We were on the move again later that morning, but this time Zelda and all the Sages rode with us. At least, most of them did. Darunia did not ride a horse, but instead curled into a ball and rolled alongside us as if he were a boulder. Ruto rode Epona with Link, and sat behind him, with her arms around his waist. Saria and I shared a horse as well. Dagda didn't seem to mind the extra load, and kept pace with Epona the whole way to Castle Town.
We made for a strange-looking group, made all the stranger by the fact that I had dressed in some clean American clothes from my backpack (which was slung on my back, over the sword and shield). As we crossed the drawbridge and into the town, we definitely attracted some stares from the townspeople. We trotted through the broad streets to a large building, almost like a cathedral. I realized I recognized this place. It was the Temple of Time, where I had first arrived in Hyrule. We stopped before this building, dismounted, and all filed in through the open door.
I was treated again to the sight of the great white-marble chamber. At the far side was the dais, with the three gems sitting upon it, and beyond it, an open door to another room. Zelda and Rauru led us through this door.
We entered a smaller chamber, built of a light grey rock and lit by a single, massive window on the far wall. Light from the window fell on a stone pedestal, into which was thrust a single-handed broadsword with an ornate blue hilt and a swept guard resembling a bird's wings. Link stepped up to the pedestal and grasped the hilt. Then he looked back at Rauru. "Will this unleash Ganon's legions?" he asked.
Calmly, Rauru answered, "Yes. But without that blade, he cannot be defeated."
"Just pull it out, Link," I chimed in. "We can handle 'em." One of the few things I already knew from watching Kaylee play Zelda games was that the various monsters Ganon could summon would be no match for any fighter with their wits about them. And we all certainly had our wits about us.
Link smiled at the encouragement and began to pull on the hilt. The sword slid out of the pedestal easily, inexplicably leaving no trace of its former presence in the stone of the pedestal. It was a beautiful weapon, so aesthetically perfect in the shape, length, and breadth of the blade that it almost seemed more like a treasure than a weapon. Certainly, it appeared to live up to its name, the Master Sword.
Link gave it a few experimental swings in the air. Then he looked at Zelda. "There's something I want to see, just as an experiment," he told her. Then, without warning, he tossed the sword straight at me.
With barely any time to react, my hands flew up to intercept the weapon. Before I instinctively closed my eyes and turned my head away, I caught a glimpse of the Triforce symbol on my right hand blazing.
I felt, rather than saw, the impact of the hilt on my right palm. My hand immediately snapped shut around it, in hopes of arresting its progress towards my head. I heard an audible gasp from someone (I'm not sure who it was), alerting me to open my eyes.
When I did, I saw that I was holding the Master Sword, point up, in my right hand. Unsure of what this proved, I slowly described a circle in the air with it. It was perfectly balanced, and to me it seemed to have almost no weight at all. I looked at Link, hoping for some explanation.
But he turned to Zelda and said, "It'll work with him." I looked over at Rauru then; if Link wasn't going to explain anything, Rauru surely would.
He caught the look I gave him and told me, "Only a true hero can wield the Blade of Evil's Bane. If my guess is correct, Link was attempting to ensure you would be able to use it if he were killed or incapacitated."
My eyebrows rose a little at that. "You mean," I asked, "he was trying to see if I could act as a backup hero?"
"You could say that," Link replied.
I nodded a few times, digesting what I'd just been told. Then I looked back at Link and held out the Master Sword. "You want this back?" I asked. "I've already got a sword."
Link nodded, and I lightly tossed him the weapon. He caught it skillfully, and sheathed it in a blue scabbard with elaborate gold trim on his back. He looked so majestic, so determined, so dangerous that I knew, we were going to win.
Then Link said to us, "Come on. Let's go defeat Ganon."
I grinned, as did most of the rest of us. We exited the chamber, crossed the main room of the Temple of Time, and exited the building, bound for our horses.
The moment we stepped out, a loud, sweet horn call split the air, followed by the repeated tolling of a bell. Zelda stopped in her tracks. "The town is under attack," she said, in shock.
We forgot our horses and ran through the streets, passing frightened people fleeing from the walls and towards the lofty citadel of the castle. We found that the gate was closed and the drawbridge was pulled up. I led the way up a stone staircase onto the stone battlement of the walls. Link, Zelda, Impa, and Nabooru followed, then the rest of the Sages.
We looked out over a fearfully awe-inspiring sight. The plain before the walls was swarming with a great host of fearsome-looking goblin-like creatures, carrying a terrifying array of clubs, spears, and bows; some were armored, and others rode upon the backs of massive, armored beasts resembling wild boars. They were bringing up several crude-looking siege towers and battering rams.
Nervously, I looked over at Link. "What are they?" I asked.
Link turned to me, a serious look about him, and replied, "These are some of Ganon's monsters."
Impa, like all of us, was clearly affected by the sight. "We are besieged," she stated.
And the funny thing was that while she was stating something painfully obvious, I wasn't even annoyed.
