We will see each other again.
We will see each other again.
We will see each other again.
These words lulled Link into a deep, restful, and pleasant sleep back on Skyloft. For the first time since setting out on his journey, he believed them in his heart to be true. For now, Zelda was safe, and Link was content with that. However, he knew he would have to follow Impa's advice to return to the Sealed Temple to see Zelda again. Early the next morning, Link shared everything with Gaepora and the professors. It was perhaps the most they had ever heard Link speak in one sitting as he recounted everything in great detail. They were encouraged to see that Link had returned to his normal self after the last time they had seen him. Most of all, they were intrigued by Zelda's newly realized powers.
"There are ancient legends of such power being bestowed upon a maiden of youth," Gaepora said. "I never imagined it would be my own daughter."
"These ancient legends," Owlan added, "could reveal what lies next for you and Zelda. We will study them here, and if we find anything that could be useful, we will surely tell you, Link."
After replenishing some provisions, he set off once more, hoping that it was still early enough to do so without being noticed. He returned to the portal above Faron Woods and thought back to the first time he had descended to the surface and how terribly frightened he had been. Now, it was second nature, which was an immense relief. He bid his Loftwing farewell and dove into the portal. The refreshing, crisp morning air whipped past his face and through his hair wildly. Before long, he could begin to see the Sealed Grounds taking shape and the dense woods surrounding it. All seemed to be going well until something peculiar caught his pointed ears. He heard a sound, no... a voice... in the wind. He looked this way and that, searching for its source but finding nothing. It wasn't until he looked behind him that he saw what was perhaps the last thing he could ever expect to see at that moment.
Groose.
The muscular mass of ego that was Groose was falling behind Link and gaining quickly, with an expression of pure anger and vengeance on his elongated face. Before Link could even comprehend that what he was seeing was real, his red-haired rival collided with him, wrapping his thick arms around Link's thin frame. The shift from anger and determination to fear and cowardice on Groose's part may have caused more whiplash than the collision itself.
"Link! We're falling! Do something!" he shrieked.
The two boys plummeted toward the surface, both screaming as they twisted and flipped through the air in disorienting madness. Link managed to open the sailcloth, yet with Groose's added weight, it failed to slow them nearly enough. Their bodies rag-dolled through the trees before being forcefully spat out onto the hard terrain of the Sealed Grounds, with leaves and broken branches showering down around them. They groaned in pain and sickening dizziness. Link was the first to regroup. He lifted his head from the earth, wide-eyed and terrified.
Groose.
Groose was now with him.
Groose was now with him on the surface.
This was perhaps the worst reality Link could imagine, and yet here it was. How could this happen? And could he fix it? He crawled over to where Groose laid, still regaining consciousness.
"Uhhh... Groose?" Link called, waving a hand over his eyes. "You alright?"
Groose mumbled a nonsensical string of noises and syllables as he slowly came to. Three blurry versions of Link spun around in his field of vision before finally merging into one and coming into focus. Having forgotten all that had just transpired, seeing Link hovering so closely only annoyed him. With a disgusted scowl, he shoved the smaller boy away.
"Of course I'm alright," he grunted indignantly as he sat up. "Mind your own business, would you?"
Link rolled his eyes at the irony of Groose's statement. He rose to his feet and stretched out his arms, as if to steady a wild animal, knowing Groose likely had not yet fully observed his surroundings.
"Groose," Link said slowly, "I need you to stay calm, okay?"
"What are you babbling about? I'm always calm. You've got an awful lot of nerve to-"
His gaze suddenly grew wide. Link shrunk back in anticipation of what was to come. Groose reached down and touched the earth, hands trembling. He then looked up at the sky and the treetops, mouth agape, and what really sent him over the edge was the sight of tiny, colorful birds landing softly nearby and chirping sweetly at him.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"
"Alright, calm down," Link said in a more assertive tone, not hiding his annoyance.
Before he knew it, the older boy rushed over to him and took him by the shoulders.
"WHERE AM I?" he shouted, shaking Link back and forth violently.
"The surface," Link managed as he was being shaken.
"The surface?! What's that?"
He finally released Link from his grip, though his oversized hands were still trembling terribly.
"It's... all of this," Link said, gesturing to the surrounding area. "I know it's a lot to take in."
Groose looked around once more and appeared to be calming down some, when suddenly Fi emerged from the sword at likely the worst possible time.
"Master, I have confirmed that you were uninjured in the fall."
"Who in the blazes is that?!" Groose gasped.
"Oh, hang it all..." Link uttered, shutting his eyes and tensing up in preparation.
He was once again taken into Groose's hands and shaken back and forth as the red-haired boy re-entered his state of panic.
"WILL YOU TELL ME WHAT IN HYLIA'S NAME IS GOING ON?"
The shaking finally stopped, giving Link a moment to catch his breath.
"You've got to stop doing that," he grumbled, smacking the boy's hand off his shoulder.
It frustrated Link to no end that Groose had managed to follow him, and it was evident in his expression and tone. Worst of all, he had no idea how to get the older boy back to Skyloft without him opening his big mouth to the entire village. As much as it bothered him to do so, Link sighed, and resolved himself to do the unimaginable:
He would tell Groose the truth. The full truth, in hopes it would quell him, at least for the time being.
"Alright, Groose. You really want to know what's going on that badly? I'll tell you."
Link held nothing back. Starting with a proper introduction of Fi, he told Groose about the whirlwind, the sword, and the portals. He told him about the Kikwis, the Mogmas, and the Ancient Robots. He told him about the Bokoblin, Moblins, and their leader, Ghirahim. Finally, he told him that Zelda was alive and had been whisked away somewhere, and that his number one priority was to find her. Strangely, Link achieved a level of catharsis in sharing all of this with Groose. He felt a great deal lighter. The feeling did not last long, however, as Groose's arrogance and ignorance quickly emerged.
"So you mean to tell me that you lost Zelda, and you have no idea where she is now?" he asked indignantly.
Link let out an aggravated huff, saying nothing.
"And the old lady in the temple... place... knows how to get to her?"
Link nodded.
"Well, what are we standing here waiting for?" Groose asked. "Let's find the old hag."
Groose marched off with his chest puffed out and his head held high. Link stood silently as Fi turned to him, reading his thoughts.
"Master, I do not think your purposeful withholding of valuable information is beneficial," she said.
"It's beneficial to me," Link chuckled.
Though her expression remained unchanged, Link felt her gaze on him intensifying. He rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Fine..." he grumbled. "Hey Groose... that's the wrong way."
Without saying a word, Groose pivoted and marched past Link once more, as arrogant as ever.
The two came to the Sealed Temple. Below them, at the center of the grounds, malice was beginning to seep out from underneath the pillar, yet Link was too preoccupied to notice this. As they entered the temple, the old woman greeted them warmly.
"Welcome back, Link," she said. "It has been some time since I last saw you, and you appear to have grown stronger and more determined since then."
Groose cleared his throat to force the woman to take notice of him.
"And you, tall, young lad," she began, nodding her head, "have you come to assist Link in vanquishing the darkness?"
"What?!" Groose blurted out. "Me? Help him?"
Link was growing more flustered by the minute, especially after the mention of vanquishing the darkness, as he still did not accept this part of his destiny.
"I told you before," he began bluntly, "I only want to find Zelda. I was told you would know how to get to her."
"Indeed," the woman said, taking note of Link's tone. "Did the spirit maiden give you anything when you last saw her?"
Link nodded and produced the Goddess Harp.
"Perfect," the woman smiled.
She gestured to the small stone platform in the center of the room. With hesitance, Link stepped up to the platform, harp in hand.
"What are you waiting for?" she asked with a chuckle. "Play the instrument."
Link was not trained in any musical instruments, though it felt like a spineless excuse to mention that now. He readied his fingers to strum the harp's thick strings. Just before he struck the first note, Fi called out from within the sword.
"Wait..."
Link tried to pull himself back, but it was too late. His fingers swept over a few of the strings, and the beautiful, comforting resonance of the harp filled the otherwise dull temple. Before Link could address Fi, the ground began to shake. Then, the stone before Link started to rise, revealing columns of dark gray and deep teal letters etched into the rock, which neither Link nor Groose could read. The columns rose high above its onlookers, coming to rest with one more earth-shaking rumble.
"Ah yes, it does my tired eyes good to see this once again," the elder woman exclaimed with a sigh, setting her wrinkled hand against the newly arisen stone.
"What is it?" Link asked.
"This is the last of the Gates of Time. The other, you destroyed in Lanayru."
"Master..."
"How did you know that?" Link inquired, brow furrowed, too focused on the old woman's words to attend to Fi.
"Clairvoyance perhaps," she replied with a small chuckle, though Link was not in a jesting mood. "Now, the gate has appeared, but it is not functioning yet. For that to happen, your sword must be purified by fire, so that it may reveal its true form."
Groose scoffed loudly, and the old woman continued talking, though Link had stopped listening. He pressed his lips together to stifle a growl. Hearing that there was more that needed to be done before he could reach Zelda was among the last things he wanted to hear. His face grew warm as he became more and more overwhelmed. Groose's aggravating presence, the talk of vanquishing evil, Fi in his ear, and learning that there was more to be done was too much. All the sounds and feelings swelled in his mind like a violent whirlwind. He put his head down in a last effort to keep himself composed, jaw and fists clenched terribly, leaving red marks where his nails dug into his skin. Unwilling to be ignored any longer, Fi emerged from the sword.
"Master Link, I have an urgent warning for you."
"What is it, Fi?" Link asked, regrettably in a shout. He felt immediate remorse as the sound of his voice echoed through the temple. The anger and cruelty in his tone made him feel ill to hear over and over again. Unphased, Fi continued.
"The Sealed Grounds, it's being overwhelmed by malice," she said in her usual tone and language. "I can conclude that the dark beast, the Imprisoned, is being drawn to the sound of the Goddess Harp and subsequent appearance of the Gate of Time."
Link's forest green eyes grew wide as he drew in a deep breath and held it. He drew his sword and rushed outside, joined by Groose and the old woman. They observed plumes of malice circling the area, shrouding the morning sun. From high above, they saw the pillar shaking, and soon, the earth itself followed suit.
"Link, you may yet be able to reform the seal," the old woman said. "Please make haste."
"Stay close to her," Link said to Groose, who gladly obliged.
With that, Link leapt over the edge, then the next, then the next, with each drop getting longer as he went. The thick malice burned his throat and lungs, causing him to cough bitterly, slowing his descent. He arrived at the pillar and attempted to charge a skyward strike, but then the earth shook so violently that it knocked him off his feet. That was when he heard it. Link's breath caught in his throat. His heart seemed to stop. His deep green eyes looked up in terror as he heard the unmistakable sound he had formerly only dreamt of:
A labored wheeze followed by a spine-chilling hollow growl.
It was too late.
He was too late.
The Imprisoned had come.
