Ice to see you

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link shivered, arms pressed tightly around his chest. Snow drizzled from above, swaying in the slight wind as it floated down. He heaved a foot free from the knee deep snow, his calf muscles numb save for a gentle tingle, and thrust it down again. It punctured through the thick white layer and crunched as the sole of his boot found the ground. His eyes squinted against the blare of the sun reflecting from the pure snow, and he looked to the horizon for direction. Mountains framed the sky, pale blue and distant. He remembered which mountain it was, with Malu's memory psychically imparted to him even without the Zora mask on. He took a deep sigh, the frigid air tightening his lungs, and trudged onwards.

A bad blizzard thrashed the landscape yesterday. Link was lucky to find an underground burrow left by some unknown creature and waited out the storm there, his Hylian shield acting as a poor substitute for a trap door. When he emerged, he was greeted by the new obstacle he had to fight with each step; knee high snow. Thankfully his fire arrows kept him alive in the burrow, but their flames shuddered and evaporated when the chilly winds blew, stealing away even their smoke. He wished he remembered to conjure some sort of cloak before he resumed his journey, but iced to the bone that he was now, his mind focused on his destination. His body going numb and joints stiffening, Link knew that if he stopped to summon warm garments, his eyes would droop and he would fall into an endless, frozen slumber.

His Loftwing arrived with him, but the icy weather repelled the bird. In any case, the winds that swirled in the blizzard would have killed it anyway. Link thought back to Epona, his beautiful horse that helped him conquer the King of Thieves, but she would suffer a similar fate. Even Malu's skin, while more resilient to the cold, could not withstand the full brunt of the land. Indeed, his exposed scales eventually worsened the issue.

Link twisted his head to the side. The Hero's Shade trudged beside him, sword and shield in hand, unaffected by the snow. Though still transparent, there was more substance to the spirit now. His journey didn't leave a trench of snow in his wake, but a disturbance in it. It was as if two snakes slithered over the white blanket, a windy impression of their bodies left behind. The Hero's Shade looked at him, single eye aglow.

<What is it?> he said, the question only heard in Link's mind.

Link clamped his jaw shut to halt a convulsion of shivering in his teeth, then spoke. "I-I don't kn-know how much longer I-I can g-go on in this c-c-cold."

The spirit scanned the distance. He pointed at an object further ahead of them with his sword. <There is something there.>

A flat plateau of rock stuck out beneath the expanse of snow. Small clumps of white gathered at its edges, and sheer silver ice dotted around its surface. A man, his skin a greyed blue, rested face down on the rock. Dull red ice laid beneath his arm and shackled it to the earth.

Link found a strength inside him and plowed faster through the snow. "H-he needs our h-help!"

Link hoisted himself onto the flat rock, arms shaking, and knelt down. The injured man was only the height of a child, but he was stocky and well built. Scratched armour protected his torso, but an obvious wound in his shoulder was not so well guarded. Link grasped the man's other shoulder in clumsy, cold ruined hands and hauled the short man onto his back. The blood ice encasing his arm shattered as he twisted.

Link put two fingers to the man's neck. He couldn't feel a pulse, but he couldn't feel his fingers touching the man's cold skin either. He watched his chest; tiny, almost imperceptible rises and falls. He was alive.

But he was unresponsive. No colour remained in his cheeks. If not for the shallow breathing, he appeared as a frost bitten corpse. How Link wished he saved a bottle of Hyrule's red potion for the man, or even a bottled fairy.

"We've got to help him," Link said.

<How?> his future self replied. <We have no supplies.>

Link looked around. A small hill nearby shone with light.

"Over there!" Link said, pointing. "There must be someone there. We can talk to them and get help."

The Hero's Shade's eye shrunk, but he said nothing.

Link leapt back into the snow and pushed forward toward the hill. The cold crept back into his legs and groin but he ignored it. It wasn't just his life in the balance anymore.

[Illidan Stormrage]

A cave! Link waddled through the snow, each step harder than the last. A dancing light stood out against the white landscape, protected by the rocky hill. Link saw bodies huddled around the orange flames, their heads turning at the crunching of snow.

"Hey!" Link shouted, his voice echoing. "Hey! There's someone here who needs help!"

The figures stood. They were tall and lanky, dressed in thick furs. Tusks jutted from their jawline on either side, hugging their cheeks. Leather quivers hung off their backs, filled with arrows. They stepped forward out into the mouth of the cave and peered out at Link.

"Yes! Over there!" Link pointed behind him. "He needs your fire!"

As Link drew closer, he noticed the skin on the cave dwellers; blue. Their hair was dishevelled and clogged with snow, and their eyes narrowed. Link felt a pang of dread as the three figures reached a hand into their quiver and pulled out an arrow. No, not an arrow. A spear.

A moment later, three spears hurtled towards Link. The Hylian's first instinct was to grab his shield, but with his dexterity claimed by the cold, he knew he had no time. He fell face first into the freezing powder, the spears sailing overhead, and jumped back up.

"What are you doing?" Link yelled. "That guy needs help!"

"You be helpin' da dwarves, elf?" one spoke with a heavy accent. "Den you be no friend of ours."

Link found the hilt of the Master Sword and wrenched it free, fighting through a thin layer of frost over the scabbard's seal. There was no reasoning with creatures that were blinded by racism. Link needed that fire, and those spindly savages would kill him and let that frozen 'dwarf' suffer.

"I don't want to fight," Link said, finally getting his heavy fingers around his shield on his back and holding it forward.

"Oh, really?" another answered, chuckling. "What's dat sword and shield for, hmm?"

"Protection," Link said. "All I want is to warm myself and that poor injured man over there. He's still alive!"

"Alive?" the first said. "Guess we didn't do a good enough job, den."

The three blue men laughed.

Link furrowed his brow. "You would just leave him to die?"

"He's a dwarf!" the ostensible leader yelled. "Dwarves want us trolls dead! It be us or dem!"

"Here's a new choice," Link said, finally reaching the cave. "Save that dwarf or this 'elf' will want you dead, too!"

All three trolls grasped a throwing spear and crouched slightly. Somehow they seemed more menacing than when they stood at their full height. "So be it, den."

It occurred to Link that fighting native savages acclimated to the cold had a massive advantage over him. His legs were numbed, his bones stiff and heavy. He couldn't evade attacks like this, and he wasn't confident that he could move his shield fast enough. In fact, Link realised just how close he was to collapsing. What had he done? That dwarf would die without him, but his concern for another might get them both killed.

The alpha troll twirled the spear in one hand as the three of them circled Link. "What'chya think, boys? A quick one?"

"He won't put up much of a fight," another said. They all chuckled.

Link grimaced, but his anger wouldn't keep him warm. The strength fled from his legs and he dropped to one knee, surprising even himself. More arrogant laughter. The Hylian warrior struggled back to a standing position, but it was only temporary. He'd drop again soon. Even if he managed to block their attack, the first solid hit to his shield would knock him over. Link felt his eyelids growing heavy. The adrenaline wasn't enough; his body was shutting down.

<Link,> the Hero's Shade said. <Let me handle this.>

"How ... " Link asked weakly, cold vapour rushing from his mouth. "You ... can't ..."

<Stand down, trolls,> his ghost said. <Or I will streak the snow with your blood.>

The alpha troll cocked an eye. "Who ... who be dere?"

"It be dat scrawny elf," another said. "He ... he be playin' mind tricks."

Link looked at the skeletal ghost. "What ... how can they hear you?"

The Hero's Shade faced Link, and his transparency faded until his entire body was opaque. <I'm no longer a spirit, Link.>

The trolls' eyes widened. "A-a skeleton!"

"Don't be a baby!" the alpha troll roared. "We be livin' in a magic world! Just cut its head off and be done wit it!"

The Hero's Shade rushed forward, snow parting before him. The first troll stood, frozen in fear. The future ghost cut him down with a single slash, red spraying into the white.

Link's chest tightened. "You're ... real."

The alpha troll grabbed another throwing spear from his quiver. "Don't be a coward, kill it!"

The remaining troll stabbed forward, but the Hero's Shade turned ethereal and he passed right through him. The ghost resolidified and slashed the troll's back. He stumbled forward and collapsed into the snow, a deep red line running up his spine.

The alpha troll growled. "Damn spirit magic bullshit!" He threw both spears one after the other at the Hero's Shade. The first clanged harmlessly against his shield, but the second caught him in the skull, quivering in place. The Hero's Shade stabbed his sword into the cracked earth, tugged the spear free from his forehead and hurled it back. The metal point pierced the alpha troll's chest and felled him without another word.

Link stared wordlessly at his future self. "I don't understand."

The cold crept into his mind, and Link fell forward, world black.

Warmth tingled in Link's toes, and he opened his eyelids. He took in his surroundings. He was inside the cave, fire blazing, his back against the wall. The frozen dwarf, still grey and unconscious, lied on the other side of the fire. The Hero's Shade sat beside him, forearms propped on knees, his single red eye glaring into the flames. He was still opaque.

He looked up at Link. <Good. You're awake.>

Link's body was still chilled and rigid, but at least feeling was returning to the once perpetually numbed areas. He looked out the cave mouth; it was dark outside, and still snowing.

"The dwarf?" Link asked.

<Alive. Barely. The heat will help him.>

Link shuffled about, finding what little extra comfort could be had in a rock wall. His shield and swords laid next to him. "What ... happened back there?"

<As I said at the lake, I grow more capable of interacting with this world with each passing day. I still theorise our innate connection shares this Omnilium with me, and I can in turn use it to change my state. Instead of a visiting spirit, I can become whole.>

"That is certainly useful," Link said. "You ... saved my life out there. I charged into a situation without thinking it through and it nearly cost me everything. Thank you."

The Hero's Shade's eye brightened, then dimmed. <I shan't let you die while I can stop it. You are me.>

"So what's next?"

<What do you think?>

Link looked to the chilled dwarf by the fire. "We need to help him. I almost killed myself trying to save him. It'd be foolish to leave him. Plus we can't leave him here when there's a chance he could still live."

<Then that is what we shall do. But for now, rest. We will begin again in the morning.>

Link leaned back against the coarse wall, and his thoughts stilled. The last thing he heard as he faded out was the crackling of the flames and the howl of the wind.

[Illidan Stormrage]

Days went by. The snowfall continued, tiny ice patterns crowding the earth. Link kept himself alive by building food out of omnilium since hunting was out of the question; not only did he know if anything worth eating was around them, but he couldn't know how far he would have to venture to find it. The Hero's Shade often left the cave, scouting the area in his golden wolf form, sometimes absent for the entire day. Whenever the fire dimmed, Link summoned more wood and threw it on the hungry flames. Every few hours Link checked on the dwarf, and every time it was the same. He was still breathing, his skin pallid and icy, but a degree warmer than the last day. The Hylian soldier ensured a pitcher of water awaited the dwarf should he awaken.

The biggest enemy was boredom. Link took the Master Sword and Phantom Sword outside with him just outside the mouth of the cave and withdrew them from their sheaths. Both blades failed to hold their full power; the Master Sword requiring its charge and the Phantom Sword's time altering power somehow locked away from him. In any case, Link practiced dual wielding, recalling forms he had seen his enemies use. He weaved between drifting snowflakes, slashing at the air, blocking envisioned attacks. Brandishing a sword and shield was second nature to him, but two blades required a completely different mindset. Sword and shield meant blocking and attacking when the situation called for it, but dual wielding concentrated almost solely on offense. While two swords could stop another swinging weapon, it was not designed to, nor could it provide a bulwark against stabbing weapons like spears.

The cold finally settled in Link's muscles and he decided to stop practice for the day. He headed back into the cave where the golden wolf with one eye sat, watching him attentively, and threw the swords to the ground.

<No progress?> the Hero's Shade asked.

"Warmer again, but still unconscious. I don't know how much longer he can live without drinking or eating something." Link slumped against the uneven cave wall, slipping off his boots and roasting his frost bitten toes by the fire. The heat and cold battled, almost hurting his feet, but soon the warmth of the flames won out and they thawed. "How did the scouting go?"

<I couldn't locate a source of food or water,> the spirit wolf answered. <I do not know how long you can rely on your omnilium sustenance.>

"Why not?" Link said, putting his hands out to summon a juicy steak.

<You are gaining strength from your own power. I wonder if it is a closed circuit of energy that is slowly leaking away.>

"What does that mean?"

<You use your power to summon food. That takes energy. You then consume the food, which contains the same energy, in some way or form, that you used to call the food. I do not believe this is a long term solution.>

The outline of a cooked steak drew itself before Link. "It's not supposed to be. It's only until we can help this dwarf."

<Link,> his ghost said, <you may need to consider leaving the cave. We came here for the Triforce of Courage, and yet we have done nothing but bide our time.>

"No," Link said.

<Your stubbornness may lead to your death.>

Link sighed. "OK. Let's give it one more day. If the dwarf doesn't wake up, we'll move on. At least he'll be in a cave if he comes to after we've gone rather than the snow."

<Good.>

The steak materialised, steamy vapour rising from it. The savoury scent sent Link's stomach to grumbling.

"Hey, mind if I have a bite of that?"

Link shot a look at the dwarf, who had risen to a sitting position. He propped himself up with his hands, and his movements were rigid. He grimaced each time a joint cracked.

Link overcame his surprise and smiled. "You're alive!"

"Sure am," the dwarf said. "A touch cold though. Care to feed a hungry old man?"

Link passed the steak to the dwarf and he buried his beard into it. In mere moments all that remained was its lingering meaty smell. The dwarf gave no mind to the pitcher of water beside him.

The dwarf burped, the sound echoing down the cave. "So, who do I have to thank for my miraculous survival?"

"Link," he replied. "I fought off the trolls that almost killed you as well." Well, sort of.

"Ah, many thanks," the dwarf said. "I'm Grimbold. I got separated from my hunting party during a freak blizzard. They've been happening more and more lately. When the snow finally calmed down, I came face to face with them stringy buggers. Killed a couple or three before they took me down. I thought that was the end of me."

Link nodded. "I'm glad you made it, Grimbold. We've been waiting for almost a week, hoping you'd recover."

"We?" Grimbold asked, looking about the cave. "Who's 'we?'"

Link looked to the Hero's Shade. He shook his head. "Oh, uh ... my ... swords?"

Grimbold chuckled, though strangled by a hoarse throat. "Aye, I'm quite taken to naming my weapons too. I don't suppose you found Clarise outside, did you?"

"No, but it could still be out there," Link surmised. "We're only a few hundred metres from where we found you. Although there's been a lot of snow. It might be buried deep."

Grimbold sighed. "Or the damn trolls could've snatched it and thrown it anywhere. Ah well, probably better to get a new one forged. Feeling the blood actually chill in your veins doesn't put you in the mood for shoveling snow, you know?" He coughed, a thick rattling sound. "I'm so fed up with the cold I think I'm going to drink straight for a week and collapse in some bear furs for another!"

"If you don't mind me asking, why do dwarves and trolls have it out for each other?" Link asked.

Grimbold waved his hand dismissively, his face scrunching up. "Oh, the trolls! Don't get me started on the blighted monsters! They're constantly ransacking any settlement brave enough to leave Dwarfholm, killing any travelers that come through ... I tell you, it's bad for business. Dwarves like to drink, but how can I promote my mead if no one from outside our city comes there any more?"

Link rubbed his chin. "Now that you mention it, the trolls were itching to fight me. I thought maybe they were mercenaries, or just plain jerks."

"Pah! All trolls are mercenaries and jerks. Don't trust them as far as you can throw them." Grimbold looked about the cave. "Say, got any mead?"

"I'll get some for you," Link said, holding out his hands. A simple steel stein began building itself of white light.

"Sapphiron's balls! You're a Prime!" Grimbold said. "What's a Prime doing out here in this hellhole of a Verse?"

The Hero's Shade made no gesture. Link took that as permission. "Looking for a temple, actually. High up on one of the mountains around here."

"Hah!" Grimbold clucked. "No shortage of those bloody things, I tell you!"

"I don't suppose you could help me out?" Link asked.

"Help you? Hell, I'd put on a dress do a little dance for you after what you did for me!" Grimbold said. "Do you need a guide? Do you know where you're going?"

"Approximately," Link said. "I don't think it's the tallest mountain but it's not inconsequential either. Although I'd not want to endanger anyone."

"Well truth be told, dwarves aren't much a fan of climbing mountains," Grimbold said, eyeing the almost summoned mead. "That's why we dig holes. Plus no dragons underground to eat us."

"Dragons?" Link asked.

"Oh aye, a whole family of the damn things are up in the peaks. Led by some monstrous dragon called Sapphiron. I hear stories that some are intelligent and even talk to people, but the vast majority see you as little more than a meatball with legs."

Link pursed his lips. "That's comforting."

The stein of mead completed, and Grimbold swiped it and chugged. "Not the good dwarf stuff, but it'll do." He gulped again and let out a satisfied sigh. "While most dwarves would be rather skittish about climbing a big rock where flying lizards'll swallow you whole, we can still help. Tell you what. Come back with me to Dwarfholm. You can rest, get supplies, and our hunters and trackers will tell you the fastest and safest path to where you're going. Sound good?"

The Hero's Shade nodded, but Link didn't need his opinion to know what to do. "That is a fantastic idea. Thank you." He looked outside. "Most of the day is gone, so we'll set out tomorrow."

"Ho ho! Wait till you get to Dwarfholm!" Grimbold said. "Since you saved the chief brewmaker, you'll be welcomed like a damn giant slayer!"

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link peered outside. The sky washed blue, without a single cloud in sight. The sun shone unhindered, but it was still so cold Link's face chilled as soon as he stuck it outside the mouth of the cave. The thick blanket of snow hadn't receded in the least, still piled as high as his knees. Link went back inside, sat down and began spinning warm, woolen clothes from his omnilium. It took some time, but afterwards he had a set of thick thermals so if he was thrust into battle, heavy garments wouldn't weigh him down. Also he created a blue scarf with orange fringing and the Hylian royal family crest on either end. Where he came up with that concept, he had no idea.

He also made similar thermals and a coat for Grimbold, and once suited and equipped, they broached the freezing tundra once again.

"Ah, pig's arse! Look at how high the bloody snow is!" Grimbold said, raising his hand to chest. The snow lined up perfectly with it. "I can't trudge through this back to Dwarfholm! I'll bloody freeze before then!"

He was right. It was hard enough for Link to force march through the stuff and it only went to his knees. Wading through cold powder chest high would be the death of the dwarf. "I guess I could carry you?"

"Carry? Hah!" Grimbold returned. "I'm not some mewling infant! Ol' Grimbold might be short, but he's still got his pride!"

"Yeah, well you and your pride better make amends, or you'll die a lonely, proud dwarf in a cave."

Grimbold's face softened and he walked towards the snow. As soon as he came in contact with it, he leapt back. "No! I'm not riding ya like some giddy toddler! Find another way!"

<Link,> the Hero's Shade said. <I have an idea. Play along.> With that, the skeleton dashed out of the cave and out of sight.

A few moments later, a golden wolf charged through the snow, leaving a path behind him. He galloped to Link, sat, and shook the clumps of snow from his fur.

Grimbold's eyes widened. "Sapphiron's balls! A gold wolf! Quick, kill the blighted thing!"

"Wait! Wait! This isn't a wild wolf," Link said.

"Not wild?" Grimbold said, looking at the one eyed beast. "Now that ya mention it, he is just kinda sitting there, isn't he?"

Link nodded. "Yes, this is my ... pet ... uh, no, that's not the right word. My hunting partner. My good friend. You could say we're ... one spirit in two bodies."

"What's his name?" Grimbold asked.

"Uh ..." Link looked at the gold wolf, and he looked back with that single, inscrutable eye. "Shade."

"Aye, but why didn't ya mention him before?"

"Oh well ... he often does his own thing. He comes back when he wants to."

Grimbold folded his arms. "Don't sound like you trained him well."

Shade growled.

"He's not exactly the type of wolf you train."

"Well, back to our predicament," Grimbold said. "How do ya propose we get back to Dwarfholm?"

Shade cantered over to Grimbold, as tall as he was, turned side on to him, and sat. He looked expectantly at the dwarf.

"What's he want? I'm not rubbing a wild wolf's belly. Bad experiences with that."

Link motioned, catching on. "He wants you to ride him."

"What? Ride a blasted wolf?" Grimbold exclaimed. "And a gold one, in the snow to boot? Why don't I just put a bleedin' target around my neck?"

Link sighed. "Just do it, Grimbold. I only have a limited amount of time to do what I need to do. It's either that or I carry you."

Grimbold crouched, looking the wolf over as if he might have dynamite rigged to him. "I've never ridden a wolf before, but ... if you say it's safe, I guess I'll trust you."

"Besides, think of the bar stories you could tell! Grimbold the Brave, tamed the rare golden wolf and rode it through a freezing blizzard back to Dwarfholm!"

Grimbold laughed. "Oh aye, that would make for quite the tale, wouldn't it? No one would believe me though."

Link smirked. "They might if you went into Dwarfholm still riding Shade."

Grimbold's face lit up. "Oh, it'd be the talk of the taverns! I wouldn't even have to tell people; they'd all be coming up to me to ask about it!" The dwarf hopped onto Shade, and the wolf stood. Grimbold's head was in line with Link's shoulders. Plenty of height to avoid the snow.

"All right, let's hit the road!" Grimbold shouted, fist in the air.

Beneath a chilly, cloudless sky, the three set off. While the thermals certainly helped, the snow still threaded through Link's clothes and settled in his bones. At least this time he would stay warm enough not to collapse from exhaustion, assuming Dwarfholm wasn't a long trek. Shade didn't seem bothered by the temperature at all, but then being dead likely increased tolerance to a sense that warned that you were going to die. Grimbold seemed fine to Link as well, though living in such conditions would build some resistance to it.

Most of the day went by before they approached an unassuming mountain amidst a range. Grimbold led Shade forward, finding a thin path between the mountains obscured by shadow and snow. Part way through the path he hopped off the golden wolf, pushed a stone sitting into the mountain, and a rock wall slid open.

"Pretty sneaky, eh?" Grimbold said.

"Is this the only way in and out?" Link asked.

"Oh, no! This is just the quickest way for us. The 'proper' entrance is on the other side of the ranges. You want to put three more days on the trip, be my guest." He jumped back onto Shade. "Now, let's go! Time for my hero's return!"

They descended down a torch lit passage and into a great market square beneath the mountain range. The air was warm and fiery, and although Link would likely hate it later, it was absolute heaven on his chilled extremities. Stalactites large enough to crush a horse jutted down from the high ceiling. The orange glow of flames negated the need for sunlight, bouncing off the curved cavern walls. In the distance, a huge fortress stood like a miniature mountain, likely never breached before. It put Link in mind of Hyrule Castle if all of Hyrule's taxes went into its defense.

Dwarves swarmed the area. Many were shopping, stopping here and there at stalls. Link saw a thick armed dwarf hammering a glowing orange sword on an anvil, sweat clinging to his dirt stained skin. Grimbold beamed proudly, awaiting for the stares of the subterranean folk to notice him, and in short order they did. Apparently the vision of a thought-to-be-dead dwarf riding a golden wolf with a tall stranger was enough to halt the entire marketplace.

"Hah! Ol' Grimbold is back!" the dwarf yelled, arms overhead. "I killed a bunch of trolls! And I tamed this here golden beast too!"

The crowd looked on, stunned. Link shifted his feet. All these people were just ... looking at them. What was he supposed to do?

The smithy dwarf walked out of the dumbfounded mass, rubbed a glove over his bald head, and said to Link, "is he telling the truth?"

Link gazed at Grimbold. Arms still in the air, grin cheesy and wide, his eyes stared back through their corners. Almost inaudibly, he said, "Come on, kid, back me up here ..."

Link's face flushed. This amount of attention sent his stomach cartwheeling. Just do what he says and they'll stop staring! "Oh! Ah, yes, yes he did."

The dwarves looked to one another for a few moments, the silence enabling Link to hear his own heart beating. Then an almighty cheer went up, consuming the quiet as if it had never been there at all.

The smithy looked at Grimbold wide eyed, mouth ajar. "I thought you were always talking shit, Grimbold! Seems like you're not full of hot air after all!"

"Come on! Back to the tavern! I need a pint!" Grimbold shouted, and everyone cheered again. He pulled on Link's tunic and brought his ear down to his level. "Hey, can you make your wolf go places? We need to head to the tavern."

"I'd probably get off him now, but you can lead him," Link said.

Grimbold slid off Shade's back. "Oh, and thanks for agreeing with me. This is going to make life much more interesting for ol' Grimbold!"

Link smirked. The unknown hero once again. "Sure. Let's just get something to eat. I'm starving!"

"Oh aye," Grimbold said. "Who would've thought almost dying to some trolls would turn out so well, eh!"

[Illidan Stormrage]

Boisterous chatter and beer suds suffocated the surprisingly large tavern. Dwarves from all over the city it seemed had arrived at The Headless Troll to generously sample Grimbold's wildly famous ale. In any given direction, dwarves were jostling past each other, foaming steins held overhead, or sitting at round tables with comrades, chugging their drinks and laughing heartily. Waitresses balanced silver platters with large portions of steaming meat as they waded past their patrons.

Link sat on a stool, his back to the bar while he rested an elbow on it, a chilled stein in his other hand. He had first spent a few minutes in the tavern, but the weariness of the trip overtook him, and Grimbold showed him to his cosy home above. There he had slept peacefully and awoken re-energised. He didn't know how long he was asleep, but when he descended the stairs, The Headless Troll was still full of celebrating patrons.

Dwarfholm's alemaster was quite the celebrity, especially since he had returned after slaying a troupe of trolls and taming a rare coloured wolf. Judging by most peoples' reactions to Grimbold's claims, he wasn't a man who often put his money where his mouth was. The entire lively atmosphere was down to the excitement of Grimbold's returned ale, the amazing stories he brought back with him, and the general inebriation that resulted from them combined.

Link sipped at the ale. It had a strong bitter taste, but he found the ubiquitous malt flavour just enjoyable enough to keep drinking. He hadn't drunk much alcohol in his life; indeed, this was his first drink. But he was well aware of the effects of it, and made sure he took it slow. After he first sniffed his ale, he decided to take it very slow. Nonetheless, he was already feeling light headed. He spun about in his stool and plonked the stein on the bar.

Grimbold finished chuckling with several companions at the other side of the bar and strutted down to Link, taking the stein. "Need a top up, lad?" He filled the stein before Link could respond and he slammed it back onto the bar, foam bubbling down its silver contours. "What a night, eh? One to remember, mark my words!"

Shade sat by Link's feet, stoically looking around the tavern. Every now and then a drunk dwarf wandered over to the golden wolf, spoke to him like he was a pet dog, and tussled its head. Shade made to growl a few times, but Link set him straight. "You've got an act to uphold here. You wanted to be a wolf, you're a wolf. Act like it."

<A wolf rips out the throats of those that mock him,> Shade said.

"You're a domesticated wolf," Link said. "Everyone thinks so. So swallow your pride and do it. We'll be heading off soon anyway."

Shade lifted his snout towards the bar. <Of all the things I miss from being alive, I miss beer the most.>

"So! You're the one ol' Grimbold saved, eh?"

Link turned to face the bald blacksmith who welcomed them into Dwarfholm. He was minus his stained apron, but his face was still covered in soot marks. Even his braided beard was dotted with blackened patches. He lacked the thick leather gloves from earlier, but his hands looked harder and more leathery than anything he could slip over them.

He vaulted onto the vacant stool beside Link and stuck out a meaty paw, the other slamming an empty stein on the bar. "Name's Ramgar. Best smithy in all the Frozen Fields!"

Link met the handshake. Ramgar's grip was like a vice. "Link."

"So what brings someone like you out to this icy waste?" Ramgar said. He turned his attention to the bartender. "Oi, Grimbold! More ale!"

"Looking for something," Link said. "A temple atop a mountain." There wasn't much harm in telling people now; if Grimbold hadn't inadvertently let it slip yet, he would. Besides, most dwarves here were hammered. They wouldn't remember much the next day.

Grimbold refilled Ramgar's stein and he brought it desperately to his lips. Beer suds escaped his mouth and cascaded down his beard. He sighed happily and crashed the stein on the bar again. "Temple? What's so special about a temple? You know they have dragons up there, don't you? Not much for talking, that lot!"

"Yes, so I've heard," Link said. "So I guess everyone's pretty happy that Grimbold's back?"

"Happy?" Ramgar said incredulously. He suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh yes! Grimbold might be the biggest liar this side of a vegetarian dragon, but he makes the best damn piss in all of blasted existence!" He lifted his empty stein. "To Grimbold!" A large group of dwarves around them raised their mugs and cheered. Ramgar went to drink but quickly found out why the stein was so light. "Grimbold! More!"

"Steady on!" Grimbold said, refilling the stein. "You gotta make me a new blade in the morning! I won't have you making me some misshapen piece of crap because you've got a hangover!"

Ramgar laughed. "I don't get hangovers you daft fool! I'm the toughest there is!" He took a long swig of ale and looked back at Link, his eyes half lidded. "Now! What were we ..."

Ramgar fell right out of his seat, mouth wide open, ale spilled over the tavern floor. Laughter picked up instantly.

Link looked at Grimbold. "Is he all right?"

Grimbold chuckled. "Aye. He can hold his liquor, but even an ocean can only hold so much water. Enjoying yourself?"

"Not nearly as much as you seem to be," Link said.

"Can you blame me?" he replied. "I mean, look at me! Not only am I not dead, I'm a bloody hero!"

"It's all false though," Link said. "The only thing you can claim is your ale, which, let's face it, is probably the main reason why everyone loves you right now."

Grimbold inclined his head. "True, but it's still great to show those naysayers who thought all my tall tales were just stories! Even if those tall tales were stories." He laughed and took a swig of his own drink.

Link spied a large archway boarded up against the far wall. There were far more planks used than was necessary to seal the passage. "What's that over there?"

Grimbold shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. Some failed tunneling, I'd expect. Thanks to that, though, I got this place at a steal. Not many people wanting to buy a business slash home with a giant hole in the wall!"

"You were never interested in where it goes?"

"Why should I be? As long as the roof doesn't collapse, it can go where it wants to!"

Link noticed cold vapour wafting out between the boards. "We are underground, aren't we?"

Grimbold rolled his eyes. "What a daft question! Of course we are!"

"Then why is there cold air coming through your hole?"

Grimbold climbed onto the counter and peered at the boarded archway. "I ... that's strange. That's never happened before. We're hundreds of feet underground! What could possibly-"

Grimbold was cut off by a bestial roar. The entire tavern went quiet.

"What was that?" the tavern owner asked.

The roar grew louder, and faint blue light shone through the gaps of the wooden planks. The tavern floor shook, knocking unsecured steins crashing to the ground, ale forming pale gold slicks everywhere. Dwarves stood uneasily, some less steady on their feet than others, unsure of what to do.

"Is it an earthquake?" Link asked.

Grimbold rubbed at his beard. "Could be. Earthquakes don't normally roar though."

A freezing gale of cold wind blasted the wood panels into shards. The entire tavern screamed and ran for the exit. Ramgar still lay unconscious on the floor.

Shade stood up and arched his back. <Be wary, Link.>

"What's going on in my tavern?" Grimbold yelled.

Link jumped off his stool and armed himself. "Get back, Grimbold."

The roaring continued, louder and louder. Sharp implements scraped against rock. In the darkness, two yellow eyes peered out.

"Oh, Sapphiron's balls!" Grimbold shouted. "It's a-"

A dragon burst from the archway, its head and wings ripping apart the rock wall and expanding its entryway. It opened its tooth lined maw and a blast of ice cold wind sprayed forth.

"Get out, Grimbold!" Link yelled, rolling out of the way. The attack froze the bar and several stools in a solid chunk of ice. Grimbold scrambled to his feet and fled out the front door.

The dragon, scales the colour of ice, shimmered in the firelight of the tavern. Link hadn't had much experience with dragons other than Volvagia, but in comparison this one was much smaller. Also, it was more akin to an angry lizard with wings rather than a fire breathing serpent. And it breathed ice? That was new.

"How did a dragon get all the way down here?" Link asked.

<Let's focus on dealing with the threat,> Shade said. <We need to push the dragon back. The dwarves are not prepared to battle a dragon, nor did many of those who fled the tavern look like warriors.>

Link spun the Master Sword in his hand. "Yes, but how do we do that?"

The dragon roared and pounced. Link jumped backwards and raised his shield in time for razor sharp claws to glide over it. Not only was it agile, but it held a great deal of strength in its muscles.

After its leap, there was enough space to get between the dragon and the tunnel. Link ran around the beast, vaulting over upturned chairs and beer soaked tables, Shade in close pursuit. The dragon's paws crashed noisily behind him, obliterating the furniture. It spun about and followed Link, as if finding him an amusing distraction. It thrashed its tail about, destroying the bar in a shower of wooden splinters. Link felt the chill of its breath on his neck.

He dashed into the cavern, Shade beside him, and turned to face the dragon. The lumbering creature followed, looked over its shoulder, and a gale of ice wind shot forward. A frozen wall sealed the cavern, locking Link and Shade inside. The only light that entered the gloom was the pale fire light that managed to penetrate the ice.

<Smart enough to block our only exit,> Shade said. <That doesn't bode well.>

Link took a step backwards and almost slipped in something. He looked down at the corpse of a mountain goat, its white shaggy fur matted with blood. Link leapt over it so as to avoid falling over in it.

<That must be it,> Shade said, sniffing the dead goat. <The dragon must have chased this goat into a cave and it fell down here. It then heard the dwarves and decided they were more interesting.>

"Chased it into a cave?" Link said, keeping his eyes fixated on the slowly advancing dragon. "Do you think the dragon came from the mountain? Could the passage lead to the temple?"

Shade craned his neck upwards. <Yes, I believe so. But it looks like the way out is directly up, and you can't fly.>

Link looked to the ceiling. Blood splattered randomly high above them. The goat must have fallen a great distance and ricocheted off the tunnel.

"And I won't be able to use my Clawshots fast enough," Link said, noting the hungry glint in the dragon's eye. "But if I could ride the dragon out of here ..."

<And how do you intend to do that?> Shade asked, baring his teeth at the dragon. <You can't command it to go where you want.>

"No," Link said, struck by realisation. "But you can go wherever you want."

Shade looked at him with one red eye. <I don't answer to gravity, but that's only in my spirit form. The dragon cannot seem me in that state. I cannot fly, nor become a flying creature.>

"That doesn't matter. You should be able to shapeshift into me though, right?"

Shade stayed silent for a moment. <It would be uncomfortable. I don't think it is a wise idea.>

"What? Why?"

<Suffice to say I have chosen a skeletal form for a reason.>

Link looked up and then back to the advancing dragon, icy vapour rising from its mouth. "We don't have many options here. I can't fight it here; it's too cramped and there's the chance it'll get bored and go for the dwarves. We have to lead it back out of the mountain top, and this is the only way I can think of doing that."

Shade read Link's mind and immediately understood. <All right. Let it be on record that I dislike this idea.>

"Fine. Just do it."

Shade turned to ether and Link dashed behind a rock. The dragon reacted to the sudden movement, plodding forward and opening its misty throat.

"Hey!"

The dragon turned to see Link on the other side of the room. "Come and get me!"

The dragon redirected its attention, but then Link vanished.

"Up here!"

Above the beast, Link leaned against the tunnel wall. The dragon rose its magnificent wings and propelled itself upwards. Link, still hiding behind the boulder, rolled out and aimed a Clawshot. The chain fired and grasped onto the dragon's hind leg. Link hit the retractor and he raced towards his target, the chain clinking as it rolled back into place. He swung himself up onto its back and retrieved a second Clawshot, using both grips to snag the scales tightly.

Link looked up and saw himself reappear high above the tunnel, taunting the dragon. The beast roared and shot upwards, intent on capturing its elusive prey.

As Shade rematerialised again, leading the dragon ever higher, he said, <You best hope that it doesn't feel you on its back.>

[Illidan Stormrage]

Icy winds whipped across Link's face, sending tiny freezing daggers across his chapped, ruddy face. The clawshots rattled and jostled against the dragon's supernatural speed, and it took all of the Hylian's willpower to keep his throbbing fingers wrapped around the handles. His knees ached against Link's full weight thrust upon the freezing scales. Each massive wing beat throttled his arms and resonated in his shoulders, as if the dragon's flight was by extension attempting to flush him off its back. Link forced an eye open, the lids barely cracking enough to allow light in, and the winds still stabbed their icy arrow heads into the gap. He focused even as tiny snowflakes gathered on his eyelashes, and saw a green blur in the distance. It vanished without fanfare, and shimmered into view further up the cylindrical tunnel.

The dragon roared and it vibrated harshly in Link's bones. It was getting frustrated with chasing its quarry ever higher, but Link had no more energy for more complicated thoughts than that. All of his effort was dedicated to riding the dragon despite every physical force and weakness in his body protesting against it. His muscles screamed for rest, and their insistent pleas became a major argument falling into oblivion. Link sneaked another thin slitted gaze ahead; the tunnel's darkness was fading.

<Hold on Link,> Shade's voice faintly played in his mind. <We're almost there.>

Link heard the dragon's monstrous bellow once again, but this time it didn't echo and batter him from all sides. The primal cry left and dissipated into the distance. Link parted his eyes and sunlight streamed through. Grey clouds absorbed the sky. The chilly gale intensified. Snowflakes drizzled all around him. In the distance, a lone temple stood.

They were on top of the mountain.

Link looked down. The Hero's Shade materialised in the snow and waved at the infuriated dragon. It roared again and plunged out of the sky like a giant scaly dart. Link's feet lost traction on the slippery hide and flew out beneath him, leaving him dangling by his shaking clawshots. His heart hammered in his chest as he felt his stiff and burning fingers sliding from the handles. He tried to reapply his grip but the unreal speed that the dragon travelled at forced him to simply maintain what little he still had. Link grimaced and freezing wind rushed into his mouth, almost instantly drying out all his saliva.

The plummet ended in a thunderous crash. The inertia yanked the clawshots free and Link with them, sending him sailing over the dragon's head. He screamed as he tumbled through the air, unsure if he would even land on the mountain top. He crashed into the ground on his side, sliding and rolling over the plush blanket of snow, until he slapped against a protruding rock. His breath whistled from his lungs and he curled into a ball, breathing fast and deeply. Even as the dragon bellowed again, the throaty cry rumbling the snow about him, he couldn't find the strength to get up.

The dragon plodded closer, the ground shaking with each heavy step. Link could hear the tense snorting, feel the searching lizard eyes, but he could not move. His body pulsed in every way imaginable. It needed rest, especially after the collision with the rock. The cold settled into his bones, and soon a short nap seemed like the best decision he could ever make.

<Link!> a voice boomed in his head. <Link, get up! The dragon is sniffing you out and I can't keep phasing into your world!>

Who was that again? Was it his conscience or something? Link couldn't remember. While he was sure it had some very valid points, Link had already come to his decision. Once he finished his nap, he could do ... something. What was he doing again?

What did it matter? It probably wasn't anything important. Even though soft snow surrounded him on all sides, Link had never felt warmer or more cosier. His trembling hands grabbed a handful of the cold powder and dragged it to him. Link dropped his numbing face onto his new pillow, and his mind numbed with it.

A wave of heat and noise rolled over Link and he bolted into a sitting position. "What?! What? I'm up! I'm up!"

Link's head snapped forward. He stared directly into the maw of a dragon.

Goddesses, what was he doing? What made him think that taking a nap was a good idea? Link saw icy mist welling in the monster's throat, a horrible and beautiful dance of snowflakes and winter's wrath. Link fumbled into a crouch and stumbled to the right, tripping over his feet and falling onto his chest as a deadly torrent of chilled wind obliterated the rock and launched a shower of ice balls over the mountain's edge. Scrambling to his feet, every single muscle groaning and aching, he whipped the Master Sword free of its sheath and grabbed his Hylian Shield.

As the dragon's slitted eyes aligned with Link's, he wondered how he could possibly defeat the beast. He remembered battling the Rathalos and he barely made a contribution to that beast's demise, its scaly armour impregnable to blades and arrows, its fiery breath master of all steel and shields. While this dragon couldn't broil him alive, becoming a Hylian ice sculpture was a very real possibility. His mind raced for a battle plan, but with his body still drained and fatigued, he came up blank.

The Hero's Shade stepped beside him, although translucent.

"You're in your spirit form again," Link said, surprised at how much feeling he had lost in his lips and face.

<I'm sorry Link. It seems I have exhausted whatever store of omnilium I was afforded to physically enter your realm. You're on your own.>

Link looked at the dragon. Cold vapour rushed free between gaps in its pointed teeth. "I can't do this. I'm exhausted, and a sword won't break through those scales."

Shade remained quiet as the dragon took two menacing steps forward. <You're correct. With your strength depleted and the size of the challenge you must overcome, your chances are slim.>

"A little support ..." Link said, a sudden pulse of weariness interrupting his words, " ... would be nice."

<Did you see a temple when you first arrived on the mountain top?> Shade asked.

"A temple ..." Link thought back. There was some structure some distance away that may have been a temple. "I think I did."

<You cannot best this foe. Your only hope is to get to the temple and find the Triforce of Courage. You must evade it and run.>

The dragon roared. Link's mind ordered him to react, but his deflated body ignored it. "I can't outrun it. It can fly and I can barely stand."

<Put your sword away. I have an idea.> The Hero's Shade looked at Link. <It may be some time before I return, if I return at all. I wish you best of luck in your endeavours. Get the Triforce piece, find a way to restore the Master Sword, and destroy Ganondorf for good.> He placed a ghostly hand on Link's shoulder. <Goodbye.>

Before Link could interrupt, the Hero's Shade faded away, and Link felt a surge of energy course through his body. His muscles soothed, his mind cleared, and all aches and pains fled before the mighty deluge of restoration. It was still bitterly cold, but the numbness had been chased away as well.

"Shade?" Link said. "Shade? Where are you?"

The dragon answered back, agitated and hungry.

Link turned in time to see a bolt of frozen ice flying at him. He threw up his shield and it shattered against it, knocking him off his feet. Ice crystals rose above him like a frozen explosion, and the dragon hurried towards him. Link got back to his feet and rolled to the side as the dragon's jaw snapped in empty air.

He's right, Link thought to himself. Even if I'm at full strength, that dragon is going to kill me. He slid the Master Sword back into its sheath and considered his options. His roll gave him an opening to run for the temple, but the dragon had wings. However he got there, he had to do it fast.

A clawed paw slashed at Link. He raised his shield but the curved points hooked beneath the rim and ripped it free of his grasp. It landed between himself and the temple face down.

The dragon! Link didn't have time for thinking. This dragon was done playing around. But what could he do?

There was only one thing he could think of. Run!

Link sprinted towards the temple, kicking up snow. The dragon hissed and jogged after him, flaring its wings. The Hylian shield was almost in his grasp. Link bent his back to snatch up the shield mid stride, but his movement threw off his balance and he stumbled onto the shield on his knees. He slid a few paces before he felt the cold of the dragon's breath wash over his back.

There was no way he could even outrun the beast on foot. He looked at his knees, the first signs of the cold burying into his bones. If only he could slide to the temple, he would be much faster than ... wait! Link looked up with hungry eyes. The temple's distance was not short enough to evade the dragon running, but sliding was a different matter.

He hoped.

Link fished out a clawshot and aimed at the temple wall. The dragon's energetic bounding shook his aim, but it didn't have to be perfect. It just had to connect.

The three pronged claw fired, soaring through the air, every second drawing the dragon closer to its meal. Link felt the claw sink into the temple wall. Over his shoulder, he saw the dragon within a handful of paces of devouring him whole. Link hit the retractor button, still kneeling on his shield, and he shot off over the snow. The shield made an excellent sled, the pointed end carving the powder like a ship's bow through calm waters. He glanced behind him. The dragon still sauntered after him, but it was losing ground.

Link's sled stopped at the steps of the temple. Re-equipping himself, he took a moment to take it in. Worn by time and weather, the stone temple stood layered in cracks and frost. The pale grey columns flanking its opening blended well with the pale blue sheet of ice that had set around them. Its heights blocked out much of the sky. An old symbol or rune had been carved above the vast entryway but the wind had ground it down until it was little more than a frosted bump.

The dragon's roar broke Link's reverie, and he hurried up the stairs and into the temple.

Sunlight streamed in through a mostly absent roof, illuminating dusty specks as they wafted around the temple. The temple was a single giant throne room, its tiles a deep metallic blue, its walls the colour of a faded sky. Sheets of ice clung to wall and tile alike, the sunlight glistening on their surfaces. Arched windows lined the walls high above, fragmented coloured glass still clutching to their round edges. A dais rose out of the ground at the far end of the temple, but other than that item, there was no other features to the temple. Link didn't know how it was possible, but somehow the temple felt warmer than outside. Its walls may shield it from the endless gales, but with no roof and door, the cold should have claimed this place as it had the mountain top.

This was definitely the temple that Link saw in Malu's memories. So where was the Triforce piece? Link jogged into the temple, his breath misting. He had travelled all this way to find it, but the temple laid bare. No, this was the place. There must have been some secret lock Malu had placed on the sacred triangle to stop potential thieves from taking it. But who would rob an empty temple on a high mountain swarming with ice breathing dragons?

It didn't matter. Link strode down the length of the solitary room, his eyes falling upon the dais. A rectangular stone jutted from its centre. Link made out a symbol on the stone, carved in ice; three triangles arranged together. The Triforce! On second inspection, the stone was very reminiscent of the pedestal that once held the Master Sword in the Temple of Time. Link unsheathed his god blessed weapon. So that must be it. Malu sealed the Triforce of Courage in that pedestal, and only the power of evil's bane would unlock it. Very clever, Malu.

The dragon dropped out of the sky and slammed into the temple ground, fracturing the tiles around its clawed feet. It stood roaring between Link ... and the pedestal.

"Dammit!" Link shouted. "You couldn't just give me another minute, could you?"

The dragon shouted its response, but it had no desire to play with its food. It pounced like a cat at Link, who barely jumped backwards to avoid being crushed by those scaly rakes. Instantly it reared its head and breathed out an arctic blast of wind. Link went to dodge but his feet slipped on the frosted tiles, bringing him to one knee. He brought his shield up and ducked, but it only covered a portion of his body. The frost consumed his Hylian shield and bit into his knees. The cold suffused the steel so fast and so potently that Link had to throw the item away. He stared at his hand, still gloved, burning from the cold.

The dragon's jaw rushed at him. Instinctively, Link thrust out his sword, but the dragon was prepared. It closed its teeth around the blade and yanked it free of its owner's hand before tossing it to the far side of the temple. The steel clanging against stone reverberated off the walls.

All Link had left was the Phantom Sword, and his Hero Bow, neither of which mattered against a scaly carapace. The only application he could think of was an arrow into the dragon's eye, but with the ferocity the winged monster burned with, he wouldn't have time to aim and take a reliable shot without being frozen or carved into steaming dragon chow.

Link felt the breeze of the mountain top rustle against his back. The dragon was backing him out the door to the temple. No, he wasn't done here yet. He needed the Triforce of Courage. Whatever danger the dragon portended, he couldn't give into it. There was more at stake here!

The Phantom Sword slipped cleanly from the second sheath strapped to his back. "All right, dragon! I'm the Hero of Time! Slayer of monsters, conqueror of evil tyrants! There's no way a single dragon will--"

The dragon backhanded Link across the temple floor and into the wall with a crack. The wind rushed from his lungs again. He planted the sword's tip into the tiles and tried to stand but his feet slipped out from under him and he crashed onto his backside. He tried to steady his breathing, but the temple jostled with every hurried step the dragon took. Death came striding at him in the form of a dragon. In a few seconds it would all be over.

The dragon reared its head back, opened its jagged maw, and thrust forward like a snake striking its prey.

A loud explosion rocked Link's vision, blooming from the side of the dragon's head. It fell to the side in mid-strike, smoke gushing from its scales. Link looked to the entrance of the temple, his breathing still fast and thin.

"Hey, your Prime-ness!" Grimbold shouted, black soot and white snow caked into his knee length beard. "Thought you could use a hand!"

Beside him stood Ramgar packing something unseen into a large metal cylinder with a hole at one end. A small team of dwarves stood with them, wielding everything from battleaxes, swords, warhammers and morning stars.

The dragon thrashed about on the ground, eventually finding purchase and turning to the temple doors.

Ramgar hobbled around the other side of the metal cylinder, lit a match and held it to a wick. The flame soon jumped across and ate away at the wick in record time. "Stay clear of this, lad! Gunpowder's a harsh mistress, even to those who love her!"

A resounding boom assaulted Link's ears and a huge spherical ball barrelled ahead, striking the dragon on the nose and forcing it back.

Grimbold took up his battleaxe and waved it in the air. "Charge! Take down that bloody lizard with wings!"

The dwarven company cheered and ran forward together, their grey armour clinking. The dragon lolled its head about, dazed, as the dwarf warriors fell upon it.

"Go!" Grimbold shouted. "Get to your precious relic or whatever it is you came for! We'll hold the dragon off!"

Link blinked away his surprise, snatched up the Phantom Sword, and ran for his other blade. Axe blades and hammers pelted the dragon's thick armour. The monster found its feet, covered in aggressive metal dwarves swarming it like angry ants. Link didn't think they had much of a chance, but perhaps they knew that too. A distraction was all Link needed, and then they could hightail it out of there.

The Master Sword was soon in Link's hands and he sprinted for the dais. A chunk of ice shattered a few feet away, spraying Link with cold chips. Ramgar was riding the dragon's head, warhammer in burly hands, having just delivered a blow to the side of its head.

"Watch where you're going!" Ramgar cried out, light patches snow melting on his bald head. "I can't make him miss every time!"

Link vaulted onto the dais, upended the Master Sword, and thrust it into the pedestal.

A yellow light spilled from the blade's entry point and ran in rivulets over the stone until it reached the Triforce symbol, turning the triangles gold. The Master Sword shone with brilliant white light, and Link felt an intense energy course into the steel. The small diamond embedded in the crossguard shone as well, and then a memory came unbidden to his mind. Malu was a Sage. Sages had the power to restore the Master Sword. The lock on the Triforce was intended not only to protect the relic from all but Link, but also empower the only key capable of opening it.

The stone pulsed and exploded, knocking Link onto his back. He stood, staring at the blazing hot blade in his hand. He swung it about in the air, hearing the sizzle of the steel against the frigid air. The Master Sword was back at full strength! Ganondorf would finally fall!

And from where the pedestal once was, a single golden triangle rose above, shining with its own blessed light.

The Triforce of Courage.

Link heard a cry from behind him. The dwarven force lay sprawled across the tiles, Ramgar holding onto the dragon's horns while it shook its head violently. It finally dislodged the blacksmith to the ground with the others.

"Guys!" Link cried out.

"We're fine!" Link heard Grimbold cry out. Another boom echoed in the temple and an explosion slammed the dragon back into the floor. "Oh shite, I'm too old for this rubbish. You done yet?"

"Yes! Get out of here! I'll be fine!"

"Oh, will you?"

A female voice. Link turned. Syla.

Before he could respond, a sharp prick sang in his neck. Syla took a step back, a devilish grin on her delicate features, a syringe in hand. She had tracked Link an incredible distance from Camelot. She was the one responsible for Link's imprisonment and Malu's death.

"What? How did you get here? What do you want?" Link shouted, angrier than he had intended. His fingers quivered.

Syla's brown eyes flashed beneath her green hood. A small metallic object rested in her palm, which projected some sort of magical field around the Triforce piece. "I thought you would lead me somewhere interesting, hero. You do owe me after what you did to my men, and letting that fish freak go."

"Fish freak? I didn't let him go, he died! And I didn't do anything to your men! It was ..." Link's head swam. Words were hard to push through his lips, let alone conjure.

Syla smirked. "Ah, I see it's kicking in." She closed her hand and the Triforce piece absorbed into her palm.. "We've got big plans for you, hero. Big plans."

"Ah!" Link heard Ramgar cry out. "Fall back! Fall back!" There was more shouting and chaos coming from the dwarves, but Link only heard faint and blurry sounds.

The Master Sword fell from Link's relaxed fingers. His eyes refused to stay open. He dropped to his knees and fell.

"Big plans ..."