The Heroine
Link slowly paced over the red carpet that lay in the temple, running through an enormous chamber, leading into another smaller chamber. The only sound heard was the muffled noise of her footsteps against the carpet. The temple was built of white stones, and Link suddenly realized that she paced up on a platform. It had the Triforce carved over it.
So this is the Temple of Time. This is the resting place of the Master Sword…
She continued, and went though an archway to the other another chamber. It was a large, round room. In the middle a platform rose, and a small beam of light shone upon a pedestal. Slowly pacing up the stairs towards it, she found herself standing opposite a sword. Its hilt was blue with proud with a ruby. The blade reflected the light, and seemed as strong and cold like a mountain in fierce snowfall.
This is it. If I can wield it I am the Hero. Suddenly she hesitated, taking a step back. Then my brother's death was in vain.
The whole purpose with her brother posing as Link was to trick Ganondorf into thinking that he was dead. Link suddenly looked up at Amon, who was sitting on her shoulder. He looked at her, his blue eyes piercing into hers.
This is not about him. It's about you.
Link looked at the bird, shocked. He had spoken to her. How she did not know, but he had. And then, with a determined look she stepped forward to the pedestal and clasped her fingers around the hilt. Then, with an amount of force, she drove it out of the pedestal.
A great bright light surrounded her, and she could feel that she was sucked up, high in the air, through the ceiling, into another realm…
---
She landed softly upon a platform, with the Triforce carved into it, glowing in a blue light. The platform seemed to soar in the air as it was surrounded by a world where water dripped from the walls into the emptiness. One thing was for certain: Link was not in the world she knew. She suddenly realized that there were people on the platform. A large man with a great white beard, clad in a red and brown robe, was looking at her.
'Welcome, Great Hero,' he said in a soft, yet sharp voice.
'Where am I?' Link asked suspiciously. The man smiled.
'My name is Rauru, the priest of the Ancient Sages, who are linked to the Master Sword. This is the Chamber of the Sages.'
Link looked surprised at him.
'It is?'
The priest nodded.
'I must admit,' he said, 'that I was a little bit astound when I learned that the Hero was a woman.'
'Yeah, why? Does it make any difference?' Link asked, being insulted.
'No, not at all!' the priest chuckled and held up his hands in defense. 'In fact, it is the best news ever!' Link let her guard down.
'What do you mean?'
'Well, like everyone else, we thought your brother was the Hero.'
Link sighed.
'Even Ganondorf believes he has killed the Hero. And there's where we have the advantage. The Hero is alive, safe and sound.' He smiled.
'Yet, before you can become the True Hero and defeat Ganondorf, you must first find the Power within you.'
Link frowned.
'What power?'
'Your courage. It will come to you once you defeat your fears.'
Link frowned. 'What do you mean?'
'You will find out. Until then, The Master Sword will call us when you are in grave danger.'
'Us?'
The priest smiled. Link took a step back as a light appeared around the platform they were standing on and the light took shape as figures.
'We, the ancient Six Sages,' a voice said behind her. Link spun around to see a Gerudo standing there. Link looked at the Sages that gathered around the priest. Save for the Gerudo, Nabooru, the Sages was a Kokiri, Saria, a Goron, Darunia, a Zora, Ruto and a Sheikah, Impa. Impa smiled.
'We will protect you in your quest. Rely on the sword…'
Then suddenly a light surrounded Link and the chamber disappeared. Link suddenly found herself standing on the courtyard by the castle, looking out over the path that lead down to the city, and further away, the field of Hyrule. It was now night, and the moon was slowly rising.
She turned her head to the mountains and saw that the sky grew darker than ever. She suddenly became aware of that she was holding the Master Sword in her hand. It was surprisingly light in her palm. She tucked it into the scabbard on her hip, and then she threw the shield over her back, where the quiver of arrows and her bow hung.
The doors to the stable suddenly swung open. Several of the horses that was chewing on whatever hay they had left, rose their heads curiously. Epone whinnied softly as he saw Link pacing over the floor towards him. In the box beside the stallion stood Tzadek, her light mane glowing in the rising moonlight.
'Well, Epone,' Link said and played with her fingers in his white mane, 'you know what we have to do.' He snorted softly and pushed her with his nuzzle in her side.
He killed my brother. Now I must kill him.
'Link?'
She spun around to see Zelda standing in the doorway.
'I have to find Ganondorf.'
'Right now? You are weary from three days of battle, please rest here tonight!'
Link realized that she was right and a sudden weariness fell upon her as she followed Zelda back to the castle.
---
Sheik wandered in the gardens of the castle, for the moment glad in his heart. For once he didn't carry his weapons, only his harp, which he had in his fingers, figuring if he should play a bit or not. Then he suddenly spotted Link by a tree, leaning against it, with her leg bent and her other leg placed under, fingering on an arrow. She was also relieved from her weapons, now revealing her slender body. Her blond hair had been washed clean from sweat, dirt and blood and was now tucked into a new plait. Yet, she was still clad in her green vest and skirt, and her thin leather boots.
'Hey,' Sheik said and stepped out of the bushes. She looked up, startled by his presence.
'Hi,' she replied, kind of solemn. He went to sit down on the stone bench, slid up his leg, took support with his heel on the edge and rested his arm on his knee. 'What's the matter?' he asked. She looked up.
'Ganondorf's the matter,' she muttered. He looked at her, seeing a sudden wind catch some striped of her hair, sending it fluttering slightly.
'I want to kill him, more than ever, but now it turns out I can't, after all I've been through.'
'You cannot harsh the golden power to come to you,' Sheik said after figuring out her thoughts.
She rose and went to a stonewall where a window was situated, leaned against the wall and crossed her arms as she looked out over the city far down.
'I know,' she sighed. 'It's just, while his power's growing, I can't even find my own.'
'It'll come to you.'
She wished she could believe him. 'So where's Amon?' Sheik asked after a moment of silence.
'Hunting,' Link answered shortly, 'We're not the only ones that need food, you know.'
Sheik surveyed her.
'This isn't all about Ganondorf, is it?' he asked, referring to her silence. She sighed, giving up.
'No.'
Sheik was silent, waiting for more. Suddenly she turned to look at him with honest eyes, and the Sheikah could see pain in them,
'I can't help to think that I've let my brother down. He could have survived if he wanted to, but he didn't. He died, so that Ganondorf would stop looking for me.' She turned back to the window, her shoulders hanging heavily. 'But by starting on this quest I have become the one I wasn't supposed to become, but still I want to do it…' her voice trailed off since she realized that she wasn't making any sense.
'Your brother's death was not in vain,' Sheik said calm, now behind her as she felt his breath in her neck. 'It has helped us in several ways.'
'How?' she asked, still turned to the window, her voice no more than a whisper.
'Giving us time, frustrating Ganondorf as he learnt that the Hero is still alive and then surprising him even more as you defeat him.'
Link fell silent, hesitating.
'How do I know I'm doing the right things, Sheik?'
'No one knows, but if you're destined to do the right thing, you will.'
She turned around with a puzzled look on her face.
'That doesn't make any sense.'
'Who said it was going to?' he said, a slight smile tugging on one of the corner of his mouth.
A smile slowly spread across Link's face, suddenly feeling a little bit more light-hearted. As always, when she was with Sheik.
His hair fell into his eyes, as it had a habit of doing, covering almost his whole eyes. Giving in to a sudden impulse, Link reached up with her hand, stroking it out of his face. He caught her wrist in his hand and then took her hand in his. She looked up at him and his hand slowly stroke her cheek, up to her forehead. She could not break their gaze, and why should she? It seemed like their eyes completed each other so perfectly. Like fire and water… She didn't want to speak, didn't want to break the spell, as they were so close that she could feel his breath. Then he slowly moved his head, letting his lips meet hers.
It was nothing more than a soft kiss, but they both exploded with emotions. His hands, resting on the small of her back, pulled her closer, into an embrace. Her own hands, trailed up to his neck, letting her hands entwine into small hairs in his neck, as they kissed again, deeper this time. Though suddenly, Sheik noticed that she seemed to fall together in his arms. As he parted from her he gave a sudden smile, as he found to his surprise that she had fallen asleep, weary from much battle and riding.
He smiled and picked her up in his arms and she breathed softly as he carried her into the castle. But as he put her down in the bed, pulling up the covers over her sleeping frame he wondered if he had done the right thing.
So much was going on in her head right now, would this confuse her even more? But on second thoughts, Link needed something to hold on to. And yet, he could not predict what the future held for any of them.
---
'Link is sleeping,' Sheik said as he made his way through the trees towards Zelda, who was standing on a hill, looking down over Hyrule. They were both standing in front of the castle, which, even though it was night, radiated some kind of mysterious light.
'I figured she would, since I could see the weariness in her eyes,' Zelda replied, not removing her gaze.
'What is it?' Sheik asked since he noticed the concern in her eyes.
'Ganondorf's power is growing. Long have I kept the Shadow Riders away from the city and the castle, but I fear that they are growing too strong now.'
Sheik looked at her, eyes full of concern.
'You notice the change of temperature?' he asked as a small cloud of mist appeared when he exhaled. Zelda turned to him.
'Oh no.'
A bone freezing shriek suddenly loud from below the hill. Zelda sucked in a lungful of air as she saw two pair of black figures riding up the hill.
'Quick!' Sheik grabbed her hand and they quickly ran through the trees, but a Shadow Rider surprised them as he suddenly appeared from nowhere. Zelda shrieked and fell to the ground and Sheik grabbed his chain.
'You can't kill them!' Zelda exclaimed and she dodged through the trees, hoping to escape. Sheik followed her. The sound of hooves drew nearer. Suddenly, Zelda stopped and spun around. She held up her left hand and the Triforce on it flickered a bit, to then shine out bright, blinding the riders. The horses reared as they were stopped by a sudden force field that was created around the princess and the Sheikah.
'This is the Love of Nayru! Do not dare to come near the power of the Goddesses!' Zelda said, and her voice seemed full of power.
The riders laughed, a chilling laugh, and everything seemed to fall silent around them. The riders suddenly dismounted the horses and one of them drew his long sword. Then he made a stab of it, right though the force field. Zelda screamed, as if he stabbed right through her chest, and fell to the ground. Sheik took up his chain as the force field flickered and disappeared. But the rider laughed and Sheik found himself surrounded…
Uh OH! What WILL happen to them! Find out in the next exciting chapter of Loui's The HEROINE!!!
Er... in other words, hope you liked it, and as always...
...please review?
