Part V: "The Maze"

Falling...falling, seemingly forever. And then it all stopped. Awareness and sensation returned. They had made it to the Sacred Realm. Or was it? Link and Zelda looked around. The sky was pitch black, yet an eerie glow allowed all to see. Lightning flashed in the distance. A flock of black hawks circled overhead. Waiting...hoping for something to devour.

"This doesn't look like the Sacred Realm I've learned about," said nervously. "More like some sort of Dark Realm!"

"Maybe this is what they meant when they said the Realm would mold itself to whoever resided within it," Link replied. "Let's get going. We haven't much time."

"But which way do we go?" Zelda asked. They began walking towards the tower but didn't get very far. Before they knew it, they had smacked right into thin air. But not air...it felt plant-like. Yet there was nothing there. Link and Zelda turned to find Ganondorf,as evil as ever, standing and laughing at them.

"A few words of advice," he continued. "Don't be clever and try to walk on top of the hedges or anything! Once you pass through that gate, your rules no longer apply. Touch the hedges, and you may not like what happens!"

Ganondorf disappeared in a puff of black smoke, his evil laugh echoing throughout the Sacred Realm.

Zelda was getting rather nervous.

"I've got a bad feeling about this!"
(Please NOTE: I couldn't get through this fan-fic without making a bad Star Wars reference. I apologize for any discomfort.)

"Oh be quiet," Link replied, trying to sound calm, but it was evident he was having doubts as well. "Everything will be fine. We've been though worse!"

Link took Zelda's hand, and they walked through the gate. Immediately a portcullis appeared and crashed down from the sky, blocking the entrance. The air around them wavered, and the walls of the maze finally appeared. Link took the Lens of Truth and returned it to its place in his pack.

"Let's try to make this simpler," said Link. "We'll take every right turn and only turn left if we have to. That way we'll search every path and have to find the right one."

"Good idea," Zelda replied. "Let's get moving."

And so they walked. Walked for hours. Always turning right...right...and right again. Only turning left when the path demanded it.

It was about five hours into the trip when they came upon the enemy. A group of seven Stalfos. Standing, waiting to draw blood. The lead Stalfos stepped forward. Drool was dripping down his boney face. A few slashes from Link's sword took care of him quickly. "You know," Link said, "you'd think they'd have learned by now to attack all at once."

"Very good my dear Link," Ganondorf's voice boomed out from nowhere, "but you're only halfway there!"

Link and Zelda both sighed but continued walking through the maze. Walking...walking, seemingly forever. The hours drifted away, one by one. It was another five hours before they saw another sign of life, but they didn't like what they saw.

Standing before the exit of the maze was the biggest bird Link and Zelda had ever seen. It was jet-black, almost crow-like in shape, with shining metal talons.

"Oh," Link said, "this just makes my day."

Before Link could say another word, the fifty-foot tall bird picked up Link and Zelda in its huge talons and flew off towards the tower they were trying to get to in the first place, but suddenly it turned back and flew towards the maze. It flew until it got back to the center of the maze, right where they had started, and hovered there as a huge hole opened in the ground.

"Hmm," Link remarked, "I get the feeling we've just walked ten hours for nothing."

The bird opened its talons and dropped its flailing passangers into the blackness below...