Sahasrala

The news you have brought me has begun to lift my otherwise heavy heart. My position at the temple of time was secure enough to have made contact with Agahnim, he should be on his way to Hyrule. Our young friend Link is recovering slowly and it won't be long before he has recovered enough to figtht. Perhaps it would be best if I gave an account of events as they happened.

Link stirred and for the first time in two days was able to move and blink his eyes.

"Easy now, Link. You still have some pretty serious injuries and it will take time for you to recover. If anything it was a miracle you didn't die after what Ganondorf did to you".

He tried to move again, this time reaching out for his sword.

"Don't try to move again, you will only make it worse for yourself. Your sword is broken, split into three pieces with a large crack in the hilt, you won't ever use it again. You are wondering who I am and how you came to be here. I rescued you of course, how else. I am Shiek, protector of Princess Zelda, one day soon she will be Empress of Hyrule and I, her empress' hand"

He made a noise that sounded like laughter and his eyes brightened for a moment.

"That's right, I am confident we will defeat Ganondorf and put the rightful heir on the throne. Even as we are here, things are being put into motion to remove him form his power".

He continued to laugh, even though it was pained and harsh, until he lost consciousness again. Perhaps he overstrained himself.

When he awoke again he was able to manage a little more then before. His first words weren't even really words but a memory. He said he was beginning to remember what had happened to him and more of it came to him while he slept.

It began in a village in South Ordon bright sun in the sky and yet there was darkness approaching. Others in the village trying to run and trying to escape. A young child amongst others remained somewhere in the path of danger, Link runs to her trying to save her but is too late. Enraged, he cries out a challenge to the darkness and rushes towards it only to be stopped.

A hand on his wrist, firm and unyielding denies his revenge. He struggles but cannot break free. Instead he is thrown onto a horse and struck on the back of the head. His consciousness fades as the horse rides on. His last memory as his eyes close is of two figures locked in deadly combat. One is responsible for saving his life, robed in light he approached the other figure emerging slowly from the dark.

That was all the sense I got from the dreaming. He said it was triggered by the seer girls he rescued from Ganondorf. He told me a brief story about being rescued in the desert, with no memories by a Gerudo woman whose daughters were those same seer girls. The dreams are the only connection to his life before being found and he sought out the girls to help restore it. I don't know what to make of it all but it seems too obscure to have been an invention of his imagination. It would seem he has been through quite a remarkable ordeal, I wonder if it seems fair to put him through more?

I decided to tell him everything, If he is going to join us then he might as well know. I told him about the mystery disappearance of Ganondorf after their confrontation at the tower. Then I told him about your movement in the capital to reinstate the rightful heir to the throne. He listened patiently to everything I had to say and with a curt nod of his head he agreed to join us. He believed his debt to the Gerudo woman had been repaid and it was time to move on.

This is wonderful news for us. We have with us now a noble and brave warrior. People of his virtue as seldom encountered these recent days.

I came to ask him if he knew why I brought him to the temple of time. Of course he had no idea, none outside of a select few would. I told him,

"Your fight with Ganondorf broke your sword but your spirit remains strong. I believe you will be a worthy candidate to hold another sword, at least for a short time. The royal family guards many secrets, some of which are known to others who become close to the royal family. There is one secret which I will share with you".

Link listened patiently to what I had to say, he was aware that he was about to be privy to a closely guarded secret of the royal family of Hyrule.

"The temple of time is the last known resting place of the sword of evil's bane. By order of Princess Zelda, I give you permission to claim it".

He blew out all the air he had been holding in. Although he was a somewhat shocked to have been given such an honor, he would not refuse it.

Collecting himself again, he began to march into the vast temple. Once a grand cathedral, the temple of time was now a spectacular ruin. Overgrown with vegetation and white marble turned black with time, the temple was hardly the spectacle it once might have been. Still it held a certain feel to it that still demanded reverence.

This is exactly how I can explain the way Link approached the sword. Reverently.

He never faltered, he only walked softly but surely to the grotto where the sword was held in stone. Grasping it firmly he eased it out effortlessly, I must admit I might have been more anxious then he was. It became more apparent to me as he marched carelessly down to meet with me again. I still don't know how he managed it so easily, I had to tell him the whole truth.

"Link that was no simple feat you just managed. That sword was held in place so that those who weren't of noble virtue couldn't remove it. Surely you were meant to have it".

"You have recovered enough so that you can travel, I think. I won't be going with you but we should meet again soon enough. Take the earliest train you can to Hyrule castle town, we will find you there. Don't delay for too long, there is no telling how long we have before Ganondorf returns"

I left him there with direction to Eldin, he should be able to manage from there. He is still recovering but he is recovering quickly. Soon I will make contact with Agahnim and we shall arrive in Hyrule with in the next day.

I hope your plan works, Sahasrala, this may be the only chance we get.

Shiek