------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's note: For me that wasn't actually the long of a gap between chapters. But anyway, enjoy, read and (maybe) review.
Story so far: -
Tai, a gerudo, summoned the power of her god Nura and used the power to free Ganondorf Dragmire. Ganon captured Nura's power and used it to destroy Hyrule. However, Zelda and Link awake in the alternate dimension of Nurai, the land that Nura created, and also the homeland of the gerudos.
Tai also wakes up in Nurai, but discovers that Ganon who she always supposed to be her king, is actually not that role any more. He has not been for the last 17 years. Instead she decides to join a group of incredibly skilled warriors called the Xi, who may be able to tell her where the real gerudo king is. However, instead she finds that she no longer cares about the Gerudo king and just wants to learn about the Xi ways from her teacher Bren. While completing her second task she finds that for a brief moment that her body seems to control itself without her input.
Zelda is given the new name of Hail as a joke when she is forced to become a pirate. But gradually she finds that she can no longer remember her old life, and her old thoughts and emotions seem invalid. She takes over as the pirate captain and soon her name reverberates around the country as one to be feared. For Hail is the prophesised figure who will appear shortly before the Distile, the end of the world. This new 'Hail' seems to live up to the legacy that had been told of – not even a fleet fifty times bigger than hers can defeated her.
Link is awakened by a priest of the Nuran church who is called Nala. However, while Link is still confined to bed a Kalen (a mysterious group who all the Nuran people seem to hate) breaks in a gives Link a mysterious broach.
Nala reveals that Link's coming is also foretold of in the stories of the Distile. The only chance Link has to stop it is to find the six sages who are somewhere in Nura. Hoping to recruit more help Link and Nala travel to Nurai's capital Asreal where they are due to meet in the Glass Temple. Here Link meets Tai (although he does not know who she is) and the two become uneasy friends.
Nurai's history is revealed to Link in a meeting inside the Glass Temple, however half way through an earthquake (one of the prophesied signs of the Distile) strikes. While trying to evacuate the building a huge D'Ran knife that long ago had been used in sacrifices falls to the floor. To the horror of Nala and Tanya it falls on Link and kills him. Link finds himself in a place beyond death, where those that call themselves gods live. He learns here that his infinite chances have run out, and he has only one left. Here all knowledge is stored and much of it flows into his head. He learns of an old man called Rein who was struck by lightning while being attacked by a wolf, and also of Hail's plans to defend herself against Black.
When Link returns once again into the real world he has lost all his memories, although a witch manages to restore them through Nala at least far back as the two met. He continues to dream of Rein, who became after he was struck by the lightning, a wondering spirit who inhabited people's bodies until they died. He later realises that Rein's spirit is actually now inhabiting Tai. He manages to set it free, but instead it travels into Bren, one of its old companions. It will be impossible to ever split them again.
But there is worse, much worse coming. There is another earthquake and in this one Nurai's worse enemy – the Sadia – is set free. A mysterious metallic people, they can change their shape at will. Within a few seconds they have travelled several miles from what was their mountain prison to Asreal.
Link battles one, but is easily defeated. In the last moment before what would be his death he unconsciously calls on the power of the Triforce and the Sadia are banished back into their mountain prison.
Deciding that the time has come to rescue the sages the church organises two groups to scout out likely areas for where they may be imprisoned. Nala and a small army are lucky, and quickly manage to find and rescue Impa and Rauru. Meanwhile, Link, Tai and Bren set out on their own quest...
Fourteen
From Asreal to Landstart they spoke of it, and even now they could hardly keep the disbelief out of their voice. Yet the stories were true, and every new patrol inadvertedly confirmed them. 5 score pirate vessels had taken on Hail's lot of 2, and somehow lost. How she managed this amazing feat wasn't quite so sure.
Some told of Hail performing incredible deeds, of directed tidal waves as weapons and of wings on her own ship. Others linked the other amazing event of that day, and said that Hail set the Sadia on her opponents. One village was led to believe that true to her name she could control the weather and that lighting had rained down that day. Only the few villages close to the coast heard of the true story, only they had they had the Xi been unable to stop the story reaching.
Their version had spoken of something nearly as bad - the use of Calalite. The older ones refused to believe it, citing that the foul material had been completely destroyed many a century ago. But those not yet out of their twenties whispered about the ever present rumours; of how even through the two wars some Calalite still remained. To them it was not impossible that some still remained. And if anyone could find it, surely Hail would be the one.
For ever since that day Hail had been the main focus of attention, and the one rumour no one but the church believed was that she had died at the battle. Many young men (and some young women), tired of the monotony of everyday life had set out to find her. Several enterprising con–men took the chance to set up their own fake Hails and many of them made a good profit before the Xi intervened. And yes, the Xi too were searching desperately, hoping that she would not be found alive.
There was one man who also needed to find Hail, and many would have been jealous if they found that he achieved his goal. He did have several advantages on the other searchers to be fair. For a start he had known Hail since before the battle. Secondly he knew that she would also be looking for him. And finally, he held in his the power of the god of this world.
For he was Ganondorf, and nothing was going to stop him. In his hand he held the sceptre containing the power to crush this world; an even easier task than crushing Hyrule had been. And yet he did not act, and did not take that vengeful step. To do so might destroy Nura and thus Nurai, but it would also release Hyrule.
Here, he had all the power that could be wished. There, the forces of the Triforce could be rejoined and used against him. Perhaps he should risk it all the same, just for the fun of it. After all, what was the point of having all this power if he wasn't going to use it.
You will not return yet.
He shivered. He was standing high on a cliff, staring out to the sea and the wind was battering against him. But it was not the cold that made him shake. It was the power in that bodiless voice that endlessly tormented him.
"Who are you?" he shouted out, not afraid of being heard.
I am the sun. I am the sky. I am the wind. I am Hyrule; I am not. I am the clock, the mask and the music. I am power. I am who you search for.
He laughed, a rough and deliberately maniacal laugh. "Even I don't know what I search for. Any motive went long ago."
He didn't say it, but all motive had gone since the beast had come. Even now he could feel it just below his skin, threatening to tear itself out.
I am time. I am the decider. You are the actor on the stage and I write the script. You will do what I wish.
"You a god?" Ganondorf's question was still cocky, still casual. "Been there, caught that."
It is not for you to end Nurai. It is for
"Go on," he said, feeling his sceptre getting slightly warmer.
you to tell her, and to set her on her mission.
"Mission? And what's my reward for this?"
She will be destiny. Destiny called for by your own long ago. Your pleas do not go unanswered, Ruler of the Desert. Hail was, Hail is and Hail will be.
"Hail?" Memories flooding back; memories of this conversation repeated time after time after time. And yet here it was again, and now he knew what was coming next. The vision.
"Is it time?" he said.
Stone room with old man staring down at him. Very, very old man but with eyes that blazed like none he had ever seen before. He was small and fragile, a child against this titan. But even to his youthful eyes the frailness was clear as it slowly settled in – time performed its normal curse.
"I will be gone soon," said the man, and the boy named Gan did not doubt it. "You will be king then, and will have to lead the Gerudos out of the dark. But there are things you need to know, things that are very secret."
The boy tightly clenched his hands together and tried to concentrate.
"Long ago when the sea still stretched into the sand the Gerudos were not like they were now, but weak, and pirates of the sea. Hyrule was much bigger then, an empire that covered half the world. In their royal family there was a princess named Hail, and she was brave and strong, and had bright red hair.
"But Hail fell in love with the wizard, and knew not that he was already devoted to another women. The wizard found Hail's loyalty useful, and used her for his own purposes. Hail's family watched, and disapproved of the Gerudo but could do nothing. Finally, when the princess found that she was with child, she decided to run away and join the wizard."
In the next few days there would be many stories that the man would tell him, and Gan treasured all of them. But when his mind and thoughts were not besotted with the golden triangles this story always came back to him. And he knew not who to hate – the Gerudos, or the Hylinians.
For the old man continued, "Three days after Hail's child was born, the wizard revealed his true self to her. Before she could run he captured her, and the morning after she was to death as a sacrifice to aid with the wizard's plans.
"That child grew up, and from it came one son and ten daughters. Slowly the family grew, and the true Gerudos, the Gerudos of the sand, grew into the great nation that they are today. Never forget how we started, never forgot the treachery from which we came."
And Gan would nod; knowing that as it had started it must end. And then he heard of the gold.
"Hail was the mother of the Gerudos," Ganondorf reluctantly muttered. "But I still don't know who you are."
Only I know who I am, because only I can know. But you may know this sun of the sand – your curse may end, but not here. You must return to the Land of the Gold, and there is only one way to do that.
"Hail's revenge," replied Ganon.
Hail's justice. It starts now.
And sure enough, coming up the cliff path to meet him was the form of the princess he knew so well. She was not quite the same as he had last saw her – her hair was now a blazing red, she looked stronger and somehow her walk was stiffer. Yet it was definitely the same princess as he had once searched so long for. And now she was almost of her own free will kneeling down before him.
"Hail," he said coldly, realising how different the atmosphere was now that the god–like voice had gone.
"I am," she admitted, her voice telling of internal rebellion not able to override the forces that had propelled her here.
"I am here to call you," said Ganondorf, and then the words as they always did flowed on their own accord through his own mouth, "to tell you your purpose, and to command you to fulfil it. For you are here to clean this land and to end it. First, you will sweep this land until there is no outsider left, until there is but the sand, and the daughters of that same."
"And secondly?" she whispered.
"And secondly you will complete the Distile," he told her. "You will confront Nura herself, and finally end her stolen reign. She is life, and you to be death."
Hail nodded once more, her body actions still too rigid to be of free will. And then she was turning on one foot and again walking down the path. If anyone had been there to see they might have seen her eyes, and that would have shocked them the most. No more were they a dull red, the colours of one preparing for a throne. Now they flamed with true light, and there would be no doubt. Nura's killer had arrived.
*–*
"The Sadia?"
The old man looked just as confused as the woman, and sighing Nala started to realise how little Hyrule's sages knew of this place.
"Yes," he began again. "The Sadia. They're a force – an evil force. A group of warriors, but warriors who do not even have the weaknesses of flesh. Instead they're made of a kind of molten steel. They can change their shape almost instantly though, and whatever they're made of it doesn't seem to stop them flying if they can form the right shape."
Impa looked puzzled. "How do you fight an enemy which can always change its shape?" she asked.
Nala smiled. "Thankfully they have an incredible sense of honour. They'd rather dies than break it. A bit like the Kalen really..." At their puzzled looks he realised that they didn't know who they were either.
"Kalen?" came the expected question from the one named Rauru.
"Never mind," said Nala. "But anyway, once they've got into a fight as one shape they refuse to change. Normally they fight in their warrior form, but they still have Xi–like skills. They also have the advantage that they can mentally communicate with each other, so they're almost impossibly well co–ordinated. It's hard to tell where one starts and the other ends sometimes, as they can merge as well."
Rauru nodded. The meaning of the term Xi had already been explained to him, and although he had not seen any of them first hand he had a good imagination. But still, if they had returned to their cage it was no use worrying about them. Instead Rauru turned to look at the big piece of parchment laid out on the floor.
"So we are here?" he asked, pointing to a mountain range near the north on the map.
Nala gave a sign of assent.
"So if Link and two sages are there and you reckon that two other sages are over there that makes just one thing I don't understand."
"What?" Nala started, wondering what was wrong.
"There are seven sages," Rauru said firmly, "where is the seventh?"
" Se...seven?" that definitely was unexpected. "Link told me about you and Impa, a Kokiri, a Goron, a Gerudo, and a Zora."
"Zelda, a princess, is the seventh," said Impa, interrupting.
"Zelda?" Nala looked a bit relieved, "Link told me that... that we should concentrate on the other six. A dream or something."
"He has had dreams of prophecy before," commented Rauru slowly, "if Link said so, we must believe it. Hard to interpret they may be, but at the moment we don't seem to have any other choice."
*-*
"You really should take this more carefully down," Bren said, a little flustered.
"Why? I could do this single-handedly," Tai ridiculed.
"Good idea," commented Link, "you handle whatever it is while I get the sages."
And before Bren could stop them the two of them had disappeared into the guarding chamber.
It was a huge, dark room with immense columns interposed at various points. Link who was standing at a small platform at the entrance could hardly see the ceiling. He lowered himself down to the floor and waited for something to happen. Typical set-up, he thought wryly.
Obligingly an old man crept out of the mist smiling broadly. His stained white hair was half streaked with dirt, and his skin looked on its own like it had passed several millennia. If it wasn't for the eyes the man wouldn't have looked like he could have fought a rat, let alone be a guardian. But his eyes seemed to be twice as big as would be expected, and icily. Without waiting to ask why Link was here the man muttered something under his breath and then stretched out his hands. A second later and a huge ball of flame was flying out towards the intruder.
Link calmly bounced it back with his sword and then darted off as Tai somersaulted in to take over. Shadowed in the darkness he quickly crept over to the back of the room. There it was waiting – a huge stone wall with a painted door easily marked on it. Hopefully the door would become real when the old man was dealt with.
That man in question had now paused and was mumbling a spell savagely under his breath.
"Come on!" taunted Tai, "we've got another two sages to rescue after this!"
Suddenly the man threw up his arms again and released another torrent of energy at the Xi. Calmly, she reflected it with her sword again taunting, "Have you any idea how unoriginal that is?"
If the man had known it, it looked like he no longer would. Seemingly unable to block his own spell it smashed right into him, and he stumbled back into the wall. Smoke poured off his body, and although he tried to stand again he only ended up falling once more. Half-astonished Tai saw that the wall by Link had 'opened', the two halves of it parting to reveal one last room.
"That was a bit easy," remarked Link, trying to act light–hearted even if he didn't quite feel it, "there's just no quality in this land. Even the dungeon bosses are inferior. Queen Ghoma could have probably defeated ten of them with four of her legs torn off…"
But his speech was cut off by a young, familiar, female voice, "Link…"
"Saria!"
*-*
Later that day he finally awoke.
His skin was completely ash–black, his clothes non-existent and only half of his body seemed to still be there. And yet he lived. Not for long, but an eternity for what he wished to do.
It was not his fault that no one had fought him until age had taken his strength. Most of all he hated the over confident girl and her warrior friend. They had gone, as he had known they would, but he would get his revenge.
If pain had not destroyed half of his sense he would not have even considered doing it. He would have known that his action would change the future and almost certainly devastate the small land of Nurai. Even if he had not known that his actions would not only endanger Nurai he should not have done it.
But how could he know what the action of using his last breath to resurrect the Sadia would cause?
Note – I've got too far to stop posting this now, but that doesn't mean that reviews aren't appreciated (a nice total of 0 for the last chapter). Thanks to Ric for reviewing, anyhow.