Chapter 16
The water ran across him like the walls of a tunnel, a mirror of reflections cascading and weaving magically around him. The world was like a rubber band, snapping him closer to another point in space. The bubble of light that was around him seemed to burst again and again, each time distorting his reality as he hurtled though the warp stream.
He felt himself lock towards his destination, as the rest of his body started to catch up with him. The ocean gave a final eruption around him, as he was catapulted and spat out of the eddy.
Free from the force at last, he still could not stop. Inertia alone was now forcing him to keep going. He blinked, as the seabed started to rise. Instinctively following the curve, he did a less then graceful leap as he splashed out above the surface.
Link was completely exhausted now; his Zora body just wanted to stop after the incredible swim from the Mist Bringers. Even so, he had not forgotten about the others. He dived again, scanning the sea for signs of his friends. Unable to see them, he resurfaced once more.
"Where are they? "Navi, can you sense their presence?"
"No Link," she replied. "But around here, my powers feel weakened somehow. They must still be here, somewhere."
Link then noticed a greenish hue on the horizon. Were his friends there? With a little effort, he started to float towards it. The currents tried to push him away, but his Zora body was well adapted for this. However, even the Zora have their limits against the will of the sea.
The ocean started to get shallow, allowing him to stand up. It was a strange feeling to actually stand, having spent most of the day in the buoyant aquatic environment. He felt heavy, as the gravity took a hold of him once more. A gentle breeze welcomed him back to land, drying the droplets of water. Having given everything he could, he collapsed on the beach.
"Are you alright Link?" Navi asked concerned, giving him some light healing spells. Sometimes the young boy pushed himself too hard, she thought.
Hearing his fairy's voice soothed him more then the spells. He coughed out some sand that found its way in his throat and rolled himself to his back, the ocean tides still coming up to him.
"I'm okay. Just tired," he said taking some easy breaths as he dried off. "Are they here? "
" I can not see them Link," Navi replied apologetically.
Realising that his friends were still missing, he forced himself to get up. "Saria! Ruto!" he called out. The sounds echoed across the rocks faces surrounding the beach. He brushed the sand away from him. "We have to find them."
He started to walk a little along the beach. He could not see much of the interior of the island; a tall cliff face was obscuring it. As he walked, his bear feet started to singe on the hot sand. He proceeded to take the Zora mask away from him, letting his body become more familiar to him.
"That's better," said Link. Although he was well adapted in all the forms he could change into, it was always better to by who you really are. He liked having the sharpened Kokiri sword on hand, just in case. The beach has always been a harbour for monsters in his experience.
He hoped to find his friends soon. They had to be around here somewhere. They just had to.
Navi and Link continued to travel in silence.
The island gave him the creeps. The fact that he couldn't see the landscape yet made him on edge, far more then it should. It was as if the island was not ready yet to show him what was out there, and what he must face. There was something… strange. An almost familiar feeling permeated this land. It was something subconscious from his last adventures. A power of incredible magnitude, but an equal amount of subtlety. Whatever it was, it would not reveal itself to him. At least, for the moment.
"Saria! Ruto!" he shouted again against the ocean sounds.
"I see someone," said Navi at the slight movement of blue against the sand.
Link also spotted the blue figure and rushed towards it.
"Ruto!" said Link relieved to find her. "Are you alright?"
The Zora got up, rubbing her arms slightly. "Just a bruise," she replied. "That… was scary," she said in a state of shock. Her mind replayed the events over and over. She was not used to this kind of trip.
"Have you seen Saria?" Link asked quickly.
Ruto looked around confused. "She was just behind me then… I don't know."
Link felt his panic rise. Saria was not with them and might be in trouble. How were they supposed to find her on this unknown world? He reasoned that she wouldn't explore on her own, and must be on one of the shores. There was no way she would scale the cliffs on her own.
"Try using your song Link," Navi advised, after being unable to lock on to the Kokiri herself.
"Of course!" How could he forget? Bringing out the ocarina, he carefully played their song, holding the image of leaves blowing around the world. An image of Saria with a greenish hue was beside him now, as the leaves encircled both of them. Nothing else existed, except the forest. It existed in their minds, identical to the smallest detail.
He felt the connection to her become complete.
Saria was not talking back and her eyes were closed. However, he could still sense her mind. He thought he could hear…a flicker of images?
"She's dreaming," he said slightly embarrassed. He had never joined minds with her while she slept. Despite being curious, he did not try to enter her dreams. Instead, he gently tried to coax her mind to consciousness. Finally, her mind started to become coherent.
*Link… is that you? * Saria spoke telepathically.
*Yes. Are you alright Saria? *
*I'm fine. I was just knocked out for a while. I am on a beach. *
*So are we. *
*Is Ruto with you? *
*She is. Stay there, we'll find you. *
*Okay Link. *
Link started to drift away. He was alone to his thoughts once more. "She's okay. I feel she is somewhere further down" he described, wishing he could be more precise.
"I believe I can guide us to her, using your connection as a guide. Just as we did in the lost woods."
* Hold on Saria. *
***********
Link listened, as Saria's song became stronger. It wasn't long before they had found Saria herself. She had waited patiently on the shore, as Link told her to.
"Link!" Saria smiled running up to him. "We all made it!"
"So, What do we do next?" asked Ruto. It was far from over.
Link still felt on edge. "I'm not sure. We still have to find that mask. The salesman said it was somewhere in the center."
"Well, we are going to have to scale the cliff face first," said Saria. "I don't see any natural hills from this shore."
"No way!" Ruto protested. "I am not climbing on those rocks. I could fall!"
"They're not that high," said Link as he scanned the region. "Over there should be the easiest. Come on, we'll be on top before you know it."
"Can't we go around instead? Please?"
"I don't think so. The cliffs have looked all the same so far, " said Link, who had kept a watchful eye. "Travelling to the other side will not make much of a difference."
Ruto looked at the cliffs with complete fear. However, she wouldn't let Link know about it.
"Relax Ruto," said Saria seeing she was a bit tense. "You're not afraid of heights are you?"
"Of course not," Ruto shook her head profusely. "What in the world would give you that idea? Heights are never a problem to a Zora. I have dived many times from the waterfall back home..."
(Of course, falling on jagged rocks was not possible there…)
***********
It was quite obvious to all of them that simply 'climbing' the cliffs would not be possible. Although there were holes to climb on for the first few meters, they could not be certain if they were stable or if they could go all the way up. Even their fairies could not be sure. If they got stuck, climbing down would be lot more dangerous.
"I have an idea," said Link bringing out the hookshot. "I can use this to grab a tree from the top and hoist myself up. I can then send a rope down to you."
"I don't see any trees up there Link," said Saria. "In fact I don't see much of anything up there. Not even patches of grass or vines. Just rocks."
Link wasn't going to give up. "I can try it on the rocks then."
All the cliffs seemed to come out on a cove. However, this one was almost vertical, and should be suitable to traverse. Using the hookshot, he aimed as carefully as possible to the near edge of the top of the cliff. Pressing the release switch, the claws of the hook shot struck fast and true, shattering the rocks from the top. Link pulled on the chain, testing its strength.
"I think I've done it," he said.
"Please be careful Link," said Saria.
"I will." He pushed another switch making the hook-shot recoil, dragging him slowly upward. He held on to it firmly. He made it quickly to the end and started looked for a foothold. However, all he could find was smooth rock.
"Can you reach it Link?" shouted Ruto.
Link couldn't reply as he concentrated.
His arm was starting to get tired. Finally, he found a small hole to rest his weight upon. Slowly and purposefully, he retracted the claws on the end of the hook shot removing it, using part of the damaged wall to get extra leverage.
He was just a head away from the top. All he needed just one more foothold to reach it. He carefully stretched again higher, and miraculously found another for his hands. He pulled his body on to it, letting his feet use the holes he hands had before. Just as he was about to make the change over, his foot slipped.
"Link!" Saria and Ruto screamed as a few pebbles tumbled to them.
"I'm alright," he said not looking down.
He had to be more careful. Once again, he reached over to the next hole. Finally, with one great heave, he made it to the top… and gasped.
*********
"Link! Did you make it?" Saria shouted from below.
"Yeah I'm up," he shouted down. I don't think I'll be able to send a vine down… There's nothing here. Hold on."
Link brought out the Kokiri sword, and thrust it as hard as he could on the ground. He pushed it as far as he could, so that only the handle was visible. Using the hook shot, he attached it the end onto the rocky soil, with part of it being further secured by the sword.
"I am going to throw the hook shot down to you. You're going to have to use it to get up here," he shouted down. He let the chain become loose, and threw the hand piece down to them.
Ruto felt herself begin to tremor, as Saria examined the hookshot.
"How do I use it?" she asked.
"Hold it with your hand into it, It's like wearing a glove," Link instructed. "You'll feel a bar inside to grab onto. Then strap the buckle tightly."
"I've done it," said Saria, firmly gripping this strange instrument.
"Alright. Now, push the button inside it. The more pressure you apply, the faster you will go. Try to scale it slowly and hold the chain with your other hand."
Saria pushed the button. The chain started to become tighter, she held on as it pulled her. Soon, she was lifted off her feet, walking on the cliffs as Link had done before.
"That's right. Take it one step at a time."
"This is kind of fun!" said Saria happily, as she almost waltzed up effortlessly.
Well done," Link said pulling her up. He then sent the hookshot down again. "Your turn Ruto," he said while making sure the claws were still held strong.
Ruto hesitantly picked it up.
" Come on Ruto, it's really simple," encouraged Saria.
Ruto took a deep breath. "I can do this… I can do this…"
She did exactly what Saria had done before, placing the hook shot on her arm.
"Now push the button," said Link.
"Alright… Ahh!" She pushed the button to hard, making the hookshot recoil too fast. She hit the cliff mid way.
"Not so hard!" Link shouted.
Ruto couldn't respond as she looked down. She was holding on for dear life as the fear of falling worked its way into her. She was paralysed and tensed. "I-I can't move!"
"Come on Ruto. Just push the button again, only not so hard. Just tap it as you walk. You can do it!"
A moment's indecision hit her. What if she pushes the button? She would fall and that would be it.
Link looked concerned at the claws griping the ground. The sword was bending slightly; the rocks were not offering enough support for Ruto's weight. They could give out any time.
"Ruto you're too heavy! You have to climb up now!" Link shouted again.
"I can't-" she faltered.
"Don't look down. Look at us. You are only a few meters away. Saria and I are holding the chain, you just have to climb."
Ruto forced her eyes away from the height. She pushed the button slowly, making the chain pull at a reasonable rate this time.
Finally, she was at the top. She was never so glad to be on solid ground, as Link helped her up. She smiled joyfully, now that she can put scaling behind her. She stopped smiling, as she caught the view of the island.
All three now stared at the vast expanse.
"I don't get it…" Ruto whispered.
"Neither do I," said Saria.
Link just looked at it un-commenting.
It was a vast desert. Actually, it was not even a desert, because at least a desert had sand. All this has was blackened scorched earth.
Saria bent down, running the fine black soot though her hands. "I think its soil…"
"Soil?" Link also crouched to examine the inland dirt. "But why aren't there any plants?" The island was devoid of all life. It was a still picture, poised at a point ready to form life. Not a thing moved, not a breeze was felt. It was all… empty.
"Link… the sun," said Ruto.
"What?"
"The sun. Where is it?"
"Well it's- huh?" There was no sun at all. Link was taken aback by that startling fact.
"Where is the light coming from?" Saria wondered confused. No sun should mean complete darkness. Yet here they were… seeing everything in a lightness way. They didn't even have any shadows. The only shadows were figments of their imagination, as they tried to grasp this world's law of nature.
"Perplexing… isn't it," the mask salesman said appearing in a ghostly image.
"Where are we?" asked Link.
"Time Link… You must be careful. My time grows short… It flows towards my beginning… not to my end… Look there…"
"What?"
"There…" The salesman guided them to a black pedestal, camouflaged by the ground.
A short walk towards it, and they found a book resting on it. Link was about to reach for it-
"Wait!" The salesman blurted, fading even more with each word. He had little time left. He was being pulled at the seams; all his memories scattered. There was a warning he had to say wasn't there? What was that warning? How could he have forgotten? He recalled bits and pieces, as each fleeted past him. "Time… trap… the book explains… I… You must… your song… can not stay-" The salesman started to get an expression of deep pain, as he started to vanish.
"Come back!" said Ruto.
"I don't think we will be seeing much of him," said Saria shaking her head. "Remember, he said he could not come here."
"Should we read it?" wondered Link looking at the book's title.
"It's written in Kokiri," said Saria a little bemused.
"Don't be silly, it's clearly written in Zora runes… Why would a Zora book be here?" pondered Ruto.
"I see it as Kokiri and Hylian," said Link at the title. The words seemed to change on whatever language he was thinking. Through his travels, he had picked up the odd word from many cultures. Still, the meanings of the words were all the same. "The Book of Mudora," he recited.
"Mudora? What does that mean?" asked Saria.
"Let's find out."
Link lifted it from, the pedestal and opened the cover. As soon as he did, a deep rumbling started on the ground, as if the island was waking from its slumber. Just as suddenly, it stopped.
"What happened?" said Ruto.
"I don't know… Let's read the book."
The three started to read the passages.
"Time of destiny Time in hand, the land awakes for the chosen…" Link said reading the first line.
"The unbound is unsealed, the ultimate power that heals and destroys…" continued Saria.
"The final trial for the hero… to overcome, overpower, Time…" said Ruto. "What is this garbage? It makes no sense- ah-" She lost her footing as the land started to tremble more forcefully.
A roaring sound began from the center of the island. As the three watched, a giant pyramid rose up from the ground, made from white marble stone, gleaming with its own light. It stood as a massive sole structure in the bleak landscape, towering high into the sky.
"Incredible," said Saria in wonderment. It was a thing of beauty, in the otherwise desolate place.
"I guess that is where we go," said Ruto.
Link could only nod as he stared at it. "A pyramid," he thought. It was impossible to think how it was made by anything other then the goddesses themselves.
Saria started to wonder about the traps. The salesman tried to warn them, and the book was clearly referring to another trap they would have to overcome. Still, nothing showed itself. "Let's-"
Saria cut her sentence short as something new happened. It started with a slow whine slowly becoming higher pitched. The pyramid light started to glow even more. All the sides shone in a brilliant display of colour. The light 'pulsed' away from the structure, into the four triangles that made sides of the structure. In another flash it gained speed, spreading outward like a wave tormenting though the land.
"What is that?" Ruto gasped.
*Link… run… danger…* the salesman voice whispered.
Link darted his eyes, but could not make out where the sound was coming from. The pulsed light was like a wall, streaming though the island. His instinct took over. "Back! Go back to the cliff!"
They ran back to the edge, uncertain as to what was happening.
Back at the edge, Link turned around to see the white light engulf everything in its path of the land. It was this light he was sensing before. The familiarity of it came to him again. This was the power so vague yet powerful that it took all that came to it. The change that comes to all caught in its wake.
"Time," said Link. Unbound and unsealed. Time was attacking them!
"Something is happening to the island," said Navi.
In an instant, Plants grew with ferocity of nature. Water started to run on the land. The noise of life came and died, only to come again. Great vines wrapped themselves upon new trees, already becoming ancient. Still, the white light came closer to them.
The light was now only a meter away from them. It started to inch its way over the final points of the island, expanding itself in its domain.
Link looked back down the cliff. There was no way to make it back down.
* The song…. Link… the song… play… … *
Link lifted the ocarina of Time. He understood. He knew, not even he could stop the flow of time. At present, he can not even turn it back. But there was one thing he could do. One thing only he had the power to do. What can not be stopped, can sometimes be slowed down.
He played the inverted song of Time.
********
Zelda stood on the balcony of the castle. She looked out towards Hyrule, as the sun started to set.
She could sense something had happened. Link was at his final destination.
"Hello Nabooru," she said turning round. Her new skills, fully mastered allowed her to hear things a small instant before they happened.
Nabooru started to appear in a small breeze. She no longer looked anything like she had originally, having a Keaton form. Her nine tails spread beautifully around her. She seemed at peace, for the moment.
"You sense it to," said the keaton.
"Yes. What has happened Nabooru?"
"I fear Link is against an opponent he knows he can not outwit," Nabooru said softly.
Zelda couldn't believe it. "That can not be true! Link is the most resourceful and bravest out there!"
"I know… but what do you sense, princess?" she said standing completely still and patient.
"I don't know." How could she describe it? "A crossroad. Yes. Something has happened."
"As do I sense it," she agreed. "The masks have connected us to… something. A part of us resides with the hero, the parts of him he spilled into the masks but…" Nabooru couldn't explain what she knew. The minds of the Keaton reached out to her, pouring in their vast knowledge of the world and the insignificance of every moment in time, when faced with eternity. To simply exist was all there was. Yet she knew, this moment was very significant. The prattling of other ketone would not distract her from that.
"I can sense something else," said Zelda looking again outside. The sun had begun to set. "The forces are out of balance. When I see the shadows begin to spread, as the sun sets, I can not think they are only shadows. I fear… the sun may not rise again." It was a silly thing to say, but Nabooru looked like she took her seriously.
"Darkness eternal," said Nabooru, remembering events she had never witnessed. The keaton were of one magical essence. What one knew, they all knew. This was becoming true for Nabooru. "The shadows have been waiting. Chaos threatens to destroy the land. I… I don't know anymore." She dare not read more from the magical Keaton realm. Every time she hears them, she felt a piece of her is lost to them. "We must wait for Link."
"Yes," nodded Zelda. "Does it bother you Nabooru?" she asked her at last. She had changed so much since she last saw her.
"My new form? I- I have trouble remembering how I was… My name is… Nabooru," the Kitsune said. "Yes. My name… That was- 'is' my name. It feels like it was a lifetime ago." She had to keep reminding herself of who she was.
Zelda became worried. She could easily sympathise with what Nabooru was going though. It felt like it was just hours ago, she was nearly consumed by the alien powers of the rabbit mask. "Of course you are Nabooru! Who can forget Nabooru: ruler of the Gerudo? I'll remind you, you are revered by all, to be the greatest thief of all." She recited it as all the Gerudo spoke when referring to her.
"I remember… I truly have become a legend?" She smiled slightly as her voice became more like her old self. One thing a ketone never did was smile. It was a welcome sight to Zelda.
"Oh yes, they say your skills are unparalleled and unrivalled," The princess pressed.
The ketone looked like it blushed. "Well, I should be more modest about my skills. That was the picture I painted for myself but… it is not the complete me. It was the challenge I loved… To sneak in shadows and wait for the correct time. I remember…"
"Yes?"
The kitsune slumped disappointed. "The memories come and go. They are replaced by others thoughts, more each hour. I thank you for what you are trying to do, Princess."
"Keep everything in your memory. Do not get distracted Nabooru. Link will save us all soon. I know it."
"Yes… I need to think about this… I will ignore their call. " Nabooru disappeared once more into the wind.
"Please Link, do your best," said Zelda.
*************
The ocarina of Time glowed in Links hands. It's blue light bridged its way around the trio, working to slow everything down for them. An aura surrounded them and protected them.
"W-what happened?" said Saria.
As the light died, they could now see an island completely filled with life. The island was revitalised. Where once there was dirt, lay a jungle of vines and odd trees.
The three cautiously approached the edge of the jungle. A horde of noises was heard. They could hear hissing, chirping, and other sounds completely alien.
Saria approached a flower. "Link, look at this," she said amazed.
Link and Ruto also looked at the flower with her. The saw it grew at least ten inches off the ground. They watched it scatter seeds about, as it then died right before them. They saw the seedlings grow once more as the cycle was repeated.
"Those flowers really go about it fast," said Ruto uninterested.
"I don't think that's the only thing going fast," said Link as he stared at the plant and the implications this might have. He brought out a miniature clock he had.
"What's that?" asked Saria.
"A mechanical clock from Termina," he replied. Hyrule had not made anything like it yet. Not a compact design, at least. Most of the townspeople used public sundials to judge the passage of time.
"It looks broke to me," shrugged Ruto. The hands were whirling around crazy. "Give me an ordinary hour glass any day. At least you know they will always work. Our water clocks happen to be the most accurate of all you know. There is one in the cavern that has kept accurate for over fifty years," she said with pride.
"I don't think it's broken," said Link examining it. "Time is moving very fast. Slower for us because we have the ocarina, but still very fast." This must have been the final trap. Were it not for the ocarina, they would be long gone.
"How fast?" Saria said alarmed.
Link tried to judge it by the clock. However, the hands were spinning too fast for him to make out.
"Allow me," said Navi, letting her eyes work faster. "As far as I can tell, we are experiencing a day every minute. At least."
"Well that's not so bad," said Ruto. "That pyramid was only a couple of miles away."
"Twenty miles," estimated Link. It only looked close because of its huge size.
"We can reach it in a few hours I'm sure." Continued the Zora.
"Ruto… You've never tried to cross a swamp before" Link thought with trepidation.
"Have you Link?" asked Saria hopefully. It was nothing like the forest she knew.
"Not one like this," he said shaking his head. He had traversed small swamps in Termina, but they were not as dense or dark. It was not a prospect he did not relish to do.
"So let me get this straight," said Ruto. "In the five minutes we had this conversation, we've aged five days?" she was a little squeamish about the idea.
"At least," repeated Navi. Even she could not be certain.
"So in one day, we would- uh- twenty four hours in a day, each sixty minutes…"
"In one day we would age four years," said Saria.
Link looked at her in amazement. He was still working the sum out.
"Hey, you know I can do this easily," said Saria smiling a little. Playing with numbers was another game to them that the Deku tree had taught them. Although Link never played it much, he never got the hang of it.
"Four years?" said Ruto. So a week would be…uh-"
"Twenty-eight years," said Link flatly. Four times seven, easy to do in your head.
"Twenty-eight years? We'd be ancient by then!" said Ruto alarmed.
"And if we stay here for a long time…" Saria didn't want to complete it. "I am mortal now," She whispered to herself. He time was finite. The injustice and cruelty of this struck her. "Link! It's not fair! I thought that-"
She didn't know what to say. She was already confronted by her forced mortality and 'did' accepted it, since she would have all the time to be with Link. But now this island had cut her time short. She could feel the sands of her time slip though her fingers like water. Is this what every mortal fear?
"It's okay," said Link softly. "I promise Saria, we will not stay here for that long."
"Do you think we can make it to the pyramid?" she asked.
"We made it this far. I know we can," Link said confidently. "The ocarina is protecting us from the full effects of this place. If we hurry, we'll be okay."
Saria nodded. "Okay Link."
"Just great," said Ruto unnerved at the thought of a trek through the jungle. "I'm hungry. I feel like I haven't eaten in days…"
"I hope it's not the time effect," said Saria. They had lost all their provisions in the storm.
"You wouldn't," said Navi. "This time acceleration is magical, like the ocarina. Otherwise you would be ill with hunger by now. I think we are all still tired from the swim" the fairy reasoned.
"I suppose," said Saria. "So we won't have to eat every other minute then," she laughed nervously at the thought.
"Can't we rest a little then?" hoped Ruto.
"We have no time fore rest," said Link. "If we wait, time will literally get the better of us. We have to pass though the swamp quickly and stop this… magic."
"What if it can't be stopped?"
"I know it can. That pyramid is the key to all this. We have to get inside."
Their goal now obscured, yet still present, they continued on.
************
He could no longer see them. The Mask Salesman had to hope they would all be fine on their own. Why would the goddesses prevent him from reaching the island? His only wish was to exist and become whole.
He had tried so many ways to understand his life, if one could call it that.
"Link is my only hope. I just hope I can repay him for this service."
In truth, he was sorry. Sorry for what happened to the Deku tree, sorry for giving dangerous masks to people whom didn't know any better. Sure, he never broke any of the rules. Each placed the mask on their own. All he did was provide opportunity. But still…
"Where are you?" he asked quietly. "You have guided me here. I have done all you asked. Why do you stay silent now? Or is it because I am you? Have I been talking to myself this whole time?"
There wasn't an answer. He didn't expect one. He was so drawn to the mask of Sam'kemesa, just out there beyond his reach. He had taught Link all his tricks, without him realising it.
"From now on, it is not us. It is I alone. I will wait. Such a cursed trap, time is something I can not exist in. On the island of time, it is far too much for me to compensate with. I do not exist. Link, only you can breach… Time. "
**************
Link knew they were close.
The jungle's plant life moved about a lot more then he was used to. It was possible to actually watch them grow, spin, and do all these things as fast as a person. It was unnerving to see how alive an ordinary plant could be in this place.
As they approached the plants, they began to slow down as if entering into their time speed. Still, a day a minute is very fast.
Link felt himself grow stronger with each step. He sliced and cut at the vines with his sword. With another slice, they were now in a small clearing.
He couldn't tell how long they had wondered around. Saria followed at an even pace, but Ruto was slowing them a little. The Zora had little experience on land, let alone a swamp. She was not exactly made for this place.
"A little help here," said Ruto who had become tangled in some vines.
Link cut them once again with a quick slash.
"Thanks," she said. "I don't understand this place. These vines are so… persistent." They seemed to grow as soon as Link cut them.
"Why don't you use your fins to cut them?" said Saria. She knew that from her experience in the sea they could be extremely sharp. Having never seen a grown Zora, she didn't want to know how powerful their sea warriors could be.
"What do you think I've been doing forest-girl!" She said rubbing her sore fins. Just now, they have been loosing their sharpness. The last time she used them on some thorn-vines, she actually got cut. Perhaps these plants were getting tougher. Perhaps…
"Ruto, I thought Zora blades were indestructible," said Saria, noticing how blunt Ruto's fins had become. Tiny grooves were also becoming more evident around them.
"They are! Well… when we're children," she added embarrassed about it. "Not that it's any of your business."
"Oh."
How much time has passed for them now? With every step they took, they were getting older. Ruto watched Link most of all. The young Hylian had become taller. His confidence radiated outward, not that it wasn't visible before. It's just now it was more apparent and natural. His aura seemed to shine into the burning resolve he presented. Navi had said they are experiencing one day a minute.
Ruto looked at her hands. "One day a minute?" she asked herself. It felt far faster then that, as she was already beginning her transition to adulthood. A little faster then expected, but all the same, she was curious.
Link stopped as he felt a chill. In an instant, the jungle shifted into a hibernating period. Leaves fell, flowers died. As the sounds of life became quiet, the temperature started to plummet.
"What's going on?" he said as a trickle of snow started to fall. Snow in a jungle? The seasons passed by in a blink; it never really changed as dramatic as it had now. It was preposterous. He had never heard of such a thing happening ever… except once.
"Just like in the story Link," Saria said as she rubbed her arms to gather some warmth.
"I remember," he said thinking back. "But… can it really happen?"
"Can what happen?" said Ruto.
"The Deku tree told us of a time when everything is covered in snow, regardless of the season" explained Saria.
The plants were the next to die. Gone were the green shards as they became brown and dead, blanketed by more snow.
"He called it an ice age," said Link.
The desolate wasteland returned, covered now by a white landscape. The snow built up gently, yet incredibly fast. The only exception was in their immediate surroundings, thanks to the ocarina.
"Ice age?" said Ruto.
"According to legend, it happens very occasionally, and was one of the things the Deku tree protected us from" said Saria chattering her teeth from the bitter wind.
"And it's happening now" said Link. He thought for a minute he could see the pyramid, but it was already buried in snow.
A sudden flurry of Ice blasted into them, hitting them all in the face. They brought their arms up to shield themselves from the blizzard, but the might of nature chilled them to the bone and tossed them like cloth hard onto the ground.
"We need to find shelter!" said Ruto feeling frozen.
"Where? This is an Island! There are no caves or anything!" shouted Saria.
"Then we'll have to dig," said Link. "Follow me!"
They braved though the snow, hoping to find something. With the trees all gone, they had to make their own shelter. The snow started to collect in gigantic mountains and dunes. Finding a pile, they started digging into the side of one. However, they were becoming too cold to build it.
Saria felt her hands go numb as she ploughed away with the others. She was freezing away from the inside. Her lips started to go blue.
Ruto continued to work, since the cold did not bother the Zora as much. However, she started to become disoriented and laggard in her movements.
One by one, they fell unable to work.
Link wasn't going to give up yet. Mustering his power, he yelled out a spell. "Dins fire!"
The Ring of Fire cut across against the blizzard, giving them momentary warmth. When the ring died, the blizzard attacked them again. He realised this wasn't working.
"L-Link," said Saria. "What about a f-fire arrow? Use it on the snow… make the shelter with that."
Link brought out an arrow, charging it with fire. He was very tired, and couldn't do more magic like this. He aimed it carefully in the hold they had dug. He had to do this just right.
He fired.
The arrow struck inside the hole, melting the snow further inside. Link used his mind to direct the heat correctly inside, creating a small cavern from the melted water.
"Now an ice arrow! Quickly! Before it collapses!" said Navi urgently.
Link fired an ice arrow against the melted interior snow. The magical coldness hit on the powdery wall of the cavern, solidifying all around it and stopping it from collapsing. The sheet of ice had created a natural solid wall.
"Inside!" He instructed.
One by one, they all crawled into the icy cave.
********
Once inside, Link fired an ice arrow at the entrance, blocking off the blizzard.
It was pitch dark, accept for the sounds of heavy breathing. Outside, the weather continued its relentless barrage. It was so cold.
Link held out a fire arrow, letting them feel illumination and heat. Their fairies could not do much to help. Something about this place was suppressing their ability to glow.
There wasn't much room, so Ruto and Saria were close with him. They didn't speak for a while, finding solace in the heat from the arrow. Saria brought out a deku stick, and lit it to spread some more heat between them.
"Do we have enough air?" she asked.
"We should have enough for a little while," said Link.
Ruto started to feel faint. "Link, I don't think I can stay awake anymore."
"But you have to!" said Saria.
"No, you don't understand," Ruto tried to explain as she lay down closing her eyes. "Cold does not kill a Zora. I can go into a trance, to sleep until warmer weather arrives… besides, it will help you conserve the air if I sleep now."
"Are you sure?" asked Link. It sounded a little dangerous.
"Don't worry Link… I'll be fine… I will wake when it becomes warmer, I promise. We always do… trust me."
"Maybe if we turn into Zora using the masks, can we do the same thing?" questioned Saria.
"No! You two mustn't try it. You don't know how to do the cold sleep. It's not like normal sleep. It's-" she started to slur her speech. "Trust me on this." She quietly lied down, undisturbed by the cold ground.
Link went to the Zora, touching her skin. It was like ice.
"Please don't worry," said Ruto again, as she became drowsy. . "Just let me sleep. Concentrate on keeping yourselves warm. I want you to be there when I wake…"
"Okay Ruto."
The Zora smiled, letting her self drift to the cold sleep. She a little afraid to do this, since it was her first time without another Zora showing her. However, her instincts guided her well, and soon she was in the cold sleep.
"Is she alright?" said Saria.
Link listened to her heartbeat. It was strong but slowed down a lot. "I think so. I remember the Zorans were imprisoned in ice when I was in the future. Like she says, she should be okay."
"G-good," Saria said. She was freezing now. At least they were out of the winds.
Link came close to her. The last of their fires had died, and Link didn't have enough magic to create more or even any deku sticks to burn. It would be dangerous to invoke more fire anyway, as it could melt the very ice shielding them or take more precious air. Their fairies were only tiny points of light, unable to illuminate their surroundings. They sat alone silently in the darkness.
"Hold me Link," said Saria at last.
Link did so. The heats of their bodies were their only hope. They had nothing else to keep warm with. They were feeling fatigued as everything they did caught up with them. However unlike Ruto, if they fell asleep, there was a good chance they would not wake.
"Talk to me Link" she whispered.
"I- I don't know what to talk about," he said for the first time to Saria. He had talked about anything and everything to her. They had no secrets from each other.
"Then tell me, what is it like… to grow up? I want to know… before I do. Will I forget all that I am now?"
"No, you are still the same person. Growing will not change who you are."
"How did you feel, when you travelled into the future?"
I remember I was stronger and… It was all so new. I don't know how to explain it, I can't remember some of it."
"Please Link. Tell me what you can remember. What did you feel?"
"Well… I felt like I was in charge of my own destiny. For a while, anyway." Sometimes, he felt destiny was the one thing he could never control. "Growing up gives you the chance for a destiny."
"You could always do what you wanted to when you were with us," The Kokiri had only a handful of rules. She remembered the wild spirit of her friend and his thirst for adventure. All the Kokiri shared this fantasy, but leaving the woods was the only taboo.
"I know," Link smiled, ignoring how cold it was. "But… I felt like the world was out there and, for the first time, I had the power to change it. When you grow up, you get a responsibility… for the world. You can then change it… and make the world a part of you, as you are of it." Link shook his head as he stumbled over the words. Maybe the cold was finally getting to him.
"I think I understand," said Saria. "How old are we Link?"
"I'm not sure," he said. "Maybe about thirteen now," he guessed.
So she was thirteen. Age crept on to both of them. Outside, it was as if centuries were passing by in mere moments. How long could the magic protect them?
Growing older like this was not a problem for Link. It was something he had gone though many times. Of course, he had never gone though the actual transition before. For Saria, it was a completely new experience, a journey she was taking on her own for the first time. Link explained to her that it is a journey everyone takes on their own anyway, and it is nothing to worry about.
As conversation became sparse, Link started to fall asleep. Warm dreams meshed with the cold reality of the shelter. He heard the voice of his friends. He was back home, under the warm glow of the deku tree. His life long friend, always beside him. Laughter filled a cloudless sky. Their special place in the meadow, untouched by any of the other Kokiri. Every part of it he remembered, as if he was there right now.
"I love you."
He snapped awake. Saria was beside him still wrapped into him and had not moved. Did she really say it? "Saria…"
"Yes Link?"
"Did... you say something?"
"It's cold Link," Saria stated. "Tell me more…"
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Tell me about… anything."
Link tried to think of something to say. "You already know everything about me Saria. I don't know what more to say."
"We did many things together. I remember us playing in the forest… our sacred meadow," she trailed in the memory.
Link reawakened his dreams. "We will play even more, once this is over."
"Even if we become old?"
"Memories never go," said Link.
"How's Ruto?"
Link tried to listen for the Zora. She was breathing slowly as she slept. He envied her for a while, sleeping though this big freeze as if it were nothing.
They continued to hold each other tightly.
*********
The centuries came and went, making the island of time heave once more. The winds of time catalysed the speed of change though out the area. In an instant, it became warmer. Ice started to disappear, leaving a barren earth to sustain new life.
Tiny seeds, having waited aeons for this opportunity, relished in the warmth. They started to grow. The generation gave life to another generation, continuing to reproduce perpetually. A new, simpler ecosystem resulted, still trying to rekindle towards its former glory. Given time it shall.
But it will take time.
*********
Inside the shelter, Link felt the change in climate. The icy walls started to dissipate on their own, letting them see the bright sky. The ice cavern dissolved all around them. He felt renewed, as the heat worked its way back into his body, even if there was no visible source of the heat.
Still Link held to his friend.
Saria opened her eyes. She saw Link looking back at her. "Link? Is that you?" she removed herself and stared at the tall Hylian.
"Saria?" Link stared back shocked.
"W-what?"
Link didn't know what to say as he stared at the young woman before him. "You're… beautiful."
Saria ran her hand through her hair. It had become longer, to her shoulder. Her clothes had become tightened, leaving little to the imagination. Link blushed a little as he looked at her. Saria's fairy used what little remained of it's magic, and started to lengthen her clothing to make it fit for her new proportions.
"I-I'm grown up," said Saria stating the obvious.
They stared at each other for literally centuries from the perspective of the island.
Ruto started to rise unsteadily and groaning. "Oh… how long was I out?" Her balance was all wrong, and she felt extremely heavy. She lifted her arms, seeing her fins all spread into her adult form. She could see Link too, all grown, as well as Saria.
She joined to stare at them, unable to say anything.
Life started to recover once more on the island, in a slightly slower pace. However, they had not yet become as dense as they were previously, and the pyramid was now visible.
Link blinked, breaking the staring. He turned around to see the pyramid. "We're almost there," he said.
"Right" Saria came beside him again. "Let's go."
********
Deep inside Link's interdimensional bag, something stirred. A piece of a greater whole was beginning to resonate. It will not be long. The final truth shall be revealed.
The spirit of the fierce deity mask flared into life.
********
The three approached the stairs of they pyramid. A gigantic door was the only thing stopping them.
"How do we get in?" said Ruto.
Link touched the door. Instantly it swung open. "I guess we are expected," he thought.
The passageway inside was lit with torches. The white marble stone gleamed inside to a polish, as if the entire structure was carved right out of a mountain.
They arrived in the first room. There was another pedestal, with ancient writing.
"What does it say?" said Saria.
"I can't read it," said Link frustrated.
"I know! Why don't you use that book to translate it?"
"The book of Mudora!" said Link realising he still had it. He brought the book up to the words, willing them to appear in a language he understood. In moments, the book began writing a translation for him.
"Time is the power of creation and destruction. Those who have braved against its currents are deemed worthy of the final power of the Triforce."
"The Triforce?" said Saria confused.
"I think these runes show a story… wait a sec. Look at this." Link pointed to some more writing. He began translating from the book of Mudora. "-And so, the goddesses left behind the holy relic called the Triforce. The ultimate power from which all power flow through."
"We know this," said Ruto who had heard the story about a million times. She looked around the room for more writing, when she came across some hieroglyphics. "That's strange," she said looking at one particular slab. "Hey guys, I think I found something you should see."
There, beside the Triforce, was an unmistakable picture of the Mask Salesman. He was placed behind the Triforce, with an expression of complete blankness. It was like he was an afterthought, in who or whatever drew the pictures.
"What does it mean?" said Saria.
Ruto touched the slab curiously. The eyes of the mask salesman's picture started to glow, activating a mechanism which opened the next door.
The trio continued cautiously on to the next room. It was identical in size and shape to the previous, complete with more pictures. The diagrams on this one represented the Triforce itself. Inset to it, were the pictures of the masks. Three distinct masks, of which Link recognised two.
"The Triforce and the masks are linked in some way," said Saria. "But how can that be?"
"I'm not sure." Link touched the picture representing the mask of the Fierce Deity. The colouring on the picture deepened. The mask inside his bag started to vibrate in response. Link took it out, holding the mask in front of the diagram. There was an audible click, as the next door opened.
They all gasped at the sight of the room. It was the gigantic interior of the pyramid. The lights only allowed them to see the ground, but could not reach the perpetual darkness of the top point. Across a marble floor, right in the centre, was a raised pedestal. On top of this was a floating mask, rotating about its position.
"Sam'kemesa," said Link awed as they walked towards it.
The mask's design spoke of the knowledge of the ages. Link knew, upon wearing it, he would know everything. The knowledge of magic, science, the secrets of history and Time, everything. There would be nothing unknown.
One would almost be called… a god.
Instantly, the mask salesman appeared. But this time, he was not grinning. He had a frown. "I have come…" He held out the Mask of Majora. It moved away from his hand, taking it's position top-left from the mask of Sam'kemesa.
The mask of the fierce deity Suddenly flew out of Link's hand. It floated up, taking a position bottom left of the mask of Majora. The three flared briefly, each welcoming the other.
Link's eyes became wide as he recognised the pattern.
The salesman nodded to Link, confirming his thoughts. "Power…"
The mask of Majora flared itself in response.
"Wisdom," said Saria remembering the legend of the mask they had been seeking.
Sam'kemesa shined it's own light.
"Courage," completed Link.
The mask of the fierce deity glowed.
"So you understand the nature of the powers," said the mask salesman. "Finally," he sighed.
"Who… What are you?" asked Ruto feeling genuine fear from him for the first time.
"Nothing… everything… what was left when all one can feel, see, and touch is removed. An imprint if you will, trying to fill myself with something. Even this knowledge, took me thousands of years to understand."
Link and the others all looked puzzled.
"It is quite simple" he gestured to the masks. "The masks you see before you are a part of the Triforce. More specifically, the soul and personality it possesses. That is, it once did."
"What happened? Was it evil?" Link didn't want to know what a Triforce with a personality could do.
"Evil… Good… I can never be sure. I simply know it existed. It could favour or disfavour persons wishes. It acted as the Triforce's conscious and will, it's very soul! However, It was not meant to be. The first time it encountered an evil being, sealed the end of the Triforce as it was when the goddesses first created it."
"What do you mean?" asked Saria.
"Gannondorf was not the first, nor will he be the last to wish to rule the world. There is something about evil… it spreads like a fire in the soul, corrupting others without realising it. It can take on a life of its own, much as the Triforce had. When the spread of evil reached the Triforce at the core, it split its mind apart, becoming inanimate. Now, it could do as much evil as a person wished, but the Triforce cam never be blamed for it. For if the personality became evil… well, you can guess the rest.
"So the triforce's personality is not evil?" asked Link. This was becoming a bit too much of a head game.
"I- I don't- know. What is evil? How would you define it?"
"Evil is evil," said Saria. "Everyone knows what it is just by seeing it."
The salesman smirked at her remark. "Ah, but you are still children, despite your new appearances. To adults, not everything is quite as simple. That is why everyone else failed to get this far. The masks would overcome an adult who has a blurred definition of evil. Just as the Triforce has the power to change the world to match the heart of the wisher, so could the personality become a mirror of his or her mind. It was never considered, what would happen if a greedy selfish personality merged with it. So…"
The salesman paused, trying to remember what happened next.
"The first wisher of evil wanted to rule the world. In order to accommodate this, the conscience of the Triforce 'had' to be gone. There was no way around this. However, having come as an essence of the triforce, it could never be destroyed. So, it was separated into a mask. My mask. Then, just as the triforce split into its component parts, so did my mask. But, it is not a mask. It 'is' me. Can you understand? These masks are alive!"
The salesman paused again, looking at the three masks. They appeared to be waiting for him to finish the story.
"We are each other. But who is real? I know I am not. Therefore, the mind of the Triforce must be who I am. There is only one way to find out… I have waited a very long time, to be whole. Finally, I can be complete. I know who I am. I know what I am." The salesman smiled genuinely to them.
"Then who are you exactly?" asked Link.
"Who… who am I? Exactly?" It was a question nobody had ever asked him directly. Instantly, the mirage of his self shattered. He was no longer sure. "I don't know how to explain. I am what was left, when the personality and powers were stripped away… I am a- Who- someone has been guiding me. Where are you? Please show me…"
* Ignore them. Release me. Release us. We will become whole. You and I will be one. The void will be filled. The pain will be gone. You will exist once more. Become me. Become yourself. Wear me. *
The salesman sighed as he looked at the three masks all ready to become one. He started to walk to them, to stand in the centre prepared for the joining of all his powers. This was all he had wanted. To be given what everyone already had. A life.
"Wait!" said Link.
"Huh? Uh- yes?" The salesman eyes deep down pleaded to Link for him to change his intentions. He could not stop. He was no longer in control. He never was. Someone else was pulling him now.
*Do not pause. Time is close. You will be born. Come to yourself. Become yourself. All will be as it was. All will be as it was. All will be as it was. *
Link could see something was wrong. "You don't have to do this, Mask Salesman."
That was not right. He had to do it. He always had done it. It wasn't a choice anymore. "It 'is' me though, is it not? Isn't it? I mean, it must be. Of course it is!" exclaimed the Salesman. "It is what I must do. So if you don't mind…"
"Wait Mr salesman!" said Ruto.
The salesman looked at her, waiting. The Zora was taken aback by the nothingness shown In his eyes. "I- I don't trust it Mask salesman. I don't think this is right."
* Listen not. It is right. Right is what we become. The alternative is nothing. Do nothing, be nothing. Nothingness is bad. We must become something. Become something. Become something. *
"I have waited for so long," he said back. "Am I nothing without it?" His voice pleaded for a reason not to join with it. But the allure of the masks was too strong. He boldly stepped forward.
"No! Don't!" Link tried to physically stop him, but he just passed right though like a ghostly apparition.
The masks started to become one, over the mask salesman. The coalition of all the forces was an incredible sight.
*Fool.*
The mask salesman screamed.
It was an awful scream, far worse then any transformation Link had heard.
In an instant, all the lights of the pyramid were blackened, leaving a cold darkness. It spread though every inch of the island, and even further.
Everywhere, all life sensed the awakening.
The sages themselves paused to watch.
Gannondorf, forever trapped in the sacred realm, also stopped as he sensed it.
There was not a tree, nor a blade of grass that was not disturbed by the flash in the Island of Time.
The mind of the Triforce, once scattered, was now whole.
***************************
The water ran across him like the walls of a tunnel, a mirror of reflections cascading and weaving magically around him. The world was like a rubber band, snapping him closer to another point in space. The bubble of light that was around him seemed to burst again and again, each time distorting his reality as he hurtled though the warp stream.
He felt himself lock towards his destination, as the rest of his body started to catch up with him. The ocean gave a final eruption around him, as he was catapulted and spat out of the eddy.
Free from the force at last, he still could not stop. Inertia alone was now forcing him to keep going. He blinked, as the seabed started to rise. Instinctively following the curve, he did a less then graceful leap as he splashed out above the surface.
Link was completely exhausted now; his Zora body just wanted to stop after the incredible swim from the Mist Bringers. Even so, he had not forgotten about the others. He dived again, scanning the sea for signs of his friends. Unable to see them, he resurfaced once more.
"Where are they? "Navi, can you sense their presence?"
"No Link," she replied. "But around here, my powers feel weakened somehow. They must still be here, somewhere."
Link then noticed a greenish hue on the horizon. Were his friends there? With a little effort, he started to float towards it. The currents tried to push him away, but his Zora body was well adapted for this. However, even the Zora have their limits against the will of the sea.
The ocean started to get shallow, allowing him to stand up. It was a strange feeling to actually stand, having spent most of the day in the buoyant aquatic environment. He felt heavy, as the gravity took a hold of him once more. A gentle breeze welcomed him back to land, drying the droplets of water. Having given everything he could, he collapsed on the beach.
"Are you alright Link?" Navi asked concerned, giving him some light healing spells. Sometimes the young boy pushed himself too hard, she thought.
Hearing his fairy's voice soothed him more then the spells. He coughed out some sand that found its way in his throat and rolled himself to his back, the ocean tides still coming up to him.
"I'm okay. Just tired," he said taking some easy breaths as he dried off. "Are they here? "
" I can not see them Link," Navi replied apologetically.
Realising that his friends were still missing, he forced himself to get up. "Saria! Ruto!" he called out. The sounds echoed across the rocks faces surrounding the beach. He brushed the sand away from him. "We have to find them."
He started to walk a little along the beach. He could not see much of the interior of the island; a tall cliff face was obscuring it. As he walked, his bear feet started to singe on the hot sand. He proceeded to take the Zora mask away from him, letting his body become more familiar to him.
"That's better," said Link. Although he was well adapted in all the forms he could change into, it was always better to by who you really are. He liked having the sharpened Kokiri sword on hand, just in case. The beach has always been a harbour for monsters in his experience.
He hoped to find his friends soon. They had to be around here somewhere. They just had to.
Navi and Link continued to travel in silence.
The island gave him the creeps. The fact that he couldn't see the landscape yet made him on edge, far more then it should. It was as if the island was not ready yet to show him what was out there, and what he must face. There was something… strange. An almost familiar feeling permeated this land. It was something subconscious from his last adventures. A power of incredible magnitude, but an equal amount of subtlety. Whatever it was, it would not reveal itself to him. At least, for the moment.
"Saria! Ruto!" he shouted again against the ocean sounds.
"I see someone," said Navi at the slight movement of blue against the sand.
Link also spotted the blue figure and rushed towards it.
"Ruto!" said Link relieved to find her. "Are you alright?"
The Zora got up, rubbing her arms slightly. "Just a bruise," she replied. "That… was scary," she said in a state of shock. Her mind replayed the events over and over. She was not used to this kind of trip.
"Have you seen Saria?" Link asked quickly.
Ruto looked around confused. "She was just behind me then… I don't know."
Link felt his panic rise. Saria was not with them and might be in trouble. How were they supposed to find her on this unknown world? He reasoned that she wouldn't explore on her own, and must be on one of the shores. There was no way she would scale the cliffs on her own.
"Try using your song Link," Navi advised, after being unable to lock on to the Kokiri herself.
"Of course!" How could he forget? Bringing out the ocarina, he carefully played their song, holding the image of leaves blowing around the world. An image of Saria with a greenish hue was beside him now, as the leaves encircled both of them. Nothing else existed, except the forest. It existed in their minds, identical to the smallest detail.
He felt the connection to her become complete.
Saria was not talking back and her eyes were closed. However, he could still sense her mind. He thought he could hear…a flicker of images?
"She's dreaming," he said slightly embarrassed. He had never joined minds with her while she slept. Despite being curious, he did not try to enter her dreams. Instead, he gently tried to coax her mind to consciousness. Finally, her mind started to become coherent.
*Link… is that you? * Saria spoke telepathically.
*Yes. Are you alright Saria? *
*I'm fine. I was just knocked out for a while. I am on a beach. *
*So are we. *
*Is Ruto with you? *
*She is. Stay there, we'll find you. *
*Okay Link. *
Link started to drift away. He was alone to his thoughts once more. "She's okay. I feel she is somewhere further down" he described, wishing he could be more precise.
"I believe I can guide us to her, using your connection as a guide. Just as we did in the lost woods."
* Hold on Saria. *
***********
Link listened, as Saria's song became stronger. It wasn't long before they had found Saria herself. She had waited patiently on the shore, as Link told her to.
"Link!" Saria smiled running up to him. "We all made it!"
"So, What do we do next?" asked Ruto. It was far from over.
Link still felt on edge. "I'm not sure. We still have to find that mask. The salesman said it was somewhere in the center."
"Well, we are going to have to scale the cliff face first," said Saria. "I don't see any natural hills from this shore."
"No way!" Ruto protested. "I am not climbing on those rocks. I could fall!"
"They're not that high," said Link as he scanned the region. "Over there should be the easiest. Come on, we'll be on top before you know it."
"Can't we go around instead? Please?"
"I don't think so. The cliffs have looked all the same so far, " said Link, who had kept a watchful eye. "Travelling to the other side will not make much of a difference."
Ruto looked at the cliffs with complete fear. However, she wouldn't let Link know about it.
"Relax Ruto," said Saria seeing she was a bit tense. "You're not afraid of heights are you?"
"Of course not," Ruto shook her head profusely. "What in the world would give you that idea? Heights are never a problem to a Zora. I have dived many times from the waterfall back home..."
(Of course, falling on jagged rocks was not possible there…)
***********
It was quite obvious to all of them that simply 'climbing' the cliffs would not be possible. Although there were holes to climb on for the first few meters, they could not be certain if they were stable or if they could go all the way up. Even their fairies could not be sure. If they got stuck, climbing down would be lot more dangerous.
"I have an idea," said Link bringing out the hookshot. "I can use this to grab a tree from the top and hoist myself up. I can then send a rope down to you."
"I don't see any trees up there Link," said Saria. "In fact I don't see much of anything up there. Not even patches of grass or vines. Just rocks."
Link wasn't going to give up. "I can try it on the rocks then."
All the cliffs seemed to come out on a cove. However, this one was almost vertical, and should be suitable to traverse. Using the hookshot, he aimed as carefully as possible to the near edge of the top of the cliff. Pressing the release switch, the claws of the hook shot struck fast and true, shattering the rocks from the top. Link pulled on the chain, testing its strength.
"I think I've done it," he said.
"Please be careful Link," said Saria.
"I will." He pushed another switch making the hook-shot recoil, dragging him slowly upward. He held on to it firmly. He made it quickly to the end and started looked for a foothold. However, all he could find was smooth rock.
"Can you reach it Link?" shouted Ruto.
Link couldn't reply as he concentrated.
His arm was starting to get tired. Finally, he found a small hole to rest his weight upon. Slowly and purposefully, he retracted the claws on the end of the hook shot removing it, using part of the damaged wall to get extra leverage.
He was just a head away from the top. All he needed just one more foothold to reach it. He carefully stretched again higher, and miraculously found another for his hands. He pulled his body on to it, letting his feet use the holes he hands had before. Just as he was about to make the change over, his foot slipped.
"Link!" Saria and Ruto screamed as a few pebbles tumbled to them.
"I'm alright," he said not looking down.
He had to be more careful. Once again, he reached over to the next hole. Finally, with one great heave, he made it to the top… and gasped.
*********
"Link! Did you make it?" Saria shouted from below.
"Yeah I'm up," he shouted down. I don't think I'll be able to send a vine down… There's nothing here. Hold on."
Link brought out the Kokiri sword, and thrust it as hard as he could on the ground. He pushed it as far as he could, so that only the handle was visible. Using the hook shot, he attached it the end onto the rocky soil, with part of it being further secured by the sword.
"I am going to throw the hook shot down to you. You're going to have to use it to get up here," he shouted down. He let the chain become loose, and threw the hand piece down to them.
Ruto felt herself begin to tremor, as Saria examined the hookshot.
"How do I use it?" she asked.
"Hold it with your hand into it, It's like wearing a glove," Link instructed. "You'll feel a bar inside to grab onto. Then strap the buckle tightly."
"I've done it," said Saria, firmly gripping this strange instrument.
"Alright. Now, push the button inside it. The more pressure you apply, the faster you will go. Try to scale it slowly and hold the chain with your other hand."
Saria pushed the button. The chain started to become tighter, she held on as it pulled her. Soon, she was lifted off her feet, walking on the cliffs as Link had done before.
"That's right. Take it one step at a time."
"This is kind of fun!" said Saria happily, as she almost waltzed up effortlessly.
Well done," Link said pulling her up. He then sent the hookshot down again. "Your turn Ruto," he said while making sure the claws were still held strong.
Ruto hesitantly picked it up.
" Come on Ruto, it's really simple," encouraged Saria.
Ruto took a deep breath. "I can do this… I can do this…"
She did exactly what Saria had done before, placing the hook shot on her arm.
"Now push the button," said Link.
"Alright… Ahh!" She pushed the button to hard, making the hookshot recoil too fast. She hit the cliff mid way.
"Not so hard!" Link shouted.
Ruto couldn't respond as she looked down. She was holding on for dear life as the fear of falling worked its way into her. She was paralysed and tensed. "I-I can't move!"
"Come on Ruto. Just push the button again, only not so hard. Just tap it as you walk. You can do it!"
A moment's indecision hit her. What if she pushes the button? She would fall and that would be it.
Link looked concerned at the claws griping the ground. The sword was bending slightly; the rocks were not offering enough support for Ruto's weight. They could give out any time.
"Ruto you're too heavy! You have to climb up now!" Link shouted again.
"I can't-" she faltered.
"Don't look down. Look at us. You are only a few meters away. Saria and I are holding the chain, you just have to climb."
Ruto forced her eyes away from the height. She pushed the button slowly, making the chain pull at a reasonable rate this time.
Finally, she was at the top. She was never so glad to be on solid ground, as Link helped her up. She smiled joyfully, now that she can put scaling behind her. She stopped smiling, as she caught the view of the island.
All three now stared at the vast expanse.
"I don't get it…" Ruto whispered.
"Neither do I," said Saria.
Link just looked at it un-commenting.
It was a vast desert. Actually, it was not even a desert, because at least a desert had sand. All this has was blackened scorched earth.
Saria bent down, running the fine black soot though her hands. "I think its soil…"
"Soil?" Link also crouched to examine the inland dirt. "But why aren't there any plants?" The island was devoid of all life. It was a still picture, poised at a point ready to form life. Not a thing moved, not a breeze was felt. It was all… empty.
"Link… the sun," said Ruto.
"What?"
"The sun. Where is it?"
"Well it's- huh?" There was no sun at all. Link was taken aback by that startling fact.
"Where is the light coming from?" Saria wondered confused. No sun should mean complete darkness. Yet here they were… seeing everything in a lightness way. They didn't even have any shadows. The only shadows were figments of their imagination, as they tried to grasp this world's law of nature.
"Perplexing… isn't it," the mask salesman said appearing in a ghostly image.
"Where are we?" asked Link.
"Time Link… You must be careful. My time grows short… It flows towards my beginning… not to my end… Look there…"
"What?"
"There…" The salesman guided them to a black pedestal, camouflaged by the ground.
A short walk towards it, and they found a book resting on it. Link was about to reach for it-
"Wait!" The salesman blurted, fading even more with each word. He had little time left. He was being pulled at the seams; all his memories scattered. There was a warning he had to say wasn't there? What was that warning? How could he have forgotten? He recalled bits and pieces, as each fleeted past him. "Time… trap… the book explains… I… You must… your song… can not stay-" The salesman started to get an expression of deep pain, as he started to vanish.
"Come back!" said Ruto.
"I don't think we will be seeing much of him," said Saria shaking her head. "Remember, he said he could not come here."
"Should we read it?" wondered Link looking at the book's title.
"It's written in Kokiri," said Saria a little bemused.
"Don't be silly, it's clearly written in Zora runes… Why would a Zora book be here?" pondered Ruto.
"I see it as Kokiri and Hylian," said Link at the title. The words seemed to change on whatever language he was thinking. Through his travels, he had picked up the odd word from many cultures. Still, the meanings of the words were all the same. "The Book of Mudora," he recited.
"Mudora? What does that mean?" asked Saria.
"Let's find out."
Link lifted it from, the pedestal and opened the cover. As soon as he did, a deep rumbling started on the ground, as if the island was waking from its slumber. Just as suddenly, it stopped.
"What happened?" said Ruto.
"I don't know… Let's read the book."
The three started to read the passages.
"Time of destiny Time in hand, the land awakes for the chosen…" Link said reading the first line.
"The unbound is unsealed, the ultimate power that heals and destroys…" continued Saria.
"The final trial for the hero… to overcome, overpower, Time…" said Ruto. "What is this garbage? It makes no sense- ah-" She lost her footing as the land started to tremble more forcefully.
A roaring sound began from the center of the island. As the three watched, a giant pyramid rose up from the ground, made from white marble stone, gleaming with its own light. It stood as a massive sole structure in the bleak landscape, towering high into the sky.
"Incredible," said Saria in wonderment. It was a thing of beauty, in the otherwise desolate place.
"I guess that is where we go," said Ruto.
Link could only nod as he stared at it. "A pyramid," he thought. It was impossible to think how it was made by anything other then the goddesses themselves.
Saria started to wonder about the traps. The salesman tried to warn them, and the book was clearly referring to another trap they would have to overcome. Still, nothing showed itself. "Let's-"
Saria cut her sentence short as something new happened. It started with a slow whine slowly becoming higher pitched. The pyramid light started to glow even more. All the sides shone in a brilliant display of colour. The light 'pulsed' away from the structure, into the four triangles that made sides of the structure. In another flash it gained speed, spreading outward like a wave tormenting though the land.
"What is that?" Ruto gasped.
*Link… run… danger…* the salesman voice whispered.
Link darted his eyes, but could not make out where the sound was coming from. The pulsed light was like a wall, streaming though the island. His instinct took over. "Back! Go back to the cliff!"
They ran back to the edge, uncertain as to what was happening.
Back at the edge, Link turned around to see the white light engulf everything in its path of the land. It was this light he was sensing before. The familiarity of it came to him again. This was the power so vague yet powerful that it took all that came to it. The change that comes to all caught in its wake.
"Time," said Link. Unbound and unsealed. Time was attacking them!
"Something is happening to the island," said Navi.
In an instant, Plants grew with ferocity of nature. Water started to run on the land. The noise of life came and died, only to come again. Great vines wrapped themselves upon new trees, already becoming ancient. Still, the white light came closer to them.
The light was now only a meter away from them. It started to inch its way over the final points of the island, expanding itself in its domain.
Link looked back down the cliff. There was no way to make it back down.
* The song…. Link… the song… play… … *
Link lifted the ocarina of Time. He understood. He knew, not even he could stop the flow of time. At present, he can not even turn it back. But there was one thing he could do. One thing only he had the power to do. What can not be stopped, can sometimes be slowed down.
He played the inverted song of Time.
********
Zelda stood on the balcony of the castle. She looked out towards Hyrule, as the sun started to set.
She could sense something had happened. Link was at his final destination.
"Hello Nabooru," she said turning round. Her new skills, fully mastered allowed her to hear things a small instant before they happened.
Nabooru started to appear in a small breeze. She no longer looked anything like she had originally, having a Keaton form. Her nine tails spread beautifully around her. She seemed at peace, for the moment.
"You sense it to," said the keaton.
"Yes. What has happened Nabooru?"
"I fear Link is against an opponent he knows he can not outwit," Nabooru said softly.
Zelda couldn't believe it. "That can not be true! Link is the most resourceful and bravest out there!"
"I know… but what do you sense, princess?" she said standing completely still and patient.
"I don't know." How could she describe it? "A crossroad. Yes. Something has happened."
"As do I sense it," she agreed. "The masks have connected us to… something. A part of us resides with the hero, the parts of him he spilled into the masks but…" Nabooru couldn't explain what she knew. The minds of the Keaton reached out to her, pouring in their vast knowledge of the world and the insignificance of every moment in time, when faced with eternity. To simply exist was all there was. Yet she knew, this moment was very significant. The prattling of other ketone would not distract her from that.
"I can sense something else," said Zelda looking again outside. The sun had begun to set. "The forces are out of balance. When I see the shadows begin to spread, as the sun sets, I can not think they are only shadows. I fear… the sun may not rise again." It was a silly thing to say, but Nabooru looked like she took her seriously.
"Darkness eternal," said Nabooru, remembering events she had never witnessed. The keaton were of one magical essence. What one knew, they all knew. This was becoming true for Nabooru. "The shadows have been waiting. Chaos threatens to destroy the land. I… I don't know anymore." She dare not read more from the magical Keaton realm. Every time she hears them, she felt a piece of her is lost to them. "We must wait for Link."
"Yes," nodded Zelda. "Does it bother you Nabooru?" she asked her at last. She had changed so much since she last saw her.
"My new form? I- I have trouble remembering how I was… My name is… Nabooru," the Kitsune said. "Yes. My name… That was- 'is' my name. It feels like it was a lifetime ago." She had to keep reminding herself of who she was.
Zelda became worried. She could easily sympathise with what Nabooru was going though. It felt like it was just hours ago, she was nearly consumed by the alien powers of the rabbit mask. "Of course you are Nabooru! Who can forget Nabooru: ruler of the Gerudo? I'll remind you, you are revered by all, to be the greatest thief of all." She recited it as all the Gerudo spoke when referring to her.
"I remember… I truly have become a legend?" She smiled slightly as her voice became more like her old self. One thing a ketone never did was smile. It was a welcome sight to Zelda.
"Oh yes, they say your skills are unparalleled and unrivalled," The princess pressed.
The ketone looked like it blushed. "Well, I should be more modest about my skills. That was the picture I painted for myself but… it is not the complete me. It was the challenge I loved… To sneak in shadows and wait for the correct time. I remember…"
"Yes?"
The kitsune slumped disappointed. "The memories come and go. They are replaced by others thoughts, more each hour. I thank you for what you are trying to do, Princess."
"Keep everything in your memory. Do not get distracted Nabooru. Link will save us all soon. I know it."
"Yes… I need to think about this… I will ignore their call. " Nabooru disappeared once more into the wind.
"Please Link, do your best," said Zelda.
*************
The ocarina of Time glowed in Links hands. It's blue light bridged its way around the trio, working to slow everything down for them. An aura surrounded them and protected them.
"W-what happened?" said Saria.
As the light died, they could now see an island completely filled with life. The island was revitalised. Where once there was dirt, lay a jungle of vines and odd trees.
The three cautiously approached the edge of the jungle. A horde of noises was heard. They could hear hissing, chirping, and other sounds completely alien.
Saria approached a flower. "Link, look at this," she said amazed.
Link and Ruto also looked at the flower with her. The saw it grew at least ten inches off the ground. They watched it scatter seeds about, as it then died right before them. They saw the seedlings grow once more as the cycle was repeated.
"Those flowers really go about it fast," said Ruto uninterested.
"I don't think that's the only thing going fast," said Link as he stared at the plant and the implications this might have. He brought out a miniature clock he had.
"What's that?" asked Saria.
"A mechanical clock from Termina," he replied. Hyrule had not made anything like it yet. Not a compact design, at least. Most of the townspeople used public sundials to judge the passage of time.
"It looks broke to me," shrugged Ruto. The hands were whirling around crazy. "Give me an ordinary hour glass any day. At least you know they will always work. Our water clocks happen to be the most accurate of all you know. There is one in the cavern that has kept accurate for over fifty years," she said with pride.
"I don't think it's broken," said Link examining it. "Time is moving very fast. Slower for us because we have the ocarina, but still very fast." This must have been the final trap. Were it not for the ocarina, they would be long gone.
"How fast?" Saria said alarmed.
Link tried to judge it by the clock. However, the hands were spinning too fast for him to make out.
"Allow me," said Navi, letting her eyes work faster. "As far as I can tell, we are experiencing a day every minute. At least."
"Well that's not so bad," said Ruto. "That pyramid was only a couple of miles away."
"Twenty miles," estimated Link. It only looked close because of its huge size.
"We can reach it in a few hours I'm sure." Continued the Zora.
"Ruto… You've never tried to cross a swamp before" Link thought with trepidation.
"Have you Link?" asked Saria hopefully. It was nothing like the forest she knew.
"Not one like this," he said shaking his head. He had traversed small swamps in Termina, but they were not as dense or dark. It was not a prospect he did not relish to do.
"So let me get this straight," said Ruto. "In the five minutes we had this conversation, we've aged five days?" she was a little squeamish about the idea.
"At least," repeated Navi. Even she could not be certain.
"So in one day, we would- uh- twenty four hours in a day, each sixty minutes…"
"In one day we would age four years," said Saria.
Link looked at her in amazement. He was still working the sum out.
"Hey, you know I can do this easily," said Saria smiling a little. Playing with numbers was another game to them that the Deku tree had taught them. Although Link never played it much, he never got the hang of it.
"Four years?" said Ruto. So a week would be…uh-"
"Twenty-eight years," said Link flatly. Four times seven, easy to do in your head.
"Twenty-eight years? We'd be ancient by then!" said Ruto alarmed.
"And if we stay here for a long time…" Saria didn't want to complete it. "I am mortal now," She whispered to herself. He time was finite. The injustice and cruelty of this struck her. "Link! It's not fair! I thought that-"
She didn't know what to say. She was already confronted by her forced mortality and 'did' accepted it, since she would have all the time to be with Link. But now this island had cut her time short. She could feel the sands of her time slip though her fingers like water. Is this what every mortal fear?
"It's okay," said Link softly. "I promise Saria, we will not stay here for that long."
"Do you think we can make it to the pyramid?" she asked.
"We made it this far. I know we can," Link said confidently. "The ocarina is protecting us from the full effects of this place. If we hurry, we'll be okay."
Saria nodded. "Okay Link."
"Just great," said Ruto unnerved at the thought of a trek through the jungle. "I'm hungry. I feel like I haven't eaten in days…"
"I hope it's not the time effect," said Saria. They had lost all their provisions in the storm.
"You wouldn't," said Navi. "This time acceleration is magical, like the ocarina. Otherwise you would be ill with hunger by now. I think we are all still tired from the swim" the fairy reasoned.
"I suppose," said Saria. "So we won't have to eat every other minute then," she laughed nervously at the thought.
"Can't we rest a little then?" hoped Ruto.
"We have no time fore rest," said Link. "If we wait, time will literally get the better of us. We have to pass though the swamp quickly and stop this… magic."
"What if it can't be stopped?"
"I know it can. That pyramid is the key to all this. We have to get inside."
Their goal now obscured, yet still present, they continued on.
************
He could no longer see them. The Mask Salesman had to hope they would all be fine on their own. Why would the goddesses prevent him from reaching the island? His only wish was to exist and become whole.
He had tried so many ways to understand his life, if one could call it that.
"Link is my only hope. I just hope I can repay him for this service."
In truth, he was sorry. Sorry for what happened to the Deku tree, sorry for giving dangerous masks to people whom didn't know any better. Sure, he never broke any of the rules. Each placed the mask on their own. All he did was provide opportunity. But still…
"Where are you?" he asked quietly. "You have guided me here. I have done all you asked. Why do you stay silent now? Or is it because I am you? Have I been talking to myself this whole time?"
There wasn't an answer. He didn't expect one. He was so drawn to the mask of Sam'kemesa, just out there beyond his reach. He had taught Link all his tricks, without him realising it.
"From now on, it is not us. It is I alone. I will wait. Such a cursed trap, time is something I can not exist in. On the island of time, it is far too much for me to compensate with. I do not exist. Link, only you can breach… Time. "
**************
Link knew they were close.
The jungle's plant life moved about a lot more then he was used to. It was possible to actually watch them grow, spin, and do all these things as fast as a person. It was unnerving to see how alive an ordinary plant could be in this place.
As they approached the plants, they began to slow down as if entering into their time speed. Still, a day a minute is very fast.
Link felt himself grow stronger with each step. He sliced and cut at the vines with his sword. With another slice, they were now in a small clearing.
He couldn't tell how long they had wondered around. Saria followed at an even pace, but Ruto was slowing them a little. The Zora had little experience on land, let alone a swamp. She was not exactly made for this place.
"A little help here," said Ruto who had become tangled in some vines.
Link cut them once again with a quick slash.
"Thanks," she said. "I don't understand this place. These vines are so… persistent." They seemed to grow as soon as Link cut them.
"Why don't you use your fins to cut them?" said Saria. She knew that from her experience in the sea they could be extremely sharp. Having never seen a grown Zora, she didn't want to know how powerful their sea warriors could be.
"What do you think I've been doing forest-girl!" She said rubbing her sore fins. Just now, they have been loosing their sharpness. The last time she used them on some thorn-vines, she actually got cut. Perhaps these plants were getting tougher. Perhaps…
"Ruto, I thought Zora blades were indestructible," said Saria, noticing how blunt Ruto's fins had become. Tiny grooves were also becoming more evident around them.
"They are! Well… when we're children," she added embarrassed about it. "Not that it's any of your business."
"Oh."
How much time has passed for them now? With every step they took, they were getting older. Ruto watched Link most of all. The young Hylian had become taller. His confidence radiated outward, not that it wasn't visible before. It's just now it was more apparent and natural. His aura seemed to shine into the burning resolve he presented. Navi had said they are experiencing one day a minute.
Ruto looked at her hands. "One day a minute?" she asked herself. It felt far faster then that, as she was already beginning her transition to adulthood. A little faster then expected, but all the same, she was curious.
Link stopped as he felt a chill. In an instant, the jungle shifted into a hibernating period. Leaves fell, flowers died. As the sounds of life became quiet, the temperature started to plummet.
"What's going on?" he said as a trickle of snow started to fall. Snow in a jungle? The seasons passed by in a blink; it never really changed as dramatic as it had now. It was preposterous. He had never heard of such a thing happening ever… except once.
"Just like in the story Link," Saria said as she rubbed her arms to gather some warmth.
"I remember," he said thinking back. "But… can it really happen?"
"Can what happen?" said Ruto.
"The Deku tree told us of a time when everything is covered in snow, regardless of the season" explained Saria.
The plants were the next to die. Gone were the green shards as they became brown and dead, blanketed by more snow.
"He called it an ice age," said Link.
The desolate wasteland returned, covered now by a white landscape. The snow built up gently, yet incredibly fast. The only exception was in their immediate surroundings, thanks to the ocarina.
"Ice age?" said Ruto.
"According to legend, it happens very occasionally, and was one of the things the Deku tree protected us from" said Saria chattering her teeth from the bitter wind.
"And it's happening now" said Link. He thought for a minute he could see the pyramid, but it was already buried in snow.
A sudden flurry of Ice blasted into them, hitting them all in the face. They brought their arms up to shield themselves from the blizzard, but the might of nature chilled them to the bone and tossed them like cloth hard onto the ground.
"We need to find shelter!" said Ruto feeling frozen.
"Where? This is an Island! There are no caves or anything!" shouted Saria.
"Then we'll have to dig," said Link. "Follow me!"
They braved though the snow, hoping to find something. With the trees all gone, they had to make their own shelter. The snow started to collect in gigantic mountains and dunes. Finding a pile, they started digging into the side of one. However, they were becoming too cold to build it.
Saria felt her hands go numb as she ploughed away with the others. She was freezing away from the inside. Her lips started to go blue.
Ruto continued to work, since the cold did not bother the Zora as much. However, she started to become disoriented and laggard in her movements.
One by one, they fell unable to work.
Link wasn't going to give up yet. Mustering his power, he yelled out a spell. "Dins fire!"
The Ring of Fire cut across against the blizzard, giving them momentary warmth. When the ring died, the blizzard attacked them again. He realised this wasn't working.
"L-Link," said Saria. "What about a f-fire arrow? Use it on the snow… make the shelter with that."
Link brought out an arrow, charging it with fire. He was very tired, and couldn't do more magic like this. He aimed it carefully in the hold they had dug. He had to do this just right.
He fired.
The arrow struck inside the hole, melting the snow further inside. Link used his mind to direct the heat correctly inside, creating a small cavern from the melted water.
"Now an ice arrow! Quickly! Before it collapses!" said Navi urgently.
Link fired an ice arrow against the melted interior snow. The magical coldness hit on the powdery wall of the cavern, solidifying all around it and stopping it from collapsing. The sheet of ice had created a natural solid wall.
"Inside!" He instructed.
One by one, they all crawled into the icy cave.
********
Once inside, Link fired an ice arrow at the entrance, blocking off the blizzard.
It was pitch dark, accept for the sounds of heavy breathing. Outside, the weather continued its relentless barrage. It was so cold.
Link held out a fire arrow, letting them feel illumination and heat. Their fairies could not do much to help. Something about this place was suppressing their ability to glow.
There wasn't much room, so Ruto and Saria were close with him. They didn't speak for a while, finding solace in the heat from the arrow. Saria brought out a deku stick, and lit it to spread some more heat between them.
"Do we have enough air?" she asked.
"We should have enough for a little while," said Link.
Ruto started to feel faint. "Link, I don't think I can stay awake anymore."
"But you have to!" said Saria.
"No, you don't understand," Ruto tried to explain as she lay down closing her eyes. "Cold does not kill a Zora. I can go into a trance, to sleep until warmer weather arrives… besides, it will help you conserve the air if I sleep now."
"Are you sure?" asked Link. It sounded a little dangerous.
"Don't worry Link… I'll be fine… I will wake when it becomes warmer, I promise. We always do… trust me."
"Maybe if we turn into Zora using the masks, can we do the same thing?" questioned Saria.
"No! You two mustn't try it. You don't know how to do the cold sleep. It's not like normal sleep. It's-" she started to slur her speech. "Trust me on this." She quietly lied down, undisturbed by the cold ground.
Link went to the Zora, touching her skin. It was like ice.
"Please don't worry," said Ruto again, as she became drowsy. . "Just let me sleep. Concentrate on keeping yourselves warm. I want you to be there when I wake…"
"Okay Ruto."
The Zora smiled, letting her self drift to the cold sleep. She a little afraid to do this, since it was her first time without another Zora showing her. However, her instincts guided her well, and soon she was in the cold sleep.
"Is she alright?" said Saria.
Link listened to her heartbeat. It was strong but slowed down a lot. "I think so. I remember the Zorans were imprisoned in ice when I was in the future. Like she says, she should be okay."
"G-good," Saria said. She was freezing now. At least they were out of the winds.
Link came close to her. The last of their fires had died, and Link didn't have enough magic to create more or even any deku sticks to burn. It would be dangerous to invoke more fire anyway, as it could melt the very ice shielding them or take more precious air. Their fairies were only tiny points of light, unable to illuminate their surroundings. They sat alone silently in the darkness.
"Hold me Link," said Saria at last.
Link did so. The heats of their bodies were their only hope. They had nothing else to keep warm with. They were feeling fatigued as everything they did caught up with them. However unlike Ruto, if they fell asleep, there was a good chance they would not wake.
"Talk to me Link" she whispered.
"I- I don't know what to talk about," he said for the first time to Saria. He had talked about anything and everything to her. They had no secrets from each other.
"Then tell me, what is it like… to grow up? I want to know… before I do. Will I forget all that I am now?"
"No, you are still the same person. Growing will not change who you are."
"How did you feel, when you travelled into the future?"
I remember I was stronger and… It was all so new. I don't know how to explain it, I can't remember some of it."
"Please Link. Tell me what you can remember. What did you feel?"
"Well… I felt like I was in charge of my own destiny. For a while, anyway." Sometimes, he felt destiny was the one thing he could never control. "Growing up gives you the chance for a destiny."
"You could always do what you wanted to when you were with us," The Kokiri had only a handful of rules. She remembered the wild spirit of her friend and his thirst for adventure. All the Kokiri shared this fantasy, but leaving the woods was the only taboo.
"I know," Link smiled, ignoring how cold it was. "But… I felt like the world was out there and, for the first time, I had the power to change it. When you grow up, you get a responsibility… for the world. You can then change it… and make the world a part of you, as you are of it." Link shook his head as he stumbled over the words. Maybe the cold was finally getting to him.
"I think I understand," said Saria. "How old are we Link?"
"I'm not sure," he said. "Maybe about thirteen now," he guessed.
So she was thirteen. Age crept on to both of them. Outside, it was as if centuries were passing by in mere moments. How long could the magic protect them?
Growing older like this was not a problem for Link. It was something he had gone though many times. Of course, he had never gone though the actual transition before. For Saria, it was a completely new experience, a journey she was taking on her own for the first time. Link explained to her that it is a journey everyone takes on their own anyway, and it is nothing to worry about.
As conversation became sparse, Link started to fall asleep. Warm dreams meshed with the cold reality of the shelter. He heard the voice of his friends. He was back home, under the warm glow of the deku tree. His life long friend, always beside him. Laughter filled a cloudless sky. Their special place in the meadow, untouched by any of the other Kokiri. Every part of it he remembered, as if he was there right now.
"I love you."
He snapped awake. Saria was beside him still wrapped into him and had not moved. Did she really say it? "Saria…"
"Yes Link?"
"Did... you say something?"
"It's cold Link," Saria stated. "Tell me more…"
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Tell me about… anything."
Link tried to think of something to say. "You already know everything about me Saria. I don't know what more to say."
"We did many things together. I remember us playing in the forest… our sacred meadow," she trailed in the memory.
Link reawakened his dreams. "We will play even more, once this is over."
"Even if we become old?"
"Memories never go," said Link.
"How's Ruto?"
Link tried to listen for the Zora. She was breathing slowly as she slept. He envied her for a while, sleeping though this big freeze as if it were nothing.
They continued to hold each other tightly.
*********
The centuries came and went, making the island of time heave once more. The winds of time catalysed the speed of change though out the area. In an instant, it became warmer. Ice started to disappear, leaving a barren earth to sustain new life.
Tiny seeds, having waited aeons for this opportunity, relished in the warmth. They started to grow. The generation gave life to another generation, continuing to reproduce perpetually. A new, simpler ecosystem resulted, still trying to rekindle towards its former glory. Given time it shall.
But it will take time.
*********
Inside the shelter, Link felt the change in climate. The icy walls started to dissipate on their own, letting them see the bright sky. The ice cavern dissolved all around them. He felt renewed, as the heat worked its way back into his body, even if there was no visible source of the heat.
Still Link held to his friend.
Saria opened her eyes. She saw Link looking back at her. "Link? Is that you?" she removed herself and stared at the tall Hylian.
"Saria?" Link stared back shocked.
"W-what?"
Link didn't know what to say as he stared at the young woman before him. "You're… beautiful."
Saria ran her hand through her hair. It had become longer, to her shoulder. Her clothes had become tightened, leaving little to the imagination. Link blushed a little as he looked at her. Saria's fairy used what little remained of it's magic, and started to lengthen her clothing to make it fit for her new proportions.
"I-I'm grown up," said Saria stating the obvious.
They stared at each other for literally centuries from the perspective of the island.
Ruto started to rise unsteadily and groaning. "Oh… how long was I out?" Her balance was all wrong, and she felt extremely heavy. She lifted her arms, seeing her fins all spread into her adult form. She could see Link too, all grown, as well as Saria.
She joined to stare at them, unable to say anything.
Life started to recover once more on the island, in a slightly slower pace. However, they had not yet become as dense as they were previously, and the pyramid was now visible.
Link blinked, breaking the staring. He turned around to see the pyramid. "We're almost there," he said.
"Right" Saria came beside him again. "Let's go."
********
Deep inside Link's interdimensional bag, something stirred. A piece of a greater whole was beginning to resonate. It will not be long. The final truth shall be revealed.
The spirit of the fierce deity mask flared into life.
********
The three approached the stairs of they pyramid. A gigantic door was the only thing stopping them.
"How do we get in?" said Ruto.
Link touched the door. Instantly it swung open. "I guess we are expected," he thought.
The passageway inside was lit with torches. The white marble stone gleamed inside to a polish, as if the entire structure was carved right out of a mountain.
They arrived in the first room. There was another pedestal, with ancient writing.
"What does it say?" said Saria.
"I can't read it," said Link frustrated.
"I know! Why don't you use that book to translate it?"
"The book of Mudora!" said Link realising he still had it. He brought the book up to the words, willing them to appear in a language he understood. In moments, the book began writing a translation for him.
"Time is the power of creation and destruction. Those who have braved against its currents are deemed worthy of the final power of the Triforce."
"The Triforce?" said Saria confused.
"I think these runes show a story… wait a sec. Look at this." Link pointed to some more writing. He began translating from the book of Mudora. "-And so, the goddesses left behind the holy relic called the Triforce. The ultimate power from which all power flow through."
"We know this," said Ruto who had heard the story about a million times. She looked around the room for more writing, when she came across some hieroglyphics. "That's strange," she said looking at one particular slab. "Hey guys, I think I found something you should see."
There, beside the Triforce, was an unmistakable picture of the Mask Salesman. He was placed behind the Triforce, with an expression of complete blankness. It was like he was an afterthought, in who or whatever drew the pictures.
"What does it mean?" said Saria.
Ruto touched the slab curiously. The eyes of the mask salesman's picture started to glow, activating a mechanism which opened the next door.
The trio continued cautiously on to the next room. It was identical in size and shape to the previous, complete with more pictures. The diagrams on this one represented the Triforce itself. Inset to it, were the pictures of the masks. Three distinct masks, of which Link recognised two.
"The Triforce and the masks are linked in some way," said Saria. "But how can that be?"
"I'm not sure." Link touched the picture representing the mask of the Fierce Deity. The colouring on the picture deepened. The mask inside his bag started to vibrate in response. Link took it out, holding the mask in front of the diagram. There was an audible click, as the next door opened.
They all gasped at the sight of the room. It was the gigantic interior of the pyramid. The lights only allowed them to see the ground, but could not reach the perpetual darkness of the top point. Across a marble floor, right in the centre, was a raised pedestal. On top of this was a floating mask, rotating about its position.
"Sam'kemesa," said Link awed as they walked towards it.
The mask's design spoke of the knowledge of the ages. Link knew, upon wearing it, he would know everything. The knowledge of magic, science, the secrets of history and Time, everything. There would be nothing unknown.
One would almost be called… a god.
Instantly, the mask salesman appeared. But this time, he was not grinning. He had a frown. "I have come…" He held out the Mask of Majora. It moved away from his hand, taking it's position top-left from the mask of Sam'kemesa.
The mask of the fierce deity Suddenly flew out of Link's hand. It floated up, taking a position bottom left of the mask of Majora. The three flared briefly, each welcoming the other.
Link's eyes became wide as he recognised the pattern.
The salesman nodded to Link, confirming his thoughts. "Power…"
The mask of Majora flared itself in response.
"Wisdom," said Saria remembering the legend of the mask they had been seeking.
Sam'kemesa shined it's own light.
"Courage," completed Link.
The mask of the fierce deity glowed.
"So you understand the nature of the powers," said the mask salesman. "Finally," he sighed.
"Who… What are you?" asked Ruto feeling genuine fear from him for the first time.
"Nothing… everything… what was left when all one can feel, see, and touch is removed. An imprint if you will, trying to fill myself with something. Even this knowledge, took me thousands of years to understand."
Link and the others all looked puzzled.
"It is quite simple" he gestured to the masks. "The masks you see before you are a part of the Triforce. More specifically, the soul and personality it possesses. That is, it once did."
"What happened? Was it evil?" Link didn't want to know what a Triforce with a personality could do.
"Evil… Good… I can never be sure. I simply know it existed. It could favour or disfavour persons wishes. It acted as the Triforce's conscious and will, it's very soul! However, It was not meant to be. The first time it encountered an evil being, sealed the end of the Triforce as it was when the goddesses first created it."
"What do you mean?" asked Saria.
"Gannondorf was not the first, nor will he be the last to wish to rule the world. There is something about evil… it spreads like a fire in the soul, corrupting others without realising it. It can take on a life of its own, much as the Triforce had. When the spread of evil reached the Triforce at the core, it split its mind apart, becoming inanimate. Now, it could do as much evil as a person wished, but the Triforce cam never be blamed for it. For if the personality became evil… well, you can guess the rest.
"So the triforce's personality is not evil?" asked Link. This was becoming a bit too much of a head game.
"I- I don't- know. What is evil? How would you define it?"
"Evil is evil," said Saria. "Everyone knows what it is just by seeing it."
The salesman smirked at her remark. "Ah, but you are still children, despite your new appearances. To adults, not everything is quite as simple. That is why everyone else failed to get this far. The masks would overcome an adult who has a blurred definition of evil. Just as the Triforce has the power to change the world to match the heart of the wisher, so could the personality become a mirror of his or her mind. It was never considered, what would happen if a greedy selfish personality merged with it. So…"
The salesman paused, trying to remember what happened next.
"The first wisher of evil wanted to rule the world. In order to accommodate this, the conscience of the Triforce 'had' to be gone. There was no way around this. However, having come as an essence of the triforce, it could never be destroyed. So, it was separated into a mask. My mask. Then, just as the triforce split into its component parts, so did my mask. But, it is not a mask. It 'is' me. Can you understand? These masks are alive!"
The salesman paused again, looking at the three masks. They appeared to be waiting for him to finish the story.
"We are each other. But who is real? I know I am not. Therefore, the mind of the Triforce must be who I am. There is only one way to find out… I have waited a very long time, to be whole. Finally, I can be complete. I know who I am. I know what I am." The salesman smiled genuinely to them.
"Then who are you exactly?" asked Link.
"Who… who am I? Exactly?" It was a question nobody had ever asked him directly. Instantly, the mirage of his self shattered. He was no longer sure. "I don't know how to explain. I am what was left, when the personality and powers were stripped away… I am a- Who- someone has been guiding me. Where are you? Please show me…"
* Ignore them. Release me. Release us. We will become whole. You and I will be one. The void will be filled. The pain will be gone. You will exist once more. Become me. Become yourself. Wear me. *
The salesman sighed as he looked at the three masks all ready to become one. He started to walk to them, to stand in the centre prepared for the joining of all his powers. This was all he had wanted. To be given what everyone already had. A life.
"Wait!" said Link.
"Huh? Uh- yes?" The salesman eyes deep down pleaded to Link for him to change his intentions. He could not stop. He was no longer in control. He never was. Someone else was pulling him now.
*Do not pause. Time is close. You will be born. Come to yourself. Become yourself. All will be as it was. All will be as it was. All will be as it was. *
Link could see something was wrong. "You don't have to do this, Mask Salesman."
That was not right. He had to do it. He always had done it. It wasn't a choice anymore. "It 'is' me though, is it not? Isn't it? I mean, it must be. Of course it is!" exclaimed the Salesman. "It is what I must do. So if you don't mind…"
"Wait Mr salesman!" said Ruto.
The salesman looked at her, waiting. The Zora was taken aback by the nothingness shown In his eyes. "I- I don't trust it Mask salesman. I don't think this is right."
* Listen not. It is right. Right is what we become. The alternative is nothing. Do nothing, be nothing. Nothingness is bad. We must become something. Become something. Become something. *
"I have waited for so long," he said back. "Am I nothing without it?" His voice pleaded for a reason not to join with it. But the allure of the masks was too strong. He boldly stepped forward.
"No! Don't!" Link tried to physically stop him, but he just passed right though like a ghostly apparition.
The masks started to become one, over the mask salesman. The coalition of all the forces was an incredible sight.
*Fool.*
The mask salesman screamed.
It was an awful scream, far worse then any transformation Link had heard.
In an instant, all the lights of the pyramid were blackened, leaving a cold darkness. It spread though every inch of the island, and even further.
Everywhere, all life sensed the awakening.
The sages themselves paused to watch.
Gannondorf, forever trapped in the sacred realm, also stopped as he sensed it.
There was not a tree, nor a blade of grass that was not disturbed by the flash in the Island of Time.
The mind of the Triforce, once scattered, was now whole.
***************************