Richard led Beat to main hall of the castle, securing their prisoner by his shirts collar. They passed several guards that Richard waved off. They came to a big oaken door with two guards on either side.
"Halt!" shouted the guard on the left. "No one is permitted inside without royal invitation!"
"This boy has apprehended a man on the king's wanted list, and the king stated that any who apprehend has his consent to enter the castle with a guard to receive his reward." Richard calmly replied. "The Great Damien Demon, arrested by the hands of this young man. He is here to claim his prize of one hundred rupees. Let us pass Isaac."
"Isaac, come on let them through." requested the guard on the right.
"Henry, this man is not an on-duty guard. He has no right to be in the king's presence." Isaac coldly countered.
"Then could you take me to see the king?" Beat asked looking anxious.
"No. I'm here to make sure that filth like you two don't disturb the king!" shouted Isaac.
"Filth? You dare call my brother filth? Isaac, know who you are speaking to!" interrupted a clear baritone voice.
"Leo!" laughed Richard running towards the voice. "Big Brother!"
"S..sir... Le..leona... Leonardo?" stammered Isaac.
"Hello Richard." laughed the new arrival hugging Richard. "So, you were guiding this young man to claim his reward? Come let me join you." he stated opening the large door.
Beat was amazed at the size of this room. He looked up and could hardly make out the ceiling. He tugged the giants shirt forward following Richard and his brother. When they reached the steps leading to the throne Beat kneeled with his two escorts. This made Beat laugh inside his head, so people will do this when I become king? I think I'll just have them shake my hand or something simple like that.
His thoughts were interrupted by Richard's brother stating "Your Majesty. Second Knight Leonardo Mellow, reporting in company of an off-duty guard who took his time off to serve even more."
"Sir Leonardo, please! I'm just doing my duty as a guard." shrugged Richard.
"Richard, you work too hard. You must learn to relax!" laughed the king realizing who the guard was.
"Father, it appears they have caught someone on your wanted list." pointed a young girl sitting in a smaller throne next to the king's.
"My goddesses! Is that the Damien Demon? Richard did you catch him?" gasped the King.
"No sir, King Hyrule. It was my young companion, Beat Grimsley." replied Richard.
Kneeling once more Beat stated "Your Majesty. I am but a simple young man. I was just trying to get to my room at an inn, and this fellow attacked me. I was simply defending myself. I sustained a small cut, to which this kind guard treated quickly. If anyone deserves credit it is he."
This made the king laugh. "Young Mr. Grimsley, you are a polite young man. I believe you deserve the bounty that was on his head. Come forward so I may reward your strength.
"A quick glance at Richard. A nod. Zelda? A nod also, good." Beat thought as he raised up to walk towards the king. He took three small steps before letting out a gasp of pain and collapsing.
"Dear Nayru!" shouted Zelda. "What's happened?"
"Richard, Leo please take this boy to the infirmary." ordered King Hyrule.
Leo and Richard carried Beat to the infirmary quickly. They laid him in the nearest bed, and then Richard began Step Two.
"Leo you go get something to eat. I'm gonna see if I can find out what happened." Richard said pulling on a pair of gloves.
"Ah, my brother. You're such a level headed man. You've been calm ever since you were young. Fine take care of this boy. I'd like to find out how he took down that guy."
Beat heard the door shut. He then felt a pair of hands grasping his shoulders. Richard then shook Beat lightly.
"Mmm? Not right now Richard. I'm trying to collapse." yawned Beat.
"Real funny. C'mon!" Richard said glaring at his friend.
Before Beat could reply two soft knocks fell upon the door. Zelda peeked her head around the door. Seeing no one except the two friends, she entered followed by Navi.
"Your highness." said Beat bowing his head. "Thank you for giving me the chance to make your aquantence."
"The pleasure is mine." smiled Zelda. "Now, where should we start?"
"How about the part where I'm reliving Ganondorf's memories?" suggested Beat.
"That one is simple enough. The seal imprisoning Ganon is weakening due to one of our sages falling ill. Due to the weakened seal, he has started to try to take control of your body." Zelda replied.
"Oh. Is there a way to help this sage recover?" Richard asked looking concerned.
"Rauru is elderly. He is most likely trying to hold on till the new light sage is awakens." Navi answered.
"What do you intend to do for Nabooru?" Zelda asked.
"She told me to gather strength, so I'll most likely get some help." Beat replied.
"Well, you have me here to help." Richard said clapping Beat's back heartily.
"I'll help two!" chimed in Navi.
"Wait, I know what you can do!" interrupted Zelda. "The Sage's Army!"
"The Who's Army?" asked Beat.
"The Sage's Army. Every sage is assigned a Sage Warrior who is destined to protect them. Being the Sage of Time, my Warrior is the Hero of Time, and the Sage's weapon bestowed upon him is the Master Sword. You can gather the Sage's Army to assist you." Zelda explained.
"Ok. But how do I tell who they are?" Beat questioned further.
"Well, the warriors stand out from the rest of their kind. An outcast if you wanted to sum it up. You just need to find one from each race to defend their sage. If you want a tip then I advise heading for Kokiri Forest for the Forest Warrior."
"Alright. I'll report back after..."
"No. I'll check in on you. You need to hurry. But first talk to Sir Leonardo. He'll train you some." Zelda ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" Beat said saluting.
This made Zelda giggle. She watched as he was led towards Leonardo's usual resting place by Richard. She had to admit, he was kinda cute. But she knew that she had feelings for Link, but she didn't know if he felt the same. Navi then flew off after them. "Oh dear," she thought to herself. "I feel like this Hero will have to suffer just like when Link had to miss seven years of his life. But how? What will cause him this suffering?"
Only one knew the cause of Beat's suffering. He stood tall wearing a black hood. He clutched his fists and laughed as he watched it all unfold. "Soon. Soon I will have my revenge!"
