7! It's a lucky number! 7 7 7 7 7 7 7!!!! Seven sevens! 7!! I hate the number seven… but it's chapter 7!! Voldemort has 7 horcruxes!! Or… DOES he? NO! HE HAS EIGHT!! HARRY IS **spoiler**

so… chapter seven, then. Well, here goes nothing:

Chapter Seven

She pounded her wrists on the ground so hard that they became sore. Tears streamed down her face, and along with her physical pain, her heart hurt. How, how had Link become a murderer?! Who would do this?

Well, she knew who would do it… but… he was trapped in the Sacred Realm, which meant that a different villain was the source of this.

Finally, Zelda found that it wasn't within her willpower to fight herself anymore, and she sank to the ground, exhausted.

No, she thought to herself. I can't allow myself to give in.

She pushed herself up and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Finished yet?" asked Link. Zelda felt her face grow warm. How embarrassing…

"Link," she said. "Link, do you want to change back?"

"Well," he said, "that's a stupid question." He reached down a gloved hand and helped Zelda to her feet.

"So… so, you do," she said.

"Of course I do. I thought you were smart."

"I am," she said.

"Oh," said Link. "Well then… could you tell me where to start looking?"

"I could tell you," she said. "Or… I could show you. But… I'd have to explain, first."

"Fire away."

"Well," she began, her voice small. "I'd like to… but it's not safe here. I'll bet that more soldiers will be coming soon, and seeing me with you will only create more havoc. We should go somewhere more private."

"Like…?"

"Death Mountain, maybe" she said. "Nobody goes up there."

"Well, duh," said Link. "The place is full of eruptions and falling rocks."

"You've forgotten that it's no longer like that—that was the first time around. There are no more obstacles; it's just too high for anybody to climb."

"Well, that puts Death Mountain out of the question."

"Not necessarily," said Zelda, and pulled from a hidden spot in her sleeve something blue and elliptical.

"How'd you get that?" asked Link in disbelief.

"I stole it," said Zelda.

"Well, congratulations," said Link. "It seems you have learned something from me after all."

"Ah."

"So," said Link. "Are you planning to use the ocarina, or shall I do the honors?"

"I think I can handle it on my own," said Zelda, and moved the instrument to her lips, where she began to play a song that was unfamiliar to Link. It was eerie and slow, and Zelda broke out into sweat as she played it.

Once she had finished, there was a burst of light, the world spun around them, and suddenly they were sitting on the top of Death Mountain, the sun beginning to set in the distance.

"Hey, wait a second," said Link. "It was just afternoon! I swear, it was just afternoon!"

"Yes," said Zelda. "But my method of warping takes us just as long to get somewhere as if we rode at our fastest pace. For us, it's only a minute, but for the outside world, hours have passed since we disappeared… kind of like when you went forward and back in time, way back when."

"So it only saves energy, not time," Link said.

"Precisely."

"Isn't magic supposed to work the other way around?" asked Link. "You know… takes less time, but all of the same energy is used? That's how it worked for me."

"Magic is one of the most difficult and unexplored subjects for a being," said his companion, the princess. "Even the Goddesses do not understand its full power… let's make a camp."

Zelda used her power to light a fire that floated just a little above the ground. Link sat in front of it, the violet flames reflecting in his crimson eyes. He crossed his legs and leaned back, his hands behind him.

Zelda sat beside him, and she watched the fire for a little while before Link said, "…so?"

"So," said Zelda. "As you know, you're not the… first hero in Hyrulean history."

"I know," said Link. "There was that Prince Sean guy, and that Reynaldo guy, and that barbarian whose name I can't recall. What of them?"

"Well, they've all faced the same types of problems as you have—every hero has it. It's a time of despair, where the hero doubts himself and finds himself unable to go on. It's… typical. Every hero goes through it."

"So what you're saying is that it's like puberty for the knight in shining armor."

"Sort of," said Zelda. "I guess… if you respect that comparison."

"No, it sounds fun," said Link. "Since I never had the chance to go through it myself."

"What, despair? Or puberty?"

"Both," was the reply.

"Anyway," said Zelda, "when the hero had his breakdown, he would always go to his only superior. Take Prince Sean, for example—he went to his mentor. Or the barbarian, who went to his King."

"But," said Link, "I have my doubts that they traded places with their shadow."

"…not necessarily," said Zelda. "Reynaldo did. It was the work of his enemy. Reynaldo was much like you—a retired hero, whose only superiors were—"

"—the ancient sages," Link finished. "I'm familiar with that story, actually. Malon's father was telling me about it, when I spoke to him earlier—he was telling me that I needed to be like Reynaldo."

"So you do know," said Zelda. "Even though you lost your memory."

"Yeah, something like that."

"Anyway, do you remember how the sages helped him?"

"I didn't learn that part," he said.

"He found each of them, and they bestowed upon him their blessing."

"Great," said Link. "But… I don't see any sages."

"That's because they're hidden," said Zelda. "Across Hyrule, they each have one Mirror where they will wait for the Hero. Once you have every blessing, you will be whole again."

"Then what are we sitting around for?!" cried Link.

Zelda frowned. "You need patience, Link. You must be tranquil, or the Mirrors will never appear to you."

"They… come to me?"

"No," said Zelda. "You go to them. But you must have patience. Every mirror will have some type of trial surrounding it. They are hidden—forbidden mirrors, in a way."

"Do you know where to find them?"

"I know where two of them are, yes," said Zelda. "The other four we must find on our own."

"And do we need to search for them in a certain order?" asked Link.

"No," said Zelda. "But we'll be going to Saria's mirror first."

"I remember Saria," he said. He laid on his back. "Good night, Zelda."

"Sleep well, Link."

"Don't worry," he replied. "I won't."

BAAAHH!!! I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN A LONG TIME!! IM SO SORRY!!! Anyway, hope you liked!