The Amulet of Nagul
Chapter 7

   By early evening, the two adventurers  had  finally reached the outskirts  of  Ganon's   territory. "We'll have to be careful round  here," Link said, dismounting. "Ganon's monsters                                                                                                               hide   all around.  Our horses should  be safe  here, though," he continued. Charles dismounted too and nodded.
    "So how  far is  the  entrance  from here?" he asked, looking around.  The autumn  season meant that the darkness grew  earlier and earlier. According to Link's watch,  it was  only just past 6pm, but the  sky was tinged  with dark patches  within the vibrant sunset.
   "We   travel down this bank into the  valley. See the red mountain?"  Link said, motioning over to the one that was different from all the rest. Most  of Hyrule's mountains  were a dark brown colour , but  Death  Mountain stood tall and red, easily marking out the main entrance into  Ganon's domain . "There is an entrance into   the  Underworld there, but we'll not go in that way. There'll be too many monsters," Link continued, drawing his  sword, and looking around cautiously. Charles drew his own weapon, and they set off down the hill into  Death  Valley. Link remembered one of the previous times he'd been here. Turning to Charles he said, "only about a month or two back, there was a huge battle  going on in this valley." 
   "Yes, I take it you won?" Charles  asked .
    "Well, the main aim was just to defeat Ganon , but I later found out that he can only supposedly be destroyed for good using the power of all three Triforces combined.  Otherwise, he just simply keeps resurrecting  himself,"   Link replied.
    "Do you think you will ever be rid of him for  good?" Charles enquired .  Suddenly,  the two heard a roar, and  a large group of  moblins suddenly  surrounded  them.
   "Oh great," Link muttered, going for the nearest one.  He shot some magic  from its blade to zap another one coming at him, and the two  moblins vanished. Charles swung   his heavy sword at a rather   hefty moblin, promptly   cleaving it in two. 
   "Good one!" Link called, as  he disposed  of two more of the  creatures.  This  soon sent the rest of them running.
    "Are they always  so  cowardly?"   Charles asked, staring in disbelief as the creatures retreated back  into the  trees. Link nodded.
   "Yeah, but they can still be  dangerous to the unwary. It's just that  they  know I can get them in one or two hits, and they hate being in Ganon's  Evil Jar."  The  two reached the bottom of the valley  without another incident, and entered Death Mountain via a secret passageway which lay behind a small clump of trees.   

  "This is an extremely difficult decision, but it has to be made, Your Highness," Drake said. The King was holing a Royal Council, with all his best advisors like Impa, and his most loyal knights like Drake. Fenella was also present.
   "I don't think that there's any question about it. My Faye is the obvious answer," she said. The King sighed.
   "Logically my dear, yes. But she's not a true heir," he said sadly. They were busy discussing who was next in line to take the throne. Now that Zelda was dead, there was no-one with a rightful claim, and the King wasn't sure what to do.
   "Nonsense! She's my daughter, your stepdaughter," Fenella replied. "She's not Hylian," the King said.
   "Your Majesty, if I may  please point out, perhaps it is time for a change? It shouldn't matter that Fayette is Hylian, she's rightfully a Princess of Hyrule now," one of the knights pointed out.
   "It's breaking a tradition though. Besides, we don't know how the people would feel about an outsider  ascending," Impa said slowly.
   "That's true," Drake nodded.
   "Outsider? Faye is hardly that," Fenella retorted, looking offended.
     "Of course not dear. But my people... You and Faye were born in Sosaria, not Hyrule. I would be handing the throne over to a native Sosarian. Don't you see how my people might feel?" the King replied. Fenella nodded.
     "Alright, of course, that is a valid point. But surely they wouldn't mind? Alina was Sosarian."
    "I think Link would be the most natural choice. After everything he's done for Hyrule..." Impa began. Several people murmured in agreement at Impa's suggestion.
    "He isn't even a noble!" Fenella protested, angry at the fact that the hero should be chosen over her daughter.
    "That doesn't matter. Link has lived here long enough to know the ways of royal etiquette," the King answered, looking thoughtful.
    "And he and Zelda were to be married in any case. He would have been King someday," Impa added.
    "But Link isn't Hyrulian either! Wasn't he born in Catalia?" Fenella stated, a hint of smugness in her tone.
   "He's Hylian though, and our people love him like he is one of us," Drake replied. 
   "That's hardly fair on Faye!" Fenella answered.
   "Perhaps neither are suited. Perhaps I should choose someone else entirely," the King finally said.
   "But Your Majesty," Impa implored.
   "One of you knights, you Drake perhaps?" he suggested, looking at the knight.
   "Your Highness, I respect your choice, but I hardly deserve such a responsibility. Link truly deserves the honour, I think. It's what Zelda would have wanted," Drake replied sadly. Everyone knew that Drake had loved the Princess like she was his own sister, and at his tone, the entire room fell silent, thinking  of her. Finally, the King said quietly,
    "I think Fayette is the best choice. She is the next in line, it's unfair to give the right to someone else." Impa, Drake and a few others glanced at each other in disappointment. Fenella hugged the King, and then the old man  got up and walked out, looking deeply troubled. Fenella and the rest of the court followed.

  "This just won't do!" Drake declared to Impa as they walked back to the Great Hall.
  "Come upstairs Sir Drake," said the old Hylian, heading towards the stairs. As dutiful as he was, Drake helped her up to her room, and they went inside. Impa  made some herbal tea for the knight, and they sat down.
   "Dear, I see that you feel as strongly as I. Unfortunately, it is the King's final decision, and  we can't go against it," she  said. Drake nodded.
    "Of course  not! But to choose Fayette!" he said glumly.
     "Fayette may seem like  a silly empty  head at times, but I do believe there is some good in the girl.  And  yet, she's nothing like   Zelda, and never will be," Impa said sadly. Drake looked down into his tea.
   "I grieve for her almost as deeply as Link," he said in a soft tone.
   "It's a terrible tragedy,  that  should never had happened. But no-one is to blame, no matter  how much Link  thinks it was his fault. Now, it's too late. I only  hope that  he doesn't go out and do something completely stupid,"  Impa said.
    "He won't, yet I fear that some of us should have accompanied him. Yet, he wouldn't hear of it, and went riding off  vowing revenge," Drake muttered, fingering the handle of his sword. Impa got up, and walked over to the window.  It  was  growing dark.
   "He has been gone two days. Sprite told me earlier that he is headed to Death Mountain, along with brave King Charles," she said.
   "King?" Drake asked in surprise. The old Hylian woman chuckled, breaking their sombre mood a little.
  "Yes, Charles is the ruler of Lemmink, but it seems he  prefers adventuring to monarchy."
  "I see. And where is that faerie, come to think of it?" Drake asked.
  "Sprite has gone to visit Imilda. She's one of the oldest and wisest faeries in Hyrule. Sprite is hoping that Imilda may be  able to explain Trenon's magic. Like her, I  am fearful, for that was truly  powerful. With having almost  three Triforces, we should have been able to overcome that solid apparition, yet it all happened so fast," Impa  said,  turning back to Drake.
   "There's only one thing.  Either he or Ganon have discovered a magic source that is as powerful as the Triforce,"  Drake replied.
    "Let's  just hope Link and Charles don't fall victim to it," Impa said. Drake nodded.
    "I'm going after them," he  stated. Impa nodded.
   "Take  Master Aaron,  Prince  Nick and the rest of your friends . Their help will be invaluable. Link must return  soon, for Zelda's protection spell is fading, and only he can cast one that is almost as powerful," she said. Drake bowed slightly.
   "We shall set off at once," he said.
  "I'll pray that you all return safely," Impa  replied.

  "Imilda?" Sprite  called, stepping in the old faerie's secret home inside a great old oak tree. Her friend and mentor was nowhere  to be  seen. The faerie princess looked around worriedly. Then she heard a weak voice, calling to her. She rushed up the wooden steps, and into Imilda's bedroom.  Imilda was lying in bed, looking sick and  pale. She beckoned to Sprite, and she quickly ran over to the bed. "Imilda, what's the matter? Are you sick?"  Sprite cried anxiously.
   "My pretty Princess, I'm so glad that you're here," Imilda said.
    "Can I help you?" Sprite asked.
   "Sprite, my time is drawing near, there is little that I can  do about  it. However, there is something that you can do," Imilda told her. 
   "What? But I  thought you were supposed to  live forever!" Sprite cried unhappily.
   "I have been blessed with a long life Princess, and during my time upon this world I have seen and learnt many things. But, my life will soon end, and time is running out," Imilda replied sadly.
     "No! Imilda you can't die!" Sprite cried unhappily. She loved Imilda the way Zelda and Link  loved Impa.
    "Please don't be sad for me, my child. But listen," Imilda continued.  Sprite nodded silently. "A new magic is here... almost as powerful as the  Triforce. But it is an evil magic of begotten times," Imilda began. Sprite listened intently, knowing that Imilda's story could prove important. 

   "An ancient artefact, created by the  Hylian mage Nagul, has been discovered  by Ganon, and he can do much damage with it. Nagul used to live in a tall  tower in the Midoro mountains. Princess, that tower still remains, hidden in the high peaks. During a sunny day, you can sometimes see it in Midoro, yet it is always cloudy there. He was so jealous of the Hyrulian  Royal Family, and like  Ganon, he yearned for power. Year after year, he sat  in his dark tower, experimenting with various kinds of magic. He often applied to join the  royal  magic guild, yet each time he was turned away, for they  believed Nagul to be nothing more than an eccentric, stuck up in that  tower.  So he became bitter and  angry. His sole aim in life was to destroy the King and his  family. Nagul finally created an object that could do this; a talisman which when worn, could project great magical powers to the  wearer, enabling him to conjure up and control images as if they were real." Sprite gasped.
   "That's  exactly what Trenon did!" she exclaimed in horror.
    "Shh pretty one, and let me  continue," Imilda  said, nodding. "Nagul's now twisted mind  became filled with big plans. Plans of an  army  that would attack  North Castle.  He tested  out his army  spell in Midoro swamp, and  plotted  to overthrow the King  in this  way. However, he was discovered by one of the King's most noble knights, Sir Rohim.  Sir  Rohim informed the  King, and during the night,  Rohim braved  the perils of Midoro Swamp, and entered the tower. However, Nagul was waiting for him, and drove a dagger through the knight's heart, as he ascended the stairs. The vile Nagul had been hidden in the shadows," Imilda finished. Sprite looked surprised. She had been expecting Sir Rohim  to kill Nagul.
    "So what happened next?" she asked.

  Imilda patted the bed, asking Sprite to sit down. The faerie did so, and  waited quietly for Imilda to continue her story. "When  the people  heard of Nagul's foul act, they banded together and attacked him. It is said that he used his talisman, I think it was a medallion, to make a large army  of men  fight against the  people, but in the  end, the King's men prevailed, indeed it was supposed to be Rohim's younger brother Rohan was the one who destroyed the wizard. As  for the medallion,  it was thrown into the  deepest depths of Midoro Swamp, never  to  be seen again. Until now  of  course," Imilda  finished. Sprite stared at the wise old faerie with wide eyes.
    "As powerful as the Triforce?"  she breathed. "With the right user yes. But not quite. Nagul's magic was astounding, the bodies of his  conjured army  lay dead in the swamp for days   after. It was only when  Nagul's putrid body was reduced to ashes, that they disappeared  for good," Imilda  replied. A hand flew  to  Sprite's mouth as a horrible thought crossed her mind. What if Zelda... surely it  wasn't  true? That she was never dead, but Trenon had tricked them into thinking that  she was?
    "Imilda, how can we stop Ganon and Trenon if they really do have Nagul's talisman?" she asked.
    "The Triforce, my Princess. Restore the Triforce, and turn  the medallion's power against it's wearer," Imilda replied simply.
    "But ... there's no-one  to use it, even if we did find all the pieces!" Sprite cried.
    "Your Princess may not be dead. Only she has the ability to use all three at once. You must find out if she's alive!" Imilda said. Sprite nodded .
    "Link and Charles headed for  Death Mountain this very morning!" the faerie exclaimed.
    "Then they  may be in great danger! Hurry Sprite, you must make sure that they don't fight Trenon! And you must try to complete the Triforce!" Imilda said, her voice beginning to waver. Her magical faerie  glow began to fade, and Sprite was still stood there as the old faerie breathed her last. So  she was never aware of a tall, burly man reaching into the tree to grab her  until it was too late...

  Kylara sat perched on the wall, watching the guards spar with each other.  She felt a light tap on her shoulder.  It was, what was her name again? Fayette.  She smiled faintly.  "What's this about your connection with Link?" asked Fayette sweetly. 
    "Well it's a pretty long story, but by lore we should marry.  It's the only honourable thing to do, well at least in Catalia it is anyway," said Kylara softly. 
  "What do you mean?" asked Fayette, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.  Kylara shook her head. 
  "Perhaps now that he has no obligations here he'll come back to Catalia with me," mused Kylara oblivious to Fayette's question.  Fayette smiled at the girl then walked away, it looked as though the knight in shining armour did have feet of clay after all.  

  Link wiped his forehead, still clutching his sword.  This part of Death Mountain seemed to be swarming with creatures.  He and Charles had just disposed of a group of stalfos when a huge Skulltulla swooped down on to them.  "Is it always like this?" asked Charles, deflecting one of the spiders blows.
    "I thought these were extinct," complained Link, not answering Charles's question.  Link quickly disposed of the creature and they continued on their way. 
   "How much longer?" asked Charles breathlessly. 
   "Not much longer," answered an all too familiar voice behind them.  Link whirled around, slicing his sword through the air.
    "Trenon," he snarled. 
    "Oh, I see you know my name well now.  How touching," commented Trenon.  Link stabbed his sword towards Trenon, missing him by inches.
    "Tsk, tsk, Link.  Is that a way to treat an old acquaintance?" asked Trenon, sneering.  Link noticed a shiny amulet hanging around Trenon's neck. 
    "What's that?" asked Link, pointing his sword towards the necklace.  Trenon looked down at the amulet and took hold of it.
    "This?  Nothing that'll interest you," he said casually.  Link knew that some sorcerers held their power in an object, such as a necklace.  He quickly upper-cutted with his sword and tore the amulet from Trenon's neck.  He threw it to the floor and as Trenon dived for it he was impaled by Link's blade.  Link withdrew his sword from Trenon's back, and wiped it clean of the black, rotting blood.
     "That was too easy," said Charles, his eyes darting back and forth.
     "You're right, where's Ganon?" replied Link, kicking Trenon's limp body to the side of the passage.  His boot went straight through the corpse.  "Ughh," he said in distaste, carefully withdrawing his boot. 
   "Rather you than me," said Charles chuckling. 
   "Rather him than me," shot back Link, looking at Trenon's body.  "Uh-oh," he said, spotting sparks fizzing around Trenon's hands.  He began to back away.
    "What?" asked Charles. 
    "Run!" ordered Link, running down the passage.  Seconds later they both heard an explosion down the passage.  "Looks like he spontaneously combusts when he's dead," commented Charles quietly.  "I hope it doesn't cause a cave in," said Link nervously.  He looked down the passage that lay out in front of them.  "Let's find Ganon.  I intend to make him pay," said Link quietly, setting off down the passage. 

  "What was that?" asked Aaron, pointing his sword to a charred corpse. 
  "I don't know," replied Drake.
   "I hope it was of Link's doing, 'cos that means we're on his trail!" said Dion, shining his torch along the passage.
    "Perhaps if we hurry we might be able to catch them," suggested Damon.  Drake nodded in agreement. 
   "Yeah, you're right.  We've been pretty sluggish until now," he agreed.  With renewed vigour, the party set back off down the passage.

  "Ah Link, it's so nice to see you again," cackled Ganon as Link entered the throne room. 
   "I wish I could say the same," retorted Link, eyeing the wizard carefully. 
   "So sorry to hear about Zelda.  Such a shame," said Ganon, almost sincerely. 
  "I'm sure you are," spat back Link, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
   "But I'm sure Princess Fayette will be a much better ruler," continued on Ganon.
   "Oh I'm sure she will be.  From your point of view," replied Link. 
   "I must say that I'm very disappointed in Trenon.  Throwing his life away for some little trinket," went on Ganon slyly.  "Skoll!  Aspete!" Ganon clicked his fingers.  His two henchmen appeared in huge puffs of smoke. 
    "Do as you wish with them," he said offhandedly before disappearing.  Skoll and Aspete both made a beeline for Link, but Charles stopped Aspete in his tracks. 
   "Thanks!" shouted Link to Charles.  Now he only had to deal with the Stalfos.  Skoll charged up to him, pointing his sword directly in front of him.  Link deflected the blow with his shield then quickly delivered a series of blows to Skoll.  He preferred dealing with the moblin - you knew if you were doing any damage but you never knew with a pile of bones. 
    "You ain't such a good hero if ya can't protect dat stoopid princess!" taunted Skoll.  Link gritted his teeth and delivered another series of hard-hitting blows.  Skoll managed to deflect a few, but not all, of the blows.  Link stepped back as Skoll delivered another hit then sliced his sword through the air, cutting off the skeleton's bony hand.  It clattered to the floor, along with the sword that it had been holding. 
   "Too bad, you lose bone head," grinned Link, taking a bomb from his bag and sticking it between the hapless skeleton's ribs.  Link quickly paced away to join in with Charles, and a few moments later an explosion ripped through the room sending a shower of bones onto them.  Just as Link arrived next to Charles, the King delivered a fatal blow which instantly killed the moblin.  "Nice work," commented Link.
    "You weren't so bad yourself," replied Charles smiling.  Link then turned and strode over to Ganon's throne. 
   "Ganon, if you don't come out I'm gonna go ahead and smash that evil jar!" called Link.  Ganon instantly materialised, and shot a bolt of magic toward Link.  Link calmly stepped out of the way then rose his shield.  Ganon sneered.  Suddenly Link heard a whoosh from behind him and a blazing arrow flew through the air towards Ganon.  Link turned his head and saw Drake, Dion, Aaron, Damon and Nick.  Link waved then turned his attention back to Ganon.  He was on fire.  He began to screech but it was all incomprehensible.  Just before he vanished Link noticed something glinting in his hand, but he quickly dismissed it and jogged over to Drake and the rest.  "Hey!" he called to them as he approached them.
    "Hey yourself!  Seen Trenon on your travels?" asked Drake. 
    "Yeah, he's dead," replied Charles walking over to the group.
    "He's dead!?  How?" asked Dion.
    "I stabbed him in the back.  Literally," answered Link. 
   "Hey, that's dishonourable," joked Drake. 
    "Only as dishonourable as the next person," defended Link.
    "You shouldn't have come out here without telling us," scolded Drake.
    "Aww, come on.  We're still okay," replied Charles dismissively.
    "Yeah you are.  But you might not have been.  What then?" said Drake sternly. 
     "This place.  It gives me the creeps.  How about we head on home," said Dion glancing around the huge throne room. 
     "Yeah, the sooner we get away from here the better," agreed Drake.  Just before they turned round to leave Death Mountain, a strange feeling washed over Link.  He would've sworn someone was trying to contact him, telepathically.  But only Zelda could do that, and she, she was gone, wasn't she?  Link shook his head.  Dion was right, they had to get away from this place.  He turned around and trudged onward to follow the others.  Getting away from Hyrule would definitely be the best thing for now,  he decided as he walked on.               

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