37. Hero

Link found himself in a corridor – always, a corridor – in Hyrule Castle's past. He stood facing a tall, wall-mounted mirror. His reflection stared back at him.

"Oh boy," he said.

Something from above caught his eye. It was a crack in the ceiling tiles, a hint that it had been moved recently. Link took a few steps back, then ran for the wall, scaled up it, - parkour style - and, with a kick, knocked the tile free. He landed on both feet, then looked up again.

There. An opening.

Using his grappling hook, Link climbed up into the narrow place between the ceiling and the floor above, a tunnel of sorts, if you could call it that.

You just did, bud.

Shifting the tile back into place, Link dragged himself onward, squeezing through the tight space when, suddenly, a loose tile beneath him fell away. Link plummeted, landing with a splash into the room below.

Link's nose wrinkled. It stank down here. Water had pooled at the bottom, and a layer of thin, greenish scum lay on its surface. He looked around. There was no door, just four steel walls, stained brown with rust and debris.

"Trash compactor," he muttered. "Why would they even hav-"

He was cut off by a low, long screech. The entire room lurched, then, slowly, two of the walls parallel to the other began closing in.

Link sighed. "Obviously…" he said. "The narrative has to go all the way."

He pulled off his hat, and brought out his grappling hook. Link looked up. The walls began to encroach in on his shoulders. He wouldn't have time to climb up. He needed something to block the walls.

The pressure was starting to grow now as the walls pushed in. Soon, he'd be stuck fast. And then turned into Hylian jam.

Link's mind raced. Think! He had to think. Had to –

His face brightened. "Of course!"

He squeezed up one arm to begin to spinning the hook. This would be tight.

"Yeah. Literally."

Link's eyes scanned the water below, searching, searching…

"Gotcha."

Link threw the hook. It pierced the surface of the pool, then the rope wrapped itself around the intended target. Using both hands, Link heaved the rope back up, and hurled a tentacled creature into the air.

The thing caught between the two walls. A metallic squeal followed, the room shuddered, and then the walls stopped, silent.

Link let out a long breath. He looked up at the creature. It twitched once, twice, then fell still.

"I hate squid," he said.

Untangling the rope, Link whipped it up into the space he'd fallen through, then began to climb. As he passed the squid on his way up, a sudden thought occurred to him.

Link's eyes narrowed. "Wait," he said. "If this thing was down there all the time…then it would've blocked the walls anyway."

He dislodged the hook, and put it back into his hat, then continued his crawl. Voices, faint and slightly muffled, drifted his way. Link changed direction to follow. Finally, when he was satisfied he'd reached the right room, Link stopped to listen.

"Saria."

Link recognised the voice as his counterpart's.

"Look at you," said a second voice. "Just look at you."

As the man droned on, Link was surprised to find he recognised this one, too.

"Baron Von JoBo…?" he whispered to himself. "No way." Link shook his head, then mused out loud. "How can he be here? He was dead. Is dead. Is going to be dead."

Oh, and by the way, Mr Narrative? That wasn't to myself. It was for the readers. Oh yeah, I can do recaps, too. And don't think I didn't notice that you titled two chapters in a row as '35.' I'm watching you, champ.

Link wiggled in an attempt to get more comfortable, then pressed his eye to a gap in the wood. It felt cool to the touch.

"Though," the Baron was saying. "You can't use the memory spell on yourself. I wouldn't want you to forget."

"Forget?" the Hero asked.

"All the fun you're going to have. When I finally teach you to break bad." The Baron chuckled – then stopped, looking up, his nose twitching. "Do you smell something…? Like…rotten fish…?"

Link heard the Hero drew his sword. "You're babbling."

"Oh, now you take your sword out?" The Baron stepped out of Link's line of sight. He heard the sound of steel whispering again. "Shame that I have but a humble dagger. But I can do…this."

Link heard metal slice.

"A blood oath…?" asked the Hero. "Why?"

"I promise not to overthrow Princess Zelda," said the Baron. "I promise to keep your precious friend here safe."

"And in return…?"

"You kill the Royal Council. Bar myself, of course." A pause, then, "Seriously…do you smell something…?"

"The Council."

"Ah, yes." The Baron stepped back into Link's view. "I've infected the whole lot of the pompous fools with a ReDead virus. Their guards, too."

"What…?"

"Oh, yes. They're sound asleep now, but in the morning…? They'll start biting. Soon the whole castle will be infected."

The Hero looked aghast. "I'll…find a way…to…"

"There's no antidote," the Baron cut in. "You have to kill them. Use the memory spell I gave you on any uninfected guards you meet on your way there. And then put them to sleep. I don't want you to be caught just yet."

Anger rang in the Hero's voice. "Make an antidote!"

"You're not listening. They're dead already. Their souls – brains – whatever you want to call them, were dead the moment the virus entered their veins."

"You give up too easily."

"And you," the Baron spat. "Just have to kill the bodies. Wipe them out. All of them."

Link spied the Hero looking down at his blade; a blurred reflection stared back.

"This…" the Hero said. "I can't…"

"You will," the Baron said softly. "And you know why…? Secretly, you like it. You like the killing. That's what I want you to realise. That you were born for this. After all, what's the point of a warrior without an enemy to smite?"

The Hero glanced up. "They're not my enemies."

"They are now," said the Baron.

"I wo-"

The Baron held up a hand. "Let me finish now." He grinned. "You'll like this bit."

The Hero paled. "What else have you done?"

The Baron shrugged, looking sheepish. "I may have accidently slipped the rest of the virus into the Kakariko village water well. I'm afraid, to be truly rid of that much virus, you'll have to kill and burn all trace of them. The good news is that if you do this, I will leave Hyrule and Saria in peace." He held up his cut palm. "Oath. Isn't that what you wanted…? Peace…? Or did you think it came without a hefty price…?"

"I'll find you –"

"You won't. Here's the catch, 'Hero.' Those two magic spells I gave you? There's a third hidden amongst them. If you tell anyone the real reason why you had to kill the Council and burn Kakariko – or if you tell anyone beforehand - I'll know about. If you even hint at the reason. Even by accident. And that would mean I'd be free of my oath, and you can say goodbye to Zelda, Saria and your precious peace."

The Hero stood glaring, his throat working, but his lips pressed firmly in a grim line.

"So, go," the Baron continued. "Go be a Hero."

He handed the Hero a glittering, blue jewel. "When it's done, touch that, and you can let me know. One more thing, though." The Hero of Time took the stone with a limp grasp." One last, tiny little condition."

"Say it," the Hero spat.

"When you massacre Kakariko and torch the wretched place, I want you to smile. Smile while you're doing the deed. Smile real good. And make sure Zelda's Royal Guard see you smiling."

The Baron laughed, long and loud. "On the run. Hunted. Hated. Enjoy your peace, 'Hero.' Welcome to the real world. There is no black or white. There are just choices."

Link heard the door slam as the Hero left. The Baron continued to laugh, wiping away tears, then stopped, sniffing, to say, "Really…what is that smell?"

With a clammy hand, Link brought the Ocarina to his lips, focussed on when and where he'd last seen Tetra, then played the Song of Time.

Link re-emerged in the room where they'd found the Ocarina. He looked at his counterpart. "Framed," he said softly. "You were in a no-win situation."

Malon scrunched up her nose. "You stink like my Bessie's turd."

"I hope," said Link, "that Bessie's a cow and not a close friend of yours."

Malon raised her chin. "Might be a bit of both."

The Hero, his eyes shadowed, couldn't meet Link's gaze. His voice croaked. "You know?"

Link nodded. "Everything."

"What's he sayin'?" said Malon. She turned to Link. "What'd you see?"

Tetra watched in silence, arms folded, a thoughtful look on her tanned face as Twilight prowled at her feet.

The Hero looked away from them all. "I could have found a way to free them from the virus. I just…I'm not as clever as the princess. All I'm good at is being a weapon. At killing."

Link stepped toward him. "Bro –"

A new voice cut in. "You were never a weapon."

The Hero of Time inhaled in recognition. Somewhere deep within the Temple gears and pulleys began to grind. One wall split apart revealing the newcomers.

The Hero swallowed. "Princess…"

Zelda, flanked by a pair of her guards, looked at each of the party in turn, frowning slightly when her eyes reached Link, but recovering her regal composure in an instant.

"Did you think," she said, her voice stern, "that you could reach the Ocarina without me knowing…?"

"Hold on…" said Tetra. "That means you wanted us to use it. Why else turn up now?"

"I'm forbidden to use the Ocarina," Princess Zelda replied. "But I can see what it sees. Hear what it hears."

The Hero of Time cast his gaze downward. "That means you know…"

"I do," she said, taking a step closer to him. "And I have only thing to say." Zelda took his gloved hands in her own and then, with eyes glistening and a faint smile, said, "Welcome back, my hero."

The Hero of Time blinked in surprise. And then, after a moment's hesitation, his whole body sagged in relief. He smiled in return.

"Um," said Link. "Yeah. Very sweet. Just one catch." He waited until they had all turned his way. "As far as I understand it, now that I know, and that she knows…well, that must means that he knows."

And, right on cue, they all looked up sharply as the disembodied sound of Baron Von JoBo's deep, ringing laughter filled the Temple of Time.