Chapter 12: The Depths of the Dragon     Chapter 14: The Desperate Battle

Chapter 13: The Realm of Silence

Link swung the hammer with both hands and brought it crashing down on the fire-dragon’s head. Volvagia roared, pulled back underground, and exploded out, sending rocks flying everywhere. Navi yelled and Link ducked.
The dragon flew around, spewing fire at Link. He jumped sideways and rolled, dropping the hammer. Volvagia dove. More rocks flew. Link grabbed the hammer. The dragon appeared again at the far side of the platform. Link ran. Volvagia breathed fire. Link rolled sideways.
He jumped forward, trying to catch the dragon off guard. It wasn’t. It swung its head, and its long fiery mane hit him and knocked him back. Link sprang up and smacked the hammer down on its head.
“Are you trying to kill it or give it a headache?” Navi asked facetiously.
“Navi!” Link snapped, trying to concentrate and not in the mood for jokes at that moment.
“Sorry.” Link rolled sideways to avoid another blast of fire. When Volvagia popped its head out of one of its holes, the Hylian was ready. When it swung its mane, he backflipped and bounced forward again, slamming the hammer dead on target. He was also getting tired. The heat was starting to leak through even his tunic.
Happily, the next time he repeated the pattern, Volvagia erupted from his hole right away. Link crouched warily, but Volvagia burst into flames overhead. Nothing but a few ashes fell to the platform. Continue reading →

Chapter 11: The Shadow of Evil     Chapter 13: The Realm of Silence

Chapter 12: The Depths of the Dragon

More and more balls of black magic flew through the air, and Link’s energy began to be sapped by his constant dodging. One was heading straight for his midsection, and he swung the Master Sword in a last ditch attempt to block it.
The ball bounced off the sword and hit Shadow Ganondorf. The clone moaned and sank to the floor. Link seized his chance and bounded up, slashing down with his sword. Ganondorf was hit many times before he rose off the floor again, throwing off his injuries with a laugh.
“Yes, laugh,” Link snarled at him, “but I will kill you in the end.”
Another ball was flung at him, and he swung back. So did Ganondorf.
“Tennis,” Navi labled the new battle style.
“Baseball,” Link retorted. He and his fairy didn’t stop arguing until finally the ball hit Ganondorf again.
The Master Sword blazed as it smashed through shadow bone and ghostly muscle.
Shadow Ganondorf melted into a puddle covering the whole platform, and Link shifted his feet uneasily. It began to swirl in the centre like water in a bathtub after the plug is pulled, and then drained into nothingness.
“Stupid clone,” Ganondorf was muttering. “I’ll get you next time, stupid hero…” His voice faded out as Link stepped into the blue portal that appeared. Continue reading →

Chapter 10: Horse     Chapter 12: The Depths of the Dragon

Chapter 11: The Shadow of Evil

After stopping at Kakariko, where he remet Lauri, who fed him, and where he learnt a new magical song called the Song of Storms which abruptly drenched him, and where clues Sheik left behind led him to a shiny new weapon called the hookshot which was a sort of spring-loaded grappling hook, Link returned to the ranch with Talon following him dazedly. He had found the ranch owner napping dejectedly in an inn.
Ingo was awake again, but it seemed Malon had been correct – the strange necklace had been controlling him, for now he was irritatingly cheerful and subservient. The girl was overjoyed to see her father, and they invited Link to sleep there that night.
The next day, Malon officially gave Epona to Link. “She obviously likes you just as much as she likes me, for some reason… and you’ll need her for your saving-of-the-world. So no arguing, got it?”
“All right,” Link said, laughing. “Don’t panic. Epona will be safe with me. But can you teach me how to really ride the next time I come along? I need to go to the forest now and see if Saria and Rana are there.”
“Do that! Now!” Malon grinned as she said it, eager as he was to see her friend again. Continue reading →

Chapter 9: When is a Hero?     Chapter 11: The Shadow of Evil

Chapter 10: Horse

Link stepped out of the Temple of Time and looked around bleakly. The bright, neat colours of Hyrule Castle Town had disappeared into a sea of rot and decay. Houses had crumbled under slimy timbers and brick and stone walls had collapsed. Shadows twisted in reclusive corners, cast by the buildings and the massive black clouds overhead. They were thickest to the north, where Link could see a tall black tower jutting into the sky.
As he made his way over to the well in the town square, he heard something low and disturbing… like someone with a stomach-ache. Several someones, in fact.
He looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone… no, wait, he could. But they weren’t people as such…
One of them shrieked at him and he found that his body was frozen in place.
“Redead!” cried Navi. Link gasped as best he could and wrenched himself into a run. Rolling swiftly past another one, he drew his sword and slashed at it. The creature didn’t react, but the group of redead was growing and moving in his direction. Bile rose in his throat.
“If we don’t get out of here soon, we’ll be dead!” Navi called. “Let’s get out of here!”
“But the people,” Link began.
“They don’t seem to be here. Come on!”
Link obeyed his fairy and ran for the gate. Continue reading →

Chapter 8: The Door of Time     Chapter 10: Horse

Chapter 9: When is a Hero?

Link opened his eyes. He felt heavy. His gaze swirled around woozily, coming to rest on a large man on a golden platform.
Only then did Link take in his surroundings and realize that he himself was on a grey platform, surrounded by a small island of water, an isolated floating point in a vast darkness. Light and beautiful patterned waterfalls came from shadows above and fell to blackness below.
Directly in front of him stood the rather stout man; a man with rich red and gold robes and white hair and beard.
“Greetings, Hero of Time.”
Link, still partly asleep, blinked before he realized the man was speaking to him.
“I am Rauru, the Sage of Light.”
“Where are we?” asked Navi.
‘Thank goodness’, thought Link, ‘she’s still with me.’
“We are in the Temple of Light, in the Sacred Realm.”
Rauru’s even voice took on a gentle tone. “Link, look at yourself.” Continue reading →

Chapter 7: The Great Parasite     Chapter 9: When is a Hero?

Chapter 8: The Door of Time

The Kokiri dove in opposite directions as the space they had been standing in was charged and sizzled.
“Now to deal with this thing,” Link said, looking grimly along his boomerang at the large purple blob. All the jellyfish were gone. “This seems to neutralize electric objects. I wonder what it will do here.” He flung it at a bulbous shape on the top of the monster. The barymede turned a dark purple-green colour.
Rana shouted, smacking it with her sword edge. It quivered and shook violently. Then it began to bounce around. Link grabbed Rana and Naeri grabbed Navi, pulling them to a safer place. The thing began to tire out and rolled to a stop. Then it pulled itself upright and swivelled its turrets. Link threw his boomerang and dodged, but it didn’t shoot. It was stuck again, paralysed by the shock of the boomerang.
Link and Rana slashed at it, tearing large wet chunks out of it. Rana was starting to look pale, and Link waved her back. It trembled and began to bounce, and after only a few bounces, swelled with red lumps and exploded, covering everyone in green and purple goo and blue blood. Rana had turned green.
“Blechhhhh. I want a bath.”
A portal appeared behind them.
“Hey!” Ruto’s voice called. Navi flew up abruptly, startled. The Zora princess was frowning at them, and Link resignedly wondered what she would be squeaking about this time.
“Come on! You’re just a pair of kids! You’re awful at being heroes! Let’s get out of here!” Ruto scolded. Link stalked to the warp and faced the angry-looking princess. Rana tiptoed in behind him. Continue reading →

Chapter 6: The Realm of Music      Chapter 8: The Door of Time

Chapter 7: The Great Parasite

The beautiful lake behind the Zora’s realm was worth coming to see. A big steel gate prevented anyone from jumping over the waterfall and breaking their necks on the rocks below, where the entrance was. There were a few islands dotted about, pleasant and peaceful.
And a giant whale floated bang in the middle of it. It was huge! It was the biggest living creature Link had ever seen, counting the Dodongo. It had an ornate headdress, as befitting the sacred pet – or something – of the Zoras.
Link popped his bottle’s cork out and dumped out the fish in it.
“You got a fish?”
“Down at the lake. I was saving it for later, to show Saria, but this is better.”
Jabu-Jabu opened his enormous mouth. Link was poised to dart in, but it wasn’t really necessary, because the whale inhaled the fish, Link, Rana, and the fairies.

In the mouth of the whale, there were many large bubbles. Rana poked one.
“Ow,” she said, pulling her hand back sharply. “What are these made of?”
“Octorok drool,” Naeri said. “Squid things. I think that means there are some of those in here.”
Link ran forward, holding his sword for a great forward sweep, and it began to glow blue, and then red. Rana ducked.
He released it in a spinning whirling flash of power, and all the bubbles popped. Link smiled at his successfully and carefully perfected new technique.
They walked carefully down Jabu-Jabu’s gullet, passing into the next chamber.
“I must say, this is the weirdest dungeon I’ve ever heard of,” Navi said, lighting up the whole room. Continue reading →

Chapter 5: The Great Lizard     Chapter 7: The Great Parasite

Chapter 6: The Realm of Music

When Link and Rana and their fairies had woken, they met with Saria near the playground.
“We need to talk to the Zoras next,” Rana said.
“Well, I don’t think you will be able to use their pool in the Lost Woods.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too deep,” Link said. “I tried once, a couple of months ago. I could get to the bottom, but I had no air left by the time I got down there.”
“Why don’t you take a short break? You’re frantically trying to complete this mission, that the princess gave you, and it is for the good of the world, but if you run yourselves ragged, you won’t do anyone any good.” Saria looked at him pointedly.
“Eh?” Link thought for a bit. His arms and legs had been aching for the past couple of days… but he hadn’t wanted to mention it to anyone.
“Go on,” Saria encouraged him. “You’ll feel better after a day of rest. I know what it feels like.”
“You do?” Rana chirped. “How? When?”
“Never you mind,” said their green-haired playmate. “What about that Malon girl you told me about? Are you going to visit her like you said? She’s probably wondering what happened to you.”
Rana turned a deep shade of pink and looked suddenly on the verge of tears. Saria patted her shoulder apologetically.
“Yes, let’s go see Malon,” Link said cheerfully. “We can wait a day before we see the Zoras.”
“What if they’re in trouble?” Rana asked.
“The Deku Tree was poisoned, and the Gorons were starving…” Naeri agreed.
“No, we’re going to see Malon. We have an obligation to!” Link said firmly, gesturing broadly. “Don’t worry about it. Saria’s right. If we rest, we can do much better tomorrow.” Continue reading →

Chapter 5: The Great Lizard     Chapter 6: The Realm of Music

Dodongo’s Cavern is boring gameplay, but the description actually isn’t as bad as some I did.

“There’s the boss, I think,” she whispered. Link came to stand beside her. He saw a vast cavern with fresh lava flows running through it to expire in heaps of dust. Across from him was a huge skull, rather wolf-like in appearance. The height of the great cavern was held up by pillars of rock that seemed like ribs. Link brightened as he looked around. This was adventure; this was what he had been born for.
Rana, on the other hand, seemed a bit freaked for being in a cave with a giant skull in it.
“That’s not the boss, silly kitten,” Link said tolerantly. “That’s just decoration.”
“Oh,” she said doubtfully.
They walked slowly through the hot cave, but were inspired to dash by some Beamos.
“Stupid things!” cried Navi as an azure beam shot past her wings.
“Hey,” said Naeri.
“What is it, Naeri?” asked Rana affectionately.
“This wall right here looks like the wall that we blew up in the antechamber.”
“You’re right! Link?”
Link ran with a bomb flower’s fruit past a Beamos to plant it beside the door. It blew in. Rana giggled, and ran back and forth past the Beamos with more bombs, planting them all down the wall, and several more doorways appeared. One simply led to an alcove with a map of the cavern in it. Rana also tried setting a bomb by the Beamos. Its head exploded.
“Okay, map memorized,” said the fairies together. Link could make no sense out of the carving in the alcove, but Navi projected a cleaned up colour-coded version into his mind. He nodded. Continue reading →

Chapter 4: To the Mountain      Bonus Chapter: Dodongo’s Cavern      Chapter 6: The Realm of Music

Chapter 5: The Great Lizard

In the morning, they ran back through the tunnel in the Lost Woods, studiously ignoring Mido who was studiously ignoring them.
Back in Goron City, and down long flights of stairs, they came to the bottom of the city. Link looked around and saw a closed door with the Triforce surrounded by strange, Goronish symbols. He knocked, and wrung his hand.
“Stone door,” he explained. No one opened the door, so Link pulled out his Ocarina and played Zelda’s Lullaby on it.
All the Gorons nearby stopped what they were doing and looked at the children. They stared even more when the door opened and they ran inside.
A strong, old Goron with a white beard stood in a barely furnished chamber with a statue in the back of it. When he saw Link and Rana, he looked as shocked as an impervious Goran face can get.
“What the heck? Who are you?! When I heard the song of the Royal Family, I expected some messenger had arrived, but… You? You’re just kids!” Rana looked indignant, but Link stood calmly. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, the Goron shook his head and continued. “Has Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons, really lost so much status to be treated like this by his Sworn Brother, the King? Yes, that’s it! That makes me REALLY angry! Go away now!” Continue reading →