Chapter 7: Taking his Place Part Two

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Beauty and the Beast.

Zelda's night at the Inn was incredibly uneventful. Her first adventure out into the world had been rather boring… apart from watching the Chuchus get crumpled by Epona's hooves. She didn't even need to use her bow. She knew that Hyrule was in peace but, by the Goddesses, did it have to be that boring?

Perhaps after finding her father, she'll finally go out on her adventures properly. See the Rito of Dragon Roost. Visit Death Mountain and the Gorons. Swim with the Zora in Lake Hylia. A trip to Castle Town to absorb the sites that she knew so well from her stories.

Zelda yanked on her last boot and made her way to the reception. After a back and forth, she and Anju agreed on a price of thirty rupees – still far too small an amount to pay. After mounting Epona, she was given some directions on the quickest route to Castle Town, and thus Zelda headed off.

As she arrived a few days later, sleeping in caves on the way, Zelda wondered why her mother liked adventuring so much. Her back ached from the hard ground where she slept. Her butt ached from Epona's saddle. She was looking forward to staying in a proper bed again.

A guard stationed just inside the entrance directed her to the closest inn that allowed horses. Once Epona was settled and everything paid for, Zelda headed straight for the Hylian Library. Sightseeing and wonder would wait. The fair was long over so all she could do was talk to whoever was in charge.

A spin of Hylian tutors later, she was sat at the desk of a Professor Ezlo. The man was old with a long wispy beard, long eyebrows and a bald head.

"You know, your name is exactly like-"

"I know who I was named after and if you want to call me a cap or a birdbrain, I'll invite you to it, then I'll give you a good smack about the head and kick you right out of my office!" he shrieked.

Goddess, he was a grumpy man.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to offend..." Zelda sunk her head.

He humphed in response.

"Anyway, I'm here to ask about my father. He's Gaepora Nohansen, the headmaster of Skyloft?"

"Oh, Nohansen," he growled, "Fella never turned up. You 'is daughter? Blood 'n' all?"

"Yes. Um, if he didn't turn up where did he go? He did most of his sightseeing before he was headed here."

"Nohansen and Harkinian's bairn. Goodness…" he muttered.

"That was my mother's maiden name. You didn't-"

"Look, where was he last seen?"

"Clock Town."

"Well, he could be anywhere. There was a nasty storm, see?"

"I know that but our horse… She turned up nearer home without him."

"If you're such a fan of Legends and stories, perhaps you should try talking to the horse," he gestured with his pen.

"You want me to ask a horse for directions…"

"Yes. We're done now," he waved her away.

Zelda smiled and bowed. Once her back was turned to him, she pulled a face. TALK TO A HORSE! What kind of scholar was he?

Zelda slumped by the Goddesses' fountain staring gloomily at her map. Where could her father have gone? He didn't have the supplies for Snowpeak, particularly since he didn't have Epona.

Epona… Why did Ezlo tell her to talk to the horse…?

She was always a strange horse. Never changing. She was apparently her mother's horse throughout her adventures as a young girl. How did she live that long? Ezlo seemed to have known her mother but she'd never heard a horse talk.

She packed away her map, deciding she may as well try to enjoy herself while she was here. She entered the market place, stumbling through the crowds and stalls. The shops were interesting, holding all kinds of items and trinkets. While pleasing to the eye, none really interested Zelda. Perhaps, if she felt more happy, she'd be much more loose with her wallet.

By the evening, she'd eaten in a small restaurant to cool herself off from the crowds. Her final stop for the day had to be the Temple of Time.

She was surprised to find the place utterly empty. Perhaps for those living here, it wasn't a spectacle at all to see the legendary temple. The silence was pleasing to Zelda, however, as she could enjoy the place at her own leisure. It was interesting that an old place of worship had almost been converted into a museum. There was a statue of Hylia, much smaller than the one at Skyloft. The Pedestal of Time lay in its place, but Zelda was disappointed to find that the Spiritual Stones were not the genuine article. There was a rock that claimed to be the Gate of Time. Doubtful, it was supposed to look like a cog.

As she began to examine the Door of Time, she heard a loud rumble and it began to open. The surprise made her fall onto her bottom.

A young women, dressed in blue robes stepped out. Her hair was a pale green and her eyes emerald. Was she the curator or a priestess? And why was she behind the door? Although with a glimpse, Zelda did not see the legendary blade.

"Oh! It was so late that I didn't think any would be here," she gasped.

She held out a hand for Zelda.

"I'm sorry to frighten you. I just came from the Castle."

Zelda took the hand and stood.

"You came from the Castle, and yet that is clearly supposed to be one of the disputed resting places of the Master Sword," she raised an eyebrow.

"I teleported. As Seventh Sage, I can easily go to any temple. I simply went to the Chamber of Sages in the Temple of Light, and exited."

"You are a Sage?!"

"Yes, I am Seres," she bowed, "I was selected by the previous Sage as successor. She did not want the burden to fall to her daughter."

"So, you are not of royal blood?"

"I am, albeit distant. Thus, the old sage was safe in passing her power to me. Who might you be?"

"I am Zelda of Skyloft. Um… daughter of Gaepora Nohansen and Tetra Harkinian."

There was a glint of recognition in the Sage's eyes.

"I see. Well met. It is interesting to meet someone who appears to know much about the Sages."

"Only from legends. I doubt anything I know is-"

"True? But it is," she bowed, "You must excuse me. I must speak to the governing body of Hyrule."

"I thought we had royalty."

"The Prince is unwell so a government was formed in his place."

"Oh…"

"Farewell. May we meet again," she flowed out of the temple.

"I doubt it," Zelda muttered.

At least one cool thing happened on her adventure, she met a Sage. Not only a Sage though, the Seventh! Their leader. If only she could gush about it to someone she knew. Sages were probably a common sight in Castle Town after all.

She looked around the Temple one last time before exiting and returning to the inn. After such a day, perhaps making conversation with a horse wasn't that odd.

A/N: I am sorry for the wait. I ended writing stuff out of order so I couldn't post anything then I lost inspiration again because I got busy with uni. I'll try my best to update when I can. This was actually freshly written today as for some reason I hadn't started the next chapter -.-
I feel really guilty that you all waited a good couple of years and all you get is another part to the chapter, not the end of it. SHE WILL MEET LINK, I PROMISE!

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If I've missed you, it may have been from a long time ago. I looked through my emails and I stopped around June 2016, since my last update was in September and I missed some people. But that was just an Update where I didn't do any thank you's. That update is now gone.