Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda world and its characters belong to Nintendo.
Author's Note: As always, thank you for reading! To warn you: there is violence/blood in this chapter, but I tried to keep it minimal. My understanding of LOZ is improving steadily as I play and read more, although I do realize this story has flaws. I appreciate everyone sticking with it, and me. The reviews have all been so lovely to read and I wish I could reply to every one of them!
Link's heart pounded as he followed Ruto, now his only lifeline aside from Navi. Ruto led him from the Domain the back way, but there were more soldiers waiting by the gates of Lake Hylia. Drawing his sword, he remarked to Ruto, "You should probably go."
"Not a chance," she said.
Link approached the soldiers, considering his best opening.
"Now, lad, why do you always put up a fight? We want to bring you back to the king in one piece," one of the soldiers said, though he had drawn his own sword. "He's offered quite a handsome reward for you. Can't wait to fill my pockets with gold."
If they wanted him in one piece, Link wondered why they had nearly annihilated him last time. He chose not to answer, watching them, his shield at the ready.
He supposed Ganondorf's soldiers must be like the rest of their king's world. Chaotic. Some of them, perhaps, followed orders. Others likely added in modifications of their own. He doubted that Ganondorf would stay true to his promise of gold if one of them did manage to capture him. These men seemed fools to believe it. The biggest soldier swung at him and Link leapt backward just in time. He was about to attack when a blast of blue light smacked the soldier who had spoken to him. Link was afraid to take his eyes off the remaining two, but he knew what had happened when the fallen soldier began to laugh.
"Look, his little girlfriend knows how to fight too. We ought to take her – she'd be fun to experiment on."
Link, feeling a sudden rush of anger at the man's words, kicked the fallen soldier's sword away and drove his own through the man's neck. Blood spurted through his mouth. His laughter turned to a nightmarish gargling. The other two men closed in on Link from behind as he pulled his sword out.
Ruto responded by directing her attack at the next soldier, the biggest one. Her second hit held more force behind it. He fell to the ground and seemed to lose consciousness, and Link took advantage of the distraction by approaching the third man. Their armor was of high quality, and it was difficult to find a vulnerable spot. "Link, we don't have time for this. Move!" Ruto called.
He obeyed, and she sent another streak of blue light toward the third man. Once he had fallen, she ran forward and grabbed Link's arm, propelling him on once again. Link looked behind and up to make sure Navi was still with them. Reassured once he saw that she was, he followed more willingly.
They made it past the entrance to Lake Hylia and ran toward a section of tall trees nearby, only stopping once they were hidden from plain sight. The two looked around, but it seemed they had lost their pursuers. Link searched for something nearby to clean his sword with. In the absence of large leaves, his best option was to wipe it off the best he could on a rock.
"How did you do that?" Link breathed.
"I don't know. I just felt I desperately wanted to do something, but I didn't know what." Ruto paused in deep thought. Her anger toward Jireto and Honu had seemed to help. The first shot had been an accident, and the last two had perhaps been adrenaline-driven more than anything, though they were more intentional.
She realized then that she felt tired… more tired than she had ever been in her life. "I don't think I can fight anymore, Link. Let's get somewhere safe."
As Link looked at her, he could tell she was exhausted. "Do you want me to carry you?" he asked.
"Link, use your Ocarina to warp to the Temple of Time," Navi advised him.
Ruto, who had nuzzled up against Link's neck and was lightly dozing, asked, "What is she talking about?"
It seemed so long since Link had traveled at all that he had nearly forgotten about the Ocarina.
"What are we doing?" Ruto asked through a yawn.
"We're going to the Temple of Time, and then to the future," Link answered. He realized he would sound ridiculous to her, whether he offered her this explanation or one that went more in-depth.
"I must be dreaming."
Link would let her believe she was asleep and this was all occurring in her imagination if that made it easier to process. "Just hold on to me."
Link dug around in his pack, his fingers closing around the smooth instrument that Princess Zelda had tossed to him the night she fled. Touching it brought on a sudden longing and desperate hope that Princess Zelda was alright, wherever she was. Ruto stood up slowly and moved to Link's side. He took her arms and guided them around his waist, then played the Prelude of Light. The light that surrounded them made the trees fade to nothing. He felt Ruto grab tighter to him, and he knew they had arrived when the soft grass under his feet was replaced with the hard marble floor of the Temple.
Ruto released him, her eyes wide as she looked around them. Link approached the Master Sword in its pedestal, his hands instinctively moving toward it. "Ruto, hold me again. Tightly," he said. He wasn't sure if this would work, if they could travel together, but he had to try.
Ruto, now not so sure that she was dreaming since everything was so vivid, did as Link instructed. She had so many questions, but he seemed deep in thought as he looked at the sword in the pedestal. It seemed to have almost a hypnotic effect on him. She felt curious, yet somewhat frightened at the same time. For several minutes now, she had completely forgotten about her home, about the treachery of those she had once considered her friends.
Once she had a firm hold on his middle, Link pulled the Master Sword from the pedestal. He did not think he would ever get used to time travel. It felt as though his body were being squeezed through an impossibly tight hole, and the light around them was so bright that he had to close his eyes. Ruto was silent. Link had to reach for her to be sure she was still with him. His free hand rested on the small of her back, and when the light had dimmed enough for him to look at her again, she was a picture of the loveliness he had seen at the Water Temple. Her more mature appearance took his breath away.
She had been attractive to him before, but now the attraction was enhanced by the feelings he had developed for her. Her kindness, her bravery, her loyalty, all of it was written in her eyes, and he felt silly for missing it before.
Ruto, realizing that she was a few more feet away from the ground than before, and taking in Link's adult form, gasped.
"Who—" she began, but she knew already who he was. She just felt mad in that knowing. None of it made any sense.
"You asked once if I was a Seer," Link said. "Now you can see, the answer is yes and no."
"This can't be real. This isn't… normal." She looked down at her body, her fuller breasts, her longer legs, her fully-formed fins. She looked back at Link. He was so tall, and yet she was nearly as tall as he was. His chest and arms had filled out. He wasn't ripped like some of the warriors she had seen, but he looked quite healthy and strong. Capable. The expression in his gaze was as brave and determined as ever, but there was a sadness behind it that had not been there during his youth. Still, he was absolutely gorgeous… and he was to be her husband. Ruto felt even more excited at the thought.
She did not understand much that had happened throughout the day. She wished Zephyra had taught her more about useful things rather than droning on about history all the time. She wished someone had told her that time travel was possible, that she had unexplored powers. She supposed her father had only ever intended for her to be a helpless princess and later queen, at the mercy of her more experienced husband.
"We need to find somewhere safe to stay for the night." Link held out his hand to her. His past habits of sleeping outside or in flea-infested inn beds would not do now that she was with him. She took his hand and followed him down the steps to what appeared to be the main room. At the altar, she noticed the glimmer of something familiar – her sapphire! There was an emerald and a ruby with it. Stones from other princesses? She narrowed her eyes as she looked back at Link.
"What is all this?"
"I'll explain everything," he answered. "But first, we need to get somewhere safe."
She took a breath and nodded. Although they had jumped forward in time, the betrayal by her friends was fresh on her mind. She couldn't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. "We could go to Ganristian's house. He'll protect us. But wait… how much time have we jumped, Link?"
"Seven years." As he studied her face, he felt it necessary to add, "I'm sorry. This was selfish of me."
She dismissed his apology. "I wanted to come with you, and I still do. Just… give me a little time, okay?" She wanted to go to the Zora Domain to see what had become of her people, but then, she did not. She was afraid of what she would find. Staying with Ganristian was the best option if he was still around.
"Do you know the way? To Ganristian's?"
"Yes, he lives on the outskirts of Kakariko Village. I used to go there when Dad and I were fighting, until he figured it out. Then I had to find other places to hide." She paused, thinking through the logistics. "His wife is a little nervous, but she likes me. Something happened to her during the last war. She doesn't like to talk about it, though, so don't ask."
They made their way outside the Temple. Link wasn't sure of the time of day anymore; it was always dark here. It smelled of fresh rain, a fire burning somewhere in the distance.
"This is a nice place. Peaceful," Ruto remarked. She wandered over to the Sheikah Stones and examined them, reaching down to feel the tops of them. Were they gravestones? No, they didn't seem like it. She noted the odd faces on them, mesmerized. "I've seen so little of the world. Part of me thinks my father and governess wanted it that way."
Link watched her, following at a distance as she explored. "Well, now you'll see much more."
"And you can help me? I mean, you can explain what these stones are, for example? And everything else I don't know?"
If she had not left with Link, perhaps she would never have discovered her powers. Or it could be that her father had meant to shelter her until the "perfect" time to tell her about them. Ruto looked up at the Temple, taking it in. It was clearly meant to be a sacred place, but now there was a gloom about it that would have made her think twice about going in, looking at it from outside. The same gloom seemed to hang over everything.
"Those are Sheikah Stones. They can do a lot of things, but mainly, they… talk. They tell me things sometimes. If I've lost my way, they help me find it again." Link realized how strange that all must have sounded, but he was preoccupied by the other things she needed to know.
"A Sheikah Stone? Oh, but the Sheikah all died out. These must be really old! But how do you hear them if you're not of the Sheikah? Will they talk to anyone?"
"Ruto, I should tell you," Link interrupted her string of curious questions and approached her more closely now. "The world has changed a lot. Ganondorf has cursed it, enabling monsters to roam where they didn't before." He remembered his own despair that had triggered his visit to young Ruto in the first place. Hindsight was so much clearer. It probably had as much to do with the changes to the realm as it did the Shadow Creature's influence on him. "If it ever becomes too much for you, just tell me, okay?"
At this, Ruto smiled. "I think it is already too much for me." At Link's worried look, she added, "I'm not leaving you. I want to learn, and I want to grow stronger. With you."
Link did not know how bringing Ruto might have altered things, or if it had. Maybe it had been part of the plan all along? After a time, the two continued along their way and entered Hyrule Town, where they paused so that Link could play the Sun's Song to stun the ReDeads. Ruto wrinkled her nose, more disgusted by them than afraid. She stayed close by Link's side as they passed, noting the dilapidated buildings, the signs of a town that was once a place of joy and gathering.
Rather than going out by the drawbridge – which could have been too conspicuous – Link opted to navigate them out by a back way and through the moat, then under the cover of trees. They continued past Kakariko Village, and Ruto led the way to the isolated cabin in a clearing of trees that had once been her favorite home away from home. It was dark inside, but someone was around. The fire outside was still going. It smelled like dinner had not been along ago, with traces of roasting meat still in the air.
It was a modest-sized cabin, but it looked spacious from the outside. Link could imagine a couple and one or two children living comfortably here.
Ruto went to the front door and knocked. Several moments later, the door opened slightly. Link could see one bright blue eye peering out at them.
"Who are you? What do you want?" a woman's voice asked.
"Thora? It's me. It's Princess Ruto. I need your help. I'm sorry to call at such a late hour—"
"Princess Ruto? How do I know this isn't a trick?" She opened the door another inch, but it was too dark for Link to see the woman's face. He could see a long mane of silver hair. As he stepped forward, the blue eye trained on him. "Who's that? Who goes there?"
"Thora, that is my fiancé, Link." She paused and allowed Thora to eye him suspiciously for a few moments before she continued. "To prove my identity, I will answer a question about the time I spent here. Something only you and I could know. Please, ask me anything."
Thora seemed reassured by Ruto's offer. She opened the door fully, and Link understood something of Ruto's meaning about the war's effect on the woman. A giant gash ran across her face. It had left her disfigured, her nose out of place. Link could imagine that she had been beautiful before it. He glanced around at the trees surrounding them to keep from staring.
"If you're really Princess Ruto, then what story did I read for you the first night you stayed here?"
"Oh! I forget the title, but it was the one about the frog and the mermaid. The frog was actually a prince that had been transformed by a witch, and the mermaid had to save him. He fell in love with her, so she turned him into a merman so they could be together forever."
Thora's expression broke into a smile as Ruto recalled it. Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the princess. Ruto hugged her back. Link awkwardly moved closer as the two women embraced.
"It's so good to see you again. You were always the daughter I never had," Thora told Ruto. "We all thought… well. Won't you come inside? And you, too – I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name already. My age is catching up with me, I'm afraid."
"Link, my lady," he said, giving her a bow.
This seemed humorous to Thora. She chuckled, reaching for Link's hand, and replied, "I am no lady, Link. Call me Thora. Come on in, both of you."