"Could be better," he replied, as he bled from several cuts to the face and arms. The other Knights continued their advancement on the retreating Malfos. "Nick, cover me. I’m going to get Zelda out of there."

"Of course," Nick obliged. "John! Help me clear a path!"

John quickly moved alongside Nick, and the two of them, along with Link, made their way to the throne of the Malfos King. Link changed direction and jumped for the low cage that imprisoned Zelda. He grabbed onto the thick wooden bars that held her back (more like tree trunks, Link thought) and climbed up the cage. The Malfos King rose from its throne, not happy with the prospect of losing its prize. Nick and John looked up in amazement at the huge creature. It was easily three times the size of all the other Malfos. It swung its mighty club at Link. Link was able to dodge the attack, but the club connected with the cage, rattling Zelda around like a rag doll. The cage swung from its support, and Link was using all his concentration on just holding on to the rope that held the cage up.

"We’ve got to do something or else he’ll be killed!" Nick stated obviously.

John jumped into action and attacked the Malfos King. He tried to get behind the Malfos, but it was too quick. With one swing of its arm, John flew back and landed hard. The Malfos then swung at Nick, but he jumped out of the way just in time. The force of the club hitting the ground shook the place violently, and several pieces of rock began to fall. The Malfos King continued its assault on Nick.

Aaron and Robert stood back to back as a band of Malfos encircled them.

"Five on two," Aaron counted. "Hardly seems fair."

"Never is," Robert commented.

The cave shook again as Nick rolled out of the way of another attack. Three massive rocks fell from the ceiling and landing squarely on three of the Malfos surrounding Aaron and Robert.

"Two on two," Robert corrected. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

"Good."

They went into battle once again.

The cage finally slowed in its rocking enough so Link could safely maneuver. He jumped onto his stomach and peered over the edge of the cage and looked inside. There, Zelda lay motionless, and Link felt his heart sink. Wasting no more time, he got to his feet and grabbed a hold of the rope. Cutting it just below where he held, the cage fell to the ground. Link shifted his bodyweight, forcing the rope to swing back and forth. When he felt he could land safely, he let go.

He landed several feet from the cage. Noticing that three of the bars had splintered from the fall, Link took one big swing with the Master Sword and cut through them. He went inside the cage and dropped to his knees next to Zelda. Placing his hand on her neck, he felt a pulse, and was greatly relieved. Knowing that staying here wouldn’t help them any; he picked her up in his arms and exited the cage.

Nick was growing tired. He needed to finish this soon, or else he wouldn’t be finishing it at all. The Malfos King raised his club for another attack, and this time, instead of rolling to the left or right, Nick dove between the creature’s legs. Before the Malfos could react, Nick stood up and jumped onto the throne. With a yell heard throughout the entire room, he leaped at the Malfos King’s back, sword extended. As he pierced its strong exterior, the beast roared in anger, and the entire chamber fell silent. The Knights, as well as the remaining Malfos, stared as the King fell with a heavy thud.

The silence was broken by the loud cries of the Malfos, enraged at the slaying of their king. Link ran over to Nick.

"Now you’re mad them angry."

"Seems like it."

"I suggest we get out of here," Link said. Then with more emphasis, "Now!"

Nick nodded. "Knights! Fall back!"

Aaron ran up to Link and gestured with his hand to follow. Link obeyed, as did the rest of the Knights, Nick bringing up the rear. The Malfos followed them down the corridor, and they were gaining.

"Keep going!" Nick yelled up. "I’ll slow them down!"

They all stopped.

"I said keep going!"

Reluctantly, they agreed. Nick waited for the Malfos to come down the corridor, knowing that only one could attack at a time given their size and the size of the corridor.

They came with a mighty roar.

Aaron led the rest of them down the twisting path that he and Michael had come in from. Up ahead, they could now see daylight. Link stopped.

"What is it Link?" Robert asked. "We’re almost out of here."

"Nick needs help."

"He’ll be fine," Robert assured him.

"Someone needs to go back there and help him," Link reiterated.

"I’ll go, then," John volunteered.

"No!" Link yelled. He turned back to Robert. "Here, take her. Make sure she’s safe." Link gently handed the unconscious Zelda to him.

"Of course, but…"

"But nothing. Get her out of here, and the rest of them too." He ran back down the corridor. "Don’t worry," he yelled back. "I’ll come back safely! With Nick!"

Link soon found Nick still battling the advancing Malfos. He seemed to be faring well.

"Nick!" he yelled as he joined alongside his friend. "I’m here to help!"

"No! Go back! I can handle them!"

They retreated several steps, and that’s when Link saw it.

"You’re ankle…"

"The wound never healed completely."

They took several more steps backward, Nick hobbling.

"Come on. We’re getting out of here," Link said.

"You go. I’ll only slow you down."

The sound of more Malfos joining the fray could be heard.

"Link, go. I’m not done yet. I’ll make it out of here!"

Link hesitated. "Nick…"

"Go!"

The sudden force in his voice was enough to make Link turn around and run toward the exit. As he ran, he could hear the sounds of metal and wood coming together. He only prayed that Nick would make it.

He emerged from the cave and found the rest of them standing and waiting.

"Where’s Nick?" William asked.

"Still fighting," Link said. "He wouldn’t let me stay."

The echoing sounds of battle ceased from the cave, and they all quickly turned around in anticipation, or dread. They waited for any sign of life, friend of foe, to emerge into the light. Finally, after several tense minutes, a solitary figure came into view. It hobbled on one leg and dragged its sword across the ground.

"Nick!" Link yelled and ran to greet his weary friend.

Nick turned his head and looked back one last time. He nodded, then faced his friends again. "No more are coming. See, Link? I told you I’d make it out of there."

He smiled, but before Link even got up to him, the smile vanished. Nick fell over onto his stomach, and they all stopped in their tracks.

A spear lay embedded in his back.

"Nick!" Link yelled again, this time in concern rather than joy.

He ran up to Nick and dropped to the ground, while the rest of them remained frozen in place, Zelda still in Robert’s arms.

"Nick, no…" Link said. He reached for the spear and gently pulled it out of his friend’s back. Blood gushed from the wound. Nick coughed. "Nick?"

"Link…"

Link turned Nick over onto his back, and supported his head in his arms. "Nick…"

"Looks like my time has run out…"

"Don’t say things like that. You’ll be fine…"

Nick tried to laugh, but it came out as a choked cough. "Link… I’m glad I had the honor of fighting alongside you… and being your friend for all these years…"

"Don’t get all sentimental on me," Link tried to joke, but it wasn’t working.

"I have two requests…"

"What? Anything. I’ll do anything, Nick."

He coughed again, some blood spraying from his mouth. "Tell Celes… that I love her…"

"Of course. What’s the other?"

"Find… Evan…," he coughed again. "Goodbye… Link…"

His head fell limply to the side, and all life left his body. Link pressed his head against Nick’s and cried.

The others cried as well.

Zelda finally came to, but no one noticed. The sun shone right in her eyes, forcing her to close them again. Gently, she raised her right hand to her forehead and rested it there. She opened her eyes once more, her right hand shielding them from the sun. Slowly, she sat up, and looked about her. Twenty yards to her left, she saw Link placing a stone on top of other stones, neatly arranged and stacked. Around him, she saw five of the Knights. She attempted to get up and find out what was going on, but failed. Trying to stand up too quickly, her head became hazy and she lost consciousness again.

* * * *

She moaned in pain as she regained consciousness. She was lying on her back, her head tilted to her right. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw Link sitting directly beside her, his back toward her.

"Link?"

Link turned his head to the left quickly, as if he was startled. Seeing his wife awake, he sighed, and turned his head straight again. He sniffled.

"Link? What’s wrong?" she asked.

Link let his head drop. Raising his right arm, he wiped his eyes, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying. He sniffled again.

Zelda began to worry. It wasn’t often that Link cried so openly, and she knew that something terrible had happened. The last time he had cried, Evan had disappeared. But for some reason, she felt that this was much worse. She sat upright and pulled herself behind him.

"What happened?"

He turned to look her in the face. His eyes were bloodshot and the skin around them was bright red. She could still see where tears had streamed down his face, and his expression was that of deep pain and loss. He sniffled once more.

"Nick…" he was able to get out, although it sounded choked and barely audible. He didn’t say another word. He turned his head to face the pile of stones that he had constructed earlier.

Zelda followed his gaze. She didn’t need to, she already knew. But she did so anyway, as if seeing it would make it real. She wished that it was a dream, a hallucination brought on by her head trauma. The wish was then shattered as the reality of the situation sunk in. Nick was dead. No, she thought to herself, Nick… can’t be dead. He just can’t be. Oh Celes…

Her thoughts drifted away as she too began to cry. Link turned his body completely around so that he and Zelda were face to face. Moving closer, he embraced her. And they cried together.

* * * *

William and Robert each sat underneath a tree, their backs to each other.

"Poor Celes," Robert stated.

William sighed. "Yeah, she’ll be devastated."

"The loss of a loved one is never easy."

"I know," William said solemnly.

Silence fell back among them.

William sighed again, "Alexandra…" Tears began to stream down his face again.

Robert rolled his eyes. On several occasions, William broke down and lamented about Alexandra, and it got on Robert’s nerves.

"She was already dead," he said curtly.

"What does that matter?"

"It matters," was all Robert could muster.

"I don’t see how. I loved her."

Robert sighed angrily. "How can you love a dead person?"

"I don’t know! I just do!" William shouted back. "Haven’t you ever loved anyone?!"

Robert paused. In a low voice, he answered. "Yes."

"What? Did she not love you back?" William asked. "Is that why you’re angry with me? Because my love was returned? Well?"

In an equally low voice, "She was killed."

William felt terrible. "I’m… I’m sorry, Robert. I… I didn’t know."

Robert closed his eyes and gently shook his head. "Nor could you have. It’s something that I’ve been dealing with by myself."

William became curious. "If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?"

Robert sighed. Taking a deep breath, he started. "I was a boy of seventeen. Larosia was at peace, and I didn’t have a care in the world. Except one – Lindsay. We were both romantics. We would take long walks together, spend hours just talking, and dance as if we were the only two people in existence. At the time, I was merely the son of an aristocrat. I was spoiled and never had to lift a finger to do anything."

"So what happened?"

"Lindsay and I were going for one of our usual walks. We took a different route this time, which led us through one of the woods near our town. Unfortunately, it happened to be the meeting area of a band of outlaws, and they were currently in session. Before I even knew what we had walked into, I had been hit over the head with the hilt of a sword, and I fell helplessly onto the ground. Two of the outlaws jumped on my back and twisted my arms and legs. I wasn’t used to physical force, so I had no chance of getting up from under them. That’s when… that’s when…" Robert struggled as he recalled the events of that day. He began crying, harder than he’s cried in a long time.

William could see the hurt in his face. "That’s okay, Robert. You don’t have to continue."

"No," Robert insisted, trying to make himself stop crying. "I need to continue. I’ve held this up inside for too long."

"Very well," William said, now sitting beside Robert.

Robert sniffled. "The other three outlaws went after Lindsay. She had run from the danger in an effort to get help. But she wasn’t fast enough. They caught her and dragged her back kicking and screaming to the small clearing where I was still pinned down. Then they…" he cried more as he progressed. But he forced himself to continue. "They… raped her… one by one… Her cries of pain ripped through the woods, and to this day… I can still feel it… piercing my very soul…" He was crying even harder. "When they were… done with her… they left us… they left her to die and me with no way of helping her. That’s when… that’s when I decided to become a Knight in the Larosia Guard. I vowed to myself that an event like that would never happen again. That I would stand for justice..."

William hugged Robert sympathetically as he continued to cry. "So you’ve been doing all this for revenge?"

Robert nodded.

William sighed deeply. "I’m sorry, Robert. No one should have to witness such a terrible act."

Robert cried for some time.

* * * *

The other three went off on their own for the time being. John thought deeply about Chris, Michael about Catherine, and Aaron about Sarah. They had left someone important to them behind, and with the death of Nick, they began to wonder if they would ever see any of them again.

* * * *

William walked back over to the grave. Robert had since calmed down, and he felt that he’d be fine. He stopped at the foot of the grave and kneeled down. Folding his hands in his lap and lowering his head, he prayed for the departed soul of his friend.

As he finished, he caught a glimpse of something glowing. Puzzled, he looked up and around him. To the right of the grave lay Nick’s sword and shield. They were to be brought back with them to Hyrule, so that Nick could be honored in the Royal Cemetery. But now, the sword let out a soft glow, a glow that William had only seen in the Master Sword. Rising to his feet, William walked over to the sword, but by the time he got there, the glow had faded, and the sword looked just like any other ordinary sword.

"What the…" William mumbled.

He decided to keep it a secret. He couldn’t be sure if he had actually seen the sword glow, or if it was some side effect from the recent sadness that overwhelmed everyone. Leaning over, he picked up Nick’s equipment. He turned and saw the others congregating over by Link, and he joined them.

"…but we need to move on," William heard Link say.

"But…" John attempted, but he was cut off when Link raised his hands.

"But nothing. We still have a long journey ahead of us, and Nick wouldn’t want us to stand around grieving over him just yet."

"He’s right," Robert said. He seemed much more composed now. "So where do we go?"

"I saw what appeared to be a town off to the west," Aaron said.

"Where did you see that?" Zelda asked, wondering just how far Aaron had gone.

He pointed over to where he had been. "The elevation there is higher than most of the lands around here. I could see it in the distance."

"Was it a town? Or the ruins of a town?" William wondered aloud.

"Couldn’t tell," Aaron answered.

"Very well," Link said. "We’ll head west toward this mystery town. Hopefully, there are still people there."

They all agreed and proceeded to pick up their equipment, William still carrying Nick’s. Link walked up to him.

"Please, allow me."

William handed the equipment over to Link, and they headed west toward the unknown.

* * * *

They stared at the old, decrepit sign. The wood was splintered and still rotting, but the writing was still visible, although barely. It read:

TOWN OF BARU

POP. 523

However, the population number had been crossed out. Underneath it, the new population number read 252, but that too was crossed out. As was the next number: 104. The final number that remained without a line through it was 27.

"Baru… home…" John whimpered as he fell to his knees.

"There’s nothing left," Zelda commented.

The rest of the town looked just like the sign: old, decaying, dead a long time. They remained on the outskirts of the town, John still on his knees, memories of his old home flooding back to him. Thoughts of Chris entered his mind, as well as thoughts of his departed best friend Jacob. Despite all his efforts to keep his composure, John started to cry.

Zelda felt sorry for him. She walked over to him, knelt beside him, and hugged him protectively.

"Now what do we do?" William asked, irritated.

"I suggest that we take a long around," Aaron said. "There may not be much left, but it’s worth a shot."

They began to walk through the ghost town. John’s walk was more solemn than the rest. He had spent almost his entire life in Baru. It was hard enough after Ganondorf’s first attack on the town three years ago. Once the Evil King was defeated, the remaining townsfolk, John included, began the restoration and rebuilding of Baru. Now, in front of him, stood the old ruins of his once happy home.

Robert sensed John’s sadness, and his look confirmed it. Slowing his pace, Robert fell back right beside John and put his right hand on John’s left shoulder.

"I’m sorry that you have to see all this."

John smirked a little, then turned his head to face Robert. "That’s okay."

"If it helps any, just remember that this isn’t our world."

"No, it’s not," John agreed, but added, "This is what our world could’ve been like."

Robert nodded. "I suppose you’re right. But try to see around that."

John sighed. "I’ll try."

The group continued walking down what was left of the town’s main street. The streets were littered with merchants’ carts, and wagons were overturned in several places. The saloons, inns, and general stores along the sides were disheveled and barely standing. At the end of the stretch of street stood a large building. They stopped in front of it.

John began to shake.

"What’s wrong?" Robert asked, fully aware of John’s involuntary reaction.

"This is the Town Center. It’s where myself, Chris, Liz… and Jacob… used to go…"

Robert sighed. He didn’t know what to say anymore. The recent death of Nick was enough, but now John was reliving the deaths of his family and friends, especially Jacob. From out of nowhere, at least in Robert’s point of view, Zelda appeared and hugged John. He hugged back, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"It’s okay, John," Zelda tried to comfort him.

"Jacob…"

"Jacob died honorably. You don’t need to worry yourself with him. He’s in a better place now."

Robert stood aside, hating the old clichés that Zelda was using. Despite that, it seemed to be working. John was beginning to calm down.

"But the town…" he started.

"That’s why we’re here," Zelda continued, everyone else now looking on. "We’re going to make sure that Baru and the rest of Hyrule don’t suffer the same fate as this place has."

John realized that Zelda was speaking the truth, and he felt some of his pain lift off. Not all, but some. It was just enough for him to regain his composure. He nodded his thanks to Zelda, and she returned it with a smile.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments as none of the others wanted to get back to the task at hand and appear rude to John. Finally, Aaron broke the silence.

"I don’t think we’re going to find anything of use here."

"You’re right about that," William said as he walked back over to the group from one of the buildings. No one had even noticed he had left.

"Where were you?" Michael wondered aloud.

"Over there," William pointed.

They all looked at the faded sign over the door. JOSEPH’S FOOD MART.

Link rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"So there was nothing?" Robert asked, getting back to the point.

"No," William answered. "Not in there anyway."

"And probably not anywhere else," Aaron added. "I think it’s time we move on."

"But to where?" Michael asked in general.

"To the north," Link replied.

"Why north?" Robert asked.

Link turned his head to the west. "Because over there is Lake Hylia. We can follow the river north, which will bring us to Gerudo Valley."

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "Might as well. We don’t really have any other ideas."

They all mumbled their agreement.

"Then let’s go north," Link stated as he began to walk.

The rest of them followed, with the exception of John. He remained behind them, staring up at the large building where he had so many fond memories. Some of the stone on top crumbled and fell to the ground. John watched it fall, stared at it on the ground for a few seconds, then walked over to it. He stared at it for a little longer before picking it up and putting it in his bag.

With one last look up at the crumbling structure, John turned and headed toward the others.

* * * *

William looked west toward the sun as it made its way toward the horizon. The day seemed to drag on forever, and he couldn’t believe that it was only this morning that they had been held prisoner in the Malfos dungeons. It was only this morning that we lost Nick, he corrected himself, clearly understanding which one was more important.

As his thoughts turned to the morning’s events, William suddenly remembered Nick’s sword. The slow intensification of the glow had been almost unnoticeable. It was almost as if the phenomenon didn’t want to be seen by anyone. Well it failed, William thought. I saw it. But he couldn’t figure out what it meant. The glow never got to the point where it was unmistakable. In fact, it was a very soft glow, which made William initially think that he had imagined it. However, his instincts were telling him differently.

Involuntarily, he found himself looking at Nick’s sword. Link had been carrying it all done, slung over his back. William found that he was staring intently at the sword, and no amount of will power could pry his eyes off of it. His eyes didn’t want to take their eyes off it in case the event should ever happen again, but he doubted it would.

And then it lit up.

William’s eyes widened. The phenomenon occurred in the same fashion as the first time he saw it. The soft, eerie glow of the blade was barely noticeable, but William was sure that he wasn’t imagining it. In an attempt to prove his sanity to himself, he grabbed Michael’s arm and shook it violently.

"What’s wrong with you?" Michael asked rhetorically, annoyed at the sudden jolt of his body. He had become exhausted.

"Do you see that?" William asked excitedly.

"See what?"

"Nick’s sword! Look!"

Michael looked up at Nick’s sword.

"What about it?"

William sighed in disappointment and his heart sank. The glow was gone.

"What about it, William?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. It was nothing."

Confused, and slightly annoyed still, Michael faced forward again.

William tried to figure out if what he had seen had just been another trick his eyes were playing on his mind. He tried to dismiss it as so, but there was something inside him telling him that he was seeing this for a reason, and that it would prove vital later. He only wished he knew for what.

"A house!" Aaron shouted.

"Where?" Link asked him.

"On top of that hill to the east."

They all looked, and sure enough, there stood a solitary house in the middle of nothingness. Smoke billowed out of the fireplace, and from this distance, the house looked inhabited and fairly well kept. Without so much as another word, all of them turned and headed toward the house.

* * * *

"Welcome, I’ve been expecting you," the old man said in his same old voice.

"I should’ve known it was you," Link said curtly. "No one in their right mind would live in a place like this."

"Now, now. I mean you no harm."

"What about Nick?" Aaron asked angrily.

"Nick? As yes, the Fallen One," the old man recalled aloud.

"The Fallen One?" Aaron yelled back. He made an attempt to rush the old man, but Robert and William held him back.

"Do you mean to tell me that you knew he would be killed?" Link asked in a serious, calm tone.

"Not entirely."

Michael didn’t like that response. "Not entirely? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The old man’s tone of voice remained calm and cool. "I knew one of you would fall, but I did not know whom exactly."

"Why didn’t you tell us when we last talked?" Aaron jumped in, yelling at the top of his lungs, Robert and William still restraining him.

"Wait," Link stopped them all. He turned to Aaron. "You talked to him recently?"

"Michael and I found him after you were all taken. He told us how to get you out," Aaron answered Link, without moving his eyes off of the old man. "Now," he said, "why didn’t you tell us?"

"If I had informed you of the inevitable, would you have not tried to stop it?"

"Of course," Aaron replied.

"Therein lies the problem."

"How so?" Link asked, curious.

"If your two friends here had known that one of you was to die, they wouldn’t have gone through the same actions to save you."

"So?" Aaron replied, annoyed.

"If you had done any action differently, you would all be dead."

"So what you’re saying is that what Michael and Aaron did was the only way for them to do it?" Robert tried to figure out.

"Precisely. Otherwise, you would not be here today."

"I don’t like it," William commented.

"You don’t have to," the old man stated.

Link changed the subject. "So what do we do now?"

"Northwest of here lies the ruins of Gerudo Valley. You must pass through there into the Haunted Wastelands. From there, you must turn northeast and reach another town’s ruins. Then, turn south to reach the castle."

"Why do all that when we can just go northeast from here and reach the castle?" John asked.

"It is impossible. South of the castle lies a lake that is consumed with evil. There is no way to cross it. And to the east of that lies the Dark Wall. Its magic repels anything that dares approach it."

"Good reasons," William joked, but none of them were laughing.

"Is that all?" Link asked.

"There is one more thing," the old man started. He paused. "Another one of you will fall."

"Why you rotten old man!" Aaron shouted as he leapt at the old man. Robert and William were too slow to react, and Aaron jumped at him.

The old man laughed and disappeared. Aaron fell on his face on the hard soil. The house was gone and it had become night. This didn’t shock any of them anymore.

"Well," John said. "It looks like we’re camping here for the night."

"Agreed," Link said. "We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow," he paused. "But we’re almost there. I can feel it."

They emptied their bags and set up their sleeping arrangements, always keeping one person on duty.

The group’s spirits had risen since the night before. If what the old man told them was true, then they were almost done their journey. Sure, they still had some distance to go, but the finish line was drawing near. On the mainland, they had no idea as to how long it would take them to trek across it. But here, on the somewhat familiar grounds of a dead Hyrule, the end was in sight.

Their walks had a little more bounce to them, and their faces showed signs of expectation and relief combined (the old man’s recent prophecy forgotten). For a change, they were not greeted with silence on their long walk. Instead, conversations turned to joyous and humorous times gone by, and those sure to come. William was already planning on attending many feasts upon their return.

"It will be a great feast!"

They all laughed.

"What if they don’t have one?" Aaron remarked.

"Then I’ll throw one!" William exclaimed. He paused as they laughed a little more. "Hell, I’ll throw one regardless!"

"Oh William," Zelda teased. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Well that’s easy!" Robert yelled out. "Feed him!"

John felt relieved at the sights and sounds of the rejuvenated group. Seeing them so happy eased his pain. He hadn’t forgotten what the ruins of Baru looked like, and he didn’t think he ever would. But, for the time being, he was able to put it all behind him and was looking forward to returning home, to the real Baru.

Link led the Knights into song. They had several war songs that they sang, although not well. Zelda and Michael didn’t know any of the words, but the others did. Michael listened intently. He wanted to be a Knight, and knowing their fight songs was something he had always wanted. The songs were mostly tales of old, legends that had been passed on from generation to generation. They told of a bold warrior named Harkinian that strived to unite the land under one ruler. They told of monsters and demons, heroes and maidens. They even spoke of Link. When they got to those parts, Link shut his mouth, while the others yelled louder.

When the singing (if it could be called that) was done, Zelda applauded as if she had just seen an amazing play. The five of them bowed in her direction and laughed.

"Well, that was fun," Link said, a little out of breath.

"Sure was. It was a nice break from…" Robert gestured all around them, "…all of this."

Link took a deep breath, and let it out. "I guess we should be moving on then."

"Do we have to?" William pouted like a child.

Aaron put his arm over his shoulders. "Don’t worry, William. We can play when we get home," he joked.

"Promise?"

Aaron held up his right hand. "Promise."

"Shall we get going, then?" Michael said, trying to nudge them along.

"Let’s go," John added, anxious to get back home, back to Baru, and back to Chris.

Indeed, they all felt a bit of homesickness, but it wasn’t anything they hadn’t dealt with long before. This journey itself was a constant reminder of home. A home tarnished and destroyed, but home nonetheless.

They continued their march along the Hylian River. It had started to become narrower as they moved north, away from its mouth. The source of the river was located way up in Death Mountain Range, on the other side of the island. But they weren’t headed that far. Not yet at least. Their first destination was the ruins of Gerudo Valley.

They were all still in good spirits, but each had turned to their own inner thoughts. Thoughts of loved ones, home, good food, and the beautiful landscape of Hyrule flashed through their heads. They were so engrossed in their day dreaming that none of them noticed the slight glow emanating from Nick’s blade, still strapped to Link’s back.

No one, except William. He stared at the blade; his eyes squinted, trying to figure out if the illusion was just that. He looked around from person to person and realized that none of them were paying attention. A Stalfos could sneak up on them and they’d be none the wiser, he thought at that moment. He shook his head and turned his concentration back on the glowing sword, only it wasn’t glowing anymore. William sighed angrily and frowned, but again, no one noticed. He was really starting to hate that sword. But that gut feeling took hold of him again. He knew it would be important, but how still remained a mystery.

He felt himself starting to get a headache, and he shook the thoughts of the blade out of his head for the moment. He glanced around each of the others again and shrugged his shoulders. Why not? he said to himself, and began to daydream.

* * * *

The blistering sun was high in the sky by the time they reached the entrance to the desert. Miraculously, the beginnings of the desert looked almost exactly the same as Link had remembered it from home. The dry, cracked earth seemed to have been frozen in time, yet when the wind blew, dirt swirled around.

They made their way through the small ravine that led to the Gerudo’s Fortress back in their Hyrule. As they neared the cliff that hung over the raging river below, Link was convinced that his eyes were playing tricks on him. Stretching across the canyon, exactly as it had been, was the Gerudo Bridge. It swung softly in the wind and there were no visible signs of weakness from decay or weather. It was in perfect condition.

And Link didn’t like it at all.

"Finally," William exhaled with relief. "Something has gone our way."

"That’s for sure," John agreed. "This is nothing like that bridge in Shakar."

Michael didn’t care. His body became stiff at the sight of the long drop, and his breathing became erratic and quick. He didn’t care that this bridge looked to be in great shape. In fact, that’s not even what he saw. All he could see was the rickety old bridge that they had to cross to reach the other side of the Chasm of the Damned, and that frightened him to death.

Robert noticed Michael’s behavior. In fact, he had been expecting it. He walked over to where Michael had retreated and looked him in the eyes.

"Michael."

Michael’s eyes darted around, looking at anything and everything in view. Anything but Robert.

"Michael, we’re going to need to cross this bridge."

"No."

"Yes. Link needs us. We have to help him. And in order to do that, we have to put all of our fears behind us and face the reality of the situation."

"Which is?" Michael seemed to gain some composure back.

"That if we don’t cross this bridge, then there may be no hope for this world… or ours."

That note struck a chord in Michael’s brain. Suddenly, a vision of Catherine flashed before his eyes. He loved her and needed to see her and touch her again. Slowly, more composure crept into him.

Robert went for broke. He knew the one thing that Michael wanted most out of this entire journey, so he used it as blackmail.

"If you don’t cross this bridge and conquer your fears," he began, pointing at the bridge with his head, "then you will never become a Knight of Hyrule. And you can count on that."

Michael felt it snap inside. Not become a Knight? he thought. Ever? He wasn’t sure if Robert was just bluffing in order to get him to cross the bridge, but he wasn’t about to take that chance. Summoning up all his will and determination, Michael looked Robert square in the eyes.

"Let’s cross this bridge."

Robert smiled. The kid had guts, he had to give him that. He was still inexperienced, but Robert could see the potential in Michael. It was there, although at times it was overshadowed by his unresolved fears. The two of them headed over to the bridge just as Link and Zelda made it safely to the other side.

"So how is it?" Robert asked the remaining three.

"Seems safe enough," Aaron said hesitantly.

"Safe enough?" William asked sarcastically. "There’s nothing to worry about! This bridge is in perfect shape!"

Aaron sighed. "That’s exactly what I’m worried about."

"So what are you going to do? Stand here while the rest of us leave you behind?" William continued. Aaron didn’t answer. "Well, suit yourself, but I’m going across." He turned toward Michael. "You coming willingly this time?"

"You bet," Michael answered enthusiastically, pleasing William.

"And he’s afraid of heights!" William threw at Aaron. "He’s willing. Why aren’t you?"

Aaron still didn’t answer. He knew better than to argue with William. It never went anywhere.

"Let’s go, Michael."

Michael and William stepped foot on the bridge and started there way across. Halfway over, William stopped moving forward and jumped up and down repeatedly on the bridge.

"See?" he yelled back. "It’s fine!"

The demonstration of the bridge’s integrity was enough to convince John to head over. Without saying anything to either Robert of Aaron, he walked across and safely reached the other side.

"It’s safe," Robert stated to Aaron.

"Seems that way, but I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach."

They stood in silence for a moment.

"So, shall I go first, or do you want the honors?" Robert asked.

Aaron sighed. "I’ll go. This way you can make sure I don’t turn around and run like hell."

Robert laughed, and Aaron joined in. Still laughing, Aaron headed onto the bridge with Robert right behind him.

On the far side, the other five were waiting patiently for the two Knights to make their way across. While the other four of them were in high spirits, there was something amiss that Link couldn’t put his finger on. He hadn’t known that Aaron had a bad feeling about it as well, so he kept it to himself, blaming it on nerves. It’s been a long journey, he told himself. You’re just a little on edge. But he felt like it was more than that. The atmosphere didn’t seem right.

Robert and Aaron were now halfway across the bridge, and Aaron’s doubts finally began to subside. As it turned out, it was a little too soon.

A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, sending the bridge into a tantrum of rocking and twisting. The two Knights were initially caught off guard and barely managed to grab a hold of the ropes in time. Struggling to maintain their balance, they held on for dear life.

"Go!" Robert yelled up to Aaron, but even from the short distance between them his voice was overpowered by the winds. Aaron looked back and thought he saw an image of Ganondorf in the clouds, creating the winds with his mouth. Shaking it from his mind, he looked at Robert.

His voice was still being drowned out by the winds, but Aaron could make out what Robert was saying. With a simple gesture of pointing coupled with a facial expression that resembled panicking, Robert indicated what he wanted. And Aaron obliged.

The two made their way toward the other side where they could see the other five scrambling to reach them. Link was already on the bridge and was ordering the rest of the men to stand back. Aaron locked his eyes on Link, giving it his all just to reach the Hero of Time. Link was shouting as well, but Aaron couldn’t hear a thing.

As the two made it closer to the end of the bridge, Link reached out with his hand as far as he possibly could. Aaron’s attention shifted from Link to his hand. He reached out for it and firmly grasped it. With the help of Link, Aaron was successfully able to reach the other side. Relieved, Aaron smiled and even let out a small laugh. He had been so scared for his life just then that he found it amusing. He turned back around and suddenly realized that no one else found it funny.

The bridge had collapsed.

Aaron counted bodies around him, and only counted 6, including himself. He then realized that Link was lying on the ground, his upper body dangling over the edge of the cliff. He ran to him.

Sliding beside Link, Aaron finally saw Robert. He was dangling over the river, his entire body being supported by the last remaining rope that he had been able to grab a hold of. Link was desperately trying to reach his troubled friend, but the distance was just too great.

"Link!" Aaron yelled. "Hold on to my legs!"

Link nodded and Aaron moved into position. Grabbing a firm hold of Aaron’s feet, Link shouted that he was ready. Slowly, he lowered Aaron down over the cliff.

"Robert!" Aaron yelled down. "I’m coming! Don’t let go!"

Robert looked up at Aaron, down at the river below, then up at Aaron again. "Thanks for the tip!" he yelled sarcastically.

Aaron reached out with his hand, and Robert used all his strength to reach for it with his free hand. Even with Link’s help, Aaron was still not close enough.

"I can’t get any closer!" Aaron yelled. "You’ll have to climb!"

Robert nodded, with discomfort. The pain in his left hand and arm was already beginning to overpower him. Desperately, he reached up with his right hand and grabbed the rope above where his left hand already was. With great effort, he pulled himself up a little more, but still not close enough to Aaron’s outstretched hand.

"I can’t make it!" Robert exclaimed.

"Yes you can!" Aaron answered. "Come on!"

Robert let go with his left hand and struggled to move it above his right. His face grimaced in pain and frustration as his muscles seemed to give up on him. He was now holding on by his right arm alone, and the burden that his left arm felt just moments earlier was beginning to take its toll. He knew it was over.

His eyes watering, he looked up at Aaron. "Go on without me!"

"What? Are you crazy? There’s no way we’re leaving without you!"

Robert’s gaze remained fixed and his tone became calm. "The old man said that another one of us would fall. It seems as though he was being literal."

"No! Don’t give up! Grab onto my hand!"

"Tell the others that I wish them the best of luck," Robert continued, his speech still eerily calm. Aaron looked at him in disbelief. "Goodbye, my friend," Robert said.

He let go.

"No!" Aaron screamed at the top of his lungs as the others peered over the cliff in disbelief and sadness.

Robert fell and plunged deep into the river below. None of them moved. Even Aaron remained where he was, dangling by his feet. They all watched the river until they saw his body. Moments passed in silence and anxiety as they each prayed for him to be alright. Finally, his body emerged from the waters.

It was limp and was carried away by the current.

* * * *

No one said a word about it.

They remained near the edge of the cliff for the night, none of them uttering a word to anyone. Most of them weren’t even thinking; they just zoned out and stared at nothing. The wind that had claimed their friend had died down as abruptly as it had started, but none of them seemed to notice.

Link broke his trance and looked around from person to person. Each had a blank expression on their faces, including Zelda, even though tears streamed down her cheek. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind. All that came out was an indistinguishable noise. Again, no one noticed.

When morning came, Link finally got around to telling the others that they needed to move on. He told them that Robert wouldn’t have wanted them to stand around grieving for him in the middle of a mission. That they should wait until they were back home in Hyrule to grieve. And although none of them felt that waiting was appropriate, they gave in and continued on their journey.

They entered what remained of the Gerudo Fortress. Unlike the bridge, the fortress hadn’t fared well against the elements. Time and weather had taken their toll, and there wasn’t much left. Link hadn’t been expecting anything, so it wasn’t a disappointment in his eyes.

"This place is a mess," William commented as they walked passed the first buildings.

No one responded to it, nor did he want any reaction. He just said it to break the long silence that had fallen upon them.

After another few minutes of silence, Michael spoke up.

"Do you know where we’re headed, Link?"

He nodded. "Just beyond the fortress lies the Haunted Wasteland."

"Oh." After a short pause, Michael continued. "What’s in the Haunted Wasteland?"

"Nothing really. Just a lot of wind and sand," Link answered. Then he added, "Oh yeah, there’s a ghost too."

John stopped dead in his tracks. "A ghost?" he asked, trying to figure out if Link was kidding or not.

Link heard the frightened tone in John’s voice. "Relax, John. It’s nothing more than a poe. It helped me cross the wastelands successfully on my first visit here."

John felt a little relieved.

"But that was in our Hyrule," Aaron commented. "Who knows what’s out there in this world."

John stopped dead again. Michael walked back toward him. "Come on, John. I crossed a bridge… no, two bridges, and I’m afraid of heights. You’re crossing this desert, ghosts or not."

John nodded and they headed toward the Haunted Wasteland.

* * * *

She was taking a stroll alongside the lake when she saw it. It had been so long since she had seen another person that at first she thought she was just imagining it. But as she moved closer to the form protruding from the bank of the lake, she become more and more sure of herself.

She gasped as she realized that the body wasn’t moving. Not by choice anyway, she thought to herself. She rushed up to it and knelt down beside him. Right away, she noticed that he was strong and good-looking. Oh please don’t let him be dead. She placed her hand over his mouth and prayed.

She felt him breathe. It was slow, but it was definitely there. Double-checking herself, she placed two fingers on his neck and waited for a pulse. It too was there, although faint.

"I need to get you inside," she told the unconscious man. "Somehow," she said aloud, to herself.

She struggled to move his body. His body was deadweight and it wasn’t helping matters. Finally, she stood near his head and put him into a sitting position. Getting behind him, she wrapped her arms around his chest and dragged him away from the lake.

* * * *

Robert moaned and slowly opened his eyes. He found himself in a bed, staring at the ceiling of someone’s house. His eyesight was poor and he found it hard to focus on any specific object in the room. He raised his hand to his forehead.

"I’m… alive?" he asked himself.

"Just barely."

The response caught him completely by surprise, and his hand reacted by reaching for his sword, but it wasn’t there. He looked at the figure that had entered the room and thought that he recognized it.

"Lindsay?" he asked, confused. His eyes were still cloudy, but just as he finished saying her name, they seemed to clear up automatically.

The woman standing there morphed from the image of his lost loved one to the face of another woman whom he had never seen.

"You’re not Lindsay," he said, as if she had been trying to play off that she was.

"No, I’m not," the woman responded, matter-of-factly.

"Who are you?" Robert asked. Then, without hesitation, "Where am I? How did I get here? What day is it?"

"Easy there," she said, holding her hands out as if to say ‘slow down.’ "Let’s take this one question at a time."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Lisa," she introduced herself. "As for where you are, you’re in my house on the shores of Forbidden Lake."

Robert was puzzled. "Forbidden Lake? I’ve never heard of it."

"Well," she said, "that’s just the name I’ve given it. It had a real name once, long ago, but it has since been forgotten. Like much of this land."

Robert tried to get up, but found it hard to move.

"Please, try to remain calm…" she fumbled for his name, knowing full well he hadn’t given it yet.

"I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Robert."

"Try to relax, Robert."

He listened and laid back down in the bed. "How long have I been here?"

"About a day," she answered. "I’m surprised you awoke so soon." She paused. "May I ask what you were doing out there all alone?"

Robert sighed. "I wasn’t alone. I was with a group of my friends. We were on a long journey, and I got separated from them just yesterday."

"What happened?"

"The bridge over the river collapsed and I fell from the top of the cliff."

"Bridge?" she questioned. "What bridge? There hasn’t been a crossable bridge in this parts for as long as I can remember."

"Well, we certainly found one. Although now I think that it was just a trap for us."

"Oh," she said.

Silence fell between them, and Robert began to grow uncomfortable. He decided to start talking about her.

"So who else lives here?"

"No one," she answered. "I live by myself. In fact, you’re the first person I’ve seen in many years."

"You’re here all by yourself?" Robert asked, surprised.

"Well, I do have a couple of horses to keep me company, but that’s about it. The lands around here aren’t very inhabitable."

"But you’ve managed to survive."

"I suppose." She then changed the subject. "You should rest a while longer. I’ll fix us something to eat in a few hours."

"Sounds good," Robert replied. He rested his head on his pillow and she began to leave the room. "Lisa," he called out. She turned around to face him. "Thank you. For everything."

She smiled. "It’s my pleasure."

She left the room and Robert fell asleep.

* * * *

It was impossible to see in the wastelands.

But they continued their march through it, all of them relying on Link’s memory of the region. The old flagpoles that used to show the way were worn down, some of them even completely knocked down. Talking was also impossible in the harsh winds of the wasteland. Instead, they needed to rely on hand signals and gestures to communicate with each other.

Link stopped again, as he had done many times since they entered the Haunted Wasteland. Covering his face with his arms as best he could, he surveyed the surroundings for the umpteenth time. He was growing worried that he was leading them in circles and that they would be stuck in the wastelands forever.

Not forever, he thought to himself. The wasteland would kill us off in a day or so.

He forced the thought out of his head. There was no use dwelling on what may be, as well as what might have been. It was a lesson he had learned long ago. Focusing back on the task at hand, he noticed the splintered ends of one of the flagpoles in the distance (which turned out to be only twenty yards or so). He turned around to inform the others.

And two of them were missing.

His eyes widened as far as they would go in the sandstorm. He dropped his arms from his face, fully exposing it to the harsh environment. Gesturing with both his arms, he signaled for them all to huddle in together. Once they were in a circle, Link looked at every one.

He saw Zelda, William, and John.

"Where are Aaron and Michael?" Link called to the other three.

They could faintly hear him, but they were fully aware that their numbers had dwindled. Each of them shrugged their shoulders and shook their head. Link turned around and looked all around them.

"Michael? Aaron?" he yelled, and was meet with a mouthful of sand. He began coughing and quickly realized that yelling for them wouldn’t serve him any good. Reluctantly, but decidedly, he motioned for them to continue on their way.

The other three knew that there was nothing that could be done, but that didn’t matter. It was disheartening having to leave Michael and Aaron behind, wherever they were. It would be up to the two of them to find their way out of the wasteland.

* * * *

Aaron and Michael stopped again. They had lost sight of Link and the others what seemed like hours ago. Since then, they had blindly traveled through the Haunted Wasteland, hoping to inadvertently find the way out. So far, they weren’t having any luck.

"We’re getting nowhere," Michael said, his voice struggling against the wind and sand.

"Gotta keep moving!" Aaron shouted back. "I’m not giving up!"

Michael nodded his agreement, and the two of them covered their faces once more and headed in a direction they hoped would get them out of the wasteland.

* * * *

The four of them continued through the wasteland. Link still led the way, and the other three followed him without a second thought. But the long march was beginning to take its toll on them.

William was tired. He had been tired for quite a while now, but his sheer determination was keeping him going. He didn’t want to lose sight of the other three as Aaron and Michael apparently had done. He had fallen behind them, and he could barely see John’s back although he couldn’t have been more than ten yards away.

He made an attempt to yell up to John, but as soon as he had uncovered his face and opened his mouth, he was greeted with pain. Sand bombarded his face and mouth, and he began to cough violently as his body tried to expel the foreign matter. He fell to his knees, still coughing. As he finally was able to bring himself under control, he looked up. No one was in sight.

He went to yell again, but decided against it, not wanting to go through the coughing attack that he had just calmed. Standing up, he looked all around him, but still couldn’t find any signs of John, Link, or Zelda.

Just great, he thought to himself. This is not what I needed.

He picked a direction and began walking.

* * * *

John felt like there was something wrong, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. Initially, he just played the feeling off from the fact that they had lost Aaron and Michael somewhere. But now the feeling was closer, as if something or someone close by was in trouble. Ahead of him, Link and Zelda continued on, searching for the way out of the Haunted Wasteland. Behind him, William was…

He saw no sign of William. Immediately he stopped and looked all over, but he couldn’t find William anywhere.

"William!" he yelled, making sure not to let any sand enter his mouth by shielding it with his hands. Unfortunately, that made his voice come out muffled, and he doubted that William would’ve even heard him if he was there.

And now, John was torn between walking back a little to look for William, or to stay within sight of Link and Zelda. He glanced back around to see the two of them still walking on, paying no attention to the lack of people behind them. John sighed.

Those two will be fine as long as they stick together. And William is by himself, he reasoned in his mind. Nodding to himself, he turned his back on Link and Zelda and began looking for William.

* * * *

Link and Zelda continued on, oblivious to the fact they were all alone. It took a random look back by Zelda to realize this.

"Link, where is everyone?" she asked him through the wind.

He turned around and finally noticed that none of the others were behind them anymore. He cursed himself for not making sure of their presence earlier and often, but there was nothing he could do about that now. He sighed.

"Shouldn’t we go look for them?" Zelda asked.

"No. There’s no use."

"What do you mean?" she asked, offended, although it was hard to tell through the sandstorm.

"They could be anywhere. The best thing for us to do is to get out of here and hope that they make it on their own. They’re not going to go down without a fight," he reasoned. "Come on, we’ve got to keep moving."

He began to walk away, and she took one last look back into the sandstorm. She prayed for each of them before turning back around and joining Link.

They ate dinner in the small dining room in Lisa’s home. Throughout the meal, they made small talk, mostly observations and stories from their pasts, but nothing very telling. Robert enjoyed the meal. It was perfectly cooked and every bite was even better than the last. Lisa enjoyed the company. It had been so long since she had seen, let alone spoken, to another person.

After eating, Robert helped Lisa clean the dishes. During that time, they made more small talk, but there were greater questions on each of their minds. When they retreated to the living room area, they both decided to follow up on their curiosities.

"Why are you…" they both started to ask at the same time, resulting in a smile.

"After you," Robert said politely, gesturing with his hand for her to ask her question.

"No," she replied. "I insist that you ask first. After all, you are a guest."

Robert smiled. "Very well." He shifted his legs around in front of him. "Why are you here? There’s no one else around. And for that matter, how have you survived? You seemed rather distant when I mentioned it earlier."

She took a deep breath. "I know. It’s just that… it’s a long story."

"I’ve got some time."

She nodded. "I’ve been here by myself for just about six years now." She stopped and thought about what to say next. Robert helped her along.

"Why did you come here?"

"Because of a child."

"A child?" Robert was confused. "Were you pregnant?"

Lisa shook her head. "No no no… I was urged to come here."

"Urged? By whom? A child?"

"Yes." She saw the rather confused look in his face. "Perhaps I should go back to where it all started."

"Please."

"About seven years ago, I was taking a morning walk on the outskirts of my hometown, Gatero. In the distance, I could see a traveler, and from his slumping walk and weak posture, I could tell that he had been on a long journey and needed aid. So I rushed over to the man, only when I got there, it wasn’t a man at all. I was shocked by the presence of a boy, and from the looks of it, not even a teenager."

Robert’s eyebrows rose as something began to connect in his mind. He didn’t quite know what the connection was, but he felt that there was something there. He continued to listen.

"He was in very bad shape, so I took him to my parents’ home in town. We gave him plenty of food and water and gave him a bed to rest in. He didn’t say much the first day or so because of his extreme exhaustion, but we knew he was thankful for our hospitality." She took a drink of water, then continued. "On the second or third day, he was already strong enough to help around the house. He kept on telling us how grateful he was and that we had saved his life. He said that he didn’t have a way to repay us except for his help in our everyday chores. Life around the house changed dramatically that day. I didn’t have any siblings, and I began to think of him as my little brother."

"Where did he come from?"

She took another sip of water. "He never told us exactly. I kept on asking him why he had been traveling alone. For the longest time, he wouldn’t give so much of a hint of the truth, so I feared that he had been part of a traveling bandwagon that had been attacked by thieves and he was all that remained. But after a while, several months actually, he told us some of his past. Apparently, he had an argument with his father and had run away. He wouldn’t go into it any further, but it was apparent that he had no intention of going back."

Something should’ve clicked in Robert’s mind, but it didn’t. He was intent on listening to her entire story that he pushed off the coincidences without a second thought.

"So was it because of him that you ended up here?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling momentarily, as if the story had been written on it. "Almost a year after we had found him, he started saying that he had to leave. That he had somewhere to get to. I kept on asking him where, but he wouldn’t tell me. I bugged him to no end about it, and he finally gave in. He told me that he was headed to Forbidden Island, and I couldn’t believe my ears. We tried to convince him not to go to such a terrible place, that it was extremely dangerous. But he didn’t care. Early one morning, he snuck out of the house with some rations and some clothes. I had been up for fear that he would do something drastic like that, so I followed him." She sighed again as she recollected the events. While telling this part of the story, she didn’t even look at Robert. Instead, she stared blankly at the candle burning in the windowsill. "He walked out of town, down the road that led toward Pomina, a port town. I figured he would try to get on a ship to the Forbidden Island, but I doubted that anyone would take him there. I followed him from a safe distance throughout the dark hours of the morning. When the sun began to rise, I fell further back, hoping that he wouldn’t see me."

"Did he?"

"Yes, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He waited for me on the outskirts of Pomina, and he said that I shouldn’t have come. I told him that if I couldn’t convince him not to go, that I would follow him and make sure that he was safe. He had smiled, and I think that was the last time I saw him smile. Somehow, he found a captain that would take him to Forbidden Island, but it wasn’t leaving for several days. I took this time to send a letter back home because my parents were probably worried sick about me. But the letter never got to them. A messenger showed up in Pomina, returned my letter, and informed me that my parents had been killed in a fire." Tears began to well up in her eyes as she remembered hearing the news for the first time. Robert walked over to her, sat beside her, and put his arms around her.

"You don’t have to go on if you don’t want to."

"No, it’s okay," she said, fighting back tears. "I was so distraught, but Evan didn’t seem to care…"

Robert jumped in surprise. "What was his name?!" he asked.

"Evan. Didn’t I mention that before?" she asked, looking up at him.

"No."

"Oh," she said. "Does it matter?"

He looked at her. "It does indeed. But finish your story first."

She nodded. "He never really showed any emotion after that, good or sad. When we got to the Island, we marched for several days before we got here. It was then that he left me behind."

"Left you behind?"

"Yes. He said that the rest of the way was too dangerous and that I would be safe here. Of course, I tried to stop him from leaving, but he wasn’t listening. One morning, I woke up and found him gone. And I’ve been here ever since, hoping that he would return."

She stopped and there was a silence between them. It lasted for several minutes before she asked, "So why are you here?"

Her question broke his trancelike thoughts. He looked at her, still holding her in his arms. "My friends are I are searching for Evan."

"What? For Evan? Has he done something wrong?" She was now sitting upright.

"He did," Robert answered. "But that doesn’t matter anymore. Now it’s just a father hoping to find his son."

"Are you his father?"

Robert shook his head. "No. He’s the son of Link, the leader of us Knights, and King of Hyrule."

"A king? In a place like this?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"He’s not the typical king, if that’s what you’re getting at. He hates the word, as a matter of fact. He insists that if we call him anything, to call him Sir Link. Nothing more."

"Humble royalty? You don’t see that everyday."

"No, you don’t. He used to be a boy living in the forest before he became the greatest hero the land had seen. He’s a legend back home."

"So what’s happened?" she asked, now wanting to here his story.

"It’s a long story," he said, smiling.

"I’ve got some time," she answered, smiling right back.

* * * *

William continued to walk aimlessly through the wasteland. He had been lost for what seemed like hours now, and he still had seen no signs of the others. He felt like he was walking in circles, but there was no way to tell if he was even doing that. He stopped and reached for his water skin. Trying his best to shield his face, he drank all that was left in it. He sighed.

"You’re going to die out here, you know that, William?" he asked himself aloud. He looked all around him, but the perpetual sandstorm was impossible to see through. "Which way do I go?" he yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping that someone might hear him.

The wind drowned out his voice, and he doubted that anyone could hear him, even if they were nearby. They could be no more than fifty yards away, yet they still wouldn’t be able to see or hear me, he thought. Reluctantly, he picked a direction and walked again.

He walked for another fifteen minutes or so, and a sinking felling began to set in. He had no idea where he was, where he was going, or where he had just been. But he needed to fight on, no matter the odds. And although his mind was still fighting, his body was giving up. He fell hard, face first, into the sand.

He wasn’t sure if he had passed out or not. Not that it really mattered. He was still in the same predicament, only maybe now he was a little rested. He remained where he was.

"Don’t give up, William."

His head bolted upright. The voice was near, but it seemed distant at the same time. It was familiar, yet completely strange. He glanced around and noticed what he thought was a floating figure of a person in the sandstorm.

"What the hell?" he said aloud.

He pulled himself up and faced the ghostly appearance, but he didn’t move any closer to it.

"Come, William."

The voice seemed so familiar to him, and despite what he previously decided, he began walking toward the apparition.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You know who I am," the apparition said, its voice becoming clearer and more recognizable.

Suddenly, it hit William. "Nick?"

As if on cue, the apparition formed itself into the shape of Nick, and the voice become his. "Hey, William."

"How…? But you’re… dead…"

"Yes I am."

"Am I going insane?" William asked.

The apparition laughed. "Of course not, William. You’re perfectly fine. In fact, you’ll make it out of this wasteland in perfect health."

"I’m beginning to doubt that."

"Don’t worry," Nick’s ghost comforted. "The Goddesses are watching over you."

William squinted his eyes. "Okay, fine, let’s say that I’m not insane and that you really are here. Why?"

"You no doubt have seen my sword on Link’s back."

William’s eyes lit up. "You mean the glowing isn’t in my head?" he asked, eager to find out if was totally sane.

"That’s right. Although you are the only one who can see it."

"Why? Why me?"

Nick’s ghost smirked. "I don’t know, William. The Goddesses have plans, but they don’t divulge too many details."

"Naturally," William said, disappointed, although he figured as much. "So I guess you’re sword is important then."

"You might say that."

"So why does it glow?"

"Now that I can answer. The sword is carrying my spirit within it and will continue to do so until you and the others return to our world."

"Well isn’t that nice?" William joked. Becoming serious again, "So how will I know when to use it?"

"You’ll know. But until that time, you mustn’t let the others know."

"Why not? Will it lose its power or something?"

Nick’s ghost smiled and shook its head. "Of course not. They’ll just think you’re insane."

"Ah, definitely don’t need that," William commented.

A blue glowing ball appeared next to Nick’s ghost. "This light will lead you out of the wasteland safely. Make sure you don’t lose sight of it."

"Thank you, Nick," William said. "For everything that you’ve done for me since I’ve met you."

"Think nothing of it, my friend."

William smiled. "I’m just glad I was able to tell you that. Goodbye, Nick."

"Goodbye, William. And good luck."

Nick’s ghost disappeared from in front of him. After a moment, the ball of light began to move and William followed it, a single tear running down his cheek.

* * * *

Link and Zelda stopped abruptly. In front of them stood a vision of Evan.

"Evan?" Zelda asked, tears in her eyes at the mere sight of her son. Although the figure was older than the last time she had seen him, she was certain it was Evan.

"Hello Mother. Hello Father," Evan’s vision said. "I’m glad you’ve made it this far."

"Evan!" Link yelled. "Stop this nonsense now! We’ve already lost two of my dearest friends!"

"Acceptable casualties."

Zelda’s blood curdled. "How can you be so insensitive? Nick and Robert were like family!"

"Death is a part of life, Mother. There is no use crying over that which comes to all."

Zelda began to cry at the lack of humanity that was present in Evan. She moved over to Link and buried herself in his arms.

"Evan," Link said, more under control. "I said this to you before. You’re being used by Ganondorf."

"And I believe I told you to come to the castle and see for yourself," Evan replied.

"That’s what I’m doing, but you’re made it difficult for us."

Evan’s vision smiled. "Just testing your skills, Father. And I see you’ve kept them sharp over the years."

"It’s only been two weeks," Link pointed out.

"To you perhaps. But here in this world, I’ve spent the last seven years mastering my skill. I believe you’ll find me to be a tough foe, Father."

"But I’m not your enemy! None of us are!"

Evan ignored him. The vision’s attention drifted to that of the crying Zelda. Shaking his head, he made a ball of light appear next to him.

"She is weak."

"Your actions and words have done this to her!" Link yelled.

Evan again ignored him. "If you wish to get out of this place, follow the light." The vision faded away. "I await you at the castle," the lingering voice said.

"Zel, it’s okay now. Evan’s gone."

"That wasn’t my son," she said meekly. "My son isn’t so insensitive and heartless."

"I know," Link agreed. "Don’t worry. We’ll get our real son back."

The light flickered and began to move away. They followed it.

* * * *

Robert mounted himself on one of Lisa’s horses.

"Take me with you," she pleaded.

"No, it’s too dangerous."

"That’s what Evan said, and I’ve been stuck here for six years!" she cried out. "I will not stay here alone any longer!"

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