Author's Note(s): Ah, at last, Chapter 21! Actually, this chapter marks the beginning of the second HALF of this Fanfiction. Yes, we are at the halfway point, folks. Sorry about the delays, but I've been busy. Hopefully the next few should come quickly.
I've actually got quite a bit of news right now. First, a while back I mentioned I would be drawing a picture of Saria. That is actually long-since done with, and it's decent, but I still intend on doing another one with her later that's a better style of her in this fic (and without the cloak). Either way, it's not the final style. However, I received a request to draw a picture of Relm, which I only RECENTLY completed. It is available on my deviantArt Account, which is "ultimahedgie." If you don't know how to get there, go to ultimahedgie DOT deviantart DOT com (replacing the "DOT"s with periods ., of course). Her full name is Relm Kisaragi Hyrule, though at this point I have no intentions of revealing it in the fic. Maybe it'll come up later, but not now.
Second, recently I started playing a Zelda fan game called "The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage," which is an RPG designed in RPG Maker XP. Well, during this, I looked at the actually RPG Maker feature in the program (as you have to download RPG Maker in order to play games), and I really liked the look of it, so I decided to start designing a game based on SoD for fun. SoD already has numerous RPG similarities, and more are coming up later. Of course, the game version will have additional things that never happened before, such as returning to Termina (which doesn't ever happen in the fic).
As one final note, SoD is currently planned to be the first of a trilogy. Even when I started the fiction I had wanted to do a sequel because of how I planned the fic to end, but the third part came recently. That was actually an idea I had for something else entirely, and I decided to link it to SoD. All three parts will be featured in the game. Later I may release snapshots of the game, probably on my dA Account, but for now it's staying top secret. I don't actually have the paid version of RPG Maker, either, so I've only got a month. (I'm hoping that I could just reinstall the trial, but I don't know if this will work out.) Either way, that's how it's going. Some of the events in the second and third parts may be a bit questionable, and possibly cliche, but I'm hoping that if I write them well enough that most will be able to bypass them. And yes, more questionable than what happens in this fic...
Anyway, enough ranting. Enjoy the second half! (When I get more out... Until then, enjoy this chapter. XD).
The Legend of Zelda: Scepter of Darkness
Chapter 21: Temple of Light
A horrid, blinding bright light caused Link to awaken, startled. He glanced around and saw that he was in a bright, golden room, blazing with the purest of all lights. The entire chamber was alit with an unseen glow. He did not know where it was coming from, either, as all he saw around him was pure gold glistening brightly, jewels of all sorts etched around him.
He pushed himself to his feet, wearily, wobbling slightly, before he was able to actually keep his balance. He glanced around, staring into the majesty of the structure around him. "Wow…" was all that he could mutter.
"Welcome, Link. It's been a long time."
Link spun around, stunned. "Who…?"
He saw no one, but he did see an even greater light emanating from a chamber in front of him. He raced into the room, running out on top of a large, circular, stone marble platform. Around him he saw nothing but stars and sky, save for the doorway behind him. This, then, sealed shut, and all that was left there was stars, as well.
He stood at the center of the platform, looking around in all directions. The world seemed to spin around him. All sense of time and reality was pushed to the back of his mind. He then realized the seven symbols attached to the sides of the platform. Each of the seven medallions of the sages.
"I'm in the chamber of sages…" he muttered softly to himself.
"Exactly," the voice echoed out again.
Link turned around and saw what he had been guessing he'd see. Standing before him was the red robed, tall, elder sage known as Rauru, the Sage of Light.
"What am I doing here…?" Link asked.
Rauru nodded to himself. "You have been tricked, Link, and Gannondorf is unleashed. He has returned and is now plotting his new conquest of Hyrule. None shall be spared."
The hero narrowed his eyes. "How is this so? I heard his voice!"
Rauru shook his head. "No. That was a manipulation of the evil power released by your friend, Saria, Sage of the Forest. The Sorceress knew that the only one who could release Gannondorf, the only one who could pull the Master Sword from its pedestal; was you. She manipulated the Masans to capture Saria, knowing that you would go there, and then that you would also come back down and meet Relm. Had you not met Relm, you would not have gone to the Sheikah Village and arrive back at Hyrule Castle for the Moblins to be there. They had to be one step ahead of you so that she could then coerce you into releasing Gannondorf."
Link narrowed his eyes. "Impossible… Save for that first time, I never saw her again! I anticipate our next meeting is soon, but how was she able to do this?"
Rauru shook his head. "She is closer than you think. She has been following you ever since you arrived back in Hyrule, but she's crafty and is able to hide herself from you. Be warned, for your next meeting will be soon."
Link nodded. "Mmm… Who is she?"
"That," Rauru stated, "will be left for you to find out. You will learn the truth soon enough."
Link stared in wonder as everything vanished. The ground disappeared, and darkness enveloped him. Rauru was the only thing left in his eyesight, but he, too, was fading.
"Trust not even the closest of friends…"
XXXXX
Link sat straight up in bed. He glanced around the room and saw that he was sitting in a small bedroom in Hyrule Castle. To his right he saw Princess Zelda suddenly stand up and rush out of the room. "He's awake!" she cried out.
Saria and Relm rushed into the room, but Saria moreso than the other two. She collapsed by Link's side and reached over, hugging him. "You're alive!" she cried out.
Relm leaned up against the wall next to the door and eyed Link, carefully. "So, what now, big hero? It seems that you've messed up now. Big time."
He glanced around the room, rubbing his head. "Wh-what happened…?"
"You saw a vision, did you not?" Queen Zelda stated as she walked into the room.
"Mother…?" the princess asked, turning to her.
The elder Zelda ignored her. "Link, you know what you must do. Seek the power of the sages."
He swung his legs off of the bed and turned back to face her. "Yes, but… What happened? That's what I'd like to know."
She nodded. "Just as the sage told you—you were tricked into releasing Gannondorf. In the Temple itself, it appeared that you had passed out after you pulled the Master Sword, and you were brought here. However, in truth you saw a vision of the Temple of Light. You should remember it well."
Link shook his head. "Actually, not really… I only remember the Chamber of Sages. That is all I saw. This time I got to see another brief glimpse of it."
"Temple of Light…? Sages…?" Relm asked, puzzled.
Saria stood up. She looked over at the queen, and they exchanged a nod. Zelda backed away, and she motioned for the princess to follow suit. The forest sage then turned to Relm. "Only the Seven Sages, the Hero of Time, and Gannondorf know of what happened twenty years prior. Link is the Hero of Time, and he was taken seven years into the future so that he could battle against Gannondorf. He defeated Gannon and the evil king was sealed into the Sacred Relm. Link, then, was sent back to his original time, so to everyone else it appeared that Gannondorf had merely vanished and that Link was nothing special."
Relm sighed. "So, if that is the case, then how do you know about it?"
She giggled a bit. "That's because I'm the Forest Sage. You also never really did know that you were raised by a Sage; the Shadow Sage."
Relm gasped. "Master Impa…?" she asked.
The queen nodded. "She is a trusted advisor of mine. We chose her for the role of raising you up into the young woman you are now. I apologize for the actions, but we had no other choice."
Relm nodded. "Very well, then. Whatever the case, I'm not just sitting around here and waiting for the world to fall around us. I'm going with Link."
"As you should," Zelda said in reply. "You are to go with Link on his journey," as she was speaking she turned to Saria, "and you also. You can help to gather the power of the sages, and to help stop this evil that you released."
She lowered her head upon hearing that. Both Relm and Princess Zelda jumped in surprise. "W-wait, what?!"
A tear dripped down Saria's face. "Y-yes… It was me… It was an accident, though, I swear it!"
"But you—" Relm started.
The queen raised her hand. "Enough is enough," she said, then turned to face Link. "In truth, the real cause of all these problems is you."
He raised an eyebrow, but then quickly jumped to his feet. "W-wait… me? How—"
Zelda nodded. "It was Saria's choice to leave the forest. It was your choice to leave, too, and it was the right one. However, had you allowed Saria to come with you, none of this would've ever happened. That is what fate is like, though. You were supposed to deny Saria to follow you; she was supposed to find the scepter, and the sorceress, the entity within the Scepter itself, was supposed to be released into the world. And you are supposed to stop it."
Link hissed. "B-but… how can this be?!" he slammed a fist in the wall, making the three girls in the room jump for a second. "We can't just sit by and do nothing! Can't we change the future? Can't we change our fate?"
Zelda nodded. "It is possible to change the future. You need to anticipate all possible outcomes and make the right choice. However, changing the future is harder than it may seem." 'As you will soon learn.'
Link lowered his head. He realized that the last thing she said she didn't really say at all. It was intended to be a message directly to him, and only he was intended to hear it. This is the third time that it had happened in the past few days. The princess seemed like someone who might have telepathic powers, but Relm? Someone was trying to tell him something.
The queen left the room, but then stopped just outside. "Your horses have been made ready for you three. You shall leave tomorrow. Link, you already know where to go."
Link narrowed his eyes. 'How does she do this?!' he screamed out to himself in his mind. 'She knows that the light told me to go to Lon Lon Ranch…'