Night descended soon after Link's departure, leaving the desert a still, grey landscape. The ceiling of stars though, was a beautiful sight.
Dark had never seen so many before, bright enough with the light of the moon that he didn't need a lantern when he stepped outside the temple. He didn't venture far, knowing the leevers were lurking somewhere in the muted sand dunes, but it was nice to sit and stare at the light-speckled canopy for a while.
He and Zelda set up camp in silence, building a fire just inside the entrance where the smoke could escape. Without the intense sun, the desert was chilly at night, and the flames chased away the worst of it. They ate a simple dinner of dried, salted meat and fruit, not bothering to make much conversation.
Dark suspected that she would prefer not to be alone with him, so when she started packing up their food and reorganizing their supplies, he busied himself with tracing random images in the loose sand on the floor with his fingers.
He tilted his head to study a doodle when he heard her bite off a gasp and reach for her side.
"I should have a look at your side," he said, dusting off his hands.
He stood up and walked to her side of the fire, giving her what he hoped was a stern look when she hesitated.
She shifted, peeling back the layers of her clothing so he could see the bandages. Dark carefully lifted the bandage to inspect the wound, trying not to pull on the tender skin. He was glad to see it was healing well after being treated with Sienna's medicines. Zelda remained still, but she didn't turn her head to inspect it herself, and wouldn't meet his eyes. Deciding to address the awkwardness head-on, Dark tucked the bandage back into place and cleared his throat.
"I owe you an apology." He scooted back to his side of the fire, giving her space. She looked up at that, frowning. "For treating you like the enemy," he elaborated.
She faced him, imitating his cross-legged posture. "You had every reason to suspect me," she murmured. "You were trying to protect Link, and I can't fault you for that."
As curious as he was about her apparent friendship with Link, he pushed his questions aside. "Truce?" he offered, extending a hand. "Now that we both know we're on the same side."
She clasped his hand briefly with a grateful smile. They fall back into silence for a few moments before she spoke again.
"I am curious," she began, and Dark's spine stiffened in apprehension. "How you knew I was supposedly working for Ganondorf."
Relaxing somewhat, Dark explained his visit to see Sienna in the castle dungeons and her warning about Sheik.
Her eyes glinted with satisfaction. "As I thought," she said, her mouth twisting. Her gaze softened with sympathy. "I am sorry I wasn't able to help her."
Dark shrugged. "It's my fault she's stuck there. There's nothing you could have done without revealing yourself to Ganondorf."
Zelda nodded absently, the firelight drawing her absorbed attention as she slipped into her thoughts. Talking about Sienna made his chest feel tight with emotions he didn't want to talk about.
"Would you like some tea?" he asked, already rising to grab what he needed from their packs. She nodded absently, as he prepared the small kettle, his thoughts on Sienna.
"I'm fascinated by your abilities," she said, shaking him from his guilt. "I've read about the Sheikah and their abilities, but I've never met anyone other than her who could use them."
Dark grunted. "That's probably a good thing. I'd hate to think what someone like Ganondorf could do with this kind of power."
"I suppose you're right."
He placed the kettle on the flattest chunk of stone he could pry from the temple floor and set it close to the heat of the flames.
"Have you read much about the Sheikah?" he ventured, hoping she could tell him more about his strange abilities.
"To tell you the truth, there aren't many books written by or about them, even in the Castle library."
He internally sighed in disappointment, but she started talking again.
"I know some of the rumours about the Sheikah are...frightening," she said. "But I've known Impa all my life, and she is not at all like people fear. People are just fearful of what they don't understand."
Her attempts to reassure him only half-worked, but he tried to smile back at her anyways. "Not understanding is the problem for me," he agreed. "Even Impa couldn't tell me much. She taught me about Shadow, but to be honest with you it scares the hell out of me. With everything that's happened and what I've done," he shook his head, searching for the source of his anxiety. "I barely recognize myself anymore."
Her sympathy was clear as she scooted a bit closer, taking the kettle from its rock and pouring two cups of tea. She passed him one and said, "I know that feeling well. These past years, pretending to be someone else, I feel I don't know myself anymore. Not the real me."
"At Sheik was just a disguise," Dark replied bitterly. "A way to hide. Being apparently part-Sheikah isn't so bad on its own, but the things I've done, what's been...done to me."
Zelda tentatively placed a hand on his arm. "Impa told me about your curse," she said softly. "I'm so sorry for what Alatar has done, I know what he's capable of-"
Dark shrugged off her touch. "You shouldn't feel sorry for me. I've put Sienna in danger, she was captured because Ganondorf is after me."
"That isn't your fault."
Dark tipped the cup of tea against his lips without saying anything. Zelda blew out a breath.
"If I could go back in time and fix things, I would," Dark muttered. Zelda's eyes widened. "Like Link is doing—if I could do that, I would make sure Sienna was safe, and then I would go to Ganondorf and kill him before he could do all this."
It was a long moment before Zelda answered. "But you're helping Link...and you'll help him defeat Ganondorf and you'll free Sienna. All the rest won't matter."
Dark didn't bother telling her otherwise. He wasn't Link—he didn't have the power to go back and change things to how they should be. But it did matter. Because the man who'd killed his parents still lived, Sienna was still in danger, and Dark was still cursed.
As if to taunt him, the flicker of the flames morphed themselves into a vision of Kai, his shadow, eyes glowing like embers. There was a stain on his heart, growing ever darker and deeper, impossible to wash out.
"Dark?"
Her voice pulled him from his thoughts, her tone suggesting she'd tried unsuccessfully a few times. He looked up.
"What is it?"
She chewed her lip. "I want to ask you something. I'm not sure how to ask it, or how you'll react."
He shrugged. "Won't know until you try."
Nodding, she took a slow breath. Her eyes locked to his across the barrier of flames. "Who is Link to you?"
~oOo~
Inside the Temple of Time, it was cool and empty. It was strangely quiet, though he knew just outside the battle for Hyrule was coming to a sudden end.
Ganondorf and his army of darkness had won, Zelda had fled, and the King of Hyrule was dead.
Link, his ear pressed to the heavy wooden doors, could hear the chaos of battle outside. The high windows in the temple walls flickered with an orange glow as Castle Town burned to rubble.
Link stepped back from the door. He'd truly traveled back in time.
The Master Sword had brought him back to the moment he'd left, as if he hadn't departed from this point in time in the first place.
He bent to sit on the edge of the raised pedestal bearing the symbol of Light, taking a deep breath. A quick inventory showed he still held the Ocarina, as well as his weapons, Kokiri sword and shield. Navi hovered above his head, shaking off the discombobulating effects of time travel.
Being in his old body felt foreign now, which startled him. Getting accustomed to his adult body was strange enough, but he'd grown used to being taller and faster and stronger. Now, as a boy again, it should have been familiar.
A wave of sadness washed over Link, but he forced the feeling aside. There was no time to dwell on it. He may have been back in his old body, but inside was the still the spirit of the Hero of Time, and he had a job to do. Standing up, Link faced the twin doors and reached for the Ocarina.
There was nothing to be done for Castle Town, he knew. What can a child do in the middle of a battle? So, he took the Ocarina and lifted it to his lips, playing the notes Zelda taught him.
The sombre, hypnotic song wrapped around him, filling his ears as the familiar haloes of light grew and blinded him. The music and light faded, and Link suppressed a shiver. Back in the desert, the night's chill pierced straight through him.
He stood on a similar platform to the one he'd just left, though this one bore the mark of Spirit. Several yards away, the statue of the Colossus stared down the sand with her unwavering gaze. Link took another slow breath. It wasn't far to the temple, and then he could grab the prize of silver and be gone.
Wary of leevers hiding beneath his boots, Link sprinted the short distance to the temple steps, mildly frustrated that his smaller body and shorter legs couldn't close the gap as quickly as before.
Grabbing his lantern and lighting it, Link ventured through the dark entrance of the temple, unsure what to expect.
The lit torches inside put Link on alert, his suspicions confirmed when Navi said she sensed the presence of someone else from inside his hat. As stealthily as he could, Link climbed the steps to the upper level, dismayed to see the enormous grey block still barring the right passageway. To the left, someone in a cloak crouched inside an alcove, examining the corner of the wall.
Link's hand found his sword and pointed it at the stranger. The Kokiri sword was less intimidating than the Master Sword, but it would have to do. The light from Link's lantern fell across the person's back, and they started, snapping upwards and spinning to face him.
"Who are you!?" she demanded.
It was a Gerudo woman, with the telltale crimson hair and bronze complexion. Her eyes were sharp as topaz gemstones in a fiercely beautiful face, now grimacing in suspicion. Before Link could blink, his child's sword had been batted away with a flick of her scimitar, which she held beneath his chin.
"You're just a kid," she said with a mixture of surprise and disdain, lowering her weapon a few inches. "What are you doing here? And how did you cross the desert by yourself?"
Link raised his hands defensively. "You don't want to mess with me," he warned, hoping his now-boyish appearance didn't undercut his tough tone.
She snickered. "You've got guts, kid. Traversing the desert by yourself, and standing up to me? Are you sure you're not Gerudo?"
"I-uh-"
"Nevermind." She shook her head, tossing her long ponytail aside. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"My name is Link. I'm-"
She made a face. "What kind of name is that?"
Link scowled. "I'm here to look for something. And someone," he added, thinking of the final Sage. Maybe this woman knew her?
"Well, which is it? Something or someone?" Her eyes narrowed; her grip tightened on her blade.
Link glared back at her. "Both."
The Gerudo woman snorted. "Alright, kid, you don't have to tell me. But maybe you can help me out, yeah? If you do, I'll take you back home safe and sound. I'm sure your parents miss you."
"My parents are dead," Link said before he thought better of it.
Something flashed across her face before she smothered it again. She grunted. "I see. So, you ran away into the desert, huh? Not a great plan, kid, but who am I to judge?" Ignoring his puzzled expression, she ploughed on. "If you help me out, kid, I'll do you a favour and take you somewhere safe instead. What do you say?"
Link eyed her as she stowed her sword at her hip, sticking out a hand sheathed in a glove that extended from her knuckles to her elbow.
"Maybe we can help each other," he offered. "I'm looking for someone—she's a Gerudo, like you. She's a Sage."
The woman frowned. "A Sage? I don't know anyone like that. What's her name? If she lives here, I know her."
"Nabooru."
Her face split with a wide grin and she cackled, shaking her head and making the gold earrings in her ears bounce.
"My name is Nabooru," she said, drawing up to her full, impressive height. "Leader of the Gerudo."
Surprised, Link gaped at her. "You're Nabooru? Er, I mean, that's great. I've been looking for you. I need to know-"
Nabooru's golden eyes flashed again. "Why?" she asked sharply. "Did he send you after me?"
"Who?" Link frowned, then realized who she must mean. "Ganondorf?" Drawing back suddenly, Nabooru hissed in a breath as her hand crept back to her sword. "He didn't send me," Link said quickly, and her posture relaxed again. "I need your help to defeat him."
Nabooru's chuckle confused him. "Wish I could help, kid, but I need help defeating Ganondorf, too. That's why I'm here. After he...well, let's just say I made some excuses and came straight here from Castle Town. He and his followers have been using this place as a hideout, but everyone's gone now." She glanced at Link, that pinched expression of guilt back.
"There's something hidden here that can help me take him down," she finished.
"The silver prize?" Link guessed.
Nabooru's red brows shot up, and she snorted in disbelief. "I don't know who you are, kid, but you seem to be the answer to my problem. Did the gods send you?" she joked.
Chuckling to herself, she stepped aside so Link could see what she'd been investigating on his arrival. A small opening was visible in the interior wall of the alcove, far too tiny to fit an adult.
"Since I assume you know the story already, smart guy, the silver gauntlets are supposed to be hidden in this side of the temple. I've scoured every inch of this place, but there must be some rooms I can't access except through this hole here."
"Silver gauntlets?" Link questioned. "Is that what the treasure is?"
"Yep. And they won't fit a kid like you," she warned, waving a finger in his face. "So, be a good boy and bring them back to me, understood?"
Begrudgingly, Link nodded. He had no intention of handing them over to Nabooru, though. He needed to take them with him to the future. It was his only way to find her seven years from now. With a scowl, he thought it too bad that he couldn't simply ask her where she'd be hiding in seven years.
"Good." Nabooru patted him on the back. "Now get in there and find 'em. You seem like a tough kid, so I'm sure you'll be fine."
Resisting the desire to roll his eyes, Link grabbed his lantern and dropped to his hands and knees. The tunnel was completely black, with no way to tell how long it stretched. Hoping he wasn't about to become stuck forever and starve to death, Link crawled into the opening, pushing the light ahead of him.
~oOo~
Dark swallowed. Nervous tension crawled over the back of his neck, but he reminded himself that her question hadn't been accusatory, let alone all that unusual. Yet she watched him carefully, analyzing his reaction.
"He's my friend," Dark said through a dry throat.
"I think he's more than that." Zelda frowned. "I noticed when we first met that you resemble Link a great deal, which could be a coincidence." Dark's apprehension tightened its grip on his spine. "After I discovered some of your abilities, I asked Impa about you. At first, I thought you were some kind of copy of Link, created by Ganondorf's dark magic, but Impa would have known."
Zelda tilted her head, tapping her fingertips on her folded knees. "That leaves only a few options, unless you are something else entirely." She arched a brow, as if daring him to admit something sinister.
"He's my brother."
Her face showed only mild surprise. She had likely guessed as much. Still, it slipped out of Dark's mouth without a thought; it was strangely nice to tell.
"I thought Link had no family."
"None that he knows of," Dark muttered.
"You haven't told him?"
"I didn't want to burden him. He has enough on his mind."
"What about your parents? What happened to them?"
Dark sighed. "I don't remember much of that night, but I was separated from my mother and Link—he was an infant, then—she fled into the forest. She died."
Zelda's expression softened with sympathy. "And your father?"
Dark flicked grains of sand from the toes of his boot into the flames. "He was a soldier. Ganondorf attacked our home and killed him."
Eyes wide, she stared at him. "So Ganondorf is responsible for this, too." She shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Dark."
"Not your doing," he growled. "It's Ganondorf's. And luckily, he'll get what's coming to him."
"Link will defeat him," Zelda told him, certainty in her voice. "I know it."
Dark accepted that with a half-hearted shrug. She was curious, he knew, and wanted to ask more questions. Hazy memories of the past threatened to spill free from his mental barriers. A vision of the nightmares he'd seen while under the curse's influence hit him like a strike.
He threw up a defense. "He looks like her."
"What?"
"Link. He looks like our mother. I remember her best; it's how I knew Link was my brother the first time I met him."
"You take after your father?"
He shrugged again. "I suppose so."
She fell silent again, and he was secretly grateful she'd run out of questions. Talking about his parents reminded him of the blackness on his heart, and its unspoken desires for vengeance. For justice.
"Zelda."
"Hm?"
"Please don't tell him."
Sympathy crossed her expression again. "You have my word."
They finished their forgotten tea, now cold, in silence. Soon after, they crawled into their sleeping rolls. Zelda fell asleep quickly, but Dark lay awake for a long time, banishing the memories of the past which rose like a demon horde to overwhelm him.
Whether he won or lost the fight was uncertain as sleep claimed his exhausted mind.
~oOo~
The stories of the Gerudo's ancestors were etched onto every wall, creating a tapestry of a long-forgotten history in a dead language.
Link traced the grooves, shallowed by time and withered by dust. The land of the kingdom of Hyrule was not young; he wondered at the many peoples and cultures that had passed through its borders, passed through the river of time in this place.
Zelda told him once, during an excursion to Hyrule Castle's extensive library, that much of the land's history was only recalled in legends, even myths. No one alive could be certain what was fact and what was imagination. Hyrule's strife and conflicts had wiped the records from memory.
Yet here, in this isolated corner of the desert, was an imprint from a people of the past. A message from across time itself.
Link turned from the wall to face the central chamber's focus—a similar statue to the one guarding the temple, though smaller. On her head she wore a hood of snakeskin, with a serpent draped over her shoulders. She sat cross-legged; arms outstretched in prayer. Once Link had lit the numerous torches, the large central room of the temple was quite warm and peaceful. The sandstone walls glowed with the firelight, throwing strange shadows.
Link crouched in front of the statue's feet, examining the low altar before it. Some of the passages branching off the central room were impassable, the sandstone steps destroyed long ago, or doors blocked off. He'd reached an apparent dead end.
"Over here, Link." Navi's light voice called, the faint light of her wings visible in the darkness behind the great statue.
Examining the space, Link discovered what Navi was talking about. A hidden door was tucked behind the statue's base, left unlocked. Trying the handle, he pushed it open forcefully. The door grated over the floor with a shuddering groan.
It was pitch black inside the next corridor, so Link lit his lantern and Navi floated higher so he could see. A staircase stretched into oblivion ahead. Feeling a bit of trepidation, Link climbed until he found another door. The chamber beyond, to his surprise, was fully illuminated with torches.
Turning sharply to the left, the L-shaped room was adorned with twin rows of wide columns. Ancient weapons adorned the walls beside faded, thick tapestries. Around the blind corner, Link froze in his tracks when he spotted a gleaming suit of armour sitting upon a high-backed throne.
"Link," Navi said in her warning tone.
Drawing his sword and shield, Link advanced slowly. The suit of armour didn't budge, but its face mask seemed to be staring straight at him. In its heavy, gauntleted hands it held a two-sided axe twice as big as the Hylian shield. Its silver edge was polished and looked wickedly sharp.
Link stopped a few steps away. He no longer had the Master Sword's innate ability to sense the presence of evil, but there was no doubt. There was no reason for this thing to be in an abandoned temple without a speck of dust or rust coating it.
Without warning, the iron mask moved.
Metal sliding against metal sounded as the beast stood from its throne, lifting the giant axe in its arms. With a grunt and inhuman speed, it swung the weapon in Link's direction.
Leaping back, Link considered his options. The iron monster walked unhurriedly, stalking him. Not wanting to turn his back, Link shuffled backwards. The Kokiri sword wouldn't do much good against all that armour, and his Deku shield would shatter at the first hit of that axe.
As if proving the strength of its weapon, the iron monster struck the pillar Link had ducked behind, smashing it into a pile of rubble. Shielding himself from the shower of rocks and dust, Link rolled out of the way of its next attack.
The axe blade struck the ground hard, sticking fast. The beast growled and tugged to free it. Seizing an opportunity, Link reached for the bomb bag Darunia had given him long ago. A quick and careful toss ensured the goron-made bomb exploded under the monster's outstretched arms. Its heavy armor was blasted off in chunks, revealing a lighter covering of chainmail and leather.
Seizing its weapon, it charged Link, moving much faster now without the hindrance of armour. Link dodged behind and between columns while it swished the axe side to side, destroying columns and carving pieces out of the floor.
After all his battles against creatures of darkness, Link felt sure in his ability to beat this one. A few more bombs he rolled across the floor, picking apart the rest of the iron beast's defenses. Gripping the Kokiri sword, Link managed to get in a few slashes, dancing around the swing of the axe.
With a howl the iron fighter at last collapsed to its knees, the empty pieces of armour remaining falling to the floor in a heap.
"You did it!" Navi cheered.
Stowing his weapons, Link walked over to the heap of metal. The axe was still gripped tightly in the grip of the gauntlets. Kneeling, he admired the silver gleam of the metal, the strong leather hide and the beautiful rubies adorning the knuckles.
"These must be them," he remarked. "The ones Nabooru wants."
Sliding them from the axe handle, he tried them on. His hands were too small to fit inside, but he could feel the slight tingle of power they tried to lend him.
"We should head back to the temple," Navi urged him.
"Shouldn't we bring these to Nabooru?"
"We might need them," Navi countered. "Besides, if we give them to her, who knows where they'll end up in the future?"
"I guess," Link replied. He didn't like the idea of breaking his promise to the Sage, but Navi was right. "I hope she can forgive me."
With the silver gauntlets safely in hand, Link retrieved the Ocarina and played the song that would return him to the Temple of Time. He and Navi soon disappeared in a flash of light.