Alaia Skyhawk: Woo Hoo! It's the chapter I really want to write. GO GO GO GO GO!

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 37: Pursuit of Power

Wings beat strongly against the wind, carrying the young Rito towards the island of Windfall. Upon the arrival of the messenger from the Queen, he had been sent to represent the Chieftain should an important meeting arise from the direct letter that had been carried from Outset. The sun was just past its zenith, the air was warm and calm, scattered with thermals that made flying easy. The young Rito glanced at the sky as suddenly two shards of light shot overhead. Moments later he was struck by a freak wind and sent tumbling towards the sea. In a frantic burst of effort, he managed to pull up before striking the waves, a spray of water sent up by his passage so close to the surface. Shaken by his sudden fall, the Rito resumed his journey to Windfall at a greater speed, though his flight wavered as the shock of his fall unsteadied him...

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Two orbs of light trailed across the sky from the direction of Death Mountain. Red and deep purple, their colours indicating that the Sages of Fire and Shadow were now making their way to meet up with the rest of their fellow sages on Windfall. The news from Rauru that he had in fact been locked inside the Realm until released by some strange instance involving the Hero of Time's descendants, had left them both worried and curious, and with a number of questions they would like to have answered.

A silent shockwave washed over them, making them halt in surprise. They searched around trying to find the source.

"Impa, can you sense anything? The energy patterns around here have been disrupted by the shockwave, I can't make anything out."

Impa reached out, her greater experience at detecting the unseen allowing her to make better sense of the area around them.

"A tremendous source of magic has just passed near here, I can almost make it out... it..." Her panicked gasp split the air. "The Triforce of Power!"

Darunia began to look around frantically, searching.

"Why would Ganondorf pass through here? There's nothing out here for him to influence."

Impa continued to scan their surroundings, her pace frantic as she searched. Suddenly she froze.

"There! To the north! It's a Rito and they're flying erratically, I can sense the power of the Triforce clinging to them. Ganondorf must have used it to take control of them... That Rito is heading for Windfall!"

Darunia shot off in the direction of the distant Rito, Impa close behind.

"We have to catch that Rito! Until Ganondorf releases them we cannot allow them to reach Windfall! Who knows what will happen to the island or the Queen if they reach it..."

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The young Rito continued to fly towards Windfall, still shaken from his fall. He was halfway between Windfall and Pawprint Island when the strangest feeling came over him. He looked around a little, puzzled.

"It's almost like the feeling when a Kargorock is swooping down on you from behin..." He suddenly looked over his shoulder and saw two orbs of light streaking towards him. "AHHH!"

He folded his wings and plummeted, causing them to shoot right over the top of him. They came around again, each from a different direction, but once again the young Rito dodged them at the last moment. Again and again they came at him, but years of practice, dodging flocks of Kargorocks around the north side of Dragon Roost, had taught him how to stay out of reach of multiple attackers. Realising that if they were to catch him they would need help, Impa and Darunia called out to their fellow sages on Windfall.

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Silence reigned in the courtyard, the last of the residual power dissipating in tiny sparks all around them. The sages looked at the two shaken youths, confused about what had just happened. Rauru gazed at Link and Tetra, voicing the question that was on all their minds.

"What just happened here?"

Tetra smiled wryly and held her right hand out before her. Golden light flared, the Triforce of Wisdom appearing in her palm.

"The Triforce has returned to us... Four y..."

A strident mental shout from Darunia split the air, so forceful that even the none-sages present in the courtyard could hear it.

"Impa and I have found a Rito possessed by the Triforce of Power! He's heading for Windfall and he's too agile for us to catch alone! We can't let him reach the island so long as Ganondorf has control of him!"

Without hesitation, and before letting Tetra finish what she was saying, Rauru, Saria, Ruto and Nabouru shot out of the courtyard and headed east. Medli shouted after them.

"Wait!" She turned to Link and the others, her expression confused. "It can't be Ganondorf, he's dead... It could only mean..."

Her eyes widened and she looked at the Triforce of Wisdom in Tetra's hand. Tetra's expression turned to realisation.

"That Rito has the Triforce of Power! Go! Help him!"

Medli launched herself into the air, Link following after her. As she turned into an orb of light he called out.

"You go on ahead! I'll catch up!"

As the two of them disappeared into the distance, Tetra, Eidan and Aryll could do nothing but watch.

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A cheerful tune drifted on the wind as Makar hummed away to himself to while away the time spent travelling. He was over the sea now and making a beeline for Windfall, when suddenly Medli's voice shouted in his mind.

"Makar! The Triforce has returned! The Sages of the Sacred Realm have gone after what they think is a Rito possessed by the Triforce of Power! ...Makar, that Rito is the new Keeper, he has no idea why he's being chased!"

Makar veered north and headed for the location Medli had visualised to him. It wasn't long before he saw a Rito frantically avoiding two orbs of light... with four more approaching him at high speed. Makar put on a burst of speed, throwing his power out ahead of him to take control of the wind. He could just make out the widening of the Rito's eyes are he saw the other four heading for him. He had no way to escape. Suddenly Makar twisted the wind around him, catching the full force against his open wings and hauling him out of the way. The four newcomers missed and flew past, before turning round to try again. Once again Makar thwarted them by interfering, increasing the speed of the winds he summoned the closer he got to them. Again and again they missed, their confused shouts ringing in the air.

Rauru called out to the others.

"How is it he keeps evading us? His movements defy the laws of normal flight. He's not using magic either."

Impa darted at the Rito, who once again mysteriously veered to the side with no apparent effort on his part.

"I don't know... It's doesn't make any sense."

It was Nabouru who finally noticed that every time the Rito dodged, his hair and clothing blew off to the side in the direction he moved, as though the winds were helping him. In a sudden burst of inspiration she turned her senses on the wind rather than the Rito. What she detected shocked her.

"It's the wind! The wind is being controlled and used to move him away from our attacks!"

They began searching their surroundings for the source, all the while continuing to harass the Rito. It was Saria who spotted the interferer. Her shocked and hurt cry echoing across the distance between them.

"Makar! Why are you helping him?!"

Makar was standing in the air in his normal form, arms held out before him as his directed the wind. He fixed his eyes on her.

"You don't understand! He's not a threat!"

She darted towards him.

"You're wrong, Makar! You've never faced Ganondorf, you have no idea how dangerous that Rito is as long as he's under that man's control!" She attacked him, trying to distract him from his defence of the Rito. "You have to stop!"

Makar blocked her attack with little effort, her power was only a portion of his. He called out in entreaty.

"You don't understand, let me explain!"

She came around and struck at him again.

"No, Makar... You don't understand... If you don't stop interfering I'll make you stop..."

She began to pound at the shield he hastily formed around himself. As soon as he had the measure of her power he set enough into his shield to hold her off and turned the rest to continuing to help the Rito. Saria's angry shriek pierced the air.

"I'm not strong enough! The power of my temple isn't enough to stop him! Someone help me!"

Darunia and Ruto split off from the attack on the Rito and turned their efforts on Makar. Unable to pray to the Gods of Wind, he like them had only the core power of his temple to call on. As they came at him, he sensed he had barely more power than them and when they hit his shield the winds helping the Rito stopped. Exhausted, youth resumed his frantic dodging of the three sages who were still attacking him. Makar looked on in desperation as Nabouru dove at the Rito's back.

"Oh no you don't!"

A bolt of power struck Nabouru, sending her careening through the air, crying out in pain from the strike. Ruto halted in her attack of Makar and gasped in horror at the new arrival.

"Medli! Why did you attack her?!"

Medli sighed.

"I'm sorry, Ruto, but as long as you refuse to listen to us you force me to fight you..."

Medli struck out again, this time hitting Impa, causing her to tumble towards the sea below. The Sage of Shadow gasped in shock.

"By the gods, she's so powerful! How can a single sage wield so much power?"

Medli and Makar spoke in unison.

"We are the Sages of the Master Sword, just as the combined powers of your six temples protect the land, so does the power of our two temples. To balance this, our combined power is equal to yours... That is...one of us is three times as powerful as one of you."

Taking advantage of the distraction, Makar called up a wind to help the Rito stay aloft. He was so exhausted he could barely fly anymore. Impa and her fellows looked on in horror at Medli and Makar, how were they to stop them if their combined powers were equal? Seeing a chance, Medli and Makar teleported to either side of Rito and built a combined shield. Impa and the others began to attack them, shards of power splintering into the air... It was a stalemate. The bombardment continued and even as the six sages began to tire, so Makar began to waver, his efforts in helping the Rito and continuing to keep him aloft, even now, were taking their toll. Their shield began to get smaller as they reduced the area in an effort to maintain it. Medli looked at him.

"Makar... You have to pray... I'll hold them until you finish the first verse of your song."

He hesitated.

"But, Medli..."

She stopped him.

"Trust in me Makar... I can do this." She closed her eyes and called up every last ounce of power in her and threw it into the shield. "NOW, MAKAR!"

He pulled his power back from the shield and brought out his violin, beginning to play before he had even fully set its base beneath his chin. His song drifted on the air, barely audible through the onslaught against them. Medli's face turned into a mask of pain as she strained to maintain their protections, her gasps of agony a counterpoint to his melody. He felt her power start to crumble when he was halfway through...

"Come on, Medli... Hang on..."

Suddenly the shield imploded, he covered his eyes and used what little power he had left to deflect some of the blast. He slowly opened his eyes... as he realised that none of it had reached him. A golden barrier separated Medli, the Rito and himself from the other six sages who now hovered a short distance away, in their normal forms, eyes wide with shock. He looked to where the Rito was and saw a determined face glaring at the sages from in front of the exhausted youth.

Link held his hand up, the back facing the astounded sages. The symbol of the Triforce shone there, as its power held them at bay and sheltered his friend. He turned to look at the new Keeper who knelt, stunned, on the invisible platform that Link had summoned to support him.

"Are you alright, Komali?"

Prince Komali looked up, eyes wide, and began to stammer in confusion.

"W-What's going on? W-Why were they attacking me?"

Link placed a hand on Komali's shoulder.

"They did it because they could sense the magic of the Triforce of Power around you... They though you were being controlled by it." He pulled Komali to his feet and gripped his right hand. "The truth is Komali... You are its new Keeper..."

He held out Komali's hand so that they could all see it... and the bright symbol that glowed on the back of it. Makar looked at the shocked and stunned faces of the six sages.

"I guess we have some explaining to do..."

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Alaia Skyhawk: OMG I LOVED writing that! (dances) I think I'm gonna try update during the week more regularly.... I have another chapter I want to do now...lol.