I don't own anything to do with Zelda.

"Princess?"

"Oh… I'm sorry," Zelda said, jolted from her reverie.

"His majesty wishes to see you. It's about your visit with the Sage of Light." Zelda sighed and thanked the servant, and then set off to see her father.

As she walked to her father's study, she wished that once more she was walking around as Sheik and not as Zelda, princess of Hyrule. Then she would not have been caught returning from the Chamber of Sages. The shocked priest who had seen her return rushed to her father to tell him, certain that the king would be happy to hear that his daughter was so favoured by the goddesses. He certainly was. Despite his good intentions, Zelda wished that the man had listened to her and kept his mouth shut. He had thought that she was merely being modest, and she was not keen on telling him otherwise.

Impa would know what to do, she thought bitterly. But if she was here, then she would've been the one to see Rauru, and she wouldn't have been caught.

"You wished to see me, sire?" The bearded man behind the huge desk looked up at her words. The king, no longer young, sported several grey hairs in his light brown hair and beard. Several generations removed from the royal family, he had been crowned ruler when his wife had died. Before then, he had merely been prince consort to his wife. Now he looked at his only child, who had suddenly become a stranger to him.

"There's no need for formalities here, Zelda."

"Yes father." The king looked at her, concerned. His daughter's eyes, once bright and mischievous at times, were now clouded with an unknown sorrow and burden.

"What did the Sage say?" he asked kindly. Zelda bit her lip, unsure what to say.

"He said that Impa and the young man she was supposed to find are fine, and that they will return when they are needed."

The king smiled in relief, "That is good news. Anything else?"

Zelda nodded, she had to tell him this. "Yes, he said to tell you to warn the other tribes for the undead are grouping together in preparation for a combined attack. He does not know when they will attack, but he is almost certain that they will."

The king sighed, placing his head in his hands. "I see. Very well, I shall warn the other tribes."

"May I go now?" Zelda asked softly. Her father looked up, surprised.

"You know that you don't need permission to leave. What is wrong Zelda? Are you not feeling well?" The princess nodded, glad for the excuse.

"Yes. I think I just need a long nap."

"Very well, you can go. I hope you feel better tomorrow." Nodding, she left the study, fleeing for the comfort of her own room.

The princess not only had to deal with worry for Impa and Link, but also with feelings that had risen once again. Guilt and love were foremost of those feelings. Guilt from her actions at the end of the seven years that once were and love for the young man who had saved her and Hyrule. Though she had resigned herself to a loveless marriage due to her status as princess, now she wished even more so that it was not so.

But even if I could marry who I wanted, who says that he would still care for me after what I did? She thought bitterly as she threw herself onto her bed. Rolling over, she stared at the high canopy, trying to figure out her thoughts. Her practical side insisted she think about the undead grouping together, but her emotional side refused to be quiet. It shouted worries of how Link thought about her, and concerns about how he and Impa were doing in the past. Try as she might, she could not quell these worries, and that had led to many sleepless nights. The princess was tired, worn down, and worried.

Allya watched her charge with worried eyes. Too many changes were happening, and they happened too fast. Not only had Impa been missing for quite some time, but the undead were grouping. The denizens of the night had not grouped together in numbers this large since the Tribal Wars. Add to the threat the fact that they were short one Sage and a hero.

Rauru had explained to her Link's unique relationship with Time. Well, unique if you took out the Sage of Time that is. Allya shook her head as she thought of the strange man. According to Rauru, the Sage of Time had been around before he had become the Sage of Light.

"Enzaman found me when I was still a young man. He told me of the Sages, and that the goddesses had chosen me to wield Light. I did not believe him at the time; we did not have Sages then, but not long after he left, the magic of Light came to me. Magic was different then; we all had some of it. However, I had such a large amount, as did the other Sages, that it was odd. We were sent to the king himself, which was an honour beyond all else for me. My family was a peasant family, farmers. When we arrived, Enzaman appeared soon after. Ignoring the king, he spoke to all of us, asking if we believed him now. He then turned to the king and explained to him about the Sages. The king, shocked that the goddesses would send High Magic in such quantities to seven people, ordered that we be taught in all its uses by the best of his mages. During those lessons, some which were taught by Enzaman, I learned many things.

"One had to deal with Enzaman himself. I found that he is an anomaly amongst the Sages. While we have set times to be Sage, he does not. Or at least, he does not have one that I am aware of. This may be because he is the only Sage of Time. While there have been two Sages for every other Temple, he is the only one for Time." Rauru sighed, looking at the floor.

"And I confess," he said softly, "That I have come to rely on him far more than I should. He comes to me, looking more and more harried each time, and I give him no reassurances, but instead ask for them. He is a good man Allya, do not fear him."

Despite his intentions to speak to Impa on the matter of his father, Link had remained silent. Instead, he spent his time away from the small area where Izal was confined to. A few weeks had passed since his talk with Kelvin, and they had been relatively peaceful. Despite an attack in which the youngest Gerudo princess was captured, the undead had stayed away from the other tribes. Most thought this was due to the fact that the undead king was gathering his forces for a final assault. Link agreed with them; three of the six keys were here, and five of them would be in the area once the kings of the Goron and Zora tribes arrived. The only one that would remain behind would be the Kokiri Emerald, safe within the depths of the forest.

The representatives from the tribes used the free time to begin a cease fire pact between the tribes, which they hoped would evolve into a peace treaty. Link and Impa chose not to sit in on it, and the writers of the pact soon learned that neither would give details on what it was like in their time.

"You are writing the histories, not me, not Azaman," Impa had said shortly the last time one of the writers had protested against her silence. She instead spent her time training Sheikah scouts, as Izra was involved in the writing of the pact and Izal was still recovering.

Izal's health improved rapidly each day. Aedan had ordered that the best healers were to heal his uncle, and some of the best Sheikah healers had made the journey to help heal their leader. By now he could walk around a bit, and frequently spent his time outside. His mind filled with thoughts on his son, he was usually thinking about how to get a hold of Link and how to get some answers. As of yet, he had not told anyone about the relationship between him and Link, but he was beginning to consider talking to Kelvin or Izra about it.

Kelvin, now that things had calmed down, could finally grieve for his wife and daughter. When Izal had asked about how he was doing earlier, Kelvin admitted that he had pushed their deaths to the back of his mind.

"Should I even think about it, I'll be useless," he confessed. "My son needs me, and as does Azaman until this anger against him dissipates, I can't let myself do that." Now though, normalcy had returned, to a degree at least, and Kelvin was finally able to say goodbye to his wife and pray for his daughter's soul.

Link was now hiding from the vast majority of the camp's population. General consensus had him as a hero; most people now thought of Aegri as a villain and believed that Link had done them a great service by killing the mad king. Link was not sure which was worse: being considered an evil sorcerer and being shunned, or being considered a hero and being spoken to by almost every inhabitant of the camp. Opting for solitude, he spent a lot of time outside the camp. This separation from the rest of the population had another bonus: Izal could not find him out here, giving him more time to figure out how to deal with this new knowledge, theoretically, at least. He had yet to think about how to deal this new familial tie between him, the Sheikah leader, and the Hylian royal family.

Aedan had grown quickly in these past few weeks and was turning into a fine young king. After firing Aegri's advisors, he had taken new ones, based not only on his father and Impa's advice, but also on his own judgment. When he had free time, he was often found sparring with Link, who would risk the chance of being found by his father at these times. The two, both prodigies with the blade, enjoyed learning new techniques from each other, and the challenge that the day's match brought.

Link flopped on the chair in the kitchen. He was still staying with Kelvin and Aedan, despite various offers from other people. Tired from sparring with Aedan, he did not notice the silvery glow until it was right in front of him. Gasping, he leapt up, knocking the chair over. It was the woman from his dream, Xyli, his mother.

: You haven't talked to him yet: she stated.

"Him?" Link asked weakly.

Stomping her foot, the specter glared at him. : Your father! You don't have forever you know! Now, he knows and is willing to talk to you, so talk to him! Or: she paused, appearing to think.

"Or what?"

: Or I'm telling Izra: Xyli said with a grin. Link's eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in a glare.

"Why? Why must I do this? I have enough on my mind!" he said angrily, rebelling.

: Because you must. When else will you have this chance? And Link, think about when you finally have return to the future. : She smiled softly, reaching her arm out to Link, who was staring at the floor.

: Darling, I know this is hard: she began, but Link cut her off.

"No, no you don't. Because you didn't have to live three hundred years in a forest, thinking that you were wrong, not right, because you didn't have a fairy. You didn't have to feel like you'd been living a lie when you found out that you weren't Kokiri, but Hylian. For once," he paused, his throat choked, "For once, I'd like to know what in the world is going on." Cold arms encircled him, yet warmth flowed into his body from the ghostly figure. He looked at his mother, shocked.

: Then talk to him. Talk to your father, and find out what is going on. : Withdrawing, she smiled at him and kissed him on the forehead.

: I must go now, but keep well. I sent you that dream for a reason, and that was to get you to talk with your father. He won't bite, you know. Goodbye my son. : She turned and was about to fade away, when Kelvin walked in. He stopped, shocked at the sight of seeing his sister. Grinning, Xyli floated over, hugged her brother, waved at the two, and disappeared. Kelvin turned to Link, who was picking up the chair.

"That wasn't my sister I just saw, was it?" Kelvin asked softly.

"Ummm… well, technically," Link started.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kelvin said, exasperated. "Why was she here?" Link was silent, until Kelvin grabbed his shoulder and turned him, forcing Link to look at him.

"I had thought it a coincidence, but you have Izal's eyes. And you look very similar to my father and grandfather now that I think about it. You're her son aren't you? You're Link." Link swallowed, unable to look away.

"Dad? What's going on?" Aedan asked, confused as he had just entered. Link took the moment to break away and ran to his room, firmly shutting the door behind him. Sitting on the bed, he put his head in his hands, only to find that they were shaking so much he could not support it. Dimly, he heard Kelvin telling Aedan about Xyli's ghost. Soon, someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," he said softly. I can't run from this forever, he thought bleakly. It was Aedan, and he sat on the bed beside Link before speaking.

"Is it true?" he asked, "Are you my cousin?" Weakly, Link nodded. Aedan nodded, staring at his hands.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Link thought for a little while before answering. "I… I was scared. For so long, I was the boy without a family, the boy without a fairy. I have no idea what a family is supposed to be like really, and I wasn't sure what would happen should I tell. And then… and then he tells me…" Link stopped, his throat choked again.

"He? You mean uncle Izal?" Aedan asked, confused. Link nodded.

"You've got to talk to him!" Aedan said suddenly, jumping up. "You need to talk to him, Az-, Link, because then you'll be able to sort this out! You'll be able to see what it's like to have a family! How awesome it is." He stopped, looking at his cousin, who had a startled look on his face.

"He won't yell; you'll be fine," Aedan said, reassuringly. Link hung his head, defeated.

"I guess… I guess you're right," he admitted. Aedan smiled.

"Of course I am! Now, let's get you some food and then we'll find uncle Izal." Link winced, but stood up all the same. Smiling, Aedan lead him into the kitchen, where Kelvin waited with lunch.

Link, despite his family members' attempts, never did speak to Izal that day. Instead, he stared in horror as the Gerudo king was brought into the camp. Caught by the undead, only Havlah and Shaksh, a tough Gerudo fighter, had survived the encounter. The king was in terrible condition; he would cough up blood occasionally and his breath came out in wheezes. Amazed that he had made it this far on horseback, Link could only respect the tough Gerudo. They certainly were a force to be reckoned with.

Some good had come out of it though. Despite being captured weeks ago, the youngest Gerudo princess, Naaboi, had returned. She had managed to keep from being taken to the Skull King by escaping and being an overall nuisance to her captors. The young girl was now with her sister, who had come before to help right the peace treaty, sitting by their father's bedside. Izal had given up his spot in the infirmary for the king and was now staying in one of the rooms for the ambassadors.

When Naboo, the eldest princess, emerged from the tent, her face was one of rage. Storming over to where Aedan sat with the other ambassadors, she placed her hands on the table, leaning over it.

"The bastard has made undead that use fire," she breathed, barely able to contain her anger.

"What?" Izra demanded, rising.

"They are skulls, surrounded by a large flame. Cackling, these things bounce along until the hit and burn their target." Link, who was standing nearby, walked over.

"Bubbles." He said softly when he was close enough. The others looked at him in askance.

"That's what we call them, Bubbles. There are some that have a blue flame and are called Blue Bubbles. The blue ones can curse you, and then you can't draw your sword; it somehow gets stuck in its sheath. But it goes away after a little while. The normal ones though are bad. You can't get rid of the flame easily, and they are hard to hit. And," he paused here. "And, as far as I know, daylight doesn't hurt them in the way it does the other types of undead."

"Which explains why father was attacked. They weren't expecting to be attacked in the middle of the afternoon!" Naboo exclaimed angrily. Link nodded.

"The Bubbles are his new project," a soft, though harsh voice, said. Spinning, Link faced a familiar undead. Zel looked up, a sad, yet pained expression on her face.

"He has been experimenting with them for years, from what the others say. It was them that attacked the village that Auntie Xyli was staying at when she died. But they weren't perfected then, so the Bubbles all died." Zel suddenly stopped, gasping for air.

"What is wrong?" Link asked softly, confused.

"I… I didn't come with his permission," the young girl confessed. "I came to ask you… a favour."

"What?"

"Kill me. Bring up the sun, shoot me with an arrow, what ever! I don't care! Just kill me!" Link stared at her in surprise, as did the rest.

"I'm tired of being this horrible," she sobbed, "And this is the last chance I'll have before… before it becomes final, and my mind goes to that of an undead's. Please," she begged, "I've tried for so long to fight this. And I've been such a horrible person! Just, please, kill me. Let me die." She looked at Link, her eyes pleading. Had she been human, her eyes would have been filled with tears.

Moved, Link brought his ocarina to his lips. A joyful song came out, calling the sun to rise.

"No!" a voice hissed. It was the Zora princess, rising and trying to stop Link. She was too late, and too was hit by the sun's rays. As the two undead fell to the ground from the sun's powerful rays, a new song floated through the air. Aedan smiled sadly, remembering it and its healing properties. It was the Song of Healing, calling the battered spirits to leave their anger and hate behind and rise to the heavens, where the goddesses waited with their loved ones.

"Thank you," two soft voices whispered. The two princesses waved at Link and the ambassadors before disappearing into the sun's light. Stepping forward, Aedan picked up his sister's body, now free from the decay forced upon it during her undead state. Akoni, the Zora ambassador, did the same for the Zora princess. He followed Aedan as he took his sister to the House of the Dead for preparation for burial.

"I think… I think we're done for today," Izra said softly. Link nodded and walked back to Kelvin's house, where he promptly fell asleep. Kelvin had already left, informed by a runner of what had happened.

That evening, when he woke, Link found a note waiting for him in place of his hosts.

Link,

We are at the House of the Dead. I can not thank you enough

for what you did for us. Neither can the Zora king; he

arrived just as I was leaving here.

You must go speak to Izal. He is alone, so you will not have

to worry about Izra; I know she can be formidable. Please,

just go speak to him.

That said, have a nice evening.

Kelvin

Link chewed his lip, staring at the letter. Finally deciding on a course of action, he crumbled the paper up, and keeping it with him should he change his mind, he set off for Izal's room in the ambassador's house. Finding the house empty, he walked over to the room where his father was. Knocking on the door, he heard a muted "Come in".

Izal was sorting papers that his sister had left for him when he heard the knock. He dropped his short stack in surprise at the noise and had dropped down the pick them up when he said "come in".

"We need to talk," the visitor said softly. Shocked, Izal looked up, hitting his head on the desk.

"Are you okay?" Link asked worriedly, looking over the desk.

"I'm fine, thank you," Izal muttered as he stood, rubbing his head. He looked at his son, who had retreated from the desk.

"And yes, we need to talk."

OoOoOoO

A/N: Sorry this one was such crap at the beginning, but I needed time to pass. And sorry that it's shorter, but Izal and Link's talk is going to take a while, at least, it should. So yeah…

Justin Time: Yes, Link is much fun when he flips. He had a good excuse though.

Allyanna: Sorry, but you'll have to wait until next chapter for their conversation.

Tizami-Ki: Thank you very much! Hehe, it would be fun to see this as a movie.

The Fiercesomest Dragon Ever: Thank you very much!

Corran Nackatori: Hehe, I have a very astute reader here. And yes, it is very amusing to play with time.