Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Legend of Zelda. This includes Twilight Princess as well.
AN: I finally finished chapter 26 last night. This chapter is also loosely connected to the sequel I plan to write.
Christy walked on the desert sand behind Flare. Christy's legs ached a little as they had been walking for a long time. It had been two hours since they reunited. While they walked most of the time, they did rest for about thirty minutes. During that time, Flare had given Christy some food and some water. The girl was grateful for that. She hadn't eaten since yesterday, and she didn't drink that much water from the Great Fairy Fountain. Of course, she wouldn't have the food or water if Rayea hadn't suggested it. Flare almost came without them.
"Christy? Is your chest okay?" Flare suddenly asked, looking over her shoulder.
Christy smiled and shook her head. Flare asked this question at least four times already. "Yes. I'm fine, Flare. Really."
Flare knew her way around the desert. There was no question about that. That was why the Gerudo was leading the way back to the Gerudo Fortress. But, Flare looked back at Christy every now and then to ask if she was alright. Christy kept telling the Gerudo she was okay.
Christy figured the reason the Gerudo kept talking about it was because she still blamed herself for hurting her. But, Christy didn't blame Flare. To her, the only one to blame was Sophia. Because Sophia lied to Flare, to get the Gerudo to shoot her arrow. In order to kill her.
Christy quickened her pace until she was walking beside Flare. She smiled at the Gerudo. "Flare, it's okay. I don't blame you at all."
Flare stared at Christy confused. "Why?"
"Sophia wanted me dead," Christy explained gently. "That's why she told you to shoot your arrow. She wanted me out of the way."
A shocked expression crossed Flare's face. "Before I left, I had heard that Sophia had been working for Ganon secretly. Did he order her to kill you?"
Christy shook her head. "One of his soldiers did. When I survived, the soldier told Sophia to bring me to him."
Flare nodded slowly. "I see. That's why Sophia took you."
For the next few minutes, the two traveled in silence. Christy could hear the Great Fairy's warning in her head. Something was going to happen at the Gerudo Fortress soon. She didn't know what would happen if she didn't get there in time, but she knew it wasn't good. She hoped everyone was okay. She was really worried about them.
Christy shook her head, trying to think positive. She knew that Link wouldn't just let something bad happen. After what happened to Furil, he never wanted anything like it to happen again. He would fight. She was sure of that. She knew Zelda would fight, too. Zelda would be the most careful between the two, and when the battle would end, she would scold Link for his reckless actions. And, of course, Link would say that it's not a big deal.
Of course, there was the chance that things would go wrong. The Great Fairy said that if Christy wasn't at the fortress, something disastrous would happen. But, what would happen? The Great Fairy wasn't really specific. Would something happen to Link or Zelda? Would Sophia be the cause somehow?
Flare spoke up, interrupting the girl's train of thought. "We should be reaching the fortress soon."
Christy was grateful that Flare said that. Mainly because the interruption stopped the bad thoughts from flowing into her mind. But, she had another reason. Flare said they would reach the fortress soon. And that filled her with relief. Slowly, Christy raised her right hand to check on the Flower Wand. She did that to make sure it was still there.
She didn't even touch the Flower Wand, however. Instead, she stared at the symbol on the back of her hand. The symobl was proof that she had the Triforce of Courage. As she looked at it, she was reminded of her earlier thought. That she did not want Ganon to know she had the Triforce of Courage. That's why she didn't use it against the soldier.
A worried expression crossed her face when she remembered the dream she had. The one where she fought Ganon alone and lost. She knew Ganon was the cause of her dream. The Great Fairy said so. What if Ganon saw the mark on her hand? Did he know she had the Triforce of Courage?
Christy almost jumped when she heard Flare's startled gasp. Christy lowered her hand and her eyes widened with fear at what she saw in front of her. Moblins and soldiers were outside a fortress, battling the Gerudo there. Christy knew this fortress was the Gerudo Fortress. She should have known that Ganon would be behind this somehow!
"Oh no! We have to help them!" Flare reached for the dagger that was strapped around her waist and ran into the battle. She went to the nearest Moblin, and attacked it from the side.
Christy hesitated for a second, then took the Flower Wand out of her hair. The reason for the hesitation was because she remembered that the Great Fairy didn't tell her how to use the Flower Wand. But, as she thought about it, she remembered what the Great Fairy told her. She had to trust her heart. If she did, she would have no problems wielding the Flower Wand. Believing the Great Fairy's words, Christy turned to the nearest soldier. The soldier was standing in front of a Gerudo, who was on her knees. She pointed the Flower Wand at him and ran in his direction.
"Flora kiake rekiso!"
Christy was surprised at the words she chanted that she stopped running. A shocked expression filled her eyes when she saw a red beam shoot out of the middle of the Flower Wand. The soldier turned when he heard Christy's voice. At that moment, the beam hit him in the chest, which made him stagger backward.
Christy was stunned. Those words she chanted just now. Where did they come from? She just chanted these words out of nowhere. Was it because she believed in herself and the words of the Great Fairy? She knew that the Flower Wand was magical, but she didn't think she would have chanted like that. It was almost like the Book of Elisu. But, there were some differences. The Flower Wand was not a book. And it didn't have words or pictures, either.
Christy shook her head, wiping the shocked expression off of her face. She soon noticed that the soldier was looking right at her. Making the girl his target, he ran toward her, intending on hitting her with his blade.
The girl barely dodged the soldier's attack. She pointed the Flower Wand at the soldier again, and chanted in a loud voice. "Flora lonkotsu bankata!"
A ball of light shot out of the middle of the Flower Wand. A look of surprise filled the soldier's face as the ball of light hit him, knocking him to the ground. Christy glanced down, noticing that the soldier was unconscious.
Christy glanced at the Flower Wand. She wondered about the power it had. As she did, she recalled that the Great Fairy told her that she had been granted a different type of magic. And that energy she felt, when the Great Fairy gave her the gift, went into her and not the Flower Wand. She just said the Flower Wand was needed to cast the magic.
Christy shook her head, reminding herself she had no time to think about it. Right now, she had to fight Ganon's men. She had to save the Gerudo. And, she had to help her friends. She ran toward one Gerudo, who was having problems with a Moblin. She would help her next.
Christy found herself rushing to anyone who needed help. The Great Fairy's warning continued echo in her mind. She didn't want anything terrible to happen. All of the Gerudo were thankful that Christy helped them. No one seemed surprised about Christy's escape, however. Instead, they just thanked her for helping them.
The girl began to get tired from all of her running. And using the Flower Wand didn't seem to help either. But, Christy did her best to ignore her weariness and continued to fight. She was startled by a familiar voice screaming to her right.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Christy turned to the voice, noticing that three soldiers had ganged up on one Gerudo. Although she couldn't see the Gerudo, that didn't matter. She recognized the Gerudo's voice. The one who cried out was Sophia.
One of the soldiers laughed. "You must be Sophia. Lord Ganondorf has ordered us to kill you."
Christy's eyes widened when she heard that. Ganon told his men to kill Sophia? But, wasn't Sophia working for him?
"You're lying!" Sophia yelled angrily. "I serve Lord Ganondorf!"
"We're not lying," a soldier remarked in a calm voice. "Lord Ganondorf wants you dead."
A look of uncertainty crossed Christy's face. Sophia tried to kill her. She forced her to walk into the desert so a soldier could take her to Ganondorf. Sophia had been mean to her. But, Ganon ordered his men to kill Sophia. Sophia was the only Gerudo that supported him. Why would he do that? Was it because she failed in her mission? That wasn't completely her fault.
Christy pointed her Flower Wand at the back of the middle soldier. She was going to do this, she just hoped she wouldn't live to regret it. She chanted loudly, causing another ball of light to zoom out of the Flower Wand. The soldier fell forward, causing the other two soldiers to turn.
Sophia was shocked when she saw the one who saved her. "The Elisu Sorceress?"
The two soldiers came in Christy's direction. Christy jumped backward and attacked the two with more magic. Just as the other soldier, these two fell as well. Christy was about to walk toward Sophia, to see if the Gerudo was okay, when she noticed a surprised look in the Gerudo's eyes.
"Sorceress! Look out!"
Sophia's warning came too late. The next thing Christy knew, something hit her in the back of her head. She fell to the desert sand, out cold.
A small groan escaped Christy's lips. The back of her head ached with pain. The last thing she could remember was that she saved Sophia. Then, Sophia tried to warn her. After that, something hit her head, and she collapsed. She figured she was a prisoner of Ganon's, like she was before.
"Ah, I see you're coming around," said a woman's voice. There was something familiar about the voice. Something that told her that she was safe.
Christy opened up her eyes, surprised that she was lying down on a bed in the Gerudo Fortress. It was a hard bed, like the one she was on before. Maybe she was in the same room. Christy turned her head to the right and found a woman standing beside the bed. There was something familiar about her. But, the girl couldn't place it.
"I'm glad I was able to save you, Christy," the woman remarked with a relieved smile. "And, it's good to see you again."
Christy stared at the woman confusingly. "You've seen me before?"
"Yes. I'm Janis." The woman giggled when she saw the surprised expression on the girl's face. "I'm not surprised that this information startles you. I was sent to the future by Master Elisu. About a year after you left, I started having visions about you. Master Elisu decided you deserve to know, so he sent me here. I ended up having to wait a few years. Master Elisu's spell was a little off."
Christy was still shocked that the woman before her was Janis. Yet, she was also curious. "What did you see, Janis?"
"I've seen many things, Christy. Each vision is strangely connected." A thoughtful look filled Janis' eyes. "I'm not sure what will lead to the events in my visions." The woman sighed softly, and looked into the girl's eyes.
"Before I tell you anything, I want you to promise that you won't say a word about it to the others. Master Elisu has told me that this information is for your ears only."
Christy slowly nodded. Truthfully, she didn't want to keep it secret from her friends, but she was sure there was a good reason Elisu didn't want them to know. "Okay. I promise, Janis."
Seeing that Christy agreed with Elisu's terms, Janis continued. "You will be sensitive to the same dream for a full week. The dream makes you fear for Hyrule's safety. At first, you don't think much about it. It's too familiar. But, then you realize that Hyrule is in danger.
"You will try to return to Hyrule Castle, but you will be delayed for a month, at least. You will live in a village during that time. While you are there, you will be taught how to wield a sword."
A shocked look entered Christy's eyes and she sat up. What was the danger that Janis was talking about? And why would she live in a village for a full month before going to Hyrule Castle? Especially if Hyrule Castle was in danger. She wasn't sure she believed the last thing Janis said, though. She knew she was not good with swords.
"As time goes, you will get the feeling you should be at Hyrule Castle," Janis said, ignoring the look on Christy's face. "But, by the time you will go, something will happen to the village kids, forcing you and a young man to look for them. You don't get very far at first, but the two of you soon travel with a mysterious imp."
Christy shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure I understand, Janis. If Hyrule is in danger, why do I wait in a village for a month?"
Janis closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "Before you journey to Hyrule Castle, something will go horribly wrong. You will lose your memory. You will forget the dream. In fact, you will forget everything I just told you."
Christy didn't want to believe it, but she knew that Janis wasn't lying. She could hear the truth in Janis' tone. She was surprised and alarmed. "If I'm going to forget, then why did you tell me this?"
"Master Elisu wanted you to know," Janis explained as she opened her eyes. "I don't completely understand why, since he knew you would lose your memory."
Christy sighed sadly and shook her head. "I don't understand, either."
"Don't worry about it, Christy," Janis said in a gentle voice. "It will be a while before any of that happens."
Christy looked up at Janis, and gave her a tiny nod. She wasn't completely happy about it, but knew she had no choice. "Okay."
Janis continued to smile and walked to the other side of the room. She knelt down for a moment, but stood back up a few seconds later. She turned around and walked back to Christy's bedside, and put something on her lap. She had see it before, too.
"The lyre," Christy murmured, looking at the instrument that Elisu gave her.
"I think you should play the lyre soon," Janis suggested, giving the girl a grin. "I'm going to get your friends. I'll be right back."
Christy watched Janis leave the room. The moment Janis was out of sight, Christy sighed again. So many questions were left unanswered. Still, she told Janis she wouldn't think about it. Instead, she just hoped that everyone was okay. She couldn't help wondering if Sophia was alright. Why did Sophia try to warn her? Was it because she tried to save her?
Christy shook her head and picked up the lyre. She decided to play it. Or, at least, she was going to try. She felt a little music might cheer her up. It used to work back home. She looked at the lyre and placed her fingers on the strings. She plucked one of the strings, followed by two more. She was a little surprised. The notes sounded wonderful. It was nothing like her first attempt at all. And the three notes sounded familiar. It sounded like Saria's Song.
Christy closed her eyes and began to play the lyre. Saria's Song sounded different on a lyre, but Christy didn't care right now. She really loved this song. The music was bouncy and cheerful, which helped lighten the girl's mood.
As she played, she recalled what Elisu told her. That only a true sorcerer, or sorceress, could play the lyre. She knew she had been a true sorceress. She figured she couldn't use the Book of Elisu, or the Flower Wand, if she wasn't. Even without natural magic, she was a true sorceress. And it helped that she was beginning to believe in herself.
She had no idea she had attracted a small audience. Not until she opened her eyes. When she did, she discovered her friends standing by the bed. Avalon was resting on Zelda's shoulder and Link was smiling. Janis was with them, too.
Ganondorf was not pleased to hear what happened at the Gerudo Fortress. The battle had been in their favor. But, then the Sorceress arrived, wielding a strange flower. He knew it was the Sorceress from the description one of his soldiers gave him.
That girl was brave, he had to admit that. Despite the dream he forced upon her, she refused to give up. She seemed to be fighting harder. But, she was also foolish. How was it that she was able to fight with a flower?
Ganondorf shook his head, a smirk crossing his face. That girl would fall to her knees soon. He would make sure of that. He knew exactly what to do. The evil lord turned to the soldier that reported to him about their recent failure.
"Gather some trustworthy members of my army, and go to Death Mountain. Lay a trap for the Sorceress and capture her. Bring her to me, alive."