Chapter 10

Zelda sat up groggily. She could hear a noise, something quite loud, but she wasn't sure

what it was. She sat there listening carefully for a moment. It sounded like a crowd of

people. What's going on? she thought to herself, confused. She eased herself out of

bed, and walked over to the French windows. She pushed them open, and walked out

onto the balcony. The shouting immediately got louder, and Zelda stared in shock.

From her position, high up in North Castle, she could see all around the valley. Looking

down towards the front of the castle, she could see a huge group of people. They

appeared the be hold of burning torches, lifting them high into the air, and shouting.

Zelda's face turned pale at the sight. It could only mean one thing – a revolt. She rushed

back into the bedroom, and pushed Link, trying to wake him up. "Link!" she shouted.

"Uhh.. not now, Zel. We already…" he mumbled.

"For goodness sake Link, wake up!" Zelda cried. He slowly sat up, and rubbed his

eyes sleepily.

"What's the matter?" he questioned.

"There's a load of angry peasants outside, trying to storm the castle!" Zelda said,

looking worried.

"What?" Link said in surprise.

"Come and see!" Zelda said, shoving a robe in his hand. He quickly slipped it on, and

followed her back out onto the balcony.

"Oh… what the hell is going on?" Link said, peering over the edge.

"I don't know, but I think we ought to get dressed, and find out what they want," Zelda

said, walking back inside. She quickly got changed into her adventuring clothes, and

Link did the same.

"Come on, let's go," Zelda said, rushing towards the stairs.

They met on the main floor with Drake. "What's going on?" Zelda asked. The knight

shrugged.

"I just know there's a lot of angry people out there," he stated.

"Did you send anyone out to see what they want?" Link questioned.

"No, just got the guards to put the iron portcullis down, so that they can't get through.

They've got a battering ram, and all sorts," Drake replied.

"Oh no… you don't think it's communion members, back for revenge?" Zelda said,

looking worried.

"That could be a frightening possibility," Drake said.

"Well, we've got to get rid of them, before they do any serious damage to the castle,"

Link said. Several people had come out onto the second floor gallery, all sleepy eyed,

wondering what was going on. Nick, Charles and Selina were amongst the people.

Impa peered around the door, as well.

"What's all the noise?" Selina questioned.

"Peasants," Link said dryly.

"I think I'd better go and see what they want," Zelda said, starting to walk to the door.

"I'll come with you. Link, go and wake everyone else up, who isn't up already, and

gather them in the Great Hall," Drake said, following Zelda outside.

Zelda rushed outside, along the battlements. One of the guards stopped her. "Your

Highness, it's not safe!" he protested.

"I have to talk to them," she replied, pushing past him.

"I'll look after her," the knight reassured the guard.

"Of course, sir," the guard replied, moving aside to let his boss pass. As Zelda came

into view on the front rampart, someone shouted, "there she is!"

"Kill her! Kill her!" the rest of the crowd began to chant.

"Oh no…" Zelda said, turning to Drake in horror.

"Gotta be communioners," Drake said in a low voice.

"But I thought we got rid of those years ago!" Zelda replied.

"Just see what they want," Drake urged.

"They want to kill me!" Zelda cried.

"Wait here," Drake said, walking up to the edge of the wall.

"Now what's all this about?" he questioned loudly. The crowd went silent, and one man

stepped forward.

"We want that family off the throne!" he shouted back. The rest of the crowd began to

cheer.

"Be quiet!" Drake shouted angrily. Zelda joined him against the edge of the battlement.

"Why do you want rid of us?" she questioned, in a steady, clear tone.

"You're nothing but trouble, and we could do better without any of you!" the man

shouted back. The crowd cheered in agreement, raising their torches and pitchforks.

One of the torches went flying through the air, and hit off the wall of the battlement.

Drake frowned, and unsheathed his sword.

"I'm warning you. If you don't back off, I'll have to send my men out to make you do

it!" he growled.

"Send them! Send them!" the crowd chanted. Zelda turned to Drake.

"What's got into them?" she whispered. The knight shrugged.

"In my eyes, the people of Hyrule have always been happy with your father in charge,"

he replied.

"But if they're communioners…" Zelda began.

"Well if they are, they sure took their time leading another revolt," Drake answered,

glancing over at the peasants angrily.

"You'd think that they'd have learnt the first time. Besides, they were surely all under a

magic spell from Enzar," Zelda said, running a hand through her golden hair thoughtfully.

"This is surely unnecessary," Zelda called out to the group. "What exactly is your

problem with my father?" she added. The group all began shouting at once.

"You make us pair unfair taxes!"

"My house was pillaged by Ganondorf's troops!"

"You live in luxury, whilst we are in dire poverty!" Zelda looked at Drake.

"It surely can't be as bad as they're making out," she said, folding her arms. The knight

shrugged.

"True, Ganondorf's troops have done such things, but you paid out all sorts of money

to help repair the damage that was caused. And, your taxes are very fair. Fairer than

some places. I have no idea why they're complaining," he said.

"I hope that you're jut not saying that out of loyalty," Zelda remarked.

"You know I always speak the truth, princess," Drake answered. At that point, the

King came along the battlements, looking most distressed.

"Link says the peasants are leading a revolt! Is this true?" he questioned. As he glanced

down, and saw the crowd of angry people, he looked back at his chief knight and

daughter sadly.

"I guess it 'tis true," he said.

"Father, they say our taxes are too high!" Zelda exclaimed.

"That's what all this is about?" the King demanded, immediately looking angry. Drake

lowered his eyes and looked down over the wall again. He turned back to the king.

"I'm afraid not, my liege. Those people want rid of you… and your family."

A few minutes later, the unreasonable peasants began to try and break open the main

gate with their crude battering ram. "They'll never get in," Zelda observed in

satisfaction, as the huge wooden pole made no difference against the strong iron

portcullis.

"I wouldn't be quite so sure," Drake said, as they began to try and throw ropes over

the sides of the battlements. "Alright Drake, go and get someone to block off the cellar

entrance. Zelda my dear, I want you to take the rest of the family through the secret

passage to the 'safe house'," the king ordered.

"What passage?" Zelda questioned.

"Impa will know it. Just get going," the King answered, as the knight disappeared back

inside.

"But dad, what about…" Zelda began.

"Just go!" he shouted, waving her away. Zelda ran quickly back towards the first floor

entrance, and the king turned to his men who were awaiting their orders.

"Don't let any of them through, and if you need to, you'll have to open fire on them," he

said.

"Yes, Sire!" the guards called out, beginning to arm their bows. The ruler of Hyrule

sighed, and looked around worriedly. Whatever had caused this dreadful attack, he

wondered. As a rope landed near his feet, he picked it up and tugged it upwards,

before whoever was at the bottom could climb up.

"I'm counting on your to protect our castle. Now get to it!" he shouted to the guards.

More were pouring out through the main doors, in the courtyard, and along the

battlements. Others had gathered in the tower rooms, being able to shoot down from a

high vantage point. Another guard rushed up to the king.

"Sire, Milona says will she prepare some boiling oil?" he questioned breathlessly. The

King turned to look back at the peasants.

"Only as a safety precaution," he said. The guard saluted, and ran back inside. The king

followed him quickly.

Fenella, Fayette, Zelda, Impa and the children all hurried through down into the

kitchens. Impa opened the door into an old store room. "Wherever are we going?"

Fenella fussed. Impa ignored her, and began moving some barrels. She found a small

stone lever, and pulled it. What had seemed like a normal stone wall, part of it moved

open.

"My goodness. I never knew of this," Zelda admitted.

"It's from when the castle was first built, many centuries ago," Impa said.

"What's happening mother?" Roderick questioned.

"I'm scared!" Rosella shrieked, as Impa began to lead them down the dark passage,

only her torch lighting the way.

"Zelda, pull the door shut behind you!" Impa called. Zelda turned back to close it, and

then she wondered how the others were coping.

"Impa, I'm staying!" she called back.

"No Zelda, you must get to safety!" Fenella said. Zelda shook her head.

"I'm the next ruler of Hyrule. I have to stay and help," she said determinedly.

"As you wish. But be careful," Impa said.

"I'll try and meet you at the 'safe house' as soon as I can," the princess promised. She

walked back through the door, and shut it firmly. She ran back into the kitchens, then

stood there, wondering what to do. Nearly all of the guests had decided to stay and

help out, and Selina had declined to go to the 'safe house' with them. Suddenly, Drake

ran through into the kitchens.

"Your Highness! What are you still doing here?" he questioned.

"I'm helping," she replied.

"Well then, don't just stand there. They've got more resources than we think, I don't

know how much longer the gate will last out," he said.

"Where are you going?" Zelda questioned.

"To get more back-up. They're trying to get in by the well passage. I've left a couple of

men posted there, but we need more," the knight said, rushing up the stairs. The

Triforce, Zelda thought to herself. She quickly dashed up the stairs, feeling thankful she

was dressed in appropriate attire.

A few short minutes later, she'd got the Triforce, and was coming back downstairs.

Suddenly, the sound of men shouting made her stop and look. From her vantage point

out of a first floor window, she could see villagers pouring in through the front gates.

Quickly, she continued down the tower steps, trying to reach the ground floor. As she

did, the side door into the tower opened. Zelda ran towards the kitchen steps as fast as

she possibly could, but it was too late. She'd already been spotted.

"There's the spoilt little brat there!" someone shouted. Zelda jumped the last few steps

to try and gain some extra time, but they were already following her. It would be too

unsafe to try and escape through the secret passage. Quickly, she cast a protective field

over the bottom of the steps, hoping that there were no magic users amongst the group,

that would be able to dispel the field. As she tried to think of what to do, Leigh

suddenly popped into her head. Despite how much she hated the woman, she couldn't

leave her there, in the dungeons. If any of the revolters came down and saw her, they

would either free her, or kill her. Zelda hated to think that the latter might happen. She

pushed open the door which led into the servant's quarters, and cut through to the

Guard Room. She found the spare set of cell keys hidden behind a brick, feeling

thankful that all the guards were upstairs defending the castle against the attack. She

quickly dumped the Triforce in a barrel, then crossed through into the dungeons. Leigh

was sat in one of the cells, looking rather worried. When she saw Zelda, her expression

soured. Zelda ran up to the cell.

"Villagers are attacking North Castle," she informed the Avatar. Leigh scowled.

"Oh, I get it. You want me to help out. Well, I'm not going to," she replied. Zelda

shook her head.

"I'm here to rescue you. If we have to evacuate the castle…" she remarked, shoving

the key into the lock, and turning it. The princess pulled the iron door open, just as she

heard shouts from nearby. "Quick, they're coming!" she said, pulling Leigh through the

door.

"Got any weapons on you?" Leigh asked hopefully. The princess shook her head.

"No, but we'll have to use magic," she replied.

"I haven't got my reagents," Leigh said, looking a bit worried.

"Don't you know theurgy?" Zelda asked, looking a bit smug.

"No, but it looks like I'll just have to use some simple linear spells," Leigh snapped, not

liking Zelda's tone. "Unless of course," she added, "your magic can get us out of this

mess." Zelda ignored her, and they came out into the guard room together. Suddenly,

the princess and avatar were grabbed on all sides by a group of rough men.

"Get off me!" Zelda shouted. "I order you, let go!" she added.

"Not on your life. We're going to kill you!" one of the men sneered.

"Yeah, sure!" Zelda said, stamping on her captor's feet. He yowled in pain, and let go,

then Zelda kicked the other hard in the knees. He also let go. Knowing that the

Triforce of Wisdom was very close by, she was able to form an extremely powerful

bolt of magic. Leigh also managed to escape, and Zelda held out the bolt menacingly.

"Alright, get out of my castle, I won't hesitate to kill you in my own defence!" she

stated. Suddenly however, someone attacked her from behind. She was struck on the

head, and the bolt went flying. Zelda didn't get to see the damage it caused, because

everything went black…

Somewhat groggily, Zelda came to a short while later. She could see a fire blazing in

the distance, possibly at the castle, and could hear people shouting. She stumbled

through the tall grass, wondering where she was being taken. As she looked up, she

saw a sight that made her blood run cold. On top of the hill was a dark object,

silhouetted against the light of the torches. From the way the top part of it glittered like

silver, Zelda knew almost immediately what it was. It was a guillotine. Oh my god, no,

they can't! she thought to herself, horrified. With new strength, she immediately fought

against being led up to the platform. She dragged her feet, and tried to punch her

captors, but they were strong, and she couldn't get them to let go. They're going to

execute me, she thought slowly, the realisation beginning to sink in. Frantically she

searched around for a friendly face, perhaps a guard, or Link, or Drake. However, she

could see no-one like this, only the cruel metal blade up ahead. "Let go of me!" she

shrieked. "You'll pay for this! My father will hunt you down and have everyone of you

personally put to death if you dare to harm me!"

"You're the one who's going to die, sweet princess, not us!" someone called out rudely.

She paused at the steps to the platform, and her hands were roughly bound behind her

back.

"You will die for your crimes, Royal!" another person called out in a harsh tone.

"What crimes?" Zelda managed to question back, suddenly feeling thoroughly

confused. Some of the crowd began to laugh maliciously.

"What crimes, you say, princess? Where could we even begin?" a woman nearby

jeered cruelly. Tears began to form in Zelda's eyes. Was this something to do with

Leigh, she wondered.

"Please!" she called out desperately. "I have a son… don't do this!"

"He'll be as much of scum as you are! Our sons are starving!" several women shouted

back.. One of the men kicked her in the back, and she almost fell.

"Get moving!" he said, pulling her up by the arm, then throwing her towards the

platform. Zelda managed to get up, and bravely stepped onto the dais, tears streaming

down her pale face.

"Please, don't do this!" she begged.

"It's been long overdue," a dark coloured man answered, pushing her closer to the

guillotine. Zelda choked back a sob, and walked up to the menacing piece of

equipment. Wherever did they get it, she wondered to herself. Hyrule had not practised

execution for many a year, at least, not in her father's reign. Desperately, she attempted

to make a psychic connection with Link. Exploring with her mind, she probed and

reached her lover's psyche. Help me Link! They're going to kill me, please help me!

she cried in her mind.

"On your knees, Royal!" the man behind her shouted. Obediently, Zelda dropped

down to the ground, shivering in fear. Somewhere within the realms of her mind, she

felt Link reaching back to her. I'm coming Zel, don't worry! Zelda's head was pushed

down onto the block by the hooded executioner. It may be too late, she thought, as

slowly, she forced herself to loose consciousness, so that she couldn't feel the pain. She

was going to die.

Leigh managed to crawl away from the scene, finding sanctuary back in her own cell.

The attackers hadn't taken much notice of her, but one had cruelly plunged a knife into

her side, and she was losing blood fast. It was true that Leigh was pretty useless with

magic unless she had her reagents, but when she had first come to the world of

Demiari, hundreds of years ago, she had used liturgy. This meant she needed no

reagents, just a certain artefact and phrase. When the ether had changed, the force

which she called upon to shape her spells, it had weakened and certain reagents and

more complicated mantra's had to be used. It hadn't occurred to her before, but

perhaps the ether in Hyrule was stronger than in Sosaria. She cringed as fresh pain

coursed through her, making her bite back a whimper. She heard a few cheers down

the passage, knowing this meant they had restrained Zelda. She wasn't entirely sure

what was going on, but she knew Zelda was in trouble. Feeling around her neck, Leigh

located her ankh necklace and pulled it from her throat. She looked at it, trying to

concentrate all of her energy into the one thing. She placed one hand upon her side,

willing for the pain to stop. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to recall the simple

phrase that went with the healing process. "Sanctu," she whispered, having trouble

finding her voice. The pain did not ease. She sighed in frustration, knowing if she didn't

get it right now she could very well end up dead. Blood spilled out from around her

wound, soaking her hand red. She opened her eyes again, and focused them upon the

ankh. She closed her hand around the wound and paused for a moment. "Sanctu!" she

breathed, still concentrating on the ankh. For a second the ankh was illuminated with a

soft blue light, then it died away. The next second, a sharp jolt swept through her arms,

and beneath her blood soaked hand, the wound closed up. A sigh of relief swept

through her, and she waited a minute before standing. She looked down at where the

wound had been and smiled. She wiped her hand on her cloak then cautiously stepped

out of the cell.

Katrina watched as Zelda was dragged away. A smile spread across her face. Served

the woman right. She'd seen Leigh crawl away, bleeding heavily from a wound one of

the men had inflicted upon her. Now would be the perfect opportunity for her to exact

her revenge upon the Avatar. That was if the woman wasn't already dead. Katrina

smiled at the thought. She pulled a sharp knife from her belt and advanced down the

corridor, only having to follow the trail of blood. As she turned a corner she bumped

into Leigh, who was standing and covered in blood. "Katrina! Thank goodness you're

okay! Did you see what happened to Zelda?" exclaimed Leigh, not noticing the

gleaming blade in her friend's hand. Katrina said nothing and plunged the knife towards

Leigh's chest. Leigh's eyes widened in shock and she quickly stepped back, tripping

over a loose stone on the floor. She fell backwards, knocking her head against the wall.

"Time to die," hissed Katrina stepping forward, ready to attack again. Leigh quickly

lifted her foot, kicking Katrina's hand and sending the knife flying. Her eyes followed

the blade of silver, as did Katrina's. They both dived for it, Leigh coming out victorious.

As Leigh came face to face with Katrina, knife raised, she realised she couldn't do it.

She and Katrina had been friends for years. As Katrina watched Leigh falter, she

smirked and hit Leigh in the face. Leigh stumbled backwards, but not dropping the

knife. Katrina lunged forward and Leigh raised the knife. There was a sickening

squelch as Katrina impaled herself upon the knife. Leigh dropped the knife and stepped

away from Katrina, shocked by the events. Katrina's face went slack and she dropped

to her knees, then fell face-down to the floor. Leigh gulped and kneeled over the body,

checking for a pulse. When she found none, the sense of loss made its impact. For a

moment, she felt totally numb, but realised that she had had to do it. She pulled the

knife from her friend's chest and stood back up. Although she and Zelda had had their

differences, the most recent being the death sentence that Zelda had practically

imposed upon Leigh, Leigh knew that the princess was in deep trouble and perhaps

she was the only one who could help her out. She hoped this was not the case, as at

the moment she could be not much help. She wiped the knife upon her cloak then

grabbed a torch from the wall and ran down the corridor, hoping she wouldn't be too

late.

Ve smiled at Vassaco evilly as they stood over the Princess. "Who are you?!" cried

Zelda, tears flowing down her face.

"We are supporters of the great one," replied Vassaco, as if she were asking a question

so obvious.

"Kain? He was killed years ago, he wasn't even human!" spat Zelda.

"Kain?!" asked Ve with a chuckle. Zelda turned to look up at the two. They were both

dressed entirely in black, black hoods also covered their faces. There were a few

others who were also dressed in the attire as well.

"Well, who else?" asked Zelda in a confused tone.

"Ganondorf Dragmire of course," answered Vassaco smugly.

"Hush Vassaco, do not let the peasants hear," urged Ve. Zelda's eyes widened.

"Ganondorf?" asked Zelda in surprise. True enough, she knew people supported Kain,

but she'd never heard of any humans supporting Ganondorf. Except the Carcastan sect,

but they were hardly human any more.

"All of you?" asked Zelda.

"All that matter," replied Vassaco.

"Silence, both of you. The peasants grow impatient. They are waiting," said Ve.

"Silence Ve. I am the leader, we shall do as I say. I want to wait for hero to turn up.

Then we shall begin," started Vassaco, raising a hand. Ve nodded in agreement,

keeping silent. Zelda turned back to the crowd, beginning to wish she had never gone

back for the Triforce.

"Drake, I think, Zelda is in trouble!" said Link worriedly, holding his temples. Drake

turned to Link, concerned.

"What kind of trouble? The gates weren't open for very long. We managed to force

them back out," reassured Drake. Link shook his head.

"No Drake, I have to go out there. She's out there, I can feel it," insisted Link.

"You'd get slaughtered. I don't care if you're the chosen hero or whatever, it's too much

of a risk. I'm not having you risk your neck for some feeling!" said Drake sternly.

"It's more the feeling, I've had this kind before. If I can sneak out, in disguise, no-one

will be the wiser. But I have to check this out," said Link. Drake shook his head.

"After all she's put you through Link. Go on, but make sure no-one sees you," said

Drake gravely. Link nodded. He thanked Drake then ran along the battlements. He ran

down the steps and to the guards quarters and grabbed a spare hooded-cloak and

quickly put it on. He then ran back up to the battlements and around the side of the

castle, to where there were less angry peasants. He grabbed some nearby rope and

tied it to the battlement and quickly slid down. Once he touched the ground he gave the

rope a good yank and it fell to the ground. As he picked it up, he pulled the hood over

his face and quickly jogged into the huge crowd. He knew Zelda needed help, and she

needed it fast.

Leigh looked around, her eyes scanning the huge crowd of angry people. They were

waving torches and pitchforks, shouting angrily to the guards upon the battlements.

After a few minutes of looking, something caught her eye. Upon a hill, stood a frame of

some sort. Leigh realised what it was as soon as she saw the metal blade atop the

frame. It was a guillotine. "Shit," muttered Leigh, seeing the crowd around it. She would

never make her way through that crowd. Suddenly, someone bumped into her. As she

turned to see who it was, she immediately recognised the green tunic. "Link?" she

whispered. Link looked up at her from under his hood.

"Shhh!" he warned. Leigh looked at Link then at the crowd around the guillotine. She

grabbed him and held a knife to his throat.

"I have Link! Let me through!" announced Leigh, pulling the hood from the hero's face.

The crowd turned to look at the announcer and as soon as they saw Link's face they let

out a cheer. They stood aside, making a straight path to the hill, upon which the

guillotine stood. As she dragged his through the crowd, they booed and threw pieces of

debris at Link.

"What're you doing?!" hissed Link to Leigh as she dragged him towards the hill.

"Saving your wife," replied Leigh, the screams and boos of the crowd drowning out her

voice. As she approached the foot of the hill, a black robed and hooded figure blocked

her way.

"Hand him over!" demanded the figure. Leigh dropped back.

"Not likely, I want the glory for this find," said Leigh. The figure drew a sharp sword,

pointing it at Leigh.

"Hand him over," repeated the figure. Leigh dropped the knife and pushed Link

towards the figure.

"Fine, no need to get so…" started Leigh, quickly drawing her own sword and holding

it to the figure's throat as they stepped forward to retrieve Link. Suddenly, the sound of

unsheathing swords met her ears. Leigh turned her head slightly, only to see she was

surrounded by sword wielding peasants.

"Looks like we have two more necks for the block," said the block robed figure,

emphasising the word two. Leigh obligingly dropped her sword and waited to be tied

up.

Link tried to struggle against his bonds but it was no use. "And now, she shall pay for

her sins!" announced another black robed figure. Link looked up. Zelda was kneeling

upon the dais, her head on the block. "No!" cried out Link in desperation as he saw the

figure untie the rope that held the blade. Link tried again to pull away from his bonds

but they were too tight. He looked up again as he saw the figure yank the rope. He

squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out all noise so he would not have to hear the

sickening thud of the blade against the flesh of his wife. To his surprise it didn't come.

"It's stuck!" hissed one of the figures. Link closed his eyes, thanking the goddesses. The

air was filled with the sounds of booing and hissing as well as screams of anger. Link

began to struggle with his bonds, knowing this could be his last chance.

Leigh struggled at her bonds, but she knew that they were too tight, too well done to

be broken in the few minutes that she had. Whilst the confused leaders of this rebellion

examined the guillotine, trying to fix it, Leigh concentrate on casting ignite upon the

bonds. She muttered the incarnation that went with the spell, and the bonds burst into

flames. Link looked at her in surprise, no doubt thinking she was mad. "Shit! Shit!

Shit!" she thought, pulling the weakened bonds apart before they could burn her skin.

As her and Links captors were concentrating upon the strangely stuck guillotine, it gave

her the perfect opportunity to escape unnoticed. They had been tied up not so far away

from the group, but far away enough to be able to escape unnoticed. Leigh quickly

untied the rope that held her feet together and stood up. Instead of releasing Link, she

stealthily made her way to the crowd around the guillotine and grabbed the nearest

shrouded figure and clasped her hand around their mouth. She slipped the dagger from

their belt and stabbed them in the back. Without so much as a murmur, the figure

slumped to the ground. Leigh then quickly made her way back to Link and cut the

ropes around his wrists and feet.

"I though you needed reagents to cast spells," exclaimed Link, confused.

"Shhh!" silenced Leigh, creeping over back to the crowd. She grabbed the figure whom

she had killed and dragged them over to the nearest bush. There, she pulled off their

black robes and draped them over herself.

"What about me?" asked Link. Leigh pulled the hood of the robe over her head, so it

cast shadows across her face.

"D'you recognise him?" asked Leigh, ignoring Links question and nodding down at the

body. Under the robes, it was a fairly young man, wearing not overly elaborate

clothing. Link shook his head.

"You stay here, I think it's too late to get another one," whispered Leigh.

"So let me go," insisted Link. Leigh paused. "She is my wife," pointed out Link,

speaking again.

"And I suppose you know what you're going to do when you go out there?" asked

Leigh.

"Do you?" retaliated Link. Leigh rubbed the back of her neck. She had to admit, she

had no idea what she was going to do next.

"I'm the one who knows magic," she argued, realising she could probably use that to

her advantage somehow.

"And?" said Link, still not convinced. Leigh shrugged.

"I don't have much time, and I don't want to waste what's left of it by arguing with you,"

she stated standing up and making her way over to the crowd.

Including herself, there were six of them, all in black shrouds. The booing crowds

below them grew louder and louder as the execution was delayed for longer and

longer. Leigh tried to wrack her brains to try and remember those very rare spells that

seemed to work, here in Hyrule. She began to absent-mindedly finger the ankh which

hung round her neck, desperately trying to come up with something. Suddenly, the

chain snapped and the ankh fell from her hand and onto the ground, nearer to another

one of the mysterious figures than herself. She groaned inwardly, hoping that they

wouldn't notice the ankh. Unfortunately, they noticed the glint of gold in the torch light

and stooped down to pick it up. They turned round, to see were it had come from,

Leigh quickly put her head down, hoping they wouldn't suspect her. A strange odour

suddenly filled the air, that of singing skin. The figure who had taken the ankh let out a

gasp of surprise, dropping the ankh to the ground. The figure looked down at their

hand, seeing that the ankh had actually burnt into their flesh. Leigh at once realised what

was happening. For the ankh to do that, the figure must be a creature of the undead, or

something similar. Two of the figures turned around to see what the commotion was

about. "What is it?!" hissed one of the figures in a female voice.

"That, that object. Look what it did!" said the figure with the burnt hand. Leigh knew

she had to get hold of the ankh. If she could use it in a spell against these monsters, she

could easily eliminate them.

"Never mind that! Those two prisoners have escaped!" exclaimed the other figure,

pointing over to the spot where Leigh and Link had been tied up.

"Baal? Did you see what happened?" asked the woman, obviously turning to Leigh.

She was glad that the robes were so heavy, concealing the fact that she was in fact a

woman. Leigh hesitated.

"Well?" asked the other figure. She cleared her throat, wishing, perhaps that she had

agreed to let Link take on the disguise. She shook her head, hoping they wouldn't

question her further.

"This is brilliant. Wait 'til Vassaco finds out," sighed the woman.

"He won't have to if we can find them first," said the other figure. Another one of the

robed figures turned away from the guillotine.

"What's going on?" he asked, in a smug voice.

"Oh shut up Xquiq!" said the woman in an agitated voice. Leigh looked over at the

ankh, wondering how long it would take her to reach it. Yet another of the figures

turned around. "Hush! This noise is most unnecessary," they said impatiently. Then they

noticed the shining ankh that lay on the ground.

"Where did that come from?" they demanded.

"Calm down Ve," said the woman soothingly.

"Calm down! That object could be our undoing if anyone got their hands on it if they

knew how to use it! And where are the prisoners!" demanded Ve.

"We uh, aren't sure," said the other male, the one with the burnt hand.

Without warning, Leigh stepped forward and scooped up the ankh in one hand. "Baal?

What're you doing?!" asked the woman in surprise.

"It's not Baal!" exclaimed Ve, stepping forward, trying to grab the ankh. When he

missed, he turned to the others. Leigh held up the ankh, hoping she still stood strong in

the spirit of Good. "Get out! We will regroup in the tower!" screamed Ve, loud enough

for the rest of the group to hear. At that second, all of the figures went limp, falling to

the ground. Link jumped up from behind the bush, looking around confused.

"What happened?" he asked. Leigh shrugged, speechless. Link quickly ran over to

Zelda and untied her, giving her a quick hug, relieved. Leigh, meanwhile, crouched

down by one of the bodies, checking for a pulse. There was none. The roar of boos

and hisses from the large crowd at the base of the hill had toned down to confused

murmurs. Leigh pulled down the hood from the figure, revealing the features of another,

unremarkable face. Link walked over to where Leigh was crouched, along with Zelda.

"Who were these people?" asked Link.

"Whoever they were, they're gone now," murmured Leigh.

"One of them, called Vassaco I think, said that they followed Ganondorf," said Zelda.

"What happened anyway?" asked Link. Leigh shook her head, looking down at the

ankh still grasped in her hand.

"I think…I think that these people were somehow taken over by some kind of spirits.

When I used the ankh, or at least held it up, they fled. To a tower, god knows where,"

started Leigh, still confused herself.

"A tower? Well that's a big help," said Zelda restlessly. Leigh stood up, ignoring Zelda

and looked down to where the huge crowd was. Guards were beginning to leave the

castle, rounding up the crowd as the faltered. Link was watching as well.

"You don't think whatever was possessing this lot, had some kind of hold over them do

you?" he asked.

"If they did, it's disintegrated now," said Leigh.

"Well, there is a way we can trace were they went," said Zelda, joining the two. Link

turned to Zelda and nodded, understanding.

"The Triforce?" he asked.

"Yes, but.." she paused, her face draining of all colour.

"What? What is it?" asked Link, worried.

"The Triforce, I hid it somewhere, before I got captured," she said, looking at Leigh.

"I never saw the Triforce, one of them stabbed me in the side, and I'm afraid by the

time I'd managed to sort it out, you were gone," said Leigh, although her tone had not

an ounce of apology in it. Then, Leigh remembered Katrina and sat down, feeling sick.

"Are you okay?" asked Link, crouching down beside her, a hand on her shoulder.

Zelda watched on, not amused.

"I think whatever they had, Katrina had," said Leigh, rubbing her forehead.

"What? You think she was, possessed?" asked Link, not able to stumble upon a better

word for it. Leigh nodded her head, feeling worse by the minute. She'd killed her own

friend. What kind of a person was she?

"She tried to attack me, I had to defend myself. And I don't think it was the first time

she'd attacked me," continued Leigh, her voice beginning to falter.

"Look, I hate to spoil the moment, but we really ought to head back to the castle. I

need to see if the Triforce is okay, then we can trace whatever just tried to execute me

back there," said Zelda, nodding over to the guillotine. Link nodded and helped Leigh

up, she was a little shaky, he noticed. "She wasn't your friend anymore, you had to do

it," he assured her. Leigh bit her lip still unconvinced.

"Come on, we need to get back quickly, before the traces of evil are disturbed,"

insisted Zelda, marching down the hill. "She's recovered incredibly quickly, considering

five minutes ago she was about to be executed," commented Leigh dryly, who could

hardly believe that Zelda still persisted in acting hostile towards her, even though she

had practically saved the princesses life. Link, seeing Leigh's stricken expression,

smiled at her encouragingly.

"She is grateful, she's just too proud to admit it. She'll come round…eventually," he

reassured. Leigh managed a half smile and followed Zelda back to the castle.

"It's still here," sighed Zelda in relief, hauling the Triforce from it's hiding place, halfway

down the dungeon corridor.

"Thankfully," added Link.

"Come on then, we have to get back to that hill, quickly. It's our only chance of finding

out where they have gone, short of searching every tower in Hyrule," said Zelda.

"I thought that it was the Guardian, who was responsible for Katrina, but if they said

that they followed Ganondorf, well I must be wrong," said Leigh, as much to herself, as

anyone else.

"So you were wrong. Get over it," said Zelda, wishing Leigh would go somewhere else

entirely.

"Of course, it could have been a cover. Saying that they followed Ganondorf I mean.

o confuse us," said Leigh, ignoring Zelda. "What does it matter whether they follow

Ganondorf or the Guardian? It's not going to help us any more, even if we did know,"

pointed out Zelda. Leigh shrugged.

"I guess," she conceded.

"If you don't mind, I'll just stay here, in the castle," said Leigh.

"By all means stay," said Zelda, a little too eagerly. Zelda and Link began to make their

way back to the ground floor of the castle, closely followed by Leigh. On they way up,

they bumped into Drake.

"There you are! I was beginning to worry when we didn't find you in that crowd," said

the knight, his face flushed.

"We're fine," said Zelda. Drake turned and looked at Leigh.

"I was wondering what happened to you too. I was worried that you'd been captured

when they stormed the castle," added Drake, he face wrought with concern. Zelda

looked across at Leigh, then back to Drake. She had to admit, the woman was a little

pale.

"Uh Drake, take Leigh to her room. She's feeling a little under the weather," ordered

Zelda. "On the second floor," she added, on an afterthought. Link and Drake both

grinned at each other, realising this meant Zelda had finally come to her senses.

"Immediately," said Drake, with a salute. So, while Link and Zelda left the castle once

more, Leigh was led back to her room.

As Link and Zelda climbed the hill, it began to rain. "Oh brilliant," muttered Zelda,

feeling her day really could get no worse.

"Zel?" asked Link.

"What?" asked Zelda, wishing she'd worn something a little more accommodating to

the weather.

"I'm sorry things got so far," apologised Link, wincing at the sight of the guillotine, that

had yet to be removed. Zelda turned and smiled warmly at Link.

"It looks like the Goddesses were on my side today anyway," she said.

"Yes, but if that thing hadn't have jammed," said Link, hating to think of what could've

been.

"But it did Link, that's the point. So don't linger on the thought," said Zelda. Once on

top of the hill, she held the Triforce aloft, centring her thoughts. Blue bolts of electricity

began to shoot from the Triforce, trailing along any traces of evil. Suddenly, a jolt

shuddered through Zelda, causing the Triforce to fly from her hands. Lightening lit up

the sky, thunder roaring straight after it.

"Zel? Are you okay?" asked Link, reaching down to Zelda. Zelda nodded and looked

up. "Link! Look!" she said, her eyes aglow with amazement. Link turned, following

Zelda's gaze, and he also was astounded. In front of him, was a blue streak of light,

which hazily zig-zagged back and forth, making way for the Midoro mountains, which

lay just south of the castle. As the lightening illuminated the sky again, all that Link could

make out was the blue trail of light, and the haggard silhouette of the Tower of Nagul,

which was surrounded by the mountain range of Midoro.