I don't own anything to do with Zelda.
He did not like being undead; he did not like being in a limbo. His niece mocked him for his dislike; he deserved it, she would screech, after what he had done to her, he deserved it. Had he any emotions other than hate and disgust left, he probably would have agreed with her. Probably, but no necessarily. Even in life he had lacked many of the kinder emotions.
Aegri stared out across the wide expanse of the underground kingdom. He missed being king; he now had to answer to another's orders, and that person made sure to emphasize the once haughty king's position of servitude. Aegri ground his teeth thinking about it, causing a few to fall out. Sighing, he picked them up and shoved them back into his mouth, hoping they would stay in longer.
Why had he given Zel to this monster? He did not remember much, just vague ideas of promises and subtle encouragements. The only clear idea he could come up with was that he had been tricked into it; that the Skull King had overcome his virtue and caused him to give up his only niece and tear his brother's family apart. And now, here he was, condemned to a life of limbo.
He should have let the forest youth kill him a second time, he thought.
Zel too sat, staring across the expanse of the undead kingdom. Only she was on another side, far away from her uncle. While she too was only capable of hateful thoughts, she tried as hard as she could to remember and hold onto those memories of happy times. Of smiles and laughter, teasing and hugging, games and family dinners; those were the times she wished to bring up, to combat the feelings of despair and loneliness that swamped her soul.
When she had been with the Skull King at first, he had boasted to her that he had managed to con Aegri into giving her up. This had made her bitter, not only to the king but to her uncle as well. Zel may have been a naïve thirteen year old, but she knew enough to know that there had to be evil in the heart in order for something like this to be done. The Skull King had appealed to Aegri's sense of superiority and breached his defenses, and then managed to gain her as a prize. Aegri was not acting for the good of his people, as he fooled himself into believing, but for himself, so he could be superior to all the other races and kings. He wanted to be on top, and he would do anything to get there.
Zel glared at the grey expanse. She wanted to die, to leave this existence and never rise again. Yet she refused to go before her uncle; he would have to die first
That damn boy should have killed him.
A sad song drifted through the Hylian camp. It could be heard, softly, in the infirmary, where Izra sat next to her brother's sick bed, praying for him to open his eyes. When the song reached her ears, she turned her head towards the sound. Tears came to her eyes, so mournful and lonely was the tune. Somehow she knew that the player was Azaman; never had she heard such skillful playing.
"-ra…" a soft voice spoke. Izra's head whirled around; her brother had woken.
"Izal!" she breathed, "Hush, don't speak; you'll worsen your condition." Izal gave her a confused look.
"What happened?"
Izra sighed, "I'll tell you, but remain silent. You have a punctured lung. Aegri stabbed you in the back when you were at the Temple of Time with him, remember? Azaman and Aedan brought you back."
"Azaman?"
"He's the youth who the scouts reported seeing; the forest youth. It turns out he's from another time, and the Sage of Shadow came with him." Izal opened his mouth to ask another question, and Izra shook her head.
"Here, I'll just tell you what happened."
Link looked up from his playing as he heard footsteps. It was Izra, and she had a, well, soft expression on her face. It was one of apology and forgiveness, with sadness mixed in.
"Izal woke, and he wants to see you." Link paled. He did not want to face Izal, to here that he looked like 'her' again. And yet, in his heart, he wanted nothing more than to end this uncertainty. He wanted so much to believe that his dream was true, but then again, he also did not want to believe. But then, what would it change? He would still be parentless in his time, without a family and home.
"Will it be okay?" Link asked, trying to find a way out of going. Izra raised an eyebrow. Such reticence from the one had saved her brother?
"The healers actually recommend it. He's pretty worked up about this, and they want him calm." Link sighed, still stalling.
"But…"
"No buts," Izra proclaimed. "Unless you want to tell me why you don't want to go." She stared at him, trying to understand what was going on behind those troubled blue eyes. Link bit his lip; it seemed there was no way out of this.
"Let's go then."
Izra shook her head, "I have to go tell Aedan and Kelvin; you're an adult, you'll be fine."
"So you're going to make me go past all those people . . . alone?" Link looked away from Izra as he said this, and she sighed, relenting.
"Alright," she whispered, "I'll walk with you to the infirmary." Link smiled, the relief in his eyes all the thanks that she needed. She shook her head, and tousled his hair, much like she had for Aedan when he was younger.
"Hey!" Link exclaimed, ducking. Izra laughed.
"Come on, let's go. Time isn't stopping for us you know."
When Link walked over to Izal's bed, his heart was beating so hard that he swore others could hear it. Gulping, he sat in the chair next to the bed, and softly spoke,
"I'm here."
The injured man opened his eyes, staring into those that were the colour of ice.
"You've grown into such a fine young man," Izal breathed. Link's eyes opened wide, and he grasped the hand that was placed beside him.
"Link . . ." Izal began, "Link, where have you been?" Link bowed his head, biting his lip. The dream was real; the dream was real.
"I… I," he stammered, not knowing what to say. Izal stared at him, anxious. He wanted to meet his son, to understand him. But there was this gap between the two of them, a gap of years, of experiences. How old was Link, Izal wondered, how long had his son lived, not knowing that he had a family?
Shouts came from outside, and Link leapt up.
"I have to go," he muttered quickly and dashed out the door, leaving Izal to stare at him, perplexed and bewildered.
"Who is he?" Izal murmured to himself, "Who is this person that my son has become?"
A swirl of fabric was his only answer as a silent witness left. Gliding through a side door that lead to the town's center, the Sage of Time wondered the same thing.
The shouts that Link and Izal heard came from in front of the king's hall. A fairly sizeable crowd had gathered in front, with five men standing in the foreground. They were the ringleaders, and they were giving Aedan their demands.
Kelvin stood behind his son, a look of worry and anger on his face. Aedan gave full credit to his teachers' crammed lessons on public speaking; his face was expressionless as he listened to the demands. That is, until the last one was given.
"We want those two newcomers, the fake sage and that forest boy, to be expelled from all Hylian gatherings. Also, we want it to be known that anyone who deals with them will be made an enemy of the Hylian people."
"No."
The five stared at Aedan, shocked. This boy, this nineteen year old, dared to interrupt them, when even Aegri listened to them?
"I will not banish the man who saved my life, nor will I banish our only link to the Sage of Light in the Temple of Time." Aedan glared at the ringleaders, and Link noticed that Kelvin's face had taken on one of relief. His son had finally found the inner strength to stand up to others. Link smiled inwardly; Kelvin had been right, Aedan was the one who was to be king. He would not be able to rely on the respect due to his father; he would have to earn his own.
"But sire, please listen. Your uncle, the great king that he was, knew the benefits in listening to his people." Murmurs from the crowd arose from that statement. Aegri had made it a point that he would listen to people. Unfortunately, this evolved into him listening, and relying on, certain groups' information and opinions.
"My uncle was not a great king. He sold my sister into certain death, and he prolonged the war by refusing countless times to negotiate. And he only listened to certain groups, my dear councilor. Otherwise he would have heard the cries of woman and children, mourning the ones they lost to the war. Or he may have heard the ambassadors that returned, speaking of peaceful trains of thought in the other tribes.
"But he listened to people like you instead. So perhaps we have you to thank for the prolongation of the war? Perhaps we should thank you for the countless soldiers who died, fighting for a mad man's dream?" Aedan stared down at the five councilors, who had paled considerably. Skilled rhetorics, they knew when they had lost the argument. And they suddenly had, by a large margin. But never before had they been in such a hostile environment.
The crowd had listened to Aedan's speech and had, for the most part, agreed. Why had the war gone on for so long, and why had Aegri sold his niece? Then there was the point of him stabbing an ally, a fellow king, in the back. The Hylians may not have been fond of the alliance as a whole, but as a whole, honour and virtue were well respected. And to have their king go against all traditional values was unthinkable. Many agreed with Aedan's statement of Aegri being a madman, for what other explanation was there?
Scanning the crowd, Link caught a familiar face. A familiar cowl would be more accurate of a description though. Not far from Link, on the edge of the crowd, stood the Sage of Time. Scowling, Link walked over. Smiling, the Sage regarded Link.
"He's a good student," he remarked. "Picks up real quick."
"Who?" Link asked, confused.
"The king, who else?" The Sage indicated Aedan with a thrust of his chin. "I gave him some lessons on rhetoric; he can't use his father's respect to rule; he needs to earn his own." Link sighed, shaking his head. Would this odd man never leave him alone?
Grinning, the Sage turned back to Link.
"By the way, the name's Enzaman." He then turned to leave, but Link grabbed his cloak.
"What does that name mean?" he asked softly, suddenly curious. The Sage frowned, but Link continued to hold the cloak. He wanted an answer.
"It's High Tongue, meaning 'a time in the future'. 'En' is an indicator of the future, and 'zaman' is a root for anything dealing with time."
Link's eyes widened. "So wait… Azaman… is?"
Enzaman chuckled, "You catch on quick. Quicker than your cousin."
Link winced, and Enzaman shrugged.
"You'll have to get used to that sooner or later. Anyways, Azaman means 'a time in the past' in High Tongue. 'A' denotes the past, and again, 'zaman' is for time. Now, if you don't mind letting go, I need to go deal with a very uppity princess." Link let go, dazed a bit by the new information.
Enzaman stared at him, and then turned to leave.
By the way, he said to Link using the mind communication of the Sages, Your princess asks your forgiveness. Link jerked his head around to stare at the Sage, but he was long gone.
"Zelda…" he whispered, and after staring at the crowd, he wandered off, dazed, to find a place to hide and think.
Impa found him, some time later, lying on his back, staring at the sky.
"What's wrong?" She asked, sitting down beside him. He shrugged, not wanting to talk.
"Link," she whispered, "Link, you can't keep this bottled up. What is it?" He closed his eyes, trying very hard not to scream at her to mind her own business.
"I don't want to talk about it," he sighed, "Not now at least. Later, ok?"
"No, I don't think that will work," she stated, receiving a glare. "You need to put these demons, whoever they are, behind you in order to get back."
"What if I don't want to go back?" This time Link was on the receiving end of a glare as Impa berated him.
"Think for once Link! I know that you're under stress, but think! You would exist in two different places; in the forest, as a child, and where ever you decide to go, as an adult. If you think that Time is already under strain, think about what will happen then!" She paused, taking a deep breath. Link's nerves were not the only ones that were frayed.
"Also, I think that there was a reason we, or you really, were sent to this time. Someone is trying to bring back Ganon, and they need you out of the way."
"I can't be a hero again Impa, I just can't. What will happen, will we all be sent back again, to forget? Or will I be looked upon as a sorcerer, someone too powerful to be trusted? I just want to get my horse and leave. Leave Hyrule, leave this damned Hero of Time business, and leave all the heart aches that seem to go along with the royal family. I'm Link, not the Hero of Time, not Azaman, not the Mask Hero, or whatever they're calling me in Termina. Just Link, plain and simple."
"No, no it is not plain and simple, and you know that." Link closed his eyes and groaned, while Impa jerked her head around.
Enzaman stood there, frowning at Link.
"Nothing is plain and simple, Hero of Time."
"Don't call me that, Sage."
"Then what shall I call you? Fairy boy? Azaman? Or, how about Link-"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Link shouted as he jumped up, unable to take anymore. "Shut the fuck up! Do you have any idea what this is like? Any! I feel like I'm going to explode with all my questions, which will never be answered! And then there's this whole bit of me being the evil sorcerer. Every time, every fucking time I try to help, to do the right thing, I get royally screwed over! I'm tired of this! I just want to leave this all behind and be a no-body!" Link glared at the two of them, daring them to say something. When they did not answer, he stormed off. Neither Sage thought it wise to follow him.
"What were you going to call him?" Impa asked softly when Link no longer remained within hearing.
"By his father's name," the Sage of Time answered. Impa turned and stared at him.
"His . . . father?"
"Link is originally from this time," Enzaman began, "His mother was a Hylian woman, and she died getting him to the safety of the forest. He recently found out who his father is; I'll let him tell you who he is. That is part of the problem; the other part has to deal with the reception he's getting."
"He's expected some of it though," Impa put in.
"Aye, but how much can you expect? He may be three hundred odd years old, but he's really only seventeen. This is more than any seventeen year old can ever hope to handle, no matter how much he is prepared for it. Besides, finding out who his family relations are does not help this matter either."
"Why are you telling me this?" Impa asked a moment later.
Enzaman turned to face her, and Impa could dimly see sad eyes staring back at her.
"Because someone has to know. Someone has to help him; the Sages need Link, and it is only fair that a Sage helps him when he needs help."
"Why not you? You seem to have a better idea of what is going on." The other Sage winced and turned away.
"I've done all I can. It . . . it would be difficult, to say the least, should I help him. I'll do what I can, but you'll see what I mean later." He turned back to Impa and made a shallow bow.
"Goodbye, I wish you luck." Impa opened her mouth to stop him, but the Sage had disappeared. Cursing, she glared at the spot where he had been.
"How the hell am I supposed to help him if he won't tell me what's going on?" Footsteps behind her caused her to turn, and her anger dissipated. Aedan stood before her, looking extremely confused.
"What was that about?" he asked.
"Link's in a funk," Impa stated shortly, "And I've been told by the Sage of Time, whatever his name is-"
"It's Enzaman."
Impa blinked, and then continued, "Okay, Enzaman has given me charge to bring him out of it. Only he's not talking."
"Ah." Aedan sat down and leaned back on his hands.
"Any ideas?" Impa asked.
"He's bound to get hungry eventually, so I'd just wait for him to appear. Then we'll pounce."
"We?"
Aedan looked up at her, grinning. "You don't think I'd let you have all the fun, now do you?" Impa shook her head at him, but did not object.
Link stared across the fields of Hyrule, trying to sort his thoughts. However, he was having an extremely difficult time doing so. For one thing, two faces kept intruding on his thoughts. Two young women, strong in spirit, kept intruding on his thoughts of this time, of the era he was in.
It was no surprise that they did so, for they were the two who had taken his heart. One, from the time that was but no longer is, and the other from the time that is. He had loved the princess Zelda, but then he had been sent back, to forget. His feelings had disappeared, for he no longer knew of the strong spirited princess. He grew up in Termina, a land far away from the plains of Hyrule and its princess. There he grew to love the lively red head, Romani. The annoyance that he had felt in her presence left him as she grew into a self assured and independent young woman, beautiful in spirit and body.
His old feelings for Zelda had resurfaced, and now the two were battling each other. Link sighed; this was too much. How was he supposed to think on what was going on now, with Ganon back in the picture and all, while he kept on thinking of these two?
"What's on your mind?" a soft voice said from behind. Link spun and lost his balance. Looking up from his sprawled position, he saw Kelvin standing over him, chuckling.
"It's not funny," Link muttered as he sat up, brushing stray leaves from his clothes and hair.
"And my mind is just fine, thank you." He turned away, looking across the plains again.
"Then why, young warrior, was I able to sneak up on you?" Kelvin asked, causing Link to scowl.
"I never said it wasn't full; I just said it was fine," he growled, trying to regain his dignity. Kelvin laughed at that and sat down besides him.
"I'm here to apologize for snapping at you the other day," he said after a few minutes of silence. Link looked at him, confused for a moment until he remembered.
"Your point was valid, and had Aedan not found the ability to stand up to the nobles, it would have been even more valid. Yet it was a truth that I did not want to face, and I apologize for snapping at you when you pointed it out."
Link shrugged it off, "It's okay. I've been yelled at for less before. And no one apologized to me then." Kelvin nodded and turned to face the plains.
"What do you see in these scarred lands?" he asked softly.
"I see hope," Link replied. "The lands are destroyed by war, yet you can still see the grass that dares to grow. Flowers will still bloom, and rain will still nourish the plains. Time moves, and we can either follow it or be left behind. The blunders of the peoples of the land will not be seen in three hundred years, and that gives me comfort."
"Why?"
"Because if the land can forget something as momentous as this war, then the peoples of Hyrule can someday forget someone as important as me." Kelvin stared at Link, silent.
"What is bothering you so much, Azaman?" Link winced; he was beginning to hate all his names.
"Two women, a psychopath, and the father I never knew." Kelvin blinked.
"Well, let's begin with the women. Who are they?" Link sighed.
"Do I have to go through this?" he asked pitifully.
"It's either with me or when the Sage and Aedan managed to grab you," Kelvin replied kindly, understanding Link's reticence.
"Damn them…" Link muttered, causing Kelvin to chuckle.
"The first, well… she's the Hylian princess in my time. The other is a young woman who owns a ranch with her sister. The thing is that I've lived two, well, two sets of seven years. I'll explain it to you, but you're going to have to keep it to yourself." Kelvin nodded in agreement, and Link quickly told him about the time when Ganondorf gained power and how he had been sent back in time.
"So I grew up, for the second time, in another land, and that's where the second girl lives. And I've fallen in love with her. But now that I've regained my memories of that other time…"
"You've regained your feelings for the princess, correct?" Link nodded. Kelvin sighed, wondering how to help Link deal with this pickle.
"Well, the memories you have of the princess are just that, memories. Technically, it didn't happen, and for all you know, she may have changed. In fact, she probably did, as the experiences that shaped her then did not happen, and even if she remembers them, to act how she did then would cause many people to wonder, as they do not know of those past circumstances. Wait until you meet her again and see how she is now; then I would go back to this puzzle you have."
Link nodded, relieved. It was good to push one problem to the back of his mind.
"Now who is this psychopath?"
"Umm… his name is Ganon, and he calls himself the King of Evil."
"The guy you battled in that other time?" Kelvin asked, confused.
"Yeah… it seems that he is the one who had his crony send me and the Sage back here, to keep us out of the way for him to return."
"But I thought that you defeated him?"
"I only defeated his body on Hyrule. He lives in a different dimension, trapped by the first Sages. Every now and then he gains enough power to send part of his soul out to gain a body and to try and take over the land. And besides, that time is now gone, though he most likely remembers it."
"I see. And you think he'll be waiting for you when you return"
"If I return," Link muttered darkly.
"Well, you can't really do anything about that headache, so it's best to let that lie, and when it comes it comes. Now, who is your father?"
Link turned to stone; he refused to answer that. How could he? Kelvin was Izal's good friend and considered him a brother. How could he help him with this problem?
Kelvin noticed Link's reluctance to answer and sighed.
"I'm not going to push you for a name, but whoever he is, I'm sure he would be very proud of you. I know I would be, if you were my son." With that he stood up and left Link to the remainder of his thoughts.
Well… at least I only have one problem to dwell on, he thought as he stood up. Brushing himself off, he looked at the camp. Cooking scents were starting to drift towards him, and he found himself suddenly hungry. Walking towards the camp, he mulled over what to do.
If anything, I'll talk to Impa about it. She'll have some sort of idea of what to do.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed and has born with me; I know this chapter took forever and a day to get out. Life has been hectic until lately, and this has been a difficult chapter. I had to deal with emotional stuff and all.
And yes, Link has a potty mouth.
And for my loyal reviewers! I love you all!
Allyanna: Thanks!
x636: Hehe, thankies. Hope you like this one too.
Pete: Thank you! Your comment made me feel all warm and happy inside. Yes, there is more coming. Link still has to get back to his time, after all.
Justin- Time: Hope your keyboard is fixed now. Yeah, well… the Hylians aren't too sure what to think of Aegri now that they find out about all this horrible stuff he's done.
Ziffie-Link: Thank you. I was surprised to hear I was the first one to do something like this. Yes, Link is old. He doesn't look it though.