Chapter 4

The Goddesses little excursion to Hyrule (back in the Encounter) had been prolonged drastically, and now it was their eighth year in observing the people they had created. "So, don't you think it's time to go home?" Nayru said. "Are you kdding? This is THE place to be! I love it!" Din said, relaxing on the soft Hyrule Field grass. "Well, I can see why you're saying that..." Farore muttered cynically. "Hey, you make it, you enjoy it! That's my motto!" Din said. "Well, I just think that maybe our replacement up there isn't doing as well as we thought!" Nayru said. Zelda dropped her head onto the ground. "Okay! I've finally got all that paperwork done! I don't know how they do it, but they're Goddesses, and I'm not! I almost wish I was back down there. But, once you're up here, you can't get back down, except with the help of the Goddesses, and I don't think the Goddesses want to come back! So, I'm going to have to stay up here! Of course, I could always just make Link have a heart attack and then I'd be in good shape! I should check on him." Zelda said, shuffling over to the portal that you could see various people through. She saw Link riding with some dark-haired girl. "Who the heck is that? He looks like he likes her. I thought he liked me! Meryl Jacobs! Who is she? Oh, I get it, he was just in it for the money and fame! That's what it was! Oh, how could I be so gullible? Now I definitely don't want him up here! Let Meryl have him, for all I care!" Zelda muttered, walking away in a huff.

"Oh, so this is your new wife?" Aaron asked. "No! Just an old friend, we have NO intention of getting married! Spread the rumor all you want, I know we don't have a relationship!" Link said. "Oh, well, have I got something to show you after Miss Meryl is shown to her quarters!" Aaron said, winking at Meryl and walking off. "Is he married?" Meryl asked. "Yes and no," Link said, taking Meryl by the arm and showing her to the other guest room. Meryl shivered. "No, what I mean is that his wife has got e-" "NO! There's something evil in the castle, I can sense it!" Meryl said, looking around. "In here? A rat couldn't get through here!" Link said. "It's right there!" Meryl said, pointing at Zelda, who was walking by. "Hi Link!" Zelda said, waving at him. She seemed to stiffen a little bit as she saw Meryl. Meryl glared and looked at Link. "Was that who I thought it was?" he said, rubbing his eyes. "No," Meryl said. "Look, honestly, I think that was Zelda!" Link said. "Zelda wouldn't stiffen like that if she passed by someone!" Meryl countered. "She might if she didn't like someone!" Link said. "Here, why don't you go see Aaron, see what he's got!" Meryl said. Link quickly walked out. "She's changed," he said to himself. He walked over to where he usually met Aaron. Aaron was standing around, waiting for him. "Here, I need to show you something," he said. Aaron led Link down to the secluded basement. He nodded to the guards and opened the door. Mallard carried the gun out and slipped it on Aaron. Aaron charged up the gun. "What the heck is that thing?" Link asked, peering over Aaron's shoulder. Aaron moved him back. "This thing hurts, so stay back!" he said. Link moved back, as Aaron pressed the trigger. A tremendous blast flew into the wall, but this time Aaron controlled the blast and managed to stay on his feet. "H-how does that thing work?" Link gasped. "Magic, you can set it for all sorts of things!" Aaron coolly replied. Mallard grinned. "What a guy, just wiped out a wall and he acts like he's in warm karbrina!" he said. Link frowned. "What in the world is karbrina?" he asked. "Man, you don't take geography! Sosaria manufactures that liquid, you pour it into a tub, and it automatically adjusts to the temperature! One of the great wonders of the world, they say, I think that it's one of the great blunders of the world! I mean, temperature-adapting liquid? Give me a break! I'll take martinda any day!" Mallard said. Aaron leaned over to Link. "More of his Velattian heritage again." he said. Link looked at Aaron, amused. "Mallard a Velattian? That's a good one!" he chuckled. "It's true, I'm afraid." Mallard said, overhearing the conversation. "Say what? I think my hearing's gone out...." Link muttered, rubbing his ear. "You heard the man!" Aaron said. Mallard nodded. Link stared. "You...you haven't been giving away secrets to the Velattians, have you?" Link asked. "Heck no! You don't think I have been, do you?" Mallard said, pulling his collar. "Why do I feel like Raymond Chandler?" Aaron muttered. "No, Mallard, you are too trustworthy for that. I say we've had enough of this. I wonder what's been going on in the castle lately. And I wonder what Zelda meant by Dad being up to something." Link said. Suddenly someone pounded on the basement door. Aaron opened it and paled as he heard the news. He walked back down. "Aaron, what's up?" Link asked. "We're being attacked by Ganon." Aaron said. "Didn't they already attack us?" Link asked. "Yeah, but that was to soften us up. Now it's full-scale. But they say that those boys have already cleared away the advance force." Aaron said. "What was the number of them?" Link asked. Aaron blushed. "Ten." he said. Link shook his head and walked out, followed by the other two. He could see purple magic beams flying around as they ran outside, which meant Impa was in the thick of it, and others were also flying around, they were sort of cyan-colored, and really weird. He saw who they were coming from. "No....that isn't possible....those boys are shooting magic. Aaron, how is that possible?" Link asked, stepping out into the fray. "I know how it's possible!" someone called, jumping down by Link. It was Meryl. "Meryl, what are you doing?" Link asked. "Meryl? Who the-" "Shut up!" Mallard yelled as he barreled into a Moblin. "Link, they've got some sort of special power! I know what it is! It's like-HELP!" Meryl screamed as Ganon scooped her up. Link snarled and ran towards Ganon. Ganon help the tip of his giant sword up to her throat. Meryl winced and glared at Ganon. "Put her down!" Link barked. Ganon rolled his eyes. "I'm warning you...." Link said. "I'm warning YOU! If you don't give me the Triforce of Wisdom, I'm going to send your precious Meryl to an early grave!" Ganon laughed. "What he means is he's gonna kill her!" Aaron yelped. Suddenly Meryl flew into Link. Ganon was lying on the ground, wounded and in serious pain. "Can't have a battle without rescuing a lady or two! Wish Zelda was still around here, that would be a treat!" Jack called, battling a Stalfos. Link glared and looked guiltily at Meryl. He helped her get on her feet, then quickly ran to fight Ganon, who was up and running. Running away, actually. "What's up with him?" Meryl asked. "Nayru only knows.....what I'd be without yooooooou!" Aaron said. Meryl looked strangely at him with a lopsided grin. Aaron smiled back with a floppy grin of his own. "It's a popular song back home!" he said. Meryl shook her head and ducked as an arrow whizzed overhead. Meanwhile, Link was duking it out with Ganon, a.k.a "Father". "All right, what do you know about Zelda that I don't?" Link asked, trying to thrust into Ganon's blind side. Ganon stumbled back, using two Moblins as protection. They looked horribly distraught, knowing what Ganon would do to keep alive. "She was, oh dear, I just can't say it, oh, it would hurt you too much!" Ganon said, mockingly putting his arm over his head. Link prepared a Light Arrow. "She was going to be pregnant." Ganon said. As expected, Link's eyes widened in horror. He stepped back, unsure of himself. "That little bundle....we would have been....wait a minute, we had only been married about a week! Nice trick, Dad! But you have to get up pretty early in the morning to catch me!" Link said, grinning. Ganon muttered in disgust. "Knew there was something wrong with it!" he said. He suddenly threw himself toward Link and flattened him. Link gasped under the pressure. "Help! Somebody...." he said, noticing that he couldn't feel anything in his right arm. From afar, Aaron detected a huge hulking form crushing a blot of green, and red seeming to be mixing with the green. "This isn't what I think it is, is it?" Aaron said, motioning for the Core Soldiers, an elite group of Hylian Guards, to follow him. Mallard and the others tagged along as well. Ganon saw them coming and saw his chance to capture the entire Hylian command. He teleported over to the defenseless Hylian soldiers and started mowing them down. Mallard ordered all the soldiers to come except one, who was to stay with Aaron and Meryl. His name was Morland. A cry of anguish came from where Ganon had been. "Link! What happened?" Meryl asked. Link attempted to grin. "He sat on me. Sounds stupid....doesn't it?" he asked. A flash of white came over everyone in the area, and for a moment Link saw Zelda's face. "Zel...da," he muttered, falling unconscious. Aaron stared, horrified. "Get this man to the doctor! And be quick about it! I want him back on the field as soon as possible!" he yelled. Morland and Meryl quickly hoisted Link up and carried him off. Aaron cursed silently as he stood on the field, alone. He cursed the lack of medical supplies that the Hylian's had. He grumbled about what had happened tonight. He wished he didn't have the feeling that somewhere up there, Zelda was watching Link smugly. He worried over the fact that Link was teetering near death. He despised Ganon. "Someday, Ganon. Someday. You'll get what's coming to you." Aaron muttered. And then he wept.

"We might be having another funeral service. We just might," the doctor said. "YOU will. I won't!" Aaron said cryptically. Mallard kicked a nearby bucket. "Sir, please don't-" "I'LL DO WHAT I PLEASE!" Mallard shouted. The doctor paled. "Mallard, keep cool," Aaron said, glaring at the doctor. "Aaron, you idiot! Ganon has wiped out half the army, our princess is dead, Link is dying, and you say to keep cool? I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING, THIS COUNTRY IS DYING! As Link's life ebbs away, so does this country! So does this world! So does eternity! Link is our one hope, and if we lose him, we lose all the protection that we ever had! This army of misfits, morons, and brain-impaired cowards couldn't protect a rock if there were two Moblins assaulting! They are afraid to fight! Even the Core Soldiers are cowardly! You and me, Aaron, and the Sages! We can't do it alone! There is no way that this world can survive without Link! Ganon takes over, the world is enslaved! Billions will die under inhumane conditions! Billions more will die because of cruelty by Ganon! The Hylian's will be wiped off the face of the earth! We need him, Hyrule needs him, the world needs him....Zelda used to need him...." Mallard finished. "Mallard, I agree totally. But how can we help him? His ribs are crushed, his heart nearly ruptured, his skull is cracked, I just don't know!" Aaron cried. "E-excuse me, but I think I could help!" the doctor said. The duo turned toward him. "There's someone who knows various life-saving spells, maybe you could go to him." the doctor said. "Where?" Mallard asked. "Who was it, let's see....oh yes, now I remember! Doctor Meryl Jacobs, expert in weird spells and magic!" he said. "This should be good!" Aaron said, smiling.

"I was hoping you'd come! You know, I like it here in Hyrule City so much, I decided that I'd stay! So now I can make regular calls to the castle!" "Doctor" Jacobs said. "Get on with it!" Mallard demanded gruffly. "Okay, let's see what's happened up close and personal! Oh, I recognize that crushed rib, nearly-ruptured heart and cracked skull! This is more serious then I thought!" she said. "Couldn't the Sages have done something?" Aaron asked. "They could have saved Princess Zelda eight years ago, remember. They don't do resurrection or very good healing," Mallard said. "Yeah, but apparently someone back in the olden days did! Why else would Link have gone into the forest?" Aaron replied. "He said he was going camping," Mallard replied. The voice of Meryl broke into their conversation. "I don't think he's got too much hope, guys. Some, but not much. I'll look into my spellbook to see if I can do anything about it. Would you mind waiting a couple of minutes?" she asked. "That's fine, anything for a friend," Mallard said, collasping onto a couch. "You hurt too?" Aaron asked. "Aaron, do you remember when Ganon first attacked, right after you crash-landed in your little putt-putt skyship?" Mallard asked. "Starship. They're still excavating that, you know. But yes, I do. Any reason why?" Aaron replied. Mallard grinned. "I can still remember Zelda and Link standing there as the army was in front of them. There were men in the army back in those days," Mallard said. "That was a only a year ago." Aaron said laconically. "Well, yes, but I was right in the midst of the battle. You had a few Stalfos sneaking up on your tails, and you didn't know it, so I attacked them, just in time to see Ganon capture Zelda in that darkness web, I don't know what it is, but I almost had a heart attack when I saw that, and I think that's when our kingdom started to crumble," Mallard said. Aaron shook his head slowly. "That was horrible. I don't know how Zelda came back to life, they always come back to life, they're lucky. He'll supposedly die a hundred times and he'll just come back to life again, right, Mallard?" Aaron asked. "Aaron, that's for a special reason. Because I don't think Zelda's journey is over yet, and neither is Link's. And not necessarily here. Maybe somewhere, some place, some time, they're battling evil, and perhaps not in a green tunic and a white dress, either," Mallard said. "New York City, battling someone called Ganon Scrooge on Christmas Eve. That would make for a REAL good story!" Aaron chuckled. "What?" Mallard asked.

The forest buzzed with news of Link's injuries, and Saria rubbed her head. Mido was up to his old tricks again. He had been elected Kokiri Leader again, by use of fraud, trickery, and downright terrorism, capturing a few Wolfos and threatening to set them loose on the forest if they did not vote for him. Saria was Assistant Leader, and Nigel was Minister of War, Jared was Minister of Education, Koran was Minister of Village Affairs, Thomas was Minister of Agriculture, and that was the Cabinet. They had gathered for an emergency meeting, minus Mido, on what to do about this problem. Saria took command of this one. "All right, Link is in serious trouble. Can we do anything to send aid to the Hylians, can we send magic, can we send food, anyone have any ideas?" Saria asked. "Well, it doesn't look like you've got any!" Nigel snickered. "Shut up, Nigel!" Koran growled, obviously not in a good mood. "Shut up yourself!" Nigel shot back. "Okay, I've got an idea! Let's get out of this darn meeting and PARTY!" Jared yelled. Saria glared. "Look, we're serious here, if we don't send aid, this means we lose that big security blanket that you morons rely on! Ganon comes, then we don't have Link! That's how serious it is!" she said. "Saria's right! We won't have that protection that we will inevitably need!" Thomas said. Koran nodded. "Well, I'm going to tell the teachers to educate their pupils about Mido, and they're going to learn about him as a pillar of-" "Meeting adjourned." Saria muttered. "A pillar of strength and good-" "Meeting adjourned!" Saria barked. Everyone filed out except for Saria. She sighed. "If I'm ever elected, how can I put up with this bunch? Oh Link, I hope you're okay," she sighed.

"You mean to say that they're going to mount ANOTHER feint?" Aaron yelled. Link was at Meryl's, being worked on. Mallard felt that he might have a chance. And Aaron recieved word that Ganon was going to attack again. It was time for the Ghostbuster 2000 to be rolled out. Ganon was going to send a small attack force down into Kakariko Village, and he was going to have most of it come through the Shadow Temple. Aaron thought of this place as the perfect training ground for his new invention. Ganon would attack at precisely twelve o'clock that morning. Lannod and Jardi were out of the hospital, and had seen the fake Zelda visiting with patients in the hospital. They were going to pretend to still be hurt, and then when Zelda came by, wham, they'd get her! Aaron thought it was a pretty bad idea, but he had his gun to work on, so he didn't interfere. By now the news of Link's critical injuries had spread, and the population was going into an uproar over it. Panic was spreading throughout most of the world, and Velattiane and Tanol saw it, as did Ganon. They formed an alliance and started making plans that I will not tell you of quite yet. People started to wonder what to do, and if they should perhaps somehow move to Velattiane or Tanol. But some people remained calm, and prepared emergency supplies and such. Well, at the castle, it was 11:58, and Aaron hooked up his invention and, with Mallard, went out to fight in the Shadow Temple. They arrived in Kakariko Village and told everyone to evacuate, then moved on toward the temple. They used a hookshot to get up to the temple, then moved in. The torches Link had lit eight years ago still burned brightly, so the doors were open. They moved in and immediately found a Skulltula. Aaron vaporized it, patted the gun, and moved on. Mallard rolled his eyes. They came across three Stalfos. Aaron used the fire setting, then the ice setting, then the light setting. Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. Aaron spun around. It was one of the four boys. The other three stepped out. "Don't scare me like that! You shouldn't be here, this is the Shadow Temple! Not a good place to be!" Aaron said. "Well, you'll need help, I guarantee it! Listen, we've decided to call ourselves The Outcasts, you know, so-" "LOOK OUT!" Mallard yelled as a ghost rushed over them. Aaron blasted the gun full power. It hit the ghost and started holding it in place, while the ghost struggled to get free. Mallard threw the trap under it and the ghost melted into the trap. "Good one!" Jack yelled. "All right, strike one! Let's go get some more!" Aaron yelled. Suddenly the gun accidentally went off and blasted the way right into a room. "What? Aaron, is that one of your Dark World dumpoff points?" Mallard asked, observing the dark shield of energy. Aaron peered at it. "Yes, give me the trap," he said, but suddenly the gun started to shake. It started to spark at the tip. Aaron realized it was going through a meltdown. He tried to shut it off, but to no avail. It started to break apart. Then Aaron desperately threw it into the shield. It blew up and all the energy that was behind it broke out. Luckily, only one thing fell at their feet. "All right, what is this, a joke?" Aaron asked, as everyone stared at who it was. "Oh no! You did it, didn't you?" Zelda said grumpily, looking at herself. "You don't actually think that's her, do you?" Aaron asked. The others could only shrug. "Look, where's Link? I'm sure he was behind all of this! I was having a great time!" Zelda said. She saw The Outcasts. "Oh, hi. Man, I don't know why we ever got married." she said. Aaron and Mallard happily dragged Zelda out of the temple and right into the fighting. Ganon had decided to send ALL of his troops through Kakariko Village, and the Hylian troops were helpless against him. But Zelda saw what was happening. She jumped into the fray and wiped out an entire squad of them, all in one hit. Aaron and Mallard took on the main brunt of it, getting themselves into a tight spot fast. The Outcasts had to get them out of it. Zelda saw Ganon and fired a magic bolt. Ganon turned. "Who is it?" he yelled. "It's your worst nightmare!" Zelda called back. Ganon's mouth dropped to the ground. Literally. "Zelda? It can't be!" he said, bulling about ten Hylians out of the way to get closer. Zelda raised her hands at him. Ganon stopped. "You come another steop closer and I'll blast the heck out of you!" she said. "Well, PRINCESS, you won't be able to survive my attack! You should have heard what Mallard has been saying about you!" Ganon said, turning to Aaron and his friend. Zelda turned to Mallard. "I know what you've been saying! I knew there was something wrong with you! Link, Aaron, and you! I knew it all along!" Zelda sputtered. Aaron suddenly pushed her out of the way of an incoming spear. "Really, you've got all the evidence you need-" "That we didn't do it!" Mallard finished as Aaron was forced to deflect a Stalfos attack. "I hate you people!" Zelda said, blasting another Moblin. "Ditto!" Aaron called. Then a new charge by the Hylian troops managed to pierce the line of the monsters. And then Aaron and Mallard, with The Outcasts and Zelda, made a crushing charge from the side, enveloping Ganon's soldiers. They panicked and ran every which way. Suddenly a familiar face stepped in. "Link!" Zelda said. "No!" Aaron replied, putting his hand in front of Zelda. "You've gotten smarter, Aaron. But haven't you noticed?" Nakil said, pointing to the Shadow Temple entrance. Hundreds of Iron Knuckles poured into the area. "We were too early to combat it..." Aaron whispered. "We wouldn't have made much difference anyway!" Tom muttered. "Zelda, get us out of here!" Mallard called. "I can't, I've lost my advanced magic somehow!" she cried. An Iron Knuckle prepared to end their adventures prematurely. Aaron, Mallard, and Zelda raised their hands. The Iron Knuckle lowered his axe. Ganon grinned. "Finally, we shall have-where are those four boys?" he shouted. His minions quavered. "You nincompoops! You morons! You idiots! You didn't kill them?" he screamed. "N-n-no, Your Evilness, we couldn't kill such handsome young-" "I DON'T CARE! I WANT THEM DEAD!" Ganon screamed.

As the prisoners were pulled roughly along, the guards suddenly tripped and rolled to the side of the caravan, with the heroes as well. Suddenly they transformed into the Sages. Fortunately, they were at the very back, so no one noticed. Everyone hugged and exchanged stories, except Zelda. Suddenly Impa noticed the princess. "Zelda!" she cried. Zelda barely took notice. Aaron chuckled and looked at Saria. "Feeling bad about Link, huh?" he said. Saria nodded. Aaron hugged her. "Who's feeling bad about Link?" Zelda muttered. Saria's eyes widened. "Zelda, you're alive!" she said, hugging Zelda. Zelda shoved her away. "But Zelda, you're alive! Isn't that great?" Saria said. "No," Zelda replied. "Have you heard about Link?" Saria asked. "What about him?" Zelda asked. "Ganon critically injured him!" Saria said. "Serves him right!" Zelda said. "But don't you love Link?" Saria asked. She motioned for the other Sages to move back and help Aaron and Mallard. "Why should I? He's unfaithful," Zelda said, burying her head in her hands. "What are you talking about, he was the best husband a woman could ever want!" Saria gasped. "No, Saria, you didn't know everything about him. He was just in it for the money and fame!" Zelda said. "But he had fame, as the Hero of Time! And do you know what your dad pays him?" Saria said, almost laughing. "He wanted more," Zelda said. "If you love him, then you'll come back to the castle, and help him!" Saria said. Zelda glared. "And if you know what's best for you, then you'd better get out of my face!" she shouted. Impa looked up. "Aaron, what's up with Zelda?" she asked. Aaron shrugged. "I don't know. Ever since we freed her, then she's been mad at us!" he said. "Freed her?" Impa said, frowning. "Yes, with the Ghostbuster 2000. We found some sort of portal to heaven, or something, and then the gun started to meltdown, and I threw it into the portal, and it blew up, and Zelda came tumbling out of it, restored to her normal, pathetic, idiotic, whiney, self!" Aaron grumbled. Impa slapped him. "That's not how Zelda is!" she said. "Well, for your information, your Zelda has been acting like a brat!" he snapped. "That's right, Aaron! She's a total moron! I never knew that about her," Saria said. Impa frowned again. Saria never lied, so Zelda must be acting up somehow. She walked over. "Zelda, what's wrong?" she asked. Zelda pushed her away. "I don't want to talk," she said. Impa came back. "You need to. It'll help," she said. "I don't want to talk!" Zelda yelled, bursting into tears. Impa hugged her close. "Zelda, I know that you were happy up with the Goddesses, but it wasn't your time. You know that," Impa said. "B-but the Goddesses put me in charge! Th-they're d-down in Hyrule right here, right now!" Zelda sobbed. Impa's eyes shot open. "What did you say?" she gasped. "I said, the Goddesses are in Hyrule!" Zelda said. "No....you've suffered some sort of trauma, that's the only thing! The Goddesses couldn't be here in Hyrule, could they?" she wondered. "Zelda, we're going to get you home! Where you belong, and then maybe we can clear more of this up! Ganon has something in it, and I'm not sure what it is, but....we'll get you home!" she said. Zelda hugged her, and the two women smiled at each other, then burst into tears again, relieved that they were together again. It was a gesture that would repeat itself many times over.

"Oh, what happened? Where's Zelda?" Link moaned, finding himself in a medical bed. He tried to move but almost killed himself with the effort. The doctor saw it. "Link, are you really conscious?" he gasped. "Well, of course I'm conscious! Man, we really have bad doctors around here!" he grumbled. "Link, don't move! Can you remember anything?" he asked. "Um, my fight with Ganon, my fight against that Skulltula infestation, basically everything!" Link said. "Good, stay down, we'll start helping you to walk again tomorrow, and you should be able to walk again in six months or so. And just to let you know, we'll have to have someone to feed you, so get some rest!" the doctor said. Link glared. "Someone to feed me? Walk again in six months? Give me a break!" he said, trying to move his arms, but failing. He slumped down. "Can't even read a book. Well, I think I'll just go to bed. Nothing else I can do," he said, turning over and going back to bed.

Lannod and Jardi were chasing the fake Zelda through the halls, it seemed they finally had her this time. "Look, there she goes! Move!" Jardi yelled. Hylian troops led by Commander Arno Cashtim were moving in on the other side. They saw Zelda all of a sudden with the Sages, and their buddies Aaron and Mallard, and those four boys. "All right, we've got you cornered! We're going to force all the information out of you!" Lannod yelled. The Hylian troops rushed up. "Hey, there she is!" one of them yelled. "What's going on here? I demand to know what you are doing to Zelda!" Impa barked in Lannod's face. "That's the fake Zelda!" Jardi said. "Someone's impersonating me?" Zelda gasped, drawing herself up. "No, for all you who don't know, Ganon's made a double of Zelda, and he's turning it loose on the castle! And nobody seems to care!" Arno said. "So that's it! Well, let's hope Link just never saw her!" Zelda sighed. "I don't think he had a chance, before he got....wait a minute, Zelda, how did you get here?" Lannod asked. "I can tell you that. You see, we hadn't revealed this to you, but we constructed a magic-powered weapon called Ghostbuster 2000 and we went out to combat Ganon's troops in the Shadow Temple. We saw a ghost and fired at it, and captured it, with our trap. Then the gun accidentally fired and blew a hole in the wall. We saw this sort of shield, dark shield, and then the gun underwent a meltdown, and then I threw it into the shield, blowing it up, and then Zelda came tumbling out, apparently restored to her original self, how or why I don't know," Aaron said. "Okay......what other miracles have you performed today?" Jardi asked. Everyone broke up laughing. "Jardi, you've still got it in you!" Aaron said. "Oh, I've kept it all right, you just don't see it that much anymore. Come on, folks, let's troop up to the hospital!" Jardi replied. They all walked into the castle and walked up the stairs. "Why do you think that double's appearance didn't make anyone suspicious?" Zelda said to Impa. "I'm suspicious!" Aaron called. "Well, I know YOU'D be suspicious, but I'm talking about the castle," Zelda said. "Well, someone's in a bad mood!" Aaron grumbled. "Have you forgotten she's been to paridise and back, gotten resurrected, and gone through an emotional breakdown?" Mallard chuckled. They walked to the hospital entrance. "Identification, please," a guard said, barring the way. "You've got everything you could want!" Aaron said. "What's Princess Zelda's nickname?" the guard asked. Aaron grinned and nudged the princess, who edged away. "Okay, there are three that I know of. Zel, Sweetheart, and Little Love!" he said. The guard nodded. "Continue," he said. Zelda glared at the guard as they walked in. They walked up to another guard, who watched the Special Patients room. "Identification, please," he said. Aaron fumbled in his pocket and brought out a symbol of the Triforce with his name on it. The guard stared closely at it. The Triforce seemed to glow as he got closer. The reason for this was that if you were really loyal to the king and the Triforce, your identification card would glow. This was a very closely guarded secret. The guard smiled at Aaron and motioned for them to go in. They saw Link chatting with another patient. Zelda walked over. "You all right?" she said. Link looked at her, and then Aaron and Mallard, and then at Saria and the rest. "You came back," he said to Zelda. "Actually, I had some help. Maybe Aaron should tell you the whole story," she said, stepping back. Suddenly the doctor walked over. "I'm terribly sorry, but no one can see him for a few days," he said, apparently not knowing Zelda was in the group. "Look, I feel fine, my wife here wants to talk to me, so let her!" he said, but without the usual conviction and strength he had in his voice. The doctor shook his head. "Sir, if you will kindly remember your doctor friend from about seven years ago?" Impa said, giving him a look. The doctor suddenly backed away to another patient. Saria and Zelda winked at each other, remembering the poor doctor who was choked to death by Ganon. Aaron leaned on Link's bed. "How have you doing?" he asked. "I'd like to hear what happened to Zelda first, alright?" he said. So Aaron related the story of how Zelda was strangely resurrected, and how they were captured, and subsequently rescued by the Sages. Aaron omitted the part of Zelda blowing up, as it would embarrass Zelda, and he would not want to embarrass her twice, and in front of Link, as well. Link nodded and approved of Aaron's throwing the gun in the shield, with a wink at Zelda. Everyone laughed. "But I'm going to be in traction for six months, and I'm going to have to have someone feed me, oh, how humiliating!" he said. "Not as humiliating as going around knowing your husband, the great Hero of Time, is critically injured, and everybody else knows it too!" Mallard said. Then one of The Outcasts realized that the Sages were gone. "Hey, what's this?" he asked, picking up a piece of paper. Aaron took it from him and saw some letters on it. It was a message. It read:

 

Dear Friends,

You may find it strange that we are gone on such short notice. We are sorry that we have to leave at a time when Hyrule is without its hero, but we have learned of an important development in Velattian-Hylian relations. It seems that our intelligence has reported Velattiane and Tanol are in some sort of mutual defense system against "The treachery of the Eastern Lands". They have also reported that Sarnilia is starting to be attacked by the Western Alliance. (that's what Velattiane and Tanol are calling themselves) We've been ordered to infiltrate Velattiane and Tanol, as well as provide aid for Sarnilia. We hope that we will return alive, as this is a dangerous mission. Consider yourselves lucky you were not chosen, especially Mallard. They'd kill him if he ever came back. At the moment, we are now changing into Velattian and Tanolian clothing. Just to let you know, Saria, Ruto, and me are going to Velattiane, Darunia and Nabooru will go to Tanol. We'll miss you, and I'm sure you'll miss us. All you can do, I'm afraid, is pray. But don't worry too much. We'll find out about Malon while we stop at Sarnilia.

Best Wishes, Impa

 

Aaron grinned. "So someone is finally doing something about it, eh?" he said. "Who's doing what?" Zelda asked. "The Sages have been called on an intelligence mission to Velattiane and Tanol, but they're going to stop at Sarnilia and find out about Malon," Aaron said, rereading the paper over and over again. Zelda's hand flew to flew to her mouth. "But that's so dangerous!" she said. Aaron smiled. "But Zelda, that's half the fun!" he said.

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