Shadow and Spirit

One Year Later

"Link is missing?"

"Yes, shortly after he returned from Talmina, he disappeared." Rauru began, his eyes meeting Impa's in despair. "Impa, I brought this up to you only because I thought you were best equipped to handle it-even Zelda doesn't know yet."

She shook her head. "I'm sure Zelda knows. She and Link have a bond that I can't even begin to understand. And as for handling it, that brave boy is the only hero this land has. I'm a little frightened myself." She held up a hand when Rauru began to bristle. "Yes, I know. The sages are here, but even you must admit that our magic is mostly defensive. And Zelda is not yet fully grown. Link is the only one who has proved he is capable of defending us-even as a child."

"I think you underestimate the power of the sages. But this is not what I wished to speak to you about. Link's absence is being dealt with. I have sent a search party to find him. I believe he may have been sucked into another dimension...again." He harrumphed. "What I do want to discuss with you is a mysterious force that's been felt in the desert, in this time period. A caravan of Hylian gypsies was reported missing the other day, and no one knows what happened to them. I'd like you to investigate it. Since Link went missing in his original time period, we have no hero to deal with this new threat, if it is a threat."

"So, Link went missing in his time period, that is, seven years ago to us. This new threat, the one you want me to investigate, is happening now?"

"Exactly. I want you to go to the desert and see if anything is amiss."

The Sheikah arched an eyebrow. "Shouldn't I be searching for Link as well?"

"No. I need you to do this. You and...Nabooru."

"Nabooru? Rauru, I respect her as a Sage, but you must know that our personalities do not mesh--"

"Yeah, well, I don't like you either." The Gerudo moved into view, brushing her long red ponytail over her shoulder as she walked towards the other Sages. "But I know the deserts, and I can't go by myself-as much as I might want to-so we have to team up."

Impa ground her teeth together and looked at Rauru questioningly.

"She's right, Impa. She has the knowldege of the deserts and you have the strategic intelligence and diplomacy that this job requires. She also has connections with the Gerudos. If this mysterious force has anything to do with them, we'll need her inside knowledge." He cleared his throat again. "I realise that you two are not the best of friends but I know that you are both mature enough to rise above this...for Link's sake."

*****

There was a soft knock on Impa's door and she looked up to see Nabooru standing there, wearing a light tunic embroidered heavily with gold thread.

"Hey."

"Hello, Nabooru," the Sheika said briefly, then went back to polishing her sword.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Polishing my sword."

The Gerudo rolled her eyes. "I can see that. What I meant was, are you almost ready to go? Rauru wants us to head out in the morning. On foot, cause there's a threat that our magic might be detected if we transport directly there. "

"On foot?" Impa sighed and put her sword down, her mind reeling with the implications of hours on the road with the quarrelsome redhead.

"Well, I'm not exactly thrilled either." Nabooru came the rest of the way into Impa's room, plopping herself down on Impa's cot with a slight thump. "But if there's a chance that this magic in the desert is hostile, it'd be foolish..."

"I know," Impa cut her off. "I just...it's been a while since I traveled long distances on foot. Not since my sojourn to the Shadow Temple, and that was a disaster." She reflected on that missing period in her life, when she'd been kept in stasis, not knowing if she'd ever be freed.

Nabooru grinned. "Hopefully, it won't turn out like that... Anyway, I'm ready. So if you just wanna meet at the front door or something in the morning, we can hurry off. It might be easier if the other Sages didn't know we were leaving."

Impa nodded. "Saria would take it badly." The Shiekah had oddly protective feelings towards the childlike Sage.

"Sar' takes goodbyes badly."

"It's understandable."

"Anyway..." Nabooru pushed herself up off of the bed, ponytail swinging wildly. "Tomorrow morning, early?"

"How early?"

"How early can you take? I'm used to rising with sun, but I know you soft palace types..."

"With the sun is fine."

"With the sun it is, then. I'll be waiting."

Nabooru slammed the door behind her, and Impa returned to her sword polishing with a new zeal.

*****

The sun was just rising as Impa opened the heavy front doors of the Temple of Light. She tried to open them silently, but the door creaked as always. There was a loose hinge somewhere, but no one really wanted to look for the problem. Rauru was forever complaining about how he was repairing the Temple by himself with no help from the others, but Impa could see no discernible changes.

"Good morning!" Impa was dragged out her pointless wonderings by Nabooru's cheerful voice. The redhead was leaning against one of the front columns of the Temple, watching the sun rise. She had changed into sturdier shoes. A silk bag rested by her feet.

Impa shifted her own leather satchel, slinging it across her shoulder. "The day's greeting to you too. I'm here...with the sun," she added pointedly.

"Well, I'm impressed." Nabooru reached down and picked up her bag.

"Rauru has informed me that we can use our magic to travel to the edge of the Sacred Realm and to cross the boundaries. We shouldn't be detected here."

"Impa, Nabooru?" The two Sages turned around swiftly as a voice spoke up, seemingly out of nowhere. Saria was standing in the shadows of the porch, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Saria. What are you doing up so early?"

"I...Jeru, my fairy, he overheard you talking with Rauru. I-Is Link really missing? And are you two leaving?" A tear ran down her face.

Impa knelt down so she was eye-level with the small Sage of Forest. She tried to keep her voice non-condescending. Saria might appear to be a child, but in reality, she was mature for her race. "Yes, Link is missing, Saria. We're going to go..." She decided it would be best if she told a little white lie. "Nabooru and I are going to search for him."

"In Hyrule?" Jeru landed on Saria's shoulder. "Are you going to go to the forest?"

"No, Sar'." Nabooru shook her head. "In the desert."

"Oh." Jeru's light flickered and Impa idly wondered if the fairy was comforting Saria.

"We'll be back soon." Impa promised. Saria nodded solemnly and then flung herself forward, enveloping the larger woman in a tight embrace.

"Promise?"

"I promise." Impa straightened herself up and turned towards Nabooru, who nodded and dematerialized in a glimmer of orange light that soared off into the distance. After a final wave at Saria, Impa dematerialized as well, willing herself to the boundaries of the Sacred Realm.

******

"Nabooru?" Impa's voice echoed off the high ceiling of the Temple of Time. There was no answer and the little Gerudo was nowhere in sight. Typical. Impa glanced at the altar and the empty grooves where the Sacred Stones were supposed to rest. //Now I know why the Goddesses didn't entrust a gemstone to the Gerudo. They're too unreliable.//

Squaring her shoulders, Impa walked out of the Temple. A row of Gossip Stones started blathering at her in high-pitched voices.

"Quiet now, you," she replied in the Sheikah tongue. "I know it's been a while since anyone who spoke your language came around, but I can't hear you if you speak all at once."

"Oh! Oh!" one Gossip Stone piped up. "There was a little boy with a Mask of Truth, but he couldn't talk back to us, no, no. And he kept hitting us!"

"All he had to do was ask nicely!" another one squealed indignantly.

Impa tapped her fist against her crossed arms. "Have you seen a Gerudo come by here recently?"

The Gossip stones trembled in excitement. "Ooooh, yes! One came by here five minutes ago! She must have been looking for a boyfriend." All the stones giggled childishly.

"A boyfriend?"

"Yep! All the Gerudos come to Hyrule Castle Market looking for boyfriends."

Impa arched an eyebrow as she thought about the type of people she'd seen in Hyrule Castle Town. "Thank you for your help."

"A pleasure. Come back and we'll have lots of new gossip! Did you hear that Richard had puppies? 'He' was a she all along. His owner was furious..."

The stones' high-pitched voices faded out as Impa headed towards the main square of the town, where the market was. The loud catcalls of vendors filled her ears along with a steady stream of chatter, which she realised after a moment, was all about her.

'I told you there was a Sheikah in Hyrule Castle.'

'You're always right, darling. I love you sooo much.'

'That's so funny! Oh, look, a Sheikah!'

"Must be Zelda's bodyguard.'

'Sell me something....please, Miss Sheikah.'

Impa quickly climbed a flight of stairs that led to the balcony of one of the houses overlooking the market. An intelligent looking man was standing near the edge. "Excuse me. Have you seen a Gerudo come this way?"

The young man stared at Impa, then pushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. "A Gerudo? Yeah, she went into the weapons shop. Why, did she steal something from you?"

"No. Thank you." Impa raced down the stairs and headed towards the weapons shop on the other side of the town square.

*****

"Are you kidding me? Forty rupees for a bag of Deku Nuts?" I might as well find a Business Scrub. At least I could beat him up a little bit before he ripped me off." Nabooru glared at the stocky clerk as Impa opened the door and slid into the room unnoticed.

"All right, how about thirty rupees?" The clerk offered.

Nabooru laughed derisively. "I knew you looked like a Goron, I didn't know you had the brain of one as well. Twenty, and that's my final offer."

The big man grumbled, but nodded. "All right, twenty rupees. But you're really getting away with murder here."

Nabooru rolled her eyes as she reached into her bag for the money. She slid it across the counter and the clerk handed her the bag. She turned around, jumping back startled when she saw Impa.

"When did you get here?"

Impa looked the Gerudo over coolly, narrowing her eyes. "About five minutes ago. I had assumed that you would be waiting for me."

"I had to get supplies," Nabooru replied, shrugging, as she pushed her way out of the dark shop.

"You might have waited for me."

"You found me well enough." Nabooru shoved the Deku nuts into her bag. "Where should we go now?"

Impa considered the question for a while. "It might be a good idea to go see Princess Zelda. She has a bond with Link...."

"Wait," Nabooru cut her off. "I thought Darunia and Rauru were looking for Link."

"As I was saying, she has a bond with Link and a connection to Hyrule itself. She might be able to give us some information. I suspect that Link's disappearance and this most recent disturbance might have some sort of connection."

Nabooru shrugged. "So I guess we should go see her highness."

"We'll have to sneak in unnoticed." She said as she began the walk towards the castle. "There's no telling what this mysterious force Rauru was talking about might be, we don't want to alert it to our presence more than we have to. A royal welcome would be a bit of a spectacle."

*****

"Zelda's courtyard is just beyond this last statue. She's usually there." Impa peered around the edge of the bush at the soldier who was patrolling ahead of them. "We should be able to run for it in a few seconds."

"Impa, I'm a trained thief. I know when to run. Now!" She took off, her lightly shod feet making no noise as she ran across the grassy path, behind the back of the soldier. She could hear Impa behind her, her footfalls only slightly louder.

As they rounded the corner into the small octogonal courtyard, Zelda looked up. "Nabooru! Impa!" She stood, walking over to them. "What are you doing here?"

"I might asked you the same thing, my lady," Impa teased gently. "Shouldn't you be on your throne?"

Zelda blushed. "Sometimes I like to come out here and forget..."

Impa nodded, quickly growing serious again. "Your highness, I'm afraid I bring bad news. Rauru has sent me here because Link has disappeared. He dropped out of sight seven years ago, a little after you restored him to his youth."

"Yes, to Termina, everyone knows that..."

"My lady...," Impa paused. "He has disappeared again. A short while after he returned from Termina-no more than two months."

"I-I knew something must have happened to him. After he returned from Termina it seemed like he was going to stay for good. He visited me often. He was supposed to visit me last week, but..."

Nabooru narrowed her eyes. "If he disappeared almost seven years ago, how'd he ever promise to visit you in the first place?"

Zelda raised her eyebrows. "I met with Link only five weeks ago. I believe that this is possible because he had not yet disappeared in that timeline. Now that he has gone missing seven years ago, he no longer appears in the present."

The Gerudo shook her head. "Remind me never to get involved in time travel."

"Impa," Zelda continued, ignoring Nabooru's mumbling. "You said that you weren't looking for Link, so why are you here? Oh...is this about the imbalance I've been feeling lately in Hyrule? There's a large evil that seems to be centered in the desert."

Impa nodded. "Our mission is to find out what that evil might be. I knew you would have felt it as well, my lady. Have you heard of the gypsies' disappearance?" Zelda shook her head, her expression troubled. "A caravan that was passing through the desert vanished mysteriously a few days ago."

"I'm afraid, Impa." Zelda turned away from the other two women, looking through the window into the throneroom where her father had once presided. "I've been having those dreams again." She wrung her hands. "You and I are riding a horse, just like that night when Ganondorf...when he killed my father. I look back and Link's there, just like he was, but he slowly fades away until I can only see his fairy."

"Navi," Impa said quietly.

"Yes. I see Navi, and then her light turns black and gets larger. I hear Ganondorf laughing..." she broke off.

Impa moved nearer to the young queen and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, your highness. He's gone."

Zelda embraced Impa, resting her head on her shoulder. "I'm not so sure, Impa. I have this horrible feeling that he's come back. I think he might be the evil in the desert and he's just waiting to make his move."

"I think you're right." Impa stroked Zelda's hair soothingly as she spoke.

"So we head him off before he can do anything," Nabooru said. The other women stared at her, slightly startled at her sudden outburst.

"It's not that simple..." Zelda started.

"Yes, it is. Ganondorf is evil and he's obviously powerful enough to return from the realm we sealed him into, but he can't be that powerful or..."

"Or he would have attacked us by now," the queen said, moving away from Impa.

Impa nodded, agreeing as well. "If it is him, he must be waiting for something. We need to find out what."

"Why?" Nabooru asked. "If he's waiting, we have the perfect opportunity to go in there and kill him before whatever he's waiting for happens."

"But, Nabooru, we need to find out what he's waiting for. We may be able to prevent it and send him back to his prison without bloodshed."

"Why shouldn't we kill him?" She glared at the Sheikah. "You're a warrior, why won't you act like one? "

"If we have to kill him, I will kill him, let me assure you. If we have to fight, I will fight. But I remember the Great War, Nabooru, and I will not fight if there is any other way."

Nabooru sighed. "All right, we're not butchers like he is. Back to prison with him it is. But," she said darkly, "if it is necessary..."

"If it is necessary, death," Impa finished quietly.

"Exactly."

Zelda cleared her throat as she peered at the other two women curiously. "I...I believe that Ganondorf has found some way to return. But, fortunately," she smiled," we have you two to deal with him. Wherever Link is..." Her face drooped at the mention of Link, but she recovered. "Wherever he is, I know he could not desire two better heroes than you." Impa nodded. "Where are you two going from here?"

"To the Gerudo fortress, my lady, and then onto the desert."

"I see." She looked up at the sky. "The sun is near setting. If you wish, you may stay in the castle tonight."

Nabooru started to consent, but Impa cut her off. "Thank you, my lady, but I fear that Ganondorf may have spies in the castle. It would be better if we pretended we were only ordinary travelers. We'll stay at the inn in the town."

"As you wish." She turned away from them to return to the throne room, but then stopped. "Good luck to you, fellow Sages. Shadow and Spirit...may they serve you well."