Chapter 21: Land in the Sky
In order to close the three Gates of Souls Cia had opened across time, the Hyrulean Army split into three separate teams, and traveled back in time. One faction, led by Impa and Sheik, had emerged in the Era of the Hero of Time, where they battled the Goron Army, and their chieftain, the Sage of Fire, Darunia, who had kidnapped Princess Ruto while under a spell.
The second faction, led by Lana, emerged in the Era of Twilight, where they befriended Agitha, the strange, self professed Insect Princess, and battle a real princess in Midna, who had been transformed into an imp, and banished from her kingdom.
Link, however, had traveled even further back to a time before even the kingdom of Hyrule itself came into existence.
Link could only stare, astonished as the sights he beheld. He, and the Goron Army, found themselves on an island in the sky. On the island was a large village. It appeared as though there had been a grand celebration judging by the decorations everywhere. The thing that set him off, though, is that this seemingly peaceful village had been overrun by monsters. The village had become a battlefield as the locals fought a losing battle against the invasive creatures. They needed help.
"Captain?" called a Goron Captain, "Your orders?"
Link was taken aback as a wave of realization washed over him. He was leading an army. Up until now, he had been used to Impa ordering him around, but now, he was the one that had to do the ordering. And it intimidated him greatly.
"Help them." Link responded, "Help these guys out first, then we'll ask them about the Gate of Souls."
Just then, the Gorons charged at the monsters, though the ensuing battle lasted quite a while, the Gorons killed them easily.
The soldiers, who had been battling the monsters, watched in confusion as the Gorons easily wiped out the creatures they had been struggling against.
"What the hell're those things?!" one asked.
"I dunno." another answer breathlessly, "But as long as they're helping us kill these monsters, I'm glad they're here!"
One soldier spotted Link. "Hey, isn't that the kid from the Wing Ceremony?"
"I think so, but... he looks kinda different."
Link assisted the Gorons in ridding the village of the monsters. The battle lasted several hours when the beasts were finwlly driven away. By then, the soldiers who had been there fighting when the Hyrulean Army arrived were nowhere to be seen.
"Hey," a Link noticed, "those other guys are gone. Where did they go?"
"I can't tell." a Goron Captain answered, "There are a lot of places to hide here. What is this place anyway?"
Link looked around at the buildings surrounding him. Now that everything had calmed down, he could feel how thin the air was, a sign that they were obviously at a high elevation. The air was also very moist, a sign that they were close, if not inside, a group of clouds. Then, he thought back to a conversation he had with Shen, one of his old friends.
Flashback...
"You know, Link," Shen began, "If you're gonna spend your life living in the castle, you won't be able to see just what the world has to offer."
"What do you mean?" Link asked.
"I mean, there's so much to see out there in the world. For example, I've read in a book that there was once a land in the sky the Ancient Hylians had called home."
"A land in the sky? Are you kidding me?"
End of flashback...
Link smiled, "I guess he wasn't just talking after all..."
Elsewhere, the Dragon Knight, Volga, paced about, growling as if he was a savage beast.
"My, my, Volga." a strange voice called to him.
Volga turned to see a slender, pale man with white hair and a red cape. His white attire consisted of diamond shaped openings revealing more of his pale skin.
"When are we going to put your plan into action?" he growled.
"In due time, my serpentine companion, in due time. In the meantime, do try not to get too full of yourself. After all, it is I, Ghirahim, who leads the demon tribe."
"That matters not. Every last human in these lands shall feel the bite of my blade."
"That's... nice. But don't forget, it's important that you-"
Ghirahim drew a short gasp of air as he paused abruptly mid-speech.
"What is it?" Volga asked.
Ghirahim smiled, "Oh, nothing." He turned away, I can sense their presence; we have company. Plus... He licked his lips with a long, thin tongue, There is a familiar presence that has caught my attention.
"Hey!"
Link spun toward a large building as he walked along a dirt path headed toward a tall statue. The Gorons weren't far behind. Peering at him from behind the large doors was a tall, skinny man with white hair and a bronze complexion.
"Those creatures behind you helped rid the town if the monsters, correct?"
Link looked back at the Gorons, who had caught up with him. He turned back to the man and nodded, "Yeah, they did."
The man shut the door slightly as whispering could be heard. It was now clear the man wasn't alone. He reappeared, "It's getting late. Come in. Those creatures behind you can join us is they'd like."
Inside, there was a large group of people. Most of them were suited in armor similar in appearance to the Hyrulean Army of his time. Others were oddly shaped people who appeared to be noncombatants.
"Link?!" a foreign voice cried, "Is that you?!"
A man in an orange tunic ran up to him, accompanied by a tall, overweight man in red.
"We all thought those monsters got you!" the man continued. He looked the Gorons, "Are these creatures from the Surface?"
Link looked up at the man in red, then at the man in orange. "The what?"
"You know, the Surface! Where you're looking Zelda?"
Link frowned.
"Tell me." the man in the red began, "Is my daughter safe?"
Link's expression changed from a frown to a puzzled look, "Daughter?"
The two men looked at each other, then at Link.
"Are you feeling okay, Link?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm just a little confused is all."
"'Yeah'?" the slender man repeated, "You've never addressed us with such a word before." he turned to the man in the red, "Headmaster Gaepora, Link may have hit his head."
Gaepora studied the boy, "Link. I'm going to ask you some questions to see if they'll jog your memory. Do you know what this building is?"
"No."
"...Do you know who Pipit is?"
"No."
The man in the orange tunic, obviously Pipit, scoffed.
"Do you know who Zelda is?"
Zelda. As much as he detested her, she was the very reason he was here in the first place. He remembered that Lana had told him that there were many past rulers of Hyrule named Zelda. With that in mind, and that fact that he was tens of thousands of years in the past, it would be almost impossible for him to know which Zelda they were referring to.
"No." the boy lied.
"Maybe he isn't Link." Owlan suggested, "Look at his hair. It's blonde instead of light brown."
Gaepora looked at Link again, "What's your name?"
"My name's Link."
"We don't have time for this." a deeper voice interrupted, "If he's on our side, it doesn't matter who he is."
A muscular man in armor walked up to Link, "You are on our side, right? Along with these creatures?"
Link nodded.
The man silently stared at Link for a moment, "Tomorrow, those monsters will likely return. We don't know how they got up here, but we'll be using a robot called Scrapper to help us carry a cauldron of Pumpkin Soup to the edge of town to lure out Levias."
"Levias? Who's that?"
"The Spirit of the Skies who was given the duty of protecting us by the Goddess. We've reason to believe either the enemy has already attacked him, or that he simply isn't aware of our situation. Once he smells the soup, he'll come to our aid, and help rid the sky of those creatures. But for now, we need rest."
The Gorons took turns keeping watch for the night. Gaepora led Link to a room on the bottom floor that looked like a bedroom. It was both familiar and foreign to him. He peered through the window to find that the moon was significantly larger than normal, which wasn't at all surprising given how high he was. Link pushed down on the bed he would be using. He was shocked at how hard it was. He lied on his side as he thought about how his comrades were doing. Just then, an almost robotic voice caught his ear. Still lying on his side, Link stared forward, wondering just the heck that was. After a while, his eyelids wearily descended.
"Link."
Link's eyes flung open to see a blue creature hovering over him.
"AAAH!" Link screamed.
"Hey shyad up, shut the hell up!" an angry soldier yelled in a groggy tone, "I'll kick yerrr azzz..."
Link reached for his sword.
"That will not be necessary." the strange being told him, "Please. Follow me."
"Why?!" Link asked, "I don't even know what you are! You could be-"
"I can assure you my allegiance does not lie with your enemies. There is much that needs to be discussed, but this is not the place."
Link stared the being down angrily, "Fine. But at the first sign of troubl-"
The strange being vanished behind the door.
Link shot up from the bed, "Wait!"
Link chased the strange life form out of the building, then around the village outside. They stopped at the tall statue that could be seen around town. Link turned to the path in front of the statue that lead back to the building.
"What the hell?" he complained, irritated, "We could have just walked here using that path like normal people!"
"It was necessary to ensure that we were not being followed."
Link sighed, "So what was it you wanted tell me?"
The creature turned away once more, and led Link to an opening front of the statue. Inside, there was some sort of room. It was hot in sharp contrast to the outside environment, and smelled musty, like some sort of relic.
"I believe you would prefer if I introduced myself before anything else. I am Fi. I was created by the Goddess to serve and guide her chosen hero through his perilous journey."
Hero? thought Link, Is she talking about me?
"My creator, a being outside of time, has informed me that someone has breached time itself, and has arrived to this time period. My master, the one chosen by Her Grace, and one of your earliest incarnations, was moments away from using the Triforce to banish the ancient evil plaguing the land below when a strange individual interrupted, and proceeded to end his life."
She must mean Cia. That means... she may still be here.
"It is also worth mentioning that the moment this person appeared, both the Triforce of Power and the Triforce of Courage vanished. This leads me to believe that she may be in possession of both pieces, as the Triforce can only exist at one point in time, meaning duplicates are an impossibility."
Just two? Link thought. This was beyond strange. He knew that Cia held the Triforce of Power, he had the Triforce of Courage, and, for some reason, Sheik was in possession of the Triforce of Wisdom. He had seen Cia complete the Triforce with his own eyes, so she should still have all three pieces. Yet, she only had two pieces. To add to that, the piece that was missing, which just happened to be the the piece that belonged to Princess Zelda, was missing. Something wasn't right. Not quite right at all.
"My creator has also informed me that the latest incarnation of her chosen hero has entered this time period from the future. That is why I have revealed myself to you... Master."
Master? Link thought, That'll take some getting used to. "So what happened to the Triforce of Wisdom from this time period?"
"The Triforce of Wisdom of this time period has been destroyed in order to prevent it falling into enemy possession."
Link's gaze dropped to the floor for a moment, then back up at Fi, "So what're you gonna do now?"
"I plan on aiding you in the coming battles."
Link's eyes widened in bewilderment. "Really?"
"Yes."
"But... how? No offense, but I couldn't help but notice that you have no arms."
"A lack of appendicular limbs in the upper body does not alter one's ability in the field of battle in the slightest. I can assure you I can, in fact, be very helpful in battle."
"Huh."
"Master Link, I am detecting a multitude of evil auras en route to Skyloft. I advise you make necessary preparations for battle."
"Right!"
Link unsheathed his sword and raced out of the statue to find that the sun had risen.
"What?! It's morning already?!"
Fi floated toward Link, "Master, it took me several hours to wake you."
Link thought back. He could've sworn last night was a sleepless one.
"Master. I recommend we rejoin your companions before entering battle in order to reduce the risk of injury."
Without a word, Link hurried back to the previous building to rendezvous with his new allies.
"There you are!" exclaimed the Knight Commander, "We've been looking for you!"
"Sorry," Link responded.
The Knight Commander looked over at Fi. "Hey. I assume you're one of Link's allies."
"Correct." Fi confirmed in a robotic tone.
"Great. We're just about ready to move out. I know you probably know the plan already, but I'll remind you just to be safe. Any second know, Scrapper will arrive with the cauldron of Pumpkin Soup. We'll escort him to the southernmost edge of town, where we'll use it to lure Levias to the island. We'll most likely meet some heavy resistance, which is why it's fortunate that you've shown up."
"What happens after this 'Levias' guy shows up?"
"We'll join forces, and drive those savages out of Skyloft for good."
"Eagus." called Gaepora, "The Pumpkin Soup has arrived.
"Excellent. We're ready to move out."
It took about ten minutes for the Skyloftian soldiers, along with Link, Fi and the Goron Soldiers to finish preparations. Because Link's position as Lieutenant General apparently meant nothing to his new allies, he wound up being put into the crowd of ordinary soldiers while Eagus led their advance.
As they quietly made their way to the town square with the Pumpkin Soup in tow, Link thought about where the Gate of Souls could be. The only place of significance he could think of in Skyloft was the Statue of the Goddess, yet it wasn't there. To ad to that, seeing as how he hasn't encountered any monsters since yesterday, there was a good chance the gate wasn't in Skyloft at all. He remembered that Gaepora had mentioned a place called the Surface. Perhaps he would find it there. With that in mind, it could take forever for him to find the Gate of Souls.
"Master." he heard Fi call.
"Hm?"
"I can detect the auras of numerous monsters drawing nearer as we speak. I advise you to notify the Knight Commander."
"But I can't get to him." Link complained, "How many-"
"LOOK!" a soldier shouted, "They're coming from the Bazaar!"
A mass of red monsters charged blindly into the army, catching most of them by surprise.
"Hold them off!" Eagus ordered, "We have to deliver this cauldron right away!"
As the troops in the rear battled the monsters, Eagus and a large group of both Skyloftian and Goron troops, that included Link and Fi, led Scrapper to the town square, where a lone figure awaited them.
"You definitely took your time getting here." Ghirahim spoke almost calmly.
Eagus drew his blade, "Who are you?!"
Ghirahim scoffed, "Please. A battle with you unworthy creatures is hardly worth my time."
With a snap of the fingers, the strange man vanished into a mass of diamonds.
"Where did he go?!" Eagus asked in vain, frantically searching his surroundings.
Link, who couldn't see a thing given how everyone was taller than him, looked at Fi, "I couldn't see anything." he told the spirit, "What happened?"
Just then, he felt a pair of hands grab him by the shoulders from behind. He froze immediately.
"Hello, there." he heard Ghirahim greet him, "You must be... his successor. My, how you look so much like him."
Link glanced to his left to see a long tongue being flicked just inches away from his ear. As he turned, he elbowed the man in the chest earning a surprised grunt from Ghirahim.
"Well that was rude. If anything, at least you've inherited his fighting spirit."
"Who the hell are you?!" Link growled at him.
Ghirahim gave out a loud laugh, "My, what a fierce tongue. Let's see if I can get you to squeal next."
As the surrounding soldiers backed away, Link drew his sword and shield while Ghirahim snapped his fingers. Another group of monsters appeared spontaneously.
"Keep the rabble busy." Ghirahim ordered, "I want this one all to myself."
Link quickly charged at Ghirahim, hoping to take him by surprise, when suddenly, the man caught his sword with ease using only his two fingers.
What? Link thought, But how?!
"A cheap shot? Really? Oh, how I'm disappointed you."
"Shut up! And let go of my sword!"
Ghirahim glanced down at the fine blade, "You mean this thing?" Then, with a mere flick of the fingers, Ghirahim easily wrenched the sword from his grasp.
Link's eyes widened as he watched Ghirahim inspect the sword.
"Why, you can't mean to inflict any serious harm on me with this!"
SMACK!
Ghirahim let out a shouting growl as he was sent flying after receiving a swift kick from Fi, dropping Link's sword as he flew.
The boy rushed forward, catching the sword in midair by the handle, and slashed Ghirahim across his torso.
After quickly recovering from the attack, Ghirahim teleported away to a safer distance. He chuckled, "Perhaps now isn't the opportune time for our destined rematch. Besides..." the strange being glanced to the side, as if we were speaking to someone else, "it's time you've made yourself useful, my serpentine companion.
Link eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What?"
.
"I agree."
.
Just then, a ball of fire flew through the air before striking the cauldron of Pumpkin Soup, destroying it, and Scrapper, completely, and setting the surrounding soldiers ablaze.
"What was that?!" Link panicked.
"It's him..." Eagus said in a low, angered voice.
"Who?"
A winged figure swooped down to where the Pumpkin Soup used to be. As its wings vanished, the figure stood up straight, and turned to Link.
"So we meet again, boy."
Link squeezed the handle of his sword as he realized just who it was that stood before him.
It was the Dragon Knight... Volga.
Author's Note: I know I said I would publish this chapter within the week of the last one, but... life happens.
On another note, for those of you who haven't read my bio, I'm currently planning a third fanfic to write. It's a Hyrule Warriors fanfic called The Legend of Zelda: Resurrection (not the final title). The plot I have so far is that the Hylians, have been enslaved by Ganondorf. That's right, every and all Hylians bow to the King of Evil. But of course, Link goes "Screw that." and goes against the tyrant (with some help, of course). I just thought I'd share this to get some opinions on the soon-to-be story. I want it to be THE best story I can possibly make it, so to any writers reading this, some constructive criticism (regarding vocabulary) for my existing fanfics would be greatly appreciated. Just... try not to destroy my confidence, please.