The Amulet of Nagul
Chapter 6


      "So, you're being your uncooperative, pathetic little self, are you?" Ganon asked Zelda, as he levitated up and down Zelda's small cell.  The Princess simply pouted in response. "Not talking either?" he  demanded.
   "You're the pathetic one, Ganon! Using other people to do your dirty work!" she finally answered.
   "You get more charming every time we meet, Zelda," Ganon sniggered.
   "And you get even more vile!" Zelda retorted angrily. Ganon laughed.
   "Right now dear Princess, your darling boyfriend and father are probably in deep anguish over your 'death', shall we say? In fact, if we're lucky, that stupid hero will go out and kill himself over grief!" the wizard replied.
     "No! He wouldn't do that! Link isn't a defeatist, and he wouldn't do that to our country!" Zelda replied, wishing she could escape from the bench Ganon had chained her to.
     "I shall keep you here forever, until you finally decide to co-operate and undo the magic on that tower," Ganon answered.
    "Never! Link will find out about this, and then you'll be sorry!" Zelda yelled defiantly.  
    "Ah, but Princess, it's all over. The clever  part is, is that no-one, not even Link will even know that you're here! You're 'dead', remember?" Ganon screeched triumphantly.
    "No, that's just not possible! I'm alive, and Trenon's illusions will never fool Link or anyone else!" Zelda replied. However, as she looked at Ganon,  a chill suddenly swept through her. Trenon's illusion of Hayden had seemed real. She had seen Link touch the apparition as if it were solid. In that case, it meant that the illusion of her would also seem real to him. Ganon was telling the truth. Unless she could escape, she was trapped here in the Underworld with Ganon and nobody would even realise it....   

  Nobody felt like having a wedding anymore, the ceremony was completed, but there were no celebrations afterward. The King was absolutely distraught, no-one could comfort him. Link had retreated to his room, not to be seen by anyone. Most of the guests went home, leaving the rest of the royal household to grieve for their princess. The news  of Zelda's death spread through Hyrule and beyond like a wildfire. Even Fayette was noticeably subdued, even though many knew that there was no love lost between the two stepsisters.  Sprite didn't know what to do. Link was refusing to speak to anyone, even her. Kylara was also lingering around the castle, not having anywhere to go in particular. The faerie unkindly thought that the girl was probably pleased by the unexpected turn of events, because it meant nothing stood in the way of her plan to get married to Link. She fluttered lightly about the Great Hall, where most of the  castle were sitting quietly, still in shock. Selina, Aaron, Dion, Damon and Drake were huddled together, with outsiders Charles and Nick, who were looking slightly uncomfortable.  Hardly any of the courtiers or servants  were at work, nobody felt like doing anything at all. After a while, Sprite noticed Kylara slipping out of the room, obviously meaning to go and see Link. The faerie flew after her, and stopped in front of Kylara as she pushed open the door that led to Link's tower. "Leave him alone! This isn't a good time!" she snapped.
     "I just wanted to see if he was okay," Kylara protested, beginning to walk up the stairs. Sprite zapped a small bolt of faerie magic at Kylara, who stepped back in surprise at the faerie's attack.
    "Of course he's not okay, Kylara! Zelda just got murdered you know! He loved her very much!" Sprite answered, her voice tinged with bitterness. She felt tears springing to her eyes. "Just leave Link alone. He  doesn't need this now. And don't you dare go and tell anyone the real reason why you're here. It'll only cause more trouble!" Sprite sniffed. Kylara seemed to get the message. She nodded, and turned away. Sprite flew up the tower, but the door was closed. She knew her friend would never answer if she knocked, he probably wouldn't be able to hear anyway, considering she was only a faerie. She flew outside and round to the balcony, and luckily, the doorway was open.  Flying back inside, she saw Link. He was lying on his bed, face down on the pillow. The faerie wiped away her own tears, then flew across and landed on the pillow. "Link?" she questioned softly. He sat up, and looked down at her.
     "This should never have  happened!" he said angrily.
    "No. But it wasn't your fault. It was no-ones fault!" Sprite answered.  
    "How  can I get through another day like this?" he moaned, sounding frustrated. Sprite flew up and kissed him on the forehead.
     "You have to. I'm not going to say it'll be easy, because it won't.     And I think you had feelings for Zelda, more greater than anyone else, more than her own father," she said softly. Link nodded.
    "I really loved her so much. Not for her title, but for who she was. She was so great to me," he said sadly. Sprite nodded. He lay back down, clutching his pillow for comfort. "I mean, it all happened so quickly... what the hell was I doing?" he said, not really speaking to anyone but himself.
    "Trenon has obviously been learning magic from someone. A new kind we've never seen before," the faerie murmured, looking worried.
    "They were illusions, surely, and yet... it was as if it really was Hayden. I touched him, we fought," Link replied. The faerie looked thoughtful for a  minute.
    "This magic... Perhaps Imilda can help," she finally said.
    "Imilda?" Link questioned.
    "Yes. She's one of the most knowledgeable faeries in the  kingdom. I shall go to see her soon," Sprite decided. Link's sad expression suddenly darkened.
     "Trenon will certainly pay this time! As if it wasn't enough, killing my brother! He had to take away the other  person I loved most!" he exclaimed, sitting up. "I shan't rest until I've killed him, until I've avenged Hayden's and Zelda's deaths!" the hero vowed.
      "Be careful, Link," Sprite said slowly. But he didn't seem to hear her. He was already getting changed from his best silk tunic into his normal everyday ones. As the hero grabbed his sword, Sprite said, "what about the Triforces?" Link shrugged.
    "I've no time to bother about that. Tell Aaron to guard them," he called, leaving the faerie alone in the room.

   The sky was already growing dark as Link mounted Carefree and rode away from North Castle. Sprite had said that he was stupid to go out so late, and that he should sit down and think things through. "Vengeance is fine, but you're not prepared. We've never encountered that sort of magic before, and without foreknowledge of his new skills, you're probably playing right into his hands!" the faerie had cried. She was probably right, but now Link only had one thing on his mind now - revenge. He wouldn't be happy until he'd killed Trenon once  and for all. As he rode Carefree on through the night, he began to weep again. The horse seemed to sense that something was up with his master, but he carried on cantering along the road to Ruto. Link cried, not just for the loss of Zelda, but also for his long dead family. What good was fame and admiration, when you had no-one to share it with? The King might already treat him as one of the royal family, but it would never be the same now that Zelda was gone. With Zelda dead, the crown would obviously have to pass on to Fayette. Fayette! She wasn't even Hylian, she hadn't even been born in Hyrule. The crown would pass onto a stranger. Link knew that they'd never consider him, not that he wanted it anyway. But, despite the fact he potentially almost had some right to claim the throne, his lowly heritage would probably be overshadowed by Fayette's high born status. It looked like he'd end up marrying someone like Kylara after all. Except, he didn't think he could learn to love anyone else, ever. And even if he did, it wouldn't be in the way that he'd loved Zelda. And what of the Triforces? They had belonged to Zelda. It was almost stupid to hand  them  over to Fayette. She knew very little in the way of magic, and she wouldn't know how to look after them. Link sighed, and wiped his eyes. The lights of Ruto town came into view, as Carefree trotted around a corner of the road. They began the  gentle ascent up to the mountain town.

  Ganon threw open  a heavy, metal studded door, and cackled with glee. "Welcome to my new, and improved, torture chamber, Zelda!" he said. Zelda bit her lip, feeling frightened. Ganon never usually hurt her, and it was a shock to see all the devices there before her. Several metal cages were suspended from the ceiling, whips and chains hung up on the walls. Several iron maidens stood in the room, some open, revealing their sharp spikes inside, others closed, blood dripping through the cracks. There were stretching racks, thumbscrews and even guillotines. Zelda shuddered, the stench of blood  making her feel sick. Several hefty moblins and darias were stationed in the room, eagerly awaiting their next victims. "Of course, we don't have to this just yet. It's no use killing you, I need you to get rid of the magic around Link's tower," Ganon added, dragging her back outside. Zelda struggled to get away, but Ganon's bony grip was just too strong. Using a combination of the Triforce's powers, and her own, Zelda usually cast a protection spell over the tower the  prisms were housed in. It prevented evil from passing over the threshold. Zelda wasn't strong enough to protect the whole castle, even now, she was feeling her own magical strength  start to  ebb away. She had taught Link enough for him to renew the spell if it was needed, but even so, it didn't always stop evil. The griffin Enzar had never been affected by the spell, and so thus many had fallen into his evil plot. But luckily, Ganon's magic wasn't as strong as Enzar's. The wizard threw the Princess into a dank, cold cell, where she was promptly chained  to the wall by Skoll and Aspete. As they left,  sniggering, Zelda wept, wishing that she could contact Link.

    "He's gone  where?" Drake  said incredulously. Most of  the younger members of  North Castle were    all gathered in the Great  Hall.
     "He says he's  going to totally finish Trenon," Sprite  replied   simply.
    "And he went alone?" Selina said.
    "Do you really  expect that he'd ask  for your help?"  Sprite answered, placing her hands on her hips.
    "Oh this really is terrible," Aaron  said.
    "More  like he's just acting totally stupid!"  Drake put in. 
     "Yeah, you'd think he'd be mourning, instead  of going off and killing people!" Fayette  exclaimed. "I bet he never was  that much in love  with Zelda  anyway," she added. Everyone  else  in the room glared at her.  Sprite looked most offended.
    "You just keep out of this! You  don't know  a thing! And of course Link is mourning, but he's  also angry. So keep that nasty  little mouth of yours shut! You're as bad as Kylara! Of  course he loved Zelda, you stupid  idiot!"  the faerie shrieked.  Fayette raised her eyebrows but didn't say  anything. Several people looked at Sprite in surprise, wondering what she meant about Kylara.  There was an uncomfortable silence.
   "Um, perhaps some of us ought to go after  him," Aaron finally suggested.
   "I  don't know ...." Sprite began doubtfully.
    "Yeah, I think it's best  if  we leave him alone,"  Drake agreed.
    "I don't know... remember what trouble we got into down in Ruto last  time," Selina said, looking  worried.
    "Link can handle himself, you know he can. Besides, I might go after him," Sprite declared. 
    "What are you, his personal agent or something?" Fayette  said  snidely. The faerie scowled. She really hated that girl.
    "As good as!" she retorted.
   "Maybe I should go ," Kylara volunteered shyly.
   "What? Why?" Drake asked.
    "Well, we are of the same kindred after all. Link and I.... we share a connection," Kylara said softly. Several   people   looked over at Kylara, wondering what the girl meant. 
    "Oh please! Kylara, just because you're from the same village it doesn't mean anything! Link couldn't care or less about the likes of  you!"  Sprite yelled, fluttering around angrily.
    "Oh, of course he does!" Kylara  said  calmly.
    "Er, what exactly is going on here?"  Drake enquired.
    "Nothing!  She's  just    crazy!"  Sprite cried, firing a  bolt of magic across at Kylara in warning.   Kylara stepped back, and the magic beam missed.
     "I'm not crazy at all," Kylara  replied.
     "She's the one that's crazy!" pointed out Fayette.  Sprite wheeled around and sent a bolt of magic towards Fayette.  Drake reached out and grabbed Sprite firmly in his hand. 
    "We'll have no more of that thank you very much," he said.
     "Let go of me!" shrieked sprite hitting Drake's fist as hard as she could. 
    "Promise you won't attack anyone else?" asked Drake looking down at the little faerie.  Sprite nodded her head quietly. 
    "Don't believe a word she utters, she's crazy!" squealed Fayette.  Drake shook his head laughing.
    "Go on then, go see if you can help that young idiot," he exclaimed freeing the small faerie.  "I will!" Sprite announced haughtily.

    "Come on  Zelda, you can't  keep  this up forever," Ganon  leered   at the stubborn Princess.
   "Ganon, I  would  never hand  over  such  power to you!"  Zelda retorted.
    "You  don't  have it  right now,   though," the wizard  sniggered.
   "With the power  of all three Triforces, you would   rule the kingdom  forever!"  Zelda cried, looking worried. Ganon laughed.
     "That is   my aim. First Hyrule , then the  world!"
    "Never!  You will never do that!" Zelda replied fearfully.
    "We all   know the  power of the Triforces alone. To  have all three combined..."  Ganon began.
    "They belong  to me!" Zelda interrupted. 
    "You bore me. It seems  that  you've gotten even more contumacious as you've  got  older . It must be the bad influence of your stupid hero!" Ganon  screeched. Zelda pouted , and tried not to start crying.  The most frustrating fact was that nobody even knew she was there, and she was practically helpless.
    "Ganon... perhaps we can come to... some sort of... deal..." Zelda began.  Ganon studied her suspiciously. 
    "Princess, that's what I'm trying to do right now! And it's sooo very simple, yet you  refuse to do as  I ask!" he shrieked. Zelda winced at the wizard's piercing shouts.
    "Because  it's  so unfair!"  she protested.
    "Ha? Unfair? You think trading the Triforces for your freedom is unfair? I think I'm being rather generous actually," Ganon replied, laughing a little. Zelda scowled at him.
   "Generous?" she questioned in disbelief .
   "I have a magnificent torture  chamber Zelda, and nothing would give me more pleasure than to hear you suffer. However, you  owe me because I haven't subjected you to any of my 'little' devices yet," Ganon said, sniggering again.  Zelda gave Ganon her most blackest look   she could manage.  He barely noticed, he was so busy sneering at  her.
     "You haven't   done that, because I'm the only one  who can remove the  spell  on the  Triforce Tower," Zelda answered, the hint of smugness in her voice apparent to Ganon. He snorted.
    "That's   true enough, but I can still hurt you without killing you, you know. Of course the iron maiden has always been one of  my particular favourites, what with all the  blood and shrieking, but in this case I  think that...."
    "Oh shut up! You're so disgusting!"  Zelda interrupted.  Ganon cackled.
    "You  might     act all tough on the outside Princess, but you really are a silly, stupid, squeamish girl underneath!"
    "Ooh  Ganon, I swear  if you hadn't got me all chained up like this, I'd just really have to kill you!" Zelda   cried  angrily.
    "Haha, nooo. We couldn't be having that. Besides, I am almost invincible. I can resurrect myself many times over," Ganon replied smugly.
    "Most unfortunately," Zelda said in a sarcastic tone. Ganon just grinned at her, his red eyes narrowing into little  slits.
    "Master!"  shouted a familiar voice. The slobbering moblin Aspete came into the room, along with his bony stalfos sidekick, Skoll.
    "What?" Ganon demanded.
    "Er, Your Evilness, it 'as come ta light that Link is on his way  'ere," Skoll explained. "What?!" Ganon shrieked.
    "It's true Master. E's down in the Ruto mountains lookin' for dat Trenon friend of yours, but when 'e  finds out dat Trenon ain't dere, 'e's gonna come straight 'ere, we reckons," Aspete added. Zelda's hopes rose. Link was on his way here! Ganon turned  to Zelda.
    "Hah, as if I'll leave you here for the boy to find!" he commented. He  turned back to his monsters.
    "You  must make sure that he never reaches here! Aspete , arrange for your stupid, slobbering friends to ambush Link   as he approaches Death Mountain!" he ordered.
    "At once, Master!"  Aspete saluted.

    Link ventured into the dark, dank passages of the Carcastan Sect's   realm.  He  didn't know if he was going  to find Trenon here,  indeed , perhaps  Trenon was with Ganon at Death Mountain. After all,  of late , Captain Krin and his men had journeyed down under the mountains several times ,  attempting to drive  out all of the Carcastans. Krin had told Link that  they had killed most of the tribes living down there, and of the few that were left, he presumed they had fled back to Tanol. But, it was worth checking anyway. He was going to avenge Zelda's death, no matter     corrupt as  Ganon's, if  not worse. Ganon had threatened to kill Zelda several times , but in his need for her to undo  the  protection  spells that prevented him from getting his  hands on the  Triforce and always stopped him. But Trenon had gone and killed  her anyway. Zelda ... he  loved her so much. Or at least, he had done. Things had been so perfect. Zelda had loved him, he had the kingdom's respect and pride, they'd  had almost three Triforces, the key to ruling Hyrule forever.  Killing was wrong, Link knew that, but  Trenon had  to  die.   Link couldn't understand how the man had come back to life in the first place, obviously, he'd been resurrected somehow . Ganon did it often. But that was Ganon. Wearily , Link sat down on a small rock. He rested  his sword down by his feet, and  placed his  head in his hands . Now was the  time for another good cry, the chance to mourn the loss of his  beautiful  princess...  No sooner had he   sat down, when   suddenly, a  group of Darias leapt out at the hero.   His quick reflexes saved  him; Link grabbed his sword and sank the blade into the stomach of the nearest  one. It shrieked  in pain and he stabbed it a few more times before  it managed to swing its axe at him.  Five minutes later, Link had managed to dispose  of all the  alligator-like  monsters, and he set off again, further into the shadowy depths of the Ruto Mountains.

   It was early  next morning when  Link finally came out back to the overworld, accompanied  by Sprite. After she'd  caught up with him, they'd searched the  underground  temple and its surrounding caverns from  top to bottom , but they had found no-one. "Come on Link, let's just go back to  North Castle,"  Sprite said, as Link  mounted  up onto Carefree,  who had  patiently waited for  his  master  outside.
     "I' m going to find Trenon, no matter what it takes,"  Link answered, spurring his horse into a canter down the  hill.
   "Ooh!" Sprite  cried angrily, flying as fast as she  possibly could in order  to keep up.  As Link's horse   approached  flat land, Link saw another rider  out in the early  morning mist.  He slowed  Carefree  down ,  as the  rider  came into full view. A tall man in a brown  tunic, hat and  chain-mail, riding  a  graceful chestnut  horse.
    "Hey Charles!"    Link called out waving.  Charles trotted his horse up to Link's. 
    "Greetings," he  said, smiling warmly at the  hero. 
    "What are you doing out so early?"  Link enquired. Charles  halted  his horse completely.
     "I woke  up  early.  Besides , the mood at the castle is so sombre, and I feel like  I  shouldn't be  there,"  Charles  said apologetically. 
    "Nonsense. Stay   as long as you please. Just because..."  Link let his words trail off. Charles nodded in understanding. 
     "They say that you have gone to settle the score  with your princess's murderer?"  Charles  asked.  Link  nodded.
   "Yes,  Trenon. I   killed him before, for  he murdered  my brother. Now,  he  is somehow back  to life, and he  took away  the one person I loved more than anyone in the world,"  Link  replied, his  anger evident in his tone of voice.  
    "If it helps any,  my friend, I  also  have  a  deep hatred for Trenon's race.  The Tanolians often  invade my country, Lemmink , and also, my dear friend, Princess Julietta's country, Jueland. We combine our   forces, but they cause so much damage  to our smaller villages," Charles explained sadly. Link nodded .  Suddenly , he stared at Charles. 
    "You know Princess Julietta?"  He'd met the princess  a year  ago, when she'd  visited  Hyrule. He remembered her well, a petite strawberry blonde, engaged to a lord  of Sosaria.  "And your name is Charles... why I do remember her saying  that she was great friends   with King  Charles of Lemmink!  It's   really you, isn't it?" Link exclaimed. Charles grinned.
   "Uh,  I guess you got me there ," he said. 
     "Pardon my terrible manners!   It's a pleasure  to meet you, Your  Highness!" Link said, grinning back.
     "No,  please   don't call  me that!  That's what I'm trying to get  away from!" Charles protested  lightly .  Link laughed  slightly, his deep sadness  forgotten for  a moment.
    "Okay, I'll not tell. But someone's going to realise  sooner or  later," he  said . Charles smiled .
    "Nick already  knows. He  confronted me; after all ,we had  meet before a few years previously,"  he  explained. Link smiled  again.
    "What is it with   this generation of Royals? You're all  so revolutionary!  Why, here's you pretending  to be some normal  guy, then there's Nick still refusing to ascend to the throne, and then   Zel..."       Link stopped  there,  his  face falling  as he mentioned the name  of the love he had lost . Charles placed a hand on Link's shoulder and  patted it comfortingly.
     "I wish there was someway in which I could  help,"   he  said sadly.  "Perhaps  there is..." Link began  slowly.
   "Like what?" Charles enquired.
   "Help me. I  think Trenon is at Death  Mountain," Link replied, trotting Carefree onwards ...

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