Ganondorf felt it. The boy's awakening had sent a tremor through the Sacred Realm, and made his Triforce resonate. He pushed away the girl sleeping on his chest and rose to the window of his chambers, staring out at the one building that remained standing in the Castle Town market. He could almost see the Sacred Realm opening to return Link to Hyrule.

The girl sat up and brushed carrot colored hair from her worried eyes. "Nnn... what is it, is something wrong? You only just recently came to bed..."

"The Triforce of Courage has awakened." Ganondorf turned back from the window, his face sour. Not even the sleepy visage of his lovely companion could wipe it away. "What is with that look of concern? Have you no faith in my power, Marin? Return to sleep, both of you."

"...The baby's awake, so I'm awake," Marin said, rubbing her pregnant stomach. Ganondorf was not lying when he said he had a use for Marin those seven years ago, and now his plan had finally come to fruition- his heir would soon be born. The stable girl had turned out to be just what he wanted- someone who was meek enough to bow to his every whim, yet strong and unwavering. And in the seven years since he forcefully took her as his sexual companion, not once did Marin cry.

"Does that mean you'll be leaving to fight him, while he's weak and disoriented?"

"No," the Gerudo king answered. "He will lead me to the other piece of the Triforce. That princess may have eluded me for seven years, but now that her hero has returned, she will make a mistake and reveal herself. I need only wait."


At dawn, after Ganondorf set out for his war council, Marin rose from the bed and walked out onto the balcony. Ganondorf had demolished Hyrule Castle and built his own cruel tower in its place, and thus there was no scenery to take in apart from the charred rocks around the lava pit. No more stables, no more trees, nothing.

It was a cruel way of living, but at least Marin survived. In the beginning, Ganondorf used her as little more than a concubine; having her prepare his meals, bathe him, and sleep with him. He gradually reduced her duties over the years, transferring them to his soldiers or creatures, and instead started treating her as a companion.

The Gerudo began shying away from their king once he took the Triforce of Power, and it had gotten to the point where only herself and Agahnim were able to hold an intelligent conversation with him. Is that what he wanted, to rule a land yet be virtually alone?

Marin sat back down on the bed, aching from a few strong kicks by the little one, and pondered the future. What will happen to the land when the hero really comes to face him? Will the two Triforce holders engage in battle, or will the Goddesses prevent it? She rubbed her stomach again, and let out a sigh. I can only hope that when all is said and done, Hyrule finds peace. If not for us, at least for the generations ahead...


...


Sheik dashed across Hyrule Field, easily dodging the hordes of stalhounds and poes that had bred and taken over the fields since the Uprising. The Sheikah stopped short at the entrance to the forest, where a large stalfos had taken up patrol. Though Sheik was armed, it was much easier to call upon the shadows for cover. Sheik slipped behind the trees and crept along the mountain wall. Once behind the monster, they thrust a bomb into its ribcage and ran, wasting no time to watching the monster shatter into pieces.

The path to the village was bare, but evil had not spared the sacred home of the Kokiri. The monsters of the forest thrived after The Great Deku Tree's death, and now the village was filled with oversized hostile deku scrubs and skulltulas. Sheik snuck past a few and leapt up to the Lost Woods entrance, leaving the creatures for the hero to deal with. Because they were not native and did not have a fairy guide, Sheik would need all their energy to navigate the deadly maze before them.

The Lost Woods did not welcome outsiders. Only those born of the forest, such as the Kokiri and Forest Nymphs, or those like the Kokiri, with a guardian fairy, could survive its magic. Sheik was neither of those, but there was no choice. They had to make sure the path was open for the hero. Using all of their training, they closed their eyes and focused on the sounds around them.

"Forest and shadow have little in common, yet they are nearly the same," Impa said. "Nothing grows without absorbing light, and in return, it creates darkness. Be confident in your abilities, and listen to the voices around you. Then you will find the way."

Remembering Impa's advice, Sheik ran in the direction their ears led them, and in no time found the pool leading to Zora's Domain. A Kokiri stood nearby, arms folded and foot tapping.

"Who are you, and why aren't you turned into a stalfos?" His freckled nose and brow were wrinkled into a frown, and he appeared rather put off.

"Who I am is of no concern. I am merely a guide, ensuring that the path ahead is safe for the hero."

Mido raised an eyebrow, but didn't budge. "Hero? Please. No hero is coming through here anytime soon. Now go rot in a ditch somewhere."

"I would prefer to 'rot in a ditch' after I speak with Saria."

The Kokiri perked up. "You know Saria? Bull. The only outsider she knows is that no-fairy, and he long since abandoned us. I'm not letting you or anyone else through here, so scram!"

Sheik sighed, and reached into their belt. Out came a small deku nut.

"What're ya gonna do with that? You think the confusion from throwing those deku nuts will work on me? We created them, you can't trick a Kokiri with those!" Sheik cut off Mido's boast with a flash, and re-emerged behind him. Leaving the boy to caress his bruised ego, they continued onward until reaching the Sacred Forest Meadow. Leaping to the top of the maze to avoid the moblin guards, they dashed to the temple entrance.

Link was nowhere to be found, and Sheik could sense he was not yet in the temple. So they took root in a nearby tree and waited for him, strumming nonsensical notes on their lyre. When the growls and screams of moblins filled the air, they knew the hero had arrived. Sheik watched as he ran up the stairs and straight for a tree stump in the corner, his face souring when he saw it was empty.

"The flow of time is always cruel..."

Link spun around, this time having missed Sheik jumping down. His eyes were sad, as if he knew what to expect but chose to ignore it. Sheik's heart tinged, as they imagined what face he would make once he found out Saria would not be coming back. "Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days... In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest."

Sheik produced the lyre from earlier, and strummed the notes that would activate the nearby warp pedestal. Link was transfixed on the instrument, so much so that Sheik had to play the song again before would join in. The fairy even jabbed at the hero's waist to make him pay attention.

Link missed a few notes at first, his grown up fingers not used to the now smaller instrument. But on the third time the melody came out perfectly, and Sheik joined in with their lyre. The fairy danced around their heads as they played, harking back to a time when the forest was lively and free of danger. Link stated at his ocarina when they were finished, but quickly put it away and smiled at Sheik.

The awestruck hero could not contain his giddiness. 'That was beautiful. I've never heard such an instrument, and yet you play it so talentedly,' he said without a word, grinning so wide, one would never think he had been grieving the moment before. It made Sheik blush and thank the Goddesses that their face was covered.

"Link... I'll see you again..."

Before the hero could blink, Sheik tossed a deku nut on the ground and leapt away. They stayed on a nearby ledge and watched as Link steeled himself for the temple. He cocked his head in confusion for a moment, trying to find a way in, before getting out his new hookshot and pulling up to the entrance.