Link woke up to the strange feeling of Zelda peeling her face away from his bare shoulder. Somewhere during the night, he'd stripped off his tunic due to the heat, but he was still covered in sweat. Zelda sat up groggily, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a big yawn. He followed suit, searching absently around the ground for his tunic.
"Here," Zelda said, handing it to him from the other side. He took it and nodded, resignedly pulling it over his head and tucking it into his belt after pushing his arms through the sleeves. He wiped sweat from his forehead.
"I can't wait until we're done here," Zelda said as Link pulled himself out of the hot sleeping bag. She began rolling it up while Link prepared the rope they used to tie it. "It's way too hot."
When they finally got all of their stuff together, the two of them headed back for the doors of the Earth Temple. Link heaved on the key, which was already in place, and the door cracked before swinging open. A large set of stairs was laid out in front of them, torches already lit, leading the way down into the temple.
"Ready when you are," Zelda said with a smile to Link, who nodded before taking her hand and heading down the steps with her. It was even hotter in here, but he tried to ignore it. The area was intimidating, with a pool of lava in front of them and rickety platforms of cooled rock lifting up and down as the molten rock burst upwards.
Very carefully, they jumped onto the first platform, and then the second, waiting for it to rise before they landed on a set of stairs across the first pool of lava. They paused then, looking up warily at a large gate ahead of them, appearing as if it was the mouth of a great dragon, whose face was carved into the rock above. Everything was much more extravagant here than the Skyview Temple, and although the colours and various sounds were more reassuring than the quiet, dark, coolness of Skyview, Link couldn't help but feel disconcerted as he stared at the great eyes of the dragon above. Was something like that living here? His eyes flicked to a small gear with a rope next to the dragon's face, and he blinked, curious what it could be for.
"Link, look," Zelda said after a moment, pointing to identical pulleys on either side of them. "This must be to open the gate."
Without hesitating, Link pulled out his sword and cut one rope, then the other. The gate moved down, but didn't fall all the way, and so Link rummaged in his pack for his Beetle.
"I think it's strong enough to cut through," he murmured, sending the little bug flying towards the rope next to the gate. It cut through, and the bug immediately returned to Link, just before the great gate moved down, hitting the edge of the platform they were on. Link let out a sigh of relief, but was distracted from moving forwards when Fi swung out of his sword.
"Master Link. I can confirm that we are, indeed, in the Earth Temple, and a spring lays at the end of the innermost room. However, there are much stronger enemies here. I suggest you take extra care in dealing with them. Ahead of you is what's called a Lizalfo," she continued, and Link looked forwards in surprise to see what looked like a giant Lizard, with one arm armoured with rock and a tail with spikes on the end. It was twice the size of a Bokoblin at least, and looked much stronger. "You must be patient and skillful."
Fi disappeared again, and Link swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Stay a bit back, okay?" he asked Zelda, who nodded and pulled out her shield, following a little ways behind him. The lizard noticed Link's approach immediately, and it licked its lips with a long tongue, stretching out its armoured arm and preparing to fight. Link swung at it several times to no avail, until the creature stuck its face under its arm and stuck its tongue out at him, mocking him. Angry, he stabbed his sword forwards, and proceeded to hit it a multitude of times until the Lizalfo suddenly jumped up, spinning around and hitting Link square in the chest with his tail. He let out a yell as he was knocked onto his back, and stood up as quickly as he could, just in time to roll out of the way of the Lizalfo's fiery breath.
He jumped towards the lizard, then, prepared to hit it straight on with his sword, but the creature seemed to be prepared, and knocked him sideways with his arm of rock. Link groaned as he shakily stood up for a second time, cursing the lizard and wishing it had just been a simple bokoblin standing in his way. The creature began mocking him again, and so Link ran forwards, hitting him where he couldn't guard, and sending him flying into the lava. The lizard let out a cry of defeat, bursting into a small purple cloud. Zelda ran to Link's side.
"Are you okay?" she gasped, and Link grabbed his rib cage where he'd been hit with the spiked tail.
"Yeah, I'll be okay," he said, finally standing up straighter, wincing slightly at the pain that came with it. He surveyed the area for a moment, his eyes landing on the giant, stone dragon face. His heart jumped for a moment as he thought it was real, but then he noticed the bomb flowers. He took out his slingshot.
"If I blow it up, we can probably use the pieces as stepping stones," he said, sending a seed flying at the bomb flower in the middle. There was a flurry of explosions, and Link was disappointed as he saw that most of the pieces were too small, and simply sank into the lava. However, the giant eyeball rolled towards them, stopping as it hit their platform.
"Oh…" Link sighed. This was their only option. "Hang on."
He hopped on the eyeball, struggling to keep his balance until he figured out a rhythm to it. Walking backwards, he rolled towards the middle platform, and then jumped off. He turned around then, facing the area where Zelda was standing, and pushed with all his might to get the eyeball over towards her. When it got closer, she jumped onto it, waving her arms for a moment to get her balance right. She rolled towards him, and then jumped off, landing next to Link.
"That's horrible," she said, turning to look over his shoulder. "And there's no way to get to the door over there…"
He followed her gaze and frowned at the large platforms that were too low for them to reach the higher door, but he noticed two cogs of sorts that were sticking out of the middle one. Pushing those would probably raise the platforms, he thought.
"I'll explore on the eye and see what I can do. You stay here with your shield, okay? Make sure to yell if something happens."
She looked at him carefully then, but finally nodded, holding out her iron shield and sitting on the staircase. Link hopped back on the eyeball, going around first to the cog he could reach. As he'd suspected, one of the platforms moved up, but he still had to get the other cog in before they could go anywhere. It seemed to be blocked off. He kept an eye on Zelda as he moved around to the other side, rolling over the occasional Spume. He jumped off a little ways from the middle platform, glancing back at Zelda first to make sure she was okay, and then turned, only for Ledd to jump out of the ground.
"Woah! It's you! Maybe yer just who I need. I dropped my bomb bag back there, and I need it back, okay? Think ya can help me out? I'll pay ya for it! Whatever you want! A Mogma is good for his word."
Shrugging, Link crawled underneath into an enclosed space, grabbed a bomb flower, and rolled it under where he'd come in. Ledd let out a shriek and dug back into the ground just as it exploded, revealing a new path and a door.
"It's in there, right?" he asked as he crawled back out, looking at the hole where Ledd had burrowed. "Ledd!"
"Yes! Yeah. It's gotta be," the Mogma said nervously as he popped back out of the earth. Link looked over the Mogma at Zelda, and waved. She waved back, and then he turned, heading through the door, unsure of where it would take him.
When he got in, he was shocked to see two Lizalfos standing in the middle of the room, chattering away to each other. As the door shut behind him, a steel barrier fell over the door, alerting the monsters to his presence. They looked at him and tight-lipped grins appeared across their scaly faces as they walked towards him.
"I can't waste my time here," Link said outloud to himself, frowning. Zelda was still in the other room; he didn't want her to be out of his sight for too long.
Running forwards, he was careful to keep Fi's advice in mind, and tried to attack one at a time. He received a few burns from the fire that they spat at him, and received a few good hits, but the battle didn't last long. Hitting them into the lava seemed to get things over with faster. Still, his breathing was shaky when he finished, and blood was seeping out from his left arm.
A treasure chest appeared after they'd been defeated, and Link opened it with a great sense of relief to see what had to have been the bomb bag. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket to get his red potion, and drank it all in one gulp, feeling considerably relieved afterwards. Slightly more chipper about the situation than before, he headed back through the door (steel barrier now gone) and found Ledd.
"Oh! You've got it! Why are you in here, anyway?"
"I'm helping Zelda," he said, choosing his words carefully. His eyes flicked up, and he was relieved to see that Zelda was still sitting there, doodling with the edge of her shield in the dirt. Ledd nodded in understanding.
"Yeh, I haven't seen my friend. I don't know where he is right now. He's gotta be in here somewhere, though…"
"I'm sure he's worried about you," Link said with a frown. "It's not good to be separated from a friend like that."
Ledd looked up at Link in surprise then, and nodded in determination.
"Yer right. Here, take my bomb bag! I'll let you have it! And there's five bombs in there too, if I'm not mistaken. It can fit ten in total."
"Thank you," Link said in relief, giving him a smile. "It'll be really useful."
"Yeah, yeah. Go on then."
Hopping back on the eyeball, Link moved towards the second cog, and frowned when he realised he really couldn't get to it. He looked around the area, trying to figure out some way to get to the other side, and that's when he noticed the crack in the wall. Curious, he pulled out a bomb from the newly-acquired bomb bag, and tossed it at the wall. It exploded when it hit the lava, and the crack grew. Praying to the goddess that it wouldn't flood the entire room with lava, he tossed one more bomb, and the wall blew open, leading to a path. He looked at it for a moment before turning to Zelda.
"Zelda," he called out. He could see her stand up. "I'm going down this path, okay? I need to go through to find a way to hit the second cog. Sit tight!"
"Good luck," she replied with a wave and another smile, and he watched her sit down again before rolling the eyeball down the thin path of lava.
The only dangers seemed to be Spumes, and the occasional dragon sculpture coming out of the wall spitting lava at him, but soon enough he'd made it through to another gate. Using his beetle again, and balancing precariously on the eyeball as he did so, he cut through two more gears and ropes. Sweat was still dripping down his face as he continued, and he hated to think of what he probably smelled like right now, but he tried to focus on the task at hand so he could get through as fast as possible. When he finally reached the other side, he pushed the eyeball into the cog, and another platform lifted up, allowing them access to the higher door.
He jumped off the ball onto the platform and turned to where Zelda was, only to see that… she wasn't there anymore. The iron shield she'd had was lying on the ground.
"Zelda?" he asked, his eyes darting back and forth to where she could possibly be. His heart sank. No, he thought, shaking his head, his breathing going faster. What could have happened? There weren't any monsters nearby that he could see, and there wasn't anything different around here. Something must have happened. He bit his lip. He should have never left her by her own, but there's no way the two of them would have been able to roll on that eyeball together. He didn't have any choice. She'd been taken by someone. His knees gave out, and he found himself slumped on the floor. Did this mean he'd failed as the hero to protect her?
Fi came out of his sword again, floating down to look at him.
"Master Link. I was created with the sole purpose of aiding you, the chosen hero, in your quest to fulfill the prophecy laid out for you. It entails protecting the Spirit Maiden, fair Zelda, and overcoming many challenges and trials in order to fortify your spirit and sword. Consequently, there are many things that I can do to help you."
He looked up at her curiously, feeling slightly more calmed down. Her clear, light blue eyes, blinked.
"Do you remember dowsing? I can recognize many auras and track them, such as Zelda's, which is being emitted from this shield, here." Fi gestured to the iron shield, which Link picked up and stuffed into his pouch. It was already a lot heavier. "By using your sword to dowse, you can pinpoint the location of the source of the aura. I have added Zelda to your dowsing options. Focus on her, and explore different directions with the tip of your sword. When you feel it pulsing with energy, that is the direction in which you must go."
Fi disappeared, and Link stood up, a new sense of determination in his eyes. He pulled out his sword, and letting his eyes fall shut, he did just what Fi had told him; and the sword began pulsing as he pointed it towards the north door.
"So she was taken further into the temple," he concluded, sheathing his sword and making a break for the door. As he lifted it up and came out on the other side, he was surprised to see a large ramp. He'd have to run up it unless he wanted to slide all the way back down.
After planning a route, he broke into a run. A large creaking sound above alerted him to a barrage of medium-sized boulders that were now rolling down towards him. Panicking, he managed to run through a gap in them, and his eyes flicked sideways to see a hole in the wall. He clambered up inside it, just in time; another barrage of boulders, these ones big enough to squash him completely, rolled down directly after, sinking into a small moat of lava at the end. He poked his head back out, relieved to see that no more were coming. He broke into a run again, finally reaching the top and panting. The second ramp that was in front of him was more complicated, but after blowing up a wall and essentially repeating his previous actions, he was able to get to the top.
A great dragon statue faced him there, its mouth wide open, lava flowing out from it, and a door beneath it. Pointing his sword towards the door, he was surprised to feel an urgent pulsing coming from his sword; Zelda was in that room.
He ran up the large curved ramp behind him, happy to see a big white treasure chest at the end. When he opened it, what could have only been the key for the door below was sitting in it. Happily, he took it out and pocketed it. He nearly yelled in surprise when there was a loud crack above him, and looking up, he saw a huge, round boulder falling down. It crushed the treasure chest, and without missing a beat, Link turned tail and booked it down the ramp, fear taking over. He didn't think he'd ever ran so fast in his life. At the nearest opportunity, he dove to the side and rolled down a flight of stairs, landing flat on his butt at the bottom. He looked up in shock to see the boulder roll directly off the ramp, and into the dragon's mouth. The lava flow that had been coming out of it stopped, and the mouth closed shut.
He headed for the door and lifted the key out of his pocket, standing for a few moments trying to figure out the right way to fit it in.
"Can't be just a normal key…" he muttered in frustration, finally sticking it in how it was supposed to go. The door accepted it, and cracked it in half, the two sides swinging open and allowing Link to run in. The room he came into was very similar to the one he'd come out of, with a tall ramp headed up to another dragon's mouth. As he jumped onto the platform, his eyes darted down, noticing a chain on the floor.
"Zelda?" he called, walking up the ramp, past the broken chain. About halfway up the ramp, a familiar, eerie laugh interrupted his thoughts. Link looked up in shock to see Ghirahim standing atop the dragon's head above the ramp, with Zelda draped over one of his arms.
"Zelda!" he yelled, and she seemed to stir, but was clearly not completely conscious.
"Oh, it's you," Ghirahim said smoothly, his free hand on his hip. "Let me see… Link, isn't it? Yes, that's the name that this spirit maiden was crying out as I captured her. I'm rather excited right now, because my underlings said that they had spotted her, and she was all by herself, with no one to protect her… Easy prey. Not something I'd expect from the chosen hero," he snapped, and Link drew his sword, glaring at the demon lord.
"You see, little human, I must have the spirit maiden to resurrect my master. It's absolutely a must. Ah, but in celebration for her capture, I think I'll join you in on the party. There's someone special I'd like you to meet. Oh, but don't be shy! Your agony is such fun. It won't take very long with my friend before you're charred to a satisfying crisp. Let me tell you, that-"
"Link!" Zelda's voice interrupted Ghirahim as she struggled against his grip, staring at Link desperately. The demon lord cast an angry look at her.
"It's too late, pretty girl," he hissed, not allowing her to break free. He turned his attention back to Link.
"Have fun," he said, and with a snap of his fingers, him and Zelda disappeared.
"No!" Link yelled, but he didn't get the chance to run forwards as the dragon head Ghirahim had been standing on suddenly opened its mouth. The same boulder as before rolled down towards him, and Link dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding it. It hit the edge of the ramp and burst open, eight flaming legs poking out and finding their bearings on the ground. It lifted itself up, opening what seemed to be a mouth, and let out a piercing scream.
Without bothering to think, Link broke into a run towards the top of the ramp. Fi came out, floating along beside him effortlessly.
"Master, a quick summary of this beast, Scaldera, tells me that it has one weak spot underneath the rock armour. The most efficient way of revealing it would be from some sort of blast force." She disappeared again, and Link hardly had to question what she meant; bombs.
He pulled out a bomb as he was running and threw it at the monster. It let out a high-pitched cry of pain before rolling back down to the bottom, and Link followed it as fast as he could. It was taking in a deep breath, and as fast as he could, he tossed a bomb, which flew directly into Scaldera and exploded within him. It seemed to be enough to send a bit of the armour flying, and Link ran forwards, slashing away at the eye as much as he could until the monster got itself up again and went on the offensive once more.
It took a lot of running, and a lot of explosions, but eventually Link had the beast beat. It exploded in a hot wave of dust and flame, and Link nearly fell over right then from exhaustion. He had no more healing potions, but he couldn't do anything except keep moving, so he staggered back up the ramp towards the door at the end.
The Hylian Crest on the door glowed blue as he neared it, fading away to reveal a path with which Link could walk down. When he came out the other side, he was relieved to feel the cool air and see what could only be the earth spring. He hobbled towards the edge of the platform where the floating crest was, and looked up weakly at the small statue of the Goddess that stood above it.
"Zelda… I'm sorry," he choked, falling down to his knees and gripping his injured arm. He'd never felt so angry at himself.
"If you're really sorry, you won't let that happen again."
The voice shocked Link, and he stood up in surprise, turning around and trying to locate the source. It wasn't Zelda; it was much deeper.
"Up here." His eyes flew up to see someone new, with tanned skin and darker clothes. She looked human, and next to her was Zelda, her hands clasped together in front of her. Link gasped, his eyes widening as he stumbled forward a few steps.
"My name is Impa," the woman continued. "You're lucky I was here to stop Ghirahim. While you have done a good job so far, you cannot let her out of your sight, no matter the situation," she added, as if she was reading his mind. She leaped into the air, her arm linked with Zelda, who followed, and was now garbed in some sort of long, flowing, white dress. They landed softly in front of Link.
"You must travel to Lanayru Desert. There, you must seek out the Gate of Time. I will meet you there. Do not underestimate the demon lord, Ghirahim. He will go to any means necessary to retrieve the Spirit Maiden. Good luck."
With those final words, the mysterious Impa disappeared, and Link stared hopelessly at Zelda before moving towards her, wrapping his arms around her as tight as he could.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I won't let that happen again. I promise," he added quickly, pressing his face into her neck. She was silent, but after a moment returned his hug, her eyes falling shut.
"It's okay, Link. I was worried about you, too... thank you for coming after me."
"I'll always come after you," Link stated, pulling away to look at her, his eyes not leaving hers, his hands on her shoulders. "That's a promise. I'll never stop for you. I can't even think… about losing you, it…" he dropped his face to stare at the ground, moving his arms away from Zelda and gripping his left arm, which was still screaming at him in pain.
"You won't ever lose me," she said quietly after a moment, and he looked at her in surprise. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek before walking past him, and this time it was his turn to blush. He turned to see her sit down in front of the crest, her hands together as the crests glowed. Link watched her curiously as she wobbled slightly, no doubt overwhelmed by the amount of memories she was receiving again.
"So… why the dress?" he asked as he took his place in front of the crest, jabbing it with another skyward strike. Zelda was sitting on the edge of the walkway, dangling her feet in the water.
"Impa said it's the proper attire for the Spirit Maiden," she said absently, and then looked back to Link, finally really noticing the ash and bruises on his face.
"Link… you're in horrible shape," she said suddenly, and he scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, well… Ghirahim sent this flaming ball of lava creature after me, and the only way to beat him was with bombs, so…"
Zelda stood up, then, draping Link's arm over her shoulders and helping him walk. Fi came out of his sword, and floated above the water, much like she'd done at the Skyview Spring.
"Master, I have a message written in the language of the gods of old. Allow me to translate for you. From the edge of time, I guide you, the one destined to carry out the Goddess' mission. The Spirit Maiden who has descended from the clouds must pass through here and make her way to a fated place. The parched desert of Lanayru… that is where the chosen will pass through the Gate of Time into a distant world."
As Fi spun atop the water, a new tablet formed at the statue of the Goddess, and floated down to Link, who took it with his free hand. She returned herself to his sword, and with an unspoken agreement, Link and Zelda headed to the outside of the temple, and lifted back up into the sky in order to return to Skyloft.