"No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear."

~George MacDonald~

Ancient Roots

Chapter 22: Burden

Hylia gazed out onto the rolling green hills that were bathed in the morning sunlight, hands placed flatly against the window sill as she leaned out to feel the breeze on her skin and lose herself in a daze of countless thoughts. She had never wanted any this to happen, never wanted her people to suffer the wrath of the Demon King, yet here she was in the land she had vowed to protect and her people dying each day.

Although she was known as the Goddess of Time, she felt as if every moment was quickly slipping from her fingers. She had arrived only a day before the earth cracked wide and monsters rushed from the fissure, and now she was in the thick of war against a being so powerful that her courage wilted a little at the thought of him—she would have to fight him soon.

Was she ready for that battle? Could she truly stop him?

As if drawn to her melancholy thoughts, footsteps suddenly sounded from behind her only moments before she heard someone knocking at the door. She cleared her throat and called for them to enter, surprised to find the first Bearer slipping inside. He certainly looked better than when she'd first met him only yesterday, for his complexion seemed a little brighter and his eyes less tired; it was a far cry from the exhausted (but still strong and determined) man who'd just been released from prison.

Her heart jumped at the sight of him, curious at the individual she had dubbed her champion and keen to know more about him, but then her mind got involved and she refused to look at him. After all, what right did she have to look him in the eye after the pain and suffering she'd caused him in particular? She had given him the vision that had led to him being imprisoned for insanity. She'd known what would happen and let it happen in the name of tempering his soul like the blade on his back.

It was all a trial of his spirit, one that had left more scars than she could see at first glance.

His suffering… was all her fault.

Oblivious to the Goddess's inner turmoil, the first Bearer bowed deeply before her, but that only made things worse. Hylia spun away from him and waved for him to rise, "You have no need to use such formalities on me." She forced her gaze back to the rolling hills, desperate not to shed any tears as he shifted uncomfortably behind her.

"As you wish, Your Grace," he said simply, then, "I came to inform you that your presence has been requested in the Great Hall for discussions ahead of the encroaching enemy forces."

She hummed but didn't move, "I can sense them on the horizon. When will they reach the fortress?"

"Sir Rusl predicts they'll be here by nightfall, Your Grace. Though they seem to be moving more slowly in the day."

"Demons and light do not oft mix well," was her simple response. It was clear that she needed a moment to compose herself. And yet, as the first Bearer moved to excuse himself, the Goddess spoke up again, "Come here for a moment."

He blinked, surprised at her request but moved promptly across her sparsely furnished chambers (it was a fortress, after all, not a palace) and over to the window, making sure to maintain a respectable distance between them. They stood still for a while, her eyes watching the horizon whilst his shifted between that and the figure before him. Her hands gripped the ledge tightly, as if fighting with herself over what to ask.

Hoping to help her relax, he remarked, "It's surprising that the world has changed little over these past four years. It's almost nostalgic to look upon it again." A ghost of a smile graced her features.

"This world may have changed little, but you are far from the man you used to be, I'm sure," she murmured, to which he frowned. "This life has not been kind to you."

"It hasn't," he admitted. "But… I had a lot of time to think in those four years."

She swallowed thickly and prompted, "To think on what?" A part of him wasn't quite sure why she was so focused on his imprisonment, but he reminded himself that she'd chosen him and surely wanted to understand him a little better before the war reached them.

"I was… I was angry and upset," he started slowly. "Angry at Dagianis for letting jealousy cloud his judgement, angry at the people for imprisoning me and then begging me to be their hero after coming to their senses. Angry at…" He hesitated and she quickly understood why.

"Angry at the Gods for sending you that vision in the first place?" she offered. He didn't reply and she finally turned back to him, noticing the flash of regret in his eyes for talking his way into a corner. "You need not fear offending me. Please, continue."

He hesitated again as she returned her attention to the horizon but did as asked, "I was angry at the Gods… but I found that anger did nothing to fix anything. In the end, the people came to their senses and I would never let them down. Even though they didn't believe me at first, I… I believe my imprisonment was necessary for them to come around. I wish it had never happened, but I don't regret telling the Queen of my vision and I feel no more anger at the Gods for choosing me."

She was silent for so long that the first Bearer worried he'd said something wrong. But then she spoke wistfully, "Nonetheless, you suffered in ways a Goddess could never imagine."

He smiled, "Don't worry about me, Your Grace." The Goddess said nothing, too fearful that he could hear her heart breaking. She desperately wanted to tell him that his imprisonment was all her fault, or perhaps he already knew, but her voice refused to work. "There's something else I learned too."

"Hm?" was the only sound she could make.

"I realised that if this was my destined path, then I can make peace with that." She looked over her shoulder, confused at his response. "My people—my friends—are scared for the future, and they've turned to me for their salvation. If my fate is to be the rock for my friends and fight alongside them as I'd always vowed to do, even if I die in the process, then I can make peace with that—all I've ever wanted was to protect them, as a knight and as a friend."

She could feel her eyes grow warm, "I'm happy that you've made peace with yourself, and they should be honoured to have a man like you as their friend. I had hoped that you and your people could consider me one of them… but I fear I have failed you too much to hope for such a wonderful thing." But he shook his head.

"I cannot claim to know the will of the Gods, but the people needed a strong person—one of their own—to look to when the Demon King came. I never thought myself as that person… but, after those four years, I've shed my anger and can be that person just as the Gods intended," he explained. "As for the people, you came to this land to protect them. I can safely say that neither I nor they hold any ill will towards you, Your Grace. I'm certain that they'll see you as one of their own soon enough."

Her indifferent façade broke as a single tear slipped down her cheek, "Thank you, Sir Link." A smile tugged at his lips.

"You can forgo such titles in private, Your Grace," he said simply, then sheepishly added, "If we are to be friends, I mean."

Now she smiled too, "Only as long as you do the same with me." It took him a few moments, but he soon nodded and she gestured to the door, "Now, I believe they're waiting for us." His words certainly hadn't eased the immense guilt raging inside her, but he'd eased the burden for this moment.

After all, that's what friends did for each other.

She only hoped that she could ease his burdens too.

~O~

"Hey, Grannie!" a familiar voice cuts into my awareness as I swim back into consciousness. "I think she's waking up!"

A moan escapes me as a wave of dull pain hits me before I've even opened my eyes. But, like with other times I've seen glimpses of the Goddess's—no, my—memories, it's all I can think about when I remerge from them. The sight of the Goddess being so vulnerable compared to the indifferent Goddess I'd always viewed her as (how else can you view a deity?) is surprising, though a little comforting to know she had mortal emotions.

And yet, that's not the main thing that concerns me. What bothers me is what she did to the first Bearer. I recall Link telling me what he knew about the first Bearer, but that memory is a real eye opener. The Goddess sent him a vision of the Demon King waging war on the Surface and knew that he'd be imprisoned for such an absurd claim, yet she sent it anyway because he needed to become the hero he needed to be—for his people and for her.

She may as well have chained him up herself.

No matter what guilt she may have felt, it doesn't change the fact that she caused his suffering and now she's continuing his suffering through Link. After all, Link has been touched by destiny so he can help me defeat the Demon King, but it's his soul that's being actively hunted down by Ghirahim. If he hadn't been reincarnated, then surely he'd be resting peacefully now instead of living in fear.

And the first Bearer has been dragged back into the present now too, something he also didn't ask for. He was so lost and confused when I spoke to him in the Earth Spring, and now he's trying to protect Link as best he can to compensate for what his descendant has been pulled into.

Both of them are suffering and it's Hylia's fault.

But who am I kidding? Both Link and the first Bearer are suffering and it's all my fault.

My best friend, the person I love with all my heart, is living a life on the run and in fear of what the next day will bring. He was forcibly brought down to the Surface, assailed by monsters, beaten into submission and is now who knows where with no idea when he'll be able to go home.

This is all my fault.

I dread to think what he'll think of me when he finds out the truth. He must despise me and I don't blame him.

I'm so sorry, Link…

As I finally blink my eyes open, I try to figure out where I am through my blurry vision. I only remember bits and pieces of what happened before I blacked out—Groose coming after me, me revealing another Gate of Time and sealing the great monster back under the Goddess's control—but it's all a hazy mess, like a dream I can just about remember.

As my vision clears to reveal the cracked ceiling of the Sealed Temple above me, I lay there motionlessly, wracked with guilt and pain. Groose's face suddenly pops into my line of sight, his eyes bright with relief for a brief moment before growing concerned when I try to sit up. I moan as a new wave of pain paralyses me and he eases me back down onto the floor.

"Easy, Zelda," the priestess soothes as she appears in my line of sight. "Though The Imprisoned had only just begun to awaken and break its bonds, I'm impressed you were able to restore the seal keeping it captive despite your mortal form." She hands me my canteen and the two help me sit up so I can drink.

The only problem is, I'm not paying much attention to what she's saying. I'm too shocked over what I've realised to think about anything else. My head screams at me to pay attention because, ultimately, the information that the priestess has will get me back to Link, but my heart thinks otherwise. I will get back to him, but that doesn't change the fact that he won't ever want to speak to me after he realises that I'm the cause of his suffering.

He's too kind to hold things like that against me, I try to remind myself. It's not Zelda's fault…

The familiar feeling of Hylia assuming control washes over me and she says through me, "Unfortunately, I have only succeeded in buying us a little more time in which to act. But now that Zelda has grown to understand who she must become, she has burdened herself with my guilt and blames herself for the newest Bearer's suffering. She is grieving his loss too much to consider her next steps." Hylia shrinks back into my consciousness so quickly that I have to catch my breath, clutching at my heart as it pounds against my chest.

Groose whirls around on Impaz, "What's wrong with her? Why is she talking like that?"

Impaz is unfazed and she calmly responds, "Her situation is a complex one, but know that she has been touched by the Goddess and shoulders a heavy burden." He goes to retort, but she raises her hand and turns to me instead, "You mustn't attempt to shoulder Her Grace's grief, Zelda."

"My grief," I correct her coldly. "I ruined the first Bearer's life just to mould him into the hero I needed him to me, and now I've dragged Link into this mess just so he can help me defeat the Demon King. Every scar he's got from his mission…" I close my eyes in a vain attempt to stem the flow of tears threatening to fall. "Goddess above, Impaz, I might as well have given them to him myself."

Impaz takes my hand into both of hers, "Zelda, listen to me now. Although you share a soul with Her Grace, your lives are separate. The Goddess harboured much grief over the life of the first Bearer and her role in plaguing it with trials, but she did what was necessary to protect her people. She vowed that his spirit would live on so he could find peace in another life, but the seal over the Demon King weakened much faster than anyone could've expected, and thus it was necessary for you both to finish what they started many lifetimes ago."

I shake my head, "But I—"

"It will take time for you to come to terms with what you've learned," the priestess cuts in, then, "But until then, there is much to discuss." Knowing that she's right, I nod and let her speak, "The behemoth you beat back into confinement is a horror of unspeakable power. Judging by what I saw, I wouldn't be surprised if the seal gave away again soon."

I blink, "So I'll have to fight it again?" She nods and dread fills my gut.

"Yes, and so you are left with precious little time to complete the task with which you have been entrusted." Nodding to the slab at the bottom of the steps, she explains, "As you can see, the gate is nothing more than a slab of cold stone for now. Rousing it from its slumber would require great power… a shot of holy light from your Skyward Strike might just do it."

A gasp escapes me and I start searching around for the Goddess Sword, "I can—"

Impaz rests her hand on my arm as I reach out for the sword, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Zelda, but for now the sword lacks the power necessary to awaken the gate. First, you and your sword must grow together." My heart sinks and she sees it on my face, "What do you know of the Master Sword?"

"The blade of evil's bane," I say instantly, remembering what the Goddess had said to the first Bearer when I'd first drawn the Goddess Sword. "The Goddess gave it to the first Bearer during the war. It was reforged so he could wield it."

She nods and hums in agreement, "It was, and it regressed to the Goddess Sword after his death." I blink down at the sword at my side. I have the harp the Goddess held during the war and now the same sword that the first Bearer wielded too.

"So, I need to reforge it back into the Master Sword?"

"Yes," she concours, "Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano and Lanayru Desert… a Sacred Flame is hidden somewhere in each of these lands. Seek them out and purify your sword in their heat. Only after your blade has been tempered by these three fires will it be fully imbued with the great power for which you search."

My heart flutters. And then I can see him again…

"Are there any clues as to their whereabouts?" I ask her.

"Any clues to finding the Sacred Flames have been woven into the lyrics of the Ballad of the Goddess," she tells me. "Return to Skyloft. Somewhere on your island is one whose knowledge of this old song will point you in the right direction."

I close my eyes and cast myself back to the morning of the Wing Ceremony, a day full of so much joy and grief that it's difficult to think about now. But I can hear the lyrics that I sang as clear as day: oh youth, guided by the servant of the Goddess, unite earth and sky, bring light to the land… Oh youth, show the two whirling sails the way to the Light Tower… and before you a path shall open, and a heavenly song you shall hear…

"Thank you, Impaz," I reply with a nod. "I'll head out now."

She nods, "Very well, Zelda. But I will leave you with this: you must do everything in your power to remain present. I have no doubt that you've seen Link do his best to cope with the presence of the first Bearer and you must do the same with Her Grace. Act with speed, but do not allow yourself to be lost in the process."

Her words strike a painful cord in me and I nod firmly, "I'll do my best."

And that's all I can do: my best. Whenever I was losing myself to those memories, it was always Link's voice that brought me back and grounded me, but I don't have that luxury anymore. I just have to figure this out on my own (like I'm sure he had to before we were reunited in Skyview Temple) and pray that it's enough.

I'm coming for you, Link. I'll make things right no matter what.

I accept Groose's help onto my feet, noting his silence as he takes everything in, then collect my bag and get ready to leave. Once I'm ready, I take a moment to stand on the correct side of the dormant Gate of Time and run my fingers across its surface. The guilt I feel for using Link just to protect everyone else hasn't gone away and I doubt it ever will, but I need to focus on what I can do rather than what's already happened—for now, that's activating this gate.

That's when I hear a familiar voice clearing their throat and I turn to find Groose looking up at me, "Zelda… I'm coming with you to find these flames."

"No, you aren't," I snap. "You're coming back to Skyloft with me and staying where you belong."

"But who's going to protect you from—?"

"I don't need protecting," I say, feeling Hylia's presence bubbling under the surface. Much like with the first Bearer and Link, I can feel her wanting to protect me despite how much I've blamed her for the first Bearer's imprisonment—maybe she pities me. "I need to be focusing all my energy on getting back to Link and making sure he's alright, and I don't need you getting in the way of that."

He makes a face, "I don't care whatever fate or destiny he's a part of, it's clear he can't handle himself out there if you're this worried for him and I refuse to be as useless as him." I can feel my anger flaring and with it Hylia's presence growing. Neither of us want the people we care about to be slandered this way.

"You know nothing of what he's going through and you never will," I growl. "You'll never be like him. While you cowered from The Imprisoned, he would've run straight into danger without even hesitating."

He laughs and I can feel Hylia desperately wanting to take over, "Hmph, not the Link I know. He's no hero."

Before I can stop her, the Goddess takes control and I'm flying towards him. With a strength that I never knew I had, I shove Groose into the nearest pillar and pin him against it so harshly that he cries out in surprise. He stares down at me, scared and confused at what I've turned into in a matter of seconds. I simply glare back at him, both my rage and Hylia's combined into a torrent.

"How dare you mock him," I hiss. "You know nothing of his struggles nor how much danger he's in. I've seen what jealousy can do to a man, and you would be wise to understand that such emotions are unbecoming of a good man, Mr. Groose. If you ever wish to be of any use to your Zelda, then you will leave before you cause any more damage to my mission or her heart. Am I understood?"

"I-I…"

"Am I understood?!" He nods rapidly and I continue to glare at him until Impaz speaks up.

"Release him, Your Grace," she says firmly. "He knows nothing of your mission and is basing his opinions only on what he understands." I take numerous deep breaths; she's right. "Leave him with me. He will see in time that he has his own role to play in all this."

I take a step back from an almost terrified Groose and hold my hands over my heart. Meeting Groose's gaze, I bow my head and say, "I do not apologise for my anger, but I do apologise for my reaction to your words. I am forever guilt-stricken over the first and newest Bearer and your Zelda is overwhelmed by the task at hand. I ask for your forgiveness for my violence."

He blinks a few times and swallows thickly, "I-It's fine…"

Inhaling deeply, I turn back to Impaz with wide eyes, "H-How do I control this?"

The priestess smiles thinly, "It will come with time, Zelda, but you must go now. Trust in fate to guide your feet. Your mission depends on it… as does Link's fate."

I nod, feeling my heart ache at the sound of his name, "I know." Glancing back at Groose, I force myself to tell him, "I'm sorry… this is all rather new to me," before gathering my things and making my way back out into the clearing I first arrived in, still a little embarrassed at what Hylia—and I, I suppose—did. I'm still angry at Groose for what he said about Link, but it didn't warrant that sort of response from me.

The nippy autumnal air outside is enough to keep me grounded as I step outside, but my thoughts remain jumbled as I ask Fi to take me back to the Sky Realm. I know I can be strong when I want to be, I won't doubt that, and I knew Hylia was powerful, but both of us together created a violent response that surprised even me. Like Impaz said, I can't lose myself now—not when the stakes are so high…

But Goddess above, how am I going to control two people's emotions when anything and everything could trigger a response from either of us?

It'll come with time, I tell myself, repeating what the priestess had told me. I just hope it comes sooner rather than later.

As I'm whisked back up into the sky, I do my best to focus on the task at hand—something both Zelda and Hylia want to do. Three Sacred Flames are waiting to be found, and then I can finally be reunited with Link. He has Impa at his side to protect him while he waits for me and I refuse to let him wait for longer than he needs to. Even though it's not Zelda's fault, I feel like I have to apologise for everything that's happened to him on mine and Hylia's part.

Hylia wanted him to live and peace and Zelda will do everything in her power to make that happen; it's what he deserves and more.

And only three Sacred Flames stand in the way of that.