Happy late new year! Wow, so this is finally out. I apologise for the delay on this chapter, it has definitely been far too long since I was last able to update this story. In exchange for your patience, please enjoy what is easily the longest chapter of this story to date and one that I've definitely enjoyed writing, so I hope you enjoy it too!

Chapter 19: Sectioned

"I've never seen that symbol before," Link said as he crouched down to inspect the carving, nearly rubbing his nose against the floor.

"Neither have I," Zelda replied, slinging the bow over her shoulder. Hands free, one fell to the heavy pouch on her waist and she quickly found herself thumbing through the familiar blue book. It's rough pages were far too familiar at her finger tips, and she'd landed on the page before she'd even realised she was looking for it.

It was pointless really. She could already recite the entry on this place from memory, not that it was long enough to cause great difficulty. Still, the storm in her stomach settled just a little at its weight in her hands. She snapped the book shut, carefully placing it back into its temporary home besides the arrows she'd pilfered from Link.

"I can't find anything in my grandmother's diary either," she huffed, carefully stepping around Link as he continued his inspection, allowing herself to browse the room once again. Despite the place's calmness, or perhaps because of it, her mind rumbled like an overworked engine.

This fort had clearly once belonged to her family, the décor screamed her Grandfather after all, yet despite her Grandmothers meticulous nature she'd barely made note of the building at all? The only thing that made sense was that it was a secret for some reason, but to the point that even she knew nothing? That thought alone tied knots in her stomach.

A cool breath of air ran across her neck, snapping Zelda from her thoughts to meet the cold eyes of a helmet. One of the four suits of armour lined around the room. It was familiar, similar to the Phantom's she herself had possessed not so long ago, but somewhat shorter, more closely resembling a normal person than a hulking beasts. Its sword was in hand, gesturing towards the southern wall. However, something else drew her attention. Sat in the centre of the swords cross guard was a majestic purple gem.

She reached out, mindlessly running her fingers over the rock. It was ridiculously smooth, to the point even her gloved hand slipped over the surface. As it did, a gentle warmth started to spread over her hand. It was soothing, as if her hand was entwined with someone else's. A bright flash shone through her fingers, cutting off her thoughts as it filled her vision.

She snapped her hand away, mind springing to the eye they'd found outside. However, as she dramatically leapt backwards, nothing followed. She paused for a moment to inspect her hand, half expecting a hole to be burnt through her palm. But there was no pain. In fact, her hand was fine, exactly the same as before. What had changed however was the gem, having now morphed into a deep leafy green. She spun on her heel.

"Link, I've found something el-" but her words echoed around the room, as no one was there to hear them.

She swallowed a breath, the storm twisting in her stomach. She sprung forwards, mindlessly dashing to where she'd left him. Her eyes scanned over the multi-coloured symbol, but there was no sign of Link. No foot prints, no candle, not even some kicked up dust. She could feel her hands trembling even through the clump of dress it clutched. As she stood there, alone in the silence, there was no other possibility. Link was gone.

Her heart began to punch against her chest, a single thought intensifying with each beat. He hadn't just left her, right? Something must have happened, Link would have said something at least, right?

But there hadn't been any noise, he'd just disappeared, no words, or even a sign…

Her held breath escaped her as the glimmer of a new idea shoved the intrusive thoughts to the back of her mind. There was a chance, though only a slight one, of that being a good thing. Clearly this wasn't something as simple as a monster attack, Link would have been fine if that was the case, meaning there must be some sort of trick? And if that was the case, all she had to do was figure out how it worked.

With that thought building some somewhat shaky foundations, she stole her confidence, facing the armour once again. Clearly either her or Link had done something, they were both investigating after all, if she could trace her steps back from there it may just reveal something.

A red flash came from the corner of her eye. On the opposite side of the room, beyond the table that filled the centre, another knight's gem had changed colour. It stood tall as it pointed towards the north west corner with its sword, mirroring her own, the now oceanic blue gem glimmering in the torch light.

Her feet set off before she'd realised, elegantly dancing around the scattered chairs and discarded items as they carried her to the other side of the room.

A sharp shock exploded on her face, stopping her in place as the force vibrated down her spine. She stumbled backwards, barely guiding her hands to her bow through her dizziness. Her eyes darted about, trying to pick out her attacker. But only dust, kicked up from her stumble, filled the air, leaving the same eerily silent empty room.

Steadily she released the tension in her bow, letting her nerves loosen with it as she reached out with her free hand. Once again she made contact with…nothing. No that wasn't quite right. Her hand was pressing against empty space, but it was almost smooth to the touch and even had a somewhat reassuring warmth. An invisible wall?

She paced along the unseen barrier, letting her hand run against it as she went, following it along as she tried to find its edge. Another flash came from the armour she couldn't reach, and it was fortunate that it did, as it lit up the wall mere inches before her face made its second unfortunate meeting of the trip.

Glancing up revealed the looming tower painting she'd seen upon first entering, its presence pushing down on her as if weights were attached to her body. Well that answered one question, this invisible wall ran from the table to the painting and she'd bet it did the same in the other direction. That led to one simple conclusion; the unknown force, for whatever reason she couldn't fathom, had split the room in half.

She glanced to the two armour sets that sat out of reach and her nerves prickled at the sight. The gems on both of them were now green, reflecting the one she'd originally changed herself.

Something warm flashed in her chest, prompting her eyes to the final armour on her side. The one whose gem had remained a cool blue.

She dashed over to the final armour set and began running her hand over the gem before she'd come to a stop, cycling through the colours. In some ways this seemed silly, she had no real goal in mind, in fact there was little evidence to support the idea that this would actually do anything.

But there was something, just a single spark of a thought in her mind. This gem hadn't changed colour on its own, so it was evident something had to have caused the changes to the gems she couldn't reach, and they'd both agreed there was nothing else here. That only left one option for the identity of her confined partner. The spark grew ever so slightly in her chest, burning into a faint hope that fuelled the ever growing thump of her heart. She shielded her eyes from the final flash as the gem landed on green. The four sets of armour now matched.

Near silence hung over the room, only the faint growl of wind forcing its way in from outside. The warmth in her chest crumbled, leaving a hollow feeling behind. She bit her lip. Hadn't that worked? She'd been wrong after all? She fell back from the armour, only catching herself in stride by accident.

As her feet tapped against the ground, the walls began to rumble, the tremors growing stronger with every step.

She didn't realise she'd moved, throwing herself underneath the grand table in the rooms centre. No sooner had she landed than the shaking grew thrice more ferocious, throwing dust into the air. It circled around her, scraping its way down her throat as her coughs tried to force it away.

Then everything stopped.

A cool breeze rolled over the room, carrying the dust away, broken up only by her splutters as she clutched at the fresh air. As she refocused, her attention fell towards the breeze's source. On the back wall and flanking by the side of the giant painting, was a pitch black corridor.

Making her way over, Zelda paced around the doorway, forcing her eyes to stare into the abyss behind it. The thought of exploring the tunnel blind wasn't the most appealing, then again it wasn't as if there were many options available. She glanced back to the table. She could grab a candle, but Link had all the matches didn't he?

The storm raged inside her stomach.

It was stupid, she told herself in some poor attempt to untangle her stomach, to worry about him. They'd still yet to see any sign of a monster, and if one had the misfortune of bumping into him then in some ways she felt worse for it. But there was a chance her suspicions were wrong, that Link wasn't safe. That meant she couldn't rely on it. Plus, if he was in danger, there was no one else who could save him now.

With that thought in mind and a firm grip wrapping around the bow, she set off into the darkness.

Zelda hissed as another throb worked its way up her leg, whatever she'd kicked tapping back into the darkness behind her. The smooth steps swayed under her feet and she slapped her hand into the wall that had been her guide in some poor effort to regain balance. Steadying herself, she refused to fall, allowing her eyes to glance into the abyss ahead. She couldn't have been far from the top at that point, if she climbed any higher she was certain she'd break through the mountain top. Though that thought didn't make the continued climb any easier.

It was quiet.

It had occurred to her how rare that actually was. At the castle, even at night, there was always something; the clang of the night watch patrolling the walls, maybe the occasional train whistle soaring over the fields, or the rumbling of wind running over the roof. But here the noise was limited to her steps, her breathing, the ruffle of her clothes. It should have been soothing or relaxing, a rare moment of solitary bliss. But as she continued through the abyss, it just made her nerves sting.

Something caught her eye as she trudged upwards, faint at first but gradually growing into an unmistakably green glow. It wrapped around the central pillar, clinging to it like moss. Except it wasn't stuck, instead seeming to slowly flow around it, as if it too was climbing up the pillar. While faint from her view, she still found herself lost in its light, now noticing how it had begun to glaze the ceiling, glowing above her like a green mist.

It settled just above her head, elegantly twisting in the air. She reached out for it, the edge of the mist dancing around her finger tips. Then the light exploded, and the world slipped away.

The light became a blur as she soared forwards, the ground flying towards her face. Stamping into it, she forced the stone floor away, the force of her kick stinging her bones. She stumbled along the now flat ground, fighting her own momentum as she gradually regained control from her trip.

As she came to a stop, a sharp sigh of relief left her lungs. She took the moment to catch her breath, her brain, still rattling in her head, welcoming the soothing coolness of fresh air. One thing was clear though, she'd finally made it to the top.

Revelling in that fact, she glanced ahead. The green mist from above flowed forward through the silent corridor, like a stream. While it was only barely bright enough for her to make out the finer details on her clothes, it still managed to coat the corridor in a welcome light.

Ahead of her was a cold looking archway, only visible under the misty light that leaked through it. She pushed onwards.

The walls pulled apart as she stepped through the entry, opening up into another large room. Unlike before though, this one lacked darkness, it having all been pushed away by the glob of misty light that had formed on the ceiling like a green sun. The mist from her corridor ran up to it, feeding the glob as it dripped. It wasn't just hers though, from the opposite side of the room another stream flowed upwards, leaking from another door that opened into darkness.

She studied the room. It appeared to be the keep's library, if the many book cases dotted around and lining the walls were any indication. The longer ones spiralled around the circular wall, seemingly endless in length, while shorter ones drew smaller rings, each one shrinking as they approached the rooms centre. It was there that her eyes landed.

The pedestal held itself high as it watched over the room from its centre, not quite as tall as she was, standing on top a raised platform. Atop it lay a regal red cushion, the exact same that often held her crown back home. The whole thing was…conspicuous, annoyingly so, to the point that it seemed like far too obvious of a trap to actually be a trap.

She worked her way back from the pedestal, following the criss-cross of paths the shelves formed with her finger, tracing a route back to where she stood. It seemed simple enough, though with a few twists and turns here or there. That didn't stop the storm from twisting her stomach, but, willing herself to ignore it, she set off.

It was quiet again, though the occasional drip from the glob above poked at her attention enough to stop her mind wandering. Instead her focus fell to the shelves, scanning books as they scrolling by; 'Ancient Civilizations, 'Stamp Book, 'Swordsman Scrolls Vol 1'. She ran a hand along their spines. They all fished at her mind, snagging memories at pulling them to the surface. These were Links. Well not these exact copies, they couldn't be after all, but similar enough, even down to the which letters had faded from the cover.

Then the books stopped. She'd reached the end of the shelves, the path splitting into two routes before her. One way ran ahead, looping around a blind corner. The other went off at an angle, as if crossing the room. She pictured the map in her mind. It was the second, its angle standing out, that she'd have to follow. But as she turned along it, lifting her hand from the wooden shelf, she revealed them. Words, etched into the end.

'Don't look back.'

A chill skittered across her neck. Why shouldn't she? Was something there? Where had that even come from? Curious on instinct her nerves demanded she turn, but the clutching of her heart refused. A weight had wrapped around her shoulders, pushing her downwards while her breath chilled in her mouth. Something was behind her.

Her feet, slowly but forcefully, pulled her forwards before she'd realised, stepping further into the maze in some attempt to escape, but the weight still hung on her back.

The shelves curved at her side, forcing her to turn with them. As she did, something clawed at the corner of her eyes, digging its grip further in with every step, as if trying to pull her gaze.

Resisting the influence, she kept staring ahead, boring holes into the twisting shelves. But that wasn't right. The ones near her still curved, but at her destination there was nothing, just a cliff of wood blocking her path. A dead end.

Her breath caught in her throat. That was it then, she had to go back. But her body refused to turn, shaking as it resisted her commands. She couldn't do that. Her body wouldn't do that. Not when it knew better than her mind did about what could happen if she did. It was then that her gaze landed on the painting.

It was bizarre. The image itself was chaotic, just a jumble of colour, as if the artist had painted one thing but decided they didn't like it, so had chosen to paint something new over the top. Sometimes it seemed to attempt to make sense, say a clear line beginning at one point and starting off in one direction – but then getting cut off, a new splotch of paint deciding to run off elsewhere. Despite that, and while it lacked a frame, the whole image sat neatly on the wooden wall in front of her, cutting a clear border the paint never attempted to cross.

Her mind willed her towards it, nearly forgetting what was behind her. The closer she drew, the odder the painting grew. Thin grooves now clearly cut through the image, separating it into tens of small squares. But it was incomplete, one panel was missing from the corner.

Scanning the ground, she found no sign of it, and she doubted it could have run off by itself. So was there never a piece there in the first place?

The weight settled on her shoulders once again, scraping down her back, and she found herself using the painting to preoccupy her mind. It was then that she noticed it. Two panels, only separated by another between them, seemed far too similar. In fact, it seemed like the paint on one would have lead onto the other, if not for the one blocking it. Maybe that was it, maybe like before there was something to this, she just had to figure out what it was. She reached a hand up, attempting to push one of the panels into the open spot.

It almost caught her off guard, sliding across with little effort. She placed her hand on another, shifting that up too, then another few, a couple more, and soon she'd managed to join the two panels together.

They certainly formed…something. Well, nothing clear yet, but she was right, the swooping lines of the first had connected onto the other, creating a slightly larger image. She scanned the squares again, picking out more and more pairs and began to match them up

They were getting easier now, the criss-cross of lines gaining shape as each found a partner, some pairs even matching with another. As they did, more noticeable shapes began to form. One that vaguely resembled an eye here, a hand there. Time flew by as she worked, carefully slotting piece next to piece as the picture began to build. Truthfully she wasn't sure how much time had passed, enough for her arms to begin to ache at least, when she was brought to pause. It wasn't from tiredness though, or boredom or anything else that would cause her to quit, but curiosity. From the jumble a proper image had finally begun to form, one that was all too recognisable. Stood in the painting, was Link.

No, she considered, on a second look that wasn't quite correct. It certainly bared a resemblance to him, sharing his dirty blond hair and uncannily round eyes. But this image showed an adult, towering where he stood, and far more muscular than the Link she knew, not to mention the finely kept beard that adorned his face or the woman, presumably his wife, sat on a stool by his side and wrapped in his arm.

In fact, on second look, it was her, despite the red hair, that most reminded Zelda of Link. It was her face, she concluded, softer and rounder than the mans, coupled with dark green eyes and a lither frame that did it.

It was, in her opinion, quite the happy painting. Rich looking farmland had begun to form, strewn out behind the couple and dotted with pigs of varying sizes, fenced off into two fields, and even a hulking Bullbo was pictured sticking its head out from the quaint barn that ran off picture. It was quaint and, if anything, completely harmless. That didn't do anything to stop the nerves clutching at her back that asked one question, why was it there?

She certainly didn't recognise them, any further than a passing resemblance to her friend at least, they certainly weren't family or anyone close. Given that, why did their image turn up in what she could only presume was her family's fort?

Her hand landed back on the panels, shifting them once again under her grip. Her questions didn't really matter, not at the moment at least, besides she may get some answers if she finished it.

The puzzle was easier now, there was less to work through after all, but as each panel slotted into place, she couldn't help but notice the weight, having shifted down from her shoulders to scrape at her hands.

Thunk

The sound echoed around the room as the final panel slotted into place, followed by a low rumbling as part of the wall next to the painting fell away.

Her eyes didn't follow it though, instead remaining trapped on the now complete painting. While she was wrong before, it was clear now that the final person in the image was definitely Link.

A younger one to be sure; he couldn't have been older than five if his height, barely reaching the knees of the man's leg as he clung to it, was anything to go by. Her stomach lightened. It stood to reason, then, that this was his family. The one she'd never heard about, and the home she'd never seen. Unfortunately, it still hadn't cleared up her questions.

She pulled herself up, heading for the newly opened doorway. There was no sense in wasting time on those questions now, finding him was probably the quickest way to get her answers anyway, and that meant going further in.

The grip on her loosed the second she stepped through the passage, the weight lifting from her shoulders. Aches rushed to her muscles, the sting causing her to stumble forward.

The pedestal stood before her. It seemed grander now, basking directly under the glob of light and raised up, almost like it was watching over her. Pushing through the stinging in her legs, she forced them to carry her up to the pedestal, and her prize.

The cushion still sat undisturbed, but from here she could see what it held. A simple clear gem, wrapped in a tough looking golden cord. It was, in her opinion, awfully plain really. Though logically there was more to it, or it wouldn't have been so well protected. Her hand reached for it, hovering with it at the end of her finger tips. Would grabbing this trigger something else? Her back tingled at the memory of what was in the maze and the thought of it following once again. Would it be so bad if she left it now? Ignored it and went back to the train? For all she knew Link was already there, right?

…or he could be in here, captured by whatever that thing was. She snapped the gem from its bed.

She fought its weight as it tried to push her hand to the floor, startled given how comfortably it fit in her palm. Forcing it up to her eye, she gazed into the crystal. It was as clear as glass, though now she noticed the soft deep blue light in the centre.

As she stared, the light began to pulse, each one adding slightly more to its size. Soon the whole gem had taken on the much deeper blue, practically glowing in her palm.

"Hello?"

She flung her arm out, the gem flying from her palm, only the cord, catching on her hand, stopping it from shattering on the floor.

As it swung from her fingers, her mind caught up. She pulled the gem back to eye view.

"L-Link?" She spoke into it, voice shaky with anticipation. It sounded like him, but how?

"Zelda? Are you ok?" He rushed back, his voice ringing around her as his words sprawled out, "you're…you're not stuck in this thing are you?"

Her muscles stopped holding her and she fell to the floor, using the pedestal to prop herself up. He was ok, or at least safe enough that he was able to worry about her.

"I'm fine, thankfully. And no, that would be a bit daft would it not?"

His chuckle warmed the chill from her back.

"You really are alright then, if that's all you have to say," he paused, and in her mind she could see the scrunched up pondering face he always made, "though do you really think that would be the strangest thing we've seen?

She snickered herself, he wasn't wrong.

"Where are you?" she asked, letting her head rest against the stone, "you disappeared earlier."

He paused, thinking again, before saying, "I think I'm in a library, well there's books everywhere at least."

Another library? That seemed unlikely, this one was huge and even the castle only had enough room for one.

"So am I, but I can't see you. I'm on the pedestal in the middle."

His sigh rang through the gem.

"Looks like we aren't done yet then. I'm there too."

"Of course not," she sighed, studying the area around her. It was quite plane, only the four thick grey lines running from pedestal to the door of the maze being of note. She reached around the side of the pedestal, hand tapping the invisible wall once again. "So we're on opposite sides? I'm guessing there's something to do with this pedestal, I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

Grunts answered her question, underlain with the faint sound of stamping.

"Thought I did, looks like this stand could move, but that isn't happening."

"It's a pedestal, it's too tall to be a stand," she said, studying around the base. Could it move? There weren't any grooves on the ground, it didn't seem like it would budge even if she did push it.

"Six of one," he said, cheek clear in his tone, "I'm standing on it so it's a stand."

"Don't fall, we can't have you getting hurt now of all times," she said, hand gripping the pedestal's top as she pulled herself up. "Why are you even-"

Thunk

She jumped back. Mid way up, as most of her weight was on the pedestal, it'd slipped down. It wasn't much, falling a head's height at most before freezing once again now her weight was gone, but clear.

It clicked. It was her, or rather the two of them together, that had caused that.

Within a moment she was scrambling up it, matching Link on 'the other side.' Her head spun with the thought. He was there, he must be, based on what he said. Right in front of her. But she couldn't reach out for him, couldn't even see him. The way the thoughts rang in her mind caused her to shiver.

Her feet swayed atop the pedestal and she shifted her balance as it began to descend once more, clunking cleanly into the floor.

Silence and drips rung around them and her nerves stung as she glanced around the room. Nothing again? That didn't seem right, that had to have triggered something. She flicked her head back, the hope dying before she'd finished. Link wasn't there, they were missing something else.

She turned back, scanning the room again. Only this time it was more difficult. Before the shelves running the rooms edge were clear, even at this distance she could've read some of the books' titles, but now it was blurry, the writing slowly being eaten by the encroaching darkness.

The few sounds there were seemed louder. That was a thing wasn't it, some senses improving when others weakened? Maybe that was why the drips sounded quicker and clearer? Her gaze fell to the floor. A large puddle had formed around the pedestal. A green puddle.

Her eyes had barely landed on the ceiling before the glob crashed into the ground.

And despite it's length, this chapter still ends there. Seemed both a good end point and, frankly, it felt unfair to take even longer to upload for something that could easily be its own chapter. On the flip side, I should be done with the next chapter far quicker than this one. In the meantime, please let me know your thoughts on this, any feedback is always helpful!