Chapter 7: Lady of My Dreams
With someone else aside from Malik to guide them through the tunnels,
it was a lot easier to reach one of the main halls.
As Malik was silent this time, it was feeling a bit unnerving walking down the paths. Link decided to break the silence. "How did the Sheikah build such large rooms and identical tunnels before?" Malik's father glanced at him and smiled.
"Well, we used the normal way. We hired a few outsiders to help dig a bit deeper down, but the rest was done by Sheikah hands. Most of it wasn't done by Sheikah hands at the same time." Malik nodded at that, to which Link gave a smart 'huh?'
"The reason why nearly every room is perfectly angled and every tunnel is exactly the same is because it was all done of the same template. You're a smart boy, and I think the reason of how is close enough. To hint on, it's the reason why you came here, I believe." Malik gave Link a searching stare.
After a moment of intense silence, he finally said something. "You came here to learn how to make tunnels?"
After a moment of intense silence, he finally said something stupid.
Reza felt inclined to whack 'blue boy', as she dubbed him on the head. Just to justify her actions, she flicked Link's nose for bringing her into this.
"Um, no, I don't think I came to learn how to make tunnels, no." Link carefully replied. "I think what your father was talking about was about Sheikah magic."
Malik blinked. "I thought that only people of the Sheikah can wield that type of magic. After all, there should be a reason why it is called that, I think."
Link nodded. "See these masks?" He pulled out three random masks, waving them to emphasize his point. "They contain incredible magical power, just like yours, except these aren't specialised on emotions. I want to know if there is a way to hold back their powers so that it won't accidentally go off when someone uses it." Malik went close to examine the masks. He poked the one with a skull sign on it.
"That's the Blast mask. If someone wears it, and thinks aggressively, it goes boom."
Malik slowly pulled back his finger. "It goes... boom?"
"Yes, it goes boom. Destroys anything around it, hurts the wearer and gives him temporary earaches and headaches. Let's just say I only used it when it was dire." Link winced at the memory and tenderly touched his ear to make sure it was still there.
"Oh."
The rest of the walk passed mostly in silence, Malik trying to edge away from the mask Link was holding by attaching himself to the wall.
They finally reached another large room, which Link assumed was important since it had chandeliers. There were six people sitting on a raised platform in a semi-circle, most of them looking like your stereotypical grumpy old man. None of them were smiling; all of them were wearing bluish grey robes and with the front part of the hood veiling their eyes, with gnarled canes in each of their hands.
One of the six grunted. "You are the one requesting aid from us." It was more a statement than a question.
Thinking of that, Link didn't answer - they knew what his answer was, anyway. The one next to the person who spoke tapped his cane sharply against the floor in impatience.
"Yes." Link quickly replied.
"You had brought a Gerudo inside our caves."
"Uh... yes?" Link was getting a bit worried now.
"You knew earlier that the Gerudo and the Sheikah weren't on... best terms with each other."
"Well, yes."
"Yet you brought her in." The one on the left side nodded towards Reza.
"Yeah..."
"And yet... you still request our aid."
Reza was getting impatient now.
"Look, yes, Link wants your magical help for his masks, yes, I knew, I told him, he knows, that Gerudo and Sheikah are like oil and water, yes, I'm in here, as plain as the blasted lighting you use and for the Love of the Goddesses, he needs your help!" She fumed, not used to the quiet, mind-picking question moments.
All six turned their heads and stared at her. None of them blinked. Reza thought that she overstepped her boundaries, but she kept her expression defiant.
Neither side said a thing.
Neither side were relenting yet.
Yet one side finally spoke.
"It had been catalogued that you fought an Ice Ghost somewhere around the well."
Link was weary, as was Reza, so they just both nodded. Taking a quick survey of the area, Malik had already left (though Link suspected he was eavesdropping), and his father had followed his son.
It was six old men against two young ones.
"There were once seven of us."
Yet one side finally spoke. Yet one side was seizing the upper hand.
"Uh..."
"The lost seventh heralded the call of frost."
Link felt like shrinking and running as fast as he could go. Reza knew they were losing.
"The lost seventh died by eight scimitar cuts, three knife slashes and a final axe stroke."
Their voices weren't by any means getting louder, but they were becoming firmer, stronger. Holding more power, more force.
"The lost seventh died by a Gerudo ambush."
Unless they could say something fast and strong, they would have to lose this one-sided verbal battle.
"The lost seventh brought his hatred to his grave about Gerudo, and all those that fight along them."
Link knew he had to speak up; otherwise they'll try to whip him with guilt and incredible pressure. "Yes, that man might have died in anger, and I suppose that would explain why he suddenly attacked before and not when I was around. But these masks, as I suppose you all would know, contain power that should not be exposed to anyone, everyone, and I wish that you would help my call to seal the powers inside, only when I need to reactivate them again."
That did not even make them relent.
"Why are you allowed to use the powers?"
"Why are you special in that way?"
"Why do you think you are special?"
"What knowledge do we have that you're not lying?"
"What knowledge do we have that you won't abuse it?"
"What knowledge do we have that you won't succumb to it?"
At that, they came to a silent agreement and bombarded him with their taxing questions again.
'How do we know you won't falter against it?'
'How do we know you won't be possessed by it?'
'How do we know you should be granted access to it?'
They weren't repeatedly throwing questions at him before he could answer. They were punching their thoughts all the way right down into his subconscious.
Link's mind was struggling to stay awake from the pressure.
'I won't fall against it, I've used it before' he weakly thought against them.
'Do we really know that you're not tainted by their powers?'
'Do we really know that you're not enticed by their powers?'
'Do we really know that you're not ruled by their powers?'
Their piercing stares through their hoods were adding to his unease.
'I... I don't know.'
'If you don't know, how do you know to control the powers?'
'If you don't know, how do you know to control the powers safely?'
'If you don't know, how do you know you'll keep the control?'
'If you don't know, how do you know you're not under their control?'
Their thoughts kept hitting him like a battering ram, each blow to chip away at his defences. They kept hitting, and finally they got through.
From his automatic safety system, he was knocked unconscious.
*
'Do we really know that you're not tainted by their powers?'
'Do we really know that you're not enticed by their powers?'
'Do we really know that you're not ruled by their powers?'
Link panted as that thing kept repeating itself in his mind. It went over and over and over again, cycling through the same words, each to the same importance, yet with greater effect each time.
"Ah, shut it, you know it's very annoying listening to the same voices again and again."
Link blinked. Opening his eyes, he came to see the usual black that he saw when he saw that odd lady. So that meant that the voice was...
"Yes, it's me." The voice said. Rolling around in this odd space where he kept meeting her, he saw her again. It was the same - glowing figure, middle of nowhere, and no clue on how he got there.
"Yes, aren't I dazzling?"
"Dazzling my flat foot." Link muttered under his breath; never mind that she could read minds, so she can hear all speeches.
Her eye twitched slightly. "Contrary to your popular belief, we are not in the middle of nowhere, just on the edge of somewhere and the brink of nowhere."
Eh?
"Don't worry about it, your tiny brain won't be able to visualise it, along with how you got here."
Deciding to change the subject, he asked a question. "So what is this Second Seal you were talking about?"
The lady looked a bit put off and pouted slightly through all that 'dazzling brilliance'. "Well, do you know who made the Triforce?"
"Yeah," he replied easily (when you travel back and fourth in time, bearing one of the pieces and chasing a man with the other, you get to tend to know the legend quite well) "the three Goddesses." What was she trying to get at?
"Very good, and be patient, you insufferable pipsqueak." She retorted to his wondering.
Link broke into a smile at that. "If I'm small, that means that you're big. Hmm, you must have a waistline the size of these caverns."
The lady drifted up close and bonked him on the head. "Never treating higher beings with respect," she grumbled, kicking his chest to send him reeling back, "oh well, I never told you who I was."
"That's a good question," Link responded, getting the hang of drifting by floating over by backstroke, "aside from that I know you're even bigger than a hippo, who by the Goddesses are you?" The lady scowled, but did not feel inclined to kick him back again.
"That is actually closer than what many believe I am. Which part of the Triforce do you bear?" She didn't have to wait for an answer, since he was already thinking about it. "Which of the three Goddesses' essence is in that part?" Link's eyes widened. "Who do you think I am?"
"Din!" Link swore.
Her steadily building smirk dropped. "No, I'm Farore, you dolt."
His eyes widened even larger. "By Nayru!"
She gave him a flat glare. "How thick is your head? I told you I'm Farore."
He gave her a flat stare back. "I know that just that I didn't think it was wise to swear by your name at you." She raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded (albeit reluctantly) in agreement.
"If you're a goddess, why don't you act all pristine and regal?"
"Are you implying that I am not?"
"No, I'm implying that you act like a boy half the time and sound annoying at the other half." She growled at him.
"You may be of a weak by my standards race, which elevates me above you by quite a bit, so you would expect me to act like your monarchy." Link nodded to that. "Well, face it buddy, we also have feelings too, so when I feel like it, I can be as rude or reasonable as I choose to be."
With that said, she lowered the glow around her, revealing herself to him. He would have stumbled back if there was ground on him.
She appeared to be wearing light silver robes, which contrasted well against her purplish flowing hair that fell back to her knees. Just like as said in the tomes of legends before, her beauty was astounding, but the books never seemed to be able to capture her very own radiance. Link managed to think that she had the beauty of a goddess, but whacked himself mentally at that thought.
"Ha! I knew I looked better than both Nayru and Din ever did!" Link managed to assemble coherent speech and spoke out.
"I thought that as the all loving type, you didn't compete against each other." Farore nodded lightly at that, and a light frown appeared on her face.
"Well, yeah, but it does tend to get boring just watching how people live everyday lives. Sure, there is the occasional entertainment since there is no such thing as privacy against us-" she sent Link an annoyed glance at his shocked face "-but there really is nothing more to do that watch strife, peace and everyday routine go on."
"Uh, so how'd you fix that?"
Conjuring a chair, she sat down and went into a storyteller's pose. "Granted, we came up with an idea on how we can amuse ourselves. It was really to visit our own made planes of existences and appear as daily characters, just with a twist. Din chose to become a dancer, as wild as a raging fire, Nayru chose to be a singer, as serene as a tranquil lake, and I chose to become a storyteller, as mesmerising as the infinite stars. We stayed for a while, came back and saw how many books were published on each of us and how many people believed that I, or the other two, were the best looking."
Link could only stare. He was enraptured with the story, but part of his mind was thinking 'what by Din's Fire?'
Farore blushed in slight embarrassment and continued. "You could say I cheated, since I usually went to where children were usually found, and that meant towns and cities, where there were more people to listen to me, as well as more people skilled in writing. But after all, if the Hero of Time thinks I'm beautiful, then that means I win!"
"You know, I never saw Din or Nayru, you know."
"Well, after you feasted your eyes on me, why would you want to see them? Sure, they're all fantastic and such; I have to admit, but not as well as me." She said in self appreciation.
Link mumbled under his breath. "I doubt either has such a bloated ego."
Farore sent him reeling again with another shove.
"Back to work now... yes, the Second Seal of the Sacred Realm." She started, entering her storytelling pose again.
"It can only be achieved by one that wields time, along with the companions of Fire and Ice. The Great Sages must aid in the fortification of this seal, and once that is complete, none with the mind of destruction might be able to re-enter the Sacred Realm again."
"What are you talking about?" Link asked, totally confused now.
"Since I don't have much time left, I'll tell you later. But I can tell you about the Wielder of Fire, however." Picking a bit of lint off her robes, she continued. "Remember your friend Reza? She managed to sprout into flames and beat old Maxim even when he was in his indestructible form. Guess who wields fire?"
"Oh..."
"Of course," Farore interjected before his thought could process that for too long and dwindle off subject, "she wields it, she does not create it. You were the one who supplied the required energy for her to change it." Seeing his confused face, she elaborated. "Imagine yourself as wood. She is the flint. Providing that there is still the wood being fed, the flint can start the fire and keep it going. If there is no more wood to give, the fire goes out. Alone, a flint does not do much - it could cut if you're lucky, but most of the time it will not. The wood has much more uses, however. As long as it is generated, you could use it to create a fire, set a camp, build a boat, enforce a building and even make weapons. It has many uses, but it can only be changed with the tools. It could be used in its raw form, of course, but not as well as with a tool nearby. The tool, hence, is useless without anything to act upon."
Link pondered on that for a moment. Before he had too much time to dwell on it, she spoke again.
"Well, I best get going now. Your friend Malik wishes for you to wake up now. I'll see you later, and oh! Don't forget to take a shower - you smell bad." With that said (and Link sticking his tongue out in a mature manner), she faded away and Link woke up.
"Ah, Link! You're awake! It's nice to know you didn't fall so soon for their mental projectiles. Screaming Nightmares, eh?" Malik gave a smile to him and helped him up. A voice spoke up at the corner of the room.
"As much as I disapprove of the thought, I have to agree with Blue boy. Screaming Nightmares indeed. They're nightmares alright, with their mind poking activities. As with the screaming, well, the silence and forceful quiet statements they make seems to be shouting at you." Turning around, it was Reza there - unarmed, surprisingly.
"To make sure that I won't go around on a rampage to kill everybody," Malik and Reza snorted at that, "they made me leave my weapons in this room. Just in case someone sees me armed, they know that there is trouble around." Reza rolled her eyes, and Link could see that this was the room that he brought Reza towards.
"Well, let's go. Weird as it is, the old bats were impressed on how long you stood up against their mental torment, so agreed to help you. First thing they're going to do is apologise."
Reza coughed back a laugh. "Them? Apologise? Has the main hall collapsed and they want extra hands to fix it?"
Malik looked a bit surprised. "No, actually; the tunnel that leads to my room fell down, and I guess they would like extra hands to fix it, though."
Link sighed. "Never mind, let's go."
*
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, just grumbling to myself on how I can get beaten so easily on Warcraft Frozen Throne on Easy level. I shall be the best! Anyhow, hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. Thanks for waiting.
As Malik was silent this time, it was feeling a bit unnerving walking down the paths. Link decided to break the silence. "How did the Sheikah build such large rooms and identical tunnels before?" Malik's father glanced at him and smiled.
"Well, we used the normal way. We hired a few outsiders to help dig a bit deeper down, but the rest was done by Sheikah hands. Most of it wasn't done by Sheikah hands at the same time." Malik nodded at that, to which Link gave a smart 'huh?'
"The reason why nearly every room is perfectly angled and every tunnel is exactly the same is because it was all done of the same template. You're a smart boy, and I think the reason of how is close enough. To hint on, it's the reason why you came here, I believe." Malik gave Link a searching stare.
After a moment of intense silence, he finally said something. "You came here to learn how to make tunnels?"
After a moment of intense silence, he finally said something stupid.
Reza felt inclined to whack 'blue boy', as she dubbed him on the head. Just to justify her actions, she flicked Link's nose for bringing her into this.
"Um, no, I don't think I came to learn how to make tunnels, no." Link carefully replied. "I think what your father was talking about was about Sheikah magic."
Malik blinked. "I thought that only people of the Sheikah can wield that type of magic. After all, there should be a reason why it is called that, I think."
Link nodded. "See these masks?" He pulled out three random masks, waving them to emphasize his point. "They contain incredible magical power, just like yours, except these aren't specialised on emotions. I want to know if there is a way to hold back their powers so that it won't accidentally go off when someone uses it." Malik went close to examine the masks. He poked the one with a skull sign on it.
"That's the Blast mask. If someone wears it, and thinks aggressively, it goes boom."
Malik slowly pulled back his finger. "It goes... boom?"
"Yes, it goes boom. Destroys anything around it, hurts the wearer and gives him temporary earaches and headaches. Let's just say I only used it when it was dire." Link winced at the memory and tenderly touched his ear to make sure it was still there.
"Oh."
The rest of the walk passed mostly in silence, Malik trying to edge away from the mask Link was holding by attaching himself to the wall.
They finally reached another large room, which Link assumed was important since it had chandeliers. There were six people sitting on a raised platform in a semi-circle, most of them looking like your stereotypical grumpy old man. None of them were smiling; all of them were wearing bluish grey robes and with the front part of the hood veiling their eyes, with gnarled canes in each of their hands.
One of the six grunted. "You are the one requesting aid from us." It was more a statement than a question.
Thinking of that, Link didn't answer - they knew what his answer was, anyway. The one next to the person who spoke tapped his cane sharply against the floor in impatience.
"Yes." Link quickly replied.
"You had brought a Gerudo inside our caves."
"Uh... yes?" Link was getting a bit worried now.
"You knew earlier that the Gerudo and the Sheikah weren't on... best terms with each other."
"Well, yes."
"Yet you brought her in." The one on the left side nodded towards Reza.
"Yeah..."
"And yet... you still request our aid."
Reza was getting impatient now.
"Look, yes, Link wants your magical help for his masks, yes, I knew, I told him, he knows, that Gerudo and Sheikah are like oil and water, yes, I'm in here, as plain as the blasted lighting you use and for the Love of the Goddesses, he needs your help!" She fumed, not used to the quiet, mind-picking question moments.
All six turned their heads and stared at her. None of them blinked. Reza thought that she overstepped her boundaries, but she kept her expression defiant.
Neither side said a thing.
Neither side were relenting yet.
Yet one side finally spoke.
"It had been catalogued that you fought an Ice Ghost somewhere around the well."
Link was weary, as was Reza, so they just both nodded. Taking a quick survey of the area, Malik had already left (though Link suspected he was eavesdropping), and his father had followed his son.
It was six old men against two young ones.
"There were once seven of us."
Yet one side finally spoke. Yet one side was seizing the upper hand.
"Uh..."
"The lost seventh heralded the call of frost."
Link felt like shrinking and running as fast as he could go. Reza knew they were losing.
"The lost seventh died by eight scimitar cuts, three knife slashes and a final axe stroke."
Their voices weren't by any means getting louder, but they were becoming firmer, stronger. Holding more power, more force.
"The lost seventh died by a Gerudo ambush."
Unless they could say something fast and strong, they would have to lose this one-sided verbal battle.
"The lost seventh brought his hatred to his grave about Gerudo, and all those that fight along them."
Link knew he had to speak up; otherwise they'll try to whip him with guilt and incredible pressure. "Yes, that man might have died in anger, and I suppose that would explain why he suddenly attacked before and not when I was around. But these masks, as I suppose you all would know, contain power that should not be exposed to anyone, everyone, and I wish that you would help my call to seal the powers inside, only when I need to reactivate them again."
That did not even make them relent.
"Why are you allowed to use the powers?"
"Why are you special in that way?"
"Why do you think you are special?"
"What knowledge do we have that you're not lying?"
"What knowledge do we have that you won't abuse it?"
"What knowledge do we have that you won't succumb to it?"
At that, they came to a silent agreement and bombarded him with their taxing questions again.
'How do we know you won't falter against it?'
'How do we know you won't be possessed by it?'
'How do we know you should be granted access to it?'
They weren't repeatedly throwing questions at him before he could answer. They were punching their thoughts all the way right down into his subconscious.
Link's mind was struggling to stay awake from the pressure.
'I won't fall against it, I've used it before' he weakly thought against them.
'Do we really know that you're not tainted by their powers?'
'Do we really know that you're not enticed by their powers?'
'Do we really know that you're not ruled by their powers?'
Their piercing stares through their hoods were adding to his unease.
'I... I don't know.'
'If you don't know, how do you know to control the powers?'
'If you don't know, how do you know to control the powers safely?'
'If you don't know, how do you know you'll keep the control?'
'If you don't know, how do you know you're not under their control?'
Their thoughts kept hitting him like a battering ram, each blow to chip away at his defences. They kept hitting, and finally they got through.
From his automatic safety system, he was knocked unconscious.
*
'Do we really know that you're not tainted by their powers?'
'Do we really know that you're not enticed by their powers?'
'Do we really know that you're not ruled by their powers?'
Link panted as that thing kept repeating itself in his mind. It went over and over and over again, cycling through the same words, each to the same importance, yet with greater effect each time.
"Ah, shut it, you know it's very annoying listening to the same voices again and again."
Link blinked. Opening his eyes, he came to see the usual black that he saw when he saw that odd lady. So that meant that the voice was...
"Yes, it's me." The voice said. Rolling around in this odd space where he kept meeting her, he saw her again. It was the same - glowing figure, middle of nowhere, and no clue on how he got there.
"Yes, aren't I dazzling?"
"Dazzling my flat foot." Link muttered under his breath; never mind that she could read minds, so she can hear all speeches.
Her eye twitched slightly. "Contrary to your popular belief, we are not in the middle of nowhere, just on the edge of somewhere and the brink of nowhere."
Eh?
"Don't worry about it, your tiny brain won't be able to visualise it, along with how you got here."
Deciding to change the subject, he asked a question. "So what is this Second Seal you were talking about?"
The lady looked a bit put off and pouted slightly through all that 'dazzling brilliance'. "Well, do you know who made the Triforce?"
"Yeah," he replied easily (when you travel back and fourth in time, bearing one of the pieces and chasing a man with the other, you get to tend to know the legend quite well) "the three Goddesses." What was she trying to get at?
"Very good, and be patient, you insufferable pipsqueak." She retorted to his wondering.
Link broke into a smile at that. "If I'm small, that means that you're big. Hmm, you must have a waistline the size of these caverns."
The lady drifted up close and bonked him on the head. "Never treating higher beings with respect," she grumbled, kicking his chest to send him reeling back, "oh well, I never told you who I was."
"That's a good question," Link responded, getting the hang of drifting by floating over by backstroke, "aside from that I know you're even bigger than a hippo, who by the Goddesses are you?" The lady scowled, but did not feel inclined to kick him back again.
"That is actually closer than what many believe I am. Which part of the Triforce do you bear?" She didn't have to wait for an answer, since he was already thinking about it. "Which of the three Goddesses' essence is in that part?" Link's eyes widened. "Who do you think I am?"
"Din!" Link swore.
Her steadily building smirk dropped. "No, I'm Farore, you dolt."
His eyes widened even larger. "By Nayru!"
She gave him a flat glare. "How thick is your head? I told you I'm Farore."
He gave her a flat stare back. "I know that just that I didn't think it was wise to swear by your name at you." She raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded (albeit reluctantly) in agreement.
"If you're a goddess, why don't you act all pristine and regal?"
"Are you implying that I am not?"
"No, I'm implying that you act like a boy half the time and sound annoying at the other half." She growled at him.
"You may be of a weak by my standards race, which elevates me above you by quite a bit, so you would expect me to act like your monarchy." Link nodded to that. "Well, face it buddy, we also have feelings too, so when I feel like it, I can be as rude or reasonable as I choose to be."
With that said, she lowered the glow around her, revealing herself to him. He would have stumbled back if there was ground on him.
She appeared to be wearing light silver robes, which contrasted well against her purplish flowing hair that fell back to her knees. Just like as said in the tomes of legends before, her beauty was astounding, but the books never seemed to be able to capture her very own radiance. Link managed to think that she had the beauty of a goddess, but whacked himself mentally at that thought.
"Ha! I knew I looked better than both Nayru and Din ever did!" Link managed to assemble coherent speech and spoke out.
"I thought that as the all loving type, you didn't compete against each other." Farore nodded lightly at that, and a light frown appeared on her face.
"Well, yeah, but it does tend to get boring just watching how people live everyday lives. Sure, there is the occasional entertainment since there is no such thing as privacy against us-" she sent Link an annoyed glance at his shocked face "-but there really is nothing more to do that watch strife, peace and everyday routine go on."
"Uh, so how'd you fix that?"
Conjuring a chair, she sat down and went into a storyteller's pose. "Granted, we came up with an idea on how we can amuse ourselves. It was really to visit our own made planes of existences and appear as daily characters, just with a twist. Din chose to become a dancer, as wild as a raging fire, Nayru chose to be a singer, as serene as a tranquil lake, and I chose to become a storyteller, as mesmerising as the infinite stars. We stayed for a while, came back and saw how many books were published on each of us and how many people believed that I, or the other two, were the best looking."
Link could only stare. He was enraptured with the story, but part of his mind was thinking 'what by Din's Fire?'
Farore blushed in slight embarrassment and continued. "You could say I cheated, since I usually went to where children were usually found, and that meant towns and cities, where there were more people to listen to me, as well as more people skilled in writing. But after all, if the Hero of Time thinks I'm beautiful, then that means I win!"
"You know, I never saw Din or Nayru, you know."
"Well, after you feasted your eyes on me, why would you want to see them? Sure, they're all fantastic and such; I have to admit, but not as well as me." She said in self appreciation.
Link mumbled under his breath. "I doubt either has such a bloated ego."
Farore sent him reeling again with another shove.
"Back to work now... yes, the Second Seal of the Sacred Realm." She started, entering her storytelling pose again.
"It can only be achieved by one that wields time, along with the companions of Fire and Ice. The Great Sages must aid in the fortification of this seal, and once that is complete, none with the mind of destruction might be able to re-enter the Sacred Realm again."
"What are you talking about?" Link asked, totally confused now.
"Since I don't have much time left, I'll tell you later. But I can tell you about the Wielder of Fire, however." Picking a bit of lint off her robes, she continued. "Remember your friend Reza? She managed to sprout into flames and beat old Maxim even when he was in his indestructible form. Guess who wields fire?"
"Oh..."
"Of course," Farore interjected before his thought could process that for too long and dwindle off subject, "she wields it, she does not create it. You were the one who supplied the required energy for her to change it." Seeing his confused face, she elaborated. "Imagine yourself as wood. She is the flint. Providing that there is still the wood being fed, the flint can start the fire and keep it going. If there is no more wood to give, the fire goes out. Alone, a flint does not do much - it could cut if you're lucky, but most of the time it will not. The wood has much more uses, however. As long as it is generated, you could use it to create a fire, set a camp, build a boat, enforce a building and even make weapons. It has many uses, but it can only be changed with the tools. It could be used in its raw form, of course, but not as well as with a tool nearby. The tool, hence, is useless without anything to act upon."
Link pondered on that for a moment. Before he had too much time to dwell on it, she spoke again.
"Well, I best get going now. Your friend Malik wishes for you to wake up now. I'll see you later, and oh! Don't forget to take a shower - you smell bad." With that said (and Link sticking his tongue out in a mature manner), she faded away and Link woke up.
"Ah, Link! You're awake! It's nice to know you didn't fall so soon for their mental projectiles. Screaming Nightmares, eh?" Malik gave a smile to him and helped him up. A voice spoke up at the corner of the room.
"As much as I disapprove of the thought, I have to agree with Blue boy. Screaming Nightmares indeed. They're nightmares alright, with their mind poking activities. As with the screaming, well, the silence and forceful quiet statements they make seems to be shouting at you." Turning around, it was Reza there - unarmed, surprisingly.
"To make sure that I won't go around on a rampage to kill everybody," Malik and Reza snorted at that, "they made me leave my weapons in this room. Just in case someone sees me armed, they know that there is trouble around." Reza rolled her eyes, and Link could see that this was the room that he brought Reza towards.
"Well, let's go. Weird as it is, the old bats were impressed on how long you stood up against their mental torment, so agreed to help you. First thing they're going to do is apologise."
Reza coughed back a laugh. "Them? Apologise? Has the main hall collapsed and they want extra hands to fix it?"
Malik looked a bit surprised. "No, actually; the tunnel that leads to my room fell down, and I guess they would like extra hands to fix it, though."
Link sighed. "Never mind, let's go."
*
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, just grumbling to myself on how I can get beaten so easily on Warcraft Frozen Throne on Easy level. I shall be the best! Anyhow, hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. Thanks for waiting.
