Link gawked at the strange little avian creature that stood in the doorway to the Temple of Time, who looked at him calmly with her round bird eyes; small black pupils inside a red iris. "Uh." was all he managed to say in response. It was brainless, yet strangely concise.

"Oh dear, I can see the confusion on your face, clear as day." the bird creature said, giving her stubby wings a small flap. When she did so, he could see that there were three digits protruding from the top part of the wing, like tiny claws. "I can understand your befuddlement, but please set your mind at ease. I am no monster, and no threat."

"I didn't find you threatening." he replied, realizing that he must have seemed rude to the little creature. Whatever it was, it seemed polite. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. It's just…" He trailed off. How did he approach the subject, anyway? What the hell are you, and why the hell do you know me?

Midna floated a bit closer to the bird-thing with her hands on her hips. "It's just we have no idea what the heck you are." At least she didn't worry too much about being polite and was able to broach the subject.

"I could ask you the same thing, miss! You are most certainly not Hylian, even though you do have pointed ears. Dear me, this is not the best introduction, is it? Please allow me to start over." The small creature bowed her head, extending her wings to the side. "Greetings. I am of the Oocca tribe. My name cannot easily be pronounced by your vocal cords, so you may call me Ooccoo."

"Ooo-koo?" Midna tried the odd name out. "Well, if that's what you'd like to be called. My name is Midna and I am a Twili, from the Twilight Realm. Otherwise known as the Shadow Realm." She bowed in response, her body language far less comical than Ooccoo's.

"Oh, a descendant of the Interlopers! Yes, yes...I know of your kind, my dear. We have been unable to monitor your people since you were banished, but it appears that you are alive and well, hmm? Although you have quite shrunk in size. Did the native magic of the Shadow Realm alter you so through the centuries?"

The small imp shook her head. "No, we're a tall race. I've been cursed, and am currently working on that problem. That's why I'm with Link here."

"Ah, yes!" said Ooccoo, putting the curved end of her wing to her face to touch the tiny digits to her pointed chin. She was so alien, yet her mannerisms were still very human. "His name would be Link, wouldn't it?" She fixed her strange avian stare on him again. "A pleasure to meet you, hero."

This time he bowed to her instead of staring stupidly. "Nice to meet you, ma'am." He straightened and indicated Rusl to his left. "This is my friend and mentor, Rusl." He noted that Rusl managed a bow that was a lot more fluid than his own.

"Yes, yes, a swordsman to teach a swordsman. I know how it goes. Oh, but if you will please excuse me for a moment?" She turned and walked around the corner of the outer wall of the Temple of Time and out of sight, and Link could hear her produce strange noises. She was chittering almost like a bird, but not quite. It was far more like a parrot or raven imitating human sounds without actually knowing what it was saying.

A moment later Ooccoo returned with her wing around a smaller Oocca, one with yellow fluff instead of sleek gold feathers. "This is my son- ...well, his name isn't important. You may call him Junior. He only understands a little bit of Hylian so far, so please be patient with him." The smaller creature did not bow, and instead shyly waved with the tiny claws on the top of his stubby wing, a wing that was far less feathered than his mother's. He was approximately the size of a starling, and proportionally smaller compared to his mother in a way a small child would be for a parent, unlike how birds had chicks half their size by the time they were feathered. She said something to him in her strange clicking and gibbering language. The...chick? Boy? He huddled up against her side, gazing up at Link with his tiny orange eyes. Ooccoo spoke again. "Well now, let us get down to brass tacks: I need your assistance, hero."

Of course she did. "You're not the first. What's wrong?" Other than she was the strangest damned thing he had ever seen, and he'd seen a lot of strange things.

"To make a long story short, my son and I are from one of the many islands floating in the skies above Hyrule. Something happened there to create strong winds, and we were thrown off the side. My poor husband had to watch us fall. He likely thinks we are dead, the poor man." Man? Did Oocca consider themselves men and women? "We cannot properly fly with these wings, only glide. I was able to catch my son and slow our tumble to the ground without injury, and use thermals much like a hawk so we would wind up in these woods. After that, it was a matter of using my knowledge to return us home. I am a scholar and historian for my people, which is why I am fluent in your language. We used to have the means to have Hylians visit us in the past, and I am attempting to obtain that method to get the two of us home."

She held up one clawed digit. Finger? "However, I must tell you what happened in this place. It is sad to see it in the state it is now, but even then it has power, and a link to the Sacred Realm. That is where the power to return home lies, specifically a relic that can activate a device that will send us there instantly. Much to my surprise, the Master Sword was not there to open the gateway to the Sacred Realm. I knew that it could not be stolen, and realized that the current hero had drawn it. It made sense, after I saw that the Door of Time was open. After seeing the trouble Hyrule has been in, I can understand your need to retrieve it."

She patted her son's bald head with her wing claws. "It was then that someone came to this place. At first I thought he may be of the Wind Tribe, but no. He was one of their distant relations that dwells in what is now a desert along the western edge of Hyrule."

"A Gerudo?" Link realized the answer even as he asked the question. "Ganondorf! He was here?"

"Oh my, yes. We both know of that name, don't we? He was the reason we lost communication with the Hylians, or so we believe. He came here about a week ago. Something about him frightened me, although I could not put my finger on it at the time. Now knowing that he was Ganondorf, I understand. My son and I hid, and he went into the room where the Pedestal of Time is. He did not come back out. I waited at least an hour, hitched up my britches and went to look. There was no man there. I have no idea where he went. I assumed that he was gone, but then a few hours later he caught me by surprise and suddenly appeared. Again, I have no idea where he came from. He either didn't notice me or paid me no mind, and used a teleportation spell to leave."

Midna turned to Link. "Does that mean Ganondorf came here to hide a piece of mirror while he sent Shadow Beasts to hide the shard in the Queen's Keep?"

"It sounds like it. That probably means he sent some other kind of monster to the islands, one that could fly." He frowned, a thought coming to him. Ganondorf could carry around a fragment of the mirror without being influenced by it. Then again, so could Yeto, so it was possible that the tempting magic of the mirror only worked on certain individuals. "The question here is, why did he come here himself?"

The Twili tapped her chin, looking skyward as she recalled something. "Well, let's look back on things...we know that Ganondorf was already in the Sacred Realm once, from what Auru said. If he was able to get in there two hundred and fifty years ago, he probably still knows how to get in."

"Dear me, that is worrisome." said Ooccoo, her human-looking features taking on a look of concern. "The Sacred Realm is where the golden power rests, among other things. If an evil person were to able to enter it, they could cause incredible damage to not only Hyrule, but the entire world."

"It isn't there anymore." Link told her. "Ganondorf invaded the Sacred Realm, just like Midna said. He tried to use the Triforce and it split into three pieces. He absorbed Power, and Wisdom and Courage went into the Zelda and Link of that time. And now he still has Power, the current Zelda has Wisdom, and I have Courage."

Ooccoo's tone was patient. "I know that, dear...or at least I know about you and Zelda having Courage and Wisdom. My concern about an evil man entering the Sacred Realm still stands, however."

He looked to the west, at the golden light that was slowly turning orange. "It'll be dark in a few hours. We had better figure out what Ganondorf did to enter the Sacred Realm, so we can go there." He looked down at the two Oocca. "Were you two all right by yourself for days? I can't imagine there's a lot to eat here."

"If you mean to ask if we ate anything, yes. There are blackberries not far from here, and there are ancient apple trees planted nearby by the children of the forest." She smiled lightly at him, which looked odd considering her bird eyes. "Thank you for your concern, my dear."

Link stepped up into the doorway next to the two bird creatures and pointed into the ruined Temple. "In that case, can you show us what you were trying to do? If you know of the way to enter the Sacred Realm and it needs the Master Sword, then I might be able to help you out."

The half-bird, half-human clasped what could be considered her hands to her bare chest, forming her mouth into an O. "Oh, hero! Bless your heart. Yes, please! Let us work together. If you will follow me." She walked into the Temple with her son following close behind her, their clawed bird feet clicking on the ancient stones of the Temple. Link followed them over what he now knew was the Crest of the Triforce in the entryway, and heard Rusl's footfalls behind him. They passed through the carved archway that marked the entrance proper of the Temple, and the Oocca led the group down the ancient stairs.

There was a portal up above, just as Midna had predicted. The purple ones around Hyrule were not only used by Zant, the Shadow Beasts and the Bulbins, but now Ganondorf as well. Midna hurled shadowy energy at the magenta and black hole in the sky with an underhanded throw, and it turned aqua. Ooccoo watched this process and nodded at the Twili in approval. "Very good. Now he cannot return that way."

They walked through the length of the Temple of Time, over the second Crest of the Triforce that Link had sat on and "sung" his howling wolf song to awaken the guardians, and the broken-off pedestal in front of the Door of Time that likely used to be of some importance. The guardians did not move. Their purpose had been served for now, and no one was using another spell to awaken them.

The group walked at a somewhat slow pace, since Ooccoo's short bird legs were not moving her along as quickly as the longer ones of the humans she was escorting. She eventually brought them to the Pedestal of Time, as both she and the Master Sword had called it, and turned around to look up at Link expectantly.

Nothing had changed, and there was no sign that Ganondorf had ever been here. Still, there had to be a magical doorway or hidden entrance that the Gerudo knew about that they could open. He met the Oocca's eyes. "All right, Ooccoo. Tell me what I'm supposed to be doing here."

The bird-woman patted the resting place of the Master Sword with her little claw-hand. "All you need to do is place the sword back in its base. The sword has a soul, you know. It will understand what to do."

Sword? he asked within his mind. Do you know what she's talking about?

Yes, Master. I understand what must be done, but I am uncertain if it will work. My power still has not restored itself to previous levels, and the Temple itself lies in ruin. We will not know unless we try.

He drew the sword and was aware of Rusl and Midna coming to stand and float to his left in order to watch. He reversed his grip on the Master Sword, and with two hands carefully lowered it back into its base with a steely sound. There was a click, and he kept his hands on the hilt, waiting. Was he supposed to hold onto it like this, or let it go? Did something else need to happen first?

It is as I suspected. the sword said. The Temple of Time does not have sufficient power to open the gateway to the Sacred Realm, and I currently lack the power to compensate for the deficit of magic. You may remove me again.

Link drew the sword from the Pedestal of Time, this time without the dramatic ray of sunlight surrounding him as it did previously, and sheathed the weapon on his back. "The sword said it won't work right now. The Temple doesn't have enough power, and the sword itself doesn't have enough to make up the difference."

"Oh dear me, that is worrisome. However will we get home now? And not only that, but you mentioned that Ganondorf hid something here...a mirror, I believe? If that is the case, we must get into the Sacred Realm...but how? This is a real head-scratcher, isn't it?" The golden-feathered creature used her half-hands, half-wings to pick up her son, who whimpered something in their own language. She whispered something back to him and lay a kiss on his cheek.

"Now what?" asked Midna. "Ganondorf was able to get in there without the Master Sword. We can probably use the same way he got in. It's only a matter of figuring out how."

I'm afraid that is impossible. Ganondorf followed the Zelda of two hundred years ago into the Sacred Realm, and being a sorcerer of considerable strength, he was able to decipher the spell she used. Now that he has Power, it is far easier for him to replicate the spell and cast it himself. While it may be possible for the current Princess Zelda to use Wisdom along with her own powers to open it, it is not possible for you and Courage to do so.

He repeated this to the others, who couldn't hear the words of the sword. Ooccoo nodded sagely. "Yes, that does make sense. Wisdom is the piece that grants the most magical ability, Power is the one that grants both physical and magical strength, and Courage is the one that does not grant any power, and only augments the abilities of whomever bears it. Unless you already had a spell to open the way to the Sacred Realm, we're out of luck."

He suddenly could feel a strange feeling in his mind, like the mental version of somebody snapping their fingers at a sudden realization. I believe I may have a solution! Master Link, may I ask...how strong are you feeling today? Are you well-rested?

I feel fine today, as strong as usual. I don't think Courage is draining me as much now. Why?

This may be a bit difficult, but I am going to have you do something. I will partially be in control, channeling my will through you so you understand how you must act. It is no different than when I showed you certain ways to move your body in battle. However, this time I will direct you through a spell. After witnessing certain things, I have no doubt that you have the magical ability to cast it. He had to wonder what the sword meant by "certain things", but he assumed that he would find out soon.

They were all looking at him, waiting to hear what the Master Sword had told him. "The sword has an idea. It's going to teach me how to cast a spell."

"The Master Sword knows the spell but you don't, so it'll tell you how to cast it instead?" Midna considered this, crossing her arms. "It's a bit tricky, but you do have a magical connection to the sword, so you'll probably be able to do it. The only problem here is all the magic you've been using hasn't been cast through incantations. You simply do things without thinking about it. There are two different kinds of magic: active versus reactive, and you use the latter kind." She shrugged. "I guess we won't know until you try. I don't think the sword would have you recite a dangerous spell, so you're probably safe."

It is not an incantation. the sword informed him. It is a song.

"Hang on a minute." Link said out loud. "You're asking me to sing? You know how I feel about that."

The group watched him, realizing that he was speaking to the sword out loud. You already have sang magical songs, some of them in this very place. The song you sing to your horse has the ability to soothe, and you used that song on the boar in the burning stable. You sang an old song to Ashei, but your desire to make her forget her fears was what caused her to calm down. Master, do you not see it? Your songs have power.

"But…" he looked at Rusl, then down at the two Oocca that were watching him patiently. There was no reason for to be apprehensive in front of them, especially not Rusl. His mentor hadn't heard him properly sing in a while, but he had heard him in the past. He had sung in front of Ashei multiple times, in front of Brent, and was even heard by King Ralis. It was getting easier, and he felt like he had a small amount of confidence in his voice now. He was no bard, but at least people had informed him that he didn't sound too bad.

Okay, they had told him that he sounded good, but he was still self-conscious about it. He squared his shoulders and found the determination to do what he must. "All right. Tell me what to do." he said out loud to the sword.

Return to the entryway of the Temple of Time, to the Crest of the Triforce there.

He turned and walked out of the sword's chamber, and through the hallway that led out through the Door of Time, leaving the rest to follow. Midna caught up and floated next to him with a quizzical expression. "Link?" she ventured.

"Shh!" he shushed her, waiting for further instructions from the Master Sword. She shrunk away slightly at the sound, but remained quiet. The group followed him to the entrance of the Temple of Time, past the arch and to the crest on the floor. He stopped, standing in the middle of it. "Now what?"

Tell them to stand back. They may not be on the crest, nor near the archway next to it.

"You'll all have to stand clear. Don't get near the crest I'm standing on or the archway in front of us. The group shuffled back to give him space. He turned to face the the archway, assuming that it was going to be part of the spell somehow. It still had the old runes labeling it as "Time Door", which wasn't the same as Door of Time, so he curious what it actually did. Waiting for more instructions from the sword, he thought about what it had said. Channeling magic through him? He remembered the sword planting ideas directly in his mind that let him evade King Bulbin's attacks, or knock back the spell at the Shadow Beast Templar with his sword. Perhaps it was like that.

The feeling was strange, like new memories crept through his mind, memories that were not his. This song was familiar to the Master Sword, and by extension became familiar to him. Suddenly the information was there, implanted in his head through the connection that he had with the sword, as if he had it all the long. The song was familiar; it was the same song that he had sung as a wolf to open the Door of Time and access the Master Sword. Only now there was far more to it, the melody and lyrics given to him by the sword. He knew what to do.

He fixed his eyes on the archway with a determined glare, took a few deep breaths, and clenched his hands into fists before relaxing them again. Then Link shut his eyes, opened his mouth, and began to sing:

Leth mal, sur gae mal vem

Vodu baer gaal minlu sae pel yilasu

The song was in Old Hylian, just like the song he sang for Ashei, but this one was far older. It was as old as Hyrule itself, as old as the Temple of Time, the building that had stood for millennia until its destruction by Ganondorf. He could feel the Crest of the Triforce at his feet flare with power, as did the actual Triforce piece in his hand, and he knew that they both glowed golden despite not being able to see them. Link did not feel hesitant as he sang, but instead his voice was strong and confident. He sang the next line in his tenor voice, the melody repeating:

Leth mal, sur gae mal vem

Vodu baer mae caelem ti haan yilasu

He opened his eyes and looked at the archway in front of him. A faint shimmering pattern of white light appeared there, like ripples of sunlight on water, spreading out from the air in the center of the archway towards the carved stone. As he sang he could hear other voices joining him, dozens of strong voices, but not as strong as his own. The walls of the Temple of Time started to glow with pinpoints of lights along its ruined angles and edges, forming bright lines shimmering on the stone and extending up into the air above them. The impression, the presence of the Temple's original shape was there in the light, formed out of the magic from the song, and from Link himself. Stained glass windows of green and gold sparkled, lofty rafters of stone held up the roof above, and for a moment it seemed as if the Temple of Time was not in ruin.

Bor mest sae ahn, taelanu

Mur ahn ti dae, biramtae

Paernasu olen gae vo cur, leth mal caelae

Vo minaalem ti paar Hylia

The voices of the past sang in a language long dead, exultant at the voice of of the hero that led them, but did not drown him out. Link's voice led them through the ages, letting them draw their strength from him and the magic flowing through his body, and open a gateway into the past. Upon invoking the name of the goddess Hylia, the voices swelled, singing the name of the Goddess with adoration and reverence.

Then suddenly, the voices grew silent, fading back into a time long gone. The shimmering walls of the Temple of Time of the past faded, leaving the ruins that they stood in centuries later. However, through the carved archway in front of him, through the passage to the past he created, Link could see the Temple intact. He sang the final lines of the repeating melody alone, feeling strong and powerful despite the amount of magic he had channeled.

Leth mal, sur gae mal, vem

Vodu baer gaal munlu sae pel yilasu

He heard his own voice echo back at him, the last few words lingering as the spell completed, and then it was silent in the ruins of the Temple of Time; the only sound was the wind moving through the trees. Link turned his head to the left, towards his companions waiting there. Their faces displayed a range of emotions; Rusl's was one of awe, Midna's was one of pride, and in Ooccoo's case, respect. He had no idea what to say to them, not after that. He knew that he had done something extraordinary, and he was unsure of how to break the silence.

Very good, Master Link. That went as well as I could have wished for. The way is open to the past. From there, we may continue on to the Sacred Realm.

"The…" He felt strange, speaking now instead of singing. Like he was now an ordinary person again, not someone who held the power to open a door into the past. "The way is open. We can go through here."

Midna gave a low laugh and flew at him suddenly, tackling him as she wrapped her small arms around his neck. "That was amazing! Link, do you have any idea what kind of spell you've just cast?" She laughed again, genuinely pleased with him and what had just happened. It was quite the contrast to her usual frustration with him using magic.

"I kind of do? We can't get into the Sacred Realm from this time, but we can get there from the past. Whether we go there now or hundreds of years in the past doesn't matter, because the Sacred Realm exists outside the flow of time." He couldn't say how he knew this, other than the information had likely been put in his mind with the Master Sword along with the song. He not only knew how to sing to cast the spell, but he also knew specifically what it was for.

"Time travel is difficult. Really, really difficult. Even we Twili can't do it. I doubt even Ganondorf can do that!" She laughed giddily and pressed her cheek against his as she hugged him tightly. She was being ridiculously excited about one spell. Was what he did really all that impressive? He only did as he was instructed.

He reached up to put a hand to her back and patted her gently. Her goofy affection was almost too much. "All right, Midna. I get it. You can gush over my magical abilities later. We have a shard to get."

She moved back from him a little, bringing her hand up to cup his chin, still smiling widely. "I'm very proud of you. I want you to know that."

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Rusl there. "I am too. I don't know that much about magic, but I know I just saw something special."

Link considered making a joke, of how the praise would go to his head, or how he'd blush from it, but he decided not to. Not every situation needed humor held up like a shield, and he knew that he had done something that deserved respect. He smiled back at the two of them, allowing himself to feel pleased at their praise. "Thank you. Now, shall we?" He stepped forward and put a hand to the shimmering image of the Temple in the past, the colors dimmer and faded. His hand passed right through as if it was passing through water, and he wiggled his fingers, momentarily finding it amusing that he was in two times at once. He kept that silent thought to himself as he walked through the portal to a different time entirely.

He felt no different. The colors were brighter now, and the light from the stained glass windows were brilliant as if it was mid-morning. He turned to look behind him, and could see the others through the archway standing back in the ruins, their colors dulled. Ooccoo carried her son through, her feathers going from a faded yellow back to a golden color as she passed through the veil of time, and she gently set Junior down. Midna and Rusl followed, their eyes glancing around as they took in the Temple of Time as it was before it was destroyed.

Link did the same, feeling somewhat awed. The building was made of white and light gray marble that was polished and immaculate, and its stained glass windows shone in shades of green, gold and pink. Very faintly, he could hear singing; it was the same song that he had sung to open the Time Door, but distant, the words echoing. He smiled and looked around him, listening to the song now he wasn't singing it himself. "That song suits this place, don't you think?"

"What are you talking about?" Midna asked, coming up beside him. "I don't hear any song. Or do you mean the song you sang a few minutes ago?"

He grunted in surprise, unsure of why she couldn't hear it. While she hadn't heard the strange little song her teleportation spell had heard, he assumed that it was due to it being slight, or her being busy casting it at the time. Even though it was quieter, the song of the Temple of Time was still distinct and easy to hear. "I don't understand. You can't hear it?"

Midna shook her head, and the sword spoke. None of them can hear it, Master. Only you and I can. As strong as Midna's magic is, it is not like your own, or mine. The eternal song of the Temple of Time is sacred magic, something that both you and I have.

Oh. I guess that makes sense. He wasn't sure if he could hear the song because he held Courage, or if he had an ability all his own.

Both. the sword informed him.

He should have realized that. Anything he could do on his own, Courage made stronger. Ooccoo had just said that Courage augmented the abilities of the one who carries it, and he had started hearing the songs of spells once he began using Courage while still in the Twilight in Zora's Domain. "The sword says I'm the only one who can hear it. It's the same song that I sang to get us here." He considered telling her that it was probably related to his ability to hear spells as songs, but that would probably result in a discussion where she became frustrated about his strange use of magic.

Midna rolled her eyes with the dramatic flair that he had gotten used to. "Of course, you special boy. How about we take your special sword and open the special gate to the special realm?"

He grinned at her humorous response. Feeling a bit mischievous, he reached out and pressed her nose with one finger, making a small "boop" sound. "Leave the jokes to me, Midna my dear. All you need to do is float around and look impressive." He then walked towards the Door of Time.

She laughed behind him and followed. Midna spoke, but it was to Rusl. "Was he always this silly?"

"He gradually became this way, starting at around the age of fifteen or so. It was then he realized that making clever remarks and wisecracks was far better than getting angry and starting fights with the other boys of the village. He figured out that using his brain was better than using his fists." Rusl laughed lightly. "I promise you, he got this way on his own. I didn't decide to make him a smart-alack."

Link was about to comment on the discussion about him that he was not part of, but he noticed the platform that had been in ruins in his current time, and stepped up to it. It was made of white marble with a black granite top, and had three indentations in it. He read the words on it out loud. "Ye who possesses three Spiritual Stones, stand with the Ocarina of Time, and play the Song of Time. Wait, is that the proper way to open this door? Is this for the Link of this time so he can get to the Master Sword?"

Do not concern yourself with it. It is irrelevant to what we are currently doing. The sword seemed dismissive, which was strange because the black and white platform quite clearly stated instructions on how to get to the Master Sword. They probably were meant for previous incarnations of himself.

"You did howl that song you just sang as a wolf." Midna said. "That's what made the two statues open the door for you. I'm going to guess the song is the important part of it. It doesn't matter anyway, since the door is open." She floated right over the pedestal and through the open door flanked by the twin statues, their stone currently not worn and mossy. The guardians made no move to stop her, since the Door of Time had already been opened.

Link considered this as he walked around the pedestal and between the two statues. The door had opened when he had howled a portion of the Song of Time at the statues, allowing him to access the Master Sword. After that it remained open, likely because he had the sword and would need to put it back in its resting place. Did that mean that the Master Sword in this place was also gone? That would mean that since there was a Master Sword for this time period, there was also a hero to wield it. Another version of himself, a Link from a past life he knew nothing of was walking around with the same sword on his back, likely in the same green outfit. They could have gone back hundreds, if not thousands of years, only to wind up during the hero of the past's quest. The concept made him feel a bit uncomfortable, but it made sense at the same time. It also eliminated the problem of what they would have to do in order to proceed if the Master Sword was in its resting place. He had no idea if he would be able to pull a second Master Sword.

The Pedestal of Time was indeed empty. Ooccoo and her fluffy little son walked up to it, standing to the right of it as they had done in their original time period. She looked up at Link with her round avian eyes as he approached, blinking in her strange way. He noticed that she had a small fringe of green-gold feathers around her eyes, like many birds had. Were those the equivalent of eyelashes? He wasn't going to stare to figure it out. He already had gaped at her when he had met her, and he knew he shouldn't be rude to the strange creature that was kindly helping them out.

Link drew the Master Sword while looking down at the Pedestal of time, and gripped it in both of his hands, point down. He thrust the point into the slot and there was that same clicking sound, but this time the sword shimmered with light. The light grew in intensity, and then arched from the floor up to the large round stained glass window in the wall behind it. Wavering, the light turned into solid stairs that looked like they were made of glass, transparent and slightly luminescent. The window's gold, green and red glass flickered, and then turned into a passageway that ended in the same brilliant white light.

The way to the Sacred Realm had opened.

The Temple of Time in this time period has sufficient magic to open the way. You may draw me again and proceed. Link followed the sword's instructions and drew it from the pedestal with a metallic hiss, and slid it into the sheath on his back. He knew that the doorway ahead led to the Sacred Realm as it would exist in his own time, but he still considered what he would have been able to do if it had brought them to the past version of the realm. The Triforce would have been in this time period, and it would have been simple for him to go up to the place where the Triforce rested and used its powers to prevent Ganondorf from ever invading. He could even ask it to make it so Ganondorf was never born, and eliminate all his problems. He entertained the idea of figuring out a way to do that, since he now knew how to use the Song of Time.

Link. He was startled by the Master Sword's lack of formality by not calling him "Master". Do not attempt to do something like that. The sword sounded stern, and directly gave him an order instead of politely suggesting things. Its tone got his attention. If you were able to use the Triforce here to prevent Ganondorf from existing, you would create a separate timeline, thus fragmenting the time we came from. Doing that may cause you to return to a world where you were never born. Just because you were able to use time magic to bring us here does not mean that you may abuse it.

He felt chastised by the sword's words, and felt his face turn hot in shame. How was he supposed to know that using this period's Triforce would mess with time? It wasn't like he was trying to misuse the magic that brought them here.

The Triforce will not be in the Sacred Realm here, in any case. the Master Sword continued. The time period the Sacred Realm exists in is dependent on me, as I am a key of time. Since I am from your time, it will be the Sacred Realm from your time. Still, I must advise you to be careful when dealing with time magic.

"Are we going to get going, or are you going to chat with your sword for a while longer?" Midna asked, reclining in the air in front of him with her arms behind her head.

"Uh." How long was he standing there listening to the Master Sword? "Yeah, sorry. The sword had some important things to tell me. Let's go." He stepped on the glowing stairs and found them quite solid, and started to ascend them. Rusl followed, and the two Oocca scrambled up the stairs, the mother carrying her child in her wings. Midna did not disappear into his shadows as she usually did when they entered place, most likely wanting to see things with her own eyes instead. She ghosted along ahead of him, passing through the entrance of the Sacred Realm and vanishing into the light. The light itself seemed to be some kind of barrier, something to pass through much like the archway that had brought them to this time period. He himself approached the light, closing his eyes as he went through it, and then blinking them a bit as he stepped into the Sacred Realm.

Link did not know what he had expected. Perhaps a beautiful field untouched by human hands, or a grand temple, or something else impressive. What his eyes saw was another hallway, made of the same gray marble, sloping down with stairs every few paces. He had thought maybe it would look different, but this part of the Sacred Realm was probably an extension of the Temple of Time.

His suspicions were confirmed as he walked through the open doorway at the end of the long hall and came out into a large, round room. It had the same stained glass windows of pink, gold and green, the same style of architecture, the same crest that had the bird below the Triforce set into the walls and pillars with gilded stone. The only difference was a gazebo at the center of the room, a curved stone roof set on brown and gold pillars, with what looked like a large bronze bell sitting on the floor beneath it. It was the Temple of Time, but more of it.

Correct, Master. The Temple of Time mostly exists in the Sacred Realm, and only a part of it is in Hyrule. There is far more to it here, as well as the entrance to the Temple of Light. We will not be going there unless it appears that Ganondorf hid the mirror shard there, which is doubtful. The Master Sword seemed confident, so Link had no choice but to believe it.

"What the heck?" The imp complained, raising her palms up in frustration and shaking her head. "This looks like the exact same building. Is this really the Sacred Realm?"

Her reaction didn't surprise him. She had a tendency to get cranky when things didn't go as she expected. "The sword said that it is, and that the Temple of Time exists both in Hyrule and in the Sacred Realm. This is the Sacred Realm part of it, which is much bigger. What the Sage told us makes sense now. He said that the shard was hidden in the Sacred Realm, which means that it's probably hidden in the Temple of Time itself. Now it's just a matter of figuring out where it is."

"Ugh, you mean it's a matter of you figuring it out. I can't talk to that damn sword of yours, so I'm going to hitch a ride while you do all the heavy lifting." She melted into his shadows, clearly frustrated.

If she was crabby, he didn't want to talk to her about things right now. Instead he decided to speak to Ooccoo, who seemed to know where she was going before hitting a dead end without the Master Sword. "Do you know about this place? You mentioned something about a device that will let you return home, so I'm going to guess you know where it is."

"Yes, I know quite a bit about this place, being a historian and all." The bird creature was carrying her son on her back, the tiny creature's little claw hands at the tops of his stubby wings wrapped around her slender neck. It was the Oocca equivalent of a piggy-back ride. "This place as well as the Temple of Light were built with magic by Rauru, the first Sage of the current era of history." Rauru built this place? The same Rauru that he had served tea to in the Gerudo fortress? He wanted to ask about that, but the Oocca kept talking. "The Temple of Light exists as a place to protect the Triforce, and while the Temple of Time is the path to get there, it has other uses. There is an army here, ready to protect the Goddess and her people at a moment's notice."

"An army?" Rusl asked, speaking for the first time in a while. The man had been very quiet ever since they had met Ooccoo. Link hoped that his mentor hadn't been overwhelmed by everything that had happened. "There are troops stationed here?"

"Oh dear me, no. Nothing lives in the Temple of Time. The army is artificial, and made up of golems and automatons." She took in their blank looks and gave her wings a little flap. "Your faces say that you have no idea what I'm talking about. Goodness me, has the technology of the past been completely forgotten? A golem is a statue that has been animated by magic, and it follows magical instructions. An automaton is...hmm. How do I put this? A robot? A metal being made with technology that functions similar to a golem, except it is powered by a mixture of magic and technology, and requires programmed commands in order to execute tasks. Neither is truly alive, and may be stored indefinitely here."

"As if I hadn't had enough information to take in within the past half hour." Rusl said, putting a hand to his forehead. "Thank you for the explanation. At least we know that there isn't anything here that's a danger to us, right? Those artificial things won't attack?"

"They are currently deactivated, so we are safe. As a matter of fact, there are two golems at the top of that staircase that are no longer active." She pointed with a wing at two dark statues that sat at the top. "There are means to activate them, but we currently do not have them." The Oocca started walking towards the sweeping double-staircase that spread along the back wall of the round room they were in. "We should start in that direction. I believe I have the floor plan of this place memorized. Follow me, please." She began to walk, leading them up the stairs.

Link had to smile at his mentor as they walked, who was trying to keep up with everything that had happened. Rusl was doing his best, but he seemed to be struggling a bit. Link gave him a nudge with his elbow, his smile spreading into a grin. "When you asked to come with me earlier, you probably didn't expect everything that led up to this point, huh?"

"Link, my poor mind is trying to figure it all out, but I'm still in shock. I thought the worst thing I had to worry about this morning was changing diapers. Now, I've...let's see…" He took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on his walking feet as he rattled off the list. "I've met the children of the forest, which I can't see. I found the ruins of old Castle Town and the Temple of Time. I met two Oocca. You sang a magic song. We traveled back in time. We entered the Sacred Realm. This side of the Sacred Realm is also the Temple of Time, and it has an artificial army stationed in it. This all happened within the span of an hour." Rusl let out a long and vocal sigh, exasperated with it all. "I'm an ordinary man. My brain isn't made for all of this."

"I was an ordinary guy before everything happened to me. You learn to adapt after seeing so many things...or at least try." He looked at the statues that flanked the door as they walked between them. They were large and made of an unknown stone, and held massive stone hammers in their hands. The statues did not react to their presence so he continued. "I was a bit of a mess after what happened at Ordona's Spring. Since then I've spent a lot of time getting unreasonably angry, and wound up in tears a few times too. It's hard for anyone's mind to take it."

"That sounds like how you were a few years ago. Anger, tears, frustration...fistfights." He lifted his face to look at Link and pointed at his split lip. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you got hit in the mouth."

Link rubbed at his lower lip, which was already healing fairly well. At least the scab didn't stick out anymore, which was annoying when he ate. He had hoped that Rusl would guess that he got the injury in some other manner. Since he was called out, he gave an embarrassed laugh. "That wasn't my fault. He hit me first. I didn't really want to fight the guy. He was drunk, I was sober, and he was stupidly obsessed with a woman. Ashei, specifically."

"I saw it." Midna said from within his shadows. "Link was trying to reason with the guy, but he was vulgar and jealous. He saw Link's friendship with Ashei, assumed the wrong thing, and decided to get overly emotional and stupid." She appeared, hovering between the two men as they walked. Apparently she had gotten over her grumpy fit. "Link was pretty angry too, and I can't blame him. It looked like real anger, not the irrational kind he's prone to." She paused as Ooccoo called to them.

"Yoohoo, hero! Come up here, I have something to show you!" She waved the claws at the bend in her wing like a hand.

He wanted to talk to Rusl some more and tell him about how Ashei tended to beat up her suitors, but he wandered up to where the Oocca had stopped. "What is it?"

The bird-woman indicated a large black statue, set in with silvery geographic lines and circles, standing tall in an alcove. It was about fifteen feet high and held a massive two-handed axe in both of its stony hands. "Since you're the hero, I believe you should learn of this place. The information may not be useful to you, but you seem like a bright boy. I'm sure you learning it won't be wasted." She cleared her throat and assumed a voice that sounded like a professor giving a lecture. "This is a war golem. There are a number ways to control them: spoken incantations, certain songs of power, even relics that use ancient technology and magic. The most common way is to write instructions on paper in silver ink, and put the paper inside a compartment in the statue. These ones have not been used, but in a time long since passed when Hylia herself walked the earth, soldiers like these were used."

Link looked up at the large stony guardian. He couldn't determine if it was carved that way, or formed in a mold somehow. "You say that Hylia used these things? Does that mean she fought in wars?"

Ooccoo blinked her little round eyes at him, sliding the second eyelid over them. "Her people have forgotten all she did for them, haven't they? Well, I suppose it has been thousands of years." She started to walk again, and Link fell into stride with her, which was a rather slow pace for him considering the creature's short steps. "Hylia once lived among her people. We haven't determined whether humans gained pointed ears and magic due to their close proximity to the goddess, or if she intentionally made them that way, but those people became the Hylians; your ancestors. There were many dangers in the ancient world, from lands beyond Hyrule. Even in those days, the Triforce existed, but a god may not use it. Only mortals may, since it can grant the abilities of the three Golden Goddesses. Because she could not use the golden power, Hylia relied on the technology and magic of the time in order to protect her people."

What she was telling him was interesting. "I can understand that we humans can't use this power to protect ourselves from things like Ganondorf. I'm the only one who can get into the Sacred Realm right now, other than him. What I don't understand is if she always had this army, why hasn't Hylia helped us? Why does she let us fall into wars and trouble? Is she too busy being a goddess wherever she is?"

The little bird with her bald humanoid head pressed her lips into a flat line, considering something. "There is a reason. Link, may I ask you something first?"

"Sure."

She looked up at him. "Are you religious?"

"No. If anything, I'm angry at the gods for uprooting me from my life to do everything I've had to do. I just don't see why they need us mortal to deal with these problems." Or why there had to be a hero, for that matter. Hylia had to be stronger and more capable than him.

Ooccoo continued to walk down the long hall that was lined with war golems, he clawed feet clicking delicately on the marble, contrasting with his booted footfalls. "A reasonable reaction. Why indeed? Did it ever occur to you that perhaps that the gods cannot, or may not interfere? That the goddesses of creation were only that...that they created our world, but are too powerful to interact with the world they made?"

"I guess I never thought about it that way. It makes sense." He found it frustrating too, but didn't voice that thought. "Maybe us mortals can't handle talking to them, since they're so powerful. But what about Hylia? She was supposed to live with us humans, right?"

"Hylia's dead." She said it with such confidence, in such a matter-of-fact tone that he had no choice but to believe her.

Hylia was dead? The goddess that people prayed to for guidance, for help, for comfort was dead and gone, and couldn't hear their prayers? The goddess that he was supposed to be serving isn't even there to see what he's done? He stopped walking, feeling a mixture of emotions at learning that it was all a lie.

The bird scholar kept walking. "My people are not sure if she was killed by an enemy, or if she herself sacrificed her life, but she was killed. Even gods can die." She stopped, and realized that he hadn't followed her. Ooccoo walked back and looked up at his face to take in his expression. She gave a comforting smile, kind and motherly, and stepped up to pat at his leg with a clawed hand. "Oh you sweet boy, don't you fret. Hylia isn't gone entirely. You are tied to her, you know. You hinted that you know of the cycle of reincarnation for two souls. One is yours, the soul of Hylia's greatest warrior and closest friend...and perhaps her lover. The other is of Hylia herself."

Zelda was Hylia? The sacred powers that previous Zeldas had made sense, if it was true. No, it was true. This strange intelligent creature wouldn't lie to him about something like that. He stared down at her, unsure of what to say. The pieces did fit together: Hylia died for some reason thousands of years ago, and her hero died too. The two souls are reborn over and over, returned to protect Hyrule as they did ages ago. Zelda was always driven with a desire to love and protect her people, and Link was always driven by a desire to protect the people and Zelda herself.

He considered his relationship with the current Zelda, or the lack thereof; he knew very little about her. He met her for the first time when he was a wolf, and at the time loathed the royal family. He eventually came to understand that she was nothing like King Adelbert and cared far more about her people than her own needs. She was willing to be held prisoner by Zant to keep them as safe as possible, and even before the invasion, the things that she did to prepare to take over from her father were done covertly since she was only able to do so much. She was a victim of her father's unstable whims just like everyone else.

Midna had asked him if he thought he could befriend the princess, if it would feel right. He admitted that he probably could, if the situation were different and they had grown up knowing one another. Then later Auru asked him to befriend Zelda if possible, since she had few friends and was very alone. By then he had already made up his mind, and decided he would make an effort to befriend her.

It was more than that, though. He felt that even though he didn't know her as a person and had only met her twice, there was something about Zelda that he felt drawn to; it was like she was a mirror, reflecting back certain things about himself. She was someone he could relate to, in fact the only person he could relate to as the hero. His counterpart. The two of them did not even know each other, but he could feel that he was connected to her. He wondered if she had felt the same, even though he was a wolf at the time.

Link glanced over his shoulder behind him at Rusl and Midna. They were about a dozen or so paces back, speaking to each other quietly and paying no attention to what Ooccoo was saying. They had no idea.

"You must not tell them, Link." Ooccoo said. "What I have told you may not be discussed with anyone, except Zelda herself. This is information that the royal family has learned from us Oocca for thousands of years. I am unsure the current royal family knows of it without our guidance. Perhaps you may tell Zelda, once your duty to Hyrule has been completed."

"I…" He didn't know how to tell this kindly woman that Zelda was gone. She had shared so much with him, but all he had to share was troubling news. "I'm sorry, but the royal family is gone. The king has been killed and Zelda is in a deep sleep. Midna nearly died and Zelda knew that she was important somehow, so she transferred her magical power into Midna's body to keep her alive."

The Oocca put her clawed wings to her mouth in shock, and her son made a small sound as he clung to his mother's back. Did he understand enough Hylian to know what Link was saying? "Oh. Oh, dear. That is unfortunate. This is not the first time something has happened to a Zelda but-" She tilted her head back to look at him. "Here now, pick me up."

He bent down to pick up the strange creature, finding her as light as a cucco. Did she also have hollow bones? She reached up with her mock hands and put them on either side of his head, and lay a matronly kiss on his cheek. "You dear, gentle young man. I can see that this troubles you. Do you feel guilty for what happened?" He didn't answer, but he knew that he did even though he had no choice in the matter. Midna had as well, and while it had been Zelda's decision to sacrifice herself, the fact that she was not with them anymore upset them both.

"I can see that you are. You are so expressive, my dear. I can tell how you feel just looking at you. Please do not feel as if you caused this. Zelda's soul is not gone, only relocated, and so her body will survive. If Midna is a Twili, then she is a powerful sorceress, curse or not. She will find a way to return Zelda to herself." She kindly patted his face, and Junior scrambled off his mother's back to climb up Link's tunic with his little claws. The smaller Oocca stood on Link's right shoulder and gave him a small peck on the cheek as well.

"It's okay." the little bird-boy said in a small, soft voice, speaking the first words in Hylian that Link had heard him say. He turned his face towards the tiny creature perched on his shoulder and couldn't help but smile. The boy was sweet, just like his mother.

"Thank you. I've talked to Midna about this, and we both think once we remove her curse, Zelda's soul will return to her body. If not, I think you're right about her abilities. Midna's very smart, far smarter than I am. She'll figure something out." He adjusted Ooccoo in his arms, figuring that carrying her would save time. Walking at her slow pace was not ideal, and he was starting to feel hungry. Dinnertime had come and passed, and the sooner they found the mirror shard, the sooner they could leave. She didn't seem to mind and relaxed. Junior sat on his shoulder in a similar manner, like a cucco roosting. "What's at the end of this hall? Is it the relic you talked about here?"

"There is something here, but it isn't anything we need. The item that I require is known by two names: the Rod of the Heavens, or the Dominion Rod. It is a magical relic that has two purposes. It acts as a key to unlock and activate the transporter between Hyrule and my island, and it is also one of the magical devices that can control the golems here. Because of its first use, it also became a ceremonial item for a specific Hylian to carry, someone appointed and guided by the Sheikah. They would use the teleporter to come learn what we had to teach, and then bring that information back to the royal family." She raised her face to peer up at him from where she rested in the crook of his arm. "That person became known as the Herald of the Heavens."

"I have a question about the whole 'heavens' thing." Midna said. She and Rusl had finally returned to the rest of them, and had heard the explanation about the Dominion Rod. "One of the Sages told us that a fragment of the Mirror of Twilight was in a city in the sky. Would that be your home? Or are there many cities in the sky?"

Ooccoo swiveled her head around to look at the Twili, acting strangely birdlike. "There are ruins of many cities and towns, since there was once a civilization up there. It was not our own, and we only inhabit one of the cities now. However...our peaceful home was attacked. Aeralfos carrying large black monsters came. I am sure you can imagine our reaction, my dear. We are a peaceful race, and unable to fight. I mean, quite honestly...look at me. I very well can't hold a sword or a magic wand, can I? We were forced to hide."

The creature sighed and ruffled her feathers. "We would have remained hidden, but the dragon that was sleeping in in one of the ruined farmsteads woke. He is not normally an aggressive dragon, and has co-existed with us for about a hundred years. He is a friend in a way, and so some of us thought we would speak to him. We thought perhaps the black beasts had woke him up, and we could convince him to kill them." She shook her head sadly. "Something was very wrong with him. He was enraged and no longer able to speak with us rationally. He used wind magic against us, and that is what resulted in Junior and I being blown away from the island."

The little Oocca spread his wings wide from where he sat on Link's shoulder. "Fall down!" he said expansively in his little voice.

Link turned to Midna and locked eyes with her. They both nodded, understanding exactly what had happened. A normally peaceful creature had suddenly become dangerous, just like Yeta. He looked back down at Ooccoo. "We encountered the very same thing before, except it was a Yeti and not a dragon. She was a kind and peaceful person that was corrupted by a shard of the Mirror of Twilight. From what you tell me, I'm certain that your dragon friend has the same problem. The Shadow Beasts that invaded your island brought the shard there and gave it to the dragon. I'm certain of it."

"We know where the last shard is now," Midna said. "and we know how we're supposed to get there. If we get this Dominion Rod and use it to activate the transporter, we can teleport to the Oocca city and deal with the dragon."

"Oh, dear me." fretted Ooccoo. "You don't mean to hurt him, do you? He is a wise and peaceful dragon. I hope that you would not kill him to retrieve this shard. My people would be most upset."

"We managed to get it away from the Yeti without killing her, so we can probably do the same with your dragon friend." Link focused his eyes down the long hall that was lined with black stone golems, and what was at the end of it, something well-lit. "Let's check down at the end of this hall to see if the shard is hidden there. Ganondorf put it somewhere, and I don't think it's in the hands of anything alive this time. The search shouldn't be too difficult." Especially if he used his power to see things that were hidden. He started walking again, moving at a faster pace than Ooccoo could manage, and strode down the hall.

"What were you talking about, if you don't mind me asking?" Rusl asked, curious. "Midna and I let you go alone, figuring she only wanted to speak to you."

"Just some information about the Temple here, the golems, and some history related to them." It wasn't a lie, just a statement with a lot of information omitted. He still felt as if he was lying to Rusl, something that made him feel a little guilty. They could tell him about everything they did in the Twilight, yet the information he had learned about Hylia was for no one else. "It was interesting to me, and it might be to Midna, but it's probably nothing you'd care about. Magic isn't exactly your thing."

The other man laughed. "Indeed it is not. That's all right, Midna has been telling me a bit more about your travels in detail. I'm far more interested to hear about what you've been doing. You've been through quite a bit. No wonder you told me that you eventually get used to it all. Things like what we're doing right now are common for you." There was something in his eyes that indicated that he considered saying more, but he looked to the light ahead as the approached the room at the end of the hall.

The end room was octagonal and lit by some unknown light coming through stained glass windows, much like the room for the Master Sword. There was another double staircase along the back wall, two sets of curved stairs that met at a platform at top, just as there was in the entryway to the Sacred Realm portion of the Temple of Time. From where they stood, Link could see that there was a pedestal at the back of that platform, and something was set on top of it. He couldn't quite tell what it was, only that it sparkled in the light. A pair of stone statues stood on either end of the stairs, holding long metal hammers. No, not statues; golems. Now that he understood what they were, all the humanoid statues he had seen were golems.

"This is where the Leader's Gauntlet rests. Ganondorf didn't touch it, which is good since it's one of the relics that can command the constructs in this place." The two golems at either end of the stairs started to tremble at the sound of Ooccoo's voice. The runes along them lit up not with the green Link had seen when opening the Door of Time, but with a bright purple color. The same purple as the portals.

It was Ganondorf's power.

He quickly backed up and set down Ooccoo, and handed her Junior. "He didn't take it, but he left us a surprise. Go back down the hall a ways. Midna, protect them." Of course he'd be fighting another unexpected enemy. Nothing was ever easy. Link drew the Master Sword but decided to leave his shield on his back. He knew that a shield would be useless against the large hammers, and catching one with his shield would probably break his arm.

"Hero, look for a gem on them somewhere!" Ooccoo called. "It is their power source. If you can damage that, they will power down!" She clutched her son to her chest, hiding behind where Midna stood on the floor. The creature looked nervous.

He stepped forward and examined the golems. They were both about his height, with angular heads and bodies. They hopped towards him a jerky fashion, able to move despite their lack of legs. He heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and Rusl moved to the right of him, weapon in hand.

"I'll take the one on the right, you get the one on the left." Rusl said, falling into his usual role of the one who gave orders. When they used to go on patrols to fight off Bokoblins, he was the one who would decide what they would do, and when.

"Just watch that hammer." Link said, understanding that Rusl was falling into habit, but he himself was the one who had experience with fighting unconventionally. "If it seems like you can't get close to the power source, back off. I have explosive arrows that will take care of things if necessary." Provided the power gems were where he assumed they were, which was on the back of the golems. They certainly weren't on the flat base that the guardians used to hop along the floor. He hoped that they were something that could be damaged by swords, doubtful that the Master Sword could destroy something as hard as sapphire.

It is not a true gem. the sword said in its calm female voice. I know of these golems. They are here to protect the treasures of the Temple of Time. The power source is a crystal that contains magical energy. If you strike them, I will not be damaged. I believe Rusl's sword will not be as well.

That information made him feel a bit better as he engaged the left golem, moving cautiously to gauge how quickly they could move their weapons. It brought its hammer up above its head in a jerky motion, and after a second brought it back down with moderate speed. He was able to jump to the side and out of the way without too much difficulty. He hoped that Rusl was able to do the same; his mentor's style relied on strength, not agility and grace. Link knew that he was far quicker with a much better response time.

He noticed a green gem—no, a crystal—on the back of the golem, set in an indentation in the stone. It flared with magenta light, the original magic of the device now overwritten by whatever spell Ganondorf had cast on it. The stone soldier raised its hammer again, and Link was reminded of the massive axe that King Bulbin had used. That connection put an idea into his head, and as the golem brought down its hammer he hopped to the right, collapsing his body to roll behind it. He pushed off the floor with his legs, bringing up his sword on the gem with his lower body strength in one sweeping move.

The power source shattered like glass, and the sword generated sparks as it dragged across the golem's stone back. Link watched as it started to flail around wildly, losing control of its limbs as its magical orders were disrupted. Luckily he was behind it and out of range of its hammer as it hopped and swung in vain. Then it stopped moving, its arms dropping to its side, and he could hear a faint hum decreasing in tone reminiscent of a machine powering down. Satisfied that it was done moving, he turned to see how Rusl had fared.

The man wasn't as nimble as Link, but he had managed to circle around to the back side of the golem, and jabbed at the crystal with his sword. It did the same as the other defeated golem had, beginning to hop around madly while swinging its metal hammer. Then it was still. Rusl sheathed his sword, not even winded. "That hammer isn't too hard to avoid, but I wouldn't want to be close when it starts to go out of control."

"I agree. If we run into any more of these things, we should be careful of that." He sheathed the Master Sword and turned towards the Oocca. "Sorry we had to do that, Ooccoo. I don't want to destroy Hylia's property."

The bird-woman approached with Midna, still holding onto her son. "No no no, fret not my dear boy. It couldn't be helped. They can be repaired if necessary, although I don't know who is alive that would know how to do that." She looked around. "I don't see anything like a piece of mirror in this room."

He focused and used his power, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "No. It's not in here. There's more to this building, I take it?"

"Oh golly, yes. There are multiple floors. Five, in fact. The top floor is the pathway to the Temple of Light, and the ones below us are where more relics and golems are stored. The next floor down is where we will find the Dominion Rod."

He bent down to pick her up with a sigh. "Of course there are. This is the Zora's temple all over again. We'll have to check each floor." He was not looking forward to being here a while. Junior climbed up on his right shoulder, holding on to a longer lock of the young man's dirty blonde hair to steady himself. Link was patient with the boy, wincing only a little bit as his hair was tugged on, and he waited until the smaller Oocca was situated. "Are you comfortable?" he asked. It was cute that Junior wanted to ride on his shoulder.

The little creature pointed with a tiny clawed finger. "Go!"

They backtracked to the main room, which only had two doorways; the one from the Temple of Time of the past, and the one with the long hallway they had just come from. Link looked around, trying to figure out how to get to the other floors. Even though he didn't actively use it, his shadow magic triggered from him thinking about finding the way. He could see two paths: one was a Crest of the Triforce, likely the way to teleport to the Temple of Light, and one was a doorway that had a wall in front of it, casting a double-image that only his eyes could see. "How do we open the door there?" he asked, pointing.

"Ring the bell." Ooccoo said. "You're supposed to use the golems to do that, which is why the Leader's Gauntlet is on the floor, but it should still work if a human rings it."

Link walked up to the large brass bell, and noticed that it wasn't actually set down on the floor. It was suspended only about an inch above it, hung from the curved dome above it. He gave it a kick and it gave a deep, brassy sound, but not very loud. Leather boots weren't suited for ringing bells, it seemed. Rusl drew his sword, reversed his grip on it, and rapped sharply on the bell once with the pommel. It gave a loud, rich note, deep and resonant. In fact it was a little too loud, since the two of them were standing right next to it. Link gritted his teeth at the sound until it faded, feeling his ears ring after. Rusl reacted in a similar manner, wiggling one finger in an ear.

Then another sound was heard, the grinding noise of stone on stone. They turned to the wall that Link had pointed out and a section of it was raising, revealing the open doorway behind it and the stairs going down beyond. The group walked through the doorway and down the stairs as they went in a wide loop to the next floor, which looked almost exactly the same, other than the lack of a bell at the center. Instead there was a platform surrounded by an ornate gilded railing, with what appeared to be a control console at its center. The railing on the platform had two openings to allow people to access it from the floor around it. Something was moving on that platform, swarming and writhing, and Link realized what it was with horror.

The platform was covered in spiders. Large, fat, pale brown orb spiders the size of cats.

He made an involuntary sound of disgust when he saw them, causing Ooccoo to make her own sound of concern. "Oh, my. Don't tell me that you hate spiders?"

"'Hate' is not a strong enough word for it." he admitted, unable to tear his eyes away from the horrible things milling around at the center of the room.

Link met Rusl's eyes, and the man gave him a sympathetic look. "Still? I thought you may have gotten over that by now."

"I probably won't ever get over it, even when I'm old and gray." He really did not want to deal with spiders, especially large ones like these. "You said that nothing lived down here." he said a bit accusingly to the Oocca.

"Nothing does." she said, not offended. "Ganondorf must have put them there."

Well, there was another reason to hate Ganondorf. Add that to the list, then.

"We can't ignore them." Link reasoned, more with himself than the others. "They don't belong here, so we should get rid of them." Easier said than done. The spiders that held the fragments of Lanayru's light were bad enough. This was so many more, moving far faster. He held out Ooccoo to Midna. "Here, would you mind carrying them? If I have to keep fighting things, I don't want to keep setting her down and picking her back up again."

Midna took the bird-woman into the hand formed at the end of her hair, cradling her gently. "Are you sure you don't want me to fight in your place? You don't exactly look thrilled."

"I'm not." He gently removed Junior from his shoulder. "Ride's over, kiddo. Go over to Auntie Midna for now." He handed her the little bird-boy, and she cradled him in her arms the same way that Link had held his mother. One his hands were free he drew his sword and shield. He could already feel his heart thudding in fear just from look at the disgusting little squishy balls of guts, with their unreasonable amount of legs. Their abdomens were almost white, and he could see that they were so covered in hairs that they were practically furry. He took a deep breath, and then bravely strode towards the spiders.

They turned towards him as he approached, and he could see that instead of eight small eyes, they had five; two on either side of a large yellow one. These weren't just regular spiders, they were Gohmas. They started to move towards him en masse, and he had no choice but to immediately spring into action. He stabbed one with his sword and it collapsed, blue ichor leaking from the wound on its abdomen. The others approached him steadily, their little feet making a faint scrabbling sound on the floor that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he grit his teeth in response to it. He stabbed a bit more frantically, trying to kill them quickly so it would be over, but he was only one human with a sword, and they were many, many spiders. They swarmed around his feet and began to climb his legs.

His eyes grew wide and he kicked his legs in panic. "Shit. Shit! Shit shit shit shit!" His voice raised in volume and in pitch until it cracked, but he continued to swear, stomping on a spider with every "Shit!" he uttered. They popped under his boots, and the sensation almost made him gag.

"Link!" Midna gasped, attempting to cover Junior's ears, or where his ears would be if he had any. "There's a child present!"

Normally he would have agreed with her, and behaved himself in front of a small child. This situation was not normal, and neither was his mind at the moment. "I'm going—Shit!—to swear –Shitshit!—no matter what! Augh!" He was practically hopping around at this point, stomping on them and not using his sword anymore, even though he still held it in his hand.

Rusl had circled around to the other side of the railing and was methodically killing the spiders one by one, opting to wait until they came to him instead of Link's crazed method. It was far more efficient than the hopping and swearing. Then again, Rusl was not afraid.

Suddenly, there were no more spiders to kill. Link looked around frantically while trying to find more, but the crushed bodies around him were still. He realized he was breathing hard, and his palms were sweating. He looked up at Rusl, who came across the platform to stand in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder kindly. "Are you all right? Do you need a hug or something?" Link could not tell if the man was trying to make a joke, or was serious.

Link shrugged his hand off, feeling a bit testy after the encounter with the spiders. "I do not need a hug, thanks." After the Master Sword had seared away the terrible blue blood, he put it and his shield away. Then he walked back to Midna in order to speak to Ooccoo, avoiding the dead spiders on the way. Junior sat there cradled in the Twili's arms, and looked up at him with a small smile.

"Shit." the boy said.

Midna fixed Link with a withering look, and he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Great. He heard Ooccoo admonish her son in their own language, and then she spoke to him in Hylian. "Link." He opened his eyes and saw her staring at him sternly from where she sat in the end of Midna's hair. "Do not teach my son any more words."

He groaned and covered his face with his hands, feeling like the fool. This was somehow worse than the Arbiter's Grounds. At least then, the others had been frightened too. At least he hadn't taught a child a naughty word while there. "I'm sorry." His voice was muffled, and he lowered his hands. "Sometimes I can't control how I behave when I'm near spiders." Or zombies. Or at the bottom of a lake. For a hero, he certainly had a lot of phobias.

"Yes, you do seem to have quite the case of arachnophobia. Be that as it may, try to watch your potty mouth around Junior." She fluffed her feathers and huffed a breath, and turned her bald head to face the stairs that led to the next hall. "The Dominion Rod lies that way. We should go."

The hall on this particular floor had slightly larger golems with swords instead of axes. They lay in recesses in the wall, just as they had before, but Link noticed something he did not on the previous level. There were more golems lined up behind the ones in the front. It really was an army, hundreds of these golems waiting patiently with their weapons until the day they were needed. If that day ever came; Hylia was long dead, her soul reborn over and over again into the body of a mortal woman.

The room at the far end wasn't nearly as bright as the one above it, although it was the same shape. Instead of three large stained glass windows on the back wall, there was only one smaller one. It had the same double stairs going up to a platform with a pedestal, which had something long laying on it. This time, there weren't a pair of statues waiting. No, this time there was a tall suit of thick plate armor standing at the center of the room, its hands settled on the pommel of a large curved sword. A round shield was strapped to one arm, and a smaller longsword was belted at its waist. Its armor was black, etched with white runes, and a great crest of metal sat at the peak of its heavy helmet.

It was also breathing. It was alive.

Link had no idea who or what this heavily armored warrior was, only that it did not belong in the Temple of Time any more than the spiders did. There was no way it was Ganondorf himself even though the warrior was tall with broad shoulders, much like the Gerudo. If Ganondorf had wanted to fight him, he wouldn't have done it by waiting inside the Sacred Realm in a full set of heavy plate.

The warrior moved its helmeted head slightly, sweeping its eyes over the five of them as they entered the room. It stopped when it fixed its gaze on Link, and pointed at him with one gloved finger. It then made a beckoning motion with that hand, and picked up its large sword and shield, holding them low at its sides. Even though he had no idea who the person in the heavy plate was, one thing was clear; Ganondorf had left this heavily armored warrior for Link alone.


Author's Note: I finally am able to post one of the scenes I was really looking forward to sharing, which was Link using his song magic in order to open the Time Door. The song itself can be sung along to the Temple of Time music from the game, if you can muddle your way through my made-up ancient Hylian.