Chapter 21 – A New Pledge
Link awoke, but no longer was he in the night-lit woods, surrounded by his companions, circling around the cindered remains of wood. Instead it was as sunny as a day could be, indeed, Link could not remember a time when the sun was so bright. But there was an explanation for this...
He was no longer on the ground.
Shock and fear overcame Link as he realised he was, in fact, high in the sky beyond the clouds. Link knew this for certain, for when he looked down to see what he was "standing" on, he could see nothing but his own boots and, far down below, was a sea of cream coloured clouds. After shaking off the fright of possibly falling further than anyone had ever fallen, Link began to examine the rest of this new, perplexing environment.
But really there was nothing else to really take note of. No landmarks were visible, no other clouds above him, only the sun. There was, however, a flock of birds in the distance. Link could not make out many details, but he could tell they were all decorated in unique colours, ranging from blue to brown to cream to green, if he squinted, he could also see a yellow coloured bird blending against the backdrop of the clouds below him. But he knew they were all of the same race, for they featured an oddly long tail, and although they were some distance away he could tell these birds were big, perhaps even larger than himself. They were creatures he had certainly never seen before.
Just as he was about to look away from the flock, Link saw one of the birds drift away from the others. Its feathers were a bright red colour that seemed to mesmerise Link, as he watched it continue its lonesome journey away, unable to look away from it while it climbed higher and higher into the sky. And then the creature turned, and tightly flattened its wings against its body, so that it soared downwards through the air at an incredible speed... its flight heading straight for Link.
He tried to move out of the bird's way before it could whiz through him but his flailing, like his body, had no weight behind it so he simply stayed in the same place.
As it came closer though, the bird quickly threw its wings open again and its entire body was brought into Link's view, allowing him to truly appreciate the size and magnificence of the creature. Although its underside was coloured white, the red feathers coupled with its outline brought the image of the scarlet bird that decorated his Hylian Shield into mind.
The creature slowed and slowed, and once it had finished its descent, it began to fade away. He would have been sad to see such a beautiful animal vanish but his intrigue remained when, in its place, he could see the silhouette of a person walking towards him.
It was only when the bird was completely gone that the features of the other figure became clear. And Link's interest turned into confusion. It was a young man, who wore a green tunic with bright undergarments beneath, with brown boots and gloves, with blonde hair and blue eyes, who wore a pointed hat that was green. The person was him.
But not exactly, his clothes and hair were a darker shade, his undergarments were more cream coloured and baggier, and he held his hair in a different style. The similarities, however, were still too numerous to be discounted.
Link's mouth opened, but his bewilderment was too great for any words to be formed. The man only smiled in response. But Link could tell it was not because his other self enjoyed seeing him puzzled; more that he understood why he was getting such a reaction.
Without a word, the other Link reached his arms around his back and seemed to be rummaging through the pouch on his belt for something, before producing an object of such size that Link's eyes widened further at how he was able to carry it. Apparently, such a feat was another that the two shared in common.
It was a small harp which had a thin, curved frame that was golden. Curiosity peaked within Link again, as it appeared identical to the one that Sheik carried.
The man brought the harp up to the left of his chest and hovered his right hand over the strings. Although neither of them said anything, Link knew exactly what to do: he got out the Ocarina of Time, brought it to his lips and looked back at the other Link, showing he was ready.
The other Link played several notes, and Link watched the strings being plucked intently. There was a brief pause before the harp player went through the song again and as he played, Link raised and lowered several fingers over his ocarina, silently mimicking the melody being played. The teacher finished his second run-through and waited for Link. Having the instructions clear in his mind already, Link replicated the notes perfectly on his ocarina, earning a huge smile from the harpist.
The other Link brought his instrument back to his neck and played the melody once more. Even though there were only two of them, there seemed to be many more present as the song became much richer and more substantial. But that, as always, did not distract Link as he too joined in at the appropriate time.
The harp player began to change his role, from leading the song to supporting the ocarina. After going through the song once, Link noticed his ocarina was not producing the same noise it was. It was another sound that Link had not heard in a long time. It was the sound of the Deku Pipes. Link opened his eyes to find the harp player still playing, only they were accompanied by the young Deku Scrub whom Link took the form of during his second adventure, along with the Goron who played the bongos and the Zora who joined in with the guitar. Link had no idea what it meant or what was happening, but he felt compelled to continue playing.
Then the song came to an end, and as it did the Deku Scrub, the Goron, the Zora and the harp player all sparkled as they too faded away, leaving Link with a tingle of regret at having to part with such company.
But before he could dwell on it, Link heard a familiar ringing sound through his ears. He peered over his shoulder at the Master Sword and saw that it was shining much brighter than it ever had done before, and something seemed to be rising from it into the sky above them. They were too thick to be smoke, but too small to even be considered stones; they were almost like grains of sand. He followed the trail reach further into the sky and fall into a space in front of him. If the harp player was still with him, and the grains would have fallen between where the two drifted.
They did not, however, fall towards the earth. The tiny pieces instead gathered and, eventually, formed what could unmistakeably be a pair of feet. They carried on seeping downwards, forming legs on top of both feet, then a torso, then a long cloak that covered both arms, and finally a head.
At that moment, before Link could take in any details a blinding light filled his vision. He shielded his eyes by looking away and only focusing on it again when the flash had faded.
And what he was left with was unlike anything he had seen before.
The foot that was visible was not angled horizontally and while one of its dark-blue legs pointed down, the other was higher as the knee was raised towards him which emphasised the crossed, turquoise-coloured pattern that they both wore. Its body was also lurched forward by its back being bent as far as could be allowed, wearing a very dark-blue dress that stopped at the top of the legs, and had bright-blue jewel between the shoulders. The cloaks that covered the arms were outstretched to both the side and upwards, due to that Link could see that there were no arms underneath, only the two fabrics where one was coloured the same dark-blue as the dress while the other was much brighter, that fluttered despite there being no wind. Its face was still out of Link's sight, as it pointed upwards. It was as though Link looking upon the finishing pose of a dance that did not take place.
Slowly, the dancer lowered three of its limbs and pointed its head towards Link. Which allowed him to see the shiny blue skin that covered its face and hair, the blank slates for eyes that lacked both pupils and irises, and the tiny spot on its forehead.
"Wha- Who?" He attempted to ask, partly thrown as he was speaking in his native tongue again but mostly because of the dancer's bizarre appearance.
The entity did not respond to Link's stuttering with an answer, instead it tilted its crystalline head to one side and began to circle around him. Link felt quite uncomfortable, it was as though it was scanning his entire body for something.
"I detect a ninety-three percent similarity between yourself and my former Master." The dancer flatly stated as it came face-to-face with Link once again. "A remarkably high reading between two humans."
Its voice was utterly unique. It was the tone of a female's, but it had a strange overlay which Link could not possibly put into words. Its lack of emotion and overall resonance confirmed to him that this thing was a completely lifeless being. Although at the same time, the voice was quite soothing underneath the rough exterior.
"Human?" Link questioned. He had never heard the term until he began his quest against Soul Edge, but it was never used to describe himself.
"A native of the series of islands known as Skyloft, the majority of whose citizens gradually migrated from the clouds to live on the surface. The land which is now known as Hyrule." The dancer explained.
The cold wording and lack of comprehension was off-putting for Link, but he just about managed to understand. It said a word that Link hadn't heard for a long time: Skyloft. The last time he heard that was back in Kokiri Forest, when the Great Deku Tree had assembled all of the young children for one of his stories, the tale of how all life on the world was almost extinguished until the last remnant was sent high into the skies for protection, and how that land still existed to the present. It was one of Link's favourite stories, and would always dreamily tell his childhood friend, Saria, about how he wished to live there.
But there was something else about the dancer's voice... something Link could not quite put his finger on.
The entity could clearly see the confusion on Link's face, and it slowly drifted closer and closer towards him. Link tried to edge back, but to no avail, he was forced to look into the completely blank, lifeless orbs that would have housed the dancer's eyes.
"Who are you?" He finally managed to form the words together.
"My personal designation is Fi." It introduced itself. "I am the spirit who resides in the sword crafted by the Goddess and the Sages, the blade you know as the Master Sword. My primary objective was to assist the hero chosen by the Goddess. Once I had done this, I was placed into an endless sleep."
"Then how are you here?" Link wondered.
"I have not gone anywhere." Fi corrected him. "It is you who has joined me in my slumber."
Link then looked around his environment, and realised how that must be the case.
"Yes, I can see it clearly now." Fi said, apparently finding something. "Though you do not realise it, you house the spirit of the great hero who was once my Master. Of course that much is obvious since you are able to wield the sword of the Goddess."
"Yes, and I have done before."
Fi tilted its head again. "Please explain..." It prompted him.
"Well... I pulled it out once before, many years ago, but by this timeline's perspective, I simply placed it back in the pedestal." Link attempted to inform, not hesitating about the complexity, since the entity didn't offer him the same courtesy. "But in another timeline, I used it to free Hyrule from the King of Evil."
Fi drifted away from Link, seeming to be taken aback by his story.
"Something wrong?" Link asked.
"Negative. I am simply having trouble consulting my memory banks over that particular event. I do recall that a child pulled the sword from its pedestal, but I am unable to uncover further detail. There appears to be a time anomaly preventing me from accessing that information." Fi reasoned. "Regardless, although I am confined to within the blade, I am still capable of assisting my Master in fulfilling their destiny."
"That's it!" Link suddenly called out, hearing those words made him realise where he heard the voice. "When I faced Ganon, just before I landed the final blow," an image flashed in his mind: the monster lying on the ground in front of him, with Zelda using her power to hold Ganon in place, "the sword glowed and I heard a voice... it said,"
"As the one chosen by my creator, fulfil your destiny." Fi finished his sentence.
"You were there, weren't you?" He asked, not giving it much thought at the time as he felt he had much greater worries.
"There is a ninety-nine percent probability that those words were indeed spoken by myself, taking the time anomaly and your certainty into account." Fi confirmed.
"But if you helped me before, then why are we only meeting now?" Link questioned.
"I cannot say with confidence since I am detecting another time anomaly in my recent memory banks." Fi stated. "But if I was to be locked in combat with another sword that contained a spirit, then my slumber may be disrupted."
Soul Edge.
Link concluded Fi's theory.
"Whether it is due to the energy output of the resulting battle, or the silent communication that occurred between the two spirits, or perhaps..." For the first time, Fi paused, "the result of... what you call, an emotion." It hesitantly suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"The last journey that I can recall in full detail was against another spirit whose true form was that of a sword. When that journey ended, it was the first and thus far only time that I felt happiness." Fi said with the tone as unchanging as ever, but Link noticed its eyebrows lift in the centre ever so slightly. "However the sensation that I feel now, I have seen it before in humans, I can only describe it as... sadness, a need for those days to happen again, a longing for the past."
Link smiled slightly. Even though Fi was like nothing he had ever encountered before, he still felt he had a strong connection with the spirit.
"Fi," Link started, knowing the only way to stop such a feeling, "I recently faced a very evil being who wields a sword that I'm certain has a spirit, just as you said. But the Master Sword wasn't able to defeat it... can you think why that is, and how to overcome it?"
Fi seemed to ponder on his words for a moment before answering.
"I am sorry. But with the anomaly in place, it is difficult to know for certain as to why." Fi replied. "In addition, I have no doubt that I would have been aiding you in battle as best I could."
Link could not help but feeling disappointed at that; he thought that was the purpose of their conversation.
"Based on my past experiences, my Master found it most beneficial to seek more information from those he encountered." Fi suggested.
Link was about to dismiss that, until he saw the wisdom in them. He realised he only had a very vague understanding of Soul Edge,
"I do have one more proposition for you," It then said to which Link paid attention, "if you update my database so that I recognise you as my Master, you and I will become fully synchronised. It will not grant you more power, but it will enable you full control all of the functions within the Master Sword."
Once the words sank in, Link clenched his fists and removed the sadness from his eyes. He was already thankful for Fi's advice, but was certainly open to its suggestion.
"It seems that further persuasive measures will not be required." Fi acknowledged his body language. "In the name of my creator, draw the sword and raise it skyward."
Link took out his Master Sword, and held it in front of him, gazing into the intricate blue hilt, the yellow jewel embedded into the top of the hilt, the Triforce emblem etched near the base of the blade. He then closed his eyes, and prepared for the moment that would truly mark him as the wielder of the Master Sword. The memories of him using the Master Sword before, but not truly wielding its full power, never entered his mind. All he was focusing on was the task at hand. With this, his eyes shot open, and he raised the sword high above his head as far as his arm could extend.
Link's eyes were fixed on the white blade as it reached towards the heavens. For a while, nothing seemed to change, until he saw a sparkle of blue light form on the tip of his blade, which then travelled its way down the sword until it reached the base.
"Recognition complete, Master." Fi confirmed.
Once it did, Link brought the sword down, back to his level again, and looked once more at the Master Sword. Its entire blade had become engulfed in a blue aura, just like it did when he faced Ganon, only now it didn't immediately dissipate. It remained, showing that Link was now in control of its full power.
"You now have access to the Skyward Strike. Simply charge your sword as you have done, and release the energy by swinging the sword." Fi informed him.
"So what's next for you, Fi?" Link asked.
"Unfortunately I must remain in this perpetual slumber," Fi answered, "thus I cannot aid you to the same degree as I did your ancestor. But know that although I cannot assist in a physical form, as long as you hold the Master Sword, I shall always be with you." Fi assured him.
With that, Fi leapt towards the Master Sword, seemingly shrinking as it did so. The two then bonded once more, and the dancer was nowhere in sight. All that was left was Link and the Master Sword, with a slight purplish tint to its normally blue hilt. Link looked to this, knowing that Fi's presence was still there.
"Now," Fi's voice resonated through Link's head. "Go forth, and fulfil your new destiny, Master."
And then the Master Sword returned to its previous form, and all was silent again.
"Link," Fi said.
"Link," he heard again, but it was not the dancer's voice... neither was it in the Hylian language, but another that he still recognised and understood.
"Link!" The voice desperately called out.
The clouds, the weightlessness and peace were all gone. In their place was dim light that was shielded, a hard floor on his rear and the shuffling of a pair of feet around him.
"Link, wake up!" Talim said urgently, causing him to throw his eyes open to see her facing him. Unlike the previous time however, she had a very worried expression. "We've been spotted – Yun-Seong needs our help!"
That was all Link needed to hear to make him jump to his feet and strap his weapons to his back with his free hand.
"Lead the way." He requested of her.
In truth though it was not necessary, as it was only a couple hundred metres away that the skirmish had broken out; the sounds of it were close enough to the camp for him to deduce the location, but it was faster for Talim to take him.
But in the short rush, Link could tell that something had changed...
However he put these thoughts aside when he saw, through the trees, Yun-Seong locked in combat with numerous amounts of Lizalfos. And without a moment to lose, both Link and Talim leapt into battle.
As he ran up to the monsters, Link thrust the Master Sword upwards, and within a second felt it charge up with that same energy that he remembered having all those years ago, but not understanding how to call upon it... until that moment.
Despite not being within range of the monsters, Link still swiped his sword in a horizontal arc. He did not speak any incantations, nor did he have to summon any magic power, yet the sword produced a disc of white energy that flew the remainder of the distance and struck the back of a monster so hard that it left a gashing wound, as though Link was right next to it. As a result, the Lizalfo fell forwards, and its brethren then turned to see where the attack came from.
But by then it was too late, as the two drew their weapons back and plunged them forwards as they joined the fray.
With the element of surprise on their side the fight soon turned extremely one-sided. Despite having numbers on their side, the monsters were unable to form any sort of co-ordinated attack against the relentless youths. Whenever there was any sort of gathering between the monsters, it was soon broken up by one or more of the travellers.
The battle did not have much gracefulness between the fighters, mainly because none of them had really fought as a group before: Link was alone in his battles, thus he kept his attacks very much to himself and only came to the aid of the other two when necessary; Talim and Yun-Seong were able to make use of each other's skills somewhat, having been together for enough time to do so, but the lack in overall fighting in both of them prevented them from taking full advantage of it.
What they lacked in experience, however, they more than made up for in conviction. The memories of the other day were still fresh in their memories, and were absolutely determined to not walk that path again.
Even Link had been affected by that day. Though he did not notice it, he no longer taunted his enemies by wearing a grin on his face, or by placing a restriction on himself. He instead fought with the same solidity as though he were facing Ganondorf or Nightmare, which made him a much more efficient fighter.
But the biggest change to reveal itself came towards the end of the brawl.
A monster raised its sword far behind its back to deliver an attack upon Link, one that was completely readable as he raised his shield in preparation for it. Until suddenly, a large, metallic object hooked around the monster's wrist and yanked it further backwards, causing it to stumble and lose its grip on its weapon, leaving it defenceless as the object as lashed across its chest.
And standing directly behind was a person who swung the large, ring-shaped object to the side of her shoulder, and Link's eyes feel upon Tira.
But before either of them could truly acknowledge each other, Tira's attention was diverted to another Lizalfo who was hoping to catch her while she was unaware. But Link was mesmerised by her as she fought back against it with such fluidity to her movements that she made the defence, counterattack and subsequent step across the field to her next opponent seem effortless. He too, however, soon had to break away from his thoughts and rejoin the battle.
And once he jabbed the Master Sword back and forth in a series of quick stabs, before drawing his arm back and plunging it forward for one more devastating blow, the monster on the receiving side fell to the floor, and all was silent.
"Is everyone all right?" Link called out, after taking a moment to catch his breath and realise that the fight was over.
"I'm good." He heard Yun-Seong reply.
"Yes I'm fine, thank you." Talim answered, somewhat out of breath but otherwise comprehensible.
Panicking slightly that he did not hear a fourth response, Link looked around for any sign of Tira. But his concern was put at ease when he saw her standing over the corpse of a creature that she must have slain.
Link was in the process of walking over to her, when he saw Talim also approach her from behind. The younger was about to place her hand on the older one's shoulder, but stopped when she was within an inch of contact.
"Thank you, Tira." She said softly.
"There's no turning back now, is there?" Tira asked, her eyes not moving from the creature she should have considered an ally. "He's gonna know..." She added.
Both Link and Talim knew to whom she was referring to: Nightmare. Once the Azure Knight knows that the assault failed, he will likely come to the conclusion that Tira was either dead, or had turned on them.
"I thought about what you said last night." Tira broke her gaze to turn to Link. "If what happened before is what's gonna happen, then I don't want to be a part of it anymore." She said with more certainty in her voice than Link had ever heard.
"I'm glad for you." Link replied.
In reality, he could barely contain how pleased he was that he no longer had to think of her as a threat; she seemed to have come to a real turning point. But, he settled on a simple smile to her.
"So what is next for you?" He then asked her, wondering if she had an answer.
"Well, I was wondering... if," she started, as her neck sank into her shoulders and she rubbed the upper portion of one arm with the other.
-I could join you.
Link finished her question, and quite touched that she felt so nervous in asking it. Regardless, he was about to open his mouth to pre-emptively answer her, when suddenly...
"Will you be my Master?" Tira looked to Link with hopeful eyes.
Link was too shocked to see both Talim's and Yun-Seong's mouths fall open.
"I beg your pardon?" Link asked, wanting to ensure he heard her correctly.
"Will you become my Master, and let me serve you?" Tira repeated, still in a shy tone but much clearer than the initial occasion.
Just when I thought I was getting somewhere...
Link sighed internally.
"No, I can not." He answered, trying to be as firm yet gentle as possible.
At that, Tira became mortified.
"But why?!" She almost begged.
He could not believe he had to justify that decision with a reason. Despite that, he tried to remain calm, as he did not want to risk her reverting to her former self.
"I do not believe in slavery, you should be free to make your own choices." Link explained as unambiguously as he could.
"But," Tira stuttered, "but I want to serve you! I won't get in the way, I promise!"
"It's not that," Link started, running out of ways to put across his point, "it's just-"
Suddenly, all four of them heard leaves rustle behind them, which was soon accompanied by the roar that sounded similar to the ones that filled the battle.
They all turned as quick as they could and, sure enough, there was a lizard monster that had risen to its feet and stood directly behind Yun-Seong, its weapon held high above.
Despite not having sufficient time, each of them were about to draw their weapons and prevent the monster's attack.
But at the last moment a blade protruded from its chest which prevented it from proceeding, as its sword fell from its hand and, after the blade was pulled out again, so did its entire body.
And in its wake stood a woman dressed in a green and white top with a green skirt, brown hair at ended in a long ponytail and a fringe that covered much of her forehead, and what little that was still exposed was covered by a white piece of fabric with the pattern of a white rose on it.
The blade she had just used was on the end of a large staff, which she swung around with ease before resting it by her side.
"You always did need to work on watching your back, Yun-Seong!" The woman boasted, wearing a smirk as her brown eyes looked directly at the young swordsman.
Link heard Yun-Seong utter something under his breath. It was a word he had never heard before, and judging by the younger man's tone, it was not a saying used when someone was happy...