Author's Note: Sorry about the delay! I've had a HUGE research paper I've had to work on! It's almost done, so I should have the rest of the story up fairly soon! Thanks for understanding!
CHAPTER FIVE: ENEMIES AND FRIENDS
The time-warp deposited them before the Deku Tree, just like the last time. Link then unfolded the bundle of cloth, revealing the two cloaks he'd bought: a green one for him, and a white one for Zelda. Once they donned the cloaks, putting up their hoods, Link took out his Ocarina, and played the Requiem of Spirit, and a bright orange aura engulfed them, transporting them to the Desert Colossus.
The musical warp deposited them before the massive stone carving, overlooking the entrance to the Spirit Temple. Link and Zelda then headed east, across the shifting sands. As the day progressed, Link and Zelda crossed countless sand-dunes under the blazing sun – the cloaks were invaluable in shielding them from the sun's rays. Finally, some time after noon, the pair walked onto solid ground – sandstone – before the entrance to a canyon.
Ikana Canyon.
As they walked into the canyon, Link felt Zelda move closer to him, nervous at being in the cursed kingdom of Ikana, and Link slipped a comforting hand into hers, lacing her fingers with his own, and he felt her anxiety diminish.
After a while, the canyon widened, leading them into a city of square-shaped, sandstone buildings, built right into the cliffs and walls of the canyon. It was eerily silent...and Link and Zelda then saw why.
The ground was littered with skeletons, many clad in the armor of Ikanian soldiers, and many more were wearing simple cloth robes – ordinary citizens. Many skeletons' jaws were open, as though they were still screaming. They were scattered across the canyon floor, left there since the great sandstorm that had decimated Ikana.
Link felt Zelda hide her face in his shoulder, both in horror and in pity for these poor souls, her arm laced around his elbow for comfort. Link couldn't really blame her; even after all that he'd seen on his adventures...
...this was just spooky.
Slowly, Link and Zelda began to walk through the field of bones, careful not to step on any of the skeletons. They'd gone a few feet...when an unearthly moan cut through the air. Link and Zelda froze, Link holding Zelda close to protect her, as one of the skeletal soldiers rose up, brandishing its weapons, and lumbering towards them. Moving in front of Zelda, Link drew the Master Sword, darted forward and sliced the skeleton's spinal column, and it collapsed in a pile of bones. As Link sheathed his blade, walking back to Zelda, he saw another skeleton rise up. And another. And another.
Before long, a whole army of skeletons had surrounded them. Link knew he couldn't fight them all, not and protect Zelda at the same time – she was too scared to use her powers. Link had to admit, this was frightening. Spotting an opening in the bony mob, Link took Zelda's hand, and ran for both their lives, taking Zelda with him.
They ran through the canyon, outrunning the skeletal army, even as new skeletons came to life. Finally, as they ran through a large, iron gate, the skeletons stopped advancing, as if they were afraid to go any further. Looking around, Link saw that they were in the outer courtyard of an ancient castle, built into the very end of the canyon.
The Castle of Ikana.
Sensing that they were trapped by the mob, Link and Zelda knew that they had no choice. They both walked up to the main doors, entering the Castle.
Inside the Castle's Main Hall, Link and Zelda found it completely empty. Continuing forward, they came into an empty throne room. Suddenly, the door shut behind them, and iron bars blocked it off, trapping them!
Link took another look around – there were two windows, each one letting in a stream of light. Just then, drapes began to close the windows, darkening the entire chamber. Once the darkness filled the room, Link heard the sound of someone – or something – sitting down upon the throne. As his eyes adjusted, he saw someone upon the throne, with two skeletal warriors flanking him. "It has been long since any soul has entered my kingdom, let alone people from Hyrule." the shadow on the throne growled. "What business does the Princess of Hyrule have here?!"
"Who are you?!" Link demanded.
The first shadow stiffened, startled by Link's reply. "I am Igos du Ikana, Ikana's King." he said regally. "I can tell that you, lad, must carry a strong light in you, to be so bold in this dark land. You...you're a Magi, aren't you?"
"I am Aldare's Prince." Link said, readying for battle.
"Well...that changes things." Igos said. "You may go."
Surprised, Link said, "Forgive us for disturbing you. We'll leave, now."
"I said you may go." Igos said. "I have no desire to bring Aldare's wrath down on my land. But the Princess stays." At that, bones jutted up from the ground around Zelda, forming a cage, trapping her! "She has information we need." To Zelda, Igos roared, "Now, girl, tell me where your country's forces intend to attack us! I know your army intends to end this war, so tell me!!"
"What?!" Zelda cried. "The war is over! It's been over for twenty years, or more!"
"LIES!!" Igos roared. "TELL ME, GIRL!!"
"Let her go!!" Link demanded.
Turning back to Link, Igos said, "This does not concern you, or Aldare. Please leave."
Drawing his Sword and Shield, Link roared, "If it concerns Zelda, it concerns me! Let her go, now!!!"
Link saw Igos' glowing red eyes narrow. "So be it." Igos said coldly. To his two skeletal soldiers, he added, "Kill him." At that, the soldiers drew their swords and shields, and leapt to the attack.
Link rolled under the horizontal cut of the first soldier, and side-stepped to evade the following vertical slash as he came back up. Link darted behind the first soldier and sliced his spinal column, making him fall apart. As the second one came at him, he back-flipped away, and unleashed a rising vertical slash just as he landed, cleaving the soldier's head from his body. As Link recovered, he saw the soldiers begin to get up, their bones re-forming. Link then saw the draped windows – he'd wondered why Igos had covered them. Acting on a hunch, Link took out two fire-based Spell-Strikers, and threw the enchanted weapons at the drapes. The weapons shattered, burning away the drapes and letting sunlight back in. He heard Igos gasp, and saw the soldiers move away from where the light beams touched the floor – he was right! They couldn't stand the light!
Moving into the path of one light-ray, Link used his Mirror Shield to reflect light onto the shield-arm of one soldier; the soldier screamed as the light evaporated his arm, his shield clattering uselessly to the floor. Link darted over to the soldier and unleashed a double-spin-attack, shattering the soldier's body with the first slice, and batting his skull into the light with the follow-up attack, causing the soldier's entire body to disintegrate.
As the second soldier came at him, Link sheathed his weapons, took out his Grapple-Hook-Launcher, clipped it to his arm, and fired; the Hook lanced out, catching the soldier's spine, and Link yanked him into the light, where he automatically vaporized. Putting the Launcher away and re-drawing his Sword and Shield, Link turned to Igos. "Let me try again." he growled. "Let. Her. Go. Now."
Slowly, Igos rose from his throne, and Link could see him clearly; he was a skeleton, like his soldiers, but he was a good foot taller, and stockier, with a flat, square crown upon his head, clad in a purple robe, carrying a square shield and a curve-tipped long-sword. "If you want something done right, do it yourself." he growled, as much to himself as to Link. Then, Igos leapt to the attack.
Link parried Igos' initial vertical strike, and blocked the follow-up back-spin slash with his Shield. Link then countered with a stab-attack, but Igos executed a low sweeping-block, pushing the Master Sword away with his blade. Link back-flipped away from Igos' leaping slash, and then rolled behind him. Link came out of the roll to Igos' side, enabling him to catch his blade against Igos' spine, and sliced it, cleaving off Igos' legs, making the rest of him now closer to Link's height. Link then blocked Igos' vertical slash, and then enveloped the blade, disarming him, and then Link knocked his shield away. With one lightning-quick horizontal strike, Link beheaded Igos, knocking his skull into the light, utterly destroying him.
The bone-cage trapping Zelda promptly vanished, and Link rushed to Zelda's side. "Zel, are you okay?"
"Yes, Link, I'm okay." Zelda replied, smiling.
Just then, the heads of the two soldiers appeared before them, engulfed in a dark violet aura – they were in their spirit-forms. "Why, you little upstart! I'll get you, yet!" the larger one roared.
"No, let me get him! You'll mess it up!" the skinny one shouted.
"Me?! Don't talk to me that way, you incompetent dolt!" the first yelled. "I was called the greatest swordsman in all of Ikana!"
"The greatest swordsman in Ikana?! You?!" the second jeered.
"ENOUGH!!!"
That command came from the floating head of the skeletal Igos. "Have the past twenty years of suffering taught you nothing?! Wasn't it petty squabbles like this that started the war and caused us to be in this state?!" he exclaimed, causing his soldiers to stop. "Leave. Now, both of you." he ordered. At once, the two ghost-soldiers vanished. "Please, travelers, be at ease." he said to Link and Zelda. "I am sane, now; cured of the hatred I harbored, at long last I am sane." To Zelda, he added, "Princess, please, forgive me, both for threatening you and starting that terrible war. Only now, in death, do I realize my error, and my failure in my rule."
"You are forgiven." Zelda said. "Whatever debt you may have owed, you have paid many times over in what you must have suffered."
"But why do you linger here?" Link asked. "Why not leave this plain and move on?"
Igos laughed. "Lad, if only we could." he said. "But, on that day, twenty years ago, a wandering priest cursed our land – the curse that brought the sandstorm. I'll never forget it...or the mask he wore."
Link was shocked at that. "Majora's Mask." he muttered. "The Mask Salesman must have gotten the Mask from the priest...Majora's been planning this for years."
"The source of the curse lies even further east, in Stone Tower Temple, atop the impregnable Stone Tower." Igos said. "Not even a thousand of my best soldiers could even come close to toppling it. Only when the accursed evil beast in the Temple is slain, and the Temple doors forever shut, will we be able to find peace."
"We'll help you, King Igos." Link said. "If we do not enter Stone Tower Temple, all the land is doomed. We'll enter Stone Tower, for all our sakes."
"Ikana thanks you, lad," Igos said, "but to cross the deep desert and reach Stone Tower, one must pass through the territory of the Giant Moldorm. If you are to have any hope, you must make a pact with the Moldorm."
Link smiled to himself; in his last adventure, he'd learned the Sonnet to the Shai-Hulud, the melody which could summon the mighty sand-worm. "I don't think you need to worry about that, King Igos."
"And one more thing." Igos added, and he summoned a pair of sharp hooks, each one as long as Link's arm. "You'll need these Sand-Ride Hooks to tame that mighty creature."
"Thank you, Sire." Link said, taking the Hooks.
"Now go," Igos said, "and relieve us all of our suffering." Then, he vanished, allowing Link and Zelda to leave the Castle.
As Link and Zelda left the Castle, the skeletal mob parted, and then fell apart, becoming a field of bones once more, with a clear path leading out. Link and Zelda took that path, and came back out into the open desert, putting their hoods back up. "Link," Zelda asked, "how exactly are we supposed to make a pact with a Moldorm?"
Link simply took out his Ocarina. "Just trust me, Zelda." he said. Then, he put the Ocarina to his lips, and played the Sonnet to the Shai-Hulud, a melody echoing of forgotten secrets, and of promises long honored.
A few minutes after the Sonnet's tones had ended, the very earth began to rumble, and from out of the sand, a Giant Moldorm came rising up, rearing back, towering above them. The worm was immense, more than 200 feet long, and more than large enough to swallow Hyrule Castle whole, and still be hungry. Its segmented skin was thicker than armor, and its mouth, with three-pieced mandibles, held row upon row of razor-teeth. It roared, with a call that shook the earth, as if asking why Link had summoned it.
"We need your help!" Link called. "We have to get to Stone Tower to the east! Please, help us!"
The Moldorm was silent, as if considering Link's request...and then dropped back onto the surface of the sand, the impact nearly knocking Link and Zelda off their feet, and it began to slowly circle Link and Zelda.
Navi darted out of Link's hood. "Link, the Moldorm has accepted your request! It's letting you mount it!" she squeaked. "Use your Sand-Ride Hooks to catch one of its segments!"
Link nodded, and took out the Hooks. "Zelda, hold onto me." he instructed, kneeling down. Zelda nodded, and hopped on, riding piggyback on Link. As the worm passed, Link ran at it, running alongside it, and he swung one of his Hooks, catching it on one of the Moldorm's ring segments, and gently lifted up the skin flap, exposing the segment. The Moldorm made a cry of surprise, sensing the irritation, and began to twist, to keep the exposed, sensitive segment out of the sand, lifting Link and Zelda off the ground. Once they were fully atop the Moldorm, Link planted his other Hook, still keeping the segment partially exposed, making sure the Moldorm didn't dive. He then lifted one Hook up more than the other, and the Moldorm turned to the east. The course set, Link lowered the segment-flap to its normal level. Link was exhilarated at riding the mighty creature, but he had to focus on the task at hand, and he remembered his precious passenger. He kept the worm heading east, trying to keep the voyage as smooth as possible for Zelda.
It was nighttime when they finally reached Stone Tower; the first day was nearly done. As Igos had said, it was immense; it was even taller than the Moldorm, a tall citadel of sandstone, with countless platforms in its hollow interior. The Tower's outer face was completely smooth; the only way to ascend was to climb up from the hollow interior...with the Temple at its top.
As they approached, Link removed and put away his Hooks, lifted Zelda into his arms, and leapt off the Moldorm's back, landing gracefully on a nearby sand-dune, as the Moldorm turned and dove beneath the sand, heading back the way it came. Link and Zelda then turned towards the Tower, and began to walk towards it...
"Wait! Wait for me!!"
Startled, Link and Zelda turned...and saw a small, white-gold Stray Fairy come flying up to them. "I never got a chance to thank you!" she squeaked. "I was trapped in that dark old Castle, and when you defeated the King, I was able to escape! I was trying to catch up to you so I could thank you!"
"Oh, we're sorry." Link said. "We never saw you."
"Don't worry!" the Stray Fairy chirped. "My mistress' Fountain is out here, anyway! It's built into the side of Stone Tower!" With that, she flew over to the right side of the Tower. Link and Zelda followed, and, sure enough, there was a cave there, and they followed the Stray Fairy into it.
The Fairy Fountain was like all those they'd seen before, except the pool was gleaming with white-gold light. As Link and Zelda stood at the pool's edge, the Stray Fairy flew over the pool. At once, the Great Fairy rose from the pool; this Great Fairy was like the other two, but with gleaming golden skin, long, golden hair, clad in a pure white dress. "I have been waiting for the two of you." she cooed serenely. "Queen Epheremelda told me that you were coming, and she gave me something to give to you." At that, she gestured, and a flash of light filled the room. When Link could see again, he saw a sword, the same length as the Master Sword, and looking just as sharp. It was made of a deep violet metal, with an inner core of light green metal, which was etched with black roses. Its hilt-guard was crafted like a flower opening up.
It was a work of art.
"This is the Great Fairy Sword." the Great Fairy said. "It is one of the most powerful magical artifacts that we Fairies possess, next to the Queen's Stardust Scepter. It has elemental magic infused in its steel; a strike from the Sword can be as cold as glacial ice, or as hot as hell-fire. It is not as powerful as your Master Sword, but it is still quite powerful. The Queen herself has kept the Sword safe from misuse, and now we Fairies wish to entrust it to you, Hero of Time." With that, the Sword floated over to Link.
Link took the Sword, admiring it for a few minutes, before it vanished, and then re-appeared strapped to his back, in its own sheath, next to the Master Sword's scabbard. Now, his attacks could be twice as powerful, using a blade in each hand. "Thank you." Link said. "I promise that I will use the Sword in the service of good." Then, the Great Fairy returned to her pool, and Link and Zelda left the Fountain.
Coming back outside, Link and Zelda stood before the stairwell that led into the Stone Tower. They both removed and put away their cloaks, and Zelda changed into her Fairy-form. Then, they headed into the Stone Tower.
Inside the Tower, Link and Zelda came onto a stone platform over a vast, seemingly bottomless, pit, with countless like platforms above them. Slowly, Link and Zelda began to make their way up; Link used his Grapple-Hook-Launcher and his Longshot to swing from one platform to the next, and pull himself to higher platforms, while Zelda simply flew to the next platform.
By the time they reached the top, it was morning; only two days were left. They both now stood on top of the Tower, with a bridge of three floating blocks spanning a vast gap...and on the other end of that gap was a building, composed of a sandstone dome, crafted to look like a face.
Stone Tower Temple.
Turning to Zelda, Link said, "Are you ready, Zel?"
Zelda smiled, and replied, "Let's go." Link smiled back, and they headed across, into Stone Tower Temple.
The first chamber in Stone Tower Temple was a long corridor, with two rows of stone pillars, made of the same sandstone as the rest of the Temple. Walking through the corridor, they came to the next door, and opened it. The next room had a vast pit of fiery coals, just in front of them, with a Deku Flower right next to where they'd entered. Link spotted two target-switches on the walls – one bearing a Deku Scrub symbol, and one nearing a Fairy-wing symbol. Link donned the Deku Mask, and fired his Bubble-Blaster at the Deku switch, at the same time as Zelda summoned her Scepter and fired a blast of light from it. Both shots struck their targets as one, causing a switch to rise up among the coals. Link then removed the Deku Mask and replaced it with the Goron Mask, assuming Goron-form. He then rolled across the coals, stepping on the switch, and then rolling back.
The switch caused jet-streams of air to rise from the coals, creating updrafts. Link removed the Goron Mask and donned the Deku Mask once more, becoming a Scrub. He then burrowed into the Deku Flower, and popped out, hovering across the pit, using the updrafts to stay aloft, as Zelda followed his flight-path easily. They both landed on a platform on the other side of the room. Link removed the Deku Mask, returning to normal, as Zelda changed her Scepter back into an armlet. Then, they opened the next door, and walked through.
The next room contained a large pool of water, with a switch at the bottom of the pool. Link donned the Zora Mask, dove in, sank to the bottom, and pushed the switch to its active position, which caused an upstream of water to appear, leading to the next level. Link climbed out, changed back to normal, and then he and Zelda walked into the stream, and it took them to the next floor, depositing them on a platform with a door. Opening it, they entered the next chamber.
The next room was fairly large, empty...and quiet, which set Link on edge. He drew his weapons, looking around...and saw a flock of bats circling overhead. The bats swooped down into the center of the room, and coalesced into a single, dark, vampiric monster, shrouded in a long, black cape, carrying a huge scythe, and flanked by bats as they surrounded him. "Link, that's Gomess!" Navi squeaked. "Those bats are protecting him, but they hate bright light! You have to scare them away before you can hurt him!"
Link closed with Gomess, circling him, as Zelda took to the air, Scepter at the ready. Link ducked under one swing of Gomess' scythe, and Zelda took that opportunity to unleash an explosive blast of light with a swing of her Scepter, which connected with an impressive blast, driving the bats away. Link then closed in, putting away his Shield and drawing the Great Fairy Sword, holding a blade in each hand. He unleashed a vertical slash on Gomess, followed by a back-spin strike and a reverse horizontal slice, and he sliced the demon's torso with the Great Fairy Sword, its elemental powers causing great damage, and then he leapt back as Gomess' bats recovered. Link backed up, drew his Bow and a Light Arrow, and let it fly, driving the bats away, opening a window for Zelda to attack. Zelda focused her power in her Scepter, then gathered it in her open hand, and threw it at Gomess. The magic exploded in a deadly blast of lightning, sending Gomess reeling as his bats returned. Gomess closed on Link, whirling his scythe in a deadly spin-attack. Link waited until Gomess was about to hit him, and then let fly with a low-sweeping block, stopping the attack and pinning Gomess' scythe to the ground. Zelda then touched down, and tapped her Scepter to the ground, unleashing a geyser of light beneath Gomess, driving the bats away. Link then knocked the scythe away, unleashed a double-blade spin-strike, and then drove the Master Sword into Gomess' heart, finishing him.
"You...wielder of the blasted light..." Gomess gasped, "...aim for the blood-eyes...and you'll find your perspective changed..." Then, chuckling, Gomess faded into nothingness, and the next doorway opened. Link sheathed his weapons, and Zelda put her Scepter away, and they headed through the door.
The next room had a door blocked by iron bars, with a stone block, and an indentation for it, but the block was stuck in another indentation, impossible to move. Then, Link noticed a blood-red eye-gem above the blocked door, and her remembered Gomess' words. Drawing his Bow, he fired a Light Arrow at the eye, and he felt the door lurch...as the room began to literally turn itself upside-down! Zelda took to the air, and Link ran to the wall, moving against the turning room, leaping to the wall that became the floor, and doing so once more, and then the room stopped, completely flipped. Now the block could be moved. Link pushed the block until it was directly below the second indentation, and then shot the eye again, flipping the room back, and the block fell into place, unlocking the door. Link and Zelda then simply opened the door and walked through.
The next room had a large barred door, with only one creature: a statue, floating in the air, carrying a sword and shield. It resembled the strange Armos statues, which could sometimes be pushed around without so much as making a fuss, and attack at the slightest provocation at other times.
Navi darted out of Link's cap. "Link, that's a Doom Armos." she said. "Its only weak spot is its head, so the only way to get rid of it...is to trick it into falling on its head."
Spying the red symbol on the Armos' chest, Link knew what to do. Taking out his Bow, he fit a Light Arrow to it, aimed at the symbol, and fired; as he'd thought, the Armos turned upside-down. Link then simply walked over to it. Angered, the Doom Armos floated over to Link, ready to smash down on him, and Link simply stepped out of the way...allowing it to smash itself to pieces. The door promptly opened, allowing Link and Zelda to go through.
The last room was a bit larger, and it had a large, circular sky-light, and a red eye-switch. Link fired a Light Arrow at the switch, and the room flipped, so that the sky-light now led down, to the very bottom of Stone Tower Temple. Suddenly, a powerful vortex generated from that hole, pulling them in, taking them to the Temple's deepest chamber.
Link and Zelda landed safely on a sand-dune; they were now inside an incredibly vast underground desert. Suddenly, the ground began to shake...and a massive, blue-skinned Moldorm-like worm-creature, with six, vile green eyes, and razor-sharp mandibles rose up from the sand, actually flying through the air, twisting and undulating like a serpent – it was even bigger than a Giant Moldorm. Then, a second worm-beast – a red one – rose out of the sand to join it. Seconds later, a third worm, green in color, followed it.
"Link..." Navi murmured, "...those are the TrinMold, the Giant Masked Insects! If...if you hit their eyes, they'll fall, and their tail-tips will become vulnerable...but I have no idea how you can hit their eyes!"
"I can help!" Zelda exclaimed, summoning her Scepter. "I can hit their eyes, and then you can hit their tails!"
"That's a dangerous plan, Zel," Link said, sighing, "but I can't think of anything better. Let's do it." With that, Link drew his weapons, as Zelda took to the air, flying towards the face-mask of the blue TrinMold. She summoned her Scepter, changing it into a slim sword, and darted into the blue worm's face, driving the blade into its eyes, following the motion with a backspin strike, and then spinning the blade like a baton, slicing chunks out of the worm's eyes. The blue worm howled in agony, dropping like a stone. Link instantly closed on it, and unleashed a slashing salvo on its tail, utterly destroying the tail; the explosion traveled up the worm's spine, blowing it up.
Zelda was about to turn and attack the red worm…when it closed on her and unleashed a gust of sand-breath, knocking her from the sky. "ZELDA!!" Link cried, rushing to her side.
Thankfully, she was unhurt, as she looked at him, changing her Scepter back. "I'm okay." She assured him. "I'll be down for a few minutes, though. Sorry."
"That's okay, Zel. You did your best – I'm proud of you." Link said. Carefully, keeping out of the worms' sight, he ducked behind a rock outcrop, and let Zelda sit down to rest. As he did, he felt...something stir within him, deep in his blood, long since written in his biological makeup, and only now starting to become active. It was as if a seed had been in him at birth, and was only now beginning to blossom. "I think I can handle them, Zelda. You just get some rest." he added. Then, he headed back out.
As Link ran towards the two remaining TrinMold, he began to concentrate, knowing now what had to be done; instantly, a faint white energy corona surrounded him, and he took to the air, flying by his own will, and flying ten times faster than Zelda ever could. In seconds, he was in front of the red worm, and effortlessly fired a blast of pure force at it, knocking it from the sky. Link then flew over the fallen beast's exposed tail, Master Sword drawn. He pulled back, focusing power in the blade, and let fly a deadly, crescent-shaped energy beam, blasting the tail apart; the explosion traveled up the worm's spine, blowing the worm up.
Angered by the death of its brethren, the green TwinMold began firing sand-blasts at Link, who evaded every single shot, faster than a firefly. He then fired another magic-blast at the worm, grounding it, and then flew to its tail, and unleashed a deadly, searing beam of pure energy at it, annihilating the worm completely.
Slowly, Link touched down, his power-corona fading. He'd never used magic that powerful, before. It had come to him so easily, and, somehow, he knew...that he hadn't even tapped a billionth of his potential, yet. Slowly, he smiled to himself...
...for he knew.
Then, Zelda flew over to him, landing gracefully in front of him, her hands happily lacing with his. "Link, that was amazing!" she beamed. "You were fantastic! How did you do that?"
Link simply smiled; he wanted to tell her the truth, but he couldn't tell her yet, not until he was sure. "Ask me later." he said simply, and that seemed to satisfy her. Then, a mask resembling TrinMold's horrid face – TrinMold's Mask – appeared in Link's hands, releasing a bright light – the last giant. Then, a familiar light wave engulfed them.
They were now on a tall, stone pillar, amongst a sea of earth-brown clouds, the fourth giant standing before them. "We've rescued all of you." Link said. "Please...we need your help."
'CALL TO US.'
The giant's booming, yet gentle mental reply echoed in their minds. "How?" Link asked, though part of him felt he already knew, but he had to be sure – he couldn't afford any mistakes.
At that, a sand-brown key appeared in Link's hands – the key to the last locked book. The giant meant for them to learn how to summon them.
"Okay." Zelda said. "When we call you, you'll stop the Dragon Star, right?"
The giant nodded, and then said one last thing.
'PLEASE...FORGIVE OUR FRIEND.'
Link nodded in understanding. "We will." he said. Then, the light engulfed them, carrying them away.
The light deposited them in Ikana Valley, and it was sunset; it was very close to the last day. Suddenly, Link and Zelda saw, in their minds, the massive doors of Stone Tower closing tightly. Then, one-by-one, the skeletons littering the Canyon floor began to vanish, changing into gleaming spirits, and leaving the mortal plain of existence, the curse that had bound them at long last gone. The last one to leave was Igos, but before he left, he turned to them. 'Thank you.' he mentally whispered, and then he was gone.
Now only Link and Zelda were left. "Well...I guess we'd better get back to Hyrule." Zelda said.
"Yes." Link agreed. "However, since we've still got some time...let's take the scenic route." With that, he began to float into the air, a gentle white glow surrounding him, as he smiled. Zelda smiled back, and her wings began to flutter, taking her into the air, as well. Then, the young couple began to fly west, towards Hyrule, at their top speeds. When Link shot into the lead easily, he slowed down, allowing Zelda to catch up, and then held her hand, as well as extending his corona around her, lending her some of his power – he had more than enough – allowing her to go as fast as he could. Zelda appreciated the gesture immensely, as she moved closer to him, until their shoulders touched. Smiling, Link gave her hand a loving squeeze, as they continued on their way.
By the time they reached Hyrule, it was mid-morning on the last day; less than 24 hours were left before the Dragon Star hit, and the space-rock was already very large in the sky. Link and Zelda landed outside the Town walls, Link banishing his corona as Zelda returned to her natural form. They headed into the Castle Town and entered the Library. There, Link unlocked the last book, and let Zelda read over it. "Aha!" Zelda declared, after reading over the text. "It says here that, after the imp was driven away, the people of Hyrule learned a song to summon the giants, one they called...the Oath to Order."
"I thought so." Link said. "The first giant taught it to us so we'd be able to summon all of them. That's why Majora took the Ocarina at first; he was afraid we'd learn about the Oath to Order!"
Zelda nodded. "Now, all we have to do is play that song atop the ceremonial tower, and call the giants." Then, she looked worried. "But, Link, even though we have all the giants with us...I'm still a bit...scared."
Gently, Link took her hand. "It's okay, sweetheart; I'm a bit nervous, too."
"Really?" Zelda asked.
Link nodded. "We're about to go up against a force that could destroy all of Hyrule, maybe even the world; it'd be insane not to be nervous." he said. "But if we don't at least try, everyone will certainly die. Being brave isn't about not being afraid at all, Zel; it's about facing what you're afraid of."
Zelda smiled, and she cuddled into him. "And you're very brave, Link." she cooed. "I know you'll defeat Majora; I just know it."
Link smiled, and returned her embrace. "It really helps to know that you have faith in me Zelda." he said. Then releasing her, he added, "Now, let's go. We have a Carnival to get to." Zelda nodded, and, holding hands, they both left the Library, heading for the Castle.
It was showdown time.