Mild steam ahead. You've been warned ;)

"We're here," Irene murmured.

Hazen looked around. They stood at the edge of a massive field, grass stretching out for miles ahead. A few abandoned houses stood behind them, a massive mountain range rose up into the gray sky far beyond the field, and a white mist covered everything.

"Where is here, Irene?" he asked.

She turned to them, standing on the worn dirt path. "This is Ancient Termina. The place where magic is strongest."

"Is this where we're going to fight Majora?" Tessen asked, gripping his sword hilt.

Irene hesitated slightly. "It's where we're planning to."

"Who's we?" Saval asked.

"When I was with Zelda, the Empress, we came up with a plan," Irene explained. "I need somewhere with high levels of magic--the highest that can be found--in order to carry it out. That's why we're here. Now we just have to wait."

"Wait?" Hazen balked. "For what?"

"She's gathering her armies," Irene told him. "Staying with Wild Link and Zelda actually helped us more than you think. It took off the last few days that your mother needed to prepare. By early morning tomorrow, she'll be ready to move."

"Right," Saval said after a moment, "but how will she get here? And how will she know when to come?"

Irene shifted on her feet, looking around. "Right before the Doors, ah, removed me from her castle," she hedged, "I cast an empathy link on Zelda. She'll be able to feel my emotions, and if we both focus, I'll be able to send her a message of sorts. She'll know when to come. And I'll have the portals ready for her."

There was a short moment of silence. "You can open that many portals?" Tessen asked quietly. "At once?"

"Well, it would only be a few," Irene said, with a hint of a smile. "But yes, I can bring everyone through."

"For now, I think we should get some rest," HJazen said, looking out over the field. It was quiet, but there was a tingling sensation, making his skin crawl. Like static, but . . . alive. He didn't like the feel of it.

As soon as he had thought it, a sudden pressure nearly forced him to his knees. He heard the others cry out, and saw Irene throw her arm out. A golden shield arced over them, easing the incredible pressure on them enough that they could stand. Hazen accepted Irene's hand and got to his feet, searching the field. "What the hell is that?" he yelled over the sudden noise.

It sounded like thunder, but there were no clouds, and no rain to be seen anywhere. "Look!" Tessen shouted. He was pointing to the mountains.

They followed his finger and saw a peak cleave in two. The pressure came again, and Irene ground her teeth, her eyes glowing gold for a moment. It eased, and as they watched the mountain fall to the ground, a shockwave swept across the field until it slammed against Irene's shield, battering it again and again.

It felt like the static from before. Hazen shut his eyes tight, trying to ignore how it raised every hair on his arms.

"It's magic," Irene shouted. "We need to get out of here!"

"To the houses!" Hazen brought Tessen to his feet and pulled him along. They made a run for the houses along the path, and as they did so, the earth rumbled beneath their feet, nearly sending them down.

Hazen shut the door behind Irene, seeing Tessen do the same behind Saval in the other house, and dragged whatever was closest to block the door--a dresser. He stood back from it, reaching for his sword, but a hand closed over his. "It won't do any good here," Irene said.

She released him, leaving his skin tingling in an entirely different way, and Hazen forced himself to stop staring at her and take stock of their surroundings instead. It was a small house. A bed along one wall and a table along the other. The corner to his left held a stove, and along the back wall was a tapestry.

Irene had gone to touch the fabric, her eyes unreadable. Her hand fell.

Hazen was unwilling to leave the door as those booms continued outside, but he took her at her word. Whatever that was out there, he'd be no use against it. So he let go of his sword and turned back to her.

"Do you know what it is?" He came up to her side, looking up at the tapestry.

She took a deep breath. "Her name was Morgana. She was the leader of the witches--the most powerful of them all. You see that crown she's wearing?"

Hazen looked closer at it. It was made of gold, winding around itself like a dozen thin branches. They weaved tighter at the front to form a thick nest of branches, and in the centerpiece a bright stone was nestled.

"It looks like yours," Hazen said. Irene allowed a small smile.

"I designed mine after the one Morgana wears," she explained. "Witches wore many crowns like this, though not all of them had so many branches, or had the same stones."

"What was the difference?"

"The number of branches in a witch's crown signifies the number of magics she's mastered," Irene said. "All magic is technically a subset of the three main magics: space, time, and elemental. Within those three are hundreds of different principles and denominations of magic. Each one is represented by a branch."

Hazen squinted hard at the tapestry of Morgana. "It doesn't look like she has that many."

Irene laughed softly. "Here."

She waved her hands, and when the soft glow faded, she held a flickering image of a crown. After a moment of looking between it and the tapestry, Hazen realized it was Morgana's crown.

"Look in the spaces between the branches," Irene suggested. Hazen did so, and was surprised--and amazed--to see hundreds of tiny branches breaking off from the larger ones and merging back in, sometimes breaking into even smaller pieces before weaving back into the crown.

"Wow," he breathed, leaning back, and Irene let the crown's image fade.

"Morgana was a queen in her own right," she said. "She had mastered every magic there was to master. She was the first to open a portal, and chose only a few to teach the technique to. She had the closest connection to the universe of anyone. That's why her stone was a diamond."

Hazen was riveted. "What does diamond mean?"

"Each stone has different properties and meanings," Irene explained. "Diamonds stand for stepping into your true power and becoming a force of good in the world. They encourage us to accept our spiritual destiny. A witch as powerful as Morgana would almost be expected to have a diamond in her crown."

"What other stones were used in the crowns?" Hazen sat down on one of the chairs, pulling one out for Irene as well. She took a seat, looking faintly amused at Hazen's interest. But he could see she was glad to talk about these things. He couldn't imagine knowing what she knew, and being unable to share it with anyone who might truly understand. Hopefully this will help a bit, Hazen thought.

"Well, it depends on what kind of witch one was," Irene said. "There were witches that focused on spiritual connections and expanding their minds. They used stones like apatite, angelite, lapis lazuli, moonstone, labradorite, magnesite. Then there were witches who focused on grounding and stability. They used bloodstone, jade, hematite, jasper, smoky quartz, pyrite and obsidian. Witches who favored healing generally used chrysoprase, morganite and opal, and those who practised creativity and inspiration favored citrine, calcite, fluorite, and spinel. There were also witches who practised empowerment, manifesting and vitality. They used stones like sunstone, tiger eye, and ruby."

"Empowerment and vitality? How does that magic work?"

Irene looked thoughtful. "Well, let's take ruby for example. It's a powerful gemstone, considered even more valuable than diamonds. It encourages standing up to your fears, moving through them and experiencing the renewed vitality on the other side. It activates passion, confidence, determination and adventure. It can stimulate enthusiasm, and willingness to try new things, with the fortitude to see them through. And that's just one stone. Couple that with a stone like tiger eye, and a witch could take someone on the brink of suicide and give them the strength to keep living. In my opinion, it's one of the most powerful magics out there," Irene concluded.

"Wow," Hazen breathed. "How many other kinds of magics are there?"

"Hundreds. Just look at Morgana's crown," Irene laughed.

Hazen smiled. He loved her laugh. "Do they only ever use one stone?"

Irene shook her head. "Most witches used one or two, but almost everyone used zircon."

"Why? What does zircon do?"

"It's an empowerment stone," Irene said. "It stimulates energy to 'wake-up' a witch's chakra, and it amplifies other stones. It also serves as psychic protection."

Hazen nodded, watching her face as she listed the different properties. Her lips were tilted up in a smile. "What would your stone be, then?"

Just like that, Irene's face twitched, and her smile began to fade. "Well, that . . ." she began. She cleared her throat. "Witches don't choose their stones. The witch that trains her chooses it, and the entire coven presents the crown stone to her in a ceremony."

Irene sucked in a breath, avoiding Hazen's eyes, and forced a lightness into her tone. "I guess I'll be one witch that doesn't get a stone."

Hazen wanted to say something, anything, but . . . he swallowed hard and asked instead, "How is a crown stone chosen?"

He wasn't sure if talking more about it would hurt, but Irene simply said, "It's chosen based on the qualities and personality of the witch and what she chooses to study." She sighed, and then seemed to grow brighter, even finding a tiny smile. "It was said that in ancient times, the coven leader would shine her light on the witch's soul and reflect what was inside, and that would show what stone she was to be given. I have no idea if it's true, but . . ."

Irene shrugged, suddenly fading again, and Hazen quickly said, "So it's chosen based on the witch's personality. What she stands for. What strengths she possesses."

Irene was looking at him curiously. Hazen realized suddenly he was nervous, and he stood. He drew his Magical Sword, watching her eyes flick down to it in confusion. "I--I don't know if this counts," he said, holding his sword tightly. "But I think you of all people deserve to have your ceremony. And even though I don't know much about the witches, or about stones or crowns, I . . . I'd like to give you the stone that I think fits you best."

He drew his knife under her sharp gaze and pried the large ruby out of his sword hilt. Sheathing the blades, he held the stone in one hand while he brought her to her feet with the other. Irene rose to her feet with a shallow breath, staring at him with eyes so bright. He released her hand to reach for her crown.

It came free easily, and he wedged the ruby in the space created by the branches. It slid in smoothly, and in a brief flash of light, he saw that the branches had closed tightly around the ruby, locking it in.

Hazen breathed in deep, looking down at Irene's face. Her eyes flicked up to meet his. His words burst out of him, but he knew that they were true.

"Standing up to your fears. Moving past them. Activates passion, confidence, determination and adventure. Stimulates enthusiasm, willingness to try new things, and fortitude to see them through," he said in a low voice, feeling himself getting lost in the look in her eyes, the way she watched him. "If that doesn't describe you, I don't know what does."

She sucked in a small breath, froze for a moment--then grabbed his lapels and kissed him. Hazen was surprised but only for a moment. His arms went around her, pulling her hard against him, feeling like he couldn't breathe. She'd stolen all his air, and yet he'd never felt so glad to be in her grip.

Irene pulled away first. She looked almost as shocked as Hazen felt. He took a shuddering breath, rubbing his hand over her back. She trembled under his touch, and he couldn't stop a stupid smile.

"I kissed you," she murmured, dazed.

Hazen nodded. "You kissed me."

He was trembling. He wanted to touch her, but he had to wait, because--

"I'm going to do it again." She slid her hand into his hair.

Gods. "Good."

"Fine," Irene breathed, and did just that. Her mouth slanted over his, and this time Hazen couldn't stop a moan. He took a step back and bumped into the table. He spun, pressing Irene into it, threaded his fingers through her hair. Her hands dragged over his chest, and with a fumbling hand he removed his cloak.

Her tongue traced over his lower lip, and he let her in with a breathless gasp.

She wasn't close enough. He needed to be closer. He took his hands from her hair and placed them under her thighs, hefting her up and onto the table with barely a breath, and stepped between her legs. One of them hitched up on his side, and he grasped it while his other hand tilted her head back.

Thunder clapped loudly outside. Both Hazen and Irene raised weapons to the door, breaking away. There was nothing at the doors--nothing beyond a torrential rain, at least. Irene let her magic fade as Hazen lowered his dagger, and when they met each other's gaze, they laughed breathlessly.

Irene's hands slid up his chest again, and she pulled Hazen's head down again with little resistance. It was slower now, but no less wanting. Her tongue traced his as her hands roved over his chest, as his own hands undid the buttons on her jacket. She leaned into him when he slid it off her shoulders. Breathed sharply when he moved his mouth to her exposed throat and shoulder.

It was when he was gently biting her earlobe when he felt tugging at his waist. Hazen pulled back, meeting Irene's eyes. "Wait," he breathed, taking her hands. "Are you sure?"

Irene stared at him, swallowing hard. "We could die tomorrow," she said, her voice hoarse. "And even if we survive, it won't matter. Not for us."

That was sobering. Hazen nodded, feeling like a vise was crushing his chest, and Irene slid her hand to his cheek, turning his gaze back to hers. "I love you," she whispered, a tear slipping down, and suddenly his chest was lighter than ever. "And when I think of you, I don't want to feel regret."

There was a moment of silence, punctuated only by the pouring rain outside, and by the wild pounding of Hazen's heart. I love you. I love you. I love you.She loves me. She--she loves--

"U-Unless you don't want to," Irene said, her voice cracking. "I mean, if not then don't--mmph!"

Her stiffness at being surprised was gone in an instant. She softened against his body, wrapping her arms around his neck, and when he picked her up and carried her to the bed across the room and laid her down, he trailed his mouth down her neck and up to her ear, biting gently on her earlobe.

"I love you."

Much later, Irene blinked in the reluctant dawn light, smiling softly at the sleeping pile of sheets and golden skin beside her. He'd just woken up, and now he blinked at her sleepily. "Hey."

Her smile widened. She shuffled over, climbing on top of him. He fingered the hem of his shirt, two sizes too large on her. "And after all the hard work I did to get you undressed."

Irene stifled a laugh. "Bold of you to assume you did any work at all."

His eyes widened, and he laughed incredulously. "Excuse me, we're going to have to try this again. Clearly my role was underappreciated."

His hands drifted down to her legs, and she squirmed. Hazen smiled, stilling her. "Careful."

She glared at him, but did try not to move as his hands went to her calves. Hazen's smile turned to a smirk as he suddenly tightened his grip and flipped them over. Irene landed beneath him with a surprised noise, but it was muffled as Hazen covered her mouth with his own. She'd barely kissed him back when he drew away, trailing his lips down her neck--and down, and down.

Irene fisted the sheets, her leg jerking when Hazen's hair tickled the skin. He met her eyes once as he bit her hip, and she dropped her head to the pillow when he finally--

Thunder cracked yet again outside, and Hazen swore, raising his head. He flopped to the side. "What the bloody hell is that?" he growled.

Irene had to stifle a laugh--and her disappointment. "Whatever it is, it's been going on for hours."

She sat up in a stretch, arching her back, and felt Hazen's eyes burning into her as she stood from the bed. She stripped off his shirt and threw it at him. He caught it with a laugh.

Irene knew he was watching her as she went to the bathroom, gathering her clothes as she went. And when she prepared the bath, sinking into the square tub set into the floor filled with hot water, she knew he was watching her from the door. She made sure to keep her back to him as she washed. Her efforts paid off within a few minutes.

The water sloshed over the sides of the tub as he slipped in behind her, his hands trailing down her sides and latching onto her hips. Irene's heart pounded, and her breath caught as he slid in from behind. She gripped the edge of the tub tightly, her head falling back to his chest, and when he began moving, his breath rasped against her ear, his fingers holding her tightly enough to bruise. She slipped a hand into his hair, pulling it in tandem with their bodies, their breath coalescing as steam. He finished with her name as a broken whisper, pressing her into the side of the tub, his whole body trembling, and she followed soon after, his fingers making short work of her, her hoarse cry echoing in the chamber.

After, they cleaned each other, and as Irene toweled herself dry, she caught his look across the tiles. He was smiling stupidly, and she might have thought he was simply pleased with himself if not for the hint of sadness in his eyes.

It was that hint that made her cross to him and wrap her arms around him. She felt his sigh, his chest expanding against her. "I do not want to leave this house," he murmured, carding his fingers through her wet hair.

"Neither do I," she agreed, and even though she knew that part of them wouldn't leave this place--even though she knew that they had left some of themselves here, last night--she didn't say it aloud. It wasn't what either of them wanted to hear.

So when they pulled away, it was with that knowledge in their heart. Hazen followed Irene through the house, back to the main room. They dressed quietly, and at the door, he slipped his hand to her cheek and kissed her so gently she felt tears burn.

Hazen pulled away slowly, stepping back, and with a deep breath, she tried desperately to remember what that ruby meant. The ruby from his own sword, that he'd given to her because no one else could.

Passion. Confidence. Determination. Adventure.

They stepped out into the daylight of Ancient Termina, finding Saval and Tessen doing the same one house over. They came to stand together, looking out towards that distant booming. "What do you suppose that is?" Saval said, gripping her bow.

"Can't be anything good," Tessen responded.

"Should we go check it out?" Hazen asked, squinting in the bright sunlight.

"Bad idea," Irene said. "We don't want to attract any attention here, good or bad."

Saval was muttering something.

"Then what should we do?" Tessen asked.

"Well, we can't stay here."

"Um," Saval said, voice unsure.

"Where else can we go?"

"I don't know, maybe we can find the witches?"

"I'm not sure if--"

"Guys," Saval called, facing out towards the fields.

"I'm just trying to figure it out--"

"It's a bad idea to go looking for . . ."

The boys' voices faded in the background. Irene cocked her head, leaving them to argue. She stepped to Saval's side. The girl was staring out over the fields--or more accurately, at the battle erupting over them.

"Both of you, be quiet," Irene said, voice sharp.

They broke off, looking at each other, and came up to stand beside the girls. They'd finally noticed what was happening, and Hazen turned to Irene. "What is that?"

"I don't know," she murmured, biting her lip. "But something doesn't feel right."

As they watched, the pressure came again. Irene threw up a shield, knowing what to expect now, and as the waves of pressure barraged the shield, she watched the figure across the field gesture wildly--right before lightning arced down, casting everything in a bright white haze for a second.

The other figure--waving what seemed to be a massive weapon--swung his weapon and blew the lightning away. It changed direction and instead connected with the mountain peak behind it, miles away.

Irene narrowed her eyes. Something about that magic . . .

She didn't move, but she sent out a probe of her magic to the fields, connecting with the next blast of lightning. As soon as her magic touched it, her body arced, and she gasped--

A village on fire, a woman lying dead, curled around her child, her blue eyes forever closed, a haunted scream over the crack of flames--

Her body snapped back and she sucked in a breath, holding her chest. She was vaguely aware of Hazen and Saval pulling her up, and through her ringing ears, she recognized the screech heading her way.

She threw a shield up, but suddenly the fields and mountains blinked out of existence, and were replaced with a white room, except it wasn't a room, and--

Irene scrambled to her feet, standing back to back with the others, and took a good look around. They didn't seem to be in a room, though she didn't know how she knew that. It just felt like a massive space, uncontainable, and as she looked around, she saw streams running beside her, flashes of people, places, battles and weddings and events flying by too fast for her eyes to catch. All around, huge white discs all playing out those scenes spiraled up and down, so far she lost sight of them.

They seemed to go straight through the floor. Irene stepped away to tentatively place a foot above one of the spirals, and felt her foot connect with . . . the floor, she supposed. Do these just go straight through? Or are we standing on thin air through nothing but magic?

A noise behind her brought her back to task. She whirled around, coming face to face with Majora.

It flickered, like light through a forest canopy. It was a mask, then it became a man not unlike Hazen in build, dressed in the bright colors of its carved wooden face before changing back to a mask again.

It approached the four of them, stopping a few feet away.

"Well," it said. "I suppose I should be surprised."

Its voice was annoyingly familiar. Somewhat deep, reverberating through the stark, strange surroundings. But why was she remembering it now, and not before? Irene shook the thoughts away, trying to focus on what it was saying.

"You've made it this far, that much is impressive," it continued. It flickered again, now appearing as the man. "I wonder how much you've learned along the way."

"I suppose you're the one who was sending us through the Doors of Time?" Hazen called, his voice hard.

Majora huffed through its nose. Its hands were in its pockets, and its face was hard. Its eyes glowed as bright and yellow as ever. It was absolutely unnerving, Irene thought.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" it asked. Hazen's brows narrowed.

Majora ignored him. "Well? I asked if you've learned anything."

"We've learned enough," Tessen said, voice low.

Majora raised a brow. "Indeed? That should make this simple, then."

"Wait," Irene said. She stepped in front of the group, fixing Majora with an iron stare. "Do you know who I am?"

Majora rolled its eyes. "A relic of a bygone people, to be sure."

Irene stamped down the surge of anger. You didn't think so the last time we met, she thought. "Not bygone so long as I am alive."

"Easily remedied." Majora waved a hand, and a blast of fire shot from its palm. Irene blocked it with a water shield. As the steam rose between them, she relished in seeing the annoyance on Majora's face.

"Do not test me, witch," it hissed, attacking again. Irene blocked once more, but this time she sent a spear of magic through her shield, straight at Majora's front. It slammed into his chest, and Irene arced once more.

That blue-eyed woman smiling, her lips speaking words Irene couldn't hear, her hands glowing pale gold, her sisters behind her smiling knowingly--She snapped back into her body and just caught the hiss of rage from Majora. "Enough of your games, witch," it snarled. It went to attack, but suddenly stopped, and instead spread its arms to the side. "You forget, you are not the only one with a mastery over time," it taunted, and as Irene rose to her feet, a blast of magic flew outward from Majora.

Along the sides of that white space, portals opened, and the blood drained from her face. Floods of monsters poured through--from red bokoblins to gold Lynels. Hazen pulled her to her feet, his eyes as wide as the others', and Irene cast out her magic quickly, closing her eyes.

Please, please be ready.

Majora was laughing. "What now, little witch? Your water is worth nothing against this."

Confidence. Determination. Passion."You're weak. Just like the rest of your people. They did not deserve to exist in this world. In my world."

You are stronger than you'll ever know.

A sound like glass clinking. An image like white string loosely hanging, suddenly pulled tight. A feeling like an empty hand, filling with warmth.

Ready when you are.

Irene opened her eyes. Majora stood across the white space, surrounded by roaring monsters, grinning like a monster itself. Its eyes glowed maniacally yellow. Irene raised her hands, concentrating her magic, and breathed outward.

Portals appeared again. But now they were glowing gold and white, and instead of monsters, they admitted soldiers in blue uniform, marching in formation alongside mounted commanders. And at the forefront, four figures rode side by side, their golden hair shining in the sudden light that poured through the portals.

Zelda and Link rode forward, swords already drawn, and without a single hesitation, shouted out loud enough for everyone to hear it.

"You said water was not enough to stop you." Zelda drew her sword and thrust it forward. Countless figures in black cloaks rushed forward from between the Alliance soldiers, forming a defensive line between Zelda and the monsters, and a group of them rushed to form a circle around Irene and the others, and now Irene had to stifle a sob.

Hands glowed with the colors of the rainbow, crowns glittered with the stones of the earth, and above it all, Zelda smiled wickedly.

"So it's a good thing we brought the flood."

Human!Majora has a British accent no I do not take criticism

Also I just really love the idea of Majora as a human don't@ me. Plus it makes sense in this story I swear lol. Answers incoming in the next few chapters!

Review replies!

Exposition, amirite? Lmao. And I'm glad you enjoyed it. Something tells me y'all are gonna like this one.

Also fun fact, those things about the stones are true. At least as far as you believe in that stuff haha, but I used an actual site to find out what stone means what etc.

All right y'all, I hope you enjoy this one and let me know what you think! See you next week!