A/N: All right, all right. I know that last chapter was weird, but think about it. How would Link sleeping for seven years actually benefit him, other than catching up on all the sleep he never got in the game? However, if he trained with a legendary warrior for seven years, THAT would be a different story. Fortunately, as you will soon find out, I didn't mess up everything as much as you might be thinking…
A Hero's PathChapter 22: A Seven-Year Nightmare
"Link… Wake up… Link, the chosen one…" Link opened his eyes to find himself standing in the Chamber of Sages once more, facing Rauru. He recalled his fight with the warrior on Life Mountain. It had gone on for so long. Longer than a day. Longer than a month. Longer than a year. Link couldn't judge how long exactly, but he remembered everything evenly, as though it had all happened in a dream over one night's time. The last thing Link remembered was putting all his strength into one final blow against the silent man. He couldn't recall whether he had even succeeded.
"Rauru?" he said. "How did I get here?"
"When you drew the Master Sword from the Temple of Time, it brought you here, to the Sacred Realm. Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm. The Master Sword was the last key in the door to the Sacred Realm."
"You already told me all of that!" Link said.
"Oh yes, I had forgotten. It was so long ago…"
"What are you talking about, 'So long ago'? I was just on Life Mountain! Was it a dream? How long…"
"Link, don't be alarmed…" Rauru said cautiously. "Look at yourself!"
So Link did. He wore white clothing that covered him from his neck all the way to his wrists and ankles in a singular garment. Over this were his brown leather belt and the Master Sword's sheath and strap, from which hung his shield. On his feet were his boots, no longer hanging quite so floppily around his calves, but pulled and strapped tight. He wore the silver gauntlets on his hands, and they fit very well. And he was very tall.
Navi came flying fast to where Link stood from below. "Link! You're big now! You've grown up!"
"Grown up? What are you talking about? I'm a Kokiri! I can't grow up!"
"Do you remember me telling you, long ago in your dream, that you were too young to be the Hero of Time?" Rauru said, while Link continued to look himself over.
"Yes," Link said, as he shifted in his clothing.
"The goddesses required someone of more stature to complete their plan. Therefore, your spirit was sealed here for seven years."
"Seven years? I've slept for seven years?"
"Yes. And now that you are old enough, the time has come for you to awaken as the Hero of Time! Well, do you understand your destiny?"
"I'm supposed to stop Ganondorf?"
"Yes, but remember, Ganondorf came through to the Sacred Realm and obtained the Triforce seven years ago. With its power he became the King of Evil. His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven short years, it transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters. This Temple of Light is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces. My power now has little influence, even in this Sacred Realm. Namely, this Chamber of Sages."
"Then Hyrule now belongs to Ganondorf?" Link thought of Zelda and Impa, who tried so hard to prevent Ganondorf from gaining the Triforce; of Darunia, Ruto, Nabooru, and even Malon, whose people were all oppressed by his evil magic. He thought of the Kokiri Forest without the guidance and protection of the Great Deku Tree.
"Yes," Rauru said. "But there is still hope. The power of the Sages remains. When the power of all the Sages is awakened, the Sages' seals will contain all the evil power in the void of the Realm. I, Rauru, am one of the Sages of old. New Sages must be awakened, and you are the one who must do it, for they have all been influenced by you already. Their connection to the Hero of Time makes them Sages, and your power to fight together with the Sages makes you the Hero of Time!"
"So then what decides who is a Sage and who is the Hero of Time?" Link asked.
"You are the Hero of Time, chosen by the Master Sword! The Master Sword was forged by the gods for the very purpose of showing the one they had chosen to be the Hero."
"Why me?"
"Because, though you were not the strongest person in all of Hyrule seven years ago, you had the will to act. Your courage made you the one worthy of the sword. Your courage became renowned throughout Hyrule. Now, your training, your older body, this sword, and the Sages, will add the power you require to stop Ganondorf. Now, you must go soon. Take all that you need. Here, you will need this."
Rauru revealed to Link the Ocarina of Time once more.
"I held onto this so that, in case Ganondorf got here, he would not gain the magical Ocarina from your sleeping body. Now, you must use this to awaken the Sages. There is one who will show you how when you return."
Link took up the Ocarina. It was now hanging from a beautifully ornate chain, which he hung around his neck.
Link looked at the white clothes he wore again. He remembered the warrior handing him a similar article of clothing. It was coming back to him… Link bowed to the man, more like a master than an opponent, and received the suit, along with a piercing in each ear… He felt his ears. The earrings were there.
"Yes, Link, the earrings you wear are proof of your capabilities as a swordsman. The clothes you wear are the silent warrior's blessing upon you."
"I thought that was all a dream."
"It was, but it was real to you, was it not? You learned the ways of the sword from a man who killed a god. These skills will be most useful, so the gifts he imparted remain with you. A dream imparted by the goddesses is very different than the musings of your slumbering mind."
Still, Link thought the clothes were kind of flashy. He took up his sack and found his green tunic inside. He held it up. Although it was too large for him as a boy, it looked as though it would fit just fine now.
"What are you doing?" Rauru asked as Link removed his belt and bandoleer.
"I'll wear these gifts, and I'll wear them proudly," Link said. "But, in addition to Ganondorf knowing I'm the Hero of Time, I want him to know that I'm the Kokiri he thought was gone and dealt with. He'll regret the day he imprisoned me and let me live, because that was his one chance to end all of his troubles from me."
Link slipped the tunic on over his white clothing. He searched his bag and found his Kokiri hat, which he placed upon his head. He then belted his tunic and strapped on his sword and shield once more.
"You tell 'em, Link!" Navi said.
Link slung his bag on his back and said, "I'm ready."
"Wait," Rauru said. "Keep my spirit with you, and find the power of the other Sages and add their might to your own!"
Rauru handed Link a glowing, yellow coin about the size of his palm. On it was a strange symbol.
"This is the Light Medallion," he said. "This will add my power to yours, Link. Find the other Sages and save Hyrule!"
The place where Link stood glowed again and he floated upward, through the ceiling, and another, and another, as he had in his dream. He waited until he stopped again.
Finally, as they rose through one ceiling, everything glowed bright blue, so that they couldn't see. When it faded, Link stood in front of the Pedestal of Time where the Master Sword once rested, as he had before drawing it so long ago.
It was very dark in the Temple of Time now. Link noticed he was holding the sword, as though he had just drawn it from the pedestal.
"Link, we're back in the Temple of Time," Navi said. "But have seven years really passed?"
"I think I'll be able to do a lot more now," he said.
"Yeah, but you lost all those helpful items to the Gerudos, remember? Anyway, let's get out of here and get going!"
Link turned around to see a strange man. He looked to be close to Link's age, though it was hard to tell. The man's body was completely covered except for his palms and the area around his right eye. He wore a mask that looked to be made of bandage-wrap that came up to the middle of his nose. He wore a cap of similar material, and his long yellow bangs came down to cover his left eye completely.
He wore an open-sided, white tunic over a single-piece suit of varying shades of blue. The white tunic bore a strange symbol of an eye. Link had only seen this symbol one other place before, and it was on Impa's clothing. The man had bandages on his fingers, like glove-fingers. The man was very thin, though apparently very fit.
The shades and manner of his clothes made the man appear very intimidating despite his size. Was this man an enemy, or a friend? It was impossible to tell. He stared at Link for a moment. In the silence, tension built, and Link gripped the Master Sword tightly. Finally, the man spoke.
"I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time," the young man said. This didn't clarify his standing toward Link in any way. He paused for a moment, and then spoke again.
"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples." He paused again. Was he letting it sink in, or thinking of what to say next? In any case, the man's voice was soft and soothing, so Link decided to hear him out, though he wouldn't let down his guard.
"One in a deep forest…" he said. "One on a high mountain… one under a vast lake… one within the house of the dead… One inside a goddess of the sand…" Once again he paused. Then he spoke once more. "Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world."
As he paused again, Link took advantage of the silence. "What are you talking about? Who are you?" he asked.
"This is the legend passed down by my people, the Sheikah. I am Sheik, survivor of the Sheikah."
He certainly fit the part of the Sheikah. These people were kind of freaky to Link. They were very mysterious, and not a little scary. However, they swore fealty to the Royal Family, which put Link at ease toward this young man. They had to be on the same side.
"As I see you standing there, holding the mythical Master Sword, you really do look like the legendary Hero of Time."
Link looked at the sword. How did this Sheik know what the Master Sword looked like? How did he know Link was the Hero of Time? Was this the one Rauru spoke of who would help Link?
"Am I supposed to listen to you?" Link asked.
"If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages. One Sage will be waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you know. Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call of the Sacred Realm, unless it is delivered by you alone. Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple. But if you believe what I am saying, you should head to Kakariko Village. Do you understand, Link?"
"I guess so," Link said, still not completely sure of what all of that meant. He started walking past the Sheikah man, and toward the threshold of the Temple of Time.
On his way, he passed the altar, where he noticed three stones. All had lost the brilliance they once possessed. Link thought of the Great Deku Tree, Darunia, and Princess Ruto. They had helped him so much. Then he noticed a small pile of ceramic shards. Saria crept into his mind. He wondered how she and the Kokiri were. No time for that. He would have to leave now.
Link stepped out of the Temple and looked out on the town. The whole place was under a black cloud cover. None of the buildings were completely assembled, and most were half-torn apart. In the streets were people walking very slowly, and with no real direction. As Link approached one of these people, he noticed that they weren't normal. Their skin was discolored and falling off, along with some body parts. Most didn't have eyes, and their mouths gaped open.
He heard a wailing sound and remembered the guards the night he drew the Master Sword seven years ago, and froze in place at the sound. All of the monsters in the general area turned toward Link.
"Link, run! Those are redeads!" Navi said.
"They're what?" he muttered.
"Link, run! They'll kill you!"
The creatures screamed again and Link ran off in fear toward the gate of the castle town. "How did you know? You didn't know them before!"
"That was seven years ago, Link! While you slept, I learned from Rauru all the things in Hyrule I didn't already, and I learned of some of Ganondorf's monsters. Those are dead Hylians roaming the streets. Their souls were rejoined to their bodies after death, while their bodies decompose rapidly. They naturally loathe all of those whose lives are not horribly prolonged, and will drink your blood in hopes of gaining true life from it!"
"Those are dead Hylians?" Link said. They reached the gate, only to find that mere splinters remained. Some large portions were stuck at the bottom of the moat, waterlogged and decrepit, but a good amount had apparently been carried down stream. There was no crossing without jumping in the moat. Link forded through and stood on the other side staring out on the land, still thinking of the dead in the castle town.
He first noticed Death Mountain. Instead of its ring of smoke, the peak was crowned with a fiery ring. Below was a low cloud hanging over Kakariko Valley, not moving in any way. The grass of the fields had even died, as if it gave up on glorifying the land now ruled by an evil king.
A question popped into Link's head. "Is this land worth saving anymore?" But he couldn't let that thought remain, even though the world was twisted by darkness, and the population of Hyrule Castle Town now suffered a horrible second life. He remembered his first glimpse of the outside world, and how strange and beautiful it was. He remembered when Impa had him look out on the rolling fields of Hyrule, motivating him to face unknown peril on its behalf. This was not the same land. This was a wasteland with a fading memory of a past age.
"Yes, I already said," Navi responded to the question he had verbalized concerning redeads. "These things are brought back to life by horribly grotesque, black magic."
Link remembered the townspeople he had met at one time -- the bearded man, the laughing men, the man in the shooting gallery… all gone. He remembered all the townspeople who bravely fought the armies of Ganondorf the day Link's childhood ended. He gripped his sword tight.
Whether he could change this land back to its rightful ways, or save the souls of those innocent people, Link knew not. But he would certainly make Ganondorf pay for the seven year nightmare he had cast upon the beautiful land and the people in it.
He would not rest, nor would he stop for anything until Ganondorf had been destroyed. This was his vow. This was his duty. He was the Hero of Time.