Chapter 12: The Sacred Realm
"My real name isn't Shiek," Sheik spoke, "my real name…is Zelda."
Link gasped. "Z-Zelda?"
Sheik nodded and waved his arm. In a flash, the outfit he wore vanished, and Zelda could now be seen. She was covered in a white light that slowly dimmed. It took form into a dress, then the light broke off, vanishing. In front of Link was now the blonde-haired princess that he had met seven years before. She now wore a purple shirt with a long white skirt. At the end of the skirt was purple trimming, and she wore purple shoes. Her shirt had no back, and her arms were bare, save the white gloves that went from her elbows down. She had small gold plates that extended from her shirt and onto her shoulders, and her blonde haired ended below her waist.
"Zelda?" Link asked. He was shocked. The girl he had known seven years ago now stood before him, almost like a beautiful angel. Her beauty had grown a lot, and he couldn't help but stare straight at her.
"Link, I am sorry for meeting you in disguise like I did, but I had no choice. Seven years ago, you pulled the Master Sword from the pedestal, and Ganondorf got hold of the Triforce. However, as he did not have a balance of the three elements in his heart, he could not collect the entire Triforce. The legend says that 'should any man with a balanced heart touch the Triforce, he shall gain its whole power. However, should a man, without a balance of the three, touch the sacred triangles, it shall split apart, and that which the man is strongest in, shall be left in his hand. The other two shall go to those chosen of destiny to obtain them.'"
Link thought on this for a moment. "So, Ganondorf didn't have a balance…meaning he only got hold of one of the three…"
"Exactly. He desired power, and it was power he got. Wisdom and Courage separated from the Triforce, and now reside within two others."
"Who?" was Link's only response.
"I know not who holds courage. I would have thought it was you, but you don't hold the mark."
"Mark? What mark?"
"When the triforce separates and touches two people, they are left with a mark on their right hand. It is the mark of the triforce, but only one of the three triangles is gold, the other two are darker." Zelda rose her right hand. "I hold the Triforce of Wisdom." Link noticed that, on Zelda's hand, was the symbol of the Triforce. The bottom right triangle was golden, while the others were a darker color.
Link looked at his hand, and noticed that there was no mark. "You're right…I don't hold the mark…"
"Someone else has the Triforce of Courage, either that, or the Triforce is still within the Sacred Realm, waiting for its master to touch it."
"I see…that would make sense…"
"Once Ganondorf got hold of the Triforce of Power, he went rampant on the land. He took over Hyrule with the greatest of ease, but his power was still not enough. He wanted to have control over the world, which he could only do with the True Force. With only one of the three, though, he could do nothing. He invaded the Sacred Realm shortly after. He was attempting to find the Triforce of Courage, but he couldn't find it…He knew I had Wisdom, and so he searched for me. It was then that I made up the Sheik identity, and Impa taught me all I would need to know about the Sheikah."
"I then went to Ganondorf under disguise. I learned of his plans, and soon became very trusted by him, though he always grew angry at my inability to find Zelda. Of course, he didn't know I was Zelda, for if he had, he would have had me dead in a moment's time."
"Wow…I understand, then…You're basically risking Ganondorf finding you out by revealing yourself to me."
"Yes, but it doesn't matter…now that you have all the sages together, we can end this. We just have to defeat Ganondorf. This is our plan. The sages will open the portal to the Sacred Realm and lure Ganondorf in. I will then close it from our side, thus trapping him within the Sacred Realm. Then, and only then, can Hyrule return to peace…"
"You traitor," a deep, dark voice spoke. "For seven years you deceived me. Now, though, I have found you out. There is no hope for you now, Princess." Suddenly, Zelda became encased in a purple crystal. Link ran up to it and began banging against it. Ganondorf then appeared behind the crystal and laughed. "Fool, I have Princess Zelda now. If you want her, then you must come to my castle!"
"No, we're ending this now!" Link shouted. He drew the Master Sword and ran at Ganondorf, but he just went through him. Ganondorf laughed and disappeared, and Zelda went with him. Link growled, running out of the Temple of Time, and to Ganondorf's Castle. "Ganondorf!" he shouted as he reached the edge of the cliff that separated the land from the castle.
"Link," a voice spoke. "Link, can you hear me?"
"Yes, Saria, I can," Link responded.
"Oh, thank heavens. Link, the Triforce of Courage is here in the Sacred Realm. It is in the Lost Temple. You must get there and retrieve it. Only then will you have power enough to face Ganondorf."
"How do I get there, then?"
"Go to your home in the Kokiri Forest. You will meet, there, a man you hate. He will have the way to the Sacred Realm."
"Saria…wait…I don't understand…how do I get it from the man? I can't just ask for it if I hate the guy…"
"You will know what to do when you see him. I'm sorry, Link, I can't say anymore. We will speak again once you are here." With that, Saria's voice faded out, and was gone. Link growled and swore under his breath. He quickly raced off, heading through the market ruins, and into the Hyrule Plain. There, Epona sat at the gate. She had managed to get back on her own, and was now waiting for Link.
Link nodded. "Let's go." He hopped on Epona, and the two were off as quick as lightning. Epona ran as fast as she could. Though she could not communicate to Link, she could feel his emotions, and could tell that he needed to be at the forest as quick as possible. It took almost two hours, but they arrived.
Link quickly jumped from Epona, racing into the forest, and to the Kokiri Village. He raced passed all the Kokiri, and headed straight for his house. He climbed the ladder, running in, only to find it empty. He looked around, searching everywhere he could, but no one was there. "Hello?" Link called, but there was no response.
Finally, Link sighed and turned to walk out. As he was about to walk out of his house, a dark figure appeared before him. Link stepped back, staring straight at him. In front of him was someone he hoped he'd never see again. In front of him was Dark Link. "This can't be!" Link shouted. "I destroyed you in the Water Temple!"
"I have ways of returning," Dark Link spoke. He rose his hand. "I come in peace, though. I do not wish to fight. I am here for a single reason." He reached forward and grabbed Link's pouch. Link tried to fight him away from it, but he was unsuccessful. "Here," Dark Link spoke, taking the Ocarina of Time from the pouch. Link growled. "Take your ocarina, and play the 'Overture of Sages'." Dark Link tossed Link the ocarina, then, as if by magic, a black ocarina appeared in Dark Link's hand.
Dark Link began to play a song on his ocarina, and, after a time, Link began to play it as well. The world seemed to shift around Link as he found himself lifted from the ground. The world went dark, and he found himself in the Chamber of Sages once more. "Link, I'm glad to see you," Saria spoke.
"I'm glad to see you, too, Saria," Link said, hugging her tight. "I still love you."
Saria frowned. "I told you, Link, we can't be together…"
"I know that's what you say now, but we will be together, I promise. Nothing will keep me from being with you."
Saria sighed. "If that's what you believe…I don't believe it will happen, though."
"Well, that's what you believe, but I believe we'll be together again." Link continued to hug her, not wanting to let go of her.
"Link, I'm sorry to interrupt you," Rauru spoke, "but you must find the Triforce of Courage."
"I know…" Link still didn't let go of Saria. Ruto was standing nearby, a look of jealousy and anger on her face. "I love you, Saria…I do now, and I always will."
"I know…" With that Saria and Link kissed for the last time. Link then let go of Saria and turned to Rauru. As he turned, he noticed Ruto was mad, as well as extremely jealous. Link sighed, then looked at Rauru.
"I'm ready…"
"Then it is time for you to go." Rauru rose his hands into the air and a path appeared that lead out of the Chamber of Sages. It led to a small door, and Link crossed the path and walked out. What he saw when he left the chamber was a frightening sight.
The sky of the Sacred Realm was a blood red color that seemed to shift and change. The ground was dead, and darkness covered much of the ground. The entire land was filled with monsters, and the land seemed alive, almost looking like the ground could open up and swallow a man whole if it wanted to.
Link walked forward into the land before him. He didn't know what was lying in wait for him, but he knew he had to go through. After all, he had never backed out before because he didn't know what was ahead of him. Link was always faced with courage. He tried his hardest to never be afraid, even though he had been several times. Even so, he never let fear pull him away from his task. Link went into the realm with courage, even though the absolute darkness of the land scared him.
Link journeyed through the dark plain that was the Sacred Realm. He really had no idea where to start looking for the Lost Temple. However, he felt as if something was pulling at him, making him go where he was supposed to go. He did not know if he could trust it, but what other choice did he have? He kept going, following where he felt he needed to go.
Link had not gotten far from the Temple of Light before he ran into a large group of Stalfos. There several of them, at least ten or twenty all in one group. The moment they saw him, they all turned and charged at him. Link's eyes went wide and he thrust his sword up. "Flame Dragons!" he shouted as his sword burst into flames. He brought the sword down, swinging it in front of him in a figure eight form. He then flipped the sword over and struck the ground. Immediately, several dragons made of fire flew forward, striking the Stalfos, eliminating about half of them.
The other half charged even faster, and Link stepped back. He had only one shot at his next attack. If he failed, he was in trouble. Link dropped his sword to the group and dropped to his knees. He clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Fire of Din, fire of power, let your power flow forth and consume all around!" he shouted. He opened his hands, and a small light shined between them. He rose his hand above his head and tossed the light to the ground. When it struck, it created a large circle of fire around Link. It spread out, striking the Stalfos before they had time to react. Link grabbed his sword and stood to his feet, looking around. The Stalfos were gone, which Link was happy to see. Now, though, he had to continue.
Meanwhile, in a dark room somewhere else, something was watching Link. "So, the boy holds Din's Fire, does he? The Mirror Shield, Din's Fire, the Master Sword…this boy must be the Hero of Time, for it says that the Hero of Time holds the flame of Din, along with the Master Sword and a shield like a mirror…However, does this boy hold Nayru's Love, and Farore's Wind? That is a question indeed." The creature clapped his hands.
Nearby, a door opened "Yes, master?" a voice spoke from behind the door.
"Lead the boy to the Unicorn Fountain…I must test something."
"As you wish, sir." The door closed.
Meanwhile, Link was still wandering the Sacred Realm. No more battles had come so far, but he knew that, should he keep going, more battles would come. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man riding on a horse appears. Link quickly noticed it was Phantom Ganon, and quickly pulled out his sword. Phantom Ganon laughed and looked at Link. "Do not fear, mortal," he spoke. "I have come only to do as my monster commands. He has asked me to take you to Unicorn Fountain."
"Unicorn Fountain?" Link asked. "What's that?"
"A very special place here in the Sacred Realm. It is one of the only places left that are still untouched by the Evil King, Ganon. You must come with me."
"Why? You're Ganondorf's shadow. Why should I follow you? For all I know, you may ask me to do something so you can gain control of the fountain."
"Yes, you are very perceptive. It is true that I am Ganon's shadow, Phantom Ganon, but that is why you must follow me. For you see, in this Dark Realm, you will meet many enemies you defeated before, and they will lead you to new places, and each will give you a task to do. When you meet the last and complete his task, you will find the Triforce of Courage where he takes you."
Link sighed. "Very well…" Link jumped onto the back of Phantom Ganon's horse, Nightmare.
"On, Nightmare, to the Unicorn Fountain!" With that, Nightmare rode forward, heading to the Unicorn Fountain, and whatever lied there. It wasn't that long of a journey, but they found themselves entering a long, dark path that seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, they reached the fountain, and Link stared at it.
The fountain was impressive. The entire fountain was blue, with three stone unicorn heads sticking out from the water, each at least twenty feet tall, if not more. All three of the unicorn heads faced each other, and water freely flowed from the unicorns horns, down to where they combined into one steady stream that soon ended at the water in the fountain.
"This is absolutely marvelous!" Link spoke loudly.
"This is the Unicorn Fountain. It is protected by a barrier of light that has been slowly weakening. The task I give you is this. You must strengthen the barrier of light."
Link blinked and turned to Phantom Ganon. "How do I do that?"
"If I knew, I'd do it myself." Link growled and turned back to the fountain. He looked each of the unicorn heads over as good as he could, but there was nothing wrong with them. He then looked over the water, tasting it and finding it to be better then anything he had ever tasted.
"This water is so pure…it is amazing how this place exists. If only we could keep it pure…I have to find out how to strengthen the barrier…"
"That is impossible to do," a voice spoke. Link looked up, only to see Saria sitting on one of the unicorn horns.
"S-Saria?"
Saria smiled and jumped down, landing on her feet. She looked up at Link, smiling. "There is no way to strengthen the barrier that protects this fountain. Not enough to keep the fountain pure forever, that is."
"Then what do I need to do?"
"You need to strengthen the barrier just long enough for you to defeat Ganondorf. Afterwards, the realm will return to normal, and the barrier will naturally strengthen itself once again."
"Right, then, so how do I do that?"
Saria shrugged. "Hey, it's a barrier of light. I'm the Sage of Forest. How am I supposed to know? This would be Rauru's department."
Link gave a heavy sigh, hanging his head as he did. "Great…I don't know what to do…"
"I don't know, Link…I guess all I can say is find the source of the weakness…but the darkness that is beating on it is coming from everywhere, with the source at Ganondorf…"
"Not exactly true," Phantom Ganon spoke.
"What do you mean?" Link asked.
Phantom Ganon laughed and snapped his fingers. "Let the test begin." Immediately, the three stone unicorn heads began to shake, then they changed, turning into real unicorns.
"Umm…Saria…what do I do?" Link asked.
"I don't know…Unicorns are rather strong creatures…whatever you do, you'll want to keep from killing them…they may be strong, but anyone who kills a unicorn gains a half-life, in which they live forever, but are as Stalfos with rotting flesh…"
"Great…" Link sighed. "Well, until I can figure out how to beat them, this will have to do…" He clapped his hands together and closed his eyes. "Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, protect me from that which threatens me. Bring forth your love, and shield me from danger!" He opened his hands, and a light shined between them. He thrust his hands into the air, and a diamond-shaped shield of magic appeared around him.
Phantom Ganon smirked. "Yes, that is exactly what I needed to test you on." He snapped his hands again, and the unicorns looked to him. "Yes…so you do hold Nayru's Love…the power of protection with wisdom…" He snapped his fingers again, and the fountain returned to normal. "This was nothing more then a test to see if you held Nayru's Love. You were never truly in any danger." Phantom Ganon jumped off Nightmare, then walked up to Link. "She's yours now. Take her and find your next task."
Link blinked. He was very confused. Saria was as confused as him. After a moment, Link nodded and hopped onto Nightmare's back, and the two rode off. "What's going on?" Saria asked.
"My master wanted to know if Link held Nayru's Love, so he tested Link by bringing him here."
"Why does he wish to know?"
"So that he can beat Link." Saria gasped and looked in the direction Link had left. Link continued to ride forward, not turning back. Again, through the path he went, until he came to a large room filled with ice. In the middle was a strange pink pedestal made of ice. Link walked over to it and touched it, looking it over.
"How strange…" Link spoke, moving his hand across the ice. There was, apparently, nothing inside the pink pedestal. All Link saw was an empty room with the pedestal in the middle. Suddenly, a noise came from behind, and Link quickly whipped around to see what it was. He saw nothing, and so he turned back, only to see, what appeared to be, Morpha trapped within the pedestal.
Again, a noise from behind, and Link turned around. Still seeing nothing, Link turned back, now seeing Princess Ruto trapped within the pedestal. They were frozen in a way that looked as if the two had been fighting, then suddenly frozen inside the pedestal. "What's going on here?"
"Link!" a voice spoke from behind, and Link whipped around to see what it was. In front of him stood a suit of golden armor. Link remembered legends of the Gerudos making suits of armor that they had brought to life. They called them "Iron Knuckles". This Iron Knuckle, though, was different then any Gerudo Iron Knuckle, for there were no Gerudo marks on the armor. The Iron Knuckle rose a large sword, which was so big it took the Iron Knuckle two hands to hold it. "I will destroy you!"
Link quickly pulled out his sword, ready to do battle. The Iron Knuckle swung, and Link quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit by the sword. Link ran forward, striking the Iron Knuckle's armor, but, his sword only bounced off the armor, not even denting the armor. The Iron Knuckle laughed, and Link growled. He swore under his breath, then quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blade of the Iron Knuckle's sword.
Link jumped left and right, dodging the Iron Knuckle's sword as best as possible. He had to find a weakness, but he didn't know where to look. Soon, though, Link found the Iron Knuckle's weakness. A simple hole in the helmet of the armor showed something inside that was glowing a red color. Quickly, Link swung his sword into the hole of the helmet, and his sword went all the way through the helmet. After a moment, the armor slumped, and became nothing more then armor. The pink pedestal then melted as the room became surrounded by fire. Morpha vanished, and Ruto just waved, vanishing.
Link began to walk through the room, trying to find where he needed to go next. It wasn't long until he came upon a large stone statue. It had two large eyes at the top and sides of its head. It had a large mouth, almost big enough to be a cave entrance. It had three large teeth, one on the top of its mouth and two on the bottom. It also had two large, pointy ears. "Welcome to the Lost Temple," a voice spoke. Link turned around, seeing Nabooru at his side.
"Hello, Nabooru," Link spoke.
"That is the entrance to the Lost Temple, which is where you will find the Triforce of Courage."
"Good, that means I'll be able to go fight Ganondorf soon."
"A word of caution, Link. The Lost Temple is not to be taken lightly. It is where all the darkness is coming from in this realm, for it is there that the Triforce lied once before, until Ganondorf touched it. You must be careful. Danger and evil lurk around every corner."
"Right. I won't be afraid to fight." Nabooru nodded and Link ran forward. He pulled out his hookshot and fired it up, hooking it the top tooth of the cave. He pushed the button to pull himself forward, and he landed on the ground under the tooth. "Well, here goes nothing."
Link walked into the mouth of the cave, and it grew dark. He quickly pulled out a fire arrow, and it lit at the end. He walked through the cavern, his only light being the light coming from the arrow. Finally, after long winding passages, he made his way into a room with light. The windows were made to look like the Triforce, and gold light entered them.
Link stepped into the room, looking around. The room was massive, and lined with all sorts of forest life, such as vines, grass, and other things. Link noticed that it seemed as if the room never stopped going up, yet vines hung from the seemingly non-existent ceiling.
Suddenly, two large skeletons rose from the ground and growled. They were not Stalfos, for they did not look like Stalfos at all. They only seemed to be large skeletons with clubs. Link pulled out his sword and quickly swung, the sword striking the bone of the skeleton. The sword sliced right through the skeletons bones, and it exploded. The other skeleton rushed forward at Link, going in for the attack.
Link had little time to react as he quickly swung his sword in an arch, striking the skeleton in the head, watching as its head exploded into millions of pieces. The rest of the skeletons body fell to the ground once its skull was gone. Link stepped on the bones as he passed by, making his way through the room. The room was enormous, but it wasn't hard to get through.
Once through the room, he found himself entering a passageway that was made of gold bricks. The ground, walls, and even ceiling were all gold bricks, which made Link stare for a moment. He did not stare for long, though, because, out of nowhere, a large hand appeared, as if coming from the wall. It had large claws on each of its fingers, and was completely detached from anything else, not to mention it was as big as Link.
Link pulled out his sword and stabbed the hand in the center, making it quickly pull back when the sword went in one side and out the other. The hand then seemed to fade away, and Link continued on the path. The path twisted and turned, until finally he found himself at the end. There, in front of him, was the Triforce of Courage. "I found it!" Link exclaimed. He ran forward to touch it, and a large beast appeared in front of Link, completely blocking the way. Link recognized the beast immediately. "Morpher!" he shouted.
The Morpher laughed. "Yes, Link, it is me. Before you can collect the Triforce of Courage, you must defeat me!" With that, the Morpher quickly pulled himself into a small black ball. The ball struck the ground and sprouted up. It formed two massive legs, a massive body, a long tail, two massive arms, and a head that looked like Volvagia's. Link's eyes went wide when he saw what was in front of him.
Morpher had the body of King Dodongo, a tail like Ghoma's, two massive arms that ended like Bongo Bongo, even the dismembered hands Bongo Bongo had were there. He had Volvagia's head, along with two large radar-like objects on his shoulders like Barinade. In one hand was a long chain that seemed to hold Morpha on the end of it. In his other hand, he had a staff that had fire on one side, and ice on the other. "I'm am everything you have fought before. Now you have no hopes of winning."
"We'll see about that!" Link readied his sword. He ran forward, swinging his sword at the beast. The sword only bounced off the beast's body, and Link growled, realizing that King Dodongo's body was still as hard as ever. Quickly, he jumped back, narrowly avoiding an attack from Morpher.
"You will never win! I am unstoppable!"
"I doubt that. You have a weakness somewhere, and I'm going to find it." Link looked over the Morpher carefully. He saw the strengths of every single monster in the body that the Morpher had taken. After a moment, he smirked, readying his mirror shield. The Morpher noticed what Link was planning, so he quickly swung Morpha at Link. With a single swing, Morpha was destroyed and the Morpher growled.
The Morpher then tried an attack with his fist, slamming it down on Link, but Link knew what to do. He pointed his sword up at the fist, making the sword go straight through the disembodied hand. The Morpher roared as he pulled his hand away, the Master Sword still stuck in his hand. Link quickly called the Master Sword, and it flew through Morpher's hands, and back to Link's hand.
The Morpher growled again. He felt pain in his hand only for a moment longer, then the pain was gone. The disembodied hand, though, had taken all it could, and it came crashing to the ground with a loud crash. Link quickly pulled out his bow, firing at arrow at the Morpher's other hand. It struck, causing the Morpher to drop the staff in his hand. Link quickly rolled forward, picking the staff up.
"You still cannot defeat me!"
"Want a bet?" Link waved the staff, making fire shoot forward in a large beam. It struck Ghoma's tail, and the Morpher roared. He then flipped the staff around, aiming a beam of ice at Volvagia's head. The Morpher roared as the beam struck, and his head became encased in ice. The ice melted somewhat quickly, but now the head couldn't breathe fire.
The Morpher coughed badly as smoke came from his mouth. Link smirked once more. This time, he fired off a large blast of fire at King Dodongo's body. The Morpher felt the fire on its body, and it laughed. The blast then shot right into the Morpher's mouth, travelling down to his chest, and exploding within. The Morpher collapsed to the ground, and King Dodongo's body vanished, leaving only a vapor to tie the rest of his body together.
"It's over," Link spoke, slamming the Megaton Hammer down onto his head. It made him roar, and then, he faded. Link turned to the Triforce and began to walk forward. He didn't walk for long before the ground ended. Link noticed there was a large gap between where he was and where the Triforce was, and he tried to think of what to do. The only way over is if I jump, but it's too far to jump…I'll never make it… Link thought. No…I can do it…I must have courage! Link stepped back, then ran forward, pushing off the ground at its ending point.
Link flew into the air, and, after a short time, he began to come down, getting nowhere close to the ground. Link reached forward, hoping that, just maybe, he could reach the ground on his way down. Somehow, he managed to grab hold of the ground, which was still several feet away. Link pulled himself up, looking straight at the Triforce of Courage that now stood before him.
From here, Link could see that all three triangles were still there, but two were darker. Only one was still gold, the one at the bottom corner. Link reached forward, and the Triforce lit up. First, the top one turned red, then vanished. Next, the bottom right one turned green, then vanished. Finally, the bottom left one turned blue, then flew into Link's awaiting hand. The mark of the Triforce appeared on the back of his hand, and Link saw the Triforce fade out, making the bottom left triangle on his hand glow.
Link, Hero of Time, you have shown your courage to me, a female voice spoke in Link's mind. I am the essence of the Triforce of Courage. Only one who had great courage could hold me. You have shown your courage, and now, I am yours. Bring together all three, and the Triforce shall combine into one. Then, when one of the three who held a piece touches the Triforce, the power of the True Force shall be theirs. Go now, stop whatever evil has spawned from the separation and imbalance of the Triforce. Only the Hero of Time, with the power of the Sages on his side, can end it.
Link felt himself lifted, and then dropped in front of Ganondorf's castle. This was it, no turning back. The end was about to come.