I don't own anything to do with Zelda.
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A cloaked man walked towards him. Pausing, the man drew back his cowl, revealing a lined face with piercing blue eyes and golden hair. A few scars ran across his left side; one had caused his left eye to be permenatly closed. It was himself, only... older. Link had never thought that he would grow old; he had always pushed the thought to the back of his mind, to think on later. His older self chuckled.
"Yes, you get to age. It's odd how it happens, bit by bit, until it suddenly jumps up on you."
"Life does that, no matter what," Link answered. His older self laughed again.
"Yes, it does. But I'm not here to talk about life or growing old. You've got to learn how to use your powers now, and we have to do it in this dreamscape."
"But if you teach me how to use my magic, and I'm you... how-"
"Don't even ask. Don't think about it; it's a quirk of time. It will only confuse you and drive you crazy," the older Link cautioned. "Now, let's begin." Suddenly Link found himself learning commands and uses of magic that he had never thought possible. He learned how to throw ice without freezing his hand, and to send out fire without burning himself. And, lastly, he learned how to spot and use the hidden doors of time. He learned that they would only take him to when Time wished him to go, but that he could go where he wanted. But above all, he learned that Time was kind and would accept requests to travel her paths when it was not specifically needed.
"Be wary when you go to another time," he was warned, "For visions of could-be's and will-be's will hover in the corner of your eye. They will drive you nuts, but there is nothing you can really do about it."
"Alright," Link said tensely, "But I have a question, why do I need to know this now? Couldn't you come back in time later and teach me then?"
"No. I can only appear to you like this, in a dreamscape, now that you've awakened as the Sage of Time. I can not exist in the same time as a younger Sage of Time," the older Sage sighed, seeing Link's confused expression. "Think of it like I'm the Ocarina. It can not exist in the same time as itself, neither can I."
"Oh." Link blinked, the dreamscape was becoming blurry; he was waking up.
"Good luck," the older him said and disappeared.
When Link woke up, he looked around, confused after the dream.
"Weird..." he muttered, only to have it come out as an unintelligble rasp. He sat straight up, holding his throat. It was hot to the touch and felt scratchy. He wondered what had caused this, until he remembered calling the Divine Light to attack the Skull King.
So that's why I couldn't call fire... not only was I exhausted, I had no voice.
"Good, you're awake." Link froze. It was Izra, and she was seated next to his bed. He had not even noticed her.
"Now, Link," she said sweetly, too sweetly in Link's opinion, "We need to talk." Link groaned inwardly. He pointed at his throat and then drew at cutting motion across it.
"I don't understand," she said tartly, thinking he had lost his mind. Sighing, Link tried to say that he had no voice. Only, it sounded like a mix between a gurgle and a rasp. He then started to cough; the strain on his injured throat was too much.
Cool water was poured down his throat, as Izra held a cup to his mouth. When he had finished the water, he looked up at his aunt, who had a look of resigned annoyance on her face.
"It figures that when I find out about this, you can not talk," she sighed, "I guess I'll just have to grill Izal. That was why you finally went to see him, correct?"
Link nodded, and Izra rose. She turned to go, but stopped when Impa entered the room.
"I want to know what is going on here," she stated, "Kelvin said to ask you, and Aedan is in a fight with one of the idiots that try to advise him." Izra nodded, agreeing with Impa.
"Understandable, I want to know too. Let me get Izal, he knows what is going on." She left to get her brother, and Impa dragged a chair over to Link's bed.
"What have you got to say on this?" She asked crossly. Link shrugged and pantomimed his lack of voice again. Sighing, Impa reached out with her mind.
Can you hear me? she suddenly asked, surprising Link.
Never do that again! He shouted with his mind, Warn me next time!
"Stop shouting," she hissed, wincing. "Now you can talk with me through your mind."
Oh. Sorry.
"Damn right," she muttered. "Now, what is going on?"
Wait for Izal; he can explain it better than me. Link said, earning a glare from his fellow Sage.
"I swear, you all seem to think this secrecy is amusing," she growled. Link sighed. He did not like keeping Impa out of the loop; he owed her too much for that.
It's not that, he thought to her, It's just I don't know how to say it really. It's the weirdest thing, suddenly finding out you have a family. There's really no way to explain it. That, and this whole talk with your mind thing is new and frankly, weird.
Impa sighed, relenting. Her shoulders relaxed, and her face lost its harshness. Link looked at her concerned. The current events were taking a hard toll on the Sheikah, and yet Impa refused to go slower. Link bit his lip, not knowing what to say. He was concerned for his friend, yet he knew that any attempts to talk to her about this would only be met with rebuttals. The only one who could safely talk to Impa about such things was her husband, and he had only been able to do so after an explosion that had almost taken his life.
"I'm fine," Impa said suddenly. "I know I look like a wreck, but I'm fine. I'll be better though when I'm back in my own time and can be pestered about my health by my family. So don't even talk about it." Link raised an eyebrow. How was he to talk about it? He could think about it, but not talk about it.
"Stop looking at me like that," she sighed, exasperated. "I know you can't talk."
Link smiled, and then jumped when he heard the door open. Impa gave him a look, questioning his jumpiness. He shrugged sheepishly. Izra and Izal walked over, and Izal took the seat which Izra had previously occupied. Aedan sooned followed, exasperated.
"No one knows I'm here, got it? So no saying of my name or that stupid "your majesty" grovel, understood?" He glared at all of them and received nods and wry grins in return.
"Now, what is going on?" Impa asked softly. Izra looked at Izal, who sighed.
"I guess I should start," he began softly, his voice barely above a whisper. Izra and Impa leaned in, curious, while Aedan and Link sat back, for they already knew the tale.
Zelda watched the evacuations from the castle's battlements. Sheikah children and pregnant women were filing into the castle, joined with Hylian women and children. The Gorons had moved their women and children to the very height of Death Mountain, where they were surrounded by slow moving lava. The lava, harmless to them, would be used as a protective wall between them and the malicious undead. The Zora, with the exception of their warriors and the princess, had fled to the depths of Lake Hylia, where the undead would not be able to go. That is, as long as Ganon was not revived, at which point there would be nowhere anyone could hide. The Gerudo waited outside the city; once the Hylians and Sheikah were in the castle, the Gerudo children and pregnant women would join them. The rest would join the ranks of warriors preparing the defenses of the walled city.
"It is a sad sight, no?" Zelda turned to see Nabooru standing just behind her. The Gerudo queen walked up and rested her hands on the stone wall.
"To think, all that hell we went through, and for what? To see Ganon rise again. The goddesses must be having a good laugh at this tragedy."
"Oh Nabooru, it can't be that bad, can it?" A soft voice asked. Ruto stood in the doorway, her eyes large in concern. Sighing, Nabooru shook her head.
"Forgive this pessimistic old nag," she said softly. Heavy footsteps reached their ears, and Darunia soon appeared.
"Something is up," he said shortly, and they all looked at him in confusion.
"Something is up with Rauru," he clarified. "He said he was coming to see us."
"Why?" Zelda asked. Rauru could not leave the Sacred Realm, as his body had departed from the material world long ago. The mighty Goron shrugged; he did not know.
"My time here is over," Rauru said suddenly as his spirit appeared.
"What?" Ruto exclaimed, shocked. Rauru smiled sadly.
"The Sage of Time has awakened," he said softly, "And now there are seven Sages, and I must go. But do not worry, he will be here soon." The other Sages looked at him in shock. None of them, even after finding out about the Sage of Time, had thought about Rauru leaving them. He had always been there, a father to them all, and they did not know what they would do without him.
As he began to fade, Nabooru quickly shouted out, "Who is he?"
"An old and dear friend," Rauru said simply and departed to the realm of the Goddesses to join his old friends. Zelda choked on a sob, leaning against the battlements. Rauru was gone; he would no longer be there, to comfort, to advise.
"This is bad," Darunia growled. "That damned necromancer will know that Rauru has left; he must know that we are two Sages and a hero short. He will attack soon, before Impa and Link and this unnamed Sage can get here."
"Who could it be?" Ruto asked. "A old and dear friend? But that could be anyone!"
"No," Nabooru said thoughtfully, "It would have to be an old and dear friend to us all. Rauru did not specify whose friend he was, so he must be known by all of us." Zelda looked up and was about to comment when a commotion below caught her attention.
Shouts rose up from the horse stables, and a loud whinny accompanied them. When she peered down, she saw a group of stable hands trying to lead Epona to where the livestock and unclaimed horses were being kept: a protective stable under the castle. The mare had another idea though and was not cooperating.
"Leave her alone!" Zelda shouted down. The stable hands looked up, confused. They could not make out her words through the wind.
"Shoot," she muttered, and began to run down the stairs. She need not to have worried though, for when she got down, the situation was resolved. A tall Sheikah had explained matters to the Hylians, and Epona was nuzzling him, looking for sugar. Zelda smiled when she saw him.
"It's good to see you again, Dir'ath." The tall man turned and smiled back. Stepping forward, he leaned down a bit to see the princess.
"You've grown quite a bit since last time, little princess," he said kindly. "Impa's tales of you don't quite do you justice." Zelda blushed, both flattered and embarrased.
"Well, that depends on what she's been telling you." Dir'ath laughed, a sound that did not come out of a Sheikah in public too often. Zelda grinned; of all the Sheikah, not including Impa, he was her favourite. Despite the accident that nearly took his life thirteen years ago, he had kept his easy going matter. Which was good, for in her opinion, for Impa could be too uptight and needed a husband who would help her unwind.
"Well, shall we take this little lady back to the stables?" he asked. Zelda nodded and fell into step as he started walking. Despite his bad leg, Zelda still had to increase her pace to keep up. The dignified court walk was too slow for any Sheikah, even one whose leg had been scarred and damaged by a mine explosion. Epona followed readily enough, though she refused to go into the stables when they arrived. Instead, she gracefully jumped into the nearest pasture, joining a coal black stallion. Dir'ath chuckled at her choice.
"Taliesin will be a good, calming compainion for her," he explained to the princess, "An explosion could go off beside him, and he wouldn't flinch. That and we tend to use him as a babysitter when the young ones are around the stables." Zelda grinned at the image of this fine young stallion, herding small children and keeping a watchful eye on them. Dir'ath smiled back and turned, beckoning the princess to follow him.
"Any news?" he asked quietly as they made their way back to the castle. Zelda shook her head, staring at the ground.
"I see," he sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't have-"
"Rauru. . . Rauru's gone," Zelda cut in. Dir'ath jerked his head around to look at her.
"Oh little one," he whisphered, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Why?"
"The Sage of Time, he's awakened, so there are seven Sages now," she said tonelessly, "And so, Rauru, he. . ."
"He moved on?" Dir'ath finished for her. Zelda nodded.
"He said that the Sage of Time would be here soon, and that he was an old and dear friend." She looked up at the Sheikah. "Do you have any ideas as to who he is?"
Dir'ath was silent for a few minutes as he thought on it. "No, I can not think of anyone, well, besides the Hero of Time that is. Maybe someone related to him? I do not think that Link would be both Sage and Hero." Zelda paused, thinking over his words, then looked up at him in surprise. How did he know that Link was the Hero of Time?
"Impa told me, not long after she regained her memories," Dir'ath explained with a smile. "She was acting very odd, and I wouldn't stop pestering her about it, so she told me." Zelda nodded. A shadow passed over her, and she broke out of her musings to look up at the sky.
"This is not good," she breathed. Three in the afternoon, and dark clouds were beginning to cover up the protective sun. Apologizing to Dir'ath, she broke into a run, heading to where the evacuees where entering the castle.
"Princess?" one of the guards asked, confused.
"Get the evacuees in faster," she panted. "Don't panic anyone, but move them faster. We need to get everyone in before the sun is covered by the clouds."
When the sun was finally hidden by the sorcerous clouds, the undead rose. Hissing and screeching, they stood on the outermost banks of the castle moat, cursing the castle's inhabitants. They could not rise in the castle grounds; the ground had been purified by the priests from all the tribes.
"Fill it up," a harsh, raspy voice ordered. Howling in joy, the undead spread out, and slowly began to fill in the moat. Senetries on the battlements watched and runners relayed the positions and the advances of the undead to the generals and leaders of the tribes. On the command of the head general, the archers let out a series of volleys of fire arrows. Some hit their mark, sending the undead hollowing into the earth. Others missed, and more hit a protective, invisible sheild set up by the Skull King. The general smiled. One less thing was unknown to the defenders.
The undead retreated, late the next morning, when the sun finally broke through the dark clouds. It was almost 11 o'clock. A select crew of workmen and soldiers ventured out of the gates to try and clear out the moat. They were immediatly attacked by Bubbles, and would have all been killed if Nabooru had not lead a small group of her fighters out to rescue the remainder of the group. No other attempts were made to sneak out.
The Sages held conference with the Hylian and Zoran kings, trying to figure out what to do, when Saria appeared.
"I can't stay long," she said, holding up a hand to stop questions. "The Skull King has sent a contingent of Bubbles to the forest; he plans to burn it. The Deku Tree wants me to tell you that he will protect the underside of the castle. His roots form the foundation, and the undead will not be able to force their way in by undermining the walls." A sigh of relief echoed through the room; that was one less thing to prepare for.
"Thank him for us Saria," Zelda said, "Is there anything we can do?"
"Stay alive," was Saria's only answer, "Stay alive until Link, Impa, and this seventh Sage get here." The forest girl then disappeared, leaving the others to return to planning out the city's defense. The priests were sent out again to purify the ground in the city. No one knew how well the purification would hold up over time, and no one wanted to take chances.
That afternoon, the clouds returned, and the undead began their work again. This time they were able to fill in enough of the moat to cross the it. Archers rained arrows down on them and Darunia sent down blasts of fire, but it did not make much of a difference. The undead grouped together, attacking one part of the walls, protected by their master's protective sheild. Those that were hit were soon replaced by others standing farther back, out of range of the defenders.
"He must be getting magical aide from Ganon," Ruto growled as she watched the arrows bounce off the shield. "There's no other explanation for it. No necromancer is this powerful."
"Yes," Nabooru agreed, her arms crossed, "The question is though, can we hold out?"
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A/N: I'm really really sorry this took so long to get out, I really am. School and Word have conspired against me.
A note on the horse names; they're all Celtic deities. Epona is the goddess of horses and fertitliy, Lugh the god of skills, and Taliesin the god of bards.
The Fiercesomest Dragon Ever: Yes, Zelda has to watch out now. Hehe
Justin Time: It's okay, you managed to update before me!
Allyanna: Don't worry, Izal isn't going to just disappear. I like him too much to do that.
Tizami-Ki: Glad to hear you like my attempt at mythology!
Astryel: Thanks