Chapter Four

"I can have another hundred swords ready to depart the castle with you before the morning is out, your majesty. A single word and it will be so." A hint of frustration tinged Captain-Commander Roam's voice as he spoke. This was the fourth time he had restated his recommendation to Princess Zelda, and his insistence was beginning to exasperate her.

"As I said earlier, Commander, I trust Link's judgement. If he has deemed any more than eighty men in my honour guard to be unnecessary, than I am happy to proceed with the guard he has set." Zelda glided across the room towards the knight, frowning slightly as she looked up at him. The skirt of her royal blue dress, divided for riding, swished faintly as she walked.

The barrel-chested veteran knight stood a good head and a half taller than Zelda herself did, with massively broad shoulders and impressively thickly-muscled limbs. Despite his massive stature, he still managed to give off an air of respect and proper deference towards her. He wore a full steel cuirass with matching gauntlets and greaves – the metal gleamed in the early morning light from the nearby window – and he wore a long, royal blue cape with a heavily embroidered edge.

Zelda wasn't sure how long Commander Roam had been waiting for her in the private sitting room attached to her personal apartments, but he had been there as soon as she stepped out to head to the front of the castle, where her entourage would be waiting for her. The senior knight had not been terribly impressed when he had learned the size of the escort that Link had prepared for Zelda, and had been trying to convince her to postpone her departure until he could make 'proper' arrangements.

"With all due respect, your majesty, Link is not a leader; he's a reckless loner. What he believes is unnecessary is irrelevant – he has no experience in anything like this. He probably thinks the entire guard is unnecessary. He'd have tried to get away with just guarding your entourage by himself if he thought he could get it past you. I apologise for speaking out of turn, but I do feel very strongly in this matter."

Even while standing relaxed, there was something in Roam's manner that had always put Zelda in mind of a hulking lion, powerful and dangerous. She never felt threatened by him, of course; Roam had joined the Royal Knights of Hyrule around the same time that Zelda had been born, and she had known him for as long as she could remember. His thick black moustaches that he had always taken such pride in were speckled with grey now, and matched his straight, shoulder-length hair.

While Roam preferred to take a more heavy-handed approach to reining Link in, Zelda knew that she had to handle the young hero carefully. She could not just pull his leash tight and expect that it would bring him to heel instantly. He would resist at first, simply because he was adventurous and stubborn, unused to authority. She needed to train him slowly; eventually, he would learn. Having him behind her was important to keep her kingdom united and strong.

Zelda gave Roam a level look before turning to a gilded mirror hanging on the wall beside her and inspecting her reflection, ensuring her maidservants had not missed anything. "I have made my decision and will speak no more on the matter. Now, are there any other matters you wish to have addressed before I depart?"

The Commander of the Royal Knights sighed heavily in defeat, his tone a touch reproachful. "None, your majesty. The castle is in perfect order and will remain so until your return."

"Good." Zelda smiled brightly. "Now, would you care to escort me to my entourage?"

"It would be my pleasure, your majesty." Roam bowed with a deep flourish, offering his arm to the princess. She placed a hand just inside the crook of his elbow, and they walked side-by-side out of the sitting room. The liveried guards that had been flanking the door took up positions a pace behind them as they walked down the hallway outside of the royal apartments, Roam's heavy, booted footsteps drowning out the soft, dainty taps of Zelda's silvered slippers.

They walked in silence, which suited Zelda just fine. She was busy mentally reviewing the path her tour was going to be taking around Hyrule and listing the names of all the provinces, villages and places they were visiting along the way. Her father had taught her that the hallmark of a good monarch was the knowing of every inch of her kingdom; else how could one rule effectively? She intended on taking the opportunity that this tour presented to set a few other plans she had in motion as well; she had a number of proposals to set forth to the leaders of the goron and zora vassal states, and plans to present to the elders of the small village of Kakariko to develop it into a fully-fledged trade town, as a precursor to her negotiation of further trade treaties with the neighbouring nations of Cavalita and Labrynna.

Zelda intended on eliminating the weaknesses that had led her kingdom to disaster in the war against the Twilight, and consolidating her strengths. Link may have been there to save the kingdom from Ganon and his mad schemes ion that occasion, but she could not let the safety of her kingdom depend solely on the right person being in the right place at the right time. She had been chosen by the Goddesses themselves to bear the Triforce of Wisdom, and she intended on living up to that honour by being the best and wisest sovereign she could possibly be.

Lost in thought as she was, she barely noticed that they had already stepped out of the castle and into the front courtyard until Link, standing across the paved central area and checking his horse's saddle, raised a hand in greeting and stepped quickly over to meet them as they approached. The young knight was clad in one of the finest of the green tunics that Zelda had had made for him, and she was astonished to note that the matching cape also lay draped across his shoulders, which he had originally been adamant in his refusal to wear. She concealed her surprise quickly – perhaps the brash hero was already starting to come to heel.

"Princess. Commander." Link bowed stiffly to Zelda and gave a slight incline of his head for Roam before turning his attention back to the princess. "If you're ready to head out, we can leave whenever you wish. Lamri has been saddled and is waiting for you." He gestured across the courtyard to her personal retinue of maids and bodyguards, where a young stablehand held the reins of her favourite horse. Lamri was a stunning, tall mare of pure white, and her dusky saddle complimented the princess's riding dress perfectly. Zelda vastly preferred riding to sitting in a carriage, she liked being where her people could see her, and it was infinitely more comfortable.

"Thank you, Link." Zelda nodded, a warm smile on her face, before removing her hand from Roam's arm and turning to face the knight. "I leave the castle in your care, Commander." She curtsied delicately, and Roam reciprocated the gesture with one of his customary deep, flourishing bows.

"May the Goddesses watch over you, your majesty."

Turning on her heel, Zelda swept her eyes over the various people, horses, and covered wagons scattered about the courtyard. As Link had said, preparations seemed to have been completed and the entourage was just waiting to get moving. Her maidservants, fair Annoura and dark Zerah, were loitering near their matching dun geldings near to where Lamri stood, and a loose circle of already mounted Royal Knights were positioned around them. She recognised Bain and Talis, Link's friends, as well as a few of the others. Davian, with his long brown hair gathered at the nape of his neck with a length of cord and a long guisarme strapped to his back; fair-haired Guaire, with a more traditional sword and shield fastened to his; and Falion, one of the rare female knights, her sun-darkened face hard as she scanned the courtyard from under her black fringe, seemingly expecting danger at any moment even in the heart of Hyrule Castle itself.

Zelda surreptitiously watched Link and Roam from the corner of her eye as she approached Lamri, murmuring a word of thanks as the stablehand presented the reins to her and bowed away once she took them. The two knights exchanged a few brief words before they saluted each other, and then turned on their heels – Link striding back towards Epona and Commander Roam towards the castle's entrance. Zelda was too far away to overhear, but a single glimpse of Roam's stony expression as he walked away spoke volumes of the contents of the discussion.

Suppressing a sigh, she stepped lightly up onto the mounting block that a liveried servant placed by Lamri's left flank. A few moments later and she was settling comfortably into the saddle, arranging her skirts carefully. Looking up at the smooth, masoned walls of Hyrule Castle, Zelda noticed a dark figure, silhouetted against the morning light, watching from one of the ornate balconies set high in the walls – at this distance, had Tuli not been wearing her tall, pointed wizzrobe hat Zelda might not have recognised her. The scholar gave no sign that she had noticed Zelda looking at her, instead choosing simply to watch, silent and motionless, from her vantage point.

Facing forward once again, Princess Zelda held up a gloved hand to signal that she was ready to leave. A few shouted orders from Link, repeated by several lower-ranking knights, later and they were moving in a slow procession across the stone bridge across the castle moat. The bridge guards knelt respectfully as she rode past them, her and her maidservants surrounded by a personal guard of six Royal Knights. As they passed into the central square of Hyrule Market Town, a cheer went up from the crowd of gathered onlookers, and she waved and smiled warmly to her loyal subjects.

Zelda didn't need to force her smile – seeing her people so jubilant and delighted over her presence was more than enough to fill her with a glowing sense of pride and accomplishment. She basked in the adoration of her people as she rode, and Lamri seemed to sense her mood, the mare practically prancing as they passed through the crowd.

The procession wound its way through the streets, drawing a massive throng of people made up of what seemed to Zelda like the entire population of the town. Despite the massive press of people, the crowd parted easily enough to let her entourage pass. The tightly-packed mass spilled out onto the eastern stone bridge that led out into the wide fields of Eldin Province as Zelda and her escort left the walls of the town, and Zelda could hear their cheers until the town was completely out of sight behind them.

While mostly everyone else in the convoy was staying in one position, Link was riding up and down the line constantly, barking a few quick orders here and there to soldiers to get them to tighten up or spread out more, his eyes constantly scanning the horizon as he wheeled Epona around with an expert hand. He seemed to be taking his role in this undertaking very seriously, which was a welcome change. He looked rather dashing in his full dress, as well, with his well-polished sword and shield strapped to his back, his forest-green tunic with golden embroidery that shined in the sunlight, and his olive cape streaming behind him whenever an errant gust of wind picked it up.

Zelda's smile gradually faded as she returned to her thoughts regarding the plans she was putting in place. If all went as smoothly as it should, Hyrule would be strengthened and prosper under her rule, which was something she wanted more than anything else in this world. The cheering crowds from the town were her confirmation that she was on the right track so far, but one misstep might turn those cheers into boos and bring everything crashing down around her head.

She took a deep breath in, drinking in the smells of the wide open expanse of Hyrule Field, and banished all negativity from her thoughts. There would be time enough to stress and worry later on if things didn't turn out exactly right; right now, all she needed to do was relax and look forward to her tour of her kingdom.

- - - - - -

Taking off his cracked leather gauntlets and placing them on a nearby clear bookshelf, Link wiped his sweaty palms against the pitch-black fabric of his tunic before picking the book he had been examining back up. He flicked through the pages quickly, his sunken eyes scanning rapidly, looking for any references to the Ocarina of Time or the Sages. Piles of discarded tomes and manuscripts lay strewn across the narrow space between the normally immaculate mahogany bookshelves, where he had discarded them. Link ran a hand through his long, unkempt hair as he read and immediately regretted it, reaching down again and wiping off the layer of grease his hand had acquired.

Sighing laboriously, he snapped the book shut and tossed it over his shoulder and leant back against one of the bookshelves. The wood gave a warning creak, but he paid it no heed, closing his eyes and putting his hands up to cover his face. The fine coating of coarse whiskers his sallow cheeks and chin had acquired tickled the edges of his bare hands, but he ignored that too, moving slightly to shift the weight of the Master Sword strapped uncomfortably to his back.

He had spent countless days searching the labyrinthine corridors of Hyrule Castle library to no avail. The part of the library he now found himself in was dark, lit only by a dull ambient glow that seemed to permeate the air, with a high vaulted roof of dark masoned stone.

There was nothing further he could learn here. Nothing that would help him to fix the timestream, in any case. As far as he could see, there was only one last thing he could try and hope for the best. At this point, it wasn't feasible for him to continue his search for Midna. The timeline was too damaged, and when he travelled back nothing was as he remembered it. Of course, he had travelled back in time numerous times before to try to fix the messes he had made, but each time he did it seemed he only made matters worse.

There didn't seem to be any other way. This was his last resort. He was unsure of what exactly would happen to him if he was successful, or if it would even work – it was possible that the timestream was beyond repair at this stage. If that was the case, however, then he no longer had anything to lose by making the attempt. It may not even be a real option; it was so ridiculously hard to discover melodies that would allow him to travel to specific time periods that it almost seemed pointless to try.

Only one person possessed such a breadth of knowledge regarding the Ocarina of Time that she may know how to puzzle out a tune that would serve his purposes. The Archmage. It was improbable that she would help him, but there was a chance, though, however slight, that she might. Link grabbed his gauntlets from the shelf, securing them tightly before reaching into one of his numerous belt pouches and withdrawing the Ocarina of Time. There didn't seem any sense in delaying his visit to her any longer.

He stared at the small, ceramic instrument thoughtfully for a few moments before licking his chapped lips and raising the mouthpiece to his face. Despite his haggard appearance, the notes he blew were precise and did not quaver, and his fingers moved quickly and smoothly to cover the appropriate holes as he played. The mournful notes of the Threnody of Regret, an aptly named melody, considering to whom it was taking him, echoed through the narrow corridors of the library.

Link closed his eyes and let the magic of the Ocarina envelop him in a swirl of deep orange energy, and when he opened them again he was somewhere else. He didn't really know exactly where it was the Archmage made her home – he had only ever come and gone from here once before, and that had been via Ocarina then as well. His guess, though, judging from the architecture, was somewhere near or inside the Arbiter's Grounds.

Stepping down from the raised stone dais that dominated the centre of the room, he quickly strode over to the door in the wall that was to the left of the massive Triforce symbol emblazoned upon the platform he had teleported onto. He needed to move quickly, and didn't have time to enjoy the scenery. Through the door, down a hall and a single, wide flight of stairs, and Link was standing in front of a heavy, iron-bound hardwood door. It looked out of place wedged into the design of the seemingly Gerudo-built complex, and, having been here before, he knew that the personal study of the person he sought lay beyond it.

Link paused and took a deep breath before he turned the handle and swung open the heavy door. It opened up into an average-sized room, perhaps twenty feet to a side. An orb of blue light suspended from the middle of the ceiling bathed the room in a cool glow – despite the steady light, the shadows in the room moved surreally whenever he wasn't watching, and he half-glimpsed the strange shapes they formed from the corner of his eye before they became still and solid the second he tried to focus on them.

A mahogany writing desk stood in the far corner of the room, and the entire length of wall to Link's left was covered by bookshelves filled with a selection of ancient tomes and manuscripts. The room's black-robed occupant didn't turn when he entered the room – he had likely triggered a half-dozen magical alarms on his way here, and he had no doubt that if she hadn't wanted him to make it this far, he probably wouldn't have. He took note of the long, gnarled ashwood staff that the Archmage's held lightly in one hand – her long, brown hair hung lower than he remembered as well, reaching down past her waist. She had changed so much; it was hard to really think of her as anything other than 'the Archmage'.

"How dare you. After all you have wrought, you still have the audacity to show your face here?" The Archmage's voice was low, with a dangerous edge to it.

"I… need your help." Link was starting to think that he had been too quick to come straight here. It was too late to change tack now, but perhaps he should have thought things through a bit better.

"And why would I want to help you?" Her voice a venomous hiss, the black-robed figure spun to face him. Even now, Link had to suppress a wince as the Archmage's ruined features came into view. She had been quite beautiful once, a long time ago, but now the right side of her face was nothing more than a mass of horrific scars and never-quite-healed burnt flesh. "For that matter, perhaps you should give me a reason not take this opportunity to finally rid the world of your presence?" She raised her staff threateningly.

Link took up an industrious study of the Archmage's elaborate jewellery, avoiding looking directly at her face. She had taken to wearing a lot of gold these days – a trio of intricate necklaces of varying lengths hung around her neck, a match for the numerous bracelets around her wrists, and her fingers were covered with a fortune in golden, gem-encrusted rings.

"None know the secrets of the Ocarina better than you do. Only you can compose a melody that will enable me to travel back and stop all of this before it happened." Link raised his eyes just long enough to meet the Archmage's glare with a look of defiance. "If I can travel back to just before I originally obtained the accursed instrument, I could stop myself from acquiring it and prevent any of this from happening." And if in the doing he was not erased from existence, maybe he would be able to finally find Midna. He would be more careful, this time around.

"You've given up?" The Archmage's tone was guarded. She, better than almost anyone, knew how much he had sacrificed in his search for Midna.

"The price was too high. Beyond anything that I imagined." Too high, but he would pay it again if he must, though she could not know that or she would not be seriously considering his proposition.

The disfigured spellcaster was silent for a long time, her expression considering, before she finally gave a rasping, rueful laugh. "It will take time."

"Time is the one thing I have in abundance."

Her face impassive, the Archmage nodded curtly. "Very well. I will contact you when I have finished my composition, and we will go back together to fix this." She waved her free hand vaguely is a gesture of dismissal. "Now leave me. If I am to do this, I need peace and quiet."

The Archmage's reluctance to trust him was understandable. He could not have her interfering with his objectives. If he allowed her to travel back with him, it was likely that after he succeeded in preventing his past self's acquisition of the Ocarina she would not let him continue to use the artifact as he pleased. It was regrettable that it was going to have to come to it, but once she had finished composing her latest melody and he had it firmly in hand, she would need to be dealt with.

Link turned and walked back through the open doorway, taking hold of the doorhandle as he passed through the frame and began to pull it closed behind him. He paused halfway through and looked back over his shoulder at his one-time friend, taking in a full view of her scarred countenance with a sad smile on his face. "Thank you… Tuli."