deku Tree Sprout. Our race has now lost our invincibility within Kokiri Forest due to the loss of the Deku spirit within the Deku Tree Sprout.  Moreover, our entire area is now vulnerable to attack due to the Deku Tree Sprout's apparent death by fire.  All we Kokiris ask for is that a seed for a new sprout be granted, if necessary, by wish on the triforce. The houses and the village will be repaired in time, but the protective spirit of the Deku must be restored if my race is to survive.”  Saria thanked Zelda, and walked back toward the fountain where the others were sitting.

”Saria, that was very moving. Given your lack of need to repair the problem, I should not have a problem creating a seed for a new Deku Sprout. Next up to speak is my loyal servant Sheik, along with Goron Link.

Sheik addressed the crowd.  “Dearest ladies and gentlemen of the kingdom, we in Kakariko Village and Goron City have been struck by a natural disaster of the worst kind, geologic activity. Kakariko has been leveled by an earthquake, and Death Mountain was hit by the biggest volcanic eruption since the Ocarina eruption of 1998.  In Kakariko, people are still trapped beneath the rubble of their homes, which shook to the ground in little time due to the force of the quake. It was a scene unlike any I had ever seen. The Knights were able to rescue some, but many people succumbed to their death under the rubble that day. I say today, that we must have disaster relief materials, such as food, water, clothes, building materials, and more shipped up to Kakariko immediately, or we will have people starving and cold in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Goron Link spoke next.  “Up in Goron City, we were able to save our city through a marvelous effort of every Goron. But the whole infrastructure of the city is in doubt. As such, we are seeking rupees to undergo a geologic realignment of the city to ensure it does not collapse. This may be a bit expensive, but it is vital to the survival of our people.”  Goron Link concluded and the two sat down.

 

Link winced, knowing that rebuilding Kakariko Village and Goron City would be expensive and difficult.  Thank you very much Sheik, and Goron Link you too. Next up to speak is Naruto, the Queen of the Zoras.

Naruto stepped forward, nearly slipping on the steps.  “Thank you Link. As you know, Sandtopolis was recently nailed by a major tidal wave that washed away much of the city.”  Naruto stopped suddenly and looked up.  “Hey, is it snowing outside?!” she asked.

Everybody looked around and sure enough, the snow was coming down and coming down hard. The wind began to gust hard against the walls of the castle, and the visibility was dropping quickly.

Naruto was nearly speechless.  “I'm no expert on weather, but this is unusual isn't it?”

Link grabbed his sword and shield.  “Naruto, you're right, this is not normal.” He said. “Everybody, this discussion is adjourned for now.  Go inside the castle and get warm.” He put on his Zora Tunic and his heavy boots.  He headed for the castle foyer.

”Link, where are you going?”  Zelda asked him.

Link was adamant.  “Something really weird is going on. The earthquake, the tidal wave, the eruption, now a blizzard in the late part of May?  This can’t be a coincidence. Something's wrong, and I'm going to get to the bottom of this.” 

 

 

 

Chapter 5: Heavenly Magic

Link and Epona rode through northern Hyrule Field in the snow and cold.  Although Link was as skilled an adventurer as one would find, he hated cold weather.  Many times he had been forced to climb the Death Mountain Trail during the wintertime, and ever since he had vowed to never travel in the snow again.  But this latest cold swing made him snap.  He headed to Lon Lon Ranch.

”This weather is crazy. All these disasters, one after another, there's got to be something behind this. What do you say Malon?” he asked.
Malon, the Sage of Light and the oldest of the sages at over eighty years of age, responded slowly. Well Link, I can tell you that it is rarely cold like this in May, certainly not down here in the ranch.
”Yes, I know that.” Link said. What I am asking is do you think there could be some sort of higher power working against us here?”

”Well, if you are talking about some evil magical force working against the land of Hyrule, I'm not sure about that. You did kill Ganondorf didn't you?” she asked.

”Well, yes, or at least I thought I did. I checked to see that his heart beat no longer.”

”Then what do you have to worry about Link?” she asked.

Link was coy.  ”I just have this suspicion that somebody or something is behind all of this. The earthquake, the flood, the blizzard, I suspect it could all be related.”

 

“Well, I am not one to sever your judgment. As the Sage of Light, I can tell you that everything inside the Sacred Realm is fine, and that no force has breached it.”

”Well, that is a bit reassuring, knowing that nobody is going after the main source of power, the Triforce held by my lady. Thank you, I must be going now, you have been of much service.”

”You and Zelda are meant for each other. Remember that.” Malon said.

Link didn’t know what to say.  He simply turned around and left.  The wind out on North Hyrule Field was howling, probably gale force. The whole field was now a sheet of white, and the visibility was very poor.  Snow whipped in Link's face. He rode steadily ahead.  Hyrule Field was completely barren.  There was nobody to be seen for miles. The snow showed no signs of letting up either. Link was about halfway between Lon Lon Ranch and Hyrule Castle Town when a huge chunk of snow came barreling in front of him. The giant ball of snow connected with Link, nearly knocking him off of his steed, Epona. A giant stalchild (skeleton-like creature indigenous to Hyrule Field) appeared in front of him, more snowballs in hand.

”Oh do I have to waste my time?” Link asked himself as he drew his sword.

Link took down the stalchild with several swings to the foot/ankle area, hacking off his right foot. The stalchild flailed for a while, but could not stop Link from crushing his sword into his head. The stalchild died instantly. Link climbed back onto his horse, and realizing that he was feeling fairly weak from the cold weather, reached for his bottle of red potion (Hyrulian life medicine). As he went to take a sip, he noticed a whitish/blue beam of light come down from the sky just to his north. After several flashes, the light spread outward in all directions.  It eventually reached Link with shocking force. Link was thrown off of his horse, and Epona ran away in fright before he could get up.  As Link got up, he noticed something very strange.  The snow and the wind died down, and within a minute or so, stopped completely. Then the clouds started breaking and the temperature started increasing dramatically. With the increased visibility, Link could see what looked like a middle-aged to old man looking partly in his direction. Link was so startled that he did not notice the huge scrape on his arm from the fall.

Link quickly approached the man.  “You, stop, I need to talk to you!” he yelled.

”Please don't hurt me; I'm sorry about your arm.” The man said.

”Never mind my arm. What in the world just happened here?”

 

 

 

Chapter 6 – Agahnim’s Return

Inside Hyrule Castle, Zelda, Link, and their 10-year old son gathered to talk with Link’s newfound acquaintance.  They were quite enamored with his apparent magical abilities.

”So, tell us you name, and where you are from.” Zelda said.

 

“My name is Agahnim.” He said.  “I come from the royal city of Sandtopolis.”

”Agahnim, what brings you to Hyrule Castle Town?” Zelda asked.

”I am searching for something, something that is of big importance to me.” Agahnim responded.  “You see, my house was recently destroyed in a great flood through the city. Most of the buildings went down in the flood. It was very unfortunate to not be in town that day, for I could have stopped that flood.”

”And how would you have accomplished this.” Zelda asked.

”I have the power to control natural phenomena.” Agahnim said.

Link’s eyes perked up.  “What does that mean?” he asked.

”Basically, that means anything from atmosphere, to the ground, to the waves of the sea, I can control with my own bare hands.” Agahnim said.

”That's how you were able to stop the blizzard.  You have the power to control the weather?” Link asked.

”Wow, that's cool!!” Young Link exclaimed.

”Settle down, you're making a scene around the guest.” Zelda scolded.

”Sorry mommy.”

Link continued on.  “So, how is it that you are able to control the atmosphere? And what else are you capable of?”

Agahnim responded with an anecdote.  “It all happened in an accident about 3 years ago. There was a giant thunderstorm that went through Sandtopolis that night, and the rain was incessant. It came up so fast that I got caught outside with nowhere to go. I tried hiding underneath a pocket of trees and I got struck by lightning. It was weird because, it hurt, but it didn't hurt me physically, it was as if the power of the bolt got somehow absorbed into my body. Ever since then, I have been able to control natural phenomena using these special powers I've had since this day.

Young Link practically leapt out of his chair.  “Oh, you gotta show us, this is going to be AWESOME!!” he yelled.

Zelda turned back to her son.  “My dear, go off and play in the courtyard for a while okay, mommy and daddy are conducting business here.  We can’t have you continually shouting and making noise like this.”

”Okay...”  A disappointed Young Link left the room.

“Tell me about these powers.” Zelda said.

”Very well, these powers can be controlled basically be hand motions. The first spell is Ether. This spell is used to control the forces of the atmosphere. If I direct my hand in an upward motion like so, I can mold the atmosphere any such way that I desire. In the case of yesterday, I simply used this power to reverse the blizzard.” Agahnim said.

Not to cut you off or anything, but do you suppose there could have been any sort of woeful magic used to create the blizzard this past day?” Link asked.

Agahnim’s eyes lit up.  “There is no doubt in my mind. That weather is not normal for the springtime.”

”Our suspicions have not been wrong. Carry on.” Zelda said.  Her eyes studied Agahnim very closely as he continued.

”Another magical ability is that of Quake, which I can use to reverse certain earth events, such as the eruptions of Death Mountain that occur so often.”

”So you say that you could stop an eruption if the opportunity provided itself?”

”No doubt.” Agahnim said.

Link was thrilled.  “I must say, for a man of your stature, you are very powerful. We won't need to hear any more. I actually need to make an offer to you.”

”What is that?” Agahnim asked.

”You can stay here inside Hyrule Castle for a while if you pledge to help us with something. We need you to attempt to figure out what is behind the natural disasters occurring here in Hyrule, and if you are successful, you may see a full-time post somewhere within the Hyrulian kingdom, perhaps near your home in Sandtopolis.”

”I thank you for your generosity.  Since I have no place to stay as my house was destroyed, I will happily take your offer.” Agahnim said.

Link and Agahnim shook hands. Young Link came back in to show Agahnim to one of the guest quarters in the castle.  As Link was preparing to leave the room, Zelda called him over.  “Link, can you talk a minute?” she asked.

”What do you need?”

”Link, there is something about this man that I do not like.” Zelda said.

”What is that?” Link asked.

”A lightning strike giving somebody power like that?  That sounds a bit outlandish to me. I'm just not sure about all this. I'm not even sure somebody is forcing disaster on us. Link, I'm telling you to be very careful of that man, he may be looking to try to deceive us and seize power.”

”Zelda, don't be ridiculous.” Link said. 

 

 

 

Chapter 7: Zora’s River Floods Again

A couple weeks passed since the mysterious end of the blizzard on May 21. Nothing significant had happened since Agahnim had been brought in to investigate the disasters that had been going on in Hyrule. Many pundits around the land of Hyrule believed that the disasters were simply natural events that could not be explained, but there was a determined minority that thought that Agahnim’s presence had turned their fortunes for the better.  On June 7, Link and Agahnim traveled to Zora’s Domain and the upper Zora’s River valley.  That’s when something huge happened.

Link and Agahnim had been questioning several Zoras about why the great wave that crushed Sandtopolis had occurred, and why Zora's River flooded the way it did. Naruto, the sage of water and Queen of the Zoras, insisted that she knew nothing of why the river did what it did. Agahnim then asked to view the fountain by himself, claiming that he suspected that something was amiss in the fountain.  Link stayed behind to talk with Naruto in the Zora throne room.  He did not stay long, for after only a few minutes he was down the stairs and on his way back around the cavern toward Hyrule Field.

Agahnim swam through the fountain a bit.  It appeared as if he was trying to draw energy from the water itself, or to at least check its chemical state.  He eventually reached the other side of the fountain near the Great Fairy’s Fountain.  It was at this moment that he reached for a golden medallion.  “This is going to wreak major havoc.” He said under his breath.  He raised high the cross-lined medallion, and then struck the ground.

A huge ground-shaking cataclysm occurred as Agahnim struck the ground. Instantly, a wall of water rose up in all directions, flooding Zora's Domain almost completely to the ceiling, and sending a torrent of water down Zora’s River toward Hyrule Castle Town.  Agahnim sunk down into the water and rode away on the backlash torrent created by the rippling effect of the water.

Farther down the river, Link was stunned by the sudden torrent of water. Luckily, he had his Zora Tunic on, which allowed him to breathe underwater long enough to reach Hyrule Field. He wondered why another wave like that occurred. Worse yet, he had no idea where Agahnim went, or if he was even alive. He called for Epona with his ocarina and started riding across Hyrule Field. He hoped that the wave that had just flattened him would not destroy Hyrule Castle Town too.

Hyrule Castle Town actually fared quite well against the tidal wave, with most of the wave bouncing off of the 45 foot high walls on the east edge of the city. Some of the water breached near the Temple of Time, causing the inside of the temple to flood, and some of the surrounding area, but that was about it. Because the wave bounced off the city, the water from Zora's River flooded its southern banks, causing massive flooding in northern Hyrule Field. Link, who was riding westward away from Zora’s Domain at the time was swept over by another wave moving southward across northeastern Hyrule Field. He and Epona were swept almost a mile across the plains before they could get back on their feet against the fast moving torrent.  Luckily, neither was injured.

Agahnim thought he was alone when he inflicted this sudden water-borne attack.  But he failed to take into account the strong suspicions of Hyrule’s supreme ruler.

 

“You are a treacherous foe. I'm going to make you bleed.” Zelda said to herself.

 

 

Chapter 8: Sages Disappearing

Link arrived back in Hyrule Castle Town soaking wet, and with a soaking wet steed. It was a difficult trip back for him, but with Zelda out of town and more trouble on the horizon, he would get no rest. Just hours after arriving back at Hyrule Castle, bad news arrived from the desert.

”Link, can I speak to you for a minute?  It’s urgent.” Sheik said.

”Sheik, your words are always welcome.” Link responded.

”Thank you. We have received a bit of bad news from the Gerudo Fortress area. It seems that the gerudos out there have been hit by another monstrous sandstorm.”

Link rolled his eyes.  “Well that's old news.”

”Yes, but the problem is that the sage of shadow, Natasia, is now missing.” Sheik said.

”That’s odd.  Surely the gerudos know where to find her?” Link asked.

”No. The gerudos out there don't even have any trace of her disappearance, except this.”  Sheik pulled out a gerudo blade that evidently belonged to Natasia.

Link was suddenly mired in deep thought.  “This is a conundrum.  Why would she have unsheathed her sword if she was hunkered down inside a fortress during a sandstorm?

Something doesn’t add up.  Natasia must have felt threatened for her to pull out the sword.  She is such a warrior that she usually defeats any attacker.  Send this evidence to Malon, the sages must be kept abreast of this situation, it is never a good thing to have one of their brethren disappear, especially like this.  I think she was attacked.”

”I understand, will do sir.”

At this moment, Malon came walking in slowly.  She had a troubled look on her face

”Ah, good Malon.” Link said.  “We were just about to give you this sword; it is a piece of evidence in the disappearance of a sage.”

“Which one?” Malon asked.

Sheik and Link were both perplexed and dumbfounded by Malon’s question.

”Uhh, Natasia.” Link responded.

“I see. Naruto is gone too.” Malon said.

”How do you know this?” Link asked.

”Come, we must head to the bridge over the river.” Malon said.

Malon, Sheik, and Link all headed through Hyrule Castle Town on horseback, to the Zora's River bridge that formed the town’s southern boundary.  There, several Zoras were wading in the river.  They all had worried looks on their faces.

”Zoras, is it true that Naruto is missing in the wake of the giant waves that have occurred recently?” Link asked.

A zora apprentice swam forward.  “Indeed it is true. We have not seen the Queen since the wave struck the Domain. We figured she would have been with you, washed out into Hyrule Field.”

”That is not the case; nobody was knocked down the river with me.  I had a conversation with her in the domain and left before the wave struck.” Link said.

”Well then, this is very bad. We really have no idea where she could have gone or who she would have gone with. Naruto is not the type of Zora to just go off from the Domain like this. In fact, this is all we have left of hers.”  The zora pulled out a boomerang constructed from zora fins and gave it to Sheik.

Sheik looked over the weapon.  “Good zora, you may not realize this, but the sage of the Gerudos is also missing today. And she had one of her weapons left behind as evidence of her disappearance as well. Do you think that there is any way that Naruto could have been attacked and abducted from Zora's Domain?”

”There were only two outsiders inside Zora's Domain that day, one was Agahnim, and the other was Link. I would highly doubt that she could have been attacked by either, which is why I asked Link if Naruto came out with him.”

Link turned to Sheik.  “You don't think Agahnim could have…”  He stopped in midsection, letting the words linger in midair.

 

Chapter 9: Young Link’s Mission

 

Princess Zelda arrived back in Hyrule Castle Town on the night of June 10.  Her suspicions had been proven correct, Agahnim was indeed not who he had said he was.  Worse yet, he did have the power to manipulate the natural world in a malicious manner.  She suspected that he was behind most of the natural disasters that had occurred over the past month, but aside from her own two eyes, she had nothing to back up her prophecy.  People would never believe her if she did not have any physical evidence.  But what exactly did Agahnim possess that allowed him use such magic?

 

Zelda entered the throne room, where Link was waiting for her.  Link did not look happy.

 

“What’s wrong dear?” Zelda asked him.

 

“It’s Naruto and Natasia.  Both of them have turned up missing within the last few days.  Natasia disappeared during a sandstorm at Gerudo Fortress and Naruto disappeared after the giant tidal wave that struck Zora’s Domain.”

 

“Oh no.” Zelda cried.  “They aren’t lost for good are they?”

 

“I don’t think so.” Link said.  In both cases, the gerudos and zoras were able to recover weapons of the sages at the site of the disappearances.  Whatever happened, it’s likely that they were attacked by force.”

 

“I just hope they are okay, wherever they are.  Link, you’ll never believe what I found out at Zora’s Fountain the other day.”

 

“You went to Zora’s Fountain?  I thought you were in the forest.”  Link said.

 

“I was there when you were there.  I was standing near the Great Fairy’s Fountain, spying on Agahnim.  He caused an earthquake with his magical powers.  That’s what caused the massive tidal wave.  I’m telling you, this man is not to be trusted.  He could be behind all of the disasters that have hit our kingdom.”  Zelda said.

 

“Zelda, this man is helping protect our kingdom, not destroy it.  He assisted me on my journey to Zora’s Domain.”  Link said sternly.

 

“Link, why don’t you trust me?  I saw it with my own eyes.” Zelda said.

 

“The tidal wave could have been a natural event.  Besides, even if Agahnim caused it himself, who’s to say he did it intentionally?  It could have been an accident.  And you know as well as I do that he doesn’t have the power to cause fires or volcanic eruptions, both of which have happened here as well.” Link said.

 

Zelda’s heart sank.  Clearly her message was not getting through.  “Link, I’m tired, I need some sleep.  We’ll talk more tomorrow.” 

 

She left the room and went up to her bedroom, which was on the second floor of the castle.  Across the hallway from her quarters was her son’s.  She peeked into the room and noticed that her son was still awake, practicing with his Kokiri Sword.  She sighed.  Her son was never one to sleep much.  He dreamed of becoming a great adventurer and warrior just like his father.  He received the sword as a gift for his tenth birthday, and although he had only had it for about a year, he was already quite accomplished as a young swordsman. 

 

Zelda thought for a minute, and then walked back into Link’s room.  She figured if her son was still awake and full of energy, she might as well use him to help her situation.  “Hey honey, where is Agahnim right now?” she asked Link.

 

“He’s down in the back garden.” Link responded.  “He always spends time back there late at night.”

 

Zelda walked back the other way to Young Link’s room.  “I have a chore for you.” She told her son.

 

“Aww, do I have to?” Young Link responded.  “It’s too late for chores.”

 

“You seem to wield a sword pretty well at this late hour.  I think you’ll be just as capable for this.  Besides, you’ll like this being the little curious person that you are.” Zelda said.  Young Link was confused, so Zelda continued.  “I want you to go into Agahnim’s room and see if you can find anything that he carries on him, medallions, rings, jewelry, anything of that nature.  I want you to bring anything you find to me.”

 

“But mommy, it’s not good manners to look through other people’s things.  You mean you want me to be naughty?” He said.

 

“I know that son.” Zelda said, blushing a bit at her mischievous plan.  “But listen to me, this is important.  I think Agahnim might be lying to us.  Ff you can find anything that backs up my thinking, or anything that might be used for magical power, I’ll give you anything you want for your birthday next month.”

 

Young Link’s eyes opened wide.  Not only was his mother telling him to break the rules, but he was going to be rewarded for it.  He could not believe his ears.  “Out of the way, because here I come!” he said with enthusiasm.  He walked up the stairs to the third floor, where Agahnim’s quarters were. 

 

“Please be careful.” Zelda said from below.  “Don’t let him find you.”

 

Young Link scurried into the room and started looking through several drawers and cabinets, but found nothing of importance.  He was about to give up, but as he turned around to leave, he noticed the sparkle of something in one of the pockets of Agahnim’s coat, which was lying on the floor in the corner.  He grabbed the coat and looked through the pockets.  He pulled out two golden medallions, one with a lightning bolt on it, the other with a jagged wave of sorts running across the middle from side to side.  He admired their gleam and shine for a brief moment, and then returned to coat to its original location, just as it was.  It was at this moment that he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.  Agahnim was returning!  Should he run, or should he hide?  He didn’t have much time for either, so he just stuffed the medallions underneath his tunic and stood as still as possible.  Agahnim entered the room, and was surprised to see Young Link standing in his quarters.

 

“Young man, what are you doing in my room?” Agahnim asked.

 

“You know, this is a really nice coat.” Young Link said.  “You really ought to get this thing off the dusty floor.  I’ll wash it for you if you want.”

 

“Oh…no that’s quite all right.” Agahnim said.  “But I thank you for looking out for me and my things.  Just ask the next time you want to enter my quarters.”

 

“No big deal.” Young Link said as he left the room.  A mischievous smile crossed his face as he walked down the stairs to his room.

 

 

Chapter 10: Zelda Unearths the Power

The next morning, the conditions were rainy and unseasonably cold, but nothing that would resemble a potential natural disaster waiting to happen.  Link woke up early, but Zelda did not get up until late in the morning as it was Sunday, a traditional day of rest.  As she entered the meeting room for breakfast, she noticed that Link had a solemn look on his face, similar to that of the previous day.  She mentally prepared herself for more bad news.

Link rose to his feet.  “Zelda, you aren't going to believe this. It's a report out of Goron City.”  He handed Zelda a piece or parchment that had Goron handwriting on it.  Zelda read the document.  “Dearest Queen of Hyrule, we've had a tragedy. Several Gorons killed in rock fall, Goron Link pushed off of Death Mountain, killed.”  She looked up at Link was a look of pure disgust.

”A third sage. This is getting way out of control. I'm starting to worry about the others.  One of them could be next.”  He pulled out his ocarina and played Saria's Song.  The song connected him with Saria.

”Hello Link, do you have something to say to me?” Saria asked.

Link spoke calmly.  “Saria listen, you're in big danger.”

”What? How?” she responded.

”Saria, this is Zelda.  Listen, three of the sages have disappeared, possibly to their deaths in the last week. We just received word from Goron City this morning that Goron Link fell down Death Mountain to his demise. Naruto and Natasia are nowhere to be seen since a sandstorm went through Gerudo Valley and a tidal wave went through Zora's Domain.  Given this track record, we think that some sort of natural disaster could strike Kokiri Forest any day now.  Whoever or whatever is causing these things to happen could be coming after you.”

”I'm scared Zelda. I don't want anything to happen to me.” Saria said.

”Saria, where are you right now?” Link asked.

 

“In the Sacred Forest Meadow, like always.” Saria replied.

 

“Saria, its okay, in a minute I'm going to play the Minuet of Forest and warp down there.  I’m coming to get you.  I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you are safe.  Link cut the communication link and played the song.  Within seconds, a series of green lights engulfed Link and carried him out of the castle to the south. 

Sheik walked into the room after Link left.  At Zelda’s urging, Sheik had moved into the castle itself in response to the three sages disappearing.  Zelda couldn’t afford to lose her, not only because of her status as a sage, but because she was also her best friend. On this day, they had serious business to conduct, and not just regular day-to-day governing tasks either. They rode on horseback through the center of town, down into North Hyrule Field. Thanks to Young Link’s spy mission the previous night, Zelda had in her possession Agahnim’s two magical medallions.  They intended to see what lied inside the magic medallions.

”Sheik, I want to show you something.”  Zelda showed Sheik the two medallions.  “Young Link took them out of Agahnim's room last night when he wasn't expecting it. Now I'm going to find out what powers these medallions truly possess.”

”What powers do you think they might have? And how do you plan to use somebody else's magic?  That’s strictly forbidden within this kingdom.” Sheik said.

Zelda was perturbed.  “Sheik, I am the Queen of Hyrule, and this is a matter of national security. I do not care what past laws say.  Besides, I have the power of the Triforce.  I can override any magical spell cast within this realm. And as for powers it might have…” she paused as she pulled out the medallion with the lightning bolt on it.  “…that's what I am about to find out.”

Zelda focused the power of the Triforce onto the medallion.  Suddenly, a large bolt of cold air came down out of the sky and surrounded Zelda and Sheik. Then the air quickly started rotating like a tornado before flinging itself outward. Within moments the temperature started dropping, and the rain began to change to sleet, then snow.   Zelda and Sheik started to shiver in their somewhat wet clothes.

”This is unbelievable.” Zelda said.  “He truly does have the power to control the atmosphere.  There’s no doubt in my mind he caused the blizzard that happened back on May 21^st.  When he saw Link, he simply reversed his own magical ability.  He never helped us at all!”

”What does the other one do?” Sheik asked as she pointed to the medallion with the wavy design in Zelda’s left hand.

“I’m not sure I want to know. But I must.” Zelda said.

Zelda focused her powers onto the second medallion, and instantly the ground began to shake relentlessly. The shaking continued for about thirty seconds, and then it stopped.  She turned around, back toward Hyrule Castle Town. It was clear that a good portion of the town had been damaged from the shaking.  Part of the outer wall protecting the town had crumbled into a mess.

”This is what happens when I think I know everything.” Zelda said glumly.

”Let's get back to town, its getting really cold...” Sheik said.

 

 

 

Chapter 11: The Confrontation

It was early afternoon in Kokiri Forest.  Almost one hundred miles from Hyrule Castle Town, the forest was far enough away that the snow and cold of the morning had not reached it.  However, that being said, it was still a bit blustery.  Link knew that he had to find Saria quickly before another magic spell caused another problem.  He touched down in the Sacred Forest Meadow, but Saria was nowhere to be seen.  However another Kokiri, Mido, was.  Link made a beeline for him.

”Mido, is Saria here?” Link asked.

“Does it look like she's here?” Mido joked.

Link grabbed Mido and pushed him to the grass.  Mido this is a very serious situation, don't be pulling any nonsense on me! Where is she?!” he yelled.

Mido was stunned.  “Geez, okay, I'll tell you. She went inside the Forest Temple, said something about some evildoers coming through the forest looking for her earlier this morning. She looked quite worried. She should be in the front of the temple.”

Link backed off.  “Thanks, you've been a big help, for once.” He said.

Link immediately headed into the Forest Temple.  Now he was sweating like crazy from what Mido had told him back in the meadow. He feared for the worst. Luckily for him, he found Saria sitting on the elevator in the foyer in between the torches of the Four Poes.  She was talking to a Deku Scrub.

”So then, this person interrogated me.” The deku scrub explained. “Asked me to reveal your whereabouts, but I wouldn't, and that's when he attacked me with a magic spell of some kind. I was lying on the ground but luckily those know-it-all brothers found me and gave me red potion.”

”What did this person look like?”  Saria asked.

”He looked like some sort of dark mage, perhaps an older fellow, certainly nobody from around here. His clothes partly concealed his appearance, but you could still see his mad eyes...” the scrub said.

”Wow, this is getting scarier than I would have thought.”  She turned around and saw Link at the entrance of the foyer.  “Link!” she shouted.  She ran over to Link and without thinking leapt into his arms.

Link was relieved.  “It’s great to see you Saria. I'm so relieved to see that you are safe.”

”Link, you're just in time too.” Saria said. I was just talking to this Deku over here, apparently this person you talked about, he is here, possibly somewhere in the forest right now. That's why I fled inside the temple.”

”Well, you won't have to flee anymore. Come now, we need to get you to the castle. Malon and Sheik are already there, plotting a way to get back at Agahnim and find the missing Sages.  They’ll need your help.” Link said.

By this time, Agahnim realized what was going on.  He had been robbed the previous night because his magic had been used without his permission.  But who could have robbed him?  He remembered back to his encounter the previous day with Young Link.  A blur of red streaked across his brow.  He stormed up to Young Link’s room and pushed him to the floor.  He then tied him up and proceeded to interrogate him.

“You miserable little whelp!” Agahnim screamed.  “You pretended to be helpful to me when all you did was rob me blind.  I want to know where my medallions are, and I want to know right now!”

”Medallions, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Young Link said.

Agahnim slapped Young Link in the face.  “Look kid, we can go through this all day. There is a blizzard going on right now, and there was an earthquake today also. The medallions have been missing since this morning, and they've been used today. I know that you came into my room last night. It doesn't take long for me to figure it out.  Now did you use them or did somebody else?  Where are they?”

”I don't know where they are!” Young Link yelled.

”Liar!” Agahnim bellowed.  He hit Young Link again.  “Here you are, doing mommy and daddy's dirty work for them behind my back. I help to save this land from disaster and this is the thanks I get?!”  He slapped Young Link again.  It was at this moment that Zelda was walking down the hallway.  She noticed Agahnim hitting her son, and immediately called upon the Triforce. With a strong energy beam, she nailed Agahnim in the back, knocking him almost unconscious. She used her sword to untie Young Link, and then held up the blade to Agahnim's neck.

”Now you listen to me and you listen well.” Zelda was as furious as a million hungry wolves. “I know what you’ve been up to, creating havoc all over our precious land, my kingdom. You used the evil power in these medallions to create these disasters all over Hyrule. You tried to kill my husband last week with that tidal wave. And now you are hitting my child for unearthing the truth. Let me remind you that I am the Queen!  If I ever again catch you doing something to harm me, my husband, my son, or anybody else in the kingdom of Hyrule I will have you publicly executed. Do you understand me?!”

”You little wretch in petticoats!” Agahnim snarled.

Zelda called to the end of the hall.  “Guards! Escort Agahnim to the castle dungeon!  Now!”

 

 

 

Chapter 12: The Interrogation Implosion

It was a dark night in Hyrule Castle Prison, June 14, 2069. Link, Saria, Shiek, Malon, and Zelda were all in the castle prison, ready to interrogate Agahnim.  They waited three days to do the interrogation for a few reasons.  First, they wanted to see Agahnim suffer a bit in the days prior, in the hopes that it would make him more willing to talk.  Secondly, they didn’t want their anger of a few days ago to linger into the talks.

Link began the talking.  “Now Agahnim, your life is now in our hands.” He said. “You have options, you can choose to answer our questions and everything will go smoothly. Or you can choose not to talk and obstruct us.  If you refuse to talk, you’ll be tossed back into your cell and you’ll continue to languish in darkness.  Do you understand?”

Agahnim does not respond as Shiek began the interrogation.

”Agahnim, it is well documented that Natasia, Naruto, and Goron Link have vanished recently during certain natural disasters. Being that these three individuals are all Sages of Hyrule, this seems very suspicious to all of us. We have reason to believe that you are the one behind their disappearance. Do you care to respond?”

”Look, there was a sandstorm in the desert, a tidal wave up the river, and Goron Link rolled himself off a cliff. What does that have to do with me?” Agahnim asked.

”We know what you are up to, and it isn't good. Tell us where they are.” Malon said.

”I don't know where they are!” Agahnim yelled.

”He lies!” Zelda yelled.

”No!” Agahnim shouted back.

Zelda scowled.  “Then perhaps you know what to do with these.”  She pulled out the medallions of Ether and Quake and placed them on the table.  “Tell me, where did you get these? Where did the contents of their power come from?”

”These are my personal instruments. I have a large interest in the study of the ground and sky.” Agahnim replied.

”That doesn't answer the question Agahnim.” Link said.  “What were you doing with these medallions? Trust me, my wife already knows what powers they possess.  She has used them herself.  I want you to tell me what I already know.”

”Then perhaps, if you’re so smart, you should know about this one.”  Agahnim said as he quickly focused energy onto a medallion that was hiding inside his coat.

 

For all of you who have played Zelda: A Link to the Past, you surely know about the magical medallions of Quake and Ether. But you also know about a third medallion, called Bombos. None of the five people in the chamber around Agahnim knew what was coming nor did they have any chance to protect themselves. As soon as Agahnim called the Bombos medallion, fire spread out in all directions inside the cell.  These were followed by explosions. Within the small area of the cell, those explosions were extremely powerful, perhaps deadly. All 5 of them, Link, Zelda, Saria, Shiek, and Malon fell unconscious with their clothes burned. Even better for Agahnim, the prison door flew off during the explosions. Agahnim immediately called for his henchmen that were waiting outside the castle. Agahnim's men swarmed the castle and took away the three sages and Princess Zelda.  His plan had worked to perfection, and now he had the necessary individuals to awaken the evil one and connect the worlds of light and dark.

Only one solitary figure, Young Link, knew of what had happened, for he had heard the explosion. He had no idea what kind of danger he was in.

 

Chapter 13: Young Link Discovers the Truth

“What in the heck was that?! Mom, Dad!” he shouted.

Young Link ran into the castle from the outside where he was, but ran back outside when he sees Agahnim and his henchmen. He correctly assumed that they were after him, and he is sure not to let them see him. Young Link knew that something bad had happened inside the castle, he just didn’t know what. He did not have to wait long to find out, because before long a horse-drawn carriage carrying a cage with several people inside came out. He snuck behind Agahnim’s caravan to see who was inside. Instantly, he noticed Sheik, and then Zelda! Young Link, without thinking, ran after the carriage and grabbed onto the backside and attempted to climb up onto the cage.

A Big Poe noticed Young Link.  “Agahnim, it’s the kid! He's here!” it shouted.

Agahnim swung down and knocked Young Link off of the cage. He got up slowly after landing on his left arm.

”I had a feeling you would come. You foolish little whelp!” Agahnim shouted.

”I'm not foolish and I'm not little, and you're going to release my mother right now!” Young Link screamed.

”Oh, I see we have a feisty one on our hands. Poes, take him!” Agahnim shouted.

Several Poes and other enemies surrounded Young Link, but what Agahnim did not realize was that Young Link had been waiting for this moment for years.  He wielded his sword and started wailing on the enemies with his spin attack. Then he started slashing enemies one by one until a great bunch of Agahnim's henchmen were down on the ground injured. Agahnim had seen enough. As Young Link attempted to parry attack the top of the cage, the vile sorcerer let him have it. The energy beam whacked Young Link right in the chest, and he flew backward about 50 yards before landing in a bunch of bushes near the bridge leading over the moat into the castle.  Several of Agahnim's men started toward Young Link to capture him, but Agahnim called them off, insisting they did not need little Link for their plans. Agahnim's men pulled out with the sages and Zelda in tow.

About twenty minutes passed before Young Link finally came to. He was in a lot of pain as he attempted to get up.  His stomach and ribs were extremely sore, and his right shoulder was hurt greatly from the fall. He struggled back toward the castle entrance and before long, he was attempting to find the source of the initial explosion.  More importantly, he looked for his father too. He found them in the same spot a few minutes later down in the castle prison. Looking into Agahnim's cell, he found Link on the ground unconscious.

”Dad! Dad wake up!” he yelled. “Dad, please don't be dead, wake up!!”  He started frantically pushing Link around until he finally did revive.

”Uhhh....”

”Daddy, what happened?! Are you okay?” Young Link asked.

”I'm alright.” Link said as he attempted to get up, but he struggled to get to his feet. Blood rushed to his head and he slunk back to the ground.

”Daddy, do you need some red potion?” Young Link asked.

”That's fine, I'll get it myself.” Link said as he got to his feet.  He turned around and noticed a piece of parchment on the table.  “What the heck is that?” he asked as he pointed to the note.

Young Link grabbed the note and started to read.

Explosions boom with a crack,
Fires of below are being brought back
I got you with quite a ghastly trick
Now it's time for you to get quite sick
The forces of evil are gaining again
Your efforts have truly been in vain
It's time to win, it's time to pillage
If you hope to see Zelda again, come to Kakariko Village

It was signed, Agahnim, King of Hyrule

”That's what it reads.” Young Link said.

”Agahnim, that lousy man!” Link roared.  “I'm going to get him if it’s the last thing I do. Son, lets get going, we have some revenge to attend to!”

 

Chapter 14: The Riddled Road through Kakariko

Young Link and Link were about to jump onto Epona and ride off for Kakariko when Link remembered something extremely important. He went back into the castle, praying that Agahnim did not take the three spiritual stones. He did not, and Link grabbed them from Zelda’s quarters and the two of them made their hasty way to the Temple of Time. The two went ahead and placed the stones on the pedestal, opening the Door of Time to retrieve the Master Sword. It was here that Link started reminiscing a bit.

”And this sword son, is the sword of evil's bane.” Link explained.  “This sword has been used by Hyrulian heroes for centuries to ward off the evil forces out there. Your mother used this sword against your grandfather. Killed him in one stroke. ”But why would she do that?” Young Link asked.

”Oh, he only tried to kill her and destroy the land of Hyrule.” Link responded.

”No....I can't believe that.” Young Link said.

”Yeah, it's a long story I'll tell you all about it later. For now, we must get to Kakariko, quickly.” Link said.  They pulled out of the temple.

A whole big crowd of people inside Hyrule Castle Town swarmed around Link when they realized he had the Master Sword in tow. It was now for the first time that the townspeople had any idea what was going on, for seeing the King with the Master Sword meant something serious was threatening the kingdom. Not wanting to incite any fear in the people, Link did not acknowledge them as he and Young Link rode out of the city. After about a thirty mile ride through northeast Hyrule Field, the two arrived in Kakariko Village. Link expected to see some destruction of some sort, but that was not the case as nothing in the town had been touched by Agahnim's forces. However, he did notice that there was nobody out on the streets. Everybody was hunkered down in their homes, some of them hiding. Heading toward the big tree in the middle of town, Young Link found another piece of paper nailed to the tree. It was from Agahnim, and it read…

There are two main landmarks in this town,
one takes you up, another takes you down
Am I underground, or am I on the hill?
Is it the well, or is it the windmill?

”I see, it’s a riddle.”

”Indeed it is.”

”Where should we go?” Young Link asked.

”Well son, there is one thing you should know about the town of Kakariko. You should never, ever, go inside Kakariko Well. It’s said that only one has ever returned from the depths of that well, for it is the home of the great shadow spirit. We cannot risk going down there, for I suspect Agahnim wants us to. Let's investigate the windmill.”

Kakariko Windmill was still the same way it was seventy years before, with the insides of the well bearing the same rock as there had been during the Ocarina era. Inside, there was a path leading out of the windmill high up on the right side, and a subsequent door on the left. On the rotating windmill was another of Agahnim's papers. This one read…

Around, Around, and around you go
Where you stop, no one knows
Land to the right, you'll go free
Land to the left, there he'll be

”Well then, we do we do here? I see two ways out, but the left door is locked, and the exit on the right is too high.” Young Link said.

”For some reason, I don't think we want to go left, the paper suggests some sort of battle, and I don't think it will be with Agahnim. We need to get to that alley on the right, but I can't jump that high. There's has to be some way to get up there.”

”I got it!” Young Link yelled.

”What?”

”Do you see this lever on the right? It's a spinner game!” Young Link said.

”Huh?” Link was confused.

”We have to hit this lever here and get on the spinner in the middle. Then we wait and see which side it stops on. If we stop on the right, we go right, if it stops on the left, we go left.”

”It sounds so crazy that it just might work.” Link said.

Young Link pressed down the lever, and then they hung onto the pole of wood in the middle of the windmill as it went flying around. Both Links got extremely dizzy and had major headaches by the time the thing starts slowing down. They could not move, but they were lucky as they stopped on the right side of the windmill. Instantly, stairs fell out from the wall on the right, revealing the way through the alleyway, which led downward.  The two race down the stairs leading into Dampe the gravedigger’s tomb. They passed through several rooms consisting of nothing much other than Poes and Redeads. Eventually they came into a room with six tombs all in a row. The door shut and locked behind them. The door ahead had a large lock on it, they were trapped. Another of Agahnim's notes lied in front of the first tombstone.

This is the tomb of royal families past
Their mummies will grip you hard and fast
Inside a tomb lies the key
That leads you straight to me
The tomb you need is a prime number sum you see
Hurry, before I jump around with glee!

”What the heck is a prime number?” Young Link asked.

”If I remember my mathematics, it is a number that does not have any common multiples, other than itself and the number 1. So that would eliminate tombs 4 and 6, we don't want to open those.” Link said.

”How do we figure out between the other ones?” Young Link asked.

”It says it is a prime number sum. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I can say with certainly that we can eliminate tomb 1. But that brings up tombs 2, 3, and 5.”

”What do you suppose is in the tombs?” Young Link asked.

”I don't know, probably spirits of royal family members past.  Whatever that entails, it probably isn’t good. We could be fighting for our lives if we guess wrong.” Link said.

”Hey daddy, 2 + 3 = 5 right?” Young Link asked.

”It does.”

”Well, if 2 and 3 are prime numbers like you said they are, and 2 + 3 = 5, then the key should be in tomb number 5.”

Link shook his head, amazed that his son was able to deduce a possible outcome before him.  “Wow, that was a very smart deduction…I think.”  He approached the 5^th tomb. “Stand back my boy, this could get ugly.”  He grabbed and removed top of tomb #5. Nothing came out of the tomb, except there that there was indeed a key at the bottom of the tomb. Link and Young Link used it to unlock the door ahead and move forward.

They found themselves inside the Shadow Temple, in the first room where the bird pole and the skull poles stand.  They were now deep in the tomb of Hyrule’s bloody past. Another one of Agahnim's notes lied on the beak of the bird. It read...

This is a riddle the Hero once cracked
In doing so, saving the land hijacked
here you now stand, one room away
but which way is it, don't take all day!
Pick the right direction; heroes you might be
Pick the wrong way, a plunging death you'll see!

”Oh I remember this one.” Link said. “The Hero of Time once did this.”

”What did he do?” Young Link asked.

”We have to line up the pole according to which skull is the real one, because 5 of the 6 are fake. The trick is finding which one is real. Here, pull out your slingshot.”  He tossed some deku seeds to Young Link.  “Shoot some deku seeds at the skulls!”

Young Link shot at several of the skulls, and the seeds passed through all of them except for the one pointing to the south.

”Right, now get behind me; we need to push the bird to point at that skull in the south.”

They pushed the bird to face that statue, Link held his breath as he backed away, and luckily for them, the door across the chasm opened. The two charged forward, ready for a showdown with Agahnim.

 

 

 

Chapter 15: Light and Dark Collide

They came down a very dark hallway, leading deep into the Shadow Temple’s third basement.  It was approaching three in the morning when Link and Young Link reached the entrance of a large room that was also the resting place of Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, Princess Zelda’s late father.  Link took Young Link aside before they entered.

 

“Okay, we need to plan this out so listen to me very carefully. When we go in, I assume Agahnim will be somewhere near the middle of this room. If that is the case, I am going to sneak along one of the walls so I get behind him.  It should be dark enough that he won’t be able to see. You are going to walk straight forward toward him, don't pay any attention to his henchmen, as long as you don't attack them, they won't do anything. He's probably waiting for us to do something to mom. Talk to Agahnim, plead with him if you must, because as you are doing that, I will put an arrow into his back. When I do, that's your signal to rush him and start swinging your sword. Do you understand the plan?

”Yes daddy.” Young Link said. 

”Let's go.”

They went into the room.  It was an even larger room than they had expected, and more surprisingly, the light inside the room was nearly blinding. It turned out that Agahnim was trying out his energy beam on another of the sages, and in doing so, warped them out of existence. Link used this resultant light as a means to get to the other side of the room where nobody could see him, but he was taken aback by what Agahnim had just done.

Agahnim's henchmen then brought Zelda forward. One of them had a concerned look on their face.

”Master Agahnim,” the henchman said, “It turns out Zelda may be dead. She has been in a coma since the explosion.”

”Well if she dies, then that puts the Triforce up for grabs now doesn't it?” Agahnim said.

”Yes, but if she dies, then you won't get a chance to claim it.  The golden triangles will go to someone else at random, probably somebody in her bloodline.” The henchman said.

Agahnim showed concern.  “Did you give her any red potion?” he asked.

”Yes. We aren't sure if it has worked.”

”Well, I don't really want to wake her up at this point anyhow. Hopefully she's alive still, because we need her sage powers to connect the worlds and free master Ganondorf! Put her on the bed.”

Young Link started rushing toward the bed where Agahnim has laid Zelda. He had a look on his face that would scare just about anybody. But Agahnim, he got a pleased look from Young Link's arrival.  He started to speak but Young Link cut him off.

”That’s it! You release my mother right now, or I'm going to have to kill you myself!”

Agahnim was unimpressed.  “Wow, would you look guys, the little one is back.” He said. “And just in time too. I was waiting to send your mother to the dark world because this way I could make her vanish right in front of your very eyes.”

”You aren't going to do this! I won't let you!” Young Link yelled.

”Oh, and how do you plan on stopping me?” Agahnim asked sarcastically.

”Like this!” A voice from behind boomed.  Agahnim turned around and Link launched an arrow right into his chest.  Young Link made his move.  The next few minutes were absolute mayhem. Young Link approached Agahnim and tackled him, and the two started going at it. Agahnim's henchmen pulled Young Link off, but Link was right there to attack them with his sword before they could hurt his son. Agahnim pulled the arrow out of his chest, but was in tons of pain.  He hoped for his henchmen to remedy the situation. After about another minute of close quarter fighting, Link and Young Link's attention turned away from Agahnim and his men and toward Zelda. Link picked up Zelda from the bed and started running for the exit. Young Link, seeing this, retreated backward with them just as Zelda came to.

”Uhhh…Link, what's going on?” Zelda asked woozily.

”We're getting you out of here!” Link shouted.

”Oh no you're not!” Agahnim bellowed.

The royal family neared the exit door, but heavy iron bars clamped down on the door before they could get there. They were trapped.

”Zelda! It's time to bleed!” Agahnim shouted as he shot a massive energy beam at her from both hands.

Zelda was too weak to move.  She was going to take a direct hit. Young Link and Link both dived in front of her in an attempt to deflect the energy back at Agahnim, but all three ended up enraptured by the energy field.  Young Link, Link, and Zelda were thrown into some sort of a warp, and they noticed that something was constricting them.   The three resisted the best they could going through the warp tunnel.  Finally, they phased back into reality with a sound of broken crystal falling around them. They fell to the ground in a heap.

When they came to their senses, they realized that they were on top of a giant pyramid.

 

 

 

Chapter 16: The Dark World

Link, Young Link, and Zelda laid on top of the pyramid. Broken crystal fragments lied all around them and on their clothes. Interestingly enough, it was Young Link who stirred first.  As he came to his feet, he heard a voice inside his head.

”Young Link....” the voice said.

”Huh, what, is somebody there?” Young Link asked.

”Young Link, it is I, the Hero of Time.” The voice said.

Young Link looked frantically around the area, but saw nobody.  “I don't see you, where are you?  How can you be talking to me?” he asked.

”I am not of a real body anymore, so I am talking to you telepathically.” The voice said. “You must listen to me. Agahnim has sent the three of you to what used to be the Golden Land of the Triforce.  But thanks to evil magic, it has been transformed into the Dark World.  He used his evil energy force to throw you across dimensions, and in doing so, was able to break the bonds on the evildoers in this Dark World. They are now infiltrating the land of Hyrule as I talk to you right now. It is now the duty of you, your father, and your mother, to once again restore the peace and sanctity of the land of Hyrule. Trust me when I say this, as great as your mother and father are, they will not be able to accomplish this solely by themselves. You must help them destroy the evildoers.”

”How do I do that?” Young Link asked.

”The six other sages of Hyrule have suffered the same fate as you and your parents. They too have been sent to the Dark World by the evil Agahnim. You must find them and bring them back to Hyrule, where combined, your powers will enough to stop Agahnim and his invading armies of darkness.”

”Do you know where they are?” Young Link asked.

”You'll find them. One in a sprawling forest, One on a giant mountaintop, one under the deepest lake, one within the underground maze, one in the stickiest swamp, and one within the peace of the village hamlet. Together, you must defeat this threat and restore peace to Hyrule once again. You must move quickly, before the evildoers firmly grasp the power of the kingdom.  I’m counting on you.” 

 

The voice faded away, and left.

”Hello? Hello?!!” Young Link yelled as Link and Zelda came to their senses. 

”Who were you talking to?” Link asked.

”The Hero of Time spoke to me. He told me an important message.” Young Link said.

”The Hero of Time? That's...impossible, he's been dead for ages.” Zelda said.

”I swear it!” Young Link yelled.

”Well then, I suppose our child is serious. At any rate, we need to figure out where we are, because we certainly aren't in Hyrule anymore.” Link said.

”We've been sent backward to some other world. Take a look out there.” Zelda said. All three of them looked out from the pyramid top, and they saw a sprawling landscape around them, with swampland to the south, a rugged mountain chain to the north, and great plains all around the pyramid for miles.

”We need to figure out some way to get back to Hyrule.”

”Yes, but we must find the sages. They've been sent here by Agahnim, I am sure of it, at least Malon, Saria, and Shiek.”

”The sages are here?” Link asked.

”Yes. The Hero of Time told me of the whereabouts of the sages. Something about them being spread out all over this world.” Young Link said.

”Not being mad or anything, but why would we even need the powers of the sages to defeat Agahnim?” Link asked.

Zelda gave Link a very concerned look, then turned over the back of her hand. Nothing was there, for Agahnim had sucked the Triforce away from her when he transported her across dimensions and out of Hyrule. It was now that Link finally realized the true catastrophe of what had occurred. By sending her out of the realm of Hyrule, Agahnim forced the Triforce out, and it was now waiting for a new holder. The three now needed to come up with a plan to rescue the sages, but they were still uncertain if all the sages were still alive and their quest would be in vain.  Worse yet, if Agahnim had found a way to obtain the golden triangles, the world of light would soon be in ruin.

 

 

 

Chapter 17: Assault on the Underground

Zelda, Link, and Young Link conferred down the base of the pyramid, deciding which place to venture to first in their search for the sages. They decided unanimously that they needed to know if all the sages were alive. If Agahnim had sent the sages back to environments like that of their homes in Hyrule, that meant that the missing sages of Naruto, Goron Link, and Natasia would be in environments close to that of their homes in Hyrule. With that, Link and Zelda decided to go northbound into the mountains of the Dark World in the hope that Goron Link was hiding there. If he was, then most likely their search would end up in success.

The date was June 15, 2069, and the family of three fought their way northbound through the treacherous mountains until late that night. As they were about to crash for the night, they heard a giant boom from over the ridge on the right side of the mountain pass. Link, Zelda, and Young Link had to run quickly to the left out of the mountain pass to avoid the corresponding collapse of the cliff Rocks began falling at a rapid pace, and among them was what looked to be a broken crystal shard. Then the mountain completely gave way, and a certain rock near the bottom of the pile didn't look much like a rock....

”That was a close one. Son, are you okay?” Zelda asked Young Link.

”Zelda, look! Did you see that giant rock falling off that looked different from the others?” Link asked her.

”Yes Link, I did.”  Zelda said.

”That's not a rock. It's a goron.” Link said.  “Look at the Goron insignia on its right side. We have to help him!”  Link pulled out several bombs.  “Let's blast away that rock pile!”

 

“Oh, fun!  Give me a bomb too!” Young Link said loudly.

The three started blasting away the fallen rocks with bombs, and indeed, Link was right. Once the 4th bomb went off, the goron at the bottom goron pounded, narrowly missing Young Link. Young Link rolled backward about ten feet from the impact as the goron revealed itself. It was Goron Link!”

Zelda curtseyed to Goron Link.  “We have been searching for you. We are glad to see that you are safe.” She said.

”Goron Link, how did you get here?” Link asked.

”Heh, I was going to ask you three the same question. Especially you Link, how did Agahnim get his paws on you?” Goron Link asked.

”It's a long story.  My son and I attempted to rescue Zelda after we were ambushed at the castle.  Unfortunately all three of us got stuck in the path of his energy beam and were sent here. We now need to re-assemble the Sages and return to Hyrule to defeat Agahnim.  We had been told that you had been killed rolling off of Death Mountain last week.”

”Is that what Agahnim told you? Seems about right to me.” Goron Link laughed.  “It turns out that treacherous one slipped something into my rock sirloin that night. I was so sick I passed out and I thought I was dead. The next thing I knew I was here, trapped in some crystalline contraption. Well, it didn't take me very long to break out of that thing and escape the dungeon just east of here.”

”Dungeon?” Link asked.

”Oh, I have a feeling there's another sage in there.” Goron Link said.

”How? Who?” Zelda asked.

”I don't know, but as I was escaping the dungeon, I saw that there was another separate passage.” Goron Link said.  “The weird thing about it was that there was a wall there and I thought it was a dead end, but I was able to put my hands and feet through the wall. It was as if nothing was even there.”

”Cool!!” Young Link said.  “We saw a few of those in the Shadow Temple!”

”I have a feeling you may be right, there could be something behind that wall, whatever it is. You'll have to lead us there. Goron Link, I trust that you will help us take back control of our kingdom?” Zelda asked.

”Yes. It is good to have rulers who actually care about us Gorons for a change.” He said.

Zelda blushed a little.  “While I am gratified to hear such praise, it won't mean anything if we don't get going. Let's find out what's in that dungeon.”

 

The 4 of them, Goron Link, Link, Zelda, and Young Link, approached the dungeon, which was surrounded by a vast pit of magma. Goron Link, being invincible to magma, took turns ferrying the other three across and they were in the dungeon in no time.

”Here is where we come to the crossroads. The room I was in is to the right. The invisible wall is to the left.”

The 4 of them approached the wall through a great hallway, which dead ended. Zelda approached the wall first.  She sensed some sort of dark magic from the other side. She went through it, and was surprised to see a sprawling maze out in front of her. The others came through the wall, and they started to plan out their attack. Before they could do anything though, a brigade of Poes and Stalfos came down from the ceiling to attack Link and Zelda. The Poes didn't last long against Zelda, whose accuracy with a bow and arrow was absolutely perfect.  Link went away slashing the bones of the Stalfos with his sword. Eventually when the Stalfos bodies' collapsed, Goron Link came in and Goron pounded them straight into nothingness. With the sneak attack defeated, Young Link came up with a plan.

”I think I know what we need to do to get across here. Get me up there on top of the maze’s walls. I'll direct you to the end of it.”

”Can we do that? The walls are at least fifteen or twenty feet high.” Zelda said with concern.

Goron Link started directing traffic.  “Here.” He went over to the base of the wall. “Zelda, you come and stand on top of me. Link, go and as best you can, climb on top of Zelda.”  This took a while as Link and Zelda probably should have been reversed for weight purposes.  Eventually they were able to stabilize the human column. “Young Link, now see if you can climb up over us and get up to the top of the maze.”

Young Link was an expert climber.  “I'm up. This is breathtaking; you can see everything from up here. Are you guys ready? You need to follow my direction.” He said.

The movement through the maze went absolutely as planned.  It was quite a tedious process though, especially for Zelda, who continued to look over her shoulder as if somebody was watching them. Finally, it appeared they were close to the end of the maze.  Young Link’s voice began to pick up.

He jumped over onto another wall.  “Okay, there's only two more turns, you're gonna r-aaaaah!” Young Link suddenly yelled.

Young Link was gripped by a floormaster, which promptly kidnapped him down a hole. Zelda and Link yelled to their son, but to no avail.  Now they were extremely concerned about their son.  They ran out the back of the maze toward a big door. They go in and the door locked behind them. The room was large, with no visible ceiling above. They saw both Young Link and Shiek imprisoned in the corner of the room. Before Zelda or Link could get closer to either of them, a giant termite like insect fell from the top of the room. It attempted to bite Link, but Link dodged with a backflip. Link and Zelda fought together extremely well, with Zelda distracting the termite with arrow shots to its head and Link slashing off its legs one by one from the back and sides. Eventually, the thing was crippled in the center of the room, and the King and Queen finished it off with a double swordslash, severing its head.

Link rushed to the back of the room and pulled out his Megaton Hammer, which he used viciously against the crystal jails holding Young Link and Shiek. Upon breaking them out, everybody in the room started to feel quite woozy.  They lost consciousness as a blue light surrounded them.

 

 

 

Chapter 18: Into the Skeleton Forest

Link, Zelda, and Young Link, fresh off of their victory in the underground maze, found themselves outside the mountain temple after they came to. It was only a short walk down the left side of the mountains to their next target, the deep forest of the northwest. Zelda seemed to have a problem with not finding Naruto next, as she was the only remaining of the "missing" sages, but Link determined that the lake where Naruto was likely imprisoned was too far out of the way for now.  He proposed a path into the forest next since they were nearby already. Zelda reluctantly abliged, figuring that saving their energy would probably help them in the long run.”

The forest of the dark world was just that, dark. The skies were mostly not visible due to the vast foliage, and the ground had the stench that just screamed that somebody must have died here. Not only that, but with lots of skulls littering the ground, it was an eerie place to be. Young Link was really having trouble; he had to hang onto Zelda for much of the time they walked through there. Worse yet there were no paths, so the three had no idea where they were going. Even Sheik and Goron Link, whom they were traveling with, really had no idea what to do. For hours it seemed, they wandered hopelessly around the Skeleton Forest, hoping to find anything that would lead them to their next goal. An enemy would doubtless help, as this was the only area of the dark world they had seen where there weren't masses of enemies looking to slow them down. Finally, Link had had enough. He slashed against a tree and cut the thing down with one swing, and then he sat down on the stump, extremely upset at what had been transpiring.

Goron Link, sensing something could be ahead, found a circle of skulls on the ground not far away. He noticed that the ground beneath him was fairly unstable. Believing he had found something, he decided to ground pound the ground in the middle of the circle. Instantly, the ground gave way beneath him, and he found himself inside a grassy moss sod chamber. Zelda and Young Link were immediately there to help investigate what it was. Young Link came over with his shovel, and they started digging out the dirt on the sides of the massive hole. Eventually, a door became visible in the bedrock on the right side of the giant hole. Link and Zelda went in, bracing themselves for a fight. A fight they would receive...

Upon opening the door, they fell deep into the ground, probably about 50 feet down before landing in some flowery basin. They noticed Saria.  She was crystallized just to the right of them. Again, before they could do anything to save her, two giant insects, a bee and a butterfly swooped down and attacked them. Although they were fighting more bugs, this battle would be no easy task.

”Zelda, take my arrows! Use the fire arrows! I'll get the bee with Din's Fire!” Link shouted.

That was Link's game plan, use fire against the giant bugs.  It was a plan of attack straight from the annals of the Pokemon world.  In any case, it worked especially well. Zelda was able to sucker the butterfly close to Link by intentionally missing standard arrows, and then Link was able to get both of them by using his Din's Fire magic spell. While both bugs tried to extinguish the flames, Zelda blasted both of them with arrows, knocking their wings clean off. Then Link moved forward and finished them off with the Master Sword, hacking the bugs to the point that they were indiscernible.

The post-battle sequence was the same as in the deep underground maze. When the 6 of them came to again, they were outside the Skeleton Forest.  They made their way back toward the pyramid, a journey that took several days on foot.

 

Chapter 19: The Split-up

Upon returning to the pyramid on June 19, 2069, the three rescued sages saw something that they could not believe. Strewn around the pyramid were the bodies of Hylians, just lying there all around the base. The smell of death was in the air, yet most of the people were still alive, just knocked out. For the next half an hour or so, Link, Zelda, Young Link, and the three sages ran around the pyramid area trying to awaken the Hylians lying on the ground. They were able to do this fairly quickly with most of them, but when asked what they were doing there, nobody had any idea. The royal party converged to determine what to do next.

”I don't understand this. I know some of these people, they were my royal subjects at one time.” Zelda said.

”This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Saria said.  Everybody agreed. 

Saria’s words hung in the air for a while.  Then Link spoke.  “I think I know what's going on.”  Everybody turned to Link.  “These people are being sent from Hyrule Castle Town through the same dimension portal that we were several days ago. It's obvious to me that Agahnim is rounding up these people and sending them here, to the Dark World.”

”But, why would he be doing that?  What would he have to gain?” Zelda asked.

“I'm not really sure. He must be on some ridiculous power-hungry quest though, because I don't see a benefit to him doing this either.” Link said.

”Sheik. Is it true that when we come together again the gate back to Hyrule will open up right here at the pyramid?” Zelda asked.

Sheik responded.  “It is likely, since the other end of the warp tunnel seems to be sending everybody from Hyrule here. The question is why Agahnim is able to create such a wormhole with such precision on his own.”

Zelda shook her head.  “That really isn't of any consequence, because now he is kidnapping and sending innocent people to the dark world. This man is more vile than I could have ever imagined. Sheik, Goron Link, Saria, all three of you need to round up as many of these people as you can and keep them in the pyramid area. That way, when the time comes, we can rescue them along with us. Link, and Young Link my son, we now know that our time is drawing ever shorter. We must find the other sages and do it soon. Where do we go now Young Link?”

“The three remaining sages are near a giant lake, inside a sticky swamp, and a small village.  That’s what the voice told me.” He said.

”I know that there is a great lake to the south of here, as is a giant swamp.  There is a village to the west.  I think we ought to investigate the swamp first.  Because of the big walls surrounding it, we may need a crafty way to get into it.”  Link said.

”It's settled then.” Zelda said.

With that, Link, Young Link, and Zelda ventured to the southwest, leaving the other sages behind at the pyramid.  They headed for the swamps of Misery Mire, in the southwestern corner of the Dark World. It was a long walk, one that took many hours, to get to the outside walls of the great swamp. But as Link had alluded to earlier, the high natural cliffs surrounding the outside of the swamp was a big problem.  The three had no idea how to get in. Finally, Young Link spotted a little hole in the wall on the ground to the left of where they were standing.  However, the hole was not big enough for either Link or Zelda. Young Link decided that he could crawl into the space and find his way into the swamp temple. Zelda went berserk.  She would not have her son just go off into the swamp beyond the walls on his own.  A heated discussion followed, but ultimately, Link was able to talk some sense into her. Since they were too big to fit in, Young Link would have to crawl in on his own. Zelda pulled Young Link aside for some final instructions, and told him to return to the pyramid when he was finished.  Then the royal family shared a group hug, and Young Link went ahead.

Link and Zelda then headed to the north toward the village. After another long walk, Link and Zelda finally reached the village, which really didn't resemble much of a town at all. Most of the buildings were burned out and nobody walked the empty streets. The scene was about as eerie as could be. Link and Zelda didn't have to search long for the temple, which was visible in the center of town.  There was a giant boulder blocking the mouth of a giant statue, which served as the dungeon’s entrance.  But the catch was that the boulder was held up by some sort of a pulley-like contraption. One person had to hold down the wooden lever while the other ran into the temple before the boulder came down on them. When Zelda tried to lift the lever, her hands slipped off. Link nearly had his head smashed as the boulder crashed to the ground.  Zelda was not strong enough physically to hoist the heavy boulder. Once again, their differing physical attributes left them with no choice, Zelda had to go in because Link was the only one strong enough to hoist the lever. With a burst of speed, Zelda slipped inside.

 

 

 

Chapter 20: Young Link Becomes a Warrior

Young Link emerged from the other side of the hole in the wall, and what he saw disgusted him. The swamp was thick and it was far reaching, with deep murky water and weeds and other random plants rising above the water in spots. Despite the environment, he was actually quite happy to be on his own adventure for the first time ever. He knew his first objective was to find the temple in the swamp. It did not take him long to find it, for about a half mile away, he saw a large outcropping of moss and grass along the rock wall to the right of him. He suspected that the temple entrance was there in the foliage. He was right, but as it turned out the bigger problem was just getting to the temple, as dragonflies swarmed around him almost as soon as he started sloshing in the water. He got shocked by the electric sting of one of them and fell into the water. Extremely mad, Young Link got up and pulled his sword, and proceeded to engage the bunch of dragonflies, taking them down one by one with his energetic swordsmanship. Eventually, the remaining dragonflies decided to fly off and leave him alone.  As he got up to the temple entrance, there were a bunch of snapping turtles guarding the entrance. He decided to stun them from long range with deku nuts.

Once inside the temple, Young Link was a bit annoyed by the fact that the dungeon had the same swampy atmosphere that the outside did. The water flooded the dungeon in spots and the swampy foliage had a nasty habit of covering up the doors. Without any fire type attacks or weapons, he had no choice but to hack off the grassy stuff as he went from room to room inside the dungeon.  He envied his father and mother, for they had such great magical powers that he did not possess. After fighting a pair of wizzrobes in the third room, he collected a key from a treasure chest.  He opened up the key door down the hallway and entered a huge room.  From this room the dungeon seemed to spread out in all directions. But what he found in the room was even more surprising. Natasia, the sage of the desert was hanging from a rope on the ceiling.  She too, was encased in a prison of crystal.

Young Link saw that she was hanging upside down, so he suspected a booby trapped room. He decided to walk with a deku stick on the swampy ground in front of him at all times in order to foil the traps. Indeed, he got several deku sticks ripped from his hand by booby trapped vines hidden in the grass.  In this way, Young Link fought his way to the center of the room, where he was close enough to use his boomerang on the rope holding Natasia. The boomerang cut the rope, and the crystal fell to the ground, splintering into pieces. Young Link did not expect the crystal to shatter so easily, and was unprotected.  Several pieces cut up his arm near his elbow, and others scraped his legs.  He felt as if his arm was broken.  Natasia came to fairly quick after being released.

 

“Hey kid, what are you doing here?  Actually, what am I doing here?” She asked him.  Young Link didn’t really know how to respond.  He didn’t have to, for a giant eyeball type monster approached him and Natasia from the right.

”Natasia, I think I hurt my arm.” Young Link yelled.  “What do we do?”

”Don't worry kid, I got this one.” Natasia said as she recovered the sword from her belt.

Natasia moved to engage the creature, and started wearing it down with her sword attacks.  Her parry attack was especially devastating on the nasty being. Unfortunately for Natasia, she ended up getting suckered into an untouched part of the room, and she got caught in a booby trap.  She hung helplessly from the ceiling. Worse yet, the monster started looking toward Natasia and headed toward the wall as if it was going to climb up and attack Natasia. Young Link fought through the pain and slashed the monster from behind before it could start climbing. When the thing turned around, Young Link slashed the thing right in the pupil.  It was all over within seconds as the eyeball self-destructed and exploded, sending Young Link into the wall.  He bounced into a waiting booby trap.

”Well, what do I do now?” Young Link asked as he hung from the ceiling.

”There has to be a way to get down…” Natasia said.

Young Link didn't hear Natasia finish, he became very woozy and eventually saw his vision fade out. A few minutes later he was back outside, standing on top of the temple, on the bedrock wall surrounding misery mire. Remembering what his mother had told him, he and Natasia headed back toward the pyramid.

 

 

 

Chapter 21: Zelda faces Agahnim

Zelda rolled underneath the boulder and entered the Village temple. Pulling herself up, she realized something immediately, the first room of the temple was identical to the entrance of Hyrule Castle. This was extremely unusual to say the least. Instantly, a couple enemies that looked exactly like Hylian Knights came up and attacked her. Zelda unsheathed her sword and went to work with her spin attack, drawing off the Knights so she could focus on them one on one. Then she relied on her incredibly strong airborne dropkick attack.  She pulled out a pair of Deku Nuts and threw them at her adversaries, stunning them with a blinding flash.  In an instant, she leapt up and planted her heeled shoes right into the faces of the Knights.  They flew backward.  The Knights were surprised, either at Zelda's method of attack, or at the simple fact that they had been attacked so relentlessly by a lady.  Eventually they threw down their weapons and left. One of them was heard muttering something about them losing to a girl, and Zelda immediately put an arrow into his head. The rest ran off.

Zelda opened the door into the hallway, and there were floormasters everywhere. Before she knew what to do, she got caught and taken under the surface.  The floormaster led her through a wormhole of sorts. When she emerged from the hole, she was in a prison cell, very similar to that of the dungeon beneath Hyrule Castle. It was then that she realized that the dungeon was an exact replica of Hyrule Castle. And just like Hyrule Castle, the prison bars were spaced out quite a bit.  With a little effort, she was able to squeeze her small frame between them. However, as she did so she nearly had her arm cut off by an Iron Knuckle soldier guarding the cell. She went back and waited for the Iron Knuckle to turn his back to her, which seemed to take hours.  Then she reached out and grabbed him by the neck through the cell bars. In one motion, she got her sword in between the helmet and armor of her adversary and slit its throat.  It collapsed in a heap. Leaving the cell, Zelda ran quickly up the stairs that she knew would lead into the throne room.

Upon reaching the throne room of the dungeon, she saw somebody sitting on the throne. She was very surprised to find that it was Agahnim. Malon was tied up in a heap of chains behind him, which was interesting because unlike the other sages, she was not crystallized.

”We meet again, Princess Zelda.” Agahnim said.  “I had a feeling you would come. You see this is such a splendid place, and the real thing is even better than this. This chair has such a luxurious fell to it, don't you think? This being a ruler thing is quite exquisite. I don't think anybody can make me give it up, especially not somebody as dense and hard-headed as you.

”You better be prepared to die Agahnim, because I'm not leaving this place until you do!” Zelda screamed.  Anger and frustration flowed through her blood.

”Why the anger?” Agahnim asked. Just because I outsmarted all of you and took over Hyrule, you want me dead? Well then, take this!”  He called upon the Triforce to create a giant energy beam and shot it at Zelda.

Zelda dodged the beam to the left, and drew her sword.  “Let's finish this!” she yelled.

 

“Be careful Zelda!” Malon warned.  “His energy is strong!”

Zelda and Agahnim engaged each other. Agahnim utilized his energy beams, and Zelda attempted to return the energy with her sword.  After taking several hits though, she realized that she was not strong enough to use Agahnim’s magic against him.  Zelda proceeded to change tactics.  She attempted to stun Agahnim with Deku Nuts, and that worked to some degree, but eventually Agahnim changed things up and shielded himself.  After going on the defensive for a minute, Agahnim went back to his energy attacks. Zelda remembered her Sheikah training. Zelda used a Deku Nut to disappear. Agahnim was surprised by the maneuver, and had no idea where Zelda was. Before he knew what had happened, Zelda swooped down and gave him a nasty dropkick to the back of the head. Then she drew her sword and stuck it into him. Surprisingly, the sword went right through his body like chu jelly. It was then that Zelda realized that it wasn’t Agahnim at all, it was just a model ghost of him that was created to defeat her.  Zelda was insulted at Agahnim’s backhanded attempt to insult her fighting prowess.

Zelda moved to free Malon, and then broke down the back windows to escape.

 

 

 

Chapter 22: Battle at Ice Lake

While Zelda and Young Link were fighting their way through their temples, Link was venturing through the southern swampland of the Dark World.  Eventually, he arrived at at a lake that was so cold it had icebergs floating in it.  A few minutes after hopping across the icebergs that lined the lake, he found the dungeon.  But he could not figure out how to get inside. The temple was surrounded by a giant ice wall that extended at least 30 feet in the air. As much as Link tried, he couldn't climb up the wall of ice. Even his fire arrows and Din's Fire magic attacks were unsuccessful in melting a hole through the ice. Making matters worse, only a thin layer of ice surrounded the temple wall, and one slip would plunge you into the 38 degree frigidness of the water.

Link slumped up against the wall, wondering what to do. Then a thought hit him, maybe he had to dive underneath the wall. But to do so would involve diving down at least 25 feet into the freezing abyss and surfacing on the other side and hoping not to drown or get a case of hypothermia. Link had done crazier things before to be sure, yet he still had his reservations.  His hatred of cold nagged at his brain, but mind persevered, and he dived in.  Aside from the obvious cold, the pressure in his ears became nearly unbearable as he got underneath the wall. He emerged on the other side with his body feeling like it had a bunch of knives stuck into it.  He saw the entrance in front of him. However, the wall in front of him was 6 feet high, Link could not jump out of the water! He had to think of something quick or he would freeze!  He quickly pulled out his ice arrows and shot one of them at the water near the wall. A boulder of ice crystallized, and Link used this to pull himself out. He shivered as he headed into the temple, the cold air inside not making his situation any better.

As soon as he entered the temple, he got frozen by an Ice Keese in the first room. Link knew this was going to be a tough day as he unfroze and went to work on the Keese in the first room. It didn't take long to take them out, and he entered the 2nd room. A pack of White Wolfos attacked him in this room. Link made sure to shield against their bite and scratch attacks, and then press the attack with his sword after they tired out. The strategy worked perfectly as the Wolfos fell one by one. When the last one fell, the door to the next room opened. In this third room, which had the inner shape of an igloo, sat a block of ice with what looked like a snake trapped inside it. Naruto, the zora sage, was on the other side of the room. Link ignored the block of ice and went to save Naruto. After some work with the Megaton Hammer, Naruto was freed. Link and Naruto began to leave the room, but a big block of ice fell from the ceiling in front of the doorway, denying their escape. Before Link could melt the block of ice, another big block of ice fell on the ice block containing the snake. A snake head was exposed, and Link would not believe the next step in this horrifying chain reaction. The head let out a vicious shriek and the whole floor of the room caved in as the snake's body came into view. It wasn't a snake at all, it was a giant sea monster! Link and Naruto plunged through the collapsed floor back into Ice Lake. They scrambled to get onto a floating iceberg nearby.  As the monster let out another shriek, it was clear they faced a fight against a being that wanted them for it’s next meal.  The sea monster swam by the iceberg several times, and tried to slam Link and Naruto off. Link tried using his sword on the monster, then his arrows, followed by some of his other weapons. Nothing worked.  Link noticed something else as the sea monster knocked into the iceberg again. His muscles were tensing up.  He was so cold that his muscles were beginning to cramp on him, every single one of them.

”Naruto, I'm cold all over. I can feel the strength seeping out of me.  We must defeat this thing!” Link shouted.

”Your attacks aren't working?” Naruto asked.  “Whoa!” she shouted as the monster attacked them again.

”I think I have an idea.” Link said.  “You need to jump into the water for this to work.”

”What?! No, I'll get eaten by that thing!” Naruto shouted.

”No you won't. Your electro-shock attack will stun the thing. When he comes after you, use your electro-shock and you'll stun it. That way I can swim inside of it and destroy it from the inside.” Link said.

”You want me to do what, and you’re going where?!”

”Look, It can't be beat from the outside, I have to blow it up with bombs from the inside with water bombs!  Look out!” The monster crashed into the iceberg again.  “It's our only chance. Can you help me do this?” Link asked.

”Yes. But this is crazy.” She said firmly.

Naruto jumped into the water and swam down about 30 feet. The sea monster noticed this, and decided to go after Naruto. But when it dove underwater, it lost considerable momentum, allowing Naruto to move around his mouth and hit it with her electroshock attack. The monster leapt up almost to the surface in shock, and Link knew that was his opening. Link quickly dived into the lake water and inside the sea monsters mouth. Within a few seconds, Link started getting thrown around quite rapidly, and he ended up getting thrown up by the monster.  His attack was unsuccessful. Link now had to come up with another strategy. Before he could, Naruto grabbed him underwater and the sea monster came after them again. Naruto hit the monster with her electroshock attack again, but this time the thing stayed down deep in the water. Naruto swam rapidly, carrying Link with her into the monster's mouth. Upon getting in, Link and Naruto quickly pulled out water bombs and threw them all over the insides of the sea monster. They ended up getting thrown up again after about eight to ten seconds, but a few seconds later they were delighted to see the bombs collapse the inside of the sea monster's body, blowing it to smithereens.

Naruto wasted no time leaving the area and getting Link to shore on the northwest corner of the Ice Lake. Link was hardly moving he was so cold. Luckily the weather on the shore was pretty warm, so all Naruto had to do was take off Link's soaked clothes. Link came to eventually, and was shocked to see that he had no clothes on. He didn't know how lucky he was to survive the battle without a massive case of frostbite or hypothermia.

 

 

 

Chapter 23: Ganondorf Returns

Young Link and Natasia were the first to arrive back at the pyramid on June 22, 2069, pretty much the same time as Link and Naruto were recovering on the beaches of Ice Lake. What they saw was shocking. The three sages back at the pyramid, Goron Link, Sheik, and Saria were standing with lots of Hylian people in front of the pyramid. They were all looking directly at the great king of evil, Ganondorf. Natasia in particular was surprised because she had seen Ganondorf killed by Link at the battle of East Hyrule Field 12 years earlier. They got up close to the crowd and found that Ganondorf was threatening everybody there.

”Now that the royal family has been deposed, and master Agahnim has revived me, we are now in control of Hyrule once again. You people are the lucky ones. Agahnim and I could easily have killed all of you, but we have banished you to the dark world instead. Now, as you know, this world is tough and cutthroat, and there is a very limited amount of food to be found here. It will be pleasurable to watch all of you fight with each other until all of you pass away to your greedy and painful deaths. After all, nobody can stop us now that we are aligned with the Golden Power of the Triforce.”

”That's what you said 12 years ago Ganondorf!” Goron Link boomed.

”Ganondorf, how is it that you are alive?!” a shocked Natasia asked him.

Ganondorf chuckled.  “It was, by a means of courage by master Agahnim. You see, he came up with a brilliant plan to revive me by sending back the sages to the Dark World. As you can see, you and your mates are gathered here today as a result of what master Agahnim has done. He created natural disasters in Hyrule to trick the royal family of Hyrule into trusting him as their ally. When the time was right, he double crossed them and killed them!”  There were groans from the crowd of Hylians.  “Now the triforce is ours and the royal family cannot stop us because they are dead!”  Ganondorf started laughing hysterically from atop the pyramid.

”Not as dead as you think!”  Link yelled from behind.

Ganondorf turned around quickly, only to get an arrow in the stomach from Link, followed by a flying dropkick from Zelda.  Ganondorf flew backwards off of the pyramid and landed hard near where the other sages were standing in the crowd.

 

“Who said we were dead?” Zelda asked, almost as if to mock the evil king.  Ganondorf refocused on Zelda, but before he could move an inch, Goron Link grabbed him and Goron Pounded him.  He then started punching him repeatedly. Sheik got in on the attack as well, but before long Ganondorf was able to throw them off of him with a huge burst of energy. Ganondorf was clearly shocked by the sudden attack, but was downright stunned when his former friend and comrade came from the left and slashed him. He fell to the ground once more.

”I can't believe we called you our king.” Natasia said with disgust.  “Do you have any idea what pain and suffering Agahnim put us through?! We had a week-long sandstorm in Gerudo Valley, then a flood because Zora's River flowed up over the canyon. And it was all part of your plan to come back to life? We have lost many gerudos to illness and starvation. I cannot believe that at one time I called you my friend. You are a traitor to your own people, my people.”

Natasia pulled out her other sword, while Ganondorf got up and pulled his blades. Natasia and Ganondorf engaged in a Gerudo swordfight. The other sages and the people in the crowd looked for a chance to interfere and take Ganondorf out.  Ganondorf, sensing that he was about to be mobbed at any moment, pulled out a mirror and within seconds he was gone. Natasia looked around like crazy to see if Ganondorf was going to attack from behind, but no such move occurred. He was gone.

”Sages, and loyal ladies and gentlemen of the Hyrulian kingdom,” Zelda said.  “Come to the middle cavern of the pyramid.” Everybody gathered here right now, listen to me closely. Inside the cavern, the sages will break the magical spell that holds us here in the dark world. We will return to Hyrule as one, and we will fight as one to get our land back once we get there. We will need to stick together if we are to defeat this threat posed by Agahnim and Ganondorf.”  The crowd was hushed and solemn as they entered the pyramid.

 

 

 

Chapter 24: A New Hope

Ganondorf warped himself back into Hyrule from the Dark World using none other than the fabled Magic Mirror of a Link to the Past. He found himself in the middle of Hyrule Castle Town, and surprisingly, Agahnim was outside the castle, heeding around a bunch of villagers in the middle of Hyrule Castle Town. Everybody stopped in their tracks when Ganondorf came into view, but everybody in the city was surprised to see Ganondorf grab Agahnim and start running back toward the castle. On the lawn in front of the castle, Ganondorf punched Agahnim twice before throwing him to the ground.

”Do you have any idea what you've done?!” Ganondorf shouted.

“Master Ganondorf, why are you acting like this?” Agahnim asked, confused.

”You told me to go back to the Dark World for nothing, and you almost got me killed in the process.” Ganondorf said.

”What do you mean?” Agahnim asked.

”I mean, I got back to the pyramid, and I got ambushed by Link and Zelda! I thought you used the death spell on Zelda. How did she survive your magic?” Ganondorf asked.

”It happened when I tried the spell on her. She used the power of the triforce to change the spell to a crystallization spell. There was nothing I could do about it.” He said.

“What about Link? And the kid, how did he show up there?”

”When I went to send Zelda back, they jumped in front of her, so none of them got crystallized at all. They were too heavy and too massive for me to crystallize fully.”

”Great, that's just wonderful.”  Ganondorf said.  He slammed a burst of energy into the grass in anger. “You sent Link, Zelda, and the kid back to the dark world, but by their own and not crystallized. Now they have rescued the sages out of the dungeons of the dark world, and because you've been sending Hyrulian people to the dark world, Link and Zelda are rounding them up and bringing them back to Hyrule with the magic of the sages.  They’re bringing an army of angry Hylians after us! This magic is going to be our downfall if the power of the triforce cannot hold them in the Dark World! We are going to be facing an army with only the power of the Triforce on our side.”

”Well that's all we need.” Agahnim said.

Ganondorf pushed Agahnim down and held him by the neck.  “FOOL!” he shouted.  “I have been foiled several times over despite having the power of the Triforce in my hands. We cannot wish for them to remain in the Dark World because the power of the Triforce does not extend over anything outside the realm of Hyrule. We have no choice but to round up all of our troops and defend the Castle at all costs. Agahnim, you have made an immense mistake for which you shall be reprimanded to the fullest. Moblins! Take him away!” Agahnim was led out behind the Castle by a group of Moblins.

Meanwhile, inside the Dark World Pyramid, the royal family and the sages were preparing for their journey back into the light.

”Malon, Saria, Goron Link, Naruto, Sheik, and Natasia,” Zelda said.  You have been brought back here today because with your combined powers, we shall be able to break the seal of the evil Ganondorf and return all of us back to the realm of Hyrule. If this is not the case please speak so now. Once we return, we will gather up any and all reinforcements to defeat Ganondorf and all that support him.

”It is so.” Natasia replied. “However, it will take a great effort to hold open the path between the realms long enough for all of these people to get back inside the kingdom of Hyrule. I am sure that we are up for the task however.”

”We will combine our powers and open a mighty portal at the backside of the pyramid cavern.” Naruto said. “When the portal appears to widen past those lines on the wall, that is the signal for all to venture through the portal and warp back into Hyrule.”

”Descendants of the Ancient Creators of Hyrule!” Malon shouted as loud as her old voice would permit.  “We have been fallen by a malicious bunch of evildoers that have taken ahold of the land of Hyrule once again. We have been duped by a dangerous wizard who used us to take over our land and the key to the laws that govern it. We must combine our powers and our concentrations, so that all of us may safely return to the land that we call home, and to defeat these evildoers. Sages, are you ready?”

The six sages formed together the elements of light, forest, fire, water, shadow, and spirit.  The colors combined together, and a giant vortex of light opened at the back of the pyramid.  As they walked through it, the people experienced a whiteout from reality.

 

 

 

Chapter 25: Building the Resistance

Upon stepping out of the portal leading out of the pyramid, the sages, the royal family, and all the Hyrulians found themselves in northern Hyrule Field, not far from Lon Lon Ranch.

 

“Well, it looks that we missed the target.” Young Link said.

 

“Little man, we did the best we could.” Malon explained.  “We had to get everybody home first, the landing point was of secondary importance.”

 

“But now we have to walk twenty miles just to get home!” Young Link blurted.  “And my feet hurt!”

 

Ignoring their son for the time being, Link and Zelda started directing traffic.

”Ladies and gentlemen, pay attention to me!” Link shouted.  “We all know that to defeat Agahnim and Ganondorf, we need to build up any kind of support we can. What we all must do is go through every city, every town, everywhere where there are people of this great land.  Let it be known that the King and Queen are back, we are alive and well, and we are here to overthrow the treacherous tyrants. We are going to all split up in a minute based on what part of this land you come from.”

 

Zelda provided the assignments.  “If you are of Kakariko Village or Goron City, Sheik and Goron Link will lead you there. If you are of Sandtopolis Town, Gerudo Valley, or West Hyrule Field, Natasia and Naruto will lead all of you to your homeland. If you are of Eastern Hyrule Field or Kokiri Forest, Saria and I will lead you there. And, if you are of the grand city of Hyrule Castle Town and its surrounding area, you will stay by Malon and Link. All of you must spread the word that the true Hyrulians will rule this land again, not some tyrants. Spread the word that the royal family is not dead but is indeed back in the land of their birth ready to take not a prisoner. The time has come to amass the biggest fighting force this land has ever seen.”

 

Link took over again.  “Ever since my wife, my son and I were ambushed by Agahnim, this land has been held under a heavy and dark burden. Your friends and relatives have been subjected to many of the same abuses that you have, perhaps even worse. I don't know about any of you, but that is enough to make me want to destroy anybody who harms any of my loved ones. We shall not stand for this any longer!”  There were cheers from the crowd.  “In three weeks time, we shall all return to this very spot, our armies bigger, stronger, and faster.  We will be ready to take down any evil that faces us. Now go, spread the word, and Hyrule shall prevail!”

The crowd of Hyrulians erupted as Link finished his speech.  Link and Malon left to lead their group into Hyrule Castle Town.  The other groups left for their destinations.

For the next few weeks, the hot and oppressive late June and July days, every person who was cast away into the darkest reaches of the Dark World spread the word of Link and Zelda's reemergence. At first, some did not believe, because of the propaganda that had been spread around by Agahnim and Ganondorf about Link and Zelda being killed.  Many others though, jumped at the chance to fight and reclaim the land that had been ruthlessly taken from them by Agahnim and Ganondorf. As the people marched through the cities and countryside, the destruction caused by the short reign of the two tyrants was readily obvious. Buildings were burned out and taken down, farmlands were flooded and burned away, fences and barriers were burned and mangled, and concrete fortresses were bombed out.

 

In Sandtopolis, the main square's damage from the flooding and from the forced destruction was readily obvious.  Naruto had no problem recruiting masses of citizens still angry about Ganondorf’s enslavement of townspeople twelve years earlier. As the masses moved around Hyrule, they ran into pockets of Ganondorf's troops. The Hyrulian citizens, even though some of them were not trained in warfare, used their anger to fight against the evildoers. On July 1, outside Hyrule Castle Town, Link and his group actually fought against a Moblin unit directly commanded by Ganondorf. The result was bloodshed and mass hysteria in the town. Link lost about 50 people off of his rank, but the short term loss was eliminated by the long term gain. The citizens of Hyrule Castle Town, many of whom who had been forced into slave labor by Ganondorf or sealed away  by Agahnim, finally saw with their own eyes that Link was back and that he fully intended to fight on to the death. Instantly, hundreds of people, many who were trained in warfare, joined the armies of the King and Queen.

The stage was setting for one hellacious battle.

 

 

 

Chapter 26: Link's Strategic Retreat

The war for troop buildup continued for the three weeks that Link had laid out when everybody had come back from the Dark World. As described in the last chapter, Link's job to round up the Hyrulians in Hyrule Castle Town was not easy due to the proximity to Ganondorf and his troops. Ganondorf attempted to set a trap for Link near Hyrule Castle on July 5. In doing so, he was hoping that Link would move north enough toward the castle so that his moblin, poe, and stalfos units could sweep around the south of the city and surround and capture Link and the rebellious Hyrulians. However, Link had no intention of making such a move to the north, his goal was only to build the resistance. Thus, he stayed in the southern portion of the town and made no move toward Ganondorf's encirclement trap. All the while, Link continued to gather support. A few days later, Link pulled out his Ocarina and played Saria's Song.

”Link, its Saria, you need to talk to me?”

”Saria, how are things going down in the forest?” Link asked.

”Most of the Kokiris do not wish to fight, as that is not our way of life.” However, the farming folk of East Hyrule Field have risen up in great numbers thanks to the diligence of the Queen. Our numbers have increased at least fivefold. The Queen is waiting for an order from you to return to the area near Lon Lon Ranch. Are you ready?” Saria asked.

”I am ready; we have seen a great mass of people rise up against the evildoers here.”  He had to stop in mid-sentence as a bomb landed next to him.  Epona went crazy as the explosion occurred a little too close for comfort.  “Saria, quickly, tell Zelda we are on our way, but we are in a fight!” Link shouted.

Ganondorf, frustrated with Link's noncommittal attitude towards attacking into his trap, sent the sizeable part of his army in the north against Link's army in an attempt to quell the resistance movement. Within minutes, the streets of Hyrule Castle Town were running red with blood, most of it the blood of Hyrulian citizens. Link immediately ordered a retreat, while he and Young Link attempted to hold off the Moblin and Stalfos troops away from the weakest troops while they ran. It was a nasty fight, and Link's army lost many, but the majority would live to fight another day. Meanwhile, it was just coming to Link's attention just how great a warrior Young Link was becoming. When fighting against a Stalfos, he parry attacked, and not only took out the Stalfos but also took out the two poes backing it up from midair. Link's mouth almost dropped when he saw his son connect on that sword combination, but was quickly knocked back into sensation by the hard stick of a Moblin from behind.

By nightfall, Link's army was moving southward into Hyrule Field. Ganondorf, deciding that he had a chance to end the resistance movement, made the decision to pursue them immediately. Agahnim and Ganondorf discussed strategy.

”Look Ganondorf, you have to let me use the powers of the Triforce. It is our biggest ally. You know that Zelda was not with Link, and neither were any of the sages I don't think. It's possible that they could all be building support in the rest of the land of Hyrule. We could be facing a numbers disadvantage if they all come together again.”

”I like your thinking,” Ganondorf said, “But we must fight diligently.” The Stalfos will lead the main group, while the Moblins will support. We should be okay as long as we aren't facing a bunch of gerudo warriors and gorons. If that is the case, I will call on your ability to change the conditions. If the gorons are a problem, drown them with a sudden flood. If the gerudos are giving us fits, give them a blizzard with your ether spell. That'll teach them. If the zoras think they are going to rise up and defeat us, give them a nasty does of your Bombos spell and they'll be fried fish. We can do this Agahnim, you're just going to have to be smart about it. Our guys can fight. We are tougher, better trained than any ragtag army Link and his son can throw at us.”

”Eventually we will have to deal with Link, and perhaps Zelda.” Agahnim said.

”I trust your death spell will be ready this time?”  Ganondorf asked.

”Trust me, I won't miss twice.  Not with the power of the Triforce on my side.  That is a promise.” Agahnim said solemnly.

By the next morning, Link's army had rendezvoused with Goron Link & Sheik's force from Kakariko Village. Their army was huge, packed with Gorons and many Hylians from Kakariko who were not about to let their village become the last line of defense like it was during Ganondorf’s reign in the Ocarina years. Shortly after, Zelda's army from the forest and Natasia's army from Sandtopolis and Gerudo Valley had banded back together with them, forming one massive, mean, Hyrulian fighting machine. Composed of people from every race in Hyrule, these people were about to fight for their families, their friends, their kingdom, and potentially the world itself...

 

 

 

Chapter 27: The Battle of North Hyrule Field

The sun rose a little before seven.  The wind withered across the plains of northern Hyrule Field.  This was the day that both sides had been waiting for. The date was July 12, 2069, and it would be the biggest day in Hyrulian history.  There would be no retreat, and there would be no surrender.  It could only end with one side or the other’s complete annihilation.  Light and Darkness had met its final confrontation.

As Ganondorf and Agahnim talked about in the last chapter, their plan was to use their Stalfos Knights at the front and back them up with Moblins and other baddies. Ganondorf knew however, that they would be outnumbered.  His plan therefore focused in on doling out as much pain as possible to the incoming troops, and focusing the battle down to a final fight between him and Agahnim against Link and Zelda. This battle was one he felt was inevitable, and it was one they had to win. Ganondorf felt that because of Agahnim’s Triforce powers that they could win the battle by defeating Link and Zelda, which would destroy the morale of their forces. They planned on stopping any royal breakthroughs by using Agahnim's disaster powers, namely his Ether medallion.

Link took the time before the battle to talk to his army. It was a sweltering hot day, but the armies of the Hyrulian resistance were dressed in mostly heavy garb anyway.  The reason for this was twofold.  First, they needed heavy clothes and armor to protect themselves against the enemy weapons.  Second, because of Agahnim’s ability to control the atmosphere, the weather could change on a moment’s notice.  If he decided to make it rain or snow, they had to be prepared.

”Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Hyrulians, this is the day that we have been waiting for.” Link said. “This is the day where we finally take back the land of our descendants and forefathers once again. This is the day that we pummel our enemies into submission. This is what we will do, but we cannot be stupid out there. Remember the plans that we have laid out. We should be able to outnumber them but that does not guarantee victory. All of their troops are battle-hardened and experienced, and many of us are not. Be careful in your dealings, and be smart out there. Hylians especially, do not charge into any situations where you cannot advance, be sure to protect yourselves out there, we do not need any foolish casualties. That being said, you must be aggressive when you have the advantage. If we stick to the plan, we’ll be rolling into town in no time. Natasia! Are your units prepared to roll on the gorons for the initial attack.”

Natasia turned to her strategist, Kotarika.  She nodded to her.  “Link, sir, we have trained extremely hard in the art of standing on rolling objects. Our first through fourth gerudo units have become extremely skilled in this craft.”

”Okay, slight change in plans!” Link boomed.  “Gerudos who are able to roll on the gorons, you will do this going into their front lines. They won't expect it. Gorons! You will carry the gerudos in, but regardless if they make it in or not, you are to go through their lines all the way and then loop back around. After that, get up and get into their faces. You gorons are stronger than anything this land has ever known, let the enemy know that to the fullest!” The Gorons gave Link a cheer. “Gerudos who cannot roll, run in as quickly as you can and fight with the other gerudos and gorons at the front. Hylian units, we will back them up in the second zone. Zoras, you bring up the rear!”  Link turned in Zelda’s direction and nodded.

Zelda continued.  “All of you, be very careful of Agahnim's magical powers! I have a feeling that if we are winning this battle, he may change the weather conditions or he may send a flood against us!  If that happens, Gorons, you must retreat immediately.  Hylians, it will then be your time to move forward.  Please be careful out there, and expect the unexpected. Be alert at all times.”  Zelda nodded in Naruto’s direction.

”Zoras! We will hang in the rear and support during the battle. If by chance there is a flood, I trust you know what to do.”  The Zora unit cheered.

Link, Young Link, and Zelda turned around to the north and looked out into North Hyrule Field.  The enemy lied across the field about a mile and a half away. They wore their Kokirish garb, Link and Young Link the Kokiri green, and Zelda the white and purple of the royal family.  Link and Zelda raised their swords from horseback and gave the signal for the Gorons and Gerudos to saddle up and start the attack. About 30 seconds later, Link and Zelda sent the word for the Hylians to advance, just as the Gorons and Gerudos hit the front lines. They rode forward into battle.

The Gorons and the Gerudos hit the Stalfos front lines with all the force of avenging angels. The Stalfos troops, caught completely by surprise by the gerudos balancing on the rolling gorons, took huge casualties in the front. Eventually, the other Ganondorf troops got the idea to swing low and hit the gorons, stopping them in their tracks and knocking the Gerudos off. Most of the gorons were swiped at during their return trip back toward Link and Zelda's army, resulting in a desperate struggle to break out from being surrounded.  The gorons punched and pounded furiously, while the Stalfos knights defended and attacked with their swords as best they could. The gerudos engaged the remaining Stalfos with their twin blades, as well as several Poes and Moblins that were advancing quickly.  By this time the Hylians were reaching the front lines as well.  The battle was on.

 

Natasia disembarked from Goron Link, and the two found themselves right in front of Ganondorf. Ganondorf gave a signal to Agahnim to do some magical power as he drew his sword. Natasia moved to engage Ganondorf as Goron Link rolled with all his might back toward the gorons that were surrounded.  Ganondorf and Natasia engaged for a second time.

Natasia drew her blades.  “This time, there won't be any running away.” she said.

”Too bad for you there won’t be.” Ganondorf said solemnly.

Natasia and Ganondorf commenced another Gerudo swordfight. Their blades were so fast and so ridiculous that it was difficult to really get a good look at what they were doing. Both Ganondorf and Natasia panted from the exertion, but neither could really get the upper hand in the situation. Eventually, Natasia went for it. She snuck around Ganondorf hoping to get him with a slash to the back, but instead Ganondorf pulled his sword backward and virtually skewered Natasia as she was coming in. Ganondorf dropped the blade and Natasia fell onto the grass, bleeding heavily from the midsection.

”I am the King of the Gerudo.  Don’t you ever forget that.” He said to Natasia.  He turned back to Agahnim.  “Agahnim, send out the flood! These gorons are a pain.”

Indeed, throughout the battle thus far, the Gorons had been wreaking havoc on the Ganondorf army, most notably the Stalfos and Poe troops. Even the powerful Wizzrobes had not been able to slow down their power and quick rolling attacks.  Once the gorons were surrounded, they were still not easy to subdue.  So Agahnim decided to use his Quake medallion to get Zora's river to flood. Although this would blunt his army's attack power, Ganondorf really wasn't looking for his troops to break through the royal family’s lines anyway.  What he wanted was to bog down the battle so he could defeat Link and Zelda in hand to hand combat. Agahnim rubbed his medallion and the earth began to shake.

The Hylian troops had been told about the Quake medallion, but actually going through its magic put the troops into a tizzy. Their fighting really became disjointed and unhinged during and just after the quake itself. Add to this fact that the Gorons were already beginning to retreat backward because of the coming flood, and hysteria was beginning to set in for the Hylians a bit. They thought they were losing badly, and the flood waters quickly approaching them did not help that belief at all. Luckily for them, the Zoras saw their chance.

”Zoras! Listen up everybody!” Naruto bellowed.  “Agahnim has used his quake powers to flood Hyrule Field. If the water gets up past 2 feet, we are going to go in for a swim attack. You all know what to do, we dive in with strong swimming. The first unit will engage the enemy with boomerang fins from long range. That will distract the enemy from our true attack from the second and third units. You will go right into the battle with electroshock attacks at close range.  However, be careful not to get too close to Agahnim! He possesses a fire medallion that will kill you on the spot, so stay away.”

As the water level climbed, the movement of both armies came nearly to a sloshing standstill. That's when the Zoras made their move. The first unit swept in right up through the middle of the Hylians front line, which was getting pushed southward a bit by Ganondorf's troops. The arrival of the Zoras at the front lines using long range weapons distracted the enemies from the main attack, the surging electroshock attacks from the Zoras from the sides.  They swam by at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour as they dealt electric shocks from all directions. The enemy fighters that weren’t electrocuted and killed were gravely injured.  Before long Ganondorf's army was in full retreat as the Zoras broke a huge hole in the Moblin-Stalfos-Wizzrobe front line. Agahnim, since the Zoras seemed to be avoiding him, correctly deduced that a Bombos attack would be worthless, and instead decided to use the Ether medallion.

Agahnim's Ether attack caused the weather to change dramatically, sending the hot temperatures into freezing range within minutes.  Then the sun became covered by clouds and snow began to fall. The once sweating Hylian troops were suddenly shivering in the wet and cold conditions. The Zoras now had to retreat because of the threat of the water freezing on them. Naruto reluctantly led the Zoras out, but they had done a number on the enemy. This left only the remaining Hylian troops and the backline troops of Ganondorf in the battle. It was now that Link and Zelda realized that Ganondorf was gunning for them and them only, because of his decisions to take the Gorons and Zoras out of the battle. They decided that further warfare with just the unskilled Hylian force would lead to massive casualties on both sides, and possibly to them losing the initiative. Zelda, Link, and Young Link sloshed their way ahead of the front lines, riding straight at Ganondorf and Agahnim. The armies on both sides began to clear out of the middle, forming a circle around the leaders of each side.

The sun was setting amid the clouds, cold, and snowfall that came down on North Hyrule Field. For the royal family, Hyrule Castle Town, and victory, laid less than a mile away.  Perhaps symbolically, the only thing standing in their way was the one who double-crossed them, and the true king of evil.

”You have nowhere to run, Agahnim and Ganondorf. Neither one of you can escape us now.” Link said.

”Is it not a question of whether I can escape from you, as it is you can escape from me. You will feel the pain.” Ganondorf said, again not raising his voice an inch.

”The only thing we are going to feel is your flesh after we defeat you once and for all.” Zelda said in her own solemn tone.

”That's quite enough. Agahnim, you know what to do...” Ganondorf said.

Ganondorf and Agahnim shot out some magical blasts as Link and Zelda drew their swords. In a massive game of beam deflection, the two grinded it out for what seemed to be forever while the remaining armies on both sides looked on in hopeful amazement. A few times it would be Ganondorf and Agahnim gaining the advantage, but then Link and Zelda would battle back and deliver some attacks of their own. Neither side was able to deliver much damage to the other though. For hours it seemed like neither side could gain the advantage. Finally, a break came when Young Link inadvertently distracted his mother and father while carrying in some red potion.  Ganondorf saw his opportunity, throwing an energy blast inside of the one Agahnim had shot out a split second earlier.  Their aim was true, and Link and Zelda took a direct hit.  They both flew backward about twenty feet and did not get up.

”It’s time.”

Agahnim called upon the power of the Triforce.  He powered up what appeared to be an extremely strong blackish-purple beam into his hands. Link and Zelda tried to get up from the slushy ground, but it seemed that they were constricted by some force.  Try as they might, they could not free themselves from the muck. The two clung onto each other as they realized that impending doom was near. Agahnim threw out the black-colored beam, and it traveled directly toward the royal family.

Out of nowhere, Young Link ran forward.  In a flash, he jumped in front of his mother and father.  Emitting a loud cry, he lashed his sword at the energy beam. A massive explosion occurred as the beam was deflected out in several directions.  Many soldiers on the Ganondorf side took the deflected blast and fell to the ground, lifeless. At the epicenter of the explosion a big hole appeared in the soggy turf of Hyrule Field, and Young Link's body lay limp in the crater.  Everybody on the battlefield stopped dead in their tracks, in pure amazement at what they had just witnessed.  Even Ganondorf and Agahnim could not help but marvel at the young boy’s selfless act of courage.

By now, Zelda and Link were able to get to their feet, and the two looked down into the crater.  They screamed, horrified at what they had just seen. Zelda jumped down into the crater to check on her son, only to realize the worst. He was dead. Zelda started to shake and tremble in a clash of vast sorrow and furious anger.

Snapping out of their temporary state of shock, Ganondorf and Agahnim attempted to sucker attack Zelda in the crater.  Link realized this and knocked them back with light arrows. He then used his hookshot to shoot across the gap, where he engaged both Ganondorf and Agahnim with the sword of evil’s bane.  Link swung hard, rolled, dodged, and fought as he never had before.  The battle raged on for several minutes, and Link’s quick attacks took their toll on the slower sorcerers against him.  Still, the two against one battle started to become difficult for Link.  His stamina had left him.  He retreated back to the edge of the crater.  Ganondorf moved forward for the kill.  That’s when Zelda reappeared from the hole.  With a leap of faith, she parry attacked over Link's head and dropkicked both Ganondorf and Agahnim, knocking them to the ground. Link promptly nailed both of them again with light arrows to keep them down on the soggy grass and mud. He then tossed the master sword to Zelda.

 

Link gave her a look of courage, and Zelda nodded back.  The master sword began to glow in a blue light as she turned to face their fallen adversaries.  Sorrow and anger had fully enveloped her.  The brutal mutilation that Zelda unleashed was a horrific sight of blood and guts.  She swung, and swung, and swung away some more, lacerating the body parts of Agahnim and Ganondorf. While she did so, Link pulled out his Megaton Hammer and completely bashed in the skulls of the King of Evil and his sorcerer comrade. The couple, usually the emblem of all that was right and just in the Kingdom of Hyrule, had snapped completely.  They unleashed pain that was downright barbaric for anybody who saw it happen in person. Once the bodies of the vanquished were all but discernible, Zelda and Link turned around to look back at their fallen son, and at the Hyrulians they had led in battle.

”It is finished.  We have won.” They said together.

 

Link stood firm in front of the cheering Hyrulian army, while Zelda slumped down onto the grass in a heap.

 

 

 

Epilogue: Link and Zelda Rule Again

The emotions that flowed through the minds of Link and Zelda on that summer day in Hyrule Field were not unusual for that of a mother and father that had witnessed their son get murdered by a heinous killer. As such, they had no remorse for the brutality that they inflicted upon Agahnim and Ganondorf that day. It was not just the fact that their son had given his life for his parents and for the Kingdom of Hyrule. It wasn't just that they had been double crossed off of the throne. It went to the sheer fact that Agahnim and Ganondorf had attempted to destroy everything they held dear, including their only son. For that, they paid the ultimate price. Wishing to eliminate every last memory of their adversaries, just days after the battle of North Hyrule Field, Link and Zelda ordered a mass execution of every surviving soldier in Ganondorf’s army. Link, Zelda, several of the sages, and even the commoners in the town square took turns hacking off the heads of the vanquished, one by one, while cheering masses of Hyrulians looked on. The fervor was already off the charts when Zelda and Link gave the masses a surprise near the end of the heinous holiday. With the help of several Hylian Knights, they took the lacerated and smashed bodies of Ganondorf and Agahnim, and laid them in front of the great fountain that lay in the center of town.

Zelda addressed the crowd.  “People of Hyrule. We are gathered here to pay homage to our incredible resolve, and to our treatment of the vanquished. As you know, Link and I defeated Ganondorf when he aligned with my father years ago. We thought he was gone for good. However, one slippery individual, one Agahnim, concocted a plan to revive the King of Evil. The resulting conflict caused pain beyond belief throughout the Kingdom of Hyrule. People were enslaved, killed, uprooted from their homes and their lives, and even sent across the realm into the Dark World.  And my husband and I lost our son, the rightful heir to the Hyrulian throne.”

 

Zelda began to sob a bit at this juncture.  Link took over.  “It was a conflict that will never again be repeated in Hyrulian history, as today, we will slice apart the body of Ganondorf!”  The crowd cheered hysterically.  “We will cut up his body, and bury the pieces in the ground in several different areas around the land of Hyrule. The sages will send one piece across dimensions back to the Sacred Realm. In this way, we shall never have to deal with the evil Ganondorf or his minions ever again.”  There were more cheers as Link finished talking.

 

The rest of the ceremony was a blur to them as they did not think about the sheer horror of what they were doing.

Later on that night, inside Hyrule Castle, the King and Queen lamented their loss.

”He's gone.” Zelda said.

”Yeah, I know.” Link said.

”He was our only son, our only brethren! Why did he have to die?!  He was much too young to die!  We shouldn't have subjected him to such danger! Those evil people, why did they have to…” Zelda’s voice trailed off, and she started bawling.

”Zelda, don't be so hard.” Link said.  “If he wasn't there, we would be dead and this land would be doomed forever. He gave his life for us, and we must be forever grateful for his sacrifice.”

”He was just a child, he shouldn't die like that. He was only 10!  And his birthday was next week too.  Nobody dies at that young an age, and to think that he was the one thing we held most dear...”  Once again, Zelda could not hold back the tears.

”I know this is hard, I feel like knocking down a wall right now. But it isn't going to do us any good.” Link had an uncertain look in his eye, that of concern.  He didn’t feel like crying, but the pain he felt was just as rough as that of Zelda.

 

In the end, Link and Zelda would go on to rule the land of Hyrule for many more years.  Although they would go on to achieve more success as monarchs, and had two more children, they never reached near the amount of happiness they had attained in the early years of their reign.  Their battles with Agahnim and Ganondorf had forced a new personality out of both of them.  A personality that was cold, cunning, and in some ways heartless.  There was nothing either of them could do about it, for their experiences had stained them beyond repair.  The only thing they could truly take solace in was the fact that they had finally ridden Ganondorf and all evil from the land of Hyrule, forever. 

 

 

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