Legacy of the Hero: Twilight Princess Legacy of the Hero: Episode V: Twilight Princess Written by Stephen J. Sheridan DRAMATIS PERSONAE Gandalf – White Wizard/ Jedi Master Aragorn – King of Gondor/ Jedi Master Link – Hero of Hyrule, Jedi Master Vergere – Lost Jedi Knight Zelda – Princess of Hyrule Saria – Kokiri/Sage of the Forest Ganondorf Dragmire – King of Darkness Agahnim – Ganondorf’s faithful minion / evil wizard King of Red Lions – King of Hyrule Ilia – villager Colin – child from Ordona Village Rauru – Sage of Light Darunia – Sage of Fire / Goron Midna – Mysterious Twilight Creature Luke Skywalker – Jedi Grand Master Mara Jade Skywalker – Jedi Master Ben Skywalker – Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker – Jedi from Old Republic Sauron – Dark Lord of Middle Earth Saruman – Evil Wizard of Middle Earth Emperor Palpatine/ Darth Sidious – Dark Lord of the Sith Grand Admiral Thrawn – Chiss Master-mind Joruus C’baouth – Jedi Clone Jacen Solo – Jedi Knight Zant – Self-Proclaimed King of the Twilight 1 Prologue: In the long forgotten kingdom of Hyrule, Ganondorf has returned. He is even now staging an attack upon the castle. He has summoned his loyal minion, Agahnim, a wizard, to kidnap the young princess, Zelda. With the young hero, Link, gone victory is ensured. What he does not know is that Link is on his way to Hyrule even now, with the Lord and Jedi Master, Elessar and, the old wizard and Jedi Master, Gandalf. The three are legendary heroes and Jedi Masters of their time. Meanwhile, Darth Sidious, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Clone, Jedi Master Joruus C’baouth, are planning an invasion of Coruscant after all the Jedi are gone on their missions. Masters, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn are even now making their rounds as protectors of the Galactic Alliance. Princess Leia is preparing for her quest to Middle Earth to meet with the Elves. She knows scarcely anything about these legendary beings so she is talking with Master Gandalf about them. While filling in Leia about the elves, Gandalf is preparing for his journey to Hyrule. He senses he will be needed in that legendary realm more than anywhere else. “Strange,” he thinks to himself. He finishes up and pats the young princess on the back. “Calm yourself, young Jedi. Trust in the Force. Remember, the elves are peaceful creatures.” He advised. Link, the Hero of Hyrule, and Lord Elessar, are busily preparing for their long journey to Hyrule as well. While they pack, they discuss the various tactics Ganondorf might use against them. Link offers his advice since he has had many dealings with the old villain. He points out that Ganondorf has a weakness for power. Aragorn raised one eyebrow in intrigue. “Hmm, we just might be able to use this weakness to our advantage.” He murmured. Link nodded in agreement. Once they were done packing they went off in search of Gandalf. Jedi Grand Master, Luke Skywalker, was in his apartment with his wife, Mara Jade, and his son, Ben. He was as well preparing for his quest. He was in the middle of a heated discussion with young Ben. “Ben, never misplace your lightsaber!” Luke was yelling in fury. Ben just rolled his eyes. He had heard this a million times. “Yeah I know, it is a Jedi Knight’s greatest tool.” He mimicked. Luke was furious. Mara sadly shook her head in shame. “Where did Jacen go wrong?” She was saying under her breath. She turned her back to the two and began to pack her bags as well. Now, where was that old, black cloak of hers? She began to rummage through her trunk for it, when Luke continued his scolding of Ben. “Just promise me that you won’t lose it on your mission with Master Jacen!” Luke finally said in a stern tone. “Oh, alright! I promise I won’t lose it! Now, can I please go?” Ben asked in exasperation. Luke rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Go on! Get out of here!” he waved Ben off. Ben dashed off without even saying goodbye to his mother, Mara. Mara was peeved. She clenched her fists in anger. “He didn’t even say goodbye to me! How dare him! Call him back this instant, Luke!” she demanded. “Mara, dear, dear, Mara, when will you learn?” Luke chuckled heartily. Mara looked at her husband in puzzlement. 2 “He’s a teenager now! He doesn’t want to be seen hugging his parents!” he explained. Mara shrugged. She’d be seeing him soon anyways when they began their journey to the land of the Halflings. She continued her search for the missing cloak. After another half hour of a fruitless search, she sighed in immense exasperation. Luke appeared next to her side. “What seems to be the matter, hon?” he asked as he put an arm around her. Mara shrugged his arm off her shoulder. “I can’t find my old cloak that I wore as the Emperor’s Hand!” she cried out in despair. “Oh, that old thing? I had R2 throw that out after our wedding!” Luke replied. Mara eyed him in horror. Now she was furious! “You what?” she yelled in his face. Luke slowly backed away. “I had it thrown out. It was in tatters.” He said confused. Mara snarled. “How dare you! That was my refugee disguise!” she barked. Luke backed up even farther. “Relax, dear! I had 3P0 pick you up a new one.” He said as he pulled out a new great deep purple cloak out from the closet. The cloak had a trim of black lace at the hem and had a great hood attached to the neck. When Luke moved it, the cloak changed color to blend in with its surroundings. Mara nearly cried out in shock as it seemed to disappear before her very eyes. She ran up to Luke and gave him a huge hug and pecked him on the cheek. “Am I forgiven?” Luke chuckled. Mara just kissed him on the lips. They were still kissing when Jacen and Ben walked in. “Maybe we should leave,” Jacen began to say as he noticed Luke and Mara kissing. Luke and Mara stopped kissing when they heard him. “Hey Jacen! We need to have a private talk before you leave.” Luke said as he and Jacen walked into the study. After Jacen walked in, Luke closed the door. He offered his nephew a seat. Jacen sat down. “What is it Uncle Luke?” Jacen asked. “It’s about Ben. I’m worried about him. We both are.” He said motioning to Mara to step in. Mara walked in, leaving Ben in the kitchen. Mara sat down beside Luke. “Look, Jacen, Ben needs to learn not to lose his lightsaber.” Mara began. Jacen nodded his head causing his long hair to ruffle. “He seems to not care about his lessons.” Jacen replied as he scratched his scruffy beard. Luke nodded in understanding. He had seen how his son had shown disinterest in the Jedi Code over the years. He was growing concerned now. “I think, going on this mission will be good for him. I will continue to mentor him in the ways of the Force and at the same time drilling into him the importance of the Jedi Code.” Jacen replied. Mara nodded in agreement. “I as well, will teach him respect for the code.” She added. Luke nodded in approval. He got up and led Jacen out and into the kitchen. Ben was at the table munching on a piece of candy. “Ben! No candy before Lunch!” Mara ordered. Ben dropped the candy in embarrassment. “Sorry Mom.” He mumbled. Jacen rolled his eyes. “Are you all set and packed, Ben?” he asked his Padawan. 3 Ben nodded. Jacen noticed with shock that Ben’s lightsaber was nowhere to be seen. “Ben, where’s your lightsaber?” Jacen demanded. “Here we go again!” Ben mumbled. “Ben, how many times have I told you not to lose your lightsaber?” Jacen asked in exasperation. Ben rolled his eyes. “Seems like a trillion since this morning.” He said in sarcasm. Jacen gave him a stern look. Ben turned around and dashed for his room. He was back a minute later with his lightsaber in hand. Jacen asked for the lightsaber. Ben gave Jacen the lightsaber. Jacen gripped it in one hand gave Ben a strong rap on the head with it. “It will be harder the next time you lose it.” He told his Padawan. Ben clipped his lightsaber to his utility belt and donned his light brown robe. He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out the door. Jacen turned toward his Aunt and Uncle. Mara had just donned her great cloak and clipped her lightsaber to her belt as well. “Goodbye, Luke.” She said as she gave her husband a brief kiss. “May the Force be with you.” Luke said to the two departing Jedi. “May the Force be with you as well.” Jacen replied. Luke gave his nephew a short hug. “Take care of Ben.” He said. Jacen nodded. Mara led him to the hangar to her ship, the Jade Star. Ben and Jacen looked at Mara like she was crazy. Mara rolled her eyes and walked over to them. She put her hands on her hips and gave them a blank stare. “Aunt Mara, we can’t travel to Middle Earth in that thing!” Jacen said in shock. Mara nodded for him to go on, still not understanding where her nephew was going with this. “Just picture it in your head for a second, Aunt Mara. You’re a non-technological being living in the Shire, when all of a sudden a monstrous ship lands nearby. What would you think?” Jacen continued. Mara finally got it. She formed a giant “O” with her lips as she realized what she was about to do. She smacked her head in stupidity. Mara led them out of the temple to meet with the rest of the departing Jedi. Jacen and Ben followed her out the door while trying not to laugh. Mara rolled her eyes yet again. When they reached the Great outdoor Throne Room, where Luke and the rest of the Jedi were waiting, Mara walked over to Luke. “Mara, how nice of you to join us!” Luke said with a smile. Mara smiled in return. “There was a slight problem with my ship.” She replied in a hushed tone. “Whatever you say, dear.” Luke replied with a smile. Mara rolled her eyes. Jacen and Ben joined the ranks of the other Jedi. “Fellow Jedi Masters, and Knights, we are gathered here today for one purpose. That purpose is to warn you of the coming perils of war. Be on your guard. There’s no knowing who or what you might run into. Do not run needlessly into battle, for there could just as easily be a simple diplomatic solution! On the other hand, don’t flee from inevitable battles like a fool! Those of you going to places like Middle Earth and Hyrule; I will now issue you a most crucial warning! A warning, that if you don’t heed it; you will fail most miserably in your mission! The warning is this: hide your identity and technology well. There is no knowing what the enemy could do with our technology!” Luke finished with a stern look at the Jedi. The Jedi bowed to Luke and stood, once more at attention. Luke took a breath and made his closing statements. “May the Force be with you all on your various missions and quests. If you fail, we all fail and the Jedi shall be no more!” he gravely concluded. All the Jedi bowed again, and said their farewells to friends and family. Luke gathered the company to him for one last council. “Friends and compatriots, the company is breaking for now. Complete your quests and, just maybe, we all be reunited once again. Go, with the Force!” he said with a tear in his eye. 4 “The Force will be with us, brother.” Leia said as she gave him a warm hug. Luke smiled in delight. Together he and Leia would be strong in the Force. He went over to Mara and Ben and said his farewells. “Mara, the Force shall be with you.” He said as he gave her a kiss. He then went over to Ben. “Ben, my son, you were named after Old Ben Kenobi. Fulfill your legacy!” he said as a tear rolled down his cheek. Ben turned around in embarrassment. His father could be so emotional sometimes. Luke went over to his nephew, Jacen. “Jacen, your grandfather was Darth Vader for a time. Don’t follow in his footsteps. Remain in the light! The Force shall guide you on your quest. Serve it well!” Luke said in all seriousness. Jacen nodded as he hugged his uncle. Luke then led the three to the newly built horse stables. Mara found a pure black horse and mounted. Jacen found a light brown horse and mounted it, Ben jumped on behind him. Mara slowly rode out with Jacen with Ben behind her. Luke waved in farewell. The Jedi were now all spread across different worlds. It was time for him, the Jedi Grand Master, to begin his. He joined Leia, Jaina Solo, Mace Windu, and Yoda shortly afterwards. “Begun the End has.” Yoda pronounced as he struck the floor with his grimer stick. Chapter 1 Return to Hyrule Link, Aragorn, and Gandalf walked into the stables. Gandalf strode up to his great white horse, Shadowfax and rubbed the horse’s mane. “Show us the meaning of haste, my old friend.” He said. Shadowfax bowed his head as if in understanding. Link strode up to his loyal steed, Epona. The horse neighed in excitement. “Hello Epona.” Link said with a smile. He hooked his various bags unto the saddle. He patted Epona on the back before hopping on. Aragorn slowly walked up to his horse, Brego. He spoke to the horse in a soothing voice while chanting in the elven tongue. Brego neighed in contentment. Aragorn quickly hooked his two bags unto the saddle before he hopped on. Gandalf was feeding Shadowfax one last lump of sugar before he as well mounted. He hooked his staff just below the saddle for easy access. “Remember, Link, look for diplomatic solutions not battles!” Gandalf reminded the Hero of Hyrule rather harshly. Link rolled his eyes and gave Aragorn a sly look. Aragorn chuckled while Gandalf looked rather peeved. “On to Hyrule!” he yelled as he sped off into the mist. Link was not one to lag behind everyone else so he chased after the white blur of Shadowfax. Aragorn just galloped peacefully behind them. Link soon caught up with the wizard and managed to get miles ahead of him. Gandalf just laughed. “What a fool! He’ll soon wear himself out and call for a break!” he commented to Aragorn. 5 Aragorn let out a heartfelt chuckle. “Reminds me of young Peregrin Took.” The king commented. That sent Gandalf into distant memories of the Adventures of the Fellowship back in the Third Age. He slowed his pace so he could have a moment to himself. How had it come to this? How had it come to him leaving Valinor and returning to Middle Earth? Young Frodo Baggins was the answer. Why had he trusted the foolish Halfling anyway? The wizard stroked his long white beard in contemplation. The wizard was glad that the Hobbit had been locked up in a high security cell in the Jedi Temple. Aragorn soon turned his horse and rode back to the old wizard. “What ever is on your mind these days, Mithrandir?” he asked his old friend. Gandalf looked up and found he had been too deep in his thoughts and had strayed off the path. “Aragorn, my dear friend, I was just thinking about how foolish I was to trust Frodo with the Ring! I was a fool! Just like Pippin!” the wizard lamented. Aragorn shook his head, sending his long black hair in every direction. “No, Mithrandir, you are not the fool! Frodo is the fool! He should have never have let the Ring twist his mind like that! But, that is the past; we must concern ourselves with matters of the present and future. Now, come we’re lagging behind young Link!” Aragorn said to his old friend. Gandalf smiled and encouraged Shadowfax to show the young Hylian the meaning of haste. He soon sped past the Hero of Hyrule and was hundreds of miles ahead of him in a matter of seconds. Aragorn was soon at Link’s side giving the Hylian a smile. “You’ll never manage to catch up with him now. Trust me.” He said with a chuckle. Link shrugged his shoulders in defeat. He was getting tired anyway. He slowed Epona to a trot and Aragorn slowed down as well. The two heroes trotted along at a leisurely pace for several hours. It was then that Link’s stomach began to growl and his eyelids began to get heavy. He let out a long, slow yawn. Afterwards, he blinked at Aragorn stupidly. “Where are we and what is the hour?” he asked after a moment. Aragorn let out a long heartfelt chuckle. “We are nearing the portal between this world and ours. The hour is not yet dusk.” Aragorn replied. “Where is the White Wizard?” Link asked, “He is near the forest of the Kokiri, I think.” Aragorn ventured a guess. Link moaned in exasperation. “Why does he have to go so darned fast!” he yelled in madness. Aragorn rolled his eyes and pulled both their horses to a stop by a nearby grove. “Come on young Hero of Hyrule, let’s rest for a bit.” He said as he helped Link off Epona. “I don’t want to fight Ganon today Grandma, I want to stay home and make bombs with you!” he mumbled, already half asleep. Aragorn laughed out loud. He put Link gently down at a base of a nearby tree. He went over to Epona and grabbed Link’s blanket and pillow. He propped Link up with the pillow and covered him with a blanket. He went off in search of food after he had done that. Link woke up with a start hours later smelling hot food. It smelled so good! “What’s on the menu today, Aragorn?” he asked as he eyed the food. Aragorn pushed him away from the food and dished the Hylian out some eggs and a slab of hot meat. “Eggs and venison, my specialty!” Aragorn answered. Link made a disgusted face. “Where’s the Lembas and mutton?” he asked looking around. Aragorn rolled his eyes in annoyance. He shoved the plate toward Link. “Just eat your breakfast already!” he demanded. Link complied while rolling his eyes. All of a sudden Gandalf rode up on Shadowfax. He came to a sudden halt in front of Epona. He energetically leapt into the air and landed on the ground a second later. “Show off!” Link teased. Gandalf gave Link a stern stare. “Finish up you two! We must reach Hyrule before noon!” he said urgently. Link and Aragorn quickly gulped down their breakfast and turned back to the wizard. “It’s happening already?” Link asked in shock. 6 “No, not yet. It is about to though. Ganon has spread his forces over the whole land and it is spreading with each moment we delay! His faithful servant, Agahnim, is spreading lies and deceit to the royal family even now!” Gandalf explained. Link rolled his eyes. Not again! He had seen this happen before! Several years ago, Agahnim had corrupted the Royal Guard into doing his will. He hurriedly rolled up his blanket, attached it to Epona’s saddle with his pillow, and jumped on. “Come on you two! We have no time to waste! We have precious time! Agahnim is about to capture Zelda and imprison her in a crystal!” Link exclaimed. Gandalf and Aragorn both jumped on their horses within seconds. “Show us the meaning of haste, Shadowfax!” Gandalf declared as he kicked his horse into action. He led the way and Aragorn and Link soon gained speed and were alongside the wizard in seconds. Gandalf had known that danger was close, but he hadn’t expected it to be this close! He gained speed by the seconds, pressing Shadowfax to ride with all speed. Aragorn and Link pressed on as well. It was nearing noon when they reached the portal to the legendary land of Hyrule. The three heroes rode through without stopping. When they had all passed through, Link told them that they were nearing a small, rural village called Ordona. He explained to the two that this was the village where he grew up. Link led the way past the village and the heroes rode on. As they passed a small farm, Link thought he could hear someone playing an ocarina. He stopped Epona for a second. Both Aragorn and Gandalf stopped as well. Aragorn was about to ask what was the matter, when Link stopped him with a hand. It was an ocarina all right! It sounded just like the Song of Storms! “Ride with all speed! There’s a storm coming!” Link cried out in alarm. Aragorn and Gandalf both looked at him like he was a mad man. “What are you talking about, Link? There is not a cloud in the sky!” Aragorn was saying as all of a sudden dozens of dark clouds appeared out of nowhere. Then came the rain, the thunder, and the lightning. “Ride with haste!” Gandalf said as he kicked Shadowfax into motion. Aragorn and Link were right behind him. Link soon passed the wizard and was leading the way once again. He led them to Kokiri Forest. “We should take cover here until the storm passes.” Aragorn advised. The three heroes were soaked now. Link shook his head so violently that he sent water spraying everywhere. “No, we must press on! This storm will continue for who knows how long! It is of Agahnim’s doing! He is trying to prevent us from reaching the castle!” Link told them. Gandalf nodded in understanding. He thought of his journey with the fellowship over the mountains of Caradhras. The fellowship had to turn back due to a ferocious snow storm. So the three rode with all speed on into the freezing rain. Link led them past Lon Lon Ranch without a glance. They soon made it to a wide river. The nearest bridge was thousands of leagues away. Link rode towards it with haste with the two following behind him, still getting drenched. They rode for what seemed like eternity. Much later, they finally reached the bridge. Aragorn thought he could see a castle with many towers as the lightning lit up the sky. Link sped over the bridge leading the two towards the heart of the storm. The rain poured down even harder, while the lightning and thunder increased in fury. Clearly, someone was expecting them. Chapter 2 Rescue Aragorn could now make out a great gate surrounding the castle. There was also a huge moat encircling the castle to prevent attackers from getting in. Link led them around the great capital of Hyrule to the back. When they reached the back, Link led them to a massive tree. He stopped his horse and got off. He motioned for the other two to get off their horses as well. Aragorn and Gandalf both leapt off their horses and grabbed their weapons. Link had the Master Sword attached next to his lightsabers on his utility belt. He had slung his bow and quiver of arrows on his back. He took a couple of small bags off of Epona as well. He attached theses to his already cluttered utility belt. He removed his hood and dashed for the secret entrance. 7 “Let’s go!” he told the other two. Gandalf had his staff in hand and his lightsaber secured to his belt as he dashed after the Hylian. Aragorn had his purple lightsabers ignited as he followed slowly after them. His blades were hissing as they were hit by raindrops. “Remember, look for a diplomatic solution first, Link.” Aragorn reminded the Hylian. Link nodded as he unlatched and opened the wooden door leading into the underground entrance to the castle. The three heroes walked quietly down the dark passage way with Link in the lead with his green blade for light. “Remember, we are Jedi now. Ganon will never know what hit him. He will come to the light. There will be no more fighting between the two of us.” Link told his friends. Gandalf and Aragorn nodded, impressed. It looked like Link, the Hero of Hyrule, was indeed, a true Jedi Master. Link continued to lead the way down the passage when he thought he heard a voice. A voice that sounded utterly familiar to him! “Did you two hear that?” he asked his companions. They both shook their heads. It was the Force! Zelda was contacting him in the Force! “Zelda?” he sent through the Force. “Link! I have terrible news! Saria and I have been kidnapped by Agahnim! He has us locked in one of the castle’s towers!” Zelda replied in the Force. The fiend! He had captured Saria! Link calmed himself, knowing a Jedi was always patient. He turned to Gandalf and Aragorn. “The Princess and the Sage have been captured by the evil wizard, Agahnim.” He told them calmly. Aragorn’s eyes bugged out. Gandalf was about to dash into the castle. Link simply raised a hand for silence. “We need to be calm and patient. A Jedi never rushes into action. We will find a diplomatic solution to this issue.” He said in a calm voice. The legendary hero had returned to Hyrule as a Jedi. He was not going to have his actions or any of his fellow Jedi’s actions cause a war. He was here to restore peace and order to his land. Aragorn nodded in agreement to Link’s command. Gandalf agreed as well. They all began a Jedi Meditation technique to search for a solution. Link was floating in midair in meditation when he finally managed to immerse himself in the Unifying Force. A distant sounding voice spoke to him. It told him that Hyrule was facing its worst threat yet. It then told him that he was destined to save it. To do this, Link must prevent all out war. Link nodded. The voice then told Link that he must protect the Princess and Sage and rescue them before time ran out. Link nodded once again. All of a sudden he was on the ground again. He nudged the Wizard and Aragorn awake. He explained the situation to them and they all agreed to sneak into the castle together and rescue both of the prisoners. Link once again led the way. When they reached the door to the castle, he stopped. He very quietly opened the door. He motioned for Aragorn to come in next and for the Wizard to follow. After they were all inside, Link quietly shut the door. “Now we have to sneak past the guards.” He told the two with a gleam in his eyes. “Something tells me you’ve done this before and succeeded.” Aragorn said catching the look in the young Hylian’s eyes. “You could say that.” Link replied roguishly. Aragorn rubbed his hands in anticipation. This was going to be fun! He had heard the tales of young Link’s adventures. “What do we do first? Knock out the guards?” he asked. “No, we sneak past them!” Link said with a sly smile. “How do we do that? You make far too much noise!” Aragorn asked skeptically. “Well, you haven’t seen my sneaky side. Have you?” Link said with a smile. He closed down his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt once again. He lifted up his hood and hid his face. “Watch and learn, my friends.” He said in a whisper. And, with that he vanished into the hallway. Suddenly a guard appeared. “He’s done for!” Gandalf whispered. But to his surprise, Link ducked behind a corner and made a bird call. The guard shrugged his shoulders and moved on. Aragorn nearly laughed aloud. Link was good! Link continued on his way until another guard walked out of a nearby doorway. Link hid behind a tall pillar. 8 ‘Who’s there?” the guard barked while looking in every direction. Link made a soft cat noise and the guard shrugged and walked back inside the room he was just in. Link beckoned for the other two to make their way to the pillar. So, Aragorn and Gandalf snuck by the guards and made it to the pillar. Link was already at the entrance of one of the towers. He waved for the two to come over. When the two finally made it to the tower, Link was there with a young Kokiri girl. Link instructed for Aragorn and Gandalf to watch Saria, the young Kokiri sage, while he went and retrieved the Princess. He soon made his way past the various guards to the final tower. He quietly walked up the steps and vanished into the upper room. Gandalf, Aragorn, and Saria waited patiently while every so often dodging the passing guard. Link dashed up the final pair of steps to the last room of the tower. He swung the door open wide and walked in expecting to find the princess by the window. She was there alright. But, all of a sudden a hand clamped over Link’s mouth. Link immediately slumped his shoulders and used a calming technique. He raised his right hand and made a sweeping gesture. With the movement of his hand he sent his attacker flying to the opposite side of the room. The attacker landed in an ungracious heap on the floor. Zelda turned around when she heard the sudden noise. When she saw Link in Jedi robes, she nearly cried. She caressed his cheek with her hand. “Link, my brother, you’ve come to rescue me yet again!” she said with a smile. It was then, that Link noticed that the Princess was dressed in funeral robes. They were all of a deep green color with a Sheikah symbol on the back. She had her hood raised as well. “What’s with the new look, sis?” Link asked as he noticed she had a sword hanging from her belt as well. Zelda turned back to the window once again, hiding a tear. “You don’t hide your feelings that well, sis.” Link commented wryly. The princess turned back to her brother. “Oh, Link, it’s terrible!” she cried as she embraced him. Link returned the embrace and patted her on the back. “Everything will be fine, sis. I, the Hero of Hyrule, have returned!” he said with a tight lipped smile. He showed her his two lightsabers. Her eyes widened in surprise. “I am a Jedi Master now.” He said solemnly. He bowed to the princess. “The Jedi are at your service, Princess Zelda. We shall restore peace to Hyrule.” He said with a small smile. Zelda smiled. “No, Link, I am at your service.” She replied as she bowed. Link smiled. “Well, my first priority as a Jedi Master is to get you and Saria to safety.” He quickly explained to the princess. Zelda nodded in understanding. “Wait, what about our father, the King? He’s been turned to stone by Agahnim!” she asked. Link grabbed her by the arm. “We have to get you to safety first! Come on!” he said as he led her down the stairway. They stopped halfway down the tower. Link motioned for Zelda to be quiet. The pair silently descended to the bottom of the tower. They waited on the bottom step until a guard had passed. Link grabbed Zelda’s hand and dashed silently for the other tower. There, they met Gandalf, Aragorn, and Saria. “Come on you three! We have to get these the Princess and Sage to safety now!” Link whispered urgently. The two Jedi nodded. Aragorn grabbed Saria’s hand and dashed after the other three. The company soon met up with a group of guards. Link used the Force to create a distraction. The guards dashed off in the opposite direction. Aragorn sighed in relief. They soon made it to the secret door. Link silently unlocked it and opened it with care. The door swung silently open and Link motioned for them to go in. After all of the company was safely in the passage, Link silently closed and locked the door. He once again took his sister’s hand and ignited his green blade and led the way to the exit. The company dashed after him. Several hours later they were once again outside of the castle. Link helped Zelda onto Epona. He shutdown his blade and hooked it to his belt as he jumped on Epona, in front of the Princess. Aragorn had just finished lifting Saria onto Brego and was just jumping on to her as Gandalf rode into action. The company 9 rode for the village of Ordon. They arrived at the distant village early the next morning. Link led them through the quaint rural village to the distant mountains surrounding it. “I shall take you to a secret hiding place of mine high up in the Ordon Mountains.” Link told the Princess and the Sage. They nodded. Saria looked relieved. She would be safe up here in the distant mountains, far from Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf and his minions would never think to look here. “I assume you two still have your Ocarinas?” Link asked. Zelda and Saria nodded while pulling them out. “Good, I will teach you a new melody.” He responded. “What will this melody do?” they both asked. “It will summon my old friend, Greyfeather the Hawk to your aid.” He replied. He then taught them a tune similar to Epona’s Song. After Saria and Zelda had played it perfectly three times Link was satisfied. “You are to only play that in times of great peril.” He warned them. The two nodded in understanding. The company rode up the steep, but beautiful mountain. Link led them through a wooded area that led to a great waterfall. He then led them behind the great fall into a cave. He led them farther and farther into the cave until they reached a great stone door. He got off Epona and heaved the door open. He led them inside to a beautifully furnished room. Inside they found two comfortable beds, a roaring fireplace, a small round table with two wooden chairs on opposite sides, several swords hanging on the walls, a small mirror near the other wall, and last but not least, a giant picture of the seven sages standing behind the Hero of Time. “Welcome to your new home!” Link said as he waved them in. Zelda and Saria just stood there with jaws dropped. Link beamed. Aragorn and Gandalf were speechless. “Wow, is all I can think of to describe my feelings.” Saria said simply. Zelda nodded in agreement. “What about food?” Zelda finally managed to ask. In reply, Link removed a hidden panel in the stone wall to reveal a huge empty space with frozen and dried fruit, veggies, and meat inside. Zelda nearly fainted. “Link, you are brilliant!” Saria exclaimed in shock. Link nodded in thanks. He waved goodbye to Saria and gave his sister, Zelda, a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Stay hidden and out of sight until I send a messenger.” He ordered the two. They both nodded. Link led Aragorn and Gandalf out of the cave and back to their horses. Once they had all mounted, Link led them back to the village. They passed several young villagers and several farm animals such as cows and bulls. Link waved to several of the young villagers. All of a sudden a young beautiful woman rushed up to them. She had short blonde hair and wore a lovely dress. She had a fearful look in her eye. Link abruptly stopped Epona when he saw her approach. “Ilia, my old friend! What news do you bring me from the rural village of Ordon?” Link greeted Ilia. “Twilight has been issuing forth from the city of Hyrule!” she said with a cry. Link looked startled at this news. “You know this for a fact?” Link asked her with a stern look in his eye. Ilia nodded sadly. “It grabbed Colin! I saw it with my own eyes. One minute he was in the fields, the next, he was grabbed by a dark hand and sucked into a portal of darkness! It is called the Twilight Realm!” she finished with another cry. Link helped Ilia onto Epona. “We’re going to save Colin!” he said with a cry as he held up the master sword for all to see. “For Colin!” Aragorn said as he held up Anduril, flame of the West. All the villagers looked at the travelers with smiles. “The hero of Hyrule has returned!” one boy yelled for all to hear. “All I have to say is this: Beware Ganon and all evildoers!” Link said as he waved the master sword in the air. The crowd of villagers cheered. Link led the company out of the village in haste. The last thing the villagers saw of them was a brilliant blur of color. 10 Chapter 3 The Twilight Realm The heroes rode on until they reached the fields. When they arrived, they could see a great darkness spreading towards them. “The Twilight Realm!” Gandalf breathed in amazement. The heroes had never seen anything like it. It was spreading at an alarming speed. “Heroes of distant lands, we ride for the fate of Hyrule this day! Shields will shatter! Swords will crumble! We ride to our fate!” Link said. “Death!” Link yelled as he rode with fury into the approaching darkness. “Death!” Aragorn and Gandalf yelled in unison as they followed the Hero of Hyrule into the Twilight. 11 As soon as Link had entered the Twilight Realm, he was thrown suddenly off his horse. Ilia landed nearby with a thud and a piercing shriek. Link suddenly felt his body twist from the inside out. The next thing he knew, he was a wolf! He growled viciously. Ilia, meanwhile was having her own transformation. She turned into a wolf as well. Aragorn had been thrown off his horse as well and had just turned into an Orc. Gandalf had been catapulted off of Shadowfax and had landed with a great crash into a bush as he turned into an owl. The four transformed travelers all got up and looked at alarm at each other. They began to ask what was happening to them, but all that came out was a series of growls, barks, grunts, and hoots. Link was suddenly ravenous for fresh meat. He pounced upon Gandalf and began to dig his fangs in the wizard’s feathers. Gandalf gave Link a sharp peck on the nose and Link yelped in pain as he released the wizard and staggered back. All of a sudden there was a rustling in the bushes and a strange imp came out. She was small and had a great stone helmet on with a scarf like thing trailing behind her. “I am Midna.” She said as she bared her teeth at them. Link and Aragorn flinched. “I am Link, Hero of Hyrule!” Link snarled showing his sharp fangs. “Very well, Link, I shall ride you!” Midna said with a thin smile. Link pounced on the imp sinking his fangs into her neck. Midna pulled him off of her and threw him into the air with a sharp kick. Link yelped in pain as he soared high into the air. Gandalf began to peck Midna in the head. Midna howled in pain. Ilia tackled the imp to the ground and put a paw on her face. Link landed soon after with a thump on the ground. He as well held Midna to the ground. “I demand to be let go! I have magical powers you know! I’m not afraid to use them!” she snarled in their faces. Gandalf hooted in laughter. “Do you even know who I am? I am Gandalf! A wizard from Middle Earth! You cannot defeat me! I am the servant of Arnor and wielder of the flame of Anor, go back to the shadow foul thing!” he hooted in anger. Midna’s one visible eye gleamed red in surprise. She bared her teeth at Gandalf once again. “I grow weary of this!” Gandalf said in exasperation. “As do we all.” Link and Aragorn murmured in agreement. Aragorn curled his hand into a fist. “It’s time for blood!” he snarled. Gandalf and Link looked at the king in shock. “Aragorn, we need to find a diplomatic solution to this, remember?” Link said with an embarrassed look in his eyes. Aragorn snapped out of it. It was very strange, he never usually wanted blood. He supposed it was part of his new orcish nature. Aragorn relaxed his hand. Midna sighed in relief. All four of the travelers gave her a hard stare. “This isn’t over yet, Midna.” Link snarled in her face. Midna gave a weary sigh. Ilia gave Link a look of confusion. “What do you propose we do with this imp, Link? We can’t just leave her here, she could alert the enemy!” Ilia growled in her new wolf form. Link shook his furry head in puzzlement in response. “Let me think! There is too much noise and distraction!” he growled in annoyance. On top of everything else he was getting that ravenous feeling again. He used a Jedi Calming Technique to quiet it down. He then went into meditation. It was a crazy sight to see. A large grey wolf sitting crossed legged in midair with his eyes closed. Ilia looked at Link in shock. “How does he do that?” she said in wonderment. “If I were to tell you that, I would have to kill you.” Aragorn replied. Ilia bared her fangs at the small orc. Aragorn took a step back. “Relax, Ilia, it was a joke!” he said as he raised his hands in defense. Ilia calmed down after a while. Link was still in his meditation an hour later. “Does he usually stay like that for long periods of time?” Ilia asked worried. “It depends on the situation. Sometimes it could last for hours or even days.” Gandalf explained. Ilia nodded. So, they could be sitting here like this for possibly a week. She’d been in worse situations. As long as this strange little imp didn’t cause any trouble they could survive that long, she reasoned. 12 Link had been in meditation for over an hour before he had another startling vision. He saw a faint shadow like being. It looked like a bird. It was Vergere! “Young Hero of Hyrule, I bring grave news! Ganondorf has been released from his prison!” she began. Link had suspected this. The Twilight Realm had confirmed his fears. Ganondorf must be spreading his evil power all over Hyrule from the hole he had created in the Sacred Realm. “Am I right in assuming it is because of him that we have this new Twilight Realm spreading all over Hyrule?” he asked the ancient Jedi. The feathery being nodded her head. “I should have foreseen this! I have been away from Hyrule far too long! Vergere, how can I stop the Twilight from devouring all of Hyrule?” he asked. “You must find the heart of the Twilight and drive it back with the Triforce of Courage and the Master Sword. You will find aid in unexpected creatures and places.” She explained. “Vergere, are you telling me we should trust Midna?” he asked. “Choose and act.” Vergere said simply as she vanished into the mist. Link bit his tongue in annoyance. Why did Vergere have to be so vague? He would have to trust to his own judgment then. He returned from his meditation to find everyone still there and Midna still trapped under his and Ilia’s bodies. He sighed in relief. He softly landed on the ground beside the imp. He gave the imp a cunning smile showing his fangs. “Well, Midna, if that is your real name. We need your help. We must find the heart of this Twilight and drive it back before it engulfs all of Hyrule.” He growled. His friends looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you crazy? Or have you lost your mind?” Gandalf hooted in indignation. “We can’t join forces with this imp! She’s off her rocker!” Aragorn added in a squeak. “Besides, she practically attacked us!” Ilia growled. Link howled for silence. Everybody shut their mouths. “You are going to join with her and like it or become my next meal!” he growled while licking his lips. The travelers reluctantly agreed. Midna bared her teeth in glee. Aragorn rolled his eyes. They were off on another of Link’s wild adventures. He certainly wouldn’t get bored. He sharpened his claws against a stone. “Well, I guess I’ll let Aragorn ride me.” Ilia growled. Aragorn clambered on to Ilia’s back and looked to Link. “Oh, alright Midna you may ride me!” Link said with reluctance. Midna rubbed her hands and jumped on Link. Link visibly groaned. Link led the way, dashing off for the heart of the Twilight with Aragorn on Ilia following quickly behind and Gandalf flying above. While Link was dashing through the twilight realm, he thought he could hear a faint voice. “Link, Hero of Hyrule, this is your destiny! Fulfill your legacy. Repel this new evil from the lands of all free people!” the voice echoed. Link cocked his head in puzzlement as he continued to dash through the realm of twilight. The travelers soon reached a great forest. Link thought it looked just like the Lost Woods. The travelers stopped in their tracks. They all stood there with eyes wide in fascination. “Amazing, it looks just like an evil version of the Lost Woods!” Link growled in shock. Midna nodded as her visible eye gleamed red. “Thus it is in the realm of twilight. The darkness twists and corrupts these lands for its own evil purposes. What you see is the beginning of what could happen to the land of Hyrule. You must seek out the nine temples of twilight and cleanse them for this twilight to be stopped. You will also need to find the three spiritual stones and a mystical weapon somewhere in this realm.” Midna explained. Link and his fellow companions nodded in understanding. Link had long ago come to the conclusion that he would indeed have to track down the three spiritual stones once again. There was the spiritual stone of the forest, the spiritual stone of fire, and last but not least, the spiritual stone of water. He thought it would be best if he obtained the spiritual stone of the forest first, since he was in the Lost Woods. He hoped it was indeed in the Lost Woods. Of course, it could happen to be in normal Hyrule somewhere. He was slowly padding back and forth between two ancient pine trees when he noticed a faint luminescent figure walk out of the woods. The figure was dressed in the brown robes of a Jedi. He had long brown hair and bore a striking resemblance to Luke Skywalker! Could this be Link’s long lost brother, Anakin Skywalker? Link lifted up his head in greeting. 13 “Hello Link.” The mysterious figure said as he nodded his head towards the wolf. Link growled in reply. “I know of your present troubles, my brother, I have come to offer guidance and much needed aid.” Anakin said as he sat under a great oak tree. Link padded over to the tree and sat next to Anakin. He put a paw on Anakin in a loving gesture. “Anakin, my brother, I have longed for this day ever since Gandalf told me of his vision! As you undoubtedly know, the princess of Hyrule is our sister. I have just recently rescued her from captivity along with the Sage, Saria. I have hidden them in a secret cave high up in the mountains above the village of Ordon.” Link explained. Anakin nodded. He had indeed known about their sister, Zelda. He gave the young Hero a comforting smile. “Don’t worry, brother, our sister is safe for the time being! But you and your companions must move with haste! For, the realm of twilight is fast approaching the village of Ordon and will swiftly pass over it and engulf the mountain soon afterwards. The Force has shown me the location of the first spiritual stone, the spiritual stone of the forest in fact. It is hidden deep in the far away forest of the Kokiri inside of the forest temple. You and your companions must leave this realm of twilight now if you wish to save the land of Hyrule and its princess! Link, this is your destiny! You are the Hero of Hyrule! May the Force be with you!” Anakin said in farewell as he disappeared in the woods once again. Link dashed over to his companions feeling energized once again. He quickly explained to his friends what he had just learned from his long lost brother. Gandalf’s eyebrows rose with astonishment. “Anakin Skywalker was here, in the twilight realm?” he asked with shock. Link nodded. Gandalf wildly flapped his great brown wings in excitement. “Then we must leave with haste! There is no time to spare! We must make for the legendary forest of the Kokiri!” he hooted. Aragorn nodded in agreement. The heroes got up and prepared to leave. They then dashed with rapid speed through the twilight for many hours until they zoomed out of the realm and back into the land of light. As soon as they had left the twilight behind, they were all transformed into their normal bodies, with one exception. That exception was the strange creature, Midna. She stayed in her form and appeared to be a shadow. Link was quite perplexed at this. He ran a hand through his long blonde hair and began scratching the back of his head in contemplation. He turned to the white wizard. “Well, Gandalf, what do you think this creature is? Is she a creature of the twilight intent on killing us in our sleep or is she a guide?” he asked as he put his dark green cap back on. Gandalf scratched his long white beard while he thought. As he thought, he began to pace back and forth. “Well, she did surprise us in there, but yet she did not harm us. On the other hand, she hasn’t yet explained to us who and what she is.” He now turned to the shadowy creature with a piercing glare. Midna let out a nervous chuckle. She gently landed on the ground and sat down. “You may call me Midna. As for ‘what’ I am, you shall find out at a later time. I feel you will not fully understand until you have the three spiritual stones in your possession. After you have them, I will tell you.” She said as she hovered in the air once again. At that moment their horses came galloping over the hill towards them. Had it not been for the return of their loyal steeds, the travelers would have pressed the mysterious Midna further. The horses stopped as they neared them. Gandalf hopped on Shadowfax as Link and Ilia hopped onto Epona beside him. Aragorn hopped onto his horse, Brego, shortly after. Midna hovered over to Epona and took a seat behind Ilia. Ilia didn’t look too happy about that, so she edged closer to the Hylian. Link had one of his sly grins on now. 14 Chapter 4 Reunion The heroes were on the move once again. They passed several young Hylians on their ride passing each one in a blur. Link thought he noticed the speedy postman and the Happy Mask Salesman. All of a sudden he noticed a green object in the sky attached to a red balloon. He rolled his eyes in embarrassment and annoyance. “Don’t look now, but it’s Tingle! Initiate evasive maneuvers!” he shouted in alarm. Gandalf and Aragorn looked at him with looks of complete bafflement. They clearly had no clue who Tingle was. Midna just sat there with glee. Her one visible eye was gleaming red once more and she was hissing with squeaks of laughter. Link rolled his eyes. Midna was worse than Navi! “Tingle is an annoying little creature who thinks he is a fairy. He tends to sell maps to lost travelers at prices not even Zelda could pay! I tend to avoid him. It all started with that one day in Termina. I was so stupid!” he explained with a peeved look. 15 “Oh, one more thing, whatever you do, do not shoot him down! He’ll just try to sell you something at his outrageous prices. Gandalf and Aragorn nodded in understanding. “It’s a shame we don’t have young Baggins with us!” Aragorn joked. That sent Gandalf and Link into gales of loud laughter. The travelers sped on and had soon passed the hovering fool in the sky. They soon reached Lon Lon Ranch. Link lifted his fist in the air in a moment of triumph. They had escaped Tingle. He breathed in relief as he took of his cap and ran a hand through his hair. “One adventure after another!” he laughed. “Or as we say, out of the frying pan and into the fire!” Gandalf added with a heartfelt laugh. Link raised his eyebrow at the wizard. “It’s a long story, which I’ll tell you later.” Gandalf said. Link nodded as he put his cap back on. He led them through the broad gates and into the ranch. The travelers had their horses at a trot as they reached the first few buildings. As they neared a barn, a door of a nearby house opened. Out stepped a lovely young women with long red hair dressed in a lovely dress. She glanced up at the travelers and instantly smiled as she laid eyes on Link and Epona. She ran over to the young hero with a broad smile. Link smiled as he jumped off Epona. He embraced the girl for what seemed an eternity. “Link, where have you been all these months?” the woman asked. “I’ve been on another quest, Malon.” Link replied with a small smile. Malon blushed in embarrassment. She eyed the other travelers with wide eyes. “I know Ilia, but who are the others who travel with you?” she asked. Link motioned for his companions to hop off their steeds. Gandalf was the first on the ground after a mighty leap. Malon looked shocked. “You may call me Gandalf. I am a wizard from the not too distant land of Middle Earth. This is my loyal steed and faithful friend, Shadowfax; he has helped me through many dangers. Well met indeed, Lady Malon.” He said with a smile. Malon chuckled. She had an instant liking to this mysterious wizard. Aragorn hopped off his horse next with a mighty leap of his own. As he landed on the ground he bowed to Malon. “I am the Lord Elessar, King of Gondor, but you may call me Strider. This is Brego, my loyal steed, he has seen much action in Middle Earth, including the War of the Ring.” He said with a warm smile. Malon chuckled once again. Strider reminded her of Link. She bowed to the Lord in return. Ilia leapt off Epona shortly after and embraced Malon. “It’s been far too long since our last meeting, Malon! You look the same as ever. How’s life at the ranch? Has Talon been slacking on his duties again?” Ilia said with a laugh. Malon shook her head, sending her beautiful long red hair in every direction. “Everything has been fine. Dad’s been working like a horse these past few months and I have missed you as well.” Malon replied with a chuckle. Midna floated gently to the ground beside Link. Malon raised an eyebrow at the Hylian. “Where’s Navi? Have you finally trapped her in a bottle? Or did you just kill her?” Malon asked in puzzlement. Link laughed at the questions. “Navi is on a quest of her own right now. She’s in Middle Earth in fact, with friends of mine.” He said with a smile. Malon turned her gaze to Midna with an eyebrow raised. “Who is this? A replacement?” she joked. Midna seethed in anger and her one visible eye gleamed red in warning. Malon backed off. Link gave Midna a stern glare. Midna calmed down and hovered back to her seat on top of Epona. “That’s Midna; we don’t know exactly who she is yet. We met her in the twilight realm a few days ago. She’s quite a mystery.” Link explained as Malon laughed at his joke. Link gave her a sly grin. Malon giggled and winked at him. “So, is this a girlfriend of yours, Link?” Aragorn asked with an eyebrow raised. Link shuffled his feet. “We’ve been together since childhood. She gave Epona to me as a gift after our relationship began.” He said with a small smile. 16 Aragorn gave him a sly grin and patted him on the back. Link grabbed Malon’s hand and smiled. “Well, Malon, would you like to join me on my new quest?” he said with a broad smile and a wink. Malon could hardly believe her ears! She beamed up at him with joy. “I’d love to! Well, there is one problem.” She replied. Link raised his eyebrow. “My father.” Malon replied to his questioning look. Link led her into the stables, where they found Old Talon cleaning up from a long day’s work. Talon looked up as he heard the door shut. When he spotted Link, he smiled and walked over. “Link, my boy, long time no see! Been on another quest, have you?” he said as he embraced the Hylian. Link laughed. “Well, I am still on that quest and would like to ask if Malon may join me and my other companions.” Link said as he leaned against a stall. Talon rubbed his chin as he thought about it. “Why not? You are the Hero of Hyrule. If you can’t protect my daughter, then nobody can!” he said with a laugh. Malon and Link laughed as well. Talon gave Link a couple bottles of his famous Lon Lon milk. Link thanked his several times. Talon chuckled and waved them off. Link and Malon dashed out of the stables with smiles. As they ran out, they stumbled upon, none other than Ingo! Link got up and helped Malon up as he brushed himself off. “Ingo, I am so sorry! Are you alright?” Link asked in concern. He may have a grudge against Ingo but he didn’t wish him any harm. Ingo glared at him with eyebrows crossed in anger. “You foolish kids! Always running and never looking where you’re going! One of these days, you’re going to end up killing someone!” he grumbled as he got up. Link sighed under his breath. He handed Ingo a few thousand rupees. “Will this help?” he said as he handed it to Ingo. Ingo’s eyes widened in surprise. “You are most generous! Yes it will!” he said as he accepted the hefty bag. He stuffed the bag in his pocket and continued on his way to the stables. Malon gave Link a curious look. “What was that all about? You’ve never gave Ingo anything in your life! What’s with all this kindness? You’ve changed!” Malon said in respect. Link told Malon he would explain everything to her on the ride to Kokiri Forest. Malon nodded as she followed him to his companions. Aragorn looked up from sharpening his sword as he saw the two approach. He raised his eyebrow in question. Link nodded his head with a small smile. Aragorn sheathed his sword once again and got back onto Brego. Link helped Ilia up to a seat behind Aragorn. Link helped Malon climb Epona, shortly afterwards he made a mighty leap and landed with ease in front of her. Malon looked awed. Link winked at Aragorn. Gandalf was already on Shadowfax with Midna at his side. The travelers kicked their steeds into action and rode off into the sunset. They soon passed the gates and were once again in the fields of Hyrule. Chapter 5 Tales of the Past Link turned to Malon with a smile. “Now, Malon, you were wondering what I have been up to the past few months? Well, for starters, Princess Zelda had set me off on a quest to a far away world called Coruscant. I was to meet with the Jedi and seek training in what they call ‘the Force’. As I started out, I met Gandalf and his fellow companion, Frodo Baggins, a Halfling of the Shire.” He started. Malon looked utterly confused at the mention of a Halfling. “What in all of Hyrule is a Halfling?” she asked in bafflement. Link chuckled in amusement. “I had the same question, when I first laid eyes on the curious creature, myself. A Halfling is a creature that closely resembles a man. It is somewhat shorter, usually the same size as a human child. Most 17 Halflings don’t wear shoes, for they have furry feet. They are known to love peace and good tilled earth.” He said with a chuckle. Gandalf had a twinkle in his eye. “They sound so wonderful!” Malon beamed. Link shared a look with Aragorn and Gandalf. This was it. “Most of them are wonderful. However, young Frodo is not! He is a liar and a deceiver!” Link explained to Malon. Malon looked puzzled. “Whatever did he do?” she asked. Link gave a short chuckle. “It all started near the end of the Third Age of Middle Earth. September 22, 3018 in fact. The eve of the great quest. Frodo was setting out for Rivendell with the One Ring. His quest was to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom.” Link explained. He shared a look with the wizard and Aragorn. The two bowed their heads in shame. “He set out with all willingness to destroy it. He even stepped forward to accept the mission at the council of Elrond. It all started to go downhill when the Fellowship of the Ring began to break at the fall of Raurus. Gandalf had just fallen in Moria after a brutal fight with a Balrog. Boromir was feeling the effects of the Ring and soon got shot down by Uruks, Merry and Pippin was captured as well. So young Frodo, along with his faithful servant, Samwise, set off for Mordor alone. I was faced with a dangerous choice: to follow them and offer my aid or track down the captured Hobbits.” Aragorn explained. Malon nodded for him to continue. “I chose to rescue the captured hobbits with my two remaining companions, Legolas the elf prince and Gimli the dwarf. We ran for days until we finally reached Rohan. There, we met the Riders of Rohan. The riders, seemingly, had caught up with the Uruks and killed them all. They saw no Hobbits that was when hope was lost. But, I set out for the battlefield. At the battlefield, I found one of their belts and a set of their footprints leading to Fangorn Forest.” He said as he shared a smile with the wizard. Link had heard about this part. He loved hearing it. It kind of reminded him of one of his adventures. “So we traveled through the forest looking for the Hobbits. We soon met an old man dressed in a grey cloak. We instantly thought it was the evil wizard, Saruman, so we tried in vain to attack him. This is where it got interesting.” He said with a smile. Link chuckled. He wished he was with them at the time. “My sword instantly grew too hot to hold, so I had to drop it. Gimli’s axe flew out of his hand and Legolas’ arrows got blown away. The old man stood on top of a cliff looking at us with a smile. He began to speak to us.” Aragorn paused and looked to Gandalf. Gandalf cleared his throat. “You seek two young hobbits.” He began with a smile. Link chuckled along with Malon. Gandalf had a gleam in his eye. “They passed this way three days ago and met someone they did not expect.” Gandalf continued. Malon giggled. Gandalf smiled in return. “Saruman!” Aragorn said right on cue. “I am Saruman, or as he should have been. I am Gandalf the White now. Through fire and water I fell.” Gandalf concluded. He then told Malon of how he had defeated the Balrog and how the Valor had sent him back to the lands of the living. Malon nodded with fascination. The travelers were nearing Hyrule Castle Town now. “We will continue this story later. You need to buy some equipment now. A sword and shield along with a strong tunic would do nice I believe.” Link said. Aragorn and Gandalf nodded in agreement. “The same goes for you as well, Ilia.” Link said as he eyed her. Ilia nodded. 18 Chapter 6 Return to Kokiri Forest The travelers rode over the drawbridge which led to the marketplace. The slowly rode in and passed several Hylians, Gorons, Zora, and some villagers. Link nodded his head as he passed by. The crowd smiled. Link stopped Epona and raised his hand for silence. “I have returned to you now at the turn of the tide!” he told them. The crowd cheered. All of a sudden an elderly Goron walked up to the Hero. It was none other than Darunia! Link smiled as he got off his horse and hugged the Goron. “Darunia, it has been a long time since our last meeting! What brings you to Hyrule Castle Town?” he asked his old friend. 19 “The Twilight. It has engulfed Death Mountain and is slowly twisting our minds to its evil purposes. Gorons are attacking innocent Hylians!” Darunia replied. Link nodded in understanding. “I will try to get there as soon as possible. I have other business at Kokiri Forest right now. Oh, do you happen to have any weapons and equipment with you? I have two young girls with me who need some.” Link asked. “I do have some with me as a matter of fact. Are we talking tunics, swords, and shields?” Darunia asked. Link nodded. Darunia handed him four different tunics and chain mail, several shields and swords, a couple bows with quivers of arrows and a few bomb bags. “This is my gift to you, Hero of Hyrule, use them well. I will be at the mines if you need me.” He said in farewell. Link gave the Goron a parting hug. He watched as the Goron left with a tear in his eye. “That was easy and cheap!” Link said as he turned to his companions. Malon and Ilia got off their horses and walked up to Link. “Alright Malon, here is a Goron tunic with hardened chain mail, a Goron Sword, a Hylian Shield, the Goron Bow with its quiver of fire arrows, and a bomb bag. Use them well.” He said as he helped her into the chain mail and tunic. Malon nodded. He held out another Goron tunic and chain mail for Ilia. Ilia put them on. She took her sword and shield with a smile and accepted the bow, arrows, and bomb bag as well. An elderly woman walked up with four axes. She gave them to Ilia and Malon. They smiled in tanks as the woman walked off. Ilia stood there in her tunic with her bow and quiver strapped to her back on one side and her two axes on the other underneath her shield. Her sword hung at her belt. Malon looked the same. Link nodded in approval. They mounted once again and rode off for the forest of Kokiri. Link felt the Force urging him on with all speed. He laid a hand on Epona’s mane. “Ride with haste, Epona. Ride for all your worth!” he whispered. Epona gained speed every second and was soon a blur alongside Shadowfax. The wind was rippling through his blonde hair, sending it flying behind him. Link could now see the vast forest of legend. He smiled as he thought of his childhood. Epona gathered even more speed as they came closer to the forest. As they entered the forest of Kokiri, Link could feel the Living and Unifying Force wash over him in vast waves. The Force was connected to Kokiri Forest it seemed. Link smiled in contentment. He was back! He slowed down his horse, as did his other companions. He led them slowly into the forest. Chapter 7 The Great Threat “Welcome to the forest of the Kokiri. Enter with caution. Seldom do non-Kokiri enter this forest.” He said in a hushed tone. His companions slowly nodded. There was total silence except for the occasional fall of a horse’s foot. Something was amiss here. Link could feel it in his bones. He halted the travelers and slowly got off his horse. As he quietly landed on the ground with a soft thump of his leather boots, he quietly drew his sword. He reached out with the Force and almost immediately sensed a great disturbance coming out of the Sacred Forest Meadow. That was where the Forest Temple was! He immersed himself even further in the Force and reached out with his feelings. He sensed a great threat near the Great Deku Tree. It felt like Ganondorf, yet at the same time it felt quite different. He motioned for his companions to silently follow him. The 20 travelers silently landed on the ground and drew their swords and axes and silently followed the young Hylian to the Great Deku Tree. As they reached the Deku Tree, Link spotted a tall man in a great black cloak with gleaming red eyes. “Agahnim!” he breathed in shock. Gandalf slowly walked up to a nearby bush and hid himself. He didn’t want to be revealed to the evil wizard quite yet. He donned his hood and used the Force to hide his presence. Link nodded in acknowledgement with the wizard’s plan. He walked up to the evil wizard with Aragorn trailing behind him. As he neared the wizard, he cleared his throat. Agahnim turned around in astonishment. He drew up to his full height and gave an evil grin, thus showing his decayed teeth. Aragorn wrinkled his nose in disgust. And, he thought the Mouth of Sauron had dental problems! Agahnim rubbed his hands together with an evil laugh. “I have long foreseen this day, Link! You shall be utterly defeated at my hands and Lord Ganondorf shall rule Hyrule with me, Agahnim at his side!” he said as he laughed once more. Link rolled his eyes. Same old Agahnim. He used a Jedi calming technique quickly and raised an eyebrow at the evil wizard. “Now, why doesn’t that surprise me? Oh, I know! You give me the same speech every time you intend to kill me, while I defeat you over and over again! This is getting really old, Agahnim, why don’t you just give it up?” Link said as he leaned against a nearby tree casually. Aragorn chuckled in merriment. This was hilarious! “Who is this? Another of your rag tag friends?” Agahnim mocked evilly. Aragorn straightened up and drew his sword. He removed his hood and cocked an eyebrow at Agahnim. “I am Strider, your worst nightmare! You look upon the sword that was broken!” he proclaimed. Agahnim cackled yet again. He raised his hands and sent waves of blue energy at the two. Unfortunately for him, he was up against two Jedi Masters. Link and Aragorn just held up their swords with a yawn and casually sent the energy straight back at him! Foiled again! “Curse you Link! Curse all of Hyrule!” Agahnim cried. Link just bent back his head and laughed. All of a sudden, through the Force, he felt Agahnim move towards him with evil intent. So, Agahnim had learned from his mistakes! He opened his eyes to find Agahnim walking towards him with a mighty sword in his hands! Link raised the Biggoron Sword in defense as Aragorn did the same with his sword. Just before the swords met, Agahnim gave a small imperceptible whistle that Link picked up on through the Force. His danger sense was on full alert now. He drove the wizard back with his sword and started hammering against the wizard’s mighty sword with all his strength. All of a sudden a horde of Moblins dropped out of a dark portal that had appeared in the air. His eyebrows rose in surprise, yet he did not stop his relentless attack on Agahnim. He heard the Moblins issue their ferocious war call. Through the Force he sensed Gandalf still in hiding, Aragorn turn and charge towards the horde and Ilia, Malon, and Midna charge the horde as well. He gave the evil wizard a look of pure amusement. “Is this the best you can do, Agahnim?” he scoffed with a cocked eyebrow. Agahnim grew pale for a brief instant than a small smile appeared on his lips. With a mighty roar, he pushed the Hylian back towards the horde of Moblins. Link looked quite bewildered and alarmed when he suddenly realized he was stuck between two enemies. “Use the Force, Link. Trust your feelings!” Anakin’s voice echoed through the wind. Link immersed himself once again in the Force and closed his eyes fully in the embrace of both the Unifying and Living Force. With his eyes still closed he ducked and weaved through the waves of Moblins and executed a mighty leap onto one of the Deku Tree’s branches. With eyes still closed, he then attached his sword to his belt and leaped down into the middle of the horde. He landed with a soft thump on top of the Moblin leader and raised his right hand and sent the rest of the horde tumbling down the hill to end in an unmerciful heap at the bottom. He leapt off the leader’s body and raised his right hand once again to send it crashing into its compatriots. He opened his eyes and turned back to Agahnim who was staring at the Hylian in utter horror and fascination. Link cocked his eyebrow, gave a triumphant smile, and crossed his arms. “Well, you’re not so tough now, Agahnim!” he teased. Aragorn looked impressed. He had never seen a Jedi in balance with the Force before. Link, truly was the essence of a Jedi. He gave Link a small smile. Agahnim raised his hands and sent a huge fire ball straight at the Hylian. Link just raised his right hand and grabbed the fireball and started casually juggling it in the air for his own amusement. Agahnim, now furious, sent several small balls of energy at him. Link, still 21 juggling the fireball, raised his right hand yet again and started juggling them as well. Aragorn chuckled. Agahnim snarled in frustration. He summoned all his power into several mighty waves of lightning at the young hero. Link, unfazed and still juggling, sent the huge fireball at Agahnim, causing the wizard’s cloak to catch fire. Aragorn burst into laughter. This was too funny! Agahnim was running around the forest flailing his arms in panic and outrage. Link dissipated the other balls of energy into his hands and dashed after the wizard. “You won’t escape this Hero!” he yelled as he ran. Malon and Ilia were on the ground with hysterical laughs. Agahnim ran by Aragorn but failed to get past him due to the unexpected leg he ran into and fell over. Now, Agahnim was on the ground, face first, slowly burning. Link raised his right hand and sent a blast of cold air out of his hand to dissipate the flames. The fire soon disappeared and Agahnim slowly got up. He stared at Link with fury. His eyes were glaring deep red and he was foaming at the mouth. His whole body was shaking with rage. “You’ll pay for this! Ganondorf will track you down and destroy you!” Agahnim spat. Link cocked an eyebrow at him. “Oh, you can’t destroy me?” he said with a smile. Agahnim howled with rage and stormed out of the forest. It was then, that the Deku Tree opened his eyes and let out a loud and long yawn. He spotted the Hero and his eyes widened in surprise. “Link, what ever are you doing here? It has been ages since your last visit!” the tree said. Link nodded solemnly. He knelt down on one knee in front of the mighty tree and bowed his head in respect. “Oh, Great Deku Tree, I seek your aid in finding the three spiritual stones once again. Ganondorf has returned. Twilight is spreading over the land of Hyrule and is rapidly approaching Hyrule Castle.” He said. Aragorn was on one knee as well, when there was a rustling in the nearby bushes. “Who dares hide from me!” the Deku Tree roared with rage and suspicion. Out stepped Gandalf in his gray cloak. He knelt on one knee as well and bowed his head. “Link, it is one of Ganondorf’s minions! Kill him! Destroy him! He seeks to destroy me! Run for your lives Kokiri!” the ancient tree roared in panic. Gandalf chuckled quietly to himself. “With all due respect, Great Deku Tree, I am a friend and faithful companion to your young Hero, Link. I come from the not too distant land of Middle Earth. I am here to help restore peace to Hyrule. I believe that you would be intrigued to know that I am a friend of all trees. As a matter of fact, I am friends with the Ents, shepherds of the trees.” Gandalf explained with his head still bowed. The Great Deku Tree looked at Link for confirmation. He didn’t want to be tricked again, like the last time with Ganondorf! He shivered at the memory. Link nodded his head as he got up. “It is true, Great Deku Tree, he is indeed my friend and compatriot. All three of us are Jedi Masters now. You have nothing to fear of this wizard and his ranger friend. They seek only peace for all of us. For, war is looming even in their land. You must help us on our quest!” Link explained as he once again knelt down on one knee. “What was all that commotion that I sensed in my deep sleep a while ago? Was Ganondorf and his minions here?” the tree asked in suspicion eying Gandalf and Aragorn. Link gave the two an apologetic look. He then turned back to the ancient tree. “It was Ganondorf’s loyal minion, the wizard, Agahnim, Oh, Great Deku Tree. We succeeded in driving him out of the forest. Gandalf, here, was hiding because he did not want to reveal himself quite yet. We have many a big surprise for Ganondorf. Will you help us with our quest?” Link asked once again. The Great Deku Tree thought for a moment. He sensed no evil from the Hero of Hyrule’s companions. He rustled his leaves in approval. “Yes, Link, I will indeed help you with your quest. As you undoubtedly know, a great evil has surrounded the Sacred Forest Meadow and the nearby Forest Temple. You will find the first spiritual stone, the spiritual stone of the Forest, in fact, in the temple. Go with all speed! Oh, I almost forgot I sent Saria on a quest a month ago and have heard naught of her! Have you come across her recently?” he asked in deep concern. Link chuckled. “She is more than alright. I have hidden her with my sister in a remote and secret location far from Ganondorf’s gaze.” He explained. The ancient tree smiled. He could always rely on the Hero of Hyrule! 22 Link and his fellow companions got up and said their farewells as they mounted their horses. Malon smiled as Link hopped on Epona. “You will always be my hero, Link!” she said as they shared a long kiss. Gandalf was already leading the way back to Kokiri Village with Aragorn and Ilia trailing behind him. Link was startled as he noticed he had been left behind. Malon gave him a sly smile. Link chuckled. He galloped after them with all speed. Malon had her hands held tight around his waist. Link soon reached his friends a minute later. “Why did you leave without me? You don’t have a clue where you’re going!” he said in concern. Gandalf and Aragorn murmured their apologies. Link just waved his hand in the air for them to stop. He led them up a steep hill to the entrance to the Lost Woods. Chapter 8 Adventures in the Lost Woods Link slowly led the travelers into the Lost Woods. He motioned for his companions to stop and to be silent. He strained his ears for the sound of Saria’s Song. He hit his head with his hand in embarrassment. Of course he couldn’t hear it! Saria wasn’t here to play it. He chuckled in nervousness. “Well, guys, we have a little situation here.” He said with a laugh. Midna gave Link one of her glares and snarled at him. “What’s the situation?” Aragorn said as he cocked his brow. Link chuckled yet again. “Well, I really can’t find my way to Sacred Forest Meadow without Saria’s music playing.” He said with a slight chuckle. 23 Aragorn ran a hand down his face in shame. Gandalf shook his head. Midna started cackling in evil laughter. Ilia just turned away in embarrassment. Malon however patted Link reassuringly on the shoulder. Link smiled. “So you’re telling us that we might end up lost in the Lost Woods?” Midna cackled at her own joke. Link gave an audible sigh of exasperation. “I don’t see you offering any help!” Ilia seethed in fury. “Here we go again!” Aragorn commented. Link laughed. He stretched out through the Force to enhance his senses. He closed his eyes and began to shift through his memories. He just had to remember which paths he took on his earlier quests and he would be fine. “Alright, I remember the first path I took! It’s this one.” He said as he led them down the northern path. As soon as they had turned the corner, they were bombarded with deku seeds. Ilia screamed in alarm. Link immediately raised his right hand and sent the seeds flying back from the direction they came from with a flick of his wrist. The companions soon heard a shrill scream. Link led the way around the corner to find a company of business deku scrubs surrounding an innocent Kokiri girl. The young Kokiri looked frightened. Link made a mighty leap off of Epona and landed with a soft thud in the middle of the crowd. He drew the Master Sword. He eyed the chief Deku with a glare in his eye that could boil eggs. “What have we here, gentlemen?” he said as started walking toward the chief. The fellow Dekus began to murmur in apprehension. “Please don’t hurt us! We’ll sell you deku seeds!” the chief pleaded. Link rolled his eyes. “Save it for the fools, pea brain!” he said as he grabbed him by the neck. “Aragorn, toss me some rope!” he called to his friend. Aragorn tossed Link some elven rope he had in his pack. Link caught it and began tying up the chief. “Where are you taking me?” the Deku Chief asked in fear. “You’ll be coming with us to the Sacred Forest Meadow and then you’ll be having a little meeting with the Great Deku Tree.” Link said with a smile. The chief gulped as he realized what was happening. “Run for it, my deku!” he yelled to his compatriots. The Deku all began jabbering in their squeaky voices and started to make a dash for the nearest path out of there. Link wasn’t about to lose his prey this easily. He raised his right hand and moved a massive log in front of the only path out of the clearing. The Deku were trapped. They gulped as they slowly turned around to face him. “What we have here was a near hit and run, folks. What I am going to do now, is put you all under arrest.” He said as he got out more rope and began tying them all together in a chain. Once he was finished, he cocked an eyebrow at Malon. “Well, Malon, you have just seen how we break up a mob.” He said with a chuckle. The Deku grumbled in anger. Link gave them a stare. “You have something to say?” he said as he raised his right hand. The Deku all shut their mouths. Link turned back to Malon. “Guess we have to pay another visit to the Deku Tree before we continue our quest.” He said with a sigh of exasperation. He finally turned to the Kokiri with a smile. “Eleanor, is that you? It’s been ages! Are you all right?” he said as he bent down to examine her for any cuts or bruises. Eleanor smiled at Link. She chuckled. “Link, you’ve returned!” she said with a laugh as she gave him a hug. Link helped her up on Shadowfax. Gandalf turned around and introduced himself. Eleanor giggled afterwards. “I have heard stories of you! You are rumored to have the most spectacular fireworks in all the land!” she said with a gleam in her eye. Gandalf chuckled. Kokiri reminded him of Hobbits. Link hopped once more on Epona and led the way back to the Deku Tree with the Deku Scrubs shuffling behind them. As they neared the Deku Tree, the tree opened his eyes. He sighed in exasperation as he saw the Deku Scrubs. 24 “Not again!” he thought to himself. This was the tenth time this morning that they had caused a problem. He eyed Link with a raised eyebrow. “Have they been causing trouble again?” he asked with a sigh. Link nodded. “Indeed, they have. First they kidnapped young Eleanor here, and then they bombarded us with Deku seeds. Last but not least they tried to bargain with me and escape!” Link said as he eyed the deku once again with anger. The Great Deku Tree opened his great mouth and sucked them all in. “There they will stay for all time.” He said with a roar. He nodded his thanks to the young Hylian and closed his eyes once again. “Well, it’s back to the Lost Woods!” Link said with a smile as he started whistling Saria’s Song. His companions whistled along as well, and soon the whole forest echoed with the jubilant song. They soon reached the Lost Woods once again. Link led them through the woods at full speed, making up for lost time. They were soon hopelessly lost in the heart of the woods. Link groaned in exasperation. “Not again!” he moaned. At this rate, they would never reach the Forest Temple in time. All of a sudden they heard a loud yell from behind them. Unexpectedly, Link and Malon were thrown off of Epona and landed with a thud miles away. Link got up with a groan. He looked over at Malon and was shocked to see she was hanging upside down in a tree. She was wiggling with all her might causing the tree to shake violently. “Malon, that isn’t such a great idea –“he started to say but was cut off when she fell headfirst on the ground with a thud. He rushed over to her and helped her up. She groaned as she held her head. “That’s going to hurt in the morning. What happened?” she asked as she rubbed her bruised head. Link was about to answer but as soon as he had opened his mouth he heard Ilia scream. Link grabbed Malon’s hand and dashed over to the commotion. He was startled to see a great Moblin on a giant boar with a horde of lesser Moblins on steeds of their own. “Great Scott, Moblins!” he breathed in alarm. The head Moblin spotted him and gave an evil grin. He then raised an arm and lowered it a second later. Malon was suddenly pierced with an arrow and fell unconscious on the ground. Link was too focused on Malon to prevent himself from being clubbed from behind. He fell on the ground unconscious as well. Ilia screamed once again. She too, was pierced by an arrow and slid off Brego to the ground. Not surprisingly, she was unconscious. Good thing they had left Eleanor behind, for she too would have been shot. Aragorn looked at Gandalf in alarm. Gandalf had had enough. He made a mighty leap off his horse and landed on the ground with his sword and staff in his hands. “I am Gandalf!” he roared as he lifted his staff high in the air. Blinding light came out of the tip of his staff, blinding all the Moblins. The leader shot one last arrow before, he as well was blinded. The arrow pierced Gandalf. The wizard fell with a moan to the ground and was soon unconscious. Aragorn galloped over to the leader and raised his sword. But, alas! He was too slow! He was pierced with yet another arrow and fell on the ground, unconscious as well. The horses bolted off in fear. Midna glided over to the Moblins with a wicked smile. “Well done, my faithful minions!” she said as revealed her true form. She was none other than Zelda! She lifted her hands in the air and created a portal to the Twilight Realm. She rose into the air and was transported into the portal along with the Moblins and the doomed prisoners. Chapter 9 Shocking Revelations Link woke up with a moan. He blinked his eyes to get his bearings. He discovered he was back in his wolf form and chained up in a cell. He was back in the Twilight Realm! He groaned in exasperation. He started gnawing at his chain in a desperate effort of escape. It was all in vain. These chains were fang proof! He gave up and took a look around his cell. To his astonishment, he saw, Gandalf, Aragorn, Ilia, and a strange hawk! That must be Malon! But there was no sign of Midna! Was that a good or bad thing? He shrugged. Midna had been getting on his nerves anyways. He hoped she had gotten lost or something. All of a sudden Gandalf woke up with a start and tried to flap his wings. To his horror, he discovered his wings chained behind him and that his talons were bolted to the floor. He hooted in fury. 25 Link growled quietly for the Owl’s attention. Gandalf became silent and saw Link. He cocked his head in a question. Link briefly told him that they were locked in a cell somewhere in the Twilight Realm. Gandalf hooted once again in fury. How could they all have been captured so easily? Aragorn opened one eye with a yawn and looked around for a minute before almost going back to sleep. But as he was about to close his eye he suddenly realized where he was. He tried to get up but his feet were bolted to the floor. He growled in outrage and bared his teeth in anger. Link raised his front paw for Aragorn to calm himself. Aragorn grew calm once more and eyed Link with a question. Link growled an explanation similar to the one he had just given to Gandalf. Aragorn nodded. After a few hours, Ilia and Malon had woken and discovered their situation. The five companions were in the middle of planning an escape when the door to the cell swung open with a creak. The companions turned towards the door to see four Moblin guards holding several leashes and collars. The biggest Moblin, Link had ever seen walked in with an evil smile as he swung a giant key in one hand and held an open cage in the other. Gandalf eyed the cage with fear, knowing it was intended for him. He would have none of it. He gave a loud war like hoot and began to break his chains and bolts with his magical powers. With a blast of blinding light he was free and flying all over the cell with fury. He zoomed over to his companions and set them all free with a bang. The Moblins began backing up with fear. Link howled with joy as he pounced on the giant Moblin. He sank his teeth deep into his enemy’s neck until the Moblin began to choke. Link quickly finished the task with a swipe of his lethal paw and the Moblin soon breathed his last. Link howled in triumph. All of a sudden the great metal door at the end of the hall opened with a great bang. The companions looked up in surprise. Out of the door glided none other than Zelda! She had a satisfying smile on her lips. A smile that sent chills down Link’s spine. He had never known Zelda to act like this. Zelda gave a short queer laugh as she stopped in front of the bodies of the dead Moblins. “I knew you couldn’t resist a good fight, Link. You fell right into my trap! Now, you shall die!” she said with an evil laugh. Link cocked his head in confusion. Then it dawned on him. Zelda had joined Ganondorf! He howled in shame. Zelda just gave him a smile of evil triumph. Link calmed himself in the Force. He reached out with his feelings towards his sister. He sensed good in her still. Just like the story of Luke Skywalker’s last moments with Darth Vader! If he could just get Zelda to see that goodness within her! “I feel the good in you, Zelda. Turn from this twilight! Ganon only wants the Triforce of Wisdom!” he said earnestly. Zelda just cocked her eyebrow with a laugh. “Is that what you think this is? That I was brainwashed? On the contrary! My brother, I have willingly taking this role!” she said with an evil laugh. Link remained one with the Force and saw an image of his brother, Anakin Skywalker appear next to him. “Hope is not lost! Stay the course, brother! Stay the course! Hyrule’s destiny rests on your shoulders. Choose and act!” Anakin said as he disappeared once again. Link went into a meditation trance. He delved once more into the Unifying Force searching for guidance. Zelda looked at him in bafflement. “What in the name of Rauru is he doing?” she asked herself. Link had a vision just as he closed his eyes. The twilight had devoured Hyrule and was even now entering Middle Earth! Zelda had won! He saw himself leaving Hyrule and making for Middle Earth with his companions resolute. He came back to the present and opened his eyes and looked straight at Zelda. “Hyrule is lost then. I shall go into exile, never to return.” He said solemnly. Gandalf gasped in astonishment. What had Hyrule come to? The Hero of Hyrule had given up! Hope was lost! He hooted in outrage. Zelda smiled in triumph. “I thought you’d see it my way!” she said with a smile and a familiar gleaming red eye as she ordered the guards to escort the prisoners out of the cell. Aragorn rolled his eyes in indignation. What had come over the Zelda? He sensed all these worlds were somehow tied together and it was Link’s destiny to unravel this mystery. “We’ll be back, Princess!” Aragorn said menacingly. Zelda laughed and cocked her eyebrow at him. “Oh, sure, you will! I’ll be ready for you!” she cackled as she kicked all of them out of the twilight realm. The companions landed with a thud back in the Lost Woods. Link got up with a groan. To his utter amazement he was still in his twilight form and so were his companions! He sighed in exasperation. 26 “Don’t get up too quickly you guys. You aren’t going to like what you look like.” He said with a chuckle. Gandalf got up and ruffled his feathers in an uproar. “Oh, she’s done it now! I am going to kill Zelda or Midna, or whoever she is, if it is the last thing I do!” he hooted. “It will be the last thing you do! If you so much as lay a hand on my sister you will regret it for the rest of your short life, bird brain!” Link growled. Gandalf began to peck at the wolf with all his strength. Link howled in rage and pounced on the owl. Gandalf was now pinned to the ground under Link’s massive wolf body. “How has it come to this?” he sighed in exasperation. Link growled a warning. All of a sudden they heard a rustling in the bushes. A luminescent being approached. It was Anakin Skywalker! Link at once got off of Gandalf and lowered his head in shame. Anakin walked over to his brother. He knelt down in front of Link and ruffled the wolf’s hair. “It’s all right, Link. But, you are all in danger now. The enemy knows you are here in Hyrule and are intent on stopping them! It is indeed true that our sister, Zelda, has betrayed us and turned to the Dark Side. What you don’t know is that Ganondorf has met with the Dark Lord Sauron and the Emperor! Grand Admiral Thrawn is the mastermind behind this twilight. He has taught Ganondorf to learn from his mistakes. Ganon now knows your weakness: items!” Anakin informed them. Link growled in surprise. Aragorn walked over with his sword drawn. “Well, then we will just have to set them a trap, won’t we?” he said with a smile. Link nodded. “Ganondorf’s weakness is power, Sauron’s weakness is the One Ring of Power, the Emperor’s weakness is power, and Grand Admiral Thrawn’s weakness is power as well. Does anyone see a pattern here?” Link asked with a smile of satisfaction. Anakin rubbed his hands together in excitement. “We have the beginnings of a plan, excellent!” he said with a smile. Gandalf hooted in agreement. “The first thing we need to do is gather the sages.” Link began. Anakin nodded for his brother to go on. “From there, we will need to lay a trap for Ganondorf. I’ll walk into his castle and seemingly surrender my Triforce of Wisdom. While I am distracting him, Aragorn will sneak into Ganondorf’s secret lair and release all the prisoners of the twilight. Once that is done I’ll meet up with Aragorn at Kokiri Forest. If we succeed, Ganon will never know what hit him.” Link finished. Anakin sensed there was something Link wasn’t telling them. He reached out to his brother with his feelings. If there was something Link was hiding from him, he was shielding it well from the Force. Anakin gave Link a stern look. The two stared eye to eye for several tense moments. Anakin finally caved and had to look away. “What are you hiding from us, Link?” he said with an eyebrow raised. Link scowled at Anakin. “What makes you think I’m hiding something? I’m just not telling you my whole plan!” Link growled. Anakin shrugged his shoulders. He sighed in exasperation. “We don’t have time for this, Link! Hyrule and all the free lands are at war! You must embrace your destiny now before it is too late! As you know, the Force is strong in our family. What you don’t know is that, the Triforce is strong in our family. You must learn the ways of the Triforce, Link. It is your destiny; you are the Hero of Light!” Anakin explained. Link staggered back in shock. “I’m the Hero of Light?” Link managed to gasp. Anakin nodded. Malon was beaming with pride. Aragorn and Gandalf exchanged looks of bewilderment. “You have the power to dispel the twilight inside of you; you must learn to use it!” Anakin continued. Link nodded in fascination. “Embrace the Triforce of Courage and let it loose, Link!” Anakin commanded. Link got up and closed his eyes in concentration. After a moment he began to rise above the ground. All of a sudden the Triforce of Courage on his head began to shine in pure golden light and began to drive away 27 the twilight that had surrounded them all. Moments later the companions were all back in their normal forms. “Link, you did it! You’ve learned to dispel the twilight!” Anakin exclaimed. Link got up and drew the Master Sword and held it up high in the air. “I, Link, am the Hero of Light! Beware beings of twilight!” Link yelled in triumph. Anakin nodded in farewell and vanished in a blink of an eye. Chapter 10 Quest for the Forest Emerald The companions were all startled to see Anakin vanish. Link reassured them that Anakin would be back and led them to their horses. Epona neighed in expectation as she saw her master approach. Link smiled and rubbed the Epona’s mane. Epona muzzled his neck and he laughed. Link fed her some lumps of sugar and hopped on. The travelers were soon riding with haste through the woods and were nearing the Sacred Forest Meadow. Link slowed as they neared the entrance to the meadow. It was nearing midnight when he noticed the pale full moon. He sighed in exasperation. “Great, the wolfos are probably on the prowl!” he muttered. Aragorn’s eyes widened when he heard Link’s mutterings. 28 “What on Hyrule is a wolfos?” he said in bewilderment. “A werewolf like creature that guards the entrance to the meadow.” Link explained. Aragorn nodded. All of a sudden a loud, piercing howl silenced all conversation. “They’re here.” Link said ominously. Link stopped Epona and jumped high into the air and transformed into his twilight form. He landed with a soft thud a moment later. He quietly padded over to the gate and waited. Within seconds, a whole pack of Wolfos appeared out of thin air and started sniffing him. The leader growled in respect. Link bared his teeth in a show of might and the wolfos are howled in horror and vanished into the night. Soon after, the great black Iron Gate that led to the Sacred Forest Meadow swung silently open. Link padded back over to Epona and leapt high into the air and was once again a Hylian. He landed silently on Epona with ease and rode off towards the gate with his companions following silently after him. After a while they entered a maze of great dark hedges. Link stopped and turned to his companions. “Beware of the Moblins lurking beyond every corner.” He said with a warning. The travelers nodded. Link slowly rode around the corner with his sword raised. All of a sudden they heard a loud yell and were startled to see a giant Moblin charging towards them! Link was in the air as soon as he spotted the great Moblin. He spun wildly as he neared the Moblin and landed softly in front of the monster with a smile. The Moblin was standing there motionless with a look of great pain on his face. Aragorn couldn’t figure out what had happened. Link stepped to the side to reveal that the Master Sword was stuck in the Moblin’s stomach! Aragorn nearly laughed out loud. The heroes continued on through the perilous labyrinth. They soon reached the steps that led to the Forest Temple. Link focused all his strength in the Force and rode silently and slowly up the stairs. All of a sudden he made a mighty leap and landed head to head with a giant monster holding a massive hammer! Link drew his sword once again. The monster lifted the massive hammer and swung it down. Aragorn closed his eyes and winced at the inevitable impact. When he opened his eyes a moment later, his eyes widened in shock. Link was standing to the side with a smile. The monster howled in rage and lifted the hammer once again. As the hammer reached the ground where Link was a split second before, the Hylian was in the air. A second later he drove his sword down into the monster. The monster made one last wail of defeat and landed with a tremendous thud on the ground, never to wake again. Aragorn shook his head in bewilderment. Epona galloped up the stairs and halted in front of Link. Link mounted once again. He led the heroes at a great pace to the temple. When they got there, Aragorn and Gandalf could see no visible entrance. “Terrific! We can’t get in!” Aragorn moaned in exasperation. Link just chuckled and gave them a wink. “Or can we?” he said with an arched eyebrow. While Aragorn was still puzzling this out, Link took out a device with a hook at the end of it. Aragorn was even more confused when he saw it. Link pointed the device at a massive branch of a nearby tree and pressed his thumb against a button. A second later, he was hurtling at the speed of light towards the branch. “He’s doomed! He will surely slam into the tree!” Aragorn cried in alarm. Aragorn closed his eyes in horror. Moments later he opened his eyes expecting to see Link on the ground, but to his utmost amazement, Link was standing on the branch waving at them! Aragorn laughed in amazement. Link had done it again! This was the era of Link’s legacy. Link would indeed be Hyrule’s hero. Aragorn used the Force to leap to the branch and was standing beside the young Hylian a moment later. Gandalf followed shortly after. Link raised his hand towards Malon and Ilia and within a second the two women were hovering in the air and soaring towards the branch. As soon as the two landed they carefully jumped off and stood by the door to the Forest Temple. Link and the other two followed shortly after. To the travelers’ deep dismay, the door to the temple had a magical barrier in front of it. No one could pass through it! “Well, it looks like your sister left us a little surprise.” Aragorn commented wryly. Link rolled his eyes. “When will she ever learn?” he said sarcastically as he waved his hand at the barrier. Within mere seconds the barrier dissolved. Link dug an ancient key out of his tunic and unlocked the door. The travelers slowly followed him in. as soon as they had all passed through the doorway, the door was bolted behind them. 29 “I sense great evil.” Link whispered ominously. The others nodded in agreement. Malon and Ilia looked petrified. Link gave them a heartening grin and led them down the flight of stairs. They soon reached main chamber of the temple. As they walked in, all the lights suddenly went out. There appeared, before them, an image of the Sage of the Forest, Saria! She greeted the young hero, Link, with a heartfelt smile. She soon turned bitter. “Your sister has betrayed Hyrule! Shortly after your departure, she turned on me and imprisoned me in a crystal! Of all things! Before I could blink, I was in the presence of the Evil King, Ganondorf Dragmire! I was infuriated! I tried to escape the crystal with my magic, but it was no use. Zelda’s enchantment is more potent than mine and I was utterly trapped! Ganondorf just cackled with glee to my utter dismay. I was seething. He gave me one last wink and I was instantaneously transported to the Forest Temple. “She explained. Link was struggling to control himself. Zelda had betrayed the sages! He soon calmed himself and focused, once again on Saria’s tale. “Link, you must rescue Hyrule. To succeed in your quest, you must restore all the temples to their former glory and collect all the sacred gems of Hyrule. The first gem, the Emerald of the Forest is being guarded by a most evil creature deep in this temple. May the Triforce protect you.” Saria said as the lights reappeared. To the travelers’ sheer bewilderment, the sage had disappeared. Link shook his head in amusement. It looked like history was once again repeating itself. He chuckled at his quandary and turned to the others. “Well, once again, I have been thrust into the role of the Hero of Hyrule.” He said with a chuckle. Aragorn nodded. It seemed that this was Link’s legacy. “Well, in order to find the boss’s lair, we’ll need to find a map of the temple and a compass.” He explained as he led them to the first door to their right. As they entered the next room, they noticed a great well. Link smiled as he remembered his previous experience in the Forest Temple. “We’re in good fortune, my friends! For this is the well that has a secret passage at the bottom!” he said with a grin. Aragorn raised one eyebrow in skepticism. “So, we have to drown in order to find this ‘secret passage’?” He joked. Link sighed in impatience. “No, you fool, first we have to drain the well!” he chuckled. Aragorn chuckled in embarrassment. “Oh, well, there is that.” He mumbled. Link approached the well and raised his ocarina. He began to play the Song of Storms. All of a sudden a great dark cloud appeared over the well and the water evaporated. Link then leapt into the well with a grin. The others followed more carefully and slowly climbed down the ladder. Once they had all reached the bottom of the well, they saw Link leaning casually against the wall. “Took you guys long enough.” He chuckled. Aragorn rolled his eyes. “You’re going to get yourself killed one of these days.” He said with a smirk. “There have been many close calls over the years.” Link admitted with a grin. Aragorn rolled his eyes. Link led them solemnly down the dark passage way down in the deep depths of the Forest Temple. “This passage has been kept secret for many ages. I used it on my quest not that long ago. We are approaching the end of the passage.” He whispered. As they got to the end of the secret passage the travelers spotted another ladder. “Amazing, this passage leads to another well!” Gandalf whispered in fascination. “Which is in another room.” Aragorn added as they climbed out of the well. After every one had climbed out of the well, Link led them deeper into the room. They soon reached a great stone wall that was completely covered with vines. Aragorn looked at the wall with a cocked eyebrow. “You’re not thinking of climbing this are you?” he asked as he turned to Link. “Let’s climb!” Link responded with a sly grin. So they all began to climb. All of a sudden they were all attacked by giant spiders! Or at least what looked like spiders. “Jump!” Link barked at his companions. 30 Seeing no other option, they all jumped and landed with several thuds on the ground. As soon as Link had landed, he had pulled out his bow and arrows. He was fitting an arrow to his bow and aiming for one of the spider-like things as the rest of the company got up. The next thing they knew, Link had shot it down. As the creature landed by Gandalf’s foot, the old wizard bent down to examine it. “What in Middle Earth is this?” he asked in bewilderment. After Link had finished off the rest of the creatures on the wall, he turned to his companions. “That my friend is a skulltula. It is usually found on vines. They are quite weak at the abdomen actually and once you stab the abdomen the fight is usually over.” He explained. Gandalf nodded in fascination. Link jumped up and once again began to climb the wall. The others reluctantly followed his lead. After several minutes of climbing they finally reached a landing. After everyone had safely landed on the platform, Aragorn noticed a door. “This place is filled with secrets, indeed.” He breathed in amazement. Link opened the door and they all walked in to the next room. In the center of the room was a small chest. Link walked over to it and opened it. Inside were the map and compass! Link jumped for joy. He then led his companions to a door at the far end of the room. They quickly sped through several rooms of this sort until they reached another chamber with a great chest adorned with all kinds of gems. Link slowly walked up to it and opened it. Inside was the key to the Boss’s room and an item that Link thought he recognized as the boomerang. But he was highly mistaken. This was no ordinary boomerang; this was the boomerang of Gales! It could summon up gusts of wind once thrown. Link’s eyes sparkled in fascination. “Oh boy, looks like Link’s found another toy.” Aragorn joked. “Now to find the Forest Emerald!” Link said with a smile as he led them to the final door of the dungeon. It was a great stone door with a massive lock on it. Link pulled out the key he had just obtained and unlocked it. They all walked in cautiously. All of a sudden Link spotted a small green gem in the middle of the room. He slowly walked to the edge of the circle of red earth and took a few small steps on to it. Almost immediately the earth shook. Link grabbed the others and ran to the wall. “Stay away from the creature.” He whispered. The others nodded. All of a sudden two giant tentacles with heads popped out of the ground with an even bigger one between them! Malon and Ilia shook with fear. “It’s some sort of Deku Boba.” Link whispered in bewilderment. Link scratched his head in perplexity. “I’ve never come across this monster in any of my quests.” Link whispered. He finally shook himself out of his daze and quickly began a Jedi Meditation. “A Jedi is always calm.” He repeated to himself. He opened his eyes once again and began to walk towards the terrifying monstrosity guarding the Forest Emerald. The Deku Boba spat venom at him as he approached. Link drew his sword and pointed it at the creature. “You will cease and desist this instant!” Link growled menacingly. All he got was another mouthful of venom. He ran a hand down his face in disgust. He shook himself off and brought his sword up in front of him in a defensive stance. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Link said with a smirk. The beast gave one last roar before it began its attack. Link had to weave and dodge its drops of venom every few second as well as avoid being crushed by the two smaller creatures defending it. “This is starting to annoy me!” he said with a growl. He tried to sever the two smaller creatures with his boomerang but it was hopeless, they were too strong. “We’re doomed!” Link gulped in terror. All of a sudden he thought he heard a voice in the wind. “Use the seeds!” the voice said. Link strained his ears for more but there was none. He began to look around for ‘seeds’. All of a sudden he tripped over a great red deku nut! “Of course!” he said in understanding. He picked it up and waited for one of the smaller creatures to open its mouth. As one did, moments later, Link popped in the seed. The monster writhed in pain as the seed exploded in its mouth. Several moments later, it moaned and shriveled up. Link smiled in triumph. 31 “One down, two to go!” He said with a smile. He repeated the process with the other smaller creature and soon all that was left of the boss was the giant Deku Boba. “Oh boy, this is going to be a challenge.” Link gulped. All of a sudden he heard an animal call. He looked up to spot a baboon smacking his butt at Link on a platform high above the Boss. The baboon grabbed a giant Deku Seed and swung past the Boss on a zip line. “This may work to my advantage.” Link said with a smile. He hastily readied his boomerang and prepared to make his move the next time the baboon flew by. As the baboon came into focus, Link released the boomerang. The boomerang released a gust of wind that caught the deku seed. The gust sent the seed into the Boss’s mouth moments later. The Boss attempted to swallow the seed, but before it could, it exploded. The Boss wailed and dropped to the ground with an open mouth revealing a strange ball attached to a tentacle. Link dashed over and started hacking at it with his sword and shortly afterwards triumphed. The creature gave one last wail and finally exploded in a brilliant flash of light. Link had triumphed! Out of the creature’s body came the Emerald! Link slowly walked forward and picked it up carefully in his trembling hands. Once he had the shining green emerald in his hand he was transported to the roof of the temple. As he opened his eyes he discovered Saria smiling at him. Saria, however, was not alone. By her side, was Link’s father, the King of Hyrule! Link blinked in shock. “Father, I thought you had been captured by Ganondorf!” he managed to say. The king chuckled. “I managed to escape the castle prior to Zelda’s betrayal. But, my escape is of no concern to you. What matters is the present state of Hyrule. With Zelda’s betrayal, we have only you to rely on. I will now be and forever will be the King of Red Lions.” The king announced. Link widened his eyes in surprise. He suddenly remembered a dream he had of his future descendent, the Hero of Winds. In the dream, the Hero of Winds was aided by a great red boat with a lion’s head. The boat was actually the King of Red Lions! “Uh, father, I believe I have information about your future.” Link stammered. The king’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. “What on earth are you talking about, my boy?” he said in suspicion. “I had a dream,” Link began. The king looked at Link expectantly. “Well, get on with it, son.” He urged. “In the dream, I saw my future descendant with you.” Link continued. The king scratched his beard in deep thought. “How many years are we talking here?” he asked his son. “Hundreds, maybe thousands.” Link replied. “Well, anyway, you were in the form of a great red boat with a lion’s head. Later on, you revealed your true identity to my future descendant and the next Princess Zelda.” Link added. The king nodded thoughtfully. “Was that all?” he asked. Link was about to nod, but then rememebered he had left out the most major piece. “Hyrule was under water and Ganondorf had captured the next Zelda!” he finished. The king’s eyes bulged out at this piece of news. “Hyrule under water? What on earth could happen to cause that?” the king murmured. “Well, back to our current crisis,” he said as he waved a hand. “Once again, you have proved yourself, my son. Your next step on your quest is to meet with our allies and reunite them against Ganondorf.” He explained. Link nodded. But, before the king could continue, Rauru, the Sage of Light appeared. He nodded at Link and turned to the king. “Oh, King of Red Lions, I come bearing news from beyond the portal.” He began. The King nodded his head for Rauru to continue. “Our young hero’s companions are going to need all the help they can get.” He continued. Link looked alarmed. Suddenly Gandalf, Aragorn, Ilia, and Malon appeared on the roof. “We shall return to Middle Earth with all haste.” Link told Rauru, the king, and Saria. 32 The three nodded and all but Saria disappeared. “Link, my friend, you have done well. You have obtained the first spiritual stone, bear it well. Farewell and May the Triforce be with you.” She said as she as well vanished. Link turned to his companions. “We shall ride for the portal tonight and be in Middle Earth once again by dawn.” He said as he slid down to the ground. His companions followed his lead and soon all were once again at the entrance of the temple. Link was already on Epona. The others hastily mounted as well. Link bolted off into the early evening mist leading the others back to the edge of the forest. Chapter 11 The Council of the Twilight Princess While the five travelers were in the temple, their enemies were busy at work. In the far away galaxy of the Jedi and Sith, Darth Sidious, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and Joruus C’baouth are fleeing from a lost battle at Coruscant. In Middle Earth, however, the Dark Lord Sauron is overseeing his new war. He has spotted the traitor Saruman in his palintir. It seems the old wizard has returned as well. “I could use this to my advantage.” He thinks to himself. The Evil king, Ganondorf Dragmire, however, is pacing the halls of Hyrule Castle in a fury with his loyal minion, Agahnim at his side. “He escaped? Not again!” the king yelled in outrage. 33 Agahnim backed up in fear. All of a sudden the doors were flung open and the young traitor, Zelda, strode in with a smile. She bowed her head to the two. “Lord Ganondorf, I have a plan that just might work.” She began. “Are you implying that my plans never work?” he growled enraged at the girl. Zelda stood her ground. “No, I would never imply such a horrid thing, my lord!” she said with a look of horror on her face. “We need to forge an alliance.” She began. “With whom?” Ganondorf asked in confusion. “With the other Dark Lords beyond the portal.” Zelda explained. “What portal?” Ganondorf asked in even more confusion. “The portal that links our world to the worlds of the Jedi, and the realm of Middle Earth!” she said. Ganondorf’s eyes widened in shock. “So that’s how the brat’s been able to elude me!” he howled. Zelda nodded. “Princess, arrange a meeting with these ‘Dark Lords’ post haste!” Ganondorf ordered. “Yes, my lord.” Zelda replied as she abruptly disappeared. The Dark Lord Sauron was sitting in his tower, Barud-Dur, gazing at his seeing stone when the princess appeared. He got up to yell for his guards, but the princess silenced him with her hand. “Peace, my lord, I am an ally from Hyrule. King Ganondorf Dragmire sent me to ask for your help.” She explained. Sauron raised an eyebrow. “He wishes to forge an alliance with you and your loyal minions.” Zelda clarified. Sauron smiled. “It would be my pleasure, princess.” He said. Zelda did not look in the least shocked that he knew who she was. She raised her hands and clapped them and they were once again in Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf looked up from his throne as he spotted them. He smiled as he walked over to Sauron. “Lord Sauron, welcome to my castle! We will hold council shortly.” He said as he led Sauron to his chambers. Zelda once again disappeared. This time she reappeared in Saruman’s chambers in Orthanc. The wizard looked startled to see her. “Well, if it isn’t Zelda!” he said with a sneer. Zelda paid no attention to his rude remark. “I have joined the lord Ganondorf. He would like to forge an alliance with you.” She explained as she took his hand. They were instantly transported to the castle. Zelda released the wizard’s hand and vanished once more. She reappeared in Imperial Remnant space. She was in Palpatine’s quarters actually. She was pleasantly surprised to find that he was holding a council with C’baouth and Grand Admiral Thrawn. She strode over to them with a smile. “Emperor Palpatine, Master C’baouth, and Grand Admiral Thrawn, I am Princess Zelda. I have been sent by Lord Ganondorf to bid you to forge an alliance with us.” She said as she transported them to Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf was immensely glad to see that Zelda had gathered the rest of the company in only a few seconds. “Well done Zelda, well done!” he said with a smile as he introduced himself to the newcomers. He led them to the council room, high up in one of the many towers of the castle. Once they were all seated, the council began. “I am honored to welcome you all to my castle.” Ganondorf began with a smile at each of the guests. The guests all nodded their respects. Ganondorf briefly told them of his troubles with the young rascal, Link, and his friends. When Sauron heard Aragorn’s name mentioned he led out a loud growl. “We must capture them before they attempt to destroy my ring again!” he roared in fury. “All our present troubles tie in with that ring.” Zelda whispered. Sauron glared at the Princess with gleaming red eyes. 34 “What do you know of my One Ring of Power?” he demanded loudly. “That Link knows the location of it. We only need to torture him long enough until he talks.” She said with a smile. Ganondorf was rubbing his hands together laughing with glee. “I would gladly torture him!” he cackled. Zelda rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and he would knock you out and escape! We need to try a more subtle way of torture.” Zelda replied. Ganondorf reluctantly agreed. All of a sudden the wizard, Saruman bolted upright in his chair with a look of dread on his face. “What ever is the matter, Master Curinir?” She asked in concern. “He’s here.” The wizard whispered ominously. “Who’s here?” she asked. “Gandalf the fool!” the wizard snapped a little too rudely. Zelda giggled mischievously. “Of course he’s here! Link would never go anywhere without the old wizard! I captured them not too long ago and released them. They think they will be able to collect all the spiritual stones!” Zelda laughed. Agahnim looked shocked at this revelation. “So it was Old Greybeard in the bushes! I knew I sensed him!” he cackled. “What on earth are you talking about, Agahnim?” Zelda asked in utter confusion. “Well, when I went to Kokiri Forest to destroy the Deku Tree, I kind of ran into Link and his pals.” Agahnim said as he chuckled nervously. Ganondorf moaned and ran a hand down his face in complete mortification. “Not again.” Zelda said to herself growing pink in the face. Emperor Palpatine was in hysterical laughter now. “Bless my stars! He chased you out of the Forest, didn’t he? That’s priceless!” he roared in laughter. Zelda laughed even louder. “Yeah, like the time Vader got the first Death Star blown up!” she giggled. Palpatine grew instantly serious. “Not funny! Don’t you dare make fun of a Sith Lord!” he roared. Zelda rolled her eyes. “What’re you going to do, choke me to death? Or, better yet, shoot me with lightning? You’ll never get the chance!” she said as she stood up and cast off her cloak. Ganondorf held up his hands for silence. “Silence, all of you! Enough of your shenanigans!” he roared. Zelda sat back down and Palpatine chuckled to himself. “She couldn’t even kill a Padawan.” He mumbled to Thrawn. The two shared a laugh. Zelda gave them the evil eye. Thrawn stuck out his tongue at her. She snarled like a beast. Ganondorf cleared his throat. Everyone quieted. “That’s better.” Ganondorf grunted in contempt. “We need more technology.” Ganondorf stated. Palpatine grinned in pleasure. “We can help with that. We can supply your armies with guns, lasers, tanks, missiles, Star Destroyers, and much, much more!” he said with glee. Ganondorf, Saruman, and Sauron nodded with smiles. “I’ll send my biggest supply ships within the week, and your Star Destroyers will be arriving shortly after that.” Palpatine informed them. “I will gladly instruct you in creating Rings of Power as well. These fools will never know what hit them!” Sauron said with a wicked smile. All of a sudden Zelda sat up with a smile on her lips. “They’re escaping.” She said ominously. “Who’s escaping?” the Dark Lords screamed in unison. “The hero and his companions.” Zelda whispered. All three lords got up at once. 35 “We have to stop them! Once we have them all locked up, we will have the advantage!” Palpatine was saying. Zelda smiled and rubbed her hands together in anticipation. This was it! “Let’s ride!” she said eagerly. She hustled down the stairs with glee with the evil alliance bounding down behind her. As she walked into the hallway, she gave a shrill whistle. Within seconds, the whole castle was swarming with Ganondorf’s army of monsters. Zelda clapped her hands and out of thin air appeared Sauron and Saruman’s armies and hundreds of thousands of stormtroopers. “We are the Alliance of Dark Lords. War is upon us all! We must capture the Hero of Hyrule today or we shall be doomed!” Zelda bellowed for all to hear as she led the march to the fields of Hyrule. Chapter 12 The Twilight King Link and his companions were rapidly approaching the portal, when out of the blue; Link felt a great disturbance in the Force. He slid Epona to a rapid halt and soon all of the travelers followed suit. Link was rubbing his head in deep thought. “How is this possible?” he kept muttering to himself. ‘How is what possible?” Gandalf asked in concern. But before the wizard could get an answer out of the hero, a loud horn could be heard from the direction of Hyrule Castle. “What on earth was that?” Aragorn mused. 36 He soon found out as the whole hill to the north swarmed with Orcs, Uruks, Goblins, Moblins, Darknuts, Stalfos, giant Keese, trolls, Haradrim, Mumakil, and most shocking of all, Stormtroopers! “Why are there Stormtroopers in Hyrule, Link?” Aragorn asked fearing the worst. “It seems as if Zelda has forged an alliance with our worst enemies.” Link replied still staring at the approaching armies. “What would you advise?” Gandalf said as he, too, was staring, not batting an eyebrow, at the rapidly approaching armies. All of a sudden the old wizard did a double take. “It can’t be!” he exclaimed in disbelief. “What?” Aragorn asked in apprehension. “It’s Saruman, he has returned!” Gandalf whispered in shock. Aragorn gulped. “We’re in deep trouble, indeed.” He said as he passed a hand through his hair. They all looked to Link for guidance. “We’ll just have to reveal ourselves as Jedi.” Link suggested. All of a sudden Anakin appeared with Vergere. “Link, what on earth did you do?” Anakin asked as he stared open mouthed at the armies. Vergere sighed in irritation and shook her head wearily. “So, they’ve joined forces against us.” She said in resignation. Link glumly nodded. “It appears so.” He said simply. “Where is Luke Skywalker when we need him?” Anakin mumbled. “Where is Jacen Solo when we need him?” Vergere added. “And, where is Master Yoda when you need him?” Link thought to add. The Jedi Masters nodded their heads in agreement. “This is what happens when you don’t have Jedi in Hyrule or Middle Earth, who could have prevented this.” Vergere said as she nodded her head towards the armies. The Jedi Masters all shook their heads. “That will soon change.” Link declared. That brought a small smile from Anakin. “That’s my brother. Go, get them!” he said as he patted Link on the back. Link unclipped his lightsabers from his belt and held them loosely in his hands. “I haven’t seen this much action for a very long time.” He said with a smile as he marched out to meet the armies. At the head of one army were Ganondorf and the traitor, Zelda. At the head of another was the Dark Lord Sauron. While the others were being lead by Saruman, Palpatine, C’baouth, Agahnim, and Grand Admiral Thrawn! Link growled in anger. His sister had been the mastermind behind this ambush! “War is brewing, indeed.” Vergere said in a tight lipped smile. She drew her lightsaber and stood alongside of Link and Anakin. They were soon joined by the rest of the travelers. “Stay the course.” Link ordered. The Heroes all nodded. As the first missile was launched, they drew their weapons. Link parried the missiles with his green and purple blades with a laugh. That just sent the armies into an uproar. They all charged towards the heroes. Link was now face to face with his sister. “Well, it seems I have you to thank for this little party.” Link said in between parries. Zelda chuckled evilly. “Your welcome.” She growled viciously as she swung her sword towards her brother. Link caught the blade on his gleaming blade of green. “I’m a Jedi now, remember?” he teased. That sent the princess into a rage. She began to attempt to beat her sword into Link, but kept hitting his lightsabers. “Getting tired yet, sis?” Link laughed. 37 Zelda had had enough. She resheathed her sword and grinned wickedly. She held out her hand and made a small gesture. Link went flying backwards and soon hit a tree. He slowly got up as he rubbed his back. “What’re you, a sith?” Link laughed as he walked towards her and raised his right hand. With a swift motion, Zelda, along with half of her army went flying up into the air. They landed with a thud, 100 miles away, moments later. Link turned to Ganondorf. “Well, if it isn’t the King of Evil himself, Ganondorf. Got tired of all your minions failing? Am I too strong for you?” Link mocked. Ganondorf growled in rage and charged forward with his massive sword raised. Link quickly blocked the strike with his glowing blades. Ganondorf stumbled backward in shock. “That’s it, insolent Jedi! Now you’re going to die!” he roared in wrath. Link laughed in the villain’s face. “That’s highly unlikely.” The hero said with a loud chuckle. Ganondorf raised his hands in a show of power. “By the power of the Triforce!” he screamed as he shot fireballs at the Hylian. Link nimbly leapt over them, causing several goblins to catch fire and flee in panic. Ganondorf howled in enragement. “After I kill you, I shall destroy the rest of the Jedi!” he snarled. “Only a sith deals in absolutes.” Link quoted. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ganondorf snarled as he bared his decaying teeth at the Jedi. Link shrugged and ran off to fight some Stormtroopers. “Coward!” Ganondorf yelled while waving his fist in the air in frustration, after the hero. All of a sudden a giant portal appeared in the sky. Link and Ganondorf were gaping at it in shock. “What did you summon this time, Ganondork, another Dark Nut?” Link said as he eyed the villain in suspicion. “This was not my doing, I swear!” Ganondorf protested. All of a sudden Zelda strode over with a triumphant smile. “Link, Ganondorf, meet my true master.” She said as a dark ominous figure strode out of the portal. Link’s jaw dropped. He’d never seen this villain in his life! He gulped in terror. “Truce?” Ganondorf whispered in fear. “Truce? Not on your life! I’m out of here!” Link scowled as he leapt on Epona and dashed for safety. His companions were soon behind him, fleeing in terror. Link tried not to think about the appearance of a formidable foe, a foe that even Ganondorf feared. Link shuddered in terror. The company traveled far into the night, leaving the portal farther and farther behind. As the moon began to sink, they finally stopped. Link slowly got off Epona and waited for the rest of the company. When they were all gathered together, Link began to pace back and forth. “This is bad.” He kept repeating. “Who was that?” Aragorn asked the Hylian. Link shuddered as he continued pacing. All of a sudden Anakin and Vergere appeared. Anakin walked up to his brother and stopped him with his hand. “Link, focus with the Force! You call yourself a Jedi?” Anakin admonished. Link immediately grew still and became one with the Force. As he calmed himself, he saw visions of the past. He saw an evil presence with a great black cloak shielding his identity. Link opened his eyes with a start. The great disturbance in the Force, which he had been feeling for ages, was issuing from this man! Link paled at the revelation. “It’s not Ganondorf.” He whispered in shock as he shuddered once again. Gandalf scratched his white beard in deep contemplation. “So, this evil we have been feeling in the Force wasn’t Ganondorf, but this new villain who appeared out of a portal in the battle last night?” he clarified. Link nodded. 38 “Exactly, but the dreadful part is, I have never encountered this villain in my life! And, this business with him is being Zelda’s true master? What in the world is that all about?” Link mused as he rubbed his forehead. “I know who he is.” Vergere whispered ominously. The whole company looked at the lost Jedi with widened eyes. “He is the Twilight King.” She explained. “Whoa, back up a minute! Did you just say he was the Twilight King? What I don’t understand is why Zelda betrayed us!” Link asked. “It’s quite a tale. It all began shortly after you discovered that Zelda was your sister.” Vergere began. Link nodded. “There were rumors of a great man of evil spreading twilight. The Princess was on the throne one morning when the King of Twilight stormed in the castle with a fell wind blowing in his minions. He forced the Princess to surrender her throne to him. She had no choice. But, seemingly, she has turned to the Dark Side. She is filled with great hatred and bitterness, Link, you must save her.” Vergere said with a tear in her eye. Link had to turn away, as he as well shed a tear. “How has it come to this?” he managed. Vergere shrugged. “Choose and act.” She said in a whisper as she vanished. Anakin bowed to the company and vanished into the woods. “Why, Zelda, why?” Link moaned. “She has betrayed all of us. All of us.” A small voice squeaked. Link turned to find – to his astonishment, Midna! “Zelda quit deceiving us and go back to your precious master, the Twilight King!” Link yelled in exasperation as he slid a hand down his face. “Zelda had me captured and has been masquerading as me, you fool!” Midna snapped. Link rolled his eyes in mild annoyance. “Here we go again.” He moaned under his breath. “Look, Zelda, this isn’t funny! Just go back to your master! For the love of all Hyrule, why me?” Link roared. Midna slowly shook her head. “Search your feelings, Link. Surely, you know I’m not your sister.” Midna barked at him. Link sighed inwardly and became one with the Force. To his astonishment, he could feel no trace of his sister anywhere in his vicinity! “Well, who are you?” Link finally said as he began pacing around the creature while examining her. “For crying out loud, I’m Midna!” the imp shrieked in resentment. Link rolled his eyes. “Sure you are, and I’m Sheik.” He laughed. Midna howled with rage. “Look, you imbecile, Zelda joined the Twilight King and together they captured me! I’m the true Midna! Take my aid or die!” she snarled. Link shrugged his shoulders with a sly smile. “Oh, alright, Midna, but just to make things clear, you take orders from me!” He barked. “Excuse me?” Midna giggled. Link rolled his eyes. “You heard me.” He roared. All of a sudden, Midna was in his face with her one visible red eye gleaming violently. “You can’t save her without me.” She whispered in his ear. Link brushed her off. “You little devil! Do you think you can deceive me? I know what you’re up to! It’s all help and guidance until you can get your hands on the Triforce of Courage! You insolent fool!” Link laughed with his head rolled back. 39 Midna looked peeved. “Look, hero,” she began sarcastically. Link drew himself up to his full height. “Do you even know who you are addressing, young imp? I am a Jedi Master.” Link boomed. Midna was mocking him with a gleaming red eye. “That’s it, I’ve had enough of you!” he said with a wicked smile. “Bind her with chains.” He ordered in a whisper to Aragorn. “It will be my pleasure.” Aragorn snickered as he slowly approached Midna. Midna snarled and her one visible eye flashed red in fury. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” she growled. All of a sudden she pounced on Aragorn, knocking him violently on the ground. The King was winded for a couple seconds. He immediately began to attempt to toss the creature off of him. “Who’s the weakling now?” Midna snarled with laughter. Aragorn scowled. “Enough is enough!” Aragorn yelled as he pushed her off of his body with a Force-push. Midna went flying through the air with a shriek. She fell, moments later, with a soft thud in a nearby tree, hanging upside down. Link dashed up to the tree and looked up at the creature with a grin. “You were saying?” he said with a sly grin. Midna growled viciously at the Hylian. She started to squirm with all of her might out of the tree. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He cautioned her. “Stay out of my business, hero!” Midna snapped with a snarl. Link backed off. “Well, excuse me!” he said sarcastically. Moments later, Midna fell with a shriek and a crunch on the ground at the feet of the Hylian. “There’s no need for begging, Midna.” Link teased. The company laughed merrily at this charade. “You’ll pay for this, nerf-herder!” Midna said in a growled whisper to Link as she slowly got up with a moan. Link just laughed at her. “Sure you will.” He said as he rubbed her head. “Back off!” Midna said as she attempted to bite his hand. Unfortunately for Midna, Link was too quick and lurched his hand away from her mouth. “Well, it seems like we have to become allies for the present.” Midna slowly acquiesced. Link smirked at the others as he turned to Midna. “It’s about time. I need you to guide us to the nearest village in the Ordona Province.” He ordered. Chapter 13 Ordona’s Fate Midna was struggling with her many chains and bonds with several growls at Aragorn. Aragorn just chuckled at the creature. “I demand to be free!” she snapped. Aragorn rolled his eyes. “Well, I demand that you be quiet, you insolent imp!” he grunted. Midna hissed in fury. Meanwhile, Link was riding in peace with Ilia and Malon. “Link, don’t your friends in the other realm need your help?” Malon asked softly into Link’s pointed ear. Link turned to face the girl, no, young woman. 40 “I am needed here at this point, Malon. The Force is leading me back to Ordona. I fear that it has been engulfed by Twilight. I just hope we can reach the province before it’s too late.” He said as he scanned the land for anything out of the ordinary. All of a sudden he shielded his eyes with his hand. He narrowed his eyes in concentration. He could just barely make out a great darkness seeping out of the nearby forest, the forest of Ordon! “Great Scott, it’s devouring the whole woodland!” he breathed in astonishment. Link ran a hand through his hair in anxiety. He turned to Midna with a ferocious glare that could burn iron. “I never should of trusted you, traitor!” he growled. “What ever did I do to deserve such treatment?” Midna said innocently, which enraged Link beyond belief. Link shook his head in defeat. He leapt off his horse and landed soundlessly on the ground. He boldly walked towards the forest. He stopped when he was within a foot of the Twilight. He, then, spun on his heel and faced his fellow travelers. “What are you waiting for? We go forward! Move with haste!” he ordered. Midna just cackled with merriment, before she realized that she too would have to enter the forest. She hissed in fury at the young hero. “Who do you think you are, ordering us around, like this?” she hissed at him as she passed the hero. Link just shrugged his shoulders. “The Hero of Hyrule.” Link said with amusement as he saw Midna bare her teeth at him. He was roaring with laughter as he followed them into the forest. As soon as he had set foot into the forest, he was confronted by none other than, Vergere! “Well done, Link! You followed your instincts. Twilight has indeed devoured the Ordona province. You must find the lost tears of Ordona, the guardian of this province, in order to drive away the twilight. Only then will you be able to meet with him. Choose and act!” Vergere whispered ominously as she faded into thin air. Link stroked his chin in contemplation. He glanced over at his companions and saw that Aragorn had a tight noose on Midna. He nodded his head in satisfaction. He was glad that at least he had some control over the evil creature Midna. He sensed she was somehow evil. He shuddered at the thought. He strode up to his companions, who were still in their normal forms, not surprisingly. Midna was shocked by this however. “Hey, why aren’t you a wolf, Link?” she scowled. Link smirked at her in return. “I’m a Jedi Master, remember?” he laughed. Midna let out a long low growl. She was not pleased by this change at all. Not at all! Something had to be changed and fast! She eyed the Hero’s lightsabers with a gleaming red eye. Link caught her look and grabbed her by the neck. He had her raised in the air with a glower on his face. “I have my eyes on you and my Jedi senses. Don’t do anything you might regret, you hear?” he barked in her face. Midna just spat at him, once again. Link dropped her, unceremoniously in a heap, next to Aragorn, who was still holding the leash. Link led the travelers deeper and deeper into the forest. They went on like this all day, until Link sensed that this wasn’t where he needed to be. He needed to be in Ordona Village. He shook his head wearily and led his compatriots out of the forest. “Sorry guys, looks like I got a false lead.” He apologized. The companions rode for the village all that night and finally reached the gates as the first rays of the sun were gleaming over the hills. Link got off Epona and transformed into a wolf, once again. He ordered the rest of the company to guard Midna while he investigated. He went off at a trot towards the gate. His senses told him that he wouldn’t be able to get in that way, so he started to dig. After several minutes he was inside the village. He began to sneak past the guards at the gate and was soon at the ranch. Everything seemed normal in the village. Link shook with an ominous feeling. He made his way to the healing fountain. He padded softly over to the edge of the ancient fountain. As his foot touched the water, he felt instantly refreshed and energized. All of a sudden a great mist formed over the fountain encircling Link. As it cleared, Link was shocked to discover he was face to face with a giant white wolf-like being! It was the guardian of Ordona! “I am Link, Hero of Hyrule; I come to ask for help.” Link growled as he bowed his head. 41 The great white wolf-guardian’s eyes lit up and he smiled. “Ah, Link, it’s about time! Twilight bugs have been running amok in the village while you were on your quest. Destroy all of them and the Twilight on Ordon Village shall dissipate!” the wolf-guardian growled. Link bowed his head with a low growl. He got up at once and started sniffing out the bugs. He was soon licking his lips in hunger. “I smell bugs of Twilight, delicious!” he growled as he leapt forward in his hunt. Ilia and the others soon showed up in the village as Link was bounding around, foaming at the mouth, looking for Twilight bugs. They eyed him with horror. “Oh no, the Twilight got him!” Ilia gasped as she put a hand over her mouth. All of a sudden Link stopped in front of her dripping saliva from his lips. Ilia gulped in terror. “Nice Link, nice wolf.” She said as she patted him on the head nervously. Link let out a silent growl and bared his teeth. Ilia shrieked in horror. She dashed over to Aragorn and used his body as a shield. Aragorn chuckled and walked over to Link with a smile. He bent down next to the crazed hero and looked him straight in the eye. “What is it, boy?” he asked the wolf. “I smell a bug of twilight.” Link howled. All of a sudden, Ilia let out a piercing shriek as she was bit by the bug. She fell to the ground unconscious. “Oh, no they didn’t!” Link growled. The company drew their swords and axes and advanced on the bugs of Twilight. Link had five in his mouth already, tearing them to shreds. Shortly after, the bugs were dead and the Twilight soon dissipated from the village. Link transformed into his regular form and turned to the others. “Is she alright?” he asked in concern as he knelt over Ilia. Ilia looked quite pale and were unconscious. Link turned to Aragorn with a tear in his eye. “We need athelas, now!” he urged the king. Aragorn nodded as he searched in his pouch for some. He sighed audibly as his search came up empty. “I’m all out.” He said in a whisper. “I wonder if it can be found in Hyrule,” Link mused. Aragorn stroked his chin in contemplation. While Aragorn was pondering over this mystery, Link gently picked Ilia up and settled her on Epona. “I’m going to take Ilia back to the village and get help. I’ll be back soon.” Link informed the company as he took Malon’s hand and began to lead Epona to the village. As Link neared the village, a hawk could be seen flying down from the mountains. It was none other than Link’s old friend, Greyfeather! The Hawk landed in front of the Hero and bowed his head. Link gasped as Saria stepped off the hawk with a smile. “Link, something is terribly amiss with our friends, the Gorons! Twilight has seeped into Kakariko! You must help us.” She begged. Link nodded his head. “I will, Saria, I will. I need more time,” he began but as the word, time, left his lips he was inspired. He snapped his fingers in excitement. “That’s it! Time!” he yelled with glee as he started to dance. Saria looked at Malon in confusion. “What in Hyrule is he talking about?” she whispered. Malon shrugged as she laughed at her friend. “Who knows? But it’s got to be something that will save Hyrule!” Malon said with a smile. Link calmed himself and turned back to the two perplexed women. “As you may remember, I was able to defeat Ganondorf last time due to time travel. Well, I may not be able to defeat the Twilight King with time travel, but I can sure as help things out a little with time travel!” he explained. Saria was getting excited as she as well remembered the tale of the Ocarina of Time, for she was one of the Sages who helped in the overthrow of Ganondorf. “What about this King of Twilight? Won’t he find out you’re traveling through time?” Saria questioned. 42 “He most undoubtedly will. I’ll just have to be quick about it. But the question is, when will I go? The past or future? I know I can’t interfere with anything or he’ll know for sure.” Link muttered. Malon suddenly caught on to his train of thought. “Use the Force to walk through time! I heard Aragorn talking about how Jacen Solo does it! The King of Twilight won’t even know!” she exclaimed. Link looked at her in astonishment. “Well, it looks like the Force is with us! Come, Saria, we’ll need all the help we can get!” he said as he took both the girls’ hands and walked through an invisible portal through time. Chapter 14 Time Warp Link and the two girls stepped through the invisible portal and were in Hyrule of the past. From the looks of things, it wasn’t that long ago. Malon and Saria let out a gasp. “This was last month!” Saria whispered. Link looked at her quizzically. “How do you know?” he asked with a frown. “For one thing, the Twilight isn’t here. For another, I see the King of Twilight riding to Hyrule Castle!” Saria said with alarm as she pointed to great black figure riding with haste to the castle followed by a great black wisp of smoke. “We’ll follow at a distance to see what really conspired here to force Zelda to turn sides.” Link whispered as he led them towards the Twilight. 43 They soon reached the gates of the castle and witnessed something they never would have expected. Zelda was at her throne surrounded by a small wall of guards. Further down the great blue carpet were more guards facing the gate. All of a sudden the great wisp of the black cloud of Twilight blew in and great creatures of Shadows appeared and pounced on the guard killing all of them except the few by the princess. There was a dramatic pause and out stepped the Twilight King out of the cloud. He strode down the carpet with two monsters flanking him, and stopped a foot away from the princess. “It is time for you to choose: Surrender or Die. Oh, yes, a question for all the land and people of Hyrule…” he paused dramatically looking at the guards choking in the grasp of the fearsome twilight creatures. Zelda gulped in fear. “Life or Death?!” the king cackled. Zelda gulped in fear once again and slowly let her thin rapier-like sword clang to the ground. “I, Princess Zelda of Hyrule, hereby surrender to the Twilight. I am your servant.” She proclaimed to the Twilight King. “You may call me Zant, if you wish. Link gasped in bewilderment. He truly had never heard of this guy! “We should be going now.” Link said as he grabbed the girls’ hands and quietly walked back to Hyrule Field. They ran right into, none other than Jacen Solo. “Jacen, why are you in Hyrule? You’re supposed to be with Mara and Ben Skywalker in Middle Earth tracking the Halflings!” Link gasped in shock. Jacen merely smiled and held out a hand for the young hero to relax. “Relax, Master Link, I have mastered inter-dimension time travel. Mara and Ben Skywalker believe me to be asleep. We’re making good progress in our search for the Halflings, but have spotted several Nazgul on their tail. Mara is in the process of using a highly advanced Jedi Mind Trick on them to dissuade them from traveling any closer. Oh, before I forget, Radagast has Force potential. We’ve sensed it from afar. Well, how has it been with you?” Jacen finished with a smile. “Hyrule has taken a turn for the worst, I’m afraid, Jacen. My sister, Princess Zelda, has turned to the Dark Side.” Link whispered. Jacen paled as he heard the news. “You’re joking, right?” he chuckled nervously. Link shook his head. He began to tell Jacen the tale of the Zant, the Twilight King, and how twilight was devouring the whole land. “Do you want us to send help?” Jacen asked after he had processed the tale. “We’ll be fine, trust me.” Link reassured the young Jedi. “I have a bad feeling about this,” Jacen began but was caught off as he noticed something amiss in Middle Earth. “Nazgul!” he exclaimed as he vanished with a flash into midair. The three companions gasped in fear. “They got him! Do something Link! He’s done for! We’re all doomed!” Malon cried as she tugged his shoulder. “Malon, relax! I’m a Jedi Master, remember. Not only that, but I am the Hero of Hyrule. Now, do you think that I could be caught off guard?” he said as he eyed her with one of his infamous smirks. Malon had a smile playing on the edges of her lips. “Of course not, hero!” she chuckled as she started to scan the horizon for some athelas leaves. “Now, where have I seen that plant before?” Saria pondered as she scratched her head. Link began playing Saria’s song on his ocarina for inspiration. As the song reached the Kokiri’s ears, her eyes lit up. She began to jump up and down with joy as the song reached its climax. “Faron Woods, of course!” she breathed as she grabbed her two companions’ hands and led them at a mad dash to the forest near Ordon. “Where are you taking us?” Link laughed as Saria pulled him along. “To the forest where you were born.” Saria teased as the wind ruffled her hair. Link’s eyes lit up. “We’re going to Faron Forest? We should advance with caution. I hear Twilight has engulfed that area.” He whispered. His companions nodded. Malon took Link’s hand, and Link felt a slight tremble. 44 “The Force shall be with us, Malon. Stop your fretting.” He whispered as he sent forth a sense of calm through the Force. Malon relaxed. Link led them on and they soon reached the woods of Faron. As they were passing another fountain in the woods, Link sensed he was being called to the fountain. “Brave Youth, take this vessel and fill it with my scattered tears if light. Destroy the bugs of Twilight and restore light to the provinces of Ordona and Faron!” a voice said from the direction of the fountain. Link was astonished to find a vessel in his hands. So he wasn’t daydreaming! He was being called to drive back the Twilight in Hyrule, starting with the provinces of Ordona and Faron. He would track down all the Twilight Bugs and destroy them, thus collecting the tears of light he needed to restore light to the area. Malon looked at him in utter confusion, with the exception of Saria, who knew the ancient language. “Who said that, and what did it mean?” Malon asked him. “I believe that it was Faron the Spirit of Light who watches over this province, the Faron Province. He told me to collect the scattered tears of light in the province of Ordona and Faron and kill the bugs of Twilight to restore light back to the area.” Link explained. Malon nodded. Saria was beaming now. “What’s the matter, Saria?” Link asked, puzzled. Saria opened her hand to reveal a few leaves. They were of the Athelas plant! Link jumped for joy. “Great job, Saria. Now to return to the present, heal Ilia, and drive back the Twilight in these regions!” Link smiled as he took their hands and led them through time back to the present. Chapter 15 Driving Back the Twilight As the three companions stepped back into the present, Aragorn and the others walked towards them. Link took the Athelas leaves from Saria and walked over to Aragorn. “The Force has been with us, Aragon. Saria found these!” He told his friend as he opened his palm to reveal the leaves. Aragorn raised his brow in surprise. “Where in Hyrule did you find these? I thought they could only be found in Middle Earth!” he asked as he studied the leaves. “We found them in Faron Woods, which is located in the nearby Faron Province. I’m not sure if they’re still around though, because we found them in the past.” Link explained to Aragorn. The king nodded as he listened to the tale. He sensed that in all the excitement, Link was leaving something out. He had a bad feeling about this. 45 “Was there anything else that happened on your search?” he pressed Link. Link blinked a couple times before remembering that Aragorn hadn’t been with him when he met Faron. “Well, as soon as we heal Ilia, we have to find and destroy the bugs of Twilight in these regions, the Provinces of Ordona and Faron. Only then, after we have collected the tears of light from the creatures, will light be restored to this area.” Link explained. Aragorn moaned in exasperation. “This is going to take a while, isn’t it?” He joked. Link nodded as he shared the laugh. “Well, are you going to start the cleansing, or not? Zant’s not going to sit around all day! He’s going to strike back, and soon! Cleanse this area now!” Midna growled as her eye gleamed red again. Aragorn slapped her across the cheek. “Hush, you little Imp! He’s not your slave!” Aragorn whispered angrily. “Oh, really! Watch this, you insolent fool!” Midna cackled as she let loose dark energy, which freed her of her bonds. She then hovered in the air above the group as she cackled in pleasure. Aragorn had his jaw hanging open. Link, clearly, had expected this turn of events. He raised his right hand towards the creature and made a sweeping motion. Midna was suddenly slammed to the ground. She let out a soft shriek of dismay and shock. She bared her teeth at the Hero as he approached. “Midna, do you know who you’re dealing with?” he said with a sweet smile. “Back off, infidel! I’ll bite!” she growled. Link just laughed. “What’re you a beast?” he snickered. Midna had had enough; she sprang into the air and sent a wave of dark energy at the Hylian. Link transformed into a wolf upon impact. Midna smiled in satisfaction. She glided over and was about to land on his back, when he transformed back to his regular form. She shrieked and fell over backwards. Before she could get up, however, Link put his boot on her. She growled in frustration. Link used the Force to hold her to the ground while he walked around her with a sad smile. “My poor Midna, when are you ever going to learn? You can’t control me, I am a Jedi. You must remember that. In order to restore peace to Hyrule, and the Twilight Realm, we’re going to have to work together.” He explained to the imp. Link waved his hand in the air, and strong bonds of chain hovered over to Midna and began binding her. Soon after, a heavy lock clicked closed on the bonds. Midna growled in rage. “Why don’t you trust me? I’ve only tried to aid you in your quest! Please, listen to me! I know much more about the Twilight than any of you. I can be of great help!” she begged. Link rolled his eyes. “Will you stop ordering us around and listen to me? After all, we are Jedi.” He added as a last thought. “Whatever you say, Master Jedi.” Midna whispered arrogantly. “That’s much better. That wasn’t hard, was it?” Link laughed as he waved his hand again, and Midna was free of the chains and lock. She hovered into the air once again and began to glide over Link’s head with a wicked laugh. “I bet your wondering where those bugs of twilight are, right?” she giggled as she soared up into a tree. She alighted on a thin branch high up in the tree and gave Link a small wave as she smiled. “This way, Jedi!” she giggled as she soared deeper into Ordon Village. Link led his companions on a mad dash after the creature, and soon they were by Rusl’s house. Link finally spotted Midna hovering over the roof. “Wait a minute, Midna! We still have to heal Ilia!” Link barked at the creature. Midna blinked twice as if unaware of the young girl’s plight. “Oh, you mean me?” Midna said as she transformed into Ilia. Link wasn’t amused in the slightest. “Cut it out now, Midna. This is serious. She could die, if I don’t get this athelas to her now!” Link roared as he raised his hand and brought Midna down from the roof. Midna tried to fight the Force but was hopelessly outmatched. She was soon hovering in front of the Hylian. 46 “Come on, Midna, we’re going.” Link barked as he turned around briskly with Midna trailing behind him against her will. As they reached the ancient spring at the edge of the village, Link spotted Gandalf bent over Ilia. Link thought he could hear a phrase of Elvish come from the Wizard’s lips. He dashed over to Gandalf with the leaves in his hands. “Hope has been restored, Master Gandalf! Look what I found in the past!” Link exclaimed, showing Gandalf the athelas leaves. Gandalf’s eyes widened in recognition as he grabbed the leaves out of the Hylian’s hand. He crushed the leaves to a fine powder and mixed them with steaming water in a wooden bowl. He waved the bowl under Ilia’s nose and she awakened at once, feeling strangely refreshed. She opened her eyes and spotted Link. “Link, what happened? Where am I? What day is it? What is the time?” she asked in confusion. Link chuckled in merriment. “Slow down, Ilia! You are in Ordon, the day is December 15, and the time is Eleven o’clock.” Link began with a smile. Ilia was rubbing her head as she took it all in. “As for what happened, I’ll only say that we were attacked by an element of Twilight.” Link vaguely explained. Ilia nodded as it all came back to her. Link let her rest for a few moments before helping her up. “Where are we going?” Ilia whispered in his ear. “We are going to drive back the Twilight in Ordona and Faron.” Link whispered back in like kind. Ilia nodded as she followed him back to the village. Midna glided over their heads and landed on the roof of Rusl’s house once again with an evil giggle. “We don’t have all day, Jedi! This way to the bugs of Twilight!” she giggled as she hovered around the house. Link rolled his eyes and marched up to the door in a dramatic fashion. He rapped on the door three times and paused for dramatic effect, much to Midna’s annoyance. She was seething now. “Just kick the door in, already! We need to banish the Twilight! What are you waiting for?” Midna hissed in Link’s ear. “You must learn patience, young fool.” Link commanded with a wave of his hand. Midna shook her head in frustration. “You’re all hopeless! At this rate, you’ll never save Hyrule, and I’ll never get back to the Twilight! Out of my way!” she screamed as she rammed them out of the way and hovered in front of the door. She raised her hands with a loud grunt and all of a sudden a ball of Twilight appeared out of Midna’s hands. She made a sweeping motion and obliterated the door to a mound of dust to the horror of the travelers. Link and Ilia looked at her like she was mad. “Midna, what do you think you’re doing? You can’t go around destroying other people’s property!” Link managed to say after a moment of shock. Midna just gave one of her giggles and glided inside with a small wave. Link had had enough of her games. So, he just stood outside with his arms crossed and waited. One minute later, Midna flew out of the house with her one visible eye gleaming red and showed her fangs to Link. “What are you waiting for? Get in there and destroy the bugs, you insolent fool!” she shrieked. Link just looked at her while he tapped his foot in annoyance. “You could have killed us all with that move you pulled! Who do you think you are, Queen of Hyrule?” Link barked in her face. Midna recoiled visibly. As she regained her composure she glided back over to the Hylian. “You have no right to order me around, infidel!” she snapped. Link stood his ground and raised his hand for silence. “SILENCE! I am Link, Hero of Hyrule, and you WILL listen to me!” he roared. Midna was thrown backwards into a tree. She slid down and slammed into the ground with a moan. She leapt up as soon as she recovered and rushed towards Link with a sneer. “You may be the Hero of Hyrule, But I am the Twilight Princess!” she said while baring her fangs. 47 Link just smiled at the small imp and raised his index finger and pointed at a nearby stonewall. Midna was suddenly thrown and pinned against the wall by the Force. She sighed audible. It grieved her to do this, but she had to for the sake of the Twilight. “Alright, Jedi, I, Midna. Princess of Twilight shall comply with your wishes.” She whispered in sadness. Link strode over to Midna with a thoughtful smile on his lips. He offered his hand towards the Twilight Princess with relief. “I now understand your plight, young Midna, Princess of Twilight. I will offer my aid if you shall take it, along with the Jedi.” He said as he released her and bowed. As he bowed, Aragorn and Gandalf bowed as well. Link gave Midna a small smile if support. “Don’t worry, I always straighten things out! Saving Princesses is my duty.” He chuckled as he entered Rusl’s house. Midna glided in behind him. As she entered the house, her eyes began to gleam in pleasure. “They’re here!” She whispered in the Hylian’s ear. Link stopped in his tracks and expanded his Force Awareness. He sensed a hidden danger underneath the nearby bed. He motioned for everybody to be still as he crossed the room and kicked the bed over. With a yell he swung his lightsaber through the air and decapitated several bugs of twilight. Midna smiled in satisfaction. “Well done, chosen hero of Hyrule!” she smiled as she glided over beside him. Link smiled at the young imp and strode out of the house with several balls of light encircling his head. He felt the light strengthening the village through the Force and was gladdened by it. “The Force is with us, indeed!” he whispered. He thought he sensed Anakin Skywalker nearby, in the Forest of Faron. He shook his head. He was imagining things. The travelers continued on their way through the village and quickly took care of the ‘bug problem’. They made their way out of the village and ventured into the forest of Faron. Link had already collected more than half of the tears of light of the two provinces. All he had left was the Forest. He stretched out his senses and let the Force guide him to the remaining bugs of Twilight. He was led to the fountain of Faron. As he stepped into the fountain he saw a horde of Twilight bugs swarming the fountain. These were the last ten he needed to defeat in order to restore light to Ordona and Faron! He ignited his lightsaber, along with Aragorn and Gandalf and charged towards the bugs. Several of the bugs hissed in anger, while many others exploded into tears of light. The three Jedi soon shut off their lightsabers and collected the last tears of light. Link was suddenly surrounded by all the tears of light and was astonished to witness them forming into the guardians, Ordona and Faron! All of a sudden a brilliant light flashed overhead, and the Provinces of Ordona and Faron were restored to their former glory with no Twilight in sight! Link grinned at his companions. They had succeeded! Light had been restored to the region. Midna once again became a shadow with reluctance shortly afterward. The two guardians slowly padded over to the young Hylian. “Oh, Chosen Hero of Hyrule, You have done well! You must now travel to the Province of Eldin. There you will find your lost friends. Before you reunion, however, you must again drive back the Twilight. For, it had as well devoured that region. Go with the Force!” Ordona instructed. Link nodded and turned to leave. All of a sudden Bo, the Mayor, appeared out of the Forest. “Link, I have heard of your quest to rescue Colin. I admire your courage. Please take care of Ilia. If anything happened to her, I –“Bo was suddenly too saddened to go on and ran off. Link shook his head in deep remorse. What had happened to Hyrule, to let it come to this? Link tightened his grip on his lightsaber with resolve. He was going to restore peace to these lands if it was the last thing he did. “Let’s move!” he ordered his companions as he mounted Epona and prepared to ride to the Eldin Province. 48 \ Chapter 16 Dire News Link and his companions had finally reached Hyrule Field as it was nearing dawn. Link was suddenly strengthened through the Force as he entered the field. With earnest haste, he urged Epona forward. Aragorn noticed that the young Hylian had a broad smile now. He chuckled in merriment with Gandalf. “Why are you so enraptured, Link?” Aragorn asked as he caught up with the hero. “I’m back in my home country, and I am doing what I enjoy!” Link laughed as he sped up over the fields of Hyrule. “Apparently, this is what he does for fun.” Aragorn explained to Gandalf. Gandalf let out one of his famous chuckles upon hearing this. 49 “He should visit Ro-“Gandalf started to say but his words were cut short when Princess Leia showed up. “Princess Leia, I didn’t know you could time walk!” Gandalf managed to say. Leia gave a small laugh. “There are things that even I hide from Jacen. I fear he is going down the same path as his grandfather.” She ended with a sigh of remorse. “It is true, he is going down that path, but not totally. We need not fear for the present. It is for the future that we must concern ourselves.” Link explained to the Princess. Leia nodded. She took a seat on a nearby stump. She pulled out a small holo-projector from her pocket. “I bring news from Lady Galadriel. She has returned to the shores of Middle Earth, with a fellowship of Elves.” She finished as she began the recording. There was a faint shimmer as the tiny blue image of the Elf Queen, Galadriel, appeared. She bowed to the travelers. “Oh, great Jedi Masters, I come to you with a heavy heart.” She began in her high, strong Elven voice. Link was watching the recording thoughtfully while stroking his chin. “We have learned of the ‘true’,” and with this she made air quotes with her hands. “Fate of the One Ring and the betrayal and deception of the Halfling, Frodo Baggins.” She continued. Link gave Aragorn and Gandalf a knowing look. They knew what was coming next: the Capture and detainment of the foolish Hobbit. Link turned back to the hologram with a thin smile. “Lady Galadriel, you will be pleasantly surprised then to hear that our young traitor is under key and lock in the far away planet of Coruscant under the watchful eyes of the most renowned Jedi Masters who ever lived: Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Ring is safe for now.” He informed her. Galadriel chuckled in merriment. “He’s just a Hobbit! What’s he going to do, set up a mass break out?” she laughed. Link stared at her with a highly serious face. “This is no laughing matter, Galadriel. The Dark Lords have formed an alliance. They now have a much needed advantage over us. Sauron and Saruman now have technology! We must stop them before it is too late! Do you now understand our plight?” Link finished. Galadriel was now breathing heavily and was growing very pale. “I’m sorry Master Link, I didn’t know.” She whispered in horror. Link nodded his head and turned to Lord Elessar. “My Lady, as you undoubtedly now know, war has broke out in all our lands. Soon all of Hyrule, Middle Earth, and the Galactic Alliance will be covered in darkness and twilight. We must act now before it is too late. Where is General Jedi Master Skywalker, I much desire to speak with him?” Aragorn asked. Galadriel vanished for a moment but was back with Luke. When Luke saw his friends he smiled. “Link, Aragorn, and Gandalf, how go things in Hyrule?” he asked as he stepped closer. Link drew in a breath before delivering the most unfortunate news to the Jedi Master. “Master Skywalker, Zelda has betrayed us all. She has forged an evil alliance with the Dark Lords. They now all have access to your technology.” Link finished. Luke widened his eyes at the news. “Zelda too? First Jacen, now Zelda? She’s after the Ring, isn’t she?” Luke asked Link. “Undoubtedly so. Jacen’s a Sith?” Link whispered. Luke just shook his head. “I had a feeling it would come to this. This is bad. Worse than I could ever imagine. We must act quickly before they can up their advantage and spill more blood. Hurry up and destroy the Twilight and meet me in the Shire!” and with that the hologram vanished. “I have a very bad feeling about this.” He whispered. Link looked at Midna with a scowl. “Well, Princess of Twilight, what do you suppose we do now?” Link growled under his breath. Midna glared at him once more. “We make our way to Kakariko!” she said with glee as she glided over the field. Link began to leap for joy! 50 “Did you hear that? We’re going back to Kakariko!” Link exclaimed as he leapt on Epona with a wide grin. Aragorn laughed with merriment. “We need to get that boy out more.” He whispered to Gandalf. The wizard chuckled as they rode after him. Chapter 17 Return to Kakariko Link and his companions had finally reached the outskirts of the village of Kakariko when they heard a rooster crow. It was dawn. Link stifled a yawn and stretched his arms. They slowed their horses down to a trot when they neared the gates. “Link, do you remember those gates being there?” Aragorn asked in confusion. “No, they must have just put them up recently. But, why? Impa would never put gates up!” Link said as it dawned on him that some terrible fate had besieged Kakariko. 51 Link ran a hand through his long blonde hair. This was bad, worse than the time he had come back seven years later to a ghost attack. “We’re breaking in.” Link told the others. Aragorn cocked an eyebrow. “How are supposed to break in? That’s an iron gate with cortosis imbedded in it! It will shut down your lightsaber upon impact!” Aragorn asked the Hylian. Link immediately shut down his lightsaber upon hearing mention of cortosis. “How do you know that?” he asked in shock. “You see those shiny specks? That would be cortosis!” Aragorn explained. Link shook his head in defeat. “We’re doomed!” he muttered. Suddenly he heard Anakin Skywalker’s voice through the Force. “The Force will be with you, always.” The voice whispered. Link chuckled to himself. Aragorn looked at Link with concern. “Link, are you all right? This is a serious situation we have ourselves in, you know.” Aragorn told Link. Link just smiled out of the corner of his mouth and walked towards the gate. He stopped when he was within a foot of it and stretched out his hand. He closed his eyes and drew onto the Living Force. All of a sudden the gate shook violently and fell to the ground in a pile of rubble. Link opened his eyes and lowered his hand with a satisfactory smile. He turned to the others with a smile. “Well, that did the trick. Come on, let’s go! We have no time to waste. We must find the Sheikah and Impa!” he ordered as he ran over the rubble and into the village. The others just shrugged and bounded after him. Link was running through Kakariko when something in the Force told him to stop. So, he stopped in his tracks. Ilia and Malon ran right into him and fell ungraciously on the ground. Link just stood there transfixed by something. “How rude!” Ilia moaned as she got up and brushed herself off. Malon gave her a punch in the shoulder for the remark. “Would you just keep your mouth shut for once?” she asked clearly annoyed. Link suddenly hushed them with a hand. “I have a bad feeling about this. There is nobody around.” He said as he suddenly turned to the gates once more. “Get behind me!” he ordered as he drew his lightsaber. Three horrific dark creatures suddenly strode in over the rubble. Midna was whispering to Link. “Those are creatures of the Twilight. Destroy them and a portal shall open.” She told the Hylian. Link nodded with resolve. He ignited his lightsaber and advanced upon the creatures. “For Hyrule and all lands of the free folk!” he yelled as he leapt into the middle of them. It was a very quick battle. With ease, Link rapidly sliced through them all in one fell sweep. They all let out wails of dismay and vanished in a puff of black smoke, which disappeared into a portal. Link shut down his lightsaber and reclipped it to his belt. “Well, that will teach them to invade this village in my absence!” he laughed as he began to investigate the village. All of a sudden a door silently opened nearby. Link whirled upon the door and drew his lightsaber. Link dropped the saber in shock as he saw who it was. “Impa, I’ve been looking all over for you! What happened?” Link asked as he picked up his lightsaber and clipped it back on his belt once again. Impa smiled, at last the Hero of Hyrule had returned. She beckoned the travelers inside. Once they were all seated around the fire, Impa scanned her eyes over Link’s companions. As soon as her eyes reached Midna, she let out a long low gasp of recognition. “Well, if it isn’t Midna, Princess of Twilight! Be gone with you and your evil schemes!” she roared as she grabbed Midna by the helmet. Midna hissed with fury and let forth her twilight upon Impa. Impa blocked it with her hand. With a brilliant show of strength, Impa slammed the door open and threw the imp out into the village. Link was out the door like a flash and was soon back with Midna. “Impa, how dare you treat our guide like that! You should be ashamed of yourself!” Link admonished her. Impa blushed in embarrassment. 52 “Sorry, Midna.” She mumbled under her breath, clearly not pleased with the situation. Link sighed in exasperation. “Besides the state of this village, Impa, I’m here to find out what made Zelda betray us and all of Hyrule like this.” He said as he motioned towards the window. Impa gave Link a small smile. “Link, I have some good news, and some bad news. Which do you want first?” Impa asked as she eyed the hero with a knowing look. Link could barely believe it, was Impa implying what he thought she was? “Zelda didn’t betray us did she” he finally said after a long tense silence. Impa nodded. Link let out a loud whoop and raised a fist in the air. “I knew she was too wise, and too noble to willingly betray her kingdom! She is truly of the Skywalker line!” he said with a broad smile. His smile vanished a moment later, when he remembered that Impa had bad news as well. “What exactly is the bad news?” he asked fearing the worst. “Princess Zelda –“Impa began but was cut short by Link. “Has been captured, again.” Link finished for her. Impa let out a small laugh. “It’s not that bad, my young hero. The bad news is that Princess Zelda has vanished from Hyrule. She can’t be found anywhere.” Impa was saying when suddenly Anakin Skywalker appeared at the doorway. Impa’s jaw dropped in shock. “You’re a ghost!” she cried out in alarm. Anakin chuckled in amusement and walked into the room. “You have done well, Link. Zelda is safe for the moment. Now you must journey to Death Mountain and dispel the Twilight. Only then will Hyrule be restored to light.” He said as he bowed and vanished. Impa was rubbing her eyes in amazement. “Who in Hyrule was that?” she asked mystified. “That was my Brother, Darth Vader.” Link said with a yawn. Impa looked at Link with shock. “You have a Dark Lord as a brother? But, that would mean Zelda has one too!” she said as she began to freak. Link began to chuckle, but was cut short with a jab in the ribs from Aragorn. “He was a former Dark Lord. He came back to the light, but passed from the world of the Living Force. He pops up now and then with helpful insight and advice.” Aragorn corrected. Impa sigh with relief and gave Link a look of annoyance. “Link; there is a group of Hyrulians I would like you all to meet. They have formed a resistance and are willing to fight by your side and help restore Hyrule! Come with me!” she explained to the travelers as she led them down a secret passageway in the fireplace. The company finally reached the exit hours later. Link could hardly believe it. A group of freedom fighters, like himself in Hyrule? Hope was renewed. If he could train these folk to become heroes like him, he could leave Hyrule without fear. As Impa opened the door Link saw a face he thought he would never see again. “Colin, you’re alright!” Ilia gasped as she ran in. Colin laughed as he reunited with his long-time friends. “I escaped by the nick of my teeth. It was a fierce fight, but in the end I triumphed.” He said with a broad smile at Link as he held up his sword. Aragorn was shocked that such a young boy could fight with the sword. “You have done well, Colin of Ordona.” Link smiled as he shook the boy’s hand. Colin beamed with pride. Link stretched out his awareness in the Force and was pleasantly surprised to find that Colin was very Force-sensitive. “Colin, you shall be my new apprentice. I shall teach you the ways of the Force.” He said with a smile. Colin jumped with glee. Link finally locked eyes with the others who sat around the small wooden table in the bar, which was coincidentally directly underneath Hyrule Castle. Among the group, he spotted the 53 smith from Ordona Village, Telma, the bartender, and none other than Darunia! Telma widened here eyes in shock. “He’s returned, the Hero has returned.” She whispered in awe. Link bowed to the group and ignited his lightsaber. “This, my fellow Hyrulians, is a lightsaber. It is a symbol of the Jedi. I am now a Jedi Master. With your help, I believe Hyrule just might be saved from this wretched Twilight. I will now inform you of my plan to stop this madness.” Link began. The hero told the group of the beginning of his adventure and how he had recently restored light to the Ordona Province. He had but two more Provinces to restore, the Eldin and Lanayru Provinces. Darunia nodded his head in understanding. “The Eldin Province is enshrouded in this Twilight, I barely escaped. It has engulfed Death Mountain and driven my fellow brothers, the Gorons, to insanity. You must help us, Hero of Hyrule.” Darunia said with great sorrow. Link nodded his head. “You have my word, Brother Darunia; I will restore light to the Eldin Province.” Link said with a bow as he turned on his heel beckoning the others to follow. Within seconds they had vanished down the secret corridor to the village of Kakariko leaving Impa with the Resistance. “That’s our hero!” Impa said with a small smile. Link was sprinting down the corridor while his friends were struggling to keep up with him. “What’s the rush?” Colin panted. “He’s got a mission to accomplish. He won’t stop for anything. We’re almost there. Come on!” Aragorn smiled as he dashed after the Hero. The company soon reached Impa’s house once again. Link was out the door in a flash with the others straggling out minutes later. To their astonishment, Link was already halfway to the entrance to the mountain and was leaning against the gate waiting for them to catch up. Once the company was all gathered around the gate that lead to the fiery and dangerous Death Mountain, Link looked up. “Alright, fellow Jedi and Hyrulians, we have a most urgent mission to accomplish. It must be executed with secrecy and skill. Our mission is to find the source of Twilight that has been issuing out of the mountain and eliminate it, thus restoring light to the Eldin Province. I am assuming there are more of these ‘Twilight Bugs’ to eliminate as well, so I’ll handle that. I am also sensing a temple nearby, so my guess is we’ll have to defeat yet another boss as well before the light fully returns. Any questions?” he finished with a smug look. Colin was itching with anticipation. He had always wanted to go on a quest with Link. He drew his sword with a broad smile. “Let’s go. Link, the sooner we finish this mission, the sooner we can rescue the Princess!” he yelled. Link lifted an eyebrow at the boy. “How did you know about the Princess of Hyrule’s plight, young apprentice?” he asked with suspicion. “I just assumed she was in trouble, since you have always had to rescue her.” Colin answered. “Oh, whatever.” Link shrugged as he got ready to embark on his next mission. The Hero soon dashed off up the mountain followed by the others as the gate swung close with a low creak. Chapter 18 Mission on Death Mountain The company had been traversing the dangerous slopes of Death Mountain for many hours, yet they were only an eighth of the way to the top. Colin gripped his sword, ready to slice any enemy that approached them. “Trust your feelings, young apprentice. There is no need for that weapon, yet. Let the Force flow through you.” Link instructed. 54 Colin took a deep calming breath before finally sheathing his sword. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. A small boulder nearby suddenly lifted into the air and rose higher and higher with each passing moment. Link could hardly believe what he was seeing. “Great Scott, he’s strong in the Force!” Gandalf gasped in amazement. “Indeed he is.” Link agreed as he stroked his chin in bewilderment. What could this mean? A young boy in Hyrule with great Force potential? Could there be others that he had yet to discover? He had to track them down before the sith could! “We must move quickly if we wish to succeed in our mission, come!” he told the others. Colin’s eyes popped open and he grabbed Link’s robe and pulled him to the ground. “Get down now! They’ve found us!” he hissed as he pulled his master into a small crevice hidden in the mountainside. The rest of the company scurried for cover as quick as possible. As soon as the last of them had hidden themselves, they heard a dreadful shriek from above and saw a great black shadow of a dragon-like creature. “Blast it, they’ve been tracking us!” Aragorn cursed. “What are they? Who found us?” Ilia asked in fear. “They are the Nazgul. They are constantly searching for their Master’s lost ring, the One Ring to Rule Them All.” Aragorn whispered with a sigh. “The Ring that the Hobbit stole?” Malon asked finally understanding. “Yes, it is indeed the One Ring.” Gandalf answered. “Where is the Ring, now?” Ilia implored. “It is safe in the far away city of Coruscant.” Gandalf answered. “Not quite.” Link whispered with a frown as he pulled it out from underneath his robe. Both Gandalf and Aragorn gasped. It was indeed the One Ring. “Are you crazy, Link? Why did you take it? Now all of Hyrule is doomed!” Gandalf whispered angrily. “I felt that it was my duty to see to its final destruction. Once Hyrule is saved, I will make the long journey to Mt. Doom and destroy it once and for all.” Link explained. “Well you are a Jedi Master and strong in the Force.” Gandalf acquiesced. “You won’t go alone. We’re all going with you.” Aragorn replied with a grin. “Good, I had a feeling you would.” Link smiled. Another shriek from above took them back to the present. Link was searching the skies. “Well, it looks like they’re all here. We can take them, right?” he grinned. “Indeed we can, Master.” Colin said as he rolled out of the crevice and leaped into the air with a yell. “He’s doomed.” Aragorn whispered. Colin landed on the ground feet first and raised his hands. “Uh, Link, what exactly is he doing?” Aragorn asked in bewilderment. Link paled in realization. “He’s trying to use the Force to knock them off of the dragons!” he said as he got up. “This is going to end in great disaster!” Gandalf muttered. The rest of the company all ran out to help in the approaching battle. They were all shocked when Colin managed to single handedly knock down all the Nazgul and send them tumbling to the ground! Link was standing motionless on the ground staring at his apprentice. How could a young boy use the Force so effectively? He hadn’t even begun training the boy yet, either! “Colin, what did you do?!” Link asked in amazement. “I, uh, I don’t know. I just felt like I had to run out here and lift up my hands.” Colin answered in confusion. When Link turned his head to the others he gasped in shock as all the Ringwraiths stood up and ignited crimson lightsabers. “Where did they get those?” Aragorn asked with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Link gasped in shock as he too recognized the weapons that the Wraiths were wielding. “I have a bad feeling about this, a very bad feeling.” He whispered. “This could only be that imposter’s doing, whoever she is!” Gandalf replied. Link nodded his head. They had to find out who was posing as Zelda and get to the bottom of all this madness. Meanwhile, they had to deal with this new threat. 55 With the Force, he summoned his lightsabers to life into his hands. The blades glowed emerald and amethyst as they hummed to life. Link could hear the tell-tale hiss of his fellow Jedi’s beams coming to life as well as the sound of swords and axes being drawn. “Take one more step, and you sill taste my blade, servants of Sauron!” Link bellowed raising his blades for them to see. The Nazgul shrieked in rage. No one dared to defy them, for they were Ringwraiths and all fled before them! They advanced upon the small group of warriors with their silver blades of light raised. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Link bellowed as he led the charge into the wraiths. The company fought valiantly against the Nine wraiths with Colin leading the battle. “Back you scum! You shall not invade Hyrule!” the boy bellowed as he drove his blade deep into one of the Wraiths legs. The Wraith screeched in agony and made a hasty retreat down the mountainside with young Colin chasing after him with blade raised. “You can run, but you can’t hide! Get back here, you filth!” the boy bellowed. Link had already sent four more down the mountain as well. “Five down, four to go!” he bellowed to his friends. All of a sudden a brilliant golden light surrounded them and caused the remaining four wraiths to flee. As the light dissipated a tall cloaked figure appeared. It was the Princess! Hopefully the real one, Link thought. “Hello Link.” Zelda greeted the Hylian as she revealed herself. “How can I be sure it’s really you?” Link questioned still suspicious. Zelda laughed at this. “Only I can wield the Triforce of Wisdom this effectively. And, besides, you should trust your feelings, brother.” She smiled. Link laughed with joy. “It is you, Zelda! I have been looking all over for you! What in Hyrule happened?” Link asked in bewilderment. Zelda gave her brother a small smile. “It all started when Jacen, or as he calls himself these days, Darth Caedus arrived in Hyrule.” Zelda began. “A Sith in Hyrule, no wonder it has been so confusing around here! That explains everything! But, who was masquerading as you I wonder?” Link gasped. “Well, Jacen was accompanied by a lady of the sith. I fled, and she quickly transformed into me.” Zelda explained. “She disguised herself as you, and then Midna, and then you again, creating utter confusion among all the Free People of Hyrule, and not to say the Jedi as well. Zelda nodded. “Wait, did you say Midna, as in the Twilight Princess?” Zelda gasped as the imp hovered over to her. “Hello, Zelda.” Midna said with a thin smile. “Where have you been? They have been hunting for you high and low ever since Lumiya took over!” Zelda questioned. Midna let out a little laugh. “Well, anyways you have my thanks for finding this group of travelers and leading them this far in their quest.” Zelda said with a bow. “It was an honor, Princess.” Midna said with a smile. “Hold it! You two know each other?” Link asked. The princesses nodded their heads. “We have to contact Luke immediately with this new information, before he has all the Jedi tracking Zelda down.” Link said suddenly remembering his conversation with the Jedi Master. He dug through his pockets before finally finding a small holo-projector. He activated it and entered Luke’s number into it. After a few minutes, Luke’s holo appeared. “Link, what happened? Have you been captured?” Luke asked with wide eyes as he noticed Zelda. “Master Skywalker, I apologize for any confusion that our Lady of the Sith may have caused when I was gone.” Zelda said as she stepped into full view. “Lumiya is in Hyrule?!” Luke gasped. 56 “I’m afraid so, Luke. Not only is she here, but she is masquerading as Zelda” Link explained. Luke paled. “This is worse than I thought! Maybe I should send more Jedi over there.” Luke said. “We’re fine as of the time being. Anyways, that will only arose suspicion.” Link replied. Luke nodded. “Oh, and she brought someone else with her as well.” Zelda added. “Who?” Luke asked. “He looked like a Jedi to me. His name was Solo. He claims to be Lumiya’s apprentice.” Zelda finished. “Jacen!” Luke gasped in shock. Link hoped Luke knew Jacen was Sith. “I know Jacen is a Sith Lord now. He tried to kill Mara and some hobbits as soon as they entered Middle Earth. Fortunately for us, my son came from the future and delayed Jacen so Mara and the younger Ben to escape.” Luke explained. Zelda shook her head. “Well at least we have teams of Jedi this time around.” Link commented. “The Force will be with you, always.” Luke bowed as the holo faded. Everybody looked at Link with wide eyes. “Don’t you worry, I am a Jedi. Jacen will not get far.” Link said with a smile as he put an arm around his sister. “As am I.” Zelda whispered as she ignited a violet lightsaber. Link smiled at his sister. “Who trained you?” Link inquired. “It was none other than the ancient Yoda.” Zelda chuckled. Zelda gave Link a thin smile. “Hyrule shall not fall, my brother. We are Jedi now, strong in the Force! Come we must rid this province of the Twilight!” she said as she began to dash up the mountain. “Like brother, like sister.” Link chuckled dashing after her. Colin chuckled as he followed his master up the mountain followed by everyone else. The company made their way up the dangerous slopes of Death Mountain, every so often dodging the falling lava. “You will soon grow used to these lava-rocks, just pay attention to their shadows.” Link instructed the company. They were all nodding their heads as Link suddenly noticed an immense shadow forming on the ground. “I have a very bad feeling about this, a very bad feeling.” Zelda whispered. Link nodded as he rolled out of the way. “Everybody, roll out of the way, now!” he roared as the immense boulder came crashing down. There was a noise of great thunder as the boulder finally landed. Link helped Zelda up, and the twins walked up to the fiery boulder with curiosity. Link inspected the massive boulder and began pacing around it. “This could only be Jacen’s work. He knows we’re here. He sent this from the Twilight Realm! He is getting more powerful, it seems.” The Hylian said as he scratched his chin. Zelda put a hand over her heart. “This has to stop. More people will die at this rate before you can finish your quest! We have to do something!” she whispered to her brother. Link nodded as he listened to his sister. Things were getting more out of his control by the minute. He had to track down Lumiya and rescue Jacen from the Dark Side before history repeated itself. “We best finish our mission here first.” Link finally said after much thought. Zelda took a deep breath. “Right, we better make this quick, who knows what havoc Jacen and Lumiya may be causing in Hyrule, even now?” she said as took Link’s hand into hers. “We shall do this together, my brother; for the glory of Hyrule.” She said with a small smile. Link’s hopes lifted immensely as he took his sister’s hand. As the siblings hands’ touched there was a golden light as the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage shone on their hands. The siblings smiled; the Force and the Triforce was with them! “We must make contact with the Gorons, if we wish to succeed with our quest.” Zelda whispered to Link. 57 Link nodded as they charged up the mountainside, avoiding the falling boulders of lava. The group of heroes finally reached the entrance to the city of the Gorons. To their great shock and dismay, the heroes discovered that Twilight was devouring the city. “By Din, we’re too late!” Zelda said with a gasp as she covered her mouth in distress. Link chuckled. “As long as I am here, we have all the time in the world.” Link whispered as he ignited his emerald blade and charged into the twilight. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s drive back this twilight!” Zelda yelled as she followed her brother into the city. The others charged after them, Midna in the lead. As soon as they had passed into the city, the heroes ran right into the Gorons. Well, they were at one point Gorons. That was before the Twilight had changed them into monstrous, murderous beasts with a craving for blood. Link gulped as he slowly backed up. Zelda put a hand on his shoulder. “Do not kill them, just knock them out. We don’t want to start another war.” She whispered into his ear. Link nodded. He shut down his lightsaber and clipped it back to his belt and raised his right hand. With a fell sweep of his hand he knocked all the Gorons to the ground. He motioned for Aragorn and Gandalf to check if they were dead. Moments later, they reported that they were all unconscious. “Good, let’s keep it that way.” Zelda said as she led the group into the depths of the city. Link didn’t mind relinquishing his leadership to his sister; it was about time for a break. He walked in step with Aragorn. “You don’t know how good it feels to finally be part of a group instead of its leader!” he whispered to the King. Aragorn and Link shared a quiet laugh. They were the group’s rearguard, along with Gandalf of course. Link had his Jedi senses on full alert, wary of any spies of Lumiya’s. Zelda had led the group deep into the bowels of the city and it had grown quite dark after they had dealt with all the guards that the Gorons had set up around the perimeter. “We are nearing the source; I can feel it through the Force.” Zelda whispered to the Jedi Masters once the group had stopped for a quick break. Midna nodded, having overheard the whisper. Zelda looked into Midna’s eyes. Zelda knew she could trust the imp, but she still didn’t like the way Midna could ease her way into their private conversations. “Midna, we were having a private meeting, in case you didn’t notice!” Zelda whispered, clearly chagrined. “You have my apologies, princess. I was just going to say that the twilight feels stronger a little ways down this tunnel.” She said as she pointed to a side passage to her right. Zelda and Link both grew quiet as they shut their eyes and began to stretch out their senses to the Force. As soon as they had closed their eyes, they popped open again. “I have a bad feeling about this.” Link said in alarm. “A very bad feeling,” Zelda added, out of breath. Aragorn and Gandalf were both pacing. Gandalf was scratching his beard, deep in thought; while puffing his pipe of pipeweed from the Shire. It was Old Toby, in fact. Colin was rubbing his forehead in concentration as all this was going on as well. The only two who appeared to be calm were Ilia and Malon. This was due to the fact that they were not Jedi. “What’s going on Malon?” Ilia whispered to her old friend. Malon shrugged her shoulders and began to worry. All of a sudden Zelda smiled. It appeared she had a plan. “Listen up, everybody; I have a plan. This will only work if we are not discovered. We will have to use stealth. We will have to be silent, yet go with speed. We must not kill any of the Gorons. However, if we come across a being of twilight we must eliminate it before it reveals our position. Got it? Good, we have our mission, let us be on our way, for the sake of Hyrule!” Zelda finished as she ignited her violet saber and silently began the trek down the passage way to the twilight. Link was right behind his sister with his emerald blade raised in case of any trouble. The group was almost to a doorway that led to a chamber. Zelda took a deep breath before charging in with Link following her. The siblings stopped in their tracks when they discovered the room was full of Twilight beast and bugs. Not only that, but there was a Lieutenant of Twilight guarding the only exit: the one they had just came through. Zelda gulped as she raised her lightsaber. 58 “I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule! You will cease and desist, immediately!” she ordered with a fierce growl. Link backed her up by raising his lightsaber. “Oh, and on the chance that you don’t know who I am,” he began with a low laugh. “I am fully aware of who you claim to be, Hero of Hyrule!” the Lieutenant cackled. Zelda rolled her eyes. “We warned you.” She said simply as she beckoned for the others to charge in. With a roar of war calls, the rest of the Heroes rushed in with blades drawn all around. With one fell sweep of her violet blade, Zelda had knocked the Lieutenant to the ground and had her foot pressed squarely on his stomach. As soon as Zelda had given the signal, Aragorn had let the others in a heroic charge into the twilight. With ease the heroes eliminated the horde of twilight beings while Zelda dealt with the Lieutenant. “Well done, Princess, well done!” a voice cackled from a dark corner of the chamber. Zelda maintained her grip on the Lieutenant but ordered Link and Aragorn to slowly walk over to the corner. Link and Aragorn slowly walked over to the corner in question with their blades raised. To all the heroes’ shock it was none other than Ganondorf standing in the corner. “I have been expecting you.” The villain said with a deep, yet evil laugh. Aragorn shuddered. Never before had he dealt with someone so evil and so powerful. “We will have none of you, Ganondorf. Your time is over.” Link said with a growl. “Link, you must believe me when I say this, I need your help.” The Dark Lord said with a sigh. “You need my help? What is this, one of your evil schemes?” Link laughed out loud, much to Ganondorf’s dismay. Gandalf put a hand on Link’s shoulder. Link immediately grew calm. Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. “How shocking is this? Link has his own wizard! Oh, I am so afraid; Old Greybeard’s going to kill me!” Ganondorf teased. Link just smirked at the old villain, who Link discovered, was chained to the walls of the chamber. It was actually a dungeon. “I see you’re in no place to bargain at all, Lord Ganondorf, are you?” Link whispered in the enraged villain’s ear. The Gerudu King was seething now. Link took one step away with a smile of satisfaction. Gandalf and Zelda looked none too pleased with how Link had just acted. Zelda was glaring at her brother now, with her arms crossed and she was tapping her foot on the Lieutenant! Link shuffled over to his sister, prepared for a scolding with Gandalf right behind him. Zelda was rubbing her forehead in frustration. She shook her head sadly at her foolish brother while he shuffled over nervously. “Link, we can’t afford to waste any time! Hyrule is in enough trouble as it is! Stop joking around and listen to Ganondorf! Even though he has tricked, lied, and done a numerous amount of other murderous and mischievous crimes to Hyrule before! Just open yourself to your feelings, alright?” she finished. Link nodded his head in shame. He was a Jedi Master after all. He turned on his heel and strode up to the chained man of pure evil and looked him right in the eye. “Alright Ganondorf, you have my full and undivided attention.” Link began to say with reluctance when he was interrupted by a horrific explosion outside the dungeon. Ganondorf rolled his eyes. “I thought I had your attention!” he roared as he helplessly watched everyone but Zelda rush out of the room to investigate. Zelda glared at him and the villain immediately grew quiet. Outside the dungeon, in the corridor to be more exact, Link and company were staring openmouthed in shock at what appeared to be a gaping hole in the wall. Link pinched himself to check if he was awake. “Ouch, that hurt!” he exclaimed in shock. All of a sudden a great Dodongo strode out of the hole. It was none other than the King of the Dodongos! “Oh, boy, we are in trouble.” Link mumbled under his breath. “By the Valar, what in Hyrule is that monstrous beast? Please tell me it is not a Balrog.” Gandalf whispered to the Hylian. “Rest assured, Master Olorin, it is not a Balrog.” Link said as he patted the old wizard on the shoulder. “Then, if it isn’t a Balrog, what in the name of Din is it?” Gandalf demanded. Link let out a short chuckle. 59 “Well as a matter of a fact, it is the King of the dragon-like race of Dodongos.” Link explained. As soon as he had uttered the word ‘dragon’, Gandalf and Aragorn exchanged nervous glances. Ilia and Malon were huddled together in a dark corner with frightened faces. Link took a deep breath as he ignited his emerald blade. All around him, he heard the tell-tale hiss of lightsabers being drawn. “Alright King Dodongo, bring it on!” Link roared as he charged at the beast. King Dodongo grunted as he braced for impact. Within moments there was nothing left of him but charred flesh and bones along with his blood. Link clipped his blade to his belt once again. “Easy kill.” He sighed with a grin. Aragorn and Gandalf sighed with relief. It was easier than they had thought. They checked the hole to make sure there were no more surprises. Once they were satisfied they returned to the dungeon. Zelda was relieved when she saw no one was harmed. She gave her brother a gentle push towards Ganondorf. “Alright already, I’ll talk to him!” Link muttered as he marched over to the chained villain. “What happened? Did that witch, Lumiya, show up?” Ganondorf asked with fear in his eyes. The old villain actually feared for his life! Link knew it was bad. “It was your old pal, King Dodongo.” Link said with a smirk. Ganondorf scowled with rage. “She wouldn’t dare! She is controlling all of my henchmen! She is so dead! Oh, no, she wants me dead! That’s why she sent him!” Ganondorf was in hysterics now. Link couldn’t even laugh at this; it was so unlike the villain. He exchanged a worried look with Zelda. Lumiya was more powerful than they imagined. “Slow down, Ganondorf, explain how this all started.” Link ordered. Ganondorf nodded his head as he took a deep breath. “It is quite a long tale. It all began as I was beginning my invasion of Hyrule Castle.” The villain began. Link sighed in exasperation. “That day is the key to understanding all this chaos.” He whispered as he removed his green cap. Ganondorf took a deep breath before beginning the long tale. “I was leading my forces over Hyrule Field when she appeared with the King of Twilight. I sensed he had more power than I had. Imagine my shock when he revealed himself to be a Jedi! I was outraged! The Lady of the Sith, Lumiya as you call her, simply smiled as Zant extended his hand and before I knew what was going on I was hurtled in midair right into a tree and lost consciousness! When I woke up hours later, imagine my surprise when I found myself on the throne of Hyrule Castle! Sitting next to me was that witch of a Sith with Zant nowhere in sight! Lumiya appeared to me in your body, Princess! She told me of her plan and before I could protest she had all the Dark Lords from all over the Galaxy and had formed an alliance with them! The next thing I know we are storming out of the castle with legions upon legions of the evil alliance’s armies! That was when I spotted you and your ragtag team of Jedi, Link; I decided to kill you on the spot because I didn’t need any more enemies as it is, until Zant appeared! You should have joined forces with me, but alas, you did not and I was hurled in the dungeons of Death Mountain!” Ganondorf finished as he bowed his head. “Well, let’s be on our way then!” Link said as he prepared to finish his quest. “Wait, what about me? Am I to stay here like this?” Ganondorf roared with blazing eyes. Link and Zelda just stared at him innocently. “We can’t trust you! What are you crazy? After all those conniving, mischievous, and not to say murderous plans you always try and end up failing miserably! I am sorry Ganondorf; we’re going to have to leave you here with this Lieutenant of Lumiya’s.” Zelda said as she shared a smile with her brother. Ganondorf was fuming now, as he tried to break from his bonds. “You will need me in the end! Just you wait! Zant’s too strong for you, even Lumiya is!” he roared. Zelda looked in her brother’s eyes. “He has a point.” She finally conceded. Link sighed in annoyance as he used the Force to free Ganondorf from his chains. “Finally, I have been stuck in this foul dungeon for ages!” he muttered as he massaged his hands. Link rolled his eyes. He gave his sister one of his famous looks. Zelda laughed and gave him a punch in the shoulder. 60 Before they could leave the dungeon, Zelda chained the Lieutenant up to the wall, where Ganondorf had been just moments ago. The lieutenant was fuming and was putting up quite a fight with the restraints. “You actually believe that deceiver? Lumiya will hear of this! Oh, just you wait! I’ll have my revenge!” he ranted as the company exited the dungeon. The Lieutenants rants were soon only a whisper as Zelda led the company deeper into Goron City. Ganondorf was under the constant watch of Link and his hands were in restraints as the Hero led him behind the company. “So, you’ve been demoted, have you?” Ganondorf laughed. “For your information, Ganon, I stepped down for a much needed break. As for you, I don’t think you are in any position to joke, at all!” Link growled. Ganondorf scowled as he was led on in silence. All of a sudden the princess put up her hand for them to stop. “This is it! The source of the Twilight in the Eldin Province! Aragorn, Link, Gandalf, and Midna follow me!” Zelda whispered as she led the four friends into the source of Twilight. Colin took over the watch of Ganondorf as Link followed Zelda. Ganondorf had on one of his infamous evil smiles now. “Take it easy, Ganondorf! I am a Jedi in training you know!” Colin growled. Ganondorf howled in rage. “This is so unfair! The little boy gets ‘Jedi’ powers, but not me! Curse you Jedi!” he muttered as Colin laughed. Chapter 19 Sacrifice Zelda and Link were in the lead as they entered the Twilight with lightsabers ignited. As soon as the group had all entered, they heard a terrific roar! Zelda and Link both rushed forward with a yell and as one made a giant leap into the air and landed mere inches from the most evil looking Goron they had ever laid eyes on. “We can’t kill it, Link, it’s still a peace loving Hyrulian at heart.” Zelda whispered. Link nodded with a grim smile. “Jacen Solo, we know this is your doing! Stop this madness or I will have to use force!” Link roared as he made a sweep of his hand and knocked the beast unconscious for the time being. Link leapt over the beast with his friends right behind him and charged into the twilight. Jacen was there on a throne of some dark materiel and Lumiya was right beside him! “Greetings, Jedi!” Jacen said with an evil smile. Link just smirked as he stepped closer to the throne with Zelda, Aragorn, and Gandalf right behind him. “What a surprise, following in Grandfather Vader’s footsteps?” Link said with a smirk. 61 Jacen just smiled. “No, I am afraid not. I am more powerful than he and his Emperor could ever dream to be!” he cackled as his eyes turned crimson. “Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” Zelda whispered with a tear rolling down her cheek. “Die, Jedi!” Jacen roared as he ignited his deep red lightsaber and removed his cloak. The fight was on. Zelda ignited her sabers, along with her fellow Jedi Masters. It was an epic fight. Jacen drew on his anger and seemed invincible. Link and Zelda deepened their bond as twins and wielders of the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage and fought valiantly. Soon the masters were growing weary of the fight and Jacen was close to victory. Link could barely catch his breath. All of a sudden Link heard Anakin Skywalker’s voice through the Force. “Link, embrace your destiny. Remember, the Force will be with you, always.” Anakin instructed as Link saw Obi-Wan’s last fight against Vader in his mind. He knew what he had to do. “Zelda, take the others and go!” he ordered. “But, he’ll kill you! We can’t leave you.” She argued. “It is the will of the Force. I must become one with the Force.” He said in a strong voice. Zelda nodded as she and the others fled back up the passage. As the others fled, Zelda remained in the doorway watching her brother’s last stand. It was legendary. Link faced Jacen with grim resolve and shut off his lightsabers and tossed them to the ground. “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than your wildest dreams.” He challenged Jacen. Jacen snickered at the comment. “Fine, have it your way, Jedi!” he said with a laugh as he stuck the Hylian down. “No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Zelda screamed as she was grabbed by Aragorn and led out of the dungeon. What she did not see, however, was a brilliant flash of light envelop the whole mountainside destroying every last remnant of the twilight! As Aragorn and Zelda ran out of the mountain with the others, the princess gave a gasp of delight. The Triforce of Courage was surrounding the whole mountain! Link truly was one with the Force. “The Force shall be with you, always, Zelda.” He said through the Force as the last remnants of the Triforce of Courage enveloped young Colin. Zelda gasped in revelation. Colin was to be the new Hero of Hyrule! Jacen looked down at the pile of robes at his feet. The Hylian Jedi Master had become one with the Force as he predicted. What did that matter? Link couldn’t fight him, only advise the Jedi. Jacen smiled in victory. “Well done, Lord Caedus. The Jedi will now know that the Sith have returned.” Lumiya whispered in his ear as she appeared next to his side. The Sith had returned with a minor setback, but they would have their revenge Chapter 20 Into the Legend Gandalf led the company down the mountain, while Aragorn was comforting the princess. After a long day’s journey, they finally reached Kakariko once again. As they prepared camp, Zelda remained by herself in tears. Gandalf walked over to her. “It was a sacrifice that had to be made; even now the twilight over this region is dissipating. Your brother shall be with us, always. He is in the Force now.” He said. Zelda nodded as she wiped away a tear. “I know, Master Gandalf. My brother made a noble stand today. I will do my best to take his place and become a Jedi.” She said with a small smile. Gandalf laughed. “Good, what was next on Link’s agenda?’ he asked but gave a sharp intake of breath when he saw a bright blue luminescent being appear out of the woods. It was none other than Link! Everybody came running over with smiles, with the exception of Ganondorf, who was snickering in a dark corner. 62 “They’re all fools, I tell you, fools!” He ranted. “Colin, you are to be the new Hero of Hyrule.” Link said with a smile as he placed both his hands over Colin’s. Colin looked shocked. “I can’t be the new hero, I’m not as courageous as you!” he sputtered. “I think not, all the evidence points to the contrary, young hero.” Link replied. “What evidence?” Colin asked in suspicion. Link ordered him to show his right hand. Colin did as ordered and nearly fainted when he saw the Triforce of Courage shining brightly on the back of it! “Well, bless my beard; he is indeed the chosen Hero. That certainly explains his shocking display of the Force earlier.” Gandalf laughed as he scratched his beard. All of a sudden there was a brilliant flash of light in the sky and a terrific yell of surprise. Moments later, a strangely clad teenager fell by Gandalf’s feet. The wizard bent down to see if the teen was okay, and to his surprise the teen opened his eyes, only to close them again and open them wide with a wide mouth. “Olorin?! Great Scott! I’ve landed myself in my story! Oh, no! I’m in my story, that’s a paradox! The story can’t go on!” the teen rambled. Gandalf gently shook the teen by the shoulders. “It’s alright son, you’re safe with us; we are Jedi, servers of Peace.” He said with a smile. “Olorin, I know all about you guys. You are all in what we teens of the 21st century like to call a ‘fan-fic.’ I took all of you guys from all your different stories and made my own story. Well, that was until I got ripped from my reality into this one!” the teen said with a shudder. “I need to contact Grand Master Skywalker at once! This could only be Jacen and Lumiya’s doing! Of all my wildest dreams, I never thought he would stoop to this!” the teen ordered. Aragorn rolled his eyes and activated the holonet. A few moments later, Luke’s image appeared, and the teen grew all giddy with excitement. “It’s actually Luke Skywalker! I can’t believe I’m actually meeting him!” the teen said as he jumped up and down. Luke raised an eyebrow at Aragorn. Aragorn gave Luke a reassuring smile. “Luke we have some bad news, some good news, and some slightly unnerving news. Which do you want first?” Aragorn chuckled. “Where’s Link? I wish to speak with him first.” Luke replied “Well, that’s kind of the bad news. He joined the Force and let Jacen kill him, like Old Ben Kenobi did on the 1st Death Star when he confronted Vader.” Aragorn explained. Luke took a huge intake of breath in shock. “Jacen killed Link?! He truly has become a Sith, then. What’s the good news?” Luke said finally. Aragorn gave Link an imperceptible nod. Link stepped forward into the holo to Luke’s sheer amazement. “Greetings Master Skywalker. I was successful in my mission. I have joined the Force like your father before you, and your two previous masters, Obi-wan Kenobi and Yoda. I am the good news! Sorry about my sacrifice and all, but the Force told me it was my destiny, and all. You know how that goes, right?” Link chuckled. Luke nodded and raised his eyes to the young teen with wide eyes and filled with excitement. “I guess you’re the slightly unnerving news, Who are you, and what are you doing in the company of my fellow Jedi?” Luke asked. The teen bowed deeply before the holo. “Grand Master Skywalker, you might not believe this, but, I am the author of this story.” The teen replied. Luke burst into laughter. “Right, and I’m a Sith Lord!” Luke laughed some more. The teen just blinked. “I am being utterly serious here farm-boy! You must listen to me, before it’s too late!” the teen begged. Luke grew calm once more. “I will listen to this tale of yours, go on.” He instructed. The teen nodded. 63 “My name is Stephen Sheridan; I come from the 21st century of Earth. I am an author of what many people in my time would call fan fiction. All of you: Jedi, Wizard, Hero, Princess, King, Hobbit, Elf, and all the other creatures from Hyrule, Middle Earth, Narnia, and the Jedi galaxies you have befriended were drawn together by me alone. I chose to write a story about all of these worlds combined. I was just about to write the next chapter when I was snatched out of my bedroom and thrown into the space-time continuum and landed at Olorin’s feet. I can only surmise it was Jacen who discovered my presence and caused this to happen. It looks like I am stuck here for the time being, and this could be highly dangerous for all of you, since now there is no author to this story, except for a conniving pair of Sith.” Stephen finished. Luke stroked his chin. “This is bad. This is worse than I could have ever imagined. Jacen must be stopped.” Luke said. All of a sudden Stephen paled. “What is it?” Luke asked in concern. “Uh, it’s nothing, really. Is Mara with you?” the teen asked nervously. “Stephen, what about Mara?” Luke demanded. “Well, um, in my reality, there is a series of ‘Star Wars’ books out called Legacy of the Force. In the series, Jacen becomes a Sith Lord, just like your Jacen. Towards the middle of the series, he has to make a sacrifice of a loved one close to him to fully become a Sith.” Stephen paused not ready to go on. “He kills Mara doesn’t he?” Luke said in terror. Stephen nodded his head. “Yeah, he was originally going to kill Han and Leia…” the teen explained. “He was going to kill his own parents?! He truly has embraced the Dark Side!” Luke yelped. “Well, that was the Jacen in the books written in my reality. I based your Jacen off of him, so I’m not too positive if he is willing to kill Mara, or Han and Leia. Although he was willing to kill a friend and a Jedi Master…” Stephen continued. Luke ran a hand through his hair and suddenly looked very tired. This was completely out of character for the Jedi Grand Master. He hadn’t felt this much Dark Side energy since the Rebellion. “Stephen, how much do you know of this Lumiya?” Luke suddenly asked. “Well, she was trained by Vader, and shortly after tried to discredit you from the Rebellion, but you shot her down in a dogfight when you used the Force to find the enemy. Years later you had various encounters with her, but she hasn’t shown up for a while until 40 years after the Battle of Yavin. Now she is trying to trick Jacen into thinking he can restore peace to the Galaxy by becoming a Sith Lord. Oh, and she told him Vergere was a Sith, not sure if that was a lie, or what. But that is all from my reality, not yours.” Stephen explained. Luke ran a hand through his hair as he took it all in. “So, in your ‘reality’ we are all just ‘fictional’ characters?” Luke asked in clarification. The young teen nodded, and suddenly let out a gasp of shock when he spotted Ganondorf. After a moment the teen regained his composure and smiled as he walked over to the chained man. “I have long waited this moment! Face to face with the so-called Dark Lord Ganondorf! Ooh, I am so afraid! What’re you going to do, kill me with a fireball? Save me!” the teen laughed in Dragmire’s face as the man sneered. “Boy, do you know who ‘I’ am?!” Ganondorf cackled. “Yeah, sure I do. You were once a powerful Dark Lord who planned to take over Hyrule time immemorial, only to be defeated by the Hero of Hyrule and Zelda. Now, you’re just a sniveling prisoner to the Jedi.” Stephen said with a shrug as he began to turn back to the others. Just as the teen was about to continue his discussion with Luke, there was a brilliant flash of red light. The teen gulped as he turned around, knowing full well what he was about to see. To all the others’ shock Ganondorf was hovering in the air over his chains and had Colin in a crystal. The teen couldn’t hold it in any longer and was on the ground in laughter. “Why does it always have to be a crystal?” Stephen managed as he stopped laughing. Ganondorf hovered over to the boy as his eyes gleamed red. He roughly grabbed the teen by the collar of his shirt and drew his face to the teens’. “I’m not afraid of you, pig-faced loser! I know your destiny! It’s always the same, time after time!” the teen grinned. Zelda was eying the teen with fear in her eyes. Link put his hand over hers. 64 “It’s going to be all right, Zel. There is something special about this teen. He may not be strong in the Force like us, Jedi; but the Force has a plan for him, whether for good or evil.” Link said as he smiled at Olorin. Gandalf nodded as he thought of the long adventure of the Fellowship and the subsequent War of the Ring. All of a sudden there was a terrific explosion. All of the company looked up to see Colin hovering in the air behind Ganondorf, who was attempting to choke Stephen and was unaware of Colin’s escape, the boy gave Link a wink as he slowly landed on the ground. “What did you call me?!” Ganondorf demanded. The teen just chuckled. “You hear me, need I further insult you? Oh, and it looks like your prisoner escaped.” Stephen snickered. Ganondorf was still looking for a comeback and at first missed the last part. “Well you’re a- What? ESCAPED?! That’s not possible!” He screeched in rage as he flew down to the ground forgetting the author for the moment. Stephen floated down to the ground and landed in a small mound of hay with Gandalf’s use of the Force. He got up, dusted himself off, and nodded his thanks at the wizard. Ganondorf was standing on the ground now, with all of the Jedi Masters moving towards him at a speed he was far too uncomfortable with. He was backing up now with his hands raised in surrender, while sweat was pouring down his sickly green face in propulsion. “Look it, Jedi, can’t we all get along?” he tried with a forced laugh. “I suppose so… NOT!!!!!!” Zelda laughed as she drew close with her lightsaber glowing slivers from his neck. “Zelda, we’ve had tea together, remember?” Ganondorf tried. “Yeah, when I was imprisoned in a tower, you jerk! You’re not fooling anyone! I should have killed you ages ago!” Zelda laughed as she tickled the hairs on his neck with her violet beam. Ganondorf was kneeling before the Princess now, begging for his life. “Well, in all my years, I never thought I see this sight! Ganondorf begging Zelda for his life! Never in a million years did I dream this would happen! Who’s the tough one now, Ganny?!” Stephen laughed. Link motioned for the teen to stop. Stephen nodded his apologies. Zelda let out a low, inaudible to all but her brother, sigh as she shut down her blade. “Ganondorf, I thought you said you weren’t our enemy.” She said simply. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Link whispered suddenly, causing all eyes to be on him. “What is it Link? Did the Force tell you that?” Zelda said as she walked over to him. “I believe the Force is telling us to trust Ganondorf, however dastardly he seems.” Link replied thoughtfully. Gandalf nodded in understanding. It seemed to him, like Ganondorf was the lesser of many evils, and had to be trusted until the Sith were driven out of Hyrule. He dug in his pouch for his long wooden pipe of old and some Old Toby and began to produce some of his legendary smoke rings. The old wizard began to pace and mutter under his breath. “What do you advise Master Strider?” Zelda asked her companion. Aragorn stroked his beard for a while before answering. “I advise we trust Ganondorf,” he began as Ganondorf smiled that evil smile of his. “For now, at least.” Aragorn quickly finished with a glare in Ganondorf’s direction. Ganondorf got up with a chuckle. It was about time these fools put their trust in him. “Ha! You are all fools! I shall now destroy you all! Wahahaha!” he laughed. All the Jedi ignited their lightsabers and simply looked at him. “Oh, what I meant to say was that I will gladly offer my services to your company.” He chuckled nervously as the Jedi shut their beams off. The Dark Lord sighed with relief. That was a close one. “Sorry about that. I am still getting used to being on the….the…..um….” he stopped not being able to get the words out. All the travelers chuckled. “I think, what Ganondorf is trying to say is, is that he is still getting used to being on the ‘good’ side.” Stephen said with a long laugh. Zelda walked over to Ganondorf with a smile. 65 “Well, I’m glad you are making the effort. Maybe, if you handed over your Triforce of power to one of us…” she started to suggest, but was hurtled through the air before she could finish. “I knew it! You never trusted me! All you want is the Triforce of Power! You will never get it from me! Over my dead body! Never, I tell you; never!” Ganondorf roared with rage. Gandalf shook his head. This was going to be a long day. He walked over to Ganondorf and hit him in the face a few times with his staff. “Are you mad? What in Hyrule is wrong with you? We want him to be our ally, not our mortal enemy!” Zelda cried out in disbelief as she got up from her long fall. “I had to stop the madness.” Gandalf explained as Zelda rolled her eyes. “Right, and I’m Master Yoda.” She muttered under her breath as she walked back towards Ganondorf. Gandalf inhaled sharply after hearing the smart-alec remark. “Would you stop being paranoid, Ganondorf?! We need all the help we can get! Alright? For crying out loud, at the rate this is going, we will still be here bickering 50 ages from now! So just shut it, if you don’t have anything at least remotely respectful or helpful to say, got it?” Zelda barked at the Dark Lord as he cringed and nodded. Zelda nodded curtly and spun on her heel and marched back to the others. She shook her head in exhaustion. This quest was a lot of work for a princess, especially one training to be a Jedi. “Sorry about that guys, guess I just couldn’t handle all the stress and all.” She smiled. Link walked over and gave her a hug. “You did well, sis. You will be a Jedi, yet.” He said with a smile as he handed her the Kokiri Emerald and the Goron Ruby to everybody’s amazement. Link then turned to Colin with a small smile. “Colin, the Master Sword is hidden now. You will need it before the end, trust me. In order to find it once more you will have to go to the forest where the Kokiri live. Here is all my equipment and weapons I have collected along the years. You are now the Hero of Hyrule. The fate of the galaxy rests on your shoulders. The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all. Be wary, stay strong; and may the Force be with you all. Farewell.” Link said with a small smile as he vanished once again. Everyone looked to Zelda. The princess gulped. Well, she truly was the leader of the fellowship now. Since Link had given her the first two of the three spiritual stones, she assumed he wanted her to find the last one; the Zora Sapphire. She hoped she was right. “Well, that was a shocker.” She laughed. “Yeah, it sure was! Not even I expected that one!” Stephen chuckled. “I guess you are to join our fellowship until you find a way back home then.” Zelda smiled. “Sweet, this is getting better and better!” the teen said in excitement. Luke suddenly cleared his throat. The fellowship all turned around. “Master Skywalker, I am so sorry! I totally forgot you were still here in all the confusion! Please forgive us.” Zelda apologized as she bowed her head. Luke chuckled. “It’s alright, Zelda. Where are you taking the fellowship from here? Did Link advise anything?” he asked. “Well, he gave me the Kokiri Emerald; which we had collected at the Forest Temple. But, he also gave me the Ruby of the Gorons. I have no idea where he got it. So I assume he wants me to travel to the Lanayru Province and cleanse it of the Twilight and collect the Sapphire of the Zoras afterward. May we proceed, Master?” She asked. Luke nodded. “Your guess is as good as mine. May the Force be with you! Oh, and Zelda? Once you have the Sapphire, I want you all to join me in Middle earth.” Luke ordered. “But, Master, We need to drive the Sith out from Hyrule!” Zelda replied. “That can wait. I’m afraid you all have to leave Hyrule after your quest. The future is clouded with Dark Clouds, and I don’t want to lose any more Jedi to Jacen. So, please honor my request, understood?” Luke said. “Yes, Master Skywalker.” Zelda said with a tear. “Hey, call me Luke.” Luke said with a smile as the holo disappeared. The fellowship all chuckled. They now numbered eight in all. 66 Chapter 21 Journey to Lanayru Zelda turned to the young teen from Earth with a smile. “Well it looks like you’re stuck with us Jedi until you can find a way back to your world and time.” Zelda laughed. The teen just shrugged and laughed. “What, are you insane?! This is so cool! I get to hang out with my favorite Princess and Jedi!” the teen said with a broad smile. Zelda placed her hand on his shoulder. “That’s the spirit, Stephen. You’ll get through this yet. I know you will.” Zelda said as she turned to the Jedi. She gathered all the Jedi Masters around her plus Midna and Stephen. “So, am I right in assuming command of this fellowship, or should someone else take command?” she began. “Well, we all believe Link handed command over to you, Princess. Lead on!” Gandalf smiled with the rest of the Masters. “Thank you Masters.” Zelda said as she bowed. 67 “Speaking of Masters, young Princess; it is high time for you to be trained.” Aragorn said as he walked over to the Princess. Zelda was beaming in shock. “Are you going to train me?” she gasped. “Indeed, for I too am a ruler of a people.” Aragorn said with a grin. “I would be honored to be trained under you, Lord Elessar.” Zelda whispered in shock as she bowed, Midna was hissing with laughter now. All eyes turned on her now. “What, am I, Princess of Twilight, to be trained as well?! I have no knowledge of this ‘Force’ of yours! You can’t expect me to become a Jedi!” Midna laughed nervously. “I expect great things from you, Midna, we all do.” Gandalf said with a warm smile as he put his hands on her shoulders. “You would be willing to train me? I would be honored Master Mithrandir!” Midna said in a whisper as she bowed. “Well, what about me?! Surely I’m not about to be left out?!” Colin demanded with a scowl causing all the masters to laugh. “For you we have a very special Master.” A voice said from the woods. All the fellowship looked for the source of the mysterious voice. All of a sudden they saw a shimmer of blue light and a being stepped out from the woods. It was Vergere! “Everything I tell you is a lie.” She said simply as she stood before Colin. Colin scratched his head in confusion. “What in Hyrule is that supposed to mean, Master?” he asked. “When you know the answer, only then will you be a Jedi.” Vergere said mysteriously. Colin ran a hand through his short blonde hair; this was going to take a while. Stephen chuckled to himself. “Get used to it kid, that’s Vergere for ya; vague and mysterious. It took me a while to get used to her character. Oh, that’s right! Lumiya said she was a Sith! Great Scott, we can’t have you training under a sith!” Stephen suddenly remembered. Aragorn and Gandalf walked over to Vergere with blades lit. “Let’s not get hasty, Jedi.” Vergere chuckled nervously. “Oh, we’ll get more than hasty! How dare you try to brainwash the Hero of Hyrule! The Jedi shall not stand for this. One brainwashed Jedi is already enough, but a trainee? That’s the last straw! I’m afraid we’re going to have to end your-, oh right, you are dead. Well, this is interesting, isn’t it? An undead sith! Wait until Skywalker hears this one!” Gandalf mused. Vergere smiled in relief. They couldn’t kill her even if they tried; she was one with the Force. “Nice try, Jedi. You made your choice, now I must act.” She chuckled as she shot lightning at young Colin. “That’s enough, Vergere!” a voice boomed from behind Colin. The lightning disappeared in a flash of golden light and there was a blue flash. Standing behind Colin with a grim smile was Link! Link walked towards Vergere with a scowl. “To believe I trusted you! We all trusted you! How did you deceive the Force?” Link asked in unbelief. Vergere just smiled as she prepared to disappear in the Force, but Link held out his right hand and stopped her. “Where do you think you’re going? I’m not done with you! Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed I can control you now. I made the ultimate sacrifice a Jedi could make, and did it with a pure heart. Know what that means? ‘I’ am the Master of the Force.” Link grinned. Vergere’s jaw dropped. She shook with rage. This was unbelievable! She had been outdone by a kid! “Now, that’s what I’m talking about! You’re the man, Link! I knew there was something special about you. Wow, that was an eye-opener! Not in my wildest dreams did I expect that! Well, with you on our side; just maybe, we can drive the Sith away from Hyrule. It’s a slim hope; a very slim hope at that.” Stephen said. Vergere was fuming now. “You can’t do this to me, boy! You have no right! Jacen will stop you, you know! He is more powerful than any of you can imagine! The Sith WILL have their revenge once again. Mark my words, Jedi. We will have our revenge.” She sneered as Link put her in what looked like a Force crystal. Everyone’s jaw dropped. Zelda was rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. 68 “Link, how did you do that?!” She asked in shock. “I am the Master of the Force now, remember?” Link chuckled as everyone nodded their heads in silent, surprised unison. “Well, good luck to you all. Oh, and Colin, your new Master shall be none other than Grand Master Skywalker; that is when you reach Middle Earth. For now, Master Gandalf shall train you.” He said with a smile as he vanished with Vergere. “Well, I guess it’s off to the Lanayru Province. We shall finish what he started. Hyrule shall be returned to light once more.” She said with a grim smile. “What about its former glory?” Stephen asked. “I am sorry, Stephen, I’m afraid the Sith hold too much power here. We will all have to go into exile, and travel to Middle Earth.” She said as a tear ran down her cheek. “I’m sure Grand Master Skywalker and Link will think of something, Princess.” Stephen said with a small smile as he put his arm around her. “You know Luke and Link, they’ve conquered and driven out evil before. This time is no different.” Stephen added. “Well, with the exception of all the Dark Lords teaming up and the Sith returning and all.” Colin chimed in. Everyone glared at him. “Not helping, Colin.” Stephen whispered. Zelda sighed. “I’m afraid we will have to go into exile nonetheless. Off to Lanayru.” She said with yet another sigh. “ZELDA! Trust in the Force and, your feelings! Don’t give up hope while the Jedi still live!” Stephen urged the princess as he shook her. Zelda blinked. “Of course, Stephen! I would never give up hope! The Force is with us! Come on, we have to save Lanayru!” she smiled finally as she mounted Epona with Stephen behind her. “Um, does anyone have a spare blaster?” Stephen asked. “And some suitable clothes from this era?” he added. Aragorn chuckled as he tossed the teen some spare clothes along with a cloak and one of Han’s old blasters. Stephen stared at the blaster in amazement. “This was Han’s! This is so awesome!” he whispered. He quickly donned the clothes and the cloak and holstered the blaster and jumped on behind the Princess. “Hold on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!” Zelda laughed as she sped off towards Lanayru. The fellowship began the long journey to the Lanayru Province and traveled far into the night and across many miles of the fields of Hyrule before they finally paused for camp. Stephen stumbled off the horse and dropped on the spot, snoring as he hit the ground to everyone’s amusement. “Poor dude, got dragged all the way from earth to be stuck with us!” Aragorn chuckled as he picked the teen up and laid him down on a blanket by the fire. Zelda came over and draped another blanket over him. Zelda took the first watch for three hours and woke up Aragorn. “I sense evil looming near, be on your guard.” She whispered as she yawned and laid down. Aragorn sat on a nearby stump and stared out into the darkness, alert for any trouble. As it was nearing dawn there was a terrific roar and a great beam of light as Jacen showed up with an army of stormtroopers and Dark Jedi. Aragorn activated his blades and charged. The rest of the fellowship woke with a start as soon as they heard the hiss of the blade. All sleep was gone from their eyes as they charged forward. Stephen aimed the blaster at a stormtrooper and fired a spray of laser beams at him. The stormtrooper fell dead moments later to the teen’s amazement. “Wow, this is easy!” he exclaimed. “Don’t get cocky, kid!” Zelda yelled back not daring to look back in fear of being cut down by the Dark Jedi. Stephen finally noticed the Dark Jedi advancing upon him and sent a spray of laser fire towards them, which they easily blocked. The teen gulped in terror and in a sudden revelation knew they had come to capture him. Within moments they were mere inches from him. “Umm, help! They’re after me!” Stephen stammered as he continued to spray the Dark Jedi with laser fire. 69 There was a terrific yell of ’Elendil!’ as Aragorn came bounding up from behind them with both sabers drawn and a look of fury on his face. Within mere seconds, Aragorn had cut them all into pieces. Stephen nodded his thanks to the Jedi. “You’d better stay by me, Stephen. They almost had you back there.” Aragorn said with a grim look. The teen nodded as he killed a legion of stormtroopers coming their way. At the same time Aragorn had killed a legion of Dark Jedi. All that was left of the ambush was Jacen. Zelda advanced upon the traitor with a grim smile. “Well, if it isn’t the traitor of the Skywalker-Solo clan, Jacen Solo. I can’t have Sith Lords running around in my kingdom, can I? I’ll have to take you to your Uncle, the Grand Master of the Jedi.” Zelda said sweetly as she walked towards him. “You will try, Princess!” Jacen snarled as his eyes gleamed red. “Only a sith deals in absolutes.” Zelda replied with an icy glare as she put her lightsaber in a defensive position, ready for anything. “Petty words for a Princess!” Jacen cackled as he began slamming his ruby blade down onto her blade. Zelda expertly swerved her blade to the side and leapt back. The battle was on! It was like the great Jedi-Sith battles of old. The blades crisscrossed with a hiss as the two combatants leapt and danced around each other with the occasional Force choke from Jacen. “You fight well, young princess! But it takes more than skill with the lightsaber to make you a Jedi!” Jacen smiled as he shut his blade off. “Let’s see how skilled you are with the Force!” Jacen laughed as a nearby tree lifted off the ground and swung towards the Princess. Zelda turned off her blade in a split second and raised her hands in the air and sent the tree straight at Jacen who shot Force Lightning at it causing it to rip in a thousand pieces. “Very good, Princess! Let’s see how you deal with a more natural use of the Force!” he cackled as he hurled waves upon waves of lightning at her. Zelda dispelled them with a wave of her hand and shot beams of light at him. Jacen caught them in his hand and turned them into beams of darkness and hurled them at her. With another gesture, the princess made them vanish too. “Very well, princess, this is the end; farewell!” Jacen smiled as his eyes gleamed red with fury. Before Zelda knew what he meant a huge portion of the cliff behind her broke off and hurtled towards the rest of the fellowship. She was forced to turn her back on Jacen and stop the inevitable crash. It took all her strength to get a grip on the huge chunk of rock and hurl it out of the way. When it landed with a thud a mile away, she turned back to Jacen only to discover he had fled while she rescued her friends. “That little coward! He knew I would have to save you, guys!” she fumed. Stephen walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright Zelda. During the Clone Wars, Yoda had to make the same choice. Instead of going after a Sith, he chose to rescue Anakin and Obi-Wan. You made the right choice. Rest assured, Caedus will see justice.” Stephen said grimly. Zelda smiled as she clipped her lightsaber back to her belt. Everybody got back on their horses and galloped off towards the Lanayru Province. They traveled leagues upon leagues over the fields of Hyrule until as the sun was setting, they glimpsed the outline of Hyrule Castle. “Welcome to the Lanayru Province. We are not at our destination, yet, however. We much reach the Zoras before daybreak. I fear a fate worse than death has reached them. We must make with haste!” Zelda said as they galloped with all speed for Lake Hylia. 70 Chapter 22 The Stargate They had not gotten far before twilight surrounded them. Stephen shook with fear as they passed into it. He had seen it in the game, but to pass through it in real-life was a whole new experience. He shuddered as it swirled around him. Zelda led them deeper and deeper into it, until they finally reached the lake just as the first hints of the sun came over the mountains. As the light broadened, Zelda let out a gasp of shock. The whole lake had dried up! She put a hand to her forehead and grew pale. A tear slid down her cheek as her hand covered her quivering mouth. “We’re too late! Jacen’s been here!” she said in panic. “Well, we’ll just have to get to the Zoras and try to undo whatever it is that he did, won’t we?” Aragorn chuckled as he patter her on the shoulder. Zelda gave a small nod, as they all got off their horses and began their walk across the dried up lakebed until they reached the secret entrance to Zora’s Domain. But to their amazement it was frozen over. “How are we supposed to get in? it must be all covered in ice!” Zelda panicked. But Midna gave a small smile. “I may know a way in.” she laughed. “Ah, I think I know what you mean, Twilight Princess!” Stephen smiled. “What are you two talking about?” Gandalf asked as he walked over to them. 71 “Remember your journey up Death Mountain?” Stephen said slyly. Gandalf’s eyes gleamed in triumph. “Of course, I would never have thought of it! It’s crazy, but it just might work!” he laughed. Everybody else was still trying to figure out what the three were going on about. “Would you quit speaking in riddles, Gandalf, and tell us the plan!” Aragorn chuckled. “Well, Midna is going to warp a lava rock from Death Mountain to the center of Zora’s Domain. If what we assumed is true, it will be all cover in ice, and when the rock crashes down, all the ice will melt and the lake will be filled with water once again.” He finished with a smile. Aragorn chuckled. “Ah, of course; deceptively simple!” he laughed again. “Ready, Midna?” Gandalf asked. “I was born ready, Master.” She said with a gleam of her one visible eye as she disappeared in a puff of twilight. The fellowship was left at the edge of the dried up Lake Hylia waiting for her return. She returned one second later with a smile. “It is as you have guessed Zora’s Domain is completely frozen over! Come, I will teleport all of you.” She said as she made a gesture with her hand and they all disappeared into a portal of twilight. Moments later, the fellowship reappeared in what had once been the Zora Throne Room, but now it was all covered in ice. Aragorn bent down to examine the ice and was startled to see hundreds of Zoras frozen in place beneath his feet! “This is not good; not good at all! All the Zoras are frozen!” he exclaimed. Princess Zelda put a hand over her heart in terror. “No, not the Zoras; Jacen is worse than Ganondorf!” she wept. Ganondorf chuckled. “Well, it seems I have been outdone by a mere Jedi.” He said. “He’s a Sith, Ganondorf.” Zelda whispered as a tear ran down her cheek. “Midna, commence with the plan. It is the only way to save the Zoras.” Zelda commanded. “Yes, your highness; I am on my way.” Midna bowed. “May the Force be with you, my fellow princess.” Zelda whispered as Midna warped. As the fellowship waited for the lava rock to show up, Zelda glimpsed hordes of twilight creatures and their pesky bugs! “Oh my, they’ve invaded! Come on, let’s wipe them all out before they escape down the river when the ice thaws!” she ordered. So everybody drew their weapons and started to wipe the twilight beings out for good. Within seconds they had all been eliminated. “Great job everyone; let’s hope Midna is on her way!” Zelda smiled. But before they could celebrate a ghost appeared! It was none other than the Zora Queen, Ruto, who was one of the 7 sages! “Greetings, Jedi! You have my thanks for driving out those who murdered me!” she said. Zelda put a hand to her chest. “I’m sorry, your highness, but did you just say that these twilight monsters ‘murdered’ you? Why would they do that?!” she gasped. “Because I went against the self-proclaimed ‘king’ of Hyrule, Lord Caedus.” Ruto said as a tear slid down her cheek. Everybody gasped in shock. “Jacen is indeed Lord of the Sith; he has given himself a Sith name! Luke will not be pleased; not at all! This is not good. Ruto, I am very sorry it had to come to this. Rest assured, we are doing all we can to stop this madness!” Zelda said as she regained her breath. “Thank you, Princess. As I was saying, I went against Caedus and he sent his most loathsome monsters to kill me and then freeze all the Zoras, as you can see.” She said as she pointed below them. Zelda nodded and told the ghost that they were working on solution to the ice this very moment when there was a flash of twilight and a huge lava encrusted boulder crashed through the portal and right into the ice! As it impacted the ice, it caused it to all melt at once in a shower of steam. Unprepared, the fellowship was swept down the river that seemed like it was an ocean full of monstrous waves. Hours later, they finally came to a stop in the middle of Lake Hylia and were pleasantly surprised to see Zora surrounding them with Midna floating overhead. 72 “It’s the Princess! She’s alive, I don’t believe it!” one of the Zora exclaimed. Zelda blushed. “What’s to believe, but the Force itself?” she chuckled. The Zora looked perplexed. “Huh, what’s the Force? Do you mean the Triforce, milady?” he asked as he cocked his head to one side. Zelda laughed again. “My apologies, young Zora. I forgot that only a select few have knowledge of the Force. I’ll explain later; but now I must collect the last remaining Spiritual Stone, the Sapphire of the Zoras.” She explained. All the Zoras looked at each other in fear and uncertainty. “We are sorry to inform you that Queen Ruto was murdered, your highness. The location of the sacred gem is unknown at present, but we will offer our assistance in finding it.” He bowed his head. The fellowship looked worried. If no one knew where the gem was, it could only mean that Jacen had taken it! “This is not good, if Caedus has it, we’re all doomed for sure!” Zelda panicked. “We must trust in the Force that he doesn’t have it, Princess.” Aragorn whispered in her ear. She nodded and swam for the shore with the rest behind her. Once everybody was on land once again, Zelda cleared her throat for attention. But before she could utter a word, Link showed up with Anakin Skywalker. The pair approached the company by the lake. “Hey, sis! Good news, Caedus doesn’t have the stone! It’s at the bottom of the lake!” Link whispered in her ear. Zelda smiled. “Of course, only Ruto would have thought of that! Midna, go and look for it at once!” she ordered. Midna gave Zelda a mock salute and dived straight into the lake. The fellowship waited for what seemed like ages before Midna finally popped out of the water with the Sapphire in her hand! “Yahoo, you found it! We have all three now!” Stephen cheered. “It shouldn’t have been that easy, and plus we haven’t dispelled the Twilight in this province yet, either! Something’s not right, not right at all. Midna, let me see that stone!” Zelda ordered as she held out her hand. Midna dropped the stone in her hand and Zelda examined it carefully. “Hmm, it seems like the right one. But, normally we wouldn’t have found it until we drove out the Twilight and defeated the Temple Boss in the Province. Wait, that’s it! It’s a trap! Be wary, Caedus could be anywhere with his forces!” Zelda whispered the last part so not to be overheard by the enemy. All of a sudden there was a sound of thunder as a lightning bold struck the ground behind Zelda. The princess yelped in shock as she turned around. “Very good, Princess; you are turning into quite the Jedi. I am sorry, but that will have to end. I can’t have you foiling all my plans, can I? It ends here and now, Zelda. Hand over the Spiritual Stones and come peacefully and no one gets hurt, UNDERSTAND?” Caedus smirked as he held out his right hand for the stones. “Contact Master Skywalker immediately.” She whispered out of the corner of her mouth, but Caedus heard the whisper. “That’s it; hand over your comlinks, NOW! I can’t have Luke know that I have all his precious Jedi.” He roared as he ordered his stormtroopers to confiscate the comlinks as well as the stones. As the Stormtroopers were walking toward the fellowship there was a mysterious sound behind them. It sounded eerily familiar to Stephen, however. It sounded like a Stargate dialing! He slowly turned his head to see if he was correct. As his eyes came in sight of what our heroes called ‘portals’, his jaw dropped. It was a Stargate! “Great Scott; it’s a real Stargate! I don’t believe it!” he whispered in shock. “What is it? That’s just an ordinary portal, but what’s it doing?” Zelda asked in shock. “That’s no ordinary portal, your highness, it’s a Stargate!” Stephen answered still watching it dial an address. “What in Hyrule is a Stargate?” Zelda asked in confusion. “It’s a gate where you can travel to different planets, and sometimes even galaxies with gates at the other end. Right now, it is dialing this planet from somewhere off-world. I just hope it’s Luke. But what puzzles me, is how you guys managed to operate it without knowing what it is.” He said as he scratched his head. “Oh, that’s simple! We just use the Force to open them!” Aragorn explained. “Of course!” Stephen breathed in understanding. 73 “Unscheduled Off-world Activation, back up!” Stephen shouted for all to hear. “Um, Stephen, what are you shouting about?” Zelda asked clearly thinking the teen had lost it. “You’ll see in a second, it is so cool what happens!” he whispered. Zelda led the group back a few paces as the gate finished the dialing sequence. All of a sudden the gate was filled with a water-like substance and a huge jet burst out of the gate and then a moment later back in. Everybody waited in tense silence. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime, a man in a hooded cloak walked out of the gate. As the figure removed his hood, another cloaked figure ran out of the gate followed by a smaller cloaked figure leading four short figures in cloaks, which were followed by an elderly man in a brown cloak who looked with fascination at the gate. The first figure was none other than Grand Master Skywalker! The others were: Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker, her son, Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker, and the Halflings, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, and Rosie Cotton! The old man of course was the Wizard, Radagast the Brown! Lord Caedus looked at the group coming out of the gate with a smirk. “Well, if it isn’t the Jedi and their precious little Hobbits!” he laughed. Luke had a sad look on his face as he walked towards the Sith Lord with his wife at his side. “Jacen, I am shocked. This can’t be you!” he said with a grim face. “Well it is, Uncle Luke. Face the facts; I have willingly embraced the Dark Side like Grandfather Vader before me. I am all powerful. You will never stop me!” he grinned as his eyes gleamed red in malice. Mara laughed at this. “Only a Sith deals in absolutes, Jacen. And, we Skywalkers are experts in dealing with the sith! We will do what we must.” She smiled as she and Luke ignited their blades. Zelda and the others were about to do the same when Luke motioned for them to go through the gate. “Where do you want us to go?” Zelda questioned through the Force. Luke just sent a picture of besieged stone castle and images of elves, dwarfs, and men fighting for their lives against orcs, Uruks, and stormtroopers. “Where does he want us to go?’ Zelda said in confusion. “To Helm’s Deep, of course!” Aragorn said with a gleam in his eye. “Where is that?” Zelda questioned still not getting it. “It’s in my home world, Middle Earth. There must be a great battle going on there. We are needed there more than ever. Come, we just make haste!” Aragorn beckoned as he hastily waved his hand to dial the gate. As Stephen looked, he saw a DHD emerge from the ground and dial Middle Earth on the Stargate. It was astounding! A few moments later, the Fellowship followed by the Zoras, Radagast, Ben, and the Hobbits ran through the gate for Middle Earth leaving Luke and Mara fighting Lord Caedus and surrounded by legions of stormtroopers. They had to trust in the Force that Luke and Mara would prevail. END of EPISODE V: TWILIGHT PRINCESS 74