Chapter 3: The Lessons Of History

"How did you know-" Sahasrala started to yell, then broke off, eyes narrowing. "Hm… so, your uncle finally decided to be honest with you and tell you everything."

"Something like that." Link grunted noncommittally. "What do you know, huh? I grow up thinking you're just the goofy old chief of Kakariko Village, and now it turns out you were the descendant of the Sage of Light all along. What was his name… Rauru, wasn't it?"

"It was." Sahasrala nodded. "I, on the other hand, knew who and what one particular young rascal was the entire time he was going around with his friends pestering blacksmiths, hiding in caves and the like… oh, and stealing chickens of course." Link winced.

"Oh, Goddesses… I had almost forgotten about the Great Cucco Disaster." He shook his head. "Enough reminiscing. I know all about you now… and I've come here for your help."

"So I see." Sahasrala murmured. "Help with what, exactly? Details, young man… specifics. Generalities make my old bones ache."

"The Master Sword." Link said levelly. "I know who and what Agahnim is, too… the Master Sword is the only way to kill him now. Tell me how to draw it."

"Oho…" Brief surprise flickered in Sahasrala's eyes again. "And tell me… what does your uncle think of this plan? And come to think of it, why is he not here?" Link gritted his teeth.

"He's dead. Agahnim got him." He was partially surprised to see the sorrow in the old man's eyes.

"Another old comrade, lost to the traitor…" He sighed. "You look surprised… did you figure that Albert and I might not have gotten along very well? That was true… but he was a comrade, nonetheless. I'm sorry."

"So am I." Link agreed. "At least his death wasn't in vain… I got the Princess out of the castle. She's in hiding now… Agahnim can't get her."

"Then… there is hope after all." Sahasrala realized. "I had almost given up when Quincy was slain…" He thought for a moment. "Link… the source of Albert's contention with me, and with the others, stemmed from a custom… the descendants of the Hero of Time were not always told everything that the other descendants knew. They were warlike people… quick in judgment, not always so much in thought. This is not meant to insult your uncle… but it must be conceded that he was not a scholarly man. This custom was also applied to the Kings, since their minds were so occupied with ruling the kingdom…"

"Skip to the end." Link growled. Sahasrala chuckled.

"Case in point. One of the things your uncle did not know was how to draw the Master Sword… and there was a time when he desperately wished to." The old man closed his eyes. "When your parents were thrown into the Sacred Realm by one of Ganon's minions, a Hinox, your uncle intended to draw the Master Sword, follow them there and rescue them. He demanded to know how to take the sword up. We refused to tell him, viewing his plan as suicidal. I think it was then that his distaste for us truly took hold. We did not tell HIM how to draw the Sword… so would it be proper to tell you, now?"

"Yes, it would because the sword is our only hope!" Link snarled. "Can you beat Agahnim? I don't think so, otherwise you would have already! Same goes for all the others! I'm the only chance left, and I'm only that if I have that sword!"

"And THAT brings up another question." Sahasrala mused. "Your uncle is dead… and so, his position passes to you, the eldest member of your family line… and the last. When a new member takes up this job, a certain test is customary… an examination, to make sure he or she is fit for the role." He held up a hand before Link could yell. "AND, fortunately enough, I believe I know a way to ascertain both these facts… whether you are fit for your position, and for drawing the sword… as well as furthering your wishes to do so. All at the same time." Link started to reply, then stopped, glaring.

"…I get it." He replied after a few moments. "This is some kind of test, is it?"

"Exactly." The old man nodded. "You have been to see the Master Sword?" Link nodded. "And you saw the three depressions in the altar?" Another nod. "Good. All I shall tell you now is that three artifacts are required to be placed there to draw the sword. The first of these is near here… search these ruins, and you will find a huge temple. We call it the Eastern Palace these days."

"One of the artifacts is in there?" Link guessed.

"Exactly." Sahasrala nodded. "The Hero of Time and the Knights of Hyrule redesigned the palace in order to protect the artifact… the Pendant of Courage. Go to the temple, and retrieve it. I will remain here, but I shall accompany you telepathically and observe your progress… then, if you return here with the Pendant, I shall tell you all I know and give you all the aid I can in your quest."

"You'd better." Link shook his head. "Protection, huh… you mean like those statues outside?"

"Oh, the Armos? They are part of it, yes." Sahasrala chuckled. "But they are nothing compared to what is inside the Palace proper."

"I'll bet." Link turned away. "All right then… I'll play your game, since I apparently need this Pendant of Courage to get the Sword anyways. But when I get back, you'd better be feeling a lot more helpful." Sahasrala nodded.

"IF you get back, I'm sure I will."

"Damn… a Knight of the purple." Link muttered as he glanced up at the Eastern Palace from the terrace below. "Only one… but if he doesn't return, Agahnim'll get suspicious." He glanced up at the palace. It was a huge, square artifact from ages long past; a covered entryway was flanked on both sides by pairs of huge goblin statues with grasping claws. Link shuddered. "Hope THOSE don't come to life, like the Armos…" He blinked, and then once again, he remembered something he had never seen before. It was the Eastern Palace, but now, it was surrounded by a thick forest, as thick as the Lost Woods. The entryway was now high above him, with no way up but a medium-sized tree growing in front. And below the tree, calmly playing some sort of musical instrument, was a young of about ten. Her hair was green, as were her clothes. A name came to Link's mind. "…Saria?" And then the memory was gone, like the ones that had visited him before. "…What the heck? This is starting to worry me… once or twice is nothing, but four times now…" He shook his head. "Maybe Sahasrala will know something about it. Right now, I need to get in…" Looking again, he saw a pair of silent Armos statues flanking the entryway. "Hey, I wonder…" Waiting until the Knight was facing away, he threw his boomerang and hit the Armos on the head, then ducked down. Springing to life, the guardian statue angrily hopped towards the only intruder it could see.

"Hey, what the-?" The Knight yelled, whirling around and engaging the Armos. Smiling faintly, Link slipped past both of them unnoticed and into the Palace. The inside of the palace was plain grey stone; here, there were no decorations. Remembering the image of the palace in the forest, Link wondered if there had been originally, before the Knights of Hyrule had remodeled it for its current purpose. Crossing a bridge over a pit filled with spikes, Link quickly located the floor tile that opened the sealed door on the other end. "Hm… if that's the quality of the tests here, this won't be too bad…" He groaned as he saw the next room. "OR, I could be grossly underestimating my ancestor." He was standing on a ledge above a long, straight hall. On either end were dark openings; from the one on the far side, black iron spheres the size of a man were expelled, rolling down the hall into the opening on Link's end. Glancing at a series of alcoves along the sides of the hall, Link frowned. "It's a matter of timing… I need to move from one of those to another between spheres. Just one slip-up, though, and it's flattening time." He shrugged. "Ah well, nothing ventured…" Though there were one or two close scrapes, in the end, Link managed to make it to the other side without going for the pancake look.

"Good, Link…" A familiar voice rang in his head. "You've passed the first real test." Link jumped.

"Sahasrala!"

"I told you that I was accompanying you telepathically, didn't I?" Sahasrala chuckled. "That was a clever trick with the Armos and the Knight, by the way… but don't get cocky. Far more dangerous hazards than that await you…"

"Yeah, I'll bet." Link muttered, emerging in the next room. "Hey, now… this looks like some kind of central room." Again, he was standing on an overlooking balcony, but here, thick railing prevented him from going below. He could still see through it, though; in front and below him was a massive, wide room with many doors leading to and from it. In the center, on a podium, a ornamental treasure chest gleamed. "Wonder what's in there-eh?" His eyes narrowed. The main room was not unoccupied; human skeletons, four of them, were wandering around silently. "Like the King… what is this…"

"Ah, Stalfos." Sahasrala's voice was clinical, scientific. "Don't worry, your ancestor was not the kind of man who would set deceased Hylians as guardians. Stalfos are a wild monster… they have always held a liking for this palace. Feel no guilt about destroying them when they attack you."

"Right…" Link nodded. "But I can't get down there now. Have to find a way around…" There were two doors on the left and right sides of the balcony. Shrugging, Link took the left one. The room was much smaller, and many human bones were scattered across it. "Yuck." The door leading north was closed. "Look for another hidden switch, or-Yow!" Link drew his sword as the bones on the floor rattled, then rose in three places. Grinning horribly, the Stalfos advanced. "Hey, I thought you said…"

"I said your ancestor would not set Hylian skeletons as guardians… and I then explained what Stalfos were. Pay attention." Sahasrala's voice was smug. "He knew some Stalfos would return here… and with the Sage of Forest's aid, set a spell on this room to trap the ones who entered."

"Lovely." Link swung his sword at one and growled as it agilely jumped back, avoiding the blow. "Pretty fast for bony guys…" He tried the boomerang instead, and grinned as it knocked the skull off of one of them. To his surprise, it continued forward, but several more hits from the throwing weapon reduced it to an immobile pile of bones. The same did the other two in, and Link continued on to a set of stairs which led to the lower level, and to the right. "Good… this should lead to the main room…" As he walked towards it, the warrior spotted a tunnel to his right. "Have to remember to check that out too…" Emerging into the main room, Link quickly dispatched the lurking Stalfos, then examined the massive chest. To his dismay, it was locked. "Damn… maybe the Pendant's in here…"

"It is not." Sahasrala denied. "But a different treasure is… one of the weapons used by your ancestor. He received it in this palace, and in the end, he returned the treasure to it. Take it, and you will be able to defeat foes too well-armored for your sword… such as those Rocklops over there." Looking around, Link saw a pair of green statues flanking a large door that went north. They were of a different design than the Armos; thicker and lumpier, with no ornamentation and a single, currently closed eye.

"More statue guardians?"

"Ones that you will be unable to slay with your sword." Sahasrala confirmed. "You must gain the weapon in the chest to defeat them."

"Right…" Link looked across the room to a door opposite the one he had entered by. "That leads to the right wing… better explore that first, then check out that side tunnel if I can't find the key." It took him to a room below a room; the floor of the upper level was thinly stretched over the lower level. Link saw more Stalfos roaming up there, but could not reach them; the stairs in this room only led to a door going south. The next room was completely darkened; there were no torches illuminating it like the ones before. The only light was one Link would have preferred to do without. It was a human skull on batlike wings, covered entirely in red flames. "What… the hell?"

"Another monster… a Red Bubble." Sahasrala explained. Link slashed at the thing, but the flames turned his blade aside. "Don't bother… the fires cannot be pierced by steel."

"Is that so…" Link backed away from the monster, feeling the wall behind him as he edged around the room. The Bubble advanced slowly, grinning horribly, and Link sighed in relief as he felt another door behind him. Slipping through it, he hoped the Bubble would not follow him. It didn't. "Yeesh… would this treasure in the chest work on them, too?"

"I'm afraid not." Sahasrala chuckled. "Bubbles are tricky… you will have to beat them on their turf. But you don't know any magic yet, do you?"

"Not… exactly." Link remembered the witch, Hazel. "But… I might have an idea if I meet any more. For now, though…" He was above the hall of the iron spheres, at one end of a thin bridge that spanned it. Crossing to the other end, he emerged in a room almost as large as the central one. Four more Red Bubbles were in there, but unlike the first, they were not actively roaming; instead, they circled a small chest. Link winced. "No chance of opening that…" Looking around, he saw several Stalfos roaming. "Let me guess. Another binding room to trap monsters?"

"Correct." Sahasrala confirmed. "Can you guess how it is designed?" Link thought for a moment.

"Beat all the Stalfos… and the Bubbles are released. Then I just have to grab whatever's in the chest and get out before THEY mob me." He smiled. "But I might have an alternative idea." Reaching into his pack, he brought out his pouch of Magic Powder and approached the Bubbles. "Just one sprinkle, and poof, huh…" Dipping his fingers into the pouch, he brought out a pinch of glittery, glowing dust. Selecting a Bubble, Link blew the dust onto it, and the fires around it died. "Yes! It worked!" Grinning, he slew the skull, then dealt with the other three in the same way. "Heh… this doesn't get me disqualified or anything, does it?"

"Ha! No, no… a hero needs guile on occasion as well." Sahasrala chortled. Smiling, Link opened the chest and drew out the key inside.

"Good… now I've got this." Going north, he dropped down to the lower level again and emerged out of the tunnel in the left wing. "So I could have just gone that way first. Oof."
"What's important is that you got the key." Sahasrala seemed to shrug. "You're not on a time limit, you know."

"I suppose…" Link frowned. "And with that in mind… there's still one area I haven't explored. The upper level of the right wing. I get the feeling I should check it out before I head into the back."

"It's your call." The old man replied. "I'm just an advisor. An observer. I'm along for the show." Ignoring that, Link backtracked and went into the right wing's upper level, killing the Stalfos he had seen there. Once the room was cleared, he saw a single treasure chest there and opened it. "Hey… a map of the place!" Spreading it out, he looked it over. "Right… to the north of the main room, it's stairs leading to the second floor… which is just a series of plain rooms leading to the last one. I'm almost done!"

"Don't-" Sahasrala started to caution.

"Yeah, I know. Don't get cocky." Link cut him off, smirking. "Still more tests. I got it." Returning to the central chamber, he inserted the key into the large chest. "Now, let's see what's in here…" It was a wooden shortbow, in remarkable condition considering how aged it must have been. Alongside it was a quiver full of arrows. "Huh…" Link picked it up. At one point during his training with his uncle, he had learned how to use such a bow by borrowing one off some Knights at the castle. He had never been adept with it, however; no matter how hard he tried, the bow never seemed to fit right in his hands. This one, though… instantly, Link knew this bow would not suffer from the same problem. Picking it up, he sighted at the Rocklops to the north. "Open those peepers, boys…" A strike from his boomerang caused one to slowly open its eye and gaze laconically at him before charging forward. Link stood his ground, pulling an arrow and then firing it effortlessly. The wooden shaft slammed into the exposed optic, and the Rocklops fell back, dead. The second one fell in the same manner. "Right, to the second floor it is."

The first room was brutally simple; three Rocklops, side-by-side, all awakened as Link stepped up. One by one, he nailed them and went on. The next was just the opposite; as he entered, his gaze swiveled around to all of the cavern-like holes, and he groaned. "Aw, NO…" And then they activated, and the iron orbs began rolling across in all four directions. "Okay… this looks worse than it actually is. They don't ALL fire… half of them have to be receivers. And they have to be set up so that they don't hit each other… so there should be plenty of nearly safe spots." Dodging and weaving, the warrior made it across. The third room held only one feature; a Rocklops in front of the next door. A red one. "The others were green…" Link frowned and activated it, then fired. The arrow stuck in the eye, and the statue kept coming. A second one, however, stopped it in its tracks. "Phew… had me worrying for a bit." Link started to walk forward, then paused. Hanging above the door was a human skull wearing a horned helmet. "That's ominous… I wonder…" Pulling out the palace map, he examined it. "As I thought… that's the last room, in there."

"And the final test." Sahasrala added. "The last line of defense for the Pendant of Courage. Are you ready to face it?"

"Does a Potatohead talk gibberish?" Link replied, drawing his sword and walking forward. As he entered, the room slammed behind him. In front of him, standing in a circle, were six statues. They resembled the Armos, but were much, much larger and more detailed; eight feet tall, eight feet wide, wearing armor resembling that of the Knights of Hyrule. In their left hands, shields bearing the emblem of the Triforce. In their right hands, swords pointing upwards in an eternal salute. And on their heads, horned helmets with visible eyeholes… eyeholes that glowed red as the statues began rumbling.

"Armos… Knights?" Link stared. The statues did not reply. Instead, they began hopping, frozen and motionless, up and down… and then they began to move forward, around and around in the circle. The thuds as they slammed into the ground simultaneously shook the room. Link frowned. "So… I have to kill these things to get the Pendant? Seems simple enough… eh?" The Armos Knights were changing their movement pattern; breaking the circle, they went to the back of the room and formed into a line… then, as one, they charged. "Oh… oh, NO!" Link's eyes widened, and he rushed forward, charging one and slamming at it viciously with his sword. There was no finesse, no skill in his swings now; just desperation to force one of the brutes back while the others passed. If he could not… then the heavy statue would crush him into a smear on the ground. The Armos Knight he had chosen to attack strove to move forward, but Link's attack kept it at bay until the rest of the line had passed. As soon as they had, Link dove to the side. Immediately, the statue rushed past him, nearly obliterating a foot. As soon as the others reached the far end of the room, however, all six formed up again in the circle… this time, to Link's dismay, around him. "Damn… if they close in…" His gaze fell upon the Knight he had injured. "It's still going strong… if I can only take out one, I can escape! But how? Sahasrala?" The sage was silent, leaving him to his challenge, but thinking of him reminded Link of his past words. "For piercing armored foes…" He drew the bow and aimed for the deepest cut he had made in the stone, across the Knight's chest.

By all logic, it should not have worked. Wooden shafts could not pierce stone. Even if they had steel heads, the force was not enough. But the bow of the Hero of Time was different. The arrow flew, and struck the gash… and as it ran straight through, the Armos Knight exploded, shattering into brightly glowing dust. The others did not even seem to notice; as Link had predicted, the circle closed on him even as he dived through the gap in it. Scrambling to his feet, he turned and slashed at a second Knight across the back, aiming for the same spot every time. By the time the Knights had backed up, the wound was deep enough, and another arrow fired brought the number of foes down to four. Again the Knights moved to the back of the room, preparing for their line charge. Link shook his head. "Stupid… they just keep on trying the same tactics." Not even bothering with his sword now, he took aim from the far side of the room. An arrow into an undamaged Armos Knight made it flinch. Two arrows made it shudder. And three destroyed it. One by one, Link killed three of the remaining Knights, and then turned to the last one.

"Good fight, but you… huh?" The Knight had stopped moving; it was motionless. And then its armor became suffused with a blood-red tint, and with a bestial roar, it leapt into the air. High, higher than the others had, fifteen feet into the air… straight above Link. The warrior stared for a moment, then ran for his life as two tons of stone slammed into the ground hard enough to crack it. The last Armos Knight only paused for a moment before leaping again. Link had no time to turn and counterattack; it was all he could do to stay ahead of the thing, running in circles around the room. And even if he could, Link knew that it would take far more than three arrows to stop the guardian now. If he could just get away from it, get some distance, he would be able to fire as many arrows as needed to bring it down… but the Armos Knight relentlessly pounded after him. No… I can't escape it! I can't get away… it'll kill me! I'm so close… I almost had the Pendant… and now, I'm going to die! I'm going to DIE! And then, in a lurch… Link's thoughts changed.

No… I won't die here. He thought back, and he remembered… in a palace full of shifting sand and mind-boggling puzzles. Another guardian warrior… but this one a hulking, fully humanoid suit of iron armor. A monstrosity with a tremendous axe, who rushed him like a bull and delivered blows that sent him flying across the room, blows that would cleave a normal man in half. An Iron Knuckle. He had faced the Iron Knuckle down, and he had won… the Iron Knuckle, and far more deadly foes. And he was scared… he had been scared… of this? Turning, Link glared at the Armos Knight. This thing… this mindless sentry… this is NOTHING! It's GARBAGE! The Armos Knight leapt into the air above him, and Link stood, glaring up as he held his sword forward. The Knight descended… and then, seconds before it hit, Link whirled around like a windmill, sword picking up speed and force as he spun in a perfect circle, and finishing with a blow into the side of the Armos Knight that sent the two-ton statue crashing away onto its side. Drawing his bow, Link fired coldly, emotionlessly… five arrows in five seconds. The last Armos Knight shattered, as had its comrades. Without a word, Link sheathed his sword and put away his bow… and then, it hit him. What he had done… what he had thought. Link fell to the ground as if clubbed.

"What…" The young warrior whispered. "What…" His voice rose. "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!" Drawing his sword again, he stared at his reflection in the metal. His face was the same as it always had been… and yet… something else was there. Something wrong. Something invisible. Something that filled his head with memories he had never known… something that had killed the last Armos Knight easily, effortlessly, where only a moment before he had been nearly dead. Cursing under his breath, Link sheathed his sword; no answers seemed forthcoming. But something else was, he knew; from the ceiling, something dropped. A round, green gemstone on a cord of rope. As he picked it up, Link looked it over; it was an emerald the size of his fist.

"The Pendant of Courage…" Link whispered. "I did it. I won. I passed, Sahasrala. Sahasrala?" There was no answer. "Must have cut the link… or something. Whatever. I'll just head back to him, then…" His eyes narrowed. "And when I do… he's giving me some answers even if I have to shake them out of him."

"Link…" Sahasrala greeted the young warrior as he walked into the old man's hideout. "Congratulations on-"

"Shut up." Link growled. "No clever wordplay. No games. Just answers. What didn't you tell my Uncle about the disappearance of my parents? What do you know about Agahnim's treachery? What else do I need to do to draw the Master Sword? And what… the… hell… is happening to my HEAD? TALK, old man."

"…" Sahasrala surveyed him clinically. "…All right. Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning." Link sat down on the floor. "Ten years ago… when these disasters started happening. That was when the first monstrosity was found, wasn't it? A monster like a combination of a man and a flower, with teeth longer than your arm…"

"No." Sahasrala shook his head. "That wasn't when the first monster came… that was when the monsters coming grew so numerous, we descendants could not hide them any more." Link said nothing, and after a moment, the old man continued. "You know of the mighty spell the seven Sages and the Hero of Time placed upon the Golden Land, yes? The barrier, the seal that kept the two worlds separate?" Link nodded. "It was the most powerful spell ever created by mortal hands… and yet, it was not perfect. Five hundred years ago… that was when the first crack appeared."

"Did it take the form of a blue square of energy on the ground?" Link demanded on a hunch.

"Indeed it did." Sahasrala confirmed. "Up on Death Mountain, near a landmark known as Spectacle Rock, just south of the Tower of Hera. Three siblings who lived up there were lost to the portal before we could stop them. And then more came… at present, there are eight of these portals scattered across Hyrule. We cannot close them… we are not strong enough to repair the seal. We could only cover them with rocks-normally, only living beings pass through the portals-and deal with the occasional monster. The portals are, of course, much easier to pass through from this world to the Sacred Realm than the other way around. I believe that they're not even visible on that side… fortunately, the cracks are of yet so small that only the weakest of the monsters there can pass through, and them only with a great deal of effort. That was all that saved us from being overrun for years… and then…"

"And then something happened with Agahnim." Link guessed once more. Again, Sahasrala nodded.

"Correct. We were weak at the time, compared to Circles in the past. King Lucas was more distant from us than most of the Kings were, and your uncle Albert even moreso, for reasons I have already told you. Another of our number, Morris, had left years before… to watch the world separately and alone as a hermit, with only his daughter to aid him. And Valenas had just died, leaving a young, proud, eager young man in her place. Well, young compared to us at any rate…" He sighed. "Even now, we are unsure what caused Agahnim's corruption. We only became aware of it when King Lucas found him sending Morris' daughter, Lily… the King managed to send the message to us before he was struck down. But it was too late… Agahnim already commanded the Knights, and even without them he was too powerful now for any of us to defeat. He must have sent his own daughter before striking at Lily… as for Morris, his fate is unknown. Aginah's daughter Nina was next… Aginah survived, but he was powerless to save his daughter. At that point, myself and Thomas decided that we and our daughters should leave, running to four different locations throughout Hyrule." The old man closed his eyes. "Unfortunately, I was the only one to make it. The other three were all intercepted… Tom's daughter Lucy, as well as… as my own daughter, Sara… were taken. Tom has not been seen since either."

"So he and Morris are both unknowns… the King is dead, as is my uncle… you and Aginah are still active…" Link frowned. "Then there's Agahnim… that leaves one."

"Yes, Quincy." Sahasrala shook his head. "He was safe, for a time… as a descendant of the Sage of Water, he maintained close ties with the Zoras, at the wish of their King, who still maintains his intelligence. Even the Knights and Agahnim could not take him and Wendy from the fish people… until a few days ago, when some of the Knights attacked the Zoras of Lake Hylia. Enraged, the Zora King swam down there to retaliate, and while he was gone, the remaining Knights and Agahnim attacked Zora's Domain. Quincy refused to go down, and indeed, he brought down many Knights, doing us proud… until he came up against Agahnim directly. He was slain, and his daughter was taken as well." He paused. "The Princess has told you of what Agahnim is doing, correct?"

"Yes." Link nodded. "By sending all seven of the girls over, he hopes to break the seal even more."

"Exactly." Sahasrala confirmed. "A great part of the enchantment was tied to the Sages themselves… they are no longer here, of course, but if an entire generation of descendants is sent through the cracks… they will widen, and continue widening, until more and more powerful abominations can cross. And eventually… the Evil King himself will be able to escape."

"Ganon…" Link muttered. The Forger of Power had once had another name, but it had been forgotten in history; now, the name he had been branded with was still feared by many of the Hylians. The madman who had conquered Hyrule, and who had intended to use it as a staging point to sweep over the rest of the world… before he had been stopped, banished but not stripped of his power. Eternally trapped… eternally waiting for another chance. "If he gets out… he'll conquer Hyrule again, even easier than he did before. And then…"

"The rest of the world, in time, shall fall to him as well." Sahasrala agreed somberly. "If the Forger of Power escapes, the world is lost… and so, we must stop Agahnim before that comes to pass. And our only hope for that… is in you, and the Master Sword. May I see the Pendant of Courage?"

"Yeah… here." Link drew it out and handed it to the old man.

"This is it, indeed…" Sahasrala murmured. "Created from the Kokiri's Emerald, one of the three Sacred Stones that were given to the rulers of the different species inhabiting Hyrule, long ago…" He handed it back to Link. "Three Sacred Stones, along with another artifact, were used by your ancestor to open the way to the Sacred Realm, and the Master Sword. The other artifact is lost, but it is not needed any more… the Stones, however, still are."

"Two more Pendants." Link sighed.

"Exactly. The Pendants of Power and Wisdom… once, the Zora's Sapphire and Goron's Ruby." Sahasrala continued. "Recover the other two Pendants, and the Master Sword is yours."

"And, of course, my Ancestor and the Sages guarded them as well." Link guessed.

"Of course." The old man smiled. "But you triumphed over the Eastern Palace, as your ancestor did… the other two will be difficult, but not impossible." Link smirked.

"My ancestor had to tackle this place too, huh?"

"Oh, yes… back when the Lost Woods were here, and not in the northeast…" Sahasrala looked away. "The Eastern Palace was the Forest Temple then, one of six Temples in Hyrule and one in the Sacred Realm. All save that one and the Temple of Time were under Ganon's control… and one by one, your ancestor liberated them. The Fire, Water and Shadow Temples were all lost to time, geography and the elements… the Spirit Temple, however, was like this one."

"Another Pendant's there, then?" Link took out his map. "Show me where it is."

"Here… in the Hylian Desert." Sahasrala made a mark, then made another. "Here is where Aginah currently dwells… I suggest you go after the Pendant of Power in the Desert Palace first, since he will be able to aid you. As for the Pendant of Wisdom… it was originally planned to be kept inside the Temple of Fire, on Death Mountain, but that was lost when Death Mountain ceased to be a volcano, a geological nightmare that broadened its length from east to west by double. And so, the Tower of Hera was constructed instead." Another mark was made. "You have seen the Master Sword yourself, so you know where that was." Link blinked.

"Hey… what about the Temple of Time?"

"Ah…" Sahasrala's eyes twinkled. "That one was much smaller than the others… only a few rooms. It remained intact, but would be no good for protecting anything… and so, it was simply renamed and forgotten. Now, they simply call it the Sanctuary."

"The… where Zelda…" Link sputtered, then laughed. "Ha! A fitting place for the last descendant of the Sage of Time to hide when in danger…" He stopped smiling. "Hey… about these protections. The Armos Knights. What were they? How were they made?"

"I was afraid you would ask that…" Sahasrala sighed. "They were Knights of Hyrule, Link… some of the original order, formed by your ancestor. Six of them volunteered their souls to be placed in the statues, to serve as guardians until the time the Pendant was needed again. But don't feel bad… they did so voluntarily, and now that you have defeated them, they can rest knowing that a hero will soon wield the Sword again."

"Yeah… about that…" Link's frown deepened. "Last question. You know, or at least suspect, what's going on in my head… you were still linked to me when I fought the Knights, just staying silent. But after I beat the last one, you were completely gone… I could feel the difference."

"You could?" Sahasrala's eyes widened. "And this is the first time you've had a telepathic link with somebody… amazing. As to your question… well… I recognized the place the memory was in, and the enemy there. It was the Spirit Temple… and I truly mean that, not the Desert Palace. And the monster, an Iron Knuckle… those have not been seen in Hyrule ever since Ganon's banishment. Which means that memory… must have belonged to the Hero of Time."

"But then why did I suddenly know it?" Link demanded. "And this isn't the first time, either… memories like this have sprung into my head before. When I saw the Master Sword, when I saw the Eastern Palace, when I first met the Princess… and you, for that matter."

"I don't know… I honestly cannot say." Sahasrala spread his hands helplessly. "At a guess, though… the best theory I can come up with is that your ancestor, wherever he is now, is sending you these memories to try and help you. The one in the fight with the Armos Knights helped you win, yes?"

"Well… yes." Link admitted grudgingly. "But still, there has GOT to be a better way of doing it… I wish he'd just give me a little black book full of hints and tips with 'Do not break this seal unless you really need it!' on the cover. Or something." He sighed. "Ah well. I'll stay here tonight, if you don't mind… oh, I almost forgot." He pulled the bottle of red medicine out of his pack. "This should help patch up my wounds…"

"Ah, medicine from Madame Syrup's brews?" Sahasrala recognized it. "A most handy woman… I recommend carrying it wherever you go."

"I plan to." Link nodded.

"Good… oh, this almost slipped my mind! I have something else for you… consider it a reward for passing the test." Reaching into a chest, the old man pulled out a pair of red leather boots, decorated with tiny steel wings. "These also belonged to your ancestor… once, they enabled the wearer to defy gravity for a few moments, but that magic faded with time. So my line, the descendants of the Sage of Light, gave them a new magic. Now, wear them and you will be able to run at more then three times your normal speed. They are called the Pegasus Boots… take them." Link did so.

"Thank you… everything helps." He smiled. "I'll leave in the morning… go see the Princess again, I think. And then I'll head to the desert, like you said… the sooner I draw the Master Sword, the sooner Hyrule can be rid of this plague forever."

"Hm… good, looks like there's no soldiers around right now." Link muttered to himself as he examined the front of Sanctuary. Still, to be on the safe side, he circled around the garden to the door and eased it open. "Hey! Don't get excited, it's just me, Link!"

"So you say…" A hand suddenly gripped his shoulder, and Link froze. "Let's make sure… what does the last trap in the sewers do if you mess it up?"

"One, it drops twenty Ropes on your head." Link sighed. "Second, since when did Agahnim have any kind of shape shifting ability? Aren't we being just a little bit paranoid?" After a moment, the hand relaxed, and he turned around to see Zelda smiling sheepishly.

"Well… maybe a little. But can you blame me? There's just me and Father Brian here, and he's far too old to be any sort of fighter."

"So you have to be prepared to do it all if the enemy DOES show up?" Link raised an eyebrow, and the princess' smile turned nasty.

"Exactly. Don't underestimate me, Link… I AM the last descendant of the Sage of Time. I may not be a swordsman like you, but I can take care of myself and the father if I have to."

"With respect, let's hope it doesn't come to that." Link looked around. "Where is Father Brian, anyways?"

"I'm right here, Link." Father Brian stepped out of a side room, absently polishing a candlestick. "Glad to see you've returned safely."

"So am I, believe it or not." Link flopped down on a pew. "Although there were a few close moments here and there."

"I'll bet." Zelda sat down as well. "Well, don't keep us waiting any longer. What have you gotten done so far?"

"Well, all right." Link thought for a moment, then began explaining everything that had happened… Kakariko Village, the Master Sword, Sahasrala and the Eastern Palace. When he was done, he took out the Pendant of Courage for them to see.

"So… this is what happened to the Kokiri's Emerald…" Father Brian mused. "History books never stated that… as far as we knew, the three Spiritual Stones simply vanished after Hyrule was reclaimed. Obviously, this was left out at the wishes of your ancestor and the Sages…"

"Yeah…" Zelda examined the Pendant. "So, two more of these and then you can draw the sword… fits with the legend. Your ancestor needed the three Stones as well as the royal family's Ocarina of Time to draw the Master Sword originally… though from what Sahasrala said, the Ocarina is no longer necessary. Still, collecting the other two Stones won't be easy."

"No… but I should be able to handle it." Link spread out his map. "The Desert Palace, first… and then the Tower of Hera. A week… maybe two weeks, but I can probably do it in one. You two can hold out for that long, right?"

"Looks like it… they don't have any idea where I am." Zelda shrugged. "Every so often a Knight wanders by, but there's only one time one of them actually came up here, and Father Brian convinced him there was nothing wrong here while I hid in the back room."

"We've got things under control here." The old priest promised. "Don't worry about us… just concentrate on your task, so that we can all live peacefully again." He stood up. "Well, I'll go make some lunch, shall I?" He walked into the back room.

"So…" Zelda handed back the Pendant of Courage. "What are your plans for today?"

"Well, it's too late to head to the Desert now…" Link decided. "I'll stay here a while longer, then go back to Kakriko for the night and go south from there to the desert the next day, so I can meet this Aginah guy."

"So you'll be staying here for some time… I'm glad." Zelda smiled. "Father Brian's nice enough… but there are some thing I just can't talk to him about." Link raised an eyebrow.

"Such as?"

"Well…" The princess' smile disappeared. "You said… this place used to be the Temple of Time once, right? Maybe that explains why… I've been having strange images appear in my mind…"
"Strange… images?" Link repeated slowly. The memories appearing in his head were the only part of the story he hadn't told. "Like what?"

"It's mostly when I'm sleeping… I just wake up remembering this place like it must have been thousands of years ago… of walking up to the original alter of the Master Sword, and seeing you standing there… except it's not really you…" Zelda floundered. "It's… hard to explain. And then one time, a nightmare… I'm meeting you there again, and this time I'm giving you something… some kind of weapon, I think… and then I'm suddenly trapped, encased in crystal, and I hear this man's laugh…" She shuddered. "I never want to hear that sound again, but I'm afraid I'll have the same dream tonight…" She paused. "But then… once more, and this was before I came here. It was… when I met you in the dungeon…"

"It was some kind of garden." Link spoke automatically. "We were both younger… kids… you were looking in a window, and I was walking up behind you…" Zelda gasped.

"How… did you know that!"

"It happened to me, too… and things like that have kept on happening." Link explained. "We both know that… never happened. We never met before a few days ago… and yet, that image… it seems, FEELS real, right?"

"Yes…" Zelda admitted. "But what is it? If you saw the same thing, I can't have just been imagining it…"

"I asked Sahasrala about it… he thought it might be something my ancestor is doing." Link continued. "You know… the Hero of Time. Sending HIS memories to me, to try and help me out… maybe the Sage of Time is doing the same for you."

"That could be it." Zelda slowly nodded. "I just hope they stop once Agahnim is dead and we're finished with this nightmare. They might get a bit inconvenient after that, to say the least."

"Oh, yes." Link rolled his eyes. "We'll have enough to do repairing the damage without working on repairing a house and suddenly remembering the time our ancestors tried to scare a carpenter and only got mistaken for his mother." Zelda laughed.

"Ha! Yeah, I think I can do without that. For now, though, let's go see how Father Brian is doing." Standing up, the two of them walked towards the back, leaving the main room of the Sanctuary… the Temple of Time… empty once more.