"Oh my god!" Zelda silently gasped to herself as she raised her hands to her mouth at this startling news.
"What do you mean by traitors?" asked Link cautiously knowing that he was treading dangerous waters.
"I mean exactly what I said!" Gerik yelled in response. "Those so-called parents of mine turned their back on Hyrule. They basically handed Hyrule over to Ganon on a silver platter. What's worse though is what those two did to the two of you. It's not so much what they did to you Zelda, rather what they attempted to do, but you on the other hand Link, I'm. . .I'm so sorry. What they did is unforgivable."
"Wait, what happened?" asked Alexis. "What are you talking about? You're not making any sense Gerik. How could your parents know Link and Zelda. They would have been little more than babies."
"That's exactly when it happened," Gerik said, his voice now a mix of anger and sorrow. "My parents, ugh I can't believe I called them that, we're two very skilled Sheikah warriors. Their skills led them down a dark path though. They believed that since Sheikahs were so superior to Hylians that Sheikahs should rule Hyrule. They tried to get others and lead a revolt, but none would follow. That's when they turned to the TwinRova sisters. The sisters manipulated them into turning their back on Hyrule. The sisters knew that Ganon would need powerful allies in his conquest, so they promised my parents that the Sheikahs would hold a place of power beneath Ganon when he took over. For years they did as they were told and never had a second thought about it."
"Wait, I remember reading about this," said Link as he remembered what he had read about Ganon's war against Hyrule. "There were a pair of Sheikah warriors that had provided detailed maps of Hyrule's defenses to Ganon and had also assassinated the best warriors in the land to make sure that no one could resist Ganon's army. I had no idea that they were your parents."
"Yes, and it was their last assassination attempt that they did the two of you wrong. When Zelda was born, the sisters sensed that she might become a threat to Ganon, so they sent my parents in to kill the infant Zelda. The night they broke into the castle Zelda refused to sleep. As a result her nanny was still in the room with her when they burst into the room. They didn't expect the nanny, but quickly killed her without remorse. Luckily, she was able to let out a scream before she died. That scream was heard by your father Link. You see, your father was a member of the Royal Guard. He was also an exceptional swordsman, which is probably where you got your natural talent from. He happened to be walking down the hallway with your mother and you in her arms that night when the nanny screamed."
"My. . .my father was a Royal Guard. I. . .it. . .uh. . ."
"When your parents burst into the room, they saw my father holding his sword over Zelda. Your dad drew his sword and quickly rushed forward and prevented him from killing her. The two of them then engaged in combat. My mom was about to join in, but she saw you and your mother standing in the doorway. Not wanting her to call for reinforcements she rushed forward to kill the two of you. Your mother knew nothing of sword fighting, so her maternal instincts of getting you to safety kicked in. She ran out of the castle and into Hyrule Field. When she looked back and saw my mother still chasing her though, she knew that she had to get somewhere safe. That's when she decided to go to the Kokiri Forest, knowing that the forest spirits would protect the two of you. Somehow, throughout the chase your mother managed to avoid taking a direct hit, but she did receive the numerous wounds that would eventually lead to her death. As your mom neared the forest, she tripped and fell. My mom went to deliver the final blow, but her attack was deflected by Impa."
"Impa!" exclaimed Zelda. "Wait, so Impa knew the truth about your past the whole time?"
"Yes, and she never bothered to tell me the truth. She had been on her way to the castle when she saw my mom attacking Link and his mother. As soon as Impa intervened she recognized my mother. It didn't take long for Impa to kill my mother, but when she turned around Link and his mother were gone. Your mom had used the opportunity to sneak off into the Kokiri Forest, and knowing that she was about to die, asked the Great Deku Tree with her dying breath to watch over you. As for our fathers, they ended up killing each other. The sounds of their fight didn't go unnoticed, and pretty soon there were dozens of knights running up to the room. By the time they got there though, it was already over. They watched as your father drove his sword into my father's chest, killing him. Your father was seriously wounded though, but before he died he explained what had happened and asked that they find you and your mother. Obviously they were never successful. Your father was honored as a great hero the following day, and he is buried in the Kakariko Graveyard alongside other heroic knights and royal family members. I. . .I am so sorry Link."
"Listen man, it's not your fault," said Link. "You were just a baby then like Zelda and I. You had no control over your parents' actions."
"Don't feed me that bull! The same blood that ran through their veins runs through mine, and it is the blood of a traitor. No matter what happens from here on out, I can never regain my family's honor that my parents destroyed. They did an extreme injustice to you Link. Your parents intervened to save Zelda, but if my parents hadn't tried to kill her none of this would've happened. I hate them, and everything that they stood for, but no matter what I do I will always be related to those traitors. Everyone, I'm sorry. I. . .I need to be alone."
Gerik walks away rapidly, tossing the book from the table to the floor in the process. He storms right past Link, Zelda, and Alexis and out of the temple. Zelda tries to say something, but Gerik just keeps on walking, completely ignoring her. Once he's gone Link, Zelda, and Alexis just stand there staring at the exit. All of them are shocked by the news that they just heard, especially Link and Zelda. Zelda had never known that there had been an assassination attempt on her life, and Link knew next to nothing about his parents.
"What. . .what do we do now?" asked Alexis, unsure of what exactly to say.
"You better go out and talk to him," replied Link with a sigh.
"What, me?"
"Well he's not going to respond to Zelda or me. He believes that he's responsible for what his parents did to us. We're the last people he needs to see right now. Besides, I have a strong feeling that he'll respond to you."
"If you think so, then I'll do it. I'm not sure of what to say though."
"Just be there for him," said Zelda. "Just listen to what he has to say."
Alexis nodded and then made her way to the exit. Link and Zelda just stood there watching as she left. So far this trip had been nothing but trouble to them, and they were still no closer to finding what they came here to find. Even though Link had just learned a lot about his parents and his past, there was still something else bothering him. Now that Alexis was gone, he felt that he should get it off his chest.
"You know," began Link, "there's something about Alexis that doesn't seem right. I think she's hiding something."
"What gives you that idea?" asked Zelda, her interest peaked.
"It's a lot of things. It's the way she acts when cornered with questions about her or her past, the way she seems to know everything about me, and there are times when she says these little things, but it's quick and then she quickly changes the subject."
"You're probably just imagining things."
"Maybe, but I'm definitely sure that I've heard that voice before. I do not remember her face at all, and I'm pretty good with faces, but I know that I've heard that voice before; I just don't know where. It's been bugging me ever since I first heard her speak."
"Why don't you just ask her about it?"
"Because she'll just clam up and change the subject like she always does. She's got to be hiding something; there's no other reason for that kind of behavior. I'd also like to know how she knows everything. I mean, she gave us all the details on Lord Arcana and his army, she knew how to get here, and she knew what the weaknesses were on those stone statues."
"I think you're just being paranoid. You're just not use to sharing the limelight with other people."
"What are you talking about? I gave everyone their due credit in the war against Ganon. I know that I didn't do it by myself. Besides, if that were true how come I'm not saying anything bad about Gerik?"
"Because I can vouch for him. I can tell you all that you want to know about him."
"Ah, that brings up a good point. Who can vouch for Alexis? She just came out of nowhere offering to help. We know nothing of her past, yet we're supposed to be trusting her. How do we know that she isn't working for Lord Arcana and was ordered to keep us busy while he attacks Hyrule?"
"Okay, I'll grant you the fact that she might be hiding something, but she's definitely on our side. I can sense it. There is nothing but good in her heart."
"Well at least now I know that I don't have to watch my back, and you now believe me that she's hiding something. Come on, let's get back to reading. It's probably getting late out and we're no closer to discovering Lord Arcana's weakness."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Alexis and I have checked nearly every room upstairs, so the answer has to be down here somewhere."
Link gives Zelda a nod and they walk off to check the other rooms. Link points out to Zelda which rooms have already been checked, which are mostly the forward ones, so they head down to the rooms nearest the Triforce room. As they get close to the Triforce room though, the triforce symbols on both their hands start to glow. The temple starts to shake as the door blocking the Triforce room begins to open, probably for the first time in history. They just stand there frozen as they watch the door open.
"Did. . .did we just do that?" asked Zelda turning her head to look at Link.
"I think so," he replied turning his head at her. "Hey, do you remember what Alexis said? She said that 'it will only allow access to those chosen to read the contents inside.' This must be the reason why we came here. We were meant to read whatever it is in that room."
"What are we waiting for then?"
As Alexis walked outside, the first thing she noticed was that it was getting late. The sun was already setting and half eclipsed by the mountains surrounding them. Her eyes had to adjust since it was still so bright inside the temple. When her eyes had finished adjusting she began walking around the battlefield searching for Gerik. She finally found him sitting on the ruins of a collapsed column with his back to her. As she headed over to him she saw one of Gerik's swords slammed into a still standing column and the other sticking out of the ground several feet away from him as if he had tossed it. Gerik didn't even hear Alexis approach.
"Gerik, are you okay?" Alexis asked in a sympathetic voice as she sat down next to him.
"No, no I'm not okay!" he barked. "How the hell would you feel if you learned that your parents were nothing more than traitors?"
"I was just trying to help. If you're going to act like that I'll just go back inside."
"No, wait. I'm sorry. You've just got to understand that this is very hard for me. I don't even know why I'm so upset. Up till now I thought that my parents had just abandoned me, but I don't know. I had always hated them, but now it's something more. Now it goes beyond hate."
"Gerik, I'm not going to sit here and say that I understand what you're going through. I know that this must be difficult, even with the low expectations you had about your parents from the beginning. You have to understand though, that none of this is your fault. You had nothing to do with your parents activities."
"Of course I do; I'm their son. Why else would Impa shield me from the truth? She shielded me from the dishonor my parents brought onto my family name. At least in her version I had thoughts that perhaps my parents had been good people before they abandoned me. Now I know the truth. My parents were no good traitors to Hyrule, and their traitorous blood runs through me."
"I haven't known you long Gerik, but everything I've seen you do has been for the good of Hyrule. You have put your life on the line several times now in order to protect Hyrule. Now does that sound like someone who has traitorous blood."
"No, but–"
"No buts! It's either yes or no."
"No! Are you happy? What about Link and Zelda though? They must think I'm a monster, especially Link. It's because of my parents that Link never got to know his parents. What's worse is that he could've spent his childhood in the castle instead of living inside some tree."
"Link and Zelda don't think that. They know that you and your parents are two completely different subjects. As for Link, I don't think he's as upset as you would think. Link never knew his parents, so how could he be. If he had been older at the time and have spent time with his parents when they were killed, then I can see him becoming extremely upset. And as for the castle, I'm sure Link doesn't mind one bit. He's not one for all that fancy stuff. He's an adventurer, and used to the outdoors. When his mom died, the Kokiri became his family and the Kokiri Forest his home. He knows no other."
"But what am I supposed to do now? It's not like I can forget what I just learned. Till the day I die I will know the truth, and there is nothing I can do to change that. My honor has now been stripped from me, and I will never get it back. I should just kill myself right here."
"No! That is not the answer."
"Save it. I've got no one and nothing to fight for. Hyrule will be better off without me."
"No it won't! Hyrule needs you now more than ever, and. . .and. . ."
Alexis stops stuttering and leans toward Gerik. Before Gerik even realizes what is going on, Alexis kisses him. Gerik is shocked at first, but then gets into the kiss. Alexis keeps the kiss locked for quite some time before stopping. After the kiss she quickly turns her face, which is now a bright red color, away from Gerik. Gerik just sits there stunned, his face slightly red as well.
"Um, I'm sorry," said Alexis as she looked behind her to see Gerik's expression. "I shouldn't have done that."
"No, it's okay." said Gerik as he grabbed her chin slightly with his hand and guided her head so that their eyes locked. "I had been hoping to kiss you since the first moment I saw you. This is like a dream come true."
"So good, then you're not going to kill yourself?"
"Not now, not ever. The only way I'm leaving your side is in the defense of Hyrule or in the defense of you."
"And the same goes for me. Come on, Link and Zelda are probably wondering what happened to us."
"Should we tell them our good news?"
"Not yet. Let's wait for a more happier time."
Alexis and Gerik stood up without breaking their eye lock. The two of them just smiled as Gerik walked over, put his arm around Alexis, and then the two of them walked back toward the temple. As they walked Alexis leaned her head against Gerik. She knew that they would have to break this embrace when they entered the temple so Link and Zelda wouldn't get suspicious, but for the time being she was content. The only worry on her mind at that moment was whether the two of them really would survive the coming conflict.
As Alexis and Gerik reentered the temple, they noticed that Link and Zelda were missing. Gerik quickly ran upstairs to look, but when he didn't find them he ran back down to Alexis who was searching the rooms on the first floor. The two of them met back up in the middle of the room and both shook their heads at each other signaling that they hadn't found them. As Gerik started looking around he noticed that the door to the Triforce room was open. He tapped Alexis' shoulder and pointed toward the door.
As the two of them watched, two figures emerged from the room. As they stepped into the light they saw that it was Link and Zelda. When they were out the door slammed shut behind them. Link and Zelda jumped because of the sudden impact, but when they saw Gerik and Alexis standing there staring at them they walked over.
"We got what we came here for," said Link confidently. "It's time to go back."
"Well what is it?" asked Alexis.
"Now's not the time," said Zelda. "Don't worry though, you two will find out before the end. Gerik, are you feeling better?"
"Oh yeah, much better," Gerik replied with a grin as he shot Alexis a sideways glance. "I'm ready and willing to kick the crap out of Lord Arcana's army."
"Good, because we'll need everyone to be at their best," said Link. "Alexis, how long will it take us to get back?"
"Well all we have to do is take the path back to the oasis, and then we can teleport back to Hyrule Market with the Prelude of Light. Since we already made it past the mountain path once, we won't have to endure that heat again. That should save us about an hour. I'd say we'll be back in Hyrule Market by midnight."
"Good. That'll give us enough time to rest and then help with the war preparations in the morning. Let's go guys; we've got a war to get to."