Ice to see you

[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 ..."