A Link to the Past

Chapter Seven: The Loyal Sage

For a while as Link led Zelda down the dark tunnels, he was beginning to think that this was like one of those dreams where you are running down a hallway that never ends, this one just consisting of storm drains, storm drains, and more storm drains… all the while the flame on top of the young man's torch slowly starting to dim. Now that he thought about it, this whole evening had been like a nightmare… an evil wizard, his uncle's death, fighting the guards… all right, maybe it was more like a child's bedtime story than a nightmare, but if that flame went out before the two of them reached the entrance to the temple, then the story was going to be over real quick, unless he and the Princess wanted to risk jumping down a random drain.

Fortunately, they reached a short upward staircase before that happened, leaving the flowing water behind in favor of a dry, but empty stone room where Zelda started looking for another hidden catch. If there was one, she figured that it would have to be on the wall straight ahead, since that was the only directions the King gave her, and all Link knew was that it better be there, because that was the moment the last flickering light on his torch went out. The young man could hear the Princess nearby as she felt along the dirty, cobweb laced wall, so he did the same, running his hands over every inch of it, a few times actually, and they even bumped into each other once or twice in the total darkness.

Click. Just as Link was starting to give up and think that maybe sliding down one of the drains would lead them somewhere safe, Zelda gasped when she triggered something, unable to help squealing with happiness when the small room began to light up as a hidden passageway slid open. Whether or not this was the sanctuary the Princess hoped for, there was nowhere to go but forward, so the two of them stepped through the small opening, and after so many hours in the dark the young man had to rub his eyes, blinking rapidly in order to get used to the light. This place was stone like the castle, and… and someone was approaching.

"What's going on here?!" A startled voice asked. "How did you get… oh, my word… Princess, is that you? What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"We came from the castle, Link helped me escape from the dungeon." She explained, saying a bit more than the young man would have liked before they were sure of the old Sage's loyalty. "The servants are gone, the guards have all gone mad… Agahnim has… my father and the Lord Sheriff are… we need sanctuary."

All of this was a bit much for the older man to take in, especially since no one outside the castle gates had received any news from inside in several weeks, but he hugged the Princess, assuring her that she was safe in the temple, as was anyone who sought protection within its walls. The whole building consisted of a single open chamber where soft white light was coming in through stained glass windows, illuminating several rows of wooden pews for worshippers to congregate, while torches and candles were still lit from last night. An ornate alter sat at the front, now sliding back into place on its own to hide the secret passage behind it, and besides that there were only two other small rooms; one for storage and the other the Sage's living quarters.

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but what you say is hard to believe." The older man said, pulling up the sleeve of his blue robe to stir the soup that was cooking on the fire. "A coup like this would be dangerous enough, even for someone as powerful as you describe, but why risk provoking the other noble families by locking up their daughters and nieces as well? What could he possibly be doing with them… and also with you by the sound?"

"I don't know." Zelda confessed. "I was dragged out of my chambers one night and tossed into a cage until Link saved me. I saw Agahnim take each girl away, not hesitating to hurt them if they resisted, and then they were just gone. The wizard said I was next, but there's really nothing else to tell."

"Wait a second, there is more!" The young man exclaimed, suddenly remembering another detail about the previous night. "I got through the gate because Agahnim was having the guards constantly going in and out, they were… they were looking for someone, uh… an old man with a strange name. They said the wizard wouldn't let them rest until he was captured."

The Princess and the Sage looked at each other for a moment, trying to figure out who Link could be describing, although the older man had noticed the carriages traveling at night, with some of the worshipers saying that the guards have had a larger presence inside the village, especially at night. Was it possible that they were looking for one of the elders? And if so, what for? The eldest man in the village, at least that the Sage knew of, was Sahasrahla, a quiet man who mostly kept to himself, and if so, then it explained why no one could find him. Why Agahnim would be interested in such a man, if he was even the one, who could say? But it was the only lead they had so far, and needed to be investigated.

"Sahasrahla's home is on the north end of Kakariko Village." The older man explained. "I doubt he is there, but maybe a relative or friend can point you in the right direction. Don't worry, I will keep the Princess hidden here until you return, and then we can, well… I don't really don't know beyond that point."

Honestly, neither did Link, unless this elusive village elder had some miraculous knowledge that could defeat Agahnim, which honestly seemed like a long shot, but maybe he knew what was happening to the missing girls. So the young man rested long enough to have some of the soup that the Sage was making, and then he left Zelda behind, trusting her safety into his care while Link went in search of someone who might not even be the right person. Morning had come, shown by the light coming in through the stained glass windows, but the skies were heavily clouded, and the rain was still coming down. It had lightened up significantly from last night's storm, but it was still enough to wet him down only seconds after leaving the temple.

Behind him the building's heavy doors swung closed, and now the young man was alone, walking down the stone stairs, taking a moment to look at the castle off in the distance. Part of him still couldn't believe that his uncle was gone, killed by Agahnim just like the King, and now somehow it was up to him to put things right. Somehow in the span of a single evening, Link had gone from a boy who was simply in training to one day be the next Lord Sheriff, to someone who had to protect the Princess, find the missing noble girls, locate a reclusive village elder before the guards did, and then somehow defeat an evil wizard. Was that it? Was there anything else that needed to be added to his plate for today?

His only saving grace in all of this was that during the whole nightmare inside the castle's dungeon, Agahnim had been so focused on his uncle and that other girl, that he hadn't noticed Link at all, and as far as he knew, the young man had managed to get into and out of the castle with Zelda undetected. So long as he could keep himself anonymous, at least in anything that concerned the wizard, then maybe the village elder could be found without any trouble. Link knew that eventually Agahnim would have to be confronted, which he didn't really know how to do just yet, but hopefully everything else would be solved by then, including how to fight off such a wizard, if that was even possible.

There was a graveyard behind the temple, a stacked stone fence surrounding markers that ranged from simple wood to carved stone for the wealthier families, off to the east, and beyond that the waterfalls, meaning that the village was the other way, so the young man started down the road. From where he was it wasn't a very long walk to the village, it couldn't be since most of those who worshipped at the temple lived there, it just felt long due to the fact that he hadn't gotten much rest from the previous night. For a moment as Link walked he wondered what would have happened if he had done as his uncle said and stayed home… what would have happened to Princess Zelda? Probably the same thing that happened to that other girl.

Up ahead just as the road was curving toward the village, the young man got ready to run for the trees when he saw that there were two guards on patrol. Strange, he thought, as far as Link knew, the guarded check points along the roads were only set up at night, but… wait a second, they weren't patrolling… one of them was holding something while the other hit it with a hammer. Maybe he could creep away without being spotted, but then the young man stopped and remembered that no one in the castle had seen him last night, so as long as he acted like nothing was wrong, then nothing should be. Most people in the kingdom knew who he was, and it would be strange for the Lord Sheriff's successor to not say hello to the guards, so instead of evading, Link walked right up to the working armored man.

"Good morning, men." The young man said confidently, waving hello. "It's a shame about this weather, but your work is appreciated."

Instead of returning the greeting right away, the two guards just stared at him for a few moments, before dropping their tools and drawing their swords. This was definitely not the reaction that Link was expecting, and the armored men were advancing too fast for him to back away, giving the young man no choice but to draw his own sword to defend himself after the nearest one's sudden attack glanced off his shield. Now that he wasn't cornered in a small room and worrying about the Princess, it was a lot easier for Link to defend himself from the slashing blade, since after all he had been trained by the Lord Sheriff of Hyrule.

The wet, slippery grass was also on his side, making it harder for the guards to move quickly in their armor, and allowing the young man to give the nearest guard a well placed cut to the side where there was no armor, showing him both that Link had the skill to defeat them as well as being willing to do so. However, after stepping back with a pained grunt, the wounded guard attacked again, this time forcing the young man to duck down to avoid having his head chopped off, and giving him no choice but to stab upward with his silver sword. The sharpened blade went right up into the guard's armor, stabbing deeply into his abdomen, and causing him to collapse… but the second guard didn't react to his partner's death at all as he picked up the attack.

"Stand down!" Link ordered, holding up his sword while stepping back. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"You are under arrest for high treason." The armored man replied calmly. "Surrender or die."

The young man wasn't about to do either, so he dropped down and rolled forward to avoid the guard's overhand swing, turning back and cutting across the back of his legs so that the guard fell to his hands and knees. Warning him again to stand down, Link was given no choice but to finish this armored man with a downward stab to the back when he tried to get his sword, and now he was left confused. No one had seen him in the castle, not even Agahnim, so why were the guards after him? Then he saw it, looking over to where the guards had dropped their tools, and having a memory flash through his mind of the guard that Princess Zelda knocked out in the store room after… after he had gotten a good look at Link.

The thing the guards had been working on was a wooden sign, stuck on a simple post and carved deeply into a plank, topped off with a surprisingly accurate carving of the young man's face. The words below read:

LINK III

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

HIGH TREASON AND KIDNAPPING PRINCESS ZELDA

REPORT TO GUARDS IF SPOTTED

500 RUPEES REWARD FROM KING FAÇADE II