AN: Ah sorry about the long wait my friends, but unfortunately I've been dealing with some issues that have kept me away from the computer. Also I've been paying more attention to my Evangelion fic and the only reason i have been compelled to write this chapter is because that damned Zelda Movie trailer hoax had me so worked up I came up with a bunch of ideas so... here we go!

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Link grunted as he swung the hammer down onto the anvil once again, sparks flying everywhere with each thrust of the forging tool. With a small sigh he reached up with his free hand and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and stood up. "Finally... damn that was a pain, went through half the pelt just getting this right." He commented as he placed what he had just been working on into his leather satchel and tied it shut. The blonde was currently in the den of the second best weapon smith in all of Hyrule, the small cave that was used by the large goron who lived on the western side of death mountain.

"You make good?" The large booming voice shook the confines of the small cave and Link narrowly avoided a falling chunk of rock that fell from the ceiling of the cave. With a sigh the blonde adjusted his cap, smiling as he swung the satchel over his shoulder and turning towards the mouth of the cave, walking out and tossing behind him a purple rupee.

"Yes... thank you for letting me use your materials." Was the only reply he gave before he gave before running out and turning a sharp corner to the stone staircases that led up to the top and final level of Goron's Domain. Wasting no time, he pulled out a small metallic, rat like figure and smirked as he slammed it along the wall, not a second later the metallic rodent took of, swerving along the wall until it reached a cave and turned sharply, its continuous squeaking sound echoing until... BOOM!

Just a few steps later, Link appeared in the mouth of the exit, smiling at the rubble that had once been a large boulder, the smoke was even still clearing from the powerful explosion. "Gotta love bombchus..." He spoke to no one in particular as he headed straight forward into the darkness, the only conformation that he was headed in the right direction was the upbeat, melodic theme that was associated with the Lost Woods of the Kokiri Forest.

If there was one word that Link would use to describe the forest, it would have to be... familiar. In all honesty this particular area of Hyrule was the one he spent the least amount of time in, mainly due to the fact that he felt very peaceful here. The blonde thief found it surprisingly easy to lower his guard when visiting the ever-young children of the forest. Link could have for all rights and purposes, envisioned himself growing up in the Kokiri Forest... in another place and time that is, and for that very reason, he refused to stay there any longer than was absolutely necessary.

So, with great haste, he maneuvered his way through the extravagant and thoroughly annoying maze that was the Lost Woods, before finally reaching the entrance to the Forest Temple. While he had indeed ventured inside once or twice, it always mesmerized him with its many puzzles and he had made a mental note to examine it completely and unravel its mysteries, although not today.

It was easy to find her, as he had found her many times before, sitting on a large stump at the top of a narrow stairway to the courtyard of the temple. She was playing a small, brown and green wooden ocarina, identical to that of the one he had used to calm Epona at the castle. It had been she who presented him with it, and at first he had denied its acceptance, claiming it a useless gift as he already held the Ocarina of Time which he had stolen with her help (although he never flat out told her what he was going to do with the replica ocarina of time, he had a sneaking suspicion that she knew all along). However, upon her suggestion that it would be good to have a separate ocarina in the event that he needed to play the melodies he had learned in front of someone who DID know what the actual ocarina of time looked like... he accepted it.

Saria, the Sage of the forest, although she hardly acted like a sage. She had been the very first person who he met on his travels, that would learn his real name. In fact, he had found her in this very spot all those years ago, and upon his inquiry of why waste time playing an instrument... she taught him one of his most commonly used skills. The magic of music, she had explained to him that music was the truest connection to the goddesses, and through the medium of Instruments, worldly beings could tap into that raw and awesome powers.

Of course, he had been incredibly skeptical, having grown up learning that very few people in this land were to be trusted... at least until he had played his very first song through the ocarina. He then knew that there was no denying it, there was power, flowing through the small wooden objects in his hands. And he had demanded, albeit in a very kind way, as he had learned the ways of sweet talking, as to how to obtain more power from it.

It was then that he learned of it, her tale of a mystical Ocarina, forged by the Goddesses themselves. An instrument of such power that even the greatest of obstacles would disperse at the sound of its melodious tune, a single melody said to cause the darkest of nights into a bright and sunny day. He had eagerly asked as to what the object in question looked like, and as such Saria crafted a perfect imitation of said Ocarina. Three weeks later, the true Ocarina of TIme had been replaced with a fake... and none had been the wiser.

Without even a simple wave, the black clad blonde walked over to the stump where the small green haired girl regarded him with a smile as she kicked her legs back and forth over the edge of the stump. With a thud and numerous clatters, Link tossed the large burlap sack he had been carrying onto the grass, and out came an avalanche of large scales, teeth, and claws, all charred black from soot and ash. "I need you to fletch some arrows for me, these should make for some pretty good arrow tips."

Smiling brightly, the seemingly young girl giggled as she sorted through the materials provided her and tilted her head in question, and although Link would never admit it under pain of death... it made his friend look adorably cute. "Why do you need more arrows? I made plenty for you last time, and these materials will only make about three hundred, you go through more arrows than that in a week!" She exclaimed, miming an image of her firing off projectiles.

Frowning, the young blonde turned his gaze away and rubbed the bridge of his nose in an inconspicuous fashion. "They ah... aren't for me." He muttered, shrugging nonchalantly and waving his hand dismissively. "I need these made as a gift..." he trailed off a bit as he noticed the odd smile that the Kokiri child was giving him.

"For the Princess of Hyrule huh? These are some pretty high end arrows you want, you must really want to make sure she's gonna be fine on your trip!" Saria exclaimed, giggling in a childish way at the shocked face of the tall blonde.

"What!? How did you-?" He sputtered out in surprise, before his eyes narrowed darkly at the two floating balls of light that sped away from behind a nearby tree and headed back towards the village. "Fairies..." He growled out through gritted teeth, running a hand through his long blonde locks in annoyance. "So that old goat of a tree is still having me watched? I thought that ended months ago! I would have sensed those damn pixies following me unless..." He paused, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

Grinning, Saria snapped her fingers, a blinding green light erupting from them with such force that Link was forced to shield his eyes with his hands. As soon as he brought them down from his face however, he groaned... he was now standing in the grove that was home to none other than the Great Deku Tree. In all honesty, he did respect the deity of the forest, very much so... it was just that whenever the damn thing summoned him it usually had a job to be completed... and The Great Deku Tree's jobs didn't exactly pay off that well for Link in the end.

"Link... I trust you have been well since our last meeting?" The once loud booming voice that would flow from the forest spirit, was now aged and weak, almost pleading. The full thick branches that would normally be seen on the tree were now frail and crumbling, the leaves now a dull brown, a sure sign that the deity had not long for this world, and Link felt a twinge of regret that the last time he had spoken to the great being, he had essentially and eloquently told it to 'fuck off'. It was almost enough to make him forgive the Great Deku Tree for putting him on watch... almost.

"Feh, you would know wouldn't you? Your little pixies are on tag along duty aren't they, I can't believe you still don't trust me! What more do i have to do to show you that I am not like Ganon, I saved your life for Naryu's sake!" Alright, so part of that was a lie, he was like Ganon in many ways, even he wasn't so blind as to notice that. They were both thieves, obsessed with things that did not belong to them. Both of them had been raised by the Gerudo as well, and as such were ruthless killers. However there was always one fine line that Link would never cross.

The young blonde had never and would never kill an innocent being, albeit right now he was considering skewered and roasted fairy for a quick lunch.

"The sprites were not following you young one... they were there as means of communication to me, and as guardians to another."

Puzzled, Link arched an eyebrow in question, the words playing over and over again in his mind. 'If they weren't there for me then...' He gave a wry and empty laugh, short but disbelieving. "The Royal Family!?" He exclaimed with another laugh. "I understand your loyalty to Hyrule, but the affairs of the castle are a bit out of your jurisdiction aren't they?" He stopped once more to shake his head. "I mean, the only one of the bunch who even has a smidgen of talent for the magicks is the..." Once again, he stopped, but this time a look of realization hit him. "Zelda..."

Solemnly, and slowly, the Deku Tree smiled, the creaking of wood echoing as it did so. "Indeed... she is much more than she appears at first glance. I know of your mission to protect her for three moon cycles, as well as your plan for her coming of age party... You must not steal anything from the royal family on that night Link!" The last sentence was spoken in the booming and loud voice that Link had been accustomed to when speaking to the Deity. "You will be needed to guard the Princess on that night!"

Narrowing his eyes, the blonde inwardly cursed, biting his lip in anger. "You can't be serious... she's going to be in danger?" He questioned, knowing of the Deku Tree's foreknowing of danger. "She's going to be surrounded by hundreds of people who would make a move there!" As if mocking him, the Great Deku Tree raised an eyebrow, and Link frowned. "Dragmire... you really think he'd be that foolish?"

"Promise me Link, that you will guard the ...Princess on her ...night of ...eighteen ...years!" An odd, rasping sound croaked from within the large tree, and Link watched in shock as the gaping holes in the trunk of the tree that formed its eyes seemed to roll back and its mouth to close.

"What the... Impossible!" It simply couldn't be, right here, right now, in front of him... The Great Deku Tree... was dying. "You can't be fading so fast! Your life cycle should be at least a few more years, the only way you could be gone so fast is... NO! HE DIDN'T, HE COULDN'T HAVE!" Link screamed out, his voice filled with malice as he dawned upon the reason for the elder beings quick demise.

"It appears... the Dark One... was more... cunning than we... thought."

As quick as that, the Great Deku Tree spoke no more. It's rich, golden brown color fading into a dull, grey, blackened shade and the last of its leaves fell to the ground just moments later.

Saria, who had been standing next to the tall blonde, broke out in silent, heartfelt sobs, while Link himself, allowed a short appreciative bow to the corpse of the once great being. It was inevitable now, without the benevolent spirit of The Great Deku Tree, he forest would become infested with monsters of all kinds, and become a truly treacherous place. At least until a new Deku Tree could sprout and gain power that is, he would just have to deal with that problem when it arose however.

"How could this have happened?" Saria choked out, crying freely as she placed her hand on the base of the towering figure of the dead tree.

"He took it..."

Confused, Saria turned her gaze on Link, her eyes filled with question as she spoke, demanding to know what had killed her mentor. "Took what, who?"

Gritting his teeth, Link turned around, his fists clenched in anger and a solemn promise... a promise to avenge the death of the fallen deity. "Ganon, he has the spiritual stone of the forest."

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Zelda awoke much earlier than she normally would have on a day where she had no meetings to go to, or obligations to her father or her princess duties . Now normally on a day such as today she would have laid in bed for as long a possible, guests to entertain be damned. However on this particular morning she had awoken just before dawn the cuckoos not even have crowed their usually annoying call to awaken half of Hyrule.

In a flash the young princess had taken her morning bath without the help of the maids that usually insisted upon her not doing anything, and dressed in a simple, yet elegant gown before dashing down to the dining hall from her chambers high in the northwest tower.

The blonde princess was incredibly excited, not due to the fact that her birthday was only four more days away, nor for the reason that the remaining suitors had arrived last night and today she would be spending almost each and every moment of her day today with at least one of them. No, the reason for Zelda's excitement was that none other than Link was going to return today and she was incredibly anxious to spend time with the handsome blue eyed man that had subsequently been the center of a not so appropriate dream she had last night.

As she rounded down the stairs, Zelda allowed her thoughts to drift back to her dream and her face flushed just from the memory and she fought the urge to run back up to her bed in order to return to said dream. Instead she lifted up the hem of her dress as to stop herself from tripping while she practically ran down the long hallway, stopping at the large oak doors that led to the dining hall and pushed them open with great strength from such a small and fragile woman. With a bright smile the young woman slowed her pace down and made her way over to the head of the incredibly long and seemingly ongoing table where her father was currently seated and had waved her over. Immediately she noticed that another person was sitting to the right of her father, and although she could not see his face, she knew it must have been Link. Quickening her pace she came to her father's left side, glancing towards the man to her father's right... and instantly her bright smile fell to a frown of despair and disappointment.

There, sitting before her was not the blonde haired, blue eyed man that she had hoped for. Rather, now she was staring at a rather large and bulky man in black armor, a path of fire red hair and soulless black eyes that stared back at her and caused an unnatural shiver to crawl down the princess' spine.

"Ah my dear, I don't believe you've yet had the pleasure of meeting him in person." Her father's booming and seemingly amused voice broke her free from the mans piercing gaze, for which she was extremely grateful. "This is lord Ganondorf Dragmire, the leader of the Gerudo Tribe."

Suddenly the large man stood up from his chair, and Zelda inwardly gulped at the fact that this man, was a giant, he stood at a good eight feet tall. Every second she found staring at this man only showed more and more of his intimidating and dark appearance. Unable to move, the blonde princess could only bite her lip as Ganon bent down and took her hand, kissing it and stepping away, as was the customary greeting from a man to a lady in Royals. It took much effort on her part not to gag at the feeling of his dry, sandy lips on her flesh and she noted that she would be washing that hand for a good hour when she got the chance.

"Ah, Princess Zelda, I have heard much about you... only four more days until you are a true woman..." The blonde princess did not take a liking to the way Ganondorf spoke, nor the look in his eyes as he did so. "Well my dear I-." Thankfully for Zelda, the doors once more burst open and in filed all the noble teenagers who had just awoken, further cutting off Ganondorf's introduction.

If one looked closely, they would have found that all of the teenagers were stepping with a quite bit of haste towards the head of the table, a silent but understood race as to who would sit closest to the royal family. In the end it merely became a lot of awkward shuffling in an attempt to get a seat without looking like a bumbling idiot... lot of good that did them, or at least that was Zelda's sarcastic opinion.

"King Harkinian, what a pleasant morning it is, don't you think so?" The far too cheery and happy comment came from none other than Prince Mansel, who's green eyes seemed a bit dull as if he had been robbed of sleep, and Zelda took a small note that Princess Midaro had a slight limp in her step when she walked. Pursing her lips into a frown Zelda took her seat next to her father, and across from Ganondorf... who continually glanced at her throughout the entire meal.

Breakfast was a rather quiet affair, except for the occasionally gossiping between the teens on the latest affairs they had been subject to... out of earshot of the King of course. All throughout the meal, Zelda merely picked at her food, taking the occasional bite now and again, every few moments she would glance toward the door, as if expecting link to burst in and join them for breakfast at the last second. However, such fortune was not to be as the meal came to an end and all moved to excuse themselves,only to be stopped by King Harkinian.

"Ah, my good children, Lord Dragmire has brought to my attention that the kitsune foxes are out and lingering in the fields, I was wondering if you would all like to join us on a hunt?" The tall man asked smiling warmly, while the teens all looked at each other with a slight look of dread.

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Not two hours later, the group found themselves being hoarded off towards Hyrule Field, the women in carriages with open windows as to watch the hunt, and the young men riding on horseback, fully equipped with bows and quivers full of arrows in order to participate. The King and Ganondorf were up ahead, closely following the hounds that had been set out to track.

"How dreadfully boring..." Zelda turned her gaze toward the young woman in the same carriage who had made that comment, her long blonde hair was down in curls and her chocolate brown eyes seemed dull as she waved a small fan in front of her face. Elizabeth was her name, and she was a noble from the land of Termina, a small and secluded land, yet with the most beautiful sights, or so Zelda had heard.

At that moment a young man with short black hair trotted up next to the carriage on his horse, smiling brightly as he looked inside. "It's not so bad, I think it's rather pleasant to get out of the castle and get a bit of fresh air, don't you Zelda?"

The young blonde princess offered a small, yet not heartfelt smile at the young man known as Hector. He was in all truths and appearances a nice boy, if a bit too pleasant, it seemed that he hardly had any ambition or a taste for risk in him, not the top suitor Zelda would like but she hardly had much else to work with. Of all the suitors who had arrived at the castle, Hector seemed to be the only one who was not interested in the throne as the main prize. As a matter of fact, the only other Prince to have even spoke to her was Prince Blaze, who reminded her much too wholly of Ganondorf.

"Are you sure you wouldn't much prefer to ride with me Zelda?" And speak of the devil, said young man had just made his appearance.

Putting on the best fake smile she could, and that was a rather convincing one as her position required doing that quite a bit, Zelda turned her gaze toward the opposite window of the carriage, coming face to face with Blaze. The young man had fire red hair and unusual yellow eyes that gazed at her with incredible lust.

Zelda was just as wary of Blaze as she was Ganon, she was positive that if the young man ever had the chance, he would throw her up against the nearest wall and take her right then and there.

"Oh... no Blaze, I'm perfectly fine in here..." Her violet eyes seemed to sparkle as she spoke, as if hinting more, however those who would take the time to know the Hylian Princess would soon find that her eyes sparkling meant one of two things. Happiness, and lying...

A loud horn blew up ahead, signaling that the hounds had found something... and further saved Zelda from having to speak with her would be suitors, particularly Blaze. In an instant all the men had galloped forward, and Zelda as well as several of the other Princesses had jumped out of the carriages in order to see what the hounds had captured. The sight that befell the group was not at all what they had expected.

The hounds were circling a small patch of thick grass, growling viciously and barking as the men all had their bows posed with their arrows notched, giving each other odd looks. Normally the hounds would have driven the foxes out of their den, rather than circling the den itself.

"Enough of this... call the hounds back and fire!" The order came from Mansel, who despite being a novice rider, supposedly had great experience in hunting. And as soon as the hounds had drawn back, the arrows flew, a good forty or fifty piercing straight into the patch of thick grass, yet know yelp or sound of pain was heard, only silence. And then, as most else would say... all hell broke loose.

In an instant, a series of bloodcurdling howls were let out and eight large, grey beasts with glowing yellow eyes burst out from the patch of grass. Howling and snaring as they easily ripped apart the hounds who merely whimpered as they were slaughtered. The young women ran back into their carriages, screaming loudly as the guards came round to protect the nobles, their spears drawn, although they seemed to be cowering as they had never before seen wolfos of such size.

"Zelda, what are you doing, get in your carriage!" Hector cried out as he mounted his horse, causing the King, Ganondorf, and Blaze to whip their heads around and find a large, drooling, bloodthirsty wolfos towering over the Hylian Princess, this one the size of a large house. Time seemed to slow down as the great beast raised its paw up above its body, its long claws gleaming as it swiped down, intent on shredding the girl to pieces.

"ZELDA!" Hector's scream fell on deaf ears as he fired an arrow at the beast, only for it to stick in the large, thick coat of the wolfos and do no damage.

"PRINCESS!" A collective cry from the Princes ad Princesses who were watching the scene with horror in their eyes.

"NO!!" Harkinian cried out as the guards held him back from rushing out to his daughter and meeting his death.

Zelda could only stand, shaking in fear as the claws came closer and closer. She couldn't believe it, how could she die now, of all times, just when freedom was so close within her grasp. As tears slid down her cheeks, she shut her eyes, clasping her hands together and praying to the goddesses to save her.

All spectators clenched their eyes shut as the sound of flesh being sliced through echoed out, and a huge cloud of smoke emerged as the giant wolfos slammed his paw down, making a small earthquake.

Zelda felt as if she were flying, soaring through the air and feeling light as a feather. 'This is death? It's not so bad... it doesn't hurt at all.' She thought with a bittersweet smile as she wiped the tears from her cheek, keeping her eyes closed as she allowed herself to enjoy the sensation of floating... until a rather abrupt jolt caused her to snap her eyes open. The Hylian Princess stared wide eyed as she looked up into the handsome features of Link, his blonde locks seemed more golden and richer than they had before, and his cobalt blue eyes met hers with a bit of mirth and amusement. "L-Link?" She squeaked out, not believing she could have been saved from her fate.

"You know... you're supposed to dodge when something attacks you, guess that's something else I'll have to teach you before we ship off, eh Princess?" He offered with a smirk, chuckling a bit as she continued to stare gobsmacked at him, then she blushed profusely at the position they were in, the blonde was carrying her bridal style, one arm under hers and his other under her legs, although since her dress had ridden up when he had moved her, it was now flesh on flesh, a sensation that caused the Princess to bite her lip and shiver.

A wet, warm feeling on her arm broke her free of her daydream and teenage wandering fantasies. She looked down to find her right arm and the sleeve of her dress completely soaked in a pooling red liquid. Blood... she knew on instinct that she was not the one bleeding, so that left...

"You're hurt!" Zelda exclaimed, her eyes catching sight of a large gash on his shoulder, courtesy of a certain wolfos' claws. Slowly, the secret thief set her down and hissed a bit in pain as he clutched his wound.

"Feh, only a scratch... I'll deal with it once this is over with..." The blonde man commented, and it was only then that Zelda realized that they were now surrounded by the wolfos, and the Alpha Male was now looming towards them. The King, as well as all the others were now off to the side, screaming and shouting as they waved their hands, indicating that they needed to make their escape quickly. "Hold on..."

"What?" The young girl had no time to comprehend what the blonde hero had meant by his statement, as he suddenly grabbed her by the waist and jumped, flipping back over one of the smaller wolfos, using his free hand to unsheathe one of his scimitars and deliver a lethal slice to the wolfos he had just cleared. The inhuman and pained howling that followed seemed to enrage the remaining beasts as they watched one of their own go up in blue flames before disappearing.

Once again, Zelda was suddenly thrown, this time landing in the arms of one of the guards who had rushed forward to retrieve the Princess. "Get her out of here, hide behind the rocks!" Link cried out, drawing his second blade and falling into a loose stance, his eyes suddenly turning dark and dangerous as he turned back towards the pack of bloodthirsty animals.

In a flash he was upon them, slicing and hacking away at the wolfos. Howls and splashes of greenish blood flowed out endlessly as beast after beast fell, bursting into blue flames much like their brother before them. The tide turned quickly, it would seem as four wolfos suddenly circled the young man, their glowing, unnatural yellow eyes narrowed in seemingly anger, should the beasts have been capable of such an emotion.

The black clad man stood still as the wretched beasts stopped, lurching back before they suddenly launched themselves at him from all directions. Claws extended and fangs bared as they drew nearer and nearer, it would be impossible to stop all four at once... Slowly, Link smirked, punching his hands together and all things seemed to stop as he slammed his fist down onto the ground beneath him.

"DIN'S FIRE!"

An explosion... that was the only word that the spectators who watched the battle could use to describe what happened. An enormous sphere of fire flew out, sending the wolfos' flying back, howling and screaming as they were burned alive.

Standing back up straight, Link offered a wry grin, now all that was left was the- "GAH!" He had not been expecting it, the second he had turned around the Alpha Male had struck, sweeping at him with it's enormous claws and sending him flying back a good twenty feet. He hadn't even another second before the damned beast pounced on him, pinning him to the ground with it's paw and snapping at him.

On pure instinct he raised his blades, meeting the wolfos' fangs as he attempted to hold it off. However, that action was becoming increasingly difficult, as the more he struggled, the more pressure was put on his body, slowly draining him of air. With a grunt, Link rolled to the side, slamming his scimitar through the beast's paw and pinning it to the ground.

The large wolfos let out a roar of pain, however, before it could strike with it's other paw, Link pierced his second blade through it, effectively halting it's assault. The large beast slammed it's head on the ground in pain, slowly opening its eyes... only to come face to face with a glowing red light.

The blonde warrior smirked as he pulled the bowstring back, the tip of his arrow becoming engulfed in a flame that grew brighter and stronger with each passing second. Grinning, Link spoke only two words as he released the string and let the arrow fly into the beast's skull.

"Rundey Sahar..."

Not a second later, the great howl of the beast echoed out throughout the land. And soon after that, Link swayed, falling to the floor with a thud as his bow fell out of his hands.

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AN: Finally... that damn chapter took forever, though thats mainly due to the fact that where I am, it's been over one hundred and five degrees for over a week straight and my brain has been fried. Anyway hope you all liked the chapter, next up should be a bit more interesting...

Translations:

Rundey: Means Flame in Hylian

Sahar: Means Arrow

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