A/N: Temple Time Temple Time again
whoooo
I love making temples xD
Reviews are my lifeblood :)
"Astrid, stay off him."
The Korok giggled as she was plucked from her perch on Ganondorf's stomach.
"She's fine," Ganondorf murmured at Zelda, rubbing the side of his forehead with two fingers.
"You need to rest," Zelda insisted, cradling Astrid close to her.
"Are you feeling better?" Sidon asked, glancing over at Ganondorf.
He was crouched by Link who was making something that smelled a bit spicy.
The cooking meat made Ganondorf's mouth water.
"Really, I'm fine," Ganondorf said. "Your sister did a good job."
Mipha smiled at the praise.
She had healed Ganondorf's injuries quickly but the redhead had remained unconscious for several hours. In that time, the group had gotten several things done. While Link and Sidon had returned to the forest outside Kakariko to apparently ask the Great Fairy that resided there to borrow a fairy for Ganondorf. Then Link had made a health potion while Mipha worked on closing Ganondorf's wounds.
Ganondorf hadn't touched the health potion yet. The smell of it made his stomach curdle. Whatever was in it—whether it was supposed to help him or not—smelled awful.
The fairy had healed Ganondorf to feel less exhausted and scar over his injuries. It had taken some of Zelda's persuading though. Apparently, some fairies didn't like to be captured in a bottle then ordered to heal someone.
With Ganondorf feeling better and able to sit up, the group sat in an alcove of the promenade while Link cooked something for them to eat.
Ganondorf let his gaze move to the temple that had risen from the water before he looked away, glancing down at his torn and bloody shirt. "Anyone know how to sew?"
"I know a bit," Zelda said, "but I don't have the proper equipment."
"If we had a needle and some thread, we could fix it," Mipha sighed, resting her chin in her hand.
"Perhaps a merchant will have something?" Bazz asked, looking towards the few people that trickled through the promenade.
"A good idea!" Sidon piped up, grinning at the guard captain. "I'm sure we could ask to borrow the items if they have them."
"I'll go ask," Zelda said, setting Astrid back in Ganondorf's lap and trotting out to the walkway.
"Do you feel better, Ganny?" Astrid asked, staring up at Ganondorf.
Ganny? Ganondorf wondered as he gave a nod.
"You should drink the potion," Mipha said. "Link went to a lot of trouble to make it."
Link gave a sharp look at Ganondorf as he stirred the rice and meat mixture cooking in the pot.
Ganondorf sighed as he picked up the bottle of red liquid, pulling off the cork. He grimaced at the smell of boiled lizard and what was quite possibly Bokoblin guts before looking at Link.
The blond was staring at him intently, waiting for Ganondorf to take the potion.
Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Ganondorf gulped the red potion quickly, a shiver going through him as he finished it.
It tasted even worse. Burnt guts and lizard meat.
How did he even stand these? Ganondorf wondered as he glanced at Link who appeared to be smug about Ganondorf's reaction.
Ganondorf remembered how the blond had drank the red potions like they were water. Did all health potions taste the same? They had to, right?
Ganondorf gave another shiver as he was handed a plate with rice and meat stew.
Meat curry, Link signed as he and Sidon began to divvy up the food.
"Thanks," Ganondorf muttered, taking a few bites of the spiced meat.
"It smells delicious," Mipha said as she took a bite. "And tastes delicious too!"
Link smiled a bit as he set a plate aside for Zelda when she returned. Then he settled next to Sidon to start eating with the others.
Astrid picked at bits of Ganondorf's food, mumbling, "Yummy!" under her breath.
While the group ate, Zelda returned and held up a roll of thread with a small needle attached.
"I got one! It's not exactly the same color, but it should work." Zelda moved closer to Ganondorf and began to try and yank off his shirt. "Come on, take it off!"
"I'm eating, woman!" Ganondorf snapped, holding his plate out of range in one hand while shoving Zelda's face with his other hand. "Can this wait?!"
Astrid giggled at the interaction while the group watched with smirks.
Get a room, Link signed, grinning at the two more when they realized they were being watched.
Zelda quickly moved back and waved her hands, stammering, "I-I didn't mean like t-that! I just want to fix his s-shirt before we tackle the temple!"
"It was a bit aggressive," Sidon murmured while Bazz and Mipha nodded.
Ganondorf sighed, setting his plate down. He shrugged out of his jacket then pulled his shirt over his head, holding it out to Zelda. "Here. Fix it then eat. We need our strength."
Zelda took the shirt slowly, her eyes catching the three scars running across Ganondorf's side from Skye's claws. She moved away so she could start stitching the large hole in Ganondorf's shirt.
Ganondorf slipped his jacket back on to keep the promenade's chill at bay, picking up his plate so he could resume eating.
Once they had finished their meal, the three made their way into the temple while Astride and the Zora remained outside for their return.
Ganondorf looked around as they stood on the platform inside the door.
A moat of water separated them from the floor across the way where a door sat. Above the water four Froaks floated, stubby tails waving to keep them airborne. Two blue Chuchu slithered along the floor.
Those weren't there before, Ganondorf thought, eyeing the monsters.
The temple was ready for them.
While Ganondorf searched for a way across the water without getting wet, Zelda stared at the floating Froaks.
"Aw, they're so cute!"
Link grabbed her arm and shook his head.
Volatile, he signed before taking out his bow and an arrow.
The second the arrow made contact with one of the Froaks, it exploded.
Zelda shrunk back against Ganondorf with a small, "Oh."
The middle column was gone. That was what was different.
"We need to get a platform up," Ganondorf said. "Then we'll be able to skip across."
"Then there has to be a trigger somewhere," Zelda said.
Link scratched his cheek before deciding to shoot down the other three Froak. Then he aimed at the Chuchu and destroyed them.
Along the side wall, a panel slid up to reveal an eye. Link shot it and the eye closed.
Seconds later a platform rose out of the water.
Link smiled at them smugly.
Ganondorf shook his head with a grumbled, "Stop showing off."
One at a time, they hopped across to the other side.
Zelda made no comment about the blood streaked on the floor as Link opened the door to a hallway.
The hallway curved to the left. Three Tektites hopped down the hallway, one single Chuchu guarding the door leading to another area of the temple.
Link shot the Tektites in their single eye to down them while Ganondorf stabbed the Chuchu.
He made a face when Link picked up the Chuchu jelly left behind. "What the heck do you want with that?"
The jelly makes a good frozen treat.
"Ew, you eat that?" Zelda muttered, scrunching up her face.
She knew Link was fond of all types of food, but she hadn't been aware that Chuchu jelly had been one.
Link gave a shrug. Tastes like palm fruit.
Ganondorf tried to remember the one time he had tried a palm fruit from a Lurelin vendor. It was mostly water with a slight crisp taste of nut. Or was it apple?
He decided not to question it as he moved the door up to let them into the next room.
The floor was covered with orange tiles and at the far end were two Chuchu which were quickly dispatched by Link. Two doors led to the left and right while one went straight, covered with silver chains.
As Link moved to grab the jelly, the door behind them and the two off to the left and right were blocked by bars.
Several tiles floated up from the floor and began to spin before they suddenly launched themselves at the three.
"Flying tiles?!" Ganondorf asked as they all dove to separate sides to avoid the tiles. "Are you joking?!"
After the first few smashed against the wall, several more replaced them. The group avoided all the tiles that had a vendetta against them until all tiles were gone, leaving a 4x4 puzzle exposed in the middle of the floor. The bars on the door behind them slid up, but the bars on the doors leading left and right remained.
"A puzzle," Zelda murmured, approaching the square. She stared at the strange slash of blue, green and yellow, tilting her head to try and make sense of it.
The last row of the puzzle lacked tiles.
What do we do? Link asked as Ganondorf knelt beside the puzzle.
He touched a tile and moved it down. He made a noise. "It's a sliding puzzle. I think we need to make a picture."
"A picture of what?"
"Not sure."
Link frowned as he stared at the puzzle, gripping his chin.
"Maybe there's a clue somewhere," Zelda said as she went to look for a clue.
Ganondorf played with a few of the tiles, sliding some down or to the side, trying to see if he could figure out what the picture was supposed to be. He made what appeared to be a yellow body and gasped. "It's a crab!"
A crab? Link asked, staring at the picture.
Ganondorf nodded as Zelda came back to watch the redhead as he began to rapidly slide the tiles into their correct positions.
"Claws up here, body here, legs….and done!"
The puzzle lit up. The bars on the locked doors slid up.
"That's amazing, Gan!" Zelda said with a grin.
Ganondorf gave a hum, smirking at Link. "I can temple, too."
Link rolled his eyes, shoving Ganondorf.
"Which one first?" Zelda asked, looking at the doors.
"That one." Ganondorf pointed to the door on the right. "I'm sure one of them has the key we need."
The door opened to a hallway with two Chuchu, easily taken care of. At the end of the small hallway was a room with two spinners going side to side, blades whirring. Between them were two Chuchu. At the end was a small chest.
Link shot the two Chuchu.
Seconds after he did, several tiles near the chest lifted up and flew at them.
Ganondorf sliced through them with a sword. "Who designs these places?!"
Link and Zelda gave a shrug as Ganondorf defeated the last of the flying tiles, using the tall redhead as a shield in case he missed.
"One of us should go get whatever is in that chest," Ganondorf said. He looked at Link pointedly.
Why me?! Link asked, appearing offended.
"You're smaller than I am. And Zelda would probably trip near a spinner."
Zelda stared at the bladed traps nervously.
Link gave a huff before he watched the spinners to get used to their pattern then moved past the first one. He went past the second one and went to the chest, throwing open the lid. He showed the group a red Rupee.
"That's it?" Ganondorf groaned. "That means the other room has the key."
Link returned to the group, pocketing the Rupee.
"Then let's go," Zelda said.
They left the trap room and returned to the puzzle room before heading to the door on the left.
Two Chuchu in the hallway were easily taken care of as well as the one in the second room.
At the back of the room was a chest, but just as Ganondorf was about to go towards it, Link grabbed his arm.
He looked at Link. "What?"
Link pointed at the cracked floor. Breaks easy.
Zelda and Ganondorf stared at the floor, noticing that nearly all of it appeared to be breakable.
"How do we get to the chest then?" Zelda asked, looking at the chest taunting them.
"One of us goes across," Ganondorf said. "Run to the chest then run back before the floor crumbles."
I went last time, Link said. Your turn now.
"I'm too heavy," Ganondorf said.
They looked at Zelda who flinched.
"Me?!" she squeaked. "Oh, I can't. I don't think I can go fast enough."
"Don't think about the floor breaking. You're light enough it should be able to handle two trips."
Zelda still didn't feel comforted by that but she nodded, taking a deep breath as she focused her gaze on the chest rather than the at the floor.
She bolted to the chest, set on a stable piece of floor, and opened it quickly, yanking out a silver key. With it in her grasp, she ran back to the others.
Several Chuchu dropped from the ceiling, causing her to stop briefly and jump to a different side to avoid them, the Chuchu's weight causing the floor to crumble beneath them.
Several dropped in front of her, blocking her exit. She stopped then moved to another tile, searching for a way past the Chuchu.
"You're going to have to jump!" Ganondorf called. "I'll catch you!"
Zelda glanced at him then at the two tiles beneath a Chuchu that crumbled, she jumped the gap.
Ganondorf grabbed her outstretched her hand, yanking her onto solid ground. He grinned. "Told you I'd catch you."
Zelda rolled her eyes, shoving him as he chuckled.
The three returned to the previous room and unlocked the chained door, opening it to reveal a staircase spiraling upward.
"Two floors?" Ganondorf asked as they climbed the steps.
The first temple had only one floor.
Are they going to get harder? He wondered.
On the second floor, the first room they entered contained two Chuchu, two Froaks, and two Tektites. A 4x3 square of gold tiles sat in the middle of the floor.
"What's all these tiles for?" Zelda asked while Link shot down the two Froaks.
Ganondorf sliced the Tektites that hopped towards them in half while Link took care of the Chuchu. He stared at the tiles, but so far they remained still.
Another puzzle? Link asked, kneeling down to touch one.
The gold faded to reveal a picture of an owl.
The three looked at each other before Ganondorf touched the tile nearest to him which turned into a dragon.
There was a buzzer sound before the pictures returned to gold.
"A matching game," Zelda realized.
"We should do a process of elimination to find the correct ones," Ganondorf suggested. "The far right middle is an owl, so let's find that one first."
Zelda touched a tile on the bottom middle, revealing an owl. She gasped. "I found it!"
"Good."
Link pushed the owl tile near him.
The two tiles went dim.
"The bottom left was a dragon," Zelda murmured, pressing the tile. "Let's try the top right."
Ganondorf touched the top right tile, revealing a dragon.
Zelda smiled as the tiles dimmed. "This is fun."
Ganondorf hummed as he touched the middle tile, revealing another dragon. He touched the one below it to uncover a dragon. "Halfway there."
Link touched the bottom right corner, revealing a boar while Zelda touched the top left, revealing an owl.
The buzzer sounded again as the two tiles returned to normal.
Not that, Link said, frowning.
"Another one," Ganondorf said, pressing the boar tile again.
Zelda tried one of the left side tiles, flipping over a boar. "Four more!"
Link touched the top left tile to show an owl.
Ganondorf touched the last right side tile, revealing an owl.
Zelda slapped the last two tiles exactly, unlocking the door to the next room.
Link tapped Zelda and Ganondorf's arms before holding up both of his hands.
Zelda gave him a high-five with a grin.
Rolling his eyes, Ganondorf gave Link a high-five.
The three moved onto the next room.
Two doors were on the left and right wall. The right door was covered with gold chains while the left was covered with bars.
Water sat in four corners of the room while two Tektites and Three Chuchu wandered around. In the middle of the room were six pieces of what appeared to be a stone statue.
"Another puzzle, huh," Ganondorf muttered as Link shot the monsters.
Zelda approached the shattered statue, staring at it closely. "Looks like it could be an owl. See the beak and wing?"
Ganondorf stared at the pieces and nodded when he saw a wing. "So, we just got to put it back together."
Link looked at each of the pieces before moving one then moving another.
Once they touched, the pieces melded together on their own.
Zelda moved the left wing against the melded pieces as Ganondorf moved the right wing.
As the two pieces fused together, Link moved one of the pieces and Zelda moved the last piece.
After the last piece of the now fixed owl statue was connected, the statue's eyes glowed and the left door of the room unlocked.
"Guess that room has the boss key," Ganondorf said, heading to the door and opening it.
Inside the next room was three simple chests.
Ganondorf grabbed the back of Link's shirt before he could rush forward.
"It's another trap and puzzle," he growled. "We need to find a clue before we open any chests."
"I see a sign," Zelda said, pointing to a sing on the wall as she went over to read what it said. "Courage protects Wisdom. Wisdom weakens Power. Power battles Courage."
Link pouted as he gave up trying to get out of Ganondorf's grasp. What does that mean?
"Courage protects Wisdom," Ganondorf muttered, looking at the chests which were marked with a dragon, owl, and a boar. "Okay, I got it. Link open the owl chest.
Zelda open the boar chest. And I got the one with the dragon."
Ganondorf released Link and moved to the chest marked with the dragon. Zelda moved to the one with the boar and Link moved to the one with the owl.
They opened their chests and were rewarded with fifty Rupees each.
"How did you solve that?" Zelda asked as she took her prize.
Ganondorf gave a shrug. "Link protects you. You weaken my abilities. I fight Link. Elementary, really."
Zelda frowned. "It seems even these temples try to remind us of our fate."
We won't go back to the cycle, Link assured with a reassuring smile. Don't lose hope.
"Yeah. We'll not play to the goddess's fiddle this cycle."
Zelda smiled at the two and nodded. "Right! Let's go."
When they returned to the room, a gold-trimmed chest waited for them.
Link opened it and pulled out the boss key.
"Almost done," Ganondorf said.
"Close to the spring," Zelda agreed.
And another memory, maybe, Ganondorf thought, frowning at the boss door as the chains fell to the ground.
Opening the door, the three passed into a room with a wide strip of floor in the middle of water. A stepping stone let them cross to the floor.
The second after Link touched the floor, the stone sank beneath the water.
Shortly after, a massive crab leaped out of the water in front of the three, snapping its green pinchers before shrieking. It then leaped back into the water, two Tektites falling to the floor on either side of the three.
"Okay, a crab boss," Zelda said as Link and Ganondorf took care of the Tektites. "A hard shell…how do we get past the shell?"
A pincher raised up out of the water behind Zelda. Link spotted it and tackled her out of the way as it snapped shut where she had been. The pincher disappeared under the water.
"Let's focus on the claws first," Ganondorf snapped as another pincher appeared on the other half of the water. He stabbed the pincher when it opened.
There was as shriek and the pincher retreated. When it reappeared on the other side, Link shot the open pincher with an arrow, causing the crab to once again screech and leave.
The three waited and a few seconds later the pincher appeared in the same spot.
Zelda lunged with her short sword, stabbing the pincher.
Once again the pincher retreated. The crab leaped out of the water, pinchers snapping as it scuttled towards the three.
They all separated to different sides to avoid the pinchers.
Ganondorf gasped when he saw a small crack in the top of the crab's shell. "I found the weak point!"
The crab turned and lunged a pincher at him.
Ganondorf automatically shot a fireball at the oncoming attack.
The crab shrieked, rearing back and exposing its weak point to Link and Zelda.
Link began to strike the hole with arrows while Zelda threw several knives at it, causing the shell to crack more.
The crab screamed, leaping back into the water as two more Tektites appeared.
The monsters were taken care of as the group watched out for a pincher.
Once one did, one of them stabbed it to force the crab to retreat. Two more attacks to the pinchers and the crab reappeared once more.
While Ganondorf distracted the crab, Zelda and Link abused the larger weak point.
The shell completely shattered, exposing the soft skin of the crab.
It retreated to the water once more.
"One more round," Ganondorf growled, attacking a pincher when it appeared.
We got this! Link signed with a grin.
Zelda gave a small laugh.
Fighting monsters was stressful, but with the two boys by her side, it made the battle fun.
Once the crab reappeared, the three charged it, stabbing it together with their swords. The crab shrieked at the blades piercing it, rearing back before sliding back into the water and sinking beneath the surface.
A stepping stone appeared in the water, the door unlocking and opening.
After exchanging another high-five, the three crossed the stepping stone and went into the room beyond where the spring waited for them.
"Second spring," Zelda sighed as she stared at the calm water.
We're kicking these temple's butts! Link signed, pumping a fist.
Ganondorf rolled his eyes as he took off his jacket and swords so they wouldn't get wet.
Once the other two had taken off their weapons as well, the three stepped into the water.
Beneath the surface, their Triforce glowed.
The salty smell of the sea air grounded her even against the boat's rocking. The breeze brushed against her cheeks and seagulls called out in the distance.
"Cap'n!" Nico called. "I see some land!"
"Then head towards it!"
"Aye aye!"
She stared at the slowly approaching island, wondering what sort of adventure would await her.
The waves lapped against his ankles as he gazed out at the sparkling sea.
There had to be more beyond his island.
Something smacked against the back of his head and he whirled around to see Aryll laughing as she readied another wet ball of sand.
He grinned and dropped to his knees, gathering his own sandball.
Oh, it was so on.
That bastard king had ruined it. All he wanted was to wish Hyrule back into existence. What was so wrong with that?
But no, the king—that daft old fool—had to go and touch the Triforce first and wish for Hyrule's destruction.
So now he was engaged in battle with the two brats that had hounded him every step of the way.
But. No. he was tired. Too old to battle. And they were young. Perhaps they could…
He went easy on them, leaving blind spots open. Feeling the sting of the Light Arrows. He left himself wide open for the boy to drive the cursed blade through the diadem in the center of his forehead, a sense of relief washing over him like the waves of the ocean.
The glows of the Triforce faded and the three glanced at each other. They said nothing of the memories granted to them, retrieving their weapons and leaving the temple.
Outside, the Zora and Astrid waited anxiously.
Sidon perked up when he saw them. "My friends! You have returned!"
"How did it go?" Mipha asked.
"Did you find the spring?" Bazz questioned.
Link nodded with a thumbs up.
"We did," Zelda said.
"That's the second one then," Sidon said. "You have five more?"
Ganondorf gave a nod. "Yes. Somewhere."
"We'll be finished in no time," Mipha assured, smiling at the three.
Ganondorf gazed towards the snow-covered Mt. Lanayru and Zelda followed his gaze.
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" she asked, setting a hand on his. "You don't know what's up there."
"I have to. You two are below age. Do you want to upset the goddess?"
Zelda sighed, dropping her hand.
"We'll be here eagerly awaiting your return," Sidon said, pumping a fist with a toothy grin.
We can mark our next route on the map, Link said.
"Good idea," Bazz agreed. "We'll be able to reach our next destination easily if we plot it out in advance."
"I won't be long," Ganondorf murmured, heading away from the group with a wave. "I'll tell you all about it when I return."
Be safe, Zelda thought as she watched the redhead leave.
Link pouted before he suddenly grinned. I can have dinner waiting for him when he comes back! What do you guys want?
"I've always wanted to try salmon meuniere," Mipha said.
"That sounds really good," Sidon agreed.
If you guys can get the salmon, I'll find the wheat and butter!
The Zora nodded with eager grins.
It was extremely cold as he climbed up the winding road leading up to the Spring of Wisdom, the snow and wind biting at his exposed skin.
Even using a small fireball as a portable heat source helped little.
Ganondorf shuddered as he pulled his jacket around him tighter with one hand, his other hand occupied with the fireball. He squinted against the haze of snow as he came to the top of the mountain, ice columns jutting from the ground.
A spring sat in the middle, a stone statue of Hylia sitting above the water.
Ganondorf sighed.
He had made it. The quicker he bathed in the spring's water, the quicker he could leave so he could warm up.
A heavy breath caught his ears and ganondorf glanced up, immediately freezing at what he saw.
Coiled around the upper portion of the mountain, above the spring, was Naydra, the goddess's messenger.
The dragon appeared to be asleep judging by its closed eyes.
Ganondorf took a step back.
One of Naydra's eyes opened and looked in his direction. Then the dragon's other eye opened and it lifted its head, snow particles falling from its scales and the great icy crest crowning its head. Icy breath escaped Naydra's mouth and nostrils as the dragon opened its jaws.
"Hello, Spawn of Demise."
