Part 2- “Majora’s Tower” , continued

Suddenly Link and Saria were woke up by Impa shouting, “Majora has come! Get up!” Saria lept out of bed while Link watched the whole thing from bed. Majora suddenly came smashing through the windows with glass bits flying all over the place! Majora looked around and snarled, “It’s over Link. But this time I have no dragon, or men with me. It’s all me!” “Where are your men?” Link asked. Majora showed off a chain of lanterns held together by bones. “They wouldn’t do me much good anyway, so I turned them into jewelry.” Link gulped, he was serious this time. All the Sages attacked Majora with all they had! They all hit Majora with their Sage blast and sent Majora flying out the window! All the Sages jumped down after him and continued attacking Majora with their attacks! Link just sat there as he heard the sounds of a gigantic battle go on at the base of the hospital. He could feel it too! The ground rumbled and shook from the fight down below! But after a few minutes, Majora floated through Link’s window as the victor! Majora pulled all the needles and tubes out of Link and threw them out the window. Majora then turned into a familiar looking being… Morphia the water boss! Link pulled the Master Sword out from beneath the bed and swung at Majora, but missed. Majora in his water boss form, picked Link up, shook him about, and sent a surge of electricity through Link’s body! Link fell to the floor with a big thud. Majora then returned to his normal state and picked Link up by the neck. “Your mother is going to be disappointed to see you up in heaven so soon young Link.” Majora mocked. Link grew miffed at that statement, “What did you do to my friends?” Majora pointed out the window and replied, “Don’t worry, only Impa is dead. She wouldn’t give up so… I ended her fighting career. But everyone else is only out cold, so I can have fun with them later!” Link grew dizzy, Impa… dead? Majora slammed Link onto the floor and then threw him out the window! Link went flying and landed on the castle rooftop! Majora lept after Link and pounded him through the roof! Link smashed through the rafters, pipes, and the ceiling and then landed in front of the king’s throne. The king rushed over to Link, picked him up and asked him, “What on earth happened!?” Link muttered, “R-run…” The king yelled out to his guards, “Stay here and stop the monster that is responsible for this!” he then bolted out of the room right as Majora came crashing through the windows! Majora looked around for Link, but all he found were guards coming his way. Majora’s arm transformed into a long blade that stretched out to be seven feet long! All the guards were hacked in half with one large swipe! He then bolted out the door and searched for Link; but he couldn’t find him. “Come here my pet!” Majora yelled out into the air. FLASH!!! There stood Majora’s long dead pet, Prowlora! “Sic him Prowlora!” Prowlora bounded towards town in search of Link with the speed of a cheetah in the hunt. Prowlora was the pet of Majora, thus making him trained well in dark magic. The king carried Link to the town center and cried out, “Run for shelter everyone!” The king hid Link behind some crates, then hid himself behind a shop stand. Prowlora then came crashing into the town and halted. He sniffed around and started heading toward the crates! The king jumped out of his hiding spot, and blasted Prowlora in the side with a golden beam from his hands. Prowlora fell to the ground, but got up and let out a howl that ensnared the king in a dark, evil fog. The king struggled to get out of it, but it followed him and blinded him with its presence. Prowlora then smashed up all the crates and found Link, he was laying there with a stone in his hand. Prowlora just let out a laugh and grabbed Link by the leg. Link then smashed the rock into Prowlora’s eye, causing it to go blind. Prowlora let out a scream of pain as blood gushed out of his eye. Link then shoved the rock into Prowlora’s paw with such great force that it cut the bone in Prowlora’s foot! Prowlora screamed out again, then scratched Link in the arm! Link rolled away from Prowlora and used a nearby cloth to cover his wounded arm.

Meanwhile, Zelda woke up from her dazed state. She then woke up the rest of the Sages, but couldn’t awaken Impa. They left Impa’s body there for now, and went off to help Link.

Link saw the Sages coming from the hospital and yelled out to them, “Watch out!” The Sages looked and saw Prowlora stalking Link, they all held hands and sent out a mighty wave of energy that engulfed Prowlora and destroyed him! Saria rushed to Link and gave him a big hug, “Link, you’ll never get better at this rate; we have to go somewhere else until the Day of Evil is over.” Darunia then picked Link up and they all bolted from the town; all but Zelda. Zelda ran to the king and cried out, “Are you all right father?” “I’m fine, my vision will be back to normal in a matter of hours. So lead me on till then.” They both ran from the town, following the rest of the group.

Majora impatiently tapped his foot while waiting for Prowlora. “That beast is probably dead already… I guess I’ll have to grab Link by myself!” Majora then flew towards town looking for his prey.

The group stopped in Kokiri Forest, the last place Majora would look. Link groaned, “Are you o.k. Saria?” Saria nodded, “I’m fine, just dizzy from the fight with Majora.” Ruto gave Link a tunic saying, “Here you go, no more fighting evil in your boxers.” Rauru sat down moaning, “This is too much for a man my age.” “Which is 1,183 years old.” Added Nabooru. Darunia dressed Link, while everyone else rested. The group rested for a few hours in the forest while Majora searched the town for Link. The Day of Evil would soon be over.

After hours of searching for Link, Majora looked up in the air and noticed the sun setting in the west. Ten minutes until the Day of Evil was over. Majora decided to look in Kokiri Forest for Link, so he flew off to the south in his search.

Link woke up and looked up in the air, he saw Majora coming!!! “Wake up everybody! Majora’s back!” All the Sages woke up and prepared for battle. Majora slammed into the ground with the force of a meteorite! Majora then pointed at Link with one hand, and the ground with the other. Link was grabbed by an invisible force and flew towards Majora! And when Link got close to Majora, a big dome came out of the ground and cut off Link and Majora from the Sages! Eight minutes were left till the Day of Evil was over. Saria went up to the dome and gave it a hard kick. When she made contact with the dome, she went hurling across the forest and out to Hyrule Field! Zelda went out to Hyrule Field to help Saria while the rest of the Sages stood by, trying to figure out how to get through the dome. Majora yelled out to the Sages, “You fools, none can pass through the Barrier of Souls. Those who try end up in pain so bad that they can’t speak, walk, or move at all! Saria just found that out the hard way. And with Link trapped inside with me, you can only stand and watch his destruction.”

Meanwhile, Saria laid on the ground suffering the symptoms that Majora stated would happen to those who touched the Barrier of Souls.

Majora pulled out a whip and started to lash it at Link! Crack! Crack! Crack! The whip snapped across Link’s body, delivering painful blows to him! Link screamed out in pain and hurt. “Now for the last time, give me your connection with the powerful forces of luck!” Majora yelled out at the throbbing Link. Link refused and wept out, “N-never Maj-jora! And if someone in the heavens is watching me, come now!” Majora growled and picked Link up by the hair and in rage roared out, “When I’m done with you, I’ll rip your heart out!” Majora extended his arm back, and as he was about to lash it at Link, a bright light filled the forest! A child with black hair came from the sky through a pillar of light! The pillar pierced through the barrier and the girl went up to Majora. Majora put Link down and looked at the girl, “Who are you?” The girl replied, “The guardian angel of Link, every hero has one. And because of his cry for help, his mother sent me for him. And he gets one request to ask of the heavenly powers.” Majora scowled, his powers couldn’t harm an angel. But he could harm Link! Majora lept at Link but his angel formed a protective barrier around him. Link grinned and said, “I wish for three wishes.” Link’s guardian angel thought and laughed out with a smile, “All right, but only three, I could get in trouble for bending the rules.” Link nodded and gave Majora a cold hard stare, “I wish for Impa to return to life, for Saria to be healed, and for Majora to lose all his powers!” “NOOO!!!” Majora screeched. Link’s guardian angel nodded and in a gust of wind faded away. The sky then grew dark, and thunder filled the kingdom of Hyrule! Three large bolts of lightning then fell to separate places, Hyrule Market, Hyrule Field, and Kokiri Forest. Majora let out a scream so vile when the bolt of lightning struck him, that every living creature on the planet fell limp for a few seconds! Then in a burst of light; all was calm. Majora looked down at Link and chuckled, “I may have lost my powers, but I can still kill you!” Majora thrusted his dagger into Link’s back and started to strangle him. But Nabooru came up and thrusted her sword into Majora’s chest and fried his body with her Sage Blast. Majora let out a few last words, “I’ll be back, someway, somehow, I’ll return. And your descendants will suffer the wrath of, MAJORA, THE SHAMAN OF THE EVIL FORCES!!!” And with that, Majora faded away into the grass. Saria came running up to Link, “LINK!!! Don’t move!” Saria grabbed the dagger and gripped it hard. She then grabbed a nearby cloth and pulled the dagger out of his back! “YAAAAA!!!” Link wailed out. Link’s body started jerking and twisting around on the grass. Saria quickly tied the cloth around the gash in Link’s back and held him still. Link suddenly relaxed and stopped moving. Rauru picked up Link and told Saria, “Don’t worry, he just passed out from the pain.” All the Sages then walked off to the Hyrule Hospital.

Link woke up and looked at Saria, “I-is it over?” Saria gave Link a big hug and told him, “Yes, it’s all over. We can go back to our ordinary lives now Link.” Link then moaned out, “How long w-will I be h-here?” Saria thought and replied, “I think four months Link.” Link let loose a sigh of woe, four months in bed, or at least stuck in this small room. Zelda then came in and with a saddened face softly asked Link, “Link, do you want to know more about your mother?” Link replied with a yes, but wondered why Zelda brought the subject up. “Well Link, all you know about your mother was that she died, and she was Hylian. But there’s more to the story.

-A brave knight of the king and his wife and child were escaping from the Great War into the mountains. For the war was past the help of anyone, and it grew to the deaths of thousands. But at the base of the mountains, the knight fought in combat bravely, but lost. The knight’s wife was injured during the fight. She fled, blindly through the field. Near death, she stumbled upon the Kokiri Forest, running farther, she found the Great Deku Tree. The Deku Tree promised the safety of the child, the mother entrusted her child to the forest, then died. About a week later, the queen gave birth to a baby girl. This girl was prophesied to be the ‘Princess of Destiny’. And miraculously, the war on Hyrule suddenly ceased, the evil fled from the land, and peace returned to the land. The princess was given the name ‘Zelda’, and the Hylian child ‘Link’. They were to save Hyrule of the ‘Dark Cloud’; the Emperor of Evil. But he will face yet another foe, the foe named as ‘War’ along with it’s leaders. Thus upon doing so, defeating evil in Hyrule, awakened another evil of Link’s presence, the shaman of hundreds years past, Majora. But the rivalry between the Hero and evil won’t stop there.”- Zelda then left the room, her facts were all true, they came from the Sage of wisdom herself. Saria held Link’s hand and whispered into his ear, “I had the faint memory of a woman with a child, and seeing the woman give up the child to the Great Deku Tree. But the Deku Tree told me never to tell you of this… I’m sorry.” Link’s heart sank, secrets being kept from him his whole life. He was never told that he was destined to be the ‘Hero of Time’, he was never told about his mother, never told about the past, never has his future been explained to him, and he was never told before Majora brought it up that he had a connection with the forces of luck, and he was never told of the pain he was, has, and will endure! His whole life, he has been everyone’s tool! Link then rolled away from Saria, he faced the white hospital wall and wondered, what else did he not know. Link turned and yelled out at Saria, “Just go away! All these secrets are a load of bull that you all have hid from me!” Link then was suddenly overcome with drowsiness, and passed out instantly. Saria pulled away her hand from Link’s head and whispered, “I’m sorry Link, you should’ve known the truth.” Saria slowly walked out of the room sobbing, Link was enduring a hardship that no one should endure. She felt terrible deep inside, because she knew that Link’s past was still being hidden from him. Zelda walked up to Saria with a sad look, “Link doesn’t know a few other facts. One is that all the work he put into defeating Ganondorf when he was ten will never be remembered. Only me, my father, all the Sages, and he knows of his struggle through time. Because when I sent us both back to our correct time, I only sent Hyrule back in time, but the people who played a key in Ganondorf’s defeat, kept the knowledge of the quest through time. Also, the true reason Majora attacked Hyrule, and the reason he came back, was because Link had disrupted the flow of time. Thus causing Majora to be awaken in the world.” Saria looked down at the floor, “So, Link is the reason billions died for a war that we lost, that the land was plagued with darkness and turmoil?” Zelda nodded with a depressing yes. Saria burst out of the hospital sobbing, this was all too much. She was a part of hiding the past from Link. She sat down and laid on a nearby bench, she would feel better in the morning, she hoped.

Link woke up feeling crummy about the other day, then Saria burst into the room and told Link everything Zelda told her the other night. “I’m so sorry, I felt horrible keeping it a secret from you Link!” Link told her that it was all right, he felt better too. “I’m sorry Saria, for yelling at you out last night like it was your fault. I mean… I’ve never yelled at you before.” Saria and Link both gave each other a hug and they both started the day feeling better. Link then asked Saria, “Did you put me to sleep last night?” Saria blushed, “I got angry for a second, so I zonked you out with my Sage spell.” Link asked, “Could you have me sleep again? For about four months?” Saria gave Link a deep shrug, she then waved her hand in front of Link’s face and Link instantly fell asleep. Saria laid Link down on the bed and cover him up with the covers. Saria told all the Sages what she did, so they wouldn’t panic. And they all got stuff around the kingdom done as they waited for Link to wake up from his deep sleep. Link while he was asleep, dreamt a dream of the past [in a way].

Link looked around the hedges before he crossed out into the open; the field had become a dangerous place. Link saw no enemies around, so he scrambled for the ranch. Link ran into the ranch and into the house; there he found what he was looking for: food! Link grabbed a chicken and bolted out of the ranch, leaving some rupee behind to pay for the chicken of course. Link felt pretty guilty for stealing the chicken, but he was hungry! He killed it, plucked it; and cooked it over a fire in the field. After eating a satisfying meal, Link ran off to the castle. Along the way, he passed a Deku Scrub; the Deku Scrub asked Link, “You want to buy a map?” “Map of what?” Well, for eighty rupees, you can purchase a map of Ganon’s castle, since your headed that way my young man.” Link paid for the map, and the Scrub ran off towards Kokiri Forest. Link opened the map and held out the map to glisten in the moonlight. It was a map of Ganon’s castle all right; and Link figured he would need it to get to Ganondorf. But those darn Scrubs charge too high a price! Link then ran to the castle grounds and started to climb the tower’s staircase.

“3…2…1… Wake up Link!!!” The entire Kokiri Forest shouted with glee. Link awoke with a jump! That was the strongest wake-up call he ever had! Saria gave Link a big kiss and a hug saying, “It’s a wake up party!” The entire remainder of the day was spent throwing a party for Link! And after words, they all settled down for bed… everyone except Link. Link was up all night; he had just slept for 120 days! Link sat in bed as the night passed him by quickly. Link got out of bed as soon as the sun was over the mountains; he was off to wake up Saria. Link crept across the grass, slowly approached Saria’s bed and shook her lightly. Saria tried to ignore it, but Link just shook harder as time passed. “Oh-well, I guess I deserve it. I’m the one who sent you to sleep for four months.” Saria groaned. She got out of bed, kicked Link out, and changed. When she came out she asked Link, “What do we do today?” “I want to spend time with you today Saria.”

Saria and Link tried hiding from each other in the woods. But Link had a suspicion that Saria was cheating… They scratched that game. Link and Saria then went to Lake Hylia, to go fishing at the pond. While walking there, Saria asked Link, “Do you think Majora will be back like he said he would?” Link laughed and with a smile told Saria what he thought of the whole matter, “Well, if we beat him once… no wait, thrice… if we beat him thrice, than we can beat him for a fourth time!” Link paid for them to fish, and they both casted their poles. Link told Saria as he watched his pole, “Life is perfect for now, but when will evil return? Because I remember in the hospital, that after Zelda told me the story of my mom, she also told me, ‘but the rivalry between the Hero and evil won’t stop there’.” “Oh yeah…” Saria then added, “This won’t last forever.” Link’s pole suddenly started jerking and twisting with great force, it was a big one! Link grabbed his pole and started to reel it in. But no matter how hard he tried, the fish wasn’t coming any closer. Link gave his pole to Saria, and dived into the water after the fish. Link followed the line and… couldn’t believe his eyes! It was a fish the size of a Goron! He grabbed onto the fish and started to swim towards shore with it. After a long struggle, Link rose up for air and shouted out, “Saria, it’s probably a few hundred pounds!” He then dove down and grabbed it again, after pulling forever, Link finally got the fish on shore! He killed it and had the fishpond owner deliver it to the forest. Saria and Link then walked on the boardwalk around Lake Hylia for a bit. Link got hot, so he jumped in the lake, when he rose to the surface he yelled out, “Come on in Saria, the water feels great!” Saria jumped in after him and they both played in the lake splashing and laughing for hours. But they both got hungry after a while, so they both returned to Kokiri Forest for lunch. Saria decided to cook lunch, since the only thing Link could cook was chicken, and berries. Saria didn’t care for chicken that much, and Kokiris ate berries all the time. So, she cooked fish. “Let’s go into the Lost Woods next, we could goof around and play with the Skull Kids. And I could show you my new sword trick I learned.” Saria raised her eyebrow, “Should I bring one, or two bandages?” Link let out an empathetic laugh, “When is the food going to be done?” Saria took out the fish and placed it on the table. Link grabbed a handful and put it on his plate. Then he started to shovel the food in his mouth. “Link!” Saria yelled, “Don’t you know how to use silverware!?” Link smiled and replied, “Actually, I don’t.” ”You may have been raised in a tree, but that’s no excuse for bad table manners. “Well it’s faster; look I’m already done!” Link grinned. Saria sighed, he may be a Hero, but he didn’t know the first thing about manners at the table. They both finished up their lunch, and went out to the Lost Woods, there, Link showed Saria his new sword trick. Link threw a stick into the air, and threw his sword after it. His sword smashed the stick in midair, and landed in Link’s outstretched hand. Link then reached into the nearest tree, and pulled out a Sap-Demon. Sap-Demons were little lizards that killed trees by drinking their sap like water. They also ate little animals, and they never cleaned. The Kokiris always used them as target practice, since they were such horrible monsters. Link threw the Sap-Demon in the air and grabbed a nearby stick, when the Sap-Demon came down; Link SMACKED it with the stick and sent it flying out of the forest! “Maybe this will be a sport someday!” Link jeered. Saria rolled her eyes, “Don’t count on it, what would people see in a sport like that?” “Whatever…” Link cut in. The sun set down over the desert, so they both went back to the village. But upon entering the village, they found some Stalfos in pirate clothes! Link went up to them and asked, “What are you doing here you Stalfos scumbags!” The pirate captain let out a wicked laugh and told Link, “We be not Stalfos scumbags. We be sea-scumbags, but not Stalfos. Me two sons and I have entered port in a far away land called Termina. And these Zora creatures told us to check in with one called, ‘Link’. They told me to check in with this ‘Link’ because of what I was after in me latest treasure hunt. I am after, the ‘Stone of Heroes’.” Link asked, “What is the ‘Stone of Heroes’?” “It be a sacred treasure, one only a true Hero can obtain from its eternal slumber. And it be worth at least a few billion rupee me lad! So do you know where this ‘Link’ boy is?” Link looked the pirate in the eye, “I am Link, but why would I help a pirate find his treasure?” The pirate looked down at Link and with a stern voice told him, “This be no common treasure me lad. This be one of the greatest booty in the seven seas and farther. And I would be most inclined to seeing that yee gets a great share of the riches it wields. And it would be a grand adventure me lad, with loot and wealth in the end! We would both get a share of millions rupee worth! So what do you say lad? In or not?” Link asked Saria, “What do you think?” Saria immediately answered, “You go, come back with a little wealth, and have a good trip.” Link turned to the captain and asked, “When do we leave?” The captain gave out a gleaming smile, “Anytime you wish to leave.” Link rushed into his house and came out with a bag of supplies. He gave Saria a hug and told her, “I’ll see you in a few days possibly.” “That’s the spirit!” The captain roared out, “Now let’s go find our booty!” Link, the captain, and his two sons all walked out of the forest out towards the forest between kingdoms. Along the way Link asked, “If you’re not a Stalfos, then what are you?” The captain sighed and explained to Link, “We be the crew of the un-dead. Cursed to find treasure for an eternity, and longer. But personally, I think I look pretty good as a bone heap. Makes me look thin and tough.” Link liked the captain, he was a swell guy for a dead, soulless, and hook handed pile of bones. They both walked for a few days until they reached the Termina shores, west of the town. Link looked at the wondrous ship that was anchored in the sea. It was the biggest boat Link had ever seen! It was crawling with the skeleton crew, no surprise. The captain hollered for a little boat to the crew of the un-dead. And within minutes, a small transport arrived with a happy row man with a cheerful smile. “Good morning Captain! And how are you little children?” The crew was sure a happy one. The captain hopped in the boat, the sons next, and Link last. “Oh, a new face huh? How do you do stranger?” The row man cheerily sang out. Link nodded and stared in awe at the captain, because Link had heard the pirates were horrible, bloody, mangy beasts! But these pirates were as kind as Saria herself! When he got on board he was more surprised, all the sailors were singing and humming as they worked! They had a smile on their face and worked steadily. “A wondrous crew isn’t it me boy.” The captain remarked with cheer. “We’re all one big happy brotherhood! We don’t get mad at each other all the time, and no one complains about the work. They are all the finest men on the sea. Now if you’ll excuse me Link, I’m going to retire to my quarters.” The two children then grabbed Link’s tunic and laughed out, “Why do you wear a dress?” Link grew red and answered, “It’s not a dress, it’s a tunic. A lot of men wear them around the world.” The two kids ran off giggling and snickering, they weren’t convinced. Link then laid down and closed his eyes; he was tired from the long walk. But as he was about to go to sleep, he noticed that there were no sails on the mast!!! Yet, the ship was moving at probably thirty knots! Egad, the ship was haunted also. Link tried to forget about the ship, and rested at the mast base. Link awoke abruptly to a large booming noise! The captain walked by Link and reassured him, “Don’t worry, that was just our cannon signaling land.” Link and the captain then hopped in a small boat and rowed out to shore. “Captain,” Link asked, “why don’t you have any men with you?” “Well, I have nothing to worry about, I’m already dead remember. Plus, me thinks, with the great Hero with me, I have nothing to worry about!” Link smiled, he was right. When they reached shore, they tied up the boat, and walked into the cavern that had the “Stone of Heroes”. “What did you say your name was captain?” Link asked. The captain took off his hat, “Oh, I’m sorry me boy. In all me hurry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m the captain of the cursed, the hooked horror, the sailor of the seven seas and the netherworld. I be Captain Drake!” They both then continued down the cavern towards their goal. “Is there any traps or baddies in this cave?” Link asked Drake. “There be no traps of any kind in this here treasure trove.” Drake answered with a chuckle. They kept walking for a few minutes, then they found it. It was a small blue ball, with the mark of the Triforce on it! ”Pretty ain’t it Link, now all you have to do, it grab it. I don’t know what will happen, but I’m sure it’s safe!” Link walked up to the stone, gritted his teeth, and nabbed it! …No pain, no anything! That was easy; Link gave it to Drake who held it up in the air proudly. “At last! The Stone of Heroes is mine! And I have you to thank me boy! Because you see, this is a wishing gem! But of course, there be only three wishes allowed, and some can’t be granted.” Link proudly looked upon the gem; it was a beautiful treasure. “Now you get to make a wish me lad! Of course, not now if you don’t want to. When you want to make your wish, just call upon the Stone of Heroes, and make your wish!” They both hopped on the boat, and rowed out to the ship, with Drake laughing and crackling all the way. As soon as they stepped on the boat, Drake called out, “Oh wishing gem of pleasure, I wish for a ship full of treasure!” FLASH!!! The ship had dozens of open chests filled with gold, diamonds, coins, silver, and everything! “Here Link,” Drake said as he gave Link a bag the size of his green hood. “It may not look like much, but there’s a few million rupees worth of treasure in that sack. So be careful my boy!” The pirates then set sail for Termina with full speed. Link watched as the pirates danced around their treasure singing, “Yo-ho-ho, and a casket full of rum; we’ve hit the jackpot, we’ve hit the big one! Thanks to Link and our Captain Drake; because of them a fortune we make! Yo-ho-ho, and a case of brandy; we can all spend our after-life feeling dandy! YO-HO-HO!!!”

Link was dropped off at the Termina shores, and the pirate crew sailed away into the sea mist. He walked for four days and made it to Kokiri Forest. There Saria greeted him with a smile and asked, “How was your trip Hero boy?” “Uhh, pretty nice. The crew was great, so was the captain. I got a few pieces of treasure, and a wish for when I need it.” Saria nodded, “Neat, and while you were gone, Kaeporagaebora delivered a message for you, here it is.” Link opened the letter and held it up to the sun so he could read it better. “Link, this is a letter of warning. Evil s returning to the land of Hyrule! I fear it is one of the slain leaders from last year Link, I do not know it for a fact. But when I get an eerie feeling, something bad happens. And believe me Link, something will happen soon. -Kaeporagaebora the owl” Link shuddered, the last thing he wanted to do was fight evil and get hurt. But it would be a while probably. Link invited Saria over to his house for dinner that night, he would then tell her the news. Saria entered Link home and was surprised; there was something on the table besides berries or chicken, it was ham and salad! Link smiled and told Saria, “I actually bought this at the market in town.” Saria giggled and they both sat down to eat. After eating for a few minutes, Link told Saria the news, “Saria… it’s possible that… one of the evil leaders has returned.” Saria gasped, “That was what the letter was all about?” Link nodded.

Suddenly, Stalfos burst into the room with their swords drawn! Link grabbed his sword and started to fight them off. Saria shuffled against the wall in fright, she powered up her Sage Beam for a big blast. Then huge, armor covered hands burst through the walls and grabbed Saria! Saria was pulled out of the house, and thrown onto the ground! She looked up in the darkness to see what had grabbed her, it was an Iron Knuckle!!! The Iron Knuckle picked Saria up by the neck, and POW; everything went black.

Link was surrounded by dozens of Stalfos, and Iron Knuckles! He dodged and attacked them one by one. But they all attacked at once and started to beat Link with their shields and swords handles! Link was being beat so hard that he couldn’t get up; an Iron Knuckle then gave Link a big kick through his wall! Link went flying into Hyrule field, and as soon as he hit the ground, it all went dark.

Link awoke to find himself chained in front of Onox! The General of Darkness let out a laugh of vileness, “It’s good to know that Majora is dead, you see, with him around I couldn’t bring my powers to full. But with him gone, a more powerful being will rule the earth.” Link scoffed in disbelief, “You are only one guy! You couldn’t even see it coming when Majora tore out your spine!” Onox growled out, “I have to thank him for that. Confused? Well, if a powerful evil destroys another powerful evil, then the destroyed evil may return without question by the powers of hell. Ah-yes, hell was such an educational experience. I learned that it’s better to be in hell, than to work for Majora. Since he brought me back to the dead those many, many months ago; I had to be his servant, thus my powers were shot!” Link grinned; he remembered his one wish he had left from the Stone of Heroes! “Stones of Heroes, this is my wish. I wish for Onox to lose all his powers!” A telepathic voice shimmered in Link’s mind, “Unable to perform task.” “O.K. then… how about… I wish all the Sages were here!” FLASH!!! There stood all seven Sages, when they saw Onox they all prepared for battle. Onox let out a bellowing laugh, “How cute, but it will take more than that to take down the General of Darkness, the all-powerful Onox!” Onox then let loose a huge roar, and in a burst of flame and smoke, there stood Neo-Onix! ”As you now know, my true form is of a dragon. But as a dragon may be intimidating, my men still obey my commands. Now feel the wrath of Neo-Onox!” Onox let loose a burst of black flame at the shackled Link. But Darunia hopped in the way of the flame, and used his body as a shield for Link. Darunia didn’t feel any pain of course; Gorons bathe in lava and flame. Onox then grabbed Darunia and slammed him into the floor with crushing force. Darunia slipped out of Onox’s grip and bashed him in the skull with his Goron Slam! Onox went crashing to the floor with such force that the trees in the field were up-rooted! Onox then grabbed Darunia along with Impa and knocked them out with an overcast of Darkness. Saria then powered up to fire her Sage beam at Onox, but Onox just smirked and picked her up with his scaly fist. Nabooru then lept on Onox and buried her sword in his shoulder! Onox let out a small groan, but he then grabbed Nabooru and smashed her into Saria so hard that they both went unconscious. Zelda got Link free and gave him his Kokiri Sword. Onox snapped Zelda with his tail and blacked her out with a beam from his head crest. Onox then wrapped his tongue around Ruto and Rauru and covered them in dragon saliva. He then let out a fiery blast that shot them into a tree! Only Link was standing, he ran up to Onix with his sword held high, ready to deal out pain! Onix sighed and flicked Link into a tree with his finger. Link crashed into a tree and slid down onto the ground. But he wasn’t down yet. Link threw his sword with all his might towards Onix. But the sword didn’t even harm Onix! Onix grabbed Link and let out a wicked laugh of victory, “You see young warrior, you and your friends aren’t enough to defeat me! Now I shall kill you… slowly.” Onix pulled a rock from underneath the ground and laid it on top of a ledge. The rock was held up by a tent spike with a rope tied around it. Onox then tied the other end of the rope to Link’s legs. “Now you see; if you move at all, you will be slowly crushed by this boulder on the low ledge. And after you, your girlfriend will be crushed next by the rock.” Zelda woke up; she had a big bruise on her forehead that hurt like heck. She looked over at Link and saw his predicament; she ran next to the boulder and blew it to pieces with her Sage Blast. Link jumped on Onox as the dragon grabbed Zelda; he buried the Kokiri Sword in Onox’s eye and then in his cheek. “YAAAHHHH!!!” Onox screamed as his face grew wet with blood. Zelda escaped Onox’s grasp and hopped off him along with Link. “It will take a lot more to bring down Onox!” The general yelled out through his pain. “So long Link; we will meet again!” Onox then flapped his wings and flew of in a tremendous gust of wind. Link and Zelda then tended to the rest of the Sages. They were all taken to the hospital, and were taken care of. Link sat in Saria’s room and waited for her to wake up. Zelda entered Saria’s room and told Link, “Link, we aren’t enough to take down Onox. We need the Master Sword’s power to vanquish the General of Darkness. But upon doing so, we would have to take a chance of going into the future. Because you were destined to go into the future when you were ten. But last time, when Majora and the evil leaders arrived, you were destined to be a Hero at your present age. But this time you may need to go farther in time.” Saria then woke up, “Hey Link… What’s going on?” “Well, I guess that I’m going to use the Master Sword to fight Onox. It’s the only way we can defeat him.” Saria’s eyes widened, “But what if we all go into the future… Who knows of the damage that can be done in a few years by Onox? He could take over Hyrule easy in a year or two.” Link nodded in acknowledgment, but it had to be done. “There is no other way Saria, I’m sorry.” Saria burst out sobbing, “I have another secret to tell you Link… but it’s to hard to put in words, so here.” She waved her hands in front of Link’s face, and he collapsed on the bed. Next to the sobbing Sage.

Mido worked his way through the Kokiri crowd, what in heck was happening? The crowd was all around the Deku Tree, not a usual meeting place. He then saw it; a Hylian woman was lying at the base of the Deku Tree! The woman was obviously pregnant, she was breathing funny and groaned as she laid there. All the Kokiri girls rushed up to woman and tried to comfort her. Saria let out a gasp when she saw the wound on the woman. The woman then started having contractions and moaned out in pain. All the girls chased the guys away from the lady and returned to her.

After having delivered the baby, the woman whispered her last words to Saria, “K-keep L-link safe… H-he will f-fulfill a g-great destiny I-in the f-future t-that w-will change H-Hyrule…………………………” She then died after those words were spoken. Saria held the crying baby close and walked away from the mother’s body. Saria then went into her house, with the baby just quieted down. Mido then burst into Saria’s house, “Saria, what-“ “Shhhhh!” She hissed, “He’s asleep. You mustn’t wake him.” Mido shook his head, “Nonsense! I will speak, what do you think you are doing Saria! You don’t know the first thing about babies! And there has never before been a Hylian in this forest. How do you plan to feed, clean, teach, and take care of a baby in a forest!” The baby then woke up and started crying, which startled Saria and sent her crashing to the ground with a thud. Link’s wailing sent Saria into tears and she sobbed out, “Nothing you say can discourage me from raising this child!” Fado then came in to see what was happening. He saw Mido standing over the crying baby and weeping Saria! “Good Farore!!!” Fado swore, “What have you done!?” Fado rushed over to Saria and tried to calm her down, as Mido slid out of the house quietly.

Link woke up… that was quiet a shocker for him! He looked at Saria with shock on his face. “The reason you probably don’t remember any of this was because, when you were four. You had an accident; you fell from the training ground ledge onto a bed of stones. You were pretty dazed after words, we didn’t know what happened to you. But I stopped watching you after you were five. Because Kokiri aren’t taken care of when they reach five; and I wanted you to be one of us a much as you could.” Link gave Saria a hug and told her, “You are the best girl in the whole world Saria. And now that I know that you helped raise me, I’m at loss. You’re perfect in every way!” They both hugged each other and then the group left for the Temple of Time. The group entered the Temple of Time, and there in the Pedestal of Time, rested the Master Sword. All the Sages kneeled down as Link approached the Master Sword. Link gripped the Master Sword’s handle and gave it a jerk out of the pedestal. Blue light swirled around the room, and with a blinding array of colors, the group was engulfed in a bright light!

Saria got up off the ground and looked around, it was dark out, but she could make out all the sages and Link on the ground. She walked over to Link and gasped, he was slightly taller, and looked a little different. Link woke up and saw Saria looking down on him, “Uhh… Hello Saria.” “It’s just ummm… I forgot what happened to you last time you went forward into time.” Link laughed out, “Yeah, it was kinda funny though, because last time I turned 17 and you stayed nineish. It was hilarious how I would looked down at you.” Saria scowled, “Let’s wake everybody up.” After waking everybody up, the group decided to wait until morning to continue. “Link,” Rauru asked, “just how old are you now?” Link looked at himself and responded, “Maybe around 13.” “We only went two years into the future!?” Ruto whined out. Nabooru grumbled, “I’m glad only two years; time travel is painful!” The group settled down and rested as they waited for daybreak.

Saria awoke from a restful sleep and looked around the sun-lighted kingdom. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She woke everyone up with a fright; they all rubbed their eyes and gasped… Hyrule was nothing but rubble and desolation! The group made their way to the ruins of the castle; along the way they found a few familiar bodies: the Market Manager, and the Potion Shop owner. When they reached the remains of the castle, they found a few dragon scales! And after further searching, they found a small man huddled in a blanket. “What has happened here?” asked Rauru. The man trembled and replied, “One day… the boy in green… vanished along with… the Sages of the Seals… and… one month after… the General of Darkness, Onix… sieged war on… the armies of the world… and… he won…” Link groaned and turned to the Sages, “Well... this isn’t much of a supprise. But now we got the whole world to save before we can go back in time!!!” Rauru let out a long moan and sighed, “This will take a while; but when we vanquish Onox, all will be harmonious in the land of Hyrule! So let’s go.” The group set out to find Onox, but before they reached the gate, Link yelled out, “Wait!!! Onox totally beat us last time we fought him! How do we take him out now, espicaily since he’s the world leader, and probably more powerful than last time!?!?!?” Rauru put his hand on Link’s shoulder, and pointed at the Master Sword. “The Tri-force is with us in this battle Link. And so is your luck boy.” Link nodded and they all continued their trip.

Up in Heaven, Link’s mother looked down at Link with a vision of her husband, while holding a fragment of his childhood in her hand. It was the last piece of her memory of Link as a baby. And she knew that she also longed to see her husband again. But he had to stay in Hyrule, ready to guide the spirits in the event of the apoclypse.

She looked down at Link with a solem stare, she knew that if he attacked Onox in his planned time, that he wouldn’t survive the ordeal. Because she knew that the Day of the Tri-force would happen in a matter of hours. And Link would be in the heat of combat then. Because the Day of the Tri-force was a day that happened once every thousand years, and when the Day of the Tri-force began; the powers of the gods ceased to power the Tri-force. She let out a tear of grief, she couldn’t lose her son now. But all she could do was watch as her son travel closer to his doom. She looked away from Link, she had caused him grief, she didn’t wan’t any of that for her son. Because grief led to sorrow, sorrow led to fear, fear led to hate, hate led to pain. And she had suffered the greatest pain; losing her son those many years ago. “I remember when I gave birth to thee, with the children under the great tree. I longed to watch you grow and play, but that I never experienced for even a day. As I ran with you carried inside my womb, I later found out that the roots of a tree would be my tomb. I remember the pain of watching your father get struck and fall, but to keep that fate from you I’d give my all.” Even in her eternity she felt empty, and the hole grew with every moment away from her little boy.

Link asked Rauru, “How do we find Onox anyway?” Rauru smiled, “We have a way of finding things in certain ocassions.” All the Sages held hands and FLASH there stood Onox in front of them all. “Of course we can only do this every few years or so.” Onox looked shocked at the sight of the bunch, “Impossible!!! But it doesn’t matter, for I will crush you all and send you away to an eternity of HELL!!!” Onox formed into his dragon form as Link called Epona. They both looked each other in the eye, and charged! Onox chuckled at Link and swipped all the Sages down with one blow. He then snatched Link off of Epona and slammed him into a tree trunk with a crushing blow. As this was happening, Link noticed the Master Sword lost it’s glow! Then he searched deep in his memory for a reason of this... the Day of the Tri-Force!!! Onox then lit Epona on fire with his fire breath, and smashed Navi between his fingers! “You fool, I’m am the most powerful being on the planet now! And now meet your doom!!!” Onox shrunk down to the size of a grown man, and wore a black hood and cape. ”Meet, Garo-Onox! Your personal key to eternity!” Garo-Onox picked Link up off the ground by his hair and shook him around like a doll! Link tried to fight back, but he was too weak to fight Onox. Onox then picked up Saria with his other hand and slammed the two of them together with a loud SLAM! Saria woke up after the slam, and wearily watched as Onox approached Link. But before Onox could draw his sword, Saria flooded his body with her strongest Sage blast ever! “YYYAAARRRGGGHHH!!!! I hate you Sages!!!” Onox screamed out as the energy of the forest filled his capillary veins. Darunia then approached Onox from behind and slammed him in the back of the head with a massive Goron slam! Zelda then charged up her Sage beam, but Onox thwacked her just as she was mid-way. Onox then grabbed Darunia along with Saria and flooded their bodies with a dark Curse of Pain. Onox then cursed the rest of the Sages and made sure they wouldn’t attack him during his finest moment. He then held Saria in the air and smashed her into the rocky ground! Saria cried out in pain, blood came out of her skull and her entire body throbbed with the dark effects of the Curse of Pain. Onox drew his sword and placed the tip on Link’s neck. “Any last words Hero?” Link gasped for breath, and moaned out, “Evil will never win…” Onox then hacked off Link’s head with his massive blade, with blood and guts spurting all over the place! Onox chuckled, “I don’t think so my little pest.”

Link opened his eyes to a shock, there stood his dead mother! He then looked down at his feet with a frown, “I guess I let you down mom.” Link’s mother put her hand to Link’s mouth, “No, you did more in a few years of your life that anyone ever could’ve done in their whole lifetime!” “What about the Sages, and Saria? With out me down there, they’ll all be killed!!!” Link’s mother gave Link an embracing hug, “Link… theirs is something you don’t know; your father didn’t die in the war.” Link looked up at his mom with tear-drenched eyes of sadness, “What do you mean?” “What I mean is… he died fighting to protect me, not fighting for the king. A tall man with a hood that covered his features cornered us. He attacked me, but your father protected me from him. But the warrior sent a ray of dark light out of his fingertips that downed your father. He then speared your dad, and came after me.” She stopped and sobbed for a moment from her memories. “He grabbed me and gave me a fatal cut with his sword, but I never stopped running. I ran for an hour blindly and collapsed in front of the guardian tree of the forest.” She rubbed her sore eyes and continued, “I laid there moaning from my labor pains and because of my wound. And out of the woods came dozens of little children clothed in the green of fields. All the girls came to me and realized what was about to happen. They chased away the boys and returned to help me give birth. But one girl caught my eye; a green-haired, soft-eyed girl with a gentle smile that the rest called ‘Saria’. The girls told me that they knew little of babies or childbirth, but they knew that the baby needed food and love. They also knew how to comfort pains of childbirth with a song that they called ‘Saria’s Song’. The little girl pulled out her ocarina and played a beautiful song of the woods. It made me forget of my wound and allowed me to focus all my energy on my baby. After a long struggle to deliver you, the girls took you and promised to treat you like their own. I told them to leave me, because it was too late to save me from my death. They left hesitantly, but they had you to focus on then. As I laid there in my last moments, the man in the hood approached the great tree, not noticing me. He ordered that the tree give him the ‘Emerald of the Forest’ or he would suffer a great curse. The tree refused, making the hooded man furious and vile. The man sent a black beam of darkness into the tree and proclaimed that in a matter of years, the tree would die. The hooded man then noticed me and noticed that my baby was gone. He laughed out and with a bellowing voice, ‘Your baby will not survive with these children you fool! And the world will soon be mine; the world will belong to the Emperor of Darkness, the Gerudo King, GANONDORF!!!’ I let that name burrow deep into my memory, then all went black.”

Link sobbed, death was to be Saria’s fate also. “Isn’t there anything we can do to stop Onox mother?” She shook her head with a saddened look on her face, “It’s over for the world. For Onox has been destined by the powers of Hell to be the commander of the battle of Armageddon, the last Great War on the planet that will end all life. And when all life is taken, the Tri-force will start anew, making a cosmos. And that is when all Heroes and beings of Heaven will return to the living along with the Sages of the Seals. And together they will start a world where if respectfully taken care of, life will have no evil in it. And all the leaders of Evil will be eternally locked up in the Realm of Darkness. For that will all happen in a matter of days, for the end is near. The exact date is the year 2284 in the Hylian time.” Link felt better, he and Saria were to be together again. He embraced his mother and with a soft whisper, “I will never lose you again. And I will love you for an eternity and another.” Suddenly all the Sages came from the clouds and landed with gentleness and looked around. Link greeted them and gave Saria a smile, “Welcome to the Realm of Light, Heaven. And don’t worry about Hyrule or any of the other kingdoms, because the battle of Armageddon is about to happen soon anyway. Then we’ll all go back to Hyrule.” They all studied the lovely clouds and peace of Heaven in awe. As Saria and Link ran off away from the group giggling, they had only a few days of this; they were going to enjoy it together as best as they could.

THE END?

SPECIAL THANKS!!!

“Special thanks to all the wonderful artists whom which I got these pictures from. They’re all truly perfect drawings, even though some were slightly altered. Without these drawings; this story would be a normal quiet, boring story! But these drawings truly changed that, the artists who drew, edited, or just posted these up in their name all did a great job with their work! Also special thanks to all the original artwork artists from NintendoÒ; they spiced the story up with a touch of hard worked on pieces of art! But I didn’t make this story for praise; maybe some people who read it won’t be pleased with it. But I tried hard and am just showing my opinion on the Zelda game series. And I think that they are the top games in game history! Also, the music in my story is a great piece from the ledged Zelda Majora’s mask; I think that the music in the Zelda games really makes the game even more past perfect! Thank you for reading my story ‘Approaching Darkness’! ” -JPH Thanks a ton, everyone! ---- Jacob Paul Hasty

If you have any objections against me posting your picture[s], please tell me and I will try to remove it from my story. The address to contact me at is, ahasty@aptalaska.net. And I’m sorry if there is any inconvenience with the pictures, if there is something wrong with them I don’t want any trouble or anything. I’m trying my best with them and respect you if you don’t like me messing with them. Please make sure your E-mail is sent to JAKE and I will respond to them as soon as possible.

EDITOR's Note: Due to bandwidth limitations, this story had to be published withou the pictures.