Had Link contemplated the mistakes he'd made, as he'd flown through the air to his own demise so many years ago? Had he thought about the things he regretted, or wondered why he had wound up with the destiny he did? Had there even been enough time for him to consider such things, or was his life over before he could even realize that he was hurtling towards his own death? Those were questions that would almost certainly remain unanswered for all time, and if Linkali knew one thing for certain, it was that she didn't have the time to consider so many things. One instant, she was being hurled towards the rubble that would surely end her life; the next, her entire body jolted as she made impact with what was perhaps the softest stone she had ever encountered in her eighteen years of life. When she opened her eyes, she saw not the inky storm clouds that covered the battlefield, but rather the ceiling above her bed.
Lin lay on her back in a tangle of sweat-dampened sheets. Her heart was pounding so quickly in her chest that there no longer seemed to be any individual beats; it felt as if her heart were simply vibrating, whirring frantically in its place, and that it was fierce and fast enough to shake her entire body. She was breathing like a woman who had just run across several mountains without stopping, gasping for air in broken snatches. Her skin stung with the memory of the icy, pounding raindrops. She lay, disoriented and panicked, for several minutes, until enough sanity finally returned that she was able to push herself up into a seated position amid the twisted covers, cradling her head in her hands.
"Lin?" The Hylian girl felt the familiar weight of her fairy partner come to rest on her shoulder. Navi laid a tiny, warm hand lightly on her cheek. "Lin, what's wrong?" she asked softly.
"Nothing. It…" Linkali exhaled shakily. "It was…just a dream."
A dream. Goddesses, it was just a dream, despite how real everything had felt. She shut her eyes tightly, still shivering and shaking in the wake of it all. Just a dream in which the current reigning champion of her fears had come true: A final showdown against the Evil King in which she failed in nearly every way possible. Her weapons had been impossible to grasp, she had only been able to move at horrifically slow speeds, the Master Sword had been broken—
Lin drew in her breath in a ragged gasp, honest fear flooding her soul-blue eyes. Her arms flailed frantically to the bedside table, where the sheathed weapon leaned. She grabbed the hilt and scabbard—too panicked at the moment to be soothed by its purr—and pulled the sword up into her lap, where she tugged it partway from the sheath. The Master Sword's blade, whole and unmarred, glowed up at her in the faint moonlight; its steady purr grew gentler, as if it were trying to say Don't worry. I'm fine. You're fine. Linkali sighed shakily, running her fingers over the steel to reassure herself that it was indeed whole; a few moments later, she slid the blade back into its scabbard, holding it across her lap while she tried to gather her thoughts.
"You dreamed that it broke," Navi observed quietly.
"Among other things, yes," the young woman muttered weakly. Goddesses, if there had ever been a dream that fit the definition of nightmare, it was the one she'd just had. Every part of it had been disturbingly real; she still found herself expecting elements of the nightmare to have followed her into waking life. For someone who rarely dreamed in such fullness, the experience was all the more nerve-wracking.
Linkali sighed, pushing herself up from bed. Still holding the Master Sword like a frightened child holds a favorite doll, she padded across the wooden floor to stand in front of her window. With Kokoria tucked so far back into the mountain foothills, it was difficult to see any part of the rest of Hyrule from inside the village, but Lin knew that right now, she was facing Ganon's castle. Was he looking back at her from across Hyrule Field? Was he smirking to himself and wondering what he might do to prolong their battle for his own entertainment? Did he already know what he was going to say and do when she stood face to face with him at last?
Am I really ready to face him?
The Hylian youth swallowed hard, closing her eyes and gripping the hilt of the Master Sword tighter. The blade seemed to sense her rising fear; its steady thrumming grew a little louder and more insistent, until it began to drown out her panicked thoughts. Lin, grateful for something to distract her from her fears, didn't fight it. Slowly, her mind filled with that mystic purr. The tremors that had wracked her body stilled. Her frantic heart calmed, and her ragged breathing evened out. She felt Navi's warm weight settle onto her shoulder and smiled tentatively. Only a dream, she told herself. It was only a dream. The strong and steady rumble of the Master Sword affirmed this.
As she was preparing to return to bed—hopefully to get better sleep this time around—Linkali heard the soft creak of her bedroom door opening. Curiously, she turned, squinting through the low light at the tiny shadow lurking in the doorway. "Talina?" The shadow sniffled loudly, letting out its breath in a shaky whimper. Lin balked. She'd been right. She stepped towards the door, holding one hand out to her sister. "Tali," she whispered. "Tali, what is it?"
Talina gave a shuddering sob and darted in closer. Linkali quickly set aside the Master Sword, crouching down and wrapping both arms tightly around her little sister. One hand cradled the girl's head gently as Tali broke down crying against her sister's shoulder. Lin pressed her lips together worriedly. "Tali, say something," she whispered. "Tell me what it is."
" 'm s-s-scared!" the younger Hylian burst out, clinging tighter to her older sibling. "I don't w-w-want you t' g-go and fight K-King G-G-Ganon!"
That sort of makes two of us, doesn't it? Linkali thought wryly. Truth be told, she almost didn't want to go through with this, but she knew she had to. Hyrule was depending on her, and she couldn't skip out now. At the same time, though, there were reasons she had that made her want to fight through and face this final battle, and one of them was currently dampening her shoulder with panicked sobs.
"Come on, kiddo," she murmured, shifting her grip. One arm wrapped around her sister securely, while the other reached for the Master Sword. Lin picked up sister and sword, and moved back towards her bed. She leaned the blade back against her nightstand and set Talina down on the mattress beside her. Cradling her sister's face in her hands, she wiped away some of the girl's tears with the pad of one thumb. "I'm scared, too," she admitted. "I know that what I'm going to do is dangerous, and that I could be badly hurt, or even killed, and that that could happen to anyone who comes with me tomorrow." Tali whimpered with a fresh burst of tears. "But I also know that if I don't do this, so many people will be hurting for years to come. Everyone will have to keep living in fear and darkness."
"But if you…d-d-d…If you don't…" Tali struggled to spit out. Lin sighed.
"If I don't succeed, then yes, the same thing will happen," she admitted. She leaned in closer, pressing a kiss to her sister's forehead. "But, Talina, if I do succeed, then we'll all be free. There will be no more fear or darkness, no more monsters, no more tributes, no more people taken for his armies…People can run around freely, talk about anything they want without worrying about being overheard, and be happier than they could ever have been otherwise." She smiled gently. "And that is something worth taking a risk for. I've done a lot to prepare myself for this, and while I wish I could take years to prepare more, I know that isn't going to work. I just have to trust in myself and what I've learned, and believe that I was chosen for this because I could do it if I tried my best."
Where was this coming from? Linkali wasn't sure. She hadn't been so confident minutes ago, and yet there was something about her sister that was drawing out this courage. The young woman pulled her sister close; Talina snuggled in almost fearfully. "Tali," she said, her voice so strong that it actually startled her a little, "I promise that I will do everything I can to come home from this. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that when the battle is over, you still have a sister who can hold you and talk to you. Do you hear me?" She pulled back, putting a finger under the younger girl's chin and raising her eyes. "I promise."
Tali nodded, sniffling softly. Lin smiled gently. "Good." She pressed a kiss to her sister's forehead, then leaned back and patted the mattress. "Now, come on, lay down. You're sleeping with me tonight, you got that?" Talina smiled weakly in the darkness and settled down. Lin curled around her, holding her close. It wasn't long before the two sisters slipped off into sleep together, a sleep far more restful than either had had so far that night.
"Who are we still waiting on?" Linkali asked, her eyes scanning the group that had already assembled in the faint, gray light of dawn.
"The smart people, and we'll be waiting a while," Bartal quipped from beside her.
"Very funny," the young woman muttered, casting him a sidelong glance. Her dark eyes flicked over to her other side as her father spoke up.
"Forlan and Gotari went to get Vantal," Hatoren told her. "Aside from them, though? No one." His head shifted side to side slightly as he too glanced over the assembled Hylians. "All willing and able members of HyReCo, waiting to depart."
Lin nodded slowly. Naturally, the entire village had turned out to send off their warriors, though the families of the Coalition's ragamuffin army stood off to one side. The army itself seemed oddly small now that it was preparing to head off to battle; Linkali prayed fervently that it did not get any smaller. She closed her eyes, her hand wrapping around the grip of the Master Sword, letting the blade's mystic voice soothe her before she worked herself up too far. When she opened her eyes again a moment later, she saw that Vantal, flanked by Gotari and his remaining son, had appeared.
The leader of HyReCo looked over the group for a few moments before speaking up. "There is little that can be said that would not sound forcedly optimistic or platitudinous," he said, his thin voice still managing to echo through the quiet village, "so I will be simple and brief: We are proud of you. All of you will be honored for generations untold, your deeds remembered long after you are gone from the earth. We wish you only the best, and we will all watch the village gates eagerly for your return."
The old man glanced around the group again. When he spoke again, his voice had a ring of prayer to it. "With her boundless wisdom, may Nayru guide your feet down the proper path," he intoned. "With her unyielding courage, may Farore strengthen your heart and keep your course steady. And with her infinite power, may Din protect you and bring you safely home again."
May Din protect you and bring you safely home again. Linkali balked. She knew that blessing. It was given to travelers when they set off; after clearing the Well, Bartal had said it over her at the village gates. She, and everyone else, knew that the other two Golden Goddesses had once been a part of that prayer, but had long since been dropped in favor of Ganon's patroness; in time, their role in the blessing had faded from memory. No one Lin had ever spoken to could remember the rest of that prayer, and yet…
The youth glanced over to the elderly woman standing beside and slightly behind her. Zelda, for the first time in Linkali's memory, was not wearing a flowing skirt or fine gloves. She had opted instead for a pair of indigo and black riding pants and sturdy leather bracers, with strips of cloth wound around her wrists and forearms for support. She had also pulled on a tawny cowl with ragged edges, on which faint traces of a blue and red insignia remained; it looked as if the garment could be pulled up to cover the lower part of her face, though she had not done so, and the extra fabric was simply bunched up around her neck. Zelda also had dug up a short sword from some unknown corner of her cellar, which was clipped to the back of her belt, as well as a long, cylindrical canister that gave a metallic sort of rattle whenever the old woman moved.
When she felt Lin's eyes on her, Zelda turned. She caught the question in the younger Hylian's eyes and answered with a knowing smile and a nod. Then, she glanced back in the direction of the group, then back again to its leader. Linkali followed her gaze, and saw that everyone had turned to face her and was waiting on her move. Nodding once, she simply said, "Let's go", and turned towards the village gates. She stepped out into the path leading up to Kokoria Village and headed towards what was once a grand castle, with a small army of warriors following behind her.
For the first few hours after leaving the village, the group had been nearly as silent as the mute elder walking beside its leader. The tension as they walked through the gray and pink dawn was tangible. It was almost as if they still feared discovery by Ganon, and were skulking around and praying that they went unnoticed; they walked with shoulders hunched and eyes flitting about. To see these people—her own warriors—so wary was honestly a little disheartening to Lin, and she wondered if their resolve would crumble and send them scampering back to Kokoria to hide. She tried to be a beacon of courage to them, but frankly, her own worries were weighing her down as well. It wasn't until Bartal, in typical fashion, worked up the nerve to start chattering and clowning around that she and the others were able to relax. They still kept their voices low to avoid attracting the attention of monsters of the field (though before it was all said and done, there had been a number of brief skirmishes with Stalchilds and a few stray Wolfos), but at least they were talking.
The sun was out briefly during the trek across the field, but within a few hours, it gave way to thick, deep cloud cover. When they reached the ruins of Castle Town, a thin drizzle started up. Shelter was not easy to come by amid the rubble and wreckage, but Kokorians were nothing if not resourceful and clever. It took a bit of time and effort, but they were able to construct a few rough shelters from the rubble before the downpour truly began, making a small camp in what had once been a side street where many people had made their homes. Space was somewhat tight, but since she was cramped up between her father and two of her dearest friends, Linkali didn't really complain.
Once the small army was settled in, another silence fell, though not simply because they had broken out the rations and started in on a well-earned dinner. The heavy tension had returned. One only needed to look up to see the looming structure where Ganon lurked. The tower and castle had been rebuilt since their previous collapse, in what Linkali imagined was probably a very similar—if not identical—setup; it sat on the horizon like the shadow of a vulture, watching the decay of Hyrule.
Trying to sleep had not been easy. The ground was hard and unforgiving, and the unnerving shuffle and moan of ReDeads out in what had once been the open-air marketplace set everyone on edge. Lin volunteered to take one of the first watch shifts, a suggestion which was met with an overwhelming veto; she was told bluntly that out of all of them, she would need the most rest to face the challenges ahead. Unwilling to obey, but unable to argue, the young woman slumped against the wall, holding the Master Sword across her lap and trying to get some sleep.
Morning came far too early, a gray and drizzly dawn. The chill of the air seeped into the bones of the sore, stiff Hylians who had spent the night huddled on the ground in clumps. It was hardly a day for courage or glorious battle—if anything, it was a day for sitting inside with a cup of tea and a warm quilt—and some part of Linkali honestly began to wonder if Ganon had somehow learned to control the weather in his realm and was using it to dispirit the tiny army mounting against him. If that were the case, she thought as she looked around at her slow-moving warriors, then it was certainly an effective strategy.
But even if it were true, there was one thing Ganon had not counted on, and that was Bartal. Kokoria's beloved jokester could not be held down for long. Lin watched as the boy seemed to flit around the group like a butterfly in search of nectar, clowning his way from person to person. HyReCo's band of warriors began to stretch the cold stiffness from their muscles and talk amongst themselves, bringing some warmth back into their bodies and hearts. Even Linkali, despite the near-paralyzing anxiety that had been grasping and dragging her around like Imparo's many hands, managed to laugh weakly at her friend's antics. She had to admit, though: She was still fearful of what lay ahead, but she, and the others, would not cower in the face of their fears. As long as we have you—…No. As long as we have each other, we'll make it through.
"I really can't see how we're going to make it through now," Lin murmured, looking over at Navi hovering beside her. On her other side, Bartal laughed and crouched down comically to peer over the edge of the drop. Without even blinking, the young warrior bent slightly at the knees and wrapped her hand around the collar of her friend's tunic, just to be safe. Her dark eyes narrowed as they took in the situation before her.
Ganon's tower and castle were visible from a great distance. What wasn't visible from a great distance was the pit of lava it was suspended over—suspended without any sort of bridge, chain, or support beam.
"That doesn't even make sense," the young woman said, shaking her head. "How is it even sitting like that?"
Bartal pushed himself away from the dangerous precipice and looked over his shoulder with a cocky grin. "Magic," he said, drawing out the 'a'. He wiggled his fingers spookily, and he bugged out his eyes and puckered his lips. Linkali was far from amused. She turned away from her friend with a quiet sigh, cradling her head in one hand.
"Bartal, be serious," she hissed, massaging her temples firmly.
"I am," the boy insisted. "Well, okay, minus the eye-popping and finger-wiggling." He glanced back over the edge. "Probably some kind of spell or something."
Lin froze, then slowly turned to look back at her friend. "Bartal, I'm sorry, I—" she started to say, only to have him cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"You're nervous," he said calmly, pushing himself up from the ground and moving over to stand closer to her. "It's understandable." He glanced back over his shoulder. "And speaking of magic, I don't suppose you've got a way to get yourself over there, do you?"
"My magic is limited to summoning and banishing, using the Lens of Truth, and making Light Arrows," she replied dully. "I'd need to find someone who has the ability to cast teleportation spells just to try learning, not to mention that actually becoming proficient in such would likely take years of hard work." She sighed. "But of course, there's really no one in Hyrule who I could learn it from, so the point is moot."
"Lin? Lin, can you hear me?"
Linkali balked, shock pushing out the growing fear and disappointment in her soul-blue eyes. The voice had seemed to echo from all around her, but her impulse was to look up at the cloudy, dripping skies. "Sa-Saria?" she managed to stutter out awkwardly, though she knew there was no doubt as to who she had just heard.
"Oh, good!" The Kokiri's bright voice rang out once again through the round gorge cut into the red rock. "So you can hear me! When Rauru told me I'd have to do this—since I was the first Sage whose seal you broke—I wasn't sure if I could. But I guess I can!"
Lin glanced over her shoulder at HyReCo curiously. There wasn't a member among them who didn't look thoroughly confused, though she wasn't sure if it was because they heard the Forest Sage's voice coming from seemingly nowhere or because their leader was talking to herself. A glance at Zelda revealed that it was the former; the old woman was grinning brightly and looking up at the sky as if there were nothing unusual about a child's voice suddenly filling the air around them.
"So, are you ready to go?"
One hand strayed to her hip, grasping the hilt of the Master Sword. The blade's steady song rose eagerly, as if it were begging her to draw it and leap into battle. Linkali smiled weakly. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," she said.
"Oh, come on, be more confident!" Saria urged. "Look at you! You've got all your friends there behind you—hi there, by the way! I'm Saria!—and they aren't going to abandon you. They've been working just as hard as you have, and they're going to do great!"
Lin looked back at the small army behind her. Many of the warriors looked rather unsure about being called out by some strange, cheerful voice that had no obvious source, but others seemed almost amused or even heartened by how optimistic and confident Saria sounded. No one can be anything but happy around you for long, the would-be Hero thought, shaking her head. Even she was starting to feel more energized, her worries starting to drain away.
"So let me ask you again, Lin: Are you ready to go?"
"Yes!" the youth called back, grinning broadly.
"All right! That's the Lin I know!" The Kokiri's giggling was like a scattering of golden summer sunlight amid the rain and gloom. "There's no reason for you not to believe in yourself and your friends!"
"Thank you." Lin didn't know if Saria would hear that quiet murmur or not, but she spoke it anyway. She would be surprised if the child had gone on this tangent solely for the purpose of buoying up her and her warriors. Saria wasn't the sort to speak to someone just to encourage them; it was much more likely that, upon hearing how hesitant Linkali was, she'd taken a moment to reassure her.
The Forest Sage laughed again. "You're all going to do great, I just know it!" she assured them. "As long as you keep your heads up and believe in yourselves, you can do anything. Even when things look hopeless, just remember that."
Linkali looked back at the assembled group of warriors, her heart soaring higher still when she saw the effect Saria's unintentional pep talk had had on them. Men and women who had started their morning silent and nervous were starting to burst with confidence. Some had turned to their fighting partner and were chatting, laughing and commenting on how strange—and how heartening—it was to hear a voice from on high encouraging them. She looked back up towards the sky, squinting against the rain, which was starting to pick up slowly. "Thank you, Saria," she said, louder this time.
"Yeah, thanks," Bartal echoed. While the rest of the group behind them added their own thanks, the boy added in a joking tone, "I suppose we just keep our chins up and let our self-belief make a bridge over the lava for us, then?"
"Oh! No, don't do that! You'll fall into the lava and get burned up!" Saria's laughter rang out around them again. "I'm sorry, I got sidetracked. I was going to tell Lin that the rest of the Sages and I were going to make a bridge for all of you to cross over."
"Fantastic!" Bartal grinned up at the sky. "Sounds great!"
"It'll be really nice-looking, too," Saria told him. "At least, the last one was—it was all rainbow-colored and shimmering—and we're going to be using the same kind of focus for our magic this time around, so this one should be pretty, too."
" 'This time around'?" Bartal asked.
"Well, we did this once before for Link," the girl pointed out. "Back when he was going to fight Ganon. Of course, once we all sealed ourselves away, the magic dissipated, so we have to put it back in place for you all."
"Who's 'we'?" Lin couldn't help but be startled when her father spoke up, his eyes on the sky as well. "The rest of the…Sages?"
"Yeah! There's six of us—seven if you count Zelda, and you should because she's our leader—and it's…" Her voice trailed off into silence, and remained quiet for several minutes. "I'm not playing around!" she burst out suddenly; Linkali, and several others, jumped. "…W-well, I know we have to—…I know, okay? I'm just…Oh, fine. Fine. I know. I'll get on it, okay? ...No, no more chattering. I'm sorry, I just got distracted."
"Saria?"
"Lin?" The Sage of Forest's voice had a very sheepish edge to it. "Ruto's telling me to stop playing around, and Impa's giving me this really impatient look, so…I think we're going to get on that bridge now, okay? And I have to stop talking to you to help with that."
"All right." Linkali bit down on her laughter as best she could; she could hear those behind her chuckling and murmuring amongst themselves. "Will we hear from you again?"
"Oh! I hope so! …Hey, Impa?" There was a few moments of silence. "Nnn…not likely," Saria admitted, sounding disappointed. "Impa says I'd only distract you if I kept talking while you're fighting through Ganon's fortress, and I don't want to distract you because then something bad might happen because you were paying more attention to me than your surroundings, and it would be my fault. So—" She snapped off her next sentence, and after a moment of silence, added indignantly, "O-kay, o-kay, Ruto! Scrubs, it's not like I'm not doing this on purpose to tick you off or anything! You know me! You know how I get when I'm talking to friends!"
"Saria, I think it might be best if you—"
"No, Ruto! I can do this, I swear! I'm supposed to do it! Rauru said so! Just…Look, okay, I'll do it right now! No need to get so snippy! …Yes, I really am going to do it now. Just watch me, okay?"
It was clear that no one other than Lin, Zelda, or Navi knew just who Saria was talking to, but that didn't matter. Everyone could hear that someone—in fact, a couple of someones—was getting impatient with the easily-distracted child, and that in the process of defending herself, Saria was getting even more distracted from the intended goal. Laughter made the air ring warmly, a rich and welcome sound that lightened the heavy air.
"Hey, Lin? We're gonna get the bridge in place now." Saria asked. "Which means I'm going to have to go, okay? Good luck! You're going to do great—all of you! Just trust in all the hard work you've put in so far and Ruto I know. I'm wrapping it up now, okay?" She huffed out her breath impatiently. "All right. I'm going. Ruto's got her hand behind my head now, and I think she's going to smack me if I don't—"
The child's voice cut off sharply in a startled yip. A moment later, a rather different voice addressed them. "Lin?"
"Yes, Ruto?"
"Hold tight. We'll have the bridge set up for you in just a moment."
The small army was still chuckling, though their laughter tapered off into silence rather quickly when the Sage of Water made good on her promise. Orbs of colored light—red, blue, orange, and others—rained down from the dark sky, falling and settling in the air between the cliff and Ganon's castle. There was a blinding flash of pure, white light. When it faded away, a glimmering bridge made of what honestly looked to be rainbow light had formed, spanning the gap. Linkali stepped forward, setting her boot on the edge of the bridge. She leaned her weight down onto that foot, nodding and looking back at HyReCo behind her.
Hatoren took a single step towards his daughter and drew his blade. In a steady wave of movement, the rest of the group readied their weapons. There was tension in the air, but also excitement. They could very well be crossing this bridge to meet their deaths. They might never come home. They might never see their loved ones again. In following the Hero's Incarnation, they had signed their names in blood and committed themselves to her service. Weapons at the ready, the group followed their young leader across the Sages' bridge.
When her feet touched the ground on the other side, Linkali felt a strange stirring within her. Vaguely, there was the déjà-vu she'd come to expect from places the Hero had once visited, but stronger was a steady thrumming deep inside her. The vibration was familiar; its strength was not. The young woman glanced down at her left hand, a slight frown creasing her forehead. The hum spiked again as she felt a hand settle onto her shoulder. She looked over at Zelda for a few moments while the rest of the group finished crossing over. Silently, the bearers of Courage and Wisdom looked up to the tower than reared over their heads, their expressions equally grim.
"Lin?" The youth turned to see Gotari approaching her. "We follow your lead."
Linkali took in a deep breath, nodding once. Zelda stepped back, lowering her hand. The young woman gave her little army one last look over, wondering fleetingly how many of them would never see Kokoria's hills again, before nodding again. She faced Ganon's castle with stubborn pride, her chin lifted, her shoulders level.
Here we go. The young woman clenched her right hand into a fist, her left gripping the unsheathed, eagerly-snarling Master Sword all the tighter. She nodded once to herself and strode forward determinedly, leading her allies into the greatest danger of their lives.
