...only a little late, right guys?

please don't be angry?

...i love you?

sorry it took me a while guys, this chapter really didn't flow too easily, for some reason, but anyway, i've kept you waiting long enough, so enjoy...

Picking up the Pieces

Link's eyes cracked open slowly, wincing when the afternoon light streaming through the tent flap struck his eyes. He sat up slowly, ignoring the searing pain that flashed through the wounds on his chest and shoulder. Where in the Dark Realm…?

And then he remembered what had happened. The battle with the imposter yesterday, followed by the encounter with the Varvarray, and… Oh goddesses. The Master Sword had been destroyed! Shattered before his very eyes. Link fell back against the pillows, all strength gone from his arms. He slowly raised a hand to his face, covering his eyes. How? How was it possible? The Master Sword was the most powerful artifact that Hyrule had ever produced. And yet, it had been destroyed. It was gone. Done. Link's most trusted and used weapon.

The sword had been an extension of himself. He had been the only person in existence who could wield it. Ever since he had pulled it from the stone all those long years ago, he and the Master Sword had been completely inseparable. Sure, he hadn't carried it with him all the time, especially after Ganondorf had been sealed. But that didn't change the fact that they were connected. He had always been able to feel the ancient blade, lying in wait for its master to return to once again wield its deadly edge. And now he could no longer feel that connection.

Link heard breathing and glanced around until he spotted Navi, sleeping away on the top of his pillow. Link slowly drew himself back to a sitting position, being careful not to wake the small fairy, and placed his head in his hands. What in Farore's name would he do now? How in the hell could he possibly fight whatever this evil was without the aid of the Master Sword? He didn't have long to contemplate this, as he heard voices approaching from outside of the tent.

"-eed to move out now, Your Highness."

"I told you that we are waiting for Link to wake up, General Kavt."

"But, Your Majesty, we-"

"You've only just recently reoccupied Lake Hylia! Why must you push on so quickly and recklessly?"

"Because, Milady, the troops are in high spirits. We've managed to reclaim two territories that just a few days ago were impossible to take back. If we wait too long, the soldiers will became restless, and the morale may drop again."

"I see your point, General, but Link will not be unconscious long, he's rather tenacious."

"Why is he so important? Why must we wait for that man to wake up?"

"May I remind you, General, that without "that man" Zora's Domain and consequently Lake Hylia would still be under dominance of the enemy?" Link levered himself off of the cot and to his feet, wincing and covering his bare torso with his hand when pain forked through his wounds. He strode confidently, albeit slightly shakily, toward the tent flap, throwing it back as he emerged into the afternoon sunlight.

"Be that as it may-"

"There's no need to worry, General," Link said, drawing both the monarch and the military man's attention to him. "If the queen was insisting you wait for me, then you no longer have to wait, you can move the army now."

"Goddesses…you recovered from those injuries already?" Kavt asked. He turned to Zelda. "You really weren't kidding about his being tenacious were you?"

Zelda let a small smile grace her lips, but her eyes never left Link's face. "No, I wasn't. If you'll excuse us, General Kavt, Sir Link and I need to talk." The general sighed and began to move off. "Oh, and if you see the rest of the Seven Sages, could you send them this way please?" she added. Kavt nodded before disappearing amongst the camp, already belting out orders. Link…" Zelda said gently as she moved to him. "How…How are you feeling?"

Link stared down into her eyes. "Do you want the honest answer or the one that will keep you from worrying? I know which one I would rather give you, but I'll let you choose."

"The honest one, please."

Link sighed and looked up at the sky, a brilliant blue that felt somehow wrong following a horrendous night like the previous. The sky should have been dark and stormy, like Link's head. "I feel terrible. My wounds are painful, though mostly healed. Which, by the way, who did that?"

"Saria, she had a spare potion on her."

"Ah, always can count on her."

"Link…"

"I don't even know Zelda. I feel like terrible is nowhere a powerful enough word to describe my feelings. Zelda, the Master Sword has been destroyed. The Master Sword! That was the one piece of equipment, the one companion, I thought would always stick around, and now? Now I've gotten it destroyed. Some Hero of Time I am. Destiny chose horribly when it selected me."

"Link, stop that. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was, Zel. I charged in without knowing his full strength. I didn't heed the warning that he gave me, and as a result I've managed to destroy the one weapon we had that could possibly combat our enemy." Link shook his head and glared at the ground. "May the Goddesses strike me down for being so foolish."

"Link!" Zelda took a step forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Enough! If anyone is to blame for what happened last night, it is I."

Link's head whipped up in surprise. "What? You? Nonsense, you played no part in it."

Zelda frowned. "I should've warned you of his strength. I also should've expected that the Master Sword would be weak after so much time spent away from Hyrule, from where it draws its power. And I was completely useless in the fight last night. I mean, look at you. You nearly died protecting me, again! Once is enough, you don't need to-" Her voice broke and she couldn't continue.

Link wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. "So that's what you meant by saying it was your fault. Zelda," he held her out at arms length, "that was not your fault. Nor was it your fault before. I chose to protect you, there was nothing you could've done to prevent that. Besides, like you said," he smirked at her, "I'm a rather tough individual."

Zelda gave a watery chuckle. "Yes, you are. But please, Link, place more value in your own life. Hyrule couldn't stand to lose you again."

"Hyrule, hmm?"

Zelda glanced away, a slight blush staining her cheeks. "Neither could I."

He rested his forehead gently against hers. "I don't plan on leaving again, Princess."

She closed her eyes, a small smile alighting on her lips. "That's Queen now."

"You'll always be the princess to me." Zelda laughed lightly.

"Speaking of monarchy," Link began as he pulled away from her, "how exactly do you think everyone at the castle is reacting to your disappearance? Who's running the country now?"

Zelda waved away his concern. "It's fine, I left a doppelganger behind, a magical clone. It tells me everything that's happened or been reported through our mental link. It's real enough that it's managed to fool everyone so far."

"Smart, as always."

"I was imbued with wisdom, Link; of course I'm intelligent."

"And I with courage, so of course I'm reckless."

"Touché." Link gave her a crooked grin.

Zelda was preparing a retort, unwilling to lose the small logic war, when the other sages arrived, now uncloaked and wearing the clothing that she had last seen them in, so many years ago.

"Link!" Saria's voice was a mix of joy and worry. "Should you really be moving around right now?"

"I'm fine, I've survived worse than this before, without potions, I might add."

"But your wounds are strange," Ruto said. "They wouldn't heal fully, even with my water."

"I kinda noticed." Link punctuated this statement by wincing.

"It is because you were injured by the sword of good's bane." Link gave Raura a questioning look. "Because you are the epitome of good, Link, the sword's effect on you was great. It's much like the Master Sword's effect on Ganondorf."

"I was wondering about that, the Varvarray. Why could it fight the Master Sword? I understand that it was created the same, but still, evil shouldn't be able to touch the sword, correct?"

"The Vay isn't evil," Impa said, "just as the Master Sword is not good. They are merely tools to be used by their master. They are neutral, yet each rejects those of a certain quality."

"If anyone has any evil whatsoever in their heart, Brother, than the Master Sword will not allow them to touch it. This is why only you can wield it. Only one who truly understands courage and goodness, only the Hero of Time, can wield it."

Link's eyes hardened. "Could wield it, anyway. I've gone and gotten Hyrule's most powerful artifact turned into a shiny jigsaw puzzle."

Nabooru snorted. "Nicely done, Link."

"Thanks, Nabooru, really needed that confidence booster."

"What she's trying to say, Link," Saria spoke up, shooting Nabooru a reprimanding look, "is that the Master Sword isn't destroyed."

"What?"

"Sure, its physical form has been broken, but you saw with the Varvarray that the Master Sword isn't just a sword, it's somewhat of an entity, and merely shattering the blade does not destroy its power."

"So…I can still use it?"

Nabooru placed her face in her palm and turned to Zelda. "I can see why the Goddesses gave you the wisdom." Zelda chuckled.

"Hey!"

"The Master Sword must first be repaired, Link," Impa stated.

"Okay, and how might we go about that? Last time I checked, I'm not a sword smith. And I'm fairly certain that no regular smith could work on the Master Sword."

"You are correct, no ordinary person would be able to reforge the blade."

"However, Brother, we are the Sages of Hyrule. We were the ones who originally created the Master Sword. We can reforge it."

"The problem with that," Ruto added, "is that we need to travel back to the Temple of Time, the Master Sword's resting place, in order to restore its power."

"And doing that will force us to retract our support from the army, and just when they really need it too."

"Exactly."

"So, Link, what do you want to do?"

Link stroked his chin in thought. "We desperately need the Master Sword repaired, but if we abandon the army now, its very possible that the war will be over by the time that its finished, and thus the effort will have been for naught in the first place."

"Not necessarily."

"Ruto?"

"Well, I mean, you fought a war all on your own thirteen years ago you know? All I'm saying is that you may be able to do it again."

"Let's try and avoid that. Fighting by myself was horrendous, I came so close to death so many times. And besides, the war I fought was in dungeons, not in Hyrule Field, and against much smaller numbers of enemies. Din's fire, what should we do?"

Zelda pursed her lips. "Do you need Link in order to complete the forging?"

"No, we do not require him for the process, Your Highness," Impa stated in her ever calm and steady voice, "but it would guarantee that the sword would find its way into his hands immediately upon completion."

"If you truly do not need him, then may I propose that Link stays with the army? That way the army still has a powerful asset, and you are free to journey to the Temple of Time and repair the Master Sword. Then, when you are done, you can find your way to us once again and give Link the sword."

Link sighed. "I can't really see any other way of doing this. I guess it's decided then, you seven will head back to the temple and fix the Master Sword, while I stay here and fight with the army."

Zelda looked slightly startled. "Seven?"

"Yes, seven. I can count, Zel."

"I think you misunderstood, I'm staying here, Link."

"You're a sage, aren't you? Aren't you required for the forging?"

"They created it without me before, and they can do so again."

"Zelda, you're the Queen, you shouldn't be out here, you should be at the castle keeping the country running."

"If you hadn't noticed, there isn't much of a country left to run."

"But-"

"It's because I'm Queen that I remain out here, fighting alongside my people, showing them that I'm still here and that I'm with them."

Link was silent for a moment before murmuring quietly, "I don't want you in danger."

Zelda's expression softened and she once again placed a hand on his arm. "Link, I survived in a war-torn Hyrule for seven years on my own, I'll be fine, I promise. And besides," she lowered her voice so that only they could hear, "I have you to protect me, don't I?"

"I'm not sure I'm strong enough anymore," he answered, just as quietly.

"I'm staying, Link," she said, raising her voice again. "That's final."

"And what about me?" a small voice jingled from the tent. Out flew a slightly sleepy Navi. "You're not gonna try and leave me behind as well are you?"

"I would never dream of it," Link said while rolling his eyes.

"I saw that!" Navi attacked Link, pulling at his hair weakly. He shook his head roughly, and she tumbled back, huffing in indignation.

"Now then," Rauru interrupted, "if we're all decided then I think it's time we went our separate ways. The Master Sword must be reforged as quickly as possible."

Link nodded. "Be swift and be safe." Then a sudden thought struck him. "Oh, Saria, hold on a sec." He dashed back into the tent and emerged with the black tunic and hat on. He indicated his garb. "If you wouldn't mind."

"Of course," she motioned with her hand, and the tunic and cap turned Kokiri green.

He smiled. "Much better. Thanks."

"No problem, Link." She hugged him quickly before doing the same to Zelda. "Be careful, you two."

"Try not to get up to too much molestation while we're away," Ruto decided to throw in.

Link smirked. "We'll do our best not to freak out the soldiers."

"Oh Goddesses, I was kidding!"

"You brought that one on yourself, Ruto," Nabooru said.

"Take this, Link," Rauru said, and waved his hand in the air. A bright light appeared and took on the form of a broadsword, shaped similarly to the Master Sword. Rauru snatched it out of air and presented it to Link, who took it and gave a few experimental slashes with it. He nodded his approval. "Not up to the standards you're used to, of course, but it's been imbued with our powers, so it should be stronger than any ordinary sword you would find around."

"Thank you."

"We must be going," Impa intoned. "Stay safe, Your Highness." She placed her fist over her chest and gave a slight bow. The others bowed as well and, wishing them goodbye, set off out of the camp, heading toward Hyrule Castle.

"So, looks like it's just you and I again," Zelda said when the sages were no longer visible. Navi buzzed agitatedly again. "And Navi too, of course."

"Yeah…" Link glanced at Zelda before looking away. "Zelda, I was serious about what I said earlier, I'm no longer sure I'm strong enough to protect you if things turn ugly."

"I was serious too, Link. I have the utmost confidence in your capabilities. Now," she cut off any further discussion on the topic of Link's supposed shortcomings, "let's go see if we can assist General Kavt, shall we?" Link nodded, and together they moved off through the tents, searching for the general, getting many a strange look as they did so. It wasn't everyday that the soldiers saw their queen amongst them. It didn't take them long to find Kavt. He was issuing orders to the men currently loading up the carts with weapons and armor.

"Anything we can help with, General?" Link asked as they approached.

He shook his head. "Not at the moment. I'm sure when we get moving though, I'll be able to find plenty of things for you to do."

"What is the next course of action?"

"Well, Your Highness, we're looking to move out into Hyrule Field and press on to the forest, taking anything down along the way that we need to."

"Ah, and what of the desert? The Gerudos would prove to be most valuable allies."

"Well, I sent a scouting unit out to see if the Gerudos are still even there. It's very likely that they were already overrun by the…what did you call them? Mannequins?"

Link nodded. "However, General Kavt, if they are still there, what exactly do you intend to do? Will you help free them or will you stick with the original plan and head toward the forest?"

"I'll have to decide that when the time comes, if it comes."

Link's head turned as the sound of pounding hooves began to fill the air. He smiled grimly. "It looks like you don't have any time left to decide, General. If I'm not mistaken, that's your scouting group there, isn't it?"

Kavt looked up with a worried expression on his face. "Why are there so few? I sent out at least twice as many." The horses skidded to a halt in front of the general, and the soldiers dismounted, about seven in all. They gave hurried salutes to Kavt and, after realizing who she was, awkward bows to Zelda. Link noted that a few of the men had sustained injuries. "Report."

"Th' d'sert's inna bad way, sir."

"What do you mean?"

"Th're all over't, gen'ral. Even th' Gerudos 're trapped."

"Where is your commander?"

"Dead, sir," a soldier said as he limped over. He was holding his side, his hand pressed over a poorly bandaged wound. "Much like the remainder of our unit."

"What happened?"

"We went out and surveyed the situation like we were ordered. We found out that the Gerudos are still holding out, despite the fact that the desert is literally covered in those things." He coughed violently before continuing, "They gave the enemy one hell of a fight over the gorge and made it damn near impossible to cross, from what we saw of the aftermath. They've pulled back into their fortress now though, and have managed to hold out there since. When we were on our way back, we were spotted and attacked. The commander had us ride along the edge of the Haunted Wasteland in order to lose our pursuers. We lost some to the quicksand and the rest to the enemies, but we wouldn't have made it otherwise. I took over command once he fell."

"Din's Fire!" Kavt swore. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "You say that the Gerudo still fight?" The soldier nodded. "How can they possibly hold out against that type of assault?"

The soldier shook his head. "They have some sort of sorcerer with them. I never knew that any of the Gerudo could posses that much raw magical power." He sucked in a breath, wincing as he did so. "But there's no way they can hold out forever. Whoever it is that keeps wiping out the majority of the enemies will eventually run out of energy."

"Perhaps not," Link murmured, looking contemplative.

"Link?" Zelda asked. "Did you figure something out?"

He looked up. "I'm not sure. It's just a hunch, and a feeling that I've had before." His left hand curled into fist, and his Triforce symbol shimmered just a tiny bit brighter. "Either way, I'll be going to the desert to aid the Gerudo and to see whether I'm right. General Kavt, I truly do not wish to abandon the army, but seeing as how the rest of my group has returned to Castle Town, if you do not head to the desert, here we will part ways."

Kavt sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We'll have to leave some of the army here, to hold what we've reclaimed and to warn us should something happen."

Link smiled. "Your coming then?"

"When I set out on this campaign I planned to free all the races of Hyrule in trouble, and if the Gerudo are still out there, fighting, then I will do my utmost to make sure their efforts haven't been in vain."

Zelda smiled serenely and nodded. "I'm glad I chose you as the next Commander-in-Chief, Frederick."

Kavt's face grew slightly red. "It's been awhile since you've called me by my first name, Your Highness."

"And for that I apologize."

He waved away her apology. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Milady. Now, you men," he turned to the newly returned scouting team. "Get some rest, and tend to your wounds. You've done well, and you may stay here should you so choose." The men saluted and moved off, some to their bunks, others to the medical tent. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I must go prepare the men for the march to the desert." With that he moved off among the tents.

"What do you suppose is waiting for us out there, Link?" Zelda asked him, stepping up next to him and looking out in Gerudo Valley's direction with him.

"I'm not entirely sure, Zel. But if I'm right…" his voice trailed off. There were a few moments of silence before a soft chuckle escaped Link. "Destiny can be so strange sometimes."

A/N: so yeah, hope you guys enjoyed it. i wasn't too happy with the way it turned out, but if you guys like it, that'll put me at ease, please review! i really appreciate them.

and for those of you who guessed that the moon line from the last one was my favorite, you were right. go ahead and take a stab at my favorite line from this chapter. and i'm sure many of you are already speculating at the identity of the sorcerer, and i'm sure many of you already know exactly who it is.

anyway, review, and i'll do my best to get this story back on schedule, though i may be starting a third story here soon, so that could slow it a bit.

oh, and i meant to ask, do you guys feel i'm characterizing everybody right? i don't want them to appear too OOC