Before the fighters could react to her warning, the doors at the far end of the hall burst open, admitting the same assortment of monsters that had attacked Link in Kakariko. The Hylian drew Ragnarok at last, the power of Din roaring to life within the blade, while Miles flourished Wrath, his mini claymore. Oddly, he didn't draw Thorn, but kept the clawshot ready in his left hand. Link was puzzled at this; surely there were very few combat advantages with that piece of equipment.

Miles didn't wait for Link, and the Hylian saw just how wrong he had been. The Sheikah warrior dove into the fray, and with a sequence of rapid slashes too quick for the eye to follow, three bodies had fallen, forcing the monsters to open a circle around him. Unfortunately for them, distance didn't matter to Miles. He dashed to his right, cutting down a Soldier that was too slow to evade. He parried a thrust from a Stalfos, shooting the clawshot behind him with the claws curled like a fist to knock over a charging Darknut. Stepping on a low swing from a second Stalfos, he took both skeletons' heads off with one stroke. Another Darknut approached to his left, and Miles swung the still extended chain around the fiend's sword hilt as it swung, ripping it from its hand as he skewered it with Wrath. With split-second maneuvering, he flicked the chain so that the claws grasped the huge sword, and brought down into an unsuspecting Stalfos cluster. They shattered, and he jumped up, parrying a swing from a Soldier as he whirled the chain about, laying enemies down wherever it could reach. After a few leveling swings, the clawshot lost its grip on the giant sword, and the chain landed on the shoulder of another Stalfos as it charged him. Kicking the Soldier in the stomach, he retracted the chain, knocking the skeleton's head off. A Darknut swung low, and Miles hopped it, kicking the Stalfos' airborne head with such force that it ripped through the Darknut, leaving the giant in a bloody puddle. The warrior ducked as another Darknut swung at him from behind, then used Wrath to parry a series of rapid strokes from a group of Stalfos.

The Darknut took aim again, and Miles fired off at one of the Gerudo's cages. The trusty accessory lifted him above the stroke, and he landed on the Darknut's shoulders, driving Wrath through his armored helmet. He backflipped off the body, landing amongst three Soldiers, all of whom thrust at him. He ducked, spinning with his sword out, cutting them off at the knees. The Stalfos group caught up with him again, and he was deflecting strokes from all front angles. He ducked a horizontal slice and shot the clawshot backward, grabbing another unsuspecting Soldier by the face. Dodging backward, the fighter flung the Soldier with all his might into the Stalfos group, who scattered like bowling pins under the weight. As he landed, he hung the clawshot on his belt and drove Wrath through a Darknut's knee, kicking the other foot out from under it. With the same motion, he drew it out of the thing's knee and sliced its head off, catching one of the helmet's horns and flinging it into the eye of a Soldier, who went down screaming.

Suddenly, Link was at his back, carving a fiery path for the two of them. Miles finally drew Thorn, and the duo worked furiously, parrying, stabbing, vaulting, chopping. Back to back, they moved in a circular fashion, laying waste to the horde that charged them relentlessly. Link's rapid-fire strokes burned them to a crisp while Miles' whiplash strikes severed limbs left and right. Miles reached over and parried a blow coming for Link's head, and the Hylian ducked. Miles rolled over his back, coming down with both swords in a crouched position, breaking the Darknut's heavy blade in two, while Link rolled over his back, cleaving the heavy warrior in two with Ragnarok as Miles spun the other direction, taking off two Soldiers at the knees. A Stalfos rushed in, and the Sheikah-trained fighter parried while lunging upward with both feet. He rolled under Link, who backflipped into the air, cutting the skeleton in half on his way up. Ending the flip with Ragnarok above his head, Link brought it down as he landed, the force of the chop creating a fiery wave that incinerated everything five feet in front of him. Miles had spin-tripped a Soldier, leaping into the air and taking its head off, twisting and planting both swords in a Darknut's chest as he landed. A Soldier charged, and he backflipped off, Link dashing under him to decapitate the monster as Miles spun like a top upside down, taking heads off wherever he could reach, landing on his feet and parrying a savage cut.

A minute and a half later, they stood back to back still, breathing heavily. The monsters had all been dealt with. Smoking piles of ash and bleeding and broken bodies littered the ground in clusters below the swinging cages.

"The maidens," Miles whispered as he sheathed Thorn and Wrath.

Link nodded, hanging his shield on the hook in Ragnarok's scabbard. The sword served to illuminate the crevices that the otherworldly light could not reach. Within minutes, they had loosened all of the cages and brought them to the ground, opening them. Twelve of the Gerudo lay dead inside their cages, six lay unconscious, and one was alert. As Link helped her up, she spoke to him.

"It is good to see you again, friend."

The Hylian nodded, recognition in his eyes. The Gerudo woman turned to Miles.

"I am Nabooru, the Desert Wind, Guardian of the Seal of the Spirit Temple."

"One of the Sages?" Miles uttered. "Why are you here?"

Nabooru spoke as Link sat her down.

"My seal has been broken. I know not how, or by whom, but that is why I exist in this realm."

"Kakariko Village was engulfed in black flames," he informed her as Link rummaged through his pack for food. "There were no survivors."

Nabooru looked solemn. "Hyrule Castle will herald Impa's return with both happiness and apprehension, I fear, for that means another seal is undone." Her head snapped up, staring at Link. "Have you seen Ruto? Saria? Darunia?"

Link shook his head, offering her bread and cheese wrapped in oilcloth. The Gerudo took it gratefully, and Link set about administering water to the unconscious as she continued.

"There were seven sages, as you know. Rauru sleeps eternally in the Sacred Realm, the stitching that holds the very fabric of the realm together. Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, and I reinforce his power tenfold. Each one of us that disappears from that realm takes some of his power with us."

"The seventh sage?" Miles inquired. Link looked back, then continued his duty.

"The seventh and final sage," Nabooru informed him, "is Princess Zelda."

"But she has never disappeared from this realm," Miles frowned. "Has her seal always been broken?"

"The Princess was gifted with the virtue of Wisdom," the Gerudo explained. "Her stance as the final seal is also the conduit through which we enter and leave the Sacred Realm. She remains in both worlds, though in the Sacred Realm, she is little more than a feeling. The more Sages disappear from the Sacred Realm, the more solid her presence becomes there."

"And the more her presence here will fade," finished Miles. "And if her presence here is a mere feeling, anyone could enter, and the Sacred Realm will be vulnerable." He paused. "So that's how she knew to send us here; she could feel you ejected from the Sacred Realm."

As if on cue, a screech sounded, and both of the male fighters jumped up. After a moment, a hawk flew in, depositing itself unceremoniously atop Miles' head. From its leg dangled a case. Miles broke it, drawing out the parchment.

Master Miles

I trust you have remedied the strife within the Spirit Temple by now. You need not reply to this letter, as I have already formulated my plan. You and Link shall visit both of the remaining temples and verify that their seals are intact. I sense that the forest temple's seal will be in danger soon. Do not bother with the water temple; Ruto has visited me at the Castle, and I have been informed that the realm of the Zoras is once again frozen. Hasten to the forest and fire temples, and report to me. Keep this bird until you can reply.

Link,

I cannot explain to you

In anything I say or do or plan.

Fear is not afraid of you,

And guilt's a language you can't understand.

I cannot explain to you

In anything I say or do,

But hope my actions speak the words I can't.

Zelda

Link frowned at his part of the message. Something within him stirred, but he smashed it down ruthlessly. He was better off forgetting about her; she distracted him, and he had a job to do. Link looked over at Miles, having read his part of the note, too.

"So which one are you taking?" The fighter asked him.

Link frowned, recalling his experiences of both temples. He wished to take the most difficult one, to spare Miles the danger.

Miles thought. "Well, Ragnarok carries the power of Din's Fire, and that won't be much use against fire monsters. You'd blend better in the forest, too. I'll take the fire temple."

Nabooru put her hand on his shoulder. "The temple of fire is a very dangerous place, friend."

"How are you feeling?" Miles asked, evading the statement.

"Better," she admitted. "Well enough to fight if needed."

Miles paused. "Mind accompanying me? The volcano is dormant; no more eruptions. That means the interior's probably cooled off a bit, so we won't need any special clothing." He turned to Link, who was frowning curiously. "The first time you went in, it was so hot you couldn't breathe, right?"

The Hylian nodded.

"You needed a garment fashioned by the Gorons to withstand heat."

Another nod.

"But that was while the volcano was active. Since you subdued Volvagia, it has returned to dormancy. That was… seven years ago, right?"

The hero smiled. The boy was right; the interior of the volcano would have indeed cooled off. Nevertheless, he reached into his pack and pulled out a few things he didn't need anymore. First among those were the Silver Gauntlets. True, they were not as powerful as their Golden counterparts, but they made life easier. Miles passed them to Nabooru, who had been their initial seeker.

The Desert Wind shook her head. "I cannot go with you."

Miles was puzzled. "We could use the help."

Link nodded, understanding. Nabooru proceeded to explain.

"As the guardian of the sixth seal, my place is by the Spirit Temple. I must guard the temple until the seal can be restored. That way, I may return to the Golden Land and add my power to the seal of Ganondorf's prison."

Miles nodded, and suddenly noticed another Gerudo maiden was stirring. He darted over, helping her up. She coughed, and the Sheikah trained fighter uncorked his water skin, cradling her head against his shoulder as she drank. Regaining her strength, she sat next to Nabooru with a shy nod of thanks toward Miles.

Nabooru spoke. "This is my sister, Tanizau. Most call her Tani." The Desert Wind nodded at Miles. "She is young yet, maybe a little older than yourself, and could very well benefit from your experience. You will take her along."

Tanizau's eyes widened. "Is this…?"

"This is your Maiden Rite," Nabooru told her.

The younger Gerudo nodded solemnly as Nabooru spoke to Link and Miles.

"Tani has had much close combat training within our ranks, and she has risen to be one of our top fighters. But she has talent that is yet unharnessed. I believe that by watching and studying your fighting methods, she could grow to be one of the best in the Gerudo Legacy."

The Sheikah trained fighter nodded; that was similar to what his clan had told him upon completion of his training. Wordlessly, he handed Tani the Silver Gauntlets. She accepted them with a nod, and slipped them on. They seemed to change shape, molding themselves to Tanizau's slender, yet deadly hands. Secondly, he pulled out a pair of boots with golden tips and wings. The Hover Boots. Again, he offered them to Miles, and again Miles passed them to Tanizau. She looked questioningly at him.

"I already have special boots," the boy remarked, lifting one.

Recognition dawned on Link. Those were the long lost Pegasus Boots! Irritation crossed his features for a moment – if he'd had those boots the last time he'd cleansed this land from Ganondorf's evil touch, he wouldn't have needed Epona! He had wasted so much time with that stupid horse… Shaking his head and calming himself, he dug through his pack and finally found something the fighter could use. There were two golden stones embedded in his bow, one reddish and the other with a blue tinge. Link placed his palm over the blue one, the one that gave him the power to call ice into his arrows, and the stone came out with a flash. The Hylian held it up to Miles, who took it gingerly.

"This…" He was at a loss. "You're sure you trust me with this?"

Tanizau answered for the hero. "We will need the power of cold where we are going. The stones can fuse to any weapon, and can be taken out at will."

Nabooru nodded approvingly.

Miles drew Wrath, seeing his face in the mirror-polished blade. He set the stone against Wrath's hilt, and it was absorbed. Instantly, the blade took on a light blue tinge, and crystalline creases appeared across its surface. Mist also fell from the now-ice blade. It would be perfect for what they were going to face. Miles flourished the blade, sheathing it across his shoulder again.

"Thanks," he told the hero sincerely. "It will be returned to you."

Link kept the fire stone because many of the forest monsters could burn. The place was enchanted by Saria to ward off fire, but it didn't affect the evil that liked to gather within it when the seal was not intact. The fiery arrows and Ragnarok would make short work of any monsters he'd encounter.

Nabooru spoke up once more. "It should be worth noting that foul magic has been worked on this land again. Parts of the land have been subverted, instead mirroring their past selves." Link frowned as she spoke to him. "You will remember these places very clearly." She turned to Tanizau and Miles. "You, however, will not. You must adapt. When you have found the source of the subversion, destroy it, and the land will repair itself in time."

The three nodded, and turned their attention to the fallen Gerudo. Three of the six unconscious had risen to sitting positions, and the four fighters tended to them as best they could.

Miles realized the damn bird was still on top of his head! Embarrassed, he held his forearm up so that the hawk could climb onto it. Nabooru chuckled, and his cheeks flushed.

Hastily, he drew out a piece of parchment and scribbled a note to Zelda.

Your Highness,

We have found Nabooru and several other Gerudo maidens of the fighting order. Seven still live, and Nabooru's sister Tanizau herself will be accompanying me to the fire temple. We will be leaving all but the most meager share of our food and water rations here for them to wait for your aid. Please be swift; we did not bring much, and six may not survive more than a couple of days with scant rations such as these.

Your faithful follower,

Miles

P.S: Link does a good job of hiding it, but if I may be so bold… he misses you.

Miles tucked the note into another leg case, sending the bird out. It disappeared into the darkness. The fighter had fibbed a little when he'd mentioned 'scant rations;' he and Link had brought enough food and water that the two of them could live for a month on it alone. But Miles wanted to make sure these people would see help soon. Warriors or not, the trauma of what they'd experienced would eventually hit them, and he wanted them to have support when it finally did; during that period, they would be utterly defenseless. Glancing at Tanizau, he suddenly wondered whether he and Link were that different after all.

For Miles knew these things from personal experience.

Notes from HylianShield: Yes, yes, I know I went a little off canon there, but I felt the need for Link's arrow enchantments to be something a little more substantial than "I shot the sun and a magic power fell out!" That, and I think you'll like what I have in mind for the Ice stone and Wrath.

By the way, how'd you like the use of the Clawshot as a weapon? And how about the back-to-back team fighting? Yes, yes, that last one was inspired by Army of Two. Shut up. I adapted it. lol.