It had been a tricky journey to the temple, but at last it was finally coming to a close. The forest had been largely unforgiving and treacherous for the most part, with much of the terrain hiding a deadly pitfall. The portal at the end had taken him to a place with a grey sky, barren fields and endless rain, and his only reprieve from it all had been the cave he ran into.

With a weary sigh, Link pulled out a bottle full of a red potion and downed its contents as he sat on the stone floor. As he let the potion work its familiar, bittersweet magic, he stared at the last obstacle in his way, a stone door with the insignia of the royal family on its front. Briefly he wondered why such a symbol was here.

"It looks like I'm on the right track," he said to himself. Now was a good time to rest and regroup. There were several thoughts on his mind, and he wanted to make sure they were all in order before he proceeded. The potion was potent, healing wounds he never thought he had in an instant and restoring his strength, but it couldn't cure the bout of curiosity that ran through him.

What confused him was the things he encountered during his trek. There were the usual hostiles and unwelcoming structures that nearly threatened to end his adventure, things that all travelers encountered sooner or later, but he noticed something strange as he proceeded deeper into the forest. Usually, the further he made it into a structure, the more elaborate and difficult the traps became. However, that didn't seem to be the case here. At first the monsters he encountered had been aggressive, exhibiting the usual territorial behaviors of blocking his path and attacking him. It wasn't until he crossed a certain chasm with the help of his grappling hook that they stopped being as aggressive.

The sight of an attacker actually backing down from him had been a bit upsetting at first, but that couldn't compare to the more odd behaviors he encountered later on, all of them frequently coming from the lizard-like foes. He was caught off guard by the sight of a forest wolfos lying on its back in apparent submission and whimpering at him, begging for mercy like an acual. At the beginning of the cave he was in, the two dinolfos that had been guarding the entrance had stepped aside and kneeled before him, sheathing their weapons as well. Such encounters became more common the deeper he went. He had expected all of them to be traps and made sure his sword and shield were ready, but rarely did he find himself fighting any more enemies. The few that remained aggressive retreated quickly after he blocked their attack and retaliated.

"Not sure what's going on here," he muttered. "It could still all be a trap for all I know. The path to the Master Sword has never been an easy one... or one filled with so many strange things happening at once." He appreciated the lull in aggression from the various fiends he faced, as it was a welcome change from the near-constant-battle pace he was used to, but it was unsettling all the same. That mage had to have been using his magic to make them behave in such a manner, no doubt trying to acquire the hero's Triforce of Courage for his plans. He stood back up as he reminded himself what he was here for.

"The only way I'll defeat him and free the kingdom is with that sword." How his foe managed to get his hands on the Triforce of Power was a mystery, but he knew that he could not let the entire artifact be assembled. Thankfully, the mage couldn't extract it from the princess thanks to her escape, but it was only a matter of time...

"No. Now's not the time to think on what could happen." Dusting himself off and drawing his sword and shield, Link cautiously approached the door and pushed it open. Looking around, he saw that there was no ceiling, yet the floor was completely dry. On the other side of the open room lay the Master Sword, firmly resting in its pedestal. Relieved that his goal was in sight, he walked forward, but stopped suddenly as he spotted some movement in a dark corner. Two hooded figures in black robes stepped forth. He frowned, knowing that these two had to be spellcasters of some sort sent to intercept him. If their clothing was any indication, they were the variety that specialized in dark magic, something he was not equipped to handle.

The two cloaked figures suddenly took off their hoods, revealing a lizard-like head. Link knew in an instant that he was dealing with two lizalfos. The concept of lizalfos that could cast magic was unheard of. He had believed them to be nothing more than a race of highly aggressive fighters only concerned with survival. Magic required patience and an aptitude for it, and he was sure they had neither... until now.

A shadow loomed over him. He looked up at the offending caster, but by the time he drew his weapon it was too late. Suddenly he found himself being pinned to the ground by something. From what little he could see and feel, he had been pinned by something large and scaly like the lizalfos closing in on him. It quickly seized his arms, forcing them to release his weapons. It lifted him up and wrapped its tail around his legs to limit his chances of escape. Link turned his head, and for a moment he saw a pair of wings. This lizalfos was unusual in that it actually had wings. Was it born with them or were they given by the group's master? 

It didn't seem intent on hurting him, strangely enough, but there was still no way for him to escape. Without a means to combat them, all he could do was brace himself for whatever spell they were about to unleash. They began to chant in some unknown language as dark orbs formed in their clawed hands, and eventually they pressed their magic into his chest. In an unexpected surge of strength, he broke out of his captor's grip and made a mad dash for the sword.

Whatever they did to me, the Master Sword will surely undo it, Link reasoned, not bothering to notice that his Triforce mark was glowing. He had expected to feel a surge of pain as soon as his hands brushed against the hilt, but to his surprise, there was no pain to be had. Undaunted, his hands wrapped around the hilt as he positioned himself to pull the sword out, but was caught off guard by how easily the sword was removed from its resting place and fell on his backside.

"Huh?" The magic that had been pressed into him suddenly surged, and he found himself twitching uncontrollably. Letting go of the sword seemed impossible, and he soon found himself reduced to all fours. His shield floated and stuck itself to his chest. He tried to remove it with his free hand, but found that impossible. An unshakable, tingly feeling came over him, and he grit his teeth as he finally saw the Triforce's radiant glow. 

"W-what's going on? What have you... done to me--?!" Alarmed by the sudden deepening of his voice, he cut himself off. Link spotted something green on his left hand and gasped when he saw that the green thing was actually several scales much like the ones his attackers had. He looked up at the trio who seemed as though they were admiring him... 

Hold on... they really are admiring me! I recognize that look... Link had seen that look among some of the newer soldiers who watched him practice his swordplay. Were they trying to turn him into one of their master's pawns? Were they turning him into something for their own amusement? In any case, he knew that he was about to join their ranks, but despite that, he wasn't about to fully surrender himself.

The scales began to spread along his arm, and he watched his hands turn into large paws. Particles of dark magic surrounded him, obscuring his vision of everything around him. Link felt himself growing taller and wider as his skin was replaced by scales that seemed to be harder than steel. He heard more of that strange chanting and wondered if the Master Sword and his Triforce was actually fighting off this corruption of his form. Fingers and toes gave way to sharp, ivory claws, and most of his tunic disappeared, yielding to the scales and yellow fur running along his back and underside. The only things that remained were his hat, which now had pointed white horns poking through it, his earrings, which were now attached to green ears, and the gauntlets on his thickened arms.

"Holy... Exhalted..." A few words flowed through the darkness, but he couldn't tell if they were real or he was hallucinating. By now the Master Sword had disappeared, spirited away by unknown forces. Link felt his nose and mouth compress into a medium-length snout as his teeth sharpened. The pupils in his eyes changed to slits, and he felt an unusually hot feeling well up from within his new body. A long tail shot out from his rear, and when he somehow brought the tip around, he let out another surprised gasp.

"The Master Sword! It's... a part of me now?" He placed a paw on his chest in an attempt to calm himself down, only to feel his shield over his heart. Link felt the dark magic move to his back one more time and winced (this time) as a pair of large green wings jutted out from his back. As if sensing he was finished, the darkness cleared, and he found himself looking down at the three lizards. Despite everything that happened to him so far, nothing proved to be any more disorienting than the sight of them suddenly bowing before him.

"Honored one..." It took a while for him to find his voice again, and when he did, he spoke with uncertainty, a far cry from his usual confident and self-assured tone.

"Me? Are... are you speaking... to... me?" The winged lizalfos stood up and looked at him. He saw that it was greatly frightened by him, but was trying hard to not shy away from his suddenly imposing figure. It gulped and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Oh... We never imagined this day would come. To even be in your presence..." Not entirely sure what was going on, Link lowered his head towards the creatures, hoping to convey that he meant no harm. As expected, they began to breathe more easily, with the other two rising from their postures. He saw traces of sadness in their reptilian eyes, and while he was more concerned with how he would continue from here, he knew it was more important to find out what was going on and why. "We can take you to our sanctuary."

I'm not sure what they're talking about. I'll have to play along for now, he figured. The Master Sword did not repel their dark magic, and now seemed as good a time as any to find out why. He grabbed his item pouch with his teeth and let them lead the way, grateful that at least nothing else seemed to have been lost.

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Getting control of his new and reconfigured limbs had been shockingly simple compared to the state his mind was in. It was as if he instantly knew how to move them. He followed the trio through the bleak forest, eventually stopping at a moss covered podium. Without any prompting from the others, he placed a forepaw on it. As if responding to his touch, the podium moved into the ground, and in a flash of light he found himself in a rocky valley. Several empty, ruined homes lined the dry place, and suddenly, he had a feeling he had been here before, despite having never seen such a place. There was a large hole in the ground that appeared to have once housed an equally large body of water.

"What is this place?"

"I don't believe it... the ancient home of our ancestors."

"Your ancestors?"

"Dragons much like yourself," one of them answered. "Your appearance is a sign that they will one day return. Old stories say this used to be one of their homes." Link padded forward until he came upon a house that was much larger than the others.

"What has happened here? This used to be such a glorious place, but that wizard... He started the dragon hunts and had us exterminated..." He stopped himself and shook his head as he realized what he was saying. "Huh? How did I know that?"

"Your Majesty, look! Life springs forth from below!" He glanced down and saw that there were tiny bits of greenery surrounding his paws. Looking back, he saw more of the short grass dotting the path he took. "You really are the one said to restore them."

"But... how? I've never been able to cast magic, and I don't--" He stopped himself as he felt a tingle on his left forepaw. Looking at the back of it, he saw the symbol of the Triforce shine forth. "Is... it is. Courage may not have the strength of Power or the knowledge of Wisdom, but it emboldens all things and promotes progress. I can make this work." He wasn't at all sure what he was saying, though he was vaguely sure that some entity was feeding him vital information. Arguing with it likely wouldn't get him back to normal, so he decided to play along for now.

"Your Majesty? Is something wrong?"

"First, my name is Link, and I am not your ruler. I see now that my mission has become much bigger than expected, and if I am to succeed, I will need some help." He clenched a paw and looked at the night sky. "I promise that I'll make things right, but without your help, I won't be able to keep that promise. Just as you were freed, so too will I free the others."