Saturday, November 14, 1992, 1:00 PM

   Zelda looked at the man.
   He was burly and muscular, obviously, and he had an eye patch, but she
felt safe. She had her guards and, more importantly, Link near her.
   Link was one of the finest warriors in Hyrule, having been fighting for
her for quite some time now. She knew he was completely devoted to her, and
that he would die to protect her.
   She turned back to the muscular man. His short, brown tunic and pants
signified a peasant or sailor, and the eye patch made him look like a
pirate. The dagger in a sheath under his left arm seemed to prove it, and he
had a cutlass belted on at the waist.
   "Princess." Link whispered, nudging her.
   "Sorry. My mind wandered." she whispered back.
   "You see, Zelda," the man said, purposely ignoring her title, "your - "
   He was interrupted as Link slid his sword out of its sheath. "You may
refer to Her Highness as Princess Harkinian or Your Highness. She only lets
those with IQs higher than four call her Zelda."
   He turned to Link. "Put your weapon away, pipsqueak, before I put it away
for you."
   "That a threat, ugly?"
   "Boys." Zelda said. "Stop before I have you both locked up."
   The man turned to her. "Princess," he snarled, "as I was saying, before
Shorty here interrupted me, you are leading Hyrule into the dumpster. Your
guards never train, this creature you call a knight is eager to kill - "
   "Only you." Link snarled back.
   Zelda quieted him down. "I don't enjoy having you refer to Link as a
'creature'. He is of Hylian birth, like myself. By the way, I don't believe
I caught your name, friend." she said politely.
   "That's because I never mentioned it. I am Kordash. I am a representative
of the greater good - "
   Link laughed.
   " - and the Maze Prophecy." he went on. "The Prophecy states: 'A Princess
shall rule, and she shall ring a curse on this land, and her knight shall
destroy all that is good and just by bringing forth a beast from the past
that shall not be defeated by mere mortals.'"
   "I've never heard of that prophecy." Zelda said. "Where did you find it?"
   "That does not matter, Zelda." Kordash responded. "But since you asked,
it was in an abandoned temple on Maze Island."
   "Maze Island's temple was a temple of Ganon, Kordash. Ganon's prophecies
were all like that. That creature spread lies like wildfires, and I
don't take any of it too seriously."
   "Ganon's Maze Temple was a temple of the Triforce before Ganon overtook
it, and this was found in a sealed room."
   "You don't give up, do you, Kordash? Get out of this Throne room before
you regret it." Zelda threatened.
   "I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer. If you don't get down from
your throne, I'll exile you to Death Mountain, just like you did me."
   Link quite suddenly jumped at Kordash, aiming for his throat. Kordash
neatly stepped aside and slammed his massive fist into Link's back.
   Zelda called her guards.
   "Have Link brought to the dungeon until he can control himself." She
raised a finger and pointed at the door. She then flashed a small finger
sign, barely perceptible to Kordash.
   The guard nodded. He brought Link outside to wait for Zelda, with Kordash
thinking he had been restrained.
   "You'll pay for this! I have followers, Zelda!" Kordash yelled. He spat
on the floor. "You will be exiled, and power will be restored to those who
deserve it!" Kordash stalked off.
   Zelda walked over to the door and opened it. Link stood there.
   "He's nuts, Link."
   "No kidding." Link answered. "What did he mean when he said 'I'll exile
you to Death Mountain, just like you did me'?"
   "I don't know. We'll have Terzes look over the records for anyone exiled
to Death Mountain." Zelda sunk down in a cushy chair. "Why me? Maybe we'll
just throw him in the dungeon for a couple of years."
   Link chuckled. "That would solve the problem, wouldn't it?"
   Kordash sneaked away. "I do not think so, Zelda." he said to himself. He
chuckled to himself.
   "How is it going, Kordash?" a female voice behind him asked.
   Kordash turned to his sister. "The plan is in motion, Dazel."
   "Excellent, Kor. The throne will be ours. Zelda has had her turn. My
cousin will step down now, I think, or else."
   Dazel was slim and attractive, with her long blonde hair and perfect
teeth. She had normal blue eyes, and her smile was to die for. In fact, many
had. But now her mouth was twisted into an evil grin.
   Kordash nodded. "Link is also really pissing me off. Can we exile him,
too? I threw in a part about a rebellious knight in that phony prophecy.
Link and Zelda are going down!"
   Dazel nodded. "We have work to do. There is someone on Castlevania who
owes me a favor. Send a messenger to the Count. Ask him for aid. As soon as
we take the throne, we'll take care of a problem for him."
   "What about his son, Alucard?" Kordash asked.
   Dazel's eyes blazed at the mention of his name. "Never mention Alucard
again! He won't help us."
   "Yes, Dazel." Kordash said.
   "Oh, and take care of Link, will you?"
   "Of course." Kordash responded, his eyes twinkling. He drew his cutlass
and headed for the door.

   "Your Highness." Terzes said.
   Zelda looked up at him.
   He was about thirteen, brown hair and eyes, a normal sort of face. He
carried a notepad. He had a dagger belted on at his hips - a serated dagger
with a hook for pulling out things that shouldn't be pulled out.
   "I have the list of people who were exiled to Death Mountain."
   "Ah, yes. So? What did you find?" Zelda asked.
   Although only thirteen, Terzes had a quick mind, and a habit of making
sarcastic remarks. But he respected Zelda incredibly, and would set out on
anything if asked by her. His family line had the specific purpose of aiding
and protecting the royal family, and he took his job seriously.
   "I discovered that the top names on the list were your cousins, Kordash
and Dazel."
   "Kordash! That's him! But I didn't know I had a cousin."
   "Oh, yes. It happened many years before you were born. The exact date was
October the Thirty-First, Nineteen-Hundred and Sixty-Four. Your uncle,
Tardis Harkinian, lived in Ruto. But he conspired to kill your father for
the Throne. His plan was uncovered, and he and his wife were exiled to Death
Mountain. They had two children, Kordash and Dazel, during their exile. The
exile was carried out to the children, too, and only recently did a lawyer
bother to realize that their exile was ended."
   "And now they want the Throne, too."
   "By the way, your uncle said something before his exile to your father.
He said 'Beware, brother, for one day you will die, and my side of the
family will gain their rightful inheritance. For I shall exile you. After
all, brother, an eye for an eye.' They have a slight claim to the crown, but
Dazel is six months younger than you, and Kordash is a full year younger.
Unless you die, they are nothing but minor nobility."
   Zelda nodded. "I knew he was after my throne."

   Link was feeling annoyed.
   "That ape had insulted Zelda and gotten away with it! How dare he?! If I
ever meet that guy again, I'll kick his ass from here to Castlevania!" he
said to himself.
   "You can try it, pipsqueak." came a voice from the alley.
   Link wheeled around and drew his sword in one smooth motion.
   Kordash was staring at him. He drew his own wicked looking cutlass from a
sheath and slashed at Link.
   Zelda's knight was caught in the arm and dropped his sword.
   "I have you now." Kordash said, as Link reached inside his tunic.
   "Think again, ugly!" Link said, throwing a bomb at him.
   Kordash looked at it for a second, as if trying to understand what it
was. A look of horror appeared on his face as he realized he was going to be
lining most of the streets of Rauru. He dropped the black orb and ran like a
bat out of hell for the nearest building.
   The bomb went off, sending Link flying into the air.
   Kordash hid behind a house and sheathed his cutlass. He walked off, a
cruel smile on his face. Soon he and his sister would rule Hyrule.

   Far off, in a forgotten alley, a man watched Kordash.
   He wore a black cloak, or, more accurately, a cape with a hood. The inner
lining was green, and the cape fluttered in the wind. His face was covered
in shadow, but it seemed pale, with glowing blue eyes. He jumped to the next
building and climbed up to the top, following Kordash all the way to North
Castle.

   Zelda looked down at the visitor from her throne.
   The girl was definitely bad news. She had come asking where Kordash was.
   She had said that she was his sister.
   Kordash came into the throne room at just that time.
   "That elf you call a knight tried to kill me!" he sputtered. "He threw a
bomb at me! I told you. The Prophecy has come true!"
   "I told you already, Kordash, Link is a Hylian. He's human, not an elf.
Should your tongue slip again, I'll have you exiled to Death Mountain
again." Zelda responded.
   One of her guards nodded. "I saw it. Link tried to kill him!"
   "Quiet!" Zelda exclaimed. "Link would never do that unless you threatened
him first." She was thinking hard, wondering what they had done to Link.
   "There was no threatening." the guard said. "Link just attacked him."
   Kordash smiled. "I'm afraid your power has just fallen, Your
ex-Highness!"
   An army of peasants burst through the doors.
   The guards stood, and the more loyal ones attacked the peasants.
   But Kordash's arguments had won over more than one of the guards. They
started attacking the Princess' bodyguards.
   The bodyguards fought valiantly, because they had known Zelda and Link
since they were babies. But in the end, Kordash's "soldiers" won the battle.
   They walked up to the throne.
   "I'm afraid you've lost more than the Throne today, Zelda." Kordash said.
   He motioned to the guards, who brought in a bloody creature. He was
covered in bruises, and his green tunic was ripped and, in some places,
shredded.
   And then Zelda recognized him.
   "Liiiinnnnkkk!!!" she sobbed.

   The cloaked man stood. Zelda was being carted off to the dungeon.
   "Hmmm," he mused, "I'll have to speak vith this loser."
   Then he laughed - a deep, gutteral sound that echoed throughout the
chamber.
   And the man dissapeared in a puff of smoke, to be replaced by a gray
wolf, which quickly ran off.

   Dazel stood outside the North Castle.
   "People of Hyrule," she began. "with the deaths of Link and Zelda, we
have no ruler. I, Dazel, am Zelda's cousin. I volunteer to lead you. Will
you have me as your Queen?"
   The Hyrule Elders came to a decision. "We will have Dazel as our Queen!
May the Triforce bless us under her rule as it did during Zelda's!"
   Dazel glared at the mention of her cousin's name, but turned toward the
people smiling broadly. "I thank you all, and announce my knight, Kordash!"
   The crowd cheered, and the Elders presented Dazel with Zelda's crown.

   Zelda was in the dungeon, sobbing over Link.
   He was not dead, but close to it; he had lost a pint of blood, and the
bleeding had just stopped.
   The prison guards were laughing and joking about how easy the fight had
been.
   Zelda wanted to strangle them, but she didn't get a chance.
   They looked down the hall, and one of them went down. He came back with a
man in a black cloak.
   The man threw a glance at Zelda, and his blue eyes twinkled mysteriously.
   Zelda thought he looked familiar, but she couldn't place his face.
   He suddenly drew a sword and knocked out the two guards, hitting them
with the pommel of his sword. He threw the keys to Zelda, as well as a Red
Potion.
   She unlocked her cuffs, and when she looked up again, he was gone. She
shrugged, unlocked Link, and poured the potion over his body.
   For a moment, the potion mixed with the blood, and the smell of burning
cloth spread throughout the room.
   Then Link awoke, still sore but healed.
   "How are you, Link?" Zelda asked.
   "Fine, except for this monster of a headache."
   "Great. Get your winged boots and meet me at the shipyard. Take the Raft,
too."
   They split up, and, for a moment, Zelda wondered who the cloaked man was.

   "Fools!!!" Dazel screamed. "How could they have gotten away?! They were
secured! Where have they gone?!"
   "Queen Dazel, we found Link's winged boots missing, along with his raft,
and the Royal Yacht is missing from the dock." The guard delivering the news
shivered, as he remembered what had happened to the last guard who brought
her bad news. They couldn't even bury what was left in a matchbox. There was
so little left.
   "The Island Palace! Get them!"
   "We can't. There's no way to cross the water. Link burned out all our
shipyards."
   "How long until you can build more? Even a ship large enough for just
fifty men?"
   "Two months."
   "My Queen," Kordash interrupted, "why not send just two or three men?"
   "Because, Kor, Link and Zelda are fighters, and they're a match for
twenty warriors. And there's radio equipment in the Island Palace. If
they've contacted the N Team, we're in a lot of trouble."
   "Ah." Kordash replied.
   Dazel turned towards the guard. "Seal off all places where they could
come ashore. Keep them on that Island until we build a ship."
   "Yes, my Queen." The guard left.

   "I hate the Island Palace!" Zelda said. She looked around. "At least
there are no monsters in this place." She had her crossbow out and loaded,
though, just in case.
   Link was inside, trying to reach someone with the ancient machinery in
the Palace.
   She hoped he could get through. Dazel was probably searching all of
Hyrule for a boat, and had at least sealed off the shoreline.
   She saw a bat.
   That was weird enough, but the inside of his wings was green.
   A bat in daytime? Zelda thought.
   The bat hovered in front of her.
   "Bats don't hover!" she said.
   The bat was suddenly surronded by a flash of blue flame, and was replaced
by a man.
   The man wore a black hooded cloak. The inside of his cloak was the same
color as the inside of the bat's wings had been: a light green.
   The man pulled the hood down, and he revealed his pale face. He had blond
shoulder-length hair, and his blue eyes shone with intelligence.
   "Hello." he said.
   "Who on Hyrule are you?" the former Princess asked.
   "I am called Alucard."
   Zelda's face blanched. She knew the name. Kevin had told her about his
encounter with Alucard. From his descriptions, he had been a rowdy teenager,
speaking something like Stacey does.
   "What do you mean? What happened?" she asked.
   "A short while after Captain N defeated my father, the Count ordered me
to kill innocent peasants to lure the N Team to Castlevania. I realized his
evil, and I rebelled, hiding out in an underground cave near Jova in
Castlevania. I matured, and taught myself the black magic that is the curse
of my family. When I became proficient with a sword and the Black Arts, I
came out of hiding, traveling throughout Videoland dressed as a hermit or
wise man. I even visited Hyrule and Captain N's new headquarters in Megaland
once or twice."
   "Why did you come back again, then? Did Kordash pay you to kill me?"
   His blue eyes blazed red. "I am no mercenary!" he exclaimed, flaring his
cape. "I came because someone on Hyrule sent my father soldiers. He
destroyed some towns in Castlevania. He didn't even abduct the townspeople.
He simply destroyed. I dropped a note with the N Team, but Simon Belmont
convinced everyone it was a trick. So, I came to get to the bottom of this
myself. Where is Link?" His eyes became blue again, but there was still
anger in his voice.
   Zelda lowered her head. She actually felt ashamed. He must have been
changed since Kevin and Simon had met him. She still didn't entirely trust
him, but he seemed sincere.
   "I'm sorry." Zelda said.
   She led him into the Island Palace.

   "Link, this is a Castlevanian nobleman." Zelda introduced him.
   "Hello. Uh, what's your title?" Link responded, reaching out to shake his
hand.
   "It is Viscount, Sir Knight." Alucard responded as he shook Link's hand.
   Link nodded. "Well, then, Viscount, what brings you to Hyrule - " He
stopped in mid-sentence, realizing that the only nobility on Castlevania was
the Count and his family. "Viscount - that would make you Alucard!" Link
exclaimed, drawing his sword.
   Zelda grabbed his arm. "No, Link. Alucard is here to help us. He won't
harm us."
   Link sheathed his sword.
   "Now then," Zelda continued, "we have to get a message through to Lana.
My cousins are not only screwing up Hyrule. They sent an invasion force to
Castlevania. We need Captain N!"

TO BE CONTINUED...