Link did not get back until close to 4:30. He put Epona back into
her stable and quietly made his way back to the fortress. The route that
he took went past Zelda's room, and he paused for a moment to look in on
her. He felt so rotten for what he had just done, but when he saw her
sleeping so peacefully, with the pale moonlight spilling into the room, he
knew he had done the right thing, and went back to his room with a lighter
heart.
Exhausted, he fell into bed. And for the second time on the journey, he dreamed.
It was Rauru again. Link supposed that Rauru represented wisdom, and that was why he was often the form in his dreams. Whatever the matter, they were both sitting at a long table on the opposite heads. Even though they were far from each other, each could hear the other clearly. Rauru said:
"So what are you going to do next?" Rauru asked, not looking up from his toast. Even in the surreal world, he was still Rauru.
"I'm not really sure," Link answered honestly. He did not eat; he wasn't hungry.
"You can't go back to the castle. Not yet."
"I know." Link sighed. "For more reasons than one."
"You just had to fall in love with the princess."
"Yep." He looked up. "But that's going to be fine. I...I feel it."
"Well, I'm not one to tell you what the future holds. But, it is going to be okay. I'll say that."
Link smiled. "I knew it!"
Rauru's eyes turned grave for but a moment. Then he brightened again and said: "However, I think I may be able to help you with this...mysterious light."
Link leaned forward a bit. "Really?"
"Yes. There is an old woman named Aurelia who lives on the edge of Hyrule Field, north of Lake Hylia, beyond the forest. She may be able to help you."
"Does she know...?"
"She knows many things. A lot will be helpful to you."
"Thank you," Link said.
That was the end of the dream.
When next he woke, the sun was shining through the square-cut window. Aurelia, beyond the forest north of Lake Hylia...he remembered the dream clearly. Could it be trusted? Well, he thought, getting up and going to the window, it's not like he had anything to lose.
Outside, the sun was in the 9:00 position; good, he hadn't slept in too late. Down in the courtyard, it appeared that the Gerudo were teaching Zelda horseback archery. The princess was on one of the desert horse's back, riding swiftly. She managed to hit three bulls' eyes before she lost her grip and the arrow went several feet above the fourth one. She halted her horse and laughed. Link smiled too.
With a stretch, he stepped away from the window and left his room. A Gerudo was waiting outside with some breakfast. Upon Link's questioning look, she said, "From the Lady Sage."
Link nodded and thanked her. The woman scurried away down the stone corridor.
The hero ate his food in his room before going off in search of people. When he got outside, Zelda was just getting off of her horse. She saw Link, smiled, and ran over. "They think I'm getting pretty good at this!" She said.
Link laughed. "I knew you would."
"So, what's up?" She asked, unstringing her bow.
"I had a dream again," Link began.
Zelda's eyes grew concerned. "Was Rauru there again? What's happened?"
"He thinks he knows of someone who can help us with the whole light- in-the-sky thing," Link said.
"Really? Who?"
"Her name is Aurelia and she lives alone beyond the forest north of Lake Hylia. Rauru says she knows...something."
"Let's go, then! We haven't got any time to lose!"
"Epona's in the Gerudo's stables," Link said, leading the way up the sandy hill.
The palomino mare was just where Link had left her last night, in the last stall by the tack room. He saddled the horse, and then they were off. They thanked the Gerudo as they went by them. The women waved goodbyes.
The cool Field proved a welcome change from the heat of the desert. The road that they took was mostly hidden under a rock overhang anyway, so they were shaded from the noon sun as they made their way towards Lake Hylia. "There's the forest," Link said, pointing as the forest came into view.
"Have you ever been in there before?" Zelda asked.
"Once. I never went back after that."
"What happened?"
"There was this really nasty Poe-"
"A Poe? I'm sorry, Link, but-A POE?" Zelda giggled.
"This was not your ordinary Poe!" Link insisted.
"When was this?"
"Umm...Oh yeah, I'd just arrived in the future. Hadn't even been to the Forest Temple yet."
"Well, that explains a lot," Zelda said. "Now that you're the full- fledged Hero of Time, should be no big deal, right?"
"They're still spooky," Link said with a shiver.
"I'm sorry," Zelda apologized, fighting her laughter.
"Yeah, well, you should be," he answered, kissing her cheek. They were approaching the tree line.
The forest was a forest, and it wasn't; it was sort of an oversize grove, a clump of trees that grew too far apart to be a forest, but numbered too many to be anything else. The forest hid no animals but birds and rabbits and the occasional Keese. As for Poes, there hadn't been one seen in Hyrule Field since Ganon's defeat, so there was really no trouble as Link and Zelda made their way through the trees and shrubs.
On the other side, around a hidden bend in the rock wall, a simple, wooden-walled house stood. Its only features were a cheerful chimney on the roof, and a fence around the sides of it, extending in the front for a sort of garden. In the garden, a familiar paint horse stood. "Odin?" Zelda wondered. "Odin!" After Link reined in Epona outside the gate, the princess jumped off and ran to greet her horse. He nickered and pressed his large head against her shoulder. "We missed you! Where have you been?"
"Is he yours?" A voice from the door of the house asked. Zelda turned suddenly to see an old, but not ancient, woman standing on the stoop. "He's been here for several days. I told him he was welcome to stay as long as he liked, but he seems to be very happy to see you."
"Yes, he is mine," Zelda said. "Thank you for taking care of him."
"Are you Aurelia?" Link asked as he uncinched Epona's saddle.
The old woman smiled warmly. "I am. Your horse can stay too, as long as she likes. Why don't you both come inside?" Aurelia said, beckoning. "Then you can tell me why you have come here."
Link turned Epona loose in the garden, and he and Zelda went inside. They sat at a low wooden table while Aurelia made some cider. "I never liked tea much," she explained.
Over her shoulder, Aurelia kept looking at Link, as if she was trying to figure something out. "What is it?" The hero asked.
"You're Link, aren't you?" Aurelia asked, more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah," he said. "Why?"
"Oh, it's nothing, really," she said with a smile. "It's just-well, you look just like your mother!"
"What?" Link whispered, as his mouth fell open in shock.
Exhausted, he fell into bed. And for the second time on the journey, he dreamed.
It was Rauru again. Link supposed that Rauru represented wisdom, and that was why he was often the form in his dreams. Whatever the matter, they were both sitting at a long table on the opposite heads. Even though they were far from each other, each could hear the other clearly. Rauru said:
"So what are you going to do next?" Rauru asked, not looking up from his toast. Even in the surreal world, he was still Rauru.
"I'm not really sure," Link answered honestly. He did not eat; he wasn't hungry.
"You can't go back to the castle. Not yet."
"I know." Link sighed. "For more reasons than one."
"You just had to fall in love with the princess."
"Yep." He looked up. "But that's going to be fine. I...I feel it."
"Well, I'm not one to tell you what the future holds. But, it is going to be okay. I'll say that."
Link smiled. "I knew it!"
Rauru's eyes turned grave for but a moment. Then he brightened again and said: "However, I think I may be able to help you with this...mysterious light."
Link leaned forward a bit. "Really?"
"Yes. There is an old woman named Aurelia who lives on the edge of Hyrule Field, north of Lake Hylia, beyond the forest. She may be able to help you."
"Does she know...?"
"She knows many things. A lot will be helpful to you."
"Thank you," Link said.
That was the end of the dream.
When next he woke, the sun was shining through the square-cut window. Aurelia, beyond the forest north of Lake Hylia...he remembered the dream clearly. Could it be trusted? Well, he thought, getting up and going to the window, it's not like he had anything to lose.
Outside, the sun was in the 9:00 position; good, he hadn't slept in too late. Down in the courtyard, it appeared that the Gerudo were teaching Zelda horseback archery. The princess was on one of the desert horse's back, riding swiftly. She managed to hit three bulls' eyes before she lost her grip and the arrow went several feet above the fourth one. She halted her horse and laughed. Link smiled too.
With a stretch, he stepped away from the window and left his room. A Gerudo was waiting outside with some breakfast. Upon Link's questioning look, she said, "From the Lady Sage."
Link nodded and thanked her. The woman scurried away down the stone corridor.
The hero ate his food in his room before going off in search of people. When he got outside, Zelda was just getting off of her horse. She saw Link, smiled, and ran over. "They think I'm getting pretty good at this!" She said.
Link laughed. "I knew you would."
"So, what's up?" She asked, unstringing her bow.
"I had a dream again," Link began.
Zelda's eyes grew concerned. "Was Rauru there again? What's happened?"
"He thinks he knows of someone who can help us with the whole light- in-the-sky thing," Link said.
"Really? Who?"
"Her name is Aurelia and she lives alone beyond the forest north of Lake Hylia. Rauru says she knows...something."
"Let's go, then! We haven't got any time to lose!"
"Epona's in the Gerudo's stables," Link said, leading the way up the sandy hill.
The palomino mare was just where Link had left her last night, in the last stall by the tack room. He saddled the horse, and then they were off. They thanked the Gerudo as they went by them. The women waved goodbyes.
The cool Field proved a welcome change from the heat of the desert. The road that they took was mostly hidden under a rock overhang anyway, so they were shaded from the noon sun as they made their way towards Lake Hylia. "There's the forest," Link said, pointing as the forest came into view.
"Have you ever been in there before?" Zelda asked.
"Once. I never went back after that."
"What happened?"
"There was this really nasty Poe-"
"A Poe? I'm sorry, Link, but-A POE?" Zelda giggled.
"This was not your ordinary Poe!" Link insisted.
"When was this?"
"Umm...Oh yeah, I'd just arrived in the future. Hadn't even been to the Forest Temple yet."
"Well, that explains a lot," Zelda said. "Now that you're the full- fledged Hero of Time, should be no big deal, right?"
"They're still spooky," Link said with a shiver.
"I'm sorry," Zelda apologized, fighting her laughter.
"Yeah, well, you should be," he answered, kissing her cheek. They were approaching the tree line.
The forest was a forest, and it wasn't; it was sort of an oversize grove, a clump of trees that grew too far apart to be a forest, but numbered too many to be anything else. The forest hid no animals but birds and rabbits and the occasional Keese. As for Poes, there hadn't been one seen in Hyrule Field since Ganon's defeat, so there was really no trouble as Link and Zelda made their way through the trees and shrubs.
On the other side, around a hidden bend in the rock wall, a simple, wooden-walled house stood. Its only features were a cheerful chimney on the roof, and a fence around the sides of it, extending in the front for a sort of garden. In the garden, a familiar paint horse stood. "Odin?" Zelda wondered. "Odin!" After Link reined in Epona outside the gate, the princess jumped off and ran to greet her horse. He nickered and pressed his large head against her shoulder. "We missed you! Where have you been?"
"Is he yours?" A voice from the door of the house asked. Zelda turned suddenly to see an old, but not ancient, woman standing on the stoop. "He's been here for several days. I told him he was welcome to stay as long as he liked, but he seems to be very happy to see you."
"Yes, he is mine," Zelda said. "Thank you for taking care of him."
"Are you Aurelia?" Link asked as he uncinched Epona's saddle.
The old woman smiled warmly. "I am. Your horse can stay too, as long as she likes. Why don't you both come inside?" Aurelia said, beckoning. "Then you can tell me why you have come here."
Link turned Epona loose in the garden, and he and Zelda went inside. They sat at a low wooden table while Aurelia made some cider. "I never liked tea much," she explained.
Over her shoulder, Aurelia kept looking at Link, as if she was trying to figure something out. "What is it?" The hero asked.
"You're Link, aren't you?" Aurelia asked, more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah," he said. "Why?"
"Oh, it's nothing, really," she said with a smile. "It's just-well, you look just like your mother!"
"What?" Link whispered, as his mouth fell open in shock.