AN: Thank you to everyone who's reviewed. Once again, the Italics are Zelda's thoughts, and I'm going to focus mainly on her for this chapter, so you'll have to wait to find out what happened to Link and Nabooru :D Also, I'm going away on my vacation on the 23rd July, so you'll have to wait even longer to find out XD. I'm sorry! But while I'm gone, I'll try and start chapter 11 and get it to you when I come back, the 10th August, or as soon as possible after that. We're driving to Italy, so I'll have plenty of time to think and write something. But for now, here's chapter 10.

Chapter 10: Search of the Sages

Zelda's POV:

It seemed that as soon as I saw Link leave, his stead galloping gallantly through to the other side of the ethereal rain sheets, I felt my stomach lurch. Small beads of cold sweat mingled with the rainwater, and together they ran down the side of my face, bringing with them a sweeping dizziness that wavered across my mind. Wincing uncomfortably, my hand shot to my forehead to quell the hazy forces exerting around my body. Slowly I began groping for a railing of some form to keep my cold, shaking limbs from collapsing. I grasped the cool metal cylinders with a tight but sliding grip, and with unsure footsteps, staggered back to the castle.

The unresolved storm soon dissolved to a chill that swept me in a fit of shivers as I stepped back inside. No longer able to carry me any further, my legs collapsed beneath me, resulting in a very ungraceful fall onto the dry carpet, soon dampened by my thoroughly drenched clothing. Craning my head from the heap I was in on the floor, I saw someone rush toward me. A young woman crashed down on her knees and looked anxiously at my face, mumbling comments I couldn't hear.

I recognised her as one of the maids and she readily helped me up and walked me to my room. Sitting me down on my soft bed, she ran into the bathroom to run some hot water. I thanked her as gratefully as I could, my head still spinning with conflicting thoughts, then weakly pealed away my sodden clothes once she had gone, and stepped into the scorching bath. The heat however seemed to amplify the suffocating nausea, sending my mind into a fit of flying thoughts battling against images flashing across my eyes. I soon climbed out, longing to be rid of this plaguing sickness, and pulled a robe over my dripping skin.

I yearned to lie down, to relieve my thoughts of Link's departure. Though while contending with these sensitive recollections, and myself, I broke down in a fresh wave of tears against the soft pillows of my bed that gradually soothed my aching body. But nothing could quench the eruption of endless sobs that continued long after the storm ceased in the dead of the night. I mumbled his name over and over, hoping that it would offer me some small respite in the absence of his warmth, but none came. I lay there alone; trembling; constantly thinking that maybe if I cried now, the worst of the suffering wouldn't occur again.

I knew that this day would come sooner or later. Ever since he'd left when he was just a child to Termina and came back empty-handed, I knew that someday he would go and search for his lost friend Navi once again. Yet no matter how much I thought I had prepared myself, nothing could even compare to the gnawing parasite eating at my heart; the uncontrollable tears; or the feeling as though in a second, I was less than half the person I'd just been. Eventually I felt my eyes grow heavy, stinging with dried tears and fatigue. I fell into a light doze, not really asleep, but not really awake either. It was more like a limbo in-between them, wavering on the crumbling bridge between the two different realities.

But as I slept, the nibbling creature in my chest slipped to my head and it rang with a piercing screech. Something fell away, a part of the walkway into the waters of sleep and I closed my eyes, shedding one last tear before I finally crossed over into the realms of rest.

---

With a heavy heart, my mind was torn away from the grieving, distraught woman. My own tears dried on my cheeks instantly, leaving shiny silver lines on my ivory skin. The next time I opened my groggy eyes, I looked up into an eternal black ceiling, grey pillars extending into the dark cloud of the ceiling. The trails of my sobs were still present, and my entire body felt as though it was weighted down, lying rigidly on a hard, cold stone surface. As I brought myself up from the depths of my sleep, I heard candles flickering all around me, and I recognised the place as a disused chamber of the Northern Palace my father had once taken me too…

"Princess," a sudden voice said softly. I turned my neck to the side, my eyes widening slightly when I saw the very boy who had rescued me from before, leaning over me with a sparkle in his eyes. His brown hair fell into his face as he smiled. "You're awake."

"L-Link," I whispered sadly, feeling my chest tighten saying his name. "What happened?" I asked sitting up, taking the boy's offered hand as he helped me down from the altar.

"Ganon cast a spell on you, Princess, putting you into a deep sleep. I restored the crystals Impa gave to me to the other palaces, and now the spell is broken! Everyone will be so glad to hear that no harm came to you, your majesty."

"I thank you…Link. You've saved our country from Ganon once again. All of Hyrule will be grateful for your courageous actions." With every word, my throat grew more clogged with unshed tears.

"Princess, are you all right?" Link asked hesitantly. I shook my head quickly.

"It is nothing," I said swallowing hard. "I-I must return to central Hyrule. In this brief time of peace, we must rebuild the castle and prepare ourselves for Ganon's next attack." It was hard trying to sound strong, but I decided it was well past the time for dwelling on previous thoughts and events.

"Then I must come with you and help."

"Thank you Link." I paused. "But now I need to find Impa and prepare for the journey," I said walking away from Link. 'And retrace every footstep we made,' I thought silently. "Link…you too must get ready for us to depart as soon as possible. I'll leave you to attend to your matters," I said hurriedly, wanting more than anything to find the comforting presence of my oldest and dearest friend.

Still a little dazed from such a long rest, I wearily climbed up the stairs that led to the chambers. I remembered this palace as being bright and cheerful, servants walking speedily from place to place, running errands of all kinds of tasks. There was always a peaceful atmosphere radiating through the flagstones, its calm air reaching even the highest of the towers. But now, no torches or candles were lit, and no servants walked the corridors. Everything was silent, the menacing caw of the birds outside being the only sound I could hear other than my echoing footsteps. The walls and floors were a deep blue-grey, making it seem as though the night darkness had broken through to the inside, and if it were not for my knowledge of the castle, I would have been frightened to walk up the unending black turret.

Reaching the top, I could see the faint outlines of the different doors along the hallway, but one was alight with a golden frame. Approaching it cautiously, I knocked gently on the wooden panels and heard the immediate rustles of life from within.

"W-Who's there?" the voice cried.

I smiled and replied with my name as I opened the door. A fire was blazing in the corner, throwing moving shadows all over the walls; books were lined neatly on shelves, all arranged on the sides of the room; and in the middle stood my one and only companion through these difficult years, her aged eyes alit with fright and disbelief.

"Princess…" she whispered as she stepped forward.

Smiling with tears in my eyes I ran forward and embraced Impa with all the strength I possessed. I let my lamenting worries wreak havoc upon her shoulder as she held me with an equal ferocity. We said nothing, but I think our actions said more than enough. For me, the wandering spirit lost amongst the rifts of the ages, it had been too long since I had had someone to talk to, someone to explain my thoughts and fears. Impa had always been there, even in the harshest of times, when I needed her most, and that period of her absence had made me realise just how much I needed someone like her.

"Zelda, I'm so glad you're safe!" Impa said thankfully, soothing my tears. I drew back to look at her strict, but kind face. However that motherly smile quickly disappeared.

"Impa, what's wrong?"

She sighed and looked away. "Zelda, there is something I must tell you."

"What is it?" Could it be that even more disaster has struck this forsaken land? I felt my heart quicken as she turned back to face me, a melancholy regret shining in her eyes.

"It…" she began. "It concerns Prince Link."

"Oh no," I both thought and whispered again and again, barely audible as I stepped away, my arms hugging my sides. All at once terrible images dashed across my eyes, assuming the worst had finally come to pass. Before Impa could continue I stared at her with an unblinking gaze, wishing that what I thought wouldn't be true.

Could that apparition of Link in the graveyard really have been a dream, an illusion I had so blindly followed. He had appeared so suddenly and left in the same manner. Would Impa tell me that he really was…dead?

"Princess, please calm yourself!" Impa took a firm hold on my shoulders and made me look at her, despite my efforts to look away, avoiding the inevitable truth. "Zelda, there is no need to fret. Our Link is indeed alive!"

I was silent for a moment. "What?"

"He is not dead, for I have seen him with my own eyes!" Impa said, a slight smile returning to her lips.

"W-When did this happen?" I said anxiously.

"He came to your chamber while you slept upon the altar… But I must warn you my dear, he seemed not of this world, but of another gone by…"

"It was him! It must have been the same person who saved me from the monster. Surely though, he looked the same?" My heart had hastened all the more, pounding excitedly against my ribs. "Link truly is alive!" I breathed happily.

"But Princess, who knows when he may return? It was quite some months ago when he appeared and I sent him on to Rauru Town shortly after. It seems that somehow, the Triforce of Courage has broken away from Link, and now he is searching for the shards. He may be anywhere in Hyrule now."

Link, it's you I know it is! I only wish I could be more helpful and look for the Triforce pieces with you. But it appears that you are the person you were back in our own time. You don't have a future person to play like myself…so perhaps that means you really did die, and have come into the future as a newborn person. Though without your intervention, I doubt that this future self of mine would have kept coped, knowing that you were gone from this world. You don't know how many times I've had to suffer from your absence, crying unstoppably for hours, even days. At least I can have the comfort of knowing that you're doing something to fix this problem so we can go home, together.

"Princess," Impa continued. "I think the most important thing now is to return to Hyrule Castle and rebuild our kingdom before Ganon returns." I nodded in agreement; still giddy from acknowledging Link was actually alive and well. "However, I also have a proposal to help aid our victory, as well as your own well-being. While we return to Hyrule, the sages could scour Hyrule to look for Link and once found, they could bring him safely back to the castle to reclaim his position as Prince, and as your husband."

I smiled. "Yes, I agree." But as soon as the words left my mouth, I felt something bubble inside my stomach and a wave of prickly heat wash over me. Without thinking I ran into the adjoining bathroom, leaving Impa to listen to the loud, retching barks as I threw my head over the lavatory. The old woman hurried after me, gently pulling away my blonde tresses behind my back.

"Maybe you're not so fit to travel after all."

Link's POV:

The searing heat mixed with the perpetual rainfall woke me instantly. Cautiously I looked around, staring at nothing but brazen rock. A familiar circular cloud of smoke still lingered in the sky, bordering the looming crescent shaped mountain peak. Then suddenly I was almost thrown off my feet as it felt like an earthquake passed right underneath me. Without giving anything another thought I ran down the slopes.

I had to get out. Somehow I had to find a way out of this place, now. More earth shattering tremors rolled like a tidal wave behind me, forever tumbling and rolling closer with more force and power each time. To my good fortunate, there were no rocks as of yet that spewed from the crater's edge from deep down inside the molten sauna, and I sighed in relief that things weren't the worst they could be…yet.

'How did I end up on top of Death Mountain?'

As I came to an edge of the dirt-track road, worn away by trampling feet and heavy Gorons, I looked out over the land below. It was still raining, and so the transparent silver lines that cascaded down the sky and beyond the borders of the thunderclouds nearly obscured everything. I strained my eyes and I thought I could see a town below, the two sides separated by a thick, dark, murky stripe. Beyond that there seemed to be woodland that neighboured a different shade of green through the night gloom. I had never remembered this scene before… But as I thought about it more and more, and looked harder into the sleeting rain, I thought I saw smoke coming from a spot in the middle of the forest…and I answered my own question.

Picking up my pace again, I sprinted down the winding path once more. 'I might still have a chance! If that's actually Saria Town down there with the raging river, I might still be able to save Nabooru!'

Suddenly the rain never felt so good as I embraced the invigorating raindrops on my face, letting them cleanse and wipe away the grimy heat clinging under my eyes and in my hair. I wanted to laugh, to smile at the luck I'd been given; the second chance to put things right. My legs began carrying me faster down the mountainside, the shuddering molten core seeming no longer wanting to unleash its wrath.

But even as I ran, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head and saw a moving figure to my right. I stopped and drew my sword as the sound of tumbling rocks cracked against each other. The creature stood up and looked at me with it's silly grinning face through the rain and I sighed, replacing my sword in its scabbard. Just a Goron…

I was about to return on my way when my hand started to glow faintly, tingling with a strange buzzing sensation. I looked repeatedly from my hand to the Goron, my rocky companion staring at me strangely all the while. It began to move, probably curious at my obscure behaviour, and walked closer to me. My hand began glowing brighter, the Triforce mark almost penetrating the black air like a burning torch. Did that mean another Triforce shard was nearby?

The Goron came nearer and nearer and I saw that it held something in its brown hands. But it looked like an ordinary rock. The dark chestnut jagged surface covered every inch of the rough…smooth shining piece of gold! My eyes lit up, and carefully I inched closer to the Goron, wanting nothing more than to see the boulder it cradled in its large fingers. The Goron eyed me suspiciously and immediately hid the bundle of rocks away from me and began running in the opposite direction.

"Hey, come back!" I shouted, determined now that I'd get that piece of Triforce first, despite feeling guilty that Nabooru's life was on the line and that every second I wasted trying to get this put her in even more danger… But what would I do if that Triforce ended up being eaten by the time I got back up here, sitting in the pits of a Goron's stomach? If I ever had the time to make it back…

I ran after the greedy creature straying from the smooth pathway, trying to keep my eyes locked on the moving blur while not tripping over obtrusive rocks and boulders that were scattered over the broken granite surface. The Goron however was so worried about me stealing his precious rock, that it was he who abruptly fell, the rock and Triforce flying from it's arms. Seeing my opportunity I ran past the fallen enemy and was about to seize my prize when the Goron jumped on my back, sending us both back down to the painful ground.

I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the impact with an increasingly rising dread. I had the boulder securely in my arms and there was no time to fling them out in front of me for protection. Then it came. The sharp, piercing thud as I slammed my head against the rocky floor. But before I could even realise what happened or register the aching pain springing up all over my body, the Goron pried with scratching hands at my arms, trying desperately to reclaim what was his. We wrestled with each other, each grasping the rock encrusted Triforce with an undying strength, each glaring at each other and demanding the other let go.

"Please, I need this rock!" I yelled through the storm. "There's something inside it I - "

"This is my rock! Go find your own!"

Suddenly another earthquake like force shivered violently all through the mountain, startling us both. A deafening eruption thundered through the air like a hundred cannons, followed by a whine that whistled through the air, barely heard over the rain. But before either of us realising what happened, a huge flaming chunk of singed rock the size of a horse hurtled down on the path not too far away, sending an even greater vibration through the ground, forcing out rock away and out of our hands. With unbelieving eyes, the Goron and myself watched the minute glimpse of the golden gem soar through the air, right over the cliff-face in the dark abyss of ravaged land below.

Forgetting about the volcano; the lethal boulder bomb that could have killed us both; and everything else, I looked at the Goron, a steely glare etched onto my face. He too looked back with the same expression. Without saying a word, the tow of us simultaneously jumped recklessly over the side of the precipice, resolved not to let the other claim the trophy we both wanted. Landing steadily on the relatively smooth but steep sides, I slid down with an increasing speed, my boots wearing thinner and thinner with every passing second. My feet were becoming incredibly warm as they skidded horizontally against the grain of the bedrock and my arms were out in front of me, shielding me from any ricocheting flints that were disturbed from their eternal slumber. The wind and rain spat in my face pushing me around like a doll, but I could still see it falling below me, rolling and free falling through the air. I knew I could do it.

However behind me came a thumping crash, almost throwing me off balance. My arms flailed in front of me, and I felt a sickening fright as I imagined briefly what would happen if I were to fall and lose momentum. Unlike a Goron I had no rocky hide to save me from the pummelling bounces down the cliff. Momentarily I thought that I would indeed tumble forwards and roll down headfirst, grazing and tearing unimaginable amounts of skin, cracking and breaking nearly every bone I possessed, and my body being shattered beyond all repair. But then I thought of Zelda, Nabooru's dying soul and how everyone was relying on me to find this broken Triforce. I was the Hero of Time, and I wouldn't let a Goron come between me and the fate of the world.

I leaned backward, regaining my composure as I saw the spinning shape of a Goron collide and bounce against the rock face, charging down much faster than I was. He was going to get there first and probably gobble down that rock before I even made it to the bottom!

'Not if I can help it,' I thought. I dug one hand into my pocket and pulled out a small pouch. If I were ever going to reach that rock first, I would have to be a lot faster. 'But if I go too fast, it might end up far worse.'

Yet when I saw the Goron gain nearly double my distance, I put my last remaining Pegasus Seeds into my mouth and swallowed hard. At once I felt the same energy rush as before pulsate through my legs and awaken the true power of my muscles. Praying a silent prayer to the goddesses, I broke away from the safe slide and began running headlong down the steep cliff, whispering all the while to keep me safe. If I made one mistake, I would most certainly die. But I had to do this, for Hyrule's sake… for Zelda…

In the time it took for the thunder to finish rumbling across the bubbling clouds I was at the Goron's side, each of us racing at equal death speeds. I felt my mouth smile. I was going to do it. I was going to reach it first and get my Triforce piece. I can see it, more and more of it beginning to crumble away and reveal the golden treasure lying inside the core. My hand felt as though it was scorched, being so near yet just too far away.

But in the blink of an eye, I was no longer touching the ground but flying through the air, a pain rooting and extending itself all the way from my foot. I could see the ground and sky spin in an endless circle in front of my eyes. Something had happened.

I'd made a mistake.

AN: Bwahahaha! I'm so evil! That's probably the worst ever cliff hanger I've ever done, and you'll have to wait till the 10th to find out what happened XD. In fact, forget my trying to get it to you some time afterward. I PROMISE I'll update as soon as I get back, although it might end up being the 11th because we come back quite late on the 10th. I really hope you enjoyed reading this last part as much as I enjoyed writing it. But prepare yourself for even more suspense… Until the 10th or 11th of August, Perfect Soldier 01 will be signing off. For now.