I'm still in the process of killing Gannondorf for not knowing about harry
potter books and bashing them in my other ficy. after reading Gundam Wing
and Final Fantasy 7 fan fiction, I think my writers' block has slowly died
down and maybe, just maybe, this story will turn out interesting and make
sense. For all those who read my only other fic posted, the next edition
will be out in a couple of days.
************************************************************************
Chapter VI: The Phantoms of Echoes
The hero of time jumped up, his blanket flying off of him like a scared bird. Covered in sweat and breathing heavily, he sat there for a moment frozen in shock. His visions from a while ago still fresh in his mind. There was no mistaking it now. he was having a premonition. Finally gaining his senses, he looked down, realizing that he now knew how Zelda had felt 2 years ago when she knew for a fact her dreams were glimpses of the future. When he was younger, he had no idea his dreams had so powerful of a meaning until it was too late. Mentally wiser and more experienced now, his mind's stiff defense system kicked in. It was time to stay focused and take care of the matter at hand, even if it meant going back to see the princess again.
Looking beside him, Ruto was still restlessly asleep, tossing and turning with sweat dripping down her face. Link knew exactly what she was going through and contemplated trying to awake her from the horrible nightmare she was experiencing. As he turned to move, a hand already appeared gently on her shoulder, then softly shook her until she awoke with a gasp, her eyes wide in terror.
Clenching the blankets around her tightly, the Princess of the Zoras glanced desperately over at both of her watchers as if she were expecting something from them. A word of comfort, a reassurance that it were just a dream, even a small "everything was going to be all right" would have sufficed. None would come though, she knew looking into their eyes. They were reflections of her own fear. She was the in the same boat with them, and they had only reached the eye of the hurricane.
"Did you see her?" Ruto asked desperately, wanting to at least talk about it.
"Which one? There were two girls there, not just one." Kasuto helped his princess to a sitting position and scooted close to her so that both of them were facing Link.
The hero of time shook his head repeatedly and sighed. Why was he so worried about a few little dreams? His past adventures were taking a major toll on him as his senses were heightened immensely. No matter how subtle the information. he mind seemed to always turn the well-being of Hyrule. Hearing both of them speak of the dreams so intensely started make him worry even more. What if they felt the same way? More important how could they?
By now, thinking so long had gotten the attention of the two and they glanced upon him. Any contribution, Link thought, maybe just one and they would drop it until he spoke to the princess. At the mentioning of girls in the dream, though, only one person came to his mind.
"Wait. you guys saw Saria too?"
The two Zoras sat wide-eyed at him.
"You know one their names? Who is she? Which one was she? Is she evil? Good?" Questions literally spilled out of both of their mouths
"Of course I know her! Saria is my best friend. she was the small, green- haired Kokiri child you saw probably, but the other woman I know nothing about at all." Link answered matter-of-factly. "She is the nicest and most genuine person I have ever met, not to mention she can't be evil since she's the victim in my dream!"
"The girl in my dream wasn't didn't have green-hair though," Ruto shifted uncomfortably, "It was an older version of Princess Zelda and she was leading a bunch of troops into battle!"
"Wait, are you serious? I didn't see that at all! I was in a strange lava filled temple beside a Goron and a Gerudo woman! There was a red-haired girl there too and she was beside a green skinned man with orange hair!" Kasuto spoke up, confusion covering his voice.
"I saw the green guy too! He was leading the attack of the. skeletons I think they were! Yes, there were skeletons coming after troops!"
"How could we have had three separate dreams all with the same guy? Did you guys hear anything like voices?" It was Link's turn top question them.
"The princess was talking in mine! She said something about preventing the phantoms from coming! Then I heard this weird voice as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Seven years is what it was saying! She said in seven years this would happen!"
"I heard the same as well, Link," Kasuto looked down momentarily, "In seven years, our survival would be challenged. in seven years the mountain will be hers. that's what the red-haired one said."
Link sighed for a moment and looked up, trying to run this all through his head.
"Mine said that in seven years, everything would come to pass. The green- skinned man would be the castor and a blue ocarina would be the key." He had to use terms like those because he was afraid of revealing everything to them at once. Knowledge of the ocarina of time and Gannondorf would give them a lot of suspicions.
All three stood up at once, thinking the same thing as well.
"The princess of Hyrule. she'll know what's going on, right?"
"I don't know, Kasuto, but for the time we should be on our way to the castle," Link started walking towards the entrance, "Our land could be in grave danger. The skeletons, these so-called phantoms, the people in our dreams. This is becoming too much trouble for just us to handle."
A couple of minutes later, everything was packed and ready to go. On the outskirts of the entrance to the ranch, Link stopped for a minute. Dawn had barely broken and it was only a matter of time before their friends at the ranch were starting their morning chores.
"Link? What's the hold up?" Kasuto called out to him, a few feet ahead of Link with Ruto close by.
"I'll catch up, I'm going to. um. check something out first!"
"Alright, grasshopper!"
Growling, Link turned around. All night for some reason, Malon kept on referring to him as that, just like before. Time would never fully change, even if Link wanted it to. She, of course, was the reason he stayed before though. With his nightmares corrupting most of his thoughts, he had forgotten to thank Malon and her family for their hospitality. Maybe, something else would happen to, or at least he hoped it might. Even with his dreams, Malon never left his thoughts. There were times he really hated being a near adult in a child's body.
His thoughts kept on wondering so much, he didn't even notice the ranch maiden right in front of him. She had a worried look on her face.
"You're leaving. so soon?"
"Yes, the sooner we get to the castle, the better off we'll all be."
"Oh I see. well. could I come along? Surely my dad would le."
"No!" Link interrupted her immediately, "I mean. it wouldn't be right!"
"Why not? You already have Princess Ruto! Why can't I come?"
He stopped to think about this for a minute, but couldn't come up with anything.
"You. you just can't!"
"I don't understand."
"Yes, you're right, we already have Princess Ruto. we already have one burden! We don't need another!" He stopped talking right there, his eyes wide now. He couldn't believe he actually said that.
Slowly, water started to form around her eyes. Being insulted by a stranger, she didn't see how it could get any worse! Malon turned away from him, sniffling as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm. I'm not a burden."
"Malon. I didn't mean it like that. really. I'm just frustrated because. I don't want you to get hurt if we run into trouble."
She shook her head repeatedly.
"Why do you care about me so much? We just met yesterday!"
"It. it. it seems like longer to me." Link didn't know any other way to respond. At least he wasn't lying, he figured.
"It really doesn't matter now! Just go on to the castle and meet your princess!" She pretended not to care, she really tried, but in the end Malon couldn't stop herself from sobbing.
Feeling really bad about making her cry, Link took a couple of steps forward to her. His past coming back to mind, he always remembered her as such a strong willed woman at her older ages. Then he remembered one more thing, the actual "link" that brought them together in the first place: Epona. Putting his arms around her waist, he set his face of her left shoulder and began to softly hum Epona's song to her. The melody her mom taught her to call down the horses, and the melody she taught him to bond with Epona.
Although disbelief of his knowledge of the song began to go through her mind, his arms around her seemed so. comforting. Her crying stifled to a mere sniffle, she closed her eyes and let the harmony take her. She too began to hum the song, perfectly in tune as always.
Link couldn't help but smile a moment listening to her. He really liked it where was and the soothing melody perfected the situation. When the song ended, he turned her around in his arms and grinned. As she began to open her mouth to speak, he interrupted her again.
"Don't say it. don't say 'How do you know that song'. okay?" Link gazed into her eyes for a moment, trying to get her to just trust him on this one.
"Will you tell me one day?"
He started thinking again.
"I will if you promise me something?"
"All right."
"I will come back here in five years, when I'm 17 years of age." Link smiled over at the horse's pen, "When I return, I want to borrow the horse that song is named after."
"Why so long?"
"Because I'm afraid." he didn't want to reveal too much, but didn't think he could get around it, "I will be out of shape, I will need to train on a horse. seven years from now something will happen in Hyrule. what it is, I cannot say myself."
"Why don't you just come back after your trip from the castle? We have other horses so you can train early!"
"Please just trust me and do not ask anymore questions." He let go of her and turned away, sighing, "Just remember in 5 years to have that horse ready!"
"Wait!!!"
Malon ran over in front of him, confused and frustrated. She crossed her arms and huffed at him.
"You can't just leave like THAT!"
"How am I supposed to leave?"
"Like THIS."
She boosted herself up on his shoulders and gave him a small peck on the cheek. Then as quickly as she ran after him, she ran into the house, leaving Link just standing there momentarily.
A blush crept over his face as he stood there, jaw dropping in all. A girl. A girl had just kissed him. Willingly. Without him doing a think. Well, there was that kiss with the princess, but he tried for a while to forget about that. Thinking about this, he didn't notice the tapping on his shoulder.
"HEY GRASSHOPPER!!! STILL THERE???" Kasuto shouted into his ear from behind.
Link immediately jumped up, bumped his head on the atmosphere, and came back down. Literally speaking.
"Y. yeah I'm still here, Kasuto." he felt his cheek quickly to make sure it hadn't left him to go get another kiss before he turned to face the Zora, "Let's get going?"
"What? You were giving me hell every time I called you that last night, what's wrong with you?"
"I think one the goddesses just came down and slapped me in the face."
"Did this 'goddess' happen to have red hair?"
"Yes."
Hearing this, Kasuto immediately took his arm and started dragging him from that spot.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Let's go, before you decide to stay. I told you I would take you to the princess without having to sneak past the guards!"
*************************************************************************
"Master."
The pitch-black caverns beneath the land surrounding Lake Hylia. There, a magic spell fooled even the powerful curses of Kokiri Forest. Day was night here. And here was where the Stalfos could escape nature. Escape, only for one true purpose.
Two sets of yellow bright eyes created a dim glow in the narrow pathway where two of the skeletons stood. Neither could see each other's form, and they didn't have to.
"Report."
"We found the bones of the 5 guards in the lower boundaries of the Hylian's field."
"Cause of death?"
"They have the marks the renegade soldiers did. the ones who were clearing out Lake Hylia for us."
"The meddlesome Zora guardians again?"
"No, there were two Zoras there, one male and one female."
"And the Hylian girl?"
"Escaped with the two Zoras. and footprints from what seemed to be a pair of Kokiri boots, child size."
"I see."
"Shall we attack the ranch?"
"No. our forces still lack preparation and numbers."
"And what of the excavation project?"
"Are you questioning me, soldier?"
"No, Lord Stalfos. I would never!"
The wider pair of eyes stepped enough into the light so that the soldier could see them. The form that stood in front of him. was half human, half Stalfos. They could only describe the process as a metamorphosis; in other words, he was once a guinea pig for a laboratory. Nonetheless, the experimentation had given him great intelligence and one very promising side effect. He could open the eyes of other Stalfos; he could give them the soul, only described as a magical life force spark, that the forest had so brutally taken from them. In return for a new life, obedience was the price. And each he had shown the way to, had done that.
But over the years, something was lacking in the mind of the ever-present leader. A man named Gannondorf Dragmire had offered a chance for humanity to him 3 years ago. But his price was the same the one he holds to his men now. Upon thinking for a great while, the half-Stalfos wanted to accept the offer, but before he could, the leader of the Gerudo vanished mysteriously. He send his men all over the world to find them, but no one even knew who the man was, not even the Gerudo themselves. Something had made the king vanish into thin air; his one chance dissipating with Dragmire's memory.
"The project is going as planned. once the statue has been found, it is only a matter of time."
"Please excuse my further questioning master. but. are you positive that we will be able to free him?"
Every skeleton in the land knew the 'project' now. Digging in an uninhabited area of the Gerudo desert, the assigned Stalfos were looking for one thing: a statue. Lord Stalfos only told them what they needed to know about the statue. It was the key to restoring their humanity. This was enough to have legions of skeletons at his feet begging to help him in any way possible. The lord himself did not know much, but from what he was told by a librarian spy in Hyrule castle, the entities of this statue would do his bidding once he brought them to life. All he needed was the object, a special ocarina, and the presence of pure evil to awaken the souls trapped within.
The object and the presence of evil were the easy part. He still did not know how to retrieve the ocarina. At the moment, he didn't even know where it was.
"Yes, if everything continues to go according to plan. the temple of time will open itself to us. with a little help of course."
"The princess?"
"Yes. I remember Dragmire telling me that the girl was easily manipulated by premonitions. I have had the spell castor do just that."
"You mean. you have been putting false premonitions in her dreams?"
"Not false. it is the future if it comes to pass."
"Didn't that same spell castor die though?"
"The spell was out of control, before he died, my elite guards worried of the spell reaching others connected to the princess. Her mind was not easily controlled, and it shouldn't be."
"Why is that, master?"
"I believe that she is more powerful than she leads the people onto, and she knows it."
"I see." the soldier's voice trailed off momentarily, but came back strong, "What of the ranch girl? Do we still need her?"
"Although capturing her was a priority, our 'key' might already be right where I want him and he WILL do what I desire."
"Understood, master!"
"And soldier, your loyalties are always to me, are they not?"
"Yes master!"
"I want you to gather 5 of your most trusted and loyal companions, Dragmire will pose a threat alive after our humanity has been gained. I will need him eliminated as soon as possible."
"It shall be done, master."
"You know what will happen after we kill him."
"The power of the item we are digging out will be used against the protectors of the forests and the land that banished us to the depths of hell. to be precise, master."
**************************************************************************** *
Casually, Ruto walked along the castle path until she reached Link and Kasuto. With accordance to castle rules, only one of them was allowed in to prove their identity to the council. Since the princess of the Zoras was recognized, it was only a matter of time before the three would be meeting with the princess. The only bad thing was, they had to set up an appointment most of the time. Luckily, Princess Zelda's Sheikian attendant was so astonished by Princess Ruto's 'fierceness' in wanting to see the Hylian princess, she ordered the three of them to see her immediately.
Without a word from her part, Ruto grabbed both of their wrists and smiled at the guard before dragging them in.
"Hey wait a minute? What's going on, princess?" Kasuto stumbled to keep up with her.
"We're going to meet her, aren't we?" Link asked curiously as well.
Flashing a grin back to them in her usual mischievous style, Ruto and the others stepped up to the castle and walked in as if they owned the place.
Before walking anymore steps, Impa was right in front of them, her arms crossed. She took and glance at all three of them, then kept them steadily on Link.
"Princess Zelda has requested you to meet you in the courtyard."
"Just me?" Link barely spoke. He forgot about how much she freaked him out the last time she was here.
"No. All of you are to attend the meeting." Impa turned around and pointed to a hallway to their right. "Down the corridor is the gate leading to the outside. Past the garden you will find an archway that will lead you to the courtyard. Be warned, the eyes of the Hylian guard will be on you at all times until you reach the location."
Link's sigh of relief was not unnoticed, but unwelcome as well to the Shiekian. For now, though, she kept silent.
"That's all fine and stuff. but why don't you just lead us there?" Kasuto arched a brow, obviously confused by her instructions already.
"I will be there in moments time, young Zora. I am going to the library to gather the needed materials for our session."
Ruto grabbed both of their arms again, which she had reluctantly let go seeing the scary Shiekian.
"No sense, complaining guys, don't worry I know where this place is at by heart!"
The trip only lasted around a minute to actually reach the courtyard. Ruto and Kasuto both sped up their pace just to leave the sickening death glares from the Hylian guardsmen. But Link was too enveloped in thought to care much. After all, his last meeting with the princess did not turn out as well as he wanted it to. In her presence, he felt vulnerable, weak; a feeling he couldn't shake after the very first time they met.
One step into the heavily flowered courtyard, and it was déjà vu. She was there. as young and beautiful as ever, gazing at the sky from her position perched on the small staircase leading to the stained glass window separating the courtyard from the throne room. Her crystalline blue eyes entranced him the moment he saw her, again. Link couldn't fathom the countless amount of emotions that hit him right then and stopped him from going any further. Saving the world or meeting the girl you turned down again? Somehow the latter did not sound appealing to him.
"Link!!" Ruto tugged on his arm a little, "You can't just keep a princess waiting like this! She doesn't have all day!"
"I'm coming!! I'm come." Right then, Zelda looked down at her guests, a smile creeping over her face as she saw at them. Link's eyes caught onto her glance as well and he suddenly became a robot, walking towards her as though some unseen force was telling him to. ".ing."
The princess of Hyrule stood to greet her guests modestly. Brushing her golden blond hair behind her shoulders, she nodded as if to tell them to approach her. Zelda's hands fell to her lap, held together as to not shown the nervousness she was feeling right now.
"Welcome to Hyrule castle. I hope your trip was here was as safe as possible?" Okay. so it wasn't the greeting Link received last time. Maybe she was putting a show on for Ruto and Kasuto. Or maybe she was putting a wall up to hide her feelings from him. Either way, he wasn't very concerned; it was her decision to how their meeting would continue.
Ruto stepped up to the plate, ahead of the men. Her training at handling such situations was only starting at the Domain, but she could improvise. She wasn't exactly supposed to be here anyway, so she figured she might as well help as much as possible.
"Yes, our journey was flawless, Princess Zelda," Ruto bowed her head to the princess, smiling in what looked to be gratitude, "Thank you for your concern."
Smiling at the Zora princess, Zelda's gaze started to wonder from Link to Kasuto. The one she didn't know had a look of surprise on his face from Ruto's reply. She suppressed a smile knowing Ruto's bodyguards probably knew her real personality, not the one she showed at times like these. Link, on the other hand, was intently looking at her, as if he wanted to be addressed by her. Turning back to Ruto, she declined from her original intention to talk to him next. It was better left to talk to another Princess than a guy she had to pretend she barely knew.
"Princess Ruto of Zoras, would you be so kind as to introduce me to your companions?"
"At your request, my lady," Ruto turned to Kasuto first, motioning for him to step up, "This is my bodyguard, a member of the elite Zora division who guard your waters diligently." As she said this, Kasuto knelt by the princess at bowed his head.
"I am at your service, Lady Zelda." the bodyguard and Zelda herself both knew he could not refer to her as his princess in a strict situation at this. Both knew where his loyalties stayed.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kasuto," She smiled in understanding as he stood up and took his place next to Ruto again.
Once Kasuto was settled, Ruto looked over to Link, who was sweating beads now. She patted him on the shoulder and took a glance at Zelda. A glare of familiarity took Ruto by surprise but was dismissed quickly by her sense of duty.
"This is Link, he is member of the Kokiri race that lives deep within Hyrule's protective forest boarder," Ruto pushed Link gently towards the princess, "He has come here on request of the Great Deku Tree and met up with us along the way."
The hero of time didn't bow to her but instead smiled shyly. He couldn't hold it in. even in front of Ruto and Kasuto.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
"No. I would imagine a few weeks since our last meeting."
The two Zoras' jaws dropped. Both of them immediately stepped up to question them, but just as they did, Impa entered the courtyard, a stack of books held carefully in her hands.
"Am I interrupting, princess?"
"Not at all, Impa," Zelda smiled upon the two Zoras again, trying to give them a reassuring gaze, "Please hand each of the books to them, I will explain as they look them over."
Once they all were settled, sitting on the soft grass of the courtyard, Zelda allowed them five minutes to look the books over. The only reason Ruto and Kasuto agreed to it was because she promised them answers in due time.
"Are you ready to ask questions now? I am sure you have many." Zelda interrupted their readings, seeing each of their faces light up on more than one occasion.
"I will start, if that is all right with you, lady Zelda?" Kasuto asked.
She nodded and moved her attention to solely him.
"I think my first question is what all of us are thinking right now," He looked down, "You had a dream too, didn't you?"
"Yes, Kasuto, you are right. I was and still am plagued by the premonition of an evil coming to Hyrule so great, it will throw our land into war."
"All three of us had dreams too. but ours were all different."
"Different? How so?"
Kasuto looked through the pages and turned the book to her.
"I saw this woman in my dreams, the one with the red hair. Princess Ruto and Link saw no such woman in theirs." He closed the book and set it down beside him, "I am curious to what your dream held, if you do not mind me asking. And I would also like to know what these books have to do with our dreams."
Sighing, the princess looked down herself, contemplating just how much to tell them. All would be best, she assumed, figuring any less would bring an onslaught of questions she would have to answer concerning parts she left out.
"The castle was being destroyed by a man I know as Gannondorf Dragmire, an evil man who is in legends supposed to be locked up in the Evil realm by the Seven sages of Hyrule," She took in a small sigh, trying to collect her thoughts, "But it was not his eyes. His eyes were black, controlled by another. May I see your book for a moment?" She flipped through the pages after receiving the book gingerly, "This woman, the one they call Eclipse, was his 'master' I believe."
"I saw the same woman in my dreams." Link was looking at the same page as they spoke, "She first tried to kill me, calling herself a phantom of echoes, and then the second time I had a dream, she killed someone else."
"She is one of them, according to the legends. The red haired one, known as Lynn X, is another one of them." Zelda flipped through the pages again, "Let me answer your second question Kasuto. these books are all the knowledge of the phantoms we have. If these dreams do come true, we will have a major problem on our hands, won't we?"
"Wait, if these phantoms are in the legend books, then that means they have come out before," Ruto asked matter-of-factly, "So we'll be able to take care of them easily right?"
Zelda simply shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. You see, the only way to defeat them, has two parts to it." The princess of Hyrule looked directly at Link now, "I would rather prevent the catastrophe than go through it though. I already have a failsafe in place at the moment. At the moment, all three spiritual stones are being collected, the ocarina of time is safe within these castle walls, and we now have the hero of time in our presence. I no longer believe there is any need to worry."
"The hero. of time is here?" Ruto and Kasuto both whispered before looking over at Link disbelieving. They both were quite surprised as he let out a small smile, shrugging. He knew he was the hero of time already.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ruto asked first, breaking out of the shock before Kasuto did.
"You can ask him later, but we have bigger problems it seems." Zelda interrupted.
"You said you had no reason to worry though, right Princess?" the Zora Princess responded.
"I wish that was the case, but according to a few of my elite guards, the Statue of Echoes, the prison of the phantoms, has been uncovered by a group of Stalfos. On top of that, the temple of time was recently raided by a few from the same group and they now have the same information we do."
"So they'll be after the stones and the ocarina too?" Link was still flipping through the book but was still listening.
"It doesn't matter, because they don't have you. To gain entrance to the temple of light, where Gannondorf is being held, the master sword would have to be released again. You are the only one who can do it, Link."
"That's why they were trying to capture Malon!"
"The daughter of the owner of Lon Lon ranch?"
"Yes! They were. going to use her to make me release the master sword from the pedestal!"
Meanwhile, Kasuto looked like he was about to burst.
"Just wait a minute here!! How do you know you're the hero of time?" Kasuto finally got a few words out, "How do you know is he, princess? How are me and Princess Ruto even connected to this!! I want answers, NOW!"
Zelda and Link's eye met as they contemplated telling the two about his experiences with the Ocarina of Time and Gannondorf. She still had much to tell them about the phantoms, how the past Hylians defeated them, and even about a topic she didn't want to touch quite yet. But, if she didn't have help preventing it from happening, everything that her and Link worked for in the past would be in vain. As she kept thinking about this, their Zora guardian grew impatient.
"I'm serious. I want answers!"
"Alright, I will tell you everything."
"Princess? You can't be serious."
"No, Link, they need to know for this to work. If they have been having the same dreams and met up with you from only what I see as fate, they are involved in this too now. This time, we may not be able to fight the evil off with just the two of us."
************************************************************************
R&R please ^_^. Next chapter: Chapter VII: Spiritual stone racing
************************************************************************
Chapter VI: The Phantoms of Echoes
The hero of time jumped up, his blanket flying off of him like a scared bird. Covered in sweat and breathing heavily, he sat there for a moment frozen in shock. His visions from a while ago still fresh in his mind. There was no mistaking it now. he was having a premonition. Finally gaining his senses, he looked down, realizing that he now knew how Zelda had felt 2 years ago when she knew for a fact her dreams were glimpses of the future. When he was younger, he had no idea his dreams had so powerful of a meaning until it was too late. Mentally wiser and more experienced now, his mind's stiff defense system kicked in. It was time to stay focused and take care of the matter at hand, even if it meant going back to see the princess again.
Looking beside him, Ruto was still restlessly asleep, tossing and turning with sweat dripping down her face. Link knew exactly what she was going through and contemplated trying to awake her from the horrible nightmare she was experiencing. As he turned to move, a hand already appeared gently on her shoulder, then softly shook her until she awoke with a gasp, her eyes wide in terror.
Clenching the blankets around her tightly, the Princess of the Zoras glanced desperately over at both of her watchers as if she were expecting something from them. A word of comfort, a reassurance that it were just a dream, even a small "everything was going to be all right" would have sufficed. None would come though, she knew looking into their eyes. They were reflections of her own fear. She was the in the same boat with them, and they had only reached the eye of the hurricane.
"Did you see her?" Ruto asked desperately, wanting to at least talk about it.
"Which one? There were two girls there, not just one." Kasuto helped his princess to a sitting position and scooted close to her so that both of them were facing Link.
The hero of time shook his head repeatedly and sighed. Why was he so worried about a few little dreams? His past adventures were taking a major toll on him as his senses were heightened immensely. No matter how subtle the information. he mind seemed to always turn the well-being of Hyrule. Hearing both of them speak of the dreams so intensely started make him worry even more. What if they felt the same way? More important how could they?
By now, thinking so long had gotten the attention of the two and they glanced upon him. Any contribution, Link thought, maybe just one and they would drop it until he spoke to the princess. At the mentioning of girls in the dream, though, only one person came to his mind.
"Wait. you guys saw Saria too?"
The two Zoras sat wide-eyed at him.
"You know one their names? Who is she? Which one was she? Is she evil? Good?" Questions literally spilled out of both of their mouths
"Of course I know her! Saria is my best friend. she was the small, green- haired Kokiri child you saw probably, but the other woman I know nothing about at all." Link answered matter-of-factly. "She is the nicest and most genuine person I have ever met, not to mention she can't be evil since she's the victim in my dream!"
"The girl in my dream wasn't didn't have green-hair though," Ruto shifted uncomfortably, "It was an older version of Princess Zelda and she was leading a bunch of troops into battle!"
"Wait, are you serious? I didn't see that at all! I was in a strange lava filled temple beside a Goron and a Gerudo woman! There was a red-haired girl there too and she was beside a green skinned man with orange hair!" Kasuto spoke up, confusion covering his voice.
"I saw the green guy too! He was leading the attack of the. skeletons I think they were! Yes, there were skeletons coming after troops!"
"How could we have had three separate dreams all with the same guy? Did you guys hear anything like voices?" It was Link's turn top question them.
"The princess was talking in mine! She said something about preventing the phantoms from coming! Then I heard this weird voice as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Seven years is what it was saying! She said in seven years this would happen!"
"I heard the same as well, Link," Kasuto looked down momentarily, "In seven years, our survival would be challenged. in seven years the mountain will be hers. that's what the red-haired one said."
Link sighed for a moment and looked up, trying to run this all through his head.
"Mine said that in seven years, everything would come to pass. The green- skinned man would be the castor and a blue ocarina would be the key." He had to use terms like those because he was afraid of revealing everything to them at once. Knowledge of the ocarina of time and Gannondorf would give them a lot of suspicions.
All three stood up at once, thinking the same thing as well.
"The princess of Hyrule. she'll know what's going on, right?"
"I don't know, Kasuto, but for the time we should be on our way to the castle," Link started walking towards the entrance, "Our land could be in grave danger. The skeletons, these so-called phantoms, the people in our dreams. This is becoming too much trouble for just us to handle."
A couple of minutes later, everything was packed and ready to go. On the outskirts of the entrance to the ranch, Link stopped for a minute. Dawn had barely broken and it was only a matter of time before their friends at the ranch were starting their morning chores.
"Link? What's the hold up?" Kasuto called out to him, a few feet ahead of Link with Ruto close by.
"I'll catch up, I'm going to. um. check something out first!"
"Alright, grasshopper!"
Growling, Link turned around. All night for some reason, Malon kept on referring to him as that, just like before. Time would never fully change, even if Link wanted it to. She, of course, was the reason he stayed before though. With his nightmares corrupting most of his thoughts, he had forgotten to thank Malon and her family for their hospitality. Maybe, something else would happen to, or at least he hoped it might. Even with his dreams, Malon never left his thoughts. There were times he really hated being a near adult in a child's body.
His thoughts kept on wondering so much, he didn't even notice the ranch maiden right in front of him. She had a worried look on her face.
"You're leaving. so soon?"
"Yes, the sooner we get to the castle, the better off we'll all be."
"Oh I see. well. could I come along? Surely my dad would le."
"No!" Link interrupted her immediately, "I mean. it wouldn't be right!"
"Why not? You already have Princess Ruto! Why can't I come?"
He stopped to think about this for a minute, but couldn't come up with anything.
"You. you just can't!"
"I don't understand."
"Yes, you're right, we already have Princess Ruto. we already have one burden! We don't need another!" He stopped talking right there, his eyes wide now. He couldn't believe he actually said that.
Slowly, water started to form around her eyes. Being insulted by a stranger, she didn't see how it could get any worse! Malon turned away from him, sniffling as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm. I'm not a burden."
"Malon. I didn't mean it like that. really. I'm just frustrated because. I don't want you to get hurt if we run into trouble."
She shook her head repeatedly.
"Why do you care about me so much? We just met yesterday!"
"It. it. it seems like longer to me." Link didn't know any other way to respond. At least he wasn't lying, he figured.
"It really doesn't matter now! Just go on to the castle and meet your princess!" She pretended not to care, she really tried, but in the end Malon couldn't stop herself from sobbing.
Feeling really bad about making her cry, Link took a couple of steps forward to her. His past coming back to mind, he always remembered her as such a strong willed woman at her older ages. Then he remembered one more thing, the actual "link" that brought them together in the first place: Epona. Putting his arms around her waist, he set his face of her left shoulder and began to softly hum Epona's song to her. The melody her mom taught her to call down the horses, and the melody she taught him to bond with Epona.
Although disbelief of his knowledge of the song began to go through her mind, his arms around her seemed so. comforting. Her crying stifled to a mere sniffle, she closed her eyes and let the harmony take her. She too began to hum the song, perfectly in tune as always.
Link couldn't help but smile a moment listening to her. He really liked it where was and the soothing melody perfected the situation. When the song ended, he turned her around in his arms and grinned. As she began to open her mouth to speak, he interrupted her again.
"Don't say it. don't say 'How do you know that song'. okay?" Link gazed into her eyes for a moment, trying to get her to just trust him on this one.
"Will you tell me one day?"
He started thinking again.
"I will if you promise me something?"
"All right."
"I will come back here in five years, when I'm 17 years of age." Link smiled over at the horse's pen, "When I return, I want to borrow the horse that song is named after."
"Why so long?"
"Because I'm afraid." he didn't want to reveal too much, but didn't think he could get around it, "I will be out of shape, I will need to train on a horse. seven years from now something will happen in Hyrule. what it is, I cannot say myself."
"Why don't you just come back after your trip from the castle? We have other horses so you can train early!"
"Please just trust me and do not ask anymore questions." He let go of her and turned away, sighing, "Just remember in 5 years to have that horse ready!"
"Wait!!!"
Malon ran over in front of him, confused and frustrated. She crossed her arms and huffed at him.
"You can't just leave like THAT!"
"How am I supposed to leave?"
"Like THIS."
She boosted herself up on his shoulders and gave him a small peck on the cheek. Then as quickly as she ran after him, she ran into the house, leaving Link just standing there momentarily.
A blush crept over his face as he stood there, jaw dropping in all. A girl. A girl had just kissed him. Willingly. Without him doing a think. Well, there was that kiss with the princess, but he tried for a while to forget about that. Thinking about this, he didn't notice the tapping on his shoulder.
"HEY GRASSHOPPER!!! STILL THERE???" Kasuto shouted into his ear from behind.
Link immediately jumped up, bumped his head on the atmosphere, and came back down. Literally speaking.
"Y. yeah I'm still here, Kasuto." he felt his cheek quickly to make sure it hadn't left him to go get another kiss before he turned to face the Zora, "Let's get going?"
"What? You were giving me hell every time I called you that last night, what's wrong with you?"
"I think one the goddesses just came down and slapped me in the face."
"Did this 'goddess' happen to have red hair?"
"Yes."
Hearing this, Kasuto immediately took his arm and started dragging him from that spot.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Let's go, before you decide to stay. I told you I would take you to the princess without having to sneak past the guards!"
*************************************************************************
"Master."
The pitch-black caverns beneath the land surrounding Lake Hylia. There, a magic spell fooled even the powerful curses of Kokiri Forest. Day was night here. And here was where the Stalfos could escape nature. Escape, only for one true purpose.
Two sets of yellow bright eyes created a dim glow in the narrow pathway where two of the skeletons stood. Neither could see each other's form, and they didn't have to.
"Report."
"We found the bones of the 5 guards in the lower boundaries of the Hylian's field."
"Cause of death?"
"They have the marks the renegade soldiers did. the ones who were clearing out Lake Hylia for us."
"The meddlesome Zora guardians again?"
"No, there were two Zoras there, one male and one female."
"And the Hylian girl?"
"Escaped with the two Zoras. and footprints from what seemed to be a pair of Kokiri boots, child size."
"I see."
"Shall we attack the ranch?"
"No. our forces still lack preparation and numbers."
"And what of the excavation project?"
"Are you questioning me, soldier?"
"No, Lord Stalfos. I would never!"
The wider pair of eyes stepped enough into the light so that the soldier could see them. The form that stood in front of him. was half human, half Stalfos. They could only describe the process as a metamorphosis; in other words, he was once a guinea pig for a laboratory. Nonetheless, the experimentation had given him great intelligence and one very promising side effect. He could open the eyes of other Stalfos; he could give them the soul, only described as a magical life force spark, that the forest had so brutally taken from them. In return for a new life, obedience was the price. And each he had shown the way to, had done that.
But over the years, something was lacking in the mind of the ever-present leader. A man named Gannondorf Dragmire had offered a chance for humanity to him 3 years ago. But his price was the same the one he holds to his men now. Upon thinking for a great while, the half-Stalfos wanted to accept the offer, but before he could, the leader of the Gerudo vanished mysteriously. He send his men all over the world to find them, but no one even knew who the man was, not even the Gerudo themselves. Something had made the king vanish into thin air; his one chance dissipating with Dragmire's memory.
"The project is going as planned. once the statue has been found, it is only a matter of time."
"Please excuse my further questioning master. but. are you positive that we will be able to free him?"
Every skeleton in the land knew the 'project' now. Digging in an uninhabited area of the Gerudo desert, the assigned Stalfos were looking for one thing: a statue. Lord Stalfos only told them what they needed to know about the statue. It was the key to restoring their humanity. This was enough to have legions of skeletons at his feet begging to help him in any way possible. The lord himself did not know much, but from what he was told by a librarian spy in Hyrule castle, the entities of this statue would do his bidding once he brought them to life. All he needed was the object, a special ocarina, and the presence of pure evil to awaken the souls trapped within.
The object and the presence of evil were the easy part. He still did not know how to retrieve the ocarina. At the moment, he didn't even know where it was.
"Yes, if everything continues to go according to plan. the temple of time will open itself to us. with a little help of course."
"The princess?"
"Yes. I remember Dragmire telling me that the girl was easily manipulated by premonitions. I have had the spell castor do just that."
"You mean. you have been putting false premonitions in her dreams?"
"Not false. it is the future if it comes to pass."
"Didn't that same spell castor die though?"
"The spell was out of control, before he died, my elite guards worried of the spell reaching others connected to the princess. Her mind was not easily controlled, and it shouldn't be."
"Why is that, master?"
"I believe that she is more powerful than she leads the people onto, and she knows it."
"I see." the soldier's voice trailed off momentarily, but came back strong, "What of the ranch girl? Do we still need her?"
"Although capturing her was a priority, our 'key' might already be right where I want him and he WILL do what I desire."
"Understood, master!"
"And soldier, your loyalties are always to me, are they not?"
"Yes master!"
"I want you to gather 5 of your most trusted and loyal companions, Dragmire will pose a threat alive after our humanity has been gained. I will need him eliminated as soon as possible."
"It shall be done, master."
"You know what will happen after we kill him."
"The power of the item we are digging out will be used against the protectors of the forests and the land that banished us to the depths of hell. to be precise, master."
**************************************************************************** *
Casually, Ruto walked along the castle path until she reached Link and Kasuto. With accordance to castle rules, only one of them was allowed in to prove their identity to the council. Since the princess of the Zoras was recognized, it was only a matter of time before the three would be meeting with the princess. The only bad thing was, they had to set up an appointment most of the time. Luckily, Princess Zelda's Sheikian attendant was so astonished by Princess Ruto's 'fierceness' in wanting to see the Hylian princess, she ordered the three of them to see her immediately.
Without a word from her part, Ruto grabbed both of their wrists and smiled at the guard before dragging them in.
"Hey wait a minute? What's going on, princess?" Kasuto stumbled to keep up with her.
"We're going to meet her, aren't we?" Link asked curiously as well.
Flashing a grin back to them in her usual mischievous style, Ruto and the others stepped up to the castle and walked in as if they owned the place.
Before walking anymore steps, Impa was right in front of them, her arms crossed. She took and glance at all three of them, then kept them steadily on Link.
"Princess Zelda has requested you to meet you in the courtyard."
"Just me?" Link barely spoke. He forgot about how much she freaked him out the last time she was here.
"No. All of you are to attend the meeting." Impa turned around and pointed to a hallway to their right. "Down the corridor is the gate leading to the outside. Past the garden you will find an archway that will lead you to the courtyard. Be warned, the eyes of the Hylian guard will be on you at all times until you reach the location."
Link's sigh of relief was not unnoticed, but unwelcome as well to the Shiekian. For now, though, she kept silent.
"That's all fine and stuff. but why don't you just lead us there?" Kasuto arched a brow, obviously confused by her instructions already.
"I will be there in moments time, young Zora. I am going to the library to gather the needed materials for our session."
Ruto grabbed both of their arms again, which she had reluctantly let go seeing the scary Shiekian.
"No sense, complaining guys, don't worry I know where this place is at by heart!"
The trip only lasted around a minute to actually reach the courtyard. Ruto and Kasuto both sped up their pace just to leave the sickening death glares from the Hylian guardsmen. But Link was too enveloped in thought to care much. After all, his last meeting with the princess did not turn out as well as he wanted it to. In her presence, he felt vulnerable, weak; a feeling he couldn't shake after the very first time they met.
One step into the heavily flowered courtyard, and it was déjà vu. She was there. as young and beautiful as ever, gazing at the sky from her position perched on the small staircase leading to the stained glass window separating the courtyard from the throne room. Her crystalline blue eyes entranced him the moment he saw her, again. Link couldn't fathom the countless amount of emotions that hit him right then and stopped him from going any further. Saving the world or meeting the girl you turned down again? Somehow the latter did not sound appealing to him.
"Link!!" Ruto tugged on his arm a little, "You can't just keep a princess waiting like this! She doesn't have all day!"
"I'm coming!! I'm come." Right then, Zelda looked down at her guests, a smile creeping over her face as she saw at them. Link's eyes caught onto her glance as well and he suddenly became a robot, walking towards her as though some unseen force was telling him to. ".ing."
The princess of Hyrule stood to greet her guests modestly. Brushing her golden blond hair behind her shoulders, she nodded as if to tell them to approach her. Zelda's hands fell to her lap, held together as to not shown the nervousness she was feeling right now.
"Welcome to Hyrule castle. I hope your trip was here was as safe as possible?" Okay. so it wasn't the greeting Link received last time. Maybe she was putting a show on for Ruto and Kasuto. Or maybe she was putting a wall up to hide her feelings from him. Either way, he wasn't very concerned; it was her decision to how their meeting would continue.
Ruto stepped up to the plate, ahead of the men. Her training at handling such situations was only starting at the Domain, but she could improvise. She wasn't exactly supposed to be here anyway, so she figured she might as well help as much as possible.
"Yes, our journey was flawless, Princess Zelda," Ruto bowed her head to the princess, smiling in what looked to be gratitude, "Thank you for your concern."
Smiling at the Zora princess, Zelda's gaze started to wonder from Link to Kasuto. The one she didn't know had a look of surprise on his face from Ruto's reply. She suppressed a smile knowing Ruto's bodyguards probably knew her real personality, not the one she showed at times like these. Link, on the other hand, was intently looking at her, as if he wanted to be addressed by her. Turning back to Ruto, she declined from her original intention to talk to him next. It was better left to talk to another Princess than a guy she had to pretend she barely knew.
"Princess Ruto of Zoras, would you be so kind as to introduce me to your companions?"
"At your request, my lady," Ruto turned to Kasuto first, motioning for him to step up, "This is my bodyguard, a member of the elite Zora division who guard your waters diligently." As she said this, Kasuto knelt by the princess at bowed his head.
"I am at your service, Lady Zelda." the bodyguard and Zelda herself both knew he could not refer to her as his princess in a strict situation at this. Both knew where his loyalties stayed.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kasuto," She smiled in understanding as he stood up and took his place next to Ruto again.
Once Kasuto was settled, Ruto looked over to Link, who was sweating beads now. She patted him on the shoulder and took a glance at Zelda. A glare of familiarity took Ruto by surprise but was dismissed quickly by her sense of duty.
"This is Link, he is member of the Kokiri race that lives deep within Hyrule's protective forest boarder," Ruto pushed Link gently towards the princess, "He has come here on request of the Great Deku Tree and met up with us along the way."
The hero of time didn't bow to her but instead smiled shyly. He couldn't hold it in. even in front of Ruto and Kasuto.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
"No. I would imagine a few weeks since our last meeting."
The two Zoras' jaws dropped. Both of them immediately stepped up to question them, but just as they did, Impa entered the courtyard, a stack of books held carefully in her hands.
"Am I interrupting, princess?"
"Not at all, Impa," Zelda smiled upon the two Zoras again, trying to give them a reassuring gaze, "Please hand each of the books to them, I will explain as they look them over."
Once they all were settled, sitting on the soft grass of the courtyard, Zelda allowed them five minutes to look the books over. The only reason Ruto and Kasuto agreed to it was because she promised them answers in due time.
"Are you ready to ask questions now? I am sure you have many." Zelda interrupted their readings, seeing each of their faces light up on more than one occasion.
"I will start, if that is all right with you, lady Zelda?" Kasuto asked.
She nodded and moved her attention to solely him.
"I think my first question is what all of us are thinking right now," He looked down, "You had a dream too, didn't you?"
"Yes, Kasuto, you are right. I was and still am plagued by the premonition of an evil coming to Hyrule so great, it will throw our land into war."
"All three of us had dreams too. but ours were all different."
"Different? How so?"
Kasuto looked through the pages and turned the book to her.
"I saw this woman in my dreams, the one with the red hair. Princess Ruto and Link saw no such woman in theirs." He closed the book and set it down beside him, "I am curious to what your dream held, if you do not mind me asking. And I would also like to know what these books have to do with our dreams."
Sighing, the princess looked down herself, contemplating just how much to tell them. All would be best, she assumed, figuring any less would bring an onslaught of questions she would have to answer concerning parts she left out.
"The castle was being destroyed by a man I know as Gannondorf Dragmire, an evil man who is in legends supposed to be locked up in the Evil realm by the Seven sages of Hyrule," She took in a small sigh, trying to collect her thoughts, "But it was not his eyes. His eyes were black, controlled by another. May I see your book for a moment?" She flipped through the pages after receiving the book gingerly, "This woman, the one they call Eclipse, was his 'master' I believe."
"I saw the same woman in my dreams." Link was looking at the same page as they spoke, "She first tried to kill me, calling herself a phantom of echoes, and then the second time I had a dream, she killed someone else."
"She is one of them, according to the legends. The red haired one, known as Lynn X, is another one of them." Zelda flipped through the pages again, "Let me answer your second question Kasuto. these books are all the knowledge of the phantoms we have. If these dreams do come true, we will have a major problem on our hands, won't we?"
"Wait, if these phantoms are in the legend books, then that means they have come out before," Ruto asked matter-of-factly, "So we'll be able to take care of them easily right?"
Zelda simply shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. You see, the only way to defeat them, has two parts to it." The princess of Hyrule looked directly at Link now, "I would rather prevent the catastrophe than go through it though. I already have a failsafe in place at the moment. At the moment, all three spiritual stones are being collected, the ocarina of time is safe within these castle walls, and we now have the hero of time in our presence. I no longer believe there is any need to worry."
"The hero. of time is here?" Ruto and Kasuto both whispered before looking over at Link disbelieving. They both were quite surprised as he let out a small smile, shrugging. He knew he was the hero of time already.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ruto asked first, breaking out of the shock before Kasuto did.
"You can ask him later, but we have bigger problems it seems." Zelda interrupted.
"You said you had no reason to worry though, right Princess?" the Zora Princess responded.
"I wish that was the case, but according to a few of my elite guards, the Statue of Echoes, the prison of the phantoms, has been uncovered by a group of Stalfos. On top of that, the temple of time was recently raided by a few from the same group and they now have the same information we do."
"So they'll be after the stones and the ocarina too?" Link was still flipping through the book but was still listening.
"It doesn't matter, because they don't have you. To gain entrance to the temple of light, where Gannondorf is being held, the master sword would have to be released again. You are the only one who can do it, Link."
"That's why they were trying to capture Malon!"
"The daughter of the owner of Lon Lon ranch?"
"Yes! They were. going to use her to make me release the master sword from the pedestal!"
Meanwhile, Kasuto looked like he was about to burst.
"Just wait a minute here!! How do you know you're the hero of time?" Kasuto finally got a few words out, "How do you know is he, princess? How are me and Princess Ruto even connected to this!! I want answers, NOW!"
Zelda and Link's eye met as they contemplated telling the two about his experiences with the Ocarina of Time and Gannondorf. She still had much to tell them about the phantoms, how the past Hylians defeated them, and even about a topic she didn't want to touch quite yet. But, if she didn't have help preventing it from happening, everything that her and Link worked for in the past would be in vain. As she kept thinking about this, their Zora guardian grew impatient.
"I'm serious. I want answers!"
"Alright, I will tell you everything."
"Princess? You can't be serious."
"No, Link, they need to know for this to work. If they have been having the same dreams and met up with you from only what I see as fate, they are involved in this too now. This time, we may not be able to fight the evil off with just the two of us."
************************************************************************
R&R please ^_^. Next chapter: Chapter VII: Spiritual stone racing
