Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda franchise.

AN: Before reading this, go back to the previous chapter and read the final segment. There has been a scene added.

Chapter 5

House of Gales

The guarding place of the second of the three Pendants of Virtue, the Pendant of Wisdom, was standing on a small island on the north of Lake Hylia. The House of Gales was by all means an old, stone windmill, battered by the weather. It was nowhere as intimidating as the Eastern Palace, however, it rivaled its size with ease.

As Link partially expected – and hoped for – there was a sleeping weather vane and two stone columns in front of the wooden ladder that was supposed to be the front gate. Thankfully, said stone columns were much shorter than the ones at the Eastern Palce, and it did not take much effort for Link to climb on them. He carefully observed the mark. It looked like a green rod of sorts, with two leaves on it. Link had no idea what it was supposed to be. Well, I can always ask Ravio.

Thinking of the money in his wallet, Link woke up the weather vane and then brought out his bell. Right on queue, Irene showed up, looking more than just a little irritated. "I hope you appreciate this. You know I've got I've got a life on my own, right? Things to do? Places to fly?".

"Sorry…", apologized Link. "Just to my house and then back, honest.".

"Huh?! You forget stuff in your house? You better have a good reason for this!".

"Well, I have a… guest…".

"Oh, so you want to attend to your guest now, huh? Bet they're really gonna appreciate a drenched to the bone host-".

"Hey, he's a magic weapons' merchant!", snapped Link. "I kinda need his stuff!".

"A magic weapons' merchant?!", echoed a gawking Irene. "Do you always have guests like that?".

"Not normally…".

Still incredulous, Irene let Link hold on her broom again. "Well, it looks like you're having a rough slog, so no problem.", she relented.

"Thanks, Irene!", beamed Link, looking forward to experience flight again.

"Hmm!", scoffed Irene. "You'd better not catch a cold there! It'd be all your fault if you do!".

"Yes, mum.".

"Don't call me "mum"! Do I look like your mother to you?!".

The arguing continued all the way long.

"…and so that is the reason why I'm the greatest witch of my generation!".

"That's you taking all your grandmother's credit!".

"Say what?! You'd better watch your mouth, greenie!".

"Why, what did I say? You grandmother is a great witch.".

"You little…!".

"Wow! Did you bring your girlfriend, Mr. Hero?". As soon as she heard that, Irene literally fell off her broom, leaving a baffled Link hanging on by the edge of said broom a good seven feet above ground.

Irene got up with a start. "Who do you think YOU are?!".

The one who answered her question was a purple human-sized rabbit. "Ravio, a humble merchant! At your services, miss!".

Irene was gawking at him. "Wh-what are you wearing?! You look like a bunny with mental disorder!".

"Excuse me, but I'm perfectly sane, Miss….".

"Irene.".

"Irene.", replied Ravio, all cheerfulness gone. "And I'll have you know that this is my business outfit, as well as the brand of my products.".

"You call that a business outfit? This is a business outfit.", spat back Irene pointing at her dress. "It shows my status as the best witch of my generation.".

"You don't say…".

"Of course I say it! That's how it IS, Mr. Shady Bunny Merchant!". Did she even get the sarcasm?, wondered Link, who had gotten off the broom.

"Well, at the very least I'm original. You look as stereotypical as a witch gets.".

"Stereotypical?! Don't you dare you insult me!".

Ravio turned to Link. "Geez, is your girlfriend always so brass, Mr. Hero?", he asked with a dry voice while pointing at her.

Link just stared at him. "What made you think that she's my girlfriend?".

"You see, she's carrying you on her broom and everything so I thought that maybe the two of you were a thing!".

"Whaaat?", bellowed Irene.

"Nope.", stated Link. "I only met her this morning. Anyway Ravio, I want to see if you have something I need.".

"Right away, Mr. Hero!", replied Ravio in his usual over-the-top cheery manner. Link followed the purple-clad in his home, ignoring Irene's giggles at the embarrassing nickname.

He managed to pick up his jaw before it fell on the ground. He took a few deliberately slow steps, looking around him wide-eyed. "Ravio… What did you do to this place?".

"I still haven't found anywhere else to stay.", explained Ravio holding his hands together in an earnest manner. "So I spruced things here.". Obviously.

Link's house now held little resemblance to its original décor. Somehow Ravio had managed to "move" – more like turn upside down; How had he managed that?! – all the furniture and push them to the walls, and then with the extra pace he had placed plenty of wooden crates in a Π shape, thus making the makeshift tables. He had then proceeded to cover them with white tablecloths. Finally, Ravio had used said tables to put his merchandise on display.

The purple bunny with his pet thing were now throwing a little, but perfectly synchronized dance. "I've made it into a nice little shop for myself. Pretty great, isn't it?".

"Good for you, Ravio. Good for you…".

The unusually let down tone did not go unnoticed by the merchant. "So… I take it that things didn't go as planned? You were missing for almost a full day.".

His reply was bitter. "Osfala was a prick.".

"Eh?".

"After I told Princess Zelda, she sent me to the Elder to seek advice, but then he sent me to the Eastern Palace to pick up his apprentice, Osfala. That's why I showed up later asking for a bow.". Ravio nodded in understanding. "I did manage to catch up to Osfala and warn him about Yuga – that's the name of the guy who turns people into paintings – but he didn't listen to a word I said! When I caught up with him…".

"Yuga was already there, wasn't he?". It was not a question. It was a statement.

"Yeah… Next thing I know, the earthquake happened and the Elder and I went to check it out. Yuga placed a barrier around Hyrule Castle. I spent the night in Kakariko Village.".

"I see…".

"What's with the "I see…"?", interrupted Irene. "You're supposed to be shocked!". She pointed an accusing finger at the surprised merchant. "Do you know that Yuga guy from somewhere, bunny? Huh?!".

"Wh-what?! Me? No, of course not!", he stammered. "I just – well, not really – no, just… It's good to avoid those folks. Yeah, that's all. Best avoid them. 'Specially him.".

Okay, now Ravio was acting very suspicious. "Anyway… well, too bad you didn't save that guy, isn't it? But the item I lent you came in handy, right?". Link chose to ignore the blatantly obvious attempt in changing the subject. He could ask all his questions later. Ravio obviously was not going anywhere. "You know… there's actually plenty more where that came from! Ravio is ALL about helping heroes. And the way things are going, I think you're going to need my help.". He honestly sounded as if he had hoped to avoid that. An idea occurred to him. "You know what they say – you wash my ears, I'll wash yours?".

"It's: "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours".", deadpanned Irene. Ravio ignored her.

"How about you rent me your house… and I'll rent you lots of items. I'll give you a special discount.".

Link mused on his options. At this rate, he could not kick out Ravio, and he needed his help. On the other hand… actually, scratch that. There was no other hand. Not to mention that feeling that Ravio knew more than he was letting on…

"Fine.".

"WHAAAT?!", bellowed Irene for the second time.

"Then it's a deal!", clapped Ravio. "I mean, it's not like you ever come here, right? All righty, then.", said Ravio, slipping into business mode. "Here's how my shop works. I rent a wide variety of weapons and other items to you. And the rental period? That's the best part. You keep rentals for a LONG time. Specifically, until the next time you fall in battle. Which might never happen, right? Sure, you look tough. But if do fall in battle, my Sheerow here", so that's the name of his pet "will swoop in to collect my property.". Sheerow did a dive in the air once its name was mentioned, as if to perform how he would take back Ravio's property. "Right, just like that. Swoop right in. Collect my stuff. While you… er… just lie there.". …So cruel… "So see anything you want? I've got plenty of gear besides the bow.".

"What about the bow anyway?", asked Link. "If I am defeated, will you take that too?",

"Nope. That was for free. I just expect you to return it once you no longer need it. If you find anything you like, just tell me.".

Link scanned the tables for the item he was looking for. A blue rod with a matching jewel, a strange device with a hook and… Here it is! The strange rod he had seen depicted at the House of Gales. It had a light green handle and two thin tree leaves protruding from the top. Ravio had placed a violet bunny cap between the two leaves to mark the rod as his property. "How about this one?", he asked the merchant.

"You interested in the Tornado Rod? We've got a special going today! The rental price is twenty rupees.".

"What does it do?", asked Link.

"You don't even know what a Tornado Rod is?", asked Irene, startling the two boys; they had completely forgotten about her presence. "If you activate it, it'll lift you and everything around you in the air! Huh.", she added as an afterthought. "Makes sense why you'll need it at the House of Gales.".

"You really bring out the best in my Tornado Rod, Mr. Hero!". Link felt his cheeks turn red at the compliment. "Look at you, blushing and all. How's that for friendly customer service?".

Link chuckled awkwardly, much to Irene's exasperation, and handed Ravio a red rupee. "Here you go! Oh, and by the way, Ravio…".

"What is it?".

"Try to rearrange those crates, okay? If everything goes according to plan, I'll be able to visit my own house.".

"There's always something out there that tries to ruin plans, Mr. Hero.", said Ravio in a foreboding tone.

"Yeah, there is.", replied Link. Now that he was not running errands for every single species in the Kingdom, the tragedy of the Eastern Palace had the liberty to hit him with full force. He shook his head and called out to Irene. "Well, it's time to get going.".

"See you next time!", came Ravio's farewell.

Link sent his way a small wave, and then he with Irene took their positions on the still floating magic broom.

"What's the deal with this bunny?!", complained Irene once they were in a fair distance. "He's way too shady, if you ask me! And you let him live in your house? Are you out of your mind?".

Link could not really argue with that. "I'm pretty sure he's got his reasons… Besides, I really do owe him one, so… letting him stay is sort of a… repayment? Yeah, that.".

"What do you mean, you "owe him one"?".

"He dragged me back to my house after the whole mess in the Sanctuary…".

"What mess?".

"That Yuga guy…", started explaining Link "showed up at the Sanctuary and transformed both the Captain of the Royal Guard and Seres into paintings. I tried to stop him, but he knocked me out… Next thing I know, Ravio was checking up on me in my house.".

"Awfully good timing, if you ask me! And how did he know where your house is anyway?".

Now Link felt the need to defend his new roommate. "He said it looked empty.".

"Empty? It didn't look empty to me! And what kind of person just barges into empty houses?". To that, Link had no answer.

"Anyway…", said Link, trying to change the subject. " I have to barge into an empty house on my own.".

Irene was skeptical. "The House of Gales, empty. Yeah, right.".

The front gate was locked tightly with rusty yet heavy and sturdy iron bars. That was the first thing that Link noticed once he took a closer look to the House of Gales. There was simply no way he could lift that. He started pondering on the hint given by the windmill itself. How was the Tornado Rod supposed to help him in this situation? Was he supposed to… create a gust of wind that would lift the gate or something? He doubted that would work.

No harm in trying, thought Link. He stood on the stepping stones in front of the gate – perfectly flat and carved to be identical and symmetrical, with not a single hint or mold or any other sort of decay on them – and brought out his Tornado Rod from the front pocket of his new pouch. Link had made a point of placing it there for easy access, just as he had done with the bow. He raised it high above his head, and activated it in the same way he did with his bracelet. To his amazement, the leaves of the Tornado Rod started whirling like an extremely fast version of the windmill whilst emanating a green light, effectively lifting him twice his height in the air. The powerful gust of wind also lifted the stepping stones under him. Beneath one of them, was a red button switch.

Well, good to know I won't have to lift the gate, thought Link with a smile. He stepped on the switch and as expected, the bars were lifted. The blond boy looked at his new weapon appreciatively. "I have a feeling that I'm really going to like you.". With no further ado, he stepped into the House of Gales.

The interior of the House of Gales, much like the exterior, was entirely made of brownish rocks that were carefully placed together to create smooth and solid walls, floors and ceiling. So far Link had not seen of any decoration, with the only odd thing on the walls beings the glass lanterns that were for inexplicable reasons lit up. As, for the first room in itself, it was the definition of barren, with nothing but a few pots right ahead of him. The walls were not connected to the ceiling, he noticed.

There has to be a switch here, he thought, and proceeded to break the pots. Sure enough, underneath one of them there was a red switch identical to the one outside. Link stepped on it, causing something above his head to activate, accompanied by a whirling sound and a change in the air currents. Link lifted his head to inspect the wall behind him and see what had changed.

It was a pair of rusty metal mechanisms very similar to the wings of the windmill and the leaves of the Tornado Rod. The switch had caused them to activate and start spinning, creating a stable gust of wind to the opposite direction. Those… air propellers were twice his height in the wall, but Link knew from his earlier use of the Tornado Rod that he would have no problem to reach that spot. However he still had his doubts. Could something such as air be strong enough to lift him above ground?

It turned out that it was. The streams of wind coming from the propellers gently allowed him to float to the opposite direction on the next level of the room, where the door was. Now Link could see that there were brown masks identical to the ones from the Eastern Palace hanging on the walls. Link pondered on the new development.

He had always know that air could move things – even blind people could feel their hair moving and their clothes being lifted up when the weather desired so. It was also obvious that wind could move very heavy objects like the wings of a windmill. But… movement creating wind? Strong enough wind to lift a person off the ground? That was something he had never heard of before, much less seen. "The House of Gales is the guarding place of the Pendant of Wisdom.", Sahasrahla had told him. Wisdom… Science. The House of Gales was a physics puzzle. A windmill with an extremely effective air conditioning system.

This, thought Link with a wide grin – not that he had ever been the scholarly type – is going to be FUN.

The next room was infested with Rats and Keese. Keese were some sort of monster bats, that were different from each other depending on their environment. Regular Keese, like these ones, looked like yellow bats with yellow ears, and did not have any special abilities. Link fell on his knees and dispatched the rats, and then he stood back to his full height and did the same with the Keese – a trickier ordeal by far. Who knew that those things were so fast?

The floors of the room were divided in three, no, four different levels – top level was metal fence painted green. The floor in most places did not have any contact with the walls, thus creating multiple bottomless pits. He noticed that there was one door on the fourth level in his left, one locked door on the second lever, and another one on the first in his right, with a crystal orb switch in front of it. The whole room was filled with switches, and there was a HUGE air propeller right in the middle of the room, completely still. I need to find a way to activate that thing,

Link was currently on the second level. He could not go to the door to the first level because there was no way back up, even with the Tornado Rod. Instead he decided to inspect the rest of the second level for anything he had missed. As he ran to the back of the room, Link noticed that there was a staircase that led to the first level – he kept a mental note of that – and two unlit torches. Remembering the small riddle from the hidden passage to the Sanctuary, Link brought out his lantern and lit them both up. In response, a small treasure chest fell from the ceiling. Link opened it, and found a red rupee. "Not what I was hoping for…". He put it in his wallet nonetheless.

With that done, Link went down the stairs and say that the door of the first level was not actually a door, but just an arch that passed beneath the second level. His head started hurting. Why had the architecture of this place have to be so complicated? He activated the crystal orb switch he had noticed earlier and in response the wall on the east side of the room was lowered, revealing a new exit on the second level. Link returned to the second level, used his wall-merging ability, and went through the new exit.

The gate behind him shut firmly. A trap! As if to confirm his thoughts, the three human skulls in the middle of the room suddenly burst into flame and lifted themselves up in the air. Bubbles. That was the name of the flaming human skulls, in reference to the way they floated around aimlessly. As ridiculous as the name was, just like all undead creatures Bubbles were notorious for one thing – they were almost indestructible. "How am I supposed to destroy a flaming skull?!", complained Link, dodging said "projectile". Take out the flames, said a little voice in his head. Smash it before it rekindles.

Link took the advice to heart. With the help of his Tornado Rod, he took out the flames one by one, rendering the act of flying impossible. Just like he had done with the Stalfos the day before, Link took extra care to make sure the bones turned into dust. He did NOT want those things to come back to "life". In reward of his efforts, a treasure chest fell from the ceiling, between the three warrior statues. Link was glad these were not Armos – if he had to defeat three Armos and three Bubbles at once, he would be doomed. Inside the chest, there was a key.

I can unlock the door on the second level now. He promptly did so.

"What's with these places and bottomless pits?!". The room was not a collection of corridors with a bottomless pit; it was a bottomless pit with the occasional patches of floor that stood in two levels. A large red box was floating around in the room in such a height that it completely blocked Link's view from whatever was behind it. Link spotted a treasure chest to his right, just beyond his reach, but he also noticed a more urgent matter. Baris. A Bari was a monster that resembled a jellyfish, except that it had yellow menacing eyes, and it could float. Even though they would never directly assault someone, Baris could also cause powerful electrical shocks upon contact with any foe, and their abilities depended on their colour. These ones fortunately were green – they did not have any secret abilities to be wary of.

Link was quick to determine that the best way to get rid of those Baris was his bow and he immediately followed with four well aimed arrows. He then merged with the incoming floating box to use it as a means of transportation and reach the treasure chest. Inside, there was a compass. Good. Now I'll know where the other locked doors are. After placing the magic compass in his pouch, he merged with a second red box he found to reach the staircase that would lead him to the second level. Link got on the first box and finally reached the exit. That was when he spotted a red switch. He pressed it, and to his surprise an air propeller activated at the other side of the room, connecting the two doors with a steady stream of wind. Perhaps I'll need that later.

As expected, the new exit was in fact the one he had spotted earlier, on the metal fence that was the fourth level of the second room. Link took care of the Red Bari that roamed there, and ignoring the two Biris – tiny Baris – that popped out, and pressed the red switch on the fence. An air propeller activated at the south side of the room. He then activated the crystal orb switch.

The giant air propeller in the middle of the room was finally active.

From where he was Link noticed a new exit on the fourth level. The new room was a tiny chamber with a bottomless pit, with metal poles that were crawling with Rats. Link now had to balance on a thin pole while making sure that he would not meet his doom. He really started to hate the architect. He reached the other side of the chamber and saw that he was back to the room with the moving boxes. Link turned into a painting and crossed the other side where a treasure chest rested. He opened it. Inside, there was a silver rupee. He then used the stream of wind from earlier to reach the exit again. He was back on the metal fence.

Quick on his feet, Link jumped right on the giant propeller.

"Wahoo!".

The ride to the second floor – hard to believe he had been on the first floor all this time – was great. Link had laughed all the way up, with the cool wind tickling him under his still somewhat wet clothes.

Link had landed on a square platform with two gaps on it, one of the, being the one he had just come from, locating nothing but a few pots in his immediate surroundings. Seriously, what's with all the pottery in these places? Link quickly got rid of the Keese that came his way and then looked for a way out.

The platform he was on was connected with a sturdy metal fence which led to a staircase which in turn led to the lower level. That was good. The problem was that there was a large metal spiked bar that was rolling up and down the fence for no apparent reason. Link used his Tornado Rod to jump over it.

Once he was done with all that, Link smashed the nearby pottery and found yet another one of those red floor switches. He stepped on it and the sound of its activation was immediately followed by the tinkling of a small key landing on… a completely random pole at the wall of the other side of the room. Now to figure out how to get it… Link ran over there to find a way to get to the key, going down the stairs to the lowest level in the process, but all he found was a door to the next room. Without any other alternative, as the other door he had spotted was locked, he stepped through.

Link was immediately greeted by a swarm of Popos and a Keese. Honestly, how in the world did all those things survive in this environment? Well, they did not survive for much longer, and then a slightly black and blue and really annoyed Link took on his surroundings. It was yet another small-corridors and bottomless-pits room, but nowhere as bad as the previous ones. The platform he was in had two levels, with him being on the lowest. There was an inactive air propeller there, which most probably led to the metal fence above him, and a door that led to a new room. There was also staircase which led to a higher door to the previous room.

Taking a few seconds to decide, Link ran to the new room. Reflexively, he shielded his eyes from the incoming assault of light. He was outside.

Exhausted, Link sat on the marble balcony. Running around in the House of Gales for so long, Link had not realized how stuffy it was in there, even with all those air propellers. He calculated it to be around three o'clock or perhaps even later, and the sunlight was downright brutal. It was too hot for this season, but then again, Link had been exercising all day.

After that small break, Link examined the balcony. On his left there was a pump with two warrior statues on his right and left – Armos, his gut instinct was telling him, that would activate as soon as he pulled that pump. Not in the mood to deal with the animated statues, the boy tried to push them off the balcony, but they would not even budge. How do they manage to jump if they are so heavy? Resigning himself to his fate, Link just pulled the pump and drew his sword.

He backflipped just in time to avoid the incoming assault, and then he tried to figure out how to take on those two. Normally he would not have this much trouble… but he was tired. He stuck his back to the wall and prompted the statues to follow him, slowly pushing them to the edge. It worked.

With that done, Link looked for whichever change that pump had caused, which was the presence of a large treasure chest… surrounded by two more Armos statues. Great, he groaned. With yet another sigh – he was doing that a lot lately – Link opened the chest and retrieved the Big Key.

A second later he was surrounded by flames and was being attacked by the two Armos. Okey, Armos first, then the flames. Good think that those Armos were so stupid that they could not even think of bypassing the treasure chest and got stuck in their spots. Link defeated them one by one. Now for the flames… "The Tornado Rod!". He pulled it from his pouch and activated it, glad that it worked like a charm. He put out all the fires for good measure.

Deciding not to test what the second pump he spotted could do – it looked like a trap to him – Link went back where he came from, and finally returned to the previous main room to retrieve that small key. Using his wall-merging ability, Link made his way to the pole and took it, glad for his small success. He jumped down and unlocked the door he had previously spotted.

As expected, this door also led outside, however instead of a balcony there was a metal fence. Connected to it was a tiny platform also made from metal fence. Link guessed that it was a platform, but it was unmoving. Across him was another metal fence balcony, and beneath that was a regular balcony with three pumps attached to the wall.

Link jumped down there and pulled the pump in the middle… only to be surrounded by three Popos. He was quick to dispatch them. He then pulled the right pump. Same thing. Finally, he pulled the last one, careful to avoid the ring of flames that was next to it for no reason, and to his pleasure, the tiny fence platform started moving. Link used his Tornado Rod to get on it, went to the second metal fence balcony – which had a locked door – and pulled the fourth pump… which resulted to him being surrounded by Popos again.

Is there another switch somewhere around here? Deciding to inspect the area, Link turned into a painting, and went to the other side of the windmill, surprised to find yet another metal fence balcony – this one with a red button floor switch on it. Link pressed it, and the resounding "clang" was heard. Signaling the presence of a small key. Link went back where he came from, dispelled the flames to get the key, opened the locked door and entered.

It was a trap.

The small room was pitch black, and two sources of light appeared. Heedless. Lizard-shaped monsters with bodies armored with solid rock, able to heat themselves to such a degree that they turned their armors and any rock they touched into magma. They started moving randomly around the room, leaving flaming trails in their wake. Link put his sword in his left hand, and the Tornado Rod on his right, his experience as a blacksmith apprentice speaking for him. The only way to defeat them was to cool them down.

He approached the first Heedless and blew a gust of wind at it, cooling it down, before proceeding to smash it with his sword. He yelped in surprise when the Heedless started running around, but the boy was faster. Seconds later, the Heedless lit up again and the small race to avoid the flaming trail began again. Drenched in sweat, he went after the second Heedless, repeating the process. To reward him for his success, the door unlocked, and Link walked through.

Oh, Nayru… This room again?! It was the first room he had entered when he went to the second floor, except that right now he was on its lowest level, beneath the fence with the metal spiked bar. Next to him was a door.

The new room was nothing but a bottomless pit, lots of hallways, lots of propellers, and lots of buttons. The task was to get to the next door.

Link spent the next twenty minutes wasting time floating around the room. He resolved not to mention that to anyone.

The following room did not say much. From his position, Link could only tell two staircases – one ahead and on his right. Link chose the one ahead and found a red button. Pressing that disabled two air propellers at the other side of the wall. He then went to the next staircase – which was now approachable thanks to the lack of powerful gusts of wind blocking it – and found two doors. He chose to go through the left one.

It was the correct choice. Both doors, Link discovered, led to the same room; a bottomless pit with narrow corridors. The room had two levels, multiple Keese, a lot of floor buttons, and another monster that Link had never seen before.

Eyegore. That was the name of the monster that was slightly bigger than an Armos, and just as unmoving. It resembled a green, one-eyed devil, complete with the horns. This one here was guarding a red button in front of it, but from the looks of it Link would not have to face the monster just yet.

What took priority was the crystal ball switch in the middle of the room. Link aimed an arrow at it, and in response a large air propeller at the opposite corner of the room was activated. Link the moved on to take on the Eyegore. As soon as he stepped on the platform, the Eyegore awakened and instantly turned around to chase him. Link fired an arrow. It landed on its body and shattered, leaving the monster unscathed. Then the eye! The second arrow hit true, and the Eyegore was history.

Now that he thought about it, this bow was a lot more powerful than most bows, the ability to create arrows out of thin air notwithstanding. He had heard that it usually took three or four arrows to defeat an Eyegore, not just one. "Well, it is magical…". Link pressed the button and in response a metal fence platform started making rounds above his head. I'll check it out later. For now, Link turned into a painting, reached the air propeller, and used it as his ride to the third floor.

As soon as he got there he has ambushed by a swarm of Rats and Popos. Without thinking, Link made a grand, circular attack with his sword that swept the air around him like the saw with the wheat fields. All the monsters were killed instantly. Link stopped dead on his tracks and observed the massive damage around him with no small amount of shock. "Did I just… invent a new attack?". No. It wasn't an invention; it was a DISCOVERY it has been PASSED DOWN

Once again Link glanced at the damage around him, then at the sword in his hand. He was starting to scare himself. "Oh, get a grip already!", she shouted to himself in frustration. "You're freaking out over a stupid sword trick!".

Link inspected the room he was in. It was small, with two air propellers at each side of the west wall, both active. Two gaps on the floor next to each other, leading to the room bellow. There was also a staircase to the south end of the room that led to a door. Seeing nothing else to do here, Link cleared the place of the remaining Rats – not that he had to; he just felt like cleaning the place – and turned into a painting to avoid being blasted into the wall by the air currents. He stepped through the door.

A trap. The door slammed closed behind him and Link found himself face to face with an instantly alert Eyegore. By reflex, Link activated the Tornado Rod, sending both himself and the green monster twirling into the air. Much to his astonishment, the Eyegore was dizzy once it landed. Link spent a few precious seconds fumbling for his bow and manage to land a hit to its eye just before it regained its sense of balance, shattering it. "That was close…", he said trying to calm his racing heart. "Hah… Guess they aren't used to moving around much.".

The room was in the shape of an upside-down T, with a locked door on the north, and a new door on the west, opposing the one he had walked in through. In the middle of the room there were two torches. Link lit them up with his lantern, and the west door opened. Link placed all his items save for the Tornado Rod back into his pouch, and walked into the next room.

Another trap. The room resembled a long dining room, except that instead of a carpet there was a bottomless pit, and instead of a table there was a lonely platform. Surrounded by eight Bubbles, and four rotating red boxes just to get in his way. Shit. Not knowing any other way to face them, Link activated his Tornado Rod and jumped into the fray, hoping that it would be a sufficient shield for now. To his relief, the gust of wind was enough to put out their flames… and the affected Bubbles fell into the void. Link mentally face faulted. Of course, you idiot! They're skulls. They can't fly when they're not ablaze! After this small discovery, the rest of the monsters were easy. Once he was done, the red boxes froze in their places, and a small treasure chest fell onto a platform. Unfortunately, even with the Tornado Rod, Link could not reach it. Deciding to retrieve its contents later, Link went to the new door – north side, leading to the east – and entered the new room.

Link honestly started thinking that the architect of this "windmill" placed the monsters there on purpose. This room was yet another bottomless pit – there had to be magic involved in all this, there is just no way there were so many bottomless pits on the third floor – and was patrolled by Baris. There were also two mini fence platforms which served no purpose whatsoever. With a heavy sigh of both tiredness and exasperation, Link pulled out his bow. "Oh well. Target practice.". A bit of wall merging later and link was in a new room.

It was the exact same room he had started off from in the third floor. He just retrieved the silver key in the new treasure chest – how come he had not noticed it earlier? – and went back to the T-room.

T-room?

Trap. Three (doors). (Upside-down) T.

Not funny.

Is. Wait, why am I arguing with myself?!

Link first went to the room which once housed all those Bubbles to retrieve the contents of the treasure chest he had missed earlier. It contained a purple rupee. He then went back and opened the locked door.

Huh. This door led to the room with the Baris, only that this time he had access to the two platforms. Link used them in combination with the Tornado Rod, seeing that those platforms did not actually connect with each other, to come across. The sight that greeted him was familiar. And unsettling.

"The Final Room…", he muttered. The large red gates with the huge silver keyhole and the prison-like bars, the rich but worn red carpet with the skull of a goat woven in white… There was no mistaking it. The signs were all here. But what is inside?

Link unconsciously gripped his right arm beneath his shield. The magic lightning still clung into his flesh stubbornly, hindering both his movement and his sense of touch, every attempt to flex his fingers sending needles of pain through his system. It felt stiif and hard to the touch, and the temperature was off. Last time he entered one such room, he had a head-to-head encounter with Yuga, and he got one such injury… What if he's here?

"Damn it.", he cursed to himself. Why was he hesitating? He should be excited! This was the last room – the Pendant of Wisdom was here! All he had to do was go through this room and get it! Besides, the room at the Eastern Palace was just a simple chamber. What could be so different with this one?

The House of Gales is nothing like the Eastern Palace…

Oh, shut it consciousness! I'm trying to cheer me up here!

Link pulled the Big Key from his pouch, and weighted it in his hand. Shaking off his hesitation, he inserted it in the keyhole, and prepared himself to face the last trial of this windmill built to protect the secret of the goddess.

Link found himself on a metal fence balcony slightly raised from the floor. Link used his advantageous position to inspect the room he was in. It was enormous, perhaps the space of three other rooms combined, and empty. Other than the bottomless pit separating the floor from the walls, there was nothing here. Not even the Pendant. What is going on? He had nothing to go on. Nothing.

"Perhaps a hidden switch…". Link jumped down on the floor.

SLAM!

He regretted it a second later. Oh. The switch was the floor in itself…

No sooner than he had landed, a large metal plate landed in the middle of the room, made from dark metal and adorning simple patterns that resembled machinery. On top of it fell another metal plate of equal size, this intricately carved into a gory design that resembled fangs. The top side of the plate was made from copper – or another metal that had a similar colour – and sported geometric designs. However, the center of that plate was nothing mechanical in nature; it was a huge mouth with sharp, yellow fangs. The whole thing seemed to have not seen the light of day for a while, if the smell of old oil and decay was anything to go by.

Then, to Link's horror and disgust, the mouth opened and an eyeball with visible veins and red iris popped up, staring right at him. Then the eye started spinning and the two wheels – for that's what those plates were – followed suit like bays. Steam erupted from the lower wheel.

The fight was on.

But how in the world was he supposed to fight this thing?

Think, Link!, mentally shouted the boy to himself, as the machine monstrosity slowly started spinning. There HAS to be a weakness! Well, arrows would not work – that much was a given. What else do you know about the machine? It runs on either steam, or high-pressure air. Wait- air?

"That's it!".

Acting on his small lead, Link activated his Tornado Rod. The eyeball started spinning, and the machine stopped. The eye controls the machine! Link jumped on and started slashing it with his sword. In response the mouth opened and the eyeball hid inside it. Link leapt off, just as the machine returned to the center of the room. To his shock, the mechanism leapt high in the air and then two more wheels appeared. Except…

These are organic. In other words, arrows work. The target was big. He aimed once. Twice. Third time is the charm. The fleshy wheel fell off into the void, and Link repeated the process with the second. With the eyeball in reachable height, Link wasted no second swapping the bow for the rod and then for the sword as he lashed out on the last organic part of the equitation.

Two flesh wheels became four. More running around and more shooting. However, the speed was also vastly different. Link was now missing most of his shots, and even though the machine monster was not aiming specifically for him, he was having an increasingly hard time avoiding it. At this rate, he knew he would not last much longer. He was exhausted to begin with, and the constant fighting did him no favours. It was a matter of time before he collapsed, and if he did so, it was game over.

The wheel slammed on him.

"AAARGH!". Link screamed as he fell off the platform, and on instinct he gripped the edge of the platform, his life hanging by a thread. Link struggled to drag his body on the platform, his whole body sore from the impact. "Sweet Farore…". Without a moment's warning, the machine came back and Link barely dodged.

Will I really be able to do this? He had survived his encounter with Yuga by pure luck! The monster came back and Link on reflex shot an arrow. The flesh wheel staggered at the impact. That's right, he reminded himself. You got a job. Do it. Forcing his mind to enter a state of numb focus, he continued to shoot repeatedly at the remaining flesh wheels, dodging and slamming the eyeball when it came out.

"The End!", he announced as he stabbed the eyeball for one last time. It exploded and erased from existence, along with the mouth. The wheels ceased their activity. The large machine shut down. It was over.

Link woke up from his stupor. "Huh? I- I did it? I defeated it… When?". A bright glow snapped his out of his thoughts.

At the north edge of the room, as if presenting a throne, magic light formed a bright blue circle adorning the Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru's symbol. Three crescents united at their arcs, each of them hugging a circle. The glow increased to the point of being almost blinding, as the prize and treasure of the House of Gales revealed its form.

"The Pendant of Wisdom…", breathed Link in awe. He slow walked to it in reverence. It was beautiful.

The Pendant of Wisdom was identical in shape and form with Nayru's symbol, yet the crescents were made from solid glistening gold, and the circles were replaced by sparkling sapphires, masterfully cut and polished, their light blue colour brighter than anything and reflecting light in such a way that it was as if they were glowing themselves. The simple leather cord it was tied to just did not do it any justice.

Link reached for the Pendant of Courage under his tunic and compared the two jewels. Whereas Zelda's charm was made of emerald deeper than the shadows of the forest, the treasure of Nayru sparkled like the waves of Lake Hylia in the sun.

"Time to go home.", he said out loud, relishing the feeling of success. Also…

I think I learned something today.

Author Notes: My deepest apologises for the long wait, but this chapter was just so hard to write... I have no excuse. Truth to be told, I completed it a few days ago but I had no internet access. Whatever. I also took to heart someone's complaint about lack of realism in the fighting sequences, and I tried to make up for it. Also, what do you think of the Ravio-Irene interaction? I hope I did them justice!

So... With no further ado, REVIEW!