Alaia Skyhawk: Woo Hoo! (Writing Bug picks up Author while flying past) Yay! GO BUGGIE!!
I don't own the Zelda series or anything associated with it. I do however own this story and any OCs, so please don't steal them.
Chapter 36: Falling Stars
The sun was nearing the horizon, its light staining the island red like the dying embers of a fire. The people were heading back to their homes, a long day's work behind them, as the small ship pulled up to the pier outside the Royal Compound. Three figures, two with blond hair and one with hair of silver white, disembarked and were immediately admitted through the gate into the courtyard. Inside they were met by two people, one of whom was very happy to see them.
"Dad!"
Aryll raced over to her father, who in turn was running to her as fast as his legs would take him. When they reached each other he held her close, almost as if he couldn't quite believe she was there.
"Aryll, are you ok?"
She hugged him even tighter.
"I'm fine, Dad. Big Brother got me out of there, even if it took him three days to notice me."
Link winced.
"Actually it was nearly four days if you want to be completely honest."
Aryll looked over her shoulder at her brother and giggled, her amusement showing she had forgiven him. Meanwhile, Tetra had come over and had caught Rauru's attention. He took one look at her and bowed, not needing an introduction to recognise her. Such was her resemblance to her ancestor.
"Queen Zyara, it is an honour to meet you. Aryll spoke very highly of you during her time in the Sacred Realm."
Tetra blushed a little, still uncomfortable with being called Queen, even now.
"There's no need for you to call me Queen unless it's a formal occasion. If you insist on calling my by a title the rest of the time, Lady Tetra is fine."
Rauru smiled, his face looking more like that a kindly old grandfather than the oldest and wisest of the Sages of the Sacred Realm.
"As you wish, Lady Tetra." He glanced at the reunited family. "I must say though, I'm surprised to see them here. None of the Sages knew of their family's return to Hyrule, though Link has since explained to me the circumstances. I'm also surprised by the abilities that tie them together... Then again, when I knew the Hero of Time he was the only member of his family, and so would never have known about those abilities himself... It would seem it was more than fate that made him destined to be the Hero of Time."
Tetra looked on as Aryll and Link began to chat with their father.
"You may be right... Aryll has had visions ever since all that's happened lately started. To my knowledge, Link has had at least one vision as well. It's almost as if every time the gods do something to interfere down here, members of their family can sense it on a level that is beyond the rest of us."
Rauru looked at the family thoughtfully.
"What ever it is, whether or not we come to understand exactly why is down to fate." He turned back to Tetra. "Perhaps we can go inside and discuss recent events further. I'd also like to tell you that I've contacted my fellow sages and after they have cleared up their current tasks they will be coming here to hear of these things as well. Ruto also told me that Medli is with her and that the Earth Sage has contacted Makar who will be coming too. As far as I can estimate, they will all be here by late afternoon tomorrow."
Tetra grimaced.
"So I'm going to have eight sages under my roof... though at least two of them can help me explain to the rest of you what has happened over these past few years." She gestured to the open door into the building. "I'll show you to what has now been dubbed the 'Map Room'. It was the drawing room of my apartments, but has since been overrun with papers and as you might guess, a large map."
Rauru chuckled at her comment as he followed her, while on the other side of the courtyard, Link and his family were still talking.
"I still can't understand why we keep getting tangled up in all that's happening. First me having to face Ganondorf, then all the visions that have been plaguing Aryll, Aryll being sent into the Sacred Realm, and now all these weird abilities we're finding out we have. Why can't we just be normal and left alone for a change?"
Eidan shrugged.
"Who knows... but we might as well get used to it, because it likely that strange things will keep happening." He scowled. " Though if that dammed Goddess Farore ever pulls a stunt like that again with any of my family, she's going to get a piece of my mind even if I have to drag her out of the Realm of the Gods to do it."
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The three sisters flinched as the irate father's words reached their ears, Farore looking a little more uncomfortable than her siblings.
"Well we've certainly upset him, I think we'd better tone down any further interference with the Descendants from now on."
Din and Nayru nodded in agreement, after which Din called up the Triforce of Power.
"We still have the current problem to deal with. We can't send two parts of the Triforce back and not the third. We need to decide on who will be the new Keeper of the Triforce of Power, a difficult decision since we have to be sure that the recipient won't be tempted to turn to evil."
The three of them stood silent, their thoughts turning to Ganondorf and the havoc he had wreaked on Hyrule. Nayru sighed and called up an image of the lands below.
"Well let's start with what races are down there, are there any that are more resistant to evil inclinations than the rest?"
Farore shook her head.
"In general terms, no. When we created the world me made a point of making all the races equal in that respect."
Nayru frowned.
"Well are there any that are made more resistant by forces other than us?"
Din brought a hand to her chin, looking thoughtful.
"All of the races have developed a strong sense of right and wrong, and have a determination to do good..." She lowered her hand. "There are two races that have an advantage though, an additional source of resistance."
Nayru and Farore looked at their sister, eyes widened in understanding.
"Of course! In fact, both of those races are immune to corruption, someone from among those would be perfect."
Din turned to the image.
"But who from among them do we pick? It needs to be someone who understands the responsibilities of having power, and how important it is to use that power wisely."
She began to call up the images of all the possible candidates, her sisters looking on as person after person was shown. She was about halfway through all of them when Nayru made her stop.
"I'd say they would be perfect, taught to know power and its responsibilities... Young enough and flexible enough to adapt to the change in circumstances that will come from their having the Triforce of Power."
Farore looked at Din as the goddess considered the person shown before her.
"The choice is yours, Sister."
After several moments, Din turned to her siblings and held up the Triforce of Power.
"It has been over four years since the sacred triangles returned to us. Now it is time to send them back... to their Keepers... Old and New."
Each of the sisters held out their pieces of the Triforce, needing no words to know that they were in agreement, and thus in a flash of intense light... the triangles vanished...
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The sun was just past its zenith when the Great Guardian on the mountain top called out in alarm. In a great flash of light a golden comet had appeared overhead, it's fiery brilliance like a second sun. As the people of Dragon Roost looked on, the comet split into three distinct shards of light that streaked across the sky like falling stars. And as the fragments faded into the distance, they could just make out that one of them fell away from the others, to drop towards the open sea on the path to Windfall...
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The courtyard of the Royal Compound on Windfall was a bustle of activity, all morning the small number of servants had been cleaning the place from floors to ceilings, despite Rauru's assurances that the Sages where hardly going to be bothered by how the place looked. He and Tetra, who had agreed with him, had been politely ignored and so the cleaning frenzy had commenced. It was only now, as they waited in the courtyard for the other sages to arrive, that the servants disappeared back inside to resume what ever takes they undertook normally, leaving the courtyard silent but for the flap of pennants in the wind.
A streak of amber struck the stone that paved the courtyard, the guards jumping in surprise, spears raised until they saw the Sage of Light welcome the figure that had appeared when the light faded. Nabouru smiled and rushed over to hug him.
"Rauru, we've been worried about you. Ever since we awakened we've been unable to enter the Sacred Realm."
Rauru sighed.
"And now that fate has in turn freed me from the prison that the Realm had become to me, I too can no longer enter. It would seem that, for now, the five of you have only the core power of your temples to call on, the deeper essence of the force each temple governs is inaccessible to you as long as our Doors are closed... In my case I am now cut off from my temple completely, I have only my own innate power to call on now."
Nabouru looked at him with concern.
"Do not worry, Rauru. You are welcome to stay at any of our temples until the Sacred Realm is no longer sealed to us."
The guards once again jumped in alarm as three more streaks of light descended on the courtyard, this time green, blue and red-brown. Saria and Ruto rushed to Rauru as Nabouru had done, Medli looking on before strolling over to where Link and the others were standing.
"Five down, three to go... I'm glad I wasn't the last to arrive."
One of the guards, who was now looking at the sky so as not to be caught off guard again, called out.
"Two more lights on the horizon!"
They all looked up, the sages suddenly frowning in puzzlement. Ruto spoke.
"Those are not sages... the only sage whose power is golden is Rauru's and he's standing right here..."
Tetra and Link looked at each other, and then at the golden lights. Link spoke in an aside to her.
"I get the distinct feeling that you and I should brace ourselves... If those are what I think they are..."
Tetra didn't get a chance to answer as the lights plummeted into the courtyard. Energy crackled everywhere as Link and Tetra were sent skidding across the ground to end up colliding with the western wall. Aryll dashed to her brother's side as he brought a hand up to his pounding head, Tetra pulled herself to her feet.
"Oww..."
She looked down at Link and offered him a hand, he accepted her help and managed to stand up, though he was a shaky as she was. He chuckled weakly.
"I was right, it was what I though it was."
There was a unanimous puzzled murmur from all the sages present, along with Link's family. Tetra smiled wryly.
"Now this is really starting to annoy me... Why can't the gods stop complicating things?"
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Alaia Skyhawk: (Zips past with Writing Bug) YAY!