Chapter 5
Link and Malon sped through Hyrule Field on Midnight like the wind. Link was anxious to start his lessons and he also wanted his mother to meet the queen and her friend. Malon, despite having grown up on a ranch, was having trouble riding Midnight. She hadn't had that much trouble with a horse since Epona was alive.
"Goddesses, I miss that horse," she thought to herself as she clutched her adopted son's waist with almost all her strength. Link had a little trouble breathing from his mother holding him so tight but he didn't really mind. He was too focused on reaching the castle.
At the drawbridge, Link and Malon were let through immediately although the guard had a little trouble recognizing Link at first because he outfit had changed.
"Is that you, young sir," the guard asked surprised.
"Yes, it's me," Link said.
"Didn't recognize you without your green tunic," the guard said and let him on through.
Link was in fact wearing the same tunic he had on the day before but he told his mother to dye it black for him. He was a bit unnerved by how much he looked like the queen's friend and decided that changing its color would help ease his tension. It turned out great.
As Link and Malon rode through town the people all waved at him and wanted to shake his hand. Everyone wanted to meet the boy who had saved the queen. Link blushed a few times when some girls asked him if he had a girlfriend and Malon laughed.
"If he thinks it's bad now, what until he sees what happens to him in the future," she thought.
In just a few moments Link and Malon had arrived at the castle and were waiting for the drawbridge to lower. While they were waiting, Link heard a commotion coming from behind him. He turned around and peeked to the side of Malon and saw something that shocked him to the core. A band of Gerudo warriors were attacking the town and a large number of them were already headed towards the castle.
"HEY! OPEN UP! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK," Link yelled to the guard lowering the bridge. The guard looked behind Link and saw the warriors approaching. The guard turned behind him and yelled to some soldiers to sound the alarm. He lowered the bridge just enough for Link and Malon to jump across on Midnight. Link did so and landed with amazing grace and sped on through the castle without even bothering to get off Midnight.
Link had been so fast riding through the castle that he had arrived in the throne room before news of the attack had even reached Zelda.
"YOUR MAJESTY," Link said as he hopped off of Midnight followed by Malon, "something terrible has happened."
"How dare you interrupt...," Arian began to say before Zelda interrupted him and spoke to Link.
"What is it my boy," she asked calmly and politely.
"The Gerudo have attacked the town your majesty! They were already on there way to the castle just as I entered," Link said as calmly as he could but his panic was very evident.
"THE GERUDO HAVE ATTACKED! I KNEW IT! I KNEW THOSE WH…." Arian began before Zelda gave him the evil eye for what he was about to say.
"Forgive me, majesty, but you must believe me now. I warned that the Gerudo would attack," Arian said once he had calmed down slightly.
"What are we to do, your majesty," Miguel asked as he started to panic even more.
"We will do whatever we can to stop the invasion of the Gerudo. Arian, I want you to call all the knights and guards who are off duty and place them at the front of the castle. Miguel, I want you to find all the servants and other people in the castle and bring them here to the thrown room. Rauru, I want you to come with Link, Malon, and myself. There is something that needs to be said," Zelda said calmly.
All her advisors nodded and left to do what Zelda had ordered with the exception of Rauru.
"Malon, it has been a long time," Zelda said as she walked over to Link and Malon.
"Indeed it has, your majesty," Malon said as she curtsied.
"Malon, I told you, you need not be formal around me. We are good friends. You know that you can call me by my name," Zelda said.
"I know but it doesn't feel right though," Malon said to Zelda as she rose back up from her curtsy.
Link was very confused at this point. Apparently his mother and Zelda were good friends but Link did not know how that was possible. He did not know that his mother had ever met the queen.
"Mom, how…" Link began before he was cut off by a familiar voice.
"We all knew each other when we were teenagers and the queen here was but a beautiful princess," he said with a smile to try and lighten the mood of the situation at hand.
"We have more pressing matters at hand than a friendly reunion," Rauru said as he exited the room. Everyone followed him as he led through corridor after corridor of the castle until they found themselves in the library.
"Why are we in the library," the figure asked Rauru. He had been in the library several times reading up on Hyrule's history and legends but he had never seen anything in it that could possibly help them now.
"Watch and learn," Rauru said as he moved to the center of the library and lifted his hands above his head. A ball of light appeared and shot into the air. A blue column of light followed it and Rauru disappeared in a flash of light. Everyone stood stunned until they heard Rauru's voice again.
"Step into the pillar of light. It will take you to our destination," Rauru said. One at a time they all stepped into the light and when they opened their eyes they found themselves outside a temple.
"Rauru, why have you brought us here," Zelda asked. She knew where they were but she also knew that it was not yet time for them to be here.
"I know that it is much too early to be here but this is our last hope. The Gerudo would only attack us if they knew for sure that they could beat us. The only way that could happen is if Ganondorf broke the seal," Rauru said as he moved towards the door.
"How could he have broken the seal," the figure asked. "Didn't you and the other sages lock him away for all eternity?"
"I'm afraid not. As long as we sages retained our power the seal would remain but the ancient spirits of Hyrule have been released and our powers are fading quickly. Even you will eventually lose your powers, your majesty, if these spirits are not returned to their proper resting places," Rauru replied.
"Then what are we here for," Malon asked angrily. "It isn't his time yet."
"What's mom talking about? What are they all talking about," Link thought with a very confused look on his face.
"You all know that the Master Sword was forged as a weapon against all evil but did you know that was not its original purpose," Rauru said.
"What do you mean," the figure and Zelda said in unison. Neither of them had known that.
"The Master Sword was originally created to act as a sort of 'link' if you will between the Hero of Time and the ancient spirits. The ancient Hylians knew that one day the ancient spirits of the Sacred Realm would be released by a great evil and the power of the sages would begin to fade so they forged the Master Sword using the strongest and purest of metals combined with all their magical powers. The Master Sword was to be used to absorb the spirits through it and into the body of the Hero of Time. Once he had collected all seven of the spirits, four of them representing the elements and the other three representing the three goddesses, the Hero of Time was to go to the Golden Temple in the Sacred Realm. There, he would release the spirits and the power of the sages would be restored. The hero would then confront the evil that had released the spirits and defeat him so that, alive or dead, his body would be sealed within the Sacred Realm itself," Rauru said turning towards Zelda.
"So you're saying that Ganondorf has released the spirits of the Sacred Realm," the figure asked Rauru.
"Yes but that isn't all he has done, I'm afraid," Rauru said as he head hung on his shoulders.
"What do you mean," Zelda asked with a worried look on her face.
"Somehow Ganondorf has corrupted the spirits making them an evil force. And if the spirits become corrupted, eventually, so shall the sages. In essence, we sages will become possessed by the evil spirits and turn on the very hero we were meant to help. In order to absorb the spirits and purify them, the Hero of Time must defeat each of the sages in combat. Including you, Zelda, because, after all, you are the seventh sage," Rauru said as he pointed to a now very shocked queen.
"This is all very interesting but where in the world are we supposed to find this Hero of Time," Link asked.
Rauru looked at the boy and stared at him. Link felt a little uneasy but then he realized why Rauru was staring at him.
"ME! How in the world can it be me," Link cried out. He simply couldn't believe what was going on.
"Because, young one, your father was the Hero of Time before you," Rauru said calmly.
"My father?! Who is my father," Link asked.
Malon, Zelda, and the figure had realized that the time had come. It was much sooner than any of them had liked but there was no longer any avoiding it.
"Let me tell him," Malon said as she walked over to Link.
"What is it, mom," Link asked nervously.
"Son, you know that I'm not your birth mother, right?"
"Yes, I know. What does that have to do with anything," he asked.
Malon gulped and started sweating nervously. She looked behind her and Zelda nodded for her to continue.
"Son, your parents…are still alive," she finally managed to say.
"What?! Where are they then?"
"They're right behind me."
Link's face went blank with shock as he looked at the two people behind his adoptive mother.
"I…I…," Link tried to say but he just couldn't find the words to express himself. His mother was Queen Zelda and his father…he realized that he still didn't know his father's name.
"What is your name," he said pointing a finger to the person he now knew was his father.
"Believe it or not, it's the same as yours. I'm Link," the figure said as he finally properly introduced himself to his son.
"So…that's…why you…" Link began to say as his eyes started to fill up with tears.
"YOU ABANDONED ME BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID LEGEND," Link cried out not even caring that the Gerudo warriors ransacking the town would hear most likely hear him.
"Son, we had to. If the legend would have come true, which it is beginning to, then Ganondorf would have come after you and…we couldn't bear the thought of losing you," Zelda said as she started to tear up as well.
"But what if there had been an off chance that nothing would have happened? What if the legend would have never come true? You gave me to someone else just because you had a fear of something that might happen," Link said balling his fists as his first tears started rolling down his cheek.
"We didn't want to take the chance. If we gave you to someone else, then Ganondorf would have never suspected anything until it was too late," the elder Link spoke.
"Why would he come after me? Weren't you the Hero of Time, FATHER," he said, saying "father" out of spite rather than respect.
"Unfortunately, the title of Hero of Time is passed down to his first born son, namely you," Rauru said. "Do you not have the mark of the Triforce of Courage upon your hand?"
Link looked down and for the first time noticed the symbol upon his hand which was now glowing.
"The Triforce. The ancient artifact left behind when the three Goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru created the world. You carry a piece of that ancient power within yourself as well as your mother," Rauru said pointing to Zelda. Zelda turned her hand so the back of it faced Link and the Triforce of Wisdom glowed brightly.
"I carry the Triforce of Wisdom," Zelda said.
"Umm, if it's called a 'Triforce', then where is the third piece," Link asked.
"Ganondorf has it. His piece is the Triforce of Power. He will be after you and your mother's…."
"SHE IS NOT MY MOTHER," Link cried out again as he pointed to Zelda. Zelda's eyes filled with tears and she fell to the ground sobbing.
"Link, honey, please understand. Your parents did what they thought was best. It was the only way they could be sure you were safe," Malon said.
"I don't care. So what if this Ganondorf managed to break the seal? We could have run away together so he couldn't find us," Link as he started to cry again.
"Son, you don't understand. Even if we had run away, Ganondorf WOULD have found us. It would have only been a matter of time. The only way we could ensure your safety is if he didn't know you existed," the elder Link said as even his eyes began to water but no tears fell.
"I…I…can't…do…this. I…don't…want this," Link said in between his sobs. By now Link had fallen to his knees and had beaten his fist into the ground so much that his hands were raw and were beginning to hurt.
"Son…" the elder Link said as he walked over to the younger Link and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"DON'T TOUCH ME," Link yelled as he pushed the elder Link away from him. "I AM NOT YOUR SON! I…"
Link hit the ground one more time with his fist and just cried. For what seemed like an eternity he knelt down and cried. Tears were flowing from his eyes like a raging river. Zelda could feel her son's pain as well as her own pain. She couldn't even begin to understand what he was going through. The pain she felt from Link was doubled because he did not want to acknowledge that she and the elder Link were his parents.
Then, all of a sudden, Link just stopped crying. He stood up and wiped his face with his hand and wiped his hand on his tunic. He stood next to Rauru in front of the temple and did nothing more for a moment but then he spoke.
"I'll do it but only because destiny has chosen me for this. Get that straight. I'm doing this because no one else can, not because you asked me to," Link said with a bit of hate and anger in his voice as he looked at Zelda and the elder Link. He could see the hurt in their eyes but it still didn't matter to him. He was so enraged at this point he almost couldn't think straight.
"How do we get in this piece of crap temple," Link said.
"Use respect when you are in the presence of a great structure such as the Temple of Time. We sealed it long ago to prevent someone from ever entering the Sacred Realm again. It can only be reopened with the song of the Ocarina of Time, the very ocarina which adorns your waist," Rauru said pointing to the dark colored ocarina.
Link grabbed the Ocarina and placed it in left hand. He looked back to his father and glared at him with anger.
"Thanks for the present," he said sarcastically as he turned back to face the temple. The elder Link felt a sharp pain in his heart when Link spoke but he did nothing to ease it. He felt that he deserved it for what he and Zelda had put him through even though they did it out of love.
"What do I do now, old man," Link asked.
Rauru, although he felt that the boy needed to be disciplined thoroughly at this point, said, "You must play the melody of the royal family, which has been dubbed Zelda's Lullaby. Zelda, if you would do the honor," Rauru said. Zelda nodded and approached Link and the sage. Link looked at her with rage in his eyes but his face concealing his emotions. Zelda could still see the look in his eyes and felt a great pain in her heart.
"It's a very simple tune. Quite simple to learn," Zelda said. Link did not look at ease at all.
"If you say so, MOTHER," he said just as sarcastically when he had said it to his father. He still didn't feel that his parents had been punished enough for what they had done to him.
Zelda closed her eyes for a moment and took out an ocarina of her own. She started to play the song that Impa had played for her as a lullaby when she was a baby. When she finished she looked down at Link who was now just staring at her blankly.
"Play it along with me now," she said. Surprisingly, Link got it on the first try.
"Good. Now stand on the stone in front of the doors and play the song," Rauru instructed. Link did as he was told and played the song. The doors slowly opened and then there was a blinding light. When it subsided, Rauru hurried everyone inside.
"We must hurry. The light will have alerted the Gerudo of our location," he said as everyone ran inside.
Link looked in awe that everything in the temple. The stained glass windows were the most beautiful things he had ever seen and the patterns on the floor were amazing as well.
"Excuse me, but where are the three spiritual stones," the elder Link asked fearfully. He knew that without them that couldn't even open the door of time let alone get the Master Sword.
"This can't be," Rauru said. "What could have happened? The temple was sealed."
"You can thank our great and powerful master for that," said a voice coming from the shadows.
The elder Link drew his sword and cried out, "Who's there?! Show yourself!"
A figure stepped out from the shadows and the elder Link almost dropped his sword from shock.
"Yes, you remember me, your darker half. Seeing as how I never had a name, you can call me Dark Link," the figure said as he bowed.
"It can't be. I defeated you in the Water Temple," the elder Link said.
"True but my master saw that battle between us. He saw how difficult it was for you to defeat me so he decided to give me a second chance. He sent me to make sure that none of you leave here alive," he said with an evil smirk.
"I defeated you once before. I can do it again," the elder Link said as he started to advance on his dark clone.
"It wouldn't matter if you did. There are over 100 Gerudo warriors headed towards this temple as we speak. There is now way for you to win," Dark Link said as he laughed evilly. Link growled at his dark clone. He knew that he was right but he still had to do something.
"What did you do with the stones," Zelda commanded. She was now enraged, a state that she was rarely in.
"Not that it matters because you will be dead soon but my master Ganondorf has hidden them in three of his fortresses all over Hyrule, each guarded by one of his vicious and powerful creations," Dark Link said with a smirk.
"You will pay for this," the elder Link said.
"I don't think so," said a sinister voice coming from behind.
"You…" the elder Link said. He would never forget that voice. The voice of pure evil.
"Ganondorf," Link said as he turned to face his most hated enemy.
"I'm not going to bother with a long speech of how it's nice to see you again and how it will please me to see you and all of your friends and family die, although it will mind you. I'm just going to get it over with. Kill them my warriors. Dark Link, come with me. We have business elsewhere," Ganondorf said as he motioned for Dark Link to stand next to him.
"Sorry our reunion couldn't have been a bit longer. I do hope your journey into eternal rest will be a pleasant one," Ganondorf added as he laughed and disappeared with Dark Link in a flash of light.
When the flash subsided, the elder Link saw they were surrounded on all sides by Gerudo warriors.
"How are we going to get out of this," the younger Link said.
"Like this," the elder Link said as he pulled out a bomb from behind him. Zelda was standing behind him so the warriors didn't see the bomb until it was too late. Just before it exploded, Link threw it in front of him. It exploded in mid-air, killing a few of the warriors and scattering the rest in a cloud of smoke.
"Let's go," the elder Link yelled as they ran out of the temple.
As they headed out of the door, Link heard Malon scream and turned to see his adoptive mother grabbed by one of the warriors.
"MOM," Link cried out as Zelda and Rauru grabbed him from behind.
Malon looked at her son with nothing but love in her eyes. Tears filled her eyes and then began falling down her cheek.
"I love you, Link…" she said as a sword was shoved through her back and out through chest.
"NOOOOO!!!!!" Link screamed as he kicked and struggled to get free. The elder Link had to help hold him back to keep him from running to certain death.
"There's nothing we can do now. We have to leave," the elder Link said as he pulled his son away from the temple.
Not far from the temple, Link found a weapons carriage for the Gerudo. Link silently motioned for them to stay back. He hoped aboard the carriage and knocked out the driver and threw her off. He motioned for them to get on and then once everyone was aboard, he tugged the reins hard and the horses set off. Among the commotion of ransacking Hyrule Castle Town, the Gerudo did not notice that one of their carriages was speeding out of the town.
As the four of them headed out of Hyrule Castle Town, Link unconsciously laid his head down in Zelda's lap and cried himself to sleep.
Link's last thought before going to sleep was, "I'm so sorry mom. I wasn't strong enough to save you."
Link and Malon sped through Hyrule Field on Midnight like the wind. Link was anxious to start his lessons and he also wanted his mother to meet the queen and her friend. Malon, despite having grown up on a ranch, was having trouble riding Midnight. She hadn't had that much trouble with a horse since Epona was alive.
"Goddesses, I miss that horse," she thought to herself as she clutched her adopted son's waist with almost all her strength. Link had a little trouble breathing from his mother holding him so tight but he didn't really mind. He was too focused on reaching the castle.
At the drawbridge, Link and Malon were let through immediately although the guard had a little trouble recognizing Link at first because he outfit had changed.
"Is that you, young sir," the guard asked surprised.
"Yes, it's me," Link said.
"Didn't recognize you without your green tunic," the guard said and let him on through.
Link was in fact wearing the same tunic he had on the day before but he told his mother to dye it black for him. He was a bit unnerved by how much he looked like the queen's friend and decided that changing its color would help ease his tension. It turned out great.
As Link and Malon rode through town the people all waved at him and wanted to shake his hand. Everyone wanted to meet the boy who had saved the queen. Link blushed a few times when some girls asked him if he had a girlfriend and Malon laughed.
"If he thinks it's bad now, what until he sees what happens to him in the future," she thought.
In just a few moments Link and Malon had arrived at the castle and were waiting for the drawbridge to lower. While they were waiting, Link heard a commotion coming from behind him. He turned around and peeked to the side of Malon and saw something that shocked him to the core. A band of Gerudo warriors were attacking the town and a large number of them were already headed towards the castle.
"HEY! OPEN UP! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK," Link yelled to the guard lowering the bridge. The guard looked behind Link and saw the warriors approaching. The guard turned behind him and yelled to some soldiers to sound the alarm. He lowered the bridge just enough for Link and Malon to jump across on Midnight. Link did so and landed with amazing grace and sped on through the castle without even bothering to get off Midnight.
Link had been so fast riding through the castle that he had arrived in the throne room before news of the attack had even reached Zelda.
"YOUR MAJESTY," Link said as he hopped off of Midnight followed by Malon, "something terrible has happened."
"How dare you interrupt...," Arian began to say before Zelda interrupted him and spoke to Link.
"What is it my boy," she asked calmly and politely.
"The Gerudo have attacked the town your majesty! They were already on there way to the castle just as I entered," Link said as calmly as he could but his panic was very evident.
"THE GERUDO HAVE ATTACKED! I KNEW IT! I KNEW THOSE WH…." Arian began before Zelda gave him the evil eye for what he was about to say.
"Forgive me, majesty, but you must believe me now. I warned that the Gerudo would attack," Arian said once he had calmed down slightly.
"What are we to do, your majesty," Miguel asked as he started to panic even more.
"We will do whatever we can to stop the invasion of the Gerudo. Arian, I want you to call all the knights and guards who are off duty and place them at the front of the castle. Miguel, I want you to find all the servants and other people in the castle and bring them here to the thrown room. Rauru, I want you to come with Link, Malon, and myself. There is something that needs to be said," Zelda said calmly.
All her advisors nodded and left to do what Zelda had ordered with the exception of Rauru.
"Malon, it has been a long time," Zelda said as she walked over to Link and Malon.
"Indeed it has, your majesty," Malon said as she curtsied.
"Malon, I told you, you need not be formal around me. We are good friends. You know that you can call me by my name," Zelda said.
"I know but it doesn't feel right though," Malon said to Zelda as she rose back up from her curtsy.
Link was very confused at this point. Apparently his mother and Zelda were good friends but Link did not know how that was possible. He did not know that his mother had ever met the queen.
"Mom, how…" Link began before he was cut off by a familiar voice.
"We all knew each other when we were teenagers and the queen here was but a beautiful princess," he said with a smile to try and lighten the mood of the situation at hand.
"We have more pressing matters at hand than a friendly reunion," Rauru said as he exited the room. Everyone followed him as he led through corridor after corridor of the castle until they found themselves in the library.
"Why are we in the library," the figure asked Rauru. He had been in the library several times reading up on Hyrule's history and legends but he had never seen anything in it that could possibly help them now.
"Watch and learn," Rauru said as he moved to the center of the library and lifted his hands above his head. A ball of light appeared and shot into the air. A blue column of light followed it and Rauru disappeared in a flash of light. Everyone stood stunned until they heard Rauru's voice again.
"Step into the pillar of light. It will take you to our destination," Rauru said. One at a time they all stepped into the light and when they opened their eyes they found themselves outside a temple.
"Rauru, why have you brought us here," Zelda asked. She knew where they were but she also knew that it was not yet time for them to be here.
"I know that it is much too early to be here but this is our last hope. The Gerudo would only attack us if they knew for sure that they could beat us. The only way that could happen is if Ganondorf broke the seal," Rauru said as he moved towards the door.
"How could he have broken the seal," the figure asked. "Didn't you and the other sages lock him away for all eternity?"
"I'm afraid not. As long as we sages retained our power the seal would remain but the ancient spirits of Hyrule have been released and our powers are fading quickly. Even you will eventually lose your powers, your majesty, if these spirits are not returned to their proper resting places," Rauru replied.
"Then what are we here for," Malon asked angrily. "It isn't his time yet."
"What's mom talking about? What are they all talking about," Link thought with a very confused look on his face.
"You all know that the Master Sword was forged as a weapon against all evil but did you know that was not its original purpose," Rauru said.
"What do you mean," the figure and Zelda said in unison. Neither of them had known that.
"The Master Sword was originally created to act as a sort of 'link' if you will between the Hero of Time and the ancient spirits. The ancient Hylians knew that one day the ancient spirits of the Sacred Realm would be released by a great evil and the power of the sages would begin to fade so they forged the Master Sword using the strongest and purest of metals combined with all their magical powers. The Master Sword was to be used to absorb the spirits through it and into the body of the Hero of Time. Once he had collected all seven of the spirits, four of them representing the elements and the other three representing the three goddesses, the Hero of Time was to go to the Golden Temple in the Sacred Realm. There, he would release the spirits and the power of the sages would be restored. The hero would then confront the evil that had released the spirits and defeat him so that, alive or dead, his body would be sealed within the Sacred Realm itself," Rauru said turning towards Zelda.
"So you're saying that Ganondorf has released the spirits of the Sacred Realm," the figure asked Rauru.
"Yes but that isn't all he has done, I'm afraid," Rauru said as he head hung on his shoulders.
"What do you mean," Zelda asked with a worried look on her face.
"Somehow Ganondorf has corrupted the spirits making them an evil force. And if the spirits become corrupted, eventually, so shall the sages. In essence, we sages will become possessed by the evil spirits and turn on the very hero we were meant to help. In order to absorb the spirits and purify them, the Hero of Time must defeat each of the sages in combat. Including you, Zelda, because, after all, you are the seventh sage," Rauru said as he pointed to a now very shocked queen.
"This is all very interesting but where in the world are we supposed to find this Hero of Time," Link asked.
Rauru looked at the boy and stared at him. Link felt a little uneasy but then he realized why Rauru was staring at him.
"ME! How in the world can it be me," Link cried out. He simply couldn't believe what was going on.
"Because, young one, your father was the Hero of Time before you," Rauru said calmly.
"My father?! Who is my father," Link asked.
Malon, Zelda, and the figure had realized that the time had come. It was much sooner than any of them had liked but there was no longer any avoiding it.
"Let me tell him," Malon said as she walked over to Link.
"What is it, mom," Link asked nervously.
"Son, you know that I'm not your birth mother, right?"
"Yes, I know. What does that have to do with anything," he asked.
Malon gulped and started sweating nervously. She looked behind her and Zelda nodded for her to continue.
"Son, your parents…are still alive," she finally managed to say.
"What?! Where are they then?"
"They're right behind me."
Link's face went blank with shock as he looked at the two people behind his adoptive mother.
"I…I…," Link tried to say but he just couldn't find the words to express himself. His mother was Queen Zelda and his father…he realized that he still didn't know his father's name.
"What is your name," he said pointing a finger to the person he now knew was his father.
"Believe it or not, it's the same as yours. I'm Link," the figure said as he finally properly introduced himself to his son.
"So…that's…why you…" Link began to say as his eyes started to fill up with tears.
"YOU ABANDONED ME BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID LEGEND," Link cried out not even caring that the Gerudo warriors ransacking the town would hear most likely hear him.
"Son, we had to. If the legend would have come true, which it is beginning to, then Ganondorf would have come after you and…we couldn't bear the thought of losing you," Zelda said as she started to tear up as well.
"But what if there had been an off chance that nothing would have happened? What if the legend would have never come true? You gave me to someone else just because you had a fear of something that might happen," Link said balling his fists as his first tears started rolling down his cheek.
"We didn't want to take the chance. If we gave you to someone else, then Ganondorf would have never suspected anything until it was too late," the elder Link spoke.
"Why would he come after me? Weren't you the Hero of Time, FATHER," he said, saying "father" out of spite rather than respect.
"Unfortunately, the title of Hero of Time is passed down to his first born son, namely you," Rauru said. "Do you not have the mark of the Triforce of Courage upon your hand?"
Link looked down and for the first time noticed the symbol upon his hand which was now glowing.
"The Triforce. The ancient artifact left behind when the three Goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru created the world. You carry a piece of that ancient power within yourself as well as your mother," Rauru said pointing to Zelda. Zelda turned her hand so the back of it faced Link and the Triforce of Wisdom glowed brightly.
"I carry the Triforce of Wisdom," Zelda said.
"Umm, if it's called a 'Triforce', then where is the third piece," Link asked.
"Ganondorf has it. His piece is the Triforce of Power. He will be after you and your mother's…."
"SHE IS NOT MY MOTHER," Link cried out again as he pointed to Zelda. Zelda's eyes filled with tears and she fell to the ground sobbing.
"Link, honey, please understand. Your parents did what they thought was best. It was the only way they could be sure you were safe," Malon said.
"I don't care. So what if this Ganondorf managed to break the seal? We could have run away together so he couldn't find us," Link as he started to cry again.
"Son, you don't understand. Even if we had run away, Ganondorf WOULD have found us. It would have only been a matter of time. The only way we could ensure your safety is if he didn't know you existed," the elder Link said as even his eyes began to water but no tears fell.
"I…I…can't…do…this. I…don't…want this," Link said in between his sobs. By now Link had fallen to his knees and had beaten his fist into the ground so much that his hands were raw and were beginning to hurt.
"Son…" the elder Link said as he walked over to the younger Link and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"DON'T TOUCH ME," Link yelled as he pushed the elder Link away from him. "I AM NOT YOUR SON! I…"
Link hit the ground one more time with his fist and just cried. For what seemed like an eternity he knelt down and cried. Tears were flowing from his eyes like a raging river. Zelda could feel her son's pain as well as her own pain. She couldn't even begin to understand what he was going through. The pain she felt from Link was doubled because he did not want to acknowledge that she and the elder Link were his parents.
Then, all of a sudden, Link just stopped crying. He stood up and wiped his face with his hand and wiped his hand on his tunic. He stood next to Rauru in front of the temple and did nothing more for a moment but then he spoke.
"I'll do it but only because destiny has chosen me for this. Get that straight. I'm doing this because no one else can, not because you asked me to," Link said with a bit of hate and anger in his voice as he looked at Zelda and the elder Link. He could see the hurt in their eyes but it still didn't matter to him. He was so enraged at this point he almost couldn't think straight.
"How do we get in this piece of crap temple," Link said.
"Use respect when you are in the presence of a great structure such as the Temple of Time. We sealed it long ago to prevent someone from ever entering the Sacred Realm again. It can only be reopened with the song of the Ocarina of Time, the very ocarina which adorns your waist," Rauru said pointing to the dark colored ocarina.
Link grabbed the Ocarina and placed it in left hand. He looked back to his father and glared at him with anger.
"Thanks for the present," he said sarcastically as he turned back to face the temple. The elder Link felt a sharp pain in his heart when Link spoke but he did nothing to ease it. He felt that he deserved it for what he and Zelda had put him through even though they did it out of love.
"What do I do now, old man," Link asked.
Rauru, although he felt that the boy needed to be disciplined thoroughly at this point, said, "You must play the melody of the royal family, which has been dubbed Zelda's Lullaby. Zelda, if you would do the honor," Rauru said. Zelda nodded and approached Link and the sage. Link looked at her with rage in his eyes but his face concealing his emotions. Zelda could still see the look in his eyes and felt a great pain in her heart.
"It's a very simple tune. Quite simple to learn," Zelda said. Link did not look at ease at all.
"If you say so, MOTHER," he said just as sarcastically when he had said it to his father. He still didn't feel that his parents had been punished enough for what they had done to him.
Zelda closed her eyes for a moment and took out an ocarina of her own. She started to play the song that Impa had played for her as a lullaby when she was a baby. When she finished she looked down at Link who was now just staring at her blankly.
"Play it along with me now," she said. Surprisingly, Link got it on the first try.
"Good. Now stand on the stone in front of the doors and play the song," Rauru instructed. Link did as he was told and played the song. The doors slowly opened and then there was a blinding light. When it subsided, Rauru hurried everyone inside.
"We must hurry. The light will have alerted the Gerudo of our location," he said as everyone ran inside.
Link looked in awe that everything in the temple. The stained glass windows were the most beautiful things he had ever seen and the patterns on the floor were amazing as well.
"Excuse me, but where are the three spiritual stones," the elder Link asked fearfully. He knew that without them that couldn't even open the door of time let alone get the Master Sword.
"This can't be," Rauru said. "What could have happened? The temple was sealed."
"You can thank our great and powerful master for that," said a voice coming from the shadows.
The elder Link drew his sword and cried out, "Who's there?! Show yourself!"
A figure stepped out from the shadows and the elder Link almost dropped his sword from shock.
"Yes, you remember me, your darker half. Seeing as how I never had a name, you can call me Dark Link," the figure said as he bowed.
"It can't be. I defeated you in the Water Temple," the elder Link said.
"True but my master saw that battle between us. He saw how difficult it was for you to defeat me so he decided to give me a second chance. He sent me to make sure that none of you leave here alive," he said with an evil smirk.
"I defeated you once before. I can do it again," the elder Link said as he started to advance on his dark clone.
"It wouldn't matter if you did. There are over 100 Gerudo warriors headed towards this temple as we speak. There is now way for you to win," Dark Link said as he laughed evilly. Link growled at his dark clone. He knew that he was right but he still had to do something.
"What did you do with the stones," Zelda commanded. She was now enraged, a state that she was rarely in.
"Not that it matters because you will be dead soon but my master Ganondorf has hidden them in three of his fortresses all over Hyrule, each guarded by one of his vicious and powerful creations," Dark Link said with a smirk.
"You will pay for this," the elder Link said.
"I don't think so," said a sinister voice coming from behind.
"You…" the elder Link said. He would never forget that voice. The voice of pure evil.
"Ganondorf," Link said as he turned to face his most hated enemy.
"I'm not going to bother with a long speech of how it's nice to see you again and how it will please me to see you and all of your friends and family die, although it will mind you. I'm just going to get it over with. Kill them my warriors. Dark Link, come with me. We have business elsewhere," Ganondorf said as he motioned for Dark Link to stand next to him.
"Sorry our reunion couldn't have been a bit longer. I do hope your journey into eternal rest will be a pleasant one," Ganondorf added as he laughed and disappeared with Dark Link in a flash of light.
When the flash subsided, the elder Link saw they were surrounded on all sides by Gerudo warriors.
"How are we going to get out of this," the younger Link said.
"Like this," the elder Link said as he pulled out a bomb from behind him. Zelda was standing behind him so the warriors didn't see the bomb until it was too late. Just before it exploded, Link threw it in front of him. It exploded in mid-air, killing a few of the warriors and scattering the rest in a cloud of smoke.
"Let's go," the elder Link yelled as they ran out of the temple.
As they headed out of the door, Link heard Malon scream and turned to see his adoptive mother grabbed by one of the warriors.
"MOM," Link cried out as Zelda and Rauru grabbed him from behind.
Malon looked at her son with nothing but love in her eyes. Tears filled her eyes and then began falling down her cheek.
"I love you, Link…" she said as a sword was shoved through her back and out through chest.
"NOOOOO!!!!!" Link screamed as he kicked and struggled to get free. The elder Link had to help hold him back to keep him from running to certain death.
"There's nothing we can do now. We have to leave," the elder Link said as he pulled his son away from the temple.
Not far from the temple, Link found a weapons carriage for the Gerudo. Link silently motioned for them to stay back. He hoped aboard the carriage and knocked out the driver and threw her off. He motioned for them to get on and then once everyone was aboard, he tugged the reins hard and the horses set off. Among the commotion of ransacking Hyrule Castle Town, the Gerudo did not notice that one of their carriages was speeding out of the town.
As the four of them headed out of Hyrule Castle Town, Link unconsciously laid his head down in Zelda's lap and cried himself to sleep.
Link's last thought before going to sleep was, "I'm so sorry mom. I wasn't strong enough to save you."