A/N: Alright, if you've been following both stories, you may or may not have seen this coming. Zelda went to the bottom of the well, now Link's doing the childhood section of the Spirit Temple. Why, you ask?

The time travel in OoT made no sense to me. First, he sleeps for seven years. Okay, that works. He wakes up with the Master Sword, does some stuff, puts it back, and he's a kid again, with all his memories of being grown up. The first time he drew the sword there wasn't any necessarily magical time-travel, so why would there be when he replaced the sword? Inconsistency, if you ask me, and as I am trying to make this more "believable", I need to remove such consistencies.

So Link will do all his childhood stuff first, then become an adult and do all that stuff. He still saves two "time periods", plus there's the whole Majora's Mask thing, so he's still the Hero of Time. Just thought I'd give you all a heads-up on the future! Thanks again, Ri2 for being a faithful R&Rer! I'm glad you enjoy my spin on the stories!

A Hero's Path

Chapter 19: The Hands of a Hero

Link and Navi started down the path in the temple, lit by torches on the wall. They were in a temple in a desert, and Link had no clue where it was. Even on top of Death Mountain, Link never felt this far from home. And he was in here to find the power to destroy Ganondorf. This could be his greatest adventure yet. And he wouldn't do it without Navi at his side. They walked down the passage. At the end was a doorway. Link opened the door and went through.

Beyond the door, Link found more than he had hoped. Several spike traps, similar to those in Dodongo's Cavern. He jumped around them, with no sheltering spot to rest. He made his way up a staircase, around more of the traps, and through a door.

In the room beyond, he stood on one side of a narrow bridge. On the other side was a door and a skeleton that was layed to rest against the wall. It held a sword and shield. It must have been a great warrior, also seeking the treasure. Link started to walk across, when the skeleton jumped up.

"Look out!" Navi shouted. It ran at Link, who was already halfway across the bridge, only the width of Link's own two feet. The skeleton was only as tall as Link was, but it was still as scary as you'd expect a charging skeleton to be.

"It's a Stalchild!" Navi informed.

Link quickly drew his sword and the two clashed on the bridge, resting all their weight on their opponent to keep from falling. Their swords were stuck together.

The skeleton jabbed Link's side with its shield, causing Link to stumble back. One foot slipped off the side, and Link fell on his back on the bridge. The Stalchild raised its sword and stabbed down at Link's heart. Link blocked with his own sword and deflected the attack. The skeleton tripped at the shift in its body from the parry. Link chopped off all its ribs on one side in a single hard swipe, but it didn't phase the monster. It slammed its shield in Link's face and recovered balance.

It prepared to attack Link's sprawled out body again as Link wiped the blood from his nose. Link wrapped his ankles around one of the Stalchild's and rolled off the bridge, grabbing the side of the bridge with his hand. His maneuver was successful in making the skeleton fall, but it dropped its sword and grabbed hold of Link's feet. Link grabbed the bridge with his other hand, but couldn't pull both his weight and the skeleton's up.

"Link!" Navi exclaimed. He reached out and grabbed the other side of the bridge as the creature gnawed at his legs. He held his feet together to keep it from pulling his boots off. As he grabbed the other side with one hand, he struck off the skull of the warrior with his sword. With one hand holding both his and the creature's weight, it slipped. The Stalchild lost its grip in shock of the severance, leaving its skull attached by the teeth. The body disappeared in the dark pit below.

Link grabbed the edge of the bridge again and pulled himself up. He removed the head from his leg and dropped it to find its body. He wiped away the blood on his leg and continued to the end of the bridge.

"Alright, Link!" Navi praised. "You just keep getting better and better!" He drank some water.

"Thanks. Let's keep going. Wait." Link paused, pondering something. "How do you think that creature got in here?"

"Perhaps a test of the gods?"

"Didn't Ganondorf say he made the Stalchildren?"

"Yes he did."

"I hate to think what that means about this temple."

"Well I'm impressed your thinking about all of this, Link, but do you really think Ganondorf is using this temple to try and kill you? Like you said..."

"I'm not sure Nabooru knows he's using this temple."

They went through the door. Beyond was a small room. One wall was made of smaller stones with larger holes between each stone. He looked up the wall and found the room continued up far, until the walls ended, but the ceiling was even higher. On the strange wall were sevral large spiders. Skulltulas. Link reached for his slingshot, but remembered that he didn't have it. Some Gerudo working for Ganondorf had it. Besides, the hard shell on the creatures' backs, shaped like a skull which gave them their names, probably wouldn't let the seeds through.

He drew his sword and began climbing. One spotted him and started climbing toward him, chomping its jaws. It climbed faster than Link thought anything could climb, straight toward him. It came closer, and Link jabbed it in the mouth with his sword, and twisted. The creature cried out. He sliced all along the bottom, until the creature had a slit right through its throat. It was nasty work, but it got the job done. The giant spider fell to the ground. He kept climbing and dealt with two more similarly.

"Navi, where do Skulltulas come from?" Link asked when he climbed on top of the wall. Where they stood now was a large, rocky cavern. There was a door on one wall.

"They're said to follow the curse of Gohma."

"Ganondorf, Navi. He's here. His magic is here."

Link made for the door, but heard a strange cry as a lizard warrior dropped in front of him. The Lizalfos from Dodongos Cavern. It hissed at him and thrust its sword forward. Link deflected with his own sword and sliced at the creature. It blocked with its shield and slashed up at Link. Link jumped aside and rolled out of the way. The lizard jumped into the air and slashed down at Link. Link couldn't move in time. He ducked under his own shield and blocked the attack, then slashed the monster's feet. It wailed as Link rolled away and stood again.

The Lizalfos stepped toward him and stumbled. Link rushed toward it, and it prepared for his attack. He quickly rolled behind it and slashed up on the lizard's defenseless back. Blood rushed out of its back and it fell forward. Link jabbed it in the back behind its chest, and the monster gave a short, shrill cry and stopped moving, even breathing.

"You know, that's a lot easier to kill with two hands," Link said. Navi laughed.

"Once again, I think this monster confirms any suspicion we had about Ganondorf," Navi said. "His works are here."

They exited through the door and came out in a passage lined with heiroglyphics on the wall. Link passed an eye symbol, and a ray of blue light shot his arm. It stung. He jumped back. His arm had a small, red dot on it that was smoking.

"Ow!" It started burning.

"Watch out for those eye symbols!" Navi said. Link looked down the hall and saw eye symbols every foot or so. Up and down the wall, from one end to the other.

"There's only one thing to do," Link said. He ran down the path, getting caught every few seconds by the burning blue light until he reached the door on the opposite side. He opened it and went through.

Beyond the door was a long staircase, covered in red carpet. There was a large, ornate door at the top. Behind that door was either something very welcoming, or very foreboding. Link dropped to the ground, panting for a moment. He poured water on each of the burn points on both sides of his body. They started feeling a little better. He climbed the stairs slowly, until he reached the large door.

"Navi?" he said.

"Yes?"

"Whatever's through this door, I just want to know one thing."

"Yes?"

"What's a husband?"

Navi sighed. For a moment, he had fooled her into thinking he was taking something seriously. But perhaps he was.

"Later, Link."

"Later? What if..."

"Later. I promise."

He took a deep breath and walked through.

On the other side was a large hall, lined with pillars. Between the stone pillars was a red carpet, leading all the way to an iron statue, sitting on a rock throne. The statue held an axe as tall as the throne across its lap. Link couldn't tell for sure from this distance, but he knew the throne was taller than he was.

Link could see a door on the other side of the throne. Link enjoyed the splendor of the room, but knew he needed to continue. He walked toward the throne. As he drew close, he saw that the statue was a fully armored individual about the size of a man.

"It looks like an Iron Knuckle," Navi said. "The warriors of an evil tyrant in ancient religion."

He walked past, admiring the image, but as he walked beyond the throne and to the door, he heard a clanking sound.

He turned and saw the statue rising from the seat. It was alive! It raised its axe and spun it around, breaking the stone seat into little pieces of rock. Link was knocked over by the oncoming shower of stone.

He pushed himself up out of the rubble to see the metal man raising its axe over his head. He rolled away as it dropped its axe into the floor where Link's head had been. Link stared at the large split in the stone floor, thinking that could have been him.

"He's strong, but he moves slow!" Navi said.

"Thanks!" Link got to his feet and drew his sword.

The Iron Knuckle charged toward him. Link ran aside and got behind a pillar. The axe-man swung its weapon mightily at the pillar and it crumbled. The tip of the axe caught Link's shoulder and he was blasted to the ground on his belly under rubble.

Link pushed the rubble up off him and was knocked back to the ground by a great force to his back. He looked up at his foe who had just struck his Hylian Shield with tremendous force. He climbed out of the rubble and leapt away from his attacker.

The Iron Knuckle was coming again, but Link had no sword. He had dropped it when he was hit with the pillar. He waited for the Iron Knuckle's swing and jumped aside. It hit another pillar that fell on Link.

Link was pinned. The axeman was coming. It raised its battle axe slowly, preparing to strike. Link pushed at the pillar. It was too heavy. He was trapped. In just a moment, he would be killed. Unless...

He unfastened his bandoleer and belt and slipped out between the pillar and his shield, just as the axe hit the ground by the shield. Stone splinters went everywhere. Link ran and picked up his sword. The Iron Knuckle came. Link was devoid of armor of any sort now. It was him, a young boy with a knife, against an axe-wielding metal monstrosity.

Link's throat tightened. He knew the odds were more against him now than ever. This thing had no weakness, and he had everyone in the world. All he had now was his sword and his courage to aid him.

There's nothing to lose if I attack, Link said. If I don't, I die anyway. He charged forward, his sword in the air. This was how it would end. Link, the Kokiri warrior, facing his doom in a metal monster, millions of miles from home. No one would ever know. This was his finest hour. His last hour. His last chance.

The axe came at him again. He watched it as though in slow motion and jumped over it. Past it. He grabbed the Iron Knuckle's shoulders and pulled himself up on top, then started swinging his sword at its helmet. It kept banging off, dinging, not even making a dent. He chopped at its back with the same results. This thing was impenetrable. The only thing stronger than its armor was...

It raised its axe to swing at the small boy on its shoulders, banging its armor and agitating it. All the while, the little fairy was crying, "Link! Link! Look out!" It swung at the hunched-over Kokiri, who saw the coming assault and dove to avoid it.

With a loud crunching sound, the statue's head came off at the tear of its axe, flying across the room and crashing into the wall. The body of the figure fell to the ground, and pieces of armor rolled across the room. Link got up and looked at the helmet. It was practically split in two.

He walked over to his shield and slid it out from under the pillar. It had a big chip knocked out of it's back to go with all the scratches from rock banging into it countless times before.. Still, it was fitting of his survival. He fastened his shield again and sheathed his sword. He brushed off his bruises and downed the rest of his water. After panting for a moment, he opened the door beyond the remains of the throne.

Beyond the door was a dark, clear sky. The stars were shining brighter than Link had ever seen them before. A chilled wind blew. He stood on the arm of the colossus, staring out over the dunes.

The sight below them was terrible. Gerudos that had been training with swords were now screaming as they burned alive. Those who had been tempering steel were now encased in ice. Every Gerudo around the Desert Colossus was either burning or frozen alive. A pair of old women flew around on broomsticks, cackling over the massacre. They hadn't noticed Link yet.

Nabooru came running out of the temple from below Link.

"Kotake! Koume! What is the meaning of this!" she shouted.

"Don't play dumb, sweetheart," one yelled back. "We know all about your little rebellion here at our temple!"

"Your temple? This is the temple to the Goddess of Time!"

"And where is this goddess? Shouldn't she protect her worshippers?" the other witch shouted. The two witches lowered down to circle Nabooru.

"She has the power to control time, and your time will come!"

"Just say it, Nabooru. We're a couple of old hags, right! We're gonna croak soon, right?"

"We'll have you know that we've been around since the beginning of this 'time', and we plan to watch its end. We're even ending time in several lives right now! How's that for a goddess?"

"Stop cracking jokes about your evil deeds!" Nabooru said. "One day they will haunt your prolonged lives!"

"Yes, we're sure. After all, its not like we've granted your father the power to take all of Hyrule. And its not like he's promised us the rule of this Gerudo nation once he's king!"

"What!" Nabooru said. "My father has promised the care of the kingdom to me!"

"Lies, dear. All lies. As a matter of fact, we've decided that since he's gone to claim the Triforce as his, we'll go ahead and claim what's rightfully ours."

"You wouldn't be here because of the legend of the power of silver, would you Nabooru?"

"What?"

"Are you trying to fight your father? You never stood by his decision to take Hyrule for the Gerudos."

"My father and I have our disagreements, but I stand by him..."

One of the old women came in close and smacked Nabooru's mouth.

"Stop lying!"

Why was Nabooru lying to these women? Certainly, their power was great, but how great for Nabooru to fear them?

"My father isn't claiming Hyrule for the Gerudos, he's claiming it for himself. You know that! You only inflated his ego by granting him that dark magic. Leave, now!"

The women had trapped Nabooru like an animal, and she was now lashing out against them. They started spinning faster and faster around Nabooru as a purple whirlpool started growing in the sand at Nabooru's feet. She started sinking.

"Hey!" Nabooru shouted. "Where are you taking me, you witches!"

"Your father will be awfully upset to hear you started a rebellion against him. And that you commited suicide when we found out!"

Nabooru gave a terrible cry. "Let me go!" She looked up and saw Link watching. He was stunned. He would help her, but he knew their power greatly exceeded his own. No matter how much it hurt him to watch Nabooru sink in the swirling vortex, he knew if he went down there, he'd just fall in too.

The witches were swirling around inside the whirlpool now too, cackling. Nabooru was down to her waist. What was he thinking? He's not supposed to think! Link has always just helped people, without thought to the consequences. He jumped off the hand.

"Link! No!" Nabooru shouted. "Get out of here!" Link stopped in mid air. His shoulders were in the talons of a large owl. "These witches! They're using black magic on me!"

The witches started to fly out of the vortex when Nabooru drew attention to Link, but when they saw the owl swoop down, they stopped. "Aranon!" they shouted, and fled into the vortex. It closed as nabooru disappeared in it. Kaepora Gaebora set Link on the hand of the statue again.

"Why'd you do that, you big fat cucco!" Link shouted, brushing off his shoulders. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I could have saved her!"

"No, Link. That is one person you could not save," he answered. "Those witches are more powerful than even Ganondorf is when their powers combine. They are the ones who granted him his dark sorcery."

"If I can't beat them, how can I beat Ganondorf!" Link said.

"Link, there is a legend. A tale of a boy who would travel through time to save the world. The Hero of Time. The Goddess of Time has a gift for you. See."

In the outstretched hand of the goddess was a chest. He opened it. Inside were a pair of brown, leather gloves, much too big for a Kokiri boy. They seemed to be the right size for a man, though. They had no fingertips, and on the backs of the gloves were adornments of silver.

"The power of silver!" Navi said.

"Yes. It is said that the one who owns these gloves will have the strength of two or three warriors. There are two ways to look at that statement. See, you have already fought the battles three warriors could not."

"But I'm just a boy," Link said. "I couldn't..."

"But you have!"

"No, I mean I can't wear these gloves."

"Perhaps you don't have to wear them now," Kaepora said.

Link wiped away his tears.

"Link, you now own these gloves. You are the one with the power to stop Ganondorf. See what his evil has already done. He must be stopped!"

"I faced him once already!"

"If at first you don't succeed, Link, become stronger and try again. And already you've gotten stronger again. Your capacity for improvement is beyond that of any mere Kokiri."

Link remembered all his battles, including Gohma, King Dodongo, Barinade, and the Iron Knuckle. He was known all over the world now for fighting the Stalchildren for an entire night.

"Regardless of who put those things in this temple, Link, they were a test. And you passed exceptionally. You are the Hero, and you even look it. But you are still missing something. You need the last key to get the Triforce." Kaepora Gaebora stretched out his talon and opened it to reveal a blue ocarina, like that in Link's dream with Zelda. "The Ocarina of Time."

Link picked it up and held it tight. He put the gauntlets in his bag.

"I was soaring down the River Zora, when I spotted it. How curious, eh, Link?"

"I suppose so. How did you know...?"

"Well, you never forget something you once owned, especially as precious as the Ocarina of Time. I left it in the care of some very trustworthy musicians. How it wound up in the river..."

Link remembered Zelda throwing something into the river just last night.

"Now, Link, it is time to meet your destiny! Come!" Kaepora Gaebora took flight again. Link grabbed the great birds talons and Navi flew into Link's hat, and they were off into the night sky.