A lone rider rode across the vast emptiness of the surrounding field. He had ridden this way before, but in a time that was much more prosperous and peaceful. Now, evil overran the entire countryside, leaving only a few safe places in all the land. This was not one of them. The open field was perhaps the most dangerous area to be in, aside from the Tower of Ganondorf. The evil tower could be seen in the distance, and he shuddered as he quickly glanced at it. Even though he was a good distance away from the tower, he was still far too close to it. He could feel the evil presence there, looking out over all the land, and if he didn't hurry, he would surely meet his end.

Scaring himself with thoughts of the tower, John forced his horse to go faster. He wanted the tower to be out of sight, he wanted to be out of the darkness, and he wanted to be back at the refuge. As he rode faster away from the tower, he couldn't help but think of the events of the last few months.

He had watched on, with a dying Jacob at his side, as the Evil King ran his sword through the Hero of Time. He went through several emotions all at once. Disappointment that Link failed, anger toward the man who had slain him and his friend, but mostly fear, for his own life and the life of all the people in Hyrule. He could hear Zelda screaming from the other side of the room, but it seemed strangely distant. Fully expecting to be killed very soon, he thought of Chris and the time they had together. He thought of his parents, his sister, his friends. Just as he accepted the fact that he would die, he felt the magical force on him dispel. Before he ran, he hesitated. Looking down on his friend's body, John felt guilty of leaving it there. But he knew he could never carry Jacob's dead body down the tower in time to escape alive. With one last look at his friend, he ran out of the tower with Zelda and Nick.

They reached Hyrule Castle as fast as they possibly could. They relayed the bad news to the Sages, although they already knew the fate of the mission. A heated debate rose over their next course of action. Zelda did not want to abandon her throne and her people, but the Sages felt that hiding was their best shot at survival and possibly victory. Reluctantly, Zelda agreed with the Sages and they searched for a place of hiding that would protect them from the evil that would soon spread. The Sages spoke to the Great Deku Tree, who permitted their passage into the forest. There, in the Lost Woods, Zelda, Nick, John, and the other survivors took refuge from the darkness, in hopes that one day, they would be able to defeat Ganondorf.

Although they were secluded in the Lost Woods, they still desired to see what was happening on the outside. Once every several days, a scout would be sent out to survey the surrounding areas. They kept a strict schedule over the past few months, and it was now John's turn. In his short journey, he had seen things he never wanted to see. Scores of dead citizens lying unburied in heaps by the river, monsters roaming around, killing any Hylian, Zora, Goron, or Gerudo it came across. The lands were badly scarred. Seeing enough, John had turned around.

John came back to reality. And as he did, he felt the first drops of rain and looked up. The dark sky became even darker as the storm clouds moved in. John saw a flash of lightning strike a tree not too far from him. Without hesitation, he jerked his horse faster, toward the entrance to the Lost Woods. He could barely see it in the distance, but he knew that he wasn't too far from it. He lowered his head and trudged along.

He rode as fast as he could, looking straight in front of him. It was because of this that he never saw the figure off to the right. The creature lurked in the shadows behind John, making sure to keep a safe distance from the rider. The figure followed him to the entrance of the Kokiri Forest. As John galloped in through the entrance, the creature, a Stalfos, was a little hesitant. But the realization of what Ganondorf would do to it if it failed its mission was enough to make it go on. Slowly, the creature walked through the entrance.

As John made his way into the Kokiri Forest, he heard faint sounds of footsteps on wood. He quickly turned to see if anything was following him, but saw nothing. He vowed to himself that he would be more aware of his surroundings as he couldn't give up the location of their refuge. With one last look around, he kicked the horse into a trot.

The Stalfos had just gotten into the shadows when its victim turned around. Almost caught, it decided that it would remain a little bit further back from the boy, as he would be on his guard now. As the boy began to ride away again, the creature slowly stepped out from hiding and once again began the pursuit.

John approached the entrance into the Lost Woods and stopped just short of it. He didn't hear anything this time, but rather felt it. The presence of something that was not akin to this wood. Still unsure of himself, John decided that the best course of action would be to go as fast as he could through the Lost Woods. That way, whatever was following him, if there was something following him, it would get lost in the maze of the Lost Woods and wander around it for all eternity. He brought the horse to a full sprint and entered the Lost Woods.

Unfortunately for John, this Stalfos was very fast itself when it needed to be. It was also an excellent tracker. The boy would not get away.

John raced through the woods, turning left, then right, then heading straight. He came upon a clearing like no other in the woods and slowed the horse until it stopped. Before he did anything else, John looked all around him, making sure that he had lost the creature that he felt following him earlier. Satisfied, he jumped off the horse, grabbed its reins, and walked over to a large boulder covered with vines. He raised his hand up and knocked three times.

As he waited for the passageway to be opened, his ears caught the sound of ruffling leaves. He looked behind him, searching for whatever made the noise. Silence followed, and the next sound was of the door beginning to open. As it opened, he not only heard a rustle, but had a feeling of being watched. He glanced behind him one more time, just as the Stalfos leapt out from behind a bush. The Stalfos charged straight at John, sword ready to strike. He barely had time to yell a warning.

"A Stalfos! We've been found!" he yelled as loud as he could. On the other side of the partially opened door, Nick heard John's words and pushed even harder on the door, trying to get outside and destroy the Stalfos.

Just as he opened the door, he saw the Stalfos thrust with his sword and pierce John's chest. The boy fell to the ground limply and face down. Nick unsheathed his sword and ran toward the Stalfos, but it wasn't going to stay for a fight. It fled from the Lost Woods faster then Nick could ever hope to run. Realizing that it was useless to run after the Stalfos, Nick returned to where John lay on the ground. He sat next to the boy and turned him over, supporting his head with his arms.

"I'm. I'm sorry." he tried to say, all the while coughing up blood, "I'm sorry, Nick. I was careless."

"Don't worry, John, it's not your fault," Nick tried to console him. "Try not to talk."

"If you. see Chris,. tell her. that I love her. always have."

"She knows, John. But you have my word that I will tell her once more for you. Now, be still."

John coughed a few more times, his breathing becoming more rapid, but more faint at the same time. "Link. he will come back. and save us. I know it." He let out one more breath, and then his heart stopped. Nick slowly began to cry, telling himself that it was not fair that John should die. He was much too young. He offered his own life for the boy's, but his offer was not accepted. John's blood mixed with the falling rain, forming a red stream that amassed in a puddle a few feet from his body.
 
 

The forest grew thicker as they made their way deeper into its heart. The trees were so close together that they stopped almost all light from reaching the ground. Link glanced around nervously from side to side, expecting an attack from something at any moment. Although he had not seen any monsters as of yet, he wouldn't let himself fall into a false sense of security.

"Hey, Ian! Are there any evil creatures in this forest?"

"Indeed there are," the man replied without so much as a glance back at Link.

"But, isn't this the Golden Land, the Sacred Realm? Shouldn't it be peaceful here?"

Ian let out a small chuckle. "How easily you forget, Link. We are not actually in the Sacred Realm, for we are in Purgatory. Evil can live in this place just as much as we can. Even now, the Sacred Realm is overrun with monsters and evil beings since Ganondorf reigned there."

"I see," he replied as he let out a small sigh.

"What was that for?" Ian asked, actually turning around to face Link this time.

"Well, it's just that there doesn't seem to be any place safe anymore. Everywhere I go, I have to watch my back or else I'll be killed. What kind of world is tha." Link was cut off as his foot got caught underneath a raised root. Before he could react, he found himself lying face down in the dirt.

Ian laughed heartily. "Well! It does seem that there is no place safe for a boy like you! You can't even walk! The Hero! Ha!" He reached down and grabbed Link's arm and helped him up.

"Very funny," Link said softly while brushing off his clothes.

"You should have seen your face! Ha ha! That alone was worth my time waiting for you!" Ian gave Link a big slap on the back. Not expecting it, Link fell forward, almost losing his balance and falling again. Ian laughed again.

"Ok, ok. The joke's on me. Can we get back to the task at hand, please?"

Ian tried to stop laughing, but it came with great difficulty. After several minutes, he was able to stop and put on a straight face.

"Thank you," Link sighed.

They continued their way through the forest again, moving ever deeper into the darkness. Link realized that he would have to rely more on his ears than his eyes for the time being. He listened intently to his surroundings, but heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. The eerie silence scared him more than he had ever been scared. He wanted so desperately to see what was around him. A faint rustle filled the air. Link's ears heard it and he quickly faced what he thought to be the direction of the sound. There it was again, but this time, it seemed to be coming from behind him. He turned, only to hear the rustle again, this time off to the left. Then it was right behind him.

With a quick turn and slash, Link struck his unknown enemy. He heard the evil beast yelp as the Master Sword cut it open. With its last breath, the wolf-like creature howled as loud as it could. The howl was answered by numerous other howls, each coming from a separate direction. Without the ability to see well, Link knew he was in trouble. He looked all around him, but he couldn't find Ian or the path that they had been traveling on. During his little confrontation with the creature, he had gotten all turned around and could no longer tell one way from another. He called out for Ian, only to be answered by the incoming beasts. With a quick, desperate decision, he took off running to what he could only hope was the right way.
 
 

Ian continued walking down the barely visible path. If he hadn't known the path, he was sure that he would never make it through the dense forest. But in the time before Link finally showed up in Purgatory, Ian was able to learn a great deal about the land and its inhabitants. Slowly, he went further down the path, feeling his way with his hands and legs as often as possible. Without turning around, he called out.

"Well, Link, it seems that you have been extremely quiet for the last twenty minutes or so. What's the matter? Are you scared?"

Ian waited for a response, but got none.

"Link? Link, are you there?" He stopped in his tracks and looked behind him, although with the darkness it didn't really do him any good.

"This isn't funny, Link. We have very important matters to attend to. Link?"

As he waited for a response again, he heard the howls of wolves off in the distance.

"Oh no. Those damn wolves! I hate those things! I hope he'll be alright," Ian said aloud to no one. He knew the beasts that roamed this forest and he regretted not warning Link about them. The boy had asked if there were evil creatures in the woods, but Ian felt he would tell him when, and if, they were attacked by any. Apparently, the wolves had attacked Link, and that worried Ian. These wolves are very much similar to the Wolfos that Link battled many times, but they are ten times stronger, and ten times smarter.

"I hope he'll be alright," he repeated to himself. He stared into the darkness one last time before turning back around in his tracks.

"Might as well get to the first portal now. If he survives the attack, he'll have to find his way there by himself."

He once again walked down the beaten path toward his destination.
 
 

Link finally stopped running after what seemed like an eternity. Breathing heavily, he leaned up against a tree to rest his body. It seemed that the beasts had decided not to chase him all over the woods, and for that he was thankful. He glanced around at his surroundings and could see almost nothing. He could make out the outlines of some trees, but that was about it. After taking a few minutes to catch his breath, he stood up and pondered what to do next.

"Ian!" he yelled as loud as he could. "Ian! Hey!" He got no response.

"Great, now what am I supposed to do?" His feet told him that he was at least on level ground. It seemed as though he had found a path, but how far ahead or back he was, there was no way of telling. He continued to stand there, totally lost on what to do.

"Give me a sign!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. His voice echoed throughout the woods until it faded away into the darkness, as if it were swallowed up by it. He stood in silence for a moment longer and was just about to give up when something caught his attention.

"Link. Link, help me. you must help me."

"Zelda?" He looked all around him, puzzled by the sudden emergence of his loved one's voice. "Zelda? Where are you? Zelda?"

"Link. over here. help me."

Her voice seemed to be coming from behind him. He swirled around and almost screamed in terror at the sight that stood before him. Tied on a torture rack, bloodied and bruised, lay Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule. He stood there for a short time, and then began to walk to her side. She lay there, crying, bleeding, and having trouble breathing. Link couldn't stand what he saw and his eyes began to tear up as a result of it. He reached his hand out to touch her face, but just as he was about to, another voice called him.

"Daddy! It hurts! Daddy! Make the bad man stop!"

Link froze in place. He knew the voice, and its owner, but he didn't want to turn around. He didn't want his worst fears to be a reality in front of him. Slowly, he turned around to see Evan chained to a wall, being lashed by a Stalfos. The boy was bleeding very badly, so much that his tears seemed to be blood themselves. Link's eyes swelled up even more as tears began to make their way down his face. Instinctively, he jumped at the Stalfos, only to fall flat on his face as he went completely through the apparition. Blinded by rage and sadness, he swung wildly at the Stalfos, each time his fists simply passing through it. His actions were interrupted by an evil, maniacal laugh.

He quickly turned around to see Ganondorf standing there, taking pleasure in the torture of Zelda and Evan. Link unsheathed the Master Sword and ran at the Evil King. He lunged forward, only to pass through him as well. Link stayed on the ground facedown as the Evil King began to walk over to Evan. Link raised his head, but didn't get up, as he realized that he was powerless to do anything. He was just a spectator to the events that were taking place in front of him. Without Ganondorf uttering a word, the Stalfos ceased to lash Evan and stood aside. He walked up beside the boy and smiled. The boy was shuddering in fear and pain. Ganondorf looked over at Zelda and laughed.

Link continued to watch on as the Evil King drew out a dagger and held it up to his son's throat. After a brief hesitation, which felt like a lifetime to Link, he slit Evan's throat. Blood poured out of the new wound causing Evan to choke as he tried to breathe. His mouth and eyes fluttered between open and closed as his life was taken from him. Finally, his struggling ended.

Link dug his head back into the ground, unable to keep himself from crying heavily. If it were up to him, he would keep his head buried there for all of eternity. But he was pulled out from his unbelievable grief by Zelda's scream. Once again, he lifted his head, now covered with tears and dirt.

Ganondorf was now directly beside her, his bloodied dagger in his right hand. He brought the blade up and pressed the tip onto Zelda's chest, directly over her heart. Slowly, he pushed the dagger into her, twisting it around to deliver even more pain. When he could not push it any deeper, he quickly removed it causing blood to spout from the gaping wound. Zelda struggled, but to no avail. Her body soon became as limp as Evan's, and Link's Hell was complete.

Link didn't let his head fall to the ground this time. Instead, he just sat there, staring at the horrible beast that had murdered his family and vowed vengeance. Suddenly, the Evil King turned and faced Link. Not only faced him but stared directly at him! Can he see me? What the hell is going on? Before he could react, Ganondorf raced toward the Hero, sword drawn. He leapt into the air, and as he came down on Link, Link could do nothing but hide his face in the dirt once again. The Evil King's yell became louder and louder and louder and.

Silence.

Link removed his hands from the back of his head and looked around. He was still in the forest, exactly where he had been standing when he first heard Zelda's voice. A look of confusion swept across his face.

"What the hell just happened? Was that a vision? A premonition?"

He stood there, thinking about all that he had just witness. Did it ever happen? Was he already too late to save them? He pondered these questions and feared the answers.

Then, a golden light made its way through the forest. It broke Link's thoughts as it shown in his eyes. The bright light was very much like the one he had followed when he found Ian. Perhaps the Goddesses are helping me once again? Without another thought, he followed the golden light.

The light led him down a path. Whether it was the same path he and Ian had been following before or a different one altogether, he couldn't tell. It was leading him in the right direction, that much he knew. The tree line was becoming thinner and more light from the twilight sky could reach the forest ground. He continued along the path mindlessly, his thoughts driven elsewhere by the recent events that had transpired before him. Images of Zelda and Ian chained up and tortured; the sight of Ganondorf taking each of their lives from them; his family's dead bodies lying motionless. The scenes played through his mind continuously, as if they were on an endless loop of pain. Zelda's screams echoed in his head, her cries for help going unanswered. He only prayed to the Goddesses that what he had seen had not yet happened. He would save them, he had no doubt. But if it was already too late, he would avenge the deaths of his family and the people of Hyrule once and for all. There was no stopping him.

He became so engrossed in his thoughts that he never noticed he had left the forest several minutes before. When he finally broke out of his thoughts, he stopped and noticed the golden sky around him. Off in the distance, he could see a village of some sort. He wasn't sure if it were real or if it was part of his imagination. To the east of the village lay the path of the light. The light was more intense now that he had left the darkness of the woods, and he could sense that he was not far from his destination. He reached for his canteen and drank a mouthful of water. While he closed it, he surveyed the area briefly and didn't see anything that would cause any trouble, but he still kept his guard up. With a deep breath, he continued his journey. His destination was just ahead.
 
 

Ian took a big sip of his canteen when he finally reached the end of the wood. He looked back hoping that Link would be right behind him, but the boy was nowhere to be found. He took off his hat and wiped his brow with his handkerchief.

Now where is that boy? He thought to himself. Those wolves couldn't have been that much trouble for him. Wherever you are, Link, I hope you find your way back. You're our only hope.

Placing his hat back on, Ian turned his back on the forest and continued along the path that would lead him to the first gate. On his journey, his thoughts returned to the Hero.

The future is a much different place than the time that Link is from. The changes that have occurred over time will shock him, sadden him, and, possibly, anger him. Morals that he and the rest of the Hylians follow everyday without question are often ignored. It is crucial that he doesn't act out too hastily. I must make him understand that the times have changed, but I doubt he'll accept that. It doesn't matter if he doesn't accept the changes, but he must learn to live with them for the time being. Besides, we probably won't be there for that long, and I'm sure he has the self-control to hold back for the time being. That is, if we ever get there.

Ian looked up at the sky once again, wondering where Link could possibly be. Scanning the horizon, he couldn't find any signs of him, but he was approaching a small hill. Once on top of it, he could see more of the land, including his destination. He only hoped Link was close by.

In fifteen minutes, Ian was finally on top of the hill. He looked over all the plains and marveled at their beauty. He had been in this Purgatory for quite some time now, yet he could never get over how beautiful the land was. Placing a hand on his brow to block out the sunlight, Ian searched for any signs of Link.

And he found nothing. Not a sign of him. Discouraged, Ian looked in the direction of the first gate. Just as he was about to give up, he saw a small figure off in the distance, almost to the gate. Could it be that he has beaten me here? Ian thought to himself. It must be him! I knew he could do it!

Excited, Ian began to run down the path as fast as he could, laughing all the way. He made his way down the hill at a great speed and ran straight for the gate. He yelled out.

"Link! Link!" The figure ahead of him stopped in its tracks and turned in the direction of the voice. Ian continued to run as fast as he could and he would reach Link in a matter of minutes. His muscles ached, telling him to stop and walk, but he ignored them. He ran faster and faster and .

He tripped on a rock. Reacting quickly, Ian ducked his head under his arms and prepared to roll on the ground. He executed almost three somersaults before he was able to stop. After his little ordeal was over, Ian sat where he had landed to catch his breath. He looked up in front of him and could see the figure laughing. Could even hear it laughing. With only about two hundred yards to go, Ian pulled himself up off the ground and walked over to Link.

"Do you practice that move often?" Link said in between laughs. "Cause you sure did look good!"

Ian's face turned red at Link's ridiculing. He didn't know what to say, but he finally came up with, "I meant to do that."

This caused Link to laugh even harder. "Sure you did! You meant to do that! You wish!" The Hero couldn't stop laughing.

"I seem to recall you falling before in the woods!" Ian shouted out. The comment made Link stop laughing on a dime. "Yeah, I thought so."

They both stared at each other in complete silence, with only the noise of the wind. The silence continued, until both of them laughed together.

"That was funny, wasn't it?" Ian commented.

"Yeah, it really was."

They laughed for a couple more minutes and were finally able to keep control of themselves.

"So how did you get here?"

"I just followed the golden light," Link replied. "It was pretty simple."

"I thought I had lost you. I was really getting worried when you were no longer behind me."

"As was I. But all that matters is that I made, you made it, and now we can go on."

"Yes, we should be going through the gate." Ian pointed toward the gate, which stood several hundred feet away from them. He motioned and the two of them began to walk toward it.

"Hey, Ian. I saw what looked like a village up further along this road. Was that real, or just my imagination?"

"Oh, it was real, alright. There are many villages spread throughout Purgatory."

"But why? Shouldn't those people have either done what they needed to do to get into the Heavens, or gone to the Demon World?"

"Well, everyone here is trying to make it into the Heavens, but their repentance all take different amounts of time. I myself have been here for quite some time. Almost two years as time flows here. Some of these people have been here for many more years than that."

"Did those people do the worst things during their life?" Link inquired.

"No, not necessarily. Sometimes, someone's repentance relies on an event or person that is in the living world. They must wait for this event to happen or this person, as I did you. Time here flows much differently, adding to the wait. A short time in the living world can be quite long here in Purgatory."

"Ah, I see."

"Good, I'm glad. Well, here we are."

In front of the two travelers stood the gate. Just like everything else in this land, it seemed magical, and in this case, it was very magical. The gate was in the shape of an arch and consisted of some golden material that Link had never seen before. It reflected the light of day back at the travelers. Link stood there, astonished at the beauty and wonder of the gate. He never even moved as Ian walked within a few feet of the gate. The elder man looked up at the sky and lifted his arms into the air. He began chanting something that Link couldn't understand, but he really didn't care. Ian continued to chant as the archway began to light up even more than before. In front of him, Link could see a small glow coming from the center of the hemisphere enclosed by the archway. The vibrant glow grew bigger and bigger. The spot emanated a bluish light, much like the light that transported him back and forth through time on his first quest. The ground began to rumble as the opening grew bigger. Suddenly, there was a bright flash and Link had to shield his eyes from it. When he dared to open them once again, he found the gate completely opened before him. Ian stood off to the side, gazing at the gate like he had created the thing himself. Link remained standing there, unwilling to move. He stared into the portal for what seemed like an eternity until finally Ian brought him out of his little trance.

"Link! Let's go. We have much to do," Ian put his hand on the Hero's shoulder. Still in awe of what he had just witnessed, Link could do nothing more than nod his head in agreement. Ian removed his hand from Link's shoulder and walked toward the gate. Link looked on as he stepped through the opening and vanished into it.

He was still fixed in position and remained there for almost another minute before he forced himself to take a few steps forward. Finally, he was standing within a foot of the portal. He surveyed it by looking up and down, left and right, and all around it. Facing forward again, he took one last deep breath and stepped into the gate.

And vanished.

Chris ran through the refuge faster than she had ever run before. Tears rolled down her red face as she cried loudly through the passageways of the refuge. She was so blinded by grief that she never noticed the people that she was knocking over. Behind her, Liz was running slower than she, but still quite fast. Liz was crying as well, although not as much as Chris. The two teenaged girls continued through the refuge until they finally came to their destination. Chris stopped outside the doorway, not wanted to go in to the room, thereby making it all too real. It wasn't until when Liz got to the door that Chris was able to raise up enough courage to open the door. She reached her hand out slowly and grabbed the knob.

As she walked into the room, she closed her eyes and made a promise to herself. She promised that she would be strong and would be able to go on, knowing that John died a hero and that he was in a better place now. She decided that she would abide by that promise for as long as she lived. Upon opening her eyes, the promise was instantly broken.

"John! No, John!" she cried as she ran over to the table where John's body had been placed. She buried her face into his chest and wept her eyes out, only taking brief pauses in order to breathe.

Standing on the other side of the table was Nick, his head bowed. He gently put his hand onto Chris's shoulder and tried to offer some sort of comfort.

"He was a very brave lad. You should be proud of him." The words just seemed to echo off the walls as Chris continued to weep onto the one she loved. Nick realized that he was no good at this sort of thing, so he did not make another attempt at consoling her. He looked around the room and saw Aaron praying to himself in the corner and William sitting on a chair, deep in thought. Robert had left the room just a few minutes before. Nick's eyes caught Liz's as he scanned the room, and without saying a word, she knew what he wanted to say. She nodded her thanks and walked up beside Chris to console her.

Nick spoke up again. "Well, we'll leave you alone. Besides, we've got some planning to do." He gestured to the other Knights to get a move on, and they all complied. They walked out of the room without uttering a single word. Nick was the last to leave, and as he did, he took one last look back at the two mourning girls. Poor girls. Barely more than children and they've each lost all that was dear to them. With a deep feeling of sympathy, Nick left the room and closed the door.

As he walked down the passageway, Zelda, Celes, Adriana, Diana, and Sarah all ran up to him at once.

"Nick, tell me it isn't true," Zelda said to him.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but John was slain by a Stalfos."

"No. No, that's horrible. Oh Chris! She must be devastated," Adriana said with choked back tears.

"Can we go see them?" Sarah asked.

Nick sighed deeply. "I don't think you girls should go in there right now. We just left Liz and Chris in there. Maybe a little later."

They all nodded their agreement.

"Anyway, Princess, we need to figure out what we are going to do. An attack on us is imminent. We must take action now."

"Yes, yes of course," Zelda responded. "Let's go."

"Nick!"

"What is it, Celes?"

She ran up to him and embraced him as tight as she could. "I love you. No matter what happens."

"I know, honey. I know." She released her grip on him and allowed him to leave. Nick and Zelda left the other four women standing there, not knowing what was going to happen.
 
 

It was like nothing else Link had ever felt. He seemed to be flying through some kind of vortex. He couldn't see his body, but then again, he couldn't even move his head to see if his body was there or not. His vision was fixated in front of him. In the distance, amid the vast array of colors, was a single white light, brighter than anything else around him. The light grew brighter and brighter, and closer and closer, until it was all around him. Then, as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. There was a split second of darkness followed by a blue sky, white clouds, and green trees.

Before he could utter a word, he felt two hands grab him and pull him up.

"Well, that was a rough landing," Ian said jokingly, a smile across his face.

Link ignored the comment and gazed all around him. "Where are we?" he asked without turning to face Ian.

"Hyrule," Ian said matter-of-factly.

"This isn't Hyrule. I don't recognize anything here."

"That's because we are many centuries in the future. Hyrule has changed due to famines, wars, and, of course, Ganon."

Link continued to survey the landscape. As he looked around, he could only make out one thing that seemed to be the same as it was in his time. Death Mountain. It rose in the air just as it had done so many years ago. As he looked at it, Link wondered if the Gorons still lived there.

"Link, we need to get going," Ian said as he broke Link's concentration. "We have no time to waste. We must find your descendant as quickly as possible."

Link nodded. "So where do we start?"

Ian raised his hand and pointed at a house close by. "That's Link's house on top of that small hill."

"Link's house?"

"Ah, yes. He has the same name as you, as does the other descendant that we are looking for."

"They have the same name?"

"Yes. Come to think of it, that will make it rather confusing around here. I can't just say 'Link', now can I? I suppose. yes. since you're the Hero of Time, I will refer to you as such when we are all together. Or perhaps Link I. And they could be Link II and III. hmmm."

Link looked at Ian with a confused face.

Ian let out a small chuckle. "Or perhaps we'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, you're Link. So let's go."

The two travelers walked up the small hill toward Link's house. It was a nice little house, fairly decorated, with a small garden in front of it. The humble home reminded Link of his childhood in the Kokiri Forest. Life seemed so much simpler then. They came to a stop by the front door. Ian raised his fist and gently knocked. They waited. No answer. Ian once more raised his fist, but this time, he pounded harder, hoping to get the attention of anyone inside. Still no response.

"Must not be home," Link said.

"Guess not. It would seem as though finding your descendant will not be as easy as simply going to his house."

"So what do we do now?" Link was irritated that his descendant wasn't home. The longer he spent trying to find his descendants, the less time Zelda and the others had.

"We go to Kakariko Village. We should be able to find out his whereabouts there," Ian stated. "Oh, and Link?"

"Yes?"

"You need a different name."

"A different name? Why?"

"The people here are very proud of Link, your descendant. They wouldn't take too kindly to someone who says they have the same name and is a legendary hero. Remember, your deeds are not known in this time."

"Fine. I will use a different name for now. What should it be?"

The two racked their brains for a good name to use. It had to be one that was strong, but also had a deeper meaning to it. After some thought, Link came up with a name that he couldn't stop thinking about. He looked up at Ian.

"Evan."

Ian nodded as he remembered Link's son jumping into his father's arms and riding around on his shoulders. It was a memory that he could barely recall as it had come during a time that he would rather not remember. A time when he was evil.

"Very well. Evan it is."

They stood there a moment longer before Ian turned in the direction of Kakariko Village. Link took one last look back at his descendants house before following the older man. So peaceful. I wonder if he was thrust into his journey as I had been into mine. His thoughts then turned again to Zelda, Evan, and the rest of his friends. He had a long journey in front of him.
 
 

"So it's decided. We will leave the refuge and attack the enemy first," Nick said in front of a council of the best warriors and the Princess.

"But where should we attack them?" William asked.

Nick thought about it briefly before he came to his decision. "We must attack them outside of the forest. Some of the enemy are extraordinarily difficult to fight enclosed in trees. Plus, we must not let them get to the Great Deku Tree."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Aaron questioned from the back of the room.

"Wise? No, it may not be wise. But it's our only choice."

Soft murmurs filled the room as everyone realized that he was right. He continued on.

"We must first establish an exit for her Highness and her son."

Zelda jumped up from her chair. "What do you mean, exit? I'm going to stay and fight for Hyrule!"

"No, you're not. I'm sorry your Highness, but if we are victorious in this battle, we will still need a leader," Nick reasoned.

"You can be that leader!" Zelda shouted back.

"I may be able to lead armies, Princess, but I cannot lead civilians. Only you can. The people love you."

Just then, the door was slammed in as Celes, Adriana, Diana, and Sarah all came in. It was Celes that spoke up.

"We are going to fight alongside you men."

Nick was startled. "No, honey, you are not going to fight!"

"And why not? We have a sense of duty too. Not to mention we want to protect the Princess as well," Adriana said.

"In my country," William started, "the women do not fight!"

"Nor in mine!" Aaron injected.

"And they have never fought in this one," Nick said, "and why should it change now?"

Sarah was furious. "There's not much of a country left, if you haven't noticed! You need all the help you can get and here are four women who are willing to risk their lives for the future of the country. I'm sure there are plenty more who would do the same!"

The room fell silent after Sarah's remarks. The disturbing silence was broken by a sweet, innocent voice that was shaky with grief.

"We would like to fight," Liz said.

The room remained silent as the two teenagers entered the room. Both were grief-stricken with tear-filled eyes. No one wanted them to fight, and if it was up to the Knights, they wouldn't. But everyone could tell that even if they were told not to fight, they still would.

Nick glanced around from one woman to the next and saw the deep desire they had. All they wanted to do was protect what they loved, just as he always does. He sighed deeply.

"Alright, you girls can fight. Anyone that wants to fight will be allowed." The women were very pleased, but they would not show it. They knew that they could very well be sending themselves to an early grave.

"Then I will fight."

"Except for you, Princess Zelda," Nick reiterated.

Zelda was visibly upset, but she knew that there was no way any of them would let her fight. Instead of arguing, she was going to go against their wishes and fight anyway. She just had to figure out what to do with Evan.

"Alright, men. and ladies," Nick corrected himself, "we have a lot of work to do. I suggest that all of you practice strategy and technique. Fellow Knights, we will teach these women how to fight."
 
 

They walked into Kakariko Village a little after dusk. The sun was down, but numerous torches lit the streets with their soothing light. No one was outside, save for the homeless. Link couldn't believe that people didn't have a place to live and no one came to their aid. He wondered how morals could become so easily avoidable.

Ian kept on walking, seeming to know exactly where he wanted to go. To Link, the town was very strange. It was nothing like the Kakariko he used to know. Not to mention the fact that the Kakariko from his time stood at the base of Death Mountain, while this one seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

"Ian, do you know where you're going?"

Ian chuckled. "Not a clue, Li. Evan."

"Then where are you leading us?"

"In search of a tavern, my friend."

Link was a little unsettled. "You mean you want to get a few drinks at a time like this? Ian, we have to hurry and find him!"

"Calm down. I'm not looking for some drinks. Taverns are a great place to get information on somebody's whereabouts. All the gossip and stories always wind up there." Up ahead, Ian spotted a sign that read Kakariko Tavern. "Found it."

Link looked at the sign that Ian was pointing at. The writing on it wasn't anything that he had seen before. "How do you know that's the tavern? That writing isn't in Hylian."

"Oh, but it is. The language you know is only one language. There is another language now, although it sounds the same as the language you use. Which is good, because this would be much more difficult if we couldn't understand each other's language."

"Then why is it written different?"

"Influences from other countries and peoples changed it ever so slightly over the years until it has become what it is today."

"I don't like this place."

Ian laughed out loud. "So, the Hero of Time doesn't like someplace because its different. Why, I would have thought you would've been used to things being different after all you've been through," he said as he let out another laugh. When he was able to bring himself under control, he realized that they were right in front of the tavern. "Now remember, you're name is Evan."

"Why are we here?"

Ian was a little puzzled. "What do you mean, 'Why are we here'? We need information on Link II."

Link shook his head. "No, no, no. You misunderstand me. If someone asks us why we're here, I would like to give them an answer that won't get us into trouble."

Ian's eyes light up with understanding and a small smile appeared on his face. "I see what you mean. Very well, then. We are travelers from another country and are just on our way through. We are inquiring about legendary heroes from many different countries in order to make peace with them. Is that alright, o wise one?"

Link smiled. "That will do just fine." And with that, Ian opened the tavern door and they walked in.

The tavern was quite big. There must have been between 20 and 30 tables scattered throughout the whole place, and the bar was long enough to hold an addition 20 people. The bar ran along the left side of the tavern, almost all the way from the front door to the back door. The tavern was fairly crowded, but there were still many tables to choose from and some stools left open at the bar.

Ian leaned over to Link. "Go sit at one of the tables. I'll be there in a minute."

Feeling uncomfortable in this new situation, Link was more than happy to just sit down and wait. He walked slowly toward the back of the tavern. All the way back, he thought that everyone was looking at him. In fact, he did catch the eyes of quite a few patrons, and he became even more uncomfortable. He finally chose a table to sit at. It was located in the back next to the stage. There were no performances that night, so the area wasn't crowded at all.

He took off his sheath and shield, leaning them up against one of the other chairs at the table. As he sat down, he began to scan the room. A few tables to the left, a group of four men were playing cards. Link recognized that they were cards, although he had never seen any like those before in his life. He had been familiar with three suits, each of which represented one of the Goddesses. These men were playing with four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades, although Link didn't know them. A few tables behind the card-players were two couples, sharing a drink together. Over to his right, Link saw a group of men and women sitting at several tables pushed together. All their eyes were on one man in particular who seemed to be telling a story. When they all erupted into laughter, Link realized he was telling jokes.

Up at the bar, Link caught sight of Ian. He was leaning next to a man and whispering something to him. Ian pointed in Link's direction and the man turned around and nodded. Ian nodded his head too, as though they had reached an agreement of some sort. Then, Link noticed the bartender walk over to Ian and place two mugs onto the bar in front of him. He paid what he owed, grabbed the two mugs, and walked to where Link was sitting.

"Here you go, their best ale. Or so they say," Ian said as he handed the mug of ale to Link. As Link took a drink, Ian could see the discomfort in his face. "What's wrong?"

Link glanced around the room again. "It's just. I don't know. I feel so out of place here. This place doesn't seem right."

Ian laughed a little. "If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it. This place is no different than any other one."

"But some of the people here were staring at me," Link said quietly, not wanting anyone to hear that they had gotten under his skin.

Ian looked him directly in his eyes. "Were they staring at you, or at your sword?" Link's face turned to that of surprise as he realized what Ian was talking about. "If you hadn't noticed already, nobody here is carrying a sword and shield with them."

Link looked around the room a third time, but for the first time realized that no one, not a single person, was carrying a sword. "So I guess I'm just out of place, then."

"Yes you are," Ian said with a smile. "You're definitely the one out of place here."

Link smiled in return, realizing how childish he was being. "Well, live and learn, I suppose." He raised his mug in the air. Ian raised his as well and the two of them tapped their mugs together and took a big drink. "Can I ask you a question, Ian? It's kind of a tough one."

"Sure thing. What's on your mind?"

"Well, we're in the future right?" Link asked. Ian nodded his head. "But the events in the past, such as my death at the hands of Ganondorf, still happened, right?"

"Yes. So what's the question?"

"Shouldn't the future have been changed because of those events? I mean, Ganondorf was able to get my piece of the Triforce, so he should've been almost unstoppable. How can this future exist?"

"I see what you mean. And, believe it or not, I can answer this. Well, I can give you an answer, if it's the right one, I don't know." Ian reached into his pouch and pulled out a piece of paper. "Say that this piece of paper represents time and events," Ian started. The paper was a standard size, longer than it was wide. He held the paper long ways with his hands at either end. "Now, this end over here," he shook his right hand, which to Link was the left side of the paper, "represents the initial event. In this case, your death. The other end is the present. If I take this piece of paper and set it on fire," he reached to the center of the table and grabbed the lit candle with his right hand, and lit the end of the paper corresponding to the initial event, "the fire consumes the paper and moves along from one side to the other." The fire consumed the left side of the paper and progressed toward the middle, slowly making its way to the other side of the paper. "In this way, events that occur at the end create a ripple effect on the future. It takes time for this ripple in time to change the future. As you can see, the fire has not damaged the side of the paper representing the present yet. This is the same with us. We are here, but the ripple effect of your death is gaining on us. If we don't find your descendant before the ripple hits this time period, all is lost, fore he will never have been born."

Link sat silent, trying to understand what Ian had just said. "That was a mouthful," he finally said. He was still trying to figure it out in his head. "So, you're saying that my death will have an effect on the entire future, but it must move through time first?"

"Yes. The years directly after your death were changed instantly, but as you get farther and farther away from the event, it takes longer for changes to happen. Kind of hard to swallow, isn't it?"

"Yes, but it's starting to make sense. When did you come up with this?"

"Like I said before, I had a lot of time to myself while I waited for you to arrive in Purgatory," Ian reminded Link with a smile.

"So sorry that I took so long to die. I'll do better next time, I swear," Link smiled back and let out a small laugh.

Just as he was taking another drink of his ale, the man that Ian had been talking to at the bar came over to their table. Link sat there, trying to figure out if the man was a friend or foe. He was dressed in black pants with brown boots, and a white shirt underneath a tan vest. His hands and face were dirty, masking his light complexion, suggesting that he did hard labor for a living. He smiled and Link noticed that he had several teeth missing, most likely from bar fights. The remaining teeth weren't anything to be proud of, either.

"This is Marcus, and he's known Link since he was a boy. Marcus, this is Evan."

The two of them shook hands. "Hello, Evan. Ian here tells me that you guys are looking for the great Hero, Link."

Link nodded, remembering to keep the charade going. "Yes, I'm very interested in meeting him. He seems like a fine warrior for the side of good, and we need more like him."

Ian gave Link a small kick under the table. The Hero of Time glanced at him, and knew what Ian was trying to tell him. Don't overdo it.

Ian went on. "So, Marcus, what can you tell us of his whereabouts?"

Marcus sat down between the two of them and began relaying the story. "Well, a few days ago, a giant beast appeared over by Lake Hylia. Now, this is nothing out of the ordinary for these parts, so Link's uncle went out to see what was going on. Thing is, he hasn't come back yet. Of course, this news would worry a great many people as Link's uncle is one of the best warriors in all of Hyrule. So to keep it secret, Link himself went out to search for his uncle and stop whatever creature was causing all the trouble."

Link sighed. "And what if Link is defeated by this creature? What then?"

Marcus turned his head quickly and looked directly at Link. "That would never happen! Link defeated the evil Ganon! There is no way he would lose to any lesser creature!" Marcus' face was a bright red, visible even through all the dirt and soot on his face.

Ian gained control of the situation. "Now, now, Marcus. Evan here knows that. Don't you, Evan?"

Link nodded. "I'm sure Link will defeat this creature."

"Tell me, Marcus," Ian said, "when did Link leave?"

"Just this morning. He should've arrived at the lake just this evening."

Ian reached into his pocket and pulled out some rupees. "Thank you, Marcus. For your trouble," he said as he handed the money to him.

Marcus looked at the amount that Ian had given him, and his face beamed with happiness. "No, thank you, Ian." With that, Marcus walked back over to the bar and yelled to the bartender, "Drinks are on me!" The resulting cheer filled the tavern.

Link turned back to Ian. "So what do we do now?"

"We sleep and get ready to leave early in the morning tomorrow. We're going to have a long journey ahead of us." Chanting rose up from the crowd around the bar. Listening closely, Link could make out what they were saying: Three cheers for Marcus! Hip hip! Hooray! He smiled and went back to drinking his ale.

Aaron easily sidestepped out of the way of the sword from a thrusting Sarah. She recovered quickly and tried a horizontal slice on him, but he was much faster than she was and so easily knocked the blow away with his sword. The pair exchanged a few parries before Sarah made another attempt on the Knight. With a quick move, Aaron easily dodged her attack, disarmed her, and placed his sword across her neck while she was on her knees.

"Looks like I win again, Sarah," he said.

Disappointed, Sarah let out an audible sigh and pushed Aaron's blade away from her neck. "I will beat you. I swear. I will beat you."

"I sense a little bit of a competitive spirit in you," Aaron replied jokingly. "I'd hate to tell you, but it would take you many years to be even close to beating me. But if that little competitive drive of yours helps you learn and become a better swordsman, then keep it coming." He walked over to where her sword had landed and retrieved it. Still on her knees, Sarah finally forced herself to stand up again, taking the sword from Aaron's hand, and continued her training.

It was only a couple days before that Nick had agreed to let the women fight if they so desired, and already many of the women had taken up sword or bow. The desire to fight that lay so dormant in most women had been awakened with full force as they realized that the fate of their entire civilization was at stake. The remaining women that still wished to stay out of the fight were very busy as well. They were cooking meals, taking care of the soldiers, and even forging more weapons. Every single person in the entire refuge had something to do and it was quite hectic. There was never any down time from the noise and happenings. Instead, all the men and women took shifts to prepare for the battle. While some women slept, others were forging swords and arrows, while still others were cooking meals for the Knights and their new trainees. But no one complained. There was too much at stake to complain.

In the same large room, while Aaron and Sarah were dueling, Nick was teaching Celes how to shoot a bow and arrow. Although Nick preferred the sword to the bow, Celes wasn't strong enough to handle any of the swords. Despite his preference for swords, Nick still knew how to use a bow. You could never be too prepared for anything, he always thought.

"Now," Nick told Celes, "when firing a bow, make sure you stay perfectly still. Any sudden or slight movements can cause your shot to go completely off target. Take your bow," Celes took her bow off the nearby table, "and aim for the bulls-eye."

Celes nodded her understanding and grabbed an arrow from her quiver. She placed the arrow onto the bow's string and slowly pulled back. With total concentration, she aimed directly at the bulls-eye, about fifty feet away. She let the arrow fly, and it seemed as though her shot would be right on target. When the arrow finally came to a rest in the target, Celes sighed with disappointment. The arrow was below the bulls-eye.

"You made one mistake. Can you tell me what it was?"

Celes tried to retrace the steps she had taken to fire the arrow. She felt that she had done nothing wrong, and couldn't figure out why the arrow landed below the target. She looked at her husband and slowly shook her head.

"When you use a bow and arrow, you must take into account gravity. The further the target is from you, the higher above the actual bulls-eye you must aim," Nick instructed her as he picked up his own bow. Pulling back on the arrow, he aimed slightly above the bulls-eye and released his arrow. It flew true, right into the center of the bulls-eye. A smile spread across his face as he turned to his wife.

"Show off," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Nick asked, not quite making out what she had said.

"Oh, nothing," she responded with a smile. "Let's just continue my training."

He smiled at her. "Very well, Celes. Let's continue." Then a thought struck him. "Celes?"

"Hmmm?" she replied.

"Have you seen the Princess anywhere?"

She thought about it for a few seconds before responding, "No, I haven't. In fact, I haven't seen her since we began preparing for battle."

Nick didn't like the answer he was given. Where is she? He put the thought aside and returned to training Celes.
 
 
 

Zelda was training alone in a secluded area of the refuge. Besides herself and Evan, no one else was even close to where she was.

If they won't let me fight, and won't train me, then I will have to do so myself. I'll show them that I can protect myself. I'm sick of everyone protecting me. I want to protect them.

She raised her bow and aimed for the target. The arrow flew straight, but landed just to the right of the bulls-eye. Not bad. Especially without someone helping me. She grabbed another arrow from the quiver and fired a shot that landed to the left of the bulls-eye. I will get this. With the Goddesses as my witnesses, I will hit this bulls-eye. She fired arrow after arrow, hitting on all sides of the target, but never in the bulls-eye.

As she continued her attempts with the bow and arrow, Evan was playing by himself over in the corner of the room. He had with him a tiny sword. It was really more of a dagger than a sword, but for his size, it suited him just fine. Zelda didn't worry about him hurting himself with his sword anymore. He had been playing with it for almost a year now, emulating his father every time. The boy would sidestep, jump, slash, thrust, and slice his way through imaginary monsters that came at him from all sides. He was content in his own little world. He didn't know the severity of their current situation, and Zelda intended to keep it that way as long as possible.

Another arrow flew, and again it was wide of the bulls-eye. Zelda reached back into her quiver before realizing that she had spent all of her arrows. They all lay stuck in the target across the large room. Frustrated by her failure to hit a single bulls-eye, Zelda threw down the bow in a moment of anger. Evan stopped playing immediately and stared at his mother.

"Why did you do that, Mommy?" he asked innocently.

Zelda turned to look at her son. Her face was red with anger, but she kept herself calm in front of him. "Nothing, Evan. Mommy just needs to lie down for a little while." She walked to the other side of the room where she had set up a makeshift sleeping area for herself and Evan.

"But I'm not tired, Mommy," Evan whined.

Zelda laid herself down on the bed. "You can keep on playing, Evan. Mommy will watch you from over here for a while."

Evan's face lit up with joy instantly. He jumped back into his imaginary battle once more, slaying every monster that came his way. Zelda watched him dance around the room, pretending to be a legendary hero. So much of his father in him. And that's what I'm afraid of. Oh, Link. Why did you have to leave me? Her eyes began to water as memories of Link flooded her mind. She closed her eyes and tried to deal with the pain of losing her husband, but it offered little help. As Evan continued to play, Zelda fell fast asleep with thoughts of Link on her mind.
 
 
 

He was flying over the fields that he once knew. Still standing where it shouldn't be, the tower loomed demonically in all directions. The land had become barren as the evil moved over it. His vision swooped down, as if doing a fly by of the tower. He passed the tower, making his way to the forest. He saw hordes of monsters preparing for a battle and, as he looked beyond the army of monsters, he could make out another army coming from the forest. The new army was aggressive, running as fast as they could through their opposition. His vision moved closer to the battle until he could see the faces of the new army. They were Hylians. The battle ensued, and he swore he could hear laughter coming from behind him. He turned to see who it was, even though he already knew. Standing there, floating in the air beside him, was Ganondorf. The Evil King stopped laughing, stared at his enemy, and charged with a menacing battle cry.

Link woke up with a start and in a cold sweat. Another dream, just like the ones he was getting right before his last battle with Ganondorf. Those dreams had unlocked the knowledge that he needed to try to stop him, but this dream didn't tell him anything. It was like someone wanted him to know the inevitable; without Link, Hyrule was doomed.

On the bed next to him, Ian was still sound asleep. Light from the moon came through the window and rested on his face. The soft snoring coming from him eased Link a little, but the dream made him realize how much of an impact his life had on the future. His mind argued that he needed to leave now and find his descendants, but his body was telling him otherwise. The walk through Purgatory was finally taking its toll on him, and he needed as much rest as he could before they set out in the morning. He laid back down on the inn's bed and tried to get some sleep.
 
 
 

Ian woke up at the crack of dawn, but decided that Link could use a little more rest. Rather than waking him then, he would go out and get fresh supplies for their journey. He would wake Link when he returned. The middle-aged man got up out of bed and changed into his clothes. As he put them on, the stench that came from them burned his nose, although it really wasn't a surprise. He had been wearing the same clothes for a long time now, but in Purgatory, your clothes don't get dirty or stink. Back in the living world, however, things were different. He added clothes to the supplies list, clothes for himself and for Link.

He left the room quietly, paying close attention to any floorboards that creaked even the slightest bit. After everyone he accidentally stepped on, he would check to see if Link had woken. When he was finally in the inn hallway, he relaxed his body and made his way out of the inn.

The streets of Kakariko were bustling with people already. The cool, crisp morning air was a welcome thing around here. Ian stood in the doorway of the Old Towne Inn and watched the citizens of the town do their regular morning activities. Across the street, several people were out jogging and chatting about their lives. To his left, Ian could see a customer trying to get a merchant to lower his price on fresh fish. The smell of freshly made bread filled the air from the bakery down the street. And the sounds of small children, oddly up at this hour, could be heard around the corner.

Ian took a deep breath of the morning air and enjoyed it to its fullest before letting it out. He then took a step forward into the street.

"Move the hell outta my way, you old timer!" shouted a man running at full speed. Ian had no chance of getting out of the man's way. The two collided and fell onto the gravel. Rupees spilled out onto the street from a wallet that the man was carrying. Frantically, he quickly picked up as many as he could and threw them back into the bag. Ian sat up on the ground and wondered what was going on. The unknown man jumped up off the street and began to run in the same direction he was headed before.

"Stop! Thief! Someone stop that man!"

Ian turned in the direction of the call and realized that the man he had bumped into was nothing more than a thief. Determined to stop the robbery, Ian leaped up from the ground and ran after him. In top physical shape due to his time in Purgatory, Ian was quickly gaining on the wallet thief.

"Hey you! Stop right there!" Ian yelled up to the man.

The thief turned around to see who was trying to stop him. To his surprise, the middle-aged man he had bumped into was now only fifteen feet behind him. He tried to run faster, but his legs wouldn't obey him. Instead, he turned down the very next street. Unfortunately, the street was nothing more than a dead end alley. He stopped short of the wall that impeded his escape and turned around.

Ian was now at the end of the alley, facing the thief. Taking advantage of the situation, Ian called out to the man.

"That's far enough! Hand the money over, you slime! There's no escape for you!"

The thief looked around frantically for any way of escape, but found none except for the way he had come in. Ian called out again.

"There's nowhere to go. Now hand over the money and maybe I won't turn you in. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"No way in hell!" he cried back.

Ian was very disappointed. He always had faith that a person would do the right thing when it was necessary, but this man would not sway from his deed. Ian walked down the alley, toward the now quivering thief. Out of desperation, the man reached behind him and grabbed the small dagger that he had sheathed on the back of his belt.

"Don't come any closer, old man!" the thief yelled, trying to act like a dangerous man.

Ian wasn't buying it. Instead, he continued to move in on the thief, not knowing that the man was armed. Finally, the man pulled out his dagger and waved it threateningly at Ian, who froze where he was.

"Now, this is how it's gonna work, Gramps. I'm gonna walk outta here and keep the money and there ain't anythin' you can do 'bout it. Understand?" He began to walk toward Ian, dagger pointed straight at him. The thief stopped directly in front of Ian, dagger still pointed at him. "Sorry, old man. But you're gonna die." He drew back his dagger, ready to strike Ian down.

As he came forward with the fatal blow, Ian dropped to the ground, dodging the dagger effectively. He took the man's legs out from under him and the man came crashing down. Unable to hold onto it anymore, the dagger flew from the man's hand and hit the nearby wall. As Ian successfully subdued the thief, the merchant who was victimized came running down the alley.

"Thank you! Thank you! You saved my business!" the merchant exclaimed while shaking Ian's hand.

"No need for thanks. I just do what I feel is right," Ian responded. The village guards showed up and dragged the thief away.

"I would like to show you my gratitude! Is there anything I can sell you; at a far cheaper price, of course," the man offered Ian. "I have clothing, arrows, bread, water skins, and much more."

Ian could tell the man wanted to show how thankful he was. Plus, it would seem that the merchant had just what Ian needed, so he took him up on the offer. The two men walked back to the merchant's shop.
 
 
 

Link awoke to the sound of the door opening and closing. He sat up in his bed as Ian made his way in.

"Where were you?"

Ian placed several large pouches on his bed. "Oh, just went for a little morning shopping," he said with a smile. He pulled out numerous items from each of the pouches. Among the items were quite a few bundles of arrows, two water skins, a few changes of clothing, and a couple loaves of bread.

"Seems that you did rather well. Where did you get all this?"

"Just from a merchant down the street. Now, get up and get ready. We need to get going."

Link nodded and jumped out of bed. He took one of the new sets of clothes that Ian had bought and put it on. It fit perfectly, like one of his tunics from back home. He wore a gray tunic with white tights. He strapped on the belt and put on his boots, but there was one thing that was missing.

"What? No hat?"

Ian looked up at the Hero. "Sorry, I didn't think of it. I'll stop by again and get you a hat on our way out." Link smiled.

The two men packed their bags and prepared themselves for another long trek. Once finished, they left the inn and began their journey to Lake Hylia. As they exited the town, Link looked up at the morning sun and judged that it was 8 o'clock.

"I hope we make it there by nightfall," he said to Ian.

Ian looked up at the sun and replied, "So do I, Link. So do I."
 
 
 

She woke up abruptly, as if she had forgotten something important to do and slept right through it. After a quick glance around the room, she realized that she hadn't missed anything. Beside her, Evan was fast asleep. She didn't know when he finally wore himself out, but that really didn't matter. He looked so peaceful. She reached out with her hand and rubbed her son's head gently so as to not wake him. She sat there for several minutes, just thinking, thinking about Link and Evan.

"I see you're finally awake."

Zelda turned quickly to see who had found her little hideaway. Standing on the other side of the room near the only doorway was Nick. She didn't say a word, just turned her attention back to Evan. Nick walked around the room, stopping at the arrow-filled target.

"So this is where you've been," he ripped an arrow out of the target, "You know, I was starting to get worried. Thought maybe you decided to leave us and fight your own battle somewhere out there." Zelda continued to remain silent, not even turning around to look Nick in the face as he spoke. He resumed his walk around the room, throwing the arrow on a nearby table. "What is this? The silent treatment? What have I done to deserve this?"

Zelda finally acknowledged that he was speaking to her. "You won't let me fight."

"Is that what this is all about?" She nodded and Nick sighed. "Well, since you're the Princess, I can't really stop you, can I?" Zelda's eyes lit up and she faced Nick for the first time. "But, since you'll be in my army, I can tell you where you will fight. Since you've been practicing with the bow, you'll be placed in the archer line, which is thankfully in the back."

Zelda jumped out of her makeshift bed, ran to him, and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Nick."

"Sure thing, Princess. However, we still need to figure out what to do with Evan."

"I'll have one of the nursemaids look after him," she said as she once again faced her only son.

"Princess, promise me one thing. If it turns for the worse out there, leave the field, grab Evan, and run."

Zelda responded simply with a nod. Nick found some satisfaction in this. Although she was going to fight, he felt that he could still protect her by means of keeping her far from the actual battle. He turned and began walking out of the secluded room.

"Nick?" Zelda called from behind him. He stopped where he was and turned in his tracks. "Do you think. do you think that Link is watching us from above?"

"No," Nick answered. Zelda was caught completely off guard and looked at Nick with a disgusted face. Nick continued, "If I know Link, he's up there working on a plan that will save us all. Even in death he will find a way." He and Zelda smiled at the thought of Link still protected them. Farfetched as it seemed to them, Link always found a way to save the land of Hyrule, and neither of them doubted that he could do it again. Nick turned around and left the room.

Zelda was ecstatic. She would actually be allowed to fight. Never before in her life had she been involved in any battle. Sure, she had taken part in Link's fight against Ganondorf the first time around, but she had never partaken in a grand battle that would possibly determine the fate of the Hylians. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, she grabbed her bow and the arrow that Nick had placed on the table, and aimed at the target.

She fired.

Ian pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his brow. The sun was almost directly above them, indicating that it was nearly noon. The two of them had been walking for nearly four hours now. He reached for his water skin and took a quick, refreshing drink. Behind him, Link stopped to take a drink as well.

"How are you holding up back there, Link?"

"I'm doing fine. This heat is nothing compared to the heat in the desert. Try walking through that on a summer day," Link paused for another mouthful of water. "And what happened to calling me Evan?"

Ian closed his water skin and put it back on his belt. "There's nobody out here, so why bother? We just need to keep anonymity around the people of this land. Not many travel anymore, except for maybe to the castle. Even with their Link around, the roads and forests are still very dangerous to the common man."

Link put his water skin away. "Where are we, anyway?"

"We're just entering the Southern Swamps. We are nearing the halfway point of our journey," Ian said as he looked up at the sun. "We shall walk a little further, then we will rest and eat."

The elder man began walking once again. Link stood there for a moment longer, looking up into the sky. Don't worry, Zelda. I'm coming to save you all again. Just hold on. He averted his eyes back to the man walking away from him, and began walking.

The sights and sounds around him were completely unfamiliar to the Hero of Time. There were no swamps in Hyrule in his time, and the creatures that lived there couldn't be found anywhere else. In the distance, he could see tall structures on the horizon. Most of them seemed to be ordinary pillars, although they were placed in the middle of nowhere in his mind. But one structure was bigger than all the rest, and Link's best guess was that it was a temple of some sort. He called up to Ian.

"Hey, Ian!" The older man stopped and turned. "Where did all this come from? And what temple is that in the distance?"

Ian looked up at the sun again and judged that they had traveled enough without food. "I will try to explain it to you while we are eating," he responded. Ian looked around in their general area until he found a spot that would be suitable for eating and a little rest. "This way, Link."

The two men came upon a dry spot with a stone pillar and took off all their equipment. Ian went through his rations pouch and pulled out some bread and some dried meat. Link had already taken a seat against the stone pillar. Ian walked over to him, gave him the food, and sat down beside him.

"I know it's not the best food, but it'll have to do," he said.

"It's alright," Link responded with a piece of bread already in his mouth. "I've done this many times before."

They sat in silence for the next few minutes as they ate their rations. When they were finally done eating, they decided that they should rest for a little while.

"So, are you going to answer my question?" Link asked.

"Ah, yes. Of course I will," Ian responded. "This swamp, like so many other things in this world, was affected by war, famine, and civilization."

"But this swamp didn't exist."

"That's right, it was caused by the erosion of the rocks separating the desert from Lake Hylia. Of course, this erosion was aided by battles and civilization. At one point in history - I don't know exactly when - they tried to make the desert suitable for life. During their attempts to irrigate the surrounding lands, war broke out in Hyrule. The destruction of the irrigation system and the dam that had been constructed caused the land to be flooded. The desert soaked up as much as it could, but there was just too much water. And so the swamps were formed."

Link nodded. "That makes sense. But what about these pillars and the temple?"

Ian looked around at all the structures that could be seen throughout the swamp. "Those are all structures of worship. Although this time period is more advanced than your own, they still believed strongly in the Goddesses. However, no one has ventured to these ever since the swamp was formed."

All his current questions answered, Link's thoughts once again drifted to Zelda, Evan, Nick, and the others. He hoped that they were all safe. But most importantly, he hoped that he could still save them.

Ian remained silent, not thinking about anything in particular. It had been so long since he could appreciate the feeling of a beautiful, but hot, day. The shade of the pillar offered some relief from the heat, and Ian was thankful for that. Finally, after sitting there for almost half an hour, Ian decided that it was time to move on.

"Hey, Link," he slapped the Hero on the shoulder, "we have to be moving along. Time is not on our side. The longer we wait, the closer the ripple from your death will get to us."

Link woke up out of his daze. "Yeah. of course.," he murmured. He didn't want to get up now; he had just gotten comfortable. But he knew Ian was right, so he forced himself up off the ground and walked over to his equipment. "Oh, and Ian?"

"Yes, Link?"

The Hero slung the Master Sword and its sheath over his shoulders. "Are we going to face any creatures that might attack us? Because I don't want to relive the time in the forest in Purgatory."

Ian let out a small laugh. "Fair enough. Yes, there will be some enemies along our way, but none even close to as tough as those wolves you faced. I wouldn't worry about it."

"That's good," he said with a smile as he placed his shield on his back. They picked up all their pouches and walked on toward Lake Hylia.
 
 
 

The string twanged as the arrow was released. It flew true, but she didn't want to look. With her eyes closed, she heard the arrow hit the target. Slowly, she reopened her eyes, expecting to be off the mark yet again. Instead, to her delight, the arrow stuck directly into the bulls-eye.

"Yes!" Zelda cried out, finally achieving what she had spent so long attempting.

"Mommy, what happened?" Evan said sleepily with tired eyes.

In her excitement, Zelda had completely forgotten that Evan was still asleep. She looked at her son, a big smile across her face.

"I did it, Evan! I did it!" she said excitedly while pointing at the perfect bulls-eye. Evan looked in the direction she was pointing and saw what she was so happy about. And if his mother was happy, Evan was happy. The boy jumped up out of the bed and ran to Zelda. She knelt down and hugged Evan.

"Aw, how cute," came a voice from behind Zelda. She stood up and turned, and standing in the doorway was Aaron.

Zelda smiled. "Oh, be quiet."

"So this is the secluded area where you've been hiding the few days," he said as he glanced around the room. "Not bad. Although I still prefer the comforts of the more furnished rooms."

"Well, I couldn't be picky with that, now could I? I'm just glad that there was a spot in this refuge that was seldom used. What did you come down here for anyway?"

"What? I can't come down here and visit a friend?" Aaron asked in a mock tone, bringing another smile to Zelda's face. "Dinner's about to be served. And seeing as how you've been, shall we say, absent all day, we felt that you should come." He looked down at Evan. "And I'm sure the little squirt would like some food. What do you say?"

Evan's face lit up with anticipation. "Let's go Mommy! Let's go! Mommy!"

Zelda placed her hand on the boy's head. "Alright, we're going. Just calm down."

Aaron smiled. "This way, milady," he said as he bowed with his hands pointing in the direction of the dining hall.

"Oh, stop it," she said as she and Evan walked past the bowing Aaron. Aaron stopped bowing and took one more look around the room.

He saw the arrow in the bulls-eye, nodded his head a few times, and his face expressed approval. "Not bad, Princess. Not bad at all." He turned and walked out of the room.
 
 
 

The dining hall was a very large room, much larger than the room in which Zelda had been practicing. There were perhaps ten tables placed throughout the room, each able to hold about ten people. Due to the fact that the room could only hold 100 people, everyone had to eat in shifts. There were meals throughout the day, and the room was never empty.

Zelda, Evan, and Aaron walked in and could instantly smell the food from the kitchen. It was a very pleasing, and appetizing, smell as the Hylian cooks were perhaps the best in the entire world. They passed several tables of soldiers, women, and children. Without so much as a word, Evan took off running toward a table that was full of all his friends from the refuge. Zelda and Aaron continued all the way to the back of the room, where the Knights always sat. Seated around the table were Nick, William, Robert, Celes, Sarah, Liz, Adriana, and Diana. Zelda took her seat at the head of the table, while Aaron took the last remaining seat.

"I'm glad you could join us, Princess," Nick said.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied.

"Oh, is that true?" William asked. "Then why did you not join us for lunch, or dinner last night?" he asked in a joking tone with a smile.

"Yes, I've heard that you've been practicing the bow," said Robert, "Really, Princess, I wish you wouldn't fight with us."

"And why not? Am I not a patriotic citizen of this country as well as being its leader?" A hint of anger was present in her voice.

"It's not that, Your Highness. It's just that."

"She's a woman, right?" Adriana interrupted.

"No! It is certainly not!" Robert shouted back.

"Women are capable of fighting too!" Diana added while rising from her seat and pounding the table with her fist. The entire room grew quiet and all heads turned to see what was going on at the most important table of them all.

Zelda broke the silence. "Everyone, please resume your meals. There is no need to worry about our conversation." And with the Princess' orders, the dining hall once again filled with conversation.

Aaron tried to resolve the argument. "What I think our good friend Robert was trying to say is that he fears for the life of the ruler of this land."

"Exactly. Thank you, Aaron." Aaron nodded his appreciation.

"I'll be fine. You needn't worry about me. You should worry about yourselves and the other men and women who will be fighting in the front lines. Nick has made it so I won't be in the fray."

Nick nodded. "That's right. I have placed Princess Zelda in the back line of archers, far enough from the battle to avoid injury, but close enough to do some damage herself."

"But what if the tide of the battle is against us?" William asked. "What if they break through our lines and attack the archers?"

"I have instructed the Princess to flee from the battlefield if it seems as though we are faltering. But we still need to determine a safe place for her and the children to escape to."

"That's it? That's the plan?" Celes asked with doubt evident on her voice. "Attack them and hope we win, otherwise run for your lives?"

"That's all we can do," Nick replied.

Liz spoke up for the first time, "So when are we going to attack?"

"Two days from now. I will lead the attack at 0800 hours."

"So," she continued, "we have about a day to figure out a safe place for the Hylians who are not fighting to go."

"That's not a whole lot of time," Aaron added.

"No, it's not," Diana said, "Especially since none of us know the woods that well."

"Except for Link," Zelda said quietly. Everyone stopped talking and thought about the difference Link could make in this battle. Surely, they would have a much higher chance of success.

They all ate the rest of their meals in silence, some trying to think of a new refuge for the remaining Hylians, while others were thinking about the battle. But all Zelda could think about was Link.
 
 
 

The sun was now almost directly behind them. They had traveled through the Southern Swamp for nearly four hours, and they were finally just about to leave it behind. Their clothes were sweat stained, their boots wet and dirty. The temple that Link had seen so many hours ago came and went. From what he could see, he wasn't that impressed with it. But then again, some of the temples from his time had unimpressive exteriors, but once inside, they were marvelous pieces of work.

During the journey across the Swamp, they encountered numerous creatures, but Ian was right. They were nothing to worry about. Link easily destroyed everything that dared to challenge them. Ian was right about another thing as well; Link didn't recognize a single one. Although they had some of the same characteristics as creatures he once fought, none of them were an exact match.

They were now beside some large stones that could have been another structure at one time. Whatever they may have been, they were laid to waste since that time. Link reached back for his water skin, opened it, and placed the opening to his lips. He tilted his head all the way back as he finished off the last of his water. Disappointed, and still thirsty, Link closed the empty water skin.

"I'm out of water," he called up to Ian. "Are we almost to Lake Hylia?"

Without turning around, Ian replied, "We're getting close. Perhaps another hour. As for more water," he reached for his water skin, "you can have the rest of mine. I won't be needing it." The elder man turned and tossed the water skin back to Link, who caught it with his free hand.

"Are you sure, Ian?" Link asked, even though he had already opened it and taken a mouthful.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure. Now let's hurry along. We'll have to keep moving if we want to get there by nightfall."

Ian picked up the pace and Link followed suit. As they passed by the large stones, Link had a strange feeling that they were being watched. He stopped and surveyed the surroundings, but didn't see anything other than a few birds perched up on the ruins and nearby rock ledges. Not wanting to fall too far behind, Link jogged back up to within a few feet of Ian, then slowed to Ian's pace.

A short time later, they were completely out of the Southern Swamp, and for that, Link was grateful. Perhaps now his boots could dry. He was sick of his boots being soaked through. They were now standing on top of a cliff, which Link estimated to be about 40 feet high. Piece of cake, he thought to himself. He had climbed many things that were much higher than this was. However, Link realized that Ian might have trouble with it. He wasn't sure what the man could do.

"Are you going to be able to climb down this?" he asked.

Ian stopped and turned to look down the cliff. "Sure, I could climb down that. But why would I?"

Link was a little confused. "You mean we aren't going that way? But isn't that Lake Hylia in the distance?"

"Yes, that is Lake Hylia, and yes, we are going that way. But why bother climbing down the cliff when we can just walk down that pathway up ahead?" He pointed in front of him.

Link looked ahead and saw what Ian was talking about. Just up ahead was a pathway that led from the top of the cliff all the way to the bottom. Link got the point. It would be much easier, and safer, to use the path than to try and climb down the cliff, no matter how easy it would be.

"Lead on," Link told Ian.

They continued on their way to Lake Hylia. The path sloped gently downward and Link could barely feel the difference between the path and flat land. Once at the bottom, Link observed their new surroundings. They seemed to be in a small valley, trapped between cliffs that extended only 40 to 50 feet into the sky. In that respect, it was really more like a lowland than a valley. Link found it strange that there was very little grass and vegetation so close to a body of water. The whole area was dry and the little amount of shrubbery seemed on the verge of dying. As they moved on, Link didn't even give it another thought. It wouldn't be long now. They were almost there.
 
 
 

As the sun was starting to set, the two weary travelers finally made it to Lake Hylia. The waters were calm due to the lack of wind and disturbance. The place seemed eerily peaceful, as if it wasn't always this way. Link looked out over the water and could just make out an island in the middle.

"It seems as though this other Link defeated the monster after all," Link said. "Too bad. I would've liked to have seen what was causing so much trouble."

Ian didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on a point in the distance; not in the water, however. His gaze was eastward, along the high cliffs that made up the borders of Lake Hylia. Link followed the elder man's eyes, but still wasn't sure what Ian was looking at.

"Ian? What are you looking at?"

Ian raised his hand and pointed with his finger. "There's a vulture flying in a circle up ahead."

"Big deal," Link retorted, "Vultures aren't anything exciting."

"Except that they circle around injured creatures, waiting for them to die," Ian said. He turned to Link, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Shall we go see what the vulture is eyeing up, then?"

Ian nodded and immediately began walking. His pace quickened tenfold, as if their lives depended on their speed. Link struggled to keep up with Ian, but he stayed right with him. The cliffs began to slope upwards, making the strenuous pace even harder to endure. The vulture continued to fly in circles around a creature, something that was hanging on to life by a thread. The two travelers kept the pace up, and soon they could see a figure lying on the ground. They were still too far away to tell, but Ian feared the worst. He began to run as fast as he could toward the limp body, Link not far behind. Link was growing more and more concerned. Ian made it to the body first. It was rolled on its side, so its back was facing Ian and Link. Ian reached out and grabbed a hold of the right shoulder and gently rolled the body onto its back. Ian gasped.

Link, the Hero of the Triforce, was lying there, motionless, unconscious, and on the brink of death.

"Quickly, we must set up a camp and make sure he doesn't die!" Ian yelled to Link. "I'll go get some water from the lake. You go find anything you can that will burn! We need a fire!"

Link nodded his understanding and took off running. He had remembered some dried shrubs along the way, and he was sure they would make a good fire. Carrying back as much as he could, Link ran back to the spot where they had found his descendant. Ian was already there, trying to get some water down the throat of the unconscious Link. He threw the firewood and dried shrubs into a pile and quickly started up a fire.

"How is he, Ian?"

Ian continued to try to get some water down his throat. "It's too early to tell. He's in very bad shape. It seems as though whatever this creature is, it must be strong. There are not many things that could defeat one of your line," he said as he gently laid the unconscious Link's body on the ground. He reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a small blanket. Placing it on the boy, Ian turned to the Hero of Time. "All we can do now is wait."

Link didn't take any comfort in that, but he also knew that Ian was right. Exhausted, he leaned back and gazed into the twilight sky. His thoughts once again drifted to Zelda.
 
 
 

The moon was full, but its light did nothing against the darkness. The two travelers still sat and waited for the unconscious man to finally wake up. Little had been said between the two in the few hours that they had been in camp. It wasn't an eerie silence, but a welcome one. Both men had a lot on their minds, and each needed time to think. The once hot day began to slowly melt into a cool, crisp night.

Finally able to stop thinking about the world he had left behind, Link sat up and took a look at his surroundings. Of course, it was much too dark for him to make out anything, but he looked around anyway. But then, he did see something. At a lower elevation and quite a distance away, Link caught sight of a small campfire. He tried to make out who or what was there, and how many were there. Not being able to see either, he gave up.

"Hmm," he muttered under his breath.

Ian heard Link's sound of interest, muttered as it was. "What is it, Link?"

The Hero of Time looked at the older man. "Seems as though we've been followed," he said as he pointed to the campfire in the distance. "I had a feeling that we were."

"Ah, yes," Ian said as he saw the campfire, "I had that feeling too. It would seem that someone didn't take too kindly to us asking around about their Link, the Hero of the Triforce."

"Is that what they call him? Hero of the Triforce?"

"Yes. Unlike you, he never traveled through Time to complete his quest. His journey led him in and out of the Dark World, which if you remember, was the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf entered it," Ian responded. "Now, Link, I think it would be best if you introduced yourself as Evan when your descendant wakes up."

"Why?" Link asked. "Won't we have to tell him who we really are, where we're from, and what we're trying to do?"

"Well, of course we are. But I don't want to give him all the details the moment he wakes up. He's going to be confused as it is. There's no need for us to help him in that respect. Perhaps when he's been up for awhile, we'll tell him everything."

Link nodded. "Alright. I just hope he comes to soon, because I'm getting tired of."

Link was interrupted by sounds coming from the previously unconscious Hero of the Triforce. He moaned and groaned as he slowly pulled himself up off the ground into a sitting position. He placed his hand on his head as he slowly became less disoriented. Realizing that he was being watched, he reached for his sword, but it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" Ian asked as he held out the aged Master Sword.

The Hero of the Triforce was disgusted with himself. In his mind, he had been captured and the mystical sword had fallen into the wrong hands. "Who are you and what do you want with me? I will do no evil, no matter how much you torture me!"

"Hey, calm down," Ian said. "We're not going to hurt you or make you do "evil" things. In fact, we were looking for you and we found you unconscious."

Link didn't know why, but he trusted the two strangers, especially the quiet one. He somehow seemed familiar, but he had never seen him before. It was like there was some sort of connection between himself and the other one. "So, who are you? You seem to know who I am."

"How impolite of me," Ian apologized. "My name is Ian, and my companion over there is Evan. We've come all the way from Kakariko Village looking for you."

Link looked at Evan, "And why were you looking for me?"

Evan grabbed a bowl and poured in some soup that had been cooking over the fire. "For now, eat this. We'll tell you more when you have regained more of your strength and composure."

Link reached over and took the bowl of soup from Evan's hands. Although he would've liked to know what they wanted with him as soon as possible, he realized that eating was the most important thing at the moment. He ate greedily, not caring for manners at this point. It was becoming obvious to him that these two strangers had more than likely saved his life, and he was grateful. When he finished his soup, Ian took his bowl and filled it with more soup. Link was ecstatic. He quickly ate a second bowl of soup, then a third. His stomach full, he placed the bowl on the ground beside him.

"I now feel that you aren't after me for any evil intentions. Why, then, have you come all this way just to find me?" Link asked the two strangers.

"It's a long story," Evan said, as if he didn't feel like telling him the whole thing.

"That doesn't matter. We have all the time in the world," Link said. Once he said this, Ian and Evan each turned and looked at each other. Link caught the exchange and became worried. "Don't we?"

Ian turned to Link. "No, we don't have all the time in the world. In truth, Time itself is our enemy right now. The longer we wait, the more Time catches up with us, and if we don't act quickly enough, the world will never be the same."

"Right," Link said confused.

"We came searching for you because you are needed in this battle against Time and Evil," Evan added. "You are a piece of the puzzle."

"What puzzle? What are you talking about?"

Evan turned to Ian. "This secrecy is not getting us anywhere. Can we just tell him the truth now?"

Link's eyes lit up and he sat up straighter. "The truth? Who are you guys? Really."

"Alright then," Ian said, almost dejectedly. "Let's tell him."

"Good," Evan said. He turned to face Link, the Hero of the Triforce. "My name is not Evan. It's Link."

"Your name is Link? What a coincidence," the Hero of the Triforce said.

Ian picked up where Evan left off. "It's not a coincidence, Link. The person that sits before you is your ancestor."

"He's my. ancestor?" he asked. "How is that possible?"

The Hero of Time said, "We traveled through Time."

"You say that as if it were just you're everyday task. I'm no scientist, but is that even possible?"

Ian continued. "It is only possible if the Goddesses demand it. Your ancestor," he pointed to Link, "was the first to ever battle against Ganon, almost a thousand years ago. In his quest to defeat the King of Evil, Link needed to travel through time seven years. He was the destined Hero of Time that would put an end to the Evil King's rule in Hyrule."

Link turned to his ancestor. "You fought against Ganon?"

"Yes. I fought that demon after I had destroyed Ganondorf, the Gerudo that became Ganon."

"But if you defeated him, how was it that I fought him as well?"

The Hero of Time responded, "We merely trapped him in the Sacred Realm. Since he held the Triforce of Power, I couldn't kill him."

Ian jumped in. "But the reason we've come looking for you is because Ganon is back in your ancestor's world."

"So why don't you just go and beat him again?"

The Hero of Time sighed deeply and lowered his head. Ian sensed that he didn't want to talk about it, so he took the liberty himself.

"He tried, but was killed in the battle. The Triforce of Courage, which had long been carried inside of Link, fell into Ganon's hands."

"Oh," the Hero of the Triforce said, realizing the pain that his ancestor must have been feeling. "But how did he get out of his imprisonment?"

"That.," Ian sighed, "That was my fault. He summoned me from the future. yes, I'm from the future. and tricked me into doing his evil deeds. When I released him, he killed me. I am to blame, but I will clear my soul by making sure he is sent back."

"Wait a minute," Link said, "If what you're saying is true, then you're both dead, right?"

Ian nodded. "Yes, I spent several years in Purgatory, awaiting your ancestor. The Goddesses had given me another chance. If I helped your ancestor find you and one other, then I would be allowed into the Heavens."

"This is all very hard to believe."

"You don't have to believe right away," Link told his descendant, "But we must leave tomorrow to search for the last piece of the puzzle."

"Hold on," the Hero of the Triforce said. "We're not leaving here until that monster in Lake Hylia is dead."

"Very well," Ian conceded, "We will help you defeat the monster of the lake, and in return, you will come with us to save all of Hyrule once again."

"Now what about this name thing?" the Hero of Time asked. "My name is Link, his name is Link, and my other descendants name is Link. It will get very confusing."

"I see your point. We can refer to you as Evan, especially when we're in a town. Now for you, Hero of the Triforce.," Ian looked at Link.

"Sean," he said. "If you must call me something else, then call me Sean."

"So be it, Sean," Ian said. "Tomorrow we will rise with the sun, defeat this monster, and continue our journey. But for now, we must rest."

They all agreed silently, and each laid themselves down on the hard ground and tried to get some sleep, for the next day would be a busy one.

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