Author's note: this story contains stuff about smoking and drinking, and has some suggestive dialogue. If you're offended, don't read.

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Twenty Millenia in the future, Hyrule is a dismal place. The men were eliminated by war and plague, and the women survived by cloning themselves. The monarchy has been replaced by a ruling Council that controls almost every aspect of life, and rupees have given way to credits. Beneath the sterile cities lies the mine shaft, which the Council can't do anything about except debit credits from the members. They may take more drastic measures if this problem isn't eliminated soon.\par Meanwhile, Raya M'harra, a decendant of Link, is coming of age and will learn about the secrets of her past and the prophicies concerning her bloodline, and the horrible truth about the Council.

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Raya M'harra, please report to the cloning facility at Hyrule sector Beta, district 525 as soon as possible!

Raya jerked awake. Late again. The Council did not approve of tardiness. It was the duty of all women to donate genetic material for reproduction so that their race could continue.

She wished she could take off her wrist comm., but that was illegal. Even after all those millenia, the council still insisted on knowing where everybody was. Only a few people dared to take off their comms. Those people would then join the Mine-shaft movement and become virtual pariahs above-ground.

Raya hurried into the laser shower. It scanned her, burned off the bacteria and dead skin that accumulated on Raya's body overnight, and rinsed it off with hot water. She had heard stories about people washing themselves with a harsh chemical known as soap. This 'soap' often washed away not only bacteria, but also the body's natural moisture. The laser shower made it obsolete.

After a quick shower, Raya got dressed and ran to the kitchen.

"Late again?" her mother, Deela, asked, with a half-smile on her face.

Raya nodded.

"Well, you're gonna have to hurry now. I got a surprise for you when you get back."

Raya drank some vitamin enriched juice and hurried out. She knew that if she kept that up she would be in trouble with the Board of Health. She was not getting her daily requirement of calories and nutriants and would not be able to function at peak efficiency. She was also falling asleep on the job, something that was not tollerated by the Ruling Council.

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Deela shook her head. So young. But she had to know. The fate of Hyrule was resting on the M'harra line. She had told Raya and her other daughters about Link's exploits, which was illegal. The Council was trying its hardest to erradicate any knowledge of Link. Any knowledge of the old days and the freedom the people used to enjoy. But she would not let that happen... It was prophesied... The one conceived without father and birthed without mother, born in a womb of glass...

Deela absent-mindedly flipped on the holovid and watched the news. Another factory had supposedly been raided by the Mine-shaft. She had to tell Raya... She just had to...

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At the cloning facility, Raya sat in the waiting room in deep thought. Cloning became a necessity after the men were killed by war and disease. Every woman over eighteen had to donate her genes at least once in her life or face monthy fines, which could eat up her credit allowance.

She fingered her necklace with the shiny triangle that seemed to be attatched to it without glue or any other form of adhesive. Her mother had told her to hide it and to never give it away for anything . It was supposed to be an important M'harra treasure, something with magical powers. Maybe it was just another one of her crazy mother's stories, but then again, maybe not...

"First time?"

Startled, Raya stuffed the necklace back into her shirt and turned to see a woman in her mid-thirties. She had a dark complexion and odd-eyes, one blue, and one green, obviously contacs. Her hair was artificially straightened and dyed an unnaturally bright blonde. She was from the mine shaft, no doubt.

"I remember my first time," she continued, laughing, "I was a little nervous too. Almost bit off my nails which I grew just for the occasion."

She showed Raya her nails, which were half the size of her fingers. Her dress was low-cut, skin-tight, and made of plastic, which was an illegal pollutant. She most likely got it from the mine shaft. Everything she wore, sprayed, or rubbed on was illegal.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself," she said, "The name's Marin H'lia. What's yours?"

"Raya." she said.

"Not too talkative, eh? Worried about your gene rating?"

Raya nodded 'yes'. The gene rating was determined by how many viable cells were in an individual's blood. Anyone with a rating lower than 25% would have to have her genes merged with those from another woman. But that wasn't the reason for her alloofness.

Raya didn't talk too much, and when she did, she would often say something stupid. She didn't have many friends, and she didn't get along with other people very well.

And that woman was unsettling. Raya had never been in such close quarters with a criminal, at least not one she hadn't lived with all her life.

"Don't worry. I don't bite."

Raya looked at her. Great, she thought, a perv!

"You know what I mean."

She rolled her eyes. The woman was surprisingly perceptive. How was she gonna get out of this one?

"Sorry," Raya said, "It's just the-"

"-People on the holo-news. I know all about it." Marin said, "They love harrassing us. Weapons are illegal and obsolete so they debit our credits and lie about us on the holovids. Why can't they just leave us alone? Good thing they don't know 'bout my stash of rupees."

Raya didn't answer. The mine-shaft was tempting, but also illegal, and Marin did make her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"So, babygirl, howza 'bout it? You goin' come with me? Or you gonna go on with your sterile, meaningless existance?"

"Raya Ma'harra, you're next." a nurse called from the front desk.

"Sorry, gotta go."

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Marin chuckled to herself. The girl would probably have little or no viable cells in her body. Then they would have to mix her genes with someone else's-hopefully her's. After all, she was the good-looking one. She was so cool she could hardly believe it.

She looked in the mirror and applied another coat of an illegal cosmetic, lipstick. That alone would incur a fine, but she bought everything from the mine shaft, so she didn't give a rodent's rump. A couple thousand years ago she would be detained, but years of legislation by the 'peace at all costs' Council had rendered even that inhumane. That was about the only thing she liked about the Council.

All they could do was debit credits, since obviously no one knew about the more drastic forms of punishment. Then again, from time to time several of her friends would 'disappear'... Maybe the innocent facade of the Council was just a cover for something more sinister...

Marin didn't like going above ground that much, but it was the only way she could contact potential followers. The Mine-shaft used to contact people via the NET, which spanned the globe and linked everyone through their computers.

It worked for awhile, but then, the council started monitering the chat-rooms and kicking out anyone suspected of being associated with the Mine-shaft. So, the women decided that they would improvise. These women soon became known as 'trolls,' since they used to post those annoying, and sometimes humerous messages in chat-rooms and on message-boards. Not a very attractive name, but it would do.

Of course, the council was growing lax. Sometimes she would log on the net as a man, amusing some of the others in the chat-rooms.

Marin looked around the waiting room. There were three women about her age, and they were not happy. She decided to head for the arcade, which is where most of the teens hung out after school and work.

As she left, she pulled out a cigarette and lit-up. The people outside stared at her in revulsion. How inconsiderate! She was polluting the air and putting them in danger of lung-cancer. One of those people, an old, wizzened woman, glared at her. The annoyance. Soon she will be taken care of. Permanently. The old woman cackled at the thought. Every last annoyance would be dealt with.

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Raya was relieved. That woman scared her, but yet, also offered her something very tempting. And she was right. Life had lost all meaning. It was the same routine every day. Her mother said it was worse at the beginning of the reign of the council.

There were surveilance cameras everywhere, and a computer would report any illegal activity, even if it was just talk of civil disobedience. There were also re-education centers, and childcare facilities where all the young children lived. They didn't even get to see their parents until they left the facilities. But, over the millenia, the council had grown complacent. Confident that the past freedom's were forgotten, the council had slowly let up on the rules.

Now, children could be raised by their mothers and would only be periodically questioned. Raya had learned to lie, and her mother gave her a treat every time she told the inquisitors what they wanted to here, that her mother was in compliance with the rules, and that they knew nothing they weren't supposed to know.

But her mother was involved in illegal activities, though she didn't elaborate. It had something to do with conceiling illegal pieces of history, and information.

Raya knew that some people had found ways to hide from the central computer, and she knew that there were opperatives working at the surveilance console. Something about telepathy. It may have contributed to the council's laxness.

The examination room smelled like medicine and was littered with equipment. The doctor, a woman with a severe straight-laced demeanor, asked Raya to hold out her hand. She held a suction device to the back of Raya's hand and collected a small blood sample. Then she pushed some buttons on a computer and some numbers, which Raya didn't bother to understand, appeared on the monitor.

The doctor looked at her without smiling.

"You rate 83%, odd for one of your generation."

That was it. The examination was over. The Doctor handed her a slip with the life-donation schedules and penalties for refusing to donate.

It was one of the many quirks of the M'harra line. They never needed to have their genes combined with another line's. Raya had heard once that there were other lines like that, but her mother had warned her to keep off the subject. Why she did that, Raya didn't know.

As Raya left, she noticed that Marin was gone. Somewhat relieved, she headed for her job at the district school. Today, she would learn how to teach seven-year-olds, including her sister, Leetha.

She didn't like teaching that much, but she didn't have any choice. The council assigned people to their jobs depending on their abilities and where they were currently needed. And unfortunately, they needed a teacher for the primaries.

When she got home, her mother took her downstairs and turned on the lights. The room was filled with things from another era.

"They used to belong to one of your first father-"

"Link.", Raya finished, "I remember the stories you told me, about him defeating Ganondorf, and the Wind Fish..." She trailed off and looked at a small, blue ocarina in a jeweled box. Her mother told her of an ocarina like this one that woke the Wind Fish and made an island disappear.

There was another box with a bow and some arrows, and the swords that Link used to defeat the monsters of old Hyrule hung on the wall in their sheaths. Those weapons were illegal, Raya noted. Weapons of any form were forbidden to the public. So were the bombs in the case in the corner. Her mother could go broke if they found her stash...

Her mother then showed her Link's armor. It was a bit tarnished, but still in good condition. Raya tried it on and found that it fit comfortably. Her mother had her take off the armor and take a sword into the next room. There, she showed Raya some of the moves that her mother taught her. It was tradition, she said. It was also the most fun Raya had.

Raya then went back into the room with the M'harra treasures and tried to play a song on the ocarina. She had played whistles before, but this one was rather odd. It was a while before she got the hang of it. Then something caught her eye. In the box was a slab of polished wood with instructions carved on it, instructions for the 'Ballad of the Wind Fish', 'Manbo's Mambo', and the 'Frog's Song of Soul'. Raya had heard that those songs could transport the player to different places and defeat certain enemies.

No, no, it was all legend. But the weapons would be worth a pretty rupee in the underground. And maybe her future child would like to play with the ocarina. But that was all it was. A child's toy.

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Deela watched as Raya played on the ancient whistle. Soon, she would have to reveal the secret of that ocarina and it's significance. In time... But now, she would have to prepare Raya for the war that would come very soon. One way, or another, Raya would find out about the prophecy, that a descendant of Link, conceived without father, birthed without mother, born from a womb of glass, would free Hyrule.

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The training sessions went on for months. Every day after working at the district school, Raya would go straight home and practice with her mother, learning how to use the different weapons, including one sword that her mother said only the M'harras could use. She also told Raya of a magic cape that could make the wearer invisible.

Deela told Raya that she would someday have to leave the city and go to the underground movement, the Mine Shaft.

"Why? They're a bunch of thieves-"

"You know that's not true. They were a group of people who didn't agree with the Council and were persecuted for their views. They just wanted to restore freedom. To offer us a better life."

"But why would the counsel attack them if they weren't breaking the law?

"The Council wants to control everyone, and I suspect that one of the members is planning to revive Ganon."

That night, she logged on the computer. There was one for every family member so they could converse with friends from around the world.

Hello. she typed.

Hello, Zelda 254. This is Mr. Max. came the answer. Zelda 254 was Raya's screen-name, the number added because Zelda was a popular alias.

Hello Mr. Max. How are you?

Fine, Zelda 254, wazzup?

Raya thought for a moment. Mr. Max frequented that particular chat-room. Most of the members had female names, but Mr. Max was obviously a weirdo, possibly a troll.

I'm almost 19! she typed.

Cool!

Something is bothering me.

?

Some troll. Talking about me joining the mine-shaft.

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From her underground room, Marin typed: What? Scared of some troll?

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Raya looked at the reply.

No. she typed, I just might join the mine-shaft.

Then, abruptly, Raya was kicked out of the chat-room. She knew she wouldn't be allowed in there again, unless she went under a different alias. Well, Raya was too tired to go back in. She went to bed, and tossed and turned and had a disturbing dream. A voice said:

"You are the one."

"What do you mean?"

"Conceived without father, birthed without mother, born from a womb of glass."

"Of course I was conceived without father! Men are extinct!"

"Save Hyrule."

"Save Hyrule? Hyrule is safe! We have a police force in every district-"

"Save Hyrule."

"What? Is someone attacking? We have a global government! Weapons are obsolete! Leave me alone!"

A man about Raya's age appeared. He was wearing a green jerkin outfit like the one her mother said Link wore. His hair was shoulder-length and brown, like hers. 'Link' was carrying a shield and a sword, and had a feather in his cap(a roc's feather, she noted).

Then he spoke:

"Could it be that the evil is what is keeping the peace?"

Raya suddenly felt strange. Something was in her abdominal cavity and causing it to swell. She looked down and saw that her abdomen had grown so big that she couldn't see her feet. She touched it and felt something move.

"What is happening to me?"

Then she knew. Her mother had told her how women used to carry their children inside them. But that was risky and painful, so they slowly fazed out in utero reproduction.

"What did you do to me?" she screamed at 'Link'.

Then, the dream faded. Raya woke up in a cold sweat, and something just came to her. She knew what she had to do. Her mother had told her about the legendary tri-force, wherabouts long forgotten, and about the golden land that turned people into what they were inside.

It was the middle of the night. Her mother and sisters were asleep, so she quietly walked downstairs into the secret room. She took the sword, the shield, and the ocarina, and ran outside. She nervously surveyed the empty city, afraid that she would be captured by a patrol droid(civilians had a curfew, and violation would result in heavy fines).

No droids in sight. She kept running. Then a droid appeared and attempted to scan her. She hid in an alley, and the droid lost her.

Just then, she heard a familiar voice.

"You fast for a white girl."

She turned around. It was Marin H'lia. The dress that she was wearing violated all the laws of modesty. The skin-tight dress went up to her thighs, and was so low-cut that Raya worried that it wouldn't hold together much longer.

"Don't just stand there," Marin whispered, "They'll be back for us. Come on."

She motioned for Raya to follow her. Reluctently, she did. She didn't know if she could trust her, though.

She followed the woman into a hole in the street. The tunnel was dark and slippery, and it smelled horrible.

At the end of the tunnel, Marin knocked on the door three times, kicked twice, and said, "Pizza-delivery!"

The door opened by its self. The mine shaft! Raya looked in awe at the underground city. There were stores everywhere, houses made out of hollowed-out walls, fruits and vegetables growing out of the ground, and... animals. No one grew their own food where she came from, and animals were relegated to zoos. And no one sold food. The government distributed it in the form of synthesizer rations.

"Hey!" Marin called to the people, "Look who I dragged from Hylian Hell!"

The people looked up and waved at Raya. Some of the children who had never been above ground looked at her and played hide-&-seek behind her shield. One of them asked her if she had a mommy up there. She nodded 'Yes'. There were also small humanoids flying around in the mine shaft. Fairies, she noted. She heard stories of fairies that could heal people, but she thought they were legend.

There was one old fairy telling stories to some younger fairies. Raya noticed that there were boys in the group. She laughed to herself. If only the male fairies were a little bigger...

"Yes, I knew Link." the fairy said, "Way back before any of you were born. Heh heh... I tell you one thing. He was cute, 'specially when he was taking a bath."

"What did he look like?" asked one of the girls.

"'Bout like that kid over there."

She pointed to Raya.

"Well," she said, "He wore different clothes."

Raya sat and listened to the fairy, 'Grandma Sprite,' tell stories about Link's exploits. Could they be true? Could this ocarina be more than a child's toy?

Her train of thought was broken when she heard the panicked cries of the children. She looked to see Sprite lying unconscious by the pebble she was sitting on just a moment ago. Raya scanned Sprite. No life signs. Dead as a proverbial door-nail.

"I'm sorry." she said, "Grandma Sprite died."

The children started crying.

"You gotta do something," one of the children pleaded.

"Theres nothing I can do. We all gotta go sometime."

"Please!!!!" the children chorused.

Just then, Raya remembered that the Frog's Song of Soul could revive the dead. She put the ocarina to her lips and thought, "I hope this works."

She played the song. Nothing happened. She turned to leave. Suddenly the children were saying, "Hey everybody! Look! Grandma's coming back! She looks different!"

Raya looked to see Sprite stirring and growing younger. When she stopped growing younger, she looked at her hands.

"Well, well! I don't remember looking this good!"

"She did it!" cried one of the children.

"I just played a tune on this little whistle," said Raya, "I didn't do nothing."

"Nothing my foot!" said Sprite, "You played the Frog's Song of Soul. It was a revival song back when I was in diapers!"

"This is a child's toy."

"That 'child's toy' brought me back to life-"

"But-"

"Thank you! And no but's about it!"

Raya was flattered, but she still didn't believe that she did it. She spent the night at Marin's house, and went to a place called a 'nightclub'.

Her ears were assailed by a loud, rythmic noise. It was so loud, that she couldn't hear herself think.

"It's techno music," Marin explained.

"WHAT??????" Raya yelled. She could barely hear her own voice.

"I SAID, IT'S TECHNO MUSIC!!!!!" Marin yelled.

"WHAT-A-WHAT???????????"

"TECHNO!!!!!!!!" Marin yelled, just as the song stopped.

People stared at her.

"-music," she continued.

Then Raya remembered. Her mother told her that the Council had banned certain kinds of music that caused people to gyrate, or 'dance'. They feared that it would cause the women to engage in 'sex', a forbidden activity that used to make them have children.

Then, another song started playing. It was very pleasing, with a sound that emulated strings, though not very well. Then came the harder bass-sounds, and the drums, mostly noise. However, Raya didn't mind. She liked it, and the feeling it gave her.

Marin lead her to a room and popped a couple of rupees into the slot by the door. The door opened, and a computer-voice said, "enter"

Raya went inside, and the door closed, leaving Marin outside to find her own room.

"Choose your companion," the computer said, "Male, or female?"

Raya thought for a moment.

"Male," she said, since she wondered how they made love the 'old way'.

"Specify age"

"Eighteen"

"Skin-color?

"Caucasian"

"Hair-color?"

"Brown"

"Hair-length?

"Shoulder-length"

"Eye-color?

"Blue"

"Build?"

"What do you mean by 'build?'" Raya asked.

"Body-mass, bone-mass, girth, musculature"

"Ok," Raya said, "I'd like one with medium bone-mass, lean, like he works out, not too much muscle"

"Miscillaneous facial-features? Blemishes? Any missing parts or limbs?"

"Make the nose and ears like mine, and a few random blemishes to make him look natural"

"Specify, clothed or naked"

"Clothed"

"Specify clothing, era, color, accessories, cosmetics"

"Era..." she thought about it, "Old hyrul, about 20,000 years ago, green-jerkin, matching boots and cap, sword and shield. No makeup"

"Size of genetilia?"

"Just normal, not too big"

"Do you want to enable verbal-capabilities?"

"What?"

"Do you want him to talk?"

"Yes, of course I do"

"Do you want a mobile-inducer?"

"What's that?"

"It will allow him to leave this room"

"Yes, that would be nice. Why would I want to stay here?"

"This room can be furnished with all the holographic-equipement you need to maximize your experience with your holo-toy. All you have to do is ask for a list of available equipement. If what you ask for is not on our list, please write to the proprieter and we will do our best to accomadate your needs"

"Ok, I want a mobile-inducer, and I may want to try out some of the 'equipement' later," Raya said.

"Thank you for using the holo-toy," the voice said, "We hope you will have an enjoyable experience at 'The Pink Dodongo'. Please come by again at any time"

Then, a person appeared in front of Raya, and he looked just as she specified.

"Please choose a name for me," was the first thing he said.

"Link," Raya decided.

"Link," the holo-toy repeated, "I like that name"

"I'm surprised the computer didn't tell me to choose a personality for you," Raya laughed.

"I am programed to adapt, to form a personality that will best accomadate you," said 'Link'.

"Well, don't just stand there, let's go out and 'dance'"

'Link' looked at her.

"You don't know how to dance, do you?" he asked.

Raya shook her head.

"Well, you're in luck; I am programed with all the known forms of dance-"

"And sex," Raya finished.

"Of course," Link said, "I am programed to meet the needs of the customer. Your wish is my command"

"Ok, then teach me to dance"

Raya took 'Link's hand and walked toward the doorway. The door opened, and they walked back into the main room.

The music was pounding, and there was a floor in the middle of the room that had all kinds of lights and lasers, making the 'dancers' look like they were flickering in slow motion.

Marin was at the bar, drinking something amber.

"Hey, Raya, try some," she offered, and gave the bar-tender a handful of rupees, "One beer for my friend"

The bar-tender, obviously a hologram, since it was a man, slid a glass of 'beer' over to Raya.

Raya took a taste, and thought it tasted much like the processed wafers she had for breakfast. She swallowed it, and then coughed at the way it burned her throat. She drank some more, interested at the way it burned going down. Then, she ordered another.

After downing her second beer, she headed for the dance-floor, with 'Link' following close behind.

Once on the dance-floor, 'Link' took Raya's hands, and said, "Now, I'll teach you to dance"

The moves were fairly simple, and pretty soon she got the hang of it. The music, the lights, and the other dancers started to blur together. Everything was a haze, and Raya didn't know what she was doing. Her last memory was stripping off her outfit in front of everyone.

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Marin and her toy, Red Kokili, watched the spectacle from the bar.

"Amature," Marin chuckled.

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When Raya woke up, Marin had some good news.

"Raya!" she said, "The fairies heard about what you did for their oldest princess."

"Huh?"

"Princess Sprite."

"Princess? I thought she was the town bard."

"That's just her hobby, since she stepped down long before any of us were born."

"And?"

"She has a gift for you. Go to the fairy kingdom down the block."

The fairy kingdom was evidently built to accomadate elves. Raya didn't even have to duck when she entered the palace. There, in the throne room, was a piece of rolled-up paper with something in it.

The fairy queen was very happy.

"I can't thank you enough for reviving my greatest of great grandmothers. This map will help you find the tri-force, and the key will lead to the tombs of your ancestors. Thank you again, Raya."

Raya didn't know what to say. She accepted the gift.

"You're welcome, your majesty-"

"Please, call me Talia. We abandoned those titles a long time ago."

"Ok, Talia. Thank you."

"Good luck in finding the tri-force."

Raya left the palace, turning to wave at the queen.

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Talia waved back. When Raya was gone, she decided to retire to her room. There, she entered her lab through a secret door. In her lab, she changed to her true form, Daneeva Dragmire, decendent of Ganondorf Dragmire. In a small bottle on her shelf was the real Talia, reduced to skin and bones and unable to speak because of extreme hunger and thirst. The pathetic fairy's tongue was so dry it stuck to the roof of her mouth.

Weakly, the fairy banged on the side of the bottle, and let out a faint whine. A tear rolled down her cheek. Desperately, she got down on her hands and knees and licked it up, only to find her tongue stuck to the bottom of the bottle.

Daneeva couldn't help herself. She laughed at the pitiful sight and then turned the bottle upside down, forcing the poor fairy to hold for dear life on the sides. Then the evil sorceress laughed some more. Maybe I'll feed her just to keep her around longer, the woman thought, she amuses me. Then the fairy managed to free her tongue from the bottom? top? of the bottle. On second thoughts, maybe not, she decided, and set the bottle right-side-up again. The fairy, weakened by the ordeal, fell asleep.

She'll be dead in a few days, Daneeva thought, it's only a matter of time. She let out a maniacle laugh and shouted, "Moblins, destroy M'harra!"

A moblin appeared and Daneeva indicated a monitor on her wall, a monitor that was part technology and part magic and was far better than any crystal ball. The moblin said, "Yes, Lady Dragmire." Then he disappeared. She smiled to herself. The Counsel would be pleased.

Soon she would be queen and no longer need that bothersome disguise or the stupid moblins. She had plans. Plans to conceive a child the old way, but first she would have to revive a man. She had one such man in mind. Ganondorf Dragmire.

With his help, she would retreive the 24 pieces of the tri-force and rule the world with her Superior, Maaraza.

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Outside the underground palace, Raya unrolled the map. In it was a key and locations of other keys and treasures. The lock to the tombs was deeper down, in the pits, where few people dared to go. She would probably need some help. Maybe Marin would like to come.

"No way," said Marin, "I may have rescued you from the heck up there, but I got my own life. I never been down there, and I ain't never going down there."

Raya walked out of Marin's house. Just as she was leaving, Marin said, "Good luck on your wild goose chase."

She turned around and Marin smiled at her.

"Don't get yourself killed," she said.

"I won't." Raya promised.

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Marin shook her head. She had heard stories about elves going down there, but never coming back up. She went into the kitchen and lit up a cigarette. Cigarettes were illegal above ground, as were the other pleasures she indulged in. The domineering council didn't want anyone to die young from lung cancer, but anything would be better than living up there. She only went above ground to rescue others from that prison.

Her girlfriend walked in and joined her.

"You chickened, right?"

"What's it to you?" Marin gave her a dirty look.

Marin was not in a good mood, and Caitlaan was making it worse.

"I was just asking! Sheesh! You can get so grouchy when you're feeling guilty over something!"

Marin glared at her.

"Ok! Ok! I'll leave you alone!"

She left the room in a huff. Of course she was right. Marin did feel guilty, but what could she do? She didn't want to die with Raya...

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Raya headed to the ladder to the 'pits' as they were called. Just as she was going to begin the long climb down, she heard a familiar little voice.

"I'll come with you."

"Sprite!"

"And I won't take no for an answer!" the fairy said, "It's been a long time since I've seen Link, and I want to see you work your magic on him and Zelda."

"Well," Raya said, "I guess someone isn't afraid of breaking a nail."

Sprite sat on Raya's head.

"Be careful where you scratch," she said.

"I will."

They began the decent to the tombs of Raya's ancestors, Link and Zelda. They both knew that they might not come out alive.

To be continued...