Hi everyone. Keep reading and reviewing. And to all those that did review, thank you. It is because of you that I am willing to continue. And I would also like to apologize to everyone who has read the book to this point. I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Someone close to me died a couple of months ago and I've been very depressed. Again, I apologize for the wait. I don't own Zelda or any of the game's characters and never will. If anyone wants to use any of the characters I make up in a story of theirs, they MUST ask my permission first or I will tell the administrator of this site. Please enjoy.
Book One, Chapter Eight: The Palaver
The sun rose early that day; too early for Link and Saria.
The birds began to sing, as if welcoming the new day. Insects began to hide once again in the shades of whatever grass bed they could, fearing the sun and the birds that rejoiced at its rising. Dew sparkled in the grass, giving the green ground a look of wonder and beauty that few people could ever see. Clouds and sky, often white and blue, were illuminated in a sea of pink and orange that took every early person's breath away. This morning was one of rare elegance that comes along once in a century and should be cherished by all living things.
In the guest's chambers of Hyrule Castle, such happiness and feel of fulfillment was not to be felt. Link and Saria knew that this day would mark the beginning of their quest. This would be the day that would prepare their leaving of the land of Hyrule. The two heroes knew this and were filled with sadness and remorse, yet they could not feel it. Their meeting with Princess Zelda took their minds off such things and they would only know of their sadness once the meeting ended.
xxxx
Saria was the first to awaken. Link woke up several moments later, a tracing of sleep drool still clinging to his cheek. Both had slept in their noble clothing so that they could meet with the princess earlier, but they now wished that they had undressed and could have delayed the meeting somewhat.
"How was thy sleep Saria," Link asked.
"It was heavy and dreamless," Saria said. "Or maybe I did dream and can no longer recall what it was I dreamed of. I suppose it doesn't matter. Did ye have any dreams?"
"I had no dreams that I can recall," Link said.
The door to the Guest Chambers opened and Impa walked through the doorway, a tray of food in front of her. She was clad in her armor and a long dagger, which had elfin runes written at the broad sides of it, hung horizontally at her lower back. A look of total seriousness was etched in her face.
"I am glad to see that ye have awakened," Impa said. "I have brought thee a small breakfast before thy meeting with Princess Zelda. Eat fast and follow me to the Princess' Chambers. I shall wait outside the room."
Impa turned and left the Guest Chambers, leaving the tray she brought with her.
"Is she always serious," Saria asked Link.
"Indeed she is," Link said. "Never will ye find any other that is more serious as Impa. Yet she is kind and very generous when she feels she has to be, so judge her not. But such talk can be held for another time I suppose. Let us eat what we can and be ready to meet Zelda."
Link and Saria walked to the tray and looked at what it was that they were given to eat. Two bowls of porridge lay on it, steam still coming from the surface, and a pitcher of water with two empty glasses standing next to it. Spoon handles jutted out of the porridge as if waiting to be taken by the two heroes.
"I have not an appetite for food right now," Saria said.
"It would still be wise to eat what we are given freely," Link said. "Many times I had to go for days without any food to eat. I have learned that food is important to have and it would be very unwise to deny food when it is given freely. Eat what ye can, for I feel that our time with Zelda will be long and we shall have much to discuss with her. I would rather not be distracted by hunger during that time."
"Very well," Saria said. "I suppose it would be unwise to waste such food now that it has been brought to us."
xxxx
The hallways were much longer than Saria had remembered, but they were much easier to walk in now that the light of day reached through the windows and lit the once dark place. The marble walls showed a kind of splendor that could not be taken in during the night. Bright and beautiful were the only words that could describe it and Saria felt foolish for not noticing it during the night. Link and Impa, however, showed no signs of wonder for such things.
Saria felt that many minutes they spent walking through the beautiful hallway. She felt that there was no end to the castle; that they would spend hours walking through the many hallways and maybe never find the room they needed to go to, but in truth it was only less than ten minutes that was spent walking the castle.
As they walked further in, Saria noticed that there were fewer knights and nobles walking the hallways and that the hallways were getting much darker.
'I understand,' Saria thought. 'Zelda wishes none but us to listen to what we must talk about. She must be waiting for us in a part of the castle that is either no longer used or not commonly used by most people.'
'Thou hast learned very much of the situation,' a voice spoke. 'Never have we met and already ye have thought in such a way that it would seem that we have known each other for the longest of time.'
Saria stopped and looked around the dimly lit hallway. All was abandoned and nobody else appeared to be present, save Link and Impa who were wandering further ahead.
Saria dismissed the thought and caught up to Link and Impa, who seemed to not notice Saria's moment of confusion in the hallway. She was glad that they didn't; she didn't want them to worry about her meeting the princess.
Link, however, did notice. Impa noticed as well.
"Thou shall now meet the princess," Impa said as she stopped in front of an old, worn door that looked ready to fall off its hinges. "Ye must enter alone for Zelda has asked me to keep watch in this hallway so that none shall enter this room."
Impa grabbed the rusty handle of the door and turned it. The door opened with an ear-piercing screech coming from the rusted hinges.
The room that they entered was unlike the rest of the castle. The room was large, round and very old; so old it would make an elf feel young. The color of the walls were not the white and black mix of marble that they were used to, but of a brown-red color like bricks; seeing this color reminded Saria of some of the younger trees that were in the Kokiri Forest. The floor, walls and old shelves were covered in dust. Even the air in the room seemed to be filled with dust. The shelves that were placed in the far back of the room were wooden and many were broken. Those shelves that were not broken just yet were very worn and weak with age and the many bugs that found a particular taste for wood. On one of the surviving shelves was a jar that held within it a human hand that was preserved throughout the ages with a strange brown liquid that it floated in, yet the hand was badly wrinkled and was starting to show the signs of decay; the tip of the middle finger had a bone jutting out from it. Saria noticed the hand and felt a slight urge to vomit on her noble cloths, yet she forced herself to keep her food down.
In the middle of the room was a round, wooden table with a lit candle on top of it. Three wooden chairs surrounded the table. On one of those chairs was a beautiful girl with golden-colored hair and ocean blue eyes. She had on a very expensive looking dress that was mostly purple in color, but had the colors of yellow on it as well. On the middle of the dress, just below her chest and just above her stomach, was a Triforce symbol.
"I am glad to finally see thee here," Zelda said to Link and Saria. "Long have I been waiting for this day when we three, who have been blessed by the golden goddesses, would meet here and discuss what must be done."
Saria recognized the voice. It was the same voice she heard in the hallway just before reaching this room.
"Please come and sit down at this table," Zelda said.
Link and Saria walked to the table and picked their chairs; Link chose the chair that was to the right of Zelda and Saria chose the chair that was to the left of Zelda.
"What is it that we must discuss," Saria asked. "I apologize for asking such a thing, yet I am unsure of what it is we are involved in. Demons and Angels have plagued our dreams and images of our death have haunted both dream and reality alike, yet I understand nothing of it."
"That is not a question ye should feel sorry for asking," Zelda said. "I know little of what our dreams tell us and my mind is filled with many scorpions, yet that is the reason I believe we should hold this palaver."
"What is the first thing we must discuss though," Link asked.
"I believe there are many things that should be discussed," Zelda said. "We should discuss the reasons behind our nightmares. We should discuss the Triforce of Power and who may hold the ancient relic. We should discuss why Angels and Demons may battle upon the plain of the living. We should discuss many things, yet there is another thing I would want to discuss. I would like to discuss Saria and why she must play a role in such a dangerous quest."
"Such is what I wished to hear from thou," Link said. "Long have I pondered that and no reason I could find that should allow her to follow on such a quest."
"I shall tell ye as to why such a thing is and what importance Saria has to the quest of finding the missing Triforce of Power," Zelda said, her voice becoming dreadfully serious and her eyes pointing directly at Saria, as if Zelda was telling this only to Saria and not Link. "Already she holds that which was hidden from the sages and all holy beings that made the earth and the universe, a power that was, in its own way, a second Triforce."
"What do thou mean," Saria asked.
"It is why ye have remembered much of what was and what never will be," Zelda said. "Ye have been able to recall the face of Impa, the Sage of Darkness, and yet thou have never met Impa till just yesterday. I am sure the names of Darunia, Ruto, Nabooru and Rauru can be recalled as well. I am sure ye can even place a face upon the names that thou have just heard."
Saria did recall the names and, as Zelda said, could even recall what it was they looked like. This frightened Saria somewhat, yet she felt happy to recall those names. She could even recall their voices; their protectiveness; and their love. She remembered of the love Ruto had for Link. She remembered Darunia and how much he loved to hear her play her song, the song that she used to keep contact with Link. She remembered so much of people and beings that she never met.
'Something isn't right,' Saria thought. 'Link has mentioned to me several names during his quest, names of sages, yet I have never heard of Nabooru or Rauru. And I recall talking with them, telling them of times past when Hyrule was at peace and of times I played with Link. I even recall playing my song to Darunia. Never have I met these people and never did I speak with them, so why must it be that I hold memories of such a time?'
"Thou can remember those people because ye have met them when Ganondorf was king and all cowered before him, but the time I speak of is also a time that will never be. Link slew Ganon and returned to this time, a time that shall never experience Ganon's wrath. This also means that the sages never met one another and may never see one another, save those that have political powers in their tribes.
"Link and I can only recall of such events because we have been blessed by the goddesses and given a piece of the Triforce. As a former sage, ye should have never remembered of such a time and thou should have forgotten ever meeting such people. You know of such a time and know such people because ye also are blessed by the goddesses and hold a piece of their power."
"What do thou mean," Link asked, much interest in his voice. "Do ye mean that it is Saria who holds the Triforce of Power?"
"She is not the bearer of the Triforce of Power," Zelda said. "Yet she does hold a power that is not mentioned in legends. This power is a part of the Triforce and acts as its own Triforce, though not nearly as powerful as the Triforce we know of. The piece that Saria holds contains a balance of Power, Wisdom and Courage. It is a missing piece of the Triforce that the three golden goddesses separated from the complete Triforce when the world was created. They separated this piece from the Triforce so that none could ever hold enough power to become a god, for the Triforce, with all its pieces intact, could turn any one person into a true god.
"This Triforce piece, which is the original center of the Triforce, is known as the Triforce of Balance. I know this only because I have the Triforce of Wisdom. When Ganondorf separated the Triforce into three pieces, the forth piece was affected and it fell upon the Earth, searching for whoever was able to hold a balance of Power, Wisdom and Courage in their heart. Saria was chosen by that piece of the Triforce as its bearer, for she holds a balance of Power, Wisdom and Courage.
"It is only recently that this information came to my knowledge. In fact, it was the very day that Saria left the forest that I realized her as a bearer. Saria, being a Kokiri, should have died shortly after leaving the forest. She is a forest elf and can only live if she remains in a forest. She survived because she was protected by the Triforce piece she had; it even slowed the rate of the sickness, making it only become apparent after several hours instead of just a few minutes. This incident was also what awakened the Triforce's power, as it responded to Saria's need to survive and helped her stay alive and in the living world. When this happened, the Triforce image on the back of my hand began to glow again and the center of the image was glowing as well, giving me information of the Triforce of Balance and why none have ever heard of it.
"When I realized what it was Saria had and how important her piece of the Triforce is, I was finally able to understand as to why she was needed in this quest. Her piece was connected to each of the three other pieces at one time and is able to feel the presence of a Triforce piece when it is near. This shall be one of Saria's roles in this quest: To find the Triforce of Power and the one who carries it. I am sure, however, that there are other roles that she must play out before the end of this quest, but such things can wait."
Link and Saria sat in surprised confusion for the next several minutes, during which time an uncomfortable silence was held between the three children. Each of their minds was filled with many things, some of which could not be put into words. The one with the most thoughts and questions was not Saria, but Zelda. There were some things that Zelda wished to tell Link and Saria; things which were not important at the moment. She wished to tell them of how it was that the Triforce of Balance came to be. She wished to tell them of the significance that the Triforce of Balance held upon the Triforce itself. She wished to tell them of the deeper reasons behind the goddesses' actions in creating the Triforce and separating the middle of it, creating an incomplete balance with the remaining three pieces. She wished to tell Link and Saria of these matters, but she didn't. She knew that the information she had was valuable to them and could be put to good use, but she knew that the time had not yet come to tell them of these matters. It is unclear if that time ever would come.
"Do ye speak the truth," Link asked, already knowing the answer.
"I speak of what I believe is true," Zelda said. "But I believe I have spoken enough of the matter. Although what Saria has is very important, it is only one of the things that I wish to speak of. There are other matters that must be addressed and I believe the sooner we speak of them, the better. Let us think of other matters, such as where the Triforce of Power is hidden."
"I agree," Saria said. "I would rather not think of such a thing that burdens me for right now."
"Have thou learned of where the Triforce of Power is," Link asked.
"I have not anything that I can speak of with full confidence," Zelda said. "When Ganon was killed by Link, the Triforce of Power separated from his body and vanished from my foresight. Had the Triforce of Power chosen a being in Hyrule to be its bearer, I would have been able to tell ye of who it is that bears it. Since I am unable to feel the presence of the Triforce piece, I believe that it now resides in a being that is either not from Hyrule or has left Hyrule."
"It matters not as to why we can't feel its presence," Link said. "We all know that the Triforce piece is not in the land of Hyrule. All that matters is who has it and in which kingdom the bearer is."
"It may not be a kingdom," Saria said. "If ye think about it, I am bearing a piece of the Triforce and, although I lived in the land of Hyrule, I lived outside of its policies and laws. In a sense, I lived not in the kingdom of Hyrule."
"Saria provides a good point," Zelda said. "With all we know at the moment the bearer may not be within a kingdom, which means the bearer may live anywhere. If such is the case, finding the Triforce of Power may be more difficult than we thought."
"Then what do we do," Link asked.
"Thou must find the Triforce of Power and learn of the truth behind the battle of Angels and Demons," Zelda said. "Regardless of how difficult it will be, it must be done. Without the Triforce of Power, there is no hope with halting this terrible battle."
"It takes more than necessity to succeed," Link said. "I doubt not thy wisdom Zelda, but if I and Saria are to find the bearer we must have an idea as to where it is we must look."
"I cannot tell thou anything that I would feel confident in saying," Zelda said. "But I have dreamed of the kingdom of Torral and of ye and Saria fighting off a man of great strength who takes pleasure in torturing and killing people he dislikes. Already I know that such a man exists and that his hands are already stained with much blood. Perhaps this is the bearer of the Triforce of Power, but I would feel uncomfortable if that is so."
"I would feel uncomfortable as well," Link said. "I have fought Ganondorf and came close to my end during the fight. If I must fight again that terrible power, I do not think I shall live."
"I would rather thou avoid fighting against the one who carries the Triforce of Power," Zelda said. "The bearer plays a role that will aid thou and Saria in this quest. It would be best to not draw any weapon against the bearer, but if he is willing to slay thee, then I suppose the only thing that can help is to win the fight. Do not kill him if such is the case."
"What if he poses no threat to us and is willing to aid in whatever ways he can," Saria asked.
"Such is a rare thing," Zelda said. "Very few people are willing to leave their life behind at the mention of danger and death, even if it is to save the world. Thou faced the same choice when Link asked ye to accompany him on this very quest and thou agreed to journey with him only because ye have already wanted to leave the forest, which was thy home and prison. And even though ye accepted this task, it still took several minutes of hard thinking to decide such a thing. If this person, who thou must find, is content with where he lives and has an easy-going life, then I am afraid it will be almost impossible to make him wish to leave that life. If, however, his life is difficult and dangerous, it may be possible to convince him to go. Even with the latter, I doubt it will be an easy decision for him."
"Ye make it sound impossible," Link said.
"Most would find it impossible," Zelda said. "But we have faced impossible chances before and have managed to overcome them. If ye find it difficult to persuade the bearer, simply remember that the world may end without his aid. If that is not enough, however, do anything ye can think of to convince him to come along."
"What if the bearer refuses all the offers we give to him," Link asked. "Many have I met that have been set in their minds and would refuse every offer that can be given to them. Ye could show them a chest filled with every treasure that one would ever want and still they would turn it down. If the one we seek is such a person, I fear we may have to overpower him and force him into this quest."
"Would that be wise," Zelda asked. "If the bearer has mastered the power of the goddess Din, the goddess who formed existence with her flames, ye would be facing a person who could destroy the world with a snap of his fingers. Would ye be able to accept the responsibilities of putting countless of lives in danger and risk the destruction of the world by challenging such a person?"
"I faced that responsibility when I fought Ganondorf in his keep," Link said. "I understood the risks and knew I had to take the weight of the world on my shoulders. If I must repeat such an act in order to save the world, I shall."
"An attitude such as that is promising to my ears," Zelda said. "If ye are that determined to save the world then I believe that thy journey will be successful. And I know deep in my heart that ye shall persuade this bearer to join thou."
"Finding the bearer and getting him to join us will not be enough," Saria said. "Even when we do manage to get him to help us, that shall only be the beginning of the quest. From what I can gather, we still know nothing of what it is that we must do or where it is we must travel to once we get this person. Do we return to Hyrule and wait for a sign to appear before us or do we travel blindly to lands unknown to us in the hope of finding something that none have seen in many years?"
"I am unsure of what it is that must be done after ye have found the bearer," Zelda said. "I would like to say that ye should return to Hyrule once the Triforce of Power has been found, but I feel that shall not be what will happen. I feel that another force is working even as this meeting is taking place. I feel that thy questions shall be answered as soon as ye find the third of thy company and that ye shall be guided to wherever it is that thou must go, but as to what answers ye shall find is something that I am unable to tell."
"I feel uncomfortable with going in search of someone and not knowing what must be done afterwards," Link said.
"As do I," Zelda said.
"Then what should be done when we find the bearer," Saria asked.
"Look and wait for a sign to appear within the next fortnight after finding the bearer," Zelda said. "I believe a sign should be seen or a message will be delivered to thou during that time. If such is not the case, return to me and I shall find a way to guide thou to the next part of the journey. I cannot guarantee that I would be able to do such a thing; even my power of foresight has its limits as to what I am allowed to see. If it is necessary, which I hope it isn't, I shall make use of a fortune-teller and have her try to find a way to guide us, yet I am unsure if a fortune-teller's foresight would be able to see into the events that surround the Triforce pieces. If that doesn't work, ye shall make use of the castle till I can manage a way to guide thou to thy next location. I am sorry to say that I am unable to help more than that."
"Could the sages be of any use if thou are unable to guide us," Link asked.
"The sages have yet to be awakened during this time of peace and prosperity," Zelda said. "If they are to be awakened once again, it will be when the land of Hyrule is overcome with darkness and despair. Even if the sages are awakened, their powers will extend only as far as the borders of Hyrule. I do not believe the sages will play any role in this quest. However, if they do play a role, I believe it shall only be a minor one."
"So thou are saying Saria and I will have to find our own way during this quest," Link said. "I have managed times on my own when I needed to find my own way, yet I have never had to travel from one kingdom to another in order to find my way. This quest shall not be an easy one if we must travel without a location."
"Ye will have to manage," Zelda said. "I am sorry to say that our information into the matter of the quest is very limited and, because of that, we shall need to gather more information of this quest in lands unknown to us, yet the first step in our quest is to find the Triforce of Power and it seems that we know the kingdom in which it stays at the moment. This means that we must act with haste if we wish to intercept this person. If we delay too much longer, he may leave Torral and journey to lands that none in Hyrule have ever walked upon."
"I still do not like the idea of fighting off a man who has already killed," Saria said. "Ye said that we may face a battle once we reach the land of Torral, but do ye think that this is the bearer of the Triforce of Power?"
"I am unsure if that person is the bearer," Zelda said. "His strength and power is great, yet I sensed a limit to that power. I am unsure if this means that he is not the bearer or if he has yet to master the Triforce of Power. In either case, it would be wise to find this person, yet I would take caution when approaching him. He is blood-thirsty and wouldn't hesitate to kill a sickly child if the child would dare look at him the wrong way."
"This means we shall be put in danger from the very beginning of the quest," Saria said.
"It doesn't matter when we shall be put in danger," Link said. "Our lives will always be in danger during the quest and we shall have to stain our swords often, but I shall take as many enemies as I can. Rest assured that I shall try my best to keep thou out of battle as often as I can."
"I thank ye Link for thy kind words," Saria said. "But I shall be fine. With all that ye have taught me, I believe that I shall live through every battle that I fight in."
"I believe we should stick to what we were talking about," Zelda said. "I apologize for being rude, but there are much more important matters that need discussing than which one would be protected in battle.
"This man that I have seen in my dreams has a crescent-shaped scar on his right eye and he uses a thorn-whip with three metallic balls at the end of the whip. Although that appears to be his chief weapon, he seems to possess a broad-sword and would use it if an enemy he was fighting got past his whipping length. He also seems to possess a strong power that I fear he would use if he felt it necessary. As I have said earlier, be careful when approaching this man. If ye say the wrong things to him, thou will end up dead."
When these words were spoken, Saria felt an aching chill go up her spine that left goose-bumps covering every part of her body, save her face and legs. It became clear to her that, although leaving the forest was the right choice, she had truly underestimated the level of danger she would have to face. She wished to no longer be outside of the forest. She wished herself to be back within the forest's barrier and away from all the dangers that the outside world had. She was a forest elf. She belonged in the forest, didn't she?
As these thoughts ran through her mind, a warm feeling overtook her. She felt comforted and at ease. No longer did she feel afraid to go into the dangers that the world had to offer. She had Link to protect her and she had Bane as well. If it came down to it, she would unsheathe Bane and use it in battle. She became somewhat skilled with a sword and shield when she practiced with Link and she knew she could fight off most beasts. Though how she would fare against a powerful and skilled opponent, ones that have pushed Link to his very limit, she did not know.
The door to the room suddenly opened and filled the room with a chilling wind. Impa entered the room and faced the three Triforce bearers, her eyes showing she knew much of what was discussed and mentioned.
"I am sorry Zelda," Impa said. "Ye have told me to let the meeting go on as long as possible, but if the guards of the castle realize that ye are not anywhere to be found they shall search all of the castle and search the market as well. If they were to come here and see thou with thy two companions, I fear that even I would be unable to protect ye three from what may happen. I fear that this discussion must end now before anything were to go awry."
"Must we end our discussion now Lady Impa," Zelda asked. "We could not have been talking more than fifteen minutes. I believe we can talk a little longer."
"It has been well over an hour since ye have started talking with Link and Saria," Impa said. "I had hoped that the guards wouldn't have noticed thy disappearance Lady Zelda, but I have heard commotion from up above and mentioning that ye are nowhere to be found. If ye go on any longer, thy friends shall be found with thou and they shall be taken to the dungeon for questioning. It would be best to let this meeting end now. We can prepare them for their leaving afterwards."
"If what ye say is true then I shall leave," Zelda said. "Although I wish this meeting could go on longer, I must bid ye farewell. Wait for Impa to return and follow her to the Guest Chambers. If the guards see thou walking unattended, they may question ye and demand to know why children are walking the castle all by themselves."
"Is that all ye can truly say about the quest," Saria asked as Zelda turned to leave. "Ye have mentioned that I bear a Triforce piece of my own and yet I know not how to use it."
"Ye have used it several times," Zelda said, turning around to face Saria. "Thou were overtaken with fear just a moment ago, fear that put the entire quest at risk, and suddenly ye found the strength needed to overtake that fear. Thou were also overtaken by a sickness that should have left ye dead, and yet thou has lived. Thy Triforce piece was used in both times and ye have used it masterfully. In time, ye shall learn how to use it at thy own will. When that time comes, thou shall become a warrior of legend. Just survive long enough for that to happen."
Zelda reached Impa's side and grabbed hold of Impa's hand. It seemed to both Link and Saria that Zelda had become almost transparent, as if she was vanishing. Although Saria was confused, Link understood perfectly. Impa meant to take Zelda back to the upper levels of the castle. There she would have her reappear and let herself be seen by the knights and any other noble that had been looking for her.
Zelda and Impa turned and left the room, closing the door behind them.
Saria took off her glove and looked at the back of her hand. An image of three golden triangles rested on her hand, or maybe that image was now part of her hand. This image, however, was different from Link and Zelda's; her Triforce image was of one triangle, as if the Triforce had another triangle enter the center and fill it in. The middle piece glowed with a golden light that was bright to her.
Link looked at her hand and said nothing. He stared at it for several seconds before taking his eyes to Saria's eyes.
"This is both good and bad for ye," Link said.
"How do thou mean," Saria asked.
"This means that thy journey shall be much easier for thou," Link said. "Yet this also means that thy life is destined for much hardship. Ye shall make friends that shall never be seen by thou again and thou shall have to make many promises that may never get fulfilled."
"Would lying be hard," Saria asked. "Would it be hard to lie to some people in order to save the world? Wouldn't it be alright to lie here and there if a life was to be saved in the process?"
"Ye have not had to make use of any lies in thy life," Link said, his eyes glazed with memories of the past. "Ye have not had to make a promise that thou shall protect a village and make a mistake that ends up with the lives of many villagers lost. Ye have not agreed to help others and then abandon aiding them so that thou can continue thy quest without a minor delay. I have made many lies to further my own end, most of those lies intentional, and always do I remember the eyes and hope of the person I made the promise to. The eyes of one who has been tricked and deceived, yet I grow use to it. I can lie to ye now and not feel for it, yet I would have never done so a few years ago. This quest shall change ye Saria. I just hope that thou shall still remain the pure maiden ye are now; I cannot imagine thou otherwise. I hope such a vision never enters my mind or eyes."
"It shall not happen to me," Saria said.
"I hope it doesn't," Link said.
"Never say that ye shall not do an action if thou cannot predict thy own future," a voice said from the other side of the room. "To make such a statement is foolish, for ye may put thy own statement in front of thy better judgment and have thy life lost. Thou may think that such a thing is honorable, yet I believe that honor is in how one lives thy life, not how one dies."
"I could not have said it better myself," Link said. "Impa is right. Remember that ye can do much good for many people, yet also know that ye will accomplish nothing by dying. If ye must make say a lie, then do so, but do not say a lie if it will only convenience thou and not others. Do ye understand?"
"Yes," Saria said. "I just hope not to say any lies for the time being. It just doesn't feel right."
"It never will," Impa said. "Yet such things can be discussed later. Let us leave this place and ready thy departure from this land. Ye should be ready to leave this land before today's setting sun. I would have thou stay in the castle for the night, but Lady Zelda has ordered that thou be ready to leave as soon as possible."
"Do not think too much of it," Link said. "I believe that leaving before today's end would be the best choice. If I and Saria were to stay here for too long, it would be difficult for us to depart."
"Thy cloths and weapons are waiting in the Guest Chambers," Impa said. "Follow me back to the chambers and do not leave till I come to get thou. Thou will be given a meal before thy departure and ye shall also be given directions to the land of Torral. Thou shall also be given several hundred rupees and a supply of food that should last for three months. Zelda shall give thou a letter which ye shall show to the border guard; thou shall not be allowed to leave this land without it."
Impa turned and faced the door, walked several steps and stopped for a moment, as if making sure no guards were listening to what she was saying. When she saw that nobody was listening, she turned back to Link and Saria.
"Follow me and do not leave my protection," Impa said. "As long as thou stay close to me, the guards shall not see thee."
With that, Link and Saria left the dark room that they had spent their time in. Both were silent on their walk back to the Guest Chambers, yet their minds were filled with many thoughts about what they had learned from Zelda.
Link's main thought was that this was the last day they would spend in the land of Hyrule. Saria's main thought was that she would never see the Kokiri children again.