The Legend of Zelda: Temple of Time

•Chapter 26•

The first thing Link registered as he regained consciousness was the noise. Was it a crowd? The second thing was that he was lying on something hard. He opened his eyes, immediately shutting them due to the sun. He sat up and began to process where he was.

In a cage in front of the Temple of Time. A guard stood in front of the cage door, a hood over his face. The cage had a lock on it. But the crowd wasn't looking at Link. They were looking at something in front of Link.

A make shift stage that had Zant standing on top of it. And-

"Zelda!" Link gasped.

She was tied, unconscious to a pole. She was wearing a white, see through rag of a dress, her brown and blonde hair flowing loose around her shoulders. She was pale and she even seemed to be fading away. With a jolt, Link remembered how Midna and Zelda had traded places and that Zelda, since Midna still had the Triforce, was technically a shadow, and couldn't survive long in the light.

Link looked up at the Temple. His eyes widened when he saw Midna was chained to a column.

His eyes caught a flash of light out of the corner of them and he looked back at the stage. Zant had lit a torch. Link slammed against the bars, shouting to Zant to stop and that it was a mistake to burn Zelda.

He approached her, carrying the torch. "How quickly time ran out for her."

Zant walked towards her, then turned back to the crowd. "I gave your Princess a chance to save herself and thus save you. But instead she chose to flee her people! She chose to help a rogue with a sword and a demon! She has chosen to turn her back onto the people she claimed to love!" And he threw down the torch into the flames.

Link yelled, "NO!!" as he slammed against the bars, his hand reaching through. "Zelda! No! Damn you, Zant!!" The twigs ignited almost immediately, the flames licking her feet. The smoke went up into her face, somewhat hiding her face from the crowd.

Link could do nothing but watch in horror. He watched as sparks flew around her, singing her clothes and hair. He hoped that if she had to die, that she died from the smoke and not from being burned alive. But then he realized something: there was no way he was letting her go again.

Midna, meanwhile, watched helplessly. She began to cry as this was all her fault. She shouldn't have gotten Zelda and Link involved. She shouldn't have. Now Link was going to go through all this pain again.

Din. Nayru. Farore. Please. Send help in Hyrule's hour of need. Please, Nayru, lend me your strength!!

Midna glared at the Triforce on the back of her left hand. Fine time for it to stop responding.

Nayru!! Please!! Lend me your strength to save your vessel! Your chosen one! Help me save Zelda!

Midna suddenly felt a surge of energy. She spread her fingers open and black and red magic shot out of her hands, traveling up the chains. This was taking all of her energy. She screamed as the energy burst, and the chains snapped.

~•~

Back down below, Link was saying every prayer to the goddesses to protect Zelda as tears were forming in his eyes. Why were the goddesses so cruel?!

He heard the crowd gasp. He looked up and his heart leapt.

Midna stood on the stage, having Zelda float in front of her.

"How did you teleport?!" Zant screamed. "It's anti magic!"

"But not anti Triforce!" And Midna disappeared in a flash of light up back to the Temple, taking Zelda with her.