Disclaimers in Chapter 1. I also have to warn anyone reading this, I'm afraid its gonna get long. So please bear with me, here, I'm just going along with it, myself.
Ch. 4
The lions pass a thornbush and melt.
Though the whole day is unbroken
the passage of the sun will represent heaven
the bones will represent time.
-Josephine Jacobsen
Morning came quickly, and Link opened his eyes with the feeling that he had only closed them moments ago. He was aware of the clanging of metal ware, and looked up to find Malon crouched over a sack, where she was drawing the strings of it to close in the tackle and horseshoes. It was too heavy for her to carry, though, and Link sat up abruptly, pulling himself up to take the load from her.
"Morning," She sang, in the rich way with which she made all greetings.
Link was immediately set at ease by the familiar tone. The events of the night before seemed vague now, and he wandered if it had all been a dream. He hefted the load onto his squared shoulder, and slipped into the still-damp riding shoes at the foot of the bed. Instantly, with an uneasy feeling, he realized that it hadn't been a dream after all.
Downstairs, he headed towards the horsestalls where Delka was being combed down by a helpful stable boy. The horse whinnied upon seeing his familiar form, and he stopped to pet it on the nose, before dumping the heavy sack into their wagon. Malon followed shortly, carrying more bags with her, full of goods and food stuff she'd bought and traded for in the market.
Link made the last trip upstairs to collect the remaining supplies, and then they hitched Delka back up, and led the wagon outside of the stable. It was late morning now, and the crowd was picking back up again.
"Anything we have left to do before we leave?" Malon said, looking back over the list.
Link let his eyes drift back over the buildings to where the Hyrule Castle loomed majestically on the horizon, but shook his head.
"No, thats all, I think. Lets go."
They were leaving, when suddenly Malon put a hand over his, a motion for him to halt Delka. "Wait!" She said, pointing over to a fairly odd building which stood out entirely. It was a mask shop Link had passed by a hundred times, yet now it seemed a fairly odd site to him, and he wandered if Malon felt the same.
She stood up. "We've never been in that shop, Link. I think we should at least go once." It was good, solid logic, Link decided, and turned Delka to head that way.
*************
The collection of masks in the shop turned out to be very strange, and Malon left disappointedly. Link joined her outside shortly, and she explained.
"I wanted to see if the shopkeeper had any interesting masks... for... well," She blushed slightly, and Link looked on in a slight confusion.
"For Marcus," She blurted out, naming the handsome Potion shopkeeper. Link suddenly understood her hesitance for being embarrassment, and shrugged good naturedly, swinging back up into the seat of the wagon.
"Unless he likes rabbit and Zora faces, I guess he wouldn't be too thrilled with this place," Link said understandably. Malon smiled gratefully back, and re-attained her pleasant attitude for the rest of the trip home.
*************
That night, the dream was even stronger, filled with a desperate struggle against the fire and the palpable feeling of utter pain and helplessness. He fought with something in his hands, which he swung about fiercely, to no avail. This time the darkness hurtling towards him was greater, faster, and it hit him with the force of all agony, pulled down upon him. Still, even as the raging flames fell from his view, and the swirling, deafening laughter faded, and the world was dark and silent, there came again the soft, distant sound of weeping...
*************
He did not wake throughout the dream, though, and morning found him more troubled than ever. The dark form was indeed the man he'd seen on the Gerudo horse... but who was he? What was this evil power that emanated from him?
He had no answers to these questions, and again thought of what the princess had told him of the priests. Were they really visions? Better that than face the feeling that he was going mad, and seeing strange things that did not exist. But would it have been better? The raging inferno and the glowing eyes told him that it wasn't, that if this... man was real, than he was indeed a being to be wary of.
Link arose to wash and scrub his face, and then dressed quickly. The sooner he got to his morning chores, the sooner he would be able to think of other things.
Malon met him outside, and they both set to work. Malon went out to feed to cuckoos, who strutted about the ranch in a royal fashion, and Link pitched hay for the cows. Ingo was mucking the stalls out with a very sour mood at the stench, and Talon was fitting new horseshoes where they were needed. The work helped him to take his mind away from the nightmare, but he could not forget the evil being that had rode through fire on a Gerudo stallion...
*************
"He's starting to remember." Zelda said, turning in a circle slowly, taking in all of the faces in the Chamber. She'd taken her hair out of its braids, and her dress was low cut to show the Triforce symbol glowing.
There was an immediate rush of voices as all present began to speak.
"Silence, silence all!" the Rauru spoke, holding up his hand. "We will all speak, but let it be one at a time, so we that we can hear." Immediately the Chamber fell silent, and all turned to Nabooru, the Sage of the Desert.
"How is this possible? We all put forth our power to reseal the Chamber of Time, and to return him to his childhood!" There were murmurs of agreement from all around. "It can not have something to do with us, for surely he does not have the power needed to remember things that no longer exist!"
"Nonetheless," Zelda spoke above the voices. "He's starting to see things, and believes he may be going mad."
"This is worse than the alternative!" Boomed Darunia. "It is one thing to live in peace, it is another to be haunted by things that were!"
Zelda shook her head sadly. "I should have never taught him that lullaby. I might have brought this on myself!"
"Do not trouble yourself with things that are already past," Impa said, "That alone could not have stirred something in him that we together banished."
"If the alternative life has been sealed away by all of our combined powers, then how is it that he remembers? Link is very strong, in both body and mind, but not any power but ours can undo what has been done!" Ruto added. All fell silent again, as they mulled over this.
When all but Saria had spoken, Rauru turned to her. "What do you think, Saria?"
The smallest Sage shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm at as much of a loss to explain. Perhaps... he really is just dreaming?" There was a murmuring of 'perhaps', yet not one of the Sages believed this to be true. Saria's lack of passionate input caused them to once again leave her out of the present discussion, and she gave an inward sigh of relief, before fading away back to her own realm.
They talked over it for another few minutes, but Zelda announced that she had to leave them, as her father would worry as to her whereabouts. She smiled briefly at her once Guardian Impa, before stepping back into the Triforce symbol, and disapearing from the Chamber.
"I'm afraid all we can do now is wait," said Rauru, "And watch how things progress." The idea received nods from all, and each Sage stepped back onto their own symbol, to disappear to their own realms.
*************
Link perched on the corral gate, balancing himself as well as possible. He unhooked his ocarina, and hefted it in his right hand for a moment, letting his thoughts drift.
Were the dreams visions? Or merely nightmares? It would have seemed that way, except for the apparatus of the dark cloaked man riding towards him in the market. That couldn't have been a dream, as he wasn't sleeping. He thought again of the idea that had come unbidden to him while he was speaking to Zelda.
A memory?
Link lifted the ocarina to his lips, and played a warm-up note, before going into the lullaby automatically. He replayed it several times, letting his thoughts drift, until he was no longer paying attention to the song, or the notes, but on the distant blur, that was moving towards him.
He didn't stop playing, but focused instead on the form growing larger. It was not threatening, like the horse-mounted man, but seemed more like a small, child-like figure, running. It came closer and closer, sifting through the corral fence and seeming to blur the lines of reality. Suddenly, he could hear, beyond the notes he played, a voice on the wind…
"Link!"
*************
Malon was leading the ever persnickety Rascal around the Ranch track, when she saw Link seem to sag, and then tip backwards off of the gate.
"Link!" She cried, dropping the rope she'd been leading the horse with. She was too late to stop his fall, though, and he crumpled to the ground, his body splayed out with the ocarina laying several feet away. Malon knelt beside him.
"Damn it, Link... What's happening to you?" She whispered, touching his clammy forehead. His eyes opened and blinked several times, finally focusing on her. His lips seemed to form a word, and then he pushed himself up, looking around wildly.
"Where..." He started.
Malon helped him up, as he would not be coaxed to stay still. He whirled around, and found the ocarina. Walking over to it, he scooped it up, and looked at it angrily. He turned back to her.
"Malon," He said, "You have to tell me... Did you see someone out there?" He pointed towards the corral. She shook her head.
"No, Link... the only ones out here are you and I."
Link's eyes narrowed, and he kept them on the distant spot for a long time.
"Link..." Malon started. "I think... that you may need some help." She said it carefully. Link was stubborn when it came to issues that had to do with his health or well-being. To her surprise though, he nodded slowly.
"I think you may be right," He said, in a quiet undertone. "Malon..." He started, "How long do you think-"
"I'll go now," She interrupted. "You can take Delka. He isn't the fastest, but he is the most reliable." Link gave her a grateful look, then turned to leave, heading back to the house to collect his scarce belongings.
*************
He left shortly after nightfall, and without a goodbye, which would surely cause more questions that he could now answer. Delka didn't seem to mind the out-of-schedule ride, and was content to crunch an apple Link had brought with him. They galloped full speed out of the ranch, making the fields of Hyrule before the moon was overhead.
Link felt slightly lost, though out here, on his own, there was a strange energy that hummed through his body, and took away any remains of tiredness. He led Delka down a well worn path that would take them to Hyrule Castle Town, and thought about what he must do. Zelda has spoken of the priests of the Temple, and this was where he had decided to go. It seemed to be his best chance now to understand what was happening to him.