Disclaimer: do not own zelda or subject of this sentence.

"Book of Spirit

Chapter Five

Clash of the Spirits

"So what was he like?" Erol asked of his only knightly friend as they set up their tents, biding their time until the afternoon meeting.

"To be honest, there's not much to say. We were only given permission admittance for a short while," Robin spoke as he hammered down one of the four spikes of his tent.

"Does it really matter?" an unfamiliar voice commented, at least unfamiliar to their conversations, "He could not possibly be any worse than the seer."

"Wyatt, you do realize I'm right here, do you not?" Theo spoke up from the other side of the tent he and Erol shared, "And whatever do you mean? I thought myself a perfect gentleman."

"Hmph, you know of exactly what I speak. How her majesty puts up with your antics all day is beyond me. If it were not for her assistance, I do not know how the Kid here would survive you."

"It is not as difficult as you might think," the knight of time replied, trying not to offend either party, "Perhaps you should try it."

"Perhaps I shall. In fact," the older knight cleared his throat as he prepared his announcement, "I shall take on the guardian ship of this new sorcerer myself, unless someone else would rather take the task." When none of the other knights spoke up, Wyatt simply smirked and turned back to the small group, "Of course the child is a different story. As I told your father himself, I have not trained so long to be reduced to a nanny."

Quiet laughter emitted from both Sir Ethan and Tobias's mouth as they heard the comment, remembering the fuss the man made the year before when asked to take on a squire. The Princess however, from her spot on a nearby stump overlooking the valley, did not find the comment as humorous. How could the knights jest so readily at the poor child's expense?

"Nannying aside, the child does cause quite a dilemma," Theo spoke, unaware of Zelda's disposition, "From what I have heard, he does not seem in any condition to travel, and seeing as I am not entirely sure how much time we even have, I can't help but wonder if it might be best to find another relative to take him in."

"For once, you and I agree. Having an invalid along can only be a liability," for reasons unknown to her, Zelda felt as though her blood were boiling as the men spoke to a degree to which her deep breaths could not compete.

"I cannot imagine how the child must feel," Erol's words gave the Princess a new hope as she listened in, but just as quickly it faded away, "But I see no other way."

Before she knew what she was doing, "No! I shall not allow you to do this! How dare you try to remove the child from his uncle after all he has had to suffer?"

"Zelda, I must say I'm impressed. Such unbridled emotion from you, what a rare treat," in that moment, the princess wished to tear the smug look from the seer's face. How dare he, a mere commoner, speak as though his blood were superior to her own? Despite her anger, Zelda still managed to restrain herself; she was a lady after all, "But I must remind you, we are not even certain that this is the man we are looking for. Hopefully, I shall be able to decide for myself this afternoon."

"Fine, but if Ramon turns out to be the man we seek, we shall be taking Cato too."

"You are Ramon, are you not?" the gypsy man stared upward from his booth at a blond hired young man. His appearance bared great similarity to the men he had met earlier, however he was certain there had been no one so young amongst them.

"Yes, and may I ask yours?" Ramon asked, feeling that the boy was not interested in protection.

"My name is Theo, and I believe that you have already met my companions," the seer spoke then stepped aside to reveal the others, "Now that you know who I am, I was wondering if you would mind giving a demonstration of your power?"

"Certainly, but before I do, perhaps you would be so kind as to explain your intent, aside from trespassing on the property of others," the man jested, leaning back in his wooden chair.

"I was wondering when you would ask. Within our homeland of Hyrule, there lies the power of the Gods which generations ago was used to bring peace to our land. However, now in this time of war, I fear greatly that the people's hearts have been corrupted, and soon the ancient power may fall into the wrong hands," a look of determination graced the seer's face as he stared into the gypsies green eyes, "Wishing to prevent this, my companions and I have set out to locate men of power such as yourself to aid in sealing this power away."

"Well in that case," the man smirked as he held his hand to the side, pointing towards a Poe a few blocks away. As energy swirled around the open palm, Theo could feel the energy overwhelming energy pulse through the man's body, desperately trying to escape; this was most definitely the man they were looking for. Before the ball of energy had even left Ramon's hand to destroy the monster, Theo nodded back towards his team.

"If that is all, I would very much like to return to my tent," Zelda spoke to her knights, "Who wishes to accompany me?"

"Your Highness, you know I would, but I cannot leave Theo alone. My deepest apologies," Erol told the Princess.

"I would not mind a nap," Robin responded, taking to the royal's side.

A whisper between the identical men and the two nodded in unison, "We shall accompany you as well."

With the matter settled upon, the remaining four knights returned to the two sorcerers, "If only I could destroy them all so easily," Ramon reflected as he watched the poe disappear, "I do not mean to sound selfish, but I do have a nephew to support and I would feel irresponsible if I did not ask, shall I be compensated for my services?"

"It is unlikely that you will, but we shall pay all your expenses during this journey, and if you are worried about safety, Sir Wyatt here has already volunteered to protect you," Theo informed the man, indicating to the knight to approach.

"I swear to aid you in any way possible."

"I believe you gave me a different vow entirely," the sixteen year old teased, raising his eyebrow to the kneeling knight.

"Well seer, give me something to respect and it shall be so."

'Seer?' Ramon thought, staring at the adolescent, "I shall have to think this over, I shall give you my answer in the morning."

"I do not believe we are heading in the right direction?" Aries whispered in his brother's pointed ear.

"Neither do I, I suppose a sense of direction is not something one gains in the castle," Leo snickered then turned to the other two members of their party, "Is not our camp to the east of the village?"

"Yes, Sir Aries, it is, however I wish to make one quick stop first," the Princess spoke, to the twin behind her.

"Should I tell her that you are Aries?" Leo whispered.

"Why bother, they shall just forget once again."

Through the streets they travelled until at last thy reached the Gerudo campsite and listened once again for the music. The soft strumming of the guitar wafted through the air, but the voice from before had faded away, "Princess, where are we going?"

"Robin, I simply wish to ask the boy how he feels about the situation. I do not wish to separate him from his uncle, but at the same time, if he wishes to stay, then the decision should be his own," the sixteen year old girl informed him, then continued on to follow the sound until at last she reached Ramon's home. Silently, the party of four slipped into the residence, not wishing to disturb the boy yet.

"Don't worry, it shall happen soon. I am just waiting for the right moment," they heard a young voice speaking through the curtain.

"Who is he talking to?" Robin whispered to his companions.

"I am not sure, I shall go check," Aries spoke up, walking over to the flap separating the rooms. Carefully he opened the curtain just wide enough so that when he placed his eye to it, he could gain the full scope of the room. There sitting on the bed, alone was the boy, staring at the wall to his left. Between his legs, the twenty two year old knight saw something glimmering and blue, but through the curtain, Aries was unable to make out what it was. The young boy's pointed ear seemed to twitch as though someone had spoken to him, and his head turned in Aries direction, "I think he saw me, what do you wish me to do?"

"Just follow me," Zelda spoke then walked through the divider to where the boy sat, th blue object that Aries had spotted now gone, "I am terribly sorry to intrude on your rest, but I thought it appropriate to introduce myself before your uncle returns. I am Princess Zelda Hyrule."

An arched eyebrow appeared on Cato's face as he looked over the girl, curious as to what she wanted, "What is it exactly that you want from my uncle, Zelda?"

"Simply his help," the princess told the boy as she sat down on the corner of the small bed. As Theo had done not to long before, Zelda regaled in the story of her great grandfather Gustaf Hyrule, then spoke of the war and of the foreboding vision, "…as such, we were hoping that your uncle would aide us on our mission."

"No, you… you can't take him with you!" there was a fear in the child's eyes as he shouted, a cough soon to follow from the exertion.

Zelda looked down at the child, whose green eyes seemed to glisten "Worry not, we shall not take him away from you. The truth is, I came to ask if you would like to come as well. I would understand if you do not wish to leave behind your home, I just wanted to make sure that you understood that the decision is yours."

"It's...it's not that," Cato's grip on his guitar tightened as sifted through his thoughts, "If we leave… who will protect the villages?"

"Do not fear, we shall not depart until the threat has perished," the Princess pledged, staring back at the three knights.

"Well, I do not know what to say."

"Take your time," Zelda smiled down at the boy, than came to her feet, "Come, let us allow him rest."

"I am not certain we can trust that child," Aries whispered to his brother on their way back to the campsite, "He's hiding something."

"I agree, you heard the boy, he is waiting for the right moment," Leo responded, looking towards the noble walking ahead, "Do you think we should alert the Princess?"

"No, whatever mischief he shall make, I am certain we can handle it. After all, how much can a mere boy do?"

The first cock had barely crowed when Theo woke abruptly from his sleep, "Erol, wake up!"

"Just another five minutes," the man responded, tugging on his blanket and turning to the side.

"Now!" Theo lashed out, shaking his companion's shoulder in an attempt to jostle him awake.

Begrudgingly, Erol pushed himself from the ground and stared at his tent mate through dropping eyelids, "What is it?"

"There is no time to explain, grab your weapons, we need to leave," the seer instructed as he unbuttoned the entrance to the tent.

Half naked, the young men quickly stumbled out to find that their campsite had indeed been compromised. Up the hills and through the trees, they slowly glided, over twenty of the ghastly beasts holding out their lanterns to guide their way, "I shall hold them off, you wake the others," Erol commanded, holding his blade towards the Poes. Cackling at the challenge, the creatures quickly ascended on the Knight of Time. As he struck at the first, he felt the heat of a small lantern strike against his bare back. Faltering for only a moment, Erol swung back at the Poe, destroying as more gathered around him.

'I suppose this is as good a time as any to try,' the knight thought as he took a deep breath, trying his best to drown out the poes who would soon be upon him. Crouching, he held his sword behind him, focusing on the magic vibrating within.

"Damn it Seer, I am trying to sleep!" Wyatt yelled as he opened the flap, unaware that the seer had already moved on to Ethan, then Robin. What he saw instead was a lone knight surrounded by nine enemies. Despite his dislike of the man, Wyatt grabbed for his sword and shield, ready to come to the rescue. Unexpectedly though, the young knight's sword began to glow bright, first blue, then a bright orange, 'Where did he learn that?'

When Erol at last felt that it was impossible to store any more of his magic, he at last released his magic from the blade in the form of his signature swing. Driving across the ground as a top, Erol felt more balance and power then he ever gained from his own strength, slicing through each of the creatures, promising instant death. When he had at last stopped, his head spinning and his body swaying, Erol watched as more seemed to come out of the wood, 'Goddesses, I cannot fight in this condition.' He waited for them to descend, to burn his flesh before attacking the others, "I am sorry Princess."

"Giving in already kid?"

"Sir Wyatt, I simply must rest a moment," Erol apologized to the spinning image of a man.

"Cease your apologies," the voice spoke out as he looked out at the remaining eleven Poes still making their way through the trees, "I saw what you have done, and I say you have done more than your share. Rest for now, then join us once possible."

Two more half dressed knights rushed in to join them as the monsters closed in and Theo woke the second of the twins. Erol watched from the ground as the cackling specters drew upon them, and, for a moment before Robin stepped in the way, opposite the sunrise and through the trees, could swear he saw the flash of a red vest. The three had managed to destroy two monsters before the twins had arrived to help. Another two and Tobias had joined them as well.

"Only seven left, are you ready Erol?" Robin asked, staring down at the man behind him.

"Hm, yes, I believe so," the blond spoke, as he rose to his feet, his head still spinning from his earlier assault.

Without a word, each of the men assigned themselves to a Poe, nodding when their eyes met with their opponent. As Zelda crawled from her large double skinned tent towards the seer, she watched in terror and confusion as the swords pierced through the spectral bodies. One by one they fell until there were no more, "Thank the Goddesses."

"I wouldn't be thanking so soon," Theo spoke loudly so that all around could hear. It was not until all eight sets of Hylian eyes were upon him that at last he turned to a far off tree in the east and shouted, "Isn't that right?"

Slowly, a figure emerged, tall and dark, "Hm, it would seem that you are a far more powerful seer then Drabardi."

"That is because I am an actual seer," Theo spoke confidently of the fortuneteller, "Now tell me, why is it that you attack us, Ramon?"

The man smirked at the mention of his name, "Well to tell the truth, originally I was going to allow you to lead me to the Triforce, but when I heard you were a seer, I thought it best not to tempt fate. I was well prepared to give you leave, but it would seem my nephew had an interesting visitor who told me that you were going to start destroying all my Poes, and I couldn't very well allow that, bad for business after all."

"Yes, you certainly wouldn't be very good if you helped someone other than yourself," the seer smirked, not caring whether the man could make it out.

"Well, you shan't have to worry about that much longer," the man smirked the suddenly rose his hand into the air. In the wood, new Poes seemed to appear from thin air, "Kill them all!"

Erol barely had time to raise his shield before two lanterns swung at his chest, making him the most fortunate of the knights. From behind, Sir Ethan took a strike to the shoulder blade and side as Sir Tobias was knocked breathless from a blow to the stomach. In front, both Leo and Aries received spinning lanterns to the chest while Robin took an unfortunate strike to the groin. Wyatt attempted to defend himself, but his reflexes seemed nowhere near that of the youngest knight and his shield was flung through the air before a sharp pain came upon his jaw.

"There are too many of them, you must help them," Princess Zelda begged the Seer from their spot in front of the tent where the Poes had yet to appear.

Theo simple shook his head at the Princess's request, "You remember what happened with the moblin's, I don't have the power to sustain so many people. Besides, I feel as though there is something I must wait for."

"Do you mean to die?" the Princess remarked coldly at the young man's indifference, "I thought you said Ramon would help in our quest."

"I suppose I was wrong, but you cannot deny his strength." Zelda could tell there was something that the seer was not sharing, but she also knew that there was nothing she could do to make him.

Each knight in term attempted to strike out against their assailants but as each man went to attack, another Poe would attack, "I am not certain how much more…. I can take," Tobias panted from his place on the ground.

"Damn gypsy," Wyatt mumbled, a trickle of blood running down his face from a large lantern gash in his forehead.

"Enough toying around, Finish them!" the gypsy cried out with cackled as he walked towards the battle. With his words, the lanterns burned brighter.

The flame was mere inches away from Wyatt's face when another cry went out, a louder cry, a sharper cry, a younger cry, "Stop!" The monsters surrounding the men halted at the sound of the command. As Zelda looked to the west, she saw another gypsy emerge from the trees, his brown hair blowing in the wind, his pale skin shining in the morning light contrasting with the bright red of his vest.

"Cato, what are you doing here?" Ramon demanded of his nephew scores of yards away.

"I cannot allow you to do this anymore. It was one thing when you used my power to destroy property, and it tore me up inside to know that you could hurt people, but I would sooner die then allow for you to kill. Now, return," the sunrise glistened in the boy's green eyes as he meekly raised his hand, casting away the Poes.

Ramon's brow ruffled as he glared at his nephew, but quickly, it was replaced by an evil grin, "No matter, I shall just have to handle them personally. I shall care to you later."

Cato watched as an energy ball began to form in his uncle's hand and he began to hover above the ground, "I cannot allow you to do this," from behind his back, the twelve year old boy removed a small bottle, filled with a blue liquid. With his opposite hand, he removed the tiny cork and drank deep of the substance.

As the blue potion trickled down the boy's throat, Theo could sense a power growing from inside of the boy. It was the same energy that he felt within the older sorcerer but, where Ramon's power seemed desperate to escape, within the boy there was a harmony with the power. This was truly the one they had been sent to find.

As the last drop of the potion touched the boy's lips, Cato emerged a different child. Where once he stood frail and shaking, he now stood confident; where his face had once drooped, there was now a new glow. "I suggest you get out of the way," the gypsy boy spoke to the knights who, confused as they were, followed in suit, the strong carrying the wounded to where the seer and Princess waited.

"Seer, tell us, what has happened? Why had the sorcerer attacked us, and what of the boy?" Wyatt demanded as he arrived, carrying Sir Ethan on his back as the blood continued to spill from his forehead.

"Perhaps if you pay attention you will see," Theo cryptically answered, then turned back to the scene in front of him.

"Hmph, surely you jest boy," Ramon mocked, but were anyone closer to the man they would have been able to see the fear in the man's eyes.

"If I do, it is not very funny," Cato responded as he formed a matching ball of energy in his hand and immediately tossed it toward the man who in turn countered with his own.

Ramon grew frustrated as his nephew countered one attack after another as he ran through the forest, narrowing the distance between them. Raising his hand to the sky as he floated above the ground, a dark ball of energy emerged, soon shattering into many more seeking out the young boy.

Cato rolled to the ground as he attempted to dodge the attack. Two years before, he would have been able to accomplish such a feat with ease, having been trained since he was four years old in the acrobatics as well as the arts, but it would seem that his year and a half of bed rest had been cruel to his muscles. He was not certain how many more of such attacks he could evade, but he was certain that his uncle had enough power to last him awhile. As Cato continued to run, he spotted it, a shield lying on the ground near to where the poes had attacked, 'That may work.'

Ramon charged up another shot as his nephew ran for the shield, "You know that's not going to protect you, but if you promise to be a good boy and head back home, I promise I shall make this as quick and painless and possible. You know I do not wish to harm you."

"More like can't," Cato spat back as he grasped the blue shield.

"Have it your way!"

Cato smirked as the energy came soaring towards him. Slamming his palm upon the shield's surface, he shouted, "Per riflette chichi desida nuoceres!" At the sound of his words, the metals shifted and elongated. Cato held the former hylian shield out to defend against the energy, which rebounded back at the older man who only managed to avoid half of what returned to him.

"You shalt pay for that," Ramon cursed. In his fury, his concern for the boy's health decreased and he summoned upon a stronger attack. What looked like lightning seemed to draw itself to his hand as a blue ball emerged. Swinging his arm forward like a sword, the energy soared toward the young gypsy boy.

With the shield attacked to his left arm, Cato channeled the power through his right arm and sent it back faster then it came. A back and forth between the two followed to the point that Cato found himself immediately swinging back his arm after having just rebounding. The young boy had just about given up when at last his uncle slipped up and suffered the full brunt of his own attack, causing him to freeze in place above the ground.

"Men, this looks like our opportunity," Wyatt spoke, glaring at the float man grasping himself.

"No, the boy needs to do this on his own," Theo responded, watching as the olive skinned boy dashed toward the man, stopping mere feet in front of him.

"Per liberarn daques inferd…"

Released from his own binding spell, Ramon attempted to summon another energy ball, but quickly found himself unable, finding its energy spiraling around him, "Cato, is this really the thanks you give me after I cared for you for two years?"

"Invarla sostina esso…"

"We both know you have nowhere left to go, who else is going to take in a freak like you?" the man spat as an orange mist of flame seemed to spiral slowly around him. He watched as below, his nephew seemed to falter, "Yes, now you remember. I was the only one who was willing to take in such an abomination into my home, no one else wanted you, and honestly, who can blame them. If you kill me now, you will have no on left, and then where will you be?"

Despite his desires, Cato could not seemed to make his mouth move to finish the spell and fell to his knees. Even if the man had been cruel, had used him, he was the only one left, and he couldn't bare the loneliness, that the man's absence would leave him in, not again. But still he knew that his own happiness, came at a price, to save himself, would harm others more innocent then he, and this he could not allow, "Proteg gerenel quellist bisognor!" The last the boy saw before he collapsed to the ground, was his uncle disappearing into the world of the spirits, through tear filled eyes.

Over an hour passed before the twelve year old awoke in an unfamiliar tent. He looked around to find that he was covered in a large blanket which smelled of lilac and the altered shield remained attached to his left arm and an empty bottle at his waist.

"Are you sure that we can trust the child?" Cato heard from outside.

"Yes, what of when he awakes, can you ensure us he shall not attack us as well?" the same voice spoke, though seemingly from a different source.

"I can ensure you of nothing, I believed I could trust his uncle as well. What I can tell you is that that boy possesses great power and used that power defending your lives. Besides, he has not attacked so far."

'How did he know I was awake?' Cato thought just a moment before the entrance to the tent opened.

"Now why don't you come out here and fill us in on what happened?" a blond haired adolescent spoke to him.

The young gypsy simply nodded before crawling out to join the group around the campfire. As all eyes were placed on him and their bodies were bandages from wounds that his Poes has inflicted, the young boy could not help but stare at the ground, "I am terribly sorry about what my uncle and I put you through, and.." Cato could not seem to find the words he needed to say. How could he possibly ask for forgiveness?

"We did not call you out to hear excuses," Theo broke the silence, "we simply wish to understand what took place."

"Theo, you should not be so harsh…" the Princess began, but was halted by the gypsy.

"Do not worry, I understand. I suppose I should start from the beginning. For as long as I can remember, I have been able to see and speak with the spirits of the dead. When I was but a toddler, my parents believed I was insane as I spoke my first words to people they could not see. But as I grew older, they came to realize the truth and feared for my safety. They knew that if the other Gerudo were to find out, they would believe me cursed and shun me from the village. They wanted me to ignore the spirits, but I could not. I grew to find them my closest friends and by the time I was five, they had already begun to teach me magics and the ways of the world. They were not the vengeful spirits that my people preached of, and realizing this, I often rebelled against my parents' traditions. So when they died, no one was willing to take me in and suffer the wrath I may incur as a non believer."

"After I had already been passed over by both pairs of grandparents, all seven of my mother's brothers and sisters, my Uncle Ramon took pity on me and gave me shelter. At the time he was a simple musician, who meddled slightly into the world of magics. He was never the warmest person, but he was all I had. So when he discovered my power several months later and asked to borrow my power, I saw no other choice but to allow him. Every morning he would drain me of whatever energies I recovered in my sleep, and when people began to notice my absence, he began a rumor that I had hidden one of my mother's possessions so that they would believe that the spirits were the ones keeping me in bed. At first, it started off innocent enough, he would use my power to summon a poe, I would ask it to obey him, and it would destroy a cart or two. But after a few months, my uncle discovered that people would pay more if they believed that the Poes were going to harm them, they would be willing to pay more to be rid of them. But the worse part of it was that the Poes, they only hurt people because they wanted to protect me and I am just so sorry, I just… I just… I just didn't want to be alone!"

Cato wiped his tears on his mid-sized sleeves before at last he stood up, "I should go now, I only have a few days to prepare before the spell breaks," slowly, he scanned the group until at last he spotted on who was missing a shield and removed the one on his arm.

"You are welcome to go if you please, but you could do a lot more good if you joined us," the seer smiled at the puffy eyed boy.

Cato suppressed a

smile as he turned to meet the blond's gaze, "Even after all I have done, you would still wish for me to help you?"

"After that display of power you showed, I would have to be a fool to let you go," Theo smirked, "You are almost as strong as I am."

"Well in that case," Cato began turning to Wyatt as he removed the shield from his arm, "I believe this belongs to you."

"Wyatt received the Mirror Shield! The shield's polished surface can reflect light or energy. Press [R] to use it."

"Well I guess you got what you wanted, Wyatt. Your charge is far more polite then I would have been," Theo grinned as the man's eyes widened.

"Wait, no you cannot be serious. I told you, I am no one's nanny," the man yelled at the seer.

"Well I suppose you should have thought of that before you volunteered. Now what were your exact words?" the seer leaned against his fist as he pretended to think, "I believe it was, "I shall take on the guardian ship of this new sorcerer myself.""

"Well, I was…." The knight's face reddened as his long ears picked up the suppressed laughter of his fellow knights, "How do we even know this is the one we seek?"

"Well, I suppose there is only one way to find out," without waiting for a response, Theo walked to the young spirit sorcerer and grasped his hand.

Suddenly, Theo felt himself returned to the world of his visions as seven lights fell around him. The last time he had been there, only one of the men inside the lights was visible, a blond man whom he had assumed would one day be himself, but now from the orange light another man emerged. He appeared only a few years older than Theo currently was, but despite this, the seer was able to recognize the small boy in his green eyes."

Wow that was long. The funny thing is I was afraid I didn't have enough events to fill this chapter. Anywho, BoS is officially done so... yeah. Hopefully in a week or two I should have up the first chapter of Book of Forest. Till then, remember to review... or I'll cry. Oh and for those of you thinking the ending came out of nowhere, go look up the meaning of the name Cato.