Chapter 4 – The Temple of Time
Dr. Purah and Link rushed off together to look for Princess Zelda. They approached one of the Royal Guards on duty and was told that Her Highness had left the castle a little earlier, but her destination had been a secret.
"Does no one know where she went?" asked Purah.
"I can't say," said the guard.
"I think I can," said Link. "She's probably headed for the Temple of Time, and she has a good head start on us."
"You know who I am, right?" said Link to the guard.
"Yes, of course, Sir," said the guard.
"Would you please have someone get us two horses as quickly as possible and meet us with them at the castle entrance. Then take a message to Princess Mipha in the royal guest room that Dr. Purah and I are headed to the Temple of Time," said Link.
"Right away, Sir," said the guard, rushing off.
"Let's go!" said Link.
They hurried to the castle entrance which took several minutes. When they arrived, an attendant was bringing out two horses for them. They mounted the horses provided and galloped off toward the Temple of Time. It was almost a six-hour ride to the Temple of Time which was located south of Hyrule Castle on the Great Plateau. They were hopeful they could make up some of Zelda's head start.
Mipha was still alone in the guest room thinking about what had happened. She had never fully trusted Zelda when it came to Zelda's relationship with Link. But she had thought after Link and she had married that Zelda would put all that behind her and move on. It was inconceivable that Zelda had gone so far off her head with jealousy as to jeopardize Hyrule's survival over this.
There was a knock at the door, and when Mipha opened it she saw a member of the Royal Guard there.
"Your Highness, I was asked to inform you that Link and Doctor Purah are traveling to the Temple of Time," he said.
If Link was going to the Temple of Time it must mean Zelda's plan was a serious risk, she thought. She needed to be there to help if necessary.
"Thank you," said Mipha. "Can you help me travel there as well? And I think we need to hurry."
"Yes, Your Highness," said the guard. "I will arrange for two horses and accompany you there."
Mipha and the guard rushed to the castle entrance. The guard spoke to one of the attendants on duty and asked that two horses be brought as quickly as possible.
"How far away is the Temple of Time?" asked Mipha while they waited for their horses.
"It's a fair bit, Your Highness," said the guard. "I would say about six hours ride from here."
That far, she thought. Too bad there wasn't a water route. She could probably swim it faster than that.
The attendant finally returned with two horses saddled and ready to ride. The guard led the way, and they galloped off southward.
Zelda was riding her royal white stallion, a horse she loved. The horse was tame but could gallop at a good speed and had a high level of stamina. She was making very good time on her journey, having left the castle shortly after her conversation with Link. Her ride took her through Mabe Village and then on to the Hyrule Garrison. Her horse was getting a bit winded so this was a good place to water and rest her horse for a few minutes. The officer on duty at the garrison entrance was quite surprised to see her.
"Your Highness," said the officer, "I apologize. We must not have been informed of your travel plans. Is there anything I can do?"
"Just some water and an apple or two for my horse please," said Zelda. "I am in a hurry."
"Of course, Your Highness," said the officer. "Does Your Highness require an escort or any other assistance?" said the officer.
"No, I am fine," she said.
Princess Zelda riding alone as well as her haste struck the guard as quite unusual. In his experience, Princess Zelda would always have at least one knight assigned to accompany her. But he did as she ordered. He walked the horse to the water trough and had one of the soldiers fetch two apples for it. Then he returned the horse to Princess Zelda.
"Your Highness, your horse is watered and fed," he said.
"Thank you," said Zelda. She mounted the horse and left at a gallop. With this brief rest, she thought her horse could make it all the way to the Temple of Time without stopping again.
Link and Purah meanwhile were pushing their horses as fast as they dared without wearing them out. They followed the path Link thought Zelda would travel and finally reached Hyrule Garrison. They pulled up at the entrance and Link and Purah both dismounted.
"Dr. Purah, would you mind watering our horses while I speak to the officer? I want to make sure we are on the right track," said Link. Purah took the two horses and walked them over to the water trough near the entrance. Link wanted to see if his suspicions were correct and Zelda had come this way. He also wanted to know how far ahead of them she was.
"Sir, can I help you," said the officer.
"Have you seen Princess Zelda, and if so how long ago?" Link asked the officer.
"Sir, I am not sure I am supposed to discuss Her Highness's travel with you," said the officer.
"You know who I am, right?" said Link.
"Yes, Sir, of course," he said. "You are Captain Link of the Royal Guard."
"Then you know I was once assigned by His Majesty as Princess Zelda's bodyguard and thus am trusted by the royal family," said Link. "Princess Zelda is about to do something that will cause her and Hyrule great harm. If she stopped here, didn't you think it unusual she was traveling alone? All I need is for you to tell me how long ago she passed by here if, in fact, she did."
"Very well, Sir," said the officer. "She did stop here briefly about an hour or so ago to water her horse. Then she left in a hurry."
"Thank you," said Link. Purah returned with the horses.
"She's about an hour ahead of us," said Link. "Let's go."
They mounted up and headed south toward the Great Plateau. In Link's former timeline much of Hyrule had been destroyed, and there was no way to reach the Great Plateau by road. But in this timeline that destruction had not occurred, and a road sloped up past the walls and onto the plateau.
Zelda kept pushing her horse but eventually had to slow down to a canter, or her horse would be too exhausted to move on. She passed the walls of the plateau and finally arrived at the Temple of Time. There was no one around, which suited her fine. She would need some time to prepare everything and was happy to avoid distractions. She dismounted and left her horse outside the Temple to graze.
The Temple of Time was a massive structure, built in the shape of a cathedral. There was a central area where time travel could be achieved if one had the necessary tools and ability. Behind that was a giant statue of the Goddess Hylia. In older legends, the Hyrule Hero had been able to invoke time travel through the use of his Master Sword. But Zelda had spent many hours studying ancient Sheikah technology and had learned another way. She could activate the Temple's function using the Sheikah Slate she had modified. But she needed to be careful and set everything up correctly, and that required concentration. A mistake would be disastrous.
Zelda had already given some thought to when in time she needed to travel. It had to be before the time Link showed up in his own time travel or her efforts would be for nothing. If she arrived after Link, he would have already set his plan in motion and it would be too late for her to accomplish her goals. Link had arrived a week before what he referred to as the Great Calamity, so then she needed to arrive before that. In that way, she could be sure that when Link did arrive his plan would not be put into effect. Without her cooperation, Link could not accomplish his plan.
But her time travel date couldn't be too much earlier than his either for her plan to work. She still wanted to triumph over Ganon and needed the help of as many Champions as she could. And she didn't want any harm to come to her father either. However, she also needed to eliminate Mipha from the picture. So, the best way of doing that was to arrive very shortly before Link's arrival. She could keep Link from his plan yet individually alert three of the Champions of Ganon's impending attack and Divine Beast corruption. But she would keep the news from Mipha, and there would not be time for the news to reach Mipha from anyone else. Let Mipha be surprised by Ganon's creation in Vah Ruta like she was in Link's original timeline. Then, after some time for Link to grieve, he would move on, she could make him fall in love with her, and end up with the best of both timelines. She concentrated on programming the Sheikah slate.
Purah and Link arrived at the Temple of Time. They could see Zelda's white horse grazing outside so they knew she was inside. They dismounted and quietly approached the Temple of Time.
Link said, "Dr. Purah, let me go in alone talk to her. You go around the side of the temple and find a spot where you can conceal yourself but still maintain a good view of Zelda. Don't let her know you are there. I want her to think I came alone. I'll wait a few minutes for you to get in position. You know how to use a bow and arrow I assume?"
"Yes, I do," said Purah. "I'm a Sheikah as well as a scientist. But I hope I won't need to assassinate a member of the Royal Family!"
Purah was known for her research, but she was still a Sheikah, and the Sheikah were masters of stealth. Purah quietly worked her way around to the side of the Temple where there was a ladder leading to the upper level. She quietly climbed the ladder and then took a position where she had a clear view of Zelda below. She could see Zelda concentrating on the Sheikah Slate. She quietly took out her bow and an arrow, hoping she wouldn't have to use it. But if she saw Zelda about to activate the Sheikah Slate she might have no choice. Ideally, her shot would only wound her, but it would be disastrous to miss. She would have to aim for a guaranteed hit and hope for the best.
Link felt enough time had passed for Purah to be in position. He walked into the Temple of Time.
"Zelda, what are you doing?" said Link. "Can we talk for a minute please?"
Zelda looked up, surprised, and faced Link with the Sheikah Slate in her hands.
"Don't you dare come any closer, Link, or I will activate this," she said.
"Alright." Link stopped in his tracks. "I want to talk to you. What are you doing and why?"
"I'm fixing the timeline, the timeline you messed up," said Zelda. "If you know anything about the history of Hyrule, you should know that the Hylian Hero is supposed to end up with the Hylian princess, not some Zora. You and I need to be together and I am going to set things right."
"Zelda, please stop. Don't do this. How are you going to assure we will be together?" said Link.
"By making sure your precious Zora isn't warned about Ganon," said Zelda. "That was the way it happened in your original timeline, and maybe that was the way it was always supposed to happen."
"You're going to deliberately let Mipha die?" said Link. "What has happened to you, Zelda? That's not you. You were always a caring person and a friend."
"I am not letting her have you," said Zelda.
"Wait. If all you want is for us to be together, you don't have to tamper with time. I will divorce Mipha and marry you. We can be happy together for the rest of our lives the way you want. But please, Zelda, let Mipha live," said Link.
"You would do that?" said Zelda. "How can I trust you? And how do I know you won't leave me for her the first chance you get?"
"Because I will take a sacred oath to Hylia at her statue here in the Temple that I will be your faithful husband for the rest of my life. And I will swear never to see her again. You know I cannot break such an oath," said Link. "And that should accomplish everything you want without the danger of tampering with time and risking something going wrong."
The mention of Hylia's named caused her bruise to burn, and Zelda rubbed her neck. Then she thought for a moment about Link's proposal. It had some merit. For one, Mipha would still be alive in Link's scenario and undoubtedly heartbroken. That would be fine with her, she thought. But unfortunately, there was a fatal flaw in Link's plan.
"The problem with your proposal, Link, is that you are leaving Mipha because you care so much about her you'll do anything to save her. You still have feelings for her and probably always will. In my plan, you eventually forget all about Mipha and fall completely in love with me. So, I still prefer my approach," said Zelda.
"Zelda, something is wrong with you. You're not yourself. You are a descendant of the Goddess Hylia. You cannot do something like this. Hylia would never want you to do this."
At the mention of Hylia's name again her neck throbbed and Zelda grabbed it in pain. Suddenly Link remembered what the purple bruise reminded him of: the malice Ganon had spread during his triumphant return in the Great Calamity. Somehow Zelda must have been infected with its contact in the depths of the castle.
At that moment he heard Mipha and the Royal Guard member who had accompanied Mipha enter the Temple. Mipha saw Link and Zelda, but there was no sign of Purah. She and the guard stopped at the entrance.
"Zelda, listen to me. That bruise on your neck is no ordinary injury. It is a residue of Ganon's malice, and it has infected you. Mipha is here now. Please let Mipha take a look at it and help you," said Link.
"I don't believe you," said Zelda. "You're trying to trick me."
"If it's a trick try asking Hylia for guidance to learn the truth," said Link.
Zelda turned to look at the giant statue of Hylia behind her. Looking at Hylia's statue always filled her with awe and a sense of wonder that she was descended from such a deity. Something inside her was urging her not to pray, just activate the Sheikah Slate and get everything she wanted. But as she stared at the statue of the Goddess, she felt another urge telling her that it was the wrong thing to do. She needed to pray to Hylia for guidance in making this decision as she often did in the past. The two opposing feelings were pulling at her mind, and she struggled to know what to do.
Meanwhile, Purah was carefully watching the scene play out from above. She was afraid Zelda might well attempt to activate the Sheikah Slate. Purah threaded an arrow in her bow, pulled back on the bowstring, and took careful aim at Zelda. If it looked to her like Zelda was moving to enable the Sheikah Slate, Purah knew she had no choice but release the arrow and shoot her.
Zelda continued to struggle with the two opposing urges, each growing stronger by the minute. She looked up again at Hylia's statue, and suddenly the tension in her mind eased for a moment. She felt she had one last chance to trust in the Goddess. If she let this chance pass, she would activate the Sheikah Slate. She decided to trust in the Goddess and began to pray when she screamed in pain, clutching her neck. They all rushed forward to help her. Link grabbed the Sheikah Slate from her hands while Mipha knelt down to examine her bruise. It was an ugly purple, and Mipha looked horrified.
"Please hold her still," said Mipha. "I think I can heal this, but I have never seen this type of bruise before, and it may hurt." She began her healing process, her hand glowing blue as she gently waved it up and down over the bruise. Gradually the bruise began to shrink. After several more minutes, the bruise was completely gone. Zelda lay on the ground crying as Link cradled her in his arms.
"Zelda, it's okay. It's over. You were infected with some of Ganon's poison, and it was taking over your mind. We will need to clean out the room in the castle you came in contact with it. But in the meantime, you need to rest and recover. Let's get you back to Hyrule Castle," said Link.