((Disclaimer: see previous chapter.))
THE TEMPLE OF TIME
There was a change in the air, and Impa lifted her head. Her hair blew from her face as Farore resumed her shape, standing tall over the anguished girl.
"Impa. . ."
Impa stared deep into Farore's green eyes. Eyes that to her surprise shed bright tears of silver.
"Impa. . .this was my fault. These whole events: they were of my brainchild. Highness, you have my permission to hate me with all your heart for what I have done to you. . ."
Impa stared. She couldn't help it. The Goddess of Courage, her fairy partner, had betrayed her? She had been set up to go through all this pain?
The events of the day had been building within her, and finally, they overflowed. She pushed past Farore's caring arms and tore across the grass, leaving light footprints in the melting frost. The blood from her fight stained her cheeks, her hair flying free and wild. Across Hyrule Field she ran, through the still-sleepy Castle Town and up the steps into the Temple of Time where she collapsed in front of the altar and wept.
***
Morning came and went, as did afternoon. The moon crawled up into the sky shedding eerie silvery light over the still land of Hyrule.
Zelda strode quickly through the marketplace. A nervous urchin peered at her from around a corner, but the queen was too busy to offer the child shelter. Her strides carried her into the recluse and to the great doors of the Temple. She tried to push the door open, but it was barred from the inside. She sighed gently and endeavoured to call through the wood softly, "Impa. . . Impa, honey, it's me. Let me in, please. . ."
The doors remained silent as stone. Zelda sighed again, and her breath clouded in front of her in the cold night air.
Inside, Impa listened. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and she had not yet changed out of her bloodstained clothes. She didn't want to see anyone, not even her mother. Inside in the coolness of the Temple was where she wanted to be, not outside where restless spirits roamed. She sank against the altar where the Spiritual Stones glimmered in the moonlight and hugged her knees in her sadness.
There was a change in the air again, and Impa's gaze lifted from her torn knees to see not Farore, but Zelda, half in Sheikah dress, half robes. Zelda sank to the floor beside her daughter and embraced her gently. Impa's tears returned and she sobbed into Zelda's shoulder, "I killed him, mother. I did it, and I should feel happy, but instead I feel wretched. Moth is dead too, the Gerudo Sword Mistress had poisoned blades. I loved him, mother, and he's gone. Both of them are. But I won't miss Kiren, and Moth has left a hole in my heart. . ."
Zelda hugged her daughter and then took her hand in both of hers, "Impa, love, get some sleep. I know you fear the night," she added swiftly as Impa opened her mouth to protest, "but I have a capsule that will give you easy dreams. Sleep, my daughter. I will return for you in the morning. I'll see you are not disturbed."
She pressed a hard pellet into Impa's palm, stood back, and vanished, without the flourish of the nut but simply, in the way only true Sheikah can.
Impa stared hard at the little pill and then swallowed it without a word. The world that was shattered through the tears that nestled in her eyes became fuzzy and soft, and soon she felt her eyelids droop and her body sink slowly in slumber. . .
~*~ Impa stood on a vast plain, grass spreading in every direction. The sky above was an lurid blue, and an unfelt wind moved the longer stalks. She walked forwards and was surprised to see a small pool of water, glinting in the sunlight. She came closer, and saw a fairy dancing in the air above the water. The creature saw Impa and spoke to her, "I'm sorry, your highness. I'm terribly, terribly sorry. But you understand, don't you? You understand that if I hadn't done it, you would still be the little Princess? Don't you?"
Impa wanted to say more to the little fairy, but she vanished in a shower of glistening dust. As the clouds cleared, a tall young man with shoulder length white hair and deep red eyes appeared. Impa cried out, but her voice failed her. Moth smiled faintly and spoke to her in the same gentle voice that she remembered, "Impa... my love, I will find a way back to you, I promise. I chose not to become a ghost, because spirits and the living cannot be united. So I linger between the darkness and the light. Maybe the Goddesses will take pity..."
Impa wanted to feel his touch again, and so ran towards him. He opened his arms for her but she passed through him. He turned with a sad smile, "See? It is not possible. That is no existence. I must go, my princess. Wait for me..."
"No! Stay with me! I can't exist without you!" Impa cried, but her voice did not sound. Instead, the world turned red as Moth's image faded, and the terrifying image of Kiren, glaring with his nose smashed and bloody, loomed out of the grass. Impa screamed... ~*~
The princess awoke to a scream echoing around the chamber of the Temple. After a second, she realised it was her own. She pulled herself upright against the altar and shivered. The Spiritual Stones gleamed.
Impa scrambled away from the altar as the Stones shone intensely for a moment. There was a burst of pure light, and the shining figures of the Goddesses stood in front of their respective Spiritual Stones. Nayru immediately went to the distressed girl and helped her upright. Impa stood and waited for them to speak.
Nayru went back to her position and nodded at Farore, who spoke, "Princess Impa. We realise you have suffered terribly through no fault of your own."
"You spoke to me in my dream, didn't you? You said I would understand why I went through all this," said Impa, her voice level.
Farore nodded, "Do you?"
Impa bowed her head, "Yes... I understand. If I hadn't been faced with all those events, I would never have matured enough to be able to successfully rule these lands. My father... he was destined only to retrieve the Triforce and banish Ganondorf. I know now that Fate exists: we play our parts and are then extinguished like the candles that light my chambers. Kiren could not be allowed to live: he would have upset the balance."
Farore smiled sadly, "You missed someone."
"Because I don't understand why he died, that's why," whispered Impa. She bent her head further to hide the tears that had formed in her eyes.
Din left her place and, as Farore had done five years ago, tilted the girl's chin up with her strong hand. The fiery gaze of the Goddess burned her tears away. Din placed a hand on her shoulder briefly, and then strode back to her place. Impa swallowed.
Farore spoke again, "We have a proposition, your highness. Because you surpassed our intentions with your courage, strength and wisdom, we will grant you a wish."
Impa could hardly form the words, "Moth... can you bring him back?"
Now Din smiled sadly, "Raising the dead is not our domain..."
Nayru cut in, "However, we might be able to compromise..."
"What do you mean?" asked Impa, the disappointment seeping away.
Farore tilted her head to the side as Nayru spoke to her mind, and then turned to Impa once more, "For the season when the world is covered by snow and frost, the son of the Shadow Sage will again walk this earth. When the buds are bursting, and the bees are working, and the leaves are falling, he will remain in the Spirit World. You may meet in dreams at those times, but the Winter is yours together."
Impa had not words enough to thank the Goddesses; instead she fell to her knees and bowed her forehead to the floor. Farore beamed and strode to her, picked her up from the ground, and embraced her. Impa smelt her scent, pine needles and clean earth, and felt the warm softness of her hair brush her cheeks. Farore drew back and kissed her cheek gently, "Go well, Princess of Hyrule. May your reign be long and prosperous." The Goddesses faded.
***
THE TEMPLE OF TIME
There was a change in the air, and Impa lifted her head. Her hair blew from her face as Farore resumed her shape, standing tall over the anguished girl.
"Impa. . ."
Impa stared deep into Farore's green eyes. Eyes that to her surprise shed bright tears of silver.
"Impa. . .this was my fault. These whole events: they were of my brainchild. Highness, you have my permission to hate me with all your heart for what I have done to you. . ."
Impa stared. She couldn't help it. The Goddess of Courage, her fairy partner, had betrayed her? She had been set up to go through all this pain?
The events of the day had been building within her, and finally, they overflowed. She pushed past Farore's caring arms and tore across the grass, leaving light footprints in the melting frost. The blood from her fight stained her cheeks, her hair flying free and wild. Across Hyrule Field she ran, through the still-sleepy Castle Town and up the steps into the Temple of Time where she collapsed in front of the altar and wept.
***
Morning came and went, as did afternoon. The moon crawled up into the sky shedding eerie silvery light over the still land of Hyrule.
Zelda strode quickly through the marketplace. A nervous urchin peered at her from around a corner, but the queen was too busy to offer the child shelter. Her strides carried her into the recluse and to the great doors of the Temple. She tried to push the door open, but it was barred from the inside. She sighed gently and endeavoured to call through the wood softly, "Impa. . . Impa, honey, it's me. Let me in, please. . ."
The doors remained silent as stone. Zelda sighed again, and her breath clouded in front of her in the cold night air.
Inside, Impa listened. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and she had not yet changed out of her bloodstained clothes. She didn't want to see anyone, not even her mother. Inside in the coolness of the Temple was where she wanted to be, not outside where restless spirits roamed. She sank against the altar where the Spiritual Stones glimmered in the moonlight and hugged her knees in her sadness.
There was a change in the air again, and Impa's gaze lifted from her torn knees to see not Farore, but Zelda, half in Sheikah dress, half robes. Zelda sank to the floor beside her daughter and embraced her gently. Impa's tears returned and she sobbed into Zelda's shoulder, "I killed him, mother. I did it, and I should feel happy, but instead I feel wretched. Moth is dead too, the Gerudo Sword Mistress had poisoned blades. I loved him, mother, and he's gone. Both of them are. But I won't miss Kiren, and Moth has left a hole in my heart. . ."
Zelda hugged her daughter and then took her hand in both of hers, "Impa, love, get some sleep. I know you fear the night," she added swiftly as Impa opened her mouth to protest, "but I have a capsule that will give you easy dreams. Sleep, my daughter. I will return for you in the morning. I'll see you are not disturbed."
She pressed a hard pellet into Impa's palm, stood back, and vanished, without the flourish of the nut but simply, in the way only true Sheikah can.
Impa stared hard at the little pill and then swallowed it without a word. The world that was shattered through the tears that nestled in her eyes became fuzzy and soft, and soon she felt her eyelids droop and her body sink slowly in slumber. . .
~*~ Impa stood on a vast plain, grass spreading in every direction. The sky above was an lurid blue, and an unfelt wind moved the longer stalks. She walked forwards and was surprised to see a small pool of water, glinting in the sunlight. She came closer, and saw a fairy dancing in the air above the water. The creature saw Impa and spoke to her, "I'm sorry, your highness. I'm terribly, terribly sorry. But you understand, don't you? You understand that if I hadn't done it, you would still be the little Princess? Don't you?"
Impa wanted to say more to the little fairy, but she vanished in a shower of glistening dust. As the clouds cleared, a tall young man with shoulder length white hair and deep red eyes appeared. Impa cried out, but her voice failed her. Moth smiled faintly and spoke to her in the same gentle voice that she remembered, "Impa... my love, I will find a way back to you, I promise. I chose not to become a ghost, because spirits and the living cannot be united. So I linger between the darkness and the light. Maybe the Goddesses will take pity..."
Impa wanted to feel his touch again, and so ran towards him. He opened his arms for her but she passed through him. He turned with a sad smile, "See? It is not possible. That is no existence. I must go, my princess. Wait for me..."
"No! Stay with me! I can't exist without you!" Impa cried, but her voice did not sound. Instead, the world turned red as Moth's image faded, and the terrifying image of Kiren, glaring with his nose smashed and bloody, loomed out of the grass. Impa screamed... ~*~
The princess awoke to a scream echoing around the chamber of the Temple. After a second, she realised it was her own. She pulled herself upright against the altar and shivered. The Spiritual Stones gleamed.
Impa scrambled away from the altar as the Stones shone intensely for a moment. There was a burst of pure light, and the shining figures of the Goddesses stood in front of their respective Spiritual Stones. Nayru immediately went to the distressed girl and helped her upright. Impa stood and waited for them to speak.
Nayru went back to her position and nodded at Farore, who spoke, "Princess Impa. We realise you have suffered terribly through no fault of your own."
"You spoke to me in my dream, didn't you? You said I would understand why I went through all this," said Impa, her voice level.
Farore nodded, "Do you?"
Impa bowed her head, "Yes... I understand. If I hadn't been faced with all those events, I would never have matured enough to be able to successfully rule these lands. My father... he was destined only to retrieve the Triforce and banish Ganondorf. I know now that Fate exists: we play our parts and are then extinguished like the candles that light my chambers. Kiren could not be allowed to live: he would have upset the balance."
Farore smiled sadly, "You missed someone."
"Because I don't understand why he died, that's why," whispered Impa. She bent her head further to hide the tears that had formed in her eyes.
Din left her place and, as Farore had done five years ago, tilted the girl's chin up with her strong hand. The fiery gaze of the Goddess burned her tears away. Din placed a hand on her shoulder briefly, and then strode back to her place. Impa swallowed.
Farore spoke again, "We have a proposition, your highness. Because you surpassed our intentions with your courage, strength and wisdom, we will grant you a wish."
Impa could hardly form the words, "Moth... can you bring him back?"
Now Din smiled sadly, "Raising the dead is not our domain..."
Nayru cut in, "However, we might be able to compromise..."
"What do you mean?" asked Impa, the disappointment seeping away.
Farore tilted her head to the side as Nayru spoke to her mind, and then turned to Impa once more, "For the season when the world is covered by snow and frost, the son of the Shadow Sage will again walk this earth. When the buds are bursting, and the bees are working, and the leaves are falling, he will remain in the Spirit World. You may meet in dreams at those times, but the Winter is yours together."
Impa had not words enough to thank the Goddesses; instead she fell to her knees and bowed her forehead to the floor. Farore beamed and strode to her, picked her up from the ground, and embraced her. Impa smelt her scent, pine needles and clean earth, and felt the warm softness of her hair brush her cheeks. Farore drew back and kissed her cheek gently, "Go well, Princess of Hyrule. May your reign be long and prosperous." The Goddesses faded.
***