Disclaimer: I don’t want to get in whatever trouble people can get into when using other people’s characters so - .The Legend of Zelda, Link, Zelda, Ganon, Hyrule and other related characters and settings belong to to that wonderous console company, Nintendo. No infringement intended.

Juliet A. Singleton (Scullys@bigfoot.com) & Kirsty Singleton (Space@xs.clara.net)

Leigh woke up. "Hi beauitful!" whispered a voice into her ear. Leigh turned her neck. It was Black brow. She realised she'd been chained to the wall again.

  "Get away from me!" spat Leigh. He laughed.

  "What you gonna do?" he taunted, walking in front of her. Leigh breathed in deeply, watching him carefully. He reached up to her shackles and opened them. Another Tanolian stepped out from the shadows, holding out some more shackles. Looked like she was been taken somewhere else. As he snapped open her second shackle, she shot her fist forward, hitting him in the face. He staggered back, holding his face. The other soldier stepped forward and attempted to snap on the other shackles. She hit him too, feeling a little bit a satisfaction. It wasn't much, but at least she'd exacted a small amount of revenge. She tried to walk forward, but then realised her feet were still locked to the wall. The Black brow looked up, blood streaming from his nose, and smiled as he saw the fire die in her eyes. Before she could react, he hit her back in the face.

 "I would've thought you'd learnt the first time!" he growled. The other soldier quickly handcuffed her. "Maybe next time," he said smugly. She was freed from the wall, but not without a struggle.

  "Careful now, Canivaris won't like it if you're messed up," warned Black brow. Finally, she was off the wall and dragged out of the cell. She dragged her feet, but she was weak, and they were stronger anyway. Soon, she was in another chamber. They chained her to a metal chair that stood in front of a table, then left her, closing the door behind them.

  Leigh slumped in the chair, and looked down at the shackles. Perhaps she could pick them. She certainly had more freedom than before. She began to pick at the cuffs, but someone else had walked into the room. The door clicked behind them. Leigh looked up. A middle-aged, balding man stood before her. He had a large gut, and a white moustache. His eyes glittered like black jewels, moving over her in approval. She turned away, folding her arms. "What do you want from me?" she asked. The man chuckled.

  "Isn't it blatantly obvious?" asked the man. His voice was deep and rich, unlike the other men.

  "I can't say it is. I'm not even from Hyrule!" sighed Leigh. The man walked in front of her and sat down.

  "Not from this country?" he asked, a large smile spreading across his features.

  "Do you have a problem with that statement?" asked Leigh, glaring at him. She wished that the dress she had been given didn't show her figure so much. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

  "Well of course you're from this country dear, why lie. We Tanolians may not be renowned for our intelligence, but I can assure you that we are not stupid!" laughed Canivaris.

  "I'm not even from this Goddamn world for crying out loud! You're obviously mistaken me for someone else!" insisted Leigh. The man chuckled again.

  "Princess, you cannot lie to I," started Canivaris. "In fact, I'm sure your people are running around like headless chickens looking for you. Not for long though, I have already sent a messenger to inform your father that it is us that hold you," continued the Tanolian leader. Leigh frowned.

  "Princess?" she asked in surprise. They hadn't mistaken her for Zelda had they?

  "Yes, princess Zelda," said Canivaris, looking a little worried. Leigh laughed out loud.

  "Well the joke's on you, I'm not even royalty!" she mocked. Canivaris stood up, glaring at Leigh.

  "What!?" he asked, obviously annoyed.

  "I hope you haven't told Ganondorf you've got Princess Zelda because, you quite clearly haven't. I mean, she's not even on the site, she's in North Castle! Safe from the likes of you!" said Leigh, enjoying the changing expressions on the man's face. The man then drew a sword from his belt and held it to Leigh's throat. Leigh realised it was her sword.

  "Explain this then!" he demanded. "My minion's informed me that it destroyed a small group in three blows!" continued Canivaris. Leigh nodded her head.

  "It did, but it's power will never be handed over to you!" said Leigh defiantly.

  Canivaris pulled the sword away and clicked his fingers. Two men appeared, holding some kind of device. They set it down on the table, Leigh's eyes widened when she realised what it was. The two men grabbed her hands roughly and strapped her into the device. It was a thumb screw. The two men left. Canivaris gleamed at her, resting his hand on one of the screws. "You sure it won't work for us?" he asked tauntingly.

  "It won't!" declared Leigh. She gritted her teeth as he twisted the screw around. Her thumb was wrenched from it's socket and twisted round. Her face crumpled, but she did not cry out. She wouldn't give those listening the satisfaction.

  "You sure?" he asked again. Again she shook her head. He twisted the other screw. It hurt just as much, if not more, but she still did not cry out. Canivaris frowned. He slammed his fist down on the table. "Tell me damn you!" he demanded.

  "I already told you, it won't work for anyone but it's owner!" shouted back Leigh. Canivaris smiled at her.

  "Well then, since you are the owner..." he said grinning wickedly. He tightened one of the screws. It was excruciating pain, but she didn't allow herself to release her voice. "Say you'll help us!" demanded Canivaris.

  "Never!" declared Leigh. He tightened the other screw. She didn't scream. "I couldn't hold the damn thing now anyway," she spat.

  "We have other ways of torture. It's possible you've already received one form of personal torture," said Canivaris smirking. Leigh said nothing. He tightened the screw on her left thumb. If this went on, he'd rip it off. Leigh grimaced as he went on to do the same with her other thumb. He walked away from the table and came to her side. He slipped the sword back into his belt. Leigh caught sight of the flashing gem in it's setting. She smiled.

  "Kill him!" she whispered through gritted teeth. Arcadian flashed a grin.

  "What did you say?" asked Canivaris, turning to face her. Leigh shrugged.

  "You'll find out soon enough," said Leigh with a smirk. Canivaris glared at her, then his hand began to twitch. He reached for the sword.

  "What's happening?" he asked. His hand grasped the sword.

  "I'm going to enjoy this!" rasped Arcadian. Canivaris grabbed the sword and drove it into his own belly. Blood slid from the wound, Canivaris fell to the floor on his knees. His mouth agape and his eyes staring into nothingness.

 "I enjoyed that," chuckled Arcadian.

  "You would," sighed Leigh rolling her eyes. She then realised how much her thumbs hurt.

  She banged the shackles against the table and finally managed to get them open. She carefully wriggled her hands from the thumbscrews and stood up. She rubbed her thumbs carefully, trying to push them back into their sockets. "I'm impressed Avatar. Most of your kind would've at least whimpered, if not screamed," commented Arcadian.

  "I even surprise myself at times," agreed Leigh. She pulled the sword from Canivaris and held it high. Her hands couldn't properly grasp it. Suddenly the door swung open. Leigh looked in, then stepped back. Ganondorf.

  "Hmm, I was told Zelda was here," he said aloud.

  "Well, she's not here, sorry to disappoint you," quipped Leigh, watching Ganondorf warily. He glanced down at the dead Canivaris and smiled.

  "Why thank you Avatar. You've done me a favour. Thought I was going to have to finish him off myself," said Ganondorf.

  "Well, I can't say I was glad to help, but he needed to die," said Leigh dryly. She knew Ganondorf was evil, but she preferred him any day to Canivaris and his men. Ganondorf walked over to the body and looked down at it. He looked up at Leigh. She held the sword in a defensive position, not wanting to be caught off guard. He laughed.

  "You'll never get past me! Not with that," laughed Ganondorf. "Oh no? Why don't we try then?" asked Leigh, shifting from one foot to the other.

 "Yes, why don't we?" rasped Arcadian. Ganondorf gave Leigh an odd look.

  "You've seen stranger I'm sure," she said coolly. Ganondorf drew his own sword, stepping towards her.

  "Avatar, you interest me a great deal. Far more than Zelda could," he said. Leigh blocked his first blow with the sword, then lunged forward, almost disarming him.

  "Flattery will get you nowhere," said Leigh neatly. Leigh struck again, hitting him in the chest. The sword sank in, but he did not even wince. He smiled at her, then kicked her in the stomach. She reeled back, dropping the sword to the ground.

  "Oh bravo!" sneered Arcadian.

  "Shut up!" snarled Leigh, holding her stomach. She felt like she was going to throw up.

  "So sorry to do this to you, but the Tanolians would never forgive me if I let you escape," said Ganondorf approaching her. She tried to back away, but he grabbed her around the neck and lifted her into the air. Leigh struggled to breathe, but it just came out as feeble chokes. He looked at her, then threw her against the wall, knocking her unconscious.

  Alright, I'm not making a mistake. I could be a great help, Zelda thought to herself, as she changed out of her dress, into a pair of trousers. She grabbed a top from her wardrobe, and took one of Link's spare cloaks. She'd never worn one before, but noticed that Leigh and Selina both wore them. It would provide a little extra protection anyway, she decided. Zelda pulled on a pair of boots, and fastened a belt around her waist. Okay, almost ready, she thought. She reached under the bed, and pulled out her bow and some magic arrows. Then she slipped Link's sword through her belt. Taking a sheet of paper, and an ink pen, she hastily scribbled a note to her father, Impa and Ewan. Signing it, she left it in a prominent place, then ran up to the Triforce tower. The relic was still there, still protected by Zelda's magical barrier. "It will have to do. I have no choice," she murmured to herself. "No evil can pass. None," she said firmly. Smiling to herself, she went back down the stairs, all the way to the basement, and sneaked out of the castle, into the open...

  It was pitch black. Zelda couldn't see a thing. She ran alongside the castle walls, hoping not to be spotted by anyone doing a night watch along the battlements. Five minutes later, the castle lay behind her, the main battleground approaching. She glanced around, looking for the nearest tent. Her eyes, adjusted to the darkness by now, saw the shape of one at the bottom of the hill. Sighing in relief, she began to make her way towards it. As she ran along the grass, suddenly, someone jumped up in front of her. She gasped, and stepped back quickly, drawing her sword. A tall, scrawny man stood before her, holding a curved blade. He sniggered. "Ah... a blondie. You must be from the other side!"

  "Jerk," Zelda muttered under her breath. She closed her eyes, and held the sword out in front of her in both hands. She felt the blade power up, a surge of magic on the tip. "Now," she said, letting a bolt of magic fly from the end. The Tanolian gasped, and tried to deflect the bolt with his sword. He missed, and it hit in the shoulder. He fell back onto the ground, gasping in pain. Who says I can't aim, Zelda thought to herself, smiling smugly. The Tanolian stood up however, cursing her in his own language. He lunged towards her with his sword, but she quickly ducked, and did a flying kick instead. They both landed on the floor. Zelda quickly got up, and kicked him a few times in the ribs. Then she took the sword, and closing her eyes, rammed the blade into his chest. She felt sick as the weapon cut threw flesh and bone, blood spurting out. The man howled in pain, and then went silent. Zelda pulled the sword out, and smiled. Then she heard footsteps, and angry voices. Foreign voices. She gulped, and looked around. She was completely surrounded by Tanolians.

 "What the?" began Drake.

 "Look over there!" Link motioned. The two were on night patrol, and in the distance, they saw a series of shimmering blue-green explosions, and heard shouting.

 "That's surely magic, but who's using it?" Drake questioned, squinting.

 "I can't imagine. Maybe Leigh's back," Link replied.

 "I sure hope so. We could do with her help," Drake stated, still looking over at the scene on the skyline.

 "Strange that she's been gone..." Link began. Then he stopped. A magical beam landed nearby, hitting a tree. "Hang on a minute..." Link said slowly. "I'd know that aim, and that magic anywhere," he said.

 "What?" Drake asked in surprise.

 "Those bolts... my old sword has bolts that colour," Link said. "And that sword..."

 "What?" Drake asked again.

 "That sword... I gave it to Zel to look after... and... oh no!" Link cried.

 "What?" Drake said, for the third time.

 "That's Zel!" Link said, drawing his sword, and starting to run across the field.

 "What? Zelda is here?" Drake questioned, watching after the hero. Link didn't reply. He was already making his way over there. Drake shrugged to himself, then picked up his pace, and followed his friend.

  Zelda fought to catch her breath, but she was getting tired. Using the sword under pressure was much, much harder, and she was missing, rather than hitting the enemies. One of them laughed at her, and jabbed her in the side with his sword. She cried out in pain, and stumbled down to the ground. The sword went flying out of her hands, lost in the darkness. "Hahaha, not so clever now, are we, blondie?" one of the soldiers sneered, looking down at her. Another bent down, and pulled her up by her blouse. He pulled her around to face him, and looked into her eyes evilly.

  "Ah, that's what I love about you Hyrulian women. So pretty!" he taunted. She could feel his hot, fetid breath upon her face. She turned away in distaste.

 "Get off me!" she answered angrily.

 "No way. You're coming with us!" the man laughed.

 "Yeah, right!" Zelda replied, bringing her leg up to kick him hard in the pelvis. He groaned, and staggered back, letting go of her. Closing her eyes again, she made a psychic connection to the Triforce of Wisdom, drawing upon it's power. Although it was far away, she managed to draw upon a sufficient amount of magical energy, to create a powerful bolt. At the right moment, she let it fly out of her hands, exploding in front of several of the remaining Tanolians. Immediately after she let the bolt go, she was tackled from behind, and pulled down to the ground by the man she had kicked a few seconds previously.

 "Spirited too, but I have you now," he remarked smugly. She slapped him across the face in retaliation.

 "Alright, hands off her right now, else I'll kill you!" came a familiar voice.

 "Link!" Zelda cried out happily. Link grabbed the Tanolian by the scruff of his neck.

 "Don't you know how to treat a lady, you savage?" he questioned angrily. The Tanolian gulped. "I think I'll just kill you anyway," Link growled, thrusting his sword into the man's chest. The Tanolian slumped down to the floor, dead.

  "Zel!" Link said, as they rushed into each other's arms. They kissed passionately.

 "I was doing..." Zelda began, between kisses, "just...fine." Link barely stopped kissing her back to reply.

 "Didn't look that way..." he answered, kissing her again. They pulled away to catch their breath.

 "I was getting there," she grinned.

 "You are so stupid Zel..." he reprimanded her. They kissed again.

 "My god Princess, were you trying to get yourself killed?" Drake stated, walking up to the two. Zelda stepped away from Link, and shook her head.

 "No. And I was doing just fine without your help," she remarked, folding her arms.

 "Are you okay?" Link questioned anxiously. Zelda touched the left side of her waist.

 "Not quite," she admitted.

 "What are you doing here?" Drake asked.

 "Helping," she replied simply.

 "Zel, this is no place for a woman," Link chided. She frowned.

 "What about Leigh? And Selina?" she questioned. Link sighed.

 "Come on, back to my tent," he said.

 "Does this mean I'm left on night watch by myself?" Drake questioned. Link looked at Zelda, then at the knight.

 "Give me ten minutes. I'll be back," he promised.

 "Yeah, sure," the knight replied glibly, walking off into the darkness again. Link turned back to Zelda, his expression a mixture of worry and anger.

 "Zel, how could you do this? You really could have been killed just then... and if they hadn't killed you..."

 "Look Link, I'm fine!" Zelda snapped.

 "You're... Zel, they hurt you! And what if you're pregnant? Did you ever think of that? You're supposed to be looking after yourself, not tussling with enemy soldiers!" Link replied. Zelda looked down.

 "I wanted to help..." she began.

 "I know," Link said quietly. He took her by the arm. "Come on, come back to my tent," he said, slowly leading her across the field, away from the dead soldiers.

 "It was Fayette," Zelda said quickly. Link stopped.

 "What's Fayette got to do with this?" he asked.

 "I'm sick of her. She causes no end of trouble. Link you have to understand. I had to get out of there. And I needed to see you," Zelda replied. She spoke the last sentence in a low tone.

 "You only just saw me," Link replied, starting to walk again.

 "It wasn't enough. Besides, we work well together. You know that," Zelda said airily. Link sighed.

 "Maybe," he admitted. They stopped outside a small tent. "In here," Link said, lifting the flap.

  Link lit a small oil lantern. It cast a small glow around the tent. They sat down on top of the bedroll and blankets in one corner. Zelda lifted up the bottom of her blouse, examining the cut. It was still bleeding a little. "You badly hurt?" Link asked. Zelda shook her head.

"It's not too deep at all. I think the sword just grazed me," she replied. Link passed her a piece of bandage.

 "Hold that over it, I'll go and get Selina," he said, standing up and walking outside again. A few minutes later, Selina came into the tent, followed by Link.

 "Hey Zelda. This is a surprise," her friend said. Zelda nodded.

 "I guess so."

 "What did you do?" Selina questioned.

 "It's just a graze, nothing serious or anything," Zelda replied, showing her the wound. Selina nodded. "You were lucky. Those Tanolians like nothing more than prodding people with their swords, and sometimes, they can really hurt people doing that," she said, cleaning the blood away. "I'm going to try and heal in magically," she then said. Zelda nodded.

 "And it won't leave a mark?" she asked.

 "None at all," Selina reassured. She reached into a small pouch, and took out some regents. She chanted the healing mantra, then placed the mixed herbs upon the wound. It healed, almost at once.

 "Wow, Selina, I'm impressed!" Zelda grinned. Selina smiled.

 "That one's easy. I hardly get tired from doing it now," she replied.

 "I guess I ought to learn it sometime," Zelda sighed.

 "Ask Leigh," Selina replied.

 "Yeah, right. Like I'd ask her for any favours," Zelda said. Selina shrugged.

 "Well, she's not here anyway. Anyhow, I'll see you two later," she said, walking back outside.

  Link turned towards Zelda. "Okay, now that you're all okay, I'm taking you straight back to the castle," he said.

 "No!" Zelda said quickly, if not a little desperately.

 "Please Link, I'm begging you!" Link took her hand, and looked her straight in the eye.

 "Zel, what's the matter? Did something happen?" he questioned slowly.

 "No... nothing happened," Zelda replied quietly. "Do I have to have a reason?" she added sulkily. Link dropped her hand, and stood up.

 "I guess not. But I think you're making a big mistake."

 "Oh, so it's okay for Selina to be here, and Leigh, but not me! My magic excels..." she stopped, remembering Leigh.

 "My magic skills could help you," she said quickly.

 "We're doing fine. You don't need to worry," Link replied. Zelda eyed him suspiciously. Link knew that she suddenly wasn't in a good mood with him.

 "It sounds to me, that you're all too keen not to have me here!" she suddenly said, folding her arms and looking upwards. "Now I wonder why that is?"

 "Uh Zel... you're getting this all wrong! I'm just concerned for you! Why, Leigh is an experienced heroine! And Selina, well, she's a healer, and she can fight too," Link said hurriedly. Zelda didn't looked very pleased by this reply.

 "You would say that! Have you forgotten, or was it me who helped get rid of Ganon for the past seven years? I destroyed his cursed amulet, not you! That was my magic!" she snapped.

 "Don't take credit for all of it," Link replied, equally snappish.

 "Why don't you want me here?" Zelda demanded.

 "I do, but..." Link started.

 "I think I can guess," Zelda interrupted.

 "Okay. Go on then," Link said, wondering what she was going to say.

 "It's Leigh, isn't it?" she said, in an oddly calm manner. Link stared at her in surprise.

 "L-Leigh?" he spluttered.

 "I thought so as much," she answered tartly, not looking at him.

 "Don't start this nonsense again. Zel, you have to learn not to get so jealous! Leigh and I are friends, and that's as far as it goes. If you can't believe me, well... that's your problem," Link finally said. Zelda didn't reply. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here, get some sleep. I have to go back on watch, else Drake'll be like a bear with a sore head," he said, grinning at her a little.

 "Okay," she replied, indifferently. He leant down, to give her a kiss on the cheek.

 "I'm glad you're here," he whispered. He was glad that she didn't say, "it wasn't like that five minutes ago." She usually did when she was in a bad mood.

 "Take care," she finally said.

 "I'll be back soon," Link promised. She nodded, then lay down on the bedroll. He pulled the covers over her. "I'll be close at hand, if you need me," he said. Then he slipped back outside. Zelda fell asleep almost straight away. She suddenly felt very tired...

  Ewan glanced around. Again, he was floating in the air, just an unseen spectator of whatever was about to unfold. He had grown used to these dreams by now. He was in a large, airy tent made from white material. The air was warm and stuffy, sand covered the floor. He could feel the sun's rays penetrating through the tent, heating his skin. The tent was crowded with at least seven women, all similar to Madralesse, the woman in the cave. They all had fiery red hair, and deeply tanned skins. In the middle of the room, there lay a bed, and on that bed, there was Madralesse. "Come on Maddy!" encouraged one of the women, near the foot of the bed.

  "It's nearly over now," chimed another. Madralesse let out one last cry of agony.

 "You've done it, it's a boy Maddy. Our new king!" cried another woman. The child was passed along towards Madralesse, were she took hold of the child and cradled it in her arms.

 "What'll you call it Madralesse? What'll be the name of our next King?" asked another woman, more elderly than the rest. Madralesse looked down at the child. Ewan tried to get a better look. The child already had bright red tufts of hair sprouting from it's scalp, and it had the strangest eyes Ewan had ever seen upon any person he'd known. They were just orbs of amber, nothing else, but he could see them watching him.

 "I shall call him," started Madralesse. She was interrupted by another voice.

 "Ganondorf, Ganondorf Dragmire!" rasped the voice. It was like the sound of crumpling paper, thin and whispery. All the women looked round in surprise.

"Who said that?" asked one of the women, puzzled by the mysterious voice. They all looked towards Madralesse. She was looking down at her own child in surprise.

 "It was him," whispered Madralesse. The tent was suddenly filled with whispered conversations. Madralesse looked down at her child. She felt no motherly love for it, as a mother should. But she somehow knew, that this child would be the death of her and many others. She sniffed, and Ewan watched as the room faded away.

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