HI! HERE IS CHAPTER FORTY-TWO! I HOPE YOU LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I LOVE YOU GUYS! ENJOOOYYYYY!

Chapter Forty-Two: Three Ingredients

The sound of footsteps in the hall forced Link's eyes open, and he groaned quietly as he found himself staring up at the wooden ceiling. Voices reached his ears, and while he sat up, he stretched his arms and rubbed his crusty eyes. Then, a smile brightened up his expression. He felt completely rested; he hadn't felt so comfortable ever since leaving Ordon. And he had dreamt of her...Zelda...

Suddenly the door to the room opened, startling the young hero. Ashei marched in, with Shad trailing nervously behind as he adjusted his glasses. He closed the door quietly, and Ashei leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Good, you're awake," she began, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "We were just about to come wake you."

"Sorry to just barge in, ol' chap," Shad apologized in response to Link's confused expression. "We wanted to speak with you—"

"About the book," Ashei interrupted. "Do you know how long you've been sleeping?"

Still confounded, Link turned to glance out the window. It was dark out, he finally realized. Then his eyes widened.

"You slept all last night and all today," Ashei confirmed his thoughts. "That's quite a while, yeah?"

Link's jaw dropped, and he slapped his forehead on the palm of his hand. Ashei couldn't suppress her chuckle, and Shad clicked his tongue sympathetically.

"I hope you feel rested," her dark sarcasm returned. "We've been waiting for you to wake up so we could talk to you, yeah?" Link rubbed his temples achingly, closing his eyes for a few moments. He had slept through the entire night and the entire day without waking up even once. A sense of laziness and idleness washed over him, and Ashei and Shad gave each other unreadable glances.

"Link, it's quite all right!" Shad tried to reassure, stuttering a bit. "We understand that you've been very busy the past few days."

Try the past few months, Link thought, holding back the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," Ashei scoffed. "We all know you're a hero. Now..." she took on a serious expression, staring Link down with a cold sparkle in her dark eyes. "How did you get the paper?"

Link opened his mouth, but couldn't respond. He knew that telling Ashei about the secret passages wasn't a good idea. Though he trusted her, he still felt that it wasn't right; the same thing went for Shad. An intuitive feeling told him to keep it a secret.

"Uh..." he said dumbly. Ashei raised her eyebrows, and Shad gazed at Link expectantly.

"Well? Spit it out!" Ashei urged, gesturing frantically. This was obviously interesting her.

"I," Link began, but still couldn't finish. He truly didn't know what to say.

"What? Did you turn invisible and sneak past the guards?" she chuckled harshly. Shad smiled anxiously at her little joke, but Link kept his blank, cold, unreadable expression. When Link still failed to respond, Ashei's face turned redder, and she stepped forward menacingly.

"Link!" she cried. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have known anything about that paper! I deserve to know what in the name of Farore is going on!" Her arguments were logical, but Link refused to succumb.

"I can't tell you," he finally stated plainly. Ashei's jaw dropped, and her eyes flashed dangerously as she stared daggers at him.

"Link, I swear to the goddesses—"

"Ashei," Shad said her name softly as she leaned over the bed, her face now inches from Link's. He stared her down evenly, without even blinking. "Leave him be. It's a secret that he doesn't want us to know."

"But we have the right to know!" Ashei argued, whirling around to face Shad. The scholar put up his hands, as if surrendering to her intimidating accusations.

"I just feel like if he doesn't want to tell us, he doesn't have to!" he continued defending Link. Ashei growled menacingly, her hands clenching into fists.

"Fine! Whatever! Do what you want! Just don't come crying to me when you don't even know how to use the papers!"

With those foreshadowing words, Ashei pushed past Shad and stormed out of the room, fuming. Sighing heavily and putting a hand to his chest, Shad smiled uncertainly as he turned back to Link. The hero simply nodded at Shad, who nodded back and then silently left the room. Link let out a deep breath, taking a moment to glance at his knapsack on the nightstand beside him. Simply looking at it, he knew that he had to get to Zelda. The only problem was that he didn't know how to do that. The passage surely wouldn't provide for an exit into the castle itself, and he still didn't know how he would be able to sneak past the guards without causing a fuss.

Suddenly willing to satisfy his curiosity, Link swung his legs over the side of the bed, shivering as the blankets were discarded. In complete silence, immersed in his thoughts, Link pulled on his boats, covered his bare torso with the famous green tunic, and swiftly straightened out the tangles in his hair. When he stood, he felt as if he were ten times lighter than when he'd fallen asleep. A grin slowly spreading from ear to ear, he slung the Master Sword across his chest, and as a final touch, put the cap onto his head. Now came the interesting part.

Link bent over his knapsack, opening it widely to search its many contents. Finally, he reached in and groaned as he pulled out the Orb. The feeling of having it in his gloved hands sent him a subtle shock, and he gritted his teeth subconsciously as he held it. Its black color remained, the white markings becoming etched in Link's own mind. Yet as he looked at it, memories of that day in Zora's Domain flooded into his already racing mind. He remembered finally putting together the Orb and forcing the Guardians to surrender, and as he remembered the horrible creatures, he heard echoing screams and moans resonating from the Orb. It glowed white for a few moments, and Link squinted as he saw the souls of the Guardians floating aimlessly through the Orb.

Surprised and shocked, Link dropped the Orb, and it fell at his feet with a large clank! As soon as it made contact with the ground, the noises stopped, and the sphere returned to its usual black coloration. Link's heart was beating unfathomably fast as he cautiously returned the Orb to his bag. He didn't really have the desire to sit there and watch the Guardians trapped inside scream at him.

There was nothing more he could do at that point other than to find Zelda, who was still at the castle. As if by a storm of memories, Link recalled a way to get into the castle. Images of him and Midna sneaking around, using the secret passage through Telma's Bar and the wet, mucky Hyrule Castle sewers flashed through his brain.

How could I have forgotten that secret passage? He thought, slapping his forehead yet again. Then again, I had been a wolf when I used it...

Still determined to find a way to the Princess, Link pushed his worries aside and secured his knapsack to his belt. As quietly as he could, he exited the room and looked anxiously down the hall. The door to Telma's room was shut. Attempting to stay inconspicuous, he peeked over the railing to check on what was on the first floor: there was only darkness. Not even the Resistance was sitting at their table, yapping away. Link let himself sigh in relief, knowing that sneaking through wouldn't be as difficult as he'd anticipated.

As he turned the knob of the door, moving to exit the bar, he felt a furry presence at his feet. Glancing down, he saw Louise, purring and rubbing against his leg affectionately. Smiling, he squatted and ran his hand through the pure white fur of the cat. Her mesmerizing eyes opened at his touch, and she only purred louder.

"Thank you, Louise," he whispered, referring to the fact that she'd shown him the passage in the first place, so long ago. With those final words of gratitude, Link exited into the night. Ironically, it was raining, just as it had been that night, when Midna had been dying... and Zelda had sacrificed herself to save her...

Shaking his head, Link breathed deeply and climbed on top of the boxes leading up to the small entrance. Though it was a small space, he knew that if he crawled, he could squeeze through. Happy to escape the rain, he slowly got onto his stomach and crawled through, to the nearly unnoticeable loft inside of Telma's Bar. His heart began pounding, and his stomach did a somersault when he saw the slivers of rope connecting him with the other ledges. He knew for a fact that as a wolf, his balance was much better. There was no way he would be able to actually walk on this rope; he wasn't a part of the circus. So, there was only one way to do it.

After mentally preparing himself for a few moments, Link grabbed the rope with his hands and let himself swing down, so that his legs were dangling. He was lucky that there was nobody in the bar, which also meant that he would have to stay absolutely silent. As quickly as possible, he used his hands to inch his way forward, knowing that his arms wouldn't be able to sustain him for long. They were strong, but not that strong. Finally, he reached the other side and used what little energy he had in his legs to swing them upwards, onto the ledge. He put out his arms to steady himself, for the ledge wasn't a very large one.

One down, he thought, one to go. And then...the sewers.

ZELDA POV

All exhaustion that Zelda had been feeling a few hours ago was gone. She was completely immersed in this book, taking note of every word and memorizing every detail as she'd done with so many other books. This book told the story of the goddesses descending upon Hyrule to fix the chaos, but it went into extreme detail about the Sacred Realm. Even Zelda wasn't aware of 95 percent of the information that was in it. It mentioned the Hero of Time, and of course, Ganondorf. Though this book was more recent, it was wonderfully written and full of useful information. The thing that interested Zelda the most was how it spoke of the Temple of Time being the entrance to the Sacred Realm. This, of course, she already knew; one hundred years ago, when Ganondorf had tricked the young Hero of Time into entering the Temple of Time, that was how the Evil King had first entered the Sacred Realm and stolen the Triforce's power.

The detail was incredible, and Zelda couldn't take her eyes off of the pages. The history of Hyrule and its creation had always interested her. She did, after all, hold the Triforce of Wisdom inside of her. Without knowledge, there could be no wisdom. And as she read the details, she understood her dream. The book described the Sacred Realm as a paradise, a place where the Triforce could be held and protected. In the center of the Sacred Realm, it spoke of a Temple of Light, where the seven sages were said to have resided. It also mentioned the fact that the only known way to get into the Sacred Realm was through the Temple of Time, a fact that caught Zelda's undivided attention.

The only way to the Sacred Realm is the Temple of Time, she repeated in her mind, taking a while to digest that fact.

The only people said to have ever visited the Temple of Light at the heart of the Sacred Realm are Ganondorf, the Hero of Time, and the seven ancient sages: Rauru, Sage of Light; Nabooru, Sage of Spirit; Impa, Sage of Shadow; Saria, Sage of Forest; Ruto, Sage of Water; Darunia, Sage of Fire; and Princess Zelda, the Seventh Sage.

Zelda smiled at the mention of her famous, noble ancestor. Then, another sentence caught her attention.

The only key to the Sacred Realm and the Temple of Light is the Master Sword, previously wielded by the Hero of Time himself and placed in the Pedestal of Time.

"Oh, my gods..." she murmured under her breath, sitting up excitedly. "But," she paused, her forehead creasing instinctively. "Where is the Temple of Time now?"

Right now, the one person she needed to talk to was Link. Perhaps she just needed time to think about how she was going to deal with the political problems of Hyrule, and simply concentrate on the kingdom's tangible safety. One way or another, she needed to find Link and show him this book. If she were lucky, then he'd found something, as well.

Ecstatic, Zelda stood from her curled position in the armchair and held the book tightly to her chest with one arm, carrying her candle with the other. The flame was small, the wax nearly burned out as its melted contents created a small, white pool. Zelda didn't know how long she'd been reading or how late it was. But now, she simply wanted to lie in her bed and contemplate the knowledge she'd just acquired. Tomorrow she could leave to find Link, and perhaps they could figure this out together, though she already had a pretty good idea about what was going on...

Zelda took comfort in the silence as she meandered through the castle; for her, silence gave her a place to think and get lost in her own world without any distractions. She loved how the only things she could hear were her bare feet against the tile and her steady breathing.

An event suddenly occurred that took Zelda completely by surprise. As she turned to climb the stairs to her bedroom, a figure turned the corner and rammed straight into her. Startled, frightened, and thrown off balance, Zelda gasped and dropped the book as well as the candle. The flame extinguished completely as the small plate shattered at her feet, and her book collided harshly with the cold ground and a loud sound was emitted. The darkness gave Zelda even more fear, though she repeatedly told herself to keep that fact hidden. The figure seemed just as startled as her, though she could barely even see the silhouette anymore. If she had had light for just one more moment, she might be able to discern who this person was.

They both paused, staring into darkness, hoping that they would be able to make out who the other person was. There was no movement until the figure broke the silence with a calming, familiar voice.

"...Zelda?"

"Link!" she cried, the butterflies in her stomach flapping their wings even more rapidly. Before he could even reply, she managed to make out his figure, and then pounced. She wrapped her slender arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He then squeezed her back, tightly, lifting her slightly off of the ground. Though it had only been a few days, it felt like an eternity for both of them, and they were extremely excited to see each other.

"I missed you," she continued. Though she tried hard to keep them away, the tears came to her eyes at the memories of her experience with the Council. "So much has happened."

"I missed you, too," he murmured quietly, stroking her hair. "And, I lied to you back in Kakariko Village." As they pulled away, Zelda's stomach flipped at those words. Was he hiding something from her?

She swallowed, lacing her fingers through his. She wished more than anything that she could see his face, and look into his eyes. But the darkness was overwhelming.

"I can trust people," he continued. "And I trust you more than anybody." Zelda let out a sigh of relief, and a dark shade of red came to her cheeks. She was glad that Link couldn't see it.

"Let's go up to my chambers, where we'll have light," Zelda suggested, still feeling giddy and flattered. "I have a lot to tell you."

"I have a lot to tell you, too," he whispered, stroking her cheek. Zelda closed her eyes. It was so good to have him beside her once more.

"You what?" Zelda asked, in shock, as she stared into Link's face. He was dripping wet from the rain and the sewers, though she didn't mind at all. His blonde hair was matted against his flustered cheeks, and she could see scratches on his skin beginning to reappear. Zelda was sitting on her bed while Link sat on one of the chairs in her room, facing her with an excited expression.

"I found it! The cure!" he repeated. Zelda didn't know how to respond; everything was finally coming together. The Orb was complete, they'd found the cure, Zelda had an idea about the Triforce...and their relationship was amazing.

"H-how in the name of Sacred Realm did you do that?" she finally managed to reply. A mischievous smile appeared on Link's face, and Zelda furrowed her brow curiously. He proceeded to explain to her the secret passageways, and the flowerbed, and the note. Zelda was in shock the entire time, and she could barely believe what she was hearing. Link, as she'd hoped, had done something worthwhile in her absence. No, it was more than worthwhile; it was essential.

"There's a secret system of passageways worked into Hyrule Castle," she whispered to herself after Link had finished explaining. "It's absolutely horrendous that I didn't know that." Link chuckled, his voice echoing through the room. It was like the sweetest music, and the only sound that could calm the princess.

"So," she continued. "What's the cure?"

Instead of answering, Link silently reached into his tunic and pulled out three ripped pieces of paper, each with its own set of writing. Without a word, he handed them to Zelda, who took them with hands trembling in ecstasy. Finally, she would be able to help the people of her kingdom; and also, she would avoid being squashed by angry Gorons.

There was complete and utter silence as Zelda laid the papers on the desk sitting between her and Link, still separated. She instinctively drew in a breath and held it, and she could tell that Link was just as anxious as she was. So without further ado, she put together the pages of the paper that would reveal the cure. Her eyes quickly and nervously scanned the paper, reading through every word meticulously. She could see Link's forehead creasing as water dripped from his hair and beads of it ran down his cheeks. Or was it sweat...?

"Link, read this." Zelda kept her composure as she flipped the papers to let him read properly. She made sure that her voice was monotonous and her expression was blank. She didn't want to reveal anything too soon. Link's eyes narrowed, and there was an understanding glint in them as he read over the words. "Do you understand?"

Link gave a solemn nod. He understood perfectly.

The cure, it turned out, was a mixture of things, the main ingredient being the extract of a plant. But it wasn't just any plant that one could find in Hyrule Field. It was Farore's Deku Baba, a rare type of plant. It was a form of the Deku Baba itself, but not quite the same. It was known throughout Hyrule to have special properties when killed, but Zelda didn't even think about it being the cure. According to the paper, it had to be mixed with two other things. The other ingredients didn't come as a surprise after Zelda had read the first. They would also require Nayru's Water and, coincidentally, Din's Spice Herb. It all tied together; the goddesses themselves had first vanquished the plague after all, and Zelda now knew why these ingredients were named after the golden goddesses. They were objects known throughout Hyrule, but she'd never taken the time to think about how they'd gotten those names. She'd simply assumed that it was ancient action to serve the three creators.

"Those objects are found in only place," Zelda continued. Link nodded again.

"The Sacred Grove," he said for her. It was yet another story passed down through the centuries; these ingredients could only be found in the most sacred spot of Hyrule. Instead of responding, Zelda grabbed the book sitting beside her and dropped it onto the table, patting the cover.

"Which brings me to this," she sighed, smirking. "Let me tell you what I figured out."

Oh I know you guys love those cliffies :P Haha I hope I'll have the next chapter up soon, so keep a lookout! (Don't forget the poll!) LOVE YOU ALL, READ AND REVIEW :D