A/N: Link is back! Everybody cheer!
Ok, you don't have to.
Justin Time: It was kind of weird, having a chapter with no main character. Well, he threw a fit and is now back.
Killer-Kobloods/dodges potatoes/ Evil! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeevil!
Allyanna: Thank you!
Darmuni pounded his fist against the rock wall. It reverberated throughout the cavern, causing many Gorons to poke their heads out in confusion. When they saw that it was just their king, releasing steam, they returned to what they had been doing.
The king was worried; his son had not been found. The young Goron had slipped past the guards at sundown and had wandered out into the night. His absence was not noted until late after he had left, and no one expected to find him. At the very best, some of the shadow walkers, the Goron term for the Sheikah, had found him and taken him to their leader. At the very worst, the undead had him. Darmuni did not know if the undead would kill the youth or keep him alive, causing him great worry.
He hollered for a messenger, and a frazzled looking Goron appeared.
"I want a message sent to the leader of the Shadow Walkers, goro. Tell him that I will be willing to allow them to rebuild their village on the foothills, should he be able to get information on my grandson. I care not what the information is; I just want to know if he lives or not!" The messenger took down the message and headed out, wishing he did not have to be the one to find the elusive Sheikah.
Darmuni sighed as he returned to his chamber at the bottom of the cavern. He was tired of fighting. His father, rest his soul, had died at an early age four years ago. An early age for Gorons, that is. Their race was long lived, and his father had only been in his early hundreds. Most lived to their middle or late hundreds; Darmuni himself was only 111.
"Big Brother?" a tentative voice asked. Darmuni turned to the speaker and indicated that he continue.
"The Zora representative is here, goro. He wishes to speak of peace." Darmuni nodded and followed the messenger. As he entered the room in which the ambassador waited, he took in the Zora's appearance. Like all of his kind, his scales were mostly pale blue; some were dark blue and every shade between the two. He was well built and had scars to prove his participation in battle. The Zora's fins were translucent and hung limply in the dry cavern.
"What may I do for you?" Darmuni asked in heavily accented Hylian. The Hylian language was used as a universal language, as Goron could only be spoken by the rock eaters and Zora only by the fish people. Sheikah had been dismissed because it was both a verbal and nonverbal language, with double meanings and unique pronunciations. Most Hylians had trouble speaking it. As for Gerudo, that language was one of harsh sounds that the Gorons spoke easily, but the Zora could not be understood when they spoke, as their tongue was one of soft, easy sounds, nor could they understand it.
"My king wishes to postpone our antagonism for a time," the Zora replied, in equally accented Hylian.
"May I inquire why?" the Goron asked, curious. The Zora raised his eye ridges and sniffed.
"Let it suffice that he is granting you respite out of the kindness of his heart." Darmuni snorted; the proud manner of the Zoras' annoyed him.
"No truce will be drawn until I know the cause," Darmuni responded gruffly, "And that is final." The Zora sighed; he had been ordered to tell the reason only if the Gorons proved difficult.
"The King's youngest daughter has disappeared, and he wishes to use his resources to find the prince instead of fighting." Darmuni tucked that bit of information in the back of his mind; it seemed that he was not the only one with a missing family member.
"Very well," Darmuni said after a moment of silence, "I agree to this truce. I have one condition: that once the princess has been found and your king can give more thought to the matter, I wish to speak of long time peace." The Zora nodded; he would relay the message to King Zora. Darmuni excused himself and left; the Zora representative left Death Mountain not long after. He had heard the shouting, and if he even though he did not understand Goron fully, he understood enough to know that something was wrong in the cavern. Someone close to the Goron leader was missing, and Darmuni was willing to seek the Sheikah's help. The representative shuddered at the thought of the mysterious people. 'Shadow Walkers' was an apt name for the race; in the dark areas, they were invisible and, should cause merit, deadly. He had a lot to tell his king.
It was well over a week before Link was fully coherent. The magic of the forest had kept him sleepy, allowing him to fully heal. Impa was allowed to rest and question the Deku Tree to her heart's delight.
"So who leads the Sheikah now?" she was asking when Link entered the Deku Tree's meadow.
His name is Izal, the tree replied, And he is a just leader. The Sheikah have fared well since he came in power.
"He sounds like the one to talk to," Link remarked as he drew up beside Impa. She ran a quick eye over him, and, satisfied that he was as well as he could be, did not nag him about resting.
"Aye, since those Hylians seemed to be very untrusting," she replied. The Deku Tree grimaced, a strange look on his carved features.
The king of the Hylians is a trying man. Plots and treachery run through his mind, and through those of who he commands. Shouldst thou need to speak to a Hylian, speak to the prince. He is a man of sound judgment. Link nodded.
"Before we seek either out, we should find Rauru. He will know where to find everyone, and hopefully be able to give us a clearer idea of what is going on." He gave an apologetic look at the Deku Tree before he could respond.
"Your help has been most appreciated," he said quickly, "But Rauru has a better understanding of the intrigues and structure of this time."
Thy speaks quicker now, Link, the Deku Tree said, chuckling. I shall watch for thee; shouldst thy need respite, return to here. Link and Impa heartily thanked the Deku Tree. After a good meal, they tacked up their horses and prepared to leave. Link looked up at the Deku Tree and asked for one last favour.
"Sir, when you send me on the quest to retrieve the Spiritual Stones and help Princess Zelda, can you not tell me about this? Can you not tell me about this at all? It's just, well, it would seem very odd, and it would probably scare me into not leaving the forest."
I understand. But Link, scared was thee?
Link gave a rueful grin, "I was scared out of my mind. I had no idea what was going on. Good bye, Great Deku Tree, and thank you." He turned his horse around and the two left. The journey out was quicker and more cheerful, which contrasted greatly with the scene outside the forest. Desolate hills marred the landscape, and the sky had a grey tinge to it, giving all who passed under it a gloomy feeling. Hyrule was not a pleasant place to be in.
"He's let us out facing the Temple," Impa noted. Despite being sent back three hundred odd years, she had not lost her sense of direction. Link nodded and urged his horse on, with Impa close behind. They needed to make it there before nightfall, for neither had any wish to see the undead again.
"How long did it take you to reach Castle Town?" Impa called over as they cantered across the plains.
"A couple of days," Link hollered back, "But I was on foot and fresh out of the forest. I did not travel as fast as I possibly could have; I spent quite some time taking in what the outside looked like." The Temple, the sole building along the landscape, seemed to be as far away as it had been when they started out. They both knew the deception of distances and did not loose heart, no matter how long they rode or how far away it seemed.
Just as night fell, they made it. The two dismounted and led their panting horses up the steps and into the Temple itself. After loosening the girths and removing the bridles, they let the horses wander around and walked over to the Door of Time.
"I can't open it," Link stated sadly, "Can you do anything with your Sage's power?" Impa shrugged and pulled out her medallion. Softly chanting, she held it above her head. Shadows surrounded her, proof that she was the Sage of Shadow, and the Door opened. In front of them stood a man in orange robes, which were a bit too big, and he had white hair and a white mustache. It was none other than Rauru, the Sage of Light.
"Who are you to bear the power of one of the Sages?" he demanded.
"I am Impa of the Sheikah, the Sage of Shadow, and I am not of this time," Impa told him, and shock spread across Rauru's face.
"How is this possible? Time can not be meddled with!"
"Yes it can, Rauru," Link stated quietly. Rauru stared at him, noticing him for the first time.
"How so?" he demanded. Link sighed.
"The proper way is to use the Ocarina of Time, and only in small increments." Impa held back a snort; seven years was a small increment? Link glared at her and continued.
"However, it should only be done by the one Time has allowed. Should anyone else do it, Time is horribly mangled; even if it is done with the best of intentions." A reference to Zelda there, Impa noted.
"Here, let me show you." And in the dust, Link drew two parallel lines.
"This is the Time stream," he began, "And when it is given proper respect, it stays this way. Even my meddling with it in Hyrule and Termina did not affect it; Time had given me permission to do so due to the alternatives." Impa raised her eyebrows when he mentioned Termina; she would have to ask him about that place later. Link ran his finger through the dust again, marring the straight lines of the Time stream.
"When Time is tampered with by someone else, whether by magic or by using the Ocarina, it is marred. The stream is no longer straight; it now has bends and snarls. This is what happened when we were sent back here." Rauru looked at Link, his eyes full of concern.
"So you must be the Hero of Time that the Sages' saw. I never thought that our vision would come so soon." Link stood up and dusted himself off.
"I am not of this Time though," he said softly, "I only wish to return to my own. But I will help all that I can," he added, seeing the crestfallen look on Rauru's face.
"Very well," Rauru finally said, "I will look for a way to return you to your time. Go to the Sheikah leader; they are currently hiding in the Shadow Temple. Take this; I'm sure it will aid you." He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out an ocarina that strongly resembled Saria's. Link took it and looked at it in wonder.
"The Forest Sage left it when he moved on," Rauru explained. Link nodded, and Rauru stepped back.
"Good luck," he called out as the Door of Time shut. Link turned to Impa and brought the ocarina to his lips.
"Hang on to my arm," he said, and began to play the Nocturne of Shadow.
Impa felt the Temple fade from them, music filling her ears. She had never traveled to the Shadow Temple this way. Soon they were at the entrance, and she chuckled as she let go of Link.
"I like you're way of moving from place to place more," she joked. Link grinned,
"Yeah, it is nice not to feel sick when you arrive somewhere." He pocketed the ocarina, and the two entered the Temple. They leapt across the small chasm and walked through the false wall, and were immediately surrounded by the small, deadly swords that the Sheikah used. Link groaned, even though he understood their caution.
"Look," he said softly, in Sheikah, "We're not here to attack or anything; we just want to speak to Izal." None of the Sheikah moved, though glances were passed back when Link mentioned their leader's name.
"He speaks the truth," a voice said from the shadows, "Stand back. This is the forest boy that the scouts brought news of." The Sheikah sheathed their weapons and disappeared into the shadows. Impa turned to where the speaker was and bowed with her right arm across her chest. A woman emerged, a wry grin on her features.
"Welcome to the Shadow Temple. I am Isra, standing in for my brother, Izal. Who are you and what may I do for you?" Her words were spoken simply enough, but both Link and Impa understood the hidden meaning. They were trusted, to be given a name, but should they misuse that trust, they would be dead. They were in Sheikah territory, and there was no way out without being noticed.
"I am the Sage of Shadows," Impa began, "And my name shall remain unknown." At this Isra raised an eyebrow at Impa's perceived rudeness. She had given her name and expected one in return. Link cut in.
"We mean no disrespect," he said softly, "But our names will have to remain known to us alone. We come from another time, far in the future, and should we change anything, even if it is only giving a name or two, the future could be changed drastically, and that must not happen." Isra looked at the two, shocked.
"You speak mere folly!" she exclaimed, "No one can alter time!" Link sighed; he could not afford to tell someone how to alter time. Rauru was fine, for he was trapped in the Sacred Realm, but someone on Hyrule could not be trusted with this information.
"I speak the truth," he said, "And I can not tell you how, but believe me, it is very possible." Isra stared at them, indecision hidden by her well schooled face.
"Very well, I trust you. Why, I know not." She turned and beckoned for the two to follow her. They were lead to a room deep in the Temple; it was not too far from the Sage's Chamber. A large table was the room's focus; Isra sat at one end and indicated for the other two to pick a seat.
"I assume that you want your reasons for being here to remain your own, so I will not ask. What can I do for you?" She asked.
Impa looked at Link, who indicated that she speak to Isra.
"Rauru, the Sage of Light, told us to come here and speak to Izal. We will help all we can, and in exchange, he is looking for a way to return us to our time. Can you tell us what is going on?"
Isra nodded, "I can, but it will be a long tale." The two looked at her; they were comfortable and could hear out any tale. She sighed and began.
"No one is really sure how it started, but from what Izal has discerned, it was mainly due to the Skull King. He leads the undead; no one knows if he is dead or living, but he is a necromancer. Izal believes that he started this war in order to allow him easier access to the Triforce keys. The dead, when caught, boast of serving a great king of evil that will be released. We assume that the Skull King is a follower of this evil king, and that he needs the Triforce keys to release him. Each race holds one; the Gorons, Zora, and the forest people hold a Spiritual Stone each; we hold the song that will open the Door of Time; the Hylians have the Ocarina of Time, and the Gerudo possess the Master Sword." Link frowned at the mention of the sword.
"How did they get it?" he asked.
Isra shrugged, "No one knows. But one thing is certain, they can not use it. Anyways, the tribes have been fighting for thirty years now. The Sheikah and Hylians joined in alliance the fifth year of fighting. That was the year after the old king died and Aegri took the Hylian throne."
"We were told by the De-, umm, by the protector of the forest to watch out for the Hylian king and speak to the prince instead," Impa remarked. Isra nodded.
"That is wise advice. Kelvin, the prince, is nothing like his brother. He was captured by the Gerudos early on in the war and was ransomed after his father's death. Despite his dislike of the Gerudos, he is a just man and gives each race respect. He honours his word, unlike his brother. After all these years, Aegri is thinking about ending the alliance between his people and mine. After his sister died, he has been longing for this moment." A rueful grin appeared on Isra's face as she spoke.
"After you took the scout's horses, Aegri pounced. I think he plans to use that, plus the scout's inaction, as proof that Izal is working against him." Impa rolled her eyes.
"I am sorry," she began, but Isra waved away the apology.
"It's nothing. He's a paranoid maniac, and always will be."
"What does his sister's death have to do with all of this?" Link asked softly. Isra sighed, her smile gone.
"As part of the treaty, Izal wed Aegri's younger sister, Xyli. We never were sure why that condition was added in, but it was. At first, it was like any other arranged marriage; they gave each other their space and rarely spoke. She made a good Sheikah though, and the two fell in love. Well, a year later or so, they had a son." Isra smiled at the memory.
"He was a cute babe, always smiling. He inherited Izal's and my father's blue eyes, which amused many of the elders. They claimed we were taking over with our strange eyes." Impa laughed, for compared to the other Sheikah's dark eyes, Isra's were indeed strange. Link, however, grew extremely quiet.
"Their happiness was not to last though," Isra continued in a more somber tone, "Xyli was on her way to visit her brothers with her son about five months after he was born. She had stopped at a Hylian camp and had been escorted by a couple of Hylian soldiers. That night, the camp was attacked. No one survived. We found her body near the forest, laid out in preparation for burial. No one knows what happened to the boy. Aegri, of course, blamed Izal. Izal had enough sense to ignore him, but her death hit him hard. And ever since then, Aegri has been yearning for a chance to cut the treaty. Why I do not know, for without the Sheikah, the Hylians have a small chance of making it as well as they have been." She shrugged her shoulders, and then continued the tale, adding in more current details. Impa stood up and began to pace, and would occasionally ask Isra to clarify a point. Link, however, was in his own world.
Your mother was a Hylian woman. . . From the time before the King of Hyrule united the tribes. . . She had been gravely injured and had fled to the forest for safety…
Link remembered the Deku Tree's words all too well. Everyone had commented on his eyes; they were an icy blue, a shade rarely seen at all. Now this Sheikah woman, who, now that he had looked close enough, had the same eye colour as him, was saying that her brother's son had ice blue eyes and was half Hylian. It was all too much for him to take in.
Link stood up abruptly, and, excusing himself, he left the room. He made his way through the Temple, remembering it from the alternate time. He found a high, deserted ledge and decided to sit there. Staring out across the room, he thought more on Isra's words.
Had I remained with my family, if they are my family, I would be twenty four years old, and a trained Sheikah.
He fingered the earring on his left ear; Impa had given it to him when he fought Ganondorf. She had said it was a Sheikah marking. Somehow, it had traveled back with him.
It's funny how life turns out, he thought, I was told not to feel bad because I was given it and was not a Sheikah. Yet, if I'm right, then there never was any need to feel sorry.
He sat there for a while, thinking. Lost in his thoughts, he did not notice a figure appear out of thin air behind him. The cloaked figure quickly hid himself and watched Link. Footsteps then shook Link out of his reverie, and he looked up to see a Sheikah approaching him. By then, the figure was gone.
"You are the forest youth?" He was asked. Link nodded and stood up, smiling at the irony. He may very well be over three hundred years old, and people still called him a 'youth'.
"Please come with me; the Sage wants to speak to you." Link followed him to where he had left Impa and Isra, who were bent over a map. The Sheikah bowed slightly and left, closing the door silently behind him.
"Good, you are here," Isra stated as she stood. "The Sage and I have decided on our next move; what will yours be?"
"Well, what are you two planning?" Link asked.
"A messenger just arrived from the Gorons; Darmuni, their leader, asked for help to find his son. Isra is going to agree to his terms, and I am going to go to the Zora. It appears that they too are missing a child. Meanwhile, we are going to wait for Izal to return from the Hylian camp," Impa told him. Link nodded.
"The Hylians have the Ocarina of Time, correct?" he asked. Isra nodded.
"Then I'll go to either the Hylian or Gerudo camp; I need to get that and the Master Sword." Isra nodded, a puzzled look on her face.
"Why do you need the Ocarina? The Sage said that you already have one that allows you to move quickly."
Link scratched his head, wondering how much to tell her.
"The Ocarina of Time allows me to use magic that stops most of the undead in their tracks. However, it requires moving Time, so the ocarina that I have will not work. Also, I know of a song that puts troubled spirits to rest, but I do not know if it will work on my current ocarina. That is why I need it." Isra nodded and proceeded to show him the quickest way to get to the Hylian and Gerudo camps.
"Oh, and one more thing," Impa called out as Link turned to leave. "We decided that you need a name that you can be called in this time." Link turned apprehensively.
"What is it?" he asked, expecting the worst.
"Azaman." Link stared at her in surprise; the name literally meant 'time' in Sheikah. He nodded, grinning.
"Guess it makes sense. Well, I'm off," he said, and this time left for real.
Impa watched him leave, worried. She hated waiting, and that was all she could do right now.
"A messenger from the Zora has arrived," a quiet voice announced. Isra and Impa turned to face the speaker.
"He wants to speak to you about a temporary peace." Isra nodded and followed the speaker out the door. Impa opted to stay behind and think over the situation more. Also, she did not want to confront the Zora. He was most likely rattled, and a strange, new Sheikah from another time was not what anyone needed if peace was on the table.
A noise caught her attention, but when she scanned the room, she saw no one. Instead, she found an open window.
I guess the noise came from there, she decided and went to close it. She did not notice the shadowy figure crouched in a corner, silently cursing his mistake. Nor did she notice him as he opened an invisible door and silently shut it once he had passed through. He did not blame her for missing him though; few noticed the Sage of Time.
A/N: I don't normally do this, but I really, really like the Sage of Time. He is much fun, yes yes. Expect more of him.