Link, Taglo and Oreana were now walking as silent as possible. They had reached the entrance of the tunnel that led to the Hidden Village. They had their weapons ready and were about to reach the exit when they saw a flash of light that blinded them. They closed their eyes and Link felt a blow on his neck that rendered him unconscious.
When he woke up, he saw that he was lying on a mattress on the floor. Taglo was nowhere to be seen, but Oreana was sitting next to him with a smile and Laila fluttering around his head.
"Hey, finally," she said.
"Are you ok?" asked Laila.
"Hey…" replied Link, sitting upright. "What happened?"
"Well," said Oreana, "the village had been raided, but the Sheikah who live here managed to defend the place. The smoke we saw was the fire where they were burning the corpses of the bokoblins and moblins that had entered and, when they heard us coming in, they thought we were enemies. We already settled things with them, so don't worry."
The door opened and Taglo entered the room, followed closely by an old woman with red eyes. Link had heard about that particular trait of the Sheikah, but he had never really stopped to wonder why neither Taglo nor Oreana had it. Taglo nodded at Link and Oreana, who stood up and looked at the old woman, while Laila hid back inside Link's hat; Link noticed that, even though she seemed to be quite old, she still looked like a strong warrior.
"Welcome, Hero, to our humble village," she said in a firm voice. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but you have to agree that you were entering in a rather suspicious way."
"Don't worry," said Link with a smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself," she said. "I'm Mazara, leader of this village, the last of the true Sheikah."
"The true… Sheikah?" replied Link confused.
"We Sheikah had to go into hiding when the darkness came," replied Mazara. "In order to continue with the caste, we had to mix ourselves with Hylian and teach others our skills and secrets. We soon became more of a cult than a race."
"That explains why we have their skills, but not all of their physical traits, such as red eyes," explained Taglo.
"Link, we want to help you learn some of our techniques so you can improve your fighting skills, but this may take a few days," said Mazara.
"No way, I don't have a few days," replied Link.
"If your spirit is strong enough and you have indeed been chosen by the gods, then you will be able to master the three spells that we can show you faster than anyone else. However, I must warn you that these spells will demand a lot of concentration and will drain some power from you. If you use them too often you may start to feel weary, and that can be very bad if you are in the middle of a fight. Try not to abuse of these spells, as they may weaken you if you do."
"Ok," replied Link. "Who will teach me?" asked Link.
"I will," said Taglo, stepping forward.
Link and Taglo were standing in the middle of the Sheikah training grounds, which was actually a small cavern next to the village's entrance. Taglo was first showing him how to use a spell called Farore's Wind, which was actually the one he had used to go to Zora's River.
"You must understand the way this spell works is by moving you through the air into the place you want to be. It won't work if you want to teleport somewhere underwater or inside an enclosed cavern," explained Taglo. He pulled a chain that he had around his neck and showed Link a small crystal with a green glowing orb inside. "This is what helps you channelize your vital energy in order to cast the spell. You must hang it in front of you, like this," he showed him how to cast the spell, teleporting four feet away. "See? Now you try."
They worked on the Farore's Wind for several minutes. Taglo couldn't believe it when Link was actually able to teleport from one side of the cave to the other.
"Remember, you must have in your memory the image of the place you are going, or else it will never work and you will be stuck in the void forever."
"Understood," replied Link with a smile.
"Excellent. Now, next spell."
They kept practicing the whole day. Link learned two more spells from Taglo: Din's Fire, through which Link was able to hit the ground with his fist and release and fiery expansive wave that burnt everything on its way, and Nayru's Love, which created a sort of energy barrier between Link and his opponent, preventing any kind of attack to go through.
Eventually, Link felt extremely tired, for the three spells demanded a lot of energy to be cast. The most tiring of all was Nayru's Love, which took a lot amount of strength and concentration to be held in place. They both returned to the village when the sun was setting down and went to the cottage where the three of them where staying. Oreana was sitting on the front steps looking at an old map, with Laila fluttering around her head casting some light and pointing at some things.
"Hey," said Link with a smile.
"Hey back," replied Oreana, winking an eye. "How's that going?"
"He has mastered all three spells in one day," explained Taglo. "The worst part is that he doesn't even need the crystals. It's like if he had the power of the Goddesses in his hands."
"Well," replied Oreana with a grin, "he DOES have the power of the Goddesses, doesn't he?" She couldn't suppress a giggle.
"Of course!" said Laila, "he holds the Triforce of Courage, remember?"
"Yeah, I know that," said Taglo with a smirk. "But I mean, we Sheikah have been learning these spells for ages, taking months of training to be able to use them with different levels of success."
"Well, I guess being a descendant of the Hero of Time does have its benefits," replied Oreana. The four of them laughed.
"We should go get some sleep," said Link when they stopped laughing. "Tomorrow we must go to the Barrens."
"Laila and I found a path on this map," said Oreana while looking at the fairy.
"Yes, we did!" replied Laila, cheerfully. Link still couldn't believe how they were getting along. "There is a path that goes from a cavern next to the Great Bridge of Hylia, above the lake, and goes into the Barrens' very core. We will be able to skip a lot of desert-crossing."
"The downside is," continued Oreana, "that this path was blocked when the wall was built."
"We should still give it a try, though," said Taglo.
"We should leave the horses here so they can rest," said Oreana. "We will carry our own bags so let's only bring what we will really need."
Link looked at his satchel, which seemed to be a bit bulky now that it was so full of things. He was considering what he should leave behind when he heard Mazara approaching.
"That won't be necessary," she said. "I will give you exactly what you need." She handed them three equal brown satchels, each one of them made of leather and marked with the emblem of the Sheikah. "We Sheikah used to carry these back in the old days. They were blessed by the last great fairy for them to be able to store unlimited items. You only need to reach inside and think of what you'll need and it will be at your grasp."
The three of them murmured their appreciation and smiled at Mazara. She smiled back and then looked straight at Oreana.
"For you, I have something even more special," she said, as she handed him an elegant gold-crafted lyre. Its strings seemed to be made of pure silver, though Link really doubted they were. Oreana took it and saw that it was engraved with a set of wings that adorned its whole frame. "This lyre belonged to a member of the Royal Family that lived amongst the Sheikah in hiding for seven years. That was many ages ago, but she was able to aid the Hero of Time in times of need."
Link, Taglo and Oreana looked at each other unable to speak. The revelation that this lyre had been around for so long, and yet seemed to be as good as new, seemed to be too much for them. Had the Hero of Time really seen this lyre and heard its melody?
"Mazara, I…" began Oreana.
"You will need it," said Mazara, then she looked at Taglo. "You will need something more powerful than your normal weapons to defeat the Emissary of Darkness. Only the sacred silver arrows will be able to break through his mantle of darkness and weaken him. When time comes, you will aid Link in the defeat of Garoth." She grabbed the quiver that none of them had noticed she had hanging on her back and handed it to Taglo. Inside, there were ten arrows entirely crafted in silver, topped with three golden feathers.
"Thank you," said Taglo, taking the quiver and bowing to Mazara.
"As for you, Hero of Light," said Mazara, handing Link a small wooden box. "The princess of those days hid the key to the Sacred Realm from the Evil King, so he couldn't enter it, by giving it to the Hero. He then left the land of Hyrule for a long time, but upon his return, he gave it to the Sheikah for them to hide it. Now it's time for you to use it, as it is the only way you shall be able to enter the place when the Blade of Evil's Bane rests."
Link took the box and slowly opened it; the four of them, including Laila, gasped in shock. The object inside was an elongated polished instrument; it had several holes carved into it and had a shiny silver band, with the Triforce engraved in gold, around the mouthpiece. It seemed to emit a soft blue and silver glow when Link reached for it.
"Link," said Mazara. "This is the Ocarina of Time, the key to the Sacred Realm. When you get to the door of the Master Sword's resting place you must play the following tune in order to open it."
Mazara held up a small wooden flute and began playing on it. It was a beautiful melody, full of wisdom and melancholy. Link listened how each note echoed as if it was a lament from an ancient God. Link looked at Oreana, who held up her lyre and began to follow the notes in canon, trying to help him. He had never played an ocarina before, but somehow he felt that it wouldn't mind. He slowly brought the mouthpiece to his lips and blew a single note.
Note by note, Link started to follow the trail of the notes that the two women played, first in canon and then at the same time. When the melody ended, they could all feel a soft wind caressing their skins. Link opened his eyes and saw Oreana and Mazara smiling at him.
"Link," said Mazara, "that melody is called The Song of Time. If you play that song in front of the altar that lies in the Sacred Grove, then Hylia will open the Doors of Time for you."
Link smiled as he looked at the beautiful instrument in his hands. He now knew that the Goddess of Time would always protect him.
Zelda woke up in the middle of the night feeling extremely hot. She looked at the two girls in the room, as they still slept. Zelda got up from the mat she had placed on the floor, as she had refused to sleep on her bed if her cellmates weren't in one, and looked through the window. She gasped in shock when she saw Hyrule Castle Town in flames.
The next morning Link was finishing storing all of his things in his new satchel. He had noticed that, no matter how many things he stored inside, it never grew heavy. Laila was fluttering around humming a lively song when Taglo and Oreana came through the door. Taglo was already geared up; he was wearing his usual black cloak, but had changed his vest for a white one with the emblem of the Sheikah painted onto it. Oreana was clad in her usual combat outfit, looking as dazzling as ever. Link then noticed that she had cut her long hair, which was now a bit larger than shoulder-length. She did look very pretty.
"Wow, Oreana! You look great!" he said with a wink.
"Th… Thanks, Link," replied Oreana, blushing flustered by the sudden compliment. "Mazara recommended that I did this. She said that having long hair would be a nuisance in the desert and in battle."
"If you two lovebirds are done, I think we should go," said Taglo with a smile. Link and Oreana let out a nervous chuckle and Link grabbed his things.
After briefs farewells, they left the village on foot and looked in the direction of the Barrens. Oreana was walking next to Link, with Taglo right behind them. She gasped when they saw the dark cloud that covered the Barrens, now twirling and emitting bolts of lightning.
"Guys…" said Taglo, coming to a halt next to them. "If you care to look at the Castle…"
The three of them looked ahead, as they saw a blaze of fire coming from Hyrule Castle.
The ritual had commenced. Garoth knew that it would only be about three days of preparations, but eventually his Master would rise once more. It was time for the Lord of Darkness to claim his rightful throne.