The skies of Hyrule shone with a golden light as the slowly rising sun heralded the start of another day. As its rays penetrated his bedroom, Link’s eyes unwillingly opened. He took a moment to rub them and blink a few times in order to get used to the newly-arrived light. He tried to force himself up into a kneeling position, but he ended up falling face first into his pillow.

            The hero groaned and turned to face the window, where a small, blue bird was perched on the sill. Its chirpy song and cheerful demeanour taunted him and, had he been in his other form, Link would have probably found himself enjoying it for breakfast. But a quick glance at his hands proved that he was currently human, so the bird was free to live for another day.

            Upon hearing footsteps outside his room, followed by a few sharp knocks on the door, Link mustered enough energy to prop himself up with his hands.

            “Who is it?” he asked groggily.

            The door opened, and a young, dark-haired servant boy entered the room. He looked quite nervous as he observed the hero.

            “Um, His Majesty wants me to make sure you’re awake, sir,” he said in a timid voice.

            Link sighed and fell forwards again. “Fine,” he grumbled, “I guess I’d better do as he says. Anything to stay in his good books.” As he spoke, something small and fluffy glided into his mouth towards his throat. He knelt up abruptly as he choked and coughed out the downy white feather that he had almost swallowed. He then picked up the pillow, and found that it bore a large gash on one side.

            “Do you need me to fetch another pillow, sir?” the boy asked him.

            “No, don’t bother,” Link replied grouchily, “If there’s nothing else, you can go.” Once he heard the door close, he slammed the pillow back down onto the bed. Immediately, several more feathers flew out of the hole.

            Cursing under his breath, Link got out of bed and mentally braced himself for yet another day in the service of King Taranis of Hyrule.

 

            As the sun blinked over the eastern horizon, it greeted another individual who would have preferred the cover of darkness. A lone beast poked its muzzle cautiously out of the relative safety of the rocky overhang it had chosen to hide in. The harsh cry of a hawk soaring overheard made it whinny in fear and it quickly darted back into what little shadow was left.

            It shouldn’t have ended up this far from home, it knew. But it would have run to the end of the world if it could that night. Not daring to venture out into the welcoming sunlight, it instead cowered underneath the overhang, staring intently at the vast plain in front of it.

 

            “Link?”

            Amidst his feelings of anger and frustration, the voice of Princess Zelda felt like music to Link’s ears as he walked to the great hall where meals were held.

            “Yes?” he responded, his mood lifted.

            “What were you doing last night after you went to bed?” the princess asked.

            “Uh…” The hero subconsciously raised a hand to the back of his ear.

            “Only one of night patrol guards claims he heard growling from your room when he passed it.”

            Link couldn’t tell whether she was angry or not.

            “Look, I was a little annoyed when I left last night, you know that,” he explained, “I needed to get my anger out of my system somehow. Why are you so bothered, anyway? He didn’t come in, so there was no harm done. The pillow wasn’t so lucky, though,” he added.

            “I’m bothered because Dad knows, and I don’t want to see you get shouted at again,” Zelda said in a concerned voice.

            “So much for staying in his good books,” Link muttered as he followed Zelda into the hall.

            As soon as he entered, the first thing Link noticed, over all the other faces and bodies, was the penetrating gaze of King Taranis at the other end of the room. He paused in his tracks, wondering how far he could go if he ran now. During his adventures, Link had encountered many terrifying creatures, but right now, none of them could hold a candle to that glare that Taranis was giving him.

            The hero swallowed hard before resuming his march towards his place near the closer end of the table.

            He was thankful that Taranis had let him sit among the knights of Hyrule, although he was certain that it had been Zelda who had influenced the decision. She had most definitely intervened when it came to Midna’s place at the table, for the Twilight Princess was allowed sit near the head, opposite Princess Zelda.

            “So, what was going on in your room last night, then, eh?” a rough voice asked. The knight elbowed Link as he spoke.

            “Mmm… What?” Link asked, his mind not quite in the room yet.

            “I said, what was going on in your room?” the knight repeated, “I heard that you had some wild dog in there with you.”

            “You could say that,” Link muttered, not wanting to talk about it. The knight continued to talk about it, but he didn’t listen. Instead, he kept his head down and tried not to meet anyone’s gaze during the whole meal, lest he was quizzed about it further.

 

            Once breakfast was over, and the crowd began to disperse, the servant boy that had woken Link up earlier informed him that King Taranis wished to speak with him privately. He then led to the hero into the library.

            “Wait here,” the servant instructed him, “His Majesty will be along shortly.”

            Link didn’t say anything as the door closed, and instead sat down and rapped his fingers on one of the library’s polished tables.

            “How did I get myself into this mess?” he said to himself, furrowing and rubbing his brow.

            A few seconds later, the door opened again, and Taranis marched in importantly, keeping his eyes fixed on the young hero. Similarly, Link gazed back at him, their eyes locked in a deathly staring contest.

            “Be thankful that you’re still alive,” the king spoke first, in a dangerously calm voice, as he sat down opposite Link, “Normal instructions for a guard involve investigating the source of any strange activity in the castle. Strange activity such as how the room of a young man who doesn’t keep any dangerous pets can have something growling in it.”

            “What stopped him, then?” Link asked coolly.

            “He was one of the new boys. And a bit of a coward, if I must be honest.”

            Link nodded his head in understanding.

            “Be thankful, then, that he ran off and reported his discovery to me first,” Taranis continued, “I knew exactly why your room would contain something that growled like that, and told him to ignore it.”

            “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

            “If he had reported it to someone else instead, then what would have happened do you think?”

            Link said nothing.

            “Either way, someone would have ended up seriously hurt or dead! Listen, Link,” the king seated himself opposite the hero, “By now, I have accepted that both you and that… Midna woman are not like the rest of us. However, I do not wish to allow a wild wolf…”

            “Wild?” Link repeated incredulously, “I could be considered somewhat tame, surely?”

            “As I was saying, I do not wish to allow a wild wolf to roam free in my castle. It’s bad enough you do it in town, but…”

            Link leaned forward across the table. “Are we going back to last night again?” he asked, “Look, I did not touch that man!”

            “And I believe you. But what do you expect people to think if they see an unconscious man lying in the street with a great big wolf standing near him?” Keeping his voice low, Taranis continued, “The fact remains that while you are here, among this many humans, any use of your power puts you in great danger. I allow you to wander the town as a wolf, which is at your own risk. However, I do not want you wandering these corridors as a wolf at all!

            “You have to consider,” he continued, “the consequences if you were to be discovered. Right now, you have a reputation among the people of Hyrule as a valiant hero. If they saw a wolf from the Twilight wandering about, they would kill it. If they were to find out that you are in fact the aforementioned wolf, then what?”

            Link swallowed, remembering the reaction of Ilia, his childhood friend from Ordona. “I understand,” he said quietly.

            “And then you must think about how this would bounce back to us if people found that we knew you were a werewolf all along. How would it affect us? How would it affect Zelda?”

            Link had to suppress a comment at this point. He knew that if Midna were in the room, she would have spoken up straight away, but he wasn’t that brash. He did, however, believe that the King had struck a low by bringing Zelda into the conversation.

            Instead of voicing his thoughts, though, the hero merely grunted his acknowledgement of the situation.

            “Good,” Taranis said, satisfied, “Consider this a warning, young man. Because if I ever catch you in these walls as a wolf, or if I ever hear of anything similar to what I was told last night, then I would have to take due action against you. Understand?”

            Link nodded as King Taranis left. The hero remained seated, alone with his thoughts, for a while before leaving himself.

 

            As Taranis left the room, he nearly ran into Zelda. The princess had been stood outside, eavesdropping on the conversation.

            “Don’t you try to defend him,” the king warned her before she could speak, “First he runs off without a word of warning, then he’s causing trouble in town, intentional or not, and now this! I swear, if he gives us any more grief, then he’s out of here! Understand?” He walked off before Zelda could say anything in response, but she was determined.

            “Wouldn’t it look strange, though?” she asked, following him, “Finding a wolf and throwing out a human?”

            “It won’t look strange if he gets found out,” Taranis replied quietly, “And mark my words, the way he’s going, he’ll get found out sooner or later.”

 

            It seemed that Link wasn’t the only one having a bad morning. As he surveyed the gang of minions that had gathered around his throne, Ganondorf Dragmire, self-proclaimed King of Twilight, held his head in his hands as his mind processed the news he had just been given.

            “So you still haven’t convinced the Bulblins to swear allegiance with us again?” he said.

            “Err… Not as such, sir,” one of the Bokoblins replied in a hoarse voice.

            “Link really keeps their leader in check,” another piped up, “King Bulblin doesn’t follow him, but he’s not entirely keen on confronting him, either.”

            Ganondorf groaned in frustration. “So the only way to get him on our side is to kill Link,” he muttered to himself, “But then once I kill Link, taking over Hyrule will be child’s play,” he paused thoughtfully, “Basically, any effort to gain the Bulblins’ loyalty would be worthless.”

            The sorcerer groaned again. In what had felt like a short space of time, he had been killed, come back to life, taken over the Twilight Realm as king, and conquered the desert west of Hyrule. Unfortunately, the entire population of the desert consisted of Moldorms and Stalfos, and when he considered his previous achievement of once ruling the whole of Hyrule, it wasn’t really much to show for his efforts. This only served to make him angry, which he would usually take out on his hapless minions.

            However, this time, he didn’t bother. He just sent them out and left himself to his musings.

            “I don’t need those Bulblins, anyway,” he pondered, “If they’re not truly allies of Link, then they’re no real threat to me. Still, it would be nice to have someone useful on my side for a change.”

 

            Once Link had gotten over his warning, he saddled up Epona, his beloved mare, and rode off to the Eldin province. He wanted to put the recent events behind him, even if it were only for an hour or so, and thought that a nice, brisk ride through the wide plains would do it.

            Unfortunately, when King Taranis learned of his excursion, he had only allowed him to go on the condition that Zelda went with him.

            “I thought he let me stay so that I could keep an eye on you, not the other way around,” the hero muttered.

            “He just doesn’t want you running off again, that’s all,” Zelda replied.

            “So he thinks that because you’re with me, I won’t run off?”

            “I’d say that’s the idea.”

            “He’d have been better off sending Midna with me instead, then,” Link smiled, “I wouldn’t dare try to escape from her clutches!”

            “And you would try to escape from me?” Zelda laughed. “Besides,” she added, “I think Midna’s already gone to Lake Hylia, anyway.”

            “So your father lets her off on her own?”

            “She doesn’t have a reputation of running off and getting herself into trouble.”

            “No, just a reputation of making herself part of other people’s troubles!”

            For all his jesting, Link wished that Midna was with him right now instead of Zelda. It wasn’t that he particularly preferred her over the Hyrulian princess, but Zelda always made him think of Taranis. It seemed his plans of relaxation were going astray. He needed something to take his mind off things, desperately. He pulled up on the reins, forcing his steed to halt.

            “Hey, Princess!” he said eagerly as Zelda stopped next to him, “Race you to the bridge over there.” He pointed towards the bridge that connected the Eldin plains to the northern mountains.

            “You’re joking, right?” Zelda asked, grinning with amusement, “I think you’ll find Ghost to be faster than your carthorse!” She gently patted her white stallion’s mane as she spoke.

            Link felt a short chill, but ignored it. He had become used to the uneasy feeling he had whenever he looked at that horse, even though he could never fathom out why it ever occurred. Epona had snorted angrily at Zelda’s remark.

            “I’ll have you know this ‘carthorse’ can wipe the floor with your fancy thing any time,” Link said confidently, kicking his heels into Epona’s sides and galloping off.

            “What the - ? Come back here! That’s not fair!” Zelda called out, riding after him.

            Once she finally caught up with him by the bridge, the princess chastised the hero, who merely claimed that if her horse was as good as she had said it was, then it should have had no trouble keeping up with him.

            “Well, since Epona won that round so easily, then it should be no problem for her to catch us now,” Zelda said in a dangerously sweet voice, and quickly galloped away from the hero.

            “Huh? Hey, get back here!” Link shouted at her. Epona darted after the stallion, but this time, Ghost nimbly swerved this way and that, catching the hero and his bulkier charger off-guard.

            “What’s the matter? You given up already?” Link asked as he approached a now stationary Zelda. “What is it?” he asked, noting the expression that she now wore.

            “I saw something move just then.”

            “Yes, that was me chasing after you.”

            “Not behind me! Over there!” Zelda indicated towards one of the rocky cliff faces that surrounded the plains. The pair watched for a few seconds until they saw a brief glimpse of white from underneath an outcrop.

            “Was that it?” Link asked.

            “I think so.” Zelda dismounted and started to approach the shady area.

            “Zelda, wait,” Link called as he followed suit, “We don’t even know what it is. It could be one of Ganondorf’s monsters.”

            Zelda glared at him in disbelief. “Such as what?”

            “Look, just let me go first, OK? I don’t want anything to happen to you, and if it tries anything, this way it’ll have to get past me first.”

            Looking again at the moving shadow, Zelda reluctantly agreed. Link carefully edged forward, his left hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. As they closed in on the shadow, they could see that whatever the creature was, it was big. Not as big as Epona, or as chunky, but still big enough to be wary of.

            “It looks like a horse,” Zelda whispered in Link’s ear.

            “Then we still need to be on our guard,” the hero whispered back, “Wild horses can be nasty.”

            The creature appeared to scuttle back as it caught sight of the pair. This time, they could see something else that caught them by surprise.

            “Did you see that?” Zelda whispered much more loudly.

            “Yeah,” the hero nodded.

            “That was a horn, wasn’t it?”

            Link grinned gleefully. “Yes, it was.”

            “Then it must be a…”

            “Unicorn,” Link finished the sentence for her, “I don’t believe it.”

            “Me neither.” After a short pause, Zelda asked, “Why are you still holding your hand over your sword?”

            “Because I’m still not taking any chances! Despite what people might think, a unicorn is basically a wild horse with a horn coming out of its head!”

            The unicorn skittered, causing Link and Zelda to jump slightly. Now they were closer than ever, they could see the creature’s slender, horse-like body, its golden-coloured horn, and its terrified expression.

            “Link, lower your hand now. You’re scaring the poor thing.”

            “But what if it…”

            “Just look at it. I don’t think it would look like that if it wanted to attack us.”

            Link sighed, and lowered his sword hand. The unicorn seemed to relax, but only slightly. By now, the two Hylians had it cornered, and it knew they were both armed.

            “Hello, there,” Link said softly as he came face-to-muzzle with the beast, “Where did you come from?”

            The unicorn shook its head and stamped its hoof.

            “Back away! Back away!” Link hissed at Zelda. He then turned back to the agitated unicorn and said as soothingly as he could, “It’s all right. We don’t want to hurt you.”

            But by now, there was no stopping it. The unicorn reared up and swung its head at Link.

            “Get back!” the hero called out to Zelda. The princess stepped back a few paces until she suddenly stopped with a look of terror on her face. She was so paralysed with fear that she was nearly bowled over when the beast decided to bolt for the sunlight.

            “Link! Are you all right?” Zelda asked with concern; the hero had stumbled as he tried to avoid the frightened creature’s horn. He stood up a little shakily and dusted himself down.

            “Well, at least we got it out,” he said. Looking up, he saw the unicorn’s dust trail settle onto the ground. He could see that both Epona and Ghost had fled a short way away to avoid the startled creature. Epona was stamping her hooves in anger, while Ghost had maintained a dignified stance.

            “We have to track it down,” Zelda said, “I don’t think a lone unicorn will last long out here in the open. Especially when Ganondorf’s monsters are roaming Hyrule.”

            “Princess, that thing nearly impaled me! I’d say it can look after itself pretty well!”

            “Only because you scared it by hovering over your sword! Unicorns are gentle creatures and don’t need people threatening them with swords.”

            “Which part of ‘that thing nearly impaled me’ are you having trouble understanding?”

            Zelda folded her arms in annoyance. “Before we showed up, it was just cowering under that rock. Whatever brought it here must have driven it to the height of its fear, and you certainly didn’t help.”

            She marched off and mounted Ghost.

            “Well, if you’re such an expert in unicorn-hunting, you try and catch the damn thing yourself,” Link muttered as he mounted Epona.

            The dust trail and footprints had been jerky, with the unicorn darting about in all directions, until it turned west. A little further on, the hoof trail turned south.

            “It’s heading towards Kakariko,” Link deduced, spurring Epona into a gallop.

            Zelda looked warily over her shoulder before following. She thought she had seen a shadow lurking in the distance, but when she looked again, there was nothing there.

 

            The usually peaceful mountain town of Kakariko was in chaos by the time the pair arrived. Just as Link had suspected, the unicorn had gotten there first and was now dashing around in deep fear, while the townspeople hid in their shops and houses.

            The hero rode as fast as he could towards the beast as though he was driving his own determination into his mare. However, his prey was agile, and would swiftly change direction as he chased it, much like how Ghost had done earlier.

            Link gritted his teeth as he chased the creature. He eventually cornered it by a wall, at which time it had stopped to consider its next move. He only had it trapped for seconds, although the time felt much longer. As he eyed his prey, the hero could see the fear in its eyes. However, the fear didn’t stop it from trying to escape, and it again bolted straight towards Link.

            This time, Link stood on Epona’s saddle and leapt onto the unicorn’s back as it passed him, which only served to send it into an even greater panic.

            “Link!” Zelda cried out in fright as she caught up with him.

            “Don’t worry about me!” Link called out in response, “All in a day’s work!”

            The hero grasped hold of the animal’s neck as it ran and kicked about. He eventually mustered enough courage to grab it by the horn in an effort to control it.

            “Calm down! I don’t want to hurt you, I want to help you,” Link hissed into the wild unicorn’s ear. Before he could say another word, though, a tide of emotion washed over him. For a split second, he felt a strong, unwavering sense of fear course through his body, while the image of a man with a bow flashed into his mind. The sensation then vanished as quickly as it came, and Link found himself lying on his back with the now calm unicorn standing over him.

            “You’re scared because someone is hunting you,” he whispered weakly at the horse-like face, “I understand now.”

            As Zelda dismounted from her stallion and rushed to Link’s side, one by one the inhabitants of the village emerged from their hiding places and began to crowd around the Hylians.

            “Stand back!” Link warned them as he stood up, “We don’t want this creature running off again.” He carefully patted the nervous unicorn’s neck, mentally assuring it that he wouldn’t harm it.

            “Are you OK?” Zelda asked, “Did she get you, too?” she added in a whisper.

            Link gave her a puzzled look.

            “I saw your face before you fell. She gave you a taste of her fear,” the princess explained, “She did the same thing to me before she ran off.”

            “Someone’s hunting her,” Link whispered back, “I don’t know who or what, though.”

            Amidst the crowd of onlookers, a tall, dark-skinned man approached the hero. Link smiled warmly as he recognised the face of Renado, Kakariko’s shaman.

            “Link, how wonderful it is to see you again,” the shaman said, with a look of relief in his face, “I thank the goddesses that you turned up. When this beautiful creature arrived, I’m afraid to say that we feared for our lives, the way it ran like that.”

            “You weren’t the only ones,” Link replied.

            “And it is also an honour to see you here, Princess.” Renado bowed deeply at Zelda as he spoke, adding, “We do not often get the chance to be greeted by your presence.” He then turned his attention back to the unicorn, and asked the pair where it had come from.

            “We don’t know exactly, Renado,” Link replied, “All we know is that she came from somewhere east of Eldin.”

            “I see.”

            The unicorn skittered again, much like it had in the Eldin plains, as the crowd started to draw nearer.

            “Can you all stand back, please?” Zelda asked in an authoritative tone, “If she gets frightened again, we may not be able to stop her.”

            The crowd dutifully dispersed, although most of the children, and some of the more curious adults, hung back to look at the unicorn some more. Hardly anything exciting had happened in Kakariko since the fall of the Twilight, and the mere sight of such a rare creature in the village was enough to catch anyone’s interest.

            “We think someone, or something, chased her here,” Link was explaining to Renado, “I don’t know if it still is, but it looks like its given her a real fright, whatever it was.”

            “Never mind what brought her here for now,” the shaman said sagely, “The important thing is that we can calm her down enough to get her back to where she belongs. This place is not safe for her.”

            By now, the unicorn had started to stray from the group. She stamped and kicked up dust in the ground. Then, she sniffed the ground eagerly before snorting in frustration.

            “I think she might be hungry,” Zelda said, approaching the beast and gently stroking her muzzle.

            At that point, Link felt a familiar groan in his stomach. “So am I,” he commented.

            “Already?” Zelda gave him a disbelieving look.

            “It has been over an hour since breakfast,” the hero complained.

            “But still…” Zelda didn’t finish her sentence, but instead agreed to stop at an inn for an early dinner, and a chance to rest the horses and the unicorn.

 

            While the two Hylians had been busy chasing unicorns, over at the other side of Hyrule, Midna relaxed underneath the shade of a tree overhanging the bank of Lake Hylia, which sparkled in the sun. Although she had told the King of Hyrule that she planned to visit the lake that day to keep an eye for anything unusual coming from the desert to the west, she had really wanted to go for the benefit of Arden, her Aquamentus.

            She looked down at the surface of the lake, and could see the sleek, glossy black shape of her pet weaving through the water, using his waterproof wings to steer himself through the cool liquid. She reached out to a saddlebag, and retrieved a scrap of meat from inside it. The Twilight Princess then held the meat over the water.

            The dark shape seemed to pause for a moment, and then it raced towards the surface like lightning. Midna threw the meat up into the air just as Arden broke the surface. The sunlight shimmered off his scales, briefly revealing the faint, elegant patterns that adorned his body, and glinted on the sole horn that protruded from his head.

            He quickly flapped his wings to get himself airborne, holding his hooves close to his body to keep himself streamlined. He expertly snapped up the meat that his mistress had thrown before making a U-turn and diving straight back into the water.

            “Very impressive. Does it do any other tricks?”

            Midna gasped and looked around to see that Ganondorf had silently appeared and was now sat behind her.

            “More than you could ever hope to manage,” the Twilight Princess replied bitterly after regaining her composure, “I must say, it’s a bit brave of you to turn up here alone, without your lackeys.”

            “I could say the same about you,” Ganondorf said coolly, “Sat here, with no little dog to protect you.”

            Midna scoffed. “Ha! You don’t have to worry about me. I can take you on with one hand tied behind my back.”

            “No, you can’t. No one can, except the Legendary Hero.”

            “Then take me. Take me now.”

            Ganondorf grinned. “Don’t tempt me, madam.” He wrapped an arm around Midna’s shoulders as he spoke.

            Suddenly, Arden burst forth from the water again, this time landing squarely on the ground. He spread his wings, growled at the sorcerer, and lowered his head so that his horn pointed straight at him.

            “I see your… creature objects to my treatment of you,” Ganondorf said.

            “He’s not the only one.” Midna tried to force the dark lord’s arm off her, but he only gripped her tighter.

            “Interesting creature, though,” Ganondorf conceded, “The power of a dragon mixed with the beauty of a unicorn. If you were to join me, I suppose it would be the same thing.”

            The sorcerer finally released the Twili and stared hard at her. He wanted to do away with her now, but he fought hard to keep his rage to himself.

            “Midna,” he uttered her name softly, “as much as it tears me inside to admit it, I’m asking you nicely. Be grateful that I am giving you this opportunity, especially after the trouble you’ve caused me in the past. You can join me now and all will be forgotten, or else I’ll be forced to take drastic measures on you.”

            Midna shrugged. “Why change the habit of a lifetime?”

            Ganondorf clenched his fist, trying to suppress his rage. Arden roared and kept his focus on him.

            “So that’s a ‘no’, is it?” Ganondorf snarled.

            “You know by now that I would never follow a false king.” Midna folded her arms and glared at her harasser.

            “Then you leave me no choice.” It was over in a matter of seconds. As the dark lord raised his hand to strike, Arden charged at him. Ganondorf quickly stood up and grasped his horn with one hand, holding the furious Aquamentus back with immense strength.

            Arden tried to shake himself free, but his opponent kept a firm grip on him before punching him in the side of his face. The punch wasn’t enough to cause him much pain, but it did knock Arden off-balance enough for Ganondorf to shoot a dark magic blast at him. With a roar of pain, the beast staggered backwards and fell back clumsily into the water.

            The fight was over so soon that Midna was still trying to register what had happened by the time Ganondorf grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back.

            “You said you could take me on with one hand behind your back,” he growled threateningly, “Go on. Do your worst.”

            Midna took a deep breath and glared daggers over her shoulder.

            “Is that the best you can manage?” Her foe grinned and gave a menacing chuckle. “Really, I would have expected more of a fight from you.”

            With her free hand, the Twili conjured up a magic blast of her own and sent it out like lightning into Ganondorf’s leg. The sorcerer cried out in pain for a moment, but never let go of his grasp on her.

            “There it is!” he cried out triumphantly with a hint of ecstasy, “There’s the Midna I know! I knew you had it in you!”

            Midna twisted her hand to strike again, but her actions were cut short. Ganondorf had brought his own free hand around to the princess’s chest, and Midna felt a great pain weaving through her entire body, as though she were being pulled in two ways.

            She opened her mouth to scream, but her voice was lost to the sensation of being sucked into a black hole. The process lasted for minutes that felt like hours, and Midna would have breathed a sigh of relief once the pain stopped. However, she was in no condition to do so. As soon as the spell was over, her body slumped, unconscious, in Ganondorf’s arm, while the sorcerer held a glowing, ball-shaped, purple mass of energy in his hand.

            He placed the body on the floor and took a few deep breaths to regain his energy, laughing gleefully as he studied the purple mass. Holding his other hand over the mass, a crystal materialised over it, trapping the energy inside.

            “Sorry about that,” he said, staring at the crystal with the maniacal eyes of a madman, “but some things are just too good to waste.”

            Taking one last look at his work, the sorcerer summoned up a portal to the Twilight Realm, and vanished through it, leaving the scenery as peaceful and serene as it ever was.

 

            “I’m going to find out what it is that’s after her,” Link said as he ran his fork along his food, “I can’t imagine anything that could chase a unicorn all the way here just giving up and going home.”

            “To be honest with you, I think it might already be here,” Zelda replied.

            The pair were now enjoying an early dinner in the nearest inn they could find. Their horses were stabled up, as was the unicorn, which the stable hands had promised to take very good care of.

            “It’s already here?” Link echoed, “How can you be sure? We don’t even know what it is.”

            “When we followed her here, I…” Zelda hesitated. She knew how seriously Link took even the smallest of hunches. But it was too late now, she had piqued his interest, and he wouldn’t allow the topic to drop without a fight.

            “I saw a shadow behind us,” she said at last, “Just before we got here. It could have been nothing, or a trick of the eyes. Don’t listen to me. Just forget I said anything.”

            “Princess, you know that there’s a very good chance that it isn’t nothing.”

            “Just forget it, all right? Like you said, we don’t even know what it is that was after her, anyway.”

            The hero wanted to chase the topic further, but he knew that Zelda would say no more about it, and instead contented himself with his meal. As he chewed on a piece of meat, he turned his head this way and that, taking in his surroundings. Many people were glancing over in his direction, but he knew they were more interested in Princess Zelda.

            Various rough-looking men of all shapes and sizes were occupying the bar. Link recognised some of them as guards and swordsmen from Hyrule Castle, while others he guessed to be heavy workers or travellers.

            Just as he was starting to shift his gaze across the room, the door opened, and a tall, muscular man entered and made his way to the bar. His stubble-lined face was framed by a matt of black hair, and his brown eyes were fixed with a piercing sternness, not unlike the expression found on a hawk.

            As Link took in this new arrival’s appearance, he made particular note of his dress sense. Although he wore a dirty and torn short, which revealed various scars underneath, it was the fur cloak that caught Link’s eyes the most. He guessed that it was wolf fur, and felt as though the man was wearing the skin of someone he knew. He knew that that wasn’t true, but he felt that way all the same.

            Once the man had passed him, he then noticed the end of a bow that were slung over the stranger’s back poking out from underneath the cloak, as well as a quiver of arrows strapped around his waist.

            “A huntsman, I’d wager,” he swallowed and muttered to himself as he turned back around to face Zelda.

            The princess said nothing. She glanced up briefly at the stranger and continued eating.

            “Wonder what he’s doing here?” Link muttered.

            Zelda looked up and over her friend’s shoulder. The man was now sat at the bar, ordering a drink.

            “Clearly not on business,” she replied.

            Somehow, that didn’t make Link feel any better. He knew that the huntsman had paid no attention to him as he passed, but when he did, the hero had felt as though he were a wolf, despite still being in human form. A small part of him had wanted to run and hide.

            “You don’t see many of his kind around here,” he said more to himself than to Zelda. The princess had given him a questioning look, so he continued, “Back in Ordon, there were a few huntsmen living in the forests and mountains near the village. They kept to themselves mostly; we didn’t bother them unless we needed to and they didn’t bother us.

            “They very rarely venture into, well, inhabited places. Not unless they have a real need to, or if they’ve been summoned by someone.”

            “And you think this one’s up to something?” Zelda asked.

            Link opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of footsteps coming towards them made him think twice. The huntsman had approached them and was now standing next to Link. But he paid the hero no heed and addressed Zelda instead.

            “According to that lot over there,” the hunter indicated towards a group of swordsmen at the bar, “you’re Princess Zelda of Hyrule. Am I correct?”

            “Indeed.” Zelda tried to sound indifferent when she spoke and took a small sip of wine.

            “Well, I never,” the hunter bowed. It wasn’t a mocking gesture, but at the same time the movement wasn’t exactly one of genuine politeness. “It is an honour to meet you, Your Highness.” He then noticed Link for the first time. “And this runt is…?”

            “Link,” Zelda cut in quick before her friend could make some kind of snappy response.

            “Link?” The huntsman paused for a moment and licked his lips as he racked his brains, “You must be the other one those guys were on about. The one who saved this kingdom from monsters a long while back.”

            “That’s me.” Link tried not to look the man in the eyes.

            “Can’t have done a very good job of it, then, if you’re crawling with monsters again.” The hunter smiled and chuckled. “But I’ve got to say I appreciate your efforts, nonetheless. The name’s Corvin.” He beamed and offered his hand. Link reluctantly accepted the greeting, finally daring to look Corvin in the face properly.

            “So,” Link tried to stop himself, but the words unexpectedly blundered out, “what brings someone like you to civilisation?”

            “Link!” Zelda hissed angrily.

            Corvin glared hard at Link, who was once again beginning to feel an overwhelming, feral urge to run. He knew it was ridiculous, but he felt as though the huntsman could stare straight through his human self at the wolf within.

            However, Corvin suddenly brightened up and chuckled jovially, even going as far as to slap Link on the back. As he did so, the hero couldn’t help but notice a slight wince to the action.

            “Well, you can tell your princess that I’m not here to poach any of her father’s wildlife for starters,” Corvin replied, “As for why I’m here, I’m afraid I can’t tell you.” He wrapped an arm around Link’s shoulders as he continued, “Nothing personal, you understand. It’s just that I’d rather no one else pried in my business. Rest assured, I’ll keep myself to myself, and won’t do anything to bother you or your lovely lady.”

            Link tried to say something, but all he could force out was a strangled whine.

            “Nervous chap, isn’t he?” Corvin said to Zelda as he released his grip on Link, “Like a little rabbit. I can’t see how he can fight monsters if he’s like that. Then again, I guess you never know what a timid little creature will do once it’s threatened.

            “In fact, I hear you two have managed to capture a live unicorn.” He sounded impressed by the deed.

            “I wouldn’t say ‘captured’,” Zelda explained when Link failed to respond, “More like calmed it down.”

            “All the same, it’s an incredible accomplishment. Not many people can catch a unicorn.”

            Much to Link’s annoyance, Zelda blushed.

            “It’s something that often eludes even the best hunters.

            “Thank you,” Zelda blushed even more.

            “You’re welcome,” Corvin replied, “Listen, I need to get back to my drink now, as I’m very thirsty, so I won’t keep you two any longer. Charming to have met you both.” With a cheery smile, the huntsman nodded his head and left the pair alone.

            “You can relax now,” Zelda said coolly once the hunter had returned to the bar, “For Farore’s sake, I’ve never seen you look so nervous,” she added.

            But Link wasn’t listening. He was trying to peer over his shoulder through the corner of his eye.

            “Link, stop worrying and eat your dinner,” the princess scolded him like a mother scolding a child.

            When hero ignored her again, Zelda looked over at Corvin. She watched him closely, and noticed a slight wince as he gulped down a glass of ale. However, she soon became bored and ordered her friend to stop staring at him.

            “He’s up to something,” the hero muttered.

            “I cannot deny that,” Zelda said in reply, “But sitting there glaring at him isn’t going to help. You’ll only draw attention to yourself.” Leaning in closer and speaking in a faint whisper, the princess added, “What are we going to do about the unicorn?”

            “When I get the chance, I’ll see if I can move her out of here,” Link replied, “Tonight if necessary, when it’s dark. Failing that, I’ll at least try and talk to her. See if I can find out what’s going on.”

            “Tonight?” Zelda repeated, “And what are we supposed to do with her before then?”

            Link shrugged. “Just keep her out of trouble.”

            “I suppose you’re used to this, aren’t you? Babysitting troubled animals.”

            “I’ve had my moments.”

            “And what about Dad? We only said we’d be gone for a few hours. I think he’d notice if we weren’t back by this afternoon, let alone nightfall. If we stay too long, he’ll have your hide on his bedroom wall.”

            “Then you go back without me. I’m more than capable of looking after myself.”

            “Out of the question. I promised him I’d keep an eye on you.”

            Link stood up abruptly. “Then why don’t you stick me on a lead or something?” he asked irritably. And before she could reply, he marched straight out of the inn.

            “Link, I didn’t mean…” Zelda tried to call after him, but her words fell on deaf ears. Alone, she looked around the room, and found only anxious people quickly looking away. Her gaze then glided towards Corvin. Clearly, he had witnessed the outburst, and was the last face to turn away.

 

            Link walked purposefully into the stables behind the inn. There, a couple of grooms were tending to the myriad of horses kept there. The hero knew that while they were there, he had no chance of speaking with the unicorn without causing a fuss. Instead, he wandered over to the beast’s stall, and saw that she appeared to be cowering at the far end.

            “Has she been fed?” Link asked one of the grooms, inclining his head towards the creature.

            “We’ve tried to feed her, but she doesn’t want to know,” the man replied.

            Link took another look at the unicorn. Although she stood up straighter than she had when Zelda had found her, she still looked frightened.

            “Hey, it’s OK,” Link said to her reassuringly, “These guys won’t hurt you, and neither will I.”

            Epona whinnied from her stall. Link looked over at her briefly before turning his attention back to the unicorn.

            “None of the horses will hurt you, either,” he added.

            The unicorn snorted in what the hero assumed to be frustration.

            “You’re not frightened of them?” he queried. He knew he was getting some strange looks from the grooms, but he knew that if he tried talking to her through his usual methods, all hell would break loose. “What are you worried about, then?” He knew the answer already, but he felt like the question was worth asking anyway.

            “If we go now…” he started to say, but the unicorn reared up and backed away. Clearly, she wasn’t willing to go anywhere.

            Link took another look at the grooms before facing the unicorn again. “I’ll be back,” he said, “You can’t stay here forever. I’ll get you out of here and back where you came from safe and sound, no matter what it takes.”

 

            Hours after Ganondorf’s visit, the once peaceful Lake Hylia had become a place of bustling activity. Zoras patrolling the usually calm waters had surfaced onto dry land to witness the peculiar scene that was now presented before them, while people who were travelling nearby couldn’t resist trying to steal a glance at what was troubling them so much.

            It was this scene that greeted Rusl, a skilled swordsman from Ordon, and Ashei, a headstrong girl from the western mountains, when they arrived. Rusl dismounted from the sleek brown stallion he was riding, and approached one of the onlookers, a red-haired, bespectacled young man named Shad. Ashei quickly caught up with him.

            “How’s the situation now, Shad?” she asked.

            “Nothing’s changed,” the boy replied, “That thing’s still prowling about, attacking anyone who gets too close.”

            “What thing?” Rusl asked, peering through the crowd.

            “That strange dragon creature,” Ashei answered.

            Rusl forced his way towards the front of the small crowd. There, under a lone tree, was the still, lifeless body of Midna. However, the big concern was Arden, who had resurfaced after recovering from Ganondorf’s attack, and had now taken to standing guard over her. He stamped his hooves on the ground, snarled, and pointed his horn at the group.

            Rusl tried to get closer, but a Zora guard held his spear out in front of him. Arden merely spread his wings and roared at the swordsman.

            “Don’t get too close,” the Zora warned him, “We’ve already had three casualties today.”

            “What happened here?” Rusl asked the guard.

            “No one knows, if I’m honest,” the guard replied, “We were down at the bottom of the lake, and there were no other witnesses. All we know is that that creature was swimming about, minding its own business, surfaced for a short time, and then just fell in, unconscious. Then, once it regained its senses, it swam back out, and it’s been lurking about here, protecting who or whatever it is over there, ever since.”

            “And there are no other witnesses, you say?” Rusl asked disbelievingly, folding his arms.

            “No one saw what had happened on the surface.” The Zora, who had repeated the story many times before, was starting to get impatient.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Very sure!”

            Rusl tried to look over at the body the Aquamentus was fiercely protecting.

            “That’s that Twilight woman over there,” Ashei said, following her friend’s gaze.

            “The one Link’s allied with?”

            The girl nodded her head. Rusl led the group away from the crowd before speaking.

            “So something attacked her, left her for dead, and that thing won’t allow anyone near enough to find out what’s going on?”

            “That’s pretty much the situation at the moment, yes,” Shad confirmed.

            Suddenly, a squawking voice spoke from above the crowd. “He doesn’t trust any of you enough to let you look at her, that’s his problem.”

            The trio looked up as a pink-red bird with a light blue crest hovered over the gathering. It swooped down and landed on a rock near the group.

            “Did that bird talk just then?” Shad asked, astounded. He lowered his glasses down his nose and peered at the bird over the rim.

            “Plumm knows what’s going on,” the bird spoke in its squawk-like voice, ignoring the youth’s comment.

            “I’ve heard about you,” Ashei glared at the bird, “Link’s told me about you. From what he’s told me, I thought you didn’t usually deal with humans.”

            “Deal with humans?” Shad repeated, “What? Like, bargain?”

            But no one paid him any heed.

            Plumm ruffled her feathers importantly, and said, “I just thought you might want to know what’s going on. But, if you don’t want my help…” She made a grand show of trailing off her sentence, and spreading her wings.

            “Wait, we want to know,” Rusl quickly insisted, “Why doesn’t that thing want us to try and help that Twilight woman?”

            Plumm eyed the swordsman closely before replying. “I told you already; he doesn’t trust your kind.”

            “What do you mean ‘our kind’?”

            “I think she might mean humans,” Shad suggested, this time peering back at the Aquamentus.

            “I believe his exact words were ‘Light Worlders’,” Plumm chirped, “Humans, Hylians, Zoras, even some beasts, although he seems to tolerate us more. He was very snappish with me, let me tell you, but he wasn’t as bad as he is with your lot.”

            “‘His exact words’?” Rusl echoed, “You mean to say that that thing can talk as well?”

            Plumm made a squawking laugh at the question. “As in ‘talk human language’? Of course not! He spoke his own species’ language. All animals can understand one another, you must know that,” she explained as though it were obvious, “You should be glad that Plumm can speak your language as well as that of the beasts.”

            “Of course. Carry on,” Rusl said, nodding his head in understanding.

            “Well, he said that his mistress was attacked by some warlock named Ganondorf…”

            “Ganondorf?” the trio exclaimed.

            “He was here?! And no one saw?” Ashei sounded livid.

            “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, woman!” Plumm cried, flapping her wings in a rage, “As I was saying, his mistress was attacked by this Ganondorf person. He tried to protect her, but failed. Now he’s trying to make sure no one else harms her.”

            “So, she’s not dead, then?” Rusl asked, looking over at the scene again.

            “It seems not. She’s out cold, but she’s still breathing. Well, not out cold as such. I’ve had a peek at her from that tree, and sometimes her eyes open and she tries to talk. But she might as well be out cold, anyway.”

            “She’s Link’s friend,” Rusl said, “Does he know about this?”

            “As soon as I found out who the woman was, I tried looking for him first,” Ashei explained, “but one of the guards in the castle town says he’s gone riding somewhere with Zelda. So I just went to you instead. I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t be sorry,” Plumm puffed up her chest feathers, “I don’t think Link would be much use here, anyway.”

            Rusl, Ashei, and Shad each exchanged puzzled glances. “Why wouldn’t he be much use?” Rusl asked, “I thought he was a friend of that woman.”

            “Well, the dragon said that there are two people it could trust enough to try and heal his mistress,” the small bird paused for dramatic effect, relishing the attention she was getting, “I say ‘people’, although one of them isn’t a person as such…”

            “Just spit it out!” Ashei exclaimed impatiently.

            “All right, all right! Keep your hair on, woman! As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” Plumm held a beady blue eye on Ashei, “the two people that that thing trusts to help his mistress are the Princess of Light, and the Sacred Beast.”

            Again, the trio looked puzzled.

            “Those were his exact words,” Plumm squawked defensively, “and that’s all I know of it!”

            “The Princess of Light?” Shad repeated thoughtfully, “You don’t think he could be referring to Zelda, do you?”

            “She’s our best bet,” Rusl said, “but what about this Sacred Beast?”

            “I’ve certainly never heard of a Sacred Beast,” Ashei said.

            “Me neither,” Shad said.

            “I suppose we’ll have to settle on finding Zelda for now,” Rusl mused.

            “But if the Twilight woman and Link are friends, why doesn’t the dragon trust him?” Ashei asked.

            “We’ll probably find out soon enough.” Rusl turned his attention to the mynah bird. “Thank you, Plumm. We’re very grateful for the information. If you can, try to keep talking with that thing. If you happen to find anything else out, you’ll be sure to tell one of us, right?”

            Plumm gave the trio one last, long look, and then spread her wings and flew off.

            “Right,” Rusl said decisively, “First of all, we need to find Link and Zelda. Ashei, did the guard tell you where they went?”

            “I think he said they were heading towards the Eldin Province,” the warrior girl replied.

            “Then I’ll go there first, and try to find them. They need to know of their friend’s plight. You stay here and keep an eye on the situation. If anything changes, let one of us know as soon as possible. Send Plumm if necessary.”

            Ashei nodded in acknowledgement.

            “Shad,” Rusl paused hesitantly, “You see if you can find out anything about this Sacred Beast thing, all right?”

            “I’ll try,” Shad replied, sounding a little disappointed.

            “Right. Good luck to you, then,” the Ordonian swordsman said. He then saddled up on the horse he had borrowed and rode off to the east.

 

            “It’s him she’s scared of, I’m sure of it.”

            “I know, Link, but you can’t confront him now.”

            “Why not? She knows he’s here and isn’t going to budge until he’s gone, he knows she’s here and is just dying to go out and find her. He needs to be dealt with quickly before something terrible happens to her.”

            The pair were stood outside the stables near the inn, discussing what they were to do with the unicorn.

            “You know that if she stays here, she’ll be a danger to others if Corvin finds her,” Link explained.

            “There has to be another way of sorting this out, though,” Zelda added, “If you confront Corvin, you’ll only be drawing attention to yourself. And what if Corvin isn’t the one who’s after her?”

            Link stared at the princess incredulously.

            “I’m just trying to work out each possible outcome here,” Zelda explained, “If we could just get the unicorn out of here now, quietly, then we can work on getting her home safely, and Corvin need never know that it was us who moved her.”

            Link folded his arms. “Good thinking, but there’s only one problem; if we move her now, she’s going to attract a lot of attention.”

            “But if we wait until tonight, Corvin could find and kill her.”

            “Which is why it’s worth getting rid of Corvin now and then moving the unicorn later.”

            “No!” the princess insisted impatiently, “Listen, the unicorn’s main concern is her safety, right? So as long as knows we’re keeping her away from any danger, she should be all right.”

            “We’re keeping her away from danger now, and she’s still panicking,” Link muttered, folding his arms, “She knows she’s not safe here. To be honest, I’m surprised she hasn’t tried to escape by now.”

            “Exactly. We need to get her out of here now before she does try to escape. Corvin already knows that we were the ones who caught her, so he’ll be watching us carefully. If we leave her alone until later, he’ll seize his opportunity to get her. That’s why we have to move her now, and do it without anyone noticing.”

            “Oh good,” Link said sarcastically, trying his best to keep his voice low, “Then he can not only kill her, but us as well.”

            It seemed both sides were becoming exasperated by the situation, and the tension between the princess and the hero swelled immensely.

            “He won’t attack all of us at once,” Zelda said as levelly as she could, “He doesn’t even have a horse, for Din’s sake, so he won’t be able to follow us!”

            “That’s what bothers me most,” Link explained, “From what I saw of him, something is causing him pain, and yet he was able to track down and chase a unicorn all the way here. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?

            “And he doesn’t think we’re much of a threat. Well, he doesn’t think I’m a threat anyway. He called me a rabbit, remember?” The hero made a low growl as he recalled the remark.

            “Just hear me out,” Zelda said, “He might know that we’re the ones who caught the unicorn, but he doesn’t have to know that it’s us who are moving her to safety.”

            “What are you suggesting?” Link asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

            “I’m suggesting that you can escort her as a…” Zelda checked their surroundings for any signs of eavesdroppers before continuing, “…as a wolf,” she finished in a whisper.

            “And that won’t be drawing attention to myself at all,” Link said in another sarcastic tone, “Especially after last night,” he added bitterly.

            “Look, I’ll go back in there and distract Corvin,” Zelda explained, “while I’m doing that, you can lead the unicorn out of here and through the Eldin Plains as a wolf. If you keep to the back roads here, then no one will see you. Plus, you can communicate with her that way, and assure her that she will be safe.”

            “And what if this goes horribly wrong?”

            “And here’s me thinking that you held the essence of the Triforce of Courage,” Zelda muttered mockingly, “What is it that you’re afraid of, exactly?”

            “That guy’s a hunter! Apart from unicorns, what else do you think he hunts? I know it’s not a big deal to you, but I don’t exactly wish my life to end with my fur being used as a cloak or a rug or something.”

            Zelda rolled her eyes and tutted. “You’re the biggest, baddest wolf in Hyrule,” she said, “I’m sure that if something were to go wrong, and Corvin found you, you’d be able to handle a mere human like him. Besides, a few minutes ago, you wanted to confront him.”

            “Of course I did. If I make the first move, then I would gain the advantage by catching him off-guard.”

            “Sorry, Link, but I don’t want you drawing any attention to yourself like that for the sake of ‘gaining the advantage’. It’s better for now if you keep a low profile.”

            The tone of her voice suggested to Link that the princess was in no mood to discuss the situation any further. As Zelda started to walk towards the stables, Link came to a sudden realisation.

            “So, you’re going to let me off my lead?” he asked.

            “For now, yes,” the princess replied sweetly, “So make the most of it while you can.”

            She carefully approached the two stable hands, who were sitting down on crates while talking with one another. Before either of them noticed her arrival, Zelda sent a small, blue, spark of magic floating towards them. Once it hit the pair, it burst like a bubble, and the stable hands fell fast asleep where they sat.

            “That’ll keep them out for a few hours,” she explained to Link as she passed him on the way out, “Good luck.”

 

            Link silently cursed Zelda as he again approached the stall that held the unicorn. It was all well and good for her, she would be safe and sound in the inn, keeping Corvin occupied. It was him who was risking life and limb escorting this beautiful, yet annoying, creature back to her home.

            The huntsmen back in Ordona never scared him this much, he recalled. But then, he was just a normal Hylian back in the days before he had been cursed – or blessed – by Twilight. Now, he considered them something to be afraid of. He paused for a moment to think this through. He shouldn’t be scared of them if he was in human form, and yet the mere presence of Corvin had been enough to make him nervous.

            Was he becoming a wolf in mind as well as body? He knew his instincts became more primal as a beast, but that was to be expected. He also knew he had taken to howling while in human form, but that was more through choice than any real instinct. He quickly shrugged it off and decided to shift all his focus on protecting the unicorn.

            The creature skittered as he approached her stall, carefully opened the latch, and stepped inside.

            “Ssh,” he said, placing a finger over his lips, “I’m going to get you out of here. Whatever you do, don’t cry out or make a fuss, understand?”

            As his shape changed into that of the great wolf, the unicorn started in surprise.

            “Calm down, calm down!” Link growled as quietly as he could manage, casting a wary eye in the direction of the two snoozing grooms, “It’s just me.”

            The unicorn calmed herself. “You… You’re a… werewolf?” she asked nervously.

            “If that’s what you wish to call me, yes,” Link replied, “Come on. I’m here to rescue you.”

            “You are a creature of light and shadow,” the unicorn continued, “Neither man nor beast.”

            “Now’s not the time to be poetic,” Link warned her, “Anyway, that’s not entirely true! My parents were human. Well, Hylian to be exact, which is a kind of human, only we’ve got pointy... Look, that’s not the point! The point is, you need to follow me!”

            The unicorn did not answer, and remained frozen on the spot where she stood.

            “Go with him, graceful, horned child,” a deep, yet warm voice spoke from the stall behind Link. The pair looked over, and saw Ghost stood watching them. In the stall next to him, Epona glared at Link, clearly biting back whatever remarks she was thinking.

            The unicorn gazed over at the inn, her breathing becoming rapid.

            “I know Corvin, the hunter’s, in there,” Link said calmly, “but he won’t get you. I’ll make sure of that. Just come with me.”

            The unicorn hesitated at first, but after a few tentative steps she soon followed Link out of the stall.

            “Good, good,” the wolf praised her efforts, “Now, if we just keep to the back alleyways until we reach the Eldin Plains, that’s the big field where Zelda and I found you, by the way, and then we can make a dash for your home. Can you do that, missy?”

            “Grace,” the unicorn said firmly and quietly.

            “What?”

            “My name is Grace.”

            “Oh. Nice name. It suits you. Now come on!” And with that, Link bounded out of the stables and led Grace into the nearest alley before anyone could see them.

 

            After a few minutes of cautious pacing, the two beasts eventually reached the path leading to the Eldin Plains.

            “See, there’s nothing to worry about,” Link said confidently, “I’ll walk you to the border of Hyrule, but no further. After that, you’ll be on your own.”

            Grace stopped in her tracks.

            “On my… own?” she asked, her voice quivering with fear.

            “I’m sorry, but I can’t take you any further than that,” Link said apologetically, turning around to look back at the unicorn.

            “No,” Grace said, “I can’t go alone. What if he finds me again?”

            “He won’t. I’ll make sure of that.”

            Link took a few steps ahead, but realised that Grace wasn’t going to follow him. He turned back around and trotted towards her. He could see the fear reappearing in her eyes.

            “He’ll find us out here…” she whispered faintly.

            “No, he won’t,” Link snarled, “He won’t even realise that we’re gone. He never knew where you were hiding, and he’ll think I’m still in the village. Now, come on!” He was resisting the urge to nip the unicorn at the hooves just to get her moving.

            Grace turned her head slightly to the cliff side on her right and uttered, “He’s up there! He’s already found us!”

            “No, he hasn’t! There is no way that the hunter would get here before us!”

            “Not the hunter! The hunter’s bird!”

            “Bird? You mean like a hawk?” Link tried not to laugh, “You’re scared of a hawk?” The wolf padded towards the cliffs, trying to see what Grace had seen.

            “Sir Wolf, don’t!” Grace exclaimed, slowly stepping towards him.

            “Sir Wolf?” Link repeated, looking over his shoulder at the unicorn. Ignoring what she had said, he added, “I don’t see anything. There’s no one there. Where are you, little birdie?” he shouted at the cliffs in a singsong voice, “Come out, come out wherever you are!”

            Suddenly, one of the rocks at the top of the tall cliff moved. Within seconds, the pair could make out the silhouette of a giant bird against the bright, sunny sky. Link’s ears drooped and he whined pitifully as he realised his mistake.

            “That’s him!” Grace shrieked in terror, and bolted away from her escort.

            “Grace, no!” Link called after her as he chased her, “Stay by me! Ugh!”

            A giant claw fell on top of Link and pinned him to the ground.

            “Here I am, little wolfie,” a sinister, raspy voice spoke from somewhere above him.

            Link tried to crane his neck upwards for a better look at his captor. The bird resembled a giant eagle, with mottled blue and browny-red plumage. A hard, stone helmet obscured much of its face, with only its hooked beak poking out from underneath. Two gleaming greenish-yellow eyes could be seen from the narrow slits in the helmet.

            A worn out, metal chest plate adorned its torso, bent and buckled from several years of use, and rusting slightly at the edges.

            “A Helmaroc?” Link pondered aloud. He had seen pictures of the giant, helmeted birds in books, but had never come face to beak with one before.

            “Clever little wolfie,” the Helmaroc sneered at him. It then noticed the retreating unicorn, and immediately took off after it.

            “How in the names of the goddesses did I miss a bird as big as that?” Link shouted out loud in frustration as he picked himself up.

            He then heard Grace’s screams, and saw her being picked up by the Helmaroc. Without thinking, Link bounded at his target, leapt up, and clenched his jaws over one of the bird’s long and bright tail feathers. While he wasn’t strong enough to pull it out completely, he was heavy enough for the bird to feel his weight hanging down from it.

            The Helmaroc screeched in surprise, and twisted about in the air in an attempt to position itself so that it could reach him with its beak. In the confusion, it released the unicorn, who fell to a dull thud on the ground, and now sported several dark red patches on her white body.

            Satisfied that Grace was now free, Link let go of his grip, falling equally unceremoniously on the ground. He rushed over to Grace’s side, stood in front of her, and growled at the huge eagle.

 

            Meanwhile, Zelda was busy trying to keep Corvin from leaving Kakariko. However, the huntsman seemed very eager to go, and she was finding herself desperately trying to hinder his progress, if nothing else.

            “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I must go,” Corvin insisted politely, “and surely you must have some business to attend to, as well. You must be a very busy person, yourself.”

            “But I haven’t heard about all the places you’ve been to yet,” Zelda said, wrapping her arms around the hunter’s shoulders, “I’m sure a big, strong man like you must have been on some fascinating adventures.”

            “Maybe some other time,” Corvin said, wincing as he forced himself free from the embrace, “But right now, there is something that I have to do.”

            At that point, a distant screech could be heard.

            “Glen!” Corvin hissed very quietly while the other visitors chatted curiously with each other about what they had just heard. Zelda had to strain her ears to hear it.

            “Is everything all right?” she asked sympathetically.

            “I have to go, seriously,” Corvin said, racing to the inn’s door. Turning around, he glared at Zelda and said in a stern tone, “Don’t follow me.”

            Zelda stood akimbo and said, “If you say it like that, then it’s practically an invitation.”

            “I mean it!” Corvin warned her darkly. And before Zelda could say anything else, he was gone.

 

            Link’s battle against the Helmaroc was going badly. He considered transforming back into his usual form, but the thoughts were immediately replaced by an adrenaline rush as he bit and clawed at the bird’s feet. He had expected Grace to help out, but the unicorn was too terrified to do anything except either stand still or run.

            After being shaken off, the wolf found himself being plucked into the air by his foe’s beak. His heart beat faster and he began to feel faint. With a deft flick of its head, the Helmaroc tried to swallow him whole. With his tail going in first, Link frantically tried to wrap his front claws around the bottom half of the beak and force himself out.

            “Grace! Do something!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, desperately scrambling to free himself from his predicament. He could feel the tip of the Helmaroc’s beak pressing into the back of his neck.

            Much to his amazement, Grace paused in mid-dash, performed a graceful U-turn despite the minor injuries she had sustained, and charged at the bird, her head down, and her horn pointing towards her target. While doing very little harm, the impact was enough to make the Helmaroc choke on its meal and vomit Link out.

            The wolf landed with a dull thud, dazed and exhausted, but still trying to find enough energy to stand up.

            “Thank you,” he said weakly, swaying slightly as he attempted to steady himself.

            “Pathetic insects,” the Helmaroc taunted, “You can’t hope to match me.”

            Her brave deed done, fear reappeared in Grace’s face, and she backed off slowly, preparing to run away again.

            “Grace, don’t,” Link warned her, his teeth bared ferociously.

            The giant eagle chuckle a cruel, squawk-like laugh, and swiftly motioned to strike at the unicorn. With as much energy as he could muster, Link leapt up and tried to bite at the bird’s neck. However, the Helmaroc was quick to spot this, as he twisted his head around, caught the wolf in his beak again and tossed him to ground with considerable force.

            “Sir Wolf!” Grace gasped in shock.

            The Helmaroc pressed a claw over the shaking wolf, towering over his prey.

            “Glenister!” called out a familiar voice, causing the bird to become distracted.

            From the direction of Kakariko, the hazy shape of Corvin came into view, running towards the scuffle. Grace gasped again and, despite her gaping wounds, made her escape as fast as she could.

            “Don’t just stand there!” the hunter shouted out as he tried to keep up, “Go after the unicorn!”

            “You got lucky, wolf,” Glenister said to Link before carelessly kicking the wolf aside and taking off after Grace.

            “May the winds of Farore protect you, Grace,” Link muttered weakly as he stood up.

            A gasp of pain from Corvin pricked Link’s ears. He turned around to see the huntsman on his knees, grasping hold of an arm, his face an expression of repressed agony.

            In spite of having been thrown and shaken about, Link still pulled himself together enough to adopt a defensive stance and growl warningly at the hunter.

            “Huh?” Corvin said to himself, noticing the wolf for the first time. He suppressed his pain enough to stand up and approach the snarling beast. “Well, well, look at you,” he said, “Such interesting markings. Are all Hyrulian wolves like you, I wonder? I’ll bet your hide will fetch a lot. Assuming I survive this, of course,” he added, grasping his arm again, “But just in case…” He threw the cloak off, strung his bow, and drew out an arrow.

            Link’s eyes widened in disbelief as the reality of what was now happening sank in. He swiftly leapt to one side as Corvin’s arrow flew past his shoulder and tried to charge at his opponent. However, his earlier encounter with Glenister had left him tired and dazed, and the second arrow buried itself into the right han