Author's Note: I am so sorry for the long wait! I got a bit of writers block over the time of writing this, and I went back to school this week (final year jazz, so less updates will be promised!), plus I've been playing way to much Kid Icarus: Uprising. I'm addicted, but I'm glad to be back. Thank-you to everyone who read, rated, and reviewed, because it certainly makes my day! Anyway, onto the reviews and stuff so then you can read the chapter! :3

Reviews: NoSignalBlueScreen: I'm glad to be back too :3

ShadowNinja1011: Are your feels okay? :3

MiniJen: I'm so glad that it was worth the wait, and not too long. I was worried about the length of the battle and the Timeshift Stone idea, so I'm glad that it was all right. Sorry for such the long wait, but I hope that this chapter is well worth it!

TDDolphin: Sorry for the wait. The trip was wonderful, thank-you, but I'm ready to work again. I really want them to go with, but I feel that this arc is definitely one that Zelda needs to do alone; even if she has Link too. I'm glad that it was all right, because I was worried about that and the Timeshift Stone idea too. I'm so glad to be back, especially with such wonderful reviewers!

G01den Unicorn 11: It really is, and yet there's so much more to go! I'm a little scared about how much she's changing, so do tell me if she goes too off track.

ThePredicate: Thank-you! I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story :3

Schniedragon88: I'm so happy that the fight was good. I was getting things about Crimson coming into the mix, and the artwork of Link fighting Levias made me want to do it so much; though I wanted more people there for depth. Sorry for the wait :3

CupcakePride101: Sorry for the wait! I'm so glad that you liked it and thank you so much for highlighting that for me; because I never would have noticed, knowing my luck. I'll certainly look through that when I next fully edit the chapter, so thank-you. And I'm glad that everyone likes the Timeshift Stone idea too :3

Favourites & Follows: Thank-you very muchly to "OrigamiDragon", "xxHinaAngelxx", "Marcus S. Lazarus", and "Freyja Reinhardt" for favouriting this FanFiction along with "OrigamiDragon" again, and "Freyja Reinhardt" again for following this FanFiction. All of these rates and wonderful reviews have made my day!

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."

~G.K Chesterton~

Ancient Roots

A Skyward Sword FanFiction

Chapter 37: Resilience

I watch on as Hylia sobs over the body of her Chosen One, begging the Goddesses to tell her what she ever did to deserve such suffering. She holds him close, as if they were equals, whispering sweet words to him as if he were still alive and well. But of course, that's not true, for he was yet another casualty of the Great War that added to the blood on her hands—on my hands.

"Your life was occupied by blame and suffering," she murmurs. "I watched your pain and felt it like a knife going through my body…" A tear slips down her cheek, her skin pale from the long battle and her whirlwind of emotions. Caressing his face, she says, "I will ensure that your gentle, heroic spirit will live on eternally. And I… I shall shed my divinity. The next time we meet, I wish to stand before you as a simple human…"

A golden light erupts from her, and once the light fades, I am left alone amongst the rubble. The scene of Hylia so broken and alone tugs at my heart strings, and it alone is enough to make me crave Link's presence more than ever before.

"Now you stand before me as a mere human," a voice calls out, and I spin around to find Link standing a few paces away. And yet, before I can run towards him, he adds, "But we'll have to say goodbye again soon, won't we?"

"N-No," I stammer. "I'm going to save you, Link. This isn't goodbye!"

He smiles sadly at me as a light rain begins to fall. "Whenever the land of Hylia is in danger, we shall be reborn. And every time we meet again, I shall lay down my life for you. If the fates will it, then it was how it was meant to be."

"I don't care what the fates will!" I cry. "I can't lose you to this!"

"Our paths are different, Zelda," he soothes. "They may split us apart, but they will always bring us back together. This isn't our first or last goodbye, for our paths will cross again. But until that day comes, we both have a part to play in the fate of this world, wherever that takes us."

I angrily wipe my tears away and rush towards him, reaching out as a stream of golden light is torn from his body. Only moments before I can reach him, he's gone—torn from me like he always seems to be.

~*O*~

I bolt upright with a gasp, clutching at my chest as I catch my breath. Even though it wasn't the worst nightmare I've had, sweat still pours down my face and my hands are clammy. It may not have been a terrifying dream, but the thought of Link submitting to his fate without hesitation scares me more than anything.

He's one of the only loved ones I have left—I can't let him give up on himself like that.

The Timeshift Stone around my neck must allow Link to feel when I'm awake or at least notice my emotions because I hear his voices moments later asking me if I'm alright. Realising that I haven't truly said goodbye to him yet is enough to send waves of relief through my body, but it still doesn't take my mind away from the fact that I still may have to say goodbye to him soon.

The thought terrifies me.

'I'm alright,' I reassure him. 'It was just a bad dream.'

'Do you want to talk about it?'

I think about it for a moment before replying, 'I'm fine, it was only a dream.'

A dream that might come true…

Thankfully he doesn't press the issue further, and when I notice that the sun didn't rise too long ago, I start preparing myself to leave. I bathe and change into my white dress, my eyes falling onto a Pictograph poking out from Link's books as I wrap the blue ribbons around my hair.

Curious, I take the book out and open it up, swallowing thickly at the Pictograph—Link smiles brightly with his Mother and Father in front of their old house, seemingly only months before Crimson was born. The book itself seems to be some sort of journal, so I refuse to read it, however as I close it one extract catches my eye.

'She appeared in my dreams again—the same woman surrounded by light. Her voice seemed frantic this time, like she was trying to warn me about something. Maybe these recurring dreams mean nothing. But still, I can't shake this horrible feeling that something awful is about to happen.'

It was the most recent entry—most likely a few days before the Wing Ceremony.

Hylia has been warning him all this time about what was going to happen, I realise. Something horrible really was going to happen, and we had no idea…

I close the book quickly and return it to its original place with a shake of my head, resolving not to question Link about such private matters. Once I pack up the rest of my things, I make my way out of the Knight Academy. As I make my way towards the Plaza, Link speaks up for the first time in a while

'How bad is Skyloft?' Link asks as I make my way towards the Graveyard, plucking some flowers as I go.

'It's slowly recovering,' I say honestly. 'There's still lots to do, but the foundations of new houses are being built at the very least.'

'And the islanders?'

I sigh. 'They're still scared of another attack, but they're doing whatever they can to keep going.' I pause when Link goes quiet. 'This wasn't your fault, Link.'

He hums absently and says nothing, so I leave him for a while to place some flowers down at Father's grave, taking a moment to enjoy the quiet. Not a day goes by where I don't regret what happened, I pray. But I will live on with your memory in my heart, and hopefully I will be able to make him pay for what he did to you—to all of us.

I snap my head up when Fi suddenly appears, and my gut twists at her expression. "What's wrong?"

"I sense a major disruption in the Faron Woods region, Mistress," she clarifies. "From my initial scans, I hypothesise that the Seal holding back the Demon King is weakening enough for him to break free once again."

"Unfortunately, we may seal and reseal it a thousand times, but it will always shatter its bonds if we do not stop it completely," Impaz had told me, though I never realised how quickly Demise could break the Seal.

I rise and cast my gaze over to the Column of Light with concern. 'I can feel it,' says Link. 'There isn't much time before he breaks free again.'

And now that I know why Link is needed in all of this and how close he is to the Seal, a harsher wave of urgency floods into my system.

I glance down to my arm, taking a deep breath as I remove it from its sling and stuff the bindings into my bag. With Hylia's spirit dwelling within me and my healing spells, it's healed much faster than normal, and as I face such a daunting battle I know that I need everything that I can get.

Leaping from the diving platform beside the Graveyard, I whistle for Crimson and immediately begin to make my way towards Faron Woods, my heart hammering against my chest as I think about every passing moment leading to The Imprisoned breaking free from the Seal.

'How close is he to breaking free, Link?' I ask fearfully.

'I'm not sure,' he answers. 'But I can feel him growing stronger—we don't have long. How far away are you?'

But I can't answer him, my breath caught up in my throat.

As well as the Seal holding back The Imprisoned waning, a large wave of water is rapidly making its way across Faron Woods, flooding it entirely.

I can't jump down, I conclude. The water's moving too fast; I'll be caught up in it before I even reach the Surface…

"Fi?" I call out. "Can you take me to the Surface?"

The Master Sword glows and she silently does as is asked. In a burst of light, the high winds of the Sky Realm are immediately replaced by a gentle breeze down on the Surface. I emerge outside the main doors of the Sealed Temple, and I waste no time before rushing inside. Bursting inside, I immediately make my way towards Impaz towards the back of the Temple; who seems to be focusing deeply.

"The Seal is about to break, Impaz!" I pant as I run. "And there's a wave of water flooding Faron Woods!"

A moment passes as I kneel before her, then she smiles without looking at me or opening her eyes. "Do not fear, Your Grace," she reassures me. "We shall face these battles one at a time."

I have no time to question her before her hands begin to glow and she begins speaking in a language I haven't heard before. Through the cracks in the Temple's roof, I spot a golden light forming around the Sealed Grounds—a protective shield, I realise, just like the one around Skyloft.

As the priestess completes the spell, she nods at me firmly. "Now do what you must to seal that behemoth back once again, my dear."

Trying my best not to think too much of Father when she calls me "my dear," I nod and draw the Master Sword, spinning around and rushing back outside. As the open air hits me once more, I spot Groose, Karane, and Pipit working on something above me atop a partially built wooden platform.

"Zelda!" Karane calls when she spots me. "Thank the Goddess you're here!"

"Go and get that sack of teeth, Zelda!" Groose encourages, surprising me. "I've been working on something here that'll keep him down long enough for you to work your magic on it!"

Taking no time to dwell on how much Groose has changed over the past few weeks, I squeeze the Timeshift Stone around my neck and take out my Sailcloth—leaping into the fray as Seal shatters and The Imprisoned begins to tear itself free from the earth.

'Something's wrong,' Link breathes, his voice already strained.

'He's stronger—I can feel it,' I say. 'But just hang on, Link. I'm going to protect you, just like I always do.'

But then I land in the middle of the spiralling pit and quickly realise how right Link was—something really is wrong.

The Imprisoned rips free from the ground with an ear-splitting roar, and I can't help but flinch at the sound. I ready myself for the fight ahead as the great behemoth towers tall over me, and from my level I note his two gigantic arms as well as a tail growing out from behind it. He shifts his head down to me, sharp teeth glinting in the late morning sun.

'We meet again, Goddess...'

I swallow thickly, my gut churning at the tendrils of darkness seeping out from his ginormous form.

"Fi," I breathe. "Something's wrong… isn't there?"

There's no time to respond before The Imprisoned begins to attack, his tail swinging in my direction—tearing dirt from the walls as it flies towards me. I jump back to dodge it; however his tail is so long that the end of it still manages to catch me in the stomach, sending me soaring back into the wall behind me. I grunt as pain fires up in my back, my form slumping against the ground in a sudden bout of weakness.

And in this moment of weakness, The Imprisoned rises above—literally.

Engulfing itself in darkness, a crimson halo forms around the crown of the behemoth's head. With its sudden burst of power, the large creature begins to rise into the air. My lips part in awe as it takes to the sky, making its way towards the Sealed Temple faster than ever before—Groose cries out in shock from up above.

My heart stops at the thought of what could happen if I don't act fast enough.

Forcing myself to my feet, I start to run back to the top of the spiralling pit, praying for something to stop The Imprisoned as he hovers in place high above the Temple and opens his mouth wide. I have no time to focus on what he's doing as I take out my bow and start to fire arrows in his direction as I go—watching on as they simply bounce off the scales uselessly.

But then I have no choice but to stop when the sight above me catches my attention.

Without even touching the Sealed Temple, The Imprisoned unleashes a wave of darkness that sends shockwaves through the earth. Moments later, a burst of light radiates out from the Temple and is absorbed by the great behemoth.

Link whimpers.

I start running again, faster than ever before.

'I'm sorry, Link!' I say over and over. 'Just hold on for as long as you can…'

Using the wind spell I learnt to reach the top of the pit quicker, my heart drops when Link suddenly cries out—unable to hold it back.

You can't stop Demise, a dark voice in my mind sneers. You're going to have to say goodbye soon, aren't you?

No! Another part of my mind yells. There has to be some way to stop him!

And then, by some strange miracle, there is.

A sudden explosion suddenly sounds as I reach the Sealed Temple, colliding with The Imprisoned with so much force that he crashes down into the pit—causing the golden light to finally fade away. I snap my head up to where the explosion originated, watching as Groose raises his fist into the air.

"Take that, you sack of teeth!" Groose hollers. "There's more where that came from with the Groosenator! Karane! Pipit! Grab some more of those bombs whilst he's down!"

'Link?' I call out. 'Link, are you alright?!'

There's no response.

No…

'Link! Link!'

I turn my gaze to The Imprisoned down beneath us.

You're going to pay for the pain you've caused.

Dropping my bow, I take a few steps back and ready myself for what's to come. Racing forwards, I leap into the spiralling pit and dive down towards The Imprisoned as he begins to recover and stand once more. He watches me with curiosity as I fall, failing to move out of the way as I take out my Sailcloth moments before I crash into his body, grabbing onto his scales as I hit his back—my Sailcloth slipping out from my grasp and tumbling into the pit.

'You fool,' his deep voice bellows. 'You think you can defeat me now?'

"Yes," I breathe. "I know I can."

My hands burn from the residue on his body, scales so sharp that they start to cut into my skin as I force myself to dig my feet into his scales and climb. My breath is ripped from my lungs in short rasps as I call out to Link in my mind, still hearing nothing back from him.

You can do this, I repeat in my mind. His life depends on it…

The Imprisoned swings his body back and forth in an attempt to throw me off, and in a moment of weakness and pain one of my hands slip. I cry out as I almost fall, realising just how far up I am from here without anything left to stop me. But the thought of Link suffering anymore is enough to snap me back into reality and I cling back on with dear life.

With a grunt, I force myself onward. The Imprisoned flails around as I go, and it's a blessing that the pain in my hands numb enough that they don't cause me to almost fall again. By the time I manage to reach the crown of his head, I can barely move from the pain and fatigue.

Almost there… almost there…

Everything is a lot less stable up here, so within moments I'm toppling towards the edge again, my leg dangling off the side. I push my foot into his gums and hoist myself up, only for my thigh to catch one of his smaller teeth as I go. I whimper as the tooth tears into my skin, my hand curling around a scale as I endure as best I can.

Once I manage to recover, I wrap my arms around the Sealing Spike and draw the Master Sword, using his scales for support as I kneel before it. My palm screams in pain as I hold the hilt of the blade, but I have no choice but to bite my lip in pain as I raise it skyward and bring it down upon the Sealing Spike.

The Imprisoned screeches in pain as I hit the Spike once, twice, three times, and all I can do is sheathe the sword and hold on tight as he falls down once more before exploding into a mass of light. My vision starts to darken as the Sealing Spike returns to the middle of the pit, and I know what I have to do before I can let darkness take me.

Raising the Master Sword skyward, I unleash a Skyward Strike, the blade slipping from my grip.

I'm unconscious before I even hit the dirt.

~*O*~

I stand in the courtyard beneath the Statue of the Goddess again, unnerved at how peaceful it all seems compared to how it is now. My eyes slip shut as the gentle breeze whistles through my hair, sighing deeply as I think back to the last time I stood in this dreamscape—the time where we finally reunited, only for the fate of the world to be pushed harder onto my shoulders.

The thought of it sends everything that happened back to the front of my mind—the battle against Bilocyte, the gift from the Goddesses, the fight against The Imprisoned, the pain, the fear, the strain on my muscles as I clung to the behemoth.

But then one memory hits me harder than any punch to the gut—the sight of The Imprisoned claiming part of Link's Soul right before my very eyes.

"Goddesses…"

My head snaps up when I piece together the memory with where I am, and within seconds I have spun around and found him. My stomach drops at the sight of him collapsed on the ground, eyes closed and his cheek resting against the cool stone.

Tumbling onto my knees, I shakily turn him onto his back and take him into my arms, shaking his shoulders and murmuring his name into his ear as I desperately try to wake him up.

"Wake up, sleepyhead…"

I can't lose him…

"Open your eyes, Link… please…" My voice cracks on the last word as I try my hardest not to cry, my heart stopping as his eyes start to move sluggishly behind closed lids. With a couple more taps against his cheek, his beautiful blue eyes finally open and land on me. My voice breaks as I whisper his name again, and I embrace him tightly.

Thank you, Hylia… thank you so much…

"I'm sorry," he mumbles into my shoulder. "I wasn't strong enough…"

"Shh," I soothe, smoothing his hair back. "It's alright… you're alright, that's all that matters to me. You just scared me."

There's a beat of silence, then, "I love you."

I blink in surprise, only to hold him closer and murmur back, "I love you too…"

We sit there like that for a while just holding one another and enjoying one another's presence until Link finally says, "It's time to wake up, Zelda."

I shake my head and nuzzle into his shoulder more. "Just a little longer…"

"I'll see you soon, Zelda. I promise…"

~*O*~

I whisper Link's name as I come back around, feeling out for his presence behind closed eyes. Forcing my eyes open, I strain at the effort it takes as a dull pain lingers throughout my body. I flinch as a damp cloth is taken away from my forehead, a cool breeze replacing it as I find the crimson eyes of the priestess.

"It seems like you are finally coming around," she murmurs with a small smile. "The beast has been sealed into its prison for a third time. You have done well, Your Grace."

I accept Impaz's help as I sit upright, my head still foggy as I notice Groose, Karane, and Pipit sitting around me with concern. Glancing down to my bandaged hands, I ask, "How long have I been out?"

"A few hours," say Pipit. "We did all we could to fix you up."

I smile and thank them, then frown, "There's no time to dwell on our success. I can feel the Seal waning with every escape… we're almost out of time."

"Are you close to discovering the whereabouts of the Triforce, Your Grace?"

I nod. "I must seek out the three Dragons and learn parts of the Song of the Hero—only then will I be able to find out where the Triforce is." When I go to stand, the four of them push me back down gently; and I can't help but be thankful when my world spins. "I'll be fine," I lie. "I have to see the Water Dragon as soon as possible."

Groose shakes his head and insists, "You aren't leaving until you're healed, Zelda."

"And the way to Faron Woods has been flooded," Karane adds. "There's no way for you to reach the forest right now without destroying the Temple too." I lower my head, frustrated. Karane places a hand gently on my shoulder. "We aren't that bad for company, are we?"

I force a breathy laugh and take the canteen of water that Impaz offers me. I can feel Link's presence on the edges of my awareness, comforted by it as I let myself sleep for a couple of hours. I'm still so exhausted from the battle that I'm out like a light, and I sleep so deeply that no dreams or nightmares visit me. By the time that I awaken again, the sun is setting and my head feels clearer.

No one is in the Temple when I wake up, so I make my way outside to find everyone gathered around a small fire. Groose must have found some small logs nearby and set them down around the fire, his eyes finding me first.

"There she is," he remarks. "You must have smelt the food, huh?"

I roll my eyes and sit down between him and Karane, the sight of pumpkin soup bubbling away over the fire making my stomach groan with hunger. Within minutes, the food has been served and we all tuck in hungrily. Despite the Seal so close by, I'm surprisingly relaxed as I eat surrounded by friends.

"So, Zelda," Pipit pipes up after a while. "Groose has been telling us some stories about what you've been up to without me and Karane." I know what he's hinting at as soon as he says it—he wants to know about the Sacred Flames, but from the glint in his eye I assume Groose may have mentioned something else too. "Something about Hylia?"

I glance over at Groose, who seems meek at telling the others about Hylia, but he seems to relax when I smile at him before turning my attention back to Pipit. As I stir the soup with my spoon, I finally say, "There's a lot that you've missed out on. I suppose now would be the best time more than anything to tell you."

Just like I did in Lanayru with Groose, I try my best to explain the Goddess's Mission in its entirety, and with the extra information that Link gave me back in the past, I explain it much better than I did to Groose. Pipit and Karane barely eat as they listen to me, and even Groose leaves his food when I talk about things I never told him before.

And when I mention why Skyloft was attacked, I go silent and bow my head; waiting for their judgement.

"And you think that's your fault?" Groose asks after a while. I nod numbly.

"Oh Zelda," Karane soothes. "You're doing everything you can to protect Link, and with it all of us. None of what happened to Skyloft was your fault. You can't force that burden on yourself."

"Karane is correct," Impaz adds, to which Pipit hums. "What came to pass in the Sky Realm was a barbaric attack by a heartless man, and whoever says otherwise is deluded."

I force a tiny smile before making myself carry on, moving on to why Link can't come back through the Gate of Time. While Groose doesn't react, Pipit and Karane are saddened by being so close to their friend but not being able to do anything.

By the time I finally finish, the full moon is quickly rising into the night sky, gliding across the purple blanket of a starless sky. Still feeling somewhat fatigued from the battle, I thank them for the meal and excuse myself early. As I retire to my bed, Fi suddenly appears.

"Your Grace, I wish to discuss the condition of the newest Bearer," she says, and that alone is enough to concern me. I nod for her to go on, too worried to say anything. "During the battle at the Temple of time, Demise managed to take a small portion of the newest Bearer's spirit—less than five percent. The same happened today, however Demise managed to consume another fifteen percent of his spirit."

Twenty percent… I think to myself. It took such a toll on him too…

As I go to dismiss her in fear, Link speaks up, 'Ask her what happens when more is taken…' I go to argue, but he cuts in, 'Please, Zelda. I have to know…'

I give in and ask her, to which she replies, "If ninety percent of his Soul is sacrificed to Demise, then he will be lost in a perpetual sleep. Any injuries taken after this will…" She pauses. "They would be fatal, Your Grace."

Oh Goddesses…

If I don't save him, he will be asleep forever or dead—they're almost the same, when you think about it.

'I won't let that happen to you, Link. I promise you that.'

He says nothing in response, but I know he heard me.

I feel sick to my stomach long after Fi returns to the Master Sword and I go to bed. Staring at the cracks in the ceiling above me, I lie with my hands behind my head and contemplate what the spirit of the blade told me. Deep down, I always knew that nothing good would come if I failed to protect Link—but so much more than I could ever imagine would if I fail him.

I don't want to say goodbye…

The thought reminds me of my nightmare from earlier. "But we'll have to say goodbye again soon, won't we?" That's what Link had said to me in my dream, and I still can't process how accepting he was of saying goodbye.

But then I recall Link's warning about the attack on Skyloft, and how I wasn't sure if it was a dream or a warning—and when it turned out to be the latter, how can I trust my dreams?

What if the dream was another warning?

Please, Hylia, I pray. I can't lose him…

But what if the wheels are already in motion, and I'm powerless to stop his destiny from taking him away from me?

"And every time we meet again, I shall lay down my life for you. If the fates will it, then it was how it was meant to be."

Author's Note: All right, so that wasn't all that much progression wise, but I will be getting back into the swing of things in the next one. Please drop a rate and a review if you haven't already, and I'll be updating The Seventh Silence before going back to this story—so just a little wait. Plus, I have a few mock exams in the next few weeks; and school comes miles before this, so yeah.

~RandomButLoved~