Hey readers...how are you?

Moriko: What? No witty comments? No extremely stupid conversation?

Me: I'm too depressed...I hate Russel T Davies right now. All you Doctor Who fans know EXACTLY what I'm talking about...

Moriko: Oh...right. You just saw the season 4 finale.

Me: (crawls into corner and cries)

Moriko: Okay people, the authoress has officially fallen into a depression, and she won't back back for a bit. Just wait and see. She'll be fine next chapter!

Taiki: You think? I don't know...she's pretty depressed.

Moriko: (smacks Taiki) Shut it! She'll be fine. Read and review!

Chapter 20: The Time Has Come

Moriko sat in the infirmary, watching Suzume's motionless body on the cot with hollow eyes. She kept her eyes glued to the injured girl, wanting her to answer as many questions as possible. Tanner had asked her to come back to the dance, but she'd refused immediately. The girl's words had surprised Moriko more than she'd thought, and Moriko had followed the guards all the way to the infirmary, where she had taken a seat by the bed. She continued to replay the memory over and over, trying hard to believe Suzume's claim.

This girl, Suzume, had burst into the castle, covered in blood. She'd demanded to see Moriko, and had begged her to save her friend, Takeshi.

Moriko gripped the sheer layer of her dress absentmindedly, watching the girl on the cot groan and turn over. Suzume seemed so helpless, yet she'd managed to run away from her brother, who held one of the sacred Triforce pieces. This girl had more courage than anyone had seen, but no one had cared, except for Moriko. She had comforted the girl while everyone else had begun dancing again.

Moriko bit her lip to keep from crying, but not for herself. For Suzume's sake. By staying in the infirmary while the nurses fretted of Suzume, she'd learned of the young girl's wounds. Apparently, Suzume had received and arrow to her right shoulder, and plenty of bruises to her legs. But they'd left just before Suzume had begun sleep talking.

Suzume muttered a constant stream of mumbles, half of it inaudible to Moriko. The stuff that had been decipherable had been about the friend she'd mentioned before. A guy named Takeshi. She mumbled about a treasure, and how she felt something. Before long, she'd started crying silently. Everything after that had been complete babble.

Moriko released her hold on her dress and smoothed it out, hearing someone walking swiftly down the hall. The door opened to reveal an exhausted Tanner and her father, who looked slightly disappointed.

"Moriko, it's time for the dinner," Tanner said. Moriko looked at the floor, then at Suzume.

"I'm not hungry. I'll pass."

"That's why I brought him," he said, jabbing his thumb at her father. Daisuke scowled at his daughter and walked swiftly to her side, taking her wrist sharply.

"It's the king's banquet. You will not skip it. As your father, I command you to attend."

"Or what? You'll send me to by room without supper? You hardly have the right." Moriko bit her lip after that, regretting her words. Her father's frown deepened, and he seemed to inflate with rage. He pulled her out of her chair and out the door, ignoring her protests with fatherly ease. Tanner followed, but stayed back so he wouldn't get caught up in the rage.

Daisuke led his daughter back to the ball room, stopping just in front of the doors on the opposite side of the room.

"Moriko, I may not have been there for you for the past few years, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to come home, but this is no way to act in the house of the king. You will sit through this dinner, then you will go to you room until you are summoned to the king's chambers. You will give the items to Link, and tomorrow you will go home."

Moriko took a deep breath, then twitched her shoulders in a shrug.

"That's how I planned it…now let go."

Her father let her go and watched her enter the dining hall. The guests at the tables didn't even look up as she was guided to her seat next to Link, who was stuffing his face full of meat. Navi was perched on his shoulder, and Taiki was hovering over the little blonde girl from before. She looked absolutely adorable as she giggled at Taiki, who was flying in circles over her head. He stopped when he saw Moriko, who looked a little peeved at the moment. She sighed and began loading her plate with food. Link looked at her and swallowed his food.

"You okay? You seem angry."

Moriko sighed again. "They kicked me out of the infirmary."

"Ouch," he said with a laugh.

"It's no laughing matter," Moriko said with a glare. "That girl was seriously injured. Where were you?"

"Sir Link was talking to me about his journey to come," the king said, stroking his beard. "He has a great responsibility now, and he will set out tomorrow with the Sacred Items to save the world."

"My apologies, your majesty," Moriko said. "I did not know."

"Yes. You were too busy fussing over the peasant."

Moriko looked across from her, realizing someone was seated there. It was the black haired boy she'd danced with. The one who'd told her to ignore Suzume. She glared.

"She's a human being, just like you, and she has a name. It's Suzume."

"Yes, yes…whatever you say, girl. I also have a name. Zenith Nohansen Hyrule, if you must know."

Moriko thought her heart skipped a beat. She was being rude to the crown prince. Oh, crap!

"Prince Zenith, where are your manners?!" the king demanded. The prince shrugged and went back to his food. The king shook his head and looked at Moriko apologetically. "I'm sorry for the way he's treated you tonight."

"Oh, it's alright," Moriko said simply. "Everyone is entitled to their opinions."

Zenith seemed to flinch, but he covered it up with a cough.

"Are you alright, brother?" the little girl asked. Zenith nodded.

"I'm fine, Zelda. Eat your dinner."

Princess Zelda smiled and nodded, but looked to Moriko instead.

"Your friend Taiki told me about you. Did you really do all the things he said?"

"That depends…," Moriko said warily. "What did the little fairy tell you?"

Zelda began describing everything Taiki had told her before Moriko's entrance, which mainly consisted of her adventures, but blown way out of proportions. Somehow, Dodongo had turned into a fire breathing dragon, and the Deku Toad had had a growth spurt of about a hundred feet or so. Moriko corrected all of Taiki mistakes, toning the story down until it was completely true. By then, she had Link and the king listening in, asking her questions. But it didn't last long.

Suddenly, the sky outside the upper windows lit up, which was followed by a huge boom that rattled the castle and nearly shattered the windows.

"What was that?!" the Link cried, covering his head with his hands. The guards assured everyone that everything was okay, and that it was just a bit of trouble from Death Mountain. Moriko didn't believe it for a second. She had gone into the depths of Death Mountain and had brought peace to the mountain. How could the mountain be acting up so soon?

There was another deafening blast, and a few of the upper windows shattered. Screams went up all around as the guests began panicking like a bunch of crazed animals. They ran for the door as the guards burst in, heading for the king. They swept the royal family, as well as Moriko and Link, into a hidden room behind the statue built into the far wall.

When they were safe, half of them left and ran for the courtyard.

Moriko paced back and forth in the small room, clenching her fist in impatience. She wanted to know what was going on. What was happening? Was the castle under attack? What about the Sacred Items? Were they still in her room? She was terrified, but angry at the same time. She bit her lip and kept the pacing up until she finally snapped.

"I need to get out of here!" she said, ramming her shoulder against the hidden door. The guards gently pushed her away.

"We can't let you out until the okay is given. We can't lose anyone here."

"But what's happening?! I need to know!"

"The soldiers will take care of it! Just take a seat and remain calm!" Navi said, hovering in front of her face. Moriko looked at the fairy with bewildered eyes.

"Navi! How could you just go along with this?! I don't believe it!" She began pacing again, her nails biting into her palms. "I can't just accept something like this! Link! How can you stand being cooped up in here?!"

Link was silent, looking away.

"Oh…so you gladly take the protection of those YOU should be protecting! How heroic!"

"Shut up!" he said. "If I die out there, then who's going to save the world? Think about that!"

"No, YOU think about it! If everyone in the world is killed, who's left to protect?!" Moriko slapped him, then forced her way through the guards. "I'm going to fight, and I don't need the Goddesses to protect me! I'll protect myself!"

She ran through the entire castle, avoiding every guard until she reached her room. The Sacred Items were still there, so she put them on the bottom of her bag and pulled it on, hoping no one had noticed. She changed quickly, ignoring the rips she made in the dress, and pulled on her tunic, sword, and shield. She grabbed her bow and arrow and ran as far as she dared, but not before looking out of the windows she passed.

The sky was a murky black, and guards ran along the city wall in near panic. She hurried to meet them, only to come face to face with Tanner. She tried to get past him, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why didn't you stay in the safe room?!"

Moriko was taken aback by his forwardness, but managed to say, "I want to defend the castle."

"That's for the army to do!" he said angrily. "I wanted to keep you safe!"

"You're worried about me again? Stop it. I'm a big girl, and I can defend myself!" she shouted back. "I'm sick and tired of the hero crap I've been hearing about! I can't stand that Link! The Goddesses must've made a mistake or something, because he'd rather sit within the castle, completely protected, than help the people HE should be protecting! What kind of hero does that?!"

She pushed past Tanner and ran for the castle entrance. She'd had enough of everything! She would defeat Kaiser, whether Link cared or not. He could take the credit, or whatever, she just wanted it to be over!

She ran up the stairs and joined the soldiers on the walls looking over the northern fields.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"That," a nearby soldier said, pointing to the horizon. Moriko looked in that direction and froze.

A slow, black wave approached the castle, tainting the land as it moved. Moriko squinted to see what it was, but was met with a loud shout.

"People of Hyrule, your time has come! Surrender the chosen hero, as well as the Sacred Items, and we shall spare you. Resist, and you will be exterminated!"

Moriko recognized the voice as Kaiser. She gripped the bow in her hand, biting her lip until it bled.

"We need the hero!" a soldier a few yards away shouted. A chorus of sheers went up all around, and Moriko had to leave them. She wanted to scream at them to shut up and rely on themselves, but she knew better. She needed to control her temper.

She had wandered for a bit before realizing she'd wandered right into the infirmary. She opened the door quietly, but was surprised to see Suzume standing in front of the window, staring at the approaching wave of black.

"He's coming," she whispered. Moriko stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Kaiser is coming, yes. But the army will stop him."

"No one but the Goddesses can stop him now. Ganondorf won't allow him to fail."

"Ganondorf?!" Moriko shouted. She joined Suzume at the window. "How do you know about him?!"

"Heh…Kaiser would never stop talking about him. He was always saying how Ganondorf would help him rule the world. He told me I could have anything I wanted, but…"

Moriko read the sorrow on Suzume's face. "But he already took that away," she said, finishing Suzume's thought. Suzume nodded and looked back out the window.

"As I said before, only the Goddesses can stop him now."

Moriko stood there for a minute, grim faced, before taking a seat. She didn't know what to do. She was so confused. The Goddesses were busy, the new Link was a fool, and she was just a girl. What would happen to the kingdom now? She kept thinking this over and over until Tanner entered the room.

"Moriko, we need the Sacred Items. Link is going to get the Master Sword."

Moriko's head shot up at the mention of the legendary sword.

"Great! Suzume, come on. You'll be safer with us."

Suzume nodded and followed them absentmindedly, looking out every window they passed to catch small glimpses of the shadows. She wished Takeshi were with her, just to hold her hand or something. She was terrified of the shadows, knowing if they caught her, they'd bring her bad to the desert. She didn't want to go back. She'd suffocate in the lower dungeons, or she'd wish for death herself. She hugged herself, trying to keep herself from breaking into pieces. She needed to be strong for Takeshi. She gripped her necklace for assurance, then followed the two older teens dawn into the lower reaches of the castle.

Moriko gripped Tanner's wrist as they kept heading down into the dungeon area of the castle. They passed cell after cell until they reached a black wall with nothing on it. Tanner unsheathed his sword and pressed it into the wall, then turned it like a key. The wall opened up, but only so a figure could slip through to their side.

It was Link, but he looked different. One of his eyes was turning brown, and his blonde hair was turning red at the roots. Moriko tackled him as he ran away, sitting on his back to keep him from getting up.

"Oi!" she yelled angrily. "Where're you going?"

"I-I was just going to get you!" he said, his voice cracking.

"Oh really? I'm right here, Link. Let's go." She got up off him and pushed him back through the hole, angry. If her guess was right, then he'd just tried to run away. He had tried to escape!

The next room looked like a giant temple, but it was completely lit up with white light. The royal family stood next to an altar at the far end, but the king looked as if he was in a panic. He was pacing and muttering something to himself, but the other two looked perfectly at ease. Zelda stood in front of the altar, her hands clasped in prayer. Prince Zenith leaned on the wall the right, his eyes closed. He opened them when he saw the group of four head towards the altar. Navi and Taiki were sitting on the king's head, but decided to perch on the altar instead. The king threw up his hands in thanks at Moriko's arrval, then pushed Link towards the wall on the elevated platform behind the altar. Zelda placed something on the right end of the altar, then turned to Moriko.

"Please place the harp and the rod here and here," she said, pointing to the two places on the left. Moriko nodded and took out both items, placing them carefully on the altar. She stepped back as they clicked into place and began glowing. Link looked at the items with worried eyes, then surprised everyone.

He made a dive for the items, but only succeeded in phasing right through them. Everyone gasped as he hit the floor with a thud and slid a ways away. Moriko stepped in front of the items protectively as Zelda stepped forward.

"As I suspected. You are not the true hero," the princess said. The entire room, except for she and Tanner, filled with gasps. The king was dumbfounded, Prince Zenith's eye was twitching, Moriko looked as if she'd been hit over the head, and Suzume had just about keeled over onto Moriko.

"Princess, shall I arrest him now?" Tanner asked, unsheathing his sword. Zelda sighed and shook her head.

"No. I want to know why he did it."

"You…you want to know why?" the fake Link asked. He smirked. "Lord Kaiser told he that if I did this, he'd give me a seat of power in his revolution. I would get to rule over a portion of the kingdom!"

"So you did it for power. But you know what gave you away? Your lack of courage. What Moriko said in the safe room was true. A hero who prefers the comfortable protection of those he should be protection is no hero at all."

"Really? You sure believed my act before she came along," fake Link mumbled, forcing himself into a kneeling position. "But don't think for a second…" he whispered, clenching his fist, "that you're safe now!"

He opened his palm in Zelda's direction, releasing a ball of fire at the little girl. She raised her arms to protect herself, but the blow never came. She uncovered her eyes and gasped.

Moriko held the little girl tightly to her chest, biting her lip to keep from screaming. She'd taken the magic blast for the little girl, only to burned herself. The pain was intense, and it would not subside. She saw Navi and Taiki floating over her, trying to heal her.

"Moriko, you idiot!" Navi shouted. "Zelda had a barrier put up! She would've been fine!"

Moriko released the little girl and smiled. "Sorry. Instinct just…took over."

Zelda did a double-take at Moriko's words, then went to work healing the girl's back. The burns weren't too severe, but she'd have a scar if she wasn't treated soon. Moriko sighed as the healing light passed over the burn, soothing it like cold water. It felt great.

Another explosion rattled the castle, jarring Moriko back to reality. There had to be something they could do! Tanner finished tying the fake Link's arms and feet, then sheathed his sword.

"The army of shadows grows closer!" the king said, furrowing his brow in worry. "We must act quickly!"

"But what do we do? The hero has not arrived, and we have no options left!" Tanner said, biting his lip. Zelda helped Moriko stand, then smiled at everyone.

"Are you sure about that? Moriko, touch the wall behind the altar."

"What?" she asked, looking down at the girl disbelievingly. What good would that do?

"Just try it. We are almost out of time."

Moriko nodded and walked up the stairs, her heart pounding in her ears. Everyone watched her with rapt attention, even Prince Zenith, though he didn't show it. Everyone knew they were out of time, but they couldn't help but feel a shred of hope whisper in their hearts.

Moriko sucked in one last deep breath before placing her hand on the wall. It shuddered, then split in half, revealing a hidden room. The royal family's faces lit up, and they followed Moriko into the room. Even Tanner and Suzume followed, amazed by the phenomenon that was happening before their eyes.

Moriko's eyes swept over the room, a feeling of nostalgia washing over her. She felt as if she'd been here before, but she knew she hadn't. There were six pillars of light surrounding the center dais, which held the item she'd seen in books. The Master Sword, perfect despite time's passing, stood upright, embedded in the floor. A curious sound filled Moriko's ears, but it wasn't painful. It was like someone's singing. She stared at the sword until a small green light appeared before her.

"Take the sword, Moriko. Take it, and shape your destiny!"

Moriko felt her left hand burning as she reached for the sword. It began emitting light as she inched closer, and when she finally took hold of it, a bright burst of light filled the room. Everyone was blinded for a few moments, but when they recovered, they felt their hearts fill with hope.

Moriko stood in the middle of the dais, the Master Sword gripped firmly in her left hand. The Triforce embedded in her hand glowed brightly, and everyone was tempted to step towards her, but Zelda stopped them.

"Give her a few moments. She needs to speak with the Goddesses alone."

Everyone nodded and watched with held breath as Moriko stared straight into the darkness, her eyes glazed over.

Moriko felt odd. She wanted to say she was floating, but there was something under her feet. She opened her eyes to see three feminine faces leaning towards her. She blinked as they women helped her up, and she recognized them immediately. They were the Goddesses.

"We saw your display of courage below, and we knew we made the right choice when we chose you!" Farore said happily. Din and Nayru nodded, both smiling.

"Chose me for what?" Moriko asked, her mind hazy. Her memories came back in a flash as she gripped the Master Sword in her hand. "I have to get back!" she said abruptly, scrambling to stand. The Goddesses covered their laughs as Moriko looked for an exit from the area, but found only shadows. She retreated to the light, confused.

"Okay, where am I?"

"You're in the Sacred Realm. The Realm of the Triforce. We've brought many Links here before, but you are the first girl here."

"I have to say, when Rauru brought the child Link here, I had interesting thoughts going through my head," Din said, shaking her head with a smirk.

"Din! Try to keep your mind out of the gutter for a while!" Nayru whispered angrily. "Don't corrupt this one's mind."

"The only corrupt one here is Ganondorf," Din retorted.

"But he's not here right now," Farore said, rocking on the balls of her feet.

"True," Din said, waggling her finger at Nayru. The blue goddess sighed exasperatedly and turned to Moriko, who was dumbstruck by the goddess' "ungodly" behavior.

"I apologize for our behavior. We've slowed time in the real world, so we have a bit of time left. Come on," Nayru said, offering Moriko her hand. Moriko stuck the Master Sword in its sheath, which she'd magically obtained, and clasped the Goddess' hand. All four of them began floating, then shot off into the darkness, breaking through the barrier of shadows like a rock through glass.

Moriko was amazed at how high they were. They were just above the clouds, but she wasn't getting sick or anything. The land moved beneath them slowly. She grinned at the Goddesses.

"Wow! This is incredible!"

"True. This is how we spend our time," Nayru said.

"Well, we used to," Din said. "Ganondorf has taken shelter someplace we can't see him. And that could be anywhere."

"We've searched all the places he's been before, even the ruins of the Arbiter's Grounds. That was where he was buried."

"How did he die last time?" Moriko asked. Their conversation was distracting her from the ground.

"Well, last time the hero stabbed him through the heart in the middle of southern Hyrule Field. He disappeared shortly after, since the hero was busy escorting his friend back to the twilight realm."

"Midna? Is she still alive?" Moriko asked. She remembered what Link had told her before she'd left the village.

"Yes, Midna is still around. She tries every twilight to see Link, but something keeps blocking her entry."

"Oh…I'd like to meet her. As soon as this is over."

"So you just want this to be over?" Din asked skeptically. Moriko hesitated, then shook her head.

"That's what I've been saying from the beginning, but the truth is, I just want to see my family again." Moriko slid her hand over her bracelet. "I haven't seen them since I started this journey. Not once. Sometimes I wonder if this journey will never end."

"I remember that's how one of the smaller Links thought," Farore said. "There was once a time when the whole world was covered in water. The people were forced to live on the tops of mountains, where they started life anew. When the next hero came, he was forced to watch his sister be taken away by a giant bird that had been controlled by Ganondorf. He thought the same things as you."

"What happened to him?"

"Well, that will be for later. We're right above Kaiser's army now."

Kaiser's name brought Moriko's attention to the ground. They descended below the clouds and flew in front of the wave of shadows. The shadows were actually the beasts that had attacked Moriko's village. She balled her hand into a fist, staring at the leader.

Kaiser sat on his black steed, smirking in the direction of Hyrule Castle. He held his sword high in a fashion that said "I'm going to destroy you all!" His eyes glowed yellow in the moonlight, causing Moriko to shudder. He still scared her, but not as much as before.

"As you know, Kaiser is the current holder of the Triforce of Power," Din said, motioning towards the frozen figure. "But the truth is that Kaiser holds only half of the Triforce. The other half belongs to Ganondorf. We, the Goddesses, decided that to help prolong the effect of the seal on Kaiser, we had to split Ganondorf's power in half. Unfortunately, that action turned against us."

Din averted her eyes, and Farore picked up where the red haired goddess left off.

"All three pieces of the Triforce split in half in the process, dividing their powers into pieces. The Triforce of Wisdom was split between the Princess Zelda of the past and the Princess Zelda of the present. The Triforce of Courage was split between the Link of the past…and you, the hero of the present."

Moriko nodded, though hearing she really was the hero still came as sort of a shock.

"So what now?" she asked. The Goddesses turned to Kaiser's army of shadowy beasts, their backs to Moriko.

"You will take the Sacred Items to their respective temples. There, you will power up the Master Sword until you have enough power to take down Kaiser and Ganondorf," Nayru said. Din turned to grin at Moriko.

"Once the Master Sword is fully powered, Link will hand over his piece of the Triforce to you. Now, Farore, take her back." Din turned away. "I'm sure her friends are worried."

Farore bounced as she nodded, then took Moriko's hand and flew her back to the place they'd started. "Have a safe journey. May the elements be on your side."

Moriko: See she's already better! She got a Doctor Who reference in there!

Taiki: Yeah, but that's because she's watching the finale again...and saw the Daleks.

Me: Hmm hm-m-mmmm...hm-m-m-m-m-mmmm hmmm hmmmmmm...

Moriko: She's humming the Doctor's theme. She might be getting better now.

Me: Donna...give her back, Davies...give her back...

Moriko: Forget it...she's gone again. See you all next chapter!