The room fell quiet as Nick and Zelda entered. Those present were the top Knights and archers, waiting for the battle plan. Everyone was anxious, yet also nervous. The battle was to be the next day, and all knew that it could his or her last day alive.

"Good evening to you all," Zelda started, "No matter what happens tomorrow, you will all go down as heroes and heroines of Hyrule. The upcoming battle will be etched in the history books for all time."

She stepped aside so that Nick could lay out the battle plan so that it would be properly executed. One of his subordinates accompanied him, carrying a map.

"As you all know, we strike at 0800 tomorrow morning. We have received word that ships from Dellenia will be docked on the eastern shore. One of our objectives will be to secure a safe passage for the women and children who are not fighting to the ships. To do this, we will be attacking from the entrance of the Kokiri Forest," he pointed to the appropriate place on the map. "From there, we must clear a path so that the refugees can get to the new mountain pass by Zora's River. Once they get to Zora's River, the Zoras will lead them to the shore and the awaiting ships. We have also gotten word from the Gorons and the Gerudo that they will help us in our battle. They will be attacking from here and here," he pointed to the foot of Death Mountain and the entrance to the Desert. "The Kokiri will attack any outsiders who make their way into the Forest, but they can do no more due to their confinement to these woods. Our primary goal is to defeat the evil army and destroy the Tower of Ganon, but if we should fail, we must at least secure the passage for the refugees." Nick looked around the room at each individual person. "Even if we are victorious, many of us will not make it out alive. This will be the final battle for Hyrule. If we fail, the rest of the world won't stand a chance. If we succeed, then we can secure an age of prosperity for all the nations of the world. May the Goddesses have mercy on all of us. Dismissed!"

The room erupted with sounds of battle cries and shouts of determination. They would no longer be thrown around like they had been the last few months. No, they would fight for their freedom and against the indescribable evil of the one known as Ganondorf. And they were all confident that they would overcome the incredible odds. For Hyrule.

As the room emptied out, only Nick, Aaron, William, Robert, and Zelda remained.

"Aaron, can we expect any help from Dellenia?" Nick asked.

Aaron raised his arms slightly and sighed. "I don't know, Nick. We were hit pretty hard when Ganondorf came at us with two pieces of the Triforce. We had far too many casualties and almost all of the survivors are already here in this refuge, waiting for another chance."

"We were all hit hard when that happened," William added. "If we don't succeed out there tomorrow, I don't see the rest of the world being able to put up much of a fight."

"If only Link were here," Zelda said, almost inaudibly.

Robert walked up next to her and put a comforting arm around her.

"It's like I said earlier, Princess," Nick said. "He's trying to figure out a way to save us all. Not even death will stop him."

"If he is, then he better get a move on, otherwise there'll be nothing left to save," Robert uttered.

Robert's comment silenced everyone and they all bowed their heads in despair - and hope.
 
 
 

The sun peered over the horizon as Ian opened his eyes. Dawn had come without incident, and the fire had long since gone out. He sat up where he was and took a deep breath of the cool, crisp morning air. A few feet on either side of him, both Links were still sleeping. But unlike the morning before, he wasn't going to let anyone sleep in. He smacked both of them on their shoulder.

"Hey, wake up you two."

Slowly, they opened their eyes and sat up. Neither of them looked like they enjoyed waking up so early. Ian suspected that they were late risers, but he didn't know why people would want to sleep so late. He thought it was a waste of time. There were so many other things one could get done instead of sleeping. Must run in the family, he thought.

Ian got up, grabbed a few water skins, and walked down to the lake. He filled each of the water skins to its fullest before he walked back up to the camp. When he got there, both Links were lying down again, falling back asleep.

"Oh no you don't. You're getting up now. We have a long day ahead of us," he said as he kicked each of them firmly in the ribs.

He walked over to his rations pouch and grabbed a few chunks of bread. The two heroes were finally up and took the bread and water offered to them.

"So Link. I mean, Sean. what kind of creature are we fighting?" Ian asked.

"Well," Link responded between mouthfuls, "It's quite large and has many tentacles, each of which are very long. So far," he paused to take a drink of water, "so far, I haven't been able to find its weakness."

"It's probably the eye," Evan said. "It's always the eye." He bit off a big piece of bread.

"I think it's the stomach," Sean shot back.

"Either way," Ian interrupted before things started to heat up, "we need to get going soon." He turned to face the Hero of Time. "Perhaps we'll find out who was following us."

Link just nodded, as he looked in the direction the other camp had been. "Maybe we will."
 
 
 

They made their way down to the lake where the Hero of the Triforce had last battled with the monster. The entire way down, the Hero of Time kept checking over his shoulder, waiting for their mysterious follower to show himself. As the three of them stood by the lake waiting for the creature to surface, Evan caught a glimpse of someone hiding in the bushes not too far from the group.

Slowly, he made his way around the bushes, making sure to be perfectly quiet. The only sounds were that of the hiding man, rustling in the bushes. He quietly stepped behind him, and drew his sword.

He heard the sword drawn and instantly froze in place. As he sat there, he felt the tip of the sword against his back.

"Who are you and why have you been following us?" the man behind him said. "Get up!"

He did as he was told and slowly stood up. His arms in the air, he turned to see who had caught him.

"Marcus!" Evan shouted. "What the hell are you doing?"

Marcus lowered his head in shame as he responded, "I was just curious, Master Evan, sir. I didn't mean any harm. Usually when someone asks for Link, they want to duel with him. I thought that's why you were looking for him."

Evan sheathed his sword. "Not at all, Marcus. We need his help, but first we're going to help him get rid of this creature that's been plaguing this area. Come on," he said as he motioned for Marcus to follow him, "you might as well come out and join us."

The Hero of Time and Marcus walked back over to where Ian and the Hero of the Triforce were still waiting.

"Hi, Marcus," the Hero of the Triforce said, "Checking up on me again?"

"Yes, sir," Marcus responded, "I was the one who gave them information of your whereabouts."

"That doesn't matter. But it's dangerous here. We could come under attack at any time."

He was cut off by the sounds of something big emerging from the water. The beast's cry was disturbing and loud. All four of them jumped back from the edge of the lake and looked upon the creature that stood before them. It was an enormous beast. Its tentacles were flailing around wildly, as if they had a mind of their own. The two Links each unsheathed their respective Master Swords.

"Let's get him," the Hero of Time said to his descendant. With a simple nod, they were off and running.

As they made their way to the lake, the creature was making its way toward the shore. A barrage of tentacles meet the two heroes, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. Evan slashed off one of the beast's tentacles and was meet with another in his back, sending him flying back twenty feet.

"You won't beat me that easily!" he yelled at the beast, as if it could understand him. He quickly regained his footing and rushed the beast once again.

Sean was able to take out two tentacles with one swing as the creature tried to get a hold of him. A third tentacle came crashing down into the water about five feet from him, sending a giant wave over the Hero of the Triforce. He yelled out as the water overcame him, sending him in a spin underneath the waves. As he picked himself up out of the water, he saw Evan leap from the shore into the midst of the beast's tentacles.

"Now that's more like it! It's time to send this creature back to Hell!"

He followed his ancestor into the fray and together they attempted to hack off every last tentacle. Evan was able to cut off an additional three tentacles before once again getting hit from behind, leaving Sean vulnerable and alone. Horrified, he watched as Sean was grabbed by the beast and carried high into the air.

"No!" he yelled. "Put him down you vile, wretched beast!"

Determined not to let the beast have its way, he jumped at it, but before he could free Sean, he found himself in its grasp.

"Damn it! What the hell are we going to do now?" he yelled over to Sean, but Sean couldn't hear anything over the sound of the beast.

The beast raised both heroes high into the air, as if showing the entire world the deed it had accomplished. It opened its enormous mouth, showing its razor sharp teeth. From what he could tell, Evan estimated that there were in the order of thirty teeth, all waiting to devour its prey. Sean was drawn closer to the mouth, and Evan was powerless to do anything about it. Sean looked into the beast's mouth and saw nothing but darkness and death. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain.

But instead of pain, he felt himself falling. He opened his eyes to see the surface of the water rushing up to him. Instinctively, he placed his arms over his head, curled up, and waited for impact. The force with which he hit the water delivered excruciating pain, but it was much better than being eaten.

"What the hell happened?" he said to himself.

Just then, he saw an arrow fly from the shore and hit the tentacle that was holding Evan. The beast cried out in pain as it released its grip on the Hero of Time. Just as Sean had done, Evan went into a free fall, creating an enormous splash when he hit the water. Upon surfacing, he looked for Sean.

"Hey! Get to shore!" Evan tried to yell over the waves. He received no response from Sean, and knew that he couldn't hear him. Instead, the Hero of Time pointed to shore and began to swim. Sean caught on and headed for shore.

Marcus and Ian helped the two heroes out of the water when they were close enough. Once they were safely on ground, Ian picked up his bow again and fired several arrows at the beast.

"So we have you to thank," Evan said.

"Yeah. You're little assault there didn't seem to work," Ian responded. "We have to come up with a plan."

"Look out!" Marcus yelled as one of the beast's tentacles was poised to strike the group. Ian and Evan jumped to the left, while Sean and Marcus jumped to the right, each just barely avoiding being crushed.

Sean jumped up and shouted, "We need to think fast! He's awfully mad!"

"Go for the eyes!" the Hero of Time shouted back. "It's always the eyes!"

A second tentacle came crashing down by Marcus and Sean, but both were able to dodge the attack. Suddenly, another tentacle swooped down, wrapped itself around Marcus and pulled him into the water.

"Help!"

Ian quickly aimed with his bow at the tentacle and let the arrow fly. It was a perfect shot, hitting the tentacle right below Marcus, but the beast didn't drop him. He fired again, and once again the arrow flew true, but the beast held onto Marcus and wouldn't let go.

"No! Marcus!" Sean yelled as he ran back into the water. Sword drawn, the Hero of the Triforce leaped into the air but was knocked away by another tentacle. He was thrown through the air and landed fifty feet away from the battle as Ian continued to fire arrows at the tentacle. The beast brought Marcus closer to its mouth and opened wide.

"No! I can't die like this! I wasn't supposed to be here! Link! Help me!" he yelled. As the beast released its hold on him, he screamed loudly. Marcus fell directly into the beast's mouth, and experienced pain that he had never felt in his life. The stunned spectators still on shore could hear the crunching noise of his bones against the beast's teeth.

Sean could feel the rage in his body as the creature devoured Marcus' body. He once again ran at the beast, not caring about what would happen. Evan turned to Ian.

"Quick! Fire into its eyes!"

Ian raised his bow again and fired an arrow. It flew straight into the beast's right eye, partially blinding it. Sean continued to run at the beast as it swung its tentacles violently, slashing a few more off as he made his way to the beast. Another arrow flew from Ian's bow, this one hitting the beast directly in its left eye, completely blinding it. Unable to see, the beast swung its tentacles even more violently, but none of them connected with the Hero of the Triforce. Sean made his way deeper into the water until his was directly in front of the beast's stomach.

"This is for Marcus, you monster! I'm sending you to hell!"

Sean brought the Master Sword down into the beast's belly, slicing it nearly in half. The beast screamed with pain, as its vital organs were slashed into multiple pieces. It struggled to breath, its tentacles still flailing wildly. Sean put all his strength behind him and stabbed even deeper into the beast's innards. Slowly, the creature's life faded away, until the tentacles stopped altogether and the struggle ended.

Back on shore, Ian, bow still in hand, and the Hero of Time waited for the Hero of the Triforce. As he reached the shoreline, he called out to Evan.

"Told you it was the stomach!"

"Yeah," Evan shouted back, "after we blinded him!"

Ian smiled. "Anyway, I'm glad that's over with," he said.

"As am I. Now we can get onto more pressing matters," Evan said.

Sean made his way up the bank and collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Breathing heavily, he looked out over the water. "I'm sorry, Marcus. I was too late. It's all my fault." He placed his right hand over his face.

Ian knelt down beside him. "It isn't your fault, Sean. You gave it all you had, but it just wasn't meant to be." Then it hit Ian. Did that creature kill his uncle too? "Sean. your uncle. was he.?"

"No. Thankfully, I found him yesterday morning on the north side of the lake. He was badly hurt, but was in no danger of dying. I got him to safety right away."

Ian patted the Hero of the Triforce on the stomach. "No sense wallowing in grief, Sean. We've still got a long day ahead of us."

"But how are we going to find the next portal?" the Hero of Time asked. "Won't we have to travel back to Kakariko?"

"I don't know. I'm sure that the Goddesses will show us the way," Ian answered. "Speak of the devil.," he said as he pointed out over the lake.

A bright golden glow emanated from somewhere on the lake. The light intensified, causing all three to shield their eyes from it. As the light died down to a mere glow, it was quite obvious that the next portal was located on top of an island on the west side of the lake. They were delighted that their goal was so near.

"Good. Since its not far, I suggest we rest for a while. You two had a hell of a fight."

Sean didn't respond, but rather continued to lie where he was, unwilling to move. Ian and Evan each took a seat on the ground and waited for the Hero of the Triforce to recover.

It would soon be time to find the last piece of the puzzle.
 
 
 

The morning sun reflected off the swords and shields of the Hylian army. They had not yet left the safety of the woods, but they would soon attack. There was no doubt in any of their minds that Ganondorf's army would be awaiting them in the fields. They stood silently, waiting for the order to be given. Behind the front lines of soldiers were the archers, bows already in hand. Zelda was in the back row of archers. She looked in front of her and could see the hundreds upon hundreds of souls that were pledging their lives to the country and to her. At that moment, she was very proud, but the feeling gave way to deep sorrow as she realized that all these fighters should have been led by Link.

Her thoughts drifted to Evan and the rest of the refugees. She glanced behind her, back toward the refuge. Somewhere back there, all the refugees were waiting for the initial push by the Hylian army to make their escape. She couldn't see him, but she could feel that Evan wasn't scared. His lack of fear reassured her, and she felt that she and the rest of the Hylian army would be victorious in the oncoming battle. She faced front again and waited for the order.

Nick, Aaron, William, and Robert were all at the head of the army, facing each other.

"Any word from the Gerudo or Goron?" Nick asked in general.

"Not for some time now, Nick," Aaron answered, "So we must assume that they will follow through with the plan."

Nick sighed. "We're relying on them completely. If they don't attack Ganon's army in time, we will never be able to secure a path for the refugees."

"When are we supposed to attack?" William inquired.

Nick looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the bright light of the sun. "Well, the Gerudo and Goron are going to start their attack at 0800 hours. Hopefully, the initial shock of being attacked from behind will throw off the evil army just enough to create confusion among their ranks. We attack a few minutes after the first wave of the Gerudo and Goron," he paused and looked out toward the fields of Hyrule. "Timing is everything."

Just then, a scout rode up to the four military leaders. "Sir Nick, we have confirmation that the enemy is moving closer to the forest. Their numbers are far greater than our own." The scout saluted Nick.

"Thank you, soldier," he responded, returning the salute. The scout turned quickly and rode away.

"Perhaps we should prepare the army now, Nick," Robert suggested. "We mustn't be caught off-guard if the surprise attack doesn't work."

Nick looked toward the fields again, and then back at the army amassed behind him. "Agreed," he said, "Prepare all the men now. We will march out into the field now and see if the Gerudo and Goron can pull off their part of the plan."

Aaron, William, and Robert each rode to a different area of the army and gave out the orders. Nick remained in the front and waited for all the commotion to cease.

"Fellow Hylians and our allies," he started, "the final battle of good versus evil lay in front of us. May we have the strength and courage to win this day and keep the world free from such evil as Ganon. The road to victory will be a daunting one, and many of us will end up having to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good. May the Goddesses bless each and every one of you in battle today. Now, we march!" he yelled as he raised his sword in the air. He turned his horse around and led the march into the fields.

Zelda's heart was beating faster than it had ever done before. She had several feelings at once, fear and anxiety. As she marched with the rest of the army, she couldn't help but feel some excitement. Even if this was to be a bloody and deadly battle, she was glad to be a part of it. For the first time in her life, she actually wanted to kill something. This new feeling of bloodlust frightened her and she was almost ashamed of herself, but she knew that the beasts out in the fields had to die. Her thoughts again drifted to Link, and she became lost in her own little world once again.

Before she even knew it, the Hylian army had stepped out of the forest into the clearing. In front of them stood the entire army of the Evil King Ganon. The evil army outnumbered the Hylian army almost three to one, but this didn't deter the Hylians at all. They were determined.

Nick held up his hand, calling for the army to halt. Judging from the sun, he estimated that it was almost 0800 hours. It was now time to wait, and pray. Complete silence filled the air as the two armies stared each other down, trying to invoke fear into its enemies. Several minutes passed, yet there was still no signs of battle.

Aaron looked toward Nick. "Nick!" he called out just loud enough for Nick to hear him. "Why haven't they attacked yet?"

Nick replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders. Indeed, the Gerudo and Goron should have attacked by now, yet there were no signs of them. Nick grew worried. With each passing moment, their chances of success were dwindling.

The stand still lasted for several minutes more, each army not committing to attack. The four leaders of the Hylian army grew increasingly worried.

"Nick!" Robert called. "We have to do something!"

"I know!" Nick responded, "But what?"

Their attention was drawn to a loud battle cry from Ganon's army. Hordes of Moblins were making their way to the Hylian army, ready to kill all.

"Damn it!" Nick yelled. "Alright! We're going to have to attack!" he informed the other Knights. He raised his sword in the air and paused for a moment. "Charge!" he finally yelled, at the same time pointing his sword toward the oncoming evil.

The two armies ran at each other with amazing speed, quickly closing the gap between them. The Hylian archers found higher ground and waited for the Moblins to move within firing range. The cavalry continued its pace toward Ganon's army. Nick and the others prepared for the worst.

Out of nowhere, more battle cries could be heard from the North side of the fields. The battle cries were followed by screams of agony and defeat as the Gerudo and Goron killed numerous Moblins, Stalfos, and Deelers. The surprise attack worked perfectly, as even the Moblins that were charging the Hylians stopped in their tracks to see what was going on behind them.

A smile spread across Nick's face as the front line of Ganon's army turned their backs on the Hylians. With the advantage on their side, Nick ordered the cavalry to move faster.

The Hylians made their way to the front line with unbelievable speed. The confused Moblins still had their backs turned, giving the Hylians a free shot. Nick, Aaron, William, and Robert each raised their swords in the air and yelled out their country's battle cries. Aaron was the first to cross enemy lines, and with a single swipe of his sword, he took out two unsuspecting Moblins.

Nick cried out as loud as he could as he brought his sword down and decapitated a Moblin.

The battle had begun.

The three travelers made their way across the deserted land, exhausted from the long walk and the hot sun. They had been walking for several hours now and they hadn't seen a single piece of civilization. The Hero of the Triforce stopped in his tracks.

"Hold up, Ian," he said while breathing heavily. "Are you sure that we're going the right way?"

"Of course I'm sure," he replied. "I used to live here you know."

"Oh, yeah, of course. How could I forget?" he said sarcastically as he looked around at the surroundings yet again. "This doesn't even look like Hyrule. How do you know we're not in the wrong place?"

"Just take my word for it. Okay, Sean," Ian responded with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "This is Old Hyrule. The land you know is no more."

"So when." Sean began to yell before the Hero of Time cut him off.

"What I think my descendant here wants to know is, when are we going to get to a town?"

Ian calmed down. "There isn't a town left in Old Hyrule. We're going to have to cross the sea to get to New Hyrule."

"Oh, just great!" Sean yelled angrily. "So we really are on the wrong piece of land! I suppose that once we get to the sea, everything will be fine, huh? But how long will it take us to get there? A day, two days, a week?"

"Well I think its time that we took a rest for awhile. Don't you agree, Ian?" Evan interjected.

"Yes, I agree. We shall rest for now. And not to worry, Sean, we're almost to the sea."

"Good," Evan continued, "I'm going to try to find a stream or something so we can have more water. You two try to calm down." He walked off in a random direction in search of water as the Hero of the Triforce and Ian sat down underneath a big oak tree to cool off.

The two sat there, not uttering a single word to each other. The shade was a much-welcomed relief from the overpowering sun and neither of them wanted to lose that cool feeling. They sat in silence the entire time that the Hero of Time was away fetching water.

Evan soon came back with each of their water skins filled. He handed them back to his two companions and took a drink from his own water skin. Without saying a word, he sat down beside them in the shade. There they remained for some time.

The Hero of Time became lost in thought once again. He felt his body drifting away into a state of total relaxation, whereupon nothing felt real. His vision slowly darkened, his consciousness engaged in a battle to stay awake. Finally, the battle was lost and he passed out.

He found himself floating over the same field that he had once known. Upon the field, a massive battle was raging between the last remnants of Hyrule and Ganondorf's evil army. At the time, it seemed as if the Hylian Army had the advantage, but how they had gotten it was beyond him. The frontal assault was being led by Knights, while Archers rained arrows on the enemies in the distance. Suddenly, he was flying over to the Archers for no apparent reason. He got closer and closer until he could see an archer that he had long known and loved. In his vision stood Zelda, firing arrow after arrow. He had seen her use a bow and arrow before, but she had never been good enough to be an actual archer. Then from behind him he heard a mighty battle cry as the Dark Army turned the tide on the Hylians. He looked on in horror as Hylian after Hylian was struck down. He turned to face Zelda again and he could see the fear in her eyes. As the Dark Army drew closer and closer, she turned and fled with the other archers. The last thing he heard was a deep, hateful laugh.

"Evan! Wake up!" Ian shouted as he shook the Hero of Time. "Damn it! Wake up!"

He opened his eyes and let out a groan. "Where? What happened?"

"You passed out about five minutes ago," the Hero of the Triforce informed him. "How are you feeling?"

"A little groggy," he replied.

Ian let out an audible sigh. "Good. You really had us worried. What was that all about?"

"Dreams," the Hero of Time started, "dreams about home. There was a terrible battle. I. I don't think that we were winning either."

"Don't let it get to you, Evan," Ian said. "They're just dreams and you can't do anything about them."

"But it wasn't just a dream! It felt so real! And I've had dreams like this before. premonitions."

"I've had dreams like that, too," Sean remarked. "At this point, it seems the only thing you can do is continue with the plan. If that can't save them, nothing will."

Evan nodded his agreement. "You're right. Sitting here is not going to help us in any way," he drank some water from his water skin. "Let's get going!"

"Are you sure?" Ian asked. "Perhaps you should lie down for a little longer."

"No. We don't have any time to waste. Who knows how far the time rip has progressed? We must keep moving."

"So be it. Let's go," Ian said and the three travelers picked up their belongings and continued on their journey.
 
 
 

They made their way through more of the Hyrule wasteland. The sun beat hard on their backs, the wind blew directly in their faces. The land was no longer inhabitable for people, but there were still some vegetation and animals in the area.

From the best that he could tell, Evan figured that they had to be on the southern part of Old Hyrule. In the distance and to the right, he could see what seemed like an ancient forest, although most of the trees were either dead or dying. He thought back to his childhood in the Kokiri Forest and was greatly disappointed about the outcome of that peaceful place and its people. Off to the left, he saw a mountain range and assumed that the tallest one was Death Mountain. According to the stories that Ian told him, Death Mountain was where he lived in solitude. What a dreadful place to live in, he thought as he gazed around the wasteland once more. Growing more and more depressed of the scenery, he decided to just look ahead.

Sean had been examining the land as well, although a lot less changed since his time. Death Mountain was exactly as it had been, but the Lost Woods seemed to have grown and taken over a lot of land. The lands were no longer fit for agriculture or irrigation. He wondered how all this had come to be. Perhaps it was just as Ian had said. All due to Ganon, but Sean didn't believe that Ganon was the only cause. He was quick to blame the inhabitants of the land for not looking after nature, destroying it as they saw fit. The thought of such carelessness angered and saddened him at the same time. He reached back for his water skin and took a drink. No sense worrying about it now, he thought. Just have to focus on the task at hand. He, too, decided to look straight ahead for the remainder of their journey.

They continued walking for what seemed like an eternity. Evan grabbed his water skin. It was very light, almost completely empty, but he needed the drink. He tilted his head back and drank the last of his water, hoping that they would soon reach their destination. Behind him, Sean had already finished his water and was beginning to feel the effects of dehydration, but he would be able to hold out for a while.

About an hour later, Ian stopped in his tracks turned to face the two Links. "We are just about there, perhaps another ten minutes or so."

"It's about time!" Sean yelled. He regretted that as he felt his head start to swoon and he felt very faint. His vision became very blurred and he found it increasingly difficult to stand. "Hey, guys." he muttered before he fell over face first into the barren land.

"Sean!" Evan yelled as he ran to the aid of the Hero of the Triforce. "Sean! Come on, Sean!" he yelled as he began to slap his face.

Ian ran up to the unconscious boy and opened his water skin. "There's not much left in here. We're going to have to get more," Ian told Evan as he poured the rest of the water into Sean's mouth.

"Well where can we get more?"

"Best bet is by the sea. We have to get him there quickly!"

"I'll carry him, Ian. You just lead the way." The Hero of Time bent over and grabbed his descendant the best he could. With one quick and powerful heave, he was able to get the Hero of the Triforce over his shoulder. "Hurry up!"

"This way! And quickly!"

The two men raced toward the sea. Evan was amazed that he was still able to carry Sean walking in the hot sun all day, and he was glad. They came to the crest of a hill and they could see the sea sparkling in the hot sun, enticing them to move faster to it. Once over the hill, they quickened their pace. The sea was getting closer and closer and closer.

But now Evan was starting to feel the ill effects of dehydration. The intense pace that he had been running while carrying the Hero of the Triforce had been wearing down on him. His vision began to blur and he could do nothing to stop it. He could feel his head becoming heavy, his legs becoming very tired. All that was driving him now was his determination to get Sean to the water. He was almost there, about thirty yards to go. Ian had already reached the water and was eagerly waiting for Evan.

Come on Link! Evan thought to himself. You're almost there! Just a few more steps.just a few more. almost. he thought as he collapsed to his knees. The two heroes fell limply on the sand, exhausted, beaten, and unconscious.

"Damn it!" Ian yelled as he rushed over to them. "Now I have to save both of them!" He grabbed the Hero of the Triforce and brought him over by the water. "I hope I can pull this off."
 
 

Evan woke up with a start. Across from where he lay was Ian and Sean. They both turned when they noticed that he had come to.

"Good. You're awake," Ian said.

"How long was I out?"

"Not too long. You two are a lot stronger than most people. They would have been under for a few hours, whereas you two took about an hour."

Sean reached into Evan's bag and pulled out some of his rations. "Here, eat some. Regain some strength."

Evan reached out and grabbed the jerky, quickly eating it. As he was eating, he noticed that Ian and Sean were working on something. He saw piles of wood and some rope. "What are you doing?"

"Making a raft," Ian responded. "We're going to need it. You can't very easily swim these waters." Evan got up and walked over to the pile of wood. He grabbed a good piece and proceeded to help Ian and Sean.

"So, Ian," Evan started, "Is there anything we should know about before going to New Hyrule?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Anything. Anything at all that you can think of."

"Well," Ian began to search his thoughts. "There are the humans."

"Humans?" Sean asked. "What are they?"

"Humans are very much like elves, but also very different. They share many of the same physical characteristics, although humans are bigger and lack pointed ears."

"Are you a human, Ian?" Evan asked.

"Yes I am. And it is for that reason that Ganondorf easily manipulated me. You see, humans are physically stronger, but are mentally inferior. Their minds are easily persuaded by greed, hatred, and destruction. For these reasons, they are very dangerous."

"Then why didn't the rest of the elves destroy the humans?"

"Because the humans are still very smart. Their greatest attribute is the art of invention. Without humans, civilization would not advance any further. They are also strong allies, though they cannot use magic."

"They can't use magic?" Evan asked as he tied together two pieces of wood.

"No. They don't have the ability of magic, nor do they worship the Goddesses. The Triforce is nothing more than an ancient relic to them." Ian could see the shock on both their faces. He couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Don't blame them. They believe in another God. And remember, to each his own. You mustn't look down on them or degrade them. They are living creatures just like you." Ian tied his piece of wood to the one that Evan had been holding.

Sean finished his part and handed it to Ian. "Will they help us?"

"I'm sure we will be able to find some who will help us," Ian replied while taking Sean's piece. "But we must be careful. There are those who wish harm on elves because of jealousy and hatred. Always be mindful of your surroundings."

Evan and Sean glanced at each other. They had heard of evil creatures, and the occasional bad person, but they never had to worry about their safety among elves. They would have to keep a watchful eye out for any suspicious humans.

"There!" Ian said as he tied the last pieces of wood together. "Finished! This little raft should suffice us for our journey. We just need a sail of some sort."

"Here, Ian," Evan said as he reached into his bag. "You can use one of my extra tunics. We'll just buy another one in town." He handed the tunic to Ian's outstretched hand.

Ian grabbed another piece of wood and tied the tunic to one end. He placed the other end in the middle of the raft and smiled. "Not bad if I say so myself." He turned to the heroes. "Now let's put this in the water and get going!"

All three of them got behind the raft and pushed with all their might. Slowly, they moved the raft through the sand. Once they hit the water, Ian jumped on.

"Come on! It's sturdy!" he yelled as he jumped up and down to demonstrate.

Evan looked at Sean. "Go ahead. You go first."

"No way. You go first."

"I am your ancestor, and I say that you go first!" Evan shouted.

"No way, 'Gramps,'" Sean retaliated. "This is your mission of glory, so you go first."

Evan tried to think of another comeback, but couldn't. "Damn! Fine, I'll go on first!" Hesitantly, the Hero of Time placed his right foot on the raft. Before he could bring his left foot aboard, he felt a hard push from behind and fell face first onto the raft. He looked back and saw Sean holding his stomach and laughing. "Get on the damn raft already!"

Still laughing, Sean made his way onto the raft and the three travelers set sail for New Hyrule.
 
 
 

They had traveled over the water for nearly an hour without incident. There was just enough room on the raft so that they were not all on top of each other. In the distance, the land of New Hyrule drew closer. None of them had uttered a word since they had gotten on the boat, each lost in his own thoughts. The heat of the sun had died down, and the cool ocean breeze made the environment even more comfortable as they made their way across.

Evan was sitting up on the front of the raft while the other two were lying on their backs on either side. During a journey, he never felt at ease. It was almost like he was paranoid. He sat there, taking in the scenery.

Sean lay there, gazing into the blue sky, wondering if they were going to be successful in their quest. He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice that Evan had stood up in the raft, with sword and shield drawn. When he finally saw him, Sean bolted upright.

"What is it, Evan?"

"Something off in the distance."

Sean looked out in the direction that the Hero of Time was facing. At this time, Ian sat up and was also looking out across the sea. Neither of them could see anything.

"Evan, are you sure you saw something?" Ian asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Hey, Ian," Sean asked, "Do any dangerous creatures live in these waters?"

"I don't know. I don't remember crossing the sea, although I guess I had to at some point in my life."

"Well, something's coming," Evan continued. "I suggest that you guys prepare yourself for anything."

Sean drew his sword and shield while Ian readied his bow. The three of them stood there, silent, watching the water for any signs of trouble. A minute later, there was still no sign of danger, and Ian and Sean were beginning to doubt Evan's warning. Another minute passed, still no signs and Ian and Sean relaxed. No sooner had they given up on the situation, than the water around them was disturbed.

The disturbance in the water grew larger, rocking the raft gently. Ian and Sean each picked up their weapons once again and prepared for the worst. Now, the water all around them was being disturbed. Each of the three faced a different direction, fully anticipating an attack from all sides. Finally, the danger that lay underneath surfaced all around them.

Each of them covered their faces from the splashing water and prepared to strike. They were completely surrounded by six octoroks. With a quick slash, Evan was able to take out the Octorok directly in front of him. Sean was forced to block a shot from the Octorok nearest him, while Ian's arrow missed his target. The second wave caused Evan to shield several blows, but Sean was able to slice one in half. The Octoroks went back underwater and got ready to attack again. As they jumped out of the water, Evan easily killed the Octorok to his left, but he was completely unaware of the Octorok on the other side. Reacting quickly, Ian placed an arrow and let it fly. The arrow hit the Octorok directly in the head and its body lurched forward onto the raft, causing it to rock more violently.

"Hey, thanks Ian!" Evan yelled back to him as he realized that the Octorok had a good shot at him.

"No problem!" Ian replied as he placed another arrow on his bow. He aimed at an Octorok that was ambushing Sean and fired. The arrow struck the Octorok perfectly, giving Sean the opportunity to take out the last Octorok with a quick thrust of his sword.

All three collapsed slowly onto the raft, exhausted from the intense battle.

"Well," Sean said between breathes, "I hope that's the last adventure we have for a while."

"I hope so too," Evan agreed. "I'm looking forward to a nice cozy bed where I can rest for a while."

"And some food," Sean added. "Definitely need some real food."

"Guys?" Ian interrupted. "I wouldn't get your hopes up too soon."

"Why not?" Sean asked. "We've been through a lot already."

"Well, get ready to go through some more," Ian said as he pointed north.

The two heroes looked north, and there they could see dark clouds forming in the sky, and the water underneath forming high waves. A fierce downpour covered the entire area, and it seemed that the storm was headed right for them.

"This is just great!" Sean yelled over the howling wind. "How are we going to make it through that?"

"I suggest that we all hold on very tight," Ian responded with a forced smile. "Hopefully the brunt of the storm won't hit us."

"Just hold on?" Sean yelled back. "That's the plan? Just hold on?" He sighed angrily as he and the others prepared themselves for the oncoming storm. Ian shrugged.

The storm moved quickly over the water, directly at them. It was almost as if someone was controlling it, trying its hardest to make sure that the three travelers failed. Evan could sense some form of evil in the air, but he couldn't place it. Instead of worrying about it, he grabbed a firm hold of the raft.

"Here it comes!" Ian shouted. "Hold on!"

The first giant wave came crashing into the small raft, nearly capsizing it. Somehow, they were all able to stay on the raft with great effort. Angered by this, the storm brought more waves, faster and harder. The tiny raft was tossed all over the sea, but remained intact, the three travelers clinging to the raft for their lives.

The storm became worse, sending wave after wave at them. Another giant wave crashed into them, and Ian could feel his grip slipping. Before he could reposition himself on the raft, another wave struck the raft. He was thrown from the raft, waves crashing over him, trying to drown the life out of him. He tried to stay afloat as he was pummeled by the waves. Desperately, he called out for the Hero of Time.

"Evan!"

The Hero of Time thought he could hear a voice.

"Evan!" Ian yelled again as he was pulled back under.

Evan turned around to see if anyone was calling him and was met by fear as he noticed that Ian was no longer on board. He searched the water for his friend, hoping that he would be able to spot him. Another wave crashed down on the raft again, nearly pulling Evan off with it. Regaining his balance, he scanned the water for any signs of Ian. Miraculously, he saw Ian as he bobbed up for more air, his arms flailing in the air.

"Evan!"

"Ian! I'm coming!" he yelled back. He turned around and called to Sean, "Sean! Ian went overboard! We have to help him!"

Without responding, Sean slowly moved across the raft. The rain was pounding the raft much harder, and the waves seemed like they would never end. Lightning flashed in the sky, as if the storm was signifying victory.

"Ian!" Evan yelled to the elder man. "Try to get closer to the raft if you can!" Although this seemed impossible, Evan was hoping that Ian could get just a little closer so that the rescue attempt would be easier. Sean appeared alongside him, surveying the scene.

"One of us is going to have to go in there," he said.

Evan looked at him. "So which one of us goes in?" They both stared at each other, having a silent conversation. They both knew who was going to go. "Ok," Evan continued, "when we get close to the raft, you reach out and pull him in first. Then worry about me." Sean nodded and Evan returned the nod. Without another word, he jumped into the stormy sea.

Ian could feel his body getting colder and his strength leaving him. The waves continued to pound him, forcing him to submit to the storm. His vision was becoming impaired, and his kicking was slowing. He caught a glimpse of someone jumping from the raft, but he couldn't make out whom it was. He didn't much care either. Just as long as someone comes out to help me.
 

Evan was swimming harder than he had ever swum before. The sea was trying to pull him under, the waves trying to drown him. He thanked the Goddesses that Ian wasn't too far off from the raft; otherwise he wouldn't be sure if he could make it to him. His adrenaline was pumping full blast and he had reached Ian remarkably fast. He grabbed Ian around his chest and began to swim back to the raft. The waves made the task that much more challenging, but Evan wasn't going to die now. He kept kicking his legs, forcing his way back to the raft where Sean was already leaning over with his hand held out.

Sean grabbed Ian as best he could and pulled him aboard the raft. Ian was still alive and breathing, but he needed to get to a warm bed soon if he was going to survive. The extreme shock, which he had just gone through, would surely kill him if he weren't cared to. Sean helped Evan back onto the raft.

"Good work, Evan," Sean said.

"Don't congratulate me yet, Sean. We still have to get him to a town."

"Yeah, well, we'll worry about that once this storm stops."

Just then, as suddenly as it had begun, the storm ended. The sun began to shine through the clouds and the water settled down. The two heroes looked around in confusion, totally amazed at what they saw.

"Works for me," Sean quirked.

Evan nodded. "Now, let's get to New Hyrule," he said. "Without further troubles."
 
 
 

Hordes of Moblins lay dead on Hyrule Field as the battle continued. The Hylian army continued its advance on the Dark Army.

"Hurry up! We must secure the passage!" Nick yelled to the Hylians in earshot. He ducked under the axe of a Moblin and ran it through with his sword. The creature squealed as it slowly died. Nick still hated that noise, although he was growing very accustomed to it.

Far from the battle lines, Zelda stood with the other archers, firing arrow after arrow into the unsuspecting enemy. The archers had slowly moved their position forward as the battle raged on, trying to get as many of the enemy in their firing range as possible. The bloodlust that Zelda had felt for the first time only a little while before was being quenched as she struck Moblin after Moblin. She stopped firing and turned around. She faced the direction in which the refugees would be headed, hoping that they could secure the passage soon. Off in the distance, she could see the first group of refugees making their way to Zora's River. Confident that they would achieve their goals, Zelda turned back to face the battle and fired more arrows into the crowd.

Meanwhile, the four divisions of Knights began to converge on Ganon's Tower. At the front of the divisions, Nick, Aaron, William, and Robert continued their onslaught of the Dark Army. Moblins and Stalfos continued to stand in the way of the Hylian army, and more and more were cut down. Aaron blocked a strike from a Stalfos, ducked out of the way of a Moblin's axe, and rolled away from the Stalfos second strike. Finally behind it, he sliced the Stalfos in half and threw his dagger at the surprised Moblin. Without wasting any time, he led a few other Knights into another skirmish.

In the distance, the passage for the refugees had been secured. With freedom in their sights, the refugees moved as fast as they could to Zora's River, thankful that the Hylian army had done what it needed to do, and apparently more. Zelda felt relief as more and more of the refugees made it through the passage. At least they'll be saved, she thought.

William and Robert were fighting side by side, each watching the other's back. Two Lizalfos suddenly surrounded William, but Robert jumped in and sliced them both in half before they even knew what was happening.

"Thanks, Robert."

"No problem, William. Just remember, you owe me one."

"Yeah, yeah," William replied. "How about we go and kill more of these devilish creatures?"

"Count me in!" Robert yelled as he decapitated another Moblin. The two friends continued their attacks.

Soon, the Hylian army was within reach of Ganon's Tower. Excitement filled Nick's heart as their ultimate goal lie so close. The anticipation of taking back this once great land was a dream-come-true. Proudly, he raised his sword high in the air, and as loud as he possibly could he yelled, "For Hyrule!"

His cry was met by the cries of the entire Hylian army. Nick pointed his sword directly at the tower.

"Charge!"

The Hylian army cried out in response and ran toward Ganon's tower, victory in their sights. The archers stopped firing and watched on as the Knights charged the mighty tower. Zelda looked back to the refugees again and figured that about half of them had safely made the journey to Zora's River. Content filled her heart as she realized that the remaining refugees wouldn't have to flee because victory was theirs.

The Hylian army approached Ganon's Tower and prepared to strike down the Evil King. Their cries were louder than ever and could be heard for a great distance. Nick, Aaron, William, and Robert charged the tower alongside each other and prepared for the greatest victory ever by the Hylian army.

Then, a new cry could be heard. It was not the battle cry of a Hylian, or any of its allies. Nor was it the battle cry of any of the devilish creatures that they had been fighting. The sudden emergence and loudness of this cry halted the advances of the Hylian army as they all pondered what it could possibly be.

"Nick!" Aaron yelled. "What the hell is that?"

Nick looked around. "I have no idea! I've never heard such a horrible cry before."

"Where is it coming from?" William asked to no one in particular.

"Up there," Robert responded matter-of-factly as he pointed to the top of the tower.

The four Knights looked skyward and were shocked at what they saw. On top of the tower, rather, floating above the tower, was Ganondorf. He was surrounded by a strange purple and black glow as he continued to yell at the top of his lungs. The glow became brighter as it grew. It soon became so intense that the entire Hylian army, even the refugees, were forced to cover their eyes and stand still.

With one final yell, Ganondorf let loose a powerful wave of magic that expanded from the tower into a giant sphere. The wave threw the Hylian army back, and the Knights were sent flying through the air, away from the tower. The blast itself killed more than half of the entire army.

The glow finally died down and Nick pulled himself up off the ground. He was badly wounded as he had landed on a spear. The spear was forced right though his left leg, and he had no choice but to break off the two ends. Not far from where he was, Aaron stood up with a bloodied right arm and numerous scrapes. William had a broken left arm and could barely pull himself up off the ground. Instead, Robert, who didn't have any serious injuries, helped him to his feet.

"What the hell was that?" Robert asked.

"Some sort of magic attack," Nick grimaced. He looked around. "Pretty devastating one too."

"So now what do we do? We can't very well try that again," Aaron added.

With that, the air was filled once again with a battle cry, but this one was all too familiar to the Hylians. Unbelievably, armies of Moblins and Stalfos charged the remnants of the Hylians.

"Damn!" William yelled. "More of them?"

"You three lead the rest of the army," Nick yelled as he ran away from the tower.

"Where are you going?" Aaron yelled after him.

"To protect the Princess!"

The three remaining friends looked at each other and steeled their resolve. Without another word, they each raised their swords in the air and faced the oncoming army.

"For Hyrule!" they yelled in unison as they charged along with the survivors of Ganondorf's attack. It was their last desperate attempt.

Nick ran as fast as he could with his injured leg, pushing aside the intense pain. The archers were far off in the distance, but he was determined that he would get there long before any of Ganon's minions did. He made his way through bodies of Hylians and demons alike, blood staining the fields. He did his best to try to avoid looking at the fallen Hylians, afraid that he would see someone he knew lying there dead. The pain in his leg was intensifying, and it become more and more difficult to run. His pace slowed to a walk until he finally fell over from the pain. This is it, he thought, I'm going to die here. He slowly moved his head to see what was around him, and his feeling of despair grew more intense after what he saw next to him. There, lying next to each other, were the dead bodies of Chris and Liz, the two teenage girls who had desperately wanted to fight to avenge the deaths of their loved ones. Tears swelled up in Nick's eyes as he looked upon them. They were still only children. They didn't deserve this. His sadness slowly gave way to anger, as his will to defeat the enemy rose once again. Pushing the pain out of his mind, he pulled himself up off the ground once more and continued to run toward the archers.

Zelda looked frantically around her. Confusion and chaos had come to the small army of archers. Some tried to hold their position and continued to fire at the now much larger enemy army. Others were trying to flee the battlefield and escape with the refugees. Zelda stood in place, neither firing nor fleeing. She had no idea where that enormous blast from the tower had come from, but by the number of bodies strewn across the field, she knew that they were in trouble. Not far in front of her, she could see Nick limping his way in her direction. Concerned, she began to walk toward him, but was held back by a bloody hand.

"Princess, please wait here," Sarah informed her. "It's too dangerous for you to go out there."

"Sarah! You're injured!"

Sarah held her right hand over her left side, trying to keep the blood loss at a minimum. "I'll be alright."

"But Nick looks hurt! We should go out there and help him!" Zelda continued.

"My husband is fully capable of getting back here on his own, Princess," said a voice from behind her. Zelda turned to see Celes standing there. "Just stay here."

Zelda took the advice of her two friends and remained where she was. Nick continued to limp his way toward them and would soon be there. He struggled to make it up the hill that they stood on, but eventually he was able to make it to the top.

"Princess, are you okay?" were the first words out of his mouth.

"I'm fine, Nick. But you're badly injured!" she replied.

"It's not that bad. I'll live."

Celes reached into her supply back and grabbed a length of bandage. She rushed over to her husband.

"Sit down, Nick."

"No, I must protect the Princess!"

"Sit!" Celes yelled forcefully while pressing down on his shoulder. Nick gave in and took a seat on the ground as Celes began to wrap his wound.

"Nick, what was that blast before?" Zelda asked.

Nick grimaced in pain as Celes tightened the wrapping. "A magic blast from Ganondorf. It nearly killed us all. Where are Adriana and Diana?"

Sarah pointed to a line of archers still firing. "Over there. They're not going to stop until you tell them to."

"What about Aaron, William, and Robert?" Zelda asked. "They're not dead, are they?"

"No," Nick replied through clenched teeth as Celes finished dressing his wound. "They're out there fighting back."

Zelda looked out over the field and was horrified at what she saw. "Oh no! Look!"

They all turned to see the same horrifying image that she had seen. The Dark Army had made substantial advances on the remaining Hylians. At the forefront of the battle were Aaron, William, and Robert, trying to fend off numerous Moblins and Stalfos. The threesome was being driven back at an alarming rate. Suddenly, a group of Dinolfos moved around their right flank, while a group of Stalfos moved around the left flank. The three Knights were totally surrounded. The fighting ceased around them as the Dark Army moved in on their kill.

"This looks bad," Aaron commented as they each stood back to back.

"Extremely," added William. "I don't see this turning out good at all."

"Whatever happens," Robert began, "we finish this battle fighting. We will never give up until the life is taken from our bodies."

"I guess this will be our final fight," William said.

"So we better make it a good one," Aaron remarked with a small smile on his face.

Robert sighed. "I just want you guys to know that it was an honor fighting with you, and it's an honor to die with you."

Silence fell over the three friends as each pondered their fate and prayed for the safety of the others.

"Well," Aaron said, breaking the silence, "let's do this!"

"Right!" they both replied.

They each raised their swords in the air and charged the awaiting enemies with a fierce battle cry.

From their viewpoint on top of the hill, Zelda and the others witnessed the final act of three of their friends. None of them yelled out to the Knights. Instead, they all stood silent, praying for their friends, and praying that they would not die in vain. The circle of Moblins, Stalfos, and Dinolfos became tighter and tighter until they could not be any closer together. As the Dark Army ended their battle there, they continued to advance on the remaining Hylians.

And there, on the battlefield, lay the bodies of three Knights.

They washed up on a sandy beach only a couple of hours later. Ian was still unconscious, and the two heroes were growing more concerned as time passed. Using parts of the boat itself and the Hero of Time's extra tunic, they made a rough stretcher that they could use to carry Ian. Slowly, they placed the unconscious man onto it and lifted him up.

"So," Sean said, "where to?"

"I saw a town further on down this beach. I suggest we stop there and ask for help."

Sean nodded. "Then let's get going."

They walked down the beach, the small town that Evan had seen in the distance. From what he could tell, it was only a few miles away. With the morning sun, he felt sure that they would easily make it to the town without any further trouble.

As they walked along the beach, Sean once again took in their surroundings. Across the water, he could see where they had come from. Death Mountain loomed high in the air even from such a great distance away. He turned his focus in front of them, toward the town. In the nearby water, he could see fisherman in several boats. His thoughts drifted back to what Ian had told them the day before. Always be mindful of your surroundings. Sean could only pray that if they did encounter any humans, they would be helpful ones.

The only thoughts on Evan's mind were that of his time. His dreams were barely ever wrong, and it would seem that things were becoming worse for those he cared about. He wished that he had been able to destroy Ganondorf once and for all, but he knew that time would come.

"Hey! Can somebody help us?" Sean yelled as they neared the town. The sudden outburst from his descendant brought Evan back into reality. "Hey! Anybody!"

Up ahead, Evan saw a man stand up and gaze out over the beach. Not sure if the man saw them, he yelled as well.

"Hey, you up there! Can you give us a hand?"

The stranger turned around and waved his arm, signaling for others to come. Soon, there were three more men that joined the first. They made their way down the hill toward Evan, Sean, and Ian. As they drew closer, Evan could see that two of the men were much bigger than the other two. I guess those two are humans, he thought.

Too tired to carry Ian anymore, Sean gently put his end down on the beach. Evan followed suit as the strangers came up to them.

"We were caught in the storm," Evan began to explain. "He needs immediate help."

"And we would like someplace to rest up," Sean added. "We're exhausted."

"Brian, Dave, carry this man to the inn," one of the elves said. The two humans rushed over to Ian, picked him up, and began to walk back to town. "Joseph, go with them." The other elf nodded and ran to catch up with the humans. "As for you two, you need food."

"But what about our friend?" Sean asked.

"You needn't worry about him," the elf continued. "Your friend will be taken care of. Now we must take care of you. Come," he said as he waved his hand in an inviting manner.

The two heroes stood still for a moment and looked at each other. Reaching a silent agreement, they followed the stranger.

"So," the elf continued, "what were you guys doing out in the middle of that storm?"

"We were crossing the sea from Old Hyrule." Sean began.

"What in heavens name were you doing in Old Hyrule?" the elf asked in complete shock. "That place is a wasteland!"

"Well, we landed there," Evan answered. "Believe me, we didn't want to be there any more than anyone else."

"Hmm," the elf muttered. "I see that you two are well equipped."

"We are Knights," Sean said.

"Oh, is that right? From where, may I ask?"

"Hy." Sean began, but was quickly silenced by an elbow from Evan.

"Dellenia," Evan said quickly.

"Dellenia?" the elf thought aloud. "Never heard of it."

"It's very far away. We were driven off course."

"I see," the elf said as he stopped walking. Behind him, both Evan and Sean stopped short, wondering why the elf had stopped. "I'm sorry, I've been asking you all these questions and we haven't even introduced ourselves yet. I am Link."

Their eyes widened and they once again turned to each other. The elf noticed this strange behavior.

"What's wrong?"

"Um," Evan started. "Uh. oh. It's just that we've heard so much about you! My name is Evan."

"And I'm Sean. We are you're anc." Sean received another elbow from Evan.

"Don't mind him," Evan said. "He's feeling a little woozy after our long journey. Perhaps we should get some food and rest now."

"Yes, yes of course," Link said. "Just follow me."

The three elves made their way into town. They passed a sign up, but Evan couldn't understand what it said. Of course, he couldn't understand anything from Sean's time either. They walked down what seemed to them to be the main street of the small town. Merchants and stores lined both sides of the street.

"This is where they have taken your friend," Link said as he opened the door on their right. "This inn will provide you with room and board. Make yourselves comfortable at one of the tables in the bar. I'm going to get the doctor."

Evan and Sean walked into the inn and slowly walked over to a table. Behind them, Link turned and walked down the street to fetch the doctor for Ian. Choosing a table far from any other customers, the two heroes sat down. Before they had even gotten the chance to check out their surroundings, the waitress came up to them.

"And what can I get you gentlemen?" she asked politely.

"Uh, the finest drink that you have," Evan replied. She smiled and went to get their drinks.

"Do you even know what they serve here?" Sean asked.

"Not a clue, but I figured this way, we wouldn't seem so out of place. Oh, and another thing. We mustn't tell him who we are or what we're doing here. At least not until Ian wakes up. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah. I understand."

"Oh, and Sean? Can you understand their writing?"

Sean laughed. "I take it you can't. But yes, I can read it. Why?"

"I was just wondering what town we were in," Evan replied.

"Saria," Sean said. "We are in the town of Saria."

Saria? Evan thought to himself. She has a town named after her? He didn't give it any more thought.

The waitress came back with their drinks and the two of them sat in silence for the next few minutes. They each took in their surroundings. The bar was on the side wall, about twenty feet from the entrance. It appeared that it could hold ten customers. There were only about five tables, each with four chairs, so Evan figured that this place wasn't frequented much. Toward the back, which is where they were sitting, were the stairs that led up to the rooms.

The door to the inn swung open and Link and the doctor walked in. The doctor walked right past Evan and Sean and up the stairs. Link turned to them.

"You two go on up and see your friend. I'll pay for the drinks."

"Thank you," Evan replied as the two of them got up and headed up the stairs.

They found the room where Ian had been placed. Inside stood the two humans and the elf that had brought him here. The doctor knelt over Ian and seemed to be checking for signs of life. He continued examining his patient as Link walked into the room.

"I also took the liberty of paying for your room, since I wasn't sure if your money was good here."

"That's too much! You've done enough for us already!" Evan said.

"Shut up," Sean said quietly under clenched teeth. Evan ignored him.

"It's really no problem at all," Link continued. "All I ask in return is that all of you get better."

"Well, he'll live," the doctor proclaimed as he stood up. "But it could be some time before he wakes up. Just make sure that you keep him warm, and the second he comes to, I want you to come and get me."

"Thank you, doctor," Evan said as he left the room.

"You two get some rest. When you're ready, go downstairs for some food," Link said. "I will remain in this town for the next couple of days. If you need me at any time, feel free to ask anyone. Someone should know where I am."

Evan and Sean both nodded. Link smiled, turned, he and his friends walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. The two heroes each walked to a bed, Evan on Ian's left side, and Sean on Evan's left side.

"I think I could sleep for days," Evan said as he lay down on his bed.

"You're telling me," Sean yawned as they both settled into bed. "I'm exhausted."

"I hope Ian will be okay," Evan continued. "What luck, though. I can't believe that we found our descendant so quickly! At this rate, we should be able to defeat Ganondorf in no time! Right?"

Silence.

"Sean?" Evan rolled over so he could face Sean's bed. He laughed as he realized that Sean was already fast asleep. "Damn, I guess you were really tired." He rolled back over and went to sleep.
 
 
 

The fields of Hyrule were covered with bodies. He was once again flying above them, forced to see the horror that had befallen his kingdom. The battle had long since been over, the Hylians lost. He found himself floating to the top of Ganon's Tower. He passed trough the walls of the top floor like he was a ghost. Inside, he saw his wife and son, each chained to the wall and being tortured. Desperately, he tried to yell out, but he was unable to make any noise. He tried to look away from the pain, but found that he couldn't do that either. Once again, he heard that evil laugh.

Evan woke up in a cold sweat again. These dreams were coming more and more frequently to him, and it didn't please him at all. Sometime during his sleep, he had kicked the covers off of him onto the floor. He glanced over to see if Ian had woken up yet. The elder man remained unconscious and Evan began to worry more about him. Then a thought struck him. Can he die? Since he was already killed, does that mean he can't die? Evan wondered this about himself too.

He turned in his bed to see if Sean was still asleep, but found that his bed was empty. It seemed as though Sean had been up for quite some time now. Evan got out of bed and stretched out. As he did, his stomach growled at him.

"Damn, I'm hungry," he said out loud. He took one last look at Ian and headed out of the room.

Downstairs, he saw Sean sitting at one of the tables. In front of him were an empty plate and a full mug of ale. Evan walked over to the table and took a seat.

"About time you woke up."

"How long have you been down here?" Evan asked.

"Oh, about an hour," Sean replied. "Let's get you some food. Ma'am?"

The waitress came over. Evan ordered himself a good amount of food and a mug of ale. The waitress smiled again and headed off to the kitchen. They both sat in silence, thinking about nothing. Evan gazed around the room and noticed a beautiful woman sitting at the bar. She turned her head and made eye contact with the Hero of Time, and smiled. Politely, he smiled back. He thought nothing of it.

The woman at the bar grabbed the waitress' attention. "Oh, miss. I'd like to buy a drink for the man at that table," she said as she pointed in Evan's direction.

The waitress nodded and poured the drink for Evan. She started on her way over, but was stopped by the same woman.

"Please, allow me." She grabbed the mug from the waitress and headed over to Evan. "Hi," she said to him. "I bought you this." She placed the mug in front of Evan and sat down next to him.

Evan and Sean both looked at her quizzically.

"Thank you, I guess," Evan said as he reached out to grab the mug. Before he could do so, she reached out her hand and took a hold of his.

"My, you have strong hands. And it appears that you've used them extensively," she said in a flirting tone.

Sean laughed. "Look at this! I never knew that you were a Lady Killer, Evan." He laughed again.

"Evan is your name, huh? I like it. My name is Sheila. I'm honored to make your acquaintance."

"As I am yours," Evan said, blushing at the same time. He had no desire for this woman, but he felt that he should at least show some interest so as to not hurt her feelings.

"Well?" she said, almost impatiently. "Aren't you going to drink that?"

"Of course," Evan replied. "I couldn't possibly pass up a free drink from a beautiful woman as yourself."

He grabbed the mug and lifted it toward his mouth. As he did, Sean noticed an unusual expression on Sheila's face. It was almost as if she couldn't wait for Evan to drink the ale. Puzzled, he remained silent, not wanting to accuse this woman of some mischief without any evidence. He would look jealous, which he sort of was.

The door to the inn was pushed open and in walked Link. He saw the two strangers sitting at a table with a third person, a woman. He thought nothing of it until the woman turned around to see who had come in.

"Sheila!" Link yelled in alarm as his face showed surprise and terror at the same time. "Evan! Don't drink that!" He unsheathed his sword and began to run toward the threesome.

Evan stopped drinking immediately when he heard Link, but he had already drank almost half of the mug. Sheila sat still with a smirk on her face as Evan put his drink down.

"What the hell is going on?" Sean was as puzzled now as he was before.

Link stopped short of the table and pointed his blade directly at Sheila's throat.

"It's too late, Link," she said. "He's already had enough to kill him. It's just a matter of time now."

Evan's face turned completely white upon hearing what she had to say. He didn't respond to anything, just sat there silent.

Sean jumped out of his chair. "What the hell did you do to my friend, you wench?"

Sheila just laughed.

"She poisoned him. Sheila is a wanted criminal for the deaths of over twenty men. Each time, she acts like she's interested in them, lowering their defenses," Link informed him. Link turned to the bartender. "Go and get the doctor!"

The bartender nodded and ran out the door. "Sean," Link continued, "take Evan upstairs into your room and cover him up. As for you," he turned to Sheila, "you're under arrest and will be sentenced to death. Get up!"

Sheila got up willingly. "You're always ruining my fun, Link."

"Shut up and get moving," he commanded her. He led her out the door with his sword always pointing at her.

Sean turned to Evan. "Come on, buddy. Let's get you upstairs."
 
 
 

"He's unconscious," the doctor stated. Sean, Link, Brian, Dave, and Joseph stood around the poisoned Evan.

"Damn it! Now what am I supposed to do?" Sean asked desperately. "How the hell can we complete our mission if both of them are unconscious?"

"Mission?" Link asked, puzzled. "What mission? Just who are you anyway?"

Sean gasped as he realized his mistake. "It's. it's hard to explain."

"Well maybe you should start explaining."

"Now is not the time. You needn't worry about that right now. You have nothing to fear from us. We're on your side if you can believe that."

Link wasn't satisfied with Sean's answer. "We'll see about that. Tell me. Tell me who you are and what you are doing here!"

"Pardon me, gentlemen," the doctor interrupted. "He still has a chance to survive this. He's very strong and his body is fighting the poison quite effectively. However, he needs the antidote or else he'll never win the battle."

"So let's get him the antidote!" Sean yelled.

"It's not that easy," Link replied.

Sean reached out and grabbed Link by the collar. "Sure it is! We just have to get the antidote!"

Without even flinching, Link responded, "The antidote is not very common. We'll need to find it in nature."

Sean released his grip on Link, as he understood the situation. "Well, then, where can we find it?"

"There is a cave just beyond the forest," Joseph, the other elf, said. "There should be some Ivy Plants right before the cave. We need to get some in order to make the antidote."

"I will help you," Link started, "under one condition."

"And that is?"

"You tell me all about you three and your mission."

Sean hesitated. He looked at his two friends lying on their beds, unconscious. He needed to save the Hero of Time, and if this meant revealing their secrets to their descendant, he would do it.

"Agreed. But I will tell you and only you. I don't want any of them to know just yet," he said while directed his head in the direction of the others.

"Very well. We shall go alone," Link conceded.

"Sir Link," Brain said, "do you think that is a good idea? We don't know who this guy really is."

"I'm aware of that, Brian. But for some reason I trust him and I am certain that he will not be a threat to my life."

"Shall we be on our way?" Sean asked.

"Yes," he turned his attention to the others. "Doctor, we will bring the plants to you as soon as possible. And I want you three to look after these two around the clock. If there is any change in their condition, inform the doctor."

"Yes, of course, Link," Dave replied.

"Let's go," Link said.
 
 
 

"Fall back!" Nick yelled.

The Dark Army continued their advance on the remnants of the Hylian army. Outnumbered, the Hylians were being driven back, and it appeared that the Dark Army wouldn't stop until every last one of the Hylians was dead.

"We have to protect the Princess!" Celes exclaimed. "Adriana! Diana! Fall back and help us!"

The two women stopped firing on the advancing Moblins and turned to regroup with the others. Nick, Celes, Sarah, Adriana, and Diana formed a line in front of Zelda in order to ensure her safety.

"Princess, head for Zora's River! You need to get out of here! We'll cover you!" Nick yelled over the incessant noise of the oncoming enemy.

As the group fell back, any remaining soldiers and archers tried to hold off the enemy from getting to Zelda, each one sacrificing themselves for her safety. Zelda could see the entrance to Zora's River not too far ahead. The remaining refugees were scurrying as fast as they could to the entrance, and Zelda hoped that Evan had already made it through.

"They're flanking us!" Sarah yelled out. "They're moving toward Zora's River!"

"No!" Adriana cried. "The refugees will be slaughtered!"

"Stop here!" Nick ordered.

From where they were, they could see an entire group of Stalfos along with several groups of Lizalfos and Dinolfos heading for the entrance to Zora's River. Unable to help at all, they were forced to see the defenseless refugees assaulted by an uncaring enemy. The Dark Army swarmed in on them, unforgiving in their quest for victory. The horrible reality sickened them all.

"Evan!" Zelda cried out, unsure of the whereabouts of her only son. Without warning, she took off running toward the fleeing refugees, hoping that her son wasn't killed.

"Princess Zelda!" Nick called after her. "Damn it! Come on, let's go after her!"

They all ran after her into the crowd of refugees.

"Evan!" she continued to cry out. "Evan! Evan!"

"Mommy!"

"Evan?" Zelda stopped in her tracks and looked around. "Evan?"

"Mommy!" she heard again. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Evan running toward her. "Mommy!" he yelled again, tears streaming down his face.

Zelda picked up her son as the Dark Army moved in further, wiping out all the refugees. Finally, the others caught up to her and stood around her in a circle, enclosed by the Dark Army.

"That does it!" Diana yelled. "I'm not going to sit around and wait to die!" She picked up a nearby sword and charged a group of Moblins.

"Diana!" Adriana called after her. "Wait!" She, too, ran at the enemy, which now totally surrounded them.

"That looks like an honorable way to die," Sarah added. "I pray for your safety, Princess."

"Sarah, no!" Zelda cried out, but it was too late. Sarah was already engaged in battle.

"I'm sorry, Nick. But I must go and help my friends," Celes said, a single tear running down her face. "Please stay here and protect the Princess." She turned her back on him and ran into the battle.

"Celes! Damn it, Celes come back!"

He was forced to look on as his wife and unborn child were struck down with the rest of their friends. Tears came to his eyes, but he did all he could to suppress them. I won't be long, my love. Wait for me.

Suddenly, the Dark Army stopped their attack. Confused, Nick and Zelda looked all around them. The fields were full of dead soldiers and archers. The pathway they had once secured now was strewn with dead civilians. Evan clung tightly to his mother.

"What's going on, Nick?"

"I don't know, Princess. But it's probably not good."

In a flash of light, Ganondorf appeared in front of them, laughing.

"Ah, Princess Zelda. You put up quite a fight."

"Leave us alone!" she cried back.

Ganondorf laughed again. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You're too important. I have long awaited this day. Tell me, Princess, where is your beloved hero now?"

"You monster!" Nick yelled. "I'll make you pay for everything that you've done!" Nick charged the Evil King with a loud yell.

He brought his sword up and attempted to slice the Evil King in two. With unbelievable speed, Ganondorf unsheathed his sword and knocked Nick's blow away. The powerful hit caused the sword to fly from Nick's hand, leaving him completely defenseless.

"I will not be taken prisoner by you!" he said.

"We are in agreement there!" Ganondorf yelled as he brought his sword down on Nick and decapitated him.

Zelda hid her eyes from the gruesome sight, holding Evan even tighter to her. "Just finish me! Kill me and leave my son alone!"

"I'm afraid that things won't be so quick for you, Zelda," Ganondorf replied. "Guards, take them to the throne room."

Four Moblins with spears approached Zelda and Evan from different directions. With one quick hit with the butt end of a spear, Zelda was knocked unconscious.

They headed out from Saria with the rise of the sun. The night before, they had decided that heading out in the darkness would not be in their best interest. After a good night's sleep, they were ready. They traveled light so they could move faster.

"Where is this cave?" Sean asked.

"North of here. We'll need to cut through a forest to get to it, and the forests aren't exactly the safest place to be."

"How far away is it?"

Link thought for a moment. "I'd say it's only about a few hour hike from here. Barring any serious trouble, we should easily be back in Saria by nightfall."

They walked north along a path that seemed like it had been there for quite some time. Off to their left was a mountain range, although none of the mountains seemed as tall or deadly as Death Mountain. To their right were fields and random groups of trees. Sean enjoyed the scenery; it was so much different and a whole lot better than Old Hyrule which he had seen only days before. Above them, there was not a single cloud in the sky, allowing the sun to shine down on the land unobstructed.

They continued walking in silence for the next hour, Sean taking in the environment around him, while Link tried to figure out for himself if he was doing the right thing. After all, he had no idea who these people really were, or what they were doing here. Finally, he decided that he wanted answers. He grabbed his water skin and took a quick drink from it.

"So, Sean," he started as he returned his water skin to its place. "If that is your real name."

"No," Sean answered. "It's not my real name."

"I figured as much. There's a lot that I want to ask you. Why don't you start with who you three really are?"

Sean sighed deeply. This was the moment of truth. He would've much preferred it if Ian and Evan were there with him to back up his story, but he would have to go it alone.

"Here we go," he said under his breath. "What I'm about to tell you is going to sound strange and, well, it will sound crazy. But it's the truth. Please don't judge me by what I tell you."

"It will sound a little crazy, huh?" Link repeated. "I figured you guys were off your rockers."

"Just hear me through. If you want to confirm my story, you can ask Ian and Evan when we get back to Saria."

"Fine, go ahead."

Sean sighed deeply again. "My name isn't Sean. It's. it's. well, my name is Link."

Link stopped abruptly. "Yeah, right. You're name is Link. That's a bunch of bull," Link stated not amused. "Let me guess. Evan's name is really Link, too."

"Well," Sean said. "Yes. Evan's name is really Link."

Link began to laugh loudly. He began to talk with a sarcastic tone. "And I suppose that Ian's real name is Link! You guys must be my past, present, and future! Of course! You're here to warn me of some ancient evil that is going to attack Hyrule!"

"Knock it off!" Sean yelled. "If you're not going to take me seriously, then I'm not going to tell you why we're here!"

Link began to calm down. They began to walk again.

"And no, Ian's name is not Link. It's Ian. That's his real name. Evan and I use these names because it would be confusing if we both were Link."

Link didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but he kept his mouth shut.

Sean continued, "And during your little ranting just now, you were partially correct. We are your past, and an ancient evil is attacking, but not in this time period."

"What do you mean you're my past?" Link was very confused.

"Evan and I are your ancestors. And Evan is my ancestor as well."

"Go on," Link was very curious now.

"Evan is Hyrule's first hero. During his life in his time, the evil man Ganondorf rose to power. Evan fought his minions and battled his way to the Evil King himself. After Evan defeated him, Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power to transform himself into Ganon. However, Evan was victorious over the demon with the help of the six sages and Princess Zelda."

"So if he defeated Ganon, how come I had to fight him?"

"Because he still held the Triforce of Power," Sean explained. "Eventually, Ganon was able to escape from his prison in the Evil Realm and wreaked havoc on Hyrule in my time. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I ventured to Hyrule Castle to save the Princess. Eventually, I faced off with Ganon and was victorious."

"And then he came back again, and I took on the quest of defeating him," Link stated. "So, then, why are you here?"

"The timeline between Evan's time and my own has been tampered with. A man from this time period was summoned back by Ganondorf. Once in Evan's time, this man released the seal and allowed Ganondorf to return to Hyrule," Sean went on. "Evan once again fought against the Evil King, but this time, Evan was killed, allowing the Triforce of Courage to fall into Ganondorf's hands."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here," Link said frustrated that the tale didn't seem to lead anywhere.

"I'm getting there," Sean replied, annoyed. "It wasn't his time to die yet. When he reached Purgatory, he met up with Ian, who was the man that brought Ganondorf back into this world. They both were given a mission by the Goddesses - travel through time and find Evan's two descendants so that Ganondorf could be defeated."

"Wait," Link interrupted. "Ian was the cause of all this?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you traveling with him?"

"Because he is trying to right his wrongs. If we are successful, the Goddesses will forgive him and allow him to enter the heavens. He has been a tremendous help."

Link remained silent.

"So," Sean said, "what do you think?"

"I think. I think that I'm going to have to play this over in my mind a few times."

"Of course, take your time. In the meantime, let's get this plant so we can save Evan."
 
 
 

Evan opened his eyes slowly and let out a small groan. His head was pounding and half of his body felt like it was burning up while the other half was freezing. He moved his hand to his forehead and felt a moist towel.

"You're awake."

Evan turned his head to see Ian sitting up in his bed. Evan acknowledged him with another groan.

"Well, it's good to see you too," Ian quipped.

"What time is it, Ian?" Evan said painfully.

"I have no idea," Ian replied. "But it seems like its still morning, although I'm not sure what day it is either."

On the table next to him, Evan saw a full glass of water. He tried to reach over, but his muscles hurt like hell. He let out another groan as he gave up. Ian stood up from his bed and grabbed the glass of water.

Placing the glass next to Evan's mouth, he asked, "What happened to you?"

Evan drank almost half the glass of water. "Some wench poisoned me. Sean and Link are searching for the antidote now."

Ian's eyes widened. "Link? Did you say Link?"

"Yeah, he helped us bring you here. He's definitely my descendant."

Ian nodded his understanding. "Speaking of which, where are we?"

"In the town of Saria," Evan answered, twitching in pain.

Ian patted him on the chest. "You rest some more. I'm going to find out anything I can about our situation."

Before Ian had even finished his sentence, Evan passed out.
 
 
 

They reached the forest with no troubles at all. Sean was amazed at how small "the forest" really was. In his time, he had seen and traveled through forests much bigger than the one they were currently in. The trees blocked out most of the sun, but it was still very easy to see ahead of them.

"So how far are we from the cave?" Sean asked.

"Not much further," Link answered.

"I thought you said that this forest could pose a problem."

"Well, we got lucky. Since we got here during the day, most of the devilish creatures should be still asleep. But don't let your guard down for any reason. Just in case."

The two travelers continued through the somewhat dense forest. Sean looked around him and noticed that the trees seemed to be of the same kind that he grew up around. Perhaps these trees are very common he thought. Or maybe the first settlers planted them here. Whatever the reason, Sean felt an odd sense of home as he walked through the forest, almost as if he had belonged there his whole life.

The wind blew, rustling the leaves on the extended branches. The breeze felt strange to Sean. It seemed that the breeze was too cold for such a warm day. He looked up to Link, who seemed a little more on edge as well. Assuming danger loomed ahead of them, Sean drew his sword.

"Link, what is it?"

Link responded by placing one finger over his lips. He then held his hand out, signaling Sean to stop moving. They both stood there, searching the trees around them. They stood there for several minutes, finding nothing.

"Let's keep going," Link told Sean.

The two continued through the forest, and Sean could now see the edge of the forest in the distance. He judged that it wouldn't take more than ten minutes until they were out, but he felt that it would be a long ten minutes. They moved along cautiously, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger. The cold breeze continued to blow. Sean felt an evil presence, and it was growing stronger as they moved closer to the edge of the forest.

Link could feel the evil as well. It feels so. familiar. he thought to himself. But I can't place it. He finally drew his sword.

"Link, do you feel that?"

Link simply nodded his head.

"What the hell is it? I've never felt anything like this at all."

"I'm not sure. Although," he paused, "I've felt it before."

They were now almost out of the forest. Their bodies tensed up as they moved toward the mysterious evil presence. Slowly, they exited the forest, into the waiting sunlight. Strangely, the sunlight wasn't warm, even though Sean could swear that it was hot when they had entered the forest. They stopped quickly.

"You!" Link shouted as he prepared himself for battle.

The creature in front of them just hissed. Sean looked at it, puzzled. The creature seemed to be an elf, but it didn't seem to have any real features. It was almost as if it were a shadow.

"What the hell is that?" Sean asked.

"That disgusting creature is an evil being, created from the depths of my own soul."

"What? From your own soul?" Sean asked surprised. "Are you telling me that you made him?"

Link shook his head. "No, not at all. A wizard reached into my soul and ripped out the evil that would otherwise never have seen the light of day. He manifested this evil into the creature you see before you, and I was forced to do battle with my shadow, and I was victorious."

"Well, what the hell is he doing here then?"

"Beats me. But it doesn't matter. I will defeat him again!" Link yelled as he charged at his shadow.

Sean sheathed his sword and remained where he was, confident that Link could once again defeat his shadow. He watched on as their swords met with a clang, every move an exact mirror image of the other. From Sean's point of view, it seemed that his opponent easily foresaw any move by each fighter. Link jumped up as Dark Link tried to take out his legs, and he immediately brought his sword down from high over his head, trying to cut through the demon in front of him. Dark Link easily blocked the blow and countered. The two continued their duel, matching each other's moves.

Sean continued to look on, now growing a little concerned, as Link seemed to grow tired. As far as he could tell, Dark Link didn't seem to be tiring at all. Link was no longer on the offensive at all, as he took a purely defensive stance, just trying to hold off his shadow. He dodged a thrust, and then blocked a slash, followed by another jump to save his legs. They exchanged parries once more.

Link continued to grow tired as he fended off another strike from Dark Link. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I need Sean's help. He dodged another thrust from his opposition.

"Sean!" he yelled while knocking away a horizontal slice. "Sean!"

Sean unsheathed the Master Sword once again. He tried to figure out the best way to attack Link's shadow. I have to make sure that he's still focused on Link, he thought. Silently, he faded back into the trees, out of sight of the two fighters. He made his way through the shrubbery until his was directly behind the shadow. As silently as before, he emerged into the open.

Meanwhile, Link was still doing his best to avoid being killed by his own shadow. They parried once more, and then again. Sweat was pouring down Link's face. He dodged two consecutive thrusts, then ducked down to the ground as Dark Link aimed for his head. Link attempted a quick up-slash, but Dark Link easily moved out of the way. A drop of sweat fell into Link's right eye, stinging it badly. Unable to wipe his brow, Link was forced to do battle with one eye closed. Dark Link swung low, but Link was able to block the attack with his sword. He moved to the side as Dark Link swung down. As he saw Dark Link pull his arm back for another thrust, a second drop of sweat fell into his other eye. Now, completely blinded and acting only on instinct, Link tried to move aside from the oncoming attack. Unable to judge his distance, Link stopped and then felt pain as Dark Link's sword just grazed his side.

Link cried out in pain as he felt the warm sensation of blood on his skin. Unable to do battle any longer, he dropped his sword and prepared for the final blow. He could hear the evil laugh of Dark Link. The creature was enjoying seeing his former dominant side beaten before him. He brought his sword back and prepared to decapitate the Hero of Hyrule.

Dark Link cried out his battle cry and brought his sword forward. Out of nowhere, Link heard a second battle cry and then the sound of two swords clashing together. Certain that it was Sean coming to his rescue, Link finally wiped his eyes and brow clear of sweat and could see that Sean had stepped between the two and stopped Dark Link's sword.

"Move!" Sean yelled to him. "You're in the way!"

Quickly, he rolled out of the way, allowing Sean ample space to fight Dark Link. He reached back and grabbed his water skin. Uncapping it, he took a few mouthfuls of water, savoring every drop. Exhausted, he held his side and stayed on the ground as Sean took his turn at his shadow.

The two were still locked in the same position when Sean had interfered. Dark Link tried to force his way through Sean's sword, while Sean tried his hardest to push the demon back. With a fierce yell, Sean was able to overpower Dark Link and sent him flying back several feet. Dark Link landed on his back, completely surprised by the sudden change in the battle. He lifted his head up and saw Sean standing a couple yards from his feet. Sean stood with his legs apart and his arms at his side, the tip of the Master Sword rested on the ground beside him.

Dark Link pulled himself up off the ground, and the two squared off. Neither of them moved, each one waiting for the other to make the first move. Sean gripped the Master Sword tightly, and prepared himself. He ran forward, the Master Sword held out behind him as he rushed toward Dark Link. With one powerful swing, he attacked. Dark Link knocked the sword away from his body and countered with a thrust. Sean quickly dodged it and tried to anticipate the evil creature's next move. They parried and each was pushed back slightly. Dark Link came at Sean with a powerful horizontal slash of his own, but Sean was ready for it.

Sean was getting no further than Link had. I've got to do something different, otherwise he'll beat me too. He tried desperately to think of a way to defeat the demon. Dark Link swung again, and Sean deflected the blow away. Before Sean could do anything else, Dark Link brought his sword around for another attack. He reacts so quickly! I've got to do something to stun him.

Sean swung at Dark Link again, only to have his shot blocked. Dark Link countered with another thrust, then went for Sean's head. Sean quickly dodged the thrust and ducked down to avoid being decapitated. Thinking quickly, he grabbed some dirt while he was still crouched. He threw the dirt directly into Dark Link's face, causing the evil creature to stagger back. As the demon tried to wipe its face clean of the dirt, Sean charged up the Master Sword for his most powerful attack. He slowly moved closer to Dark Link until he was within striking distance.

Dark Link finally cleared the dirt from his eyes, but what he saw didn't please him. The instant that Sean saw the demon's eyes, he unleashed his swirl attack, cutting the defenseless creature into two pieces. The two halves of his body fell to the ground and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sean caught his breath and sheathed the Master Sword.

He walked over to Link. "How bad is it?"

Link grimaced slightly. "Not too bad. I'll live, but it'll need to be looked at in town."

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah, that's no problem," Link said. "Besides, we reached our destination. There are some Ivy Plants just over there." He pointed in the direction of a large bush.

Sean walked to the bush and found numerous plants beside it. "Which one is it?"

"It has two leaves on its stem and three big, white petals."

Sean looked over all the plants and found the one Link had described. "This is more like a flower than a plant."

"So what?" Link asked rhetorically. "It's the one we need."

"If you say so," Sean replied.

He bent down and helped the injured hero to his feet. "Are you sure you're going to be able to make it back okay?" Sean asked.

"Yes. Don't worry about me. The bleeding has slowed significantly."

"Okay, but if you."

A violent shaking of the ground cut off Sean. The entire ground seemed to be vibrating and the rumbling was intense. Both heroes fell onto the ground, unable to maintain balance from the severe shaking. The phenomena continued for ten more seconds before it stopped suddenly.

Sean pulled himself up. "What was that? An earthquake?"

"Earthquakes don't occur anywhere near this area. It was something else, but I have no idea what." Link replied.

Sean had an idea of what caused the strange occurrence, but he decided to keep it to himself for now. He wanted to talk to Ian and Evan about it first. He helped Link up once again.

"I think we better get back," Sean said.

"Yeah. Let's get going. We can still make it back by nightfall."

The two adventurers headed back into the forest.
 
 
 

Ian sat at the bar, swirling his drink. He had been down there for a few hours, talking to random people to find out anything that he could. It seemed that the town of Saria was mainly a fishing town, located just south of a rather large swamp. They didn't get many tourists here, mostly only some military men who were either passing through or bringing news. Entire families lived and died there, never leaving the town.

Another customer came up to the bar next to Ian and threw some rupees down.

"Hey bartender, give me a nice cold ale."

The bartender swept up the payment and went to fetch the ale. Ian continued to look straight ahead as the stranger turned to look at him.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're name is Ian, right?"

Ian turned his head quickly to face the stranger. "How the hell do you know my name?"

"Easy now," the stranger said. "I helped bring you in here yesterday. You should be thanking me."

"I apologize," Ian replied. "I haven't been told too much about how I got here. Just that some men and elves brought me here."

"Name's Dave," he said as the two men shook hands. "Those two over there helped you here as well." He pointed to the only occupied table.

"I thank you," Ian said to all of them. "I am in your debt."

"Don't worry about it," Joseph said. "Just as long as you're safe. By the way, the name's Joseph. This here is Brian," the other human raised his mug as acknowledgement.

"Come. Join us," Dave offered as the bartender returned with his ale.

Ian walked over to their table with Dave. He sat down in the sole remaining chair and placed his drink in front of him.

"Sir Link had a lot of questions to ask the three of you," Brian stated. "But seeing as how two of you were unconscious, he resorted to asking your friend Sean about you three and your business here."

"My friend upstairs tells me that Link and Sean went out for an antidote," Ian said. "What exactly happened?"

"Well," Dave started, "he was poisoned by a notorious woman. She goes by the name of Sheila and she gets pleasure from seducing and poisoning men and elves. Your friend met her here tonight, but he is stronger than most men, otherwise he would be dead already."

"The only way to save your friend is the antidote made from the Ivy Plant," Joseph explained. "And if he doesn't get it soon, he will not survive."

Ian took a drink from his mug. "So I guess we just wait then."

"That's all we can do right now," Dave agreed.

The four of them sat silent, all impatient, waiting for Link and Sean to return with the antidote. They sat there for nearly ten minutes before a messenger coming through the hotel door disturbed them.

"Jake!" Brian exclaimed. "Good to see you lad! Come! Sit!"

The messenger quickly walked to the table, but did not take a seat.

"Hello, Brian. I have no time to sit. I have come with urgent news," Jake informed him.

"Urgent news?" Joseph repeated.

"Yes, sir. There seems to be some sort of disturbance to the west."

"What kind of disturbance?" Dave asked curiously.

"Well, sir, it seems to be some sort of opening."

"Opening?" Brian repeated.

"Yes, an opening," Jake said.

"Excuse me," Ian said, "but could you explain what this opening looks like?"

"It's circular, contains blue and white swirls that meet at the middle, and is about seven feet high."

Ian's eyes widened as Jake's description of this opening matched the description of the portals that they had been traveling through.

"Ian?" Joseph asked. "Do you know something about this disturbance?"

Ian thought for a moment. "I have a suspicion of what it is, but I can't be sure until I actually see it with my own eyes. Can you take me there?"

Brian, Dave, and Joseph all looked at each other, trying to figure out if it was a good idea. None of them could think of a reason why they couldn't bring him there, so they agreed.

"Yes, we can take you there," Dave told him. "How soon do you want to go?"

"Immediately," Ian responded as he finished the rest of his drink.

"Very well," Dave continued. "Brian shall stay here and look after your friend upstairs. The rest of us will accompany you."

"Thank you," Ian said.

"It's no problem," Joseph said. "We'll leave as soon as we finish our dri."

He got cut off. The entire building began to shake violently causing all the bottles of liquor to crash onto the floor. The four of them hit the floor and tried to protect themselves from falling objects. Jake remained standing and tried to hold himself up with the wall.

"Is this an earthquake?" Ian yelled over the noise.

"No, not in this area!" Joseph yelled back.

"Then what the hell is."

Suddenly, Jake began to yell out in extreme pain. Curiously, the other four looked in his direction while still watching out for danger. None of them could believe what they saw.

Jake continued to yell, his hands placed firmly on the top of his head. Out of nowhere, a white dot of light appeared at about his midsection. The light began to spread throughout his body, first covering his torso, and then moving to his appendages. The light then began to become brighter, and with that, Jake's screams become more bloodcurdling and painful. Slowly, the light broke through Jake's skin. The now exposed light was too much for the others and they were forced to hide their eyes. Jake's screams grew louder, then began to fade away. Then silence.

The unexplained shaking had ceased. Brian was the first to get up and he began to frantically search for Jake.

"Jake? Jake? Where are you, buddy?"

The rest of them pulled themselves up and surveyed the scene. All the bottles of liquor were broken on the floor, chairs and tables were overturned, and wall ornaments lay in shatters. The chandelier also had fallen, spreading broken glass everywhere.

"What in the world was that?" Dave asked.

Joseph shook his head. "I don't know. I've never been through anything like that before."

"Jake? Jake!" Brian continued looking for his friend.

Ian whispered to himself, "Time."

"You say something, Ian? Time?" Joseph inquired.

"Nothing."

"You're hiding something. What is it?" Dave jumped in.

"I can't explain now," Ian said. "But I think we need to go see that disturbance. Now."

"Okay, okay," Dave said. "Calm down. You act as if time is running out."

Ian looked Dave directly in the eyes. "You don't know how right you are."

Sean and Link approached the town and immediately could see the damage that the unexplained earthquake had caused. Several of the poorly built buildings lay collapsed on the ground. Signs broke free from their places and merchant carts fell over on their sides.

The two stopped briefly at the top of a hill, Link still holding his side.

"I guess it didn't just happen to us," Sean said.

Link grimaced. "Apparently not. Let's get down there and see how your friends are doing."

They started down the hill, back into the damaged town. As they made their way down the main street, they passed by numerous groups of people, some being tended to for injuries, others trying to search for any more victims. Down the street, they could see that the inn was spared any significant damage. They continued on, Sean helping Link along. When they were only a couple of buildings away from the inn, the violent shaking returned.

Sean and Link quickly hit the ground and covered their heads as the rest of the citizens did the same. Women and children were screaming and crying as they fled from buildings into the middle of the streets. To Sean, the occurrence seemed more violent this time around, as if they were leading up to something massive. Link looked up ahead of him and saw a woman run out of one of the nearby buildings. She ran into the middle of the street where some unseen force stopped her abruptly. Link looked on as a small dot of white light emanated from her stomach. The light began to infest the rest of her body as her screams grew louder. Unable to speak, Link simply grabbed Sean's head and pulled it up, facing him in the direction of the woman.

Sean immediately gasped at the sight as the light intensified. He continued looking on in disbelief as the woman begged for help. Suddenly, the light broke through her skin and her body seemed to melt away into nothingness. As soon as she completely disappeared, the shaking stopped once again.

"What the hell was that?" Sean yelled as he pulled himself up off the ground.

"Don't look at me. You're the one that's traveled through time to get here." Sean reached down and helped Link up once again.

"She's gone! My wife's gone!" a voice yelled from behind them. They both turned around to see a middle-aged man pawing at the ground.

Sean and Link looked at each other. "Another one?" Sean asked.

"It would seem so. Two women," Link said. "I wonder if there were any more?"

"Sir Link!" Brian yelled as he ran out of the inn. "Sir Link! The bartender has disappeared!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Sean asked to no one in particular.

"Beats me," Brian continued. "But during the first shaking, Jake disappeared in exactly the same way! And after that, Dave and Joseph went with Mr. Ian to a disturbance that Jake had told them about!"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, Brian," Link said as he placed his hands on each of Brian's shoulders. "Where did they go?"

Brian took a deep breath to calm himself. "A disturbance," he pointed west. "About ten minutes west of here."

"What about Evan? Is he still alive?" Sean asked.

"Yes. Did you get the Ivy Plant?" Sean held up the small bag. "Good! I will fetch the doctor!" Without hesitation, Brian grabbed the bag from Sean and ran in the direction of the doctor's office.

"I suppose we should go up and visit Evan," Link said, turning to Sean.

"Right."

They entered the inn and were hit hard by the aromas of all the broken bottles of liquor. The meshed scent wasn't pleasing to the nose, so they each pinched their nose shut and moved quickly to the stairs. The door to Evan's room had been completely knocked off its hinges. They entered the room.

"He's still resting," Link said.

"No, I'm not," Evan replied. "What took you guys so long?" he asked as his face contorted from pain.

Sean and Link smiled. "So I hear that you're my ancestor," Link said, trying to take Evan's mind off the pain.

"So Sean told you, huh?"

"I made him tell me. Otherwise, I wouldn't help him find the main ingredient for the antidote."

"And I couldn't let that happen, now could I?" Sean said sarcastically.

"Where's Ian?"

"He went off with Dave and Joseph to check out some disturbance just west of here," Sean informed him.

"Disturbance?" Evan cringed in pain once again. "Does this have anything to do with these violent quakes?"

"I think so," Sean answered. "But I want your opinion on my theory. I haven't even told Link yet."

"Shoot."

Sean cleared his throat. "Well. remember the theory that Ian came up with? You know, the one with the piece of paper and the fire?"

"Yeah," Evan said. "Time ripples."

"Time ripples?" Link asked, completely confused.

"Basically, the effect of Evan's death is causing the current time line to change gradually," Sean explained. "Anyway, I think that these violent quakes are being caused by those time ripples."

"You can't just associate one with the other," Evan objected. "No one has ever experienced such a thing. How could we possibly know what will happen when these time ripples hit?"

"Hold on, there's more. During these violent quakes, several people have vanished into a giant white light that began as a spot in their midsection."

"So you think they were being erased from existence?" Evan concluded.

"Exactly. I mean, what if some event in the past was already affected, and these people never came to be born?"

"You could have something there," Evan agreed. "But what about this disturbance that Ian went to see?"

"It's our portal," Ian called from the door. The three relatives turned to face him.

"Really? You found it already?" Sean asked.

"Yes," Ian answered. "And I heard your theory, Sean, and I believe that what you say is true. There can be no other explanation."

"Ian?" Link jumped in. "Where are Dave and Joseph?"

"They stayed back to make sure that no one went through the portal." Ian walked over to Evan's side and placed his hand on his head. "How are you feeling?"

Evan coughed. "Like crap."

Ian laughed a little and looked at Link and Sean. "Were you two successful in getting the Ivy Plant?"

"Yes. Brian brought the plant to the doctor. They should be back any minute now," Link told him.

Sean stood up and walked over to the window. Outside, people were still lining the streets, preparing for another violent shake. Down the street a little, Sean could see two men running through the crowd of people.

"I think they're here," Sean told everyone.

Link and Ian joined Sean by the window and looked down the street.

"That's them," Link stated. The two men went out of view as they entered the inn. Their footsteps could be heard as they run up the stairs as fast as they possibly could. The doctor made his way directly to Evan.

Sean watched on as the doctor mixed some water with a powdery substance that he had brought with him. "Hey, Doc. How long will it be before this stuff takes effect?"

"Well," he began as he placed the glass onto Evan's lips. "This antidote is pretty much a hit or miss. If it works, we will be able to see results very quickly. And since he's an extremely strong person, he should fully recover in a few hours."

Evan drank down the antidote as fast as he could. He thought he could feel the liquid moving throughout his entire body, bringing relief wherever it went. Soon, the numbness that the rest of his body felt began to reach his head. Slowly, his vision faded out as he went unconscious.

"Oh, just great!" Sean exclaimed. "He's unconscious again!"

"That's just the antidote working. When he wakes up, he should be fine," the doctor continued. "We must let him rest some more."

"Let's go downstairs," Link suggested. "When he's recovered, I'm sure he will come join us."

The room cleared out with the exception of Ian. Link stopped at the door and turned around.

"Ian, are you coming?"

Ian turned to face Link. "No. I'm going to stay with him until he's recovered. This is partially my fault."

Link simply nodded and gave him a little smile. Patting his hand on the wall, he left the room and walked down the stairs.

Ian grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside the resting Hero of Time. Leaning forward with his hands clasped together in his lap, he sighed.

"Well, kid," he said out loud. "We've really gotten ourselves into quite a mess. Don't worry, though. We're almost through."

Another violent quake struck just then and Ian quickly sprawled his body on top of Evan's, protecting him at all costs. From outside, Ian could hear hundreds of people screaming. In the midst of all the screams, he could hear one exceptionally loud, ear-piercing scream as the street filled up with a white light once again.

"May the Goddesses have mercy on their souls," Ian prayed to the newest victims. The shaking stopped and Ian got up off of Evan. Sitting back down on his chair he said, "I hope you get better before it's too late."
 
 

Zelda awoke and found herself strapped to the wall by cold, hard chains. From what she remembered, she figured that she was on the top floor of Ganon's Tower. Across from here, chained to the opposite wall was Evan. He had been beaten and bruises and cuts lined his body. She screamed.

"Evan!"

"Ah, you're awake," Ganondorf said. He moved directly in front of her, face to face with his prey.

"You bastard! Leave him alone! He has nothing to do with this!"

Ganondorf laughed. "You amuse me, Princess. You should know your pleas are no good here!"

"But he has nothing to do with this!" she cried again.

"He has everything to do with this!" he shouted back angrily. "For years, I have suffered in that rotten place, the Dark Realm. I have longed to break free and take what is rightfully mine! Now, with that goal in my grasp, I will make you suffer the way you made me suffer! Guards!"

Two Stalfos entered the room upon command from the Evil King. They stood at attention at the doorway.

Ganondorf turned to Zelda once again. "Now you will feel true pain," he said calmly. Without taking his gaze off the princess, he pointed to her son. "Do as you wish," he told the Stalfos.

"No!" Zelda cried out. Tears began to run down her face as she realized that she was powerless to do anything to stop them. Her magic was of no use in a place of pure evil. Besides, he had two pieces of the Triforce.

The Stalfos moved in on Evan, the boy too weak to even scream out in fear. The first Stalfos pulled out his sword and placed it on Evan's throat. The boy's head bobbed up and down and side to side. Finally, he could no longer hold his head up and it fell forward. The second Stalfos walked up to him and grabbed him by the hair. He pulled Evan's head up so that the first Stalfos had a clear shot at the boy's neck. The Stalfos pulled the sword back slowly.

"Stop!" Zelda screamed and sobbed at the same time. Tears covered her red face as she cried heavily. "Stop! I'll do anything!"

The Stalfos brought the sword toward Evan's neck.

"Stop there!" Ganondorf yelled. Instantly, the Stalfos stopped his swing and rested its sword on its side. Ganondorf walked back over to Zelda. "What could you possibly offer me to convince me to spare your son's life?"

"The Triforce," she started between sobs. "I'll give you. the Triforce of Wisdom."

Ganondorf laughed hysterically. "Offering me that won't do you any good, Princess! No matter what happens here, I'm going to get the Triforce. I don't need you to give it to me!"

"Then," she sobbed again. "Then I'll offer you my body."

Ganondorf fell silent. "Your body, huh?" He eyed her up and down, a smirk across his face.

"As long as you leave him alone for as long as he lives," Zelda continued.

Ganondorf rubbed the bottom half of his face. "Interesting proposition, Princess. Hmm." The Evil King contemplated the idea. "No deal!"

Zelda slumped as best she could in her chains and cried out even more.

"This is much more fun!" Ganondorf exclaimed. "Continue!" he yelled to the Stalfos. He picked up Zelda's head and forced her eyes open. "No, you don't, Princess. I want you to watch this."

The Stalfos placed his sword once again on Evan's neck. With one swift, clean cut, the Stalfos cut the boy's throat. Blood flowed from the open wound as Evan struggled to breathe. Zelda couldn't handle what she saw in front of her and she tried to look away, but Ganondorf held her fast. Evan began to choke on his own blood and his eyes began to flutter between open and closed.

"Yes. Take a good look, Princess," Ganondorf whispered to her. "A good long look. There is nothing more for you. Your child, your friends, your kingdom. and your precious hero lover are all gone. You are all that's left. But, of course, that won't be true for long."

Zelda remained silent as she watched her son's life drain from his body. His legs and arms began to spasm as they were deprived of oxygen. His struggled became less, until finally, his body lay limp from the chains.

Ganondorf finally released his grip on Zelda's head. Her head dropped limply, her eyes completely filled with tears, her heart filled with pain, sorrow, and hatred. Depression set in as she thought about all that had died for her, for nothing. For the first time in her life, she felt like dying.

"And now," Ganondorf said, "I shall take the final piece of the Triforce from you and rule over the world!" He reached for his dagger and placed the tip of it over her left breast. "Goodbye, Princess."

She let out no sound as he punctured her chest, piercing her heart with his dagger. He twisted the dagger around to cause more pain, but she didn't feel a thing. The only thing that she was aware of was a bright blue light that emanated from her body. The light intensified as the Triforce of Wisdom was pulled from her body. It floated into the air, hovering just in front of Ganondorf. The last image that she saw was that of the Evil King grasping the Triforce.
 
 
 

Evan gasped for air as he awoke suddenly. His breathing was erratic and his body was covered in a cold sweat. Ian looked at him, concerned that the antidote didn't work.

"Evan, what's wrong?"

Evan's face was pale. "They. they're.," he said between breaths, "they're all dead."

"Who? Who are all dead?"

"Zelda, Evan. my friends. all gone. because of me."

Ian sighed. "None of that is your fault and you know it."

"But if I had defeated Ganondorf in the first place, then they would still be alive."

"That may be so, but you're getting a second chance. You can still save all those that you care about," Ian said, trying to comfort him.

Evan's breathing returned to normal as the words sunk in. "You're right, Ian," his voice was much calmer now. "I will defeat him."

"Good. Now, how are you feeling?" Ian asked as he placed his hand on Evan's forehead.

"I feel great. The antidote is amazing."

"Well, the fever is gone. Perhaps we are out of the clear," Ian said as he stood up out of his chair. "Can you stand?"

Evan nodded and swung his legs to the side of the bed. Without any trouble, he stood up.

"Amazing," Ian remarked. "Come on, Evan. Let's go downstairs."

The two friends walked out of the room and headed down the stairs. On the bottom floor, Sean, Link, and Brian were waiting.

"Evan! Glad you could join us!" Sean exclaimed from his seat.

Evan smiled. "Well, if it wasn't for all of you, I wouldn't be standing here. Thank you all."

"No problem at all," Brian returned.

Link stood up from his seat. "Now that you're better, we can decide what our next move is."

"Absolutely," Ian agreed. "We must act soon, or else we may be destroyed by the time ripples."

"How far apart are the quakes now?" Evan asked.

"About ten minutes now," Sean answered. "I say that we just go to the portal now."

Ian nodded. "That's a very simple decision, and it's the right one. We should go there now and go through before it's too late."

"If we move quickly, we could make it there in less than ten minutes," Brian informed them all.

"Right," Link said. "Then let's get a move on!"

"Link, you do realize that we will need you to come with us," Sean said.

Link stopped. "I figured as much. Although I hate to leave all of my friends here in danger, I can sense that this is something far more important."

Evan put his hand on his descendant's shoulder. "Thank you. We can't do this without you." Link nodded.

"Well, everyone," Ian said. "It's time to go."

The five companions left the inn and headed for the portal. Walking through the town of Saria, they saw buildings completely destroyed and some lots even vacant from buildings that vanished. There were less and less people on the streets, some taking to the hills, others being swallowed up by time. To the west, the dark and cloudy sky was lit up by a strange glow that faded in and out, much like a bolt of lightning. It was there that they were headed.

They moved quickly, afraid that another quake would come and claim something important. About halfway out, Link stopped abruptly.

"Another quake should be coming soon!" he yelled to everyone over the high winds.

Sure enough, just as he completed his sentence, the earth began to shake violently. All five of them hit the deck, covering their heads at the same time. Several trees around them split and fell to the ground.

"Oh no."

Sean heard that voice and looked up from the ground. Next to him, Brian had an expression of fear and sadness. Sean looked down to about where Brian's waist was. Underneath him, and partially smothered by the ground, a white sparkle of light was visible. Sean's heart sank as Brian jumped up from the ground.

"You want me? Come and get me, Death! I want to see your face before I die!"

The other four remained perfectly silent. Tears began to form in Link's eyes as he witnessed the death of one of his long time friends. Brian punched at the air, and then held his arms up in a V-shape.

"You're going to have to work to take me!" As the light consumed him, his cockiness turned into pain and loneliness. "It hurts. But I'm not afraid. Just remember that Link. I died honorably. Goodbye."

With one final yell, Brian disappeared into a bright light. Soon after, the shaking stopped.

"We've no time to waste!" Ian yelled. "Let's go!"

Evan, Sean, and Ian took off running toward the portal as Link stayed back for just a moment longer, gazing at the spot where his good friend just was.

"You shall not have died in vain, old friend. I will avenge you." He then ran to catch up to the others.

Up ahead, they could see Dave and Joseph standing guard at the portal. The portal itself gave off light in sporadic intervals. Evan looked to his left and noticed another figure running toward the portal and he swore that he had seen that person somewhere before.

Then it hit him.

"Sheila!" he yelled to the others as he pointed in her direction.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Sean asked back, his voice rose so it could be heard over the wind.

"I don't know," Link called back. "But I'm sure it isn't for a good reason!"

They tried to run faster, but there was no way that they could beat her to the portal. In desperation, Link tried to let Dave and Joseph know what was happening. The others joined in.

Next to the portal, the noise was much greater than out in the destroyed fields. All they knew was that Link and the others were yelling something at them, but what they were yelling was a mystery.

Evan looked on as Sheila snuck up on the unsuspecting guards. She pulled a dagger from her belt and stabbed Joseph directly in the heart, killing him instantly. In the distance, they could all see his body fall limply to the ground. Dave quickly unsheathed his sword, but the wily woman was too much for him. She quickly dodged one of his attacks. With amazing speed, she ran around him and stabbed him in the back of the neck.

They were now only about twenty yards from the portal, with Sheila facing the portal, mere inches from it.

"Stop there, Sheila!" Link yelled.

She turned around and smiled at them. "I don't think so. I'm going to use this time portal of yours to live forever!"

"No!" Ian yelled. "You mustn't go through there! Who knows what will happen if you do!"

"Too late, old man!" she yelled back. She turned and faced the portal again, and after a second's pause, she jumped in.

As soon as she did, another quake started. This one was much more violent than any of the others had been, knocking every single one of them over. They found it difficult to get back up as entire pieces of land disappeared into nothingness around them. Evan was finally able to get up, and as he did, he looked back toward the town, except for the fact that the town was no longer there.

"She did something!" he yelled to the others. "Everything is going to hell! We have to get out of here now!"

The world around them was falling apart rapidly. Where there was once land, there was now nothing but emptiness; an emptiness that would swallow them whole if they didn't move quickly. Evan helped Ian to his feet as Sean and Link finally stood up. They all hesitated for a moment as they looked around them. The emptiness was closing in on them.

"It looks like it's saving us for last!" Link yelled.

Ian, now looking at the portal, said, "Or maybe the portal is the reason this spot is still here!"

"Who the hell cares!" Sean shouted. "Let's just go!"

He took off running toward the portal, and the others followed suit. The emptiness closed in on them faster and faster, moving closer and closer. Sean jumped into the portal, followed by Ian, Link, and finally Evan. As the last of them made it through, the emptiness destroyed the last of the original future.
 
 
 

They appeared on the other side of the portal. Evan and Ian knew exactly where they were; they had been there before. Sean and Link gazed around in wonder at the golden skies and the perfect landscape.

"Where are we?" Link finally asked.

"In Purgatory," Evan answered matter-of-factly. "This is where my whole adventure started."

"This isn't the Heavens?" Sean asked dejectedly.

"No," Ian informed him, "This is Purgatory. It is very much like the Heavens, but it also inhabits dangerous creatures that devour the souls of those trapped here. There are only two ways out; you either successfully repent and are admitted to the Heavens, or you are damned to Hell."

The sudden realization of all that surrounded them made both Sean and Link silent.

"So what is it like here?" Link questioned.

"Never mind that now!" Evan shouted. "We have to find Sheila before she does any damage!"

Ian nodded. "Right. Well, how should we find her?"

"Well," Sean started, "she couldn't have gotten too far yet, so it shouldn't be too tough to find her."

Evan looked all around him. "Perhaps we should split up?"

Ian sighed. "I supposed that's the best way. Although I don't like the idea of any of us encountering her by themselves."

"Relax, Ian," Sean said. "We're all legendary heroes. We'll be fine."

Ian let out a small chuckle. "I was worried about me."

"Oh," Sean said, realizing his mistake. "Right."

Link surveyed the horizon and thought that he could see something just east of where they were standing. He didn't say anything to the others because he didn't want to look paranoid. Instead, as the others figured out what to do, he kept his concentration to the east.

".and I'll go south," Evan said. "Link, you're going west. Link!"

"Sh!" he whispered to them, his finger over his mouth.

Unsure what he was doing, they all just watched him. He slowly moved to his right, away from the rest of the group. Just as slowly, he reached back for his sword and unsheathed it. Holding it in front of him with two hands, he prepared himself as he once again saw movement on top of the adjacent hill.

"Link? What's wrong?" Ian whispered over to him.

Link only responded by putting his finger over his mouth again. Gripping the Magical Sword in his left hand, he waited.

Suddenly and quickly, he moved. Bringing his sword back, he lunged forward with it, accompanied by a mighty yell. Ian could hear a whooshing sound, but it disappeared as Link brought his sword down.

Onto the ground, a few feet in front of them now lay an arrow, broken in two.

"What the.?" Sean said as another arrow came their way.

Once again, Link knocked the arrow out of the air, just before it got to the rest of them. Ian spotted the location where the arrow had come from and had quickly slotted an arrow on his bow. He pointed in the general direction of the firing point and waiting for signs of movement.

Then, next to one of the trees that lined the top of the hill, Ian spotted a person notching another arrow on their bow. He adjusted his shot and fired, quickly notching another arrow. The enemy had also gotten a shot off and Link failed to knock this one out of the air. It hit Ian squarely in the leg and he fell to his knees in pain. Biting back the pain, he forced himself to stand and readied his second shot. From the trees emerged Sheila, an arrow planted firmly in her chest. She stumbled forward, trying to notch yet another arrow. Unable to do so, she stopped where she was and tumbled down the hill.

"Nice shot, Ian!" Evan exclaimed as he and Link ran over to the body.

Sean came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder. "And you were worried about yourself."

They both laughed and began walking toward the bottom of the hill. Evan and Link were already there, kneeling beside Sheila's body.

"She's dead," Link said. "Shot right through the heart. Couldn't have been placed any better. That was really a hell of a shot."

Sean and Ian came up to Sheila's dead body and looked down at it. Ian sighed.

"What?" Sean asked.

"She really was a beautiful woman," he said, sighing again. "It's too bad she was so evil."

"Put it behind you, Ian. You did what you had to do," Sean comforted him.

"Yeah, I suppose. I just hate hurting people. Although I hurt so many at one time," Ian said through clenched teeth as he ripped the arrow out of his leg.

Evan stood up, walked over to him, and began to dress the wound. "But that's why we're here. To set right the things that you did wrong."

"Speaking of which, what do we do now?" Link asked.

Suddenly, clouds began to form in the sky and everything grew dark. A lone bolt of lightning struck the ground about a hundred yards from their current spot. An object began to form at that point in the ground, starting out as a small bluish circle and expanding.

"I take it that's our answer," Link said, answering his own question.

"But where will it take us?" Sean asked. "Actually, when will it take us?"

"It will bring us back to the point in time when Evan was struck down by the Evil King. It will bring us to the exact room, except we should appear throughout the room," Ian informed them as Evan finished with his wound.

"How can you be so sure?" Evan asked.

Ian looked at him calmly. "The Goddesses told me."

Evan smiled. "Good enough for me!" And he ran straight at the portal as the rest stood still. When he reached it, he jumped head first into it, disappearing in an instant.

"He's pretty eager," Link joked.

"He just wants some revenge," Sean answered, slightly smiling.

Ian ran delicately toward the portal. "And he'll need help!" he yelled back to them. He followed Evan into the portal, headfirst.

"This must mean a lot to both of them," Link pointed out.

"Yeah," Sean sighed. "They've been on this adventure for a very long time. Much longer than you and I."

They both sighed. "Shall we?" Link asked, his hand out in front of him.

Sean smiled and shook his descendant's hand. "Let's do it!"

They both began to run toward the portal, toward the battle that would finally decide the fate of the world. Oddly enough, they were both wearing big smiles as they jumped into the portal and into the toughest battle of their lives.

The portal closed behind them.

Jacob could handle no more. With an angry battle cry, he leaped forward, sword drawn and pointed at Ganondorf. The evil man looked at the boy and smiled. This gesture made Jacob's blood boil even more, and he raced toward the Evil King, ready to strike him down. Link reached out and tried to grab him before it was too late.

"Jacob! No!" His fingertips brushed up against the back of Jacob's clothes, but he couldn't get a grip on the boy. Instead, he was forced to watch.

Jacob lunged forward with his sword, but Ganondorf easily moved out of the way. Jacob's momentum caused him to run right past the Gerudo, his back to him. The Evil King raised his own sword and aimed for the defenseless boy. With one quick thrust, he put his sword through Jacob's back and out his chest.

Jacob felt the warm feeling in his torso and placed his hand over his chest. Pulling it away again, he could see that it was covered in blood, his blood. Stunned at the turn of events, he dropped his sword from his right hand and staggered over to the closest wall. He leaned his back against it and slid down.

"Jacob!" John screamed. He and Charles ran over to the dying boy and tried to comfort him. Link, Zelda, and Nick stood with their eyes focused on Ganondorf.

"Worthless boy! He dared to challenge me and he got what he deserved!" Still Link, Zelda, and Nick remained where they were, intent on killing the Evil King. But Charles was infuriated and vowed to himself that he would kill Ganondorf himself.

"I'll kill you, you monster!" he yelled as he brandished his sword and charged for the Evil King.

Before he could even reach him, Ganondorf sent a ball of energy at the charging Knight. Unable to avoid it, Charles ran head on into the oncoming ball. The power of the energy ball sent Charles back across the room. He lay motionless on the ground. Ganondorf turned to Link.

"Now before anyone else interferes." He raised his hands in the air, and all but Link were thrown back against the walls, unable to move. "There, that's much better, don't you think?"

Link looked over at Zelda with a look of concern on his face. "Don't worry about me, Link! Just beat him so all this can be over with!" With a slight nod, Link turned to face the Evil King.

"I will end this once and for all, Ganondorf. You will never again spread terror in the land of Hyrule."

"Big words. Can you back it up?"

Link simply pulled out the Master Sword and braced himself for battle. Ganondorf made his blade reappear in his hand, and the two squared off. There was a momentary silence as the two warriors stared each other down, trying to intimidate the other. Then, with a quick move, Link jumped at Ganondorf. The Evil King easily defended himself against the attack and countered with a thrust. Link knocked it away and tried a horizontal swing. The two men fought, but neither was able to gain any ground on the other. Each move was met with a block, and each counterattack was turned away. Ganondorf came down with a vertical cut, but Link raised his shield to block it. With a counterattack, Link shoved Ganondorf's sword out of the way, leaving the Evil King open to attack. He swung his sword horizontally, but the Evil King somehow managed to block the attack with his sword.

I can't believe it! He's so fast! I thought I had him there. This is going to be a much tougher battle than I've ever fought!

Ganondorf swung his sword, but Link ducked and rolled out of the way just before it would've taken his head off. Jumping up quickly, he tried an upswing on the Gerudo, but that too was blocked. They continued to fight, all the while no hits were scored. Link began to tire, but he was not going to give up. The Master Sword was becoming heavier in his hand as the battle wore on, causing his offensive moves to slow down. Unlike the Hero of Time, Ganondorf still seemed to be fresh. It appeared that he was fighting with the same energy as when they started.

How can this be? He doesn't even seem to be tired! I must do something, otherwise he'll just wear me down. But what?

Link blocked another blow from the Gerudo, the force traveling through his shield, causing immense pain in his arm. He tried to deliver a blow, but Ganondorf knocked his sword astray. After blocking another swing from Ganondorf, Link decided he had to do something now. Gathering up all the energy he could, he charged up the Master Sword. He waited for the Gerudo to attack again, while he uses the spin attack as a counter. Just as he planned, Ganondorf attacked and Link defended it with his shield. Letting out a loud cry, Link executed the spin attack, but Ganondorf reacted quickly and blocked it. The force of the spin attack collided with Ganondorf's sword, causing the Master Sword to fly from Link's hand. Link stood stunned.

How could he have possibly blocked that? His thoughts quickly turned to Zelda, Evan, and his friends as he realized the inevitable. He looked around the room at his fallen friends and the people that counted on him. To him, it all seemed to be passing by in slow motion. He saw Ganondorf bring his sword back, ready to deliver the final blow. Link's eyes caught Zelda's eyes, and there he stared as Ganondorf ran him through. With his eyes still on Zelda's, he slowly fell to his knees, and then fell onto the ground.

"No!" Zelda screamed at the top of her lungs as Link's lifeless body fell to the floor. She began to cry over the loss of her loved one, and Hyrule's greatest hero. As she looked on from her confined area, Ganondorf grabbed Link by the collar and picked him up. "Don't you touch him!"

Ganondorf just smiled at the Princess and turned his attention back to Link's body. His body began to glow a bright green, filling the room. Zelda looked down at her hand and noticed the Triforce mark glowing. Realizing what Ganondorf was about to do, Zelda lost all hope. With two Triforce pieces, nothing would be able to stop him. It would only be a matter of time before he got her piece, and then he would rule the world. She closed her eyes and prepared for her death.

Suddenly, Link's body began to glow an intense blue. Curious, Zelda opened her eyes and could see Link's body surrounded by a strange blue aura, still in Ganondorf's grasp. The Evil King held his other hand up in front of his eyes and turned his head.

"What's going on?" he yelled angrily.

He could feel a warm sensation in his hand that was holding Link up. The sensation was getting warmer and warmer until it, and the strange glow, disappeared altogether, and Ganondorf found himself clutching to nothing. Where Link's body had just been was now completely empty. Frantically, the Evil King took a look around the room, searching for the Hero of Time. Amidst his confusion, he released his magical grip on Zelda, Nick, and John. Nick and John ran over to Zelda.

"What the hell is going on?" John asked. "Where the hell did Link go?"

Nick shook his head slowly, confusion written all over his face. "I haven't got a clue, John. Princess?"

Zelda didn't respond. Instead, she just stared ahead at the puzzled Ganondorf. Out of nowhere, she began to feel a sensation in the air around her. It started out small, but with each passing second, it become more intense.

"Do you feel that, Nick?" John asked, feeling the sensation himself.

Nick raised his arms halfway up and gazed at his hands, as if they held the answer. Waving his hands around, he replied, "Yes. But what is it?"

The sensation was a familiar one to Ganondorf, who immediately stopped moving upon feeling it. When Link's body disappeared, he had felt the same sensation in his hand. Only this one was bigger. Much bigger.

The room around them began to glow blue periodically. One second the light was there, the next it was gone. With each rise and fall of the strange light, the sensation rose and fell as well. They could hear wind thrashing and thunder crashing outside. The frequency of the light became faster and faster as bolts of electricity became visible among the bluish glow.

"Princess!" Nick yelled over the disturbance. "I think we should back away!"

Zelda nodded and the three of them ran to the closest wall.

"Whatever this is, it has to be something that Link is doing!" Zelda yelled when they had finally reached the wall. "I don't know how, but it has to be him!"

The bolts of electricity became more and more frequent as did the light, and the sensation was now a constant feeling.

"Here it comes!" John yelled. "Whatever it is."

The light turned into a flash, causing all within it to shield their eyes. When it finally diminished enough, they all opened their eyes again and were all shocked at what they saw.

Scattered throughout the room were four people that weren't there the moment before. Closest to Zelda and the others was Ian, while the Hero of Time was on the far end of the room. On the left side stood Sean, while the final Link, the Hero of Hyrule, stood on the right side.

"Ian?" Nick asked the man standing closest to them.

Ian turned around at the sound of his name and smiled. "Hello, Nick," he replied. "John. Pleased to see you again, Princess."

"But. but how?" Zelda asked. "I. we. saw you die at the hands of Ganondorf."

"It is a rather long tale, Princess. I don't have the time to tell you of it now, for we have work to do."

"Who are those other two men, Ian?" Nick asked. "I see Link over there, but who are they?"

"They are also Link. Don't concern yourself now. Just stay back," Ian instructed as he held his hand out, urging them to get back.

Ganondorf stood in the middle of the room, completely baffled by the turn of events. He looked each of the men over and growled under his breath.

"What's the matter, Ganondorf," the Hero of Time said. "Upset that you didn't get my piece of the Triforce?"

"It is no matter, Link! Even though you brought along some friends to fight me, I will still win the day!"

"I highly doubt that, you disgusting creature," Ian yelled at the Evil King.

"Ah, Ian," he responded. "So good to see you again. Couldn't handle the afterworld?"

"No. Just had some unfinished business to take care of," Ian replied back.

"You can't beat me!"

"But we can!" the Hero of Time shouted.

The three Links unsheathed their respective swords and brandished them toward the Evil King. Ganondorf took another long look at each of them and waited for their attack.

"What do you say, Evan?" Sean called over. "Shall we avenge him for the events that haven't yet happened?"

Evan smiled. "Sounds good to me," he responded without removing his vision from Ganondorf. "You guys ready?"

"Of course," the Hero of Hyrule called back. "Let's get this over with!"

"Okay," Evan said. "For Hyrule and its future!"

The three Links charged the Evil King from opposite directions; their swords held behind them, ready to strike. Desperately, Ganondorf tried to evade all three blows at once. He successfully avoided two of the strikes by jumping, but the Hero of Time cut across the Evil King's left wrist with the Master Sword, slicing the hand completely off. Ganondorf yelled in pain as he landed ten feet behind the three Links.

"You're lucky, Ganondorf," Evan said. "You only lost your hand, instead of your life."

Ganondorf snickered to himself. "Tell me, Link. Who are those two?" he asked, referring to the two elves on either side of the Hero of Time.

"We're your worst nightmare!" Sean yelled.

The Hero of Time smiled. "Ganondorf, I would like you to meet my descendants. Link and Link."

"So," Ganondorf continued, "they're your descendants. Interesting that you should bring them here."

"And why is that?"

"Because now I will destroy all of you at once. I will have the great pleasure of killing three Links," Ganondorf smiled. "The very thought gives me a tingling sensation!"

"There is no way in hell you will beat all three of us!" Sean yelled.

The Hero of Hyrule brandished his sword again. "This is our time. We will end all the suffering that you will cause, here and now."

Evan continued, "We each fight for our own time, which have all been affected by you. We will stop you here."

"Then let us begin!" Ganondorf yelled as he hurled a ball of magic toward the three distant relatives. Sean and Evan jumped out of the way as Link continued to brandish his sword in front of him. As his two ancestors looked on, Link swung his Magical Sword at the ball of energy and deflected it to the wall.

"You're going to have to do a lot better than that, Ganondorf!" he yelled back. Evan and Sean picked themselves up off the ground and faced the Evil King.

"They're his descendants?" Nick repeated.

"Then how did they get here?" John added.

"I told you," Ian said. "We will tell you all you need to know. But for now, just stay back and protect the Princess."

They each turned to Zelda. Her eyes were fixed on the battle in front of them. The shock of losing her loved one, but then getting him back confused her. She waited for any signs of disaster, ready to jump to her husband's, and his descendant's, aid if things took a turn for the worse.

"Can't we help?" Nick asked, itching to get at the Evil King.

"Absolutely not," Ian said forcefully. "This is not our fight. The outcome of this battle is theirs to control. We cannot, and must not, interfere."

The Hero of Time ran at the Evil King, sword ready. Ganondorf made a sword appear in his hand, waiting for the fight. Evan swung with all his might, but the Gerudo was able to block it successfully. The two engaged in a test of strength as they both pushed back with their swords. Equally matched, the duel was going nowhere. Quickly, Evan let up and dodged the oncoming swing of Ganondorf's sword. He thrust his sword, but Ganondorf easily dodged it. The two exchanged parries and continued in their stalemate.

As they fought, Evan felt a sense of déjà vu. This is exactly how the last fight with him went, he thought. And I ended up losing. I guess that's why they're here.

He dodged another attack from Ganondorf, only to have his counterattack blocked. Ganondorf was extremely fast, and Evan was beginning to falter. He tried to slice at the Evil King, only to be thwarted again. Ganondorf swung his sword horizontally and Evan prepared to block it. However, the force behind Ganondorf's strike was more powerful than Evan could withstand. His sword was thrown from his hand and he began to stagger backwards. Ganondorf advanced on him, pushing the Hero of Time back further. As he was backpedaling, Evan tripped over the body of Charles, landing directly on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Ganondorf raised his sword in the air.

A cry came from behind the Evil King. He turned around to see another Link charging at him at full speed. Sean jumped in the air, ready to strike down the Evil King then and there. Ganondorf moved quickly to block the oncoming attack.

As the two engaged in battle, Evan recovered and rose to his feet. He scanned the room and found the Master Sword. As he ran over to it, he caught sight of Zelda.

John was confused. "Why aren't they attacking him all at once?"

"Pride," Nick responded. "They each of a high sense of pride. They will fight alone until it is absolutely necessary that they fight together."

"Isn't it necessary now?"

"Yes," Ian answered. "But in their minds, they have the ability to defeat him. None of them has any idea how much powerful he really is. With or without a hand."

"Link!" Zelda finally spoke.

He ran over to his wife and hugged her. "Zelda, I've missed you."

"Link, you need to work as a team," she said. "Or else. or else. I couldn't bear to see you killed again!"

"I know, and I won't fail this time. I guarantee it."

His attention was drawn back to the fighting as Sean was thrown across the room. Immediately, the Hero of Hyrule jumped in to do battle with the Evil King. Link sliced at Ganondorf, but the Gerudo knocked the blow away and countered with a thrust. Jumping to the side, Link dodged the attack. They parried several times before Link tried another attack. He lunged forward, but Ganondorf blocked his sword and tripped the Hero of Hyrule. Link lay on his back, Ganondorf in front of him. The Evil King brought his sword down, but Link rolled to the right to avoid the strike. Ganondorf tried again and this time Link rolled to the left. Link continued to roll out of the way of several more attacks. On his final roll, Link swept Ganondorf's feet out from under him, causing the Gerudo to fall hard to the floor. Taking advantage, Link rose to his feet.

Sean had also gotten up and he set his sights on the fallen Gerudo. He brushed himself off and ran back toward the fight.

Still clutching Zelda, Evan watched as his two descendants faced off against Ganondorf. He turned to face Zelda again.

"It's time that I finished what I started."

She kissed him. "Be careful, Link."

"You know me," he said as he ran off to do battle.

"Exactly," she said to herself.

Ganondorf had since gotten back up and was doing battle with Link. As they fought, Sean ran in and attacked Ganondorf from the side, causing the Gerudo to take a purely defensive stance against two foes. He moved unbelievably fast, successfully blocking and dodging every blow that was sent his way.

"You can't fight like this forever!" Sean yelled as he lunged forward.

Ganondorf smiled as he redirected the blow. "That is where you are mistaken!"

The battle continued with Ganondorf continually defending himself successfully. It seemed that no matter what Sean and Link did, he was one step ahead of them. Desperate to land a blow, Link again lunged forward. Ganondorf easily sidestepped right to avoid the advancement and used the opportunity to score a blow on the Hero of Hyrule. As he fell past the Gerudo, Ganondorf cut his left arm, just below the shoulder. He would have enjoyed cutting his foe further, but Sean was all over him, forcing the Evil King to defend once again.

Evan was now within striking range of the Evil King. As he was being distracted by the all out attack from Sean, Evan ran up behind him without being noticed. He brought the Master Sword back and prepared for the final strike.

"For Hyrule!" he yelled as he ran the Master Sword through Ganondorf's back, the blade coming out the other side.

Ganondorf ceased to defend himself from Sean's attacks as the pain sunk in. He didn't turn around to face the Hero of Time. Instead, he simply glanced down at the protruding blade in his chest.

"For Hyrule!" Sean cried out as he thrust his Master Sword through the Gerudo's chest.

Link, bleeding badly from his wounded arm, clutched his Magical Sword tightly. He walked up to the fatally injured Gerudo and placed the tip of his sword on Ganondorf's left side.

"For Hyrule," he stated as he pushed his sword through.

They each pulled their swords out one by one and let the Evil King fall to the ground. They stood there, each of their swords dripping with Ganondorf's blood. Encircling the fallen evil, their hearts were relieved. The evil man that had brought about the destruction of all that they believed in, lay in a pool of his own blood.

Evan turned back toward Zelda and the others and began to walk over to them. Sean and Link followed, leaving Ganondorf's body where it was. The three Links made their way over, exhausted from the intense battle and journey.

Ian wasn't as optimistic about their situation. Something didn't seem right. Suddenly, he felt his heart sink. "Link! Look out!"

Ganondorf yelled at the top of his lungs, releasing a giant red wave of energy. Completely unprepared for it, the three Links were thrown into the air, across the room. The bodies of Charles and Jacob were thrown to the walls. Ian put up a magical barrier to protect him and the others from the energy wave. After what seemed like an eternity, the wave of energy ceased.

"Is everyone alright?" Ian asked.

Nick got up from the floor. "I'm fine. Thanks to you, I guess."

John struggled to get up. "My leg is injured, but it's nothing serious. I'll be fine."

"Princess?"

"I'm okay, Ian," she responded. "But what about them?" She pointed in the direction of the three Links.

Evan slowly got up, his entire body bruised and some open cuts on his arms and legs. Beside him, Sean and Link had already risen to their feet. As Evan looked at them, he noticed that they were each silent and staring in the same direction. Following their gaze, Evan understood why.

In the middle of the room stood Ganon.

They stood there, side by side staring at the Evil Incarnation. The hideous beast stared back, reveling in their plight. In this form, he was much more powerful than as Ganondorf, and the three of them were in a weakened, exhausted state.

"Now," Ganon spoke in a demonic voice. "You will understand the meaning of true pain. Hyrule, no. the world will soon be mine!"

None of them responded. They continued to stand there, unsure of what to do. They had put so much energy into battled Ganondorf that none of them were sure if they could do the same against Ganon.

"This is where I come in," Ian said quietly to Zelda, Nick, and John.

He reached back into his quiver and pulled out an arrow. It wasn't just any arrow; it was a Light Arrow. The arrow glowed slightly as Ian placed it on the bow. He pulled the string back all the way and aimed directly for Ganon's evil heart.

"Hey Ganon!" he yelled. The evil creature turned to face the nuisance. "Take this!"

Ian let the arrow fly. Still unsure of what was going on, Ganon didn't even move. Before he realized what was going on, the Light Arrow had already pierced his flesh and went directly into his heart. Ganon flailed around wildly and let out an ear-piercing cry as the goodness of Light began ripping him apart from the inside. Everyone in the room stood there, watching the Evil Incarnation writhe around in pain. Light began to break through his flesh, sending rays of light across the room. Slowly, the amount of light became more and more as it worked its way through Ganon's body. In his final moments, Ganon's entire body radiated with light. His features were no longer visible, just the light could be seen. With one last cry, Ganon disappeared and the light faded.

Silence filled the room and no one moved. They stood there for several more minutes, each person lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Evan turned back around and looked Zelda in the eyes. Slowly, he walked across the room toward her. Sean and Link followed him again.

He stopped in front of her and looked deeply into her eyes. Weak, he fell into her arms and she embraced him.

"Don't worry," she whispered into his ear. "It's over. It's finally over."

"Let's get out of here," Nick said. They all nodded in agreement. Nick walked over to Charles' body and picked it up, placing it over his shoulder. John picked up Jacob's body in the same fashion. One by one, they left the tower.
 
 
 

They congregated about halfway between the Tower of Ganon and Hyrule Castle. There they met up with William, Aaron, and Robert. Before anyone could even say anything, the Tower began to glow and shake. They turned to see it begin to break apart. From the center of the Tower, a bright beam of light shot up into the sky, parting the clouds. As pieces of the Tower crumbled, they were drawn into the sky along the beam of light. Little by little, the Tower was being sucked up into the sky. All around watched its demise silently, thanking the Goddesses. Soon, the Tower was no more. All that stood in the middle of Hyrule Field was Lon Lon Ranch.

William turned to Aaron. "Who the heck are they?"

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Although I think that tall one is Ian. I have no clue about the other two though."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," William said.

"Well, Ian," the Hero of Time started, "our adventure is finally over."

"That it is, my friend," Ian replied. "It was fun."

Evan laughed. "Sure it was. It's a shame that you're going to have to leave us soon."

"Yes. My time here when I was alive was not the way I would have liked it to be. I hope that I have been forgiven for my mistakes in the past."

"Of course you have," Zelda said. "We had forgiven you back then. What you have done now has just made us appreciate you that much more."

"Gracious words from the Princess," Ian said with a little laugh. "When did I become so important?"

Suddenly, another beam of light appeared, this one shining down from the Heavens. At the same time, a portal opened up near where they were standing. Ian looked up at the sky.

"Well, it looks like it's time for us to go," Ian said.

The three Links and Ian all walked up to each other.

"I guess this is goodbye," Sean said with tears in his eyes. "Strange, I didn't realize that I had become so attached to all of you."

"It's times like this that you never forget," the Hero of Hyrule said. "With all the fighting and all the journeys, these are the moments that last forever in your mind."

"Believe me," Evan said, "I will never forget any of this."

He extended his hand out toward Sean. They shook hands and Evan pulled his descendant in for a friend's embrace, smacking him on the back. Sean returned the favor.

"Goodbye, my friend," Evan said, his voice choked with emotion.

"Hey, don't get all sentimental on me now," Sean said, even though he still had tears in his eyes. "We've made the world a better place. Now we must part ways. Goodbye."

They released each other and Sean walked over to Ian. "Well, Ian. You're the only human I've ever known, and I must say, you're worthy enough to be an elf," he said, laughing a little.

Ian laughed as well. "I take that as the highest compliment. Goodbye, and may the rest of your days be peaceful." He gave him a quick embrace.

"Well, Link," Evan said. "You've been with us for the shortest amount of time, but you definitely made a big impact."

"What can I say? I'm the descendant of the greatest hero ever," Link said back as the two shook hands. "Goodbye, Evan."

He walked over to Ian. "Goodbye, Ian. I'm glad that you're getting into the Heavens now."

They shook hands. "So am I, Link. Thanks to you and the other Links. I can finally be at peace."

"Let's go, Link," Sean said. "We've got to be going now."

"Right."

The two descendants of the Hero of Time walked toward the open portal. They stopped just short of it, turned around and waved back. Turning to each other, they shook hands and smiled. They let go and Link walked through the portal. Sean stood there for a moment longer and looked back at his ancestor and his friends. With a feeling of pride, he turned and stepped through the portal.

"Now it's my turn to leave," Ian said.

"It's been interesting, Ian," Link said. "But I'm glad it's finally over."

"As am I, Link. You've saved me, and now I can enter the Heavens."

"Take care of yourself."

"Don't worry about me, Link. I'll be fine. You take care of yourself, and Zelda of course."

She smiled. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much," she said jokingly.

Ian laughed. "I'm sure of it, Princess. But now I must be going."

"Goodbye, Ian," Link said.

"Goodbye, Link, Zelda. I'll be keeping an eye on you from the Heavens." Ian turned to the beam of light and walked into it. As he was drawn upward, he looked at Link and smiled. He disappeared.

"So are you going to tell us what you went through?" Nick said to Link, snapping him out of his trance.

Link looked from person to person, happy that they were alive and didn't go through the horrible fate that he foresaw.

"In time, Nick," he replied. "In time. For now, I need to rest."

Zelda smiled. "Yes you do. Come on, everybody. Let's get back to the Castle."

They all headed back for Hyrule Castle, carrying Charles and Jacob with them.

Several days later, they held a funeral for Charles and Jacob. In honor of his bravery and courage, they gave Jacob Knight status, allowing him to be buried in the Royal Cemetery. A very emotional Liz was comforted by each of the Knights, as well as Link and Zelda. The day was declared a holiday and all businesses were closed.

The group of friends and the Sages sat around as Link told them all that he had been through from the moment Ganondorf first killed him. Upon finishing the long story, Link and Zelda retreated to their room.

"I'm going to miss them all," Link said as he fell into the bed.

"Well of course, you are. You went through so much with them."

"I just hope that they're all alright. They helped me so much, I wish there was something I could do to help them."

"But you did help them, honey. If it weren't for your journey, they would never have existed. You helped them out in more ways than you know."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said.

"Of course I am. I'm always right," she said with a smirk, lying down in bed beside him.

"How could I forget?" he said with a laugh. He leaned over and placed his hand on her stomach. "I think I can feel him kicking."

"Her."

"What?"

"I think it's going to be a girl," she said.

"Oh really? What makes you say that?"

"Because if I have another boy running around here like you and Evan, I think I'll go crazy."

Link laughed. "You love it and you know it," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

She laughed. "You're so full of yourself."

He was already asleep. She looked over at him and smiled. The world was saved once again because of him. She wondered how many more times he could beat the odds. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she decided to get some sleep.

Hyrule was safe once again.

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