Don't own Legend of Zelda
Conflict
The beads of rain hung there, suspended, never to fall unless upon her command. Just little shards of natural glass, perpetually hanging by the threads of Time. She stood there, eyes closed, clad in silken gossamer threads of black and silver. Jet-black hair spiraled down to her waist. A great, partially woven tapestry was hung in midair beside her, but at the moment she was preoccupied in thought.
"Here you are," came a voice. It belonged to a woman clothed in ruby whose hair was bright as a living flame. On either side of her were two others, one garbed in sky-ocean-blue, the other in forest-green.
The woman in black knew them by reputation. "Ladies Din, Nayru, and Farore of Hyrule. What an unexpected visit."
"Don't give us that," snapped Din. "We have a bone to pick with you."
"Not literally, I would hope. Picking bones is tedious business."
"I think you know what this is about," said Nayru quietly.
"You've trapped our Hero in your land," said Farore.
The woman in black blinked. "The boy? He came to Termina of his own free will. I had no involvement in that."
"You put him under an obligation to save your country," retorted Din.
"He is free to turn away. He simply chooses not to."
"It's killing him," said Farore. "No, it's destroying him. Driving him mad."
The resulting smile was transparent, a wisp ill-concealing pain, yet at the same time almost twisted. "Madness and Destruction," she murmured. "Time always brings about both."
"Zeita, we implore you," said Nayru. "Mortals, heroes or not, have limits. Please. This quest may be the death of him."
The Goddess of Time started at the use of her name, which had remained unspoken for millennia. Upon recovering, she replied, "You were not thinking of his welfare when your people were in danger. It was you, not I, who branded him with fate. Maybe you are trying to make amends now, but that mark cannot be tossed aside, forgotten. Your Hero took this quest upon himself, because that is his nature. When he calls for aid, I do as much as I can for him by lending him my power."
"Speaking of which," said Din, "You are meddling with things you have no right to interfere with. Namely, the Song of Time."
Zeita answered, "It is not my fault that that melody is sacred to me as well. The onus is upon me to harken to the one who plays it in my domain."
"You could command him to return," said Farore.
Zeita shook her head. "No, I could not. I am not permitted to set foot upon mortal soil. I govern my subjects—hours, days, years—from afar."
"You could at least give him a message," Farore insisted.
"Perhaps I could. But I will not do it."
"What?" cried Din angrily. "Why not?"
"Fate is your business, not mine. I will strip no one of his free will. And besides," her voice went softer, "My lands—my people—are hanging by doom's thread. Would you deny them the one capable of saving them?"
Din crossed her arms. "Peace, Din," warned Nayru. "Fighting will get us nowhere."
"There are three of us, and one of her," Din pointed out.
The Goddess of Time gave that transparent smile again, even more sorrowful than before. "It is true," she susurrated. "I am one, and you are three. It would be no fair fight. Ah, but once upon a time, in ages long, long gone, we were three, too—my brothers and I." Her lip twisted. "Destruction, Madness, and Time. Ah, they were foolish, my brothers were. They became consumed by the forces they governed, and they raided the mortal lands. Mortified by their terrible power, the mortals fought back and sealed their powers within masks."
"Masks?" asked Farore.
"Yes." She shook her head. "Yet their powers are still accessible to the ones who wear those masks. Ah, brother Majora… Majora, who governed Destruction. He always was desirous of more. And it is he who is responsible for this crisis in Termina, this crisis your Hero has taken upon himself to fight."
"You mean to say he has to do battle with an exiled god?" exclaimed Din.
A tear like liquid glass slid down the Terminian goddess's face. Unlike the time-frozen rain, it fell to the ground and splattered. "Yes."
"What of your other brother?" asked Nayru. "Will the Hero need to battle them both?"
"Deios. He governed Madness. I know most think madness and destruction are essentially the same thing, but there is a subtle difference. Madness can lead to destruction, of course. But sometimes, it can also lead to salvation. It gives a man strength, and if he fights for a cause, he may more likely succeed. With that aspect of his nature in mind, I do not believe Deios will side himself with Majora. In fact, if he and the Hero cross paths, it is quite possible that Deios will ally himself with him—against Majora."
"But you can't guarantee that," riposted Din.
"Am I expected to be all-knowing? Even you three are not so, as far as your Hyrule is concerned."
Din narrowed her eyes. "If he dies, Zeita, I swear…"
"If he dies, it will not be my doing. But do what you will."
"You're sure there is nothing you can do?" asked Farore.
"I have done all within my power to aid your Hero, and I will continue to do so. But I do not have the power to turn him aside."
None of them spoke for a long time. "So… that's it?" queried Din.
"I think we have beaten this issue to the death," the Goddess of Time replied delicately. "The final outcome depends on the Hero, not me. Need I say more?"
Hyrule's Goddess of Power appeared to bite her tongue in silent agitation. She yielded with a slight nod. "…Very well." Without a further word she turned and left the same way she had entered. Farore gave Zeita a meaningful parting glance before following her sister.
Nayru and Zeita stood alone. "Even Heroes have their limits," she said quietly.
The Goddess of Termina looked away. "I know."
Hyrule's Goddess of Wisdom touched her shoulder in encouragement, but spoke no more. With that, she followed Din and Farore's suit. Zeita was once more alone.
She pulled a loose thread from the tapestry and sighed. No matter the outcome, it would be a loss to her.
Far away in the mortal lands, a clock tower's bell tolled.