“Who are you?” Link’s captor demanded. Link blinked in the darkness, surprised to hear a female voice. Though threatening, she sounded much more nervous than the average dungeon creature. She relented a little on the angle of her blade, allowing Link to speak.

“Who are you!?” the voice demanded again. Link could feel the blade quiver. Link opened his mouth to speak, then stopped, finally aware of who the voice belonged to.

“I’m Link..” he replied slowly, “and I’m here to rescue you.” Link chose his words carefully, stating them as gently and convincingly as he could. “Garof will be here soon, we must hurry. I’ll explain later; Sahaar is in great danger.” Link felt the blade drop completely away from his throat at the mention of the village.

“What do you mean?” The girl inquired, worriedly. “Garof is only a myth..”

“He’s real, and he’s on his way,” Link rushed, already heading to the other side of the cell.

“But we’re trapped in here!” The girl exclaimed as Link felt over the bars. “I’ve been here for days, at least,” she added, more quietly.

“We’re only trapped if we think we are,” Link replied, walking easily through where the bars had been into the abyss of darkness. Link wasn’t sure how much time he’d lost in the dungeon, as time didn’t seem to pass normally. They’d gone no more than three steps from the cell, when they heard another voice, directly in front of them.

“Didst thou truly believe thou might fool the keeper of the Triforce?” the voice mocked them, as a dark, cloaked figure appeared before them in a flash of surreal light.

“Garof!” Link roared, unsheathing the Master Sword. He was determined not to let history repeat itself, or, even more disastrously, let it take him with it. Garof ignored Link, turning to the girl.

“Oh, so thou hast summoned a companion, hast thee? Well, we shall dispose of him, then continue our meeting as planned, hmm? Tis not fair to claim the Triforce without a fight, now is it?” He proposed with a dark smirk. With that, Garof advanced upon Link, smiling to reveal broken, yellowed teeth. The girl gritted her own teeth and raised her sword. Though weary from her time in the cell, she was prepared to fight to the death to protect her village. Link stared into Garof’s daemonic-red eyes, a sharp contrast to the icy blue of his own.

“I know what you are,” he stated coolly, raising his sword. The girl stepped up beside Link, matching his stance, her deep brown eyes joining Link’s stare into Garof’s. Link glanced at her for a split second, able to see her for the first time in the light. She was just as magnificent as in his dreams, he mused. The thought lasted only a split second though, as his mind returned to battle.

Garof regarded his opponents a moment, sizing them up. The girl he could defeat easily. He did not, however, expect to have to deal with the other one; not that Link would be of any difficulty for him to kill. Garof contemplated simply leaving them until after he’d obtained the Triforce. No, he decided: he had to make sure his coast was clear until he could do so. He drew his own sword and swiftly slashed at Link. He'd underestimated the young hero, however. Link blocked the blow easily and stabbed Garof in the leg with his own sword.

“Graaah!” Garof exclaimed, lowering his sword to clutch at his left calf in agony. He kept a close eye on Link for any further attacks, but forgot about the girl, who slashed at his knees from behind through his long black cloak, felling him like a tree. Garof hadn’t been prepared for the battle, and certainly didn’t wish to continue it; he was no match for the two until he’d healed his injuries. With a single, mindful will, Garof discintigrated from the room. He would have to kill them later.

Link and the girl watched in shock as Garof dematerialized in front of them. Their gazes turned to one another in bewilderment. One thing was certain: he would come back for them, with even more strength and anger.

“He must be rebuilding his strength somehow,” the girl broke the sudden silence. Link could only nod, lost in thought. Where could he go? Of course...

“He’s gone for the Triforce,” Link started, staring into the girl's calm brown eyes. He realized he’d long been staring into them intently in his pause of speech. His eyes flickered elsewhere in the darkness as he continued. “This dungeon isn’t real. It’s simply an illusion of what your mind portrays it as. The only other place the creator of the dungeon could be is with the only real aspect. I’m afraid it may be too late for us.”

“How do you know all this?” The girl asked him, not doubting a word he said. She was certain she had never seen him before; she would have noticed such a strong warrior in the village. He was tall, and though lean, his strength was clear beneath his forest-green tunic. Strange clothing it was, as well. The girl hadn’t seen such a foreign fashion. His sword was most amazing, as well. It contained a certain lustre far more powerful than the average blade.

“I can’t tell you how I know, warrior. Your future depends upon blindness of my true identity,” Link said carefully. The girl opened her mouth, about to object, but she could see in his eyes that Link wasn’t about to relent. She instead stared on into his mysterious blue eyes. Realizing this, she too quickly looked away.

Her gaze went unnoticed to Link, however, as he was once again immersed in thought. He pictured the Triforce in as immense detail as he could, trying to block the rest of the dungeon from his mind. It should have been working, as he’d developed the mindset of how to maneuver about the dungeon, but no matter how hard he focused his thought, the walls of the dungeon held firm.

“He’s trapped us here,” Link said finally, looking back into the girl’s eyes, entranced by their calmness once again, but this time sensing their despair. He saw that the girl was trembling from weakness. “I don’t know what to tell you," he sighed heavily. "These walls are real. There’s nothing we can do for now, m'lady, but regain some strength. Rauru will come for us; he’s our only chance.” The girl hung her head and sank to her knees, the physical strain finally defeating her. She sat, and held her throbbing ankle.

Link walked swiftly to her in concern, kneeling beside her and guiding her back into his arms.

“You’re injured..” Link began, brushing the girl’s hair gently out of her face. He could feel her still trembling. She looked into his eyes thankfully, though the hopelessness was more than evident behind her gratefulness. “There’s got to be a way out of this,” Link started, a fierce look in his eyes. He stroked the girl’s hair gently. If he didn’t find a way out, Garof, long before Ganon, would destroy the land of Hyrule. What if Rauru couldn’t get to them? He should have arrived by now.

Link looked down at the girl, now breathing deeply and slowly, leaning heavily on him. Her knotted hair covered her face, all fierceness drained from her. He reached a gauntlet-clad hand to once again brush the hair from her face. She looked up to him a moment, only the whites of her eyes visible in the darkness, then rested her head on his arm and sighed.

“Thank you, Link...” she trailed, truly grateful, but unable to articulate in enough words exactly what she felt.

“You’re quite welcome.” As the girl began to close her eyes in exhaustion, he spoke up again, suddenly.

“What is your name, Warrior?” The girl’s eyelids fluttered a moment, but she offered no reply before slipping into a deep sleep.

Link sat, the girl resting safely in his arms. He stayed with her like that for nearly an hour, going over and over in his mind what his options were. He tried to reassure himself that Rauru would show up any second, but he was losing his mental battle. So was the girl, it seemed. She became restless in her sleep, plagued by some nightmare. She mumbled, then spoke out desperately:

“Esper!” Her eyelids fluttered and she awakened. “Esper..” she said, looking up to Link. She recognized him a second later, through the darkness. Reality returned to her as she sat up with Link’s help.

“Esper..” Link began, reflectively. “I’m sure I’ve heard that name before.”

“He is my head soldier,” the girl replied. "He always seems to show up when I need him the most in any battle."

“We could sure use him now,” Link replied, thoughtfully, remembering the red-haired soldier from the village. “If he knew how to get out of here.” Link paused for a moment, debating whether or not to ask the question which had been burning inside of him. But he knew he couldn't bring himself to ask. Instead he glanced over the room hopelessly, his eyes now fully adjusted to the dark. He could make out the walls, ceiling and floor, but his eyes couldn’t render their textures. He felt the girl’s eyes on him, and looked back into hers. The glint in her eyes was a little brighter when he looked to them, and realized that the room was becoming brighter.

He looked for the source of light, and found that it was coming from a rectangular crack in the wall. It was very faint, but he could see the outline

“What is it..?” the girl asked, puzzled.

“It’s a door!” Link replied, pointing.

“I.. don’t see a door..” the girl replied dismally. Link, you need rest as much as I.

“No, you don’t understand! It’s Rauru; he’s given us a way out!” Link rose, then helped the girl to her feet. “Follow me!” He took her hand and nearly pulled her off her feet before he remembered her lameness. He turned back and picked her up, careful not to move her ankle any more than necessary. The girl, though reluctant, had no option but to trust Link's instinct. She cringed against the pain her ankle shot at her when Link walked toward the door, and she draped an arm around his shoulder, staying close to his chest.

Link nudged the door with his shoulder. It didn’t move. But he refused to believe that this was merely an illusion, even when he looked to the girl to see only confusion. He suddenly felt a strong urge to prove her wrong, to impress her. He backed away from the door, then kicked it, hard.

He nearly went down on his knees, as the bottom of the door swung forward. He ran forward with it to compensate, pulling the girl close alongside. He ducked quickly, to avoid the top of the heavy stone as it flipped down. He hadn’t expected a rotating door. He turned around to see a plain stone wall; not even the door's outline remained. Link looked to the girl apologetically.

“I’m sorry to drag you off your feet, m’lady,” he said gently. “However, I did get us out of there. Shall we call it even?”

“No, Link,” the girl replied. “I’m the one in your debt, and I suppose I always shall be.” She smiled at him, despite her pain. Though exhausted, she had a newfound strength. She believed that if there were a way out, Link would find it.

Link picked up on her positive energy and broke his gaze from her eyes to scan the room for a way out. He thought to put her down while he did this, but decided against it. He certainly didn’t mind carrying her. Link instinctively held her closer. As he looked again, in awe, to the vanished door, he heard a faint voice -- Rauru? He stood, motionless, concentrating on what Rauru had to tell him. Was he still in the dungeon, speaking to Link as he had when he was falling?

“Link..”

“Rauru!” Link replied, paying no heed to the girl’s confusion at his sudden self-conversation.

“You found my door.. I couldn’t reach you from inside that room. I have the Triforce.. I acquired it just in time. I don’t possess any power over it, for it isn’t really in my possession… Garof plans to hold me hostage, to lure you to me. He cannot reach the Triforce until he gets rid of me. His army is going to attack the village in four hours. We’re on our way to the Haunted Wasteland, Link. Once I pass the threshold from this land, I won’t be able to speak to you. Garof is taking me to a place he calls “Hyrule." The Triforce is safe as long as I’m conscious to will its power. Garof cannot use physical violence against me, but I cannot long like this….”

“Rauru?” Link whispered, listening fiercly for a response. “Rauru!” He called several more times, then gave up. He must have crossed into the Haunted Wasteland. He looked to the girl, thoughtfully. If Rauru was able to speak to him there, the part of the dungeon they were in must not be real. He closed his eyes and envisioned the entrance in the dead cold of the desert night.

Seconds later, they found themselves facing the horses Link and Rauru had ridden in on. Link spoke swiftly to the girl.

“We have few hours until sunrise. I will explain on the way. Are you okay to ride?”

Next..