Thunder echoed through Hyrule field as Link stumbled out of the Lost Woods. He had finally returned home. Now only one task was left, to find his lost precious friend.
"I wonder how things have changed." thought Link. "How long has it been since I left? I know one thing though, I should return the Ocarina of Time to Zelda."
Link led Epona out of the woods and then recalled he had to return Epona. He jumped onto his trusted horse and steered her towards her home.

At the same time a boy washed onto the shore Lake Hylia. The two scarecrows that guarded the vegetable garden from the keese.
"Bonoroose what happened to that kid?" gasped Pierre.
"I don't know." shrugged the other scarecrow.
"Ungh, oh my aching head." groaned the boy pushing himself up.
"Hey the kid's alive!" laughed Pierre.
"Thank the goddesses!" cheered Bonoroose.
"Where am I?" moaned the boy rubbing a knot on his head.
"Lake Hylia." answered Bonoroose.
"Damn, I fell into the river?" muttered the boy.
"Where were you trying to go?" asked Pierre.
"The Gerudo Fortress." answered the boy.
"Are you nuts?" gasped Pierre.
"I was chasing a thief." muttered the boy. "She took something very precious to me."
"Well it looks like it's lost." sighed Bonoroose.
"No, I'll get it back." growled the boy. "I swear by the goddesses that I will get my treasure back!"
"Who are you kid?" sighed Pierre.
"My name is Beat Grimsley, and that thief made a mistake stealing from me!" snarled the boy opening his golden eyes.

Navi flitted across the waters of the fairy fountain hidden deep behind Lord Jabu Jabu's home. She had grown bored here. Just like the other springs, they couldn't hold her interest. She missed being able to talk with Link.
"Why'd I have to be such a fool?" sighed Navi.
"No one said you had to leave him." said the Great Fairy of Magic.
"But fairies can only accompany Kokiri!" whined Navi.
"Please, no one ever said fairies couldn't help nonKokiri." growled the Great Fairy. "If you miss him, go find him!"
Navi fluttered up to the Great Fairy and hugged her face. "Thank you!" she cried. She darted out of the fountain and flew into the sky. She soon plummeted down stuck in a large drop of rain. She popped out before it hit the ground, and shook herself dry.
"Oh I can't wait to find Link! I can be snug and dry under his hat." she laughed. She flew in areas with cover and flew over Lake Hylia. As she flew she saw a boy with a tattered black cloak walking away from the area the scarecrows stayed.
"I wonder who he is." she thought. She decided to ignore him and flew off towards the castle to see if the princess had seen Link.

"Fairy Boy!" laughed Malon running up to Link and tackling him off of Epona.
"Hey Malon." laughed Link happily. "Good to see you."
"Hey Link, finally came back to marry Malon?" joked Talon making Link blush as Malon pursed her lips as if she was about to kiss him.
"Malon get off." whined Link.
"Oh c'mon, one kiss won't kill you." laughed Malon.
"Why don't you stay the night and have dinner with us? I doubt you want to stay out in the rain." offered Talon.
"Thanks Talon!" nodded Link. "Its been ages since I had a home-cooked meal."

The boy named Beat trudged through the rain. He was going back to reclaim his lost treasure. He stood before the bridge that led to the desert.
"Alright Grimsley, are you ready to meet our demands?" laughed the guards.
"That depends, are you returning what you had stolen from me?" growled the boy.
"That's up to Nabooru."
"I've already made it clear enough, I'm not a Gerudo." spat Beat.
"Your mother was one of us!" snapped the guard.
"My mother was also the first Gerudo to give birth to a child that wasn't complete Gerudo, I am a Hylian!" shouted Beat.
"Come now Grimsley. Is it really necessary to shout?" laughed a woman dressed differently from the guards.
"Nabooru." growled Beat.
"You know what we want, we know what you want. You know what will happen." laughed Nabooru.
"I'll say no, and get thrown into the river again?"
"You were what?!?" gasped Nabooru. "Scarlett you tossed him off the bridge?"
"No!!!" denied the one named Scarlett shaking violently.
"I don't have time for this." growled Beat. "Just give my violin back!" 
"Not until you meet our terms." sighed Nabooru turning her attention back to him.

Zelda sat in her room staring out at the rain descending on the field outside. Somewhere out there was her friend. How long had it been since he left? A year? It seemed like only yesterday when he snuck into the castle courtyard to speak with her. She remembered the innocence she saw in his eyes when they met. When she had to say goodbye to him as he departed to search for Navi, she saw his eyes were no longer innocent. He had explained the pain he felt when he woke up. How he let so many friends get hurt when he was asleep.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on the door.
"Princess? Your supper is ready." called Impa.
"Right, coming!" replied Zelda hopping down from tue window ledge. She ran up to the door and took one last glance at the rain swept window to see a blue light flying up to it. "Navi?" gasped the princess running up to her window.
Upon hearing the fairy's name Impa opened the door and helped the princess open the window allowing the small creature to come in.
"Navi what are you doing here?" asked Zelda.
"I was coming to see if you had seen Link." explained Navi. "I've realized that I was a fool to leave Link, so now I've decided to search for him."
Impa smiled at the fairy and helped her dry off. "Link will be overjoyed when you find him."
"But it's been quite some time since we last saw him." sighed Zelda.
"Oh." sighed Navi turning pale blue.
"But, you mustn't worry. You should know him better than anyone. He can handle any situation." reassured Impa.
"You're right. I bet Link has total control of the situation he's in right now!" laughed Navi.

"I refuse to come out!" shouted Link from the bathroom.
"Why is that Fairy Boy?" laughed Malon outside the door.
"You stole my tunic! Now give it back!" growled Link.
"It was dirty, so we're washing it. Relax daddy got you some clothes that should fit you." laughed Malon. "Just come outside."
"Malon give the boy a break!" sighed Talon. "He just got back."
"Okay daddy." sighed Malon. She then moped off to the kitchen to prepare for the meal.
"Here you go son, some nice dry clothed to warm you all up." smiled Talon handing Link a sandpaper colored tunic.
"Thank you." nodded Link. "It's been too long since I've gotten to come here."
"I'd say. I was starting to think you stole our best horse." laughed Talon.
"Sorry, I got preoccupied." sighed Link recalling his time in Termina.
"It's not a problem. I think you'll be happy to hear I replaced Ingo." laughed Talon.
"Really? Why?" asked Link in shock.
"Well, he just kept letting things go undone. So I decided to get someone more dedicated to their work to help." sighed Talon. "So I hired a boy by the name of Dominick. He gets twice the work Ingo was supposed to do done."
"Is he here now?" asked Link.
"No, he had some sick family members in need of help so he took some time off." sighed Talon. "But enough about that. C'mon, let's go eat."
"Right, I'm so hungry I could eat an octorok." laughed Link.

Beat walked away from the Desert holding a case close to his chest. He smiled as he hummed a tune his friend had made up.
"I'll take your rupees, I'll take your gold, I ignore every request I'm ever told, I guess I'll be called a thief."  sung Beat.
He looked back to see the fortress going into a state of panic. He sighed as he shook his head. 
"They should've known better than to think I'd stay there with them. I'm headed for Castle Town. There I'll learn about dad." thought the boy.
His cloak rustled as the wind blew harder. He wiped rain from his eyes as he continued moving forward, towards the castle barely visible in the distance.

Link had slept uneasily at the ranch. Ever since he had left Termina he had been plagued with nightmares. He had memorized all that happens in it. First he gets reunited with Navi. Then he'd meet a boy that resembled a Gerudo trying to get into the castle. After Link shows the boy the way into the courtyard, the two started talking with Zelda. Then the sky would go black, and the three fall into a dark void, waking him from the terrifying dream.
"What's wrong Link?" asked Talon seeing Link walk down the steps nervously.
"Bad dream." muttered Link. "No need to worry about."
"Well, that's good to hear I guess. The rain stopped so you can head out whenever you're ready to." replied Talon.
"I think I should go now. I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality." sighed Link.
"Well I guess I can't keep you here." laughed Talon. "Good luck finding Navi, and stop by anytime."
"Thanks." smiled Link.
He opened the door and started down the path to Kokiri Forest. As he left the ranch he bumped into a boy in his midteens. He wore glasses and had a scar on his right eye. He wore a dirt stained black shirt and his hair was a dark green of some sort.
"Oh, are you the new farmhand?" asked Link.
"Yeah, I'm Dominick. Who're you?" nodded the boy.
"I'm Link, I..."
"Ah, I see. You're the one that Malon won't stop talking about." laughed Dominick. "Well, I'd better get to work. It was nice meetin' ya."
"Yeah, nice meeting you." nodded Link in a daze. Malon was always talking about him? He blushed as he walked off.

Beat stretched as us walked down the steps of the inn he stayed in for the night. He yawned as he surveyed the people sitting in the bar. A few drunk Hylians, a half-asleep barkeeper, and a barmaid that looked as if she'd die of boredom. Sitting alone at a corner booth was a boy with blonde hair and a face that had scratches all over it. Beat smiled and walked over to sit across from the boy.
"Will my foulmouthed friend, how are you?" laughed Beat as he sat down.
"Grimsley, what brings you here to disturb my breakfast?" growled the boy placing a knife down.
"Not much. Just thought I'd say hello." shrugged Beat grabbing the apple off of Will's plate.
Will gritted his teeth and glared at Beat. He then sighed and smiled at his old friend.
"Good to see you." laughed Will.
"So, any luck finding your riches? Or did your father steal all your credit again?" asked Beat between mouthfuls of the apple.
"Neither. I've taken a break from treasure hunting to do another type of hunting." sighed the boy placing a piece of paper in front of Beat.
Beat looked at the pictograph of the man and instantly recognized him as one of the larger men that was drunk at the bar.
"Bounty hunting eh?" laughed Beat quietly. "Perhaps I should help."
"I thought you took an oath of peace, and gave up fighting." reminded Will.
"Oh please Nicoli, I only gave up fighting those who can't fight back." smiled Beat.
"This guy should give you a fight, wanted for brutal assault of three guards, four civilians, and seven bar patrons. I bet everyone here knows who he is, they just can't muster up the strength to do anything." sighed Will.
"I see. Then we'd best make quick work of this. Or would you rather I handle it alone?"
"Be my guest." shrugged Will.
Beat smiled and cracked his knuckles. He walked up to the largest man and tapped his shoulder.
"Excuse me, I'd like to claim the reward for capturing you. You are the Great Damien Demon, correct?" asked Beat civilly.
Most of the bar patrons gasped at the audacity of the strange boy. Will shook his head in disbelief and sighed. One other boy lifted his head from a book to watch what was going to happen, purple eyes twinkling behind his glasses.
"You must be pretty stupid kid. Do you know what I've done to people twice your size?" growled the oversized man.
"Oh yes, I'm quite aware of your assaults on the people of Hyrule. Now I think I'll do them all a favor and bring you to be locked up." nodded Beat.
The large men shook with laughter as he drew a long knife from his belt. He stood up and put the tip of the blade against Beat's neck. Beat stood there, unaffected, with a smile on his face.
"Excuse me for saying this, but you made a big mistake pulling a knife on me." growled Beat. 
He then grabbed the man by the wrist and twisted until it popped. The man gasped in pain as he released the knife. Beat kept the man in vice-like grip as he picked up the knife.
"How pathetic." sighed Beat. "One who attacks those who are weaker than himself are truly cowards. You only attacked me thinking I was a weakling foolish enough to try to arrest you while you seemed drunk. But I noticed you always drank by taking small sips. Those who are drunk would down a glass quickly, so I knew you were sober. But I must admit, I picked a fight knowing I'd win. Perhaps I too am a coward, but I know one thing. You're coming with me to be locked away where you can't harm any innocent soul."
The man whimpered as Beat swung the man by his arm and threw him out of a window. The man groaned as he got up to run away.
"He's all yours Will." shrugged Beat. He then turned to face the barkeeper. "I must apologize for breaking your window. Please forgive me."
"It's not a problem, what you did was amazing!" gasped the man behind the counter.
"Cyris put my bills on my tab, I've gotta catch that oaf." shouted Will grabbing the bow and quiver sitting beside him. He ran outside and notched an arrow taking aim at the man's leg.
"So, how can I pay you back for getting rid of him?" asked Cyris, the barkeeper.
"Perhaps a bottle of Lon Lon Milk, that's all I really need. I paid for my room last night." shrugged Beat.
"Gwen, fetch the boy the milk. Anything else?" asked Cyris.
"No, I was just about to head out. Nothing else is needed." sighed Beat.
"Well what's your name so we can remember who helped us?" asked the barkeeper handing Beat the milk.
"Beat Grimsley, but that's not necessary. I was just trying to help my friend catch that man." sighed Beat walking up the steps to get his few things.

As Link headed for the forest he noticed that the path was more trodden, meaning someone had been going into the forest. Link quickened his pace as he drew the Gilded sword and crossed the bridge. When he entered he saw everything was just as he remembered.
"Link!" laughed the Kokiri standing next to the entrance. "Welcome back!"
"Lido, hey!" laughed Link.
"Man did you get taller? You used to be shorter than me." laughed Lido.
"Maybe I did." laughed Link walking off.
"Welcome back Link!" called the Know-it-All brothers from the front of their house.
"Hey guys." waved Link.
"Link!" shouted a familiar voice running up to him.
Link turned to see Saria jump at him. He couldn't move or else she'd hurt herself, so he let her tackle him.
"Hey Saria." smiled Link.
"Link, you couldn't have come at a better time!" she cried.
Seeing her shake in fear Link knew this was serious. "What happened?" asked Link.
"Mido and Hara! They were taken by wolfos!" sobbed Saria.
Link jumped up and started to run towards the Lost Woods.
"Wait Link! That's not the problem!" called Hara running up next to Saria. "It's Archer! He had run after us when the wolfos came. After he got rid of them a strange man appeared and grabbed him!" 
"He was evil too." growled Mido. "Link, he had no good in him at all."
"What did he look like?" asked Link.
"He was Hylian, and had dark red hair, the color of blood!" explained Hara.
"And he wore a black suit. He had an aura that just filled you with terror!" added Mido.
"I'll find him!" growled Link drawing the Great Fairy's Sword. Link then ran into the Lost Woods in search of the missing Kokiri.

Navi flew through Hyrule field looking for signs of her friend. Link always had a knack for slashing at the grass looking for things people dropped. She didn't find any cut grass or signs of him. She did come across a blonde boy walking through the field, but he ignored the fairy, grumbling about how somebody had gotten away.
"That definitely was not Link." sighed Navi.
"Who's Link?" asked a boy standing behind the fairy.
Navi rocketed into the air in fright. Leaving the boy in the black cloak by himself.

"Dear Nayru, that fairy was skittish." sighed Beat walking off. "Whoever that Link fellow is, he must have something to do with fairies." 

Navi fluttered back down when she calmed down. That had startled her, but now she had to focus. Link was out there somewhere. She had to find him.

"Was that truly necessary Jacob?" laughed a sinister voice.
Jacob smiled cruelly at his tied captive.
"I thought so my lord. He has the potential for becoming one." laughed Jacob.
"Then do as you see fit." sighed the sinister voice.
"Yes, oh mighty, Skull King." nodded Jacob with a bow.
The Kokiri's eyes grew wide in terror as he was dragged into a dark room by the black hair of his head. He didn't understand what was happening, but he knew it was not going to end well for him.

In the same bar Beat had left, a boy shook his head in surprise as he replayed the fight in his head.
"My my. That was rather impressive. Oh, but I forgot to give it to him. Had he said he was a Grimsley sooner and I would've remembered my job. Of course, this one should be important. It's not everyday my father asks me to do something." laughed the boy, purple eyes glittering behind his glasses.
"A Candre," murmured the patrons noticing the boy. He smiled at them and walked out the door.
"Next time Grimsley. Next time I'll give you what you deserve." laughed the Candre as he walked towards the castle town.

Beat soon caught up to Will who had tied up the criminal they caught. Will kept prodding the outlaw with an arrow to get him to move. Beat walked ahead with his eyes closed and hands behind his back. He didn't notice the person lying on the ground as he tripped over them.
"Watch it!" growled a boy wiping sleep from his eyes. "Woah, it's way too bright to be morning!" he groaned.
"It's noon," replied Will sharply tugging Damien by a rope they fastened around his neck.
"Shit, Alice is gonna kill me!" groaned the boy. "Sorry, I gotta go." he said running off towards the town.
"I guess he didn't realize we were headed that way." laughed Beat.
"I'm scared to meet this Alice person." sighed Will. "Now get moving or I'll prod you too!" 

Link raced through the woods searching for any signs of Archer. He recalled the fun he had with his friend when he still thought he was a Kokiri. Archer got his name because of how well he uses a bow and arrow. Link would always practice when he was with Archer, but he never could find one that was his size. But his time practicing with Archer helped him when he found the bow in the Forest Temple. It was time to repay his old friend.
"I'm gonna find you Archer!" Link growled running deep into the forest.

Navi darted through the grass and found nothing. Thinking to herself, Navi realized Link would probably stop at the ranch often. So she turned her sights on the farm and headed there. When she got there she saw Epona, so she thought Link was there. She flew around looking for her friend, but the only people she found was Talon and a boy who had glasses helping him. Malon was grooming Epona, so Navi figured she'd ask the her about Link.
"Malon, hi there." greeted Navi nervously.
"Navi? You came here?" gasped Malon dropping the brush she held.
"Yeah, I saw Epona, so I figured Link was here." sighed Navi.
"He was here. He left this morning." explained Malon.
"I just missed him!" gasped Navi. "Thanks Malon!"
Malon watched the small fairy fly off and smiled. Finally Link would be able to be happy again once they reunite.

In a finely decorated building a girl sat in a chair twirling a staff in her hand impatiently. That idiot Allen was late, again. She couldn't believe how often he slacked off. Kai wouldn't be this late.
"Allen had better walk through that door by the time I count to..."
"I'm here!" shouted the boy running in. The boy was still sore from being stepped on. "Alice I'm here!"
"What a relief, and only three hours late." growled Alice.
"Sorry, I got caught up with some important things." sighed Allen walking up to the girl.
"I am ashamed to know you. Kai would be here on time." spat Alice. 
"Yet Kai isn't here." countered Allen. "He is never here."
"Don't talk bad about the person that pays for our meals and gets us work!" hissed Alice.
"Kai is away on business." sighed a boy with sand colored hair. "He pays us all Allen, show some more respect."
"Travie? You're back already?" gasped Allen.
"Yeah, I talked with Rancher. He hasn't found anything yet." shrugged Travie. "But back to the point, Kai is busy. I bumped into him, he said he found someone he's been looking for."
"See?" snapped Alice.
"So, he found somebody. Maybe it's a girl he's been looking for." grinned Allen.
He and Travie laughed as Alice got flustered thinking of Kai with some girl.
"The head of the Candre family is on the hunt." yawned Allen. "So now we wait for anything to happen." sighed Travie in boredom. "I'm headed for Kakariko. They've got something getting prepared there, so I'm gonna see what's coming up."
"Right, seeya." nodded Allen.
Alice stopped her tirade and looked at Allen.
"We should train you some, you're falling behind in your practice." sighed Alice. "Let's go."
"Right behind you sis." yawned Allen following Alice.

Beat and Will reached Castle Town around evening as the sun was beginning to set. They dragged their prisoner to a guard station where the guards gave them the bounty on the criminals head and escorted him to a cell.
"Ah, the sweet sound of a full wallet." sighed Will shaking his pouch.
Beat smiled as they headed into a worn down inn and requested a room. "I know, maybe tomorrow we should just relax here in town and have fun."
"Yeah, like when we were kids. How's Romero and Emilia been?" laughed Will headed up the stairs.
"Good. I was planning on visiting them, but then I got robbed." growled Beat.
"Gerudo again?" yawned Will.
Beat opened the door and nodded. "They just can't let me be."
"Well they always make the son of any Gerudo king. You just lucked out being born as one." groaned Will plopping on a bed.
"I'm Hylian." muttered Beat.
"Mmhmm." murmured Will.
Beat sighed in defeat as his friend began softly snoring. "Looks peaceful tonight." he sighed.

Link ran through forest, even after the sun set. He was determined to find his friend. What he hadn't realized was that he had circled around and was now headed back for his village. He broke through the tree cover and rolled down a hill to slam his face into the back of Mido's house. Link blacked out as blood began to trickle out of his nose.
When he woke up he was lying in his old bed. Sitting at the foot of the bed was Saria. She smiled when she noticed he was awake. 
"Hey there." she smiled weakly.
"Saria, what happened?" groaned Link sitting up.
"You ran into Mido's house, and broke your nose." she explained.
"Is that why it's swollen?" grumbled Link poking at the bandages on it.
"Yeah, I sent Mido to get some healing fairies. He should be back soon." nodded Saria. "Where have you been for so long?"
"It's a long story." muttered Link.
"Well go ahead and tell it. You've got nothing to hurry about." laughed a boy stepping into Link's room.
Saria and Link gasped when they looked at the boy. Archer stood in the doorway with his messy black hair sticking out at odd angles like it always did.
"So what happened?" smiled Archer.
"You tell us!" gasped Link. "Mido said you got kidnapped!"
"Oh that?" yawned Archer. "It was nothing. The guy just wanted a person to test something out for him."
Link was uneasy for some reason. It was the same Archer he was friends with, but he seemed darker. The boy laughed more, and talked with more assertiveness.
"You're not Archer!" growled Saria, surprising Link.
"Hmph. Saria, you're being mean." whined Archer.
"Now I know you're not Archer!" muttered Link getting up. "Archer would never whine like that. He'd cry after something like that. Who are you?"
"Damn kids." muttered the boy.
Link grabbed his Gilded sword and blocked a strange claw whipping out at Saria.
"What are you?!?" growled Link.
The child stepped back into the light of the torches. Standing in that spot where the Archer impersonator once stood was a Stalfos with strange armor. It whipped it's arms at Link who barely blocked it.
"Saria, toss me my other sword!" shouted Link. But he got no response. He turned to see another strange looking Stalfos holding Saria. It grinned cruelly and burst into blue flames vanishing from the tree house. Link then felt sharp claws rake his back as the other monster attacked his exposed back.
Link fell to the ground and looked to see the monster raise it's claws to deliver a finishing blow. Link braced himself for death, he knew he wouldn't make it out of there by himself. He closed his eyes tightly and prepared to feel Death's cold embrace.

"Jacob, we've got the child we wanted. You can send that worthless one back." growled the cruel voice.
Jacob turned to face his superior and nodded. "Yes sir." he then snapped his fingers and the previous captive they had was released.
"And bring the soldiers you sent back. I don't want anyone dying just yet." ordered the voice.
"Yes sir." nodded Jacob.

Just as the claws were about to deliver the end of Link's life the creature vanished in a yellow spiral. Link opened his eyes to see the monster fading away. He sighed in relief, but then recalled what had happened. With Saria missing there was no telling what would happen! Link jumped from his tree house to find an unconscious Mido lying on the ground. Two healing fairies were in bottles so Link uncorked one and let it heal his wounds. Link looked at Mido and decided to drag him back to his home. Link had to get word out to the sages that Saria had gone missing. The first one that came to mind was Zelda. He still needed to return the Ocarina of Time anyway. He laid Mido in his bed and started to run to the exit of the woods, tearing his bandages off. But as he crossed the woods he saw something staggering down the path under the bridge. He leaped off the bridge and found Archer limping back to the village, tears coursing down his face.
"Archer, what happened?" asked Link helping his friend up.
"It was horrible! I had went to save Mido and Hara, and after I got rid of the wolfos this guy appeared and grabbed me. He kept trying to get me to say something about the "forest sage" but I didn't know what he meant. I was being tortured, and then all of a sudden I was here." explained Archer as he calmed down.
"So they were after Saria." muttered Link. "Archer, I've gotta get you to Mido's house. He's got a healing fairy that can fix you up. We just need to go faster. Once we get you fixed up I gotta go." explained Link.
"Okay." nodded Archer trying to quicken his pace.

Beat woke up with a strange feeling telling him something bad was happening. He looked at his left hand that glowed slightly. "What the hell?" he muttered. He looked at his hand and found a black Triforce glowing on his hand. "What's going on here?" he gasped.

Princess Zelda felt something bad was happening. She felt the land lose life in the forests. She knew something had happened to Saria. She prayed to the goddesses nothing was wrong, even though she knew it wouldn't help.

Deep in the forest in an untouched grove, the ground began to shake. An earsplitting roar echoed through the forest startling every creature that heard it. Something was stirring in the forest.

Beat shook his head in disbelief. He thought the mark on his hand was only an old story. He rummaged in his small bag and pulled out a small book he kept with him. He flipped through the book containing numerous legends of Hyrule, and soon found the section on the black Triforce. He read the basic facts on the origin of the marking known as the Antriforce, and realized it meant he was cursed. The words were faded so he couldn't find the cause of the curse or any ways of removing it. He sat down on his bed and thought of the stories of the evil marking on his hand. 
"Those who receive the mark of destruction, the Antriforce, will become a hollow shell of themselves whose sole purpose is to cause misery and suffering to others." Beat muttered. "Why me? What have I done?"

Link helped Archer to Mido's home and found the owner of the home beginning to wake up. He took the last bottled fairy and released it so it would heal Archer.
"Wha..? Where am I?" groaned Mido.
"Back at your house." answered Link bitterly. "I'm leaving again. Sorry to go right after arriving."
"You're leaving?" gasped Archer.
"Archer? You're okay?" murmured Mido.
"Yeah, he is. Now I'm gonna go. Take care." growled Link headed to the door.
"What happened?" asked Mido.
Link tensed up. "Saria was taken. I'm going to kill the people responsible, and bring her back." he spat.
Mido watched in silence as Link walked away. He could see no trace of the boy he picked on just a year before. Link didn't cry anymore, he stood his ground and fought. Link had grown to mature while he remained himself. Mido knew he had to change if he wanted to keep up with Link.
Archer ran out the door after Link, trying to catch up to his friend. But when he got outside he could hear the faint sound of an ocarina. There were spots glowing in golden light in the dirt around him. Archer tried to figure out what had happened, but he didn't know what to do.

The sun began to slowly rise as light seeped into the cracked window of the room Beat and Will rested in. Beat was still awake, unable to attain the peacefulness of slumber after figuring out what happened to him. Will continued to gently snore, making Beat slowly lose his temper. Beat got up and walked out of the inn. He headed toward the distant roofs of a church of some kind. He figured it would be silent there.

The boy that had been following Beat laughed in relief. He had lost sight of the boy earlier but he found him again. "Beat Grimsley, I've found you!" he laughed quickening his pace so he could do as his father had ordered.

Navi flew through the Kokiri Forest finding everyone in a state of worry. Saria had gone missing, and Archer had been left in charge.
"Navi!" gasped Archer as she flew up to him.
"Archer what happened?" asked Navi nervously. 
Archer quickly explained what had happened to the fairy, and when she heard Link had vanished leaving glowing light she knew he had went to the Temple of Time.
"Archer, I know where he went. I'm going to find him, and we'll find Saria." she stated confidently.
"Alright, just hurry. I can't keep everything under control for long." nodded Archer.
Navi took off flying towards the castle town once again. She had flown a lot more often than she used to, so she had to stop when she reached the exit of the forest. She panted as she rested on a branch of one of the thin trees that were along the entrance to the forest. She was going to need to reach Link soon if she wanted to help at all.

Link quickly ran off the alter in the center of the Temple of Time when he arrived. When he stepped out the door he saw someone running towards the temple. He couldn't see clearly through the dark of night, but the person looked like a boy in his mid-teens and was headed towards him.
The two collided and Link caught a glimpse of what seemed to be the Triforce on the other boy's hand and noticed he had golden eyes.
"Ganondorf!" growled Link drawing the Gilded Sword.
"Ganonwhat?" groaned the boy not noticing the blade pointed at him. "Who in the name of Nayru is that? And why do you have that thing pointed at me?" gasped the boy noticing the blade pointed at him.
"Who are you?" demanded Link.
"I'm just a traveler looking for information about this thing that appeared on my hand!" answered the boy holding up empty hands. "I was looking for someone that is pretty familiar with old legends. So I figured someone here at this building might know something."
"Oh, sorry. It's just so dark I thought you were someone that I knew." apologized Link.
"That how you greet people you know?" muttered the boy.
"Just the ones that have tried to hurt my friends." growled Link. "I'm Link, and sorry if I scared you."
"I'm Beat, and you didn't scare me, you just caught me off guard." smiled the boy. "So, I'm guessing nobody can help me in there." he sighed.
"No, sorry. I've gotta go, I hope I'll meet you again soon. Bye." waved Link running off.

As Beat watched Link run off it clicked in his mind. The fairy he ran into said something about a boy named Link. It was too late to tell his new acquaintance, so Beat headed back for his bed in the inn. Along his walk back he bumped into a boy with black hair, purple eyes, and glasses.
"Ha, I've finally caught you." laughed the boy.
Beat quickly heightened his defense fearing a threat from this stranger. "What do you want?" growled Beat.
"I want a boy named Grimsley," smiled the boy. "I have something that you deserved to get a long time ago." the boy then reached into a satchel and pulled a box out.
"I'm Grimsley." stated Beat flatly. "What's in the box?"
"A gift from your father." replied the boy.
"My dad?" gasped Beat.

Link quickly used his tools he brought from Termina to help him climb into the castle. He knew it'd take a while, but he had to find Zelda. Sure he never went beyond the inner courtyard, but he figured she'd be in a room on a higher floor. He was just lucky that Impa had been the one to catch him sneaking around.
"You really need to practice the art of stealth." sighed Impa leading Link through the castle's silent corridors.
"Sorry, never really been inside this place." apologized Link sarcastically.
Impa silently smacked the boy upside his head, knocking his hat off. Link stumbled and reached to pick up the hat, but saw a boot step onto it.
"Now Impa, what in Farore's name are you doing?" smiled a man in knight's armor keeping his foot on Link's hat.
"This is an old friend's child. I am taking care of him, his mother recently passed away." lied the Sheikah.
The man shook with stifled laughter. "Well that's gonna be a problem. I thought you were supposed to protect our fair princess." 
"The princess already said it'd be alright. She's been wanting someone her age to talk with. Now let the boy get his hat Edmund." ordered Impa.
Edmund shrugged and walked off. Link picked his hat up and inspected it. The knight's boot had left several tears were Link had tried to yank it free. There was also a large footprint made of mud ground into it.
"No..." moaned Link. "Saria had made me that hat."
"Come along, we need to hurry. The princess and I already are semi-aware of what happened." urged Impa.
Link nodded and followed the Sage towards the princess's room.

When Navi arrived at the Temple of Time she didn't find Link. She only found an empty building with the doors partially open. She flew around to the front and found two boys seated on the steps talking about their fathers.
"So then your father asked my father to hold onto this pendant. He said that his son would get it someday." explained the older looking boy.
"But he was killed shortly after I was born. I've been told that by both my foster parents, and the Gerudo. He would of had to known I was gonna be a male." muttered the younger boy with darker skin.
"Your dad was pretty wise. He was the head of the King's knights, and was rumored to have met the goddess Nayru. He had that necklace I gave you made in Termina. He made that the symbol for the Grimsley family, a sword set ablaze. He never was able to use magic, but he was a master swordsman." exclaimed the older boy.
"Wow, my dad did all that?" gasped the younger boy.
"Yeah." nodded the older boy.
Navi got tired of listening to their conversation and flew off.

Beat noticed a small blue light flying past as he looked up. He thought about mentioning it to Kai, but decided not to.
"Thanks for telling me about my dad." nodded Beat getting up. "I appreciate it."
"No problem. I'm sure we'll see each other again. If not me, one of my, well I'll call them employees, employees will see you. Just a brief warning, avoid a girl by the name Alice Shade. She's a close friend, but short-tempered." laughed Kai hopping off the steps.
"I heard of her. Or at least an Alice like that. Some guy was sleeping in Hyrule Field and I..."
"Allen, it had to be that idiot." sighed Kai shaking his head. "Well, I'll be seeing you." he said as he walked away.
"Seeya." called Beat.
Beat decided to head back to the inn to try and sleep. He had relaxed since his panic. He walked silently through the streets, enjoying the soft sounds the town had at night. Water slowly trickling out of a broken barrel, the scampering of dogs padded paws on the cobblestone roads, and the clicking sounds of patrolling guards boots as they made sure nothing was wrong in the town. 
He entered the inn to find the tavern pretty empty, so he decided to get a drink. He sat next to a boy with dark green hair. On the other side of the boy was a girl that looked slightly older than him with the same colored hair.
"What can I get you?" asked the barkeeper.
"Anything that's not too strong." yawned Beat.
"Why? Liquor give you nightmares?" joked the girl.
"Sis, that's messed up." groaned the boy.
"Reggi, I was only kidding. You know that right?" laughed the girl.
Beat looked her over and realized she was drunk, her brother was trying to get her away from the drinks. "Yeah, I know." smiled Beat.
"Here you go, Din's Gift. It's one of our weakest drinks." nodded the barkeeper.
"Thanks." nodded Beat taking the glass.
"So what's your name?" asked the girl switching places with her brother.
"Beat. Yours?" stated Beat, sampling his drink.
"I'm Anise, and this is my brother Reggi. So what brings you here to this bustling town?" greeted the girl.
"Looking for information on some things." replied Beat setting his glass down. "I'm not completely sure about my dad's past, so I'm asking around for information on him."
"Well that's pretty stupid. Why not ask your dad?" yawned Reggi.
"My dad's been dead for fourteen years." stated Beat.
Anise then laughed at her brothers nervousness after that. "Forgive my brother, he's not completely himself." sighed the girl. She leaner up to Beat and whispered "He's a little drunk." into his ear.
Beat laughed at that and took another drink of the Din's Gift. "You two certainly are fun to know." 
"I'm  the fun one. Reggi here is only good for making things dull." laughed Anise, hiccuping.
"I'm sorry about her." sighed Reggi. "C'mon Sis, time for your beauty sleep." he said helping her up.
"But I'm still talking to what's-his-name!" moaned Anise.
"Sorry." sighed Reggi. He paid his tab and led his sister up the stairs to the rooms.
Beat laughed. He had met some pretty unique people in the short time of half a night. He finished his drink and paid what he owed. He was wiped out.

"I'm home!" called Kai closing the main door to his building. "Who's here?"
"Woah, you actually came here." grumbled Allen pushing himself out of a chair.
"Kai! You're back!" cheered Alice running down tue stairs towards him.
"I should've known you two would be here." laughed Kai receiving a tight hug from Alice. "Did Travie leave already?"
"Yeah, like right after he checked in. Said you found that person you'd been looking for." yawned Allen. "Rancher didn't find anything out yet."
"No surprise there." sighed Kai. "What about you Alice? Find anything?"
"Actually, yes. I found out where Keith went. I sent Apollo out there after him." smiled Alice.
"Where'd Keith go?" asked Kai.
"Back to Jinlax." answered Alice. "Apparently Jay is there."
Kai clenched his fists at the name of his cousin. He knew what Jay would be doing there. "Are Keith and Apollo recruiting?"
"Nope." stated Allen sitting back down in his chair. "Too focused on catching Jay. They want to be able to say they beat a Candre."
"Idiots." muttered Kai. "Jay is way too unpredictable."
"That's what Allen told them." sighed Alice.
"I've got the scar to prove it." growled Allen.
Kai nodded in agreement. "You two head to bed. I'm gonna be up awhile. Thanks for taking care of the place."
"Right." nodded Alice.
Allen stayed behind though. "You can't fool me. You're worried about those two. Relax, in Jinlax Keith knows his way around. He's from there, remember?"
Kai smiled. "Right, that stubborn TerraSlider won't get lost."
"Now get some sleep in your own bed. I bet you'll be hating inns for awhile." laughed Allen.
"Actually it was an inn that helped me. I'll tell you about it in the morning." yawned Kai.

Link sat in the Princess's room and saw she had grown slightly while he was gone. Her hair had grown more and she was starting to develop curves. Link shook those thoughts from his mind as Zelda started talking.
"Link I'm sure you're aware of what happened." sighed the princess.
"Saria was kidnapped by some weird monsters when I went to the forest. I'm sure the other sages are at risk too." answered Link. "I'm not worried for Impa, she can handle herself, or Rauru since he's in the Sacred Realm. Nabooru can probably defend herself pretty well too. It's Darunia, Ruto, and you I'm worried about."
"Well we know that she is alive for now, we just need to find her quickly. The forest is getting upset without it's protector." warned Impa. "Link, I know you're experienced in fighting, but you may need help in this."
"I know, but I can't just wait for somebody to walk up to me and say 'Hey, I wanna fight a strange powerful monster hoard that's kidnapping Hyrule's Sages.' It takes people with real fighting talent!" sighed Link.
"Well, Kakariko is preparing to hold a fighting tournament. Perhaps you'll find people there." suggested Impa.
"How long until it starts?" asked Link.
"Two weeks." Impa replied.
"That's too long!" growled Link.
"No, it's gives you time to warn the other sages and prepare." argued Impa.
"Besides Link, my father invited travelers from the neighboring country to join." added the princess.
"Other country?" repeated Link confusedly.
"Jinlax. The king signed a treaty with their ruler. They have some strange races out there, Kindleys, Aquaris, Vakans, TerraSliders, Shido, they're all strange." muttered Impa.
Link thought about the strange boy he met at the temple. Maybe he was one of those races. He said he was a traveler. "Fine, I'll wait. I'll go warn Ruto first." he sighed.
"Wait! Link before you go, Navi came by recently. She was looking for you." exclaimed Zelda.
Link stopped in his tracks after hearing that. "Navi? She's looking for me?" he murmured. "I'm looking for her after I warn Darunia and Ruto!" stated Link determinedly.
"Wait!" ordered Impa. "Edmund will start asking questions if you leave right now. Stay for the night and I'll escort you outside so he won't try to mess with you."
"Edmund? The knight we have in charge of law enforcement?" asked Zelda.
"He tried to stop me from bringing Link here." explained the Shiekah.
Link pulled his hat off and inspected the damage. "If he entered that tournament, I wouldn't mind getting to fight him." growled Link. He tucked his hat into his belt and gritted his teeth.
Impa guided Link to a bedroom close to her own and told him to get some sleep. He hated to admit it, but he was tired. Too many things had happened that day. He collapsed into his bed and quickly fell asleep.
While he watched the same nightmare occur once again, he realized the boy he helped into the castle was the same boy he had just met. Beat was tied into this whole occurrence somehow. 

Beat stretched as he rose from bed. He slept uneasily, and he figured it was due to the incident last night. He looked over to see Will still snoring in his bed.
"Get up Nicoli!" growled Beat kicking him out of bed.
Will tumbled out of bed and glared at Beat. "What the hell Grimsley?" he spat. "I was having an amazing dream about riches and glory."
"Don't worry, you'll find that someday." said Beat with a smile.
"Speaking of finding..." muttered Will noticing the necklace his friend wore, "who'd you steal this from?"
"It was given to me." laughed Beat.
"By whom?" asked Will suspiciously.
"A guy named Candre." shrugged Beat.
Will snapped into a state of alertness and quickly grabbed his friend. "Do you recall his first name?"
"Kai... Why? What's wrong with Candres?" asked Beat nervously.
Will lightened up and sighed with relief. "Oh thank the goddesses. I thought you might have gotten it from the other one."
"Whose the other one?" yawned Beat.
"Jay Candre. He is very dangerous, due to unpredictability. They would make him a wanted man, but everything he does is technically legal. The only people he ever really hurts are criminals and those involved with other Cadres." explained Will. "Last I heard he was in that town we went to before, Baygreen."
"Where those twins were? When'd you hear this?" gasped Beat.
"About a month ago. But Jay doesn't stay centered in one place for too long. I doubt he'd recruit either of those two." shrugged Will.
"Recruited them for what?" growled Beat, fearing for the children's safety.
"The Candre Games." stated Will solemnly.

Kai hadn't slept. He stayed in his room charting battle plans on a map. He heard a light knock on his door and pushed everything off of his desk. He jumped for his bed and quickly buried himself under the blankets. He closed his eyes just as the door began to open.
"Nice try." laughed Alice. "The whole ruckus you made clearing your desk told me you were awake."
"Damn." muttered Kai.
"Lily's back. Your sister returned her in one piece." she announced as a glowing orange ball of light flew towards him.
In a flash, the ball turned into a teenage girl and landed on top of him.
"Oh Kai it was awful!" she moaned brushing her orange hair aside so she could look into his eyes. "Juniper is so awful. She always had me keeping her connected to someone else."
"Well you are a messenger fairy, you're supposed to help people communicate." laughed Kai. "Besides, I knew you'd help June, I trust her." he said staring into her bright pink eyes.
"It's not that I don't trust her. It's who she had me help her keep in touch with." explained the human-sized fairy laying her head on his chest. "It's that Zane boy. He just gives off a strange aura." she then scowled as if the boy she spoke of was in sight.
Alice sighed in exasperation. "June's still waiting downstairs. I think she wanted to talk with you."
"Thanks, tell her I'll be right down. Just give me time to change." requested Kai.
"Alright." nodded Alice turning to walk out the door.
Lily frowned as she shrunk down to her normal fairy size. "Fine." she sighed flying after Alice.
Kai yawned as he climbed out of his bed. He knew what was coming, so he thought it'd be best to look somewhat presentable.

Link jumped out of bed as soon as he woke up. He had to get moving if he wanted to warn the other Sages in time. He was about to put his ocarina to his lips when he recalled Impa's instructions. He paced around the room, planning the fastest way to get to warn Ruto. He assumed the best way would be to play the Serenade of Water and then put on the Zora Mask to get through the water of Lake Hylia quickly. He could probably do it in about thirty minutes.
His thoughts were interrupted by a guard opening the door. "I've been instructed to bring you breakfast by Impa." he stated in an unaffected tone.
"Thanks." nodded Link.
"I was also instructed to escort you out of the castle." he added.
"Alright, but I thought Impa was going to guide me." murmured Link. 
"She had something come up, so I was requested to do it." explained the guard unenthusiastically.
"You don't like me, do you?" asked Link.
"No, it's not that. I'm just not a morning person, so I just seem upset." sighed the guard.
"You can have my coffee." offered Link pushing the warm cup of rich dark brown coffee.
The guard smiled and accepted the mug and took a small sip of the rich liquid. "Thanks." nodded the guard.
"I'm Link." Link greeted with a bow.
"I'm Isaac. It's a nice to meet you." smiled the blonde guard.
"Maybe we should take the meal and eat as you guide me outside." suggested Link, wanting to finish his task as quickly as possible.
"Not right now. 'Sir' Edmund is currently patrolling looking for any guards not doing as he ordered. If we were to be ordered by the King, Edmund would make us get his permission first." grumbled Isaac.
Link recalled his experience last night with Edmund and found himself wanting to fight him even more. "Who made him a knight?" asked Link, suppressing a growl.
"He won the title in a tournament. You know how the King will grant any wish he can for the person who wins one of those. Edmund wished to become a knight, so the King put him through the care of our knights and he quickly finished the training." explained Isaac.
"So could someone make a wish for him to be removed from the king's knights?" asked Link, a plan forming in his head.
Isaac smiled realizing the plan. "Perhaps, someone would have to win first." 
"Then I guess I'll be joining after I do my job." Link said with a laugh.

"Candre Games?" Beat asked in confusion.
"Oh dear Nayru, are you serious? The Candre Games is how the head of the Candre clan will be decided. All the members in one generation compete against each other to collect gems called Pearls of Candre. Mostly they get others involved and end up having skirmishes all over the place. This is the first time it's happening in Hyrule though." Will explained.
"Why is that?" Beat asked.
"You've heard of the King's recent peace treaty with the neighboring country Jinlax right?" Will sighed.
"Yeah, I've heard about it." Beat nodded. "Oh I get it, they're from Jinlax!" Beat exclaimed realizing the answer.
"Yep, that's it." nodded Will. "Now can we go eat? I'm starving." he complained as his stomach began to growl.
"Yeah, let's go eat." Beat agreed with a smile, forgetting the other event that occurred the previous night.

Navi was becoming irritated. She had gone in a circle. She started at Jabu-Jabu's palace, flown to the castle, then to Lon Lon Ranch, then to the forest, and now she found herself back at the castle. She flew back to Zelda's window and saw the princess was not there at the moment, irritating her even more. She flew off towards the only way out the Castle Town and waited atop the drawbridge.

Kai pulled on his grey coat over his usual orange shirt as he headed down to see his slightly younger sister.
"Juniper!" Kai laughed as he caught sight of her.
"Kai!" laughed Juniper running towards him. She embraced him and laughed. "It's so good to see you."
"I could say the same. How have your travels been?" Kai said with a bright smile.
"Interesting enough." Juniper yawned. "I thought I'd return Lily to you since I've finished what I left for."
"What stories have you made to tell?" Kai laughed sitting down in a chair.
As Juniper began to tell her story Allen yawned as he came down the stairs. Upon catching sight of Allen June stopped mid-sentence.
"Allen! My darling!" she squealed running towards the half-asleep teen.
"Huh?" Allen groaned wiping his eyes. "June?!?" he gasped opening his eyes.
"Oh no," muttered Kai.
"Maybe I should chase you the same way your sister chases my brother." Alice said jokingly.
"No." Kai stated flatly.
"Oh I was only joking." Alice said, a slight note of sadness in her voice.
"Oh I've got such stories to tell you Allen, all the sights I've seen. So many romantic spots where you could take me for our wedding!" June sighed hugging Allen tightly.
"This is one reason I don't like Candre's." Allen muttered.

As Isaac escorted him outside the castle, Link thought of who he'd go to warn first. He figured Darunia would take the shortest amount of time to warn.
"Alright this is as far as I'm permitted to take you." Isaac sighed. "Do your job, then get rid of Vanders." he laughed.
"Right." Link said with a nod. 

As the two went in opposite directions, a lone witness smiled to himself, a plan forming in his twisted mind.