"What happened? I got here as fast as I could but-"
"Obviously it wasn't fast enough, Mr. Hero."
Link's darted from the solider that had spoken to him to the bed that about 7 soldiers were guarding like hawks. Zelda lay there, his eyes shut and her breath coming out in short gasps. The boy quickly ran to the bed, bending down to look at the princess's flushed face.
"What… what happened to her?" Link asked in alarm. Though he more said this to himself then the soldiers around him. He lifted his right-gloved hand, feeling the women's flushed forehead and cheek. He could feel the heat radiating off her though the glove.
"We don't know, exactly."
Link turned at the voice. He let out a sigh of relief at the familiar face.
"Impa…" He said happily as the Sheikah walked over and sat next to him. Impa, along with her fellow stages, Zelda and Link seemed to be the only ones who rebred the events in which Ganondorf attempted to destroy Hyrule. After which, time had reverted itself and Link had returned to his 10-year-Hyrulian-boy form. He then traveled around, looking for his friend Navi, whom his heart was broken without. Unsuccessful, he returned to Hyrule where he was permitted to join as a solider at age 12, with Zelda and Impa's regard. Seeing his amazing sword skills, the king gave him position as captain-of-the-guard, against the happiness of the soldiers older then him. Link was now 17 and nearing a birthday.
"She was normal last night." Impa continued. "Yet… Yesterday she received a gift from an unknown source. A coming of age gift, that mirror in the corner. I have already examined it, yet I could find nothing wrong with it."
Link stood, still listening to the Sheikah's words. He looked around until his eyes caught a very large, stained wood mirror. He eyed it suspiciously, though Impa was correct. It looked like a normal, relatively cheap piece of glass. Impa watched the boy from the corner of her eye as he looked as his doppelganger. Nothing happened.
"You're right Impa. In fact, I think it's junk." Link muttered as he returned to the fallen princess. He looked down at her. Her flaxen hair stuck to her pale, wet cheek. Link smiled, reaching forward with his left hand. He reached to take the hair away, but a sudden force hit his hand, as if a knife had pierced it. Though the glove, an ominous golden glowing triangle appeared on the back of his palm, the lightest of which was nearest to his body. Link gasped in pain, pulling his hand toward his body. In a flash, the Sheikah beside him stood, grabbed the hero's hand so that the triangle could not be seen, and pushed the soldiers out of the way to the doorway. Impa opened the door so forcefully she almost broke the hinges. She drug the helpless Hylian boy down the hallway, getting question looks from soldiers. Finally, Impa trust open a small, closet sized door and threw the hero inside. Instantly, Link's nose congested with the scent of the spices that covered the room. The only light came from a few dim candles and the sunlight out the window that slowly crept below Death Mountain. Outside, the village of Kakariko was seen, Impa's home. The room was always like this; Impa claimed it helped clear her spirits.
As soon as the Sheikah let Link's arm go in order to shut her door, Link ran to her low bed, sitting on it and pulling off the glove on his left hand. The Triforce imprinted on the boy's hand was pulsing into a burning pain, causing a fire to go up his arm. He glanced up as Impa returned.
"Let me see it." She said as she pulled Link's grasp without a pause. She examined the skinny boy's relatively large hand. "Link, what happened?"
"I… I don't know… I was about to touch Zelda's face when my hand began to burn." Link looked at his hand nervously. He still felt the burning, though it had ceased somewhat when he made contact with Impa's cold skin. "But, Impa… I touched Zelda earlier…"
"I know, I was watching you. But that's not the problem. You touched her with your non-dominant hand, your right hand." Impa said as she let go of the boy's hand. She pulled a stool out from beneath the bed and sat down on it. Even sitting, she was still taller the Hylian. "The Triforce is located on your left hand, and I suspect that it sensed darkness as you neared the princess. It was warning you to stay away from her, least you be cursed as well."
"Cursed?! You mean that…?!"
"Correct. I have a belief may have been cursed last night after leaving for bed. Though I do not know of the cause, I am only concerned with finding out what the curse is and removing it from the princess."
"B-but Impa… Zelda won't wake at all. How do we get rid of the curse, keep testing her until something happens?" Link asked.
"Of course not. I would never put Zelda in that position." The Sheikah paused and thought for a moment. She rose from her seat and walked to the window. She looked over Kakariko, which grew darker as the sunset and several villagers put their children to sleep.
"I believe I may know a solution. Link, there is a flower that may wake the slumbering princess."
"A…flower?' Link asked as he arched an eyebrow. He reached for his glove and returned it to his hand.
"Yes. It is a rare rose known only to the Sheikah. Its position is in secret, found only in the underground tunnels of Kakariko graveyard. The only living who know of it is Zelda and I."
Impa turned to look at the boy. "It is called the Tialo Rose. It only will bloom in a moist underground, sunless environment. It is pure red, though its tip and inner petals are white."
"But… How will it help Zelda?" Link asked.
"The pollen of the rose increases breathing and the leaves cool down the skin. I suspect if we rid Zelda of her most notable symptoms, she will rise. She then may tell us her virus, if even she rises for a moment." Impa paused. "I do not know perfectly if this will wake her, but the rose has never been known to fail."
Link leapt to his feet, walking towards the door. "Don't worry, Impa! Consider this flower as good a-"
"Link." Impa interrupted him. She now stood in front of Link, her relatively large breasts eye-level with the boy. The boy, used to this by now, looked at the white haired women blankly.
"I must first warn you, there are dangers guarding the roses. A stonewall as well as a great Sheikah warrior await you. I suspect because you do not have Sheikah blood, you will be attempted to be cut short in you mission. Please, use this, as it may benefit you."
Impa then held forward a small dark blue instrument. Link looked down, recognizing it. "No, I told you. I won't take the name as hero of time unless Ganondorf returns or something at least 75 that bad happens."
Impa looked at the blue eyes until smiling and returning the instrument to her side. "Then I wish you luck, hero."
Link sighed. He had forgotten how peaceful and quiet the village was at night. A small fair-haired terrier waddled past, looking at Link with shiny brown eyes. Link smiled, bent down and patted the dog. He rose and continued to walk towards the gate, the hound now following. Link sighed; he seemed to have attracted a new fan with a simple nice gesture.
Link turned the corner, his ears now picking up a strange metallic clicking. He then spotted it's source, the gate to Hyrule field was going up. It was now at a eighty degree angle. Link let out a sharp grasp and ran towards the rising gate.
"Wait! Who ever is on duty, I order you to stop!"
Slowly, the gate stopped, though it was now impossible to walk normally on. Link, too stopped, looking up as a solider peered over the stone wall, a large smile across his face.
"Well, well, Hello there Mr. Hero!"
"You… I know you, don't I?" Link grimaced, yet another solider who instated to taut and ignore him because of his age. He sighed. "Look, I have a mission straight from Princess. It is vital you allow me to past."
"A mission from the princess…? BWAHAHA! Well, Déjà vu!"
"Look, that was an errand, yet this is very important and we'll both die if you don't allow me to pass!"
"Yeah, yeah…" the solider muttered as he examined the armor against his hand. Link gritted his teeth, he was used to this, and was usually too nice to talk back, resulting in the taunting of those who should respect him.
"As your commander, I order you to let this gate down!"
"Oh… being big and brave, huh? Look, it's too late, Mr. Hero, and wondering children like you turn to Skull Children if they wander without an adult." He laughed, turning away. "Your fairy is probably worried about you!"
Link uncontrollably out an angry yell as he ran toward the gate. He leaped, catching hold of the wooden plank. He heard the clicking again as the bridge began to rise. He began to climb, his goal to reach the top, though gravity fought him. Link struggled, determined eyes set on the top that neared the top. Finally, he was able to swing himself over and began to hang on the opposite side. A sudden large bang as the gate met the top caused him to let go in fright. His body collided with ice-cold liquid below. Link rose to the surface, coughing and sputtering. His feet met the bottom of the moat, letting his head piece the surface. A loud laughing caused him to look upward., the solider continued to watch him from his post.
"You are a determined one, aren't you, Mr. Hero?" the solider yelled. "That, or just plain stupid!"
The solider disappeared, still laughing. Link sighed just as a yellowish blob swam past. Link looked in shock as the dog from before licked him across the face. Link thought for a moment, then realized the terrier had used the logical route of squeezing between the gate and stone wall long before it was even close to closing.
"I guess you really like me, huh? All I did was pat you on the head…" Link muttered. "Come on, let's get out of the water."
Link and the pup swam with the current until they reached a shallow area where they quickly leap out of the water and into the freezing night air. Link clung to his soaked self, attempted to warm himself. The dog shook to get rid of excess water, covering Link with the dog-scented water. Link sighed, running towards the entrance toward Kakariko, closely followed by the over-clingy dog.
Link looked around the darkened, eerie graveyard. Headstones spread out before him, all with descendants of the Sheikah under them. Link sighed, how was he going to find one flower in this huge place?
Link began to walk forward; the mutt following at his heals. Link stopped, looking around to see where there was to look. After a moment, he noticed the dog had begun to bark, jumping around the hero playfully. Link bent down, putting a finger to his lips.
"Shhh! Do you want to wake the poes?"
Suddenly the dog jumped, grabbing Link's hat in its jowls. Link gasped in surprise as the ecstatic dog bounded away with the hero's signature cap. He leapt to his feet, chasing the dog across the darkened cemetery in a hurried rush. As he turned the corner, his foot caught the fence, causing him to fall onto the slant. He rubbed his numbed knee as he looked up as the terrier pushed one of the graves with his nose, revealing a hole. Link stared in awe as the dog squeezed though the small hole and disappeared under the ground.
Link bound to his feet and ran to the gravestone. He pushed the grave, revealing a large hole. He bent down and looked down it; Pitch black. It the few amounts of light, he saw the terrier, holding a green, wet blob and wagging its tail frantically. As he saw the blonde, he sunk the front of his body low, yet still standing with his back legs. The mutt bounded away, growling playfully.
Link sat up and fell down the hole, crouching as he hit the damp earth. Small bugs scurried around him, curios of the new source of light in their home. A sour scent of decaying flesh and blood hit the hero's nose. He looked around, seeing rows of coffins piled around on both sides of him, each with an eye with one tear. Link rose to where the dog had led him.
This was the grave Impa instructing him to find.
How the dog knew of this place escaped Link's mind as he stood up. He began walking forward, past about 20 columns of tombs. Finally, he reached an entryway with a shabby wooden door on it. Link took a breath and entered.
Inside, the hero's eyes met with a large, decorated room. In front of him was a large stone pillar with the mark of the Sheikah on it. Around the frame of the cave, rocks and large roots covered the sides, making them invisible. Link spotted a dark lump on the ground. He walked toward it, picking it up. It was his hat, a little soggy from drool, but perfectly unharmed. Link blinked curiously as he returned the hat to its rightful place. His hands still holding it, he noticed a trail of paw prints next to the spot where he had found the cap. His eyes followed the trail, the prints noticeably getting bigger and then morphing together more. The Hylian slowly turned a half circle, following the trail back to the door of his entrance. The prints met a pair of feet, human feet in fact, that purple and blue spandex covered. Link's eyes moved up the form, and obvious boy. The boy's arms were crossed over a picture over the Sheikah emblem. Finally Link's eyes reached the boy's half covered face. Light blonde, almost white hair covered part of it, until meeting a white-bandaged cap. The most visible part of his face was a single eye, which as Link caught it morphed from light brown to a crimson red. A light eyebrow arched at Link's shocked expression.
"We meet again, hero of time."
