"Now, Zelda, watch as I kill your puny little Hero! He is no match for the Evil King! I will slice him into little bits like I did to your father, four thousand years ago! And then, you will become my wife and rule Hyrule with me, for all of eternity!"
__________________
"Link!" I screamed, bolting upright in his arms. Link had his arms wrapped around me, and I had shook them off when I jumped up like that.
Off of instinct, Link jumped up as well, grabbing my arm and pulling me closer to him. He opened his eyes and rubbed them, trying to clear his vision. "What's wrong?" He asked quickly, trying to look around for any danger or possible threat.
I began breathing heavily, trying to control my tears. "G-Ganon is trying to attack you, and kill you, a-and..." I held my hands over my chest, trying to calm myself. "H-He said he was going to force me to..." I stopped, a wave of embarrassment flooding over me.
Link looked at me. "Force you to, what, Zel?"
I stared at Link for a moment, then shook my head. "N-Nothing important." Before Link could speak, I stood up and pulled him with me. "Can we, like, do something about this now? I'm kinda getting tired of waiting around."
Link laughed quietly. "I don't know. I don't even know how to contact Impa."
I shrugged my shoulders. "Could we call Midna?"
Link nodded. "I think that's our best bet right now."
I smiled, walking over to my kitchen and picking up my phone, where I had left it earlier. "It's Friday, right?" I asked Link.
"Mhm," he nodded, sitting down. He took a banana from my fruit bowl and began peeling it.
I rolled my eyes. "Did I say you could have that?"
Link looked up at me sadly. "No?"
I laughed. "I'm kidding. Eat."
Link laughed. "Weirdo." He began eating the banana as I dialed Midna's number.
I put her on speakerphone as soon as she answered. "Hey, Midna!" I said.
"Hey Zelda! What's up?"
"Do you know if there's, like, anything we can do? To, y'know, move forward in this war?"
"If you are implying to contact Impa, I have no idea how to do so." Midna sighed. "However..."
I looked at Link strangely, and then looked back down at my phone on the table. "H-However...?"
"I hear that there is some... Underground desert, that someone must travel to."
"Underfround defert?" Link mumbled, his mouth full of banana.
I laughed, then nodded. "How could there be an underground desert?"
"See, that's the thing. There is no such thing as an underground desert. But, if you, Zelda, use your magic, you just might be able to go back in time, to Hyrule's period, and gain all of the knowledge and weapons you need to defeat Ganon in this period."
I shook my head hesitantly. "I-I can't do that... There's no way!" I laughed sadly. "I mean... I tried using my magic, and I can barely move my legs..."
Link swallowed, then put a hand on my shoulder. "Zelda, I bet you could do it."
"Oh, hey Link!" Midna laughed.
"Hey, Midna!" Link replied with a smile. Then, he looked back at me, his expression completely serious. "Zelda, I know you can do it."
I laid my arms on the table, holding my head in my hands. "I don't know, Link..." I looked at him, then looked at the floor. "I don't know."
"Would you want me to come, too?" Midna asked.
"Could you?" I said.
"Of course! Maybe even Agitha-"
Midna stopped herself. I gasped, looking out of the kitchen window. I felt tears form at my eyes, but I quickly rubbed them away with the sweater I was wearing. I laughed. "It's okay, Midna. But, no, I don't think she should come."
"Yes," Midna agreed. "That would be for the best, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah," I mumbled, smiling.
Link smiled, too. "I think it would be better to leave her out of it, too."
I nodded, looking at Link. "But anyway, Midna, when can you come over?"
Midna snickered. "Give me just one second."
"Okay," I said, hanging up.
Link's eyes widened. "Why did you hang up?"
I stared at him for a few seconds before he screamed, feeling the hands of Midna on his shoulders.
"Surprise!" Midna cheered, jumping up and down. "Look, Zelda! I've been practicing my teleportation magic! It's working really well!"
I giggled. "Yay! I'm proud of you."
Midna beamed, putting her hands on her hips. Link leaned forward on his stool, his hand over his heart. "You scared me so badly!" He yelled.
Midna laughed, slapping his back. He winced. "Oh, come on, Hero!" She said, walking over to my side. "Suck it up."
Link rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Link looked at me and smiled his best. "Let's get going, shall we?"
I held up my hands. "W-Wait, we still don't know if I can-"
Midna groaned. "Zelda, you don't know unless you try!" She walked over to me and took my wrists, pulling me off my seat. Link followed us both into the family room, where we all held hands, like we did five days ago.
Midna nodded at me. "Now concentrate all of your energy. You might be able to remember the spell to take us back in time."
I quickly shook my head. "But-" I began, when Midna immediately interrupted me.
She smiled warmly. "Zelda. I believe in you." She looked up at Link. "I bet this idiot does too."
Link turned to Midna, offended. "Hey!"
I laughed. "Okay, okay."
I sighed. I felt all of my energy rise into my chest, and out into my arms. Midna and Link watched as my hands began to glow a golden color. I began reciting another incantation that came to my head without any trouble of remembrance. I began to hum a cute tune, and something triggered a memory. I gasped, just as we disappeared out of my family room, into nothingness.
___________________
"What's this song, Link?" I asked, watching Link as he pulled out a shiny blue ocarina.
He smiled, holding the small instrument up to his lips. "It's called the Song of Time."
I laughed. "Does it have any special powers? You know, like the Song of Storms?"
Link chuckled darkly. "What, do you want me to play that instead?"
I covered my head with my bare hands. "No! No rain!" I pleaded.
Link laughed. "Alright, I'll play the Song of Time."
I sat quietly and patiently, watching as Link sighed, putting his lips to the small entrance on the ocarina.
The song made my body feel light, and my legs felt numb. It literally felt like we were going back in time.
Before the song ended, Link stopped. "I can only play so much."
I shrugged my shoulders. "How come? It is a very beautiful song."
Link winked at me. "Well, you'll see, some other time."
___________________
I opened my eyes. Link was laying beside me on my right. To my left was Midna. They both laid lifeless on the ground. I worriedly rolled my body to the side, setting my head on Link's chest.
"Please be breathing, please be breathing..." I whispered. I sighed a breath of relief when I heard the soft beating of his heart.
I didn't want to move, strangely enough. However, I needed to check on Midna. I rolled back over to my left, holding my right hand against her chest. I sighed once more, feeling her beat, faster, and faster...
Midna shot up off of the ground. She began gasping for breath. "Where's Link?!" She screamed.
I pointed behind me. "I-Is something the matter?"
She crawled over to his side, leaning her head against his chest. "No, no, no, no..." she whispered.
"W-What's going on?" I asked, moving up beside her.
Midna held out her hands in front of her, and she quickly created a large black cloak in front of her. She tossed it over my body. "Keep this on, and never take it off unless I say it is alright to."
I nodded. "O-Okay."
I watched as Midna held her hands over Link's chest, mumbling a spell. Her facial expression turned dark and malicious. She stood up, still holding her arms in front of her. She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut.
Suddenly, an invisible force threw her against a wall.
"Midna!" I screamed, getting up and running over to her side. How was as good as ever to take a look around the place we were in.
It was a small room, lined with yellow sandstone. There were chains on the ground. I looked up, and saw a little bit of sunlight shining through the very top of a door.
I helped Midna stand. "What's going on with Link?"
She frowned, clenching her teeth. "Dark magic will reach him."
My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?!"
Midna looked at me, holding my face in her hands. "You have to promise me not to scream, or cry, okay?"
I nodded. "Okay, I promise."
Midna nodded, walking back over besides Link. She backed up immediately as she saw him begin to sit up.
I smiled. "Link!"
He looked over at me, a smile painting his own face. "Zelda, it worked." He looked down at his hands. "You did it, like Midna said."
I stepped closer to him, when Midna grabbed my arm. I looked back at her.
She seemed frightened.
"Don't take one step closer," she warned. I looked back over at Link, who was standing on his own two feet.
"Why not?" I asked, moving beside her.
Midna winced. "I couldn't stop it, Zelda..." I watched as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I tried to take the dark magic out of him... I really did..."
I laughed nervously. "What do you mean?" I smiled, shaking her shoulders gently. She stared at the ground. "Link will be okay, right?"
Midna finally looked back up at me. She gasped, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind her. "It's beginning."
I looked over her shoulder, and there was Link, clawing at his tunic. His clothes had turned into his old, Hero's outfit. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing emerged.
He fell to his knees, holding his hands on the ground. He clenched his fists. His eyes were closed, and he was moving in weird directions. His head moved up and down, and he grunted.
Then, he screamed.
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion for me.
I watched in horror as Link's feet turned into paws.
His mouth turned into a snout.
His scream turned into a howl.
Midna took my hand and squeezed it. She didn't even watch what had happened to him.
When Link fell back to the ground, I witnessed, first hand, what dark magic was like.
"Don't cry," Midna whispered, squeezing my hand tighter. "Please."
I sniffed, trying to contain my tears. "What...?"
"He's a wolf," Midna stated, still not daring to even peek at him. "Or, as my people call him, a beast."
I shook my head in denial. I couldn't help but run over to his side. "Link!" I repeated, over and over, praying that he would wake up and become human again. I prayed that this was all just a nightmare, and that I would wake up soon.
The beast laying before me shook its head, and it's eyes opened. He was much bigger than Link.
The beast's ears were still pierced, just like Link's were. He also possessed the same blue eyes Link had.
The beast looked down at its paws, turning around a few times.
"It's still Link, isn't it?" I asked Midna, still looking at the beast.
"Yes, it is still him," she replied.
I smiled sadly, watching the beast sit like a regular dog, right in front of me. "Link? Can you understand me?"
The beast barked quietly, licking my cheek. I laughed, running my hands through the mane on the beast.
Midna walked over beside us, kneeling down. "It'll be a while before he will return to normal."
I nodded. "It's okay. Link is kinda cute as a dog, anyway."
"Beast," Midna corrected.
I laughed. "He doesn't seem much of a beast." I scratched behind Link's ears. "Huh? You're not much of a beast, are you?"
Midna snorted. "That's so weird."
I gasped, pulling my hands away. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."
The beast licked my hand.
Midna smiled, petting the beast for herself. "Okay, you're right. He is kinda cute."
"Right?" I laughed.
The beast opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue. It seemed to have yawned.
I couldn't help but yawn as well. Midna laughed.
"So, are we in Hyrule's time period?" I asked, lying down onto the ground.
Midna nodded. "I definitely feel like we are in the past." She laid down beside me.
"Alright. Well Hyrule can wait," I stated, pulling my legs up to my chest. "I'm taking a nap. I'm completely drained of all of my energy."
Midna laughed softly. "Sounds like a plan," she said, drifting off to sleep.
The beast laid down beside me. It moved its body close to me, and I felt warmer. The beast's large body was transferring heat into mine.
A tear slid down my face. "Goodnight, Link," I said, falling asleep.