[READ THE PAST STORY(IES) BEFORE READING THIS ONE!!!]

Chapter One
Prelude


Legend foretells of a fallen savior. A savior who has tainted his wings black with the seeds of darkness. With his newfound alignment, comes a wave of travesty. Hyrule has fallen, and with it, the world. It is just as the prophecies of the sages have foretold.

Darkness has gained momentum and with each passing day, more lives are extinguished. The survivors scatter. Some have even been taken under the former savior’s wing.

The Hylian Sages of legend have vanished. Words spoken across the land link the fallen Sages of Hyrule with the sages of a shadowed society known as the Clandestine of Dusk, are they one and the same? Few know of the whereabouts of this mysterious group. Even fewer know exactly what they do.

The Light is fading fast. The Darkness is spreading.

Who will stop it?

Will a new Hero of Time rise to repel evil?

Where has the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom gone? Link, the fallen angel, has ravaged across the lands in search of these holy relics for many years...will he finally achieve absolute divinity?

Will the light of hope grow and repel the evil?

Or will that light be extinguished before it has a chance to shine?

Katasaku, a small town far to the east of Hyrule is where the two small lights of hope will grow. The light resides in two young Hylian runaways. This is where the story begins. This is where the winds of change will blow...

Two kids and their family runaway from it all.

They enjoy their childhood, thinking it will never end.

But soon, the events of the past will catch up to them, forcing both brother and sister to grow up and fight back... will they fight side by side? Or one against the other?

This is their story...

This is their tale...of the struggle between Shadow and Light.

Chapter Two
“Swordplay”

The woods were quiet. A light breeze blew in from above, carrying with it a few leaves. The sunlight poured in through the upper branches. It was midday; the sky was an atmospheric orange. The ground was littered with brush and undergrowth. Logs littered a few places here and there. A little bird sings its final song of the day at the setting sun in the horizon.

There was a rustle. The sound of feet gingerly stepping over the dead leaves.

Suddenly there was a loud burst of something running through the trees. The first footsteps stop. A young ten year old boy was hiding from something. His heart was pounding in his chest. He had heard something.

He noticed something in the brush and immediately takes refuge and hides behind a nearby tree. He was breathing hard, but he tried to steady his breaths so his stalker wouldn’t hear him.

There he saw his stalker, walking out of the trees, looking around for its prey. The figure turned, revealing its back to him. This was his chance; he could make a run for it.

The boy kept his eye on the figure as he backed up. There was a loud snap that made him jump. He had stepped on a twig. He cursed as the shadowy figure turned in his direction. Their eyes met and the boy dashes away. The stalker bolts after him.

His breathing was rapid, his heart was pounding. He had to make it home. It was safe there. He gave his all, running purely on adrenaline. He bursts out of the woods and into an open field, the grass was long, it came up to his knees. He began to slow down, he was tired. In front of him was a wooden fence, it was a few yards ahead of him and was the only thing barring him from sanctuary: his house. He pushed himself forward, propelled by the hope that he’d make it in time.

His stalker was at his heels, catching up with each step.

The boy jumped the fence, but he missteps and falls facedown. He rolls over to see the figure standing menacingly above him, he whispered with disbelief, “No...”

The figure reached forward, the boy closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. His sister taps him on the forehead, out of breath, “You’re it!!!”

The boy opened his eyes, “Aw...you cheated, Sakura!”

His sister, Sakura, stuck her tongue out at him and said, “I’m just faster than you, Ken-kun!”

Ken-kun. That was her nickname for her only older brother. His name was Ken, but Sakura had heard people addressing each other with ’kun’, and decided to use it. She didn’t quite know what it meant, but the name stuck. She was eight years old. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes. They both wore pendants around their necks. The pendants were both half of the same heart; Ken’s was black, while Sakura’s was white. His was the right side, while hers was the left.

Sakura got her name when their parents escaped from Hyrule, taking refuge in this town, Katasaku. When she was born, it was Cherry Blossom season. Sakura was another name for Cherry Blossom. Her mother, Karen, loved the name and named her daughter after the beautiful pink Sakura Trees.

When Sakura asked about her name’s origin, her mother used that as the reason, except she left out the part about running from Hyrule.

Another rustle sounded behind them, before both brother and sister could turn around, two strong arms grabbed them, the two struggled as their capture laughed, “I’ve finally found you two!”

The craned their heads to see who had captured them; it was their dad, Derek. Derek was named after an Arian Prince who had saved him while he was living homeless on the streets of Hyrule. He took great pride in his name and will never forget the deed.

Sakura and Ken groaned, they were both tired from running and playing around all day, their dad was making it worst, when they started to complain about him holding them too tightly, he sighed and let go. Sakura looked up to her dad and asked, “Daddy, where’s Grandpa Trent?”

Derek shrugged, “Grandpa is at the lake as usual.” Sakura turned to go, she backed up from them and said, “I’m gonna go see him, ‘k daddy?” Derek frowned, “But don’t you want to stay and help daddy with the house?”

Sakura smiled, pretending she really wanted to help, increasing her cuteness by about eighty percent, “No, it’s ok, bye!” with that, she ran off.

Her brother, realizing that his sis had ditched him, tried to sneak away, but Derek grabs him by the collar of his shirt and yanks him back, “Where do you think you’re going?” Ken frowned.

There light was shining on the lake, the waters glimmered like glass, throwing a faint orange glow around the surrounding trees.

Sitting on the edge of the lake was Trent. He had his eyes closed, deep in thought.

He was still young, but he had grandchildren. He was an ex-Hylian knight. He was one of the elite and was involved in the whole ‘Fallen Savior’ incident. He was a friend of Link’s and had crossed blades with him a few times before the fall of Hyrule. The pain of losing his best friend was still strong in his heart, but he hid it from everyone. This lake comforted him and made him feel calm. It was pleasant here.

Little arms slowly wrapped themselves around him, he opened one eye and smiled, “Hey, Sake.” It was his nickname for Sakura. It was pronounced ‘Sah-Key’.

Sakura looked at the lake, “Watcha doing, Grandpa?” Trent sighed and stood up, Sakura had helped herself to a piggy back ride, holding on. Trent eyed Sakura and smiled, “Oh, nothing.” Sakura frowned, “That’s what you always say! Why do you wanna just sit and do nothing? It’s boring.”

Trent shrugs, “That’s because I’m a boring guy!”

Sakura tilted her head to one side and kissed him on the cheek, “No you’re not, Grandpa!”

Trent cringes from the word, “Do you have to call me ‘Grandpa’? It’s making me feel really really old.” Sakura blinked, “But, what do I call you?”

“Well...” Trent thought and sighed, “Ok, you can call me that...just don’t make it sound like you meant it.” Sakura gave him a confused look, “Huh?”

Trent shook his head and smiled at her reassuringly, “Forget it.” Sakura gave him a look. Trent raised a brow and said slowly, knowing what she wanted, “How about I get us some ice cream?” Sakura beamed, “Yay!”

The plaza was busy, but it wasn’t as crowded as it was a few hours ago. Trent and Sakura were standing in front of a little ice cream shop. Trent handed Sakura a cone, “Here you go, Sake.”

The clerk raised a brow. Trent notices this and asks, “What?” The clerk asks carefully, “Sake?” Trent nods. The Clerk says in a confused manner, “You named her after an alcoholic drink?”

Sakura tilted her head to one side, she didn’t know 'sake' was anything, she just thought it was a made up name. Trent shrugged, “It’s a nickname...So?”

As they were walking back from the plaza, Sakura tugged on Trent’s sleeve and asked, “What’s ‘sake’ mean? Can I drink it?” Trent smiled at Sakura and said, “Well...uhm...maybe when you’re older.”

Ken charged forward, swinging his wooden sword at Derek, Derek blocked it carelessly and said, “Your stance is off!”

Ken backed up and charged again, swinging at his father. Derek merely tapped the blows off target. “Come on, Ken! Come at me with all you’ve got!”

Ken takes a deep breath, letting out a battle cry and charged.

Derek merely extended his sword and Ken runs into it. The wooden point stops him in his tracks. Derek held the sword at Ken’s chest and Ken let’s out a frustrated yell, swinging blindly at Derek. Derek was out of reach, he stood there casually as Ken struggled to push back the wooden sword with his chest to get at his father.

Ken kept swinging; the sword was inches from Derek’s face. Derek sighed, “Ok, you can stop now.” Ken stopped; he had a disappointed look on his face.

Ken’s mother, Karen called out to them. It was time for dinner. Derek withdrew his sword and turned to look at her. Ken took a few breaths and smiled, this was his chance. Ken charged and jumped. He swung downwards, the sword smacks Derek on top of the head. Derek froze. Ken froze. The world froze. Karen gasped.

The tip of the sword broke, hung on for a few seconds before breaking off. Ken’s eyes widened, he had swung harder than he meant to. Derek turned slowly, with a big bump on his head.

Ken looked around quickly, looking for a really good excuse as to why he broke a wooden sword over his dad’s head. Ken tossed the broken sword away and smiled nervously, acting innocent, “Uhm...there was a fly on you?”

Chapter Three
“Fallen Angel”


Ashes...everywhere. Smoke rose from the burnt corpses of villagers in a small farming community far to the west of Hyrule.

The bodies of the dead littered the roads and homes. Somewhere in the plaza of the village, sounds of fighting rang out.

A small group of villagers huddled together, trapped. The men and boys stood at the front, firing off arrows at a man who had a terrible aura about him.

That man was the fallen angel, Link. He was dressed in black armor, his cape swayed in the wind.

He casually snatched the arrows in mid-flight and flings them over his shoulder with his right hand. His left hand held a sword. The blade was bloodied and as he dragged it along the ground, he left a thin trail of blood in his wake.

Soon, the villagers ran out of arrows, and just quaked in fear and confusion. Some men had charged Link. Link merely blew them away with a quick burst of telekinetic energy without raising a finger.

The villagers, tired and defeated, awaited their demise. Link stopped and finally spoke in a calm voice, “Now that I’ve got your undivided attention, someone here will tell me where my daughter is.”

No one moved. Link repeated, “No use denying it. I’ve got intelligence reports on this village. Tell me, now.” He still kept his calm.

The villagers, once again, kept quiet. The only sound heard was a disappointed sigh from Link and the soft sobbing of the women and children.

Link shook his head, “Loyalty till the end, huh? Someone speak up, and I’ll spare your lives.”

A man spoke up, “Please, we know nothing...leave us be!”

Link looked at the man and responded harshly, “Don’t bullshit me. You know the whereabouts of my daughter. She was smuggled through this village. I’ve had intelligence scour this region.”

Silence.

Link shook his head, “Fine...I’ll just have to start killing again.”

The man shouted at him, “Don’t you have any remorse?! Don’t you feel any shame for what you’ve done?!”

Link stopped.

His face showed nothing, but his eyes showed sorrow for a few seconds. That hint of sadness quickly faded away as he smirked.

He thought for a moment and replied, “Hmm...That's an interesting theory.” He tapped his forehead in thought, “And like all theories, it should be tested.”

He extended his palm at one of the women. She lifted off the ground and hovered. The other villagers backed away. Link used his kinetic powers to fling her hard into the wall to his left, she screamed in pain and fear. Link kept his palm pointed at the women as an orb of light glowed. This was his most devastating spell. It was his newfound signature move. It was called ‘Bereavement of the Heavens’.

The orb pulsated and he fired a beam of intensified light at the women, it struck. The house behind her exploded along with her body. The beam flew on and struck into three more houses behind it before fading.

The villagers stared in shock. Link lowered his hand and thought, “Hmm...I’m feeling something. What is it? No, it’s not remorse...it’s hmm...nope. It’s just the same old feeling I’ve always had...the thrill.”

“And you” Link spoke, “will tell me where my daughter is, or I’ll start killing the children.” He gestured at the man from before.

Thirty Minutes later...

Link rode away from the burning village. There was nothing left. He joined his troops perched on top of a nearby hill. One of his subordinates spoke as he stared at the scene, “Sir, I sincerely apologize, but the information we’ve received seems to be faulty.”

Link shot the man a deadly look, “Well, General Ivan, people make mistakes.” He spoke with a threatening voice, “Just don’t slip up again, or you’ll join Captain Eric in the dungeons, do you understand?”

Ivan nodded, “Yes, sir.”

Link spoke again, “And what have you got on the whereabouts of the Triforce?”

Ivan shook his head, secretly shaking in his boots, “Nothing new to report. The Sheikah have come up empty.”

“Well,” Link said, “for your sake, they’ve better find it soon. The Sheikah charge a very high price for their services.”

Ivan nodded quickly, “Just give them some more time, your majesty.”

Link smiled at him, “Time is something you don’t have much of, General.”

Without another word spoken, Link rode off, his troops followed him closely. The next village seemed like a nice place to find some information.

Chapter Four
“Summer, Horses and Ice Cream”

“This isn’t fair...” Ken muttered angrily. He was on the roof of their house, fixing the tiles. It was the next day. Derek gave him this task as punishment for ‘improper use’ of the sword.

He heard someone climb up the ladder to join him, it was Trent. Trent looked his grandson over and said, “How’re you doing?”

Ken muttered, “My dads being himself again.”

Trent frowned, “Aw...well, you know he just wants you to grow up as a responsible person.” Ken replied angrily, “How’s fixing the roof going to help anyone?” Trent thought, as he walked over to him, “It’ll keep the water out when it rains?”

Ken shook his head angrily, thinking how stupid it was. Trent sighed and handed him an ice cream cone, “Here. It’s pretty hot up here, so I thought you’d like to chill out a bit.”

Ken’s face softened as he took the ice cream, “Thank you. If only dad was as nice as you.” Trent smiled, “If he was, then you wouldn’t be up here eating ice cream right now.”

Sakura wandered out of the house with a little pendant ocarina. It was hanging around her neck and she blew into the little instrument, playing a quick chord.

Ken poked his head off the side of the roof, looking at Sakura under him. He noticed the ocarina and yelled down to her, “Hey! That’s mine! Put it back!!”

Sakura jumped in surprise. She looked up at her angry older brother and said, “But I want to play with it. Mommy said I could!”

“I don’t care! Put it back!”

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and continued playing. Trent sighed. Ken grew furious and dropped his ice cream over her.

The icy cold snack fell and broke over her head. She froze as the summer heat contrasted with the icy cold ice cream. She cried out as the ice cream oozed down the back of her shirt.

Ken laughed. Sakura shot him a deadly look. She knelt and snatched up a small shovel and flung it at him. Ken blinked in shock as the shovel decked him over the head.

Everything went black.

Fifteen minutes later...

Ken wore a grumpy look as Trent wrapped a white cloth around his head. Trent said slowly, “So, what is the lesson we all learned today, Ken?” Ken responded angrily, “Shovels hurt.”

Trent raised a brow and shook his head with a sigh, “No...That it’s good to share...”

Ken replied, “...or get hit by a flying shovel?” Trent nodded, “Exactly.”

Sakura, with the pendant ocarina still around her neck, walked over and tilted her head, gazing at the bandage around her brother’s head, “Does it hurt?”

Ken sighed, “No.” Sakura poked it. Ken cried out and shouted, “Stop that!!”

Sakura smiled, “It DOES hurt!”

Ken got up angrily. Sakura yelped and ran off. He saw this and dashed after her in hot pursuit. Trent blinked and sighed, “...Ah, to be young again.”

Sakura dashed into the crowded plaza, blending into the crowd with her angry brother hot on her heels. Ken followed quickly and looked around for his annoying little sister. He didn’t spot her. After a few more minutes, he grew worried and called out, “Sis?!”

No response. If there was, he couldn’t hear it. He pushed his way through the people around him. He heard even more concentrated commotion to his right. He decided to check it out.

He forced his way to the front of everyone to see his sister mounted on a horse. The horse bucked wildly. The owner was out cold, presumably by the horse’s actions.

The crowd backed away as the horse panicked and leapt over the fence, galloping away and turning the corner at the end of the street with Sakura holding on tightly with her eyes closed. She wasn’t an experienced rider. She never even touched a horse before. What was she doing on the horse in the first place?

Ken’s mind raced, he had to do something. He glanced at an alley across from him and ran towards it. As he neared the fence separating the alley in two, he leapt onto a trashcan, ran up a wall and jumped over the fence. He landed swiftly on the other side and ran into the middle of the street.

He looked to his left and then to his right. She should’ve been through here.

He heard galloping, followed by a shout, “Ken-kun!” he turned as the horse charged towards him. Instead of running away, he ran straight for it. Before they collided, he jumped to his right, extending his hand as the horse galloped past and grabbed onto the saddle.

The horse began dragging him. It hurt worse than anything else he’d felt before, but he didn’t care. He had to save his sister. Sakura, keeping herself steady by holding onto the reins with one hand, pulled her brother up onto the saddle with her.

Ken took a few breaths as the wind rushed past them, he turned to his sister, “What are you doing?!” His sister shouted back at him, “I don’t know!”

Ken yelled back, “What do you mean ‘I don’t know’?!?!”

Sakura said fearfully, “I was scared you were going to catch me and horses were fast so...”

The horse bucked again, knocking both riders off. They landed onto the ground with a thud. They both sat up in pain. Ken stood up and limped over to his sister, he helped her up, “Are you ok?” Sakura nodded slowly, sobbing. She heard galloping and turned to see the horse running for them. A group of riders were chasing it, they were probably trying to get it under control.

"Watch out!", she shouted, shoving both of them out of the way as the horse and riders rode past half a second later, saving both their lives.

After the dust settled, both siblings, bruised and battered, sat up as footsteps approached them. They both looked up to see someone they really didn’t need to see right now. Derek.

“...a graveyard?

Why am I here? ...Grandpa? What are you doing here? What’s going on?

I can’t talk!

No, I AM talking! Am I that other girl standing next to you?

But...I can’t understand what I’m saying...

That can’t be me...I’M me!

I look so sad...so lonely...what happened? Please someone tell me! I don’t understand.

She looks just like me...only as a grown up.

What’s wrong? Why am I crying? This...this is a dream?

...

No, what’s happening?

...Don’t...!

Please...RUN!!!”

...A gun shot echoes...

=========

Chapter Five
“That Dream I Had”


Fall. It was a beautiful fall morning; the sky was as blue as can be. A light breeze blew leaves into the air.

Sakura opened her eyes, she had fallen asleep again. She was sitting against the fence. Even though it was cool outside, she was sweating. Her brother tapped her on the shoulder, “Have a nice nap?”

She looked up to see Ken, with a white headband around his forehead. He was sweating, probably from working out with their father, Derek.

She looked back down, “I...had a nightmare.”

Ken climbed over the fence and sat down beside her, “About what?”

She drew circles in the dirt with her finger and said, “Promise you won’t tell?”

Ken nods slowly, wanting to hear what she had to say. She took a deep breath and said, “I...dreamt that I died.”

Ken looked at her and asked, “How?”

Sakura whispered something that he couldn’t hear. She looked at him and said, “There was this man...he was scary looking.”

Ken, being curious, delves deeper without thinking about her feelings, “What happened?”

She held herself, shivering a bit and said, “...we...had a fight...me and him. He had blond hair...and scary red eyes.” She looked at Ken in the eyes and asked, “Do you remember that invention Grandpa Trent made?”

Ken thought for a moment, “You mean that...uhm...revolver?”

She nods, “Yeah...the thing that shoots those little things. I was holding that. I don’t remember anything else...everything went blurry. I think I....killed...myself...”

She went quiet. Ken prodded her, “What? Why?”

“I-I don’t want to tell you anymore. It’s making me scared.”

He was about to say something to try to make her talk, when their father called him over to finish the practice session. He glanced at Derek and said to his troubled sister, “I’m going. Later.” She stood and grabbed him, “Promise you won’t tell? Please?”

He nodded slowly, “I won’t.”

She let him go.

She watched silently, leaning forward on the fence, as her brother and father practiced. She was deep in thought, which was strange for someone her age. It didn’t seem natural.

Someone came and stood next to her, leaning on the fence, she turned, “Grandpa.” Trent smiled and looked at the other two sparring, “Looks fun doesn’t it?”

She turned back to the other two, “I want to learn.” Trent looked surprised, “What?” she looked at him, “I want to learn how to use a sword. Can you teach me?”

Trent asked, “Why would you want to do something like that?”

“I just...want to. Please?” she said. She wanted to learn because she wanted to be able to defend herself. The dream shook her up real bad. Of course, she didn’t tell him this.

Trent thought for a moment, “I’m...not sure if your father would approve...”

She looked as if she were about to cry. Trent finally relented and said, “Alright...we’ll start tomorrow. Be up early.”

She didn’t smile, she just nodded.

“Ok...” she said, and left Trent to himself, walking towards the house. Trent looked worried. Something was amiss.

“...I don’t regret doing it. It gave me a chance to be with you. That’s how much you meant to me. I knew I’d give my life for you because we were friends, and I had hoped we might have been...more than that someday.”

--Saria
===================

Chapter Six
“I Grew Up”


“Do you want to stop?” Trent asked. Sakura shook her head, determination flashed in her eyes.

Trent nodded slowly, “Ok...just tell me if you want to stop, I don’t want to push you too hard.”

Sakura gave him an angry look, “Why? Is it because I’m too little?!”

Trent looked surprised; he had never expected her to act like this, “No.”

Sakura gripped her wooden sword tightly, “Then what is it?”

Trent eyed her, something had changed about her. It was weird. “...What’s wrong with you? You’re not yourself.” Sakura, eight years old, said, “...I just grew up, that’s all.”

Silence floated over them. After a few minutes of uneasy silence, Trent spoke, “...Why do you want to learn so much? What happened? You’ve never cared about this before.” Sakura whispered, “...I’m scared.”

Trent looked confused, “Of what? What are you afraid of?”

Sakura looked down, she didn’t respond. Trent asked again, “What are you afraid of?”

She looked up at him, “Who am I?” Trent was taken aback by this response, “What?”

She repeated, “Who am I? ...I don’t belong here.” Trent looked at her, confused, “What are you talking about? You’re you!”

She shook her head, dropping her sword, “That mark...on your shoulder. I’ve seen it. That’s the mark of the Triforce, isn’t it?”

Trent sighed, “Yes...it is. How did you know? No one even mentions the Triforce around these parts.”

Sakura, proving to him that she was wiser than anyone gave her credit for, said, “I...just do. Somehow, I know what it is. I’ve felt like I didn’t belong here. Like I belonged somewhere else... Why are we here? What happened?”

Trent walked up to her and knelt, putting his face on the same level as her’s, “Sakura...? Who told you that?” She backed up and shook her head, “No one told me...I told you already, Grandpa. What are you trying to hide?”

Trent glanced around quickly, he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes, “Sakura, you mustn’t mention what you know to anyone. Don’t tell ANYONE! Do you understand?”

She shook her head, “No. I don’t. What are we hiding from? Please tell me.”

Trent shook his head, “Right now, I can’t tell you. You’ll have to grow up a bit before you’ll learn how to deal with the truth.”

Sakura slapped Trent’s hand away and said, “I’m grown up enough now. I want to know. Is everything I know a lie? I think I might not get to live long enough to know the truth. Tell me now, if I don’t understand it, I’ll learn. I want to learn.”

Trent looked her deeply in the eyes and said, “No. That’s the final answer. Look at yourself, Sakura! You’re only eight years old. You’re not supposed to act like this. You’re not supposed to talk like this!”

Sakura backed up and looked away, “Don’t tell me how I should act.”

He eyed her and asked, “Why did you change? What made you change? You were fine two days ago.”

Sakura looked at him solemnly, “I grew up.”

Trent inquired, “How?”

Sakura looked at Trent, “...Something...something is going to happen soon. Something bad.”

“How do you know this?” Trent asked. Sakura looked down, “...Someone told me...someone in a dream.”

They stood there silently as the wind blew. A small forest leaf fluttered between them. It was a Kokiri leaf.

Chapter Seven
“Voices”



“Daddy?” the voice of a little girl echoed.

Another voice, an older voice responded, it sounded very faint. “Honey...you’re alive!”

The girl responded, “Are you going to save me? I want to go home.” Her father replied softly, trying to calm down his daughter, “It’s alright...Daddy will come for you very soon. I’m close. I won’t stop until I find you.”

The girl responded quietly, “Please hurry...I can’t take this anymore. I feel so lonely. I feel so scared.”

“Tell me...” her father asked, “How are you contacting me?”

There was a pause. The girl answered, “That spell you tried to teach me. I finished teaching myself how to use it.”

“I’m so proud of you.” The father said. The girl smiled, “I managed to find a mirror. They still don’t know about it.”

There was another pause. “You’ve channeled energy into a mirror. Does that mean you still have that necklace I gave you?”

“Yes. Its right here, you see?”

“Listen carefully. Whatever you do...don’t ever lose that pendant. If you do, we’ll never be able to get in contact again. The Goron’s Ruby is the only thing that can channel the spell.”

She nodded, “I know.”

There was another pause, her father asked, “Do you know where you are?”

There was no response for awhile. Her father asked again, “...are you still there? Do you know where you are? Can you tell me how that place looks like?”

Finally, after a short pause, she responded, “No. I don’t know, daddy. It’s too dark. I’m in jail. It’s cold. I’m sorry, please don’t be mad.”

There was a sigh, her father said, “It’s alright.”

Footsteps lightly echoed.

“Daddy?” she asked.

“...Yes?”

“Why are they doing this?” the girl questioned.

Another moment of silence, her father said slowly, unsure, “...I’ll tell you later. Right now, all you have to worry about is staying alive. Right now I have my men looking for you. Just wait a little longer, Ki-“

Glass shattered. A third voice yelled, it sounded like one of the kidnappers, “What are you doing?!”

There was the sound of a whip cracking followed by screams.

Chapter Eight
“Nine Years Ago”


“Your Majesty?” Ivan said, bowing slightly. Link turned and looked at him. They were sitting in the middle of the woods somewhere. The trees surrounded the medium sized camp. Tents were scattered around. In front of most were campfires. The soldiers surrounded the fires, keeping warm and talking amongst themselves.

Link nodded slowly, “What is it? Have you found my daughter? Or is it about the Triforce pieces?”

Ivan handed him a small piece of paper. Link received the letter and examined it as Ivan spoke, “Our intelligence has located the whereabouts of the Royal Crown.”

“...the crown?” Link questioned, Ivan nodded. Link thought for a moment, nine years ago, on the night he overthrew Hyrule.

Nine Years Ago...

Link, in black armor, threw the body of the fallen Hylian King through the stained glass window. The glass shattered as Gale’s body fell through.

Link smiled, “Now, it all ends here.”

He heard a click.

Link quickly turned and raised his sword as a bullet shattered on the hardened blade.

Link looked at the attacker in front of him. Trent.

Trent pointed his revolver at Link. He pulled back the hammer of the gun, cocking it once more.

Link smiled, recognizing his friend, “Trent...what are you doing up so late?” Trent smiled, but kept a serious face, “I couldn’t sleep, so much noise outside.”

Trent glanced at the shattered window, “The king?”

Link gestured at the window with his thumb and said, “He forgot to use the stairs.”

Trent narrowed his eyes, his right hand held the revolver. The revolver was named Wildfire. It was the first of its kind; the barrel glimmered in the faint light.

Trent’s left hand drew his Hylian sword.

Link shook his head, “Why do you remain so loyal to the king? He’s dead.”

Trent shook his head, keeping the gun trained on Link, “I’m not loyal to Gale. I’m loyal to this land...To it’s people. My loyalty lies in Hyrule. As a knight of this land, I am to protect it and its people from people like you.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Link said, “I want to save this land.”

Trent narrowed his eyes and snapped back, “Save?! Look around you. Do you have any idea what’s going on? Your moblin bastards have killed thousands. You yourself, the ‘Hero of Time’ have killed millions. You’ve gone insane!”

Link laughed, “Revolution cannot be achieved without sacrifice. Those lives shall be remembered once I dominate this entire planet. Only then, shall the ‘perfect’ world be born! I’m not insane. I’ve seen insanity. I’ve been enlightened, Trent. I’ve seen the light, and it’s given me a new purpose in life. I know exactly what I’m doing. Look into my eyes, Trent. These aren’t the eyes of insanity. These are eyes of noble ambition.”

Trent scoffed, “You’re just too far gone to realize how insane all of this is. Or maybe...you’re in denial! You’re just as low as Ganondorf!”

Link retorted angrily, “Don’t compare me to that villain!! I’m all too different. I’m trying to unite the people of this world, not conquer it. Like I said before...some lives must be sacrificed for the benefit of all.”

Trent angrily responded, “But this is just too much! Your daughter...what would she think? You’re raising her in a world full of death! And Malon, she’s turning in her grave! I know she never wanted this to happen!”

Link shouted, “Don’t you dare bring my family into this, don’t you dare tell me what my wife would say!!! You don’t know Malon! She and I have dreamed of a perfect world for everyone! She wanted this!!! Before she died, I promised to get rid of all the evils in the world and bring about peace forever! All of this, all of this planning...this effort was for her and my daughter! We wanted her to have a beautiful world to live in!”

Trent shook his head sadly, “You’re so sad...you are the living definition of hypocrisy. Look around you, I guarantee that Malon never wanted this...and neither did Zelda. Or have you forgotten about her already? This great land of ours is set ablaze by this ‘ambition’ of yours. This isn’t the world any one of you wanted! You claim you’re a hero, yet you brag about transcending Ganondorf!”

Link, having heard enough, shouted, “Silence! I don’t need you to tell me anything! You have no idea what you’re talking about! Don’t bring Zelda into this!”

Trent took one step forward, “Ah, yes...Zelda. The woman you betrayed eleven years ago. You killed her, her father and even Zelda’s fiancé!”

Link exploded, he yelled, “I didn’t kill her!!!! I was framed!!! I would never hurt her! You bastard! You’ll die for tarnishing her name!!!”

He charged, drew his sword and swung blindly at Trent. Trent blocked the blade with his own sword. The both pushed the blades against each other. Trent raised his gun to fire, but Link grabs his wrist.

They both struggled like that for a few tense moments. Each was trying to gain the upper hand. Finally, Trent glanced at his gun and twirled it, tossing it lightly and catching it upside-down. He held the trigger with his thumb and the barrel was pointed straight at Link’s head.

Trent pulled the trigger, blasting Link’s head. The bullet flew and careened into Link’s skull. Link fell to the floor as Trent backed up. Link didn’t move. Blood seeped from the bullet hole in the side of his head.

He looked at Link’s body and turned away, “...May you rest in peace, Link...I’m sorry I had to do that.”

Trent sheathed his sword and holstered his gun.

Something caught his eye. He walked over to the throne. Sitting in the king’s chair was the crown. Trent picked it up and examined it. He spoke to himself, “I should take this and keep it safe until everything calms down, the last thing Hyrule needs is to search for a missing crown.”

As he turned he froze.

Standing in front of him, was Link. He didn’t have a scratch on him. Link raised his fist and opened it, dropping a silver bullet. It bounced on the floor and rolled to a stop.

Trent whispered, “...How...”

Link swung his fist, striking Trent in the side of the face, Trent stumbled back, cupping his head with his right hand. He still held the crown with his left.

Link cracked his knuckles and stretched, “Nice weapon...you’ve got to tell me how you’ve managed to build such a marvel.”

Trent spoke, he still wore a shocked look on his face, “H-how? You’re supposed to be dead!”

Link smiled, “Life is a game...the game ends with death, those are the rules. But, like all games, there is always a way to cheat the rules. I’ve managed to cheat life.”

Trent managed to say, “You...monster.”

He backed up against another stained glass window. Link walked forward, he spoke easily, sensing that victory was near, “Now, before I kill you, I would like my crown back. A ruler just isn’t right without one.”

Trent glanced at the crown, and then back at the window behind him. He drew his revolver again and pointed it at Link. He cocked the gun and said, “Well...’Your Highness’, this crowns reserved for someone else.”

Link laughed, “You still manage to jest at your own untimely death.”

Trent smirked, “I don’t plan to die. Not yet.” He turned, changing his aim at the window and fired. The glass shattered and Trent jumped.

Trent landed on the slanted roof and slid. He knelt and holstered his gun.

Link ran towards the window and looked down as Trent drew his sword and slid off the side of the roof, falling fours stories down.

Trent timed it right and impaled his sword into the side of the castle. He used the sword and the force of his fall to swing into the window below him.

The glass shattered as he plowed through. He rolled and ran for the door ahead of him, sheathing his sword and gripping the crown tightly. Trent throws open the door and runs through. Ahead of him, Karen and Derek were aboard a lone wagon. Karen held an infant in her arms.

The wagon was moving, this was his only chance to escape. Karen looked up, noticing Trent, she shouted, “Father!”

Derek looked up and leaned out of the moving wagon. He extended one hand while holding on with the other.

Trent pushed himself harder, slowly closing the distance between him and the wagon. Safety...

Suddenly, the side of the road explodes behind Trent. Link and a dark horse plowed through the rubble, galloping madly towards Trent.

Link laughs, drawing his sword, preparing to cut Trent down, “You aren’t going anywhere!!”

Trent glances over his shoulder and curses, “Damn!” there was no way he’d be able to outrun the horse.

Karen stands up slowly, holding her baby tightly.

Trent was an arm’s length away from Derek’s hand as Link closed in. Link smiled, “It’s over!” he swung his sword for Trent’s neck.

An arrow flies, impaling into Link’s hand. Pain shoots through Link’s arm, causing him to drop his sword. The horse slows down.

Trent leaps forward, extending his hand. Derek grabs on and pulls Trent in. Trent slides down and sits inside the wagon, exhausted. He glanced at Link.

Link cups his hand as blood squirts out. He curses as he yanked to arrow out, he looks up to see Karen lowering her bow, she glared.

Link glances back at his hand and wipes the blood off, revealing a healthy hand. It had already healed, not even leaving a scratch.

Link uses the newly healed hand to point at Trent. The hand was still stained with blood. Link yells over to him, “It’s not over!! I’ll find you...All of you!!! You can’t hide from me!”

The wagon speeds off. Link’s horse rears up on it’s two hind legs as the castle behind him catches fire, sending flames high into the air. The passengers of the wagon watched helplessly as their home goes up in flames. Link turns his horse around and rides towards the flames, disappearing in the distance.

“Sir?” Ivan asked, breaking Link out of his flashback. Link glances back at the paper and shoves it at Ivan, “Get the men ready. We’re heading out first thing tomorrow morning.”

Ivan nods and bows, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Link walks off and goes into his tent, leaving Ivan with his orders.

Chapter Nine
“A Chance Encounter”


The wind picked up again. It seemed unusually windy for the past few days. No one questioned it, though, since it was still fall, so seeing leaves blown around wasn’t anything strange.

The sounds of piano echoed throughout the house. It was late in the day; the sun was hovering inches above the horizon, throwing off a haze of orange and light yellow.

Sitting in front of the piano alone, Sakura played. She was a prodigy in music. Her most well known nickname was ‘Melody’. She had only played the piano for four weeks before she had mastered it. The piano, along with her other instruments, were scattered in her room. The room was also her brother’s, the house was small, and so they had to share the room.

Violin cases, music sheets, guitars and other instruments collected dust...all except for the piano. She fell in love with the piano, since it took her the longest to learn. A sad melody flowed from the piano as Sakura glanced out the window, still playing without having to think about it.

The other members of her family had left her alone in the house. It wasn’t because she wasn’t allowed to go; it was because she decided not to.

Around her left hand, a thin piece of cloth was wrapped around it. This was the reason she wanted to be alone. Something had appeared on her hand, and she dared not tell anyone.

Ken sat alone in the corner of the room. His family had gone to visit a friend’s house. There was no one else even close to his age. He was more worried than bored. His sister had refused to come along, he wondered why. He had noticed the cloth around her hand. Had she hurt herself?

He glanced back at the grown ups talking around the table. Trent was standing there with them with a drink in his hands, smiling, but from looking at his eyes, you could tell his mind was elsewhere.

Ken got tired of this and headed towards the table. He walked up to his mother, Karen, and said, “I’m gonna go outside, ok?”

Karen looked at him and asked, “Is something wrong?”

Ken shook his head, “No, I just want to go outside.”

Karen nods at her ten year old son, “Alright...but don’t stray too far.” Ken nods and heads out the door.

Trent glanced at Ken out of the corner of his eye; he whispered very quietly to himself. “...They’ve gotten so serious lately. What’s the matter with those two?”

Ken wandered around the streets with his head down and his hands in his pockets. He passed by a flower shop, it was very small and simple looking. It was just a wooden counter with the words ‘Farore’s Flowers’ painted on the front.

No one was at the counter. The owner must’ve gone out somewhere.

Ken didn’t notice this, however. He trudged onward, deep in thought, not knowing where he was going. He turned the corner and bumped into someone, knocking the both of them down.

Ken sat up as the person he bumped into pulled him up. The person was a girl, she had black hair and brown eyes. Around her neck was a blue stone with magical looking letters engraved into it.

She stood out with the way she dressed; she wore a black cloak with a strange insignia of a rising phoenix stitched into it. She wore a witch’s hat and had a staff strapped to her back. The staff had a moon icon on the top. She was fifteen years old.

She spoke, “Oh, uhm...I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there!” she brushed Ken off as best she could.

Ken looked confused and shook his head, “No, it was me...sorry.”

She looked at him and let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, ok. That was close; I thought it was MY fault.”

There was a small group of people headed towards them. They looked like bandits.

She quickly grabbed Ken’s hand and ran off with him, dragging him along.

Ken, confused, just ran and shouted, “What are you doing?!”

She gestures over her shoulder and the people behind them with a nod of her head “See those people? They’re bad.”

The group behind them ran. Ken, deciding the trust himself to the girl than to the big scary mob behind them, sped up.

They ran into an alley, Ken shouted, “We shouldn’t have gone through here!”

She blinked and looked at him as they ran, “Why?”

They ran into a dead end, “That’s why...” he said. The girl, out of breath, turns as the group enters the alley. She mutters, “Not good.”

Ken looks at the mob. The leader, a man with an eye patch over his left eye, spoke, “There’s nowhere for you to go, girl!” She sighed, “Oh, great, I’m trapped with the wannabe pirates.”

The leader blinked and shouted angrily, “Shut up!” he walked up to the both of them and grabbed Ken, yanking him away. He turns and shoves Ken into his followers. They grab Ken and one of them places a knife against his neck.

“You have a bad reputation of getting away,” the leader spoke, “but now we have a way to stop that. Come with us...” he gestures at Ken, “or the kid dies.”

The girl, seeing Ken’s scared face, sighs. She offers up her hands to be cuffed, she kept her head down.

The leader smiled. Brandishing his cuffs, he walked over to her. Before he managed to get the cuffs on, there was a sound behind them. The girl and the leader looked up towards the sound.

Ken side kicked a second man in the jaw, sending him sprawling. These guys were pushovers.

A third man grabbed for Ken’s sleeve. Ken turns and kicks him hard in the crotch. The man yelps and holds himself, falling to his knees, hunched over.

The leader was shocked; a ten year old was single handedly taking on his men...and winning!

He turned and saw nothing but staff as the girl whacked him over the head with her staff, knocking him off his feet and sending him sailing into his remaining groupies.

She grabs Ken’s hand and drags him back, away from the others. She spoke, “Good job, kid. You’re pretty courageous!” the leader sat up and pointed at them, “Dammit! No one makes fools of us! Kill them! Forget the bounty!”

They all drew their swords.

The girl spoke, “Time to get out of here!” she closed her eyes as the men charged both of them. There was a green flash as forest leaves blew in, knocking the men back. Ken and the girl disappeared without a trace. Leaves slowly fluttered down.

“You were pretty brave back there.” The girl was saying. They were sitting on the roof of a tavern. Ken smiles, “Thanks.”

The girl looks at him more carefully and says, “My names Vale.”

Ken nodded, “Ken.”

Vale nodded, “Yeah. You saved my butt back there, kid.”

Ken looked at her, “You’re the one who teleported us.” He thought for a moment, “Why didn’t you do that earlier?”

Vale looked at the kid in front of her and sighs, wearing an embarrassed expression, “Well...I haven’t gotten the hang of teleporting yet. That’s why we’re on the roof.”

Ken blinked, “Wait...you mean you didn’t take us to the roof because it was safe and out of the way?”

Vale smiled nervously, “Well, it beats being stranded on Death Mountain or something.”

He looked curious, “Death Mountain? Where’s that?”

Vale smiled, realizing that she was very far from Hyrule, “Oh, it’s a mountain near Hyrule. It’s really high and is also a volcano.”

Ken asked, interested in where she came from, “Hyrule? Where’s that?”

Vale smiled, looking off into the horizon, it was dark, “Well, its very far to the west of here. My mother grew up there. She was a really important person.”

Ken inquired, “What did she do?”

Vale smiled proudly, “She was the Sage of Forest.”

Ken had no idea what the sages were, but he looked interested, he asked, “What about your dad?”

Vale looked down for a moment, “My mother never really talks about him. I don’t know how he looks like, what he did or even if he’s still alive. All I know is that his name was Kerst. She doesn’t like talking about it, so no one asks anymore.”

She thought for a moment and looked at Ken, “You know, for a kid, you’re really good at conversations.”

Ken shrugged and smiled, “I guess.” He leans back, looking up at the sky, “What are you doing so far from Hyrule anyways?”

Vale leans back as well, looking up at the stars, “I’m just wandering around, letting my feelings guide me. I don’t really know, ya know?” she sighs, “Maybe I’m looking for something important, maybe I’m looking for nothing at all.”

She glances at Ken, “Its confusing isn’t it?”

Ken nods, “Yeah.”

She laughs quietly to herself, “That’s because I’m a confusing person. I even sometimes confuse myself.” She drifts deep into thoughts, “My mother...I wonder if she’s worried about me. I’ve been gone for so long.”

Ken’s eyes widened as he remembers something, “My mom! I’m late!”

Vale looked at him, “Oh, I’m so sorry! Don’t worry...I’ll just teleport us to your house!” Ken raised a brow, “You know where it is?”

Vale’s expression faded into embarrassment, “Uhm...no.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were in front of Ken’s house, there was a light on. They saw movement inside.

“Well,” Vale said, “I guess they’re home.”

Ken nodded slowly, “I’m going to be in so much trouble.”

Vale sighed sadly, “I’m sorry.”

Ken looked at her reassuringly, “It’s ok, don’t worry about it.” Vale smiled softly “Alright...”

They stood there in silence.

Ken spoke up, “I should get going...”

Vale nodded, “Alright. It was nice chatting with you. Hope I’ll see you around.”

Ken nodded as he headed to the house. They waved and parted, thinking they would never meet again.

Chapter Ten
“Falling Leaves”

Late fall, the last of the cherry blossom leaves as well as others fluttered to the ground, winter was coming in very soon.

The sky was dreary and gray, perhaps predicting the dark events about to transpire in this small town. Everyday, since that fateful meeting with Vale, Ken had been rather silent. Sakura was also mute in her own way. Derek and Karen grew worried, while Trent spends most of his time teaching Sakura swordsmanship, she had improved, but it seemed like her mind was elsewhere.

As a side job, Trent had joined the local police and had immediately gained a superior rank on his second week thanks to his background and superior experience. Of course, only the higher-ranking officials knew of this.

Derek glanced at the door his two children were spending their time in and sighs, “...what’s wrong with those two?”

Karen came up behind Derek and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leaning against him, “Maybe you should talk to them? They seem depressed, maybe it’s the weather, I’m sure they’ll cheer up when it gets a bit warmer.”

Derek smiled faintly and said, “Maybe...” he sighs again and said, “Maybe I’ve been too...bad of a father?”

She gave him a quizzical look. Derek continued, “I don’t know...I know I pay more attention to Sakura than I do with Ken.” Derek turned around and looked at his wife, “I feel bad for picking favorites. I never spend any time with Ken as I do with Sakura.”

Karen shook her head, dismissing Derek’s self-loathing, “No, that’s not true...I see you two train almost everyday. If that’s not spending time with him, I don’t know what is.”

Derek had to disagree, guilt flashed in his face, “...I do it because...” he couldn’t find the right words to say it, “...look, I know he’s my son, but...when I see myself with that wooden sword in my hands...and every time I cross that sword with Ken’s...I get this image...like I’m not really sparring with my son...I picture him as Link.”

Karen, concerned, asked, “What are you saying?”

Derek looked away, “I’m saying that...ever since we had to run from Hyrule...all I ever saw whenever I looked at him are those memories...I spar with him so I could ‘kill’ those memories.”

Karen looked taken aback, “...you mean...kill your own son?”

Derek shook his head, “I...no. That’s not it. Look, whenever I look at him...he has the same eyes as Link. Blue and cold. He has the same hair color...he’s even left handed. When I see him, I see Link. And you know what Link has done to us. He’s destroyed our lives, he’s forced us to run.” He added, “He’s even slain the entire royal family...even Prince Derek. The man who saved my life.”

Karen put a hand on her troubled husband’s shoulders, “Look...you just have to let go. This is your son we’re talking about. Don’t you love him?”

Derek replied quickly, “Of course I do! ...but...” he changed his tone, “...I can’t help but hate him at the same time.”

Karen shook her head sadly, “It’ll pass.”

Derek whispered, “...Karen.”

Karen looked up at her husband. He was staring intently at something. She turned and saw Ken standing there quietly. He had heard the entire thing. He was standing at the doorway to his room, behind him; Sakura was staring down at the floor.

Ken glanced at Sakura and shot her a deadly look before rushing out of the house.

Trent was at the front door as Ken rushed past him, he watched him run off. Not knowing what was going on. Trent knew something was up...the tension was thick in the air.

Ken ran blindly through the streets, not knowing where to go. He just wanted to run away. He had to get away from that house. From the lies.

He ran for a few minutes and finally stopped. He looked around and saw that he was in the playground. With tearstained eyes, he sat on the swing and kept his head down as the tears and leaves fell around him.

He hurt all over. His chest was hurting the most, he held himself and sobbed to himself. To be hated by his own family. That hurt. But to be blind to it all these years, that hurt even more.

He had thought he and his father were getting along so well...

...how could he have been so stupid?

He hated himself for being himself. Why was he the one born first? Why couldn’t it have been Sakura? He hated her the most. She took away his parent’s love. She took away his future.

He heard some footsteps in front of him. He looked up, with tearstained eyes, expecting to see his father or Trent.

It was neither.

He wiped the tear from his eyes and looked at the young 17 year old looking man in front of him. The man had blonde hair and red eyes. He wore a black cloak that flowed in the wind.

The man spoke softly, “Being rejected hurts, doesn’t it?”

Ken got off the swing and looked up at him, “Who...are you?”

The man bowed lightly, “My name is Link.”

Ken recognized the name. Link walked up to him and knelt, patting Ken on the head, he wore a friendly smile. He wasn’t like anything Ken had heard about him. He seemed like a nice person, besides, the Link Derek described had blue eyes.

Link took Ken into his arms and whispered, “Do you want to go back?”

Ken closed his eyes and shook his head, sobbing. Link smiled very softly, “Then...come with me and I’ll make the pain go away.”

Ken opened his eyes and nodded slowly, sobbing quietly on the shoulder of his newfound guardian. They stood like that amidst the falling leaves.

Chapter Eleven
“Thirty Minutes After”

“I see.” Trent was saying. Looking at a miserable Derek, an extremely shaken Karen and an ever silent Sakura, Trent walked towards the door. He turned and said, “Aren’t you going to join me? We have someone to look for.”

No one moved. Sakura trembled.

Trent shook his head and left.

The house went quiet. Finally, Sakura spoke up, “...I’m going to die.”

Her parents looked at her. Tears were streaming from her eyes. She repeated, “...I’m going to die.”

“What?” Karen whispered, getting up. As she walked towards her worry stricken daughter, the door flew open.

Karen, Sakura and Derek turned to see red spray everywhere. There was a hiss as blood sprayed out of a wound. Karen collapsed where she stood.

Derek instantly stands up, but a knife flies through the doorway and strikes him in the chest, he gasps and stumbles backwards, knocking down shelves behind him. Sakura screamed and closed her eyes as her parents began to get slaughtered by an unknown force.

She heard footsteps but dared not to open her eyes. She whimpered, slinking down to the floor.

“Sis...”

She heard a voice. She looked up to see her brother, Ken. He was covered with blood. He smiled. How could he be smiling at a time like this?! Her eyes drifted to the bloodied sword he was holding. Crimson liquid dripped off the tip, splattering onto the floor in an even, slow rhythm.

She looked back up, “...You...you’re not my brother...” she whispered.

The boy in front of her looked exactly like her brother...except for the red eyes.

Where was Trent? She needed him to save her.

She scooted away from him and bumped into the wall, she looked to her left. The wooden sword lay there against the wall.

She snatched it up and slide up to her feet, still leaning against the wall fearfully. She took a defensive stance. She didn’t want to die. But, she knew she was ‘supposed’ to die. Was her dream a premonition? It didn’t make sense...but yet, it did. Blonde hair, red eyes...No! This was all wrong! She was supposed to be an adult! She’s going to die here?!

Ken walked to her slowly, taunting her upcoming death; he spoke, “Dear sister, except your fate.”

Tears streamed from her eyes, she cried, “No! You’re not my brother!!! I’m not going to die! I won’t!! I want to live!”

She charged forward with the wooden sword in her hands, trying to rewrite fate. The cloth around her hand fell off revealing the Triforce of Courage glowing brightly. Ken noticed the Triforce of Courage and smiled.

She swung at him; Ken sliced the wooden sword in two. He elbowed her hard in the face, breaking her nose. She stumbled backwards, screaming in pain with tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked up with a bloodied face as the sword plunged through her stomach, pinning her against the wall...just like in the dream.

The sword was half way; Ken grunted and shoved it in further. Sakura tilted her head back and screamed as the sword plowed out of her back and into the wall; it plowed through the wall and stuck out of the side of the building. The tip of the bloody blade was visible from the outside.

She leaned forward as blood flowed from her mouth, blood splattered from her stomach and unto the floor. The pain was numbing. Who knew there was so much blood inside such a little girl? Who knew how quickly that blood would drain?

Ken spoke, “Who’s the favorite now? Oh, and that Triforce Piece? ...it’s mine now. I’ll take it back.”

She was going to die. A final tear fell before everything went black. If only she had stayed awake for a few more seconds...

Chapter Twelve
“Thirty Minutes Ago”

The leaves fell around the playground. Finally, Link lets go and says to Ken, “Do you want to erase your past?”

Ken looked confused as he wiped the tears away from his eyes. Link smiled and reworded it, “I’m asking you if you want revenge.”

“...Revenge?” Ken repeated.

Link nodded, drawing a slender sword. He nodded, “Yes, revenge. Your parents wanted to kill you. Your sister gave yet another reason to ignore you. To them, you’re second rate. Trash.”

Ken looked at the sword, “...what are you going to do?”

Link smiled, “Me? ...No, I’m going to have you do it.”

“...Do what?” Ken asked, hoping it wasn’t what he thought it was.

Link offered him the sword, “To do what’s right. They deserve this. Use this sword...and erase your past. Cut them each down. Doing so...you’ll cut down your pain...”

“You...want me...” Ken began. Link finished, “...to kill them.”

Ken shook his head, “I...I can’t.”

Link smiled, understandingly, “Are you afraid of blood?” Ken backed away; he didn’t want anything to do with this anymore. He wanted to go back, even if he wasn’t wanted. Link looked at the boy before him disappointingly, “...I expected better.” Link approached him, “Well, you’re going to kill them, whether you like it or not.”

Ken turned to run, but Link was standing right there in front of him. He backed away and turned once more to see Link in front of him once more. Ken clenched his fists as something began to form on his hand. He rushed forward, meeting Link head on.

On his hand...was the Triforce of Courage.

He swung and Link raised his hand and caught the weak punch. Link twists Ken’s wrist, causing Ken to yell out in pain. Link yanks Ken towards himself and his other hand lashes out, grabbing Ken by the forehead.

Electricity flowed through Link’s hand and through Ken’s body. Ken screamed and everything went red.

He opened his eyes slowly. He had a painful headache. He was in the playground. He sat up slowly, holding his head.

Suddenly, memories of the last fifteen minutes ran through his mind. He looked around for Link. He was nowhere to be seen. He must’ve gone for his family!

Ken stood up shakily and half ran and half stumbled towards his house.

He made it to the door another fifteen minutes later. He leaned onto the door and pushed it open. The first sight he saw was his mother lying dead before him. As the door opened wider, his father was shown lying lifeless against some shelves. The door opened wider to reveal his sister with her head down and a sword through her stomach, her finger twitched. There was someone to her left.

The door opened completely to reveal...himself?

His clone smiled at him, he had red eyes, just like Link. Ken put the clues together quickly in his head, this was Link in disguise.

Link yanked the sword out of Sakura. She fell forward and crumpled at his feet facedown. She didn’t move.

Ken stood there, paralyzed by fear, shock, confusion, and hatred.

He wore a shocked expression as a tear fell down his face. He screamed in a mad fury and rushed towards his twin. Link smiled and threw off his disguise, reverting back to his normal appearance. Link dropped the sword and his hand flew forward. He grabbed Ken and slammed him against the wall.

Ken kicked and screamed, wanting to kill the man in front of him.

Link smiled, “I need you alive.” He lets him go and walks towards the cabinet. Ken slid up and watched as Link rummaged through some trash and came up with something. He turned, revealing the royal crown of Hyrule, “...After all these years. I will finally have what’s rightfully mine.”

...All this for a crown!? Ken couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it. He let out a battle-cry and ran forward snatching up the sword Link dropped.

Link places the crown on his head. He turned and extended his palm. This kid was child’s play.

Link blew a blast of telekinesis, Ken steps to his left, as the force knocks back a chair into the wall. Link narrowed his brow and fired of another burst. Ken lunges to the left, avoiding that as well.

Link grew serious as Ken leapt into the air and swung his sword towards him. That was when Link noticed the Triforce of Courage resonating in his hand.

How?! That girl had the Triforce! Link thought to himself as he ducked the sword.

Ken landed on his right foot, without losing rhythm; he spun on that foot, cocked his other leg back and launched a straight kick at Link.

Link was still bent down from ducking the first attack and was wide open. Ken connects with full force, knocking the crown into the air and Link backwards. Ken catches the crown as it falls; he twirls the crown and places it on his head.

Link got to his feet, he was enraged. This kid steals his Triforce piece...his crown...now he makes a fool of him?!

Link rushes forward, “You little bitch! I’ll kill you!” something caught Link’s eye, causing him to stop. His gaze turns slowly to the window by the front door. He smiled and said. “Then again...” he bowed to Ken slowly.

Before Ken could do anything, Link runs towards the back of the house, and jumped through the window. Ken took a step forward as Trent runs into the house.

The two looked at each other in suspended silence. Trent looked at the bodies before him.

Trent examines Ken. Ken had a bloodied sword in his hands...A crown on his head.

Trent muttered, “Murderer...”

Ken looks at himself quickly, he whispered, “It was a set-up...no.” Ken shook his head in denial. Everything was falling apart around him. He was the killer! He backed up against the wall.

Trent yells out, drawing his sword, “Murderer!!!”

Chapter Thirteen
“Escape from Katasaku”

“I...no...” Ken mumbled with fear in his eyes.

Trent was enraged, for a few mere seconds, he forgot the killer in front of him was his own grandson, all Trent kept seeing in his mind was the awful thought of Sakura’s body...lying in a pool of blood.

Trent ran towards Ken and swung his sword at him. Ken saw this closed his eyes, bracing himself.

Trent stopped himself...the boy in front of him was still family...his own flesh and blood. Trent hesitated, and Ken took this chance.

Ken shoves Trent aside and runs towards the door. Trent turns and chases him.

A group of town police were heading over to the house as Ken rushed past. They watched him go without knowing who he was. Trent yelled over to them, “Don’t let him get away!!”

The group then bolted after the fugitive.

Trent and his men rounded the corner. Ken was nowhere to be found. They decided to split up and scour the city, sealing the exits. A small group ran by an alley. In that alley, by a trashcan, Ken hid. His heart was pounding, he had to escape. There was no going back now.

He heard footsteps and froze. He heard a sword being drawn. Suddenly, he heard a strange voice seeming to come from nowhere, Duck!

Ken ducked as a blade sliced through the trashcan, Ken stumbled forward and backed away as Trent flung the trashcan aside. Ken turned and ran down the alley with Trent in hot pursuit.

Ken neared a fence and began to climb as Trent drew his revolver. Trent aimed, as Ken climbed to the top and jumped. The revolver fired, and Ken dropped onto the other side as a bullet whizzed by inches above his head.

Ken saw a ladder leading up to the roof of a building and ran. Trent climbed over the fence and landed nimbly on his feet.

Ken climbed up the ladder as quickly as he could. He reached the top and kicked the ladder down as Trent reached for it.

Trent cursed and began to set the ladder back up as Ken ran across the top of the roof. He leapt over a gap and landed on the second house, this house was a few inches taller than the wall surrounding the building. If Ken could make it to the other side, he was free!

Trent climbed up onto the roof and drew his weapon, aiming it straight at Ken. Ken was facing his grandfather; he was standing on the wall surrounding the city. If Trent were fire now, Ken would be dead.

They stared at each other for a long time. The wind blew, ruffling their hair, leaves blew by. If Trent fired...the story would end right there...

But he didn’t. Trent lowered his gun, he couldn’t do it. Ken took one step back and dropped onto the outside of the city walls, disappearing.

Trent dropped the weapon and falls on his knees, still staring at the place Ken was standing a few mere seconds ago. He couldn’t even avenge his own family...

Chapter Fourteen
“Cheating Death”

The sky was as gray as ever...it was going to be a very rainy month.

Ken was kneeling by a river a few yards into the woods outside of Katasaku.

He dipped the bloodied sword in and used his other hand to run along the flat of the blade. As if washing all of his past actions away, the blood floated up with the slightest touch from his fingers. He runs it all along the blade, cleaning it thoroughly.

He stood up slowly; his sword was dripping with fresh water. Ken raises the sword up to his face and stares at his reflection. He looked different, he didn’t quite know how...he seemed...older in a way. More mature. Less innocent.

Trent stood at the door to the house. This house...nothing had changed since the last time he was here. The cleaning department hadn’t entered to move the bodies yet.

There was a lower ranking officer behind him. Trent ordered him to notify the superiors about this. The officer saluted and left Trent to himself.

Trent reached for the door slowly, as if it hurt to touch the doorknob. He forces his hand onto the knob and turned slowly.

He pushes the door slowly open...

Ken walked through the streets with a makeshift cloak on. He had stolen it from someone as the left it out to dry on a clothesline. It was too big, so Ken had to cut a few pieces away to keep from falling over himself. He had the hood up to protect his identity

The people around him walked on, continuing with their lives...as if nothing ever changed. It was strange. Everyone around him had their own lives...their own stories; he was just part of the mass.

He didn’t know where he was going, all he knew was that he had to do what’s right. What was right exactly? He didn’t know. He felt like there was something he had to do here.

He walked by the flower shop he saw a few days before. There were three young girls sitting there. They looked at him. The oldest gestured Ken to come over.

Ken hesitated before walking over to them, pushing his way through the growing crowd. The oldest of the girls spoke, “Hello, welcome to Farore’s Flower Shop...would you like to buy some flowers?”

Ken shook his head, and the youngest spoke up, “Please? My sisters and I want to help.”

Ken gave them a quizzical look and asked softly, “...Help?”

The middle one nodded slowly, looking at Ken fondly, “Yes...to do what’s right.”

She turned to her sisters, “The oldest one is Nayru. I’m Farore, and that’s Din.”

Ken didn’t know why they were introducing themselves. Farore continued, “Here. Take this...” she handed Ken a bouquet of roses.

Ken received it slowly; he looked at it and asked, “Why are you giving me this?”

Farore spoke, “I’m very fond of you and your sister. Use those roses and do what’s right. Use them to help you grow stronger.”

Ken replied, unsure, “...What’s right? What am I supposed to do? How do I get stronger?”

She spoke again, “You both have the courage. Trust yourself. You know what to do.”

Ken looked back up, expecting to find the three sisters. They were gone. The stand was gone as well. It was as if the flower shop was never there...

The door creaked open, revealing the bodies of his daughter...son...and granddaughter. Trent stepped through. He put his head down and shut his eyes tightly. A tear fell.

He heard a rustle and looked up. Sakura’s finger twitched. She was still alive!

Trent rushed over to her...

Ken was standing in the alleyway once more. He held the roses tightly and stared at the beautiful bouquet of red. He looked back up and looked straight at the other end of the alleyway...it lead him closer to his house. He knew what to do...

Trent held Sakura in his arms. Sakura didn’t move, but was breathing...faintly. Trent teared up uncontrollably.

“...Sake?” he spoke, “Please...say something.”

Her lips moved, she whispered, “...Grandpa...you.....came.”

Trent cried as tears ran down his face, he held his only granddaughter close, “You’re alive!”

Sakura, with her eyes still closed, let out a tear, “...Ken...he....killed...”

Trent stopped her, “I know...don’t worry about that right now.” He looked at the deep wound in her stomach and said, “We have to get you some help right away.”

Moments later...

Trent, with a dying Sakura in his arms, ran through the streets as the rain began to lightly sprinkle...

Ken was walking down the alley, nearing his house. As he neared however, the thoughts grew more intense...more clear. He retightened his grip on the roses as pain suddenly shots up from his hand and up his arm. The thorns drew a small trickle of blood.

He dropped the roses instinctively.

As Ken knelt by the alleyway’s opening to pick up his roses, he had his head down. At that moment, Trent, with Sakura in his arms rushed past. They never saw each other.

Ken picked the roses up and continued on his way.

He reached the house. The door was closed.

He spoke softly, “...Dad...Mom...Sister, I’m so sorry. I...never wanted this to happen. I hope you’ll all forgive me. I’m really sorry. Dad...I’m sorry for being born and making you hurt so much because I’m alive. Mom, I’m sorry for making you worry so much about Dad. And Sis...I’m sorry. It wasn’t your fault...it was mine. I hope...I hope you all will look after me. I’m going after Link. I’ll avenge you...all of you.”

He looked at his left hand. The Triforce of Courage was split in half. It still glowed.

“And,” he began, “I’ll...find out what this is...I know you wouldn’t want me to go. ...Mom...Dad, please understand...that I have to leave now. I’m not wanted here. I’ll stay...for your funeral. I promise.”

The wind blew, and there was a sound of a small group of people that were heading his way. It scared him, making him drop the flowers at the doorstep. He panicked and ran, stepping on the flowers by mistake. The roses became disorganized and dirtied as Ken ran and disappeared around the corner.

Three sisters, Din, Nayru, and Farore stopped by the flowers. Farore knelt and fixed the damaged bouquet. Din spoke, “...Are you sure you should be interfering this much?” Nayru agreed, “Splitting your Triforce piece between two people...that’s not very wise of you, sister.”

Farore stood up after rearranging the roses neatly, she replied softly, “I’m very fond of those two...I feel that they might have what’s needed to save this world.”

Din shook her head, “You know this isn’t how it’s supposed to be...they were supposed to die.”

Farore looked down guiltily, “I...have faith in these two.”

Nayru added, “And if they don’t?”

Farore shook her head, “...They will succeed...even through death.”

Din nodded slowly, “We should go...we are already interfering too much...what goes on down here from now on...it’s their problem.”

Farore replied, “Don’t be so cold...”

Nayru spoke, “Sister...”

Farore nodded, “I’m sorry. I know...let’s go.”

The three sisters faded away.

Chapter Fifteen
“To Forgive”



The past few days have been rainy and gray. It looked like it would never stop. The rain would stop, only to come again later in the day. Today looked to be no different.

It was sprinkling lightly; the road was wet and slippery. Still, people moved about, some protected under umbrellas, others used newspapers or ventured out without anything over their heads.

Ken watched from the trees surrounding the medium sized graveyard as the guests slowly filed out. It was cold and wet; no one wanted to stick around for too long.

The attendants were mostly friends and neighbors, the family didn’t have any blood relatives to speak of.

As the last person disappeared through the large gates, he slowly ventured out of hiding.

Ken still wore the cloak; it was the only thing keeping him slightly warm. He looked down at the three graves before him. They had buried the bodies before the funeral; it was customary in this part of the world. It was to prevent people from gawking at the dead.

Each grave had some flowers over it.

He stood there for a moment, seeming to be in a trance. He knelt slowly, reaching over and touching each tombstone tenderly. The hard stone against his fingers only proved to him that this was all very real.

He reached over and drew his sword, he felt compelled to do it. He had to compare the blade to the graves. This was the sword that had struck them down. This was going to be the sword he’d use on Link.

He closed his eyes, contemplating what he would do next. Would he leave as soon as possible? Or would he stay a bit longer?

He opened his eyes and saw his blade covered in blood. He dropped it in shocked surprise. The sword dropped to the ground with a soft clink. Ken looked at the blade again. It was clean; some droplets of water were on it, but nothing else unusual.

It was all in his head.

Trent and Sakura stayed at a small apartment. Sakura still hadn’t awakened from her dire sleep. Trent spent the past few days sitting by her side.

Sakura lay in bed with a thin strip of bandage wrap around her nose, and thick wrap around her stomach. A blanket was tucked tightly up to her neck.

Trent brewed himself some hot cocoa and stepped out of the kitchen and into the next room.

Trent found Sakura awake, sitting up and staring out at the window as light droplets splattered onto the glass.

Trent rushed over to her, setting the hot drink down on the stool next to the bed.

Trent spoke, as if afraid his words would hurt her for some reason, “...Sakura?”

She didn’t look at him. She only continued to stare at the window, she spoke in a faint voice, “...how many days?”

Trent replied, “...three days.”

“Funeral.” She said.

Trent followed her gaze at the window, “...it’s today.”

Sakura, without saying another word, gingerly steps out of bed with unbalanced feet, Trent watched all this.

He shook his head, putting a hand on her shoulder, sitting her back down, “No. You can’t go out in your condition. It’s too cold outside; you don’t need to catch a cold, too.”

Sakura slapped her grandfather’s hand away and stood up again, “I’m going.”

Trent looked at her sternly, “No.”

Sakura gave him a quick glare before shoving Trent as hard as she could. She bolted towards the door. Trent recovered himself and chased her, he yelled to her, “Wait!” she threw open the door and ran into the cold outside world wearing only her long one piece hospital gown.

Sakura made some distance before stumbling against the wall. A burning sensation stirred in her chest, she gripped her chest and fell to her knees, leaning her shoulder against the brick wall. It hurt so much, but she didn’t know why. She wanted so much to make the burning stop. She couldn’t think straight.

She put her hand to her mouth and coughed violently, each cough multiplied the pain ten times over. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she coughed.

She wanted so much for it to stop.

Finally, it did. The pain became a faint throb in her chest, but her throat burned slightly still.

She pulled her hand from her mouth and stared in horror. Blood covered her hand, dripping between her fingers and splattering onto the cobblestone.

She looked up to see Trent kneeling down in front of her; he wrapped a thermal cloak around her to keep her warm. He was already wearing one.

He didn’t speak as he pulled a cloth from his pocket and cleaned the blood off of her hand. He moved the cloth to her face and wiped some blood remaining around her lips. He stowed the cloth away and wiped the stray tears from her cheek.

Finally, he said, “Now...we have to go back.”

Sakura shook her head, “No. I’m going, I’m gonna go whether you let me or not.”

Trent, using his authority, said angrily, “Look. I know you’ve been through a lot, but I’m still your grandfather! What I say goes! You’re going to go back and get some rest!”

Sakura stared at him for a moment, “...please.”

Trent, staying with his decision, “No...”

Sakura asked sadly, “...why do you hate me? I just...want to see them. I need to...I want to see...if this was what my dream was about.”

Trent asked slowly, “Dream?”

Sakura nodded, “Please.”

Trent thought silently for a moment, finally, against his intentions, he relented.

“Alright...” he said, standing up, “let’s go see...”

He extended his hand down to her. She looked up at his hand; she reached up and accepted it.

Ken picked the blade up slowly; he asked himself, “What am I going to do?”

He looked at his reflection on the blade, and saw not himself, but Link.

“I...no. That’s not it. Look, whenever I look at him...he has the same eyes as Link. Blue and cold. He has the same hair color...he’s even left handed. When I see him, I see Link. And you know what Link has done to us. He’s destroyed our lives, he’s forced us to run.” He heard his father’s voice echoing from his memories.

“So...that’s why. That’s why you hate me so much?” he spoke to the grave before him “Because I...look like Link? If...if I died, would you have been happier? Would you still be miserable?” he closed his eyes, hating himself, “It’s my fault...I looked like Link. If I wasn’t born, I wouldn’t have met him at the park...you wouldn’t have said those things. You wouldn’t be dead...you’d be happy...alive.”

He looked at his reflection, staring at the boy encased in the blade, the boy looked miserable. He closed his eyes and let out a yell, turning and flinging the sword away from him. The sword impaled into the soft dirt a few yards away.

He turned back around, falling to his knees and hugging the tombstone tightly, whispering over and over again, “...I’m sorry...I’m sorry...I’m sorry...”

“Hey. You should watch where your throw swords around, kid.” came a new voice behind him, he quickly turned to find the source.

Vale stood next to the sword, she still wore the witch’s hat over her head, shielding her head from the sprinkling rain. She spoke, “Hey.”

Ken looked at her and asked, “...what are you still doing here?”

Vale glanced at the sword, “You look miserable.”

Ken looked away, turning back to the graves. Vale sighed, running her hand over the hilt of the sword, “I guess it happened.”

Ken turned back to her, angry, “...what do you mean?! Are you saying you knew?! Why didn’t you say anything?!?”

Vale yanked the sword from the ground, holding it up to her face, “No. I didn’t know they would die...I just...knew that Link would find this place soon.”

Ken shouted angrily, “Why?! Why didn’t you warn us!?”

Vale looked hurt, and stared at the ground, “I’m sorry...I really am. I’m not supposed to warn you...I had to let it happen. I needed to let destiny run its course.”

Ken walked up to her, he stared up angrily at her, “Destiny?! That’s what this was all about? I lose my family...I lose everything...because ‘Destiny’ says so?!”

Vale shook slightly and replied, “Please. Don’t shout. I had to let you experience suffering. I was supposed to make sure you received it. And it looks like you did.”

Ken looked confused for a moment before looking at his hand. The Triforce piece was embedded into the back of his left hand.

Ken asked, “What is this?”

Vale answered, “That is the Triforce of Courage. It’s the sign the goddesses give to people who would do great things in the future. I was sent here to seek you out.” Vale noticed Ken looking at the sign hatefully, “Kid...don’t feel that way towards the goddesses. Don’t think of it as a curse. Think of it as a chance to save the world...as a chance to do great things.”

Ken whispered, “...I don’t want to save the world. I want my family back.”

Vale offered him the sword, “Theres nothing we can do about that. What’s past has past...theres nothing to do but move forward.”

Ken took the blade and places it into a scabbard he had stolen, “...forward...this is all so stupid. Who are you?”

Vale answered softly, “I’m...Vale, the daughter of the heiress to the Clandestine of Dusk. I was sent here to retrieve you and take you to my mother. She was the one who sent me.”

Ken remembered their conversation a few months ago, “...The Sage of Forest?”

Vale nodded, “Yes...her name is Saria. She was one of the Sages at Hyrule. If you want to know why you were chosen...you should come with me to see her...”

Ken turned away; he looked over his shoulder at her, “What if I refuse?”

Vale crossed her arms and said, “You won’t.”

Sakura and Trent walked into the graveyard as green leaves fluttered down around them. Trent looked confused, the leaves were supposed to have fallen months ago, why were they still green?

They were alone in the graveyard. Sakura, seeming to know where to go, walked straight to the spot Ken was standing moments before, in front of the graves.

She looked at each one. There were three, one for her father, one for her mother...and one for her?

She looked up at Trent as he stood beside her. Trent, knowing what she was going to say, said, “Theres one with your name because its meant to keep you safe. If everyone thinks you’re dead, no one will come for you to hurt you.”

She spoke in an emotionless voice as she stroked her tombstone, “Is that all?”

Trent looked at her and didn’t respond. She knelt down and hugged her knees, staring at the graves before her intently, “...I’m...”

Trent waited for her to finish. She trailed off. Trent knelt by her and asked, “You’ll what?”

She closed her eyes angrily, “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to avenge my family and kill my brother.”

Chapter Sixteen
“Can’t Be Helped”

“I can’t believe you...” Ken was saying as he and Vale trudged along a path leading out of Katasaku. Vale smiled, trying to get Ken in a less angry mood, “Look, at least we didn’t end up in a volcano or something.”

Ken looked up at her and replied sharply, “You teleported us to the city dump.”

“Well, I guess you could say that my teleporting skills ‘stink’!” Vale replied, amused at her little pun.

Ken shook his head, “Please...no more puns.”

Vale sighed, “Whatever...you just go and mope for all I care. All I was trying to do was lighten things up. Don’t blame me if you start falling apart because of the negative stuff.”

Ken looked at her curiously, “You mean...you did all that on purpose?”

Vale blinked, “Uhm...no.”

Ken sighed, “Why did they send you? They could’ve sent someone with a little more...sense.”

Vale sighed, “Whatever, you’re stuck with me, deal with it. It’s not like I enjoy wandering around looking for you.”

“Then,” Ken began, “all the stuff you told me before...the whole ‘looking for something or nothing at all’...what was all that about?”

She looked at him and replied quickly, “Well...I really am, you know? ...it’s just that...I got sidetracked when my mother assigned me to you. Since, you know, you’re the one who was supposed to keep the world from falling apart-“

At that moment the ground under her gave way and she fell in with a shriek. Ken, who had stood next to her, was luckily standing outside of range of the hole.

Ken looked down, “You alright?”

Vale was sitting up in the hole, “Yeah, I’m alright! ...why the hell is a hole here?”

Ken smiled, “You know...it’s kinda funny since you were talking about things falling...”

Vale sighed, “Whatever! Just get me out!”

Ken knelt down and said, “What’s wrong? I thought you liked puns.”

“Now we have you!” came a voice from behind. Ken turned and looked at the familiar group of bandits from before. Ken and the leader looked at each other, Ken spoke, annoyed, “You again?”

“Who is it?” Vale asked from inside the hole. Ken replied, glancing down at her, “It’s nothing...just the pirate and his gang.”

Vale replied, relieved, “Oh, is that all?”

The leader stammered, “Dammit, I have a name!!! It’s Jim!”

“Jim the Pirate?” Ken asked suspiciously, “That doesn’t sound like a pirate name.”

Jim yelled back, “I’m not a damn pirate!!! Just because I wear an eye patch doesn’t mean anything!”

“What’s his name?” Vale asked, Ken replied, “Joe.”

“It’s Jim, dammit!” Jim shouted.

Vale reached her hand up and said, “Hey, Ken! Pull me up so we can kick their asses and leave!”

Ken reached down to pull her up. Jim, sensing an opening, shouted to his group, “The kid’s by himself! Get him!”

Sakura sat inside the apartment, a cup of cocoa in her hands. She was staring at a picture. The picture was taken of her and her brother during the past summer.

Ken had his left arm around his sister’s shoulders and threw up a peace sign with his right hand. Sakura was leaning her head against him and was smiling happily, winking at the camera.

They were posing in front of their house, the house had a summer afterglow to it, which made it seem that much more perfect, fitting the mood of that moment perfectly.

Her white heart pendant was still around her neck, although it was meant to show the fact that the two were inseparable, it now reminded her of the sins he committed and the punishment she will instill upon him.

That was her motivation. She stared hatefully at the picture and flung it hard against the wall, shattering the glass frame into millions of pieces. The picture fell down unto the floor with shards of glass impaled into it.

Trent, who had been sitting across the room watching, flinched. He looked down and shook his head. There was nothing he could do to change her decision. He would teach her everything he knew and hope in the end...she decides to forgive.

Ken brushed the dirt off of his scabbard as the bandits lay around him unconscious. Vale finally managed to climb up by herself and whistled, looking around in amazement.

Ken looked at her and smirked. Vale raised a brow, seeing some blood, but no dead bandits.

She asked, “How...?”

Ken replied, “I used the scabbard to whack ‘em all.”

She applauded him, “Nice...see? If everything was solved your way, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Ken, finally seeming to mature emotionally gestured forward and said, “Well, it can’t be helped. Let’s go, shall we? We have a sage to meet.”

Vale smiled as she stepped on Jim to walk over to Ken, “Sure, kid...” she points, “onwards!”

Chapter Seventeen
“The Temple of Dusk”


“That’s it, I’m sick of these!” Vale said angrily as she crumpled yet another Wanted Poster nailed to a tree. She looks at Ken and shakes her head, “Even I never got this many wanted posters!”

They had been traveling together for over two months. Needless to say, they had run into a bit of trouble during their travels. They still stuck together, though. They saw each other now as close friends rather than just travel companions.

Ken was both proud and hurt at the same time.

Proud because he had more posters than Vale...Hurt because everyone thinks he murdered his own family.

Vale tossed the wad of paper into some bushes. She thought for a moment, “Say...” she examines Ken a bit, “I have an idea...”

She unclipped her staff and twirled it once; she smirked, thinking about how much of a genius she was.

Ken looked at her nervously, instinctively backing away, “What...are you gonna do?”

Vale laughed evilly, “Mwahahaha!!! I am a damn genius!!”

Ken tilted his head back, wearing a quizzical and disturbed look. When a person like Vale busts out with an evil laugh, you know something is gonna happen.

Vale looked at Ken, her eyes examined him carefully, “I’m gonna give you a little make over...a disguise!”

Ken blinked, “Will it...hurt?”

Vale smiled, “Of course not! You won’t feel a thing! This spell also numbs everything so you don’t feel your bones and flesh stretching and rearranging themselves...” she thought about that for a moment, “...Ew.”

Ken shook his head quickly, “No. I don’t think that’s necessary! It’s fine! I’ll just wear a hood over my head or something.”

Vale sighed, “Oh, c’mon! Don’t be so chicken! The mysterious hood routine is getting old! Let’s try something new!”

Ken stared at her and asked nervously, “...Can you at least make me stay Hylian?”

Vale thought for a moment, “How ‘bout a Gerudo?”

Ken shook his head quickly, “No, Hylian is fine!”

Vale shrugged, “...Alrighty.” she examines him closely, “You know, I always wanted a girl to talk to...”

Ken shouted immediately, “NO!!!” Vale laughed to herself, “Just a thought, nothing more. Although I remember this one princess doing that...stayed safe for seven years, actually...my mother told me about it.”

Ken shook his head again, “Just keep me a Hylian GUY, ‘k?”

Vale shrugged, “Sure.” She pointed her staff at him, thought a moment and said, “Let the games begin!” the staff glowed and Ken was struck by a bright light, followed by smoke.

Vale waited until the smoke cleared to see her creation come to light.

Vale leaned forward and squinted through the smoke. Suddenly, she jumps at the sight, “Holy shit!”

Standing there in Ken’s place was a cuckoo, the cuckoo clucked angrily.

Vale looked at her staff, “Uhm...hmm, a chicken...let’s try again.”

She pointed her staff at Ken again.

Seven Minutes Later...

“Nope...almost got it.” Vale muttered, staring at a Tektite, the four legged spider hopped around angrily.

Soon, after being turned into a squirrel, a bottle of ketchup, a melon, a monkey, a rock, a wheel, a Zora egg, a Goron, and finally...a tomato, Ken reverted back to normal.

Ken eyed himself, taking note that everything was back to normal, “Oh, thank the gods!!!”

Vale blinked, “Hmm...The hair and the eyes are...”

Ken looked at her, confused. Vale knelt down and reached into her pack and pulled out a mirror. She walked over and showed him his reflection.

Ken had to blink a few times to make sure his eyes were working. His eyes were red instead of blue...so was his hair.

Vale looked at him, “Hmm...I think the red from the tomato sorta carried over.” She pointed her staff at a now panicky Ken and said, “I give up on the disguises, just let me fix your hair and your eyes...”

Ken shouted at the top of his lungs, “No!!! Please, no more!!! I don’t mind, really! Red’s my favorite color anyways!!”

Vale eyed him more carefully and said, “...Well...you do look better that way...” she lowered her staff, “Alright.” She thought about this and said, “Wait...the only difference is the color of your eyes and hair, who are you gonna fool?”

Ken, not wanting to experience life as a roach, responded quickly, “No!! Don’t worry...I’ll deal with it, ok?”

Vale sighed and shrugged, “Suit yourself.” With that, they continued onward down the trail. Vale thought for a moment and spoke, “Oh, by the way...the ‘disguise’ that you have...since my mother hasn’t seen you or know how you look like...could you...you know, keep it a secret?”

Ken looked at her and muttered, “As long as you don’t try anything, my lips are sealed.”

“Good!” Vale responded happily, she turned and pointed at the bushes, “’Cause we’re here!”

Ken stared blankly, “...where?”

Vale parted the bushes and drew her staff. She pointed with it and a thin beam shot out at something.

Slowly, the large temple appeared, the illusion guarding it dropped, she spoke proudly, “Behold...the Temple of Dusk! The headquarters to the Clandestine of Dusk!”

Chapter Eighteen
“Defeat the Legend”


As the large wooden doors behind them closed, the illusion protecting the large temple came up again, shrouding the temple in invisibility.

The torches along the walls dimly lit up the hallways. The walls and floor alike were lined with black cobblestone. Vale and Ken paused near the doors for a few moments before continuing deeper. Their footsteps echoed around them, accompanied by the constant erratic rhythm of the crackling torches.

After turning a corner, Vale glanced at a silent Ken and spoke, “Quiet, ain’t it?”

Ken glanced at her and nodded, “...yeah.” Vale glanced ahead of her and turned right into another hallway, she replied softly, as if afraid to break the silence, “It seems normal to me. Being a sage, you need all the peace you can get. I never questioned it, though.” She sighed, “Being outside...with the noise and the excitement, I have to say...this place might be a bit...creepy to you.”

They neared a door near the end of the dark hallway. There were sounds of footsteps on the other side. Vale paused when they reached the door, Ken stopped behind her. She turned, “Well, kid...here we go.”

Ken nodded slowly. Vale turned back towards the door and slowly pushed it open.

The first thing Ken noticed were the people inside, they were in a library of some sort. Books lined the walls of this circular large room. In the middle stood a statue, depicting the original seven sages of Hyrule, they were clustered together; each held a book against his or her chest.

Along the walls, sacred scrolls and Hylian text were hung. Ken didn’t recognize anything in this room. He turned to ask Vale something, but she was gone.

Ken looked around, lost and confused. What was he supposed to do now?

The others in the room seemed to ignore him.

Finally, he heard some footsteps behind him, coming from the hallway he and Vale had just come through.

He turned to see Vale standing beside a surprisingly young looking girl. She wore a black robe that fell all the way down to the floor. Her sleeves were very long, covering her arms with many inches to spare.

She spoke, “Welcome. I’m glad my daughter is able to retrieve you here safely.”

Ken was surprised for a moment; she didn’t even look that much older than Vale. She could’ve been her older sister. Instinctively, he bowed slightly.

Vale remained silent. Her mother spoke, “You must be tired. You will rest, and you will regain your strength. Vale will escort you to your room, if you need anything, just tell her. We shall discuss important matters tomorrow.”

Vale turned to her mother and bowed graciously before gesturing Ken to follow. The girl known as Vale’s mother watched them as they left.

As they walked down yet another dark hallway, Ken asked, “...That was your mom?”

Vale looked at him and smiled faintly, “Yeah...she’s young isn’t she?”

Ken nodded slowly, Vale continued, “That’s because she’s a Kokiri. Kokiri never age so long as they stay within the Kokiri Forest.”

Ken asked slowly, “...Why...did she leave?”

Vale sighed, “...I don’t think I should tell you...I think it’s a personal matter for her. I’m sorry.”

Ken glanced back ahead of him as they stopped at a door. Vale pulled out a key and unlocked the door, she pushed the door open. Inside, there was a comfy looking bed with a lit candle sitting on the lone study in the corner. Other than those items, the room was empty.

Vale looked at Ken and smiled, “Cozy, ain’t it?”

Ken nodded slowly, “Sure is.”

Ken stepped in, but Vale stayed outside the doorway, she said, “If you need anything just ask me. I’ll be in the library. It’s down the hall and to the right.”

Ken nodded slowly as Vale shut the door.

The next day, Ken, being lead by two other members of the temple, headed for the conference room, he noticed that most of the people here were women. He saw maybe only two or three men here.

The ones escorting him were young girls, possibly in their mid teens. He had yet to see an old person.

They lead him to the conference room and opened the door for him. Ken stepped inside as they closed the door behind him and left.

He was alone. He wondered where Vale was. He felt like a total outsider here and he needed to see a familiar face.

He looked around the conference room. It had a total of 26 chairs surrounding a long table. Twelve on both sides and one on the two ends of the table. Six torches were placed along the walls surrounding the room. Everything about this place gave him chills down his spine. Vale was right...it was a creepy place.

There were four doors leading in and out of the room. And one in front of him opened, a figure stepped through. It was Vale’s mother; she wore the same type of robe from last time, except with different designs. The robe had a phoenix stitched on the chest; the phoenix was flaring up its wings, hovering protectively above the Triforce.

She spoke, “I trust that you had a restful sleep?”

Ken nodded. She walked over and gestured him to take a seat. He took a seat and she walked over to sit across from him. She looked at him for a moment and said, “I suppose you’ll want to know exactly why you’re here.”

She took a deep breath and spoke, “My name is Saria. I’m a Kokiri and the head sage of the Clandestine of Dusk. Before that, I served the fallen land of Hyrule as the Sage of Forest.” She glanced at him and asked, “Are you familiar with the term ‘Hero of Time'?”

Ken shook his head. Saria thought for a moment before speaking, “Many years ago in Hyrule, there was an evil man that went by the name of Ganondorf Dragmire. He was a Gerudo King intent on taking over Hyrule. According to Hylian legend, the land was to fall into darkness. Prophecies foretold that a young boy would save the land and shine the light of hope back onto the land. He was known as the Hero of Time. The prophecy had come true as soon as Ganondorf had pillaged the kingdom. It was said that the Hero, along with the Sages of Hylian lore would succeed in defeating this ‘King of Evil’. And in doing so, they imprisoned him into the Sacred Realm.”

“But,” Saria explained, “Ganondorf had taken something very important with him. The Triforce of Power.” She glanced at him, “The Triforce is a holy relic. They say that if the three pieces of the Triforce are joined together, the person in question will be granted a wish of his or her choosing. This was Ganondorf’s most powerful desire. Fortunately, he only possessed the Triforce of Power; he searched the land for seven years for the other two elusive pieces. Those pieces were known as the Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom. The Triforce of Wisdom was possessed by the Hylian Princess...” she went silent for a moment before continuing, “...her name was Zelda.”

She took a deep breath, “The Triforce of Courage, on the other hand was in the possession of the Hero of Time. Together, they defeated the King of Evil and saved Hyrule. This concluded what is now known in history as the ‘Imprisoning War’.”

Ken stared at her, taking this all in. Saria looked at him and spoke, “What this has to do with you, I’ll explain later. Right now, I’ll tell you why you’re here. After some events afterwards, there was another, less known crises. This was known as the Shadow and Light Crisis. This is where it gets complicated...in the universe, there are two realities, one balances out the other. In a complicated system of checks they both share both subtle and major differences. Think of it as an hourglass...one side has a lot more of something than the other. The Hyrule we know was prosperous thanks to the Hero of Time’s actions...but, the alternate Hyrule, known as the ‘Shadowed Hyrule’, was in turmoil. This again, is the work of balance. The two realities are constantly at war with each other in a way...they both vive for the same thing...light...prosperity...life. But, that isn’t possible. For this reason, the Sages of the darkened Hyrule sent their version of the Hero of Time to try to nudge the hourglass in their favor. Our hero defeated him and left him stranded. Later, mistaking our Hero for theirs, they took him into their world. The sages of the Hyrule of Light went on a clandestine mission to rescue him. They succeeded. The Hero unfortunately lost his Triforce Piece on the other side.”

She stood up and turned her back to him, she stared at the wall, “This is when everything started to go downhill...” she paused and continued, “We...I mean, the Sages foolishly forgot about the possibility of a counter attack by Shadow Hyrule. This came in the form of their Hero of Time. It seems he had gone into hiding and had taken the form of Prince Derek.” Ken realized something. Saria explained the situation, “That prince was meant to marry the Princess, Zelda. Unfortunately, the Princess was in love with another, the Hero of Time...he went by the name of...Link.”

Ken recognized the name.

Saria turned to him and spoke, “Yes...I know you’ve met him, but let me finish. Because Derek was also Link, he also wielded the Triforce of Courage, the same piece our Link had lost...he managed to manipulate everyone...especially me. You see, the news of the engagement happened only a week after the Shadow and Light incident. We were all caught off guard. The Link I knew disappeared after the party...I thought I knew where to find him...and I found him in the Kokiri Forest...in our secret spot. Years later, I discovered that it was not the Link I knew...it was actually Shadow Link in his true form. I couldn’t tell of course, he acted just like the man he was supposed to be...the man I...” she trailed off. She regained herself and continued, “I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath and said, “after a series of conspiracies, Zelda was killed...as was ‘Derek’”

“Gale, the chancellor, was the one pulling the strings. He made his bid to power and succeeded, killing the heiress and the king...placing the blame on Link and us, the Sages, and receiving the crown. It seems that the death of Zelda took a heavier toll than even we had expected. Link went on a desperate search for a way to right what he thought were his mistakes. Stealing the Book of Modura, he went on a quest for the most sinful spell written in its pages...immortality. It required the blood of vampires...demons...monsters...and the souls of millions. He succeeded. And promptly waged a war with Hyrule using what was left of Ganondorf’s scattered army. He overthrew the kingdom and took the crown.”

She looked at him closely, “Which brings us to our current situation. Link, is in search of the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom. He wants to use those relics, along with the Triforce of Power he plans to steal from Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, to wish his lover back to life...” she thought for a moment, “Link married shortly before the fall of Hyrule...a farm girl whom I knew personally. Her name was Malon. She passed away shortly afterwards due to a disease caused by being stabbed by a rusty blade.”

She sat down, “Whether Link will wish for the return of Zelda...or Malon...or maybe both, I’m not sure. Nonetheless, Malon and Link had a child. I don’t know her name, but I’ll get to it later. At her deathbed, Malon had told Link that she wanted to make the world a better place...a place for everyone to be happy...a place united. I guess Link misinterprets the message somehow and used force to try to make Malon’s will come to fruit. Link now roams the world for three things. Firstly: To retrieve the Triforce pieces. Secondly: To conquer and unite the peoples of the world through force. And finally, third: To rescue his kidnapped daughter.”

“But...” Ken began, “Why...me?” Saria looked at him sadly, “I’m sorry. I knew he was to come after you because Trent, your grandfather had taken the crown with him. This in turn led us to believe he would soon come to retrieve it. We also knew the Triforce pieces would only come to those who proved themselves. We needed to make sure that the piece went to you. We’d then secure you safely.”

“So...I’m just...a tool for holding the Triforce?” he held up his left hand, and looked at the Triforce, “I’m just someone to hide luggage?!” he looked at her angrily. Saria went silent for a moment, “No. That’s not...the entire reason. We believe you will save the world from this...Fallen Hero, from Link.” She continued to explain, “During the Imprisoning War, a sacred blade was used. It was known as the Sword of Evil’s Bane...the Master Sword, only those bestowed with the blessings of the Goddesses may wield its power. Because Link has descended into evil, he can no longer use the blade.” She looked at him, “That’s where you come in.”

Ken spoke softly, taking this all in, “You want me...to use that sword and kill Link?”

Saria nodded slowly, “Yes, although I’m still unsure about whether or not it would work. Link is immortal after all.”

Ken looked down, “So you’re not even sure it’ll work? This is...suicide.”

Saria sighed, “Don’t think of it that way...the sword was blessed by the goddesses, I’m sure it’ll work.”

Ken asked, “Why...don’t you seal him in the Sacred Realm like Ganondorf?”

Saria shook her head, “No. Ganondorf has somehow sealed all means of opening the realm. Until he is defeated, the gate cannot be opened.” Ken questioned this, “Then, why don’t we go after him instead?”

Saria again shook her head in disagreement, “No. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible, during the Shadow and Light Crisis, he escaped from the Sacred Realm and into the Shadowed Hyrule.”

Ken looked at her hopelessly, “So...all of this...it’s depending on me? Why me? I’m just a kid.”

“Link said the same thing when he first started his quest. He was only ten years old.” Saria said.

Ken sighed, “So...you want me to live up to the legend?”

Saria shook her head, “No. We want you to defeat the legend.”

Chapter Nineteen
“Forever Your Hero”


“So...that’s it, huh?” Ken muttered, “You set all this up...have all this time...and this is the best you people can do?” he looked at Saria, “You plan all this, take my family away, give this Triforce to me and expect me to save the world. This...this is...this is insane! It’s just...it doesn’t make sense! ...out of all the people, me?! ME!!! You pick ME! You tell me this Link guys is a legend...a ‘Fallen Hero’, and you expect me to defeat him. And even then, you aren’t even sure if what I do will amount to anything?!”

Saria stared at him for a moment and spoke, “So...do you accept?”

Ken didn’t even have to think about his answer and responded, “Yes, I accept.”

This surprised Saria, and it showed. She asked slowly, making sure she heard right, “You...accept? ...Just like that?”

Ken nodded, “Yes. Just like that. I was going after him anyways. Because whether I like it or not...I’m apart of this and I might as well get some help. But, when that moment comes...It’s going to be personal.”

Saria listened carefully, she said, “Maybe...you aren’t suited for this after all...”

Ken looked at her, he asked, “Why’s that? I thought you wanted it like this...”

Saria shook her head, “Your reasons for doing this...they’re impure. They are full of dark desires. It could prove to be very dangerous if left unchecked. You may fall down the same path as Link.”

“Same as Link?” Ken grew angry, “You didn’t expect this? After all I’ve gone through, this seems like a surprise?!”

Saria thought briefly and shook her head, “You’re right...this is natural, I suppose.” Still, some thoughts lingered in her mind.

“And this,” Ken said, holding up his Triforce piece for Saria to see, “This will help me?”

Saria noticed something and asked quickly, “Your hand...let me see it.”

Ken slowly held out his hand, Saria took it into hers and examined it carefully, “This...this isn’t right. There is only half.” Still holding his hand, she looked up at him, “You only have half of the Triforce of Courage...where is the other half?”

Ken blinked, confused, “...Half...it came to me this way.”

Saria thought through this carefully, letting go of Ken’s hand, “There must be a reason as to why...” she glances at the piece in Ken’s hand before continuing, “Tell me, Ken. Do you have any close relatives? ...A sibling of some sort?”

Ken nodded slowly, “Yes...a sister.”

Saria thought about this and said, “Is she alive?”

Ken looked away. Saria knew the answer, “...I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that. Think perhaps that she may have had the other half of the Triforce piece.”

Ken thought back, he remembered seeing that piece of cloth wrapped around her hand. That must’ve been what she was hiding! “...I think she had it. No, I know she did...for sure.”

Saria nodded, coming to a conclusion, “Alright, it makes a bit more sense. It seems you two were deemed worthy of the Triforce, therefore forcing it to split.” She paced around the room and spoke, “Theres one thing about the Triforce that you should know. When the holder dies while in possession of the Triforce, the piece, instead of staying to be taken, merely leaves the body, only to reappear in the essence of another it deems capable. That’s one thing Ganondorf undoubtedly realized. It must be extracted from the host while they are alive in order to properly fuse the pieces together.”

Ken sighed, “So...that means...”

Saria nodded, “Yes, it means that you now also have a side quest: To recover the rest of your Triforce piece.”

Ken couldn’t believe this, “And what do I do if they refuse to give it to me?”

“Then, that’s your problem.” She received an angry look from Ken, but she finished, “If you truly are the one who will save this world...then you should find a way. I’m sorry for sounding cruel, but some things are meant to be done alone.”

Ken sighed, “Fine.” He glanced at the door then back at Saria, “Now, about this Master Sword...where is it?”

Saria looked at Ken gravely, “That...will prove to be a bit of a problem.” Ken gave her a confused look. Saria explained, “After realizing he can no longer wield the blade, Link had the Master Sword and the Pedestal of Time moved into the deeper parts of Hyrule. Information is scarce, but I would make a bet on it being inside of Link’s Tower.”

Ken sighed. The more he was hearing, the more complicated this was starting to sound, “So...now theres a tower? How high?”

Saria paused for a moment before saying hesitantly, “Well, Ganondorf once had a tower; it was the reveled as the highest thing ever built. Link’s Tower, however, makes it look like a dwarf...it’s easily more than one hundred times as high. It tramples all over the laws of physics...the entire tower is one big impossibility. How Link has managed to have such a thing built is unimaginable.”

Ken looked her in the eye, “When it comes to the positives, that wasn’t very uplifting.” he said sarcastically.

Saria shrugged, “I’m sorry. I only state the facts...unless you find an easier way, you’re in for a long climb up. But,” she said, “I really doubt Link would really stay at the topmost floor. What we know is that the topmost floors are where prisoners are kept...oxygen is very scarce at that altitude.”

“So,” Ken began, “When do I start?”

Saria thought quickly and said, “Anytime you think you’re ready.”

Ken nodded, “How about right now?”

Saria smiled, “Then it’s done.” She snapped her fingers and the same two girls who had escorted him earlier walked through the door behind Saria, one carried a map while the other carried a tiny box.

The one with the map handed Ken the map, Saria explained as Ken examined it, “That is a detailed map showing the route from Katasaku to Hyrule. It’s a long way to go, you’ll cross oceans...deserts...forests...mountains...”

Ken nodded; prepared to take this quest on, he felt hyped for some reason. Besides, he had secretly wanted a quest...to be a hero. He was just too stubborn to admit it.

Ken thought of something, the statue in the library, the seven sages. He looked at Saria and asked, “The sages...where are they?”

Saria smiled softly, “That’s what this is for.” The girl behind Saria bowed her head down and offered the box up with both hands; Saria took the box and opened it, revealing a ring. It was simple, yet beautiful. The ring was silver and shiny. It had inscriptions on it, it read: ‘Forever Your Hero’.

“This,” she began, “is the very same ring worn by Princess Zelda. After the fall of Hyrule, the Sages all went their separate ways. I have no doubt that you will meet some of them during your journey. If you need help, just show them this and I’m sure they will assist you in some way or another.”

She gave him the ring. Ken examined it before slipping it onto his left ring finger; he felt a sudden chill run up his spine. Suddenly, as quickly as it appeared, the feeling disappeared.

Saria added, noticing Ken shiver slightly, “Some people here say that the spirit of the Princess herself is contained in that ring.” Ken looked at the ring and felt creeped out. Saria, catching this, added again, “I’m sure that she bears no resentment for what you are trying to do. I’m sure that her spirit, if it indeed exists inside that ring, will grant you the strength you’ll need.”

He eyed the ring carefully, he had felt something, he was sure he did. A feeling of sadness and betrayal...

Maybe it was the princess’s feelings, or maybe it was all in his head. Right now, he didn’t feel comfortable thinking about it.

Later that day, after a hearty meal, Ken stood at the door leading out of the Temple. There were only a handful of people to see him off, he didn’t expect a hero’s farewell, but this was a bit disappointing.

He didn’t see Vale.

He wanted to wait, but looking at the faces around him, he knew he had to go. Saria stood at the front of the group, she looked emotionless. As Ken turned and placed his hand on the door to open it, Saria spoke, “Wait...” Ken pushed open the door and stopped, he looked over his shoulder at Saria, she cleared her throat and spoke, “...May the Goddesses watch over you.”

Ken smiled and nodded before stepping through the doorway. As he heard the doors behind him close, he looked back over his shoulder and saw nothing. The temple was once again shrouded in invisibility. He turned back and walked through the bushes and back onto the road. He wished he could’ve said farewell to Vale.

“Hey.” Ken turned, hearing Vale’s voice. Sure enough, there she was, she was holding a map in her hands. Ken smiled, happy to see his friend. Vale walked over and said, “You forgot your little map. It’d be kinda dumb if you came knocking on the door and ask for this later on.”

Ken looked at her and smiled embarrassingly, he took the map, “Oh, thanks...sorry.”

Vale looked down at the kid in front of her; she crossed her arms and said with a disbelieving smile, “So, you’re really going to try to save the world, huh? It’s hard to believe even after all I know about you and this stupid quest, it’s strange, really.”

Ken looked at her and said defiantly, “Hey, looks aren’t everything!”

Vale nodded and smirked, “True.”

She glanced around quickly and leaned in, giving Ken a quick kiss on the cheek, “Good luck, Kid. Consider that a farewell present.” She leaned away from him.

Ken turned bright red. This was the first time he was ever kissed by a girl. He held his hand against the spot she kissed him and walked backwards slowly. He waved with his free hand and said, “G-good bye!”

Vale giggled, seeing Ken’s reaction, “Hey, kid...you might want to-“

Too late, Ken backs up over a fallen branch and trips, landing flat on his back. A split second later he bolts back to his feet and waves farewell once more before walking off.

Vale shook her head and muttered, “What a klutz...and he’ll soon grow up to save the world from the legendary Link...” she sighs, “Fate has a funny sense of humor when it comes to heroes...”

Chapter Twenty
“The Beginning of the End”


Ken trudged down along the dirt road. He had the map in his hands and was trying to find his bearings, he muttered to himself, “Ok...this looks familiar...” he looks up and smiles faintly, “Ok, now I know where I am! I’m...” he glances down at the map, “...on Ari Road!”

A few more miles ahead would be his first stop. The small port town of Lakel!

A few hours later, he made it into Lakel. The town wasn’t the liveliest of towns. It was a bit quiet. It had a few people here and there walking down the streets towards their destination. This was the kind of town where everyone knew everyone else’s name.

The buildings around him were made of typical wood from the forest. It was around sunset, the sky was orange and blue.

As he came upon the port, he knew for sure that he would have to hitch a ride on a ferry to cross the lake. The lake was extremely large. He could barely make out the coast on the other side.

He walked over to where the ships were docked. Soon, he found where they sold tickets for ferry rides. Looking up at the prices, Ken knew he was stuck. He only had 30 rupees with him.

He needed 130.

Ken sighed and sat along the docks, trying to find a way to make some extra cash. He heard someone stumbling towards him. He turned and found a drunken man collapse right in front of him. Ken looked at the building behind the man. The sunset seemed to shine on the building. It was a tavern.

There was a ‘Help Wanted’ sign posted on the window.

5 Minutes Later...

It was disturbingly easy to land a job. Ken merely asked if he could have a job and two seconds later, a mop was thrust into his hands.

Right off the bat, Ken found out that he wasn’t the only minor working here. Most of the employees were little kids ranging from ages seven to fourteen.

“Hey, Red!!”

Ken was mopping up the floor where a drunk had dropped his drink and had passed out. The poor guy seemed heart broken. “Hey, Red!!! Get your ass over here!”

Ken blinked and looked up, noticing the other kids looking at him. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He was the only one with red hair. He turned to see the owner towering above him, the man spoke in a loud angry voice, “Hey, kid, can’t ya hear?!”

Ken was about to tell the man his name when he noticed the little boy in the corner shaking his head and giving Ken the internationally known ‘cut it out!’ sign.

Ken concentrated back on the large angry fellow in front of him. Ken bowed apologetically, “I’m sorry, sir...I didn’t hear you...”

The man glared and pointed to a large mess underneath a table. Ken nodded quickly and went to clean.

As Ken knelt down and scrubbed the spilt drink off the wooden floor, the strong smell of alcohol went up his nose and brought tears to his eyes. There was a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see the same boy from before.

Ken said, “Uhm...Hi?”

The boy glanced at the boss. The boss was busy sitting in the corner sleeping. The boy looked back at Ken and said, “Hi. You’re the new kid, huh?”

Ken nodded, unsure, “Uhm...I guess.”

The boy smiled, “Welcome to the family. My names Felix, what’s yours?”

Ken nodded, “Ken...or is it Red?”

Felix smiled and shook his head, “The boss doesn’t know anyone here by name. He just calls us by the first thing he notices. The last kid who corrected him never showed up the next day. The boss doesn’t like to be wrong.”

“So,” Ken said, “I guess he noticed my hair...” he sighed. Vale’s disguise was doing the opposite of what it was meant to do. It wasn’t helping him hide; it was making him stand out more than he normally did.

Felix gave Ken a friendly smile, “So, what are doing here?”

“What do you mean?” Ken asked.

“Well,” Felix began, “We’re all here because of our own personal reasons. If you knew me, you’d know I’d never be caught dead in a dump like this. I’m here because my father was injured and needs to stay home. He’s been bed ridden for more than a month already. ”

“Oh,” Ken looked down; he thought of his own father, “I’m sorry...”

“Its okay, the doctor said he’ll get better soon. He just needs a few more months and I can finally quit this stupid job.” Felix replied.

Ken finished and stood up; he looked at Felix and said, “I’m here to earn some money so I can get a ferry across.”

“Ah, so you’re traveling with family?” Felix asked. Ken shook his head, “No...”

Felix raised a brow and asked slowly, “Are you...alone?”

Ken nodded, “Yup.”

Felix looked surprised, “Where are you going?” Ken thought about telling Felix, but decided against it, he lied, “I’m just going home, that’s all. I just went someplace to help out with some stuff. Now I’m just going to go home to my sister, I bet she’s waiting for me right now.”

“You two sound pretty close.” Felix said with a hint of envy. Ken’s eyes drifted to the floor and he said softly, “...I guess you can say that...”

“YOU TWO!” the boss’s thunderous voice roared from the background, barring them both from their conversation. The two glanced at each other and went back to work.

A few weeks later, Ken had earned enough. His job barely gave him anything. It was the tips that he received that set him free. A few days earlier, Felix had left since he was needed at home. His dad had recovered quicker than expected and was able to walk about, but the doctor required him to stay a bit longer and restrain from working too hard.

Felix later found a more respectable job as an assistant in the marketplace.

Ken boarded the ferry with his ticket. He noticed everyone watching him intently. These were mean looking men.

As the ferry departed, Ken noticed something posted around the deck...Wanted Posters. After glancing at the pictures, he spotted his own.

Ken muttered, “...crap.”

He turned to see the entire crew behind him, some held metal pipes, and others had chains.

“So,” the captain spoke, twirling a steel pipe, “you think you could trick us by dying your hair red, huh kid? That’s a pretty high sum of money on your head, 45,000 rupees. I don’t know what you did, but you’re wanted dead or alive. For now,” he turned to his crew, “it’ll be every man for himself.”

They closed in as Ken backed up against the wall. Ken reached and drew his sword. The captain smirked, “You’re pretty brave, son. Do you have a name?”

Ken thought for a moment. He knew he couldn’t use his real name. He smiled as he replied, “The names Red.”

Red twirled the blade, “And I suggest you tell your friends about it later.”

The cell was damp and dark as always. It was nightfall. The cell was empty. Broken glass lay around the floor.

Just outside the cell, basking in the moonlight, a young ten year old girl held a bloodied knife. Around her neck she wore a red jewel. It was the Goron’s Ruby.

She dropped the knife and stepped back quickly from the body in front of her, she whispered, “Daddy, where are you?”

Another voice broke the tense silence; it was the man in front of her. He laid against the wall, holding his chest, the whip he'd use on her everyday lay on his lap. He whispered hoarsely, “Damn you...you’re strong...I would’ve expected as much from Link’s daughter...”

She knelt and picked the knife up again, she asked angrily, “My dad...tell me where he is!” she glanced around, “Tell me how to get out of here!”

The man laughed, “You think I'll really tell a runt like you? If you meet with Link...it’s all over.”

“What is?” she asked. The man gasped for air and said, “...life as we know it...do us a favor and die...”

“What?!” she was confused, “What do you mean?! Tell me what you’re talking about!”

Silence.

She repeated with desperation in her voice, “Please!!! I have to know!” there was no reply.

She looked from the bloodied knife to the bodies of her kidnappers around her, and then to her blood stained hands, she glanced out of the small peephole in the dungeon. The moonlight was shining through, with a tear in her eye, she whispered, “Daddy...I’ll find you.”


The End...