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YRULE'S dawn was a veil of golden fire across the deep soft lavender of the sky. The sunswelled above the rolling hills and struck out with spears of light to drive back the recedingdarkness. From the deep south to the high and arctic north, the green and golden landturned ever towards the light.

Yet every three hundred years the light failed and left the land in a deep night of despair.Creatures of shadow arose from cemetery and catacomb to defile and destroy the sacred places ofthe land. And then the Hero came with cold steel to drive back the creeping dark. The cycle was a

thing of legend which would continue ceaselessly until the end of time, or until the children of theGolden Three no longer walked the land of their birth.

These were the things the young man considered as he rode across the swelling breast of the hills.He was thin and small, his patched cloak dusty from the long road he had traveled. Yet there wasa knowing in his green eyes that spoke of harder roads traveled, and the slender sword that

bounced on his hip was scarred from long use. His red-brown hair was tied back and braided inthe Calatian manner, gathered into a loose plait at the nape of his neck, with braids swinging freein front of his pointed ears. He was a foreigner in this land.

The hills came to an end, and cantering down a long and gentle slope, the young man saw at thebottom the white walls of a city. His horse's hooves tore sods of grass and rich black earth fromthe fertile meadow. With a light touch on the reins he slowed the horse and arrived at the gates at

a trot. Two soldiers in white and silver armor stepped out and crossed their polearms before him.

"State thy business here."

The young man reached into his tunic and withdrew a rolled parchment tied with a white ribbon.Leaning forward, he handed this to the soldier. He already knew the contents by heart, for he hadread the note again and again on his long journey.

To the Hero,

Her Majesty Zelda Harkinian, Princess Royal of Hyrule, thanks you for your valiant service tothe Crown in recent years, and desires that you present yourself at Hyrule Castle as soon as youmay.

The only signature was an imprint of the Royal Seal, a spread-winged phoenix clutching a tripletriangle in its talons. The wax was white, symbolising purity; the letter had come from thePrincess herself.

The soldier read the message right through and handed the paper back with a respectful bow."Proceed." The polearms moved back, clearing the way. The young man smiled and nodded histhanks, then loosened the reins and rode into the town.

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Hyrule City was the greatest city in the Westlands. Almost two and a half thousand years ago, awarrior chieftain had built a stone wall around a squalid little hill fort, and subsequent chiefs andprinces had added to it as the vigorous young kingdom's strength increased. Now the capital ofthe Hyrulian Empire, the White City was a place of great stone plazas and towering minarets, itsmarble face dominated by the magnificent spires of the Castle. Open courtyards led into athousand tiny winding streets where the sky was hidden by overhanging tenements, but aroundevery corner was a thing of unexpected beauty: a statue, a fountain, a church.

Passing through the town's famous marketplace and the wide avenue of the King's Street, thetraveler came at last to the tall white gates of Hyrule Castle. Once again he presented his letterand was allowed passage. He dismounted and led his horse, casting a wary glance at the gateway.

And well he might be wary, for across the top of the archway lay a dragon, wrought in cunningsilver of such purity that it was almost white. The skill of the craftsman was so fine that eachiridescent scale could be seen. Its coils looped along the top of the gates, and at the very center itsspear shaped head rose high into the air, silver mouth open in an eternal silver-toothed snarl.

It was a legend within the city that, should evil pass within, the dragon would awaken.

The traveler passed beneath the gate, and the dragon remained silent as silver. Firmly now and

gaining in confidence, he turned his back upon White Dragon Gate. Leading his horse he passedslowly up a wide tree-lined avenue, carpeted with white sand. Green lawns rolled out on eitherside of him, but he did not look left or right. His attention was drawn to the building rising up infront of him. Leaving his horse with the liveried soldiers who stood beside the entrance, he walkedlightly up the steps to the great doors of the castle, which stood always open for whatever nobleguest came this far.

A servant hurried away as the young man entered. The castle's hall was carpeted in brilliant redand hung about with tapestries. The young man paid no attention to the beautiful furnishings, but

waited in the center of the hall, his expression showing polite anticipation.

He did not have long to wait. Before he had drawn ten breaths in the stillness of the hall, a youngwoman appeared at the top of the red-carpeted stairs. He knew her at once, for her beauty was a

thing of fable even in his faraway homeland. Her sun-gold hair, reaching almost to her waist, wasbraided with chains of thread-fine gold, and she wore a plain white silk dress with spatters ofopals like stardust. A golden brooch in the shape of a triple triangle lay upon her breast. Nobody

who beheld this woman, barely past childhood but filled with a sense of wisdom and power, couldmistake her for anything but what she was--Zelda, Princess Royal of the House Harkinian andheir to the throne of Hyrule.

"Link," she said warmly, her voice warm and rich. "I am glad that you have come."

The young man knelt reverently on one knee, but did not bend his head. His eyes were firm onhers as he replied, "Your letter gave me cause to hurry, Princess. Might I ask why you summonedme?" His voice was soft, coloured with the lilting accent of the lake country.

"You may," Zelda answered, "but in private. Come with me to the library. We shall not bedisturbed there."

The library of the House Harkinian was a thing of wonder. Scholars journeyed there from all partsof the realm to exchange knowledge and to gain it. There was not a book in Hyrule that was notrepresented within the royal collection, and the collection itself was by no means completelydocumented. The library covered almost a third of the castle's ground floor and its shelves werestacked high with dusty parchment in a hundred different tongues. It was to this place that theprincess, Zelda, led her visitor.

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"You have done much for us, Link," she said as she walked through the towering corridors ofbooks, her visitor following behind. "We are, as a nation, in your debt. Your sword has savedHyrule for another generation."

"A mere generation?" Link said, his tone betraying anger. "I assure you, Princess, I smote a tellingblow. Your people need fear the Evil King no longer."

Zelda shook her head sadly. "I do not mean to belittle your achievement. But the truth is,whatever you do will not be enough. Many times Ganon has been defeated, and many times hehas returned. His periods of banishment in the Dark World merely make him stronger. Evendeath has not kept him from us forever."

"There will always be madmen who seek to resurrect him," Link allowed. "If what you say is truehe will never have the power to rise again in our lifetime. Our part in this is over, your Highness;

we've done all we can."

Zelda smiled. "I wish to make sure that he will never rise again."

Link's brow rose. "And how do you propose to do that, Princess, when he is shut away in the Dark

World where we cannot go?"

"I understand your doubts, my friend. And I know that our ancestors have tried many times tovanquish the spirit of the Evil King, without success. But I believe I have discovered somethingthat may prove fatal to Ganon." They had reached an open space in the labyrinth of paper, a quietreading place where those who desired could sit with a book and absorb their learning in comfort.Zelda sat at the table and laid her hand upon an open book which had been placed there. "It wasin here that I found it," she said. "This volume is called the Book of Mudora. Legends say that it

was written in the dawn of history, and bound in this very book by the sage Rauru. It containsboth history and prophecy, the prophecy becoming history with the passage of time." She paused,lifting her head to gaze at the young man who stood opposite. "In this book I have found referenceto a way to regain the Triforce."

"Is this true?" Link said in wonder. "It is possible to reclaim the Triforce, even though the DarkWorld is barred to us?"

Zelda's fingers stroked the ancient book as she spoke. "Sit down, Link" she said. "It is a long storyto tell.

"The last time we had any trouble from Ganon was just over three hundred years ago. The seals inthe Sacred Realm had weakened over time, and Ganon was able to break free and return toHyrule with the Triforce of Power. He took up residence in the Underworld and sent out his darkarmies in search of the then Princess, Zelda Fourth, the guardian of the Triforce of Wisdom. Yourgrandfather destroyed Ganon's hopes by facing him in combat. He recovered all sixteen shards ofthe Triforce of Wisdom and joined it with his own Courage to face the Evil King. Though he couldnot destroy Ganon, he was able to banish him once again to the Dark World. We do not know

what happened to the Triforce, save that it faded from our sight.

"Then, only a year ago, Ganon reappeared, and his monsters with him. He began at once to seekfor the missing two parts of the Triforce, hoping that with its combined power he could become ashe had once been: Ganondorf Dragmire, the Gerudo King. Though trapped in a body that was nothis own, his wizardly powers were still greatly to be feared. We could not stand against him." Shepaused. "And that is where you come in."

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"I defeated him in single combat and sent his ghost back to the Dark World," Link answered. "Heis a bodiless spirit now, powerless to hurt us, and the Triforce is lost to him forever. He hasnothing . That chapter in our history is over, Princess. It is doubtful whether Ganon will ever findthe strength to waken again."

"No, it is not," Zelda said. "He will always find the power. And in the Dark World he may be closer

to the Triforce than we are. Already his monsters are beginning to reappear in Hyrule. Thestruggle will begin all over again."

Link nodded reluctantly. "I see. But you have an idea, Princess?"

"The battle against evil will never end, Link. But I want to create a force to oppose evil even whenthere is no Hero, a force dedicated to serving the Light, which will prevent Ganon troubling our

world ever again. Such a force existed once, many years ago." She smiled slowly, her eyes alightwith wonder. "Are you aware of the myth of the Legendary Knights?"

"The noble warrior reined in his charger, leaning into the storm to face the driving wind andrain. A golden amulet set with a shining emerald shone upon his breast. The clouds seethed andbubbled as lightning struck the heath all around, but the heir to the Triforce was unharmed. Heturned his head and shouted a world of command into the blackness, a word calling upon others

for aid.

"And now the others appeared through the storm's fury. Each one bore a jewel of a differenthue. One by one they raised the amulets and -"

"How come they were different colors, grandfather?"

"Do you want to hear the story or not, boy? ...Finished? Good. As I was about to say, theamulets represented the different elements and the spirits of the six ancient sages. Now, one by

one they raised the amulets and called upon their powers. To dispel the magical storm wouldtake great power, but together they were almost undefeatable. The light of five different -"

"Grandfather?"

"Will you stop interrupting?"

"But Grandfather -"

"I won't tell you another."

"But Grandfather! What happened to the sixth one?"

"The sixth what?"

"There were six Knights before. But you said there were only five stones. What happened to thelast one?"

"You ask too many questions, boy."

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"My grandfather told me stories of the Knights when I was a child," Link said. "I always thoughtthey were like the Old Man who comes at Yuletide and leaves candies for the children." He couldnot keep the scepticism out of his voice.

"The Legendary Knights were as real as we, long ago," Zelda told him. "I have been studying theBook of Mudora. It contains much wisdom on the subject of the Hero's Knighthood, more than is

to be found anywhere else in Hyrule." She laid the leather-bound tome upon the table and openedit at a page marked with a slip of folded paper. Despite its great age, the pages of the book werewhite as new-fallen snow and its graceful script still legible in deep black ink. The pages weredecorated with fantastic designs of birds, trees and animals, with colors as fresh as a summer sky.Zelda read from the book, translating the ancient language as she did so.

"The powers of the Legendary Knights spring from six Medallions created by the Sages of old andinfused with their strength. They bridge the void between worlds. Each Amulet is a thing ofpower, but when held by those with the courage, the wisdom and the power, the six together mayopen the door to the Sacred Realm.

"Lore tells us that the powers are such: the power of the Forest, the power of Fire, the power ofWater, the power of the Shadow, the power of the Spirit, and the power of Light.

"These six Amulets we have hidden well with noble guardians, for fear that they should once againbe used to open the way. It is not possible for the old world to be restored, as it once was, as wehave found to our great cost. May Nayru rest his soul."

Zelda closed the book. "That is all... at least, that is all that I will read for now. They go on to writeof the Knighthood becoming somehow broken, and that is why the Amulets are lost to us. The

wise men of old took the Amulets and hid them in places known only to a trusted few, but forwhat reason I do not know."

"What was that last part, Princess?" Link asked. "Did somebody die while using the Amulets?"

The Princess shook her head. "I do not know. That is all there is. I can only guess that one or more

of the Knights fell victim to the desire for power, and the sages concealed the Amulets for fear thatit would happen again. We know that one who seeks the Triforce must have a soul balanced in thethree virtues, and we know of Ganon's corruption and fall."

Link nodded slowly, thoughtful. "If we could recover all the Amulets... we would have a path tothe Triforce?"

"If six people balanced in heart and soul come together with the Amulets, they could open up thepathways between the worlds and bring the Triforce back to Hyrule," Zelda elaborated. "The Dark

World is the road to the Sacred Realm. To recover the Triforce, the Knights would have to defeatGanon within his own dark kingdom. With the Amulets, this could be done. We need to find sixheroes with the purity and strength of will to use the Amulets."

"As well as the Amulets themselves," Link muttered. "Do you know where they might be?"

Zelda spread her hands in a gesture of defeat. "The Ancients hid them well. There is nothing in theBook of Mudora, but my guess would be that they were placed in the ancient pagan temples to theelemental spirits. The locations of these temples are lost nowadays." The Princess sighed.

There was a long silence. "It would be a long and difficult quest to find the Amulets and suitableKnights of this generation," Link said finally. "Are you sure it's even possible? It would be a greatthing to have the Triforce and the possibility of destroying Ganon once and for all, but..."

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Princess Zelda placed her hand on the scarred cover of the Book of Mudora. Allowing her fingersto rest there lightly as she regarded Link, she paused a moment to marshal her thoughts beforespeaking. "It must be possible, Link. The sages were afraid to use the Amulets, but at the sametime they feared to lose them. Somewhere out there are those who know the locations of theartifacts, the descendants of those who kept the secret. Perhaps if we were to journey to the

western desert... somewhere out there, the legends say, is the Spirit Temple..."

"Wait a minute!" broke in Link, leaning over the table and the book. "You said we . Am I to take itthat you want to come with me on this quest?"

The princess smiled. "Of course. Now, regarding equipment -"

"Just wait a moment! It will be dangerous in the desert--assuming that we even get there. You arethe heir to the kingdom. The King is not going to let you leave with me--and what if harm came to

you?"

Zelda reached out and took Link's hand. "Listen. I have thought long about what to do, and itseems clear to me. You agree that somehow the circle must be broken?"

"Yes," Link began suspiciously.

"Well, we must do what our forebears have not done. We cannot sit here waiting for the darknessto fall upon us. Each time Ganon has risen, the first move he has made has been against thePrincess Royal, who has never fought for herself." Zelda smiled confidently. "This Princess Royal

will turn the tables. Think not that I am incapable of fighting, Link. I am as good a shot with abow as you are, and I can beat most of the guards at fencing."

Link slammed his fist onto the table. "Princess, I can beat your palace guards at fencing! If wehave to fight, it will not be safe, padded fighting like the sport you are used to. Have you ever beeninjured in battle? Have you ever felt pain? Have you ever looked into the eyes of one who desiresto kill you, and known that you must kill him in order to live? You can have no idea what it is likeuntil you have experienced it for yourself!" He sighed, lowering his gaze to the book which lay on

the table, squat and mute with the weight of a thousand years. "I cannot expose you to suchdanger, Princess. And the King will never let you go."

"Don't say any more," Zelda commanded. "I know that my father will not agree to the quest. Thatis why I am going to leave secretly, with your help. I won't be dissuaded on this."

Link raised his hands in despair. "So I will be an accomplice as well," he moaned. "This is uttermadness, Princess."

"So you agree," Zelda stated with a triumphant smile. Her eyes were bright. "I thought you would.There are horses and equipment prepared for us in the stables. You have your sword; I have my

bow. I will meet you at dusk in the Silver Square." She rose, taking up the Book of Mudora. "Wemay need this," she explained. "It contains useful clues as to the whereabouts of the Temples.Follow me now, quickly. And you may call me Zelda from now on, not 'Princess'."

"As you wish... Zelda." Link frowned at her back as she descended the stairs to the King's stables.He did not believe that going questing with the Princess was a good idea. At no time in recordedhistory had a princess of the blood taken up arms to defend Hyrule; it had always before been leftto the Hero. Yet perhaps it was right that the Princess Royal should have a part in the ancient

battle. Certainly it was nothing that Ganon would expect.

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Link fingered the hilt of his sword as he went over his options. He was a foreigner to Hyrule andknew little of its people. He had no powerful family to defend him against the King's anger, shouldsomething happen to Zelda. But, if there was a chance--even a small chance--to defeat Ganononce and for all, he owed it to his ancestors to try. He hoped that helping Zelda to sneak out of thecastle without her father's permission would not goad the King into ordering his arrest, for thequest sounded difficult enough without the added complication of Hyrulian soldiers huntingthem.

Zelda hurried through the archway into the castle courtyard and disappeared into the stables withsome haste. Link followed more reluctantly, anxious that he were not seen in her company. Insidethe long wooden building, shining with floating hay-dust and gleaming shafts of sunlight, thePrincess led him to two stalls. A white mare and a dark red gelding awaited them, fully saddled,groomed and equipped. Link opened one of the saddlebags and approved the neatly packed dryrations. "You have been prepared for this for quite some time, it seems," he remarked.

"Ever since I wrote the letter," she told him. "Take the horses out of the side gate. The guardsthere are used to comings and goings and will not question you. I know another way out of thecastle, but I must leave at a time when I will not be missed."

"You would have gone alone if I had not agreed to this."

"Yes," she said simply. "But I was sure that you would understand the need."

Link swung the stable door back and led the red horse out. He was no great judge, but even hecould tell that the animal was far superior to his own borrowed beast. An animal like this must be

worth a great deal; he just hoped that nobody on the road would think that they had stolen it.Zelda handed him the reins to the white mare. Looping both sets over his arm, he led the horsesout into the courtyard.

"Tonight, Hero," Zelda said softly, and left in a flurry of skirts. He was left to shake his head wrylyas he led the horses towards the gate she had pointed out.

So that is the Princess Royal. Her father has his hands full with that one, I'll wager.

Despite being the heir of the Hero of Time, Link was Calatian by birth; he had grown up in afishing village in the far south of the Hyrulian Empire. Girls in Calatia did as they were told. TheseHylians were different, all fire and passion and wanting their own way. He wondered what else

was different about this green country which, although he had spent the last two years fightingfor, he barely knew.

The great square was deserted at twilight, as Zelda had obviously known it would be. Link let thehorses drink from the fountain as he waited. He felt both excited and strangely nervous about the

journey to come; he had done and seen much in his life, but nothing like this, creeping away insecret with the Princess at his side.

The Princess had said dusk, but it was nearly dark, and the silver moon shone fitfully from a skymasked by cloud, by the time a cloaked woman entered the plaza. She drew back her hood as sheapproached, and her golden hair gleamed beneath the sickle moon. "I could not get away sooner,"she explained as she mounted. "I did not want to rouse my father's suspicion."

He had had time to reconsider now. "Princess, I beg you, go back. Let me do this alone. I can rideinto the west if you tell me where I must go."

"No, Link, don't ask me." Her eyes were huge and pale in the moonlight. "I must come."

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"Then, if you won't go back, promise me you will do as I say. If and when we are attacked, we willhave to work together to keep out of danger."

"You need have no fear of that," she whispered. "Now, let us go - quickly!" Her cloak blew aside asshe turned the horse, and Link saw that she was wearing a pair of loose leather trousers and a

white chemise, with soft knee-boots of chamois. He was relieved; they were traveling clothes,

proving that the Princess was of a practical mind. One thing he had greatly feared was that hewould be forced to nursemaid a spoilt and flighty palace girl, but Zelda seemed to be of a differentschool entirely.

They were not challenged at the Merchant's Gate. Zelda urged her horse into a gallop the momentthey left the town behind and did not slow until a low rise hid them from sight of the castle. Shereined in her mare and let Link ride up. The horses lowered their heads to the grass.

"Head west along the Parapa road," Zelda ordered. "The desert is through a rocky pass. If we ridehard we should reach it by midnight."

"If we do not meet something along the way," Link said.

Despite the best efforts of the horses, the first streaks of pale dawn were visible in the east by thetime the two reached the rocky gorge. Zelda rode to the brink of a steep bank and looked downinto the cleft. The irregular rocky sides were spattered with bushes and small plants, and a littlestream leapt from beneath an overhang just below them. Although deep, the cleft was not sheerand a path down was clearly visible a little way along. Link rode with Zelda along the bank toexamine the descent, and she outlined her idea to him. Zelda might be the princess, but in the

wilds Link was the expert and must by rights lead.

"It is a good plan," he said approvingly. "If we must pass through the gorge to reach the desert,then I do not think we shall find another descent as good as this."

"Should we dismount?" Zelda asked. "I don't like the idea of riding the horses through the oldstream bed. It would be too easy to damage their feet on loose stones."

Link smiled. "That is just what I was about to say!" He leaped from the saddle and took hold of hishorse's bridle as he stepped down over the edge of the gorge. The horses went willingly andthough the ground was, as Zelda had foreseen, unstable under their feet, the way was easier thanthey had imagined. Walking in the stream, which came up to their ankles but no further, theyquickly reached the flat bottom of the gorge where the water runneled off into rivulets among thedusty rocks of an ancient riverbed. "There was a river here once," Zelda said, "but it dried up along time ago. The story is in the Book of Mudora, Link; you should study it someday."

"I never seem to find the time," Link said wryly. "When our quest is done, Princess, then I will be

able to rest and do all the things I have never done. But for now, we have a more important task."

Zelda paused in her stride. "What things do you regret not doing?"

"Many things," Link answered with a heavy sigh. "I have left so much undone back home." He didnot add, because of this land, but it was there nonetheless.

"Will you go back to Calatia?" Zelda asked quietly.

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"Maybe," he responded. "In truth, I have little idea what I want to do with my life. I have neverhad choices before."

"It is our fault," Zelda said softly. "You have always fought for Hyrule - for us - but Hyrule is noteven your country."

"It was the country of my ancestors." He patted the red horse's neck. "If I had stayed in Calatia Iwould never have met any of you," he went on, "you, Zelda, or the King. I'd still be a country boyfrom the back of beyond. I'd have married some village lass and become a fisherman."

Zelda laughed. "You? A fisherman?"

"Strange, isn't it?" Link answered, and there was a faraway look in his eyes. "I wonder if I couldever have been truly happy in Calatia. They always teased and scolded me because my head wasfull of noble dreams - of knights and swords and dragons and princesses, and deeds of glory. But Inever dreamed that it could truly happen to me, that I would become a hero."

Zelda dipped her head so that he could not see her eyes. "Let's ride on," she said.

They mounted and made their way along the floor of the ravine, accompanied by the rushing ofthe little stream which was now many little streams, steaming along the dusty ground. It hadcarved itself a network of paths along the dirt. The rock they walked on was rippled like sand

beneath rushing water. It had been carved into this shape by the action of a powerful river manyhundreds of years ago, and now the river's legacy was left in the rock, the shape of its course in athousand years of stone.

"These marks on the ground," Link began, and then stopped, his brow furrowed.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Zelda said quietly. "They're still here, even though the river dried up so longago."

"Perhaps they are like us," Link said, looking at the rippled ground.

"How do you mean?"

"A thousand years ago and more, Ganondorf came out of the West. He is gone, but he has leftmarks in Hyrule's history like these marks left by the river. Our path is still guided by the rippleshe created, and we can't escape it."

Zelda started and looked sharply at Link. He was looking at the ground and there was a closedexpression on his face. She could not deny that it was an apt metaphor, but it seemed odd that aHero should speak so.

"We could not wipe these ripples away, Zelda," Link went on. "Only time can do that - that and

the wind and sand."

"I know," Zelda replied. She understood now what was troubling her companion, and she reinedin her horse. "But we are going to raise a storm of sand to sweep the stone clean."

"It can do no harm to try."

The gorge turned a corner, and smaller cracks and clefts opened up in the stone around them.Several times there were rifts in the ground itself, some so wide that the horses had to be urged to

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leap over them. Link paused and looked into one of these rifts, but he could not see the bottom -only the sheer sides dropping away into a blackness of rock and empty night. He dropped a pebblein and listened for a sound which did not come.

"Take care," Zelda warned.

"I will not fall." But he stayed back from the edge. The sides of the ravine grew higher and higheras they followed the stream onwards, and soon they were enclosed by great walls of dust coloredstone, with only a sliver of stars to light their way. They halted beside a ridge where the streamtumbled over a protruding lip of stone into a small deep pool. The thirsty horses drank deep of theclear cold water and soon the companions followed their beasts' example. The water was bitter

but refreshing.

Link unpacked some of the provisions and found two blankets plus some dry biscuit and a cheese.He used his short sword to divide the food as the Princess Royal looked on. "I packed no plates,"she said, almost apologetic for the lack. "Well... in truth, I was afraid that they'd get broken in thesaddlebags."

He grinned as he handed her her share of the rations. "Eat with your fingers, Princess. This is the

real thing - camping out under the stars. An adventure!"

Zelda took the food and nibbled, uncomfortable with having to eat like a barbarian. But she washungry, and one glance at Link convinced her that etiquette had no place here. The princess satcross-legged on the rocky ground and bit off a piece of the biscuit. The food tasted good, betterthan she remembered in Hyrule Castle, and she realised how hungry she was.

"How do you like it so far?" Link asked.

Zelda looked over to him. "This is nice," she said, "but I know that it will not be this easy all thetime!"

"I'm glad we got out of the city so easily," he said. "I feared that your father might send troopsafter us."

"Really?" Zelda asked. She had not thought of that possibility and now she shuddered to imaginebeing taken back by the palace guards when they had only just begun their quest. It would havestopped their whole plan short. "Can they find us?"

Link shrugged. "It depends on how good their trackers are. It would be easy to follow us acrossthe meadows, harder to track us down here, where the ground is hard and we leave no footprints.The sooner we get to the desert's edge, the better. We should rest now, but we ought to move on atdaybreak."

"Very well," Zelda agreed. "I will take first watch." She smiled at his look of surprise.

Soon Link was asleep on the hard ground, wrapped in one of the woollen blankets. Zelda sat withher back to the cliff and withdrew the carefully wrapped Book of Mudora from within her shirt.She settled the heavy tome upon her knees and flipped quickly through the pages. Within the

book was a woodcut which she knew Link had never seen. It depicted the first Link, the Hero ofTime, battling a great dark beast with cloven hooves and a long sharp toothed snout - Ganon, theEvil King. The hair might be different, but the face of Link First was almost identical to the face ofthe Link who lay sleeping innocently by her side. Zelda was as sure as she could be that Link was adirect descendant of the Hero of Time, whose line was said to have descended unbroken for over athousand years. And the Hero of Time had been the first Legendary Knight.

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There were things that Link did not know about the mysterious Knighthood. Only a very few wereparty to the whole of the ancient lore. The Legendary Knights - or the Knights of Hyrule, as theyhad also been known - were agents of neutrality. They strove to keep the balance between goodand evil. Zelda believed that Hyrule's cycle of destruction and rebirth was due in part to thedisappearance of the Knights.

Even better, she believed she had clues as to the identity of the Knights themselves. Forest waseasy - that had been Link First's own Amulet. It was written that the Knight of Water was of theHouse Royal, and that the Knight of Fire was not of Hyrule. The Knight of Shadow was rarelymentioned at all. It seemed that the Shadow was somehow unlucky or a bad omen. Zelda did notunderstand this entirely, for it was elsewhere stated that all six Knights were needed - so whyshould there be warnings against using all six Amulets?

She closed the book, little wiser as to the nature of their quest. The moon was beginning itsdescent into morning. It was time to wake Link... and to get some sleep herself, for Zelda had anintuition that the quest had not even begun.

Although the sun would not be visible in the valley until it was almost overhead, Link saw the pinkblush of dawn spread across the glimmering sky, gently fading the last stubborn stars intomorning. The white ship of the moon sank down into whatever harbour there was beyond the

world as it followed the last tardy clouds of night. A faint mist hung about over the stream. Thehorses nosed quietly among the meager shrubs and grasses in the gorge; occasionally a quietsnort or the jingle of a harness broke the stillness.

The Princess was asleep on the ground beside him. Zelda's blonde hair spread out around her faceand shoulders, and her blue eyes were closed. There was a slight smile on her face as she dreamed

whatever dreams she had to dream.

HADOWS and flicker of torchlight. Drip of water somewhere in the dark,still on stone. The air chill and clammy, choked with a thick cloyingincense. And she passing like a final breath, hooded and cloaked.

Through black halls and winding passages she passes, to come at last to a massive chamber wherethe gloom hangs heavy as death, shrouded by smoke and spiderweb. At the end of this hall, a

throne.

Empty.

She kneels before the deserted tableau, and whispers: "My lord."

"He's here." No voice this, but a soundless hiss of ancient hatred and despair.

"Yes, my lord."

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"I felt his coming; the one who carries the blood. I knew it the moment he set footon Hylian soil. We are tied by a bond that can never be broken."

Did the shadows stir?

"Why has he come back? Does he think to taunt me? Or is there some new devilry

at work?"

"I will try to find out, my lord."

She turns and flits into the outer dark."Well, this is an interesting problem."

Link scratched his head and considered the way forward. Truly it had been many years sinceanyone had passed this way, and with good reason. A huge rockfall in the canyon had blocked offthe way ahead and their path was cut short by thousands of tons of red sandstone. An awesomequantity of rock lay upon the floor of the gorge, reaching hundreds of feet into the air and fillingthe gully almost to the top.

"Could we climb it?" Zelda suggested.

"It would be far too dangerous," Link replied. "See how those stones are balanced? One step in thewrong place and it'd all come down on top of us. And there is no way to tell which is the rightplace, or whether indeed there is a way through. We must turn back and find another road."

"There is no other way," Zelda told him. "This is the only way to pass through the canyon. Wemust try."

Link inclined his head in agreement. "So be it." He turned and took the rein of his horse, loosedthe saddle girth and with a short slap sent the beast trotting off through the canyon, its harness

jingling lightly. "Loose your horse, Zelda. Where we go, we cannot take the animals. Better we letthem take their chances in this land which they know." Gently Zelda released her own mount andthe white mare followed the red. They were alone in the ancient valley. She shouldered the gearthat had been taken from her horse and felt the burden to be bearable. "It will get much harder, Iimagine," she said quietly. "Still, I will prove the stronger."

"Did you say something, Princess?" Link asked, but he was not interested in her answer. He tookher by the arm and drew her close, pointing up toward the tall walls of the gorge as he inclinedhimself towards her. "Look there," he told her softly. "I can see a ridge that stretches across the

very edge of the canyon, above the rockfall. If we can climb to it, we may pass through the valley."

Zelda looked where he indicated and saw the ridge--it made her shiver with fear merely at thesight of it, for it was many feet above the ground and could not be more than a handspan wide.

"Do you think that we can cross the valley like that?" she asked tentatively.

"If we are brave, and do not look down," answered Link. "We could turn back now, Zelda... it isnot yet too late to turn aside from this quest."

But she remembered the sharing of food by the pool that last night, and he remembered the spillof her golden hair on the stone, and both of them knew that it was too late.

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"There are foot and handholds in the stone," Zelda said. "We can climb." She walked to the sheerwall of the gorge and set her hand upon the stone, finding a niche into which she could place herfingertips and from there begin the arduous ascent to the distant ridge.

"We must be cautious, Princess," Link told her. "Perhaps this road is blocked for a reason. Thewest is where the Gerudo came from, if the histories are correct." He believed that she would

know what he referred to. Many of the years of his youth had been spent in the dusty tranquilityof his grandfather's house, listening to ancient stories of the land, and among the most terriblepassages in the old man's books were those which told of the Gerudo, short-lived in comparison toHylians, but ferocious people passionate and merciless, who rode out of the west bearing fire andsword. It was written that in the earliest times they were a nomadic people, laying waste to muchof the southern and western borders of Hyrule before they retreated to the deserts which had

birthed them. His grandfather had oft told him stories of fighting the Gerudo in his youth--hisgrandfather who had taken up the sword to save the land like so many of his line.

"Do you think we will see any Gerudo?" Zelda queried.

"I don't know," Link had to allow. "It has been a long time since any stories of the desert peoplehave come to Hyrule. Perhaps it was merely this accident" - he took in the blocked pass with a

wave of his hand - "which prevented them from returning to attack us in recent years. Perhapsthey are all dead and none are left to carry on their line." His face grew grim. "Perhaps it was ourown people who blocked the pass to put an end to the Gerudo raids."

"What do you believe?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know." That was all he would say. He passed her quickly and began to climb, hand overhand, clinging spiderlike to the rock face. Zelda followed him as best she could that she would not

be left behind. Her hands soon grew sore.

Link did not look down although the thought of the danger was always candle-bright in his mind.It was only when he was too far up to come down easily that he thought of Zelda beneath him, and

wished that he had made her go first. If he fell he did not wish to bring her down with him. He

concentrated on lifting each hand in turn, placing it upon the rock and pulling himself up to thenext meager crack from whence to reach still higher levels. The first twenty feet or so werecomparatively simple but then he hit a place where the stone was sheer. A thousand years ago andmore, when the world was new-made, a great slab of granite had been borne up from the interiorof the world and had made its way to the surface where it became embedded in the mountain. Theerosion of time had laid bare the hardest bones of the mountain and now Link was faced with asurface which had no kind of purchase whatsoever.

"Princess?" he called down, unable to turn and look for himself. "The way is closed. Can you movesideways and see if we may not reach the ridge another way?"

There was a scrabbling beneath him somewhere and then Zelda's voice came up clearly, aroundeight feet below him. "Down where I am. There is a cleft in the rock. We might be able to climb up

it to the ridge."

"Good. Get to the cleft. I'm coming back down." He did not wait to see if she would followinstructions--she would have to. Link began to climb down the rock face. Going down was moredifficult for footholds had to be felt for and found from memory, rather than looked for by eye. He

was patient and soon reached the place where Zelda had been, a slight rift where the feet couldjam themselves and the body rest for a moment. He looked about him and saw Zelda kneeling in asmall depression in the cliff face, a few feet to his right. The princess had found the bottom of anatural seam in the stone and it was just wide and deep enough to rest there without holding on.

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Moisture must collect in the hollow in the early morning, and soil blown on the wind--for hereupon the middle of an inhospitable cliff face, small plants had found a place to survive. Link

began to climb sideways toward the rift, finding the going difficult, but not impossible. He wasbeginning to admire the princess for rather more than her courtly manners.

Zelda reached out a hand and helped him climb up into the fissure. There was barely enough

room for the two of them and they had to press together unbecomingly in order to rest in any sortof comfort or safety. Link sighed and looked up in the direction of their goal, the ridge. Theywould have to ascend forty feet or more of the cliff face to reach it and they had only come twentyby the estimate of his trained eye.

"A good start," he muttered. Stretching he stood and offered a hand to Zelda to help her up whilehe considered the climb to the ridge. "I believe I know a way to do this. Do as I do, but wait until Ihave got a little way up. I would like to be sure that this will work." Zelda nodded and Link backedinto the crack as far as he could while still able to stand with arms straight and in front of him. Heset his back against one wall and then braced his feet against the other. Now he was off the floor,supported only by the tension in his body. Carefully he pushed on the rock with his hands and

wriggled his back up the stone a few inches. When he was satisfied with his new position hemoved his feet up as well and thus gained several inches of height. It would be possible to maketheir way right up the fissure in this way, if they had the stamina to make it to the top. Linkthought he did. He just hoped that Zelda too had the strength to do it. If only they had thought to

bring rope!

He inched his way up the fissure, slow but steady. It was easier than climbing the rock face andindeed it felt strangely safer with stone at his back and beneath his feet. Quickly he got into arhythm--shift feet, wriggle, shift feet, wriggle. Pause for breath and then back to the beginning ofthe cycle. A scrabbling of loose pebbles beneath him told him that the Princess Royal had startedon the climb and he redoubled his efforts that he might not prevent her from making her way up.Soon his back and legs ached from the strain of holding himself up but he continued, knowingthat there was no other way--it was up, or down, and with Zelda beneath down was not an option.

"This is... tough work!" Zelda panted.

"Save your breath!" Link called down.

She looked up to see where he was, and noted that he was a little further ahead than when she hadstarted, but not much. Zelda grew determined and redoubled her efforts to climb the fissure. Insome perverse way she found herself enjoying the harsh physical workout, as muscles she had

barely used before got their first real airing. This was far more taxing than anything she couldhave found to do in the royal palace, even with her personal trainer. Zelda smiled. Personaltrainer? She was only now beginning to see that the only real training was to go out and do

whatever it was you wished to learn.

Her foot slipped suddenly on a loose rock, and it was only her instinctive straightening of her legs,bracing herself against the unmoving stone, that prevented her from falling all the way back to the

bottom of the fissure. She took several deep breaths to regain control.

"Are you all right, Princess?" Link called.

"It's Zelda, and I am well," she returned. "Go on."

"I am." He continued to climb. Zelda rested a moment, though resting on this ascent merelymeant the cessation of movement rather than the cooling of overworked muscles. When she knewshe would either have to move or to fall, she resumed her climb. The occasional glance up told her

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that they were making slow but sure progress and she was glad to watch the top of the fissuregrow steadily nearer. At last with a scrabble Link disappeared from above her and she knew thathe had reached the summit of the crack. She continued to climb steadily, working on instinct.Finally she saw a line of golden sunlight upon the rock she faced and knew that her next move

would take her out of the shadow and onto the ridge. A strong rough hand offered itself to her,and she grabbed at it thankfully.

Link pulled her easily up onto the ridge and she stood with him, too tired to do anything else forthe moment.

The ridge was not wide enough to sit on and only by pressing sideways against the rock could theystand. Yet standing was a relief after the ascent through the fissure, where they had by necessity

been forced to work with backs and knees bent. Link held Zelda's hand and looked out across thevalley of the Gerudo with shining, excited eyes. "See how far we have come, Princess!" he saidjoyfully. "A little further and we might see the whole world from up here!" Marvelling he beheldthe sight of birds in the gorge flying beneath them, and far below upon the chasm floor, jaggedthreads of silver stream runneled between the dusty boulders of the valley bottom.

Zelda pressed herself against the stone as a crossdraught threatened to throw her from the

precarious perch. She did not share Link's love of heights and tried not to look at the greatdistance they had climbed. "We must move on," she said firmly.

"Turn your face to the rock," Link instructed, "and then we can edge along the ridge until we arepast the fall."

"We still have to get down," Zelda said.

"That will probably be the easy part," Link said wryly. "Let us hope it is not dangerously easy."Carefully he turned so that his back was to the drop, and then he took Zelda's hand in his.Together they began to edge along the narrow gap, relying on their mutual strength and agility.Link felt the wind tugging at him with dangerous strength and he pressed against the rock harder,feeling Zelda do the same by the increased tension in her grip on his hand. Always he was

conscious of the chasm at his back, and the weight of his pack which pulled him towards the drop.His hair whipped about his face. The stone wall was rough against his hand and his ankles andcalves soon ached from the strain of holding on by his toes. He knew that the princess would feelthe same but she never complained.

The ridge disappeared beneath them as they made their way further up the wall of the gorge. Itseemed an age before they reached the summit of the rock fall, where the blockage rose to only afew feet below them. Link glanced down longingly at the promise of rest upon the top of thelandslide, but he knew full well that to stand upon the fall was too perilous. Yet luck was withthem in some ways, for now the ridge became wider and sloped downwards gently. He lookedahead down the side of the mountain and saw that the ridge became a rudimentary path, scoured

by the sands and undercut. "Take heart, Princess," he panted, "the way becomes easier."

"Good," was all Zelda said. Her hand was still tight in his and he loosed his grip a little for fear ofhurting her. He continued to hold her hand and led her on down the cliff path--soon they wereable to leave off hugging the cliff face and walk in single file. It was a relief from the endless toil ofsliding across the vertical rock wall.

The ridge came to an end only ten feet above the floor. Link considered the drop and thencarefully sat down with his legs over the edge. He twisted to let himself down, grasping the edge oftheir sanctuary with his fingertips. When he was at full stretch he let go, fell and landed with a jarthat was bearable, if momentarily painful. "Follow me, Princess!" he called up.

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Zelda looked down, tight-lipped, and nodded. She sat on the ridge the way he had but then shefroze, closing her eyes and turning her head away. "Drop!" Link ordered. "You are almost there! I

will catch you!"

"I... cannot."

"Yes you can! It's not far. I promise that I will catch you. Just turn around and slip off the edge."

Zelda shook her head.

"I can't come back up after you," Link told her. "It is the only way to come down. Hurry, drop!"

She understood. Taking a breath she wriggled forward on the ridge, clasping the edge of the rockin white-knuckled hands.

"Not that way!" Link instructed. "You must turn and let yourself down."

Slowly the princess turned around on the rock, grasping at any purchase on the smooth ledge. She

slipped half-off and gave a short scream, clutching the lip of the ridge. "Almost there," Linkencouraged. With a jerk Zelda slipped from the ridge and hung by her hands, feet kicking. Linkdarted forward. Then she let go with a cry, and landed in his arms.

"I told you I'd catch you," Link told her softly.

After a moment the princess opened her eyes again. She marshaled her strength and thenordered, "Put me down." Her voice was weak but firm. Link set her upon her feet but remainedholding her. "Let me go."

"Are you sure you are all right, Princess?" he asked with a smile.

"Zelda!"

"As you say, Princess."

She pushed him roughly away from her. "You are the most irritating man I have ever met!" shesaid with annoyance.

"I know," Link grinned. "I'm unique."

"Ooh!" Zelda scowled, crossing her arms.

Suppressing a smile he turned away and looked around him. This side of the gorge was just likethe other, save for one thing--the end of the canyon was now visible. Framed by the tall rock walls,

which now shrank down into the sand, was a red and golden sandscape of dunes shining beneathan amber sky. The sun hung in the sand-shrouded air like a lantern of molten gold. Already hecould sense the heat of the western realm, taste the sand and spices upon the hot dry wind which

battered at his lips and seared the sweat from his forehead.

"Tiroedd Tywod," he said softly, murmuring the words. The Desert of Mystery . The old name,rich with history, hung in the still air.

"Do we have enough water?" Zelda asked with some anxiety.

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"I am not sure," he owned. "I filled every container I could find when we reached that spring, butthis is a real desert. I confess, Princess, I was not prepared for this. It has been too long sinceanyone came out of the desert. Now I see--I was thinking of some pleasant, sandy beach without asea, but this is real."

"It is too late to go back now," Zelda sighed, "even if we could climb the canyon again. And I do

not think that we can."

Link looked out over the desert, wiping his sweat-slicked face with the back of his hand. "Is it true,Zelda," he began, "that they used to call this place the Haunted Wasteland?"

"It was once," Zelda agreed. "But that was long ago and no ghosts have come out of this place for athousand years and more. You have not read enough history."

"I read as much as was allowed to me," Link replied crossly. "That much of my time was taken inlearning the arts of sword and bow, I cannot deny!"

"I know and thank you for it," Zelda answered gently. "I did not intend to slight you. Well, shallwe go on?"

"I think we must," Link said inclining his head.

"Hft!" rang out a voice and an arrow landed before them with a whistle. Link jumped back, hishands finding his own bow and nocking an arrow to the string. "Feond oder freond?" came asecond shout.

"No," Zelda told him, laying her hand upon his. "Look around."

Link lifted his head and saw what he had not seen before--concealed behind the stones and on theclifftops were watchers. What kind of creatures they were he could not ascertain, save that each

was wrapped in coarse cloth the color of the sand, this camouflaging them from unwary eyes.

Each had a bow trained upon Link and Zelda and by their stance they knew well how to use theirweapons.

Eyes like chips of amber gleamed beneath the shadows of the shapeless wrappings.

"Gerudo!" he said in amazement. "They still live beneath our sky!"

"Feond oder freond?" called one of the warriors again, a more urgent tone in his voice.

"I do not know their tongue," Zelda owned, "but I believe they are asking us whether we come inpeace or war. They grow impatient for an answer."

"And will shoot, no doubt, unless we give them one." Link threw his bow to the ground and then

raised his hands slowly above his head. Zelda followed suit and then the warriors rose and cameforward.

They were not nearly as barbaric as they had seemed from a distance. Each wore white baggytrousers and a jerkin made of skins, beneath the ragged sand-coloured wrappings that hadconcealed them. The most obvious difference between them and the people Link was familiar

with, was their rich cinnamon-brown skin and their ridiculous small rounded ears. They were alsomore muscular than most Hylians, and their bodies hairier. They encircled the travelers, drawinglong scimitars or hunting knives.

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"Was that a mistake?" Link hissed.

"I do not know their customs," Zelda replied. "I was taught that the Gerudo were a race of women,but these are men--obviously the lore which has passed down to us concerning these people nolonger applies, or has been corrupted over time."

"lfan," one man said in a low growl, and turning his head he spat in the dust. "Ic lfan-cynnfor-seon!"

"We are here in peace," Zelda began but they did not listen, occupying themseles in a fiercewhispered argument. At all times four of the Gerudo stood over their captives with ferociousscowls and naked blades. The guttural vowels of their language seemed an affront on the beauty oflanguage to Link's untrained ears. They seemed to spit their words rather than speaking them, orto expel them from somewhere deep in their throats.

At length the knot broke up and their captors ceased to talk. One of the Gerudo, the leader by hisstature and garments, motioned to two others who grasped Link's hands and expertly tied them

behind his back with strips of rawhide. He bit back a yelp as his arms were cruelly twisted. Hissword was removed along with the knife which he carried. Zelda was treated in the same way.

Once they were bound to the satisfaction of the group leader, he spoke shortly and motioned tothe others to move. A blade pricked the small of Link's back, urging him to go forward. With tiedhands and surrounded by an escort of unfriendly warriors they set off into the desert. Linkglanced back longingly at his discarded bow. One of the Gerudo picked it up and weighed it idly,then tested the spring of it, and slung it over his back.

"Well," he whispered to the princess, "we found the legendary guardians of the Spirit Temple.Now what?"

"All we can do is wait and hope that eventually we will find one who speaks our language," Zeldaanswered.The journey through the desert was not comfortable. They were forced to walk all day through

drifting sand so light and fine that their feet sank up to the ankles at each step. Their captorsseemed inured to the discomfort and walked with a peculiar high-stepping stride to compensate.

After a while Link began to copy them and found that it was easier to move through the sand thatway. The Gerudos' footwear gave them an advantage; they wore wide moccasins of hide whichprevented their sinking. The Hylian-style boots Link wore, while of supreme quality, were ill-suited to the desert terrain and were soon sandstained and worn by the abrasive action of thesand.

Of far greater concern than the discomfort caused by the sand, was that caused by the heat. Linkfelt the sun's force physically beating down upon the top of his head and with that adding to thetough exertion of the walk through the sand, his hair was soon plastered to his scalp withperspiration. Sweat dripped into his eyes but he could not wipe it away with hands tied behind his

back, and was reduced to blinking it out. Most of their Gerudo escort wore filthy cloth bands

around their foreheads and he found himself envying them. He concentrated on putting one footin front of the other. They were surrounded by gold--the sand gleamed sunlike all around them,and the amber haze of it hung in the air, windblown, like a gauzy curtain which let through moreheat than light.

They halted at some time past midday, in the miserable shade provided by a pile of ancientboulders which were all that remained of some natural outcropping or even a building, noweroded by the sand and an indistinguishable part of the desert. The Gerudos squatted in theoverhang and talked in their guttural language, leaving their prisoners sitting back-to-back in the

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sun. They had skins of water and uncaring of their prisoners, shared it out in full view. Every timeLink or Zelda attempted to move, one of the Gerudo would half-rise and grasp the hilt of his

weapon, and they soon understood that they must sit still while their captors drank and rested.

"This is not much fun," Link whispered. "How long will they hold us prisoner?"

"I know nothing of these people," Zelda replied. "We were foolish--we should never haveattempted this so ill-prepared!"

"It is easy to repent afterwards," Link said dryly. "Well, I suppose all we can do is wait. But I wishthey would give us some water."

Zelda sighed. "I had managed to stop thinking about it until you mentioned it. I am so thirsty..."

Link raised his head and looked at their captors. "Hey!" he called. "May we not have some of yourwater?" He was answered only by a snort and raucous laughter. With a sigh he bent his head andclosed his eyes.

They moved on shortly after and the pace increased rather than slackened. Before long both Linkand Zelda stumbled along in a haze of heat and thirst, only the swords of their captors at their

backs preventing them from lying down in the sand. Link felt warm liquid on his hands and knewthat the bonds upon his wrists had broken the skin through the constant friction of movement. He

wondered that he could feel no pain, and hoped that the injury would not be too severe. By thelevel of wetness he could feel, he judged that as yet it was not great. He cared little for it anyway--the heat was the one thing he still felt greatly.

As they continued, Link felt a strangeness coming over him. The desert lifted up a scorching windof sand, with, it seemed, no other object than to further punish them. The golden sand blurred his

vision after a few feet, yet the light and heat diffusing through the tiny airborne particles seemedif anything greater than it had been before. The ground seemed to shiver beneath his eyes, and he

became conscious of a strange rocking motion, faint at first but then growing stronger. The feelingof motion was at odds with what his eyes told him was happening. Then, bit by bit, the world

began to recede down a dark tunnel. He knew that he would pass out and tried desperately to stayconscious, but despite his will the desert darkened before his eyes. He felt himself falling forwardinto darkness, falling and never reaching the ground...

RE you all right?"

"I... think so, Princess."

"You fainted. They carried you. I don't know what happened after that. I think I fainted too, in theend. It was so hot."

"I know. Are you all right?"

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"Yes thank you, Link."

Pause.

"A fine start to our quest!"

"We could not have done differently, Link. It was the only way through. And we could not haveknown that they would take us prisoner."

"Still we should have been more careful. We could have..."

"What could we have done?"

"I... know not. What will they do?"

"How would I know?"

Pause. He contemplative, she silent, watchful.

"Princess?"

"If you do not start calling me Zelda, I will hurt you."

"Zelda."

"Yes?"

"Where are we?"

"I know not. I woke up here. You did not see where we arrived?"

"Not a thing. The last thing I remember is the desert."

Light, sudden. A curtain was drawn back, throwing bright sunlight into their prison, which wasrevealed to be a wide tent woven of rich fabric--purple, red and gold. The barbaric designs in the

weave seemed crude and yet beautiful in a way that Hylian work was not. There was passion inthe pattern. Surrounded by red and purple it was almost like being imprisoned in a vast womb.The sound of his heartbeat seemed amplified in the crushing blood-colored space. Link sat up

with a wince--his wrists were raw and bleeding and his left hand had gone numb, being crushedunderneath him when they had dumped him in the tent. Now a dark shape was framed in thedoorway of the tent.

"Who is there?" Zelda asked. "Tell us why we are bound! What harm have we done you?"

The figure entered the tent, pinning back the thick curtain with a strap of felt so that the lightcontinued to stream in. There was a cushion beside the entrance and this the figure took for aseat, easing itself down with agile grace. Now that it was out of the direct light, the figure revealeditself to be a woman dressed in the garb of the desert hunters. She had a long and vibrant twist ofred-blonde hair and in her hair were leather braids. Two streaks of blue paint were drawn acrossher cheeks accentuating both her cheekbones and her amber-colored eyes, and she was young,maybe the same age as Link and Zelda. She raised a dusky fist to her breast and bowed her head

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in the traditional greeting of the Gerudo. "Me in mod-sefa licao leng swa wel," she said, difficultwords falling easily from her lips.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Link said wrathfully.

The woman smiled, dark red lips parting slightly to reveal a glimpse of gleaming teeth. "It is the

greeting of our people," she said in perfect Hylian only tinged with the glottal accents of theGerudo. "'I am pleased by the qualities of your heart and mind'. You are my guest, warrior."

"Is this how you treat a guest?" Link demanded, jerking at his bonds.

"Be still," commanded Zelda.

The woman inclined her head, her amber eyes flashing. "You came creeping out of the forbiddenlands like thieves. My people thought you were fugitives from justice. Although your lfan justiceis not our way!" She scowled.

"Elven justice?" repeated Link. "I know not this word "elven"."

"lfan," the woman corrected. "It is our name for you, longears. My people say that it issynonymous with "dog"." Angrily Link strained against his bonds but the rawhide thongs were toostrong for him to break. The woman sat back. "You must explain to me why you have come here.Since your kind blocked the pass, we have seen nothing of you--and that is well with us, for we

want nothing to do with you. Now you come out of the east. Why do you not stay in your ownplace?"

Link looked at Zelda and she shook her head slightly--no.

"You must tell me," the woman insisted, "and I may be able to free you, once I know that you arenot criminals."

"Are you the leader of this Gerudo band?" Zelda asked.

The woman laughed loudly, an uninhibited sound. "Since you enquire so politely, I will introducemyself!" She laid her left hand, palm inwards, upon her right breast. "I am Sofia, only daughter ofThorkelin, King of the Desert. My father rules over all of the humankind, which you call Gerudo."

"So you're a Princess too?" Link began and then gulped.

"Ah," Sofia said softly.

"Link!" hissed Zelda in fury.

The Gerudo woman nodded slowly as if something had been confirmed to her. "You, warrior,cannot be a princess. Although your features are somewhat like a girl's, your muscles betray you--unless lfan women have grown spectacularly ugly since the last dispatches out of the east. Sothe disheveled girl is some princess from the eastern lands? Now I know your name is Link, but

what is hers?"

"Tell her nothing," commanded Zelda.

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Sofia sighed. "You must be honest with me. Lucky it is for you that my father the King is not here,or he would have had you executed. Your best chance is to tell me all, now, before he returns todeal with you himself."

"Why would you wish to help us?" Link asked suspiciously.

The Gerudo woman shrugged and then smiled, her teeth a flash of white in her cinnamon-coloredskin. "Perhaps I am a fool. I like to think that people are innocent until proved guilty--even if theyare lfan."

"Why do your people hate Hylians?" Link questioned.

"Why, why, why? You think we are barbarians, that we are inferior because we do not live as long,that we are animals because we hunt and fight instead of toiling in the ground. So you drove usinto the desert many years ago and blocked the way. Ah yes--maybe we have short lifespans in theeyes of the Goddess, but there is such a thing as race memory. We have not forgotten. We builtour lives without you and now you come back."

"Only two of us," Zelda pointed out reasonably. "And we have done injury to no Gerudo."

"This could go on forever," Sofia snapped. "You must choose--do you tell me what you are doingin our lands, or do you stay here until my father returns? It is nothing to me--indeed you probablydo me a favor by making me kill you. I may not be popular with my people if I save you." There

was a long silence and then the Gerudo woman stood slowly. "So be it," she said heavily andstepped toward the tent's entrance.

"Wait," Link said, unmindful of Zelda's fury. "I will tell you what we were doing in the canyon."

Sofia sat down again. "Well, tell me, warrior," she said quietly.

"We sought the Spirit Temple of which legends tell," Link responded. "We knew that it was

somewhere past the Gerudo's Valley, but we did not know where. We set out to find it and raninto your people who took us prisoner."

"The Spirit Temple?" repeated Sofia in astonishment. "And your name is Link? Why, have youwalked out of the pages of history and into sunlight? I suppose the girl's name is Zelda!"

"It is," Link said boldly.

"Link!" Zelda snarled.

"Enough, Princess!" he said turning to her. "We have to confide in her now. Things have changed.And besides, she may know how to get to the Temple. We do not have a chance on our own!"

"That is true enough," agreed Sofia. "And I do know where the Spirit Temple lies. Your name istruly Link? If you lie, you will suffer for it."

"Why would I lie?" Link said in genuine confusion.

"We remember," Sofia said, "the hero Link who came to my ten times great grandmother andsaved her from evil spirits in the temple, sent by the dark King Ganondorf. He was the only one of

lfan descent who was ever accepted as an equal of my people, though it is long since he died,they say. Even your lives do not last a thousand years or more."

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"This many times great grandmother," Zelda began cautiously, "Was her name Nabooru?"

Sofia smiled. "Your pronunciation is painful, but you are correct. My family guarded the SpiritTemple for many years. Naburu was the first. But since I am youngest-born, I do not guard theTemple. That responsibility will go to my brother Galdenor when my father dies."

Link exchanged meaningful glances with Zelda. This unfortunate accident had brought them face-to-face with a part of their history--this woman was a direct descendant of one of the Seven Sages

who had locked Ganon in the Dark World. Perhaps the confrontation had been meant to be.Perhaps it was written upon one of the pages of the Book of Mudora, a page which the Book hadnot yet seen fit to reveal. "I feel Destiny," he muttered to the Princess, quoting an ancient proverb.When it is written in the stars that two stories shall draw together, that is to feel Destiny.

"Chwedl a gynydda fel caseg eira," Zelda replied in ancient Hylian.A tale increases like a rollingstone... She understood what he had thought but not said aloud.

Sofia crawled over to Link, and withdrew a dagger from her belt. "Hold still," she told him. Linkwinced when the tip of her blade pricked his wrist but Sofia was careful as she worked the bladethrough the rawhide. It was sharp and cut through the leather in a moment. Link groaned as he

brought his hands back round, rubbing his numb fingers. There was a circle of blood around eachof his wrists where the strips had bitten into his skin, and dried blood smeared the palms of hishands. His shoulders, too, ached and flamed as he flexed them. Sofia cut Zelda's bonds and thensheathed her dagger, sitting back upon her cushion. "I trust you so far," she said, "but you havenot told me much of any use. So you seek the Spirit Temple--for what? Are you suppliants to theSand Goddess?" She sneered. "I thought your kind followed different gods."

"You take pleasure in being offensive," Link said bitterly. "I tell you, we have no quarrel with theGerudo."

"And what does Gerudo mean in your language?" Sofia asked lightly.

Link did not answer, for he was sure that she knew already. "Be that as it may, I do not hate your

kind. They have done me no harm." He touched the raw skin on his wrists. "Well, no considerableharm," he amended.

Sofia smiled. "Well, you are honest in your speech, at least. That makes my heart quieter withinme. Will you tell me why you wish to go to the Spirit Temple?"

"No," Zelda commanded again.

Link touched her hand with his. "Reconsider, Princess. She may help us if she knows the wholestory. And do not forget that we are in her power."

Zelda was silent a long time, and then she sighed and bowed her head. "You are right, Link. I will

tell her the object of our quest and then she can judge for herself whether we are good or evil. Letus sit, Sofia, and you may hear why we have come so far from home without the knowledge or theblessing of my father."Sofia was silent for a long time after she had heard the tale. "I know nothing of any amulets," shesaid finally, "nor of any Legendary Knights. If what you say is true, then the hero Link was one ofthem. But none of our tales tell of such a knighthood. And it is in your book?"

"You should know," Zelda said coolly. "Your people took our belongings, and the Book of Mudorawas in my pack. I assume you have already gone through our equipment?"

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"Of course," the Gerudo woman said shortly. "But I did not read your book. It was no business ofmine." She rose then and motioned to the open tent flap. "It is for you to follow me now, and I willtake you out of here. You must show me what is in your book, and then I will see if I can help youin any way."

"We are grateful to you for your understanding," Zelda said in a stiff, polite voice.

Sofia smiled shortly. "This way," she said.

They found themselves in a city of tents. The sheer volume of humanity crammed into this shadedcorner of the desert was astounding to them. A labyrinth of colors surrounded them, blues andgreens and golds and reds--every single tent seemed different and unique. The wide sandy path

wove between the thousands of dwellings with seemingly no regular order. Zelda turned her faceaway when she saw naked children playing upon the sand. Scruffy lurcher dogs and fat furrypuppies sprawled with the children, yielding tolerantly to their small inquisitive hands. ThePrincess's ears were buffeted by the gutturals of the Gerudo tongue. Despite all Zelda and Linkhad heard about barbarism among the Gerudo kind, there were only happy faces to be seen withinthe kaleidoscope of life. "This is Gaelaidh, the greatest town of our people," Sofia said to them asthey proceeded through the city. "We spend much time moving around in the desert, but there are

always many people here. Some live here all the time. It is a center of trade for us."

"Does your father live here?" Zelda asked.

"He would," Sofia answered, "but he rarely stays. He journeys all over our land to see to hiskingdom."

Zelda said nothing but Link knew what she was thinking--how different this was to her father'skingdom back home, where the King stayed in his castle and sent only his couriers to the differentcorners of the realm to dispense his orders and collect news. Sofia's father might be a barbarianand a primitive, but surely he knew far more of his realm than Zelda's father did. Perhaps he evencared more about his people, considering how King Harkinian made such easy judgements aboutquashing a rebellion or raising taxes in some far-off occupied land.

"Here is where I have put your belongings," Sofia said, indicating the open flap of another tentwhich stood before them. The weave of this one was more skilled than the others they had seen,being crafted with scenes of battle cunningly woven into the fabric. Sofia ducked through the flapand Link went after. After a moment's hesitation Zelda sighed and followed the others.

It was not dark inside. Light shone through the fabric of the tent which they now saw to be thinand translucent. The sun found its way through the delicate weave, its rays taking on the color ofthe fabric through which it passed. The inside of the tent was spacious, and it filled with a rainbowof colors every time light shone upon it from outside. Sofia lifted up their packs and tossed the

bags to them. "Show me your book," she said.

Zelda withdrew the Book of Mudora from her belongings. It was obvious to her that her bag had

been meddled with, but the searchers had thoughtfully repacked everything in it with as muchcare as was necessary. She held the Book of Mudora lightly in her fingertips and laid it upon thefloor. Sofia and Link crowded close as she opened the book at the page which was marked.

"See--here," Zelda said, touching the page. "It tells of the Legendary Knights in detail." Linkfrowned as he examined the book--he had studied Ancient Hylian only in passing and found itdifficult to spell out the archaic language.

Sofia sat back, her eyes growing cold. "I cannot read that," she said.

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"Well, in that case you will have to trust us that that is what it says," Zelda replied.

The Gerudo woman snorted. "Hah! How would I know that you speak the truth?" she demanded.

"Hylians do not lie," Link said coldly. "We have our own code of honor."

Sofia ignored his words. "There is only one way that I can find out if you are speaking the truth,"she said slowly, "and it will not please many. I have to take you to the Spirit Temple."

Link exchanged pleased looks with Zelda. "Thank you," he said emphatically. "This is veryimportant to us."

"Thank me later," Sofia said roughly. "If you are lying, the Goddess will surely swallow you. Now,stay here. I will fetch horses and water for the journey."

"Some water right now would not go amiss," Link said, realising that his throat was terribly dry.

"All right," Sofia nodded. She ducked out through the tent flap and was gone. Soon enough she

returned, leading three wiry horses. Link examined his mount with interest. The Gerudo horseswere slimmer and more streamlined than Hylian mounts, and their coats were splashed withwhite on brown or black. Their manes and tails were braided.

"Good horses," he said approvingly, accepting the filled water skin the Gerudo woman handedhim. He drank deeply and then gave the water to Zelda, who took it gratefully.

"Our horses are faster than any others," Sofia said matter-of-factly, "and they will endure farlonger than the animals you people ride." She mounted, sitting easy in the saddle as one who hadridden all her life. "Let us go."

They rode out of the city of tents at a walk--it was not just that this seemed expected of them, orthat Sofia led the pace, but Zelda feared that one of the Gerudo children would fall under the feet

of her horse and she watched constantly in case one would. The dogs ran between the horses withabandon, and the horses, for their part, seemed quite used to this obstruction. They stepped highto avoid kicking the pups.

"Set your face to the tall stone on the horizon," Sofia said, gesturing, "and keep the sun on yourright if we are separated."

"Separated?" Zelda questioned in sudden unease.

The Gerudo woman nodded slowly, loose strands of her red hair bobbing about her face. "Ofcourse. In this land, sandstorms rise with no warning. When the sirocco wind blows, all sensiblecreatures take cover. The desert hates life and will bury it if it can."

Zelda shuddered involuntarily. Link glared at the Gerudo woman and nudged his pony closer tothe princess's one. He leaned over and whispered, "Pay her no heed, Princess. She is trying tofrighten us."

Sofia looked at her two companions from beneath her dark brows. "You would do well to listen tomy words," she said quietly. Urging her horse forward, she moved out in front of the others,leading the way across the golden sand. The golden sky hung low over the sand, and in the fardistance the two flowed together in a maelstrom of molten metal-colors. Link and Zeldaexchanged meaningful glances, and Link rolled his eyes.

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They rode for the better part of the day. The sun rose high into the sky and lay like a furnaceoverhead, bearing down upon the teenagers with the strength of a volcano. Link and Zelda tookregular drinks from Sofia's water skin, but the Gerudo woman refused water. "Save it if you can,"she said, "we may need it if we are thrown off course." The wiry desert horses did not seem toneed water, plodding along with their heads down against the sand-pregnant breeze. Their patchycoats did not exude sweat.

Finally the sun began to drift down towards the western horizon. At the same time a slight breezebegan to blow, but it was not a cool breeze. The air was hot and dry, and it flowed over themtaking from them any moisture it could glean. Link knew he was sweating profusely yet his skin

was dry and crusted with salt and sand, for the heat evaporated water almost instantly. Theirwater skin was just over half full, and neither he nor Zelda dared to take any more. As the windrose, it began to pick up the sand and carry it along. The ground beneath them seemed clouded

with a golden mist as the desert's surface was stirred up.

Sofia looked ahead into the long golden emptiness. "We must move faster," she said simply.

Zelda wiped crusted sand from her brow. "This heat," she said softly in despair, pitching her voiceso that only Link would overhear. "I cannot bear it much longer."

"We must, Princess," he answered quietly. "Come on, let's follow. If we ride faster, perhaps we willcool down."

The Gerudo woman stepped up the pace, her keen senses always on the alert. She scowled andlooked up at the amber sand-shrouded sky. "I don't like this," she muttered. "There is a heavinessin the air--we are in for a storm, a big one."

"Dangerous," Link suggested. He waited for her to say more.

"The sirocco wind is the most powerful force in nature," Sofia told him. She raised her hand andpointed to a great spar of stone jutting out of the desert far to their left. The tall rock was gnarledand twisted into a fantastic spiralling turret shape. "That monument you see there was once a

perfect obelisk, many thousands of years ago. My ancestors carved it when they first came to thedesert realms, after their journey across the ocean. It is made of a stone so hard that it can only becarved with special tools. The sirocco wind carved it into its present shape with nothing morethan sand." Sofia's eyes were grim. "It can flay the flesh from your bones in just a few minutes.Many a time I have seen sandblasted fragments and known them to be the remains of somecreature caught out in the storm. We have to reach shelter before the wind rises."

"But where?" Link asked. "I see nothing at all for many miles!"

"Appearances can be deceptive," the Gerudo woman told him. "The Spirit Temple is not far fromhere. But I truly hoped that we would not have to take refuge inside."

"Why?" Zelda asked. "Are you leading us into danger?"

"In a way," Sofia answered. "I know the Spirit Temple. The ancient guardians of that place will notlike my bringing lfankind there, even if you are the descendants of the Hero."

"Can't you call us Hylian?" Link grumped.

"If you call me Human," Sofia returned with a smile.

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"It's a deal," Zelda laughed. "We don't call you Gerudo, and you don't call us Elven!"

Sofia's face split into a wide grin. "I like you two," she said warmly.

Zelda sighed. "If only our two races had not been divided all those years ago!" she said wistfully."We could teach each other much."

Sofia inclined her head in agreement. "But," she said, "we will have to speak of such things later.The storm is coming. Can you feel it?"

"I can feel it," Link said. The air was tense, taut. There seemed to be a darkness in the sky eventhough the sun was nowhere near setting, and the sky itself was no longer golden but a hard

bright bronze. Little curls of wind brushed at their faces and clothing and pulled at loose items orfolds of cloth. There was sand ever-present in the hard air, and Link felt a scratchy feeling in hischest whenever he inhaled. He coughed hard and spat into the sand.

"Don't, if you can avoid it," Sofia told him. "You are wasting body moisture."

"It is that important?" Link asked in surprise.

The Gerudo woman looked grim. "You have never been lost in the desert with only a singlewaterskin to keep you alive," she said quietly. "In this world, everything counts. Faster."

They galloped across the hard compacted sand, the wind tugging at their clothes and whippingthe short-trimmed manes of their mounts. There was an urgency in Sofia's movements now as sheled the way across the desert, choosing always the way between the dunes. And the wind grewever stronger. Sofia drew a fold of her loose garments over her mouth and nose and fastened itthere with a pin.

Soon the driving sand clouded their vision. It got into the eyes and stung unbearably. It scouredthe cheeks and any exposed skin elsewhere, and left rawness behind it. It stained the clothes and

wore them down. The wind poured itself over the dunescape, pooling in the troughs between thewaves of sand. And the sirocco approached from the northeast. They could see it, a patch ofgolden darkness beneath the sky, a whirling fury of sand that covered the horizon for many miles.

Sofia reined in her horse and stood in the stirrups, looking toward the storm that moved fast tocut them off from their direction. Suddenly the red-haired woman leaped from her saddle and

began opening saddlebags. She pulled thick, loose garments out and tossed them to her wordlesscompanions. "Put these on," she ordered brusquely.

Zelda handled the coarse linen breeches and long-sleeved tunic with disgust. "I cannot wearthese! They're horrible--and they smell!"

"If you don't wear them, the sand will carve you into a dinner for the vultures," Sofia said coldly.

"These are desert clothes to protect you from the storm."

Link was already half into his clothes, putting them on over the top of his light tunic. "Zelda, do asshe says," he begged. "She knows more than we do."

Zelda frowned but complied with a sigh. The neck of the long shirt was very high and reached pasther mouth and nose to leave only her eyes and forehead exposed. Once they were both clothed inthe desert hunters' garb, the red-haired woman showed them how to put on the linen turbans theGerudo wore in the deep desert. Dressed as Gerudo and caked in sand as they were, Zelda found

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she could hardly tell Link from Sofia save for the fact that Link's eyes were green and not amber.She supposed she looked the same.

"Now cover the horses' eyes," Sofia said, touching an embroidered ribbon that was tied to hersaddlebow. Link had noticed it before but had assumed it to be decorative. "Our horses aretrained to accept this over their faces."

The storm was nearly upon them as they remounted their considerably calmer animals. Now that,with the wide ribbons affixed to their bridles, the whirling sand was hidden from them and onlythe howl of the wind was to be heard, the horses no longer shied, and instead stood square,shifting their feet against the drifting sand. "Nice trick," Link said admiringly.

"We always travel prepared," Sofia said. "Now, we ride into the storm. Keep moving to avoidbeing buried, and keep the light to your left. If you see anything within the sand, do not speak toit!"

"Within the sand?" Link questioned.

"Did you not used to call this place the Haunted Wasteland?" Sofia suggested. Link and Zelda

exchanged anxious looks.

Then the storm covered them.

It was a hurricane of sand. Link could see nothing except the golden haze, could hear nothingexcept the wailing of the wind, wolf-like and angry. He could not even tell whether hiscompanions were within arms' reach or a thousand miles away. His horse shivered at the touch ofthe sand upon its flank, but the Gerudo beast had been through such storms before and had the

weight of experience upon its instincts to flee. Link lifted his head with difficulty against theburning wind and sand, and saw a lightness against the storm's fury. That patch of molten goldmust be the sun! He remembered Sofia's advice and turned the horse's head to the right. Snorting,the strong beast plodded forward against the fury of the Sirocco.

Link fought to remain alert. The sound of the wind was somehow sooth