Part VII: "Insurgent"

Link could hardly watch as the slaves, Arthur Blavidus among them, were injected with round after round of the green substance. Each time, their faces became distorted, but only for an instant before returning to normal, apparently none the worse for wear.

The injections continued until an entire barrelfull of the liquid had been drained into the slaves' bodies. From what the guards and overseers could tell, the substance had no effect. They were wrong. Inside of Arthur and his fellow slaves, the substance was taking hold. It was boosting their metabolism, hightening their hormone production, and, most of all, making them stronger. The process, however, was painfully slow. So slow, infact, that the subject has no idea until the effects inadvertantly show themselves.

"Let's move forward fifteen years, shall we?" Rauru said.

Link was blinded by another flash of light.

"Assemble!" yelled an overseer. In fact, it was the same overseer from before, only noticebly older. His hair had begun to gray, and his skin was getting quite wrinkled.

One by one, the slaves filed out of their simple huts. Link recognized many of them from their visit to his home, almost 500 years later. Something wasn't right, however. Link just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Link looked at the overseers and then back at Blavidus and the slaves. Suddenly, it hit him. In fifteen years, none of the slaves had aged. All looked exactly the same as they had when first injected with the mysterious green liquid.

The overseers were counting the attending of the slaves when cry was heard from the far end of the line. Lying on the ground and convulsing was Peter, Blavidus's right-hand man. Link had seen them together in his own time.

The three overseers ran to the fallen man. It didn't take them long to realize that there was nothing they could do. Peter's skin was becoming dry and wrinkled. Red sores were appearing all over his body. His hair was turning gray and thinning rapidly. He was aging fifty years in five minutes.

Arthur Blavidus watched as his lifelong friend lay dying on the rocky groud. Later on in his life, he would be able to explain his actions, but as he stood there knowing there was nothing he could do, something unexplained at the time came over him. A feeling surfaced within him. No. More than a feeling. An instinct.

"Get this man some Bridoctorine!" yelled Blavidus at one of the overseers. The surprised guard could only stare back.

Arthur continued, "Don't stand there gawking! {Author's Note: ...Like you've never seen the hand of God before!!! --Monty Python and the Holy Grail ;)} Just get it! It could save his life!"

The overseer shrugged and ran off towards the medical building at full speed. When he returned a few minutes later, Peter was near death. Quickly, the overseer took out a gleaming metal syringe. Inside was the same green substance the slaves had been given fifteen years prior. Link surmised the Bridoctorine was what the Hyrulians had named the seemingly useless substance.

"Quick!" Blavidus shouted to the overseer. "Give it to him!"

Another overseer stepped forward and spoke to Blavidus.

"You will behave, or meet discipline!"

Finally, the Bridoctorine was injected into Peter. What could be described a as miracle occured. Immediately, his skin began to return to normal, and his hair grew back to the same drak brown as before. At last, Peter opened his eyes.

"Arthur?" Peter said meekly.

"I'm here."

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"You have fallen victim to the cruelty of our captors. I fear we all have."

"Something must be done"

Arthur frowned and seemed to stare at something far past Peter's eyes.

"Tomorrow."

Peter nodded

Five hundred years into the future, the advancing Artronnen army had reached the entrance of Gerudo Valley. Meanwhile, at Hyrule Castle, the Hyrulian army was prepared to defend themselves against the coming onslaught...

Back in the past, Rauru was explaining the situation to Link.

"That man's near death," Rauru said, "was the turning point. The royal doctors examined the slaves and found nothing wrong, but guessed rightly from their observations that the slaves had become dependent upon the Bridoctorine. Naturally, that didn't go over well with Blavidus and his fellow slaves. The situation came to a boil the next morning."

The view changed again. This time, it advanced only a few hours time. It was morning of the next day.

Rauru continued, "During the night, Blavidus and his men were planning. Planning a slave revolt."

"Assemble!" yelled the head overseer as he walked up to the huts.

Once again, the slaves filed out of their cabins. This time, however, there was a determined look in their eyes. Link knew what was coming.

The slaves did not line up side by side like they had done so many times before. Instead they advanced towards the overseers. A vicious hatred burning within.

"What are you doing?!" the head overseer stammered, while still trying to sound like th evoice of authority. "Line up immediately!"

Blavidus and his men payed no attention.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Link, Arthur Blavidus and the head overseer stood face to face.

Almost a minute passed without a sound aside from the wind blowing the dust around their feet. That all changed in no time at all.

In a flurry of movement, Arthur landed a stiff uppercut to the overseer's jaw and sent him sprawling. Almost as quickly, he grabbed the fallen guard's sword and turned to the other two overseers. The two remaining guards drew their swords.

The overseers advanced on Arthur intent on shredding him like cheddar cheese. Unfortunately for them, Blavidus knew a little about sword fighting. The first overseer lay dead after his attack was easily dodged and countered. The other was not so easy and fought with Arthur for several minutes before falling to the sword.

Several yards away, the head overseer was beginning to mov again and opened his eyes to find Arthur Blavidus standing over him.

The overseer's scream was heard echoing through the castle walls as Atrhur Blavidus brought the sword crash down into his chest.