Time Stop: First update of the year, whoot!

Wang: Yay!

Static: Do you boys mind telling me why these are so short?

Shadow: You want us to ruin all of the fun? smirks

Static: These are too short. These are not suitable to our readers.

Wang: Well, maybe you aren't suitable to our readers. Bwee! sticks out tongue

Shadow: face palms Why did you just do that?

Static: …

Time Stop: We don't own Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 34: To the Desert Goddess

There wasn't much that could change then. Emotions and thoughts ran rampant across the valley. Nadai raised her head from Link's shoulder. Surrounding them stood the rest of the Gerudos. Young Pani stood outside a defensive ring of warriors, all of them brandishing weapons to the couple. All was still; only heartbeats could be heard ringing deep in their ears.

"Put away those weapons." Link muttered, his voice reaching all of them in the stillness.

They didn't move. Darma had died, after a long and furious battle with Nadai. The strongest Gerudo there had died to…to…an outsider.

"I don't have time for this." Link held Nadai close to him. With his free hand he drew the Master Sword and pointed it threateningly at one of them. Their apparent leader hesitated at the sword. This man had already bent and cut through steel, just how strong and dangerous could he be if he were to turn his blade on flesh and blood? "Stand down."

"Put away your weapons already." All heads turned to the Gerudo judge. The elderly Gerudo stepped down from her post and looked Link and Nadai in the eyes. "Don't waste anymore lives today. Pack it up; send the young ones to bed. Light will be on us soon. Let them get what rest they can."

The Gerudos around them snapped to attention, and went about cleaning up. Link sheathed his sword and Nadai turned to face the elderly Gerudo. "Why?"

"Gerudos in leadership are marked by strength. You ended up besting Darma, meaning that you are the strongest Gerudo in this valley. That makes you in charge if you so wish."

"In charge?" Link questioned.

"I see a Gerudo standing before me, many of them do not." She replied. "They respect me only because I have survived countless battles." She leaned back and sat down on the platform, where the four carpenters were still trying to squeeze out of the hole Link had made. "What shall you two do next?"

"Pardon?" Link asked.

"What is your next move?"

"I don't get it, how can you go from kill them, to help them?" Link scratched his head. Nadai had turned back into Link's chest.

"It is foolhardy to fight against you two. As far as I am concerned, you two are allies. However, if our Lord Gannondorf or Kotake and Koume were here, that would be a different story. You two are free to walk about the valley, and to rest and relax if you so wish."

"What about us!" The first of the carpenters had squeezed through the hole, landing with a plop on the ground.

Link turned his head to him. "We need you to return to your master. You need to join the resistance."

"The resistance?" The carpenter asked, getting off from the ground.

"Yes. They need you to help construct siege weapons."

The eyes on the man grew big, but he nodded. "I understand." He turned to the other three. "I'll go on ahead, hurry up!" He ran off.

"So the resistance is true then." The Gerudo muttered.

"What part are you to take in all of this." Link asked. "Would you help us?"

"I am not in charge. Our Lord Gannondorf is. Kotake and Koume are next in charge, followed by Nabooru and then Nadai. I have no say in the matter."

"But would you help them? Help Gannondorf?"

"If he so calls upon it then we shall. I hope it doesn't. Already so many have died for something so pointless."

"Pointless!?"

"Exactly. The matters of Hyrule are not a concern of us Gerudos."

"Why I-"

"Let it go, Link." Nadai spoke. She looked up, her eyes bloodshot. "We only have five days left. We need to go back and help prepare." She turned to the elderly Gerudo. "Thank you. I pray that we don't meet on the battle field."

The second carpenter squeezed through, and ran off into the distance.

"Wait, child." The Gerudo stood up and beckoned them to follow her. She pointed to a large, wooden gate as they came towards it. "It is traditional that all winners go to the Desert Goddess to pray."

Nadai scoffed. "I don't have time for that."

"It is a tradition passed down from the oldest of days. It is only right that you go."

"There is nothing for me there." Nadai turned to walk away, Link on her heels.

"Your mother stands guard there." They stopped.

"What?"

"I do not know what for, but Nabooru guards the Desert Goddess herself. She has stayed there for months at a time, only coming here to restock on supplies."

"I do not wish to go." She had tears in her eyes.

"She hasn't come back in a long time, she is far overdue!"

"She is strong enough to survive on her own!"

"Nadai." Link put a hand on her shoulder. "Sh." He turned her around to face him, and he cupped her chin. "I would give anything to see my mother and talk to her just once. I don't know what exactly you have going on with her right now, but if you don't go you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"But she isn't my mother! My mother has long since died." Nadai felt the tears slowly stream down her face. Why these tears? Why now of all times?

"She raised you, fed you, helped you." Navi spoke. "I would qualify that as a mother."

Nadai looked at the gate. "WE really don't have time."

"They can survive for a day without us." Link looked at the elderly Gerudo. "We'll go, before it gets light. I'm going to inform the carpenters so that they can pass on the message."

"Why? I-"

"Nabooru does sorely miss you, child." The elderly Gerudo motioned to open the gates. "She asks for you every time she comes. And no one believed that you were still alive. You owe her one last visit, even if you do not wish to see her again."

The gates opened up. Over the loud creaking came a whirl of wind, dragging sand out over the entrance. The two of them covered their eyes, protecting them from the sand that darted against their figures.

"Something's wrong!" The elderly Gerudo tugged on Nadai's sleeve. "Back off! Close the doors!"

The doors wouldn't move, the force of the coming wind keeping them open.

"What's going on?" Link ran up to them, a free hand over his eyes.

"It's a desert storm! We need to close the gates!"

Already Gerudos were coming out of their houses, or dropping tournament supplies they were cleaning. In the fading twilight they pushed hard against one of the doors, managing to budge it. "They can only get one door. We can't close both of them!"

Link reached into his pack and took out the Iron Boots. "Nadai, help them close the door. I'll hold it when you guys get the other."

Nadai looked at him as if he were crazy for a second, before rushing off to help. She got into place with the other Gerudos and pushed hard. Against the cracked earth below, their feet shifted and churned. Bit by bit, the door closed, leaving all of the Gerudos straining to hold back to the force of the wind. Link finished putting on the Iron Boots, and stomped over to them. He braced his shoulder against the door.

"Go!" He shouted. The Gerudos backed off, heading for the other door. Instantly, Link felt an unearthly force press against him. He grimaced and yelled out. He had grown strong, but this, this was stronger than anything else he had faced before. He had closed his eyes at some point, and opened them. Sand splashed his face, but between the particles he could see Nada struggling to hold her own alongside him.

"No!" He shouted. She looked at him. "Help them! Hurry!" He felt his legs start to tremble, his feet slowly inching back. "Hurry!" He shouted.

Nadai shook her head. "No!"

"They need it more than I do!" Link braced his back against the door and put his full weight into it. "I can give you a few minutes at most. Help them!"

Navi tugged on Nadai's hair. "This is the best chance we have. Hurry!"

Reluctantly, she backed off, and got behind the door with the Gerudos. Already some of them were fainting in exhaustion. "Don't you dare give up on me now! Push, dammit!"

One minute dragged by, then another, and at long last the doors were closed together. Someone dropped a huge bar in place, and everyone collapsed. Link was flat on his back, his legs shaking in exertion. Nadai leaned against the door, her breathing coming in dry gasps.

"Desert Storms don't usually come for another few months. Something is dreadfully wrong out there." The elderly Gerudo stood before them. "Nabooru would truly need your help now."

"How? We can't even get past the door without being bowled over." Link struggled to sit up.

"There is one way to get through the desert, a spirit guide that can lead you."

"A spirit?"

"Yes. If you can see her, you might be able to follow her."

Nadai hung her head. "I guess I have no choice." She glanced sideways to Link. "I'm not going to ask you to do this."

"You kidding? I'm going if you are."

"If you kids are going to go, you need better clothes." The elderly Gerudo helped them to their feet. "What you have on would have been fine if you were to trek through the desert at night. But during a storm, with dawn approaching, you need something a bit more protective." She motioned for a Gerudo. "Get them into some proper clothes."

Link and Nadai followed the Gerudo, heading into the complex. Navi hovered there with the elderly Gerudo. "Listen, fairy." Navi turned to the Gerudo.

"What?"

"You need to restore the power to the Sacred Daggers."

"Restore? What do you mean?"

"The Sacred Daggers, or the Goddess' Daggers, are something like that sword the boy wears. By killing a Gerudo in battle, the power to destroy evil is lost."

"Hold on." Navi interrupted. "The daggers Nadai uses are sacred, and because she killed a Gerudo, the power is lost?"

"Yes. Only at the Desert Goddess can the power can be restored."

Then it must work like the Master Sword. Navi glanced at the door where Link and Nadai had gone into. The Master Sword lost its power by killing an innocent, more importantly, it was a Hylian. Supposedly, if Link wanted to restore power to the Master Sword, he could do something similar to what Nadai would have to do for those daggers.

"How?"

"Navi, I show you."

"How'd you know my name!?" The fairy was frozen in terror as the elderly Gerudo placed her palm in front of her.

"It's easy, Navi. We have met before." The singular voice shifted to three. A white glow exited the palm, and wrapped around Navi. Instantly she saw an image of herself and Nadai performing a ritual.

"Impossible." She breathed out.

"Lead them well, Navi." The elderly Gerudo disappeared from view.

She hovered there awestruck for a moment. "What? If the Goddesses are getting involved, then it must be serious. But wait that memory. It shouldn't exist. Not unless I have done it all before. Does that mean that I lost my memory, and in fact Nadai and Link have done this countless times before?" She glanced at the door again.

"What does this mean? What is happening to this? Have the timelines finally started to...what am I even trying to say? If I can lead them right, there will only be one timeline." The doors behind her shuddered from the weight of the wind. She jumped forward in surprise, and darted into the Gerudo complex in search of the other Heroes of Time.

Inside she found Nadai already dressed. She wore traditional Gerudo clothing, and was busy wrapping a large robe around her as Navi came in.

"Where's Link?"

"Still changing." Nadai answered. "Are you going to be bothered by the sand?"

"I'm fine." Navi flittered backwards. "Is he through here?"

"Yeah."

"I'll go see if he needs some help." Navi chuckled. "Poor kid can't do anything right without me."

"I'll join you." Nadai checked the security on her belt. Her daggers didn't move much, and the slight movement from them caught Navi's eye.

"Wait a second." Navi stopped and came closer to the daggers. There it was, she could actually see a different aura in the daggers than before.

"What?"

"The Sacred Daggers, you know what they are right?"

"Yeah. I've known that I've had them for a while now. What about it?"

"Well, it's like the Master Sword. They lost their power because a Gerudo died."

Nadai stopped in her tracks. She had forgotten that she had killed Darma, and the emotions came rushing back. "What does that mean now?"

"The power to defeat evil is gone, but we can bring it back." The memories came to her in a flash. "It can be done at the Desert Colossus."

"The what can be done at the Desert Colossus?" Link interrupted. "I thought we were going to the Desert Goddess?"

He wore thin sandals, and white parachute pants. A light, flexible leather vest hung off of his shoulders. That and his hat were dyed white as well. He held his bag carelessly over one shoulder, the Master Sword hung on his hip rather than over his back. As Nadai watched him as he swung a large cloak over his shoulders, a hungering fire roared to life inside her. She flustered, and looked away. Link was used to looking at her like this; she wasn't exactly used to looking at him like that.

"The Desert Colossus is the ancient terminology for a giant statue that resides far into the desert. The Desert Goddess is the newer name the Gerudos and the rest of Hyrule now call it."

"Ah." Link adjusted the long cloak. "So what are we doing there?"

"There's a ritual that Nadai and myself must perform, in order to bring power back to the Sacred Daggers."

"I see." Link nodded; that explanation was good enough for him. "So did that Gerudo tell you how to get across the desert during this storm?"

Navi nodded, "Yes, she did." She lied. "But, it'll involve some team work."

She led the party back to the gate. "Alright, I'm going to say this once. There's a ghost out there who helps out travelers such as us. She's pretty nice, but she doesn't like stragglers. There's going to be quicksand out there, and holes that can drop you down hundreds of feet. However, there are safe spots, a small trail marked by wooden spears dug into the sand and enchanted to never move or be buried.

"Therefore, this is the plan. Nadai, you have the Longshot. Using the Glasses of Truth, you can shoot from one marker to another, using the ghost's help. I won't be able to do much more than keep the sand form choking me in this storm, so the ghost will have to be your marker. Link, have Nadai sit on your shoulders and wear the Iron Boots. While you are rooted to the spot, you can hold Nadai still as she aims for the next marker."

"But won't the Iron Boots then just weigh us down? And the Longshot isn't strong enough to work on two of us with the Iron Boots." Link argued.

"The magic on the spears counteract the weight of the boots. Because they are enchanted never to move from that spot, it makes all other laws of nature null and void. And, I know for a fact that the Longshot can carry both of you. Unlike the Hookshot, the Longshot is much more durable."

Link surrendered, digging into his pack. He brought out the Iron Boots and struggled to put them on. On top of the wall the wind was harsh, and it blew his cloak every which way. Nadai put on the Glasses of Truth and readied her Longshot. Together they jumped down to the ground. Nadai landed softly, but was immediately blown into the doors behind her. Link landed hard, his legs bending so he could absorb some of the impact. But, he didn't budge in the wind.

Nadai crept behind him, and the force of the wind lessened considerably. She climbed onto his back, and wrapped her legs around his shoulder. Likewise, he gripped hard on her legs. Despite all of that, she still swayed in the wind, and her arms shook if she tried to hold them about. Navi slid into Link's hat, unable to do much now that they were here.

"Closer!" Nadai yelled, her voice fading in the storm. "I need to be closer!"

Link heard her, and trudged carefully forward. He had to close his eyes; the sand was getting in them. Nadai was safe; the glasses were secure on her head. Finally, after all this time, the glasses were staying put. The wind actually did help a bit with this. Most of the wind was against her face, which pressed the glasses as high as they could go.

In front of the first marker, the ghost appeared. Appearing to them as a floating Gerudo, the apparition motioned for them to follow. It took her only one shot for Nadai to hit the spear. True to Navi's words, the magic on the spears helped to pull Nadai and Link to them. Link angled his legs, and dug into the sand below him. Holding steady, he held Nadai as still as possible. She looked about for the ghostly Gerudo. Spotting her, she aimed for the next spear. Without the ghost to guide them, the spears would be nigh invisible in the storm.

Bit by bit, they traversed the desert. The path was winding, and sometimes they even had to double back on themselves in order to proceed. The sun rose on their backs. Without shade around, the sun's heat became unbearable quickly. And then the light also reflected off the sand on the ground and the sand in the air. Without the glasses on, Nadai would have been blinded. And for Link, well, he was glad his eyes were screwed shut.

Hours passed, and the storm started to die down. Nadai climbed down from Link's shoulders. "Link, you can open your eyes now." She took off the glasses, squinting against the sun. He opened his eyes carefully. Against the light, he could tell that they had entered the calm in the storm.

"What is this place?"

"This is where the Desert Colossus is." Navi came out from under the hat. "It's an oasis. And," She continued as she looked at the storm behind them. "It looks like the storm is centered on this oasis."

Before them a stood a monolith against time.

"It kinda looks like a Goddess, now that you think about it." Link commented.

"Come, my mother brought me here once before. She'll be inside."

"Inside?"

Nadai led Link to the giant monolith, and pressed her hand on the entrance. "Only a Gerudo can open the entrance." An outline of a giant door appeared, and dropped into the ground. "Nabooru had me open the door once, long ago, before….before."

Link wrapped his arms around her. "Sh. Let's help your mother."

They entered the colossus. Inside, stairs led to two different openings. Beyond the sand and the dust, there wasn't much else in the place. Link went up the stairs, while Nadai stood still. The entrance to the left was a small hole, something for a child perhaps. The other was blocked by a giant silver-coated block.

"Nadai, can you help me move this?" Link braced himself and gave the rock a test shove. His eyes widened when he couldn't even budge it. "What?" He tried again, using more force this time. Nothing.

"You can't budge it." Nadai whispered. "It's silver-stone."

"Silver-stone?" Link asked. He rejoined Nadai who had sat down on the stairs.

"It's stone, but extremely heavy. We can't move it with our current strength." Navi explained. "There's an object in here, something called the Silver Gauntlets. They increase your strength, and can allow us to further into the Colossus."

"The Silver Gauntlets?"

"Yeah."

"But how do we get them if they are already in here?"

"I don't know Link." Nadai muttered. "And there's only one explanation for me that the stone is still there. Nabooru is trapped inside."

"Trapped?"

"She had moved the stone once, a long time ago. But there seems to be some sort of magic here, magic that returns the stone back to its original position. Once a day it returns. If it is there now, then that means Nabooru is trapped."

"Then what do we do?"

They both looked at Navi, who fluttered back and forth. "I don't know what to do next. If we can't help Nabooru, then I guess we have to leave."

Nadai clenched her fists. "We have to at least try." She looked at Link. "Look, there's a way we can get in, from a small entrance on her hands. We can try there."

"Hands?"

"Remember how you said that the Colossus looked like a Goddess? Well, the Goddess has two hands reaching out. We can try to get up there."

Link nodded. "Right. Let's try that then."

They exited the Colossus.

"Wait a second."

Ahead of them stood Shiek. He didn't look bothered by the sun or by the heat, unlike Link.

"What are you doing here? Isn't there a war you need to be preparing for?" Nadai spat.

He didn't look too perturbed by her words. "You have the marks of five sages on your arms."

"Yeah, what about them?" Link asked.

"You are one short."

Nadai and Link opened their eyes wide, ignoring the glare from the sun. "What do you mean?"

"Past, Present, Future. The weapons you bear have a special task with transporting the Heroes of Time upon time's river."

"So what does that have to do with the sages?" Nadai asked. "We already know about all that!"

"The Temple of Time is its port, something both of you know well." Shiek's lone eye glinted at them. "We stand at the entrance to the final temple, the Spirit Temple."

Nadai whirled around, staring at the Goddess. She stepped forward, her intent clear. Link reached out and held her arm, forcing her to stay put. "Not yet."

"In order to save Nabooru, and to enter the Spirit Temple, you need to return to the past once more."

Nadai turned slowly, and watched as Shiek took out his harp. They followed his movements, and took out their instruments.

"Your spirit can travel to here when you play the Requiem of Spirit." Shiek strummed a melody, and they followed along.

When they were finished, Shiek nodded to them both. "If you save the final sage, save Nabooru, and return to us at Lake Hylia; there will be only a day or two at most before war starts. Do you think you can manage that?"

Link nodded. "Will we be ready?"

Shiek shook his head. "Far from it. Most of the Hylians who fight are nothing more than civilains in armor. The other races are peace loving and not that much into war themselves. At most, we can divert Gannondorf's attention and his forces for a few hours. What we lack in skill, we can make up for in enthusiasm. Everyone lost someone to him, and everyone has lost something to him. They fight for their homes. That might help our cause, but not much. It'll take a miracle to survive."

"So they go to their deaths?"

Shiek looked down. "No, Nadai. They already are dead. They simply choose for a chance to live once more." He looked back up to them. "Wanderer and Lost already have come up with some plans, but they need you two to hurry up here."

Link nodded. "And you?"

"I go on my own mission." He turned away from them and looked at the rising sun. "We all must be foolish indeed if this is the option I have chosen."

"What do you mean?" Link reached out but Shiek moved further away.

"You will find out soon enough." Shiek played a song and disappeared.

"I recognize that song." Nadai said. "He keeps on playing that when he wants to leave us."

"Then let's follow him." Link reached for his ocarina.

Navi sighed. "Are you two so foolish?"

Nadai turned to the fairy. "What do you mean?"

"We know our course. We have another sage to save."

"That's true, and we have to save Nabooru too-"

"Link!" Navi cut him off. "Nadai! You two are so stupid sometimes. Honestly," she moved to hover in front of both of them. "When was the last time we entered a Temple, and someone other than us was inside who didn't end up becoming the sage?"

Link paused. "Um, never."

"Exactly. Put two and two together and we get-"

"Mother." Nadai whispered. "She's the sixth sage."

"Bingo."

"Then we need to go and help her!" Nadai looked at them both. "We need to return back to the past. We need to become kids again!"

Link smiled. "Then we better not loose anytime." He took out his ocarina and played the Prelude of Light. The three of them disappeared, and reappeared inside the Temple of Time. "So how do we go back?"

Nadai pointed to the center of the pedestal. "Return the Master Sword in its rightful place."

Link drew his sword. "That simple?" He walked over to the center of the pedestal, and NAdai stood at his side. He plunged the sword into the stone below. "That wasn't so-"

And they were whisked away by blue light.

Static: Wang, please try to act appropriately.

Wang: You're a meanie mcmeany head. Bwee! sticks out tongue again

Shadow: I'm going to get some coffee. leaves

Static: Wang…

Wang: Bwee! sticks out tongue yet again

Shadow: sticks head in door Oh yeah, those confused with Link's new outfit, well, we got inspired by Alladin. You know the animated feature from Disney? That one. Wang's idea of course.

Wang: attention diverted Prince Ali - fabulous he - Ali Ababwa

Static: …

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