Chapter 25: Temple of Time
Seven years passed and Hyrule was thrown into chaos, destruction and carnage; however Link, Zelda and Impa were still nowhere to be found. "Damn it!" Maiku said aloud as took the mouth piece of his black ocarina out of his mouth as he sat on a boulder around what used to be Zora's Domain, "I still can't concentrate around here..." he had learned to temporarily form a mouth hole in the mask over the years.
Zora's Domain was just a shadow of its former glory, most of the cavern was caved in and the Zoras who were lost on that day Ganondorf killed them all had unmarked graves in the cavern. He had done in his free time over the years to bury every Zora who had died, and Ruto had an even more special grave. He still possessed the same artistic talent he had when he was still a normal person, and he had learned to carve a perfect statue of Ruto to make a memorial of her about two months after he joined Ganondorf.
He closed his eyes as he stood by her memorial on the highest cliff in Zora's Fountain. "I would never have joined Ganondorf if he hadn't killed you Ruto..." he said softly, "... I would still be a Zora and would have lived a long and happy life with you. This song I will play on my ocarina is an embodiment of how I felt on that day."
He placed the mouth piece to his lips behind the mask and played a song he had heard sometime but couldn't remember where he had heard it... The Elegy of Emptiness.
"Maiku!" he heard Ganondorf, the now King of Evil, say from behind him.
He stopped when he ended the song and turned around to face him, "What is it Ganondorf?"
"You have been here for way too long."
"And your point is...?"
"I understand that you may have lost that Zora woman because of me... and that you were that odd Zora who was married to her... but you cannot keep doing this!"
"Oh yeah, I should be time to see if Link has woken up yet...."
"Then go and try to see if you can do anything to delay him."
"Of course, Ganondorf." He put his ocarina into his pack and vanished.
"Make sure he doesn't get everything easily..."
* * *
He appeared in the Temple of Time, it was now actually darker than it had been years ago; there were lots of places were he could hide in the shadows, out of Link or Sheik's sight. He stood in a corner of the room where Link was frozen in time with the Master Sword in his hands as he had done when he pulled it out of the Pedestal of Time those seven years ago.
Link looked just as he did in the many pictures he had seen before. He was still wearing that green Kokiri Tunic he had worn on that day he met him, but now he was wearing something that looked like white spandex but was actually a fine and thin chain mail on his arms and legs. He had brown gloves. was wearing that odd cap, and brown boots. Navi was frozen in time as well, suspended in the air above Link, watching and waiting for the time of awakening.
A pale blue pillar of light formed around the platform and he shielded his eyes. He saw Navi start to move, first by flitting her wings and then actually moving; and then Link started to move, he blinked his now deep cerulean eyes. He started to stir, and then jerked his arms to his sides.
He's waking up... Maiku thought to himself, ... now after Navi starts to speak and then Link walks away to get out of here; Sheik, or rather Zelda, will appear and tell Link to get the Hookshot from Kakariko Village in order to enter the Forest Temple. He watched and waited.
"Link... we're back in the Temple of Time... But have seven years really passed?" Navi said as she started to glance out of the room, not seeing Maiku in the darkest corner. "It looks like you won't be able to use some of the weapons you found as a kid anymore..."
Stop lying, Navi... Maiku thought to himself, He can use them... they just won't look right... well, maybe the Slingshot I left him.
"The Temple hasn't even changed at all, though." Link said
"Well... Let's get out of here and see if anything else has changed."
"Yeah." Link started to walk to the hallway leading out of the chamber beyond the Door of Time but he stopped when he heard the light tap of a boot with hollow wood heels on the hard stone floor of the platform. He drew his sword and turned around to see a young blond person wearing tightfitting blue and white clothing with the red symbol of the Sheikah patched on his or her chest.
"I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time..." said the young Sheikah
"Huh?!" Link started, "What? How do you...?"
"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples." the Sheikah continued, "One in a deep forest... One on a high mountain... One under a vast lake... One within the house of the dead... One inside a goddess of the sand... Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world... This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah."
"The Sheikah...?" Link said, "Like Impa...? Who are you?"
"I am Sheik." the Sheikah answered, "Survivor of the Sheikahs... As I see you standing there holding the mythical Master Sword, you really do look like the legendary Hero of Time. If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages... One Sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple." Sheik crossed his arms, "The Sage is a girl I am sure you know..."
Saria... Maiku thought to himself
"Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm... Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple..." Sheik continued, "But, if you believe what I'm saying, you should head to Kakariko Village... Do you understand, Link?"
"Yes..." Link said, "I do understand, but has anything changed over the years while Iwas asleep?"
"I cannot answer that."
"Why?"
"Why should the Hero of Time be curious?"
"Good point... okay, I'll go..." Link walked out and Sheik remained to stand on the platform.
"Ah..." Maiku said as he stepped out of the shadows towards Sheik, "The survivor of Sheikah is helping the Hero of Time, Link, to awaken the Sages. But... about the Sage of the Water Temple..."
Shek turned around to face him, "Who are you?" the supposed Sheikah said
"My name is of no importance... now... who is Water Temple sage?"
"You are... wearing the Mask of Shadow. But I thought that..."
"Why should you care, Sheik?" he stepped closer, "I just want to know who the Water Temple Sage is... I thought that the Zoras became extinct as Ganondorf was searching for the keys to the Door of Time. I understand that Princess Ruto was destined to be the Water Temple Sage, but she was killed at the hands of Ganondorf. So just who is the sage now?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"I... just want to know. It's not a hard question to answer."
"There were some Zoras hiding, they began to use the underwater caverns as shelter. Every Zora was so heartbroken when the Royal Family died along with Ruto and her new husband that they decided to live in the caverns deep below Hyrule. And so, the High Priestess is the Sage of the Water Temple now. But.. how did you know?"
"Nevermind that. So the Hero of Time is going to recieve the Hookshot from the spirit of Dampé, the grave keeper?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"Zelda, I know that's you under that disquise of the Sheikah."
Sheik gasped, "How did you..?"
He chuckled harshly, "You are such a fool to think that you can hide from Ganondorf, now if you don't mind..." he outstretched his arm with his gloved hand outstretched as well, "Come with me, Princess... Ganondorf awaits you..."
"Never! I escaped from the castle for that very reason! I'd rather fight and die than go willingly to Ganondorf, that vile man!"
"Oh now that's not a very nice thing to say about my ally, Princess."
She got into a fighting stance, "I don't care. I've been training to fight, I should be able to defend myself and hold you off!"
He gathered energy into his hand and fired it at her, striking her and knocking her to the ground. "Hmph. Now what will Link do without your guidance and songs to warp?" he said as he put his arm down and grasped the back of her head and lifted it up, "Listen to me very closely, Zelda... You will not utter a word of our encounter to Link when you see him next! Got it?! If you do... I will seriously reconsider letting you live. Believe me, I will not think twice about killing you... I did kill the entire population in Hyrule Town Market seven years ago."
"Who... who are you...?"
"Me...? I am Maiku, the person you originally set on the quest to recieve the Spiritual Stones for you."
"M... Maiku...? Why?"
"I originally wanted to stones only for myself; I just wanted to see how everything would play out. Until we meet again, Princess..." he turned around and vanished into the shadows.
Sheik weakly pushed herself off of the ground, "Maiku..." she said and stood up, brushing dirt off her outfit, "So, you have joined Ganondorf... but why have you even decided to slump that low?" She walked out of the room, and then ran out of the Temple of Time towards the Lost Woods.