Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda.
Author notes at the end.
Chapter 12
A glimpse of Light
Link did not really know how long he and the thief girl stood there. They were just… staring at the Boss' corpse. His emancipated, dried corpse with his fine unwrinkled clothes, and his big fat pouch. Like something had sapped the life out of him in an instant.
The man was a demon just a few moments prior.
He could see light coming from somewhere. Outside.
He was pretty sure the girl was staring at him.
Link for his part… he knew he should move. He should look for the key to the sack, he should leave as soon as possible before the other thieves found him and he got into another fight, he should find a place to eat and rest because this entire day had pushed him to his limits. He just… was not able to.
The girl approached him from behind.
"Hey… are you okay?"
Okay…?
Link opened his mouth to answer but no answer would come. Was he okay? …He honestly could not tell.
After a few moments of silence too long, she dropped the subject. Instead she glanced at the door.
Link knew that their time here was limited.
He grabbed the keys as fast as he could, unable to suppress the shiver when his hand came in contact with the corpse, his hair pinpoints against his clothes, recoiling in disgust, curling and crawling in his chest and stomach, the sensation lingering still even after the contact ended.
It was enough to get him back on his feet again.
With a nod, the children ran to the door that had unlocked, and to freedom.
The sweet light, even as dim as it was, tasted like relief.
Link booked it straight to the windowless house, the girl running behind him. He paid her no attention; he just wanted it to get this over with. With fumbling hands he shoved the key into the keyhole; the resounding click felt like vindication.
Link slammed the door open and there it was. Leaning like the centerpiece against a pile of junk.
"Osfala…"
"Ah, that's his name? He's kind of a younger… elder-looking fella? Don't see what the big deal is. What's so special about this painting?"
Link did not answer. Somehow the distance between him and the portrait felt like infinite. He had only caught a glimpse of it before; the soft but intense light green of the frame, the somehow childish style of Yuga's magic with the thick lines. Osfala was standing in the portrait lifeless and completely expressionless, nothing like the arrogant and animated mage Link briefly encountered at the Eastern Palace. In his hand was still what Link now recognized as one of Ravio's magic weapons; the purple bunny decoration was kind of a telltale.
Ravio…
The girl kept talking. "Hm… Actually, now that I look at it, it is kinda interesting."
"You think so?"
"I really like the whole… flat kinda look going on there. It almost looks like he just walked into the painting and got trapped there, ya know…?"
"More like pushed into it…" mumbled Link under his breath.
He looked down at Ravio's bracelet, an idea forming in his head. It worked with me… It'll work with him.
He touched the bracelet to the painting.
And suddenly, there was light.
It was a waterfall, surrounding him from all directions. It was a pedestal and an altar. It was a chamber. It was a sacred place violated all times too many, as it should have been untouchable. But as with all wounds, everything heals and fades as nature demands, even if there are marks left behind.
Compared to the darkness he had just come from, the light was almost blinding.
Before him was a crystal… A seal…
Shattered.
Link blinked at the sudden flash, shielding his eyes from the shards. Yet somehow he did not feel any of them reaching him. Did they just vanish?
He opened his eyes.
"Osfala!"
The young mage blinked as if he was shook awake, even though he was just standing there with his eyes open. "…Wh-where am I…?"
Link would honestly like the answer to that himself.
"You – the blacksmith's apprentice! What are you doing here?" His eyes fell on Link's shoulder, and he had another double take. "And with the Master Sword, no less!"
Oh, yeah… "You missed a LOT…" It was honestly strange to hear him now, compared to how bombastic he was back in the Eastern Palace. The portrait thing sure did a number on him…
"That can only mean that you… have rescued… ME?"
And… there it was.
"But I always thought that I was the hero of our day. That I was the one who'd be there for Princess Zelda! It seems that I am only a Sage and not a hero. How very odd."
"How very odd", he says… Who the hell thinks he's the legendary hero? Link sure did not think so before this mess started. He was not even sure about it now.
"Yet now I know my place in all of this. I am the Sage of Light, Osfala."
Link thought he could sound a bit less downcast about it, but he DID get kidnapped by an evil fashion disaster.
"So I pledge my support to your quest, little hero. Thank you for saving me, Link."
"You-you're welcome." Can't say I expected the thanks…
"Now please, find the rest of the Seven Sages before it is too late."
Link nodded decisively. "Will do."
"Ah, and I suppose if you're the hero, then you have more need of this Sand Rod than have I. I wish I could give it to you as a gift but-"
"Yeah, I'll return it to Ravio… Let's hope he doesn't rip me off for this…"
Osfala blinked. "You know the merchant Ravio?"
"He stole my house."
"…What exactly do you mean by this…?"
"I was injured and knocked out, he carried me to the only empty place he could find, and turns out it was my house."
"…Surely you can't live THAT frugally."
"I DON'T! I even have decorations and everything!" If that mask could be considered a decoration. "But he took over anyway! Now I can't kick him out!"
Osfala stared at him for a few more moments and then shook his head and handed him the rod.
"Well, since you know him then you'll have no issue returning this to him."
"What about you?"
"Well, it appears I am… stuck here."
"Oh… where is here anyway?"
"I'm fairly certain this is the Sacred Realm. I'm afraid you'll have to ask my mentor for more details though. I will open the gate for you."
It was oddly… anticlimactic. At least it felt that way.
"Alright… thanks."
"We shall talk again!"
With a gesture, a portal of light opened at the center of the platform. With a wave, Link stepped into it.
And the light swallowed him once again.
"Listen to me! Getting' all wrapped up in a painting! Anyway, thanks for getting me out of that dungeon!"
Did… she not notice anything?
"See ya."
"Wait!"
"Huh?"
Link was breathing heavily, his mind still a bit sluggish. "We should check for… other thieves…"
"Crap, you're right… Wait, you okay? Wow, where did THAT come from?"
Link realized that he was holding onto the Sand Rod. Which he did not have a moment ago.
He pointed to Osfala. "He told me to return it to the owner."
She stared.
"I run a lot of errands."
"…"
"And he's kind of stuck there."
"…"
"…uh…"
"Is this another weird painting thing? Like that wall trick you do?"
"Yep."
"So that's an actual dude stuck there?"
"Sure is."
If the look on her face was any indication, the Thief girl clearly thought they were all crazy. "I'm not getting all wrapped up in this."
"Please don't."
"Good! I'll check this place out for anythin' interestin' and then I'll find someplace to hide. You do you."
Link had to admit the idea had merit. Picking up rupees from ruined places aside, he was not really fond of stealing, but those were thieves. Was it really stealing?
And I just killed their leader…
He shook his head. He could not get up caught in that now.
As quietly as he could, Link started moving around stuff and lifting boxes and chests, looking for anything useful. He was just about to move a surprisingly heavy one when he felt a strange tingle, like a bell chime.
The Master Sword?
He knew it was… aware, in a sense, but what… Was it the box?
Link set it down and opened it. He expected something precious to be inside, judging by the weight, but he was not expecting anything like this.
It was a metal ore that he had never seen before in his life. He was sure it was metal; but instead of cold to the touch it was warm like it had been heated from the sun, its colour a strange pale glow with a rosy sheen that he had never seen before, but reminded him of sunrise. Unlike most ore it was shaped a lot like crystal, but Link knew the feeling of crystal well enough by now to know that this was definitely metal. Or… not quite? There was something strangely glassy in its texture. In fact it reminded him of…
It reminded him of the Master Sword. The other strange metal that was unlike anything he had touched before, flawless, warm, alive.
With awe, Link lifted it from the box, marveling at how smooth and warm it was, a strange giddy excitement filling him.
This, I'm definitely keeping.
The girl must have heard his chuckle. "Found somethin'?"
"Yeah…"
She leaned over him, careful not to drop all the rupees in her arms. "Wow, that looks precious. You gonna sell it?"
"I think… I'll forge something with it."
"You're a blacksmith!?"
What's with the surprise? "Apprentice. And I'm better at jewelry and stuff."
She gave him the most skeptical look she could muster. "You're apprenticing at Paul's place?"
Paul? "That's what his name is? The drunk guy?"
She snorted. "Yes, him. Only comes to town to buy more booze and grumbles about random shit."
"Figured…" That certainly matched Link's first impression on him. It left a bad feeling in his stomach regardless.
"Anyway, that all you'll get?"
Link shrugged and shoved the ore in his pouch, silently thanking Gulley for the millionth time that it made everything weightless. He was not really in the mood to do any more digging if he was being honest. "We can't spend too much time here."
She nodded, the jovial mood from moments ago gone in an instant. "I'll check outside."
This time, far more carefully than before, she barely opened the door and quickly scouted the area.
"Tch! There's a crowd outside the hideout entrance…"
"Are they looking this way?"
"Not yet, but-!"
Link was searching his brain for quick escape ideas. He could not take the girl with him in his wall merging, and running for it was out of the question, but…
"I have a magic broom."
"What?"
"A friend of mine. She let me borrow her magic broom. We'll get noticed, but they won't chase us."
"You sure?"
"I know a place very close to the castle, it's been abandoned for a while."
She balked. "The CASTLE, are you NUTS!? That place is CURSED!?"
"Exactly, they won't look there!"
"Argh, fine! You're nuts! We're breaking out in three!"
Instead of responding, Link brought out Irene's bell.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
They ran out. He rang. The men turned to look. The broom came down. They both grabbed on to it.
"Vacant house!"
It took off, leaving behind them a cacophony of screams. And then they were gone.
As soon as the house was in view Link unceremoniously dropped to the ground, the girl following right behind him. Both of them crumbled on the ground like pieces of paper. Link felt a rock jabbing at his sides, and he barely held back his groan. The girl did not, making perfectly known to the world just how painful her landing was.
"Never doin' that again… Uarghh…"
"S'not usually that bad…" groaned Link. Her response was some kind of noise that he could not decipher beyond "ouch". He felt redundant for asking but- "You're good?"
"Freakin' peachy."
At this point Link was so tired that more tired did not even register.
The girl was the first to recover, slowly crawling up her feet before her eye fell on something midway through. "What's that glowy thing?"
Huh? "What glowing thing?"
She pointed at something behind him. "The crack on the rock."
"The what-" Ignoring the ache in his bones, Link turned around and saw where she was pointing.
There was a crack on the rock. One identical to the one in Hilda's office, oddly straight and pouring out bright light that was completely out of place in Lorule, emanating warmth.
"That was NOT there before."
"Huh!? Before when!?"
"A few hours ago…" Well, at least less than a day ago, but that was still recently.
"Seriously!? That's creepy…"
Link got up on shaky feet, and approached the wall. There was no mistaking it. That was the light of Hyrule. Could he… could he really…?
His question was answered when Ravio's pet Sheerow popped out of the crack and landed on Link's pouch. He dug through it and found the Sand Rod. Then it came back the exact way it came from. Obviously not giving a crap about how impossible that entire sequence of events was.
Link and the girl stared after him.
"What was that?"
"Shop's return policy…" Oh, good. His sarcasm was still intact. At least THAT came back in one piece.
"Ugh, thanks for everythin' but I'm OUTTA here. This got beyond freaky an HOUR ago." Link could hear it in her voice. The girl could not stay around him anymore. That was fine. Link had no more reason to stick around her either.
"It's fine… Um… bye."
"Yeah… bye."
She was shaky on her feet but she got up anyway. She mumbled something under her breath but Link could not make it out. Slowly her footsteps faded away, and that strange grip Link felt around his gut ever since he encountered vanished with the distance.
The boy was left looking at the crack.
That was not there before. He was sure of it. But what could have caused it? Yuga? That was impossible, Hilda was restraining him, and he had no reason to create additional paths to Hyrule even if he could do it.
Maybe Hilda herself did it? She DID have one of these in her office. Yeah, that was the most likely case.
And if Link's mental map was correct… If his hypothesis was correct…
I can go back to my house.
Mustering up the last bit of energy he had, Link merged in the wall and through the crack.
…
The second time going through the crack between the worlds was no less disorienting than the first; this absolute certainty that this was a bridge that should have never existed, much less crossed. But there was a difference, for whereas the darkness urged him away, the light welcomed him home.
With a gasp for air, Link collapsed out of the crack and into the green, green grass. The air fresh and pristine.
Relief flooded Link's system. I'm home…
The worlds darkened around the edges.
"Mr. Hero!"
And then it went black.
The next time Link came to, it was to a very familiar ceiling.
"Mr. Hero!"
Too loud. He turned away from the noise. Everything was painful. And there was this heavy weight on his body…
"Oh, sorry" said the same voice, somewhat more quietly than before. Still a touch too loud though. "You okay?"
"…Ravio?" His voice sounded like-
"You sound really bad, Mr. Hero. Are you thirsty?"
Ravio did not wait for him to answer before a cup was in his hand. Link struggled to sit up, only now realizing he was laid down on the floor. Or a mattress? What did Ravio do…
The first gulp of water was a shock. He choked and Ravio was immediately on him hitting his back. The next few gulps went a bit better; at least he got some water into his system.
"I made ya some soup, Mr. Hero! If you're hungry…"
Link was starving. "Thanks."
Ravio moved away to set a few bowls, and it was only now that Link realized what he had done to his house. A lot of the extra crates that had been moved in for the makeshift tables have been rearranged, stacked on top of each other in a corner. Probably because Link had rented most of Ravio's stuff and therefore there was no need to exhibit them. He removed the mattress from the bed and laid it on the ground on top of some blankets, half hidden from view, kind of like a hiding place. It was an odd choice, but it meant that anyone coming in would not be able to see it. Essentially, Ravio had hidden the back of the house.
…
Hid the back of the house?
There was an uncomfortable feeling under his skin, and Link was too hungry and tired to examine it.
"Food's ready!"
That was the signal for Link to reach over the crate. It smelled good. Ravio had taken a bit of every vegetable and scrap of meat he could find along with a tad bit of bread and made a nice thick broth. It was nothing fancy, essentially a "leftovers" soup, but right now it was exactly what Link needed.
He gave an appreciative hum.
"That's really good."
"You like it, Mr. Hero?"
Was Ravio blushing? "Yeah, it tastes great. Thanks."
For a home invader, he's actually really thoughtful. Then again, Link DID collapse immediately upon arriving. He probably looked like crap. Nah, he definitely looked like crap.
"So…" started Ravio. "Bad day?"
Link snorted. "The WORST."
"What happened? Last we talked was when you 'ere storming the castle!"
Link swallowed a few more gulps of soup, his mind strangely blank. Goddesses, he was so tired…
"Mr. Hero?"
"…I went in… and all the guards were turned into paintings. I found Impa and Princess Zelda but…" he choked up. "But… I was too slow. So, I chased Yuga…"
"And?"
Oh Nayru, how does he even begin to describe what happened next. The mere existence of Lorule? Everything Hilda told him? The endless letters of complaints? The ruins? The drunkards? The thieves? The cult?
…The Boss?
Bile climbed up his throat at the memory. "Mr. Hero!?"
Deep breaths Link, deep breaths.
Link forced himself to breathe, each one feeling like a struggle, fighting off the sick feeling in his stomach.
"Um… maybe you shoul' sleep? Nice an' warm? After ya eat?"
Oh thank Din. "Yeah. That. Sounds good."
A bit more soup later, and Link was back in the mattress.
The next time Link woke up, it was to the sensation of sheer pain straining each and every one of his muscles, pouring into the mattress underneath him. His eyes felt dry and him mouth tasted horrible. Link instantly wished he could fall asleep again, but it was impossible.
"Good morning, Mr. Hero! Slept well?"
"Morning…" Did he sleep all day? Actually, what time did he arrive yesterday?
"Hey… when did I return?"
As usual he could not see Ravio's face, but he made an impression of a double take. "Return? Um… Evenin', I think… but you woke up super late. Then now, it's um… early morning. Yup."
Link sluggishly tried to put it together. "So I was… away for… two days?"
"Yeah."
Yeah, no wonder he felt so exhausted. The last few days most of what he did was fight and pass out. He needed the sleep.
His stomach growled.
"I got some bread, Mr. Hero!"
He needed the food too.
A few minutes later, the windows were all open and Link with Ravio were eating bread and some apples for breakfast.
"So, what happened Mr. Hero? I saw you got my Sand Rod back for me!"
Link opened his mouth, then paused. Should he explain to Ravio what happened? He honestly had no idea if anyone would believe him. Except for Sahasrahla.
Actually…
"Crap, I need to talk to the Elder."
"Um, yeah… he passes by every morning…"
What.
"What?"
"Um, since you… left! Yeah! He was asking if I saw you and you were good and he was super worried and he'll show up soon so-"
Welp, that was his task for the day. "Gotta talk to him." Oh Farore, there was so much to talk about…
With a final bite from his bread, Link got up and immediately regretted it. "Ugh, it hurts to move..."
"Looks like it!"
Right on cue, there was a loud knock on the door. Ravio was on it in a flash. "Good morning, Mr. Elder!"
Oh goddesses, he calls him Mr. Elder? Well, it was not as bad as Mr. Hero… Probably.
"Good morning, Elder."
"Link?"
The distinctive figure of the elder, hunched over in his usual bright robes, emerged through the doorway.
"Oh, my lad! You're alive? I thought that…!"
Did he… "Um…"
Before he could say anything, he was trapped in a hug.
"I'm so glad…"
Oh. Oh. Wow.
Link hugged him back, his chest tight. "Sorry for worrying you, Elder…"
"No matter" said the Elder, patting his back. "I am just glad to see you alive and well."
Link had… no idea how to process all this. "Um… yes. Same."
Sahasrahla let go of him. "Let's walk together to my house. We have much to discuss!"
"Alright."
Link took a few moments to grab his bag, weapons and other stuff, and they soon left with Ravio waving behind them. Link spared a long glance at the mysterious crack to Lorule on the tiny hill that was his house. Thin and pouring out the sickly dark smoke, just like the one in Princess Zelda's office. He would ponder on it later.
It was a couple of awkward minutes down the road, but to Link it felt like eternity. Sahasrahla was the one who decided to break it.
"Please tell me Link, is Princess Zelda safe?"
"…Not exactly."
"What do you mean?"
And so Link explained. How he chased Yuga through the castle, how he trapped all the Sages including Princess Zelda and Impa, how he escaped to the kingdom of Lorule where he tried to revive Ganon, how Hilda, the princess of that kingdom, did her best to keep him at bay, and how the paintings were scattered all across Lorule.
He did not talk about the other stuff. Not the letters of complaints. Not the drunkards. Not the broken houses. Not the cult. Not the thieves.
…Definitely not the Boss.
By the time he was done, even without those details, the Elder was shaking. "I see… So Yuga has become evil itself in a kingdom of shadow… Curse him for all eternity! His evil has spread even here, for just after you vanished into Hyrule Castle, a quake shook the kingdom!"
Link blinked. "Like back when he escaped the Eastern Palace?"
"Indeed! It left fissures like the one in front of your house all through Hyrule! And when there are cracks, can shattering be far behind?"
Link thought back to the endless abyss surrounding Lorule Castle, and the map he found at that abandoned house. It was all too easy to imagine a huge gap through the earth right behind his own house. He shivered.
Wait…
"You said the earthquake happened right after I entered the castle?"
"Why, yes!"
"Um… was the crack in my house there?"
The Elder looked at him in surprise. "Why are you asking, my lad?"
"Well… I told you how the maps of Hyrule and Lorule match… There was no crack on the other hill when I arrived, but there was one when I got back… I think…" He thought back to the timeline that Ravio told him. "The crack showed up about a day after I got in the castle? I went in to a town yesterday in… at noon, I think, and I came back at evening… The crack showed up somewhere between those hours."
Sahasrahla was deep in thought. "No, I didn't feel of hear of any earthquake between those hours. Perhaps the fissures are spreading? Your house is particularly close to the Castle, so it may be more susceptible…"
"As long as it doesn't come crashing down on my head…"
In truth, Link was even more unsettled by the answer. What if WAS spreading? Sure, it would make getting around Lorule easier for him since he could just- avoid Lorule, but what if they grew large enough to suck other people in? Sheerow clearly had no issue going through.
Actually, scratch that. Everything about Sheerow was weird. Link could not even figure out what kind of animal he was supposed to be.
That reminded him-
"I freed Osfala."
The Elder choked, and for a moment Link wondered if he should have broken the news easier. The man was old.
"Osfala? Where… where is he?"
"Trapped in the Sacred Realm" answered Link, hoping the answer was not as bad as it sounded. "I managed to break the hold of Yuga's magic on him, but he can't escape the painting." A pause. "He's the Sage of Light." He was not sure why exactly he felt like he needed to added that; some sort of justification, maybe.
"Oh, Link… You wield the sacred blade of legend, the Master Sword!" Wait. Did the Elder-? "With Princess Zelda in our enemy's hands, Hyrule is on the brink of disaster. But hope lives still, as long as you hold that sword, and your courage will surely see us through."
"Um… thank you."
Did Sahasrahla think that Link used the Master Sword to break the curse? It was Ravio's bracelet he used. True, he used the blade to break Yuga's barrier, but… maybe he should have tried the Master Sword on the portrait? But what if that just destroyed them? He was not exactly eager to swing an oversized blade on a canvas.
"Oh!"
"What is it, Link?"
Link scrambled around in his pouch, finding the thing he found yesterday. "I found this!"
The strange glowing ore from the Thieves' shed glittered in the bright sun, almost as if with a light on its own. "The Master Sword seemed to… detect it, somehow? This metal and the one that makes the Master Sword feel VERY similar."
"My goddesses, what a find!" exclaimed the Elder. "Truly, there are few tales for how the Blade of Evil's Bane was forged, all claim it was the hands of the goddesses themselves!"
Somehow, Link had a nagging feeling that it was a LOT more complicated than that.
"Unfortunately, I know nothing of this metal, or metals at all. I suggest you go to your master for suggestions on what it may be?"
"Yeah, that's probably my best bet" agreed Link. "I also need to check the cracks. Are there any in the village?"
"Yes, one is behind my own house!"
His own- "Why didn't you mention that!?" His hands smacked over his mouth, mortified at his rudeness. "Sorry." It came out sounding more like "shorru".
"I did not wish to burden you further, my lad…"
Suddenly Link felt all his exhaustion returning.
"I'll check it out. They should help me get around Lorule."
"You are going to use it?"
Suddenly Link remembered that he had pissed off an entire village full of madmen and criminals three times in a single day.
"Not yet." Change the subject, change the subject- "Any others?" That's not a change of subject!
"I received word that there's one inside the Sanctuary as well."
"Yuga came through there when he first showed up so I think I'll avoid it for now."
"A wise call. So I suppose you'll use the fissure at your house?"
"Seems the safest" admitted Link. "Nobody goes close to Lorule castle, and it's connected to a pretty large area, from what I can see in the map."
The south plains in particular.
"Elder, are there any ruins or anything in the south plains?"
"The south plains? Why, yes! The underground aqueduct!"
Oh, no. "Aqueduct? Do you think the water would affect a magical painting?"
The Elder paled at the implications of such a thing happening. "I do not wish to find out."
So Link would have to get to that portrait as fast as possible, was what he was hearing.
"OOOOI! LINK!"
The two startled at the familiar voice. "Mr. Nick!"
"What in Din's name, Link? Where were you!? Two days, not a single soul saw you!"
Hoo boy. He was upset.
Sahasrahla clearly saw it too because he patted Link on the shoulder in a typical "farewell" manner. "Please come by my house once you are done." Link nodded in agreement, resigned to his fate.
Mr. Nick is going to skin me alive…
"Come in, boy…" said the blacksmith in a grave tone.
Suddenly Link had a very different kind of a bad feeling. Without a word, he followed his blacksmith master into the smithy.
It had merely been a mere few days since Link was last here and visually, the forge had not changed at all. Mr. Nick was staring him down with his arms crossed as usual, while the old smithy was forging a sword on the anvil. The fire roared.
The room felt as cold as ice.
A breath later and all the authority bled off Mr. Nick's stance with a deep sigh. "Oh, Link…"
Link had a sinking feeling for what he was about to hear. Please don't…
"Lily and I – we've searched everywhere for Gulley."
Please don't. I don't want to think about it.
"But he's nowhere to be found…"
Please don't say it.
"What if monsters got-? No, there's no way. Not our little boy."
No no no no no…
Hands on his shoulders and the blacksmith roared- "Tell me he's going to be alright, Link!"
"I…"
Mr. Nick flinched. He let him go. "S-sorry. Give me a second here, Link…"
"Y-yeah…" His heart was pounding in his ears…
"Just… have you seen him, Link? You've been missing for days, I figured you would… seen something I hadn't. We haven't been able to leave the forge, with everyone asking for swords and all."
Link shook his head. "I wasn't… around." His lackluster reply made him feel horrible.
But you have a pretty good idea what happened to him, don't you?
He did. That was the horrible part.
The blacksmith's gaze darkened. "Then where were you?"
Link took a few deep breaths, then slowly took a step back. Time to spill the beans, I guess…
He rested his hand on the hilt.
He was vaguely aware of his mentor's wide eyes as he drew the blade from the sheathe, the reflection of the flames making it as bright as the morning sun. He held the blade forward, not quite looking at him in the eye. He was vaguely aware that the hammering stopped.
"I… think I know what happened to him…"
Mr. Nick stared at the sword in Link's hands for a long, long time. Perhaps trying to piece together everything that happened in the last few days.
"Link… is this what I think it is?"
"…Yeah. Yes, it is."
"Goddesses… What is going on, Link?"
And so Link explained. Not everything. But he did say that a wizard named Yuga was trying to revive Ganon by kidnapping the descendants of the Sages. And that he knew the identities of a few of them. He left everything else out.
Mr. Nick was quiet for a while after that. "Descendants of the Sages…? It can't be from me, we've always been blacksmiths."
"Wasn't Lily's great-grandmother a bard?" The two turned to the old smith to the side. "I remember her singing with all sorts of animals around her when I was a lad."
That sentence killed the last of Link's hopes that Gulley was safe. That Yuga would have no interest in him.
He- he had not even considered it. Or rather, he did not want to consider it. Gulley vanished at the same time as everyone else, he was already missing by the time he got the Master Sword, he was missing before he even got to the- oh goddesses, the last time anyone saw him the day before he went to the House of Gales. Intellectually he knew that was less than a week ago but to Link it felt like ages.
"Link."
He should have taken this more seriously. Much more seriously. He should have been trying to prevent Yuga from kidnapping any more Sages, it was not a secret that he was after them, taking Seres was literally the first thing he did as soon as he got here. But no, Link was too focused on his own troubles and now they were trapped in portraits trapped in a collapsing land filled to the brim with monsters and people who barely gave a damn about anything.
"Link."
How Long could Hilda even contain the evil wizard? Would removing the Sages from the paintings even do anything? Ganon was practically free already, all it would take was Hilda to get too tired and he would-
"LINK!"
He flinched. Mr. Nick was right in front of him, looking at him more worried than Link had ever seen him.
"Are you alright, lad?"
Link opened his mouth. "I should have done more."
Saying it out loud made it heavier. Today's sleep had done very little for his bone-deep exhaustion, and now he was feeling it all too keenly.
Mr. Nick shook his head, looking just as tired. "Nah, Link. You had no idea. Nayru, I had no idea and I'm his father! I should have kept a closer eye on him and listen to Lily more. You're doing damn fine. You got the Master Sword! That's more than just "fine"!"
Link was very much NOT used to such open praise from his mentor, but times were weird. He managed a small grin. "Well, I am pretty damn good with it."
"THAT'S the spirit! Anyway, anythin' we can help you with?"
"Yes, actually" said Link, remembering his conversation with Sahasrahla. He searched through his pouch – Gulley's pouch – and found his spoils from the Thieves' sack. Mr. Nick and the old blacksmith's jaws dropped at the mysterious golden ore before them.
Link grinned at them, having seen their reaction from a mile away. "Any ideas what to do with this?"
In the end Link ended up leaving the golden ore with the two blacksmiths. Mr. Nick and the old blacksmith had a very intense look in their eye as they examined it. Especially the old blacksmith. Link was honestly a bit afraid to be in the same room with them. He had NEVER seen the two of them like this before.
It was probably all the stress from the past few days. He hoped. He also hoped that they did not accidentally ruin the ore in their enthusiasm. Then again, if there was anyone capable of handling it, it was them, so Link left them to their own devices and made his way to Kakariko village.
A few minutes after leaving the smithy Link was at Sahasrahla's door.
"Come in, my lad, come in!"
The Elder's house looked the exact same as it did last time: an absolute chaos made of research papers, books and plants. Link walked in careful not to step on anything.
Sahasrahla shoved something cold into his hands. "Here you go, Link! You need your strength!"
The young swordsman looked down in his hands. "Is this premium milk?"
"You're still a growing boy! And you are pushing yourself hard, so here. My treat."
Link smiled brightly. "Thank you, Elder."
He tried a few gulps. Man, it was a lot more creamy than he expected, and very sweet. Maybe with a hint of something metallic? It was good. He drank a bit more and decided to get to the subject at hand. "So, the crack?"
"Yes, right here. Follow me."
Link followed the Elder behind his house. There it was.
Perfectly straight and cutting the bricks in half, with the bizarre mosaic of colours around it and the sickly black smoke lazily pouring out. Just like the one at his house.
Where does this lead…?
Link pulled out the map of Lorule he found. The Elder leaned over it, eyebrows raised up to what must have once been his hairline. "Fascinating… The similarities of this land with Hyrule are astonishing, yet so many differences… And those massive chasms! Oh, my… where did you find this?"
"The abandoned house of some palace official?"
Sahasrahla looked even more surprised. "A palace official?"
"There were a lot of letters from people addressed to their princess…" said Link, feeling uncomfortable. He wondered what happened to this person.
Link examined the map again, trying to recall his visit to the Thieves' town. "This one leads to the forest. See, the gap disconnects this house from the rest of the village."
The Elder made a thoughtful hum. "It's quite possible that one of the Sages is hidden in the forest."
Link grimaced. He still had absolutely no clue what was going on in the Lost Woods. He was not yet ready to face the Lorule version of them.
"Yes it is. It also connects to part of the mountains…"
"Something wrong, my lad?"
"Yeah, well… When I went to Death Mountain I got around through a tunnel system. I don't know if Lorule has anything like that, or if it collapsed or anything." From the looks of it, the Lorule mountain was not an active volcano like Death Mountain is but he was not counting on it.
"You should also be able to access the mountain from the portal in the Sanctuary." Link nodded but remained silent. He already said that he was not ready to use that one yet.
"So, my lad, where are you going next?"
"I'm going to check the southern plains for any portals" said Link. "I want to avoid travelling through Lorule as much as possible."
Sahasrahla gave him an odd look. "Did something happen when you were there?"
The boy let out a heavy sigh. "I… pissed off a LOT of people."
The Elder clearly did not expect that answer. "It couldn't have been that bad."
"No. It- it really was that bad."
Sahasrahla clearly thought otherwise. Link did not have the heart to correct him.
"If that's the case, you should pick some extra food. And potions! You never know what you may face!"
"Don't I know it…" He was still reeling from everything that happened since the Tower of Hera.
Oh goddesses, was there a Lorule version of the Tower of Hera? There had to be. Din save me, this is going to be TORTURE.
He shook his head. He had other places to head to.
"I'm going to the Witch's shop. I have to tell her the news. Then I'll go check the plains."
"That's quite the long way."
"I can still call Irene's broom" revealed Link. "It even worked in Lorule- somehow." Actually, what was up with that?
"Now that's fascinating. Well, hurry on, then!"
"I will!"
"Hold on a moment! Could I borrow the map until you get back?"
Link agreed immediately and handed it over. The Elder would be able to figure out a lot that Link had not noticed, he was sure of it.
The young swordsman brought out Irene's bell and rang it. The broomstick arrived in seconds, and as usual Link held on to it from the back. "Witch's Shop!"
And he was off.
It was only minutes later when Link arrived, but he was filled with anxiety all over again. How would the witch react? The last time Link saw her she was devastated.
Well, one way to find out. Link walked into the shop.
The witch was brewing potions, like always. Her eyes widened instantly when she saw him. "Link! Young man, it has been days! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired." It was true; despite everything Link did not suffer any injuries, he was just exhausted.
"You better not be stingy with the potions, a young warrior like you needs them!"
Link smiled gratefully. "I'll be careful."
"Have you found Irene?"
And with that, the mood instantly sombered. "No, but I have news."
Once again, Link explained how Yuga spread the paintings across the land of Lorule and how the local princess was trying to keep him contained. He also explained what happened with Osfala. The old witch knew she was a descendant of the Sages, it was fine to talk to her about these things.
She took in his explanation with an eerie calmness. "I have not seen any of those cracks of fissures near here, as you call them. However, I do have my suspicions about where Irene may be hidden."
Link was astonished. "You do!? That'd be a huge help!"
"Yes, I do. My grandmother used to tell me how we are descendent from the Gerudo, and how we have strong spirits and strong magic."
"Gerudo… as in, Gerudo Desert? I never heard of them before."
"I'm not surprised. It is said that Ganon was born as a descendant of them before he was King of Evil. Obviously nobody is too keen to talk of them."
Link was floored. "I-I see…" He honestly had no idea what to say to that. The thought of Ganon once being human instead of a demon was… Link could not imagine it.
"You are going to find her, correct?"
Link froze at the old witch's serious tone. "I'm sorry… I'm going to the aqueduct first."
Her glare sharpened. Link shrunk back to himself. "It's closer… and if there's a painting there and gets damaged…"
The old witch dropped her glare, her exhaustion setting in. "I understand. I'm sorry, young man. We all are a tense with everything that happened."
"It's fine, ma'am."
"So take care of yourself so we don't worry even more!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
She chuckled. "Good, good! Now, anything you want to buy?"
A sudden idea occurred to him. "Actually…"
"Yes?"
"Do you have any potions that restore magic?"
The witch blinked. "Magic?"
"All my weapons consume magic" explained Link. "Same for my wall-merging ability. It's like… I have a bottle inside me that refills itself? But the more tired I get the harder it gets. Ravio – the merchant that rent me my weapons – told me that it takes the energy the body makes from food to use them, but I can't stop for a snack in the middle of a fight."
"You know a potion is not a substitute for food" said the witch in a scolding tone.
Link winced. "I know…"
"Still, you have a point about needing more magic in a pinch. I have to say, this merchant of yours sounds fascinating."
"Yeah, he kind of is…" A little too fascinating, actually.
Link redirected his thoughts. "So, do you have anything like that? Please?"
"Unfortunately, I don't. However, I do take custom orders. This is going to cost you a little extra, you understand."
Link nodded. "I do."
"Give me a day and I will have your potion ready. When are you heading to the aqueduct?"
"Today, if possible. Sorry." Honestly, the witch's stern grandmotherly tone made him want to avoid disappointing her.
She pressed her lips, clearly unhappy. However, she did not say anything to stop him. "Be careful then. And pack some food with you!"
"I will. Thanks, ma'am!"
"You're welcome, young man. May the goddesses bless you."
Link was humbled. "Thank you."
He should head to the desert as soon as he was done with the aqueduct. He had no idea how long the whole thing would take him, but now he did not want to waste any time.
With a small bow, Link left the shop, and rang Irene's bell.
He had work to do.
Author Notes:
So, after almost a whole year, I bring forth a new chapter. I hope not all of you have vanished to AO3. Mind you, I crosspost the story there under the same username so look it up. That version is lacking in past author notes though, so keep that in mind.
First of all, we finally have one elephant gone from the living room: what happened to Gulley. Link was in denial for quite a while. At first my idea was to have Link only realize that Gulley is a Sage when he FINDS him, but then the scene at the blacksmith's house wrote itself, and that plot thread would have dragged for too long.
So instead I replaced it with another topic for Link to be in denial about: Ravio. Yeah, all the suspicious shit Ravio does comes into new focus with the reveal of Lorule, but in already established Link fashion he is going to mostly ignore it until he no longer can.
I also dropped in the plot line about the Master Ore and made a new one about the potions, so that should be a nice way to fill in the gaps!
Next chapter is going to be the Swamp Palace, shortly followed by the Desert Palace. No, I'm not doing them in one go, that would be gargatuan. And exhausting for both you and me. Hell, the next chapter is already shaping up to be exhausting. Turns out getting to the Swamp Palace is more complicated than I thought.
Oh, by the way, the other house portal in Kakariko is still there. It's just that the fashionable lady didn't notice because it's burried under a pile of clothes, and Link did not notice because he has other worries in his mind. And he won't notice for a while because he pissed off the entire population of Thieves' Town. That's going to be a little awkward in the future.
Anyway, I hope all of you are okay, healthy, and well!
Until next time!
HelenTheMoon.
AND PLEASE REVIEW.