"But that's impossible," Zelda pondered. She stood up straight and paced around the room, her delicate steps turned to the heavy pounding of hammers upon metal. "I mean, yes, Midna had spoken of returning to her realm in due time, but she had not decided when she would leave. No one could have known she were leaving. Unless..."

"Unless..?" Shilen asked.

"Link has told you of the legends, correct?" Zelda stopped her pacing and faced the children. "Of the sacred tools of the goddesses?"

"Yeah, but those are just old tales aren't they?" Rolen replied. "Just fairy tales, nothing real about them."

"That is where you're very wrong, little ones. Come!"

Zelda moved swiftly through the doors, and down the corridor, the children right on her heels. Passing large doors, long hallways, opening passages, and other rooms, Feron felt lost within just a few moments. He had not noticed it at once, but he could feel it in his feet. They were moving down the levels of the castle.

"Although it appears from outside the castle that the towers are incomplete, one of them remains, in a different plain," Zelda began.

"A different plain?"

"Yes. Like an entire world we are unable to see."

"Do you mean the Sacred Realm?"

"No. The Sacred Realm is impossible to enter unless the goddesses themselves were to open the doors. This place is known by very few. The Element Sanctuary."

"Element Sanctuary?" the four children repeated.

"I supposed that is one thing you have not heard of. It shouldn't surprise me. The only records of it are kept here, under lock and key. The doors to the sanctuary only open every one hundred years, it makes it the perfect place to hide away such precious things. Thankfully, it is the one hundredth year, and the doors can be opened."

They passed through a small doorway and found themselves in a small room. It was still inside the castle, but the hard floor had been dissolved by thick green grass. Tiny fireflies floated here and there in the small area. The roof above seemed to reflect the outside world. A deep purple sky, twinkling stars, and pale clouds.

At the far end of the grassy plain, stood a magnificent doorway. An aura glowed out from the edges of the doorway, but no light fell into the room beyond. All Feron could see was an endless darkness. Two Hylian guards stood at either side of the doorway. The one on the left, wore the Hylian Royal crest upon his chest plate.

The other guard's chest plate held a different crest. A sword in the center, with four symbols encircling it. At the bottom, a group of three leaves. To the left, a burst of flame. On the right, a droplet of water. And above, a curling wisp of wind. The sword itself, though it seemed to be an ordinary sword, had a four leaf clover wrapped around the blade.

"Your Majesty," Feron began. "What's that crest for?"

"That crest represents the Four Sword and the Element Sanctuary," Zelda replied. "This soldier is from a family line that has always stood watch over this gateway. Even when it is closed, someone from this family has protected it. Unfortunately, when the castle was destroyed, his father was killed in the explosion. He, and his brothers now guard the gate."

"Your Majesty," the pair of guards saluted. "No one has approached, or left the wall."

"The wall?" Meria asked. "But it's a-"

"It's alright, Meria," Zelda replied. She stopped and turned to face the children. The four children stopped as well, barely avoiding running into each other. The queen knelt down to match their height. "You must understand. Adults cannot see the door or the room beyond."

"Then how do you know it's there?" Shilen asked.

"Endor saw the gate begin to open yesterday. It will remain open for a few days. Plenty of time to find out what has happened. But from here, Corren must lead you on."

"You mean you can't enter the doorway either?" Rolen pondered.

"No. All I can see is a wall. I wish I could see it, but the next generation who will see the doorway open will be my children's grandchildren. Ah, Corren!" Feron glanced back. There stood Corren, in her left hand she held a small, rolled scroll.

"Yes, Mother," Corren spoke. "I'm ready to uptake my task as the second-daughter."

"Good." Queen Zelda stood up straight. "I need you to take Rolen with you. I do apologize, Shilen, Feron, Meria. But the gate only allows two people to dwell within the sanctuary at a time."

"Very well." Corren walked past the group, towards the door and stopped just in front of it. She turned to face Rolen, and held out her open hand to him. "Come on!"

Rolen stumbled forward and took her hand. He had not held a girl's hand before, other than his sisters. Her fingers felt cool against his suddenly warm palm. He felt his face begin to warm as well. His heart started beating faster.

Corren led Rolen into a long, dark corridor. The grass underfoot was replaced with a thick, wooly carpet. The ceilings hung high above their heads, much like a cathedral would have.

"Now that we're out of my mother's reach," Corren giggled as she glanced over her shoulder at the disappearing entrance. "We can have a little chat."

"A-a chat?" Rolen coughed.

"Yes, you see, I am the second-daughter, so I do have responsibilities to attend to. But, I am granted the choice of my future partner."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, and I can think of no one better than the eldest son of the great Link!"

"You want me to-?"

"Oh, I know I am older than you, but it can still work. My older sister's betrothed is only ten years old, and she is nearly seventeen! It would be a far better match between you and I. Will you at least think about it?"

"Of course!" Rolen's mind felt foggy. He had just been proposed to marriage by a princess. A princess! How would he ever explain this to his family?

"Thank you!" she leaned towards him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thinking about it is better than a direct 'no'. Oh, here we are!"

The entered suddenly into a brightly lit, circular room. Around the room stood six stone pillars, surrounding a stone stage in the center of the room. As the pair walked around to the far side, Rolen saw that a small staircase led the way up onto the stage. They walked up the steps together, hand-in-hand, until they reached the top. A pedestal sat before them. Stuck into the stone was a glowing sword, with a golden handle. At each of the four corners of the stage sat a crystal, each a different color. Green, red, blue and purple.

"This is the legendary Four Sword," Corren began to explain. "It is said that whoever should pull the blade from the stone will be split into four, each copy taking on a portion of the person's personality. According to the story, the boy named Link, who had drawn out the sword, was split into one of quick thinking, one of anger, one of fear, and one of mystery. He is one of your ancestors."

"Wow," Rolen replied.

"Now then," Corren unrolled the scroll in her hands. "I must ensure that each ancient relic is still here. According to my great-grandmother's account, the name of each item must be spoken by one of royal blood."

"How many are there?"

"Seven, one for each of the pillars around the room and one for the Four Sword itself. The formation of the pillars around the room represent the sages of Hyrule. Now, let's begin with the oldest item. Harp of Hylia!"

The first pillar, just to the right of the doorway began to glow. Atop of the stone, a golden, sparkling harp floated above the rock.

"Good." Corren pulled a small quill from her pocket and marked something on the scroll. "Ocarina of Time!"

The second pillar, to the right of the first, also began to glow. However, no item floated about the pillar.

"Corren-" Rolen gasped.

"No, how is this possible?" Corren seemed to began to panic. Hastily she moved on with the list, each name seemingly choking delicate voice. "Wind Waker, Harp of Ages, Rod of Seasons, Spirit Flute!"

Each of the pillars glowed at the sound of their name. However, not all of the items were in their proper places. The Ocarina of Time, Harp of Ages, Rod of Seasons, and Spirit Flute were all missing, leaving the Harp of Hylia and the Wind Waker alone.

"Quickly, we must go back to my mother!" Corren cried. She hurried down the stairs, rolling up her scroll as she went. "We must find the records of events during my great-grandmother's reign. They might give us answers!"

The pair ran across the circular room, and raced down the corridor as though they were being chased by some great monster. The hallway quickly ended, opening up into the grassy plain once again. Queen Zelda and the other's looked concerned at their arrival.

"Mother!" Corren coughed. She and Rolen stopped dead in their tracks and struggled for a few moments to regain their breath. "There are items missing from the sanctuary."

"What?" Zelda gasped. "How many are missing?"

"Four of the seven." Corren opened her scroll once again. "Ocarina of Time, Harp of Ages, Rod of Seasons, and Spirit Flute."

"The Wind Waker and Hylia's Harp remain?"

"Yes."

"This makes no sense..." Zelda paced for a short time, talking out loud, however the children were unable to decide if she were talking to herself or to them. "Of course, the Four Sword cannot be removed from the stone by just anyone, true. But the Wind Waker and Hylia's Harp? Why leave them...?"

"Mother, we need to look into the records of great-grandmother's reign," Corren began. "If any record of any strange events remain, they should be in her records."

"You're right." Zelda marched her way back towards the castle. "Shilen, Feron, Meria, come with me, I will need your help. Corren, take Rolen back into the sanctuary and retrieve the remaining items."

"All of them?"

"Yes. Even the Four Sword. Hurry, we may not have much time!"