Chapter Five: Fallen to Darkness
After they had calmed Rauru down each of them had gone their separate ways and Ruto opted to stay and watch the waning Light Sage. Zelda had gone to her chambers to rest for the vision had drained her more than she realized. She tried to read to calm her nerves, but could feel her strength leaving her as she sat in the chair and dragged herself to bed. She only had a moment to be weary of sleeping again lest another vision came upon her, but she was out the moment her head settled on the pillow. It was not a long sleep, but Zelda woke up feeling refreshed nonetheless.
She brushed her hair quickly, never being able to get out of the habits of her actual mortal form, and admired its long, golden strands. Walking along the hallways of the Sacred Realm Zelda did nothing but contemplate her vision, trying very hard to remember everything that happened and in detail. She chanted the words like mantra over and over again to herself, seeking deeper meanings to words that perhaps weren't there. Do not try to analyze…The memory of Rauru's voice interrupted her thoughts, but she couldn't help it, she had to know what it meant.
"We are connected, you and I," Zelda traced a finger along the back of her hand where the Triforce mark had burned.
Yes, she knew that she and the Goddess Naryu were connected in a very special way. Zelda carried within her the piece of Triforce that was Wisdom, the essence of the Great Naryu, left when the Three Goddesses ascended back to the heavens. It made her more spiritually connected with the Goddess than the most devout priest. It was at times an overwhelming existence. She would have had Link to unburden herself on because he carried the Triforce piece for Courage, the essence of Farore, like she carried Wisdom, but it was not often she spoke to him. This was much to her disappointment. And then there was the Triforce of Power, lost forever in a depraved vessel, locked away in the Dark Realm, wasted; useless…trapped inside Ganondorf, the son of evil as far as she was concerned.
But she didn't want to think of that anymore, she was going to listen to Rauru and not give her vision another thought. All she needed was something else to think about…anything to think about…Zelda turned another corner and found herself standing in the atrium which was flooded with sunlight. In the Sacred Realm, it represented her 'quiet place', the dwelling in her consciousness that was reserved as her escape from the world. Only here could it become something she could touch and feel. Zelda stretched luxuriously and sat at an open bench underneath a climbing rose with pink blossoms, her favorite kind of course. She handled the delicate pedals with her long, slender fingers and her mind rested on a memory of the past…on a memory of him.
He had given her a rose of the very same type on a summer day; the type of day one would usually set a romantic story in. Zelda looked more closely into the flower, into its fuzzy yellow center and remembered the color of his hair, just like the heart of the bloom. She was younger then and had fallen in love so easily that even her usually perceptive nature didn't realize it until she had already fallen to deep.
He was one of Impa's people, the Sheikah, thought to be a forgotten race but not so. They were nomads, drifting along through the Foltuc Mountains bordering between Inis Morgen and Orindaem. She and Impa had taken refuge with them while hiding from Ganondorf, so in a way Zelda could have thanked him. And then there was the accident, rocks everywhere…he disappeared and she never saw him again…Impa had taken her away for it was no longer safe for them there…but what had happened to him? Had he lived? No…she saw the rocks bury him alive…there was no chance he survived and Zelda knew better than to let her heart ache over things she knew couldn't come true. Tears welled in her eyes again and she wiped them away with the back of her hand, clutching the rose close to her heart.
"Sheik," she whispered, rocking herself gently back and forth, "come back to me…"
Lost in her memories Zelda could barely feel anything else…all but one thing. Her head shot up and she bolted from the bench running at full stride through the maze of corridors and bursting into Rauru's chambers. Zelda's heart was beating furiously in her head as she rushed to the bedside, clutching Rauru's hand tightly between her own. Impa shook her head solemnly and watched her old friend slip away into the next life. Zelda kissed each of his hands and fell to her knees, whispering a silent prayer to the Goddesses to keep him safe. Rauru's eyes were closed, and his breathing was becoming fainter and fainter until his chest ceased to rise again. Zelda could feel the overwhelming loss of his consciousness as it departed from their world, and she felt alone. He was gone…Rauru, the Sage of Light, was dead.
AN: Just a friendly reminder to REVIEW!!!!!!! This is the conclusion of THIS story, not the entire thing. Oh yes, there is another for the few to read! *Thinks to self* There has to be a way to get more reviews…hm…I can't think it's a bad story because the few reviews I have had are very complimentary…so what is it? To long? I personally like a good long read. Oh well, I thank the few :)