Chapter 4

Section 1 – Missed the Gunshot

Jethro observed the scene at the castle. They are together now. At least, they will never be more together than now. He felt a shudder at that thought, for it did not play out well for the side of Good if it were true. Link was right, as Jethro observed, to be so anxious about the meeting of the Sages. How little they had accomplished in…how long had they been together? Hours, days? It was hard to tell with no perspective. Link was having no easier time telling how long they had been arguing in the other room. It could have been long or short, but he knew the true answer was "too long." Here they would stay, he knew. They had everything they needed except one thing. They needed someone to give them a push, to get them started. Was that Link's position or not? What would finally make them start acting their roles? Link didn't want to fight against fate, for it was inevitably a losing battle. Which way was fighting it, though? Was helping the sages going against what was dictated, or was acting out of character? Which was the greater change to the way thing were supposed to be? Time would have to provide the answer, for Link did not have it. He rolled over on his bed for a moment, looking toward the door that was open just a crack. The sounds of argument that had bled into the room before had subsided. Consensus? Link hoped, but did not expect.

In truth, the other room had tired itself out, and people had retired to their individual rooms. The room was empty and it was making just as much progress as before. Darunia and Ruto had each retired to their own guest rooms in the castle. If Darunia hadn't changed, he was taking a nap right now. Who knew what Ruto was doing? She was pretty unpredictable as people go. Zelda was in her room, no doubt still working. She seemed to be taking this the most seriously. She was going to wear herself thin, but at least she was doing something. Back in her room, she was pacing back and forth. Occasionally she would stop and wait, but then she would start her pacing all over again. She was nervous. In her pacing, she was losing her hold on Sheik. She needed to center herself. She forced herself to stop pacing about and to take deep breaths. She asked herself what she could do on her own to help their cause. Her mind kept leading her back to what she couldn't do, what she probably needed the other Sages to help her with. She kept realizing how much she didn't know about what she was supposed to do. These thoughts were not helping. She tried her best to throw them away, but they kept coming back. It was several minutes before she started thinking about what it meant to be the Sage of the Wind. The other elements seemed simple enough, fire for example. Fire was fire. What was wind really? Wind was the movement of other things, wind was a product of movement and feeling, not something itself. Wasn't it? Does she create wind? Sheik hadn't tried, but inside she didn't think that was the most productive use of her power, even if it were possible. Wind was travel. Wind took seeds from one place to the next, allowing the flowers to spread across great distance. Wind filled the sails of a great ship, taking it across the oceans of the world to strange and faraway places. So, wind was the joining of two places. Distance. Location. Where are the Demons? She blinked twice at that thought.

Perhaps she could tell them how much time they had to act, she could tell them where the Demons were. Maybe through that she could determine what they were doing. This was a great ambition, and it needed location to start. And how would she find them? Jethro had prepared her for this one, luckily. Jethro had schooled her in essences, in the recognition of how things connected to each other. She had come in contact with three of the sages. She housed within her the Sage of the Wind, and she had met the Sage of the Fire and the Water. That would be enough to start. She could single out the essences of the elements within, and then use that to find the Demons. Wouldn't that work? The Sages and Demons were just carriers of the elemental powers, so they should both have that stain about them. It was no easy task, of course. She had figured out the theoretical, the idea behind what she would do, but that didn't mean the practice would be simple. These essences could be anywhere. It would require a lot of time, energy, and thought to locate them within the vast expanse. Hopefully the essence would be radiant and obvious, it would stand out. That would make it easier to target. It was possible, and she didn't have enough experience to determine how probable it was. Zelda breathed deeply again and began to close her eyes, beginning her long meditation.

Here they all are, Link thought. Right here in Hyrule Castle and yet the place doesn't feel any different. What made these people the Sages? In truth, they all seemed no different to Link, unless being a Sage meant the power to argue endlessly. Something inside each of these people knew that this was a Sage, but that something could not be seen from the outside, at least not now. Here Link was taking their word for it, granting truth the claims of these people. Link wasn't like that, he was independent. He judged his situations for himself and pieced the evidence together. He didn't just take what was given and act accordingly. Or did he? Was he ever really that different? How many times had Link gone to extreme lengths at what he had simply been told was the fate of the world? How many of those times did he really decide for himself that the world needed him? Never, and he knew it. What was the same story each time, Link? You are somehow told that the world is in danger, and you sense something inside yourself, some kind of calling, that you are the one to take care of it. Nothing ever appointed you, you never had some kind of badge to show the people, some decree that you were indeed their savior. Why expect any different when someone else gets a turn? Was this how everybody felt when Link saved the world? Link couldn't accept it. It couldn't really all be that simple, that this was exactly what he was like. It couldn't be because he didn't like it. No, that wasn't all there was to it. Link wasn't just led by the nose by someone else's information. Somehow, he always seemed to stumble on the information himself, which was then explained to him. Something always brought him to the right place at the right time, some kind of…fate? Fate. A word at once nasty and wonderful. At the same time it ensured a man that things are as they should be and that he can't do anything about it. Fate had given Link his position and had led him to his glory, and that was what was missing here. According to what Link had learned, this was the unwritten part of history, wasn't it? The unwritten has no end, no fate. These Sages, they were acting without the guidance of fate. They didn't have that crutch of reality, or the experience that Link had to step in the right direction out of habit. They had just been born, and that wasn't going to be good enough.

Link pulled out his ocarina, feeling the strongest need to talk to Saria again, to tell her what was going on here. Saria would understand, or barring that, she would listen. Saria was the friend that always had the time to listen, and sometimes that was enough. He brought the instrument to his lips, but suddenly realized how dry his mouth felt. He had to clear his throat and actively wet his lips before he could begin to play. Afterwards, he held the ocarina close, sealed his lips around the opening, and blew softly and sweetly until Saria's song escaped into the air.

Zelda's eyes flared open as the answer suddenly presented itself before her face. Here now as the clearest feeling she had had since she began her search of the land. There it was, a terrible perversion of the essence of Fire, Fire with an evil host, and it was close. She sweat as she could feel the heat of the element, scorching her skin and drying her body. This Demon was close, very close, but where was it exactly? In this very castle? No, too close. She would have known if the Demon walked among them now. She would have sensed it without even trying. Where? Sweat kept running down onto her closed lids as she felt the pressure of the situation. Something was very important, she had to find out where this Demon was. She played a sort of game in her mind, the game children play. You're getting warmer…yes warmer…hot…hot…very hot. The closer she got the harder it was to go on. Then she could not drive herself to scry any closer, so she simply noted where she was looking. Kokiri forest. Oh no.

Saria! Link had finished the song, had reached a mental link with Saria in the world of sound, the world of music. This only brought him the deep seated pain as he felt what she felt in the moments of her slaughter. She wasn't ready at all. The Demon of the Fire, he charred his path through the forest, sending immense smoke into the air as the living leaves on the trees were incinerated. He brought himself to the door of the Forest Temple and practically melted the walls in front of him. He roared as he used his might to cook the Temple from the outside, exerting such an extreme heat that the very stones that composed the temple acted as griddles. The Temple was an oven, and Saria needed to get out. The vines and ivy that coated the outside walls burst into flames, carrying the fire inside the temple and beginning to draw smoke into the corridors. Saria ran through the corridors, trying desperately the get outside, but each barefooted step brought her down on the hottest of stones. She was walking on the coals of a fire. Smoke was starting to get thick in the air, which only slowed her and cooked her more. Link! Her mind cried out to him, knowing that he was listening, but also knowing that he could do nothing. He sat in horror as he was tortured by the sensations of her death. Saria finally managed to collapse out of the front entrance to the Temple, where her assassin was waiting for her. Here he loomed, over her body as it lay on the ground in front of him. Using his powers as he was now, his stature seemed to reach into the heavens above. He was a giant, fueled by the air around him. He was completely bald, the scalp discolored from age old burns that would never heal. While without hair, a mixture of black smoke and ash rose up from the top of his head to a type of wavy spike that filled the role that hair normally would. His nostrils snorted out pure heat that singed the hair in his nose. Saria looked up at him as high as she could in her state, looked up in acknowledgement of what was going to happen. He stared down at her, outing some of the terrible language of the Demons, each syllable sounding like the flaying of flesh. Then, he took his sizzling hand and grabbed Saria's chin. He picked her up in this manner and held her before his face. She couldn't even feel the pain this would have brought anyone else. He brought her to eye level, and in the Hylian language he said, "Rot." His other arm moved in a flicker, not seeming to even move in a straight path, making it impossible to follow. There wasn't much to follow though, as his bare hand went into her stomach, beginning what would be her slow burning from the inside. He dropped her on the ground and let her cook herself, knowing that death would follow suit in a few minutes. The Demon left her there, confident in his work. Then, as quick as anything, he vanished, leaving behind a plume of smoke no greater than when putting out a candle. Link sat aghast at his bed, not knowing what he just saw. Finally, it caught up with him, and he frantically played out the song that would transport him to the front of the Forest Temple. He arrived there as quickly as possible, but it was definitely too late to do anything for Saria. She was lost. Link hadn't had the time to put on his red tunic, so he had to stand against the immense heat that was still here from the Demon. He dropped to his knees beside Saria, but she didn't know. She was far too out of it, already making the transition into whatever came after death. All around her fallen body the grass was burned, exposing the now blackened soil beneath. Link tried to hold her, to comfort her and himself, but he could no more do that than hug a burning log. He tried, giving him numerous blisters all over his body, but no comfort. No matter what he tried to do here, Saria was lost, and maybe if it weren't for the Sages' arguments, she wouldn't be.

Section 2 – The Dominoes Fall

Just like that, it had all been over, and yet in the same manner, it had now all begun. Unfortunate as it was, Saria's death was just the catalyst needed to spark the forces of Good into action. Now there was necessity. Now there was a timer. Link, kneeling in tears outside the Forest Temple, no longer knew what to think. The whole event had brought his already confused mind into a new level of chaos. Because he didn't know where else to turn, he made his way back to the castle, thinking he would have to deliver the unfortunate news. He didn't realize how quickly Zelda's search had reached the other ears. He didn't realize that they were finally moving, finally discovering the way this whole game was going to work.

After Zelda had determined that the Kokiri Forest was the destination of the Demon of the Fire, she immediately pieced together the rest. She knew that he was there to attack Saria, and she knew that they were probably too late. Saria would be alone to defend herself. Zelda didn't know what she could do. She needed to help, but how could she? After a moment of thinking, she had gone to Link's room, thinking that maybe he could get there in time to do something. By the time she got to his room, she found it empty. Zelda, not knowing that Link had already brought himself to the Forest Temple or that he was already too late, only understood that she, and Saria, had needed him, and he had not been there. Unfair as it was, she got mad at Link. The Demon of the Fire was going to slaughter Saria, and Link was nowhere to be found. Saria would die, and maybe if Link had been here to help, she would have a chance. Zelda cursed Link to herself, the only way she could find to vent the anger she was having at herself. This was the way she could avoid blaming herself for not having searched for the Demons quicker.

Once she was through cursing Link's name, she realized that the only thing she could do now was tell the other Sages. Now she didn't know why she hadn't simply gone to them in the first place. After all, these were the guardians of the fate of the world, of all existence. Not Link. Link was here because…why was he still here? Link was here out of habit? She supposed that was really the closest she could come to describing it. Link was here because he was the one who always did this sort of thing. No one asked any questions, he just did it. Now he was around because he was so self centered that he couldn't give away the responsibility to the four chosen by fate. How could Link think that he could do the job better than them? What ever made him so god damned important? This was the time of the Sages, and Link was going to have to understand that, one way or another.

Zelda gathered the Sages together in the meeting room used before to tell them the unfortunate news.

"I suppose you are all wondering why I brought us all together like this again. Or, at least why I decided to do it now rather than any other time. I'm…I'm not exactly sure how to say this, but we have run out of time. We can't stall any longer. You see, we, or I, just found out how unprepared we are, and that we need to change tha-"

"We understand, Zelda. Why don't you just let it out. What happened?" Darunia said, beginning to lose his patience.

"Well, we were attacked and we didn't even know it. Saria was attacked by the Demon of the Fire, as far as I can sense. I don't know what happened as a result, but assuming she was as prepared as we were, I unfortunately can't believe that she survived the attack. The sensation I get from the Kokiri Forest is that she did not."

"No…no…" Ruto said softly, shaking her head as she did.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you had to know."

Darunia placed a hand over his open mouth. He then paused, slid the hand down to his chin and said, "So we really didn't even see it coming. Right under our noses they already managed to kill one of us."

"We can't just sit here like this mourning our incompetence," Ruto exclaimed angrily. "That's no better than arguing senselessly like we were doing before. We have to learn in order to survive. We have to be ready for next time, or better yet prepare an attack of our own."

"You're absolutely right, Ruto," Darunia admitted. "Zelda, tell us everything you know about the attack. Every detail you can think of."

"Okay." Zelda then paused to compose herself and think of how to recount everything. "I was sitting in my room trying to think of what I could do to help. I realized that if we could only know where the Demons were, that would be a tremendous help. I figured that knowing that would help us get started. So, I brought myself into a mode of meditation, and I began studying the essence that each one of us carries. I figured that the Demons would have at least something of those same essences within them, since they hold the same positions. So, using our essences as a key, I began searching Hyrule. It took quite some time, but eventually I picked up something that stood out. I picked up something based on Darunia's essence, the mark left by being the carrier of the Fire. As I focused on this essence, I could feel the heat of it, which was very uncomfortable. Unfortunately I didn't have a specific enough idea of where this essence was originating, so I had to move closer in on it. I pushed on as far as I could until I couldn't take the heat anymore. I learned that it was coming from the Kokiri Forest. I stopped focusing on essence of the Fire itself and instead the area of the Forest itself. However, the essence of the Fire was still overwhelming in that area, especially as I got closer and closer to the Forest Temple. I left my meditation and tried to think of what to do. The only thing I could think of was…to tell the rest of you. So here we are now."

"Just from that you have decided that Saria is dead?" Ruto asked skeptically.

"Believe me. I have studied the art of magic with a great scholar named Jethro. He taught me how to perceive the magical world around us first. Manipulating and using that world came only after he felt I completely understood what I could sense. I can't tell you everything I got out of sensing the area, because I can't put it all to words. It's simply a complete feeling almost as if I were there. All I am telling you is the best attempt I can make at putting it to words. I beg you, though, to take it very seriously as I would never make such an important assumption if I weren't reasonably sure of what I had discovered." Zelda was practically in tears as she said this. The last thing she needed was to lose the help of the other Sages out of skepticism. She didn't know how to make them realize how complete, yet incomplete, the world of magic (and her understanding thereof) was.

"The way I see it is that this is all we have to work off of, Ruto. Even if Saria is still alive, which I can only hope for, we should take Zelda's words to heart. What she told us will hopefully get us moving in the right direction, and that can't be wrong," Darunia reasoned. "So, Zelda, you said that sensing the essence of the Fire was almost overwhelming, that you could feel the heat from it?"

"Yes. It was like I was being baked."

"Tell me, does that happen when you sense my essence?"

"…No, that hasn't ever happened before. Or, I've never noticed it. I'm not sure."

Ruto piped in, "Perhaps you should try it again now. Look deep into him and see if you are discomforted in this same way."

Zelda closed her eyes and moved her hand over Darunia, trying to quickly grab at the surface first and then move in deeper. She found the same essence she had detected before, but she didn't suffer the consequences. She moved deeper, towards the core of his being, but still she felt nothing. She brought herself back to full consciousness and lamentably told the Sages, "No, nothing. Come to think of it, it is really strange the way I detected the Demon. One moment I was beginning to pick up his essence, and then all of a sudden I felt the extreme heat. There was no easing into it, it was simply there all of a sudden. Like something changed in him."

The Sages pondered for a moment. Zelda spoke again. "I just had a random idea, and I don't know if it will be good for anything, but I was just wondering. What would happen if I were to search my own essence? I haven't done it before, and I just wonder if it would be any different. I'm not promising any results, but I'm going to try it and see what I find."

"It's as good of an idea as any right now," Ruto remarked. So that's what Zelda did. She brought herself back into heightened perception (something which she was finding easier and easier to slip in and out of) and focused inward. She began to see a type of visual accompaniment to her body, a type of twisting double helix of violet and white. The two strands kept tightening and tightening until it was very hard to see where one began and the other ended. As the two strands became one like this, she suddently felt a shiver up her spine. It was as if a cool draft were coming into the room. The more she thought about it the more she felt it, until she could fully feel the force of the wind on her body. She had to stop before the feeling knocked her to the ground. She came back with a grin on her face.

"I found it. I found the power of the Wind when I did it!"

"You felt it?" Ruto asked with great interest.

"I felt it, first running up my back, then gaining power until I almost fell out of my chair."

"So what are you doing that I'm not?" Darunia asked. "If we find that, I think we're well on our way to figuring this whole thing out."

"Maybe it's that she's actually trying to do something while the rest of you are just sitting around," Link said bitterly from the side of the room. Nobody had noticed that he had made his way back from the Forest Temple and had entered the room, no doubt on the way back to his own.

"Link!" Zelda exclaimed angrily. "How could you say something like that when you couldn't possibly understand?"

"Why, because I'm not a Sage? I can't believe you think that makes you on some completely different level of understanding. If anything, I can't understand because my years of experience has moved me too far beyond what you can comprehend. I'll tell you what I do understand. I understand that your bickering has cost the world a Sage and me a very dear friend. I couldn't help but notice that I was the only one who went there to try and help. So don't start with me about how much better you all are for being a Sage. If any of you important people need me, I'll be in my room," Link said with a note of sarcasm as he furiously made his way back to his chamber.

The three Sages sat around the table in silence, feeling guilty since they had all agreed with Zelda when she snapped at Link. It was like he had shouted back at all of them, and they had nothing to say in defense. For better or worse, Link was right about this. Finally Darunia broke the silence.

"You know, there may be more truth to that boy's words than he knew. Zelda, maybe what you are feeling is the use of our power. We each have an essence, but it is not until we use the power that goes along with being a Sage that you feel the force of the elements. So that fire you were feeling was the Fire that the Demon was using in the Forest. I guess the wind you were feeling was because, by searching yourself, you were using your power. Maybe it's not the only thing you can do with the power of the Wind, but it is one thing. It allows your mind to travel distances, great and small."

"I guess," Zelda reasoned.

"So whatever we can do with our powers, it sounds like we're just going to have to wing it, go with what feels right," said Ruto.

"I get the feeling that if you really want to use the power of the Water within you, Ruto, you'll know how. When it's important, you'll be able to use it," Darunia assured her while patting her shoulder. She brushed his big hand off as best she could.

"Assuming you're right, there's got to be more left to know," Ruto declared. "Like, how did the Demon of the Fire manage to kill Saria so quickly? Sure, she might have been caught off guard, but does that account for everything? Zelda, you said that the entire forest felt of his essence. Why didn't she contribute anything? Why were his powers so much more pronounced?"

Zelda pondered, and then admitted, "Those are all very good questions, Ruto. I hadn't really thought about it, but you're right. Saria's essence was completely washed out by the essence of the Fire."

Link, having been listening in on the conversation through the open door in his room came back out. He took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "Look, I'm sorry I said what I said about you not trying. Listening to the questions you've been asking and to the care in your voices, I can tell that you are trying as best as you can. I guess we were all caught off guard by this whole thing. I just wanted to apologize." He started to turn back for his room but Darunia stopped him.

"Wait, Link. You know, even if you're sorry for the manner in which you said it, that doesn't mean there wasn't truth to your words. We didn't have our priorities straight at first, and unfortunately that might have cost us dearly. However, I myself never meant to make you feel like an outsider, or like you were any lower for being a Sage. I have, and always will, respect the tremendous authority with which you carry yourself. You are a very intelligent, strong, and brave individual, and I would be honored if you would stay with us and help us through this challenge."

Link turned back to face the others. He looked Darunia in the eyes and saw that he spoke with sincerity. He saw that Ruto felt the same. Unfortunately, when he looked at Zelda he could not find the same sincerity. It looked like she was agreeing with Darunia because it would best fix the situation, not because she had had a change of heart. Nevertheless, Link decided to join them at the table, hoping that someday Zelda's mindset would change. He stood by them, feeling more comfortable standing than sitting.

Link began, "I was listening in on that last question of yours, Ruto, and then I started thinking back to the terrible scene of Saria's death. As painful as the image is, I think it could provide you with an answer. When I went there, the grass had burned off, the earth underneath it was scorched. The vines on the Temple had been set aflame and I'm sure that if you look towards the Kokiri Forest now you will still see plumes of smoke from that area. The forest around the Temple has been completely overshadowed by the destruction of the fire, much like you were talking about with the essence of the Fire. I think it's connected."

"So, the essence of the Fire is more powerful than that of the Earth because fire burns the earth." Ruto was starting to put it together.

"So the next logical progression would be that the essence of the Water would be more powerful than the Fire because water douses flames. And then earth contains and blocks the flow of water, so the Earth beats the Fire. It becomes a ring like that," Link stated, piecing it together as he went along.

"Well, there's a problem with that," Zelda announced.

"What's that?" asked Link.

"What about the Wind?" Darunia asked, coming to the same conclusion as Zelda.

"Where does the Wind fit into that?" Zelda questioned.

"I…don't know," Link replied. "I don't know where the Wind fits in to that model."

Section 3 – Retaliation

The group fell into a period of silence as each member pondered Link's theory, testing it out mentally. The problem was that there really wasn't much to test it against yet. Sure, it described what happened to Saria fairly accurately, but at the same time that could be explained through any number of means. Really the only thing that was holding it in their minds this long was that so far it was the only theory that gave them much hope for a formulated strategy, which was something they all desperately wanted, but especially Link. Finally the silence was broken by Ruto.

"So, then. What does it mean for us? Knowing what we think we know now, what do we do?"

Darunia threw in, "Well one thing's for sure, we don't want to be separated or we'll become sitting ducks."

"What are you suggesting? That we all stay here?" Zelda inquired. "What are we doing, then? We can't win by waiting, especially when we're already behind one Sage."

"Don't jump to conclusions," Darunia said, trying to defend himself. "I didn't say we couldn't do anything, just that I thought it would be best that we don't get singled out like Saria. We can't afford another loss like that."

"You're telling me," Link mumbled. He was taking the loss of Saria pretty hard, going in and out of phases of deep grief. If he could keep his mind distracted it wasn't so bad, but when he got down time to think about it or when Saria was mentioned, he felt such a stabbing hole in his life that she once occupied. Months ago, had you asked Link, he would have never guessed that her loss would pain him so much. He had always shared a kind of special bond with her, and he hoped he always would, but at the same time he had started to lose contact with her over the years. They very seldom met in person anymore and their meetings through music had become less and less frequent as the years went on. When he thought about it, Link was really happy that he had that compulsion to talk to her that one last time before she was gone. He didn't know why he had done it, but something had driven him, had given him that one last chance to say goodbye, as painful as it was under the circumstances. Since then, his feeling of connection to Saria had been greatly renewed, in fact it was brought to a point he even recognize anymore. The bond he felt was much stronger than he ever remembered, and he couldn't quite tell what was different about it, but he could certainly feel it. He could now describe their bond as timeless, a quality he couldn't remember it having before. Though, when he thought about it more, he began to remember something far back, something exactly like this. He remembered back to his childhood, to when he had grown up with Saria, together in the Kokiri Forest. He remembered what it was like in his youth, to the first time he ever had this type of feeling for anyone. It was…but was it? Yes, it could only be described as...love. Not in the sense that he loved his friends, though. Full romantic feelings for Saria. He now remembered that long ago he had experienced these feelings, and sure enough they were back now, which brought Link's feelings into utter chaos and confusion.

"Then I suppose that's what we'll have to do," Zelda trailed off. Link's mind had been so occupied with Saria that he had completely lost track of wherever the conversation had gone. All he could see was that apparently the Sages had come to some kind of resolution, and that Zelda did not look so happy with it. "Are you up to the task, Link?"

Link was completely thrown off by that question, hoping to find a way to respond to it without revealing that he had no idea what they were talking about, but at the same time not regret his answer later. He found no way to do so. "I'm sorry, my mind went elsewhere. What is this task?"

Zelda looked far less than amused, in a way that was somewhat scary to Link. She looked legitimately angry with him. "Did you hear that?" she asked the other Sages. "That's what he responds and this is our plan? I can't believe this."

Darunia now snapped back at Zelda, "You think about it and you think about it hard, Zelda. You and I both know why it is the best decision. I don't know why you seem so opposed to it, and him in general, but you better find a way to change it fast, because I have absolutely no patience right now for that kind of foolishness!" Darunia then completely turned around his town and addressed Link. "Link, we decided to go along with your theory, at least until we find out more. So, with that in mind, we realized that we would be most vulnerable from an attack by the Demon of the Water, since we no longer have a Saria to defend well against him, her, it, whatever. The best plan we came up with was to beg, and I do mean beg," he directed at Zelda, "that you please help us by killing the Demon of the Water."

Link thought about it, or at least put on that act. Inside he was so incredibly happy to finally have something to do, something he knew how to do. "I suppose you'll want me doing this alone, since you want to stick together. That's fine, that's my style anyway. You know, I'd be lying if I told you I wanted any other solution than what you just proposed. I've been hoping that somehow I could help out directly like this, so I guess my answer is none other than 'of course.' I consider it an honor to help those as integral as the Sages on this most important of tasks."

"Link, I can't put to words how glad I am to know that you will do it," Ruto said. She seemed very happy to know that someone who knew what he was doing would finally be taking care of things. Not everything was up to her anymore.

"It's very nice to hear that, Ruto. There is one thing, though. Zelda, I'm going to need your help on this if I'm going to have any kind of timely success. I need you to help me find the Demon, since right now I haven't a clue where to begin."

"Actually," Zelda began, "you do. I took the liberty of conducting such a search while you were off in your own world. Once again, I could only get so close before it became unbearable. After all, I can only hold my breath for so long as the pressure of many fathoms starts to form around my head. Now, where does your mind take you when I say the words 'cold waters?'"

"The first thing that comes to mind is-" he knew he had what she was looking for. He looked into her eyes, which unfortunately still carried that feeling of irritability, and she gave him a slight nod.

"Don't get yourself locked up," she tossed out. Link had already stood up from the table at this point and was headed to his room, where he would equip himself with his usual adventuring gear. He had to slow himself as his fingers fumbled with his equipment out of anticipation. After he had gotten himself ready, and in his blue tunic in case the battle took itself underwater, he returned to the meeting room.

"Are you ready, then?" Zelda asked Link.

"Entirely. Hopefully, not being a Sage, I'll take the Demon by surprise and be done with this quick and easy."

"I wouldn't count on it," Zelda threw out. "Since you're ready, I bid you farewell." Link was about to answer, but he was not quick enough. While he had been donning his equipment, Zelda had prepared a casting a Farore's Wind to take Link just outside the cave where he had met Brian. Before Link knew it, he was vanished from Hyrule Castle and now standing just at the mouth of the cave.

He could already feel that same terrible air from before. At least this time he had some clothes on, so the chill was much more bearable. He moved in slowly, still hoping that he could get in undetected. This part of the cave was foreign to him, since he had been unconscious when he was taken in, and had exited through the other end on his way out. However, right now there was only one way to go: down. He followed the slope down as best as he could as the light was beginning to dim the farther he went, making the ground much harder to see. The torches on the walls had gone out, and seemed too wet, like they had been doused recently. It was okay, though. Link didn't mind moving through the shadows, it just meant he would have to do it more carefully, and thus probably more quietly.

He placed each foot down sideways as he followed the sloped down, each time letting it down very gently and getting a sense for the path ahead of him. Ahead of him the cave split off into two branches. Link thought about it for a moment, looking down each of the paths as best he could to see how it went as it continued. That was really only giving him a quite limited source of information, though. He started down the path on the left, but then hesitated and went for the one on the right. He then settled on the left, after all, since he could feel a distinct drop in humidity down the path to the right. He followed that humidity, that soggy quality of the air, and used it in place of his eyes, at least for now. He continued down the path for what felt like forever. Eventually he reached a larger room, and started to feel his way along the wall to be safe. Then he brushed up against something, and it made a rusty grinding as it moved. He felt this thing and determined that this was one of the very chains that had held him in place for the brief time that he was held prisoner here.

Oh Brian, Link thought to himself. If there's one thing I'll never forget about you, it would have to be your incompetence. Link smiled as he thought back to how completely unprepared Brian had been to hold Link prisoner. He continued on, now remembering this portion of the cave, though vaguely. Every now and again he would see something that he thought he recognized, though this very well could have been a trick his mind was playing now that he knew he was somewhere he had been before. Sure, that rock formation looked familiar, but then again there was very little light (apparently some was coming through tiny cracks in the ceiling), and the rock formations in this cave really didn't vary in appearance all that much. Nonetheless, Link felt like he was remembering these features.

Eventually Link heard something moving in front of him. In one incredible, instinctive movement Link swung his arms around, grabbed his bow, knocked a light arrow, and aimed it in front of him, spilling the magical light into the area immediately ahead of him. He moved his bow from side to side trying to see something. Looking back it wasn't really the best idea, since now his eyes were completely maladjusted, so if anything had been there it would have had quite the opportunity to escape before he could see anything. As far as Link could tell, it had been some small rocks sliding down the slope. Now Link's eyes were back to an adjustment for bright light, so when he put the bow and arrow back, returning to the natural darkness of the cave, he had to pause for a couple of minutes while his pupils dilated and his focus adjusted. After he felt comfortable in the darkness again, he continued.

The air was becoming quite thick and uncomfortable now. He could almost feel the water lining the inside of his throat. Perhaps it was just an illusion, though. Water did seem to be a kind of trickster in some ways. It changed all of man's sensations. It distorted sound into rumbles, made objects lighter, and completely changed the look of something submerged. The eyes had no way of gauging the distance and shape of something completely submerged. Yes, water was a trickster, a master of illusions. Was this wet lining in his throat similarly a trick? Perhaps.

Link soon found himself at the underground lake he had had the pleasure of exploring once before. This area was much brighter, as light was spilling in from the hole in the wall Link had made by riding the great sea serpent. As he looked off towards the hole, he could still see the decaying carcass of that beast. However, that was the only such beast he could find. This lake, which he assumed had to be the hiding hole of the Demon, seemed empty and, as far as he could tell, the same as he had left it. He really hoped that it didn't mean traveling through the water again, as it had been unpleasant enough the first time.

Stillness. Unnatural stillness was all that Link was getting from the water. In a way, that in itself was cause for alarm, but in another way that lake seemed to mostly inhabit the remains of a dead civilization the last time Link had visited. Really that any one thing could live in there without an entire ecosystem to work off of was more surprising. Now it was just getting stressful. He had been so hyped up about helping, so much in the feeling of urgency that coming across this stillness agitated him. Still, he really didn't want to go into the water, since if there were something down there, he would probably be at a great disadvantage in battle underwater. What to do?

Link looked down glumly, only to have his eyes meet his ocarina, which brought his mind back to Saria. Poor girl. She really deserved better than that. Link knew that, given the chance, Saria could have accomplished so much in her life, certainly as a Sage. Why then did she have to be taken away in a moment? How was that fair? Link let out a deep breath as a type of sigh from his nose. Probably not the best thing to get yourself depressed when you have work to do, certainly when that work is a battle. Not really the best idea at all. He couldn't really stop himself, though. These were factors beyond his control. His mind had been taken away from his duty entirely, and now all he could think about was Saria and how much his last moments with her just weren't enough. He lifted the ocarina up and his lips raised in just the bare elements of a smile. He brought the instrument close, which caused his lips to quiver in what was half sadness, and half fear (for a reason he didn't understand). It was as if somewhere inside him he was afraid of what might happen if he played that ocarina, of what that might mean. Like he was afraid because he didn't know what was an appropriate memorial. Still, finding nothing better, he closed his lips around the mouthpiece and began to improvise a second movement for Saria's song. Saria's song, as he knew it, had always been representative of her youth and playfulness, but it was something he was taught, not something he could just feel. There had always be that synaptic gap between feeling and intent.

Link found the notes coming out of him quite easily, his mind wandering away from the realm of intelligibility. If you asked him, he would have no idea what he had played in that moment, because he could no longer hear on the level of comprehension, on the level of defined musical notes. Rather, his ears were finally listening in the world of ideas, were hearing the notes conceptually. His mind was completely distracted, which is what made it the perfect moment for the waters to begin to stir. Well, it started as a mere stir, a trickled disturbance on the surface of the water as droplets fell from the ceiling, but it soon became much more than that. The droplets started falling more and more, until it was like a small shower of rain. Then the lake water was in rolling waves, crashing on the rocky surface where Link was standing. The water was stormy, and yet eerily there was no accompanying wind, just the water.

Out of some grand fortune, Link's mind slipped back into the observable as the nearby waters were a swirling vortex, blowing mist into the air. He scrambled to put the ocarina back and draw his sword, though he couldn't quite put the ocarina back in place. It was sticking out awkwardly and barely held in place. He stood waiting with his sword angled at his side and his shield ahead of him as the Demon of the Water emerged from the swirling lake. And my, how horrible and yet terrifying he did look. The Demon looked bloated and pale, like a drowned man, except he was far to great to be described as simply a man. No, he was a barbarian, as well as an anomaly. For all that he looked bloated and distorted, he also projected a radiance and was rippling with muscles. Somehow the Demon created the possibility of having such qualities simultaneously. His hair was black and matted from ages of salty water. It found itself so perfectly so as to not block his horrifying face, which was the part of him most reminiscent of a drowned victim. This was where he looked most bloated and watery, the most eroded from water. Of course, that only covers the top half of his body. Below his torso his body resembled that of a green water snake, scaly and smooth. The Demon lifted his great arms high above his head and where there was once nothing, a rusty trident, in proportion to his body, now existed.

Link saw the opportunity as the Demon's entire body was exposed. The trident was high in the air and there was nothing blocking his entire midsection. Link, with all the speed and precision he had earned from years of practice, slashed at the Demon's gut, only to find that his sword slowed at it approached the body, as if moving through…of course…water. His attack had been slowed just enough to be slammed down by the force of the mighty trident, which made a sickening squeal as it ran along the metal of Link's finer maintained blade. Waves of shock rolled up Link's arms both from the impact of the trident itself as well as the blade hitting the ground afterwards. He took several steps backwards to try and avoid having to actually block the inevitable riposte.

The Demon of the Water swooped the trident so that he was leading with the back end. He started low and swung upwards. Fortunately Link had just barely stepped out of the way of the weapon, though he could feel the wind rush from it. Link composed himself and let forth a series of quick swipes meant only to nick the Demon in the sides. Still, the air around the Demon slowed the blade too much, and he easily slithered from side to side, avoiding each of the attacks. The Demon thrust forward his trident easily, like it was simply moving with the current. Link put his shield up, blocking the trident, though it did not absorb enough of the shock. The force of the attack knocked Link off his feet and slammed him against the cold, wet cave floor. The arm holding the shield kept rotating back as he inadvertently threw the shield in the air.

Of course, another thing happened when Link got so slammed into the ground. His ocarina, which had been held only loosely in place, got knocked out of place and skid slightly towards the Demon. Maybe it was coincidence, but Link couldn't help but notice that instead of following through with another attack, which would have almost certainly have scored a hit, the Demon took a step back, away from the ocarina. Link reacted so quickly it could have only been instinct. Logic couldn't have possibly led him to what he did, and certainly not that quickly. Going against every logical notion he had ever had in combat, he dropped his sword and dove for the ocarina. Having done this, Link had just enough time to think to himself I don't know what I'm doing, but it better work.

Link rolled over to the side to get out of the way, still holding onto the ocarina. In that same motion, he managed to bring himself to his feet and his ocarina to his lips. He did the only thing that came to his mind, play Saria's song. Not the memorial movement he had composed himself, but the song he had been taught years ago. The memorial was his, the song was hers. He blew quickly but accurately to bring the notes of the song alive in that moment.

The Demon was not amused, nor did he seem particularly afraid. He shifted his hands on the trident so that he was holding it more like a baseball bat. He brought it back over his shoulder and swung with such incredible strength that it was only due to Link's distraction that he didn't immediately halt everything and cower, or at least try to move out of the way. Instead, he held his footing as the trident came closer and closer, nearing its critical strike. Then something happened that the Demon hadn't counted on, and honestly neither had Link (he really had no idea what he was going for, it was a move of desperation). The hard cave floor to Link's side broke open and a rock slab came up in time to meet the trident, which made a deafening crack as it made contact, but in the end the slab of rock stood firm. After the contact was over, the slab receded back into the ground, leaving behind a pile of small stones. The Demon cocked his head, but then shot in the three prongs of the trident straight towards Link. Link, having seen what happened before, now played in full confidence, allowing himself to be fully absorbed in the moment. This battle was no longer his, it was Saria's.

Of course, another slab of rock came up in front of Link to protect him from the trident, and again it stood the victor. All that happened was a small crack formed where the trident had hit. The slab went back into the ground, leaving a now fully confident Link and a Demon who knew its fate was sealed, but fought all the harder just in case. Over and over again he struck quickly hoping that he could somehow beat the speed of the stone, if not the strength. Nevertheless, each attack was blocked one after another, giving Link the chance to shift his methods. He picked up the sword, and now held the sword in his right and the ocarina in his left. He no longer even needed to continue playing the song. The connection had been made, and now Saria's elemental power was flowing through the instrument. In fact, even after Link removed the ocarina from his lips, he could still hear the music all the same. Now Link was ready to win, with the ocarina now replacing his shield.

Link slashed downward from above his head. As it was coming down, he could feel it gain the weight of stone, which he used to make his attack all the more powerful. Now the slowing of the field of water surrounding the Demon was not as bad. For the first time, Link's blade made it through quick enough to slice his skin. That was all that the Demon needed to see. That was the straw that broke the Demon's resolve. He turned with dexterity that stunned Link and slithered quickly towards the water. However, the ground shook in a quake as an entire wall came up from the stone, reaching the ceiling, and prevented him from getting back to the lake. The Demon turned his head to face Link, who was coming in with blade ready. Rather than using his trident, the Demon instead lifted his left hand and shot out a powerful geyser of water. This water crashed into the slab of stone that came up to protect Link, but it just kept on coming. The water never seemed to let up, and eventually it broke through the stone, crumbling it into pieces and hitting Link behind it. Link was once again knocked to the ground. However, the Demon thought wrong about his situation. He thought he now had a chance, but truly he had made the situation worse.

His water soaked up into the stone, which had now actually become soft and more like soil. As the Demon slithered towards Link, the soil shot out the greenest of vines, which snapped around the Demon and brought him face first into the ground. More vines kept coming out and wrapping the Demon tight. Soon, the Demon was covered with these vines, which had tangled around him and tightened to hold him in place. The Demon craned his neck up from the floor as much as the vines allowed, giving him a view of Link's feet as he approached. Link then brought the blade up over his head, then felt it form the weight of stone once again, then slammed it down into the Demon's neck, decapitating him in one strong blow. The body lay there, not even able to convulse because of the vines. Link lifted the ocarina up to his eyes and felt the radiance of Saria flowing from it. He let loose a single tear as he stood and let her influence wash over him.