Hi guys!! I'm back!!!!! WOW, it has ben a while. Did you miss me? I'm really sorry about how long it has been sense I've updated. School and laziness and . . . stuff . . . Sorry! I'm curious as to how many people are still reading this fic. If you read this please, be sure to send me a review! I want to make sure people are reading this. Thank you all. Now, on with the long, long awaited update!
Disclaimer: I do, in fact, own The Legend of Zelda. Well, at least I own copies of the games . . .
The Legend of Zelda
The Golden Land
Chapter Twenty-two
The Sorceress of Earth Part I
LAST TIME:
The princesses walked up the stairway to the sone door. While Zelda examined the carvings on the door, Tetra raised a fist and knocked. "Anybody home?" she called out.
Zelda rolled her eyes. "You're not going to get in like that."
Just then, te door gave a shudder and slid up, raising out of the way. "You were saying?" Tetra remarked, smirking.
Zelda rolled her eyes. "Come on," she said, entering through the door. Tetra followed, and the door lowered again, shutting behind them.
NOW:
The two princesses started and spun as the stone door slammed shut behind them. Had they spun faster, they might have spotted the blur of motion created by another person entering the temple behind them. As it was, the princesses did not turn around fast enough, not even Zelda, with her Sheikah-trained reflexes. The figure quickly darted into the dark shadows behind a large statue.
In truth, the large, square entrance room was full of large statues. The statues all depicted women with six arms in various positions. They were all made of the same tan stone as the rest of the room. A light layer of fine sand seemed to dust the room, collecting between stones in the floor and in corners. Several of the large statues held basins of fire which illuminated the room.
Each wall of the large entry chamber had a door in the center. The largest of these was the one that had just slammed shut behind Tetra and Zelda. The second largest one was directly opposite. It had a large sun crest covering it. The other two doors were normal sized. The one on the left had a chain and lock over it.
Tetra and Zelda made their way up to the large door in the back of the room. It was the same tan stone as the rest of the room. A giant golden sun with a smiling face on it took up the center of the door. The sun/face was about four feet in radius and took up quite a bit of the door. Golden "flares" surrounded the central circle, indicating that it was, in fact, a sun. the sun's eyes were currently closed.
The two girls inspected the door. "Ever seen something like this before?" Tetra asked.
"Seen? No," Zelda replied. "But Link told me about some things like this. They were used as switches in some of the dungeons he went through. He had to either reflect sunlight at them, or shoot them with a Light Arrow. But this is bigger than the ones he talked about."
Tetra shrugged, unfastening her bow and pulling out an arrow. "Well, we might as well try a Light Arrow on it." She notched the arrow and pulled it back, summoning a golden light. The arrow flew and stuck the golden sun/face dead center in an explosion of light. The eyes of the sun opened just a crack, then quickly closed again.
The girls exchanged looks. "Not enough power?" Zelda asked, readying her bow. "Let's try shooting it at the same time." Tetra nodded and both girls aimed Light Arrows at the sun and fired. The eyes opened a little more than before, but nowhere near completely.
"Blast," Tetra said, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't think Light Arrows are going to work. Maybe we have to find some sort of giant floodlight or something."
Zelda shrugged. "Maybe. We should try the open door."
Tetra scratched her head. "Why is one locked and the other not?"
"It's a test," Zelda replied. "We have to go that way until we find a key. Then we can go through the locked door and, hopefully, find some way to open this door."
Tetra tilted her head and gave an indignant humph. She then proceeded wordlessly to the smaller door that was locked and chained. She sat on her knees in front of the door, looking at the lock. The piratess then pulled a folded up white cloth from inside her vest. Unwrapping the cloth she revealed a set of small metal objects, which she carefully searched through before selecting one of.
Zelda walked up behind her. "What are you doing?" the princess asked.
Tetra turned back to look at her. "I'm saving us some time." She turned back tot he door and inserted one end of the metal tool into the lock. She began to slowly fidget with the instrument. "I'm gonna pick this lock."
"What?!" Zelda cried. "You can't do that! That's just wrong! It-it's cheating!"
Tetra raised an eyebrow. "Pirate."
Zelda blinked in surprise. "Oh . . . . right."
"Now shush! I need quiet." After several second of tinkering, the lock clicked and fell off, the chains retracting. Tetra stood up, replacing her tools. "Ta-dah."
Zelda shrugged. "Well, I guess not needing keys will save time."She opened the door and went through. Tetra nodded and followed.
* * * * * * *
Neither the piratess nor the princess noticed the pair of eyes that followed their every movement. The figure stuck to the dark shadows. Years of stealth training being used to keep tabs on the two girls. Keen eyes picked their way through the darkness as swift feet moved soundlessly across the floor.
The figure watched as one of the girls picked the lock on one of the doors. They seemed to know what they were doing. It would be best to follow them and let them do all the work. When the chance came, the figure could take the girls by surprise.
As the girls passed through the door, the figure leapt out from hiding, quickly placing a small stone under the door, preventing it from fully closing. The figure dropped gracefully to the ground to observe what transpired in the next room.
* * * * * * *
In the next room Zelda and Tetra examined their new surroundings. This room was, surprisingly, tan colored and made of stone. It was about as large as the last one, but full of smaller statues, the prominent part of each was a large mirror. Blocks, walls, and other obstructions littered the room, blocking the paths between various statues. On one side af the room was an unlocked door. On the other side was a wall of clear crystal. Past the wall was one more statue, holding it's mirror at a forty-five degree angle, as to deflect light straight up, where there was a smaller version of the sun switch in the first room.
"What do we do here?" Tetra asked out loud, gazing around the large chamber.
"I'd say we have to move the blocks and statues around so that we can shine a ray of light through the crystal wall to the switch," Zelda replied.
"Man, that's a lot of work," Tetra complained. "And where is the light source? I don't see any bright lights anywhere."
Zelda nodded towards the door. "We probably have to go through there to find some way of opening up a light source."
"That sucks."
"Yeah."
"So, if that door isn't the exit, what is?"
Zelda glanced around the room, her eyes coming to rest on a very large statue build against one of the walls. The six arms of the statue held up a circular disk identical to the base the statue was on. "Over there," she said, pointing to the statue. "I think that statue lowers into the ground to reveal the exit."
Tetra nodded. "Alright, so we have to do the whole thing with the mirrors."
"Or we could cheat, Zelda replied, smirking. She began to walk towards the crystal wall.
"How? What are you doing?" Tetra asked following her.
"Skipping this puzzle. Stay back." Standing in front of the clear wall, Zelda raised her arms above her head and began to chant. An invisible wind swept across the princess and the room began to shake. A ball of golden light formed above Zelda's fingertips. With a loud snap, cracks began to form on the crystal wall. The cracks grew and new ones began to form. The Princess's ball of light grew as well throbbing and shimmering almost violently. With a final burst of light, the ball vanished, and the wall came crashing down.
Tetra nodded, applauding. "Yeah, that's the spirit. Now, you gotta teach me how to do that."
Zelda smiled. "Only if you teach me how to pick locks," she said, while shooting a light arrow at the sun switch.
Tetra smirked. "Yes, lock-picking. A skill no princess should be without."
Zelda nodded. "You know, we're the oddest looking princesses ever." True enough, Tetra's outfit would fit in perfectly among sailors. Zelda's tight blue Sheikah uniform would stand out anywhere . . . except for in the shadows it was meant to be worn in.
"Oh well," Tetra replied. She gestured to the statue that had just lowered to reveal a doorway. "Shall we?" Zelda nodded and followed the Piratess out the door.
* * * * * * *
The silent figure quickly pushed the ajar door open and dashed into the room as the girls left. Before the door could close behind the princesses, the figure threw a small rock which lodged under it. The figure dropped fluidly to the floor by the door, to continue watching the girls.
* * * * * * *
The next room was much smaller. It was simple and circular in design. At the far end was a barred door. In-between the girls and the door was a group of Lizalfos and Bokoblins.
"Should have know we wouldn't get through here without a fight," Tetra muttered, un sheathing her sabre and pulling out her dagger.
"Must be our lucky day," Zelda muttered as she drew her katana and grabbed a handful of throwing knives.
After a second of silence, the group of monsters charged towards the girls. The first two never even got close - they were dropped by the handful of knives thrown by Zelda. The first monster to reach the girls was a Lizalfo who brought his sword down, only to have it caught and trapped by Tetra's dagger.
"Too bad," the pirate girl taunted with a smirk as the Lizalfo tried to disengage it's sword. Tetra made a diagonal slice upward across the stupid monster with her sabre, ending it's life.
Two Bokoblins charged at Zelda. The princess of old nimbly sidestepped, spinning around to bring her katana into one of the little monster's guts, dropping it's carcass to the floor where it disintegrated. The second Bokoblin made a second leap at the princess, only to be parried by her curved sword. The dumb creature didn't have time for anything else though, as Zelda stuck her hand out towards its face and a golden blast of magic tore through it.
Tetra parried the attacks of a Bokoblin and a Lizalfo with her sabre and dagger, waiting for an opening. As the Bokoblin stumbled back from a blocked blow, she got her chance. Dropping to the ground, underneath a horizontal swipe from the Lizalfo, she stuck out her foot and spun, sweeping the Bokoblin's feet out from under it. As the creature fell, the piratess reversed her grip on the dagger and hammered it down into it's chest, dropping it dead. She quickly raised her sabre to block another blow from the Lizalfo. Tetra readjusted her grip on the dagger and used it to block the next blow, still crouching. The creature was careful not the let the piratess trap it's blade, however there was no way it could block the sabre that cut it's legs out from under it. Before the beast could even hit the ground, the sabre made it's return pass, severing the head.
The last Bokoblin sloppily lunged for Zelda. The princess leapt into the air and neatly flipped over the beast. She reverse her grip on the katana and stabbed it backwards, meeting the beast's spine.
As the last monster fell to the ground and faded away a chime sounded, and the bars on the exit lifted. "That was easy," Tetra commanted.
Zelda nodded. "They were pretty weak. Let's go." The girls head out the door.
The girls found themselves in a hallway, but they couldn't tell how long it was. A little ways down, the hall made a sharp right turn. After that it made a sharp left. Then another right. Then a left, and so on. The hall itself was made of the same tan blocks as everything else. Two torches lit each section of the hall, keeping it pretty dark. The entire hallway was lined with statues. They all had large cubic bases topped by a six armed woman standing on one leg. There were two along each section of wall, one on either side of the torch. There was also one on either side of each corner. A red carpet covered the center of the hall.
As the girls walked down the long corridor, Tetra turned to Zelda. "Do you know anything about these statues? They're everywhere."
Zelda thought for a second. "In some of the ancient legends of Hyrule there was said to be an occultist religion that worshiped a great and terrible goddess. It was really popular among the Gerudo and some Hylians. I think the goddess had six arms, each one representing a different attribute. I don't really remember anything else."
* * * * * * *
The mysterious figure darted from behind statue to statue. It kept about one stretch of the hallway behind the girls to avoid detection. It moved silently. It was a shadow, a whisper, a wraith. It moved skillfully and gracefully, gliding over the floor. Intense training and patience showed through in the figure's movements. It was invisible.
* * * * * * *
Tetra inched up closer to Zelda and whispered, "I think we're being followed."
"You just noticed?" Zelda whispered back. "That amateur's been tailing us the whole time."
"What should we do about it?" Tetra whispered again.
"Listen," Zelda replied, "around the next corner . . . ."
* * * * * * *
The figure darted from statue to statue following the girls. They rounded another corner and the figure darted down the empty stretch of hallway. He paused at the statue just before the corner, then dashed around, hiding behind the statue at the other side of the corner. He peered around it to check on the girls.
Strangely, there was now only the pirate girl walking down the hall.
Strangely, there was now the tip of a katana pointed at the figure's throat.
* * * * * * *
"Alright," Zelda commanded. "Stand up slowly and put your hands in the air." Within seconds Tetra was by Zelda's side, also pointing her sabre at the figure.
The "mysterious figure" turned out to be a boy about a year or two younger than Tetra. He was clad in a tight purple and black spandex outfit, not unlike Zelda's. Two eastern style short swords were strapped to his back. Strips of white cloth were wrapped around his arms, legs, and chest. A large cloth hung over his chest, displaying the Eye of Truth, just like on Zelda's outfit. More strips of cloth formed a tight turban on his head and a scarf around his neck. Pale platinum-blonde hair stuck out from under the turban, almost as long as LinkT's hair. Clumps of hair covered his face, hanging between and to either side of his two red eyes. The boy's face was etched in surprise as he complied to Zelda's commands.
"Alright kid," Tetra demanded, "who are you and why are you following us?"
The boy swallowed. "I am Sheik; sole survivor of the Sheikah."
Tetra raised an eyebrow. Zelda just gaped at him.
"WHAT?!"
The boy nearly fell backwards in surprise at Zelda's outburst. Tetra glanced at her. "What's wrong?"
"There is no such person as Sheik!" Zelda nearly screamed.
"That's not true!" the boy defended himself. "My name IS Sheik. So was my father's and my grandfather's. It's a family tradition started by my ancestor, the Great Impa. All males in my family are named Sheik and all females are named Impa."
"You're related to Impa?!" Zelda gasped.
The boy blinked in surprise. "Well . . . Yeah. My family is the last line of Sheikah in existence. We're descended from Great Impa who named her son Sheik. It has been tradition ever sense."
"Impa had a son?! And she named him Sheik?!" Zelda cried, though not a loudly as before.
The boy nodded, then his face hardened. "Which reminds me, you are dressed like a Sheikah, but you are clearly not one. How do you dare to do such a thing?!"
Zelda frowned. "I can dress like this because I have passed the Sheikah Tet-tsuka." The boy's eyes widened. Zelda pointed a finger at his chest. "And, judging by the lack of teardrop on your Eye of Truth, I would wager that you have not."
"How do you know about the Sheikah trditions?!"
Zelda raised her katana back to the boys throat. "We're the ones asking questions here. Why are you following us?"
"I wanted to find the Sorceress of Earth," the boy, Sheik, replied trying to act brave.
"Why?"
"So I could find out what happened and why the land has returned," the boy replied. "The Great Sorceresses are highly esteemed in Shiekah legend."
Zelda thought for a second. She scrunched her eyes to examine the boy. "Are you sure you're REALLY related to Impa?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah."
"And she had a son?"
"Yes."
"And she really named him Sheik?"
"Uh-huh."
Zelda scowled and lowered her blade, taking a few steps back. "Why that . . . . she told me Sheik was a horrible name for a Sheikah!"
Both Sheik and Tetra blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
Zelda scowled again. "Impa told me that Sheik was a horrible name for a Sheikah when I had said that was what I wanted to use while in hiding."
Tetra and Sheik exchanged glances. "What are you talking about?" Tetra asked lowering her blade as well. "And who is this Impa person?"
"Impa was my bodyguard back in the old days," Zelda replied. "She was the only Sheikah left alive at the time."
"What are you talking about?!" Sheik demanded. "The Great Impa died over two and a half centuries ago!"
Zelda and Tetra exchanged glances. "Well, you see," Zelda began, "it's complicated. Yo see, I was born before the Great Flood, and before the rise of Ganondorf Dragmire - the first one. When Ganon rose for the second time the Hero of Time did not return to fight him, so we were unable to stop him. Before we turned our fate over to the goddesses, a weapon was created to fight Ganon, but it would take over a hundred years to prepare. I was sealed away with the weapon in a great crystal. I was only just released when the waters subsided."
Sheik cocked an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that?"
Zelda smiled and set her katana down on the ground. She held her hand up in front of her and made an odd gesture. The mark of the Triforce shone for a second before a flash of white light filled the room, temporarily blinding Sheik and Tetra. After the light subsided it took a second for their eyes to adjust and for Zelda to come into focus.
"I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule." And there she stood, in all her splendor. Her long blonde hair was now pulled back behind her, free of her ponytail. She wore an elegant pink and white dress adorned with gold. A jeweled tiara graced her forehead. Earrings shaped like the Triforce dangled from her pointed ears. The mark of the Triforce glowed faintly on her left hand, despite the fact that she no longer possessed the relic.
Sheik stared wide-eyed for several seconds before dropping to the ground and groveling at her feet. Beads of sweat rolled down both Zelda and Tetra's heads. Tetra raised an eyebrow. "You get this a lot?"
Zelda frowned. "Why don't you go bow to her instead?" she said to Sheik, motioning to Tetra. "She's the Princess Zelda from this time."
Sheik sat up, confusedly glancing between the two girls. Tetra scowled. "Grovel and I'll kill yah."
Zelda chuckled and reverted back to her Sheikah outfit. "It's alright, just get up," she told Sheik, who hesitantly complied. "Look, we're trying to get to the Sorceress of Earth as well. We need to collect her piece to a talisman. I guess you might as well come with us."
Sheik bowed low. "I would be greatly honored Your Highness. It is the duty of the Sheikah to protect the royalty of Hyrule."
Zelda gave a sigh and Tetra gave a curious look. "Come on," Zelda said, again heading down the hall. "I suppose I should explain a few things about the Sheikah, Impa, and the name Sheik as we go.
Sheik and Tetra nodded and followed. "I hope you know how to use those things," Tetra commented to the young Sheikah.
He nodded. "I am even better at combat than I am stealth."
Tetra sighed. "Why do I not find that reassuring?"
Disclaimer: I do, in fact, own The Legend of Zelda. Well, at least I own copies of the games . . .
The Legend of Zelda
The Golden Land
Chapter Twenty-two
The Sorceress of Earth Part I
LAST TIME:
The princesses walked up the stairway to the sone door. While Zelda examined the carvings on the door, Tetra raised a fist and knocked. "Anybody home?" she called out.
Zelda rolled her eyes. "You're not going to get in like that."
Just then, te door gave a shudder and slid up, raising out of the way. "You were saying?" Tetra remarked, smirking.
Zelda rolled her eyes. "Come on," she said, entering through the door. Tetra followed, and the door lowered again, shutting behind them.
NOW:
The two princesses started and spun as the stone door slammed shut behind them. Had they spun faster, they might have spotted the blur of motion created by another person entering the temple behind them. As it was, the princesses did not turn around fast enough, not even Zelda, with her Sheikah-trained reflexes. The figure quickly darted into the dark shadows behind a large statue.
In truth, the large, square entrance room was full of large statues. The statues all depicted women with six arms in various positions. They were all made of the same tan stone as the rest of the room. A light layer of fine sand seemed to dust the room, collecting between stones in the floor and in corners. Several of the large statues held basins of fire which illuminated the room.
Each wall of the large entry chamber had a door in the center. The largest of these was the one that had just slammed shut behind Tetra and Zelda. The second largest one was directly opposite. It had a large sun crest covering it. The other two doors were normal sized. The one on the left had a chain and lock over it.
Tetra and Zelda made their way up to the large door in the back of the room. It was the same tan stone as the rest of the room. A giant golden sun with a smiling face on it took up the center of the door. The sun/face was about four feet in radius and took up quite a bit of the door. Golden "flares" surrounded the central circle, indicating that it was, in fact, a sun. the sun's eyes were currently closed.
The two girls inspected the door. "Ever seen something like this before?" Tetra asked.
"Seen? No," Zelda replied. "But Link told me about some things like this. They were used as switches in some of the dungeons he went through. He had to either reflect sunlight at them, or shoot them with a Light Arrow. But this is bigger than the ones he talked about."
Tetra shrugged, unfastening her bow and pulling out an arrow. "Well, we might as well try a Light Arrow on it." She notched the arrow and pulled it back, summoning a golden light. The arrow flew and stuck the golden sun/face dead center in an explosion of light. The eyes of the sun opened just a crack, then quickly closed again.
The girls exchanged looks. "Not enough power?" Zelda asked, readying her bow. "Let's try shooting it at the same time." Tetra nodded and both girls aimed Light Arrows at the sun and fired. The eyes opened a little more than before, but nowhere near completely.
"Blast," Tetra said, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't think Light Arrows are going to work. Maybe we have to find some sort of giant floodlight or something."
Zelda shrugged. "Maybe. We should try the open door."
Tetra scratched her head. "Why is one locked and the other not?"
"It's a test," Zelda replied. "We have to go that way until we find a key. Then we can go through the locked door and, hopefully, find some way to open this door."
Tetra tilted her head and gave an indignant humph. She then proceeded wordlessly to the smaller door that was locked and chained. She sat on her knees in front of the door, looking at the lock. The piratess then pulled a folded up white cloth from inside her vest. Unwrapping the cloth she revealed a set of small metal objects, which she carefully searched through before selecting one of.
Zelda walked up behind her. "What are you doing?" the princess asked.
Tetra turned back to look at her. "I'm saving us some time." She turned back tot he door and inserted one end of the metal tool into the lock. She began to slowly fidget with the instrument. "I'm gonna pick this lock."
"What?!" Zelda cried. "You can't do that! That's just wrong! It-it's cheating!"
Tetra raised an eyebrow. "Pirate."
Zelda blinked in surprise. "Oh . . . . right."
"Now shush! I need quiet." After several second of tinkering, the lock clicked and fell off, the chains retracting. Tetra stood up, replacing her tools. "Ta-dah."
Zelda shrugged. "Well, I guess not needing keys will save time."She opened the door and went through. Tetra nodded and followed.
* * * * * * *
Neither the piratess nor the princess noticed the pair of eyes that followed their every movement. The figure stuck to the dark shadows. Years of stealth training being used to keep tabs on the two girls. Keen eyes picked their way through the darkness as swift feet moved soundlessly across the floor.
The figure watched as one of the girls picked the lock on one of the doors. They seemed to know what they were doing. It would be best to follow them and let them do all the work. When the chance came, the figure could take the girls by surprise.
As the girls passed through the door, the figure leapt out from hiding, quickly placing a small stone under the door, preventing it from fully closing. The figure dropped gracefully to the ground to observe what transpired in the next room.
* * * * * * *
In the next room Zelda and Tetra examined their new surroundings. This room was, surprisingly, tan colored and made of stone. It was about as large as the last one, but full of smaller statues, the prominent part of each was a large mirror. Blocks, walls, and other obstructions littered the room, blocking the paths between various statues. On one side af the room was an unlocked door. On the other side was a wall of clear crystal. Past the wall was one more statue, holding it's mirror at a forty-five degree angle, as to deflect light straight up, where there was a smaller version of the sun switch in the first room.
"What do we do here?" Tetra asked out loud, gazing around the large chamber.
"I'd say we have to move the blocks and statues around so that we can shine a ray of light through the crystal wall to the switch," Zelda replied.
"Man, that's a lot of work," Tetra complained. "And where is the light source? I don't see any bright lights anywhere."
Zelda nodded towards the door. "We probably have to go through there to find some way of opening up a light source."
"That sucks."
"Yeah."
"So, if that door isn't the exit, what is?"
Zelda glanced around the room, her eyes coming to rest on a very large statue build against one of the walls. The six arms of the statue held up a circular disk identical to the base the statue was on. "Over there," she said, pointing to the statue. "I think that statue lowers into the ground to reveal the exit."
Tetra nodded. "Alright, so we have to do the whole thing with the mirrors."
"Or we could cheat, Zelda replied, smirking. She began to walk towards the crystal wall.
"How? What are you doing?" Tetra asked following her.
"Skipping this puzzle. Stay back." Standing in front of the clear wall, Zelda raised her arms above her head and began to chant. An invisible wind swept across the princess and the room began to shake. A ball of golden light formed above Zelda's fingertips. With a loud snap, cracks began to form on the crystal wall. The cracks grew and new ones began to form. The Princess's ball of light grew as well throbbing and shimmering almost violently. With a final burst of light, the ball vanished, and the wall came crashing down.
Tetra nodded, applauding. "Yeah, that's the spirit. Now, you gotta teach me how to do that."
Zelda smiled. "Only if you teach me how to pick locks," she said, while shooting a light arrow at the sun switch.
Tetra smirked. "Yes, lock-picking. A skill no princess should be without."
Zelda nodded. "You know, we're the oddest looking princesses ever." True enough, Tetra's outfit would fit in perfectly among sailors. Zelda's tight blue Sheikah uniform would stand out anywhere . . . except for in the shadows it was meant to be worn in.
"Oh well," Tetra replied. She gestured to the statue that had just lowered to reveal a doorway. "Shall we?" Zelda nodded and followed the Piratess out the door.
* * * * * * *
The silent figure quickly pushed the ajar door open and dashed into the room as the girls left. Before the door could close behind the princesses, the figure threw a small rock which lodged under it. The figure dropped fluidly to the floor by the door, to continue watching the girls.
* * * * * * *
The next room was much smaller. It was simple and circular in design. At the far end was a barred door. In-between the girls and the door was a group of Lizalfos and Bokoblins.
"Should have know we wouldn't get through here without a fight," Tetra muttered, un sheathing her sabre and pulling out her dagger.
"Must be our lucky day," Zelda muttered as she drew her katana and grabbed a handful of throwing knives.
After a second of silence, the group of monsters charged towards the girls. The first two never even got close - they were dropped by the handful of knives thrown by Zelda. The first monster to reach the girls was a Lizalfo who brought his sword down, only to have it caught and trapped by Tetra's dagger.
"Too bad," the pirate girl taunted with a smirk as the Lizalfo tried to disengage it's sword. Tetra made a diagonal slice upward across the stupid monster with her sabre, ending it's life.
Two Bokoblins charged at Zelda. The princess of old nimbly sidestepped, spinning around to bring her katana into one of the little monster's guts, dropping it's carcass to the floor where it disintegrated. The second Bokoblin made a second leap at the princess, only to be parried by her curved sword. The dumb creature didn't have time for anything else though, as Zelda stuck her hand out towards its face and a golden blast of magic tore through it.
Tetra parried the attacks of a Bokoblin and a Lizalfo with her sabre and dagger, waiting for an opening. As the Bokoblin stumbled back from a blocked blow, she got her chance. Dropping to the ground, underneath a horizontal swipe from the Lizalfo, she stuck out her foot and spun, sweeping the Bokoblin's feet out from under it. As the creature fell, the piratess reversed her grip on the dagger and hammered it down into it's chest, dropping it dead. She quickly raised her sabre to block another blow from the Lizalfo. Tetra readjusted her grip on the dagger and used it to block the next blow, still crouching. The creature was careful not the let the piratess trap it's blade, however there was no way it could block the sabre that cut it's legs out from under it. Before the beast could even hit the ground, the sabre made it's return pass, severing the head.
The last Bokoblin sloppily lunged for Zelda. The princess leapt into the air and neatly flipped over the beast. She reverse her grip on the katana and stabbed it backwards, meeting the beast's spine.
As the last monster fell to the ground and faded away a chime sounded, and the bars on the exit lifted. "That was easy," Tetra commanted.
Zelda nodded. "They were pretty weak. Let's go." The girls head out the door.
The girls found themselves in a hallway, but they couldn't tell how long it was. A little ways down, the hall made a sharp right turn. After that it made a sharp left. Then another right. Then a left, and so on. The hall itself was made of the same tan blocks as everything else. Two torches lit each section of the hall, keeping it pretty dark. The entire hallway was lined with statues. They all had large cubic bases topped by a six armed woman standing on one leg. There were two along each section of wall, one on either side of the torch. There was also one on either side of each corner. A red carpet covered the center of the hall.
As the girls walked down the long corridor, Tetra turned to Zelda. "Do you know anything about these statues? They're everywhere."
Zelda thought for a second. "In some of the ancient legends of Hyrule there was said to be an occultist religion that worshiped a great and terrible goddess. It was really popular among the Gerudo and some Hylians. I think the goddess had six arms, each one representing a different attribute. I don't really remember anything else."
* * * * * * *
The mysterious figure darted from behind statue to statue. It kept about one stretch of the hallway behind the girls to avoid detection. It moved silently. It was a shadow, a whisper, a wraith. It moved skillfully and gracefully, gliding over the floor. Intense training and patience showed through in the figure's movements. It was invisible.
* * * * * * *
Tetra inched up closer to Zelda and whispered, "I think we're being followed."
"You just noticed?" Zelda whispered back. "That amateur's been tailing us the whole time."
"What should we do about it?" Tetra whispered again.
"Listen," Zelda replied, "around the next corner . . . ."
* * * * * * *
The figure darted from statue to statue following the girls. They rounded another corner and the figure darted down the empty stretch of hallway. He paused at the statue just before the corner, then dashed around, hiding behind the statue at the other side of the corner. He peered around it to check on the girls.
Strangely, there was now only the pirate girl walking down the hall.
Strangely, there was now the tip of a katana pointed at the figure's throat.
* * * * * * *
"Alright," Zelda commanded. "Stand up slowly and put your hands in the air." Within seconds Tetra was by Zelda's side, also pointing her sabre at the figure.
The "mysterious figure" turned out to be a boy about a year or two younger than Tetra. He was clad in a tight purple and black spandex outfit, not unlike Zelda's. Two eastern style short swords were strapped to his back. Strips of white cloth were wrapped around his arms, legs, and chest. A large cloth hung over his chest, displaying the Eye of Truth, just like on Zelda's outfit. More strips of cloth formed a tight turban on his head and a scarf around his neck. Pale platinum-blonde hair stuck out from under the turban, almost as long as LinkT's hair. Clumps of hair covered his face, hanging between and to either side of his two red eyes. The boy's face was etched in surprise as he complied to Zelda's commands.
"Alright kid," Tetra demanded, "who are you and why are you following us?"
The boy swallowed. "I am Sheik; sole survivor of the Sheikah."
Tetra raised an eyebrow. Zelda just gaped at him.
"WHAT?!"
The boy nearly fell backwards in surprise at Zelda's outburst. Tetra glanced at her. "What's wrong?"
"There is no such person as Sheik!" Zelda nearly screamed.
"That's not true!" the boy defended himself. "My name IS Sheik. So was my father's and my grandfather's. It's a family tradition started by my ancestor, the Great Impa. All males in my family are named Sheik and all females are named Impa."
"You're related to Impa?!" Zelda gasped.
The boy blinked in surprise. "Well . . . Yeah. My family is the last line of Sheikah in existence. We're descended from Great Impa who named her son Sheik. It has been tradition ever sense."
"Impa had a son?! And she named him Sheik?!" Zelda cried, though not a loudly as before.
The boy nodded, then his face hardened. "Which reminds me, you are dressed like a Sheikah, but you are clearly not one. How do you dare to do such a thing?!"
Zelda frowned. "I can dress like this because I have passed the Sheikah Tet-tsuka." The boy's eyes widened. Zelda pointed a finger at his chest. "And, judging by the lack of teardrop on your Eye of Truth, I would wager that you have not."
"How do you know about the Sheikah trditions?!"
Zelda raised her katana back to the boys throat. "We're the ones asking questions here. Why are you following us?"
"I wanted to find the Sorceress of Earth," the boy, Sheik, replied trying to act brave.
"Why?"
"So I could find out what happened and why the land has returned," the boy replied. "The Great Sorceresses are highly esteemed in Shiekah legend."
Zelda thought for a second. She scrunched her eyes to examine the boy. "Are you sure you're REALLY related to Impa?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah."
"And she had a son?"
"Yes."
"And she really named him Sheik?"
"Uh-huh."
Zelda scowled and lowered her blade, taking a few steps back. "Why that . . . . she told me Sheik was a horrible name for a Sheikah!"
Both Sheik and Tetra blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
Zelda scowled again. "Impa told me that Sheik was a horrible name for a Sheikah when I had said that was what I wanted to use while in hiding."
Tetra and Sheik exchanged glances. "What are you talking about?" Tetra asked lowering her blade as well. "And who is this Impa person?"
"Impa was my bodyguard back in the old days," Zelda replied. "She was the only Sheikah left alive at the time."
"What are you talking about?!" Sheik demanded. "The Great Impa died over two and a half centuries ago!"
Zelda and Tetra exchanged glances. "Well, you see," Zelda began, "it's complicated. Yo see, I was born before the Great Flood, and before the rise of Ganondorf Dragmire - the first one. When Ganon rose for the second time the Hero of Time did not return to fight him, so we were unable to stop him. Before we turned our fate over to the goddesses, a weapon was created to fight Ganon, but it would take over a hundred years to prepare. I was sealed away with the weapon in a great crystal. I was only just released when the waters subsided."
Sheik cocked an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that?"
Zelda smiled and set her katana down on the ground. She held her hand up in front of her and made an odd gesture. The mark of the Triforce shone for a second before a flash of white light filled the room, temporarily blinding Sheik and Tetra. After the light subsided it took a second for their eyes to adjust and for Zelda to come into focus.
"I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule." And there she stood, in all her splendor. Her long blonde hair was now pulled back behind her, free of her ponytail. She wore an elegant pink and white dress adorned with gold. A jeweled tiara graced her forehead. Earrings shaped like the Triforce dangled from her pointed ears. The mark of the Triforce glowed faintly on her left hand, despite the fact that she no longer possessed the relic.
Sheik stared wide-eyed for several seconds before dropping to the ground and groveling at her feet. Beads of sweat rolled down both Zelda and Tetra's heads. Tetra raised an eyebrow. "You get this a lot?"
Zelda frowned. "Why don't you go bow to her instead?" she said to Sheik, motioning to Tetra. "She's the Princess Zelda from this time."
Sheik sat up, confusedly glancing between the two girls. Tetra scowled. "Grovel and I'll kill yah."
Zelda chuckled and reverted back to her Sheikah outfit. "It's alright, just get up," she told Sheik, who hesitantly complied. "Look, we're trying to get to the Sorceress of Earth as well. We need to collect her piece to a talisman. I guess you might as well come with us."
Sheik bowed low. "I would be greatly honored Your Highness. It is the duty of the Sheikah to protect the royalty of Hyrule."
Zelda gave a sigh and Tetra gave a curious look. "Come on," Zelda said, again heading down the hall. "I suppose I should explain a few things about the Sheikah, Impa, and the name Sheik as we go.
Sheik and Tetra nodded and followed. "I hope you know how to use those things," Tetra commented to the young Sheikah.
He nodded. "I am even better at combat than I am stealth."
Tetra sighed. "Why do I not find that reassuring?"