Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Zelda: Facade of the Living ❯ Beyond the Horizon ( Chapter 10 )

-The desert west of Hyrule is one of the most harsh and unforgiving terrains in the world.

Only the promise of treasure leads the foolhardy into the seemingly endless dunes. It is there that the soft sands consume those greedy travelers who do not have someone to guide them through to the other side.

A wayward spirit knows the way to the goddess in the sand, but he will not tell of the safe route to the thieves' den.

Here, in a place of forgotten dreams, the Gerudo scratch out a miserable existence amidst the dunes. It is their eternal punishment for a deed that no one remembers, not even the most ancient of their sorcerers.

Into the whipping, gale force winds the Hero of Time steps. Courage drives him forward, nearer and nearer to his love, his fate, indeed, the very reason that he lives.

But what will he find when and if he makes it to the other side…?




Chapter Ten: Beyond the Horizon


The Haunted Wasteland

Link could hardly see two feet in front of his own face.

The coarse, rough, gritty sand was embedded in his garments, which would best be described as flimsy. His green tunic did little to keep out the particles of sand that were being driven at him at high speed. It was getting everywhere, from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. Link had been wandering for a little more than an hour and was already totally covered in a thin layer of sand.

At the same time, it was also painfully hot, the air feeling almost as if it were on fire. Sweat flowed down his forehead in thick beads, which seemed to only attract more sand, adding to his distress. The hero could feel how sun burnt his neck was, the chafing wool of his hat and tunic only increasing the pain. Link was exhausted, and felt as if he would collapse and be swallowed up by the raging sandstorm.

Of course, he would never let any such thing happen.

Stumbling forward a few more steps, Link noticed the faint and blurry outline of a wooden pole. As he approached a bit closer, he could see a tattered red cloth attached to it, fluttering in the brutal, driving wind. It was one of the many placement markers that the Gerudo had set up to guide them through the Haunted Wasteland.

As far as Link was concerned, the Goddesses had placed it there for him.

But the sand was really starting to hurt now, and the hero thought it felt as if his skin would be whipped off his bones. Through sheer willpower, Link pushed himself closer and closer to the wooden marker. Finally, he grasped the pole and held on for dear life.

Wrapping both his arms around the marker, Link hunkered down as best he could, trying hard to make himself smaller.

Link had been in his share of sandstorms before, and this was turning out to be the worst by far. Pulling his green cap down over his nose and mouth, the hero braced himself against the wind. It was fruitless to try to go forward, as that would lead only to death, so he just plain stayed put.

Holding on with all his strength and willpower, Link did his best to simply wait out the raging desert typhoon.








Bowels of the Gerudo Fortress

It was quickly becoming more difficult to evade the guards.

Zelda's magic invisibility would last for only a little while longer. The Princess, Nabooru, and their small Gerudo entourage were hidden from view by a powerful spell placed over the guards. Quietly, they crept along the walls, for the brainwashing pertained only to sight, not sound.

If detected, all of them would be summarily executed.

After she had been freed of her chains, Nabooru had no problem at all escaping from her cell. Swiftly knocking out the guards in the adjoining room, she stole the key to Zelda's cell door. The traitorous Jade had made a critical error in judgment by not enchanting the lock itself, so putting the key in and turning it was all that was necessary to assure the Princess's freedom.

That had happened close to two hours ago, and they had just now finally found their way out of the labyrinthine dungeon.

Whilst they were sneaking away, out of nowhere a squad of twelve Gerudo warriors bounded into the hallway, stopping just inches in front of the escapees. Nabooru recognized the lead, with the rank of lieutenant, as the assassin Teno'r. The intense desert sun glinted off the hitwoman's long scimitar through an open window, almost blinding Princess Zelda for a moment, which could have broken the spell.

Though she wore the white garb of a Gerudo Elite, Teno'r was also commissioned in Gorkhan's regular army. Darkly tanned from constant training outdoors, she had taken great lengths to prove herself to the King. Though quick with the sword, and even better with a hookshot, Teno'r was mouthy and arrogant, which often got her into petty squabbles with her sisters.

Despite her attitude, she had completed the difficult underground Gerudo training. She then became a deadly assassin, second only to her comrade in arms So'Prano.

Taking one or two cautious steps forward, Teno'r halted suddenly and gestured for her squad to do the same.

"Quiet!" she ordered, her soldiers instantly obeying. "They're here somewhere, in this chamber. Spread out and start looking!"

"What happens when we find them?" one of them quickly asked.

"You know the protocol. Kill the traitors, but leave Princess Zelda unharmed. Now get moving!"

Immediately and without question, the soldiers began to investigate the surrounding area. The drab, light brown walls were only sparsely decorated, just like every other room in the Gerudo Fortress, an ancient ornamental rug and a few animal skulls being the only things worth looking at. Despite its lack of beauty, this room and the better parts of the Gerudo Fortress exuded a strange warmth that made the structure almost livable. It was warm during the frigid night and cool during the burning day, something that could not always be said about many Hylian buildings.

Zelda, Nabooru, and the others were hiding in a corner behind some empty crates and some old pottery, watching the Gerudo comb through the room's clutter. Her mind was being taxed at having to simultaneously brainwash twelve people, but she was holding on and doing well. She regulated her breathing as best she could, and from then on, the spell seemed to be working. The Gerudo seemed quite perplexed that the Princess and her comrades could have disappeared from their cells. A horrible punishment awaited them if they did not locate the renegade princess, the key to Gorkhan's many schemes. But due to Zelda's spell, none of the soldiers saw anything in their direction other than empty space, which was a very good thing indeed.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

The soldiers were then ordered to check the rest of the compound and quickly dispersed. Soon, only Teno'r remained to survey the area. In a cruel twist of fate, one of the clay pots moved ever so slightly, nudged just a bit by one of the invisible Gerudo girls. Teno'r picked up the movement out of the corner of her eye and watched in amazement as it rattled back into place.

Curious, the assassin walked over to the vase and picked it up. Lightweight and cheaply glazed, a meager few rupees plinked around on the inside when she shook it. Quite aggravated by now, Teno'r pocketed the money inside and threw the vase at the wall, shattering it into a hundred or so pieces.

But before she could storm away in a rage, she noticed something extraordinary. Some of the fragments seemed to be floating in midair, suspended by some kind of mystical force. Teno'r gaped at the sight with eyes wide, and unsheathed her sword just to be safe. Cautiously, the Gerudo approached the invisible girls. Some of the pieces had landed on Nabooru, who was horrified to see Teno'r heading in her direction.

Moving crates and barrels out of the way, the assassin was positive she had found her targets. Now she would kill them and take her rightful place in Gerudo history as the one who eliminated the conniving traitors. Raising her blade high, Teno'r swung in a downward arc toward the floating pieces of baked clay, a sadistic grin flashing across the Gerudo assassin's face. Knowing this could be her end, Nabooru reacted with lightning speed, driving her balled fist into the hitwoman's gut.

She followed that up with a second punch that was twice as powerful, causing Teno'r to lose her grip on her weapon. Nabooru was, of course, the best of all Gerudo thieves, so the assassin was no match at all. Taking advantage of her invisibility, she proceeded to kick her adversary in the stomach several times before being restrained by her comrades.

At this point, Zelda decided it was no longer necessary to keep her spell in place. Even though the Gerudo assassin was doubled over in pain, she was able to look up in amazement as the four young women materialized seemingly out of thin air. A twinge of mortal fear flashed through her as Nabooru picked up the scimitar that she had dropped just moments before.

Nabooru then closed in on Teno'r, devious thoughts brewing in her mind.

"What should we do now?" she thought out loud, trying to restrain her anger.

"Maybe we should torture her the way we were tortured!" Kentoori answered, ready to kick Teno'r a little more.

Zelda restrained the two Gerudo girls, stopping them from doing anything too rash. Violence and the loud screams that would result from torture would draw the guards back and they would be trapped once more. In addition, Zelda found the very idea appalling, as torture had been eradicated from practice in Hyrule hundreds of years before.

"I don't think so! No one deserves that kind of pain, not even someone like her, understand?!" the Princess barked at them.

"Then what ever shall we do Your Worshipfulness?" Nabooru sarcastically replied.

"We can't stay here, that's for sure. We can't go outside either because the guards are swarming all over the grounds, of that I'm positive."

"Fine then, we'll have to hide again somewhere. Come on, there's some store rooms down this way!"

Nabooru and her three companions took off, running at top speed down the nearest corridor, leaving Zelda behind to deal with Teno'r.


*****


After watching the prisoners escape, the assassin gathered herself and shook off the pain in her gut. Her strength had returned, and with it she would subdue Zelda and return Her Highness to the sandy dungeon from whence she came. She glared at the Princess, sizing her up and trying to get her to back down or run away.

But the Hylian stood firm and refused to budge even an inch.

The two of them circled each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. For what seemed like a painful eternity they stared into each other's eyes, until suddenly Teno'r made her move.

Indeed, it was very quick, but also awkward and filled with rage. Zelda easily sidestepped it, tapping into her vast magical powers in order to gain the upper hand. Gerudo fists hit nothing but air as Teno'r futilely tried to land a blow on a target that seemed to be almost in two places at once. Zelda never struck back, merely dodging the attacks with her hands neatly folded behind her back.

After an impressive show of martial arts, the Princess thought it was time to end the charade, as Teno'r was clearly no match at all for her magic powers. The Gerudo kicked high with her right foot, and Zelda neatly bent down to sweep the left one off the ground, causing the woman to land extremely hard on her backside.

With the wind all but knocked out of her, Zelda had Teno'r right where she wanted.

"You…were…only toying with me," the assassin huffed from the gritty stone floor.

"Of course I was," Zelda replied curtly.

"You…could have killed me…at any time, am I right?"

"Most certainly, and in more than one way."

The Princess's voice was cold and devoid of emotion. Zelda didn't have a lot of time to chat, so she got straight to the point.

"Where is Jade?!" she demanded.

"The Sheikah boy? He…is training with Lord Gorkhan," the defeated hitwoman replied.

"For what? What is he training for?! Tell me, I must know!" Zelda roared in anger.

Teno'r merely chuckled at her ludicrous request.

"Stupid girl! I'm not one to take orders from you! Go find out for yourself!" she said caustically.

When the Gerudo found out seconds later that it was impossible to move, her smug tone of voice completely disappeared.

Zelda was using formidable magic to bind her in place. Teno'r lay face up on the dirty ground, arms and legs stiff at her side. No matter how hard she commanded her muscles to move, they simply would not budge. A great sense of mortal fear washed over her now, paralyzing her to an even further degree. The Gerudo assassin had always tempted death, laughing in its face whenever she could. But in her mind she had failed this time, and her sisters would not be there to snatch her back into the world of the living.

An iridescent ball of light appeared in Zelda's outstretched palm as the Hylian approached the downed Gerudo. It was now that Teno'r's face turned as white as a sheet.

"Please…please no…" the woman said, terrified. "I didn't mean it! Please…don't!"

"I'm sorry, but it's time for you to go to sleep," the Princess replied in a somber tone.

The orb of light vanished when Zelda held her hand over Tenor's body. The assassin's eyes widened at the strange feeling of warmth that flushed over her. It was cozy and inviting, dulling her senses and calming her nerves.

Soon after, there came a seemingly pleasant blackness that overwhelmed her, and then there was nothing.

Nothing except the grating sound of someone loudly snoring.

And so the Princess Zelda left her adversary there, sprawled out on the floor, sleeping like a baby.









In the middle of the desert

At least two hours had passed since the beginning of the sandstorm. Raging high-speed winds had given way to calm, albeit extremely hot, weather. Blue sky stretched from horizon to horizon, and the sun beat down on the earth unabashed with all its fury. Nothing stirred here, and everything was quiet and serene, not even the vultures daring to take to the wing in this scorching air.

The only visible thing where the Hero of Time had once stood was a great mound of sand with the crimson red flag marker at the very top. It fluttered lazily in the hot breeze with no purpose other than to show any intrepid souls present that they were indeed in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, this was just a sand mound, one of countless others. It was harmless it every way. Eventually, the grains would sift their way down and flatten out, that is, until the next storm blew them back again. But the man stuck in the dune holding onto the marker for dear life didn't have the luxury of waiting until the sand cleared of its own accord.

No matter what he tried to do, Link couldn't move. The weight of the sand was simply too much, and soon he would exhaust all of his magic power. When the sand storm had picked up in its ferocity earlier, Link decided it would be wise to cast Nayru's Love, a magic spell that envelops the one using it in a protective force field.

"I really, really need to get out of here,"the hero thought to himself.

Nayru's Love was keeping the oxygen in his lungs, but the second he dispelled it, the sand would rush in and Link would choke to death. Before the spell lost its power, the hero noticed that the sand particles around him seemed to be shifting in a most peculiar way. It was almost as if there was another person deliberately moving the sand away, trying to dig him out.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Nayru's Love failed.

At least a ton of sand pummeled Link instantaneously. This time he was completely stuck, his arms and legs unable to move whatsoever. With all his muscle power the hero tried to get rid of the sand that was draining all the life out of him, but it was to no avail. A vision flashed through Link's mind of a thousand other travelers who had met this same fate. For them, it had been a quick death, asphyxiated almost immediately by the unforgiving desert. But the hero had chosen never to give up, to struggle against nature and to defy the gods at every turn.

Link would never let himself die in this manner.

Indeed, he would not, for the Hylian felt a pair of strong arms grip his shoulders. A great and powerful force bodily ripped him from the sand dune, equipment and all. Scorching hot air, but air nonetheless, immediately filled his lungs and returned some of his strength.

Lying there on the hot ground, Link sputtered and panted and spit out particles of sand. He then quietly stared up at the cloudless blue sky until a dark shadow obscured his view.

"Fancy meeting you here," said the dark shape. "I believe this is the second time I've saved your life, isn't it Master Link?"

Sitting up, the hero turned to gaze upon the rounded face of a lizard. The reptile grinned widely after seeing the annoyed expression on Link's face, showing a few rows of sharp, needle like teeth.

"Toriyu, I swear I thought I told you not to follow me!" the Hylian exclaimed.

The lizard man put on his most innocent smile.

"But I was not following you Master, honestly," said the Tokay. "I found what I was looking for in the Spirit Temple and was heading home when I caught wind of your scent from underneath that dune."

In order to illustrate his point, Toriyu grabbed one of several burlap sacks that he had with him. Link peered inside and saw at least five thousand rupees worth of gold and jewels. The Spirit Temple was always very well known as the storage vessel for all the loot stolen by the Gerudo. Apparently, Toriyu had been brave enough to steal seven bags worth from right underneath their noses. The little reptile had now amassed a personal fortune of around thirty-five thousand rupees, more than enough to retire comfortable on, that is, provided he could safely get out of the desert.

Handing Toriyu the sack, Link turned and looked towards the Gerudo Fortress on the horizon, and the little Tokay quickly picked up on his emotions.

"You want to go over there, don't you?" he asked.

"It's not that I want to, I need to," Link replied. "She's everything to me."

Rubbing his chin, Toriyu tried to say something, but he didn't know if it would have any effect on the Hylian. With the hot sun bearing down on them, the two of them silently gazed at the high walls of the Gerudo Fortress to the east. Heated air rising up in the distance made the imposing fort look like a mirage, but they knew in their hearts it was real.

Then, Link suddenly got to his feet. He dusted himself off, fixed his equipment firmly, and began walking towards his destiny.

Of course, the lizard man had no choice but to follow him.

"Where are you going?" asked Toriyu, dragging his sacks of treasure behind him.

"I'm going through the back gate," Link replied.

"For what reason?"

"To rescue Zelda."

"Why do that?"

"Because she's a trouble magnet, okay?"

"Okay. But what exactly is a magnet?"

Irked beyond his threshold of self-control, Link turned around to glare at the lizard man. The hero never could stand being asked so many questions, preferring only to listen to others. He had always been very quiet and mysterious, something he'd grown to like and was comfortable with.

Of course, it would prove difficult to let go of that kind of life

"Master, what is wrong? Have I offended you in some way?" Toriyu humbly inquired.

The hero let out a long, quiet sigh before answering.

"No…no you haven't," Link said. "I'm at fault for everything that's happened to her. My own anger and frustration blinded me to the danger that was rushing towards us. Now my friends are dead, knocked over a thousand foot high mountain because I failed to save them. I can't let something like that happen again…"

When Toriyu heard Link's last statement, a flash of recognition swept over him. He remembered being back in the ravine at Death Mountain and seeing a few shapes moving around, one very short and one very tall. They had been moving up and down the canyon, trying to find a way back up the sheer rock face. Once he had found Link though, Toriyu noticed that the figures were gone, and so paid it no mind.

It might have been relative to the situation, but then again, it might not. The lizard man decided not to mention it, and simply continued to follow the lone Hylian warrior.









Throne room of the Gerudo Fortress

Jade laughed maniacally.

Although it would not have seemed possible to him, the outpouring of bolts from his fingers actually increased in intensity. The sound screamed through the chamber, the murderous brightness of the flashes overwhelming the senses. Jade raised his spidery arms towards the vertical wooden log and fired again. Blinding white bolts of energy coruscated from his hands, shooting across the room like sorcerous lightning.

The energy struck the wood and tore through it, looking for ground. In a flash, the log exploded, sending fiery splinters in all directions. The Sheikah boy repeated this process on all the other training posts, destroying twenty in all.

Gorkhan waded through the thick smoke produced from the burning wood, quite impressed. His new apprentice had come far in the past few days, journeying ever deeper into the mysteries of the dark arts.

"Excellent boy," the Gerudo king said. "The darkness inside has made you powerful. You have learned much in the past few days."

Staring down at his hands, Jade briefly noticed that they had changed color. His skin had once been rather fair, but now it was a sickly blue color, as if his blood was devoid of oxygen. It was of little matter to him then, so he quickly turned his attention back to his master.

"When are we to attack, my lord?" Jade asked with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Have patience, my young agahnim. Our plans will come to fruition soon enough," his master replied.

The Sheikah didn't quite believe that, and continued with his line of questions.

"My King, are you positive? I fear that our window of opportunity is closing," replied Jade. "We must take the Triforce of Wisdom from the Princess now. Only then can we hope to gather the other two pieces."

Quietly, the Gerudo king gazed at his apprentice, the malice clear in his eyes. He was the only being strong enough to instill fear in the increasingly dark spirit of the Sheikah. As he stood, silent and alone, he did not dare look into his master's face, and instead cast his eyes down at his boots. Gorkhan's presence was awesome enough, but the sound of his voice sent a thrill of terror coursing through Jade's scrawny frame.

"Your lack of faith is disturbing to me," he roared. "This is not a game, boy! You will do as I say, not the other way around! Believe me when I tell you this, Wisdom and Courage will come to us. It is the way of things."

Suddenly, Jade's tendency to be very stubborn reared its ugly head. Lately, the young man seemed to think only his opinions mattered, and that personality trait certainly rubbed Gorkhan the wrong way. He stared his master straight in the eye, directly challenging the Gerudo King of Thieves.

"Oh, do tell!" the young warrior sarcastically replied. "How exactly will they meet? The Hero of Time is most likely dead, I saw to that myself! So how can he possibly make his way here? We have to go and find him, not the other way around!"

Gorkhan stood eerily silent for a moment, so much so that it made the Sheikah realize that he had mouthed off to the wrong person. The King coldly grimaced at the boy, thinking rather hard about how he would rain punishment down on the young warrior.

When he finally spoke, he did not sound like a master who cared at all for his apprentice.

"Little whelp!" the sorcerer growled. "You are but the learner! Remember who your master is!"

Raising a single hand, Gorkhan unleashed a mighty torrent of dark lightning at the boy. It was of the same type Jade had been practicing earlier, only this was about a hundred times more powerful. The Sheikah could see the bolts coming at him, and figured that if they were generated by magic, then they could surely be repelled by magic. Initially, he was successful. The lightning rebounded from his touch, striking the walls harmlessly.

Soon though, the shocks came with such speed and power, destroying what will he had left to resist. They coursed over and into him, and Jade could only shrink before them, convulsed with pain, his knees buckling, his powers at ebb.

Jade crawled, like a wounded animal, to his master's side. The boy tried desperately to voice his apologies, but all that came from the boy was a pathetic squeak.

"I beg of you…" said the Sheikah. "Please…stop…"

Gorkhan refused to listen. Jade was nearly unconscious beneath the continuous assault of the Gerudo king's lightning. Tormented beyond reason, betaken of a weakness that drained his very essence, he hoped for nothing more than to submit to the nothingness towards which he was drifting. It was a comforting blackness, so beautiful that he could almost ignore the excruciating sensation of his own skin being seared off.

The Gerudo smiled down at the enfeebled young Sheikah, watching the boy grasp weakly at his leg.

Eventually, Jade's body slowed, wilted, and finally crumpled under the hideous barrage. He stopped moving altogether, at last appearing totally lifeless.

The evil king hissed maliciously, then bent down to kneel next to Jade.

"Now you understand boy, who is the master, and who is the apprentice," Gorkhan whispered harshly into his ear. "When you have the strength I'll finish your training. Until then, know this…I own you boy. You, like Hyrule, will be mine…"

He left the Sheikah on the cold floor, turned, and exited the throne room. When Jade finally mustered the energy required to move, he brought his hands up to look at them. Not only was the flesh on his arms badly seared, but also the flesh of his entire torso burnt well past any sense of recognition.

All he could think about was how ugly he looked with violet blisters covering the entire surface of his body. He thought about how disgusting and humiliated he felt, both from being humbled and from betraying his Princess so. Images of the Renegades, people who had been his friends once, briefly flashed through his head. The boy felt weak and stupid for not having been able to control his emotions, the kind of feelings that had led him down this evil path.

Eventually the Sheikah focused on the one person he had let down the most, the person who had tried so hard to help and guide him through these difficult times.

His thoughts were of Link, and how he failed the Hero of Time above all others. Tears began to flow as he twisted in anguish, both from the pain of the third degree burns and from the consequences of his own actions.

And just before he passed out, Jade finally understood that this was no longer a game.

This was Darkness.









Inside a small storage room

Running at top speed, Zelda bolted down the corridor. Even now, in the middle of the day, it was dimly lit. She knew for a fact that Nabooru and the others had gone through one of the many doors on either side of this hallway. Zelda could hear the footfalls of the guards growing louder against the sandstone floor.

By now, they had no doubt found the sleeping form of Teno'r. If Zelda stayed in one spot, a whole platoon of Gerudo soldiers would most certainly find her and she'd be back at square one.

The Princess decided to keep running until she reached the very end of the corridor.

Practically skidding to a halt, she noticed that there was a choice between one of three doors. There certainly wasn't a lot of time left, so Zelda tried to open the closest one, but after tugging in the handle, her frantic mind realized that it was locked. The second door was locked as well, but the one at the very end of the hallway, thankfully, was not. Zelda paid little attention to the strange Gerudo markings on it before she flung the door wide open.

Upon entering, the Princess was startled by what her eyes beheld.

There was the Gerudo hitwoman, A'lto, backed up against the wall, with Nabooru's scimitar pressed against her throat. The room was small and cramped, with random boxes filling half of the entire space. A single window filled the room with the blinding glare of the midday sun, shining down hard on the figures huddled inside.

"Ah, just in time, Your Worship," the Gerudo thief said with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Look what I've captured."

"Never mind. Be quiet!" Zelda replied tersely, already pushing a large heavy crate in front of the portal to barricade it. "They'll be coming this way, and they'll hear us if we're too loud."

Only seconds later, the entire platoon could be heard rushing past the door. More than fifty of Gorkhan's soldiers passed by, searching the corridor and breaking into some of the rooms that weren't already locked up. Several of the Gerudo girls began to kick the door to A'lto's chamber, but it was well blocked and Nabooru's comrades had the assassin's mouth covered to prevent her from screaming.

Eventually they saw that the room belonged to one of their superiors and ceased banging on the heavy wooden door. Moments later they were gone, and Nabooru turned back to Zelda in order to insult her randomly.

The Gerudo woman could easily have come up with another sharp-tongued remark but decided that the time for comebacks had passed. She focused her attention on her captive, who had wisely chosen not to struggle. Getting aggressive, Nabooru pushed the curved blade a little harder against A'lto's throat, not enough to draw blood, but certainly enough to be uncomfortable.

"Mind telling us why you, of all people, are holed up in here?" Nabooru asked.

"I could, if you'd just get that damn thing out of my face!" A'lto replied.

"Why the hell should I?"

"Because if I don't, you'll be forced to kill me, and then you'll never hear what I have to say."

For a long few seconds, Nabooru seriously contemplated that, carefully weighing the consequences of both courses of action. It took so long that her compatriots really started to believe that she would end up brutally slaying poor captive A'lto.

"Nabooru, stop!" Zelda cried out. "No one has the right to take the life of another!"

Her words made the Gerudo thief stop in her tracks. Thankfully, Nabooru decided that it wouldn't be a very good thing to kill a fellow Gerudo, even one as twisted as the girl in front of her.

A'lto let out a heavy sigh of relief when Nabooru took the knife away.

"Want to share now, or shall we sit here and continue bickering with each other?" the Princess said harshly.

The assassin straightened her uniform in an attempt to regain a sense of dignity before speaking.

"I'm being punished for my failures," A'lto replied. "Lose once to your enemies and you get a second chance. Fail to learn from your mistakes and lose again and this is what happens. It's the Gerudo way."

"So I see," the Princess said. "Rather barbaric if you ask me."

"Yeah, well nobody asked you, did they Lady Zelda?" Nabooru just had to say. "Please don't criticize our social structure, because we certainly don't criticize yours."

Zelda snorted at not having a proper comeback and turned away. The Princess and the Gerudo thief were obviously very strong personalities. Years before, when Nabooru was the Gerudo leader prior to Gorkhan's ascension to the throne, there were many peace accords being held at Hyrule Castle. The young Zelda would often get into heated political debates with Nabooru and her accompanying entourage. It never got to the point where insults were exchanged, but the atmosphere was always charged with animosity.

The older Nabooru thought Zelda was just a snooty rich girl who knew nothing except how to complain to her father when the argument didn't go her way. On the flip side, the Princess saw her adversary as a vicious thief who wanted little more than to steal the crown jewels, and a tramp to boot.

Naturally, as tensions cooled and finally peace came to Hyrule, the two became fast friends. Their arguments now were merely for fun, a private little game of one-upmanship.

However, this wasn't the time for games. A good plan was needed if they were to all escape from the Gerudo Fortress alive.

"Sorry to interrupt your pouting O' Great Princess of Hyrule, but I have something that belongs to you," A'lto impatiently said.

Reaching underneath the old, sand covered mattress, the assassin began to search for something. She began to get frustrated and swore vehemently when she couldn't locate it, but eventually grabbed hold of what she was looking for. Pulling the long steel rod out from under the bed, A'lto happily presented it to Princess Zelda.

The Hylian woman fumbled it around in her hands for a moment before she truly realized what it was. For a few seconds she could hardly comprehend the information that here eyes were sending to her brain. The sight of the glittering jewel fastened atop the metal rod had her completely transfixed. Zelda had thought for sure that she'd lost this valuable artifact, forever stuck at the bottom of the ravine by Death Mountain.

"My…my Omega Rod!" she finally exclaimed. "Where did you find it?"

"It was given to me by somebody," A'lto calmly answered.

"Do you plan on telling me who it was?"

"No, because I honestly don't know. It was some lady, but she wore a thick cloak and I couldn't see her face. She told me it'd be a good idea to help the "Princess of Destiny". I figure that's you, so it'd be a good thing I suppose if I hang around you for a while…"

For a moment, A'lto appeared very sad. It was plainly evident to the others that she would never again kill another living being just from the look on her face.

"There's been enough death caused by me, but no more," she said. "As for that staff, take the damn thing and get it out of my sight."

Zelda felt almost like hugging the Omega Rod she was so joyful. Now they had a fighting chance of actually getting away with their lives still intact. With its awesome power, the Princess could easily blow a gaping hole in the side of the wall and simply walk out. However, that would more than likely attract all the guards in the area, and Zelda didn't know if she'd be able to defeat all of them by herself. Although she didn't doubt the skills of the Gerudo with her in this tiny, sun-baked room, she wondered how it was they'd be able to fight off the whole division of Gorkhan's army that was stationed at the fortress.

So when that possibility went up in smoke, she turned to Nabooru and the others and they began to hash out a plan of escape.









Twenty minutes later

"Okay, it's agreed!" the Princess exclaimed. "I'll use my invisibility shield again and we'll slip out undetected. We'll make our way out and meet up with the Twenty Second Lancers Brigade that's camped outside Gerudo Valley."

"How fast can they get us to Hyrule City?" Nabooru inquired.

"A lot faster than if we were to walk, I'd say. We'll be there in a heartbeat," Zelda replied with confidence.

Nabooru grinned wildly at the prospect of finally getting away from this wretched place. It had been both a home and a prison to her for so many years that she didn't quite know what to feel.

Once the corridor patrols died down, they would slip out undetected. Afterwards, Nabooru would lead Zelda and the others out of the fortress and into Gerudo Valley. All of them would then make their way across the rickety bridge that spans the canyon in which a stretch of the Zora River flows. Once on the other side, they could link up with a Hylian cavalry brigade stationed just outside the valley as a peacekeeping force.

From there, they would be taken to Hyrule City, where Zelda could inform her father of Gorkhan's treachery and the city's defenses could be shored up.

The Princess stood up and brushed the thin layer of sand off her dress. She could tell that there were no more patrols in the corridors and gestured to the Gerudo with her that it was time to set their plan in motion.

"Okay, time to get out of here," she whispered.

The others nodded in agreement and moved to help her get rid of the barricade in front of the heavy wooden door. Collectively they moved the crate out of the way and Nabooru reached for the door handle.

Just as she put her hand on the knob, a round object blocked the stream of sunlight that had been coming through the window. Turning around, Nabooru could have sworn it was a solar eclipse, and she had to shield her eyes to see what it was. However, she knew for a fact that the moon didn't have a neck, or eyes, or a set of sharp teeth.

Actually, the object was the rather bulbous head of a Tokay. All the women in the room spun around to face it when it began to speak.

"Greetings," it said in a formal voice.

"Uh…hello. Nice to meet you," Nabooru responded, unsure of what else to say.

The lizard man stared at them all before centering his attention on Princess Zelda. Her Ladyship was no cleaner than any of the other sand encrusted prisoners, but she looked, smelled and acted like a Hylian to the little green Tokay.

"Ah, Lady Zelda I presume?" Toriyu asked of her.

"Yes, I am she," the Princess replied. "Can you help us get out of here?"

"Splendid! Splendid!" he enthusiastically answered. "I must go tell the master."

Oddly enough, it seemed the little Tokay hadn't heard the Princess's plea for assistance. He disappeared from sight, leaving the girls to hopelessly ponder what his intents might have been. But then, only a few seconds later, another head appeared in the window.

This person was certainly much different than the enigmatic Tokay. A man, his head wasn't nearly as circular as Toriyu's and he certainly wasn't any kind of a reptile. He wore big foppish green hat that was seemingly held in place only by the fact that he had a lot of stringy blonde hair. The man was sweating profusely with the hot sun at his back, beads of it dripping from his elegantly pointed ears. Stabilizing himself with one arm, he wiped his brow with the other, showing off the leather gauntlets that protected his hands.

And then he moved enough to block the light, allowing Zelda to get a good look at his face.

Familiar cobalt eyes stared back at her with the same loving affection she'd seen in them many times before.

The window he was looking through was at least ten feet off of the ground, typical of Gerudo architecture. As soon as he tried to climb through, the man slipped and plummeted to the floor. He landed extremely hard on his backside, revealing his forest green tunic, leaving no doubt amongst those in the chamber as to whom this person was.

It was Link, come to rescue them all.

The Princess stepped forward to help the Hero of Time back to his feet.

"You, good sir, are late," Zelda said jokingly. "I would have expected more from the Legendary Hero."

Link shot her a wicked glare as he rubbed his back in pain.

"Well, excuse me Princess," he replied half serious and half comically, "Life is pain! Get to know this!"

She did little more than chuckle to herself.

"Heh, maybe some other day. More importantly, how did you find us?" asked the Princess.

Feeling odd in the presence of the other Gerudo girls, he didn't want to say out loud his true reasons for coming here. Part of it was the fact that his Triforce of Courage and her Triforce of Wisdom would resonate when they were close. However, the truth of the matter is that he loved Zelda so much that he would trek across a hundred deserts just to be with Zelda. In his heart, that's what he wanted to say, but he feared that if he did then the two of them would kiss passionately in front of the Gerudo.

That would, of course, lead to the other girls laughing and calling them "stupid Hylians", perhaps the most common Gerudo insult in the world.

Instead, Link simply embraced Zelda, as she did the same. There would be plenty of time for romantic thoughts and actions later, but for now, they needed to escape this dreaded fortress.

"Magic," said the hero, breaking their tender hug. "I used magic, like always. It's the answer to everything."

Zelda smiled as Link turned his attention towards Nabooru, who was standing there with her hand firmly pressed against her hips.

"Well, la dee da, if it isn't Link, a man, come to save us poor little women," the thief sarcastically began. "Save me! Save me, oh Hyrule Knight! I implore you, tell us your brilliant plan to get us out of this festering hellhole."

All of a sudden, the great hero found himself speechless, almost as if he'd been caught with his pants down. He nervously smiled, feeling the gazes of all the women in the room fixed on him. Nabooru hadn't moved an inch, A'lto was impatiently tapping her foot on the stone floor while Kentoori angrily crossed her arms. Even Zelda and the other two Gerudo had begun to doubt whether or not Link had any kind of strategy for them to follow.

Indeed, he most certainly did not.

"Oh…heh…yes, of course, the plan!" Link finally said, scratching the back of his neck.

He searched around for a second, frantically looking for anything that would save him from embarrassment. Zelda was already beginning to snicker at him and it seemed that the other Gerudo girls would follow suit. However, a clever thought popped into his head and he instantly regained his composure.

"The window, of course," he stated, broadly smiling. "It's how I got in here. No reason to believe we can't leave the same way."

Link haphazardly jerked his thumb backwards to illustrate his point, which only served to anger Nabooru even further.

"Honestly, that's the most brilliant thing I've ever heard in my entire life," she replied with enough sarcasm to choke a horse. "Please show us how it is you plan to get all of us, yourself included, ten feet vertically up in the air?"

Once again, the great Hero of Time was stumped. His courage often blinded him to the wonders of logic and common sense, but thankfully Link was resourceful enough to think on his feet. The Hylian straightened his tunic for good measure, and then walked over to the sandstone wall.

He put his back up against the wall and braced himself as best he could.

Nabooru immediately drew a conclusion and took up a position at the other end of the room. While it was a very tiny storage chamber, enough space existed for her to get a good, running start. Link was something of a celebrity, and he'd grown used to women throwing themselves at him for no reason, but he had never seen one move so fast.

The Gerudo woman appeared to be nothing more than a blur as she bolted toward the hero. Nabooru ran as fast as she could possibly go and covered the distance in only two seconds. She stopped briefly, then jumped up on Link's shoulders, digging her heels into the spaces between his neck and clavicles to show her displeasure at having to be rescued by a man, even one as handsome as Link. With all the force in her legs she pushed upwards and vaulted effortlessly up to the window.

She slipped through and disappeared from sight.

The other four Gerudo girls repeated this process. Each of them pushed their feet as hard as they could down on his shoulders to spite him, A'lto going so far that she almost kicked him in the head. Once through the opening, they hugged the outer surface, which was much rougher than the walls inside the building, and climbed down to the terrace below. At the end of it all he was aching and was sure to have bruises, but he had felt pain many hundreds of times worse than this and wouldn't complain.

Still, he was happy that it was all over, until he remembered something important.

Princess Zelda still hadn't gone through the opening as of yet.

Even after all they had been through, she still wore the high white boots that Malon had given her days before. These were the complete opposite of the padded shoes that the Gerudo wore, and had at least three-inch high, solid heels. Were Zelda to jump on his shoulders with such heavy and unwieldy footwear Link would come out at the end with several broken bones.

That was something the hero definitely wanted to avoid.

"Can't you fly?" he asked, trying to rub away the dull pain. "You know, use your magic powers in some fantastic way where none of us have to get hurt?"

"Sorry, my love. It doesn't work like that," the Princess replied with a smirk. "We have to do this just like all the others did, unless you have a better idea."

Luckily, the hero actually did have a better idea. He clasped his hands together as tight as he could and held them at waist level. Then Link gestured for Zelda to put her feet in between his hands so he could lift her up to the window.

This is what he'd wanted to do in the first place.

First she put her right foot in to steady herself, then, with the grace of a ballet dancer, brought the left up in a steady, fluid motion. Her Ladyship didn't weight much at all, and she felt very light in his hands, making Link have seconds thoughts about whether or not she could actually fly somehow.

The hero lifted his arms over his heads as Zelda stood on his palms, keeping perfect balance at all times. Soon, the Princess was high enough to reach the open window, and she grabbed onto the sill and climbed out.

Now Link was all alone in the middle of the Gerudo Fortress without an escape route for himself.

All of a sudden though, the answer came to him in what seemed like a divine revelation. He nearly smacked himself on the forehead because it was so obvious, and vowed that he would never again overlook such simple solutions to everyday problems. All around him were dozens of wooden crates. They were filled mostly with unused weapons, swords, shields, bows and arrows, lances, pikes and spears. It was now quite evident what kind of storage room they had been in.

It was one of the fortresses' many armories, but that fact didn't really matter at the time. What was important was how Link planned use the heavy boxes to escape and join with the others.

He quickly tested how solid they were, and as soon as it was evident that they'd hold his weight, the hero began the move them into place.

Within a minute or so, Link had rearranged the boxes into an engineering masterpiece by his standards. The small mountain of crates took up most of the space in the chamber, but it was almost nine feet high, and quite sturdy. His eagerness to leave had assured that he would work quickly and efficiently, and his mighty feat was truly a sight to see. Even with all the noise he'd made during the process, none of the Gerudo patrols in the fort had gotten wise to his plans.

The Hero of Time scaled his makeshift platforms like a set of steps, then quietly exited through the open window.

As Link and the girls started off towards Gerudo Valley and their salvation, little did they know that the difficult part had only just begun.

Gerudo Valley: One and a half hours later

Seven weary travelers trudged through the red, iron rich soil of Gerudo Valley. There had been an eighth, a Tokay merchant, but he had made a small fortune that he was unwilling to jeopardize any further. He said his good-byes to everyone, especially Link, grabbed his treasure sacks, and headed south towards the cliffs.

The lizard man scampered up the rock face with no trouble at all. When he reached the top, he turned around, waved once, then disappeared into the unknown.

Link was a little sad now that his quirky friend was gone, but the matter at hand was much more important.

"So, where is the bridge?" he asked. "I haven't been here in ages."

"It should be just up ahead," A'lto replied, her voice surprisingly free of contempt, "assuming no one's guarding it or has already burned it down or something else to that effect."

Nearly an hour and a half had passed since they left the storage room on the fortress. They had to climb down, since even that chamber was on the third story. On top of that, all of them had to move slow enough so that Zelda could keep the concentration necessary to render them invisible. Thankfully, the shield of invisibility held, and not a single Gerudo patrol noticed them in the slightest.

The valley they were in now was certainly a strange one, at best. Eons ago, the Zora River began its endless flow, and after a long time, carved out a deep channel in the mountain. Gerudo Valley itself was at least three hundred feet above sea level, and there were two adjoining cliffs that had to be connected with a wooden bridge in order for one to cross the river.

In fact, it was the only sensible way in or out of Gerudo territory. Approach from the north, south, or west was not a viable solution, since it required trekking across miles and miles of desert. However, Link had done just that, proving it wasn't impossible, just extremely dangerous and bordered on suicidal.

For a short time each year near the end of winter, it rained in Gerudo Valley. This meant one of two things, either the downpour washed away even more topsoil, or provided the few hardy plants that grew there with life giving water. When the latter happened, the Gerudo were able to grow their own crops for at least a full year. However, the former possibility happened the most often, and they were forced to trade heavily with the Hylians for food.

Physiologically, Hylians and Sheikah were superior to human races like the Gerudo. As far as intelligence goes, all three are about the same, but Hylians and Sheikah have a much high percentage of muscle mass, which makes them excellent soldiers. They could both hear sounds a hundred times better than Humans could ever hope to, thanks to their long, slender ears.

In the distant past, it had been Humans who controlled the world. Their empires and kingdoms were vast, but loosely organized. They were hateful and distrustful of one another, and it led to their downfall. When they weren't fighting amongst themselves, Humans fought with the Hylians or the Sheikah, two peoples they could never hope to best in combat.

Countless wars ensued, but the Kingdom of Hyrule stood firm against all attackers. Only those who were Hylian could learn the necessary supernatural skills needed to keep themselves safe, while Humans had no magic infused into their blood. Some say it was fate, or evolution, or the Goddesses themselves that gave the Hylians their powers, but nevertheless it made everyone else resent them.

Only the fires of the Fierce War convinced Hyrule that it finally needed to stand up for itself. When the Gerudo, the only human tribe that could learn any magic at all, gathered all those who hated the Hylians into an alliance, the King knew he had to stop the menace once and for all. The conflict that ensued took many lives, and demoralized the Human population in Labrynna and Holodrum so much that they willingly submitted to rule under the Royal Family and were incorporated into Hylian society.

And thus the Hylian Empire was born, even though the King still had yet to declare himself an emperor.

Even afterwards, however, the Gerudo still refused to accept defeat. Something had happened to them from living in Hyrule's deserts, a change in their biology that allowed them not only to survive in such a harsh climate, but also to learn magic like the other races could. They quickly used it to become thieves who pillaged and plundered anything that wasn't tied down.

It was their own way of getting revenge against those who had denied them the right to expand to new areas.

An uneasy peace between the Hylians and the Gerudo existed, but there was still a lot of hate and prejudice on both sides.

The only things that they mutually believed in were the three Goddesses and the legend of the Hero of Time. Someone who was selfless and brave, who didn't look at skin or shape and saw what a person really was and what they were worth to the world, that's the type of person the Hero of Time was supposed to be. That someone was Link, and even a lost soul like A'lto could admire that.

She did in fact, and secretly wished that her own people could see that too and finally stop their warrior ways and give the planet a ray of hope that would someday turn into the light of peace.

But in the end, it was not to be.

As they all approached the wooden bridge, Princess Zelda picked something up, a creaking noise, floating softly on the wind.

"Shh! Do you hear that?" she whispered, her ears twitching ever so slightly. "There's something moving over there, I think."

"You think?!" Nabooru said back. "Well, what is it? I don't have your special magical senses o' mighty princess."

Zelda herself couldn't quite tell what the source of the noise was. It did sound quite a bit like the bridge itself was swaying in the gale, but the Princess found that she didn't quite believe that. From where they were standing, only the two wooden posts on their side of the cliff were visible, the actual bridge being at a lower altitude.

Link drew his sword all of a sudden, sensing the very same thing Zelda had sensed. He held his left arm out to block the ladies from advancing any farther.

"Don't anybody move," he said harshly. "Stay here, I'll go and figure out what it is."

The hero moved forward warily, ready at a moment's notice to defend those he had tried so hard to rescue. If anything was going to happen, this time around it would happen to him first. However, A'lto didn't believe there was anything to worry about at all really. She wrestled with several prospects in her mind before deciding on a course of action that would affect all of them in a very deep way.

"Honestly, you people are just too superstitious," she said loudly, already walking towards the bridge. "Next thing you know you'll be telling me this stupid thing is unsafe or some other horseshit…"

Link's efforts to stop A'lto were futile, as she barged past him with a hitherto unknown fury. He called out and ran after her, but the Gerudo ignored his pleas to stay with him. She didn't care what was waiting for them ahead because she would face it without fear of pain or death.

A'lto's decision was sure to have tragic repercussions. Never would she be allowed to take the first steps down the path to peace. She would never know love, never have children, never grow old or know the true happiness she had vainly searched for in serving her King.

Instead she would die right where she stood.

There was only a faint sound as the bowstring snapped back, launching the black arrow into the afternoon sky. The Gerudo woman didn't feel even the slightest twinge of pain as the projectile struck her squarely in the chest, piercing her heart. Only seconds before she died A'lto could be heard laughing to herself as she stared vapidly at the arrow shaft jutting from the space between her breasts.

A strange calm washed over A'lto as she felt her life drain away into nothingness. It was funny to her that there would be only peace upon her death, despite how many times she had intentionally hurt someone.

Deep down, A'lto wanted to know what it was like to be the hero instead of the villain, but it was not to be.

She chuckled lightly a few more times, then her knees buckled and she fell to the ground in a heap.

Link cried out in a rage and rushed over to cradle her limp form in his arms.

He had failed to protect another once more, and through his veiled tears caught a glimpse of A'lto's murderer.

Covered in what was once the splendid, glory drenched plate armor of a high-ranking Hylian general, the man stood there holding a bow. The gusty winds of Gerudo Valley whipped his dark brown hair in all direction, serving merely to enhance his vile image. A scarlet eagle was painted upon his breastplate along with the symbol of the Gerudo, suggesting some sort of unholy alliance between the two.

This man was the dark scourge of the Fierce War, feared by Zora and Gerudo alike.

This man was Trebla', come to claim his vengeance against those who had caused him to be little more than a piece of dirt in his master's eyes. In addition to the longbow, strapped to his back was a large battle-axe of the Goron variety.

"You know, that was meant for you, Link," he smugly began. "I thought you'd recklessly charge across and I'd be able to launch that arrow through your head."

"Sorry, no such luck today," replied the hero. "What you did was wrong! And you'll pay for it!"

Trebla' seemed to be flabbergasted after hearing what Link had to say.

"Do you mean to tell me that you actually cared for that wretch?!" he said in disbelief. "She tried to kill you more than once and in more than one way. How could you possibly give a damn whether she lives or dies?!"

Link tenderly placed A'lto's body on the ground. Even though they'd been mortal enemies only a short while ago, he had already forgiven her and was willing to help her become a better person. The Hylian honestly believed in giving her a second chance, but Trebla' had brutally ended her life, and the Link wasn't about to stand for that.

"No one has the right to take the life of another, get the picture?!" Link exploded. "Not you, not I, not ANYONE!"

"And no one here subscribes to your rules!" the general countered. "I'm going to obliterate you all, and there's nothing to be done about it…"

His challenge forced Link to unsheathe the Master Sword. Gripping his shield, the hero did nothing other than hold his blade at the ready. To attack now would be foolish, not brave. The bridge was much too fragile, as a single hit from either the Master Sword or Trebla's powerful battle-axe would likely destroy it. Instead, Link waited for Trebla' to cross over to his side, where they could engage each other without putting anyone or anything else in danger.

Almost as if on cue, the general charged at Link across the rickety bridge. Once he made it to the other side, Trebla' delivered a devastating sideways blow that the Hero of Time only barely countered. The axe had impacted upon his Hylian Shield, which dented it and knocked Link onto his back.

Trebla' stood over him, ready to deal a finishing blow, but the hero was too quick. Link delivered a powerful kick to the general's stomach. It was hard enough to knock him backwards for a second, and in that brief span of time Link got back to his feet.

Now, raising his sword into a better position to attack, Link stepped back with his left foot and then shot forward in a blaze of speed like none other towards the general.

The Hero of Time unleashed a flurry of blows that the older, more experienced Hylian had no trouble blocking. Trebla' was much stronger than his adversary and could swing his axe as if it were light as a feather.

Again and again, Trebla' brought the razor sharp edges down on Link, who kept up with the strength and courage he'd always known.

Yet there was something different about this battle. Amidst the thunderous noise of metel clashing against metal, the hero realized something.

Link could feel something brimming inside of him, a power that had always been there, but that he'd never tapped into fully. As he expertly countered each attack, the hero found himself growing ever calmer, so much so that he could feel the mark of the Triforce of Courage glowing warmly on his left hand.

Awash in this dreamy feeling, the hero was sent back into reality as three horizontal blows from the general knocked him to the ground again. Link flipped back into a standing position a moment later and rushed at Trebla'. Ignoring the pain in his side, he lunged forward, spearing his opponent in the stomach. This pushed the general back and allowed Link to get the upper hand.

Link took off in a flash that seemed to leave time standing still and the hero as the only moving object. It took Trebla' a moment to realize he no longer held the upper hand and that Link was steadily becoming his equal. Trebla' dug his feet into the ground as he braced for vertical slash that was sure to come.

However, the Hero of Time knew of the general's ability to predict movements during battle and used it to second-guess his opponent. He was relying solely on intuition as he bounded up into the air, taking Trebla' completely by surprise.

Smashing the hilt of the Master Sword into Trebla's face, the Hero of Time then pulled off an amazing feat. Link wrapped his arm around the general's neck, the used his momentum to swing around and up onto his shoulders. In the short space of three seconds, Link was in a precarious situation, on top on Trebla' while he was still standing.

Trebla' panicked and twisted, quickly throwing his neck into a spin in an attempt to throw his opponent off. Link predicted this though, and perfectly spun into a backflip and landed directly onto the evil Hylian's shoulders once again.

The younger Hylian then proceeded to strike the elder repeatedly with the Blade of Evil's Bane. Link used all the strength he had left in him to pummel the madman into submission. Each and every hit that landed bloodied and weakened the general, and by now, only ten seconds later, he was starting to lurch forward as if he was going to topple over.

Noticing this, Link hopped off his back and kicked Trebla' in the side before using the Master Sword to slice up the leather straps that held the general's armor in place. Another cut ripped the straps off completely, and his splendid armor fell to the dusty ground. Link disarmed his opponent easily afterwards, and threw the battle-axe over the cliff in a single motion.

The battle was over, and Trebla' had lost solely on his arrogance and confidence in his own worth.

Trebla' had been full of himself before, and had gravely misjudged Link's abilities. He was paying the price for that as Link continued to slash at him, not running the blade through, but making precision cuts in the places he knew it would hurt the most.

He took the Master Sword and sliced Trebla's arms with two perfect slashes that would sever tendons inside of his wrists.

Trebla' would never hold a blade ever again.

Once finished, the Hero of Time delivered one last kick that sent the evil man flying. Landing hard at the edge of the cliff, Trebla' lay on the ground in a daze, confused and humiliated.

He tried to hide his shame, to run away, but Trebla' found he could not move his arms or legs. Turning his head, he learned that his enemies had surrounded him, and that Zelda had bound him into place with her magic.

And at his throat was the deadly point of the Master Sword, ready to end his days once and for all.

It was now that the finest general Hyrule had ever known showed his true colors, and they were many shades of yellow.

"Don't…don't be hasty now," he said, his voice quivering. "I'm an important man, and I'm not…unreasonable. We could…we could strike a deal. Yes, a deal. How does that sound?"

Link's eyes were as cold as the steel of the blade poised to slit Trebla's throat, and he did not respond. Zelda's were filled with a seething hatred for the man before her, and she used her powers to constrict the general's windpipe.

"Why did you kill her?" the younger Hylian asked.

"Huh? Wha…?" Trebla' replied, bewildered by his simple question.

The hero put the tip of the blade to rest upon his defeated adversary's throat to make his point, as he knew Trebla had heard him.

"Again, why did you shoot? She did not need to die," Link said. "There was no reason for it."

"Of…course there…was," the general coughed. "She failed…and was worthless…to our cause…"

Princess Zelda was enraged by this, and further tightened the invisible noose. On the inside she was crying for A'lto, but on the outside all that showed up was revulsion. She knew in her mind that this man should no longer be allowed to live, but she couldn't bring herself to finally choke him to death.

"So then…I guess…you are worthless too," the Princess said, her voice unsteady.

After that, there was silence for a moment. Trebla' stared at Link in terror, waiting for the final blow to be struck, to be sent to the netherworld.

"Please…mercy," he said hoarsely. "Death Knights…darknuts…doppelgangers…or whatever it is. I'll renounce…them all. Don't…kill me…"

"Why should I? You didn't show A'lto any," Link responded, his voice having no emotion whatsoever.

"Because…" whispered the general, "I'm…not brave enough to die…"

An eternity seemed to go by as the two men stared at each other. Link reflected long and hard about what it is he should do. Thousands of monsters had fallen at his hands, but they were mindless beasts that were programmed to kill. His mind was telling him that Trebla was a horrible man and needed to be wiped off the face of the earth. On the other hand, he'd never killed another living, breathing, intelligent person before.

Is this what the Hero of Time was supposed to be, a person who wiped away all evildoers regardless of whether they had some glimmer of hope left in them?

Or was the legendary hero one who gave life instead of taking it way?

It was a hard choice, but in the end, Link chose to give.

He grabbed Zelda's hand to break the spell, and Trebla', who by now was blue in the face, was freed.

"Go," he said sharply. "Go now and pray that I find your master before he finds you!"

Shaking in his boots, the former Hylian general got to his feet. He kept his eyes on his enemies as he slithered away. When he got to a good distance, Trebla' broke into a run.

Less than a minute later he was out of sight and out of mind.


*****


Without a sound, Link bent down to scoop A'lto's fallen form. She was free from her mortal bonds now, and all that could be done was to mourn for her. He would bury her personally, as he had with Yozefu and Jeison, and with full honors if he could.

Most of all, Link would remember her, even if he only knew her for a short time.

Solemnly, the Hero of Time began to cross the bridge.

His party followed behind him, but they gave him a good deal of space. The look in his eyes was that of deep sorrow. Tears flowed from his eyes, yet he was crying not out of sadness, but out oF anger. In the corner of his lip was a drop of blood from his mouth that he himself bit into.

No one would ever know how close his invincible soul came to breaking on that day…


End Chapter Ten




To be continued....











Obligatory Legal Disclaimer: We no own Zelda. It's that simple.


Note from the authors:Wow! Ten Chapters now. It's been one hell of a ride.

We couldn't have done it without our supporters, who give us a reason to continue this fic, and good old Shiggy Miyamoto, who gave us the material to work with.

Many thanks and a fish stick you guys! Keep on truckin'!