The Quest
                                    by Megan (En4sa@aol.com)

     chapter 1

     Standing in the dark, she could feel the cold which numbed her
     hands and chilled her to the bone. It was windy, too, and her
     hair, so blond it was almost white, swirled around her head. The
     mist made it difficult to see, and as she stepped forward,
     straining to see something, she could make out the light. It
     beckoned her, and she stepped forth, much like a moth going to
     candlelight. Suddenly, the fog cleared, and there it was, shining
     with all its glory in front of her. The single, golden triangle,
     floating upside down. She reached out with trembling fingers,
     trying to touch it. Suddenly, the light vanished, and she could
     feel an evil presence. A deep, manacling laugh taunted her from
     the darkness. Stepping back, she could feel the ground disappear
     from beneath her feet. Screaming, she fell, the darkness beneath
     swallowing her whole.....

     Anna awoke moments later on the wooden floor of the cottage.
     White moonlight shone through the windows, streaking out across
     the floor. Breathing hard, she kicked away the sheets that had
     tangled around her feet during the night. She sat still for a
     moment, heart pounding in her ears. Cold sweat ran in wet, salty
     paths down her forehead. Closing her eyes, she could see images
     of the dream flash before her for a brief instant. It was the
     same dream she'd been having for a few nights now, but never
     before had she seen the upside-down, golden triangle. She
     remembered in the previous nights' dreams walking toward the
     light, but she'd never actually seen that triangle
     before.....What could it mean?

     Rising on feet which still trembled, she sat cross legged in the
     center of her bed. She could see the sleeping forms of her uncle
     and brother, Link. "Link....Link, wake up," Anna hissed to her
     brother. Link stirred sleepily. "Huh? What? Anna, what is it?
     It's only 2:00 in the morning," Link whispered back irritably. "
     Link, I've been having a strange dream lately. I think it's an
     omen," Anna whispered. There was no reply for a moment. Then,
     Link answered, his voice sounding more interested, "What about?"
     " I saw a golden triangle, surrounded by fog. I went to touch it,
     but then I heard an evil laugh. I have a feeling.....that it has
     something to do with the Tetraforce Sashrahala told us about
     once."Saying this, Anna glanced down at the pendant that hung
     around her neck. It caught the moonlight, shining with a white,
     mysterious glow. More than once it had saved her from evil. It
     had been her mother's once, and had been given to her when she
     was no more than a baby.

       Long ago, when Link had been but two and Anna a baby, their
     parents had gone off to fight Ganon. before they left, never to
     return, Link had been entrusted to their uncle, and Anna to their
     Aunt Mary. Before their parents left, Anna's mother had given the
     pendant to Mary to give to Anna when she was older. As Anna grew,
     unaware of the sacrifice her parents had made, her aunt had
     taught her various forms of magic. She had learned her first
     spell at the age of five. She'd been so proud of herself for
     making that book float to her! When she was ten, she'd received
     the pendant. Her aunt had simply told her that the pendant had
     been her mother's. She had no idea it possessed such power until
     that day......

     It had been last summer when Anna was in the Lost Woods,
     loitering about. She settled down on a rock, and began to sing
     softly to herself. Unbeknownst to her, Link had heard her. He had
     gone to talk to her, but she had heard him approach.She'd been
     getting a bad feeling lately that Ganon would return. Thinking
     him to be one of Ganon's men, she'd run off. The next day, some
     real followers of Ganon's began prowling throughout the Lost
     Woods. Her only hope was to go to Hyrule Castle, to seek the one
     they called the Legendary Hero. He was the one who had destroyed
     Ganon a short time ago, and had wished the Dark World back to
     what it had been. On her way to the castle, one of Ganon's
     soldiers had followed her. She ran as fast as she could, but the
     soldier's arrow had been quicker than her. A shudder ran through
     her as she remembered the arrow hitting her, jarring her body
     forward with its impact. She felt dizzy, and, falling upon the
     cobblestone walkway that led to the castle's front doors, she
     lost consciousness. She'd awoke in the castle's guestroom the
     next morning. Link was sitting in a chair next to her bed. For
     some uncanny reason, she knew he was the brother her aunt had
     told her about, the one who was living somewhere in Hyrule with
     an uncle she'd never seen.....

     Later, during a battle with Ganon, Anna had saved Link's life,
     only to lose her own. Link had brought her back to life with the
     magic of the Triforce. Since then, Anna had come to live with
     Link and her uncle, and together, they and Princess Zelda had
     battled evil numerous times together. ".....him tomorrow. Anna?"
     Link whispered, bringing her back to the present. "Oh, sorry, I
     wasn't listening. What?" Anna asked. Link sighed in exasperation.
     " I was saying that if you think this dream is important enough,
     we should go see Sashrahala later," Link said. "Oh," she said,
     remembering it was Sashrahala that had first told them about the
     rumored fourth piece to the Triforce. It was lost, shattered into
     many pieces in the early part of Hyrule's history. An ancestor of
     Link and Anna's had found it, and it had been made into a pendant
     shortly after the Imprisoning War. This pendant was passed down
     to the youngest child in their family for generations, and, as
     Sashrahala had once hinted, may have been part of the mysterious
     Tetraforce. Sighing, Anna lay back on her bed. Maybe this dream
     is a sign that we should look for the Tetraforce, Anna thought.
     if not, what did it mean? She turned so that she faced the wall,
     closing her eyes. Sleep came, cloaking her in its darkness.

                                    ********

     Morning sunlight burst through the windows, illuminating the
     cottage. Anna awoke only to see their uncle getting ready for the
     day's hunt. Link was already up and dressed, ready to depart for
     the castle. Only a few weeks before, gaunt and weary, Link had
     returned from a trip out to sea. It had been a quest for
     enlightenment that had driven him to go on a voyage. A storm had
     destroyed his ship, and he'd washed up on an island where he met
     a girl he called Marin. In the end, he left the island by
     awakening a creature called the Windfish. Link still wasn't sure
     if it had been a dream or not. Anna thought about the two weeks
     she and everyone else had to endure while Link was gone. It had
     been a tense, anxious time, as everyone was worried that Ganon
     would take the opportunity to attack Hyrule. Then, everyone had
     welcomed him back with open arms when he'd returned.

     "Now, you two, mind the cottage. I'll be back," their uncle said,
     then strode off in the direction of the village. Anna got out of
     bed and dressed quickly. She went outside and ran to catch up to
     Link, who was halfway to the castle. " Hello there, Link," the
     guard beside the gate called out to him as they walked past. "The
     princess has been waiting for you." Link went over to talk to the
     guard for a minute, then they were inside the castle. They went
     up the flights of stairs to the throne room. Princess Zelda rose
     from her throne upon seeing Link and Anna enter the room. "Hello,
     Link, Anna. Impa told me she has something interesting to tell us
     in the parlor. Let's go," Zelda said, and they followed her into
     the castle's richly decorated parlor. "Hello, everyone. Take a
     seat. I have quite a story to share." Impa, Princess Zelda's
     nursemaid, said from a padded chair by one of the large windows.
     The older woman's hair shone like silver, and her merry blue eyes
     sparkled.

       After everyone had a seat, Impa began her story. "As a
     descendant of the Shadow Folk, the Shiekahs, I have known this
     story for many years. It began many years ago, before the
     Imprisoning War itself. A young boy lived in the forest. One
     morning, a faerie took him to the father of the forest, the Great
     Deku Tree. The Great Deku Tree needed the boy's help. A curse had
     been cast upon him by an evil man of the desert called Ganondorf.
     And so the boy went inside the tree and broke the curse. The
     Great Deku Tree gave the boy the Spiritual Stone of the Forest,
     and told him he had two more to collect. Before he got the other
     two stones, though, the boy saw the Princess of Destiny, whose
     name was also Zelda. The boy's name was Link. You two, Link and
     Zelda, were named for those two who lived so long ago. The boy,
     Link, became the Hero of Time, and he, along with the Seven
     Sages, sealed Ganondorf away in the Sacred Realm. Link carried
     the Essence of the Triforce of Courage within him. Zelda carried
     the Triforce of Wisdom. And......it was Ganondorf who carried the
     Triforce of Power. During the battle between the hero, Link, and
     Ganondorf, Ganondorf changed himself using the power of the
     Triforce of Power into the pig creature we know as Ganon. The
     hero defeated him, and he was sealed in the Sacred Realm. He
     swore to destroy their descendants, but he failed at that,
     too......so far." "So, our ancestors carried the Essence of the
     Triforces of Wisdom and Courage within them?" Link asked. "Yes.
     And to this day, Ganon, who was corrupted because of the power of
     the Triforce of Power, still carries it within him. And it is
     this power that allows him to wreak such havoc on Hyrule." "Impa,
     how do you know about all this?" Zelda questioned. "An ancestor
     of mine, whose name was also Impa, used to be a nursemaid for the
     other Princess Zelda. It was this Impa who was born in the place
     we know as Kakariko Village, and it was she who helped make it
     what it is today. She passed this story down through the
     generations."

       It was shortly after this that Link noticed the time, and
     hastily told Impa and the princess that he and Anna were going to
     go Sashrahala's house. They left the castle and walked quickly to
     the older man's house. It was said that he was the wisest man in
     all of the village, perhaps even all of Hyrule. Sashrahala
     welcomed them in, and invited them to sit down. Link told
     Sashrahala about the story he had just heard from Impa. "Ah, yes,
     my boy, the story Impa has told you is quite true. The Book of
     Mudora tells of the same things. The acients who wrote it knew
     everything about this world." "Sashrahala?" Anna asked. "Yes,
     child?" "I've been having a reoccurring dream lately. I see an
     upside-down, golden triangle. I try to touch it, but it always
     disappears before I can. Then, I can hear this evil laugh. I have
     no idea what it means." "Well......." Sashrahala said, deep in
     thought, "It appears to be some sort of sign. As for the
     upside-down triangle, I believe it is the Fourth Force the
     goddesses left behind, long ago. Let me tell you yet another old
     story." "It began when the goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Forore
     created this world and all its people. Before leaving Hyrule,
     never to return, they created the Triforce. The place where they
     departed from this world became known as the Golden Land, known
     back in the olden days as the Sacred Realm. The people of Hyrule
     live in a different dimension than does the Triforce. However,
     before they left, the goddesses supposedly created yet another
     triangle. However, they did not make it part of the Triforce, for
     if anyone ever got hold of all four triangles, they would be the
     ultimate ruler of both dimensions. They would be more powerful
     than Ganon could ever hope to be." Link and Anna gaped at the old
     man in shock. More powerful than Ganon?"However, for some unknown
     reason, the Tetraforce was shattered into pieces. These pieces
     somehow reached our world. The only piece that was ever found was
     that one." Sashrahala pointed to Anna's pendant, which supposedly
     housed a piece of the Tetraforce. "And this dream I've been
     having......it's trying to tell me to find....the Tetraforce?"
     Anna asked. "It could be, child, it could be," Sashrahala said.

                                 ***************

      After visiting Sashrahala, Link and Anna returned to the castle.
     Princess Zelda was there to greet them. "Impa said that there was
     once a large graveyard for people who served the Royal Family of
     Hyrule. She said we should go try to find it."The three of them
     walked behind the village to the Lost Woods. They searched around
     for a time, finding nothing. Finally, Link neary tripped over an
     old, worn tombstone. This was at the head of an old sunken grave.
     There were other graves, all sunken and old, and the remnants of
     an old, wooden fence lay, rotten, its pieces scattered all across
     the grass. A walkway, made of stone tile, was barely discernable,
     as it was covered in moss. Link bent to read the inscription on
     the tombstone. "Hey," he said after a moment, "this must be where
     our ancestors are buried. Come see." Zelda knelt beside him, the
     thin shawl she wore loosely over her shoulders catching the wind
     and flapping in the light breeze. "Yes," Zelda said. "This is
     where your ancestor is buried. I wonder where my ancestor is."

       After a time, they found quite a large tombstone. This bore the
     name of the past princess, and the notes to a song. "I reconize
     the notes to this song. It's been handed down in my family for
     generations. It's called `Zelda's Lullaby'."Link looked at the
     inscription of the Triforce on the tombstone. Just underneath
     this, there was another triangle. An upside-down triangle. "Whoa,
     look at this," Link said running his finger over the mark. "Maybe
     this Tetraforce thing is more than just a dream of Anna's." They
     all looked at the mark for a time, then wordlessly left the
     graveyard. As they reached Link's cottage, Zelda told him she
     would tell Impa what they saw, and promised to see him tomorrow.

       By now, it was dark and late out, so Link and Anna went to bed.
     Their uncle would come home sometime during the night, as always.
     Anna fell into a deep sleep instantly, no longer plauged by the
     dreams. Link, however, had a harder time trying to sleep, and
     when he finally let sleep claim him, it was a restless slumber
     full of dreams. Little did Link know that this was only the
     beginning of the nightmares......

chapter 2

                Link could hear Zelda's scream, shrill and full of terror. Ganon towered over
her, ready to deliver a fatal blow with his trident. Link could only watch,
helpless, as Ganon lowered the trident toward her. A vision of Anna, locked in
chains, her clothes in rags, in a prision cell, flashed in front of him. She
looked up at him, eyes weary and full of tears. "Link, save us......" she
whispered.  Then, both Zelda and Anna were gone. Words flashed in front of him,
coming out of the blackness and  engraving themselves in his head....

The ones born with the Esscence three,
A fourth one there shall be.
With the addition of this last one,
The work of good shall be done.

        Link awoke moments later. His heart pounded, and the images of his dream were
still fresh in his mind. He glanced over at Anna. Was she still having strange
dreams? he wondered. He could still remember Princess Zelda's scream, Anna's
whispered words.....
Suddenly, Zelda's scream echoed in his head. It sounded as it had in the dream,
but now, he knew it was the Hylian ability to use telepathy that allowed him to
hear it.
        Jumping out of bed, he dressed quickly. Anna, hearing him moving around,
stirred sleepily. Her eyes opened, and she regarded him groggily, "Link....?
What's going on?" Link, who was taking the family sword and shield down from
above the fireplace, said, "Zelda's in trouble. I'm going to the castle. Stay
here." With this, he left the cottage and ran off in the direction of the
castle.

****************

        Link's heart pounded in his ears as he ran as quickly as he could in the
direction of the castle. The darkness of night made it difficult to see, making
Link wish he'd lit a lantern. Straining his eyes, he could make out the light in
the castle windows. Tightening his grip on his sword, Link prepared to meet
whatever lay within the castle walls. To his surprise, everything at the castle
seemed normal. The guard beside the gate let him in right away, saying Zelda
wished to talk to him. Rushing inside the castle, he nearly ran into Impa, who
was standing near the stairs that led to the throne room.
        "Link....Zelda wishes to talk to you. She says it's urgent. Come with me." With
this, Impa led Link to Zelda's room. Impa called, "Zelda, Link is here."
        "Come in, Link," was Zelda's reply from within. Link pushed open the doors to
Zelda's room. She sat before the fireplace, her features half shadowed as she
turned toward him. A fire warmed the room, and despite the mild day's weather,
the night still brought the cold. Link walked toward her. She rose in her chair,
her long nightgown sweeping the floor.
        "What's wrong, Zelda?" Link asked. He could see that fear still shone bright in
her eyes. Her breath was rapid, and she looked into his eyes as she told him to
sit down.
        "Oh, Link, it was....so horrible......I-I saw Ganon, in a dream, but I'm still
frightened. I have such a dreadful feeling, Link. I saw Ganon torturing you. He
kept saying something about 'the fourth one.' I don't know what that means,
Link....but I know that it has something to do with that Tetraforce. I don't
know what to think. Ganon wants the power of the Tetraforce for some evil
reason, Link. If he gets his hands on it, Hyrule is doomed. We're doomed. Not
even you can save us, Link....."  A tear rolled down Zelda's pale cheek. She
wiped it away with the back of her hand. Link took her hand in his.
        " Don't worry, Zelda. I won't let Ganon do anything to us...or to Hyrule." Even
as Link said this, he wasn't so sure he could keep this vow to her.

******************

        A short time later, Link had managed to talk to Zelda enough to calm her down.
Just as he was about to leave, the doors to Zelda's room opened again. Impa came
in. At her heels was Anna.
        "Anna," Link said, although he wasn't at all surprised at her arrival. He knew
that she'd defy him and come to the castle, anyway. She possessed the same
curiosity and bravery than he did. Briefly, he remembered the night he'd left
the castle to follow his uncle.....
        "Link, I'm still worried," Zelda said, her voice full of concern. "That dream I
had....it had to mean something." Link suddenly remembered the poem he'd seen in
his dream. " Zelda," he began carefully, not wanting to upset her further, "I
had this dream where I saw a poem..." Link recited the poem. Zelda gasped.
"Link....let me see the Book of Mudora. I heard of a verse that sounded
something like that." Link handed her the Book of Mudora, flipping to the back
of the book. " Okay....here's the chapter that talks about the Tetraforce
legend." For a moment, the three of them sat in silence while Zelda skimmed the
passages. Finally, her finger stopped moving across the pages. Her eyes widened.
"Link," she started, "it's incredible..."
        "What?" Link asked, leaning foward eagerly.
        " It says here that the following verse will help us find the Chosen One of the
Tetraforce....and it's the same poem in your dream!"  Link took the Book of
Mudora from Zelda, looking down at the poem. "Incredible...." he muttered. It
was the poem he'd seen in his  dream...but he'd never read that far into the
book before. "Here, let me see," Anna said. Link handed the book to her. Anna
read along for a moment, then said, "The Chosen One of the Tetraforce? I wonder
what it means by that....?"
        Zelda said, "Well, long ago, it was said the three goddesses chose three people
to carry the Esscence of the Triforce.  The goddesses chose these three because
out of everyone they created, these three would change the history of Hyrule
forever. Now that there may be a fourth part to the Sacred Triangle, it is said
that there must be another person to hold the Essence of that triangle as well.
First, however, we have to reunite the Tetraforce to see who that person is."
        "And," Link added grimly, "do it before Ganon does."
        Everyone stood in silence for a moment. Then, Link said, his voice determined,
full of fiemness, "We have to get started looking for the Tetraforce pieces
tomorrow. Ganon may be looking for them even as we speak. And if he finds them
before we do....." Link left the sentence unfinished. They all knew what would
happen if Ganon got the pieces before they did.
        Later, Link and Anna spent the remainder of the night in two of the castle's
guest rooms. As soon as Anna fell asleep, she knew she'd dream again. Soon, the
two worlds of reality and fantasy met as she started to dream again. This time,
she didn't see the upside down triangle in the misty room, did not hear the evil
laughter. Instead, she could see herself walking alone, over fields, climbing
rocks, walking into dark caves. She was alone as she walked and climbed and
searched. Then, she could see herself holding pieces of a golden triangle. The
Tetraforce! she thought.
        Suddenly, Anna awoke. I wonder what that was all about, she thought. Suddenly,
the meaning of the dream occured to her. She knew that in the search for the
Tetraforce, she would have to be alone. Link and Zelda couldn't help her.
Despite what Link had said, Anna knew she had to defy him again.
        Pulling back her sheets, Anna retrieved her dress from the foot of the bed. The
nightgown Zelda had let her borrow felt strange, as it was made of the finest
silk, something she wasn't at all used to wearing. She got changed, then lay the
nightgown out on the foot of the bed. This was her first quest, and the
realization of it filled her with excitement. However, she had to be prepared.
Digging her hand into her pocket, she counted the rupees she had. She had just
enough to get provisions if she needed any in the future. For now, she would get
what she needed from her cottage. Slipping quietly down the stairs and through
the darkened castle, Anna could feel her heart pound. She hadn't left a note for
Link and Zelda, but she knew this was something she had to do alone.
        Finally, Anna pushed the castle's front doors open. She ran down the
cobblestone path all the way to the cottage. Once inside, she noted that their
uncle still wasn't back. He probably wouldn't return until dawn.
        Going to the corner by the fireplace, Anna managed to find her bow. The quiver,
full of wooden arrows, lay just beside it. Gathering the quiver up and gripping
the bow, Anna made her way outside. She noticed that there was just the faintest
hint of dawn showing in the sky. She took off running, having no destination in
mind. She simply knew that, come what may, she had to reunite the Tetraforce.
And so began Anna's first adventure.

*********************

        When the sun finally rose, spreading its light across the land, activity began
in Hyrule once again. The sunlight poured through one of the castle windows,
spilling out across Link's bed and awakening him.  He dressed quickly, noting
that Anna hadn't come into his room yet. Probably still asleep, he thought.
Then, he remembered it was the day they were all supposed to go and try to find
the pieces of the Tetraforce. He decided to go to Anna's room to wake her up.
However, before he could go to the room adjacent to his, there was a knock at
his door.
        "Link," Zelda asked, "may I come in?"
        "Yeah," Link answered. When Zelda came in, Link could see she was worried about
something."What is it, Zelda?" he asked her.
        "I was just passing Anna's room. She's not there, Link."
        "Really?" Link asked, surprised. He thought she was still asleep. Apparently
not.
        "She probably got up early and is in the parlor with Impa," Link replied.
        "What is wrong, princess?" Impa asked, stepping into the room from the hallway.
        "Have you seen Anna, Impa? She's not around here," Zelda said.
        "Why no, I haven't seen her...." the older woman replied thoughtfully.
        "Where could she be, then?" Zelda asked. Link replied, " I'll go out to look
for her. She has to be close by." With this, Link seized his sword and shield
and started out. He looked around for her, calling for her. He tried the
cottage, the swamp, the village. Finally, he began to go through the Lost Woods
in hopes of finding her there.  Suddenly, three moblins, the dog-like minions of
Ganon's, sprang from a cluster of bushes in front of him. He fought them off,
and after the last one was destroyed, he wiped his sword clean and began to
search again. He continued to call Anna, keeping his eyes open for any signs of
her. Finally, sighing, Link settled on a rock, trying to think of what could
have possibly happened to Anna.
        Suddenly, a telepathic scream burst into his thoughts. Link! Help me! It was
Princess Zelda! Link jumped up, taking off in the direction of the castle. When
he got there, everything was in a state of confusion. Guards and soldiers rushed
about, shouting and calling out orders. Link managed to get past them, and among
the turmoil, spotted Impa. She was quite upset, rushing up to Link.
        "Oh, Link....you're too late. All the soldiers are too late. Th-They've taken
the princess. Ganon's soldiers abducted Zelda as she sat in the garden. I could
see them from the window. I tried to stop them, but couldn't. I'm sorry,
Link...."
        "It's not your fault, Impa. Ganon will pay for this...." Link replied.Turning
away from Impa, Link gripped his sword with an angry fist. He had told Zelda he
would protect her and Hyrule....and now, she had been abducted. He felt angry
with himself for not being there to protect her. Now, he had three quests: To
find where and why Anna had dissapeared, rescue Zelda, and reunite the
Tetraforce.

*******************

        Anna, in the meantime, was climbing up the rocky face of Death Mountain. Many
stories circulated about what lay in the many caves. Perhaps one of them held a
clue to the Tetraforce. Struggling to climb up the rock, she stepped into the
cool darkness of one of the caves. Suddenly, she could sense something evil
moving toward her. Readying her bow with an arrow, she fired into the darkness.
The squeal of a struck moblin filled the silence and stillness of the cave. The
flutter of the multitude of Keese wings reached her ears. As she started to walk
further into the cave, she heard the footsteps of an approaching soldier. She
fired another arrow into the dark. It managed to wound the oncoming soldier, but
not enough to destroy him. Raising his sword high, the soldier charged at Anna.
She managed to dodge, but not before recieving a shallow wound in the side from
the sharp sword. The soldier charged to the ledge outside, then spun around and
charged at her again. Anna dodged again, then ran outside the cave, hoping to
elude her persuer. However, the soldier came back out, ramming into Anna before
she could deliver a final shot. She was shoved off the cliff edge. Desperately,
she tried to stay up on the ledge, but in vain. She plummeted downward. In a
matter of moments, she violently struck some rock below. Pain shot into her head
and back. Then, all was blackness........