The wind blew outside still and Link, miserable and frustrated, sat in the hut of the Frostmen who had generously taken him in. They were awaiting the Elder to see what he made out of the whole situation. Bo was pacing impatiently around the small home, while Mani and Hana worked to provide a meal. The only member of the family who was near Link was little Haita, who sat playing with a little doll. Due to the ignorance of childhood, Haita was also the only family member who did not have a grasp of the circumstances at hand. Therefore, the moment she saw Link's depressed and downcast look, the girl could not help but approach him, her doll in hand.

It took a few moments for the stranger to react, but he finally raised his head.

"You want to play?" asked Haita, her pudgy fingers thrusting the doll towards Link.

Link looked at her, hesitatingly before saying, "I'm sorry, but I'm not very good with children."

"She's not a child," insisted Haita, slightly offended by his remark, "She is Princess Maita, I named her after myself."

The Hero couldn't help but smile for the first time in days. "But I don't know how to play with dolls," he replied, "I never played with dolls growing up."

The little Frostgirl was disappointed, but her efforts did not wane.

"You could protect her for while I sew some more clothes for her," suggested Haita.

"And how would I do that?"

Gently, just as her mother would have done, Haita took Link's hand. The girl unwrapped his strained fingers, one by one, and pressed the doll into his open palm. She used her tiny hands to close Link's fingers, and pushed the doll and Link's hand close to the Hero's own body, right near the heart.

"That's all you need to do," she told him, "Keep her there, and she'll be safe."

"That's all I need to do?"

"All you need to do."

Timidly, the Hero and the Frostgirl beamed at one another, before the latter took some fabric into her hands, and began to sew. Link watched her fingers work for a while before he decided to speak.

"Where I'm from, we have a Princess as well."

Fascinated, Haita faced Link, face taut with curiosity, "Really? What's her name?"

"Zelda."

"Zelda," pronounced the girl, wrapping her lips around each syllable, "That's a pretty name. Is she pretty?"

"Beautiful," replied Link.

"More beautiful than my Princess Maita?" inquired Haita.

"The most beautiful woman in the world."

"Wow," breathed Haita, "She must be really beautiful, then. What does she look like?"

"Very different from you."

"Are you saying I'm ugly?"

"No!" corrected Link, "Not at all! Besides, we're two very different people, you and I, we come from very different places. I don't think you can compare two people from different places."

"But you just said Princess Zelda is the most beautiful woman in the world, that's more than two people from two places!"

Link took a moment to think, "She's the most beautiful woman to me, how about that?"

Haita leaped to her feet, "So you're going to wed her!"

That was unexpected.

"No!" exclaimed Link hastily, "No! We won't be married."

"But if you think she's the most beautiful woman, why don't you want to marry her?"

"It's complicated," replied Link.

"Tell me!"

"I don't think you would understand..."

"Please! I'm old enough!"

Link sighed, but gave in to the girl's demands, "You see, I'm not a prince, and I'm not a noble."

"But you're the Hero!"

"But I'm still a commoner," explained Link, "Princesses can never marry commoners."

"Oh," muttered Haita, "That's disappointing. Can you imagine if that could happen, though? That would be sweet."

"Haita!" exclaimed Mani, "Stop bothering the Hero! The Elder will be here soon and I hope you will treat him much more respectfully."

"I was only asking questions," pouted Haita, returning to her sewing, "He also wanted to play."

"Don't try and lay blame on him, my dear," warned Mani, "That's not very polite either."

Haita did not have a chance to respond, as Bo flew out the front door of the hut and out into the snow. Link could hear Bo greet an older man warmly before they both entered. The Elder unsurprisingly resembled Bo, as all Frostmen seemed to look the same. Though the man was clearly a great deal older, and slightly less heavy set. A long beard draped over the Elder's knees, so long was it that Link was worried the beard would catch fire should the Elder approach the hearth. That fear, however, was unfounded, and soon Haita stood to allow the Elder to sit with Link. Extending her arms, the girl signaled to Link that she would like her doll returned to her, which the Hero did before the girl bounded off to her mother's side.

Adjusting his robes, the Elder flashed Link a brilliant, toothless smile. "Hello there," the Elder began, "And welcome to our lovely Island. I joke about that, of course, because it seems that only the Frostmen find it beautiful."

"I haven't seen the rest of it, so I can't say," replied Link.

"Ah, yes that is true, you have been recovering. Found slumped upon the ice, poisoned. My, you have had quite the eventful seven days."

"Not quite seven," corrected Link, "The girls announced that you were coming earlier than expected."

"Right," agreed the Elder, "They said they wanted to speak to me about something important, and how there was a tall stranger living with them."

"We wanted you to speak with the Hero of Time, Elder," corrected Bo, "The Hero of Time from Hyrule."

Immediately, the Elder gaped at Link, unable to believe what he had just heard. "The Hero of Time," repeated the old Frostman, "I never would have thought..."

"I had a dream six nights ago," explained Bo, sitting with the men, "Three Goddesses of Hyrule told me that my family should accommodate the Hero of Time until some sort of help arrived for him."

"Help?" interrupted Link, "You never told me about that."

"Wait," interjected the Elder, "So, what brings you here to the ocean?"

"The Glass Palace," elaborated Link, "A Gerudo from Hyrule, Ganondorf, is trying to get to the Glass Palace to unlock some power that involves a dear friend of mine. We have been traveling and obtaining the Stones to stop him."

"Unlocking power," muttered the Elder, pulling his robes closer to his body, "No one has accessed the Glass Palace for generations."

"Until now, obviously. I was traveling with the Hyrulean fleet and we had three Stones with us, and we were going to seek the fourth. Obviously, I'm off course now."

"And what happened to you?" inquired the Elder.

"I've been tricked. Some woman tried to poison me and threw me into the ocean while I was in Fortune."

The Elder sucked in his breath, "Well, that's rather harsh. What would you like me to do?"

"Actually, Elder," began Bo, "We called you here to see if you can explain what the significance of Link's visit is, and who exactly the Goddesses were speaking of when they said help. Your wisdom is valued."

"Wisdom? Pah!" spat the Elder, "And you think my wisdom can give you answers?"

Bo, taken aback, frowned and replied, "Well, I simply assumed that..."

"Wisdom cannot solve everything!" declared the Elder, "In the face of Evil, Courage matters so much more."

"So, you're saying you don't know why Link is here," suggested Bo.

"That is exactly what I'm suggesting," confirmed the Elder who nodded sadly before facing Link, "I'm sorry, Hero, but I don't know how to help you. Please don't assume it's because I'm not willing to."

"I'm not assuming anything," said Link, contemplating, "But I will get to the Glass Palace."

Bo and the Elder froze. Link raised his head and faced both men.

"I have to get there," continued the Hero, "I'm not sure how, but I know I will."

"Let's not get too idealistic here," interjected the Elder, "You're a very determined young man, but I can't think of a way to actually send you off into the ocean."

"And a raft definitely wouldn't send you all the way there, in case you were thinking of that," added Bo, not meaning to be as comedic as he was.

The Hero ignored the Frostman's comment and turned to the Elder once more, "Elder, what are the Stones for? I've been traveling from Island to Island collecting them but I've never taken the time to ask what they do except open the Glass Palace. If these Stones are able to give Ganondorf access to some great power, then surely the Stones can be used for other things, can't they?"

"Why, of course! I assumed you knew all about the Stones!" exclaimed the Elder, throwing his hands into the air, "And now you're telling me that you have been at sea for almost a year and you haven't a clue as to what these Stones can do?"

"No! None of us do! All we have ever known is that we need them to get into this Glass Palace."

"And none of you ever asked anyone at the other Islands? You never questioned? I have to admit, I'm very ashamed and shocked!"

"It never crossed our minds," murmured Link regretfully, "Could they have helped us obtain the other Stones much more easily?"

"Well, no," answered the Elder slowly as he reflected on what he wanted to say, "But there is a reason why we require everyone who wants the Stones to prove they are worthy of them."

"And that reason might be able to help me?" suggested Link.

"Let me put it this way: without the Stones, the Islands would disintegrate. Your Goddesses designed them as a lifeline for the Islands, if you know what I mean. The longer the Stones are away from the Islands, the more the Islands die."

"As in they sink into the sea?" ventured Bo.

"No, it isn't a question of the Islands sinking into the sea. But the life on the Islands will certainly die bit by bit and in fact, Hero, as of right now you have contributed to that."

"So the Stones are pretty much the Islands," clarified Link.

"Precisely! Hm, perhaps I should have mentioned that at the offset instead of bumbling on."

"But why? The Goddesses wanted the seven Islands to be the protectors of the Glass Palace, so why would they want you to die?"

"To fight greed," replied the Elder, "You can't expect to have such valuable Stones around without someone wanting to make a bit of profit for themselves. It doesn't matter if you take your own Island's Stone, because eventually you will die along with it! And who wants that sort of burden? The Goddesses did not want the Stones in the wrong hands, although from what you say that has been in vain. Not to mention your ships are about to be taken by this Ganondorf's ships very shortly."

Link's eyes widened as the Hero frowned, "What?"

"This Ganondorf you speak of is dangerously close to the Hyrulean ships, my friend," repeated the Elder gravely.

"How do you know?" Link was upon his knees now.

"We are the guardians of the Stones, and we can't work in isolation. The Goddesses knew that if we were to protect the Glass Palace, we needed to collaborate. And so, the inheritors of the Stones not only know where their Stone is, but the Stones of the other Islands, as well."

"So you knew the other Stones were being taken away!"

The Elder nodded, "I did. And I know exactly who took them, as well."

"How?" Link demanded to know.

It was then that the Elder fumbled in the folds of his robes. Impatiently, Link watched as the old Frostman extracted a sixth Stone so white that it could camouflage into the white Island snow. The solemn Frostman presented Link with the Stone, sitting it in the palm of his hand, holding it out to the Hero.

"Take it," said the Elder, "And press it close against your eye."

Without hesitating, Link wrapped his fingers around the white Stone and held it to his eye. A minute passed, but the Hero saw nothing and faced the Elder.

"I don't see anything," said the Hero.

"Even more closely," urged the Elder.

Link tried once more, but close his right eye so his left could better dig into the Stone. The ice seemed to crack, and suddenly a liquid flowed across the surface of the Stone, spreading over the entire rock face and gradually accumulating colour. A large, grand ship appeared as though from a mist, and Link recognized the Royal Ship, where some of the Stones were held.

"There they are!" exclaimed Link excitedly, "I see my friends! They're all there!"

"Keep watching," urged the Elder.

The water on the Stone's surface was rearranging itself again, this time into what Link could see was another ship. Black and menacing, an entire fleet traveled behind the Hyruleans only half a mile away. Link gasped as he recognized who was at the head of the first ship, and he looked to the Elder in alarm.

"Why aren't the Hyruleans preparing themselves for battle?"

"There is a woman on the Royal Ship who cast a spell seven days ago, coating Hyrule's enemy with an invisible cloak of some sort. They didn't attack you back in Fortune, partly because they knew that with you still in the way, their chances were not good. While you were at Fortune, Ganondorf was busy repairing his ships as they had emerged from a storm. But he watched you until his own troops were in good form, and they have been trailing your friends for the last seven days."

"No," mumbled Link.

"They're after the Stones so they can head straight for the Glass Palace."

Link swore loudly and stomped to his feet, "And all the other guardians can see where the Stones are?"

"They can sense where they are, but they don't know exactly what is happening because they can't see anything without their own respective Stones."

"I've got to head back," declared Link breathlessly, "I've got to warn the King! Princess Zelda! Even Morus!"

Link stopped when he saw the Elder raise a finger into the air.

"There's something else," added the Elder, folding his arms, "It's about your friend."

"What happened to Morus?" inquired Link.

"The King of Hyrule is dead," said the Elder, "And your friend is accused of his murder."

The news hit Link like giant waves as they struck cliffs, forcing him to stand in place, unmoving. Not only were the Hyruleans in danger, they also had no King, no leader. And the most innocent of people was behind the monarch's demise.

"I know this may seem trivial now, but it wasn't this Morus's fault," continued the Elder, rising to his feet and gently placing a hand on Link's shoulder in comfort, "That woman, Reiza, she possesses some of the darkest magic I have ever seen."

"She controlled him, didn't she?"

"Yes, because she needed to access the Stones without any sort of resistance. The King was the ultimate guardian of the Stones upon your ship, and she needed to remove him."

"He'll be killed," muttered Link in shock, pacing up and down through the Frostman hut, "They'll execute him for treason!"

"Not before they try and get to the bottom of the story," interrupted the Elder.

"And you know all of this because you saw it through the Stones?" said Link.

The Elder nodded, sending Link into an early stage of panic, "I've got to get back."

With that, the Hero bounded out of the hut before the Frostmen had a chance to stop him. Link found himself staring into the horizon, high up on a mountain cliff, the snow blowing about him, stinging his cheeks. But the Hero didn't mind, he needed to find a way to get to Zelda and Morus.

"Good heavens, boy!" hollered Mani, running out with a blanket, "You don't want to freeze to death!"

"Elder!" shouted Link over the howling of the wind, "You say the other guardians can sense where the Stones are! But would they know where I am?"

"Well," began the Elder climbing out of the hut, "There is a chance that -"

The Stone was in Link's hand, and the Hero lifted it up into the air, praying that there would be some response.

"Link!" now the Elder was running towards him, "That Stone will not help you anymore!"

Through the snow, the Stone beamed a very bright light, cutting through the darkness of the Island of Ice. Link was desperate, and he was willing to do anything to somehow find a way to stop Ganondorf, as ridiculous as he was at the moment. The end of Hyrule, and of the world as he knew it was so near, and Link hated that he was partly a perpetrator of it. Why had he so easily fallen for Reiza's tricks? Either way, no matter what era would follow, Link would not let her go so lightly.

"Don't be a fool!" howled the Elder, "Nobody can-"

The loud flutter of wings stopped the Elder in his tracks. Hearing the sound, even Link was lifted out of alarm, leaving the Hero to drop his arm slightly, and to turn his head about. Bo and Mani ducked back into their hut, peering out from the door frame as the wings approached. Side by side, Link and the Elder waited, unsure, though unafraid for some odd reason neither one could explain.

Whatever was making the sound landed behind the two, and forced the Hylian and Frostman to turn.

"We have found you!"

Link could not believe it. Through the darkness emerged Marius in all his glory, his wings expanded to their full length in a sight so impressive that the Elder, who had never seen the angel up close, shook at his knees. The King of Angels was so austere and so noble in stature that there was not one being that could rival his presence except maybe the Goddesses. Above them, other angels flew around before landing one by one by Marius's side.

"We searched for weeks just for you, Hero," said Marius, "All we want now is to help you in your quest."

"Ganondorf's overtaking the Hyruleans!" yelled Link, trying to make Marius understand, "And the Stones, they'll all be gone if -"

"We knew something had gone terribly wrong when we arrived in Fortune to rest our wings," added Marius, extending a hand toward Link, "A young girl brought us to your sword and shield, and we knew you would never leave without either one. It wasn't until an old woman led us to the woods of Fortune did we begin to understand what had happened. She mentioned a woman so beautiful, yet deadly, that she was captivating in every respect, and the woman told us of your friend, the handsome, lively captain. We found traces of shadow beasts in the woods, but your body was nowhere to be found and no one had seen you the day the Hyruleans left. You are very lucky you decided to shine the Stone, as we were passing by, searching for you."

"Where are the Hyruleans, do you know?" Link demanded an answer.

"We arrived at Fortune two days ago, which would mean that they are seven days ahead of us. But," continued the King, winking, "Angels do fly very quickly."

"Then can you take me to the Hyruleans? Please say you can," pleaded Link.

"I can't say that we are able to take you straight to the Glass Palace, however I am here to make sure you rejoin your allies," answered Marius, "So come, and we will be on our way."

Link ran towards Marius, but just before the Hero reached the angel, he stopped and faced the Elder. Head held high, Link extended his hand and walked to the Elder, holding the Stone. When the Frostman knew what Link wanted to do, he lifted a hand, motioning for Link to leave. The Hero stood, waiting for an explanation.

"Keep it," ordered the Elder, "No one deserves that Stone more than you do."

"But you do know that if I can't stop Ganondorf, you will never get it back," countered Link, "And you will die as well if what you say about the Stones is true."

"That is why I am giving it to you: what good is living in a world full of Evil? I think everyone here would rather die than submit to this Ganondorf. As slow and as painful as our death may be, I don't think it would be a mistake."

Link held out his hand for a little longer, staring at the Elder. When it was clear that the Frostman would not accept the Stone, Link nodded and stuffed the Stone into a pouch attached to his slightly torn tunic. Marius's arms wrapped around Link's waist, and before the Hero could say a word the ground was disappearing beneath his feet. Bo and Mani had run out, and stood there, waving to the Hero as he left. Smiling, Link waved back until the Frostmen were nothing but dots against the white snow. In the air, Link was swung about in the blizzard until suddenly, sunlight penetrated through the clouds, and Link was above the sea. The sun was disappearing into the water, sinking out of sight until the next day when it would rise and beam, lighting the entire land. Link was flying through the air with abandon, letting the angels carry him as effortlessly as the waves carried ships and boats across its body. And so, the Hero's journey continued after a standstill. During that time, an hourglass back in Hyrule was gradually running out of sand as a life was put in jeopardy. Next to that hourglass sat an older man, who watched as the sand tumbled.

The hourglass was cracking, but the rifts were not yet seen.