Chapter 22: Temptation

When Link ordered the Rotting Dragon to remove as much of its poison from the marshlands as possible, the resulting effort left him feeling drained again. He warped back to Reeds with the intent of getting a room at the tavern to wash up and rest. The barkeep he'd spoken to kindly helped him getting a room and finding a washerwoman on noticed how dazed he looked upon appearing suddenly in the bar again.

He got woken up in the early evening by rowdy cheers outside. The townspeople were celebrating the defeat of the Rotting Dragon. When he got out of bed, Link meant to shut the window and sleep through the rest of the night. If he woke up before dawn, he could use the time to clean up the rest of his things. There was a stray thought that he should be socializing more, and then he was dressed back in his green tunic and pants without the chainmail, going downstairs to at least listen in on local gossip.

People noticed him readily and he got invited to join in on their celebrating. He wasn't sure of himself there, but at least he was alert now. "The Rotting Dragon was going to use all that cursed water it gathered to restart that wicked storm that came with them," one of the Marsh Queen's human guards said. "Once our Lady of Flowers gets her place fully revived with her, she's going to use it to send a healing rain over the lands instead. It might not fix everything that's going wrong, but it'll make things a little better."

How long had he been here? An hour? But that was good, he was enjoying himself for the moment. "It sounds like it would help."

"But you're really something else, you know?" a woman next to him at the table said. When did she get so close? Strangely, Link didn't feel that uncomfortable with it. She smiled in a giddy way when their eyes met this time. "Going around defeating these dragons that nobody else can handle."

"It's nothing special, just having the right tools," he said, having to restrain himself from saying more. She would listen with interest if he did, he could tell that. The neckline of her shirt didn't show more than her collarbone.

"But it takes someone real special to even handle them," she said.

There was a brief hazy vision in his mind, of stripping her down and touching her… no, more than that…

There was a clatter nearby that startled him out of it. Link looked away from her, embarrassed as if someone had called him out on that thought. Thankfully, someone else spoke up and changed the subject as he was at a loss for a response (or even what exactly she'd said before that). This wasn't like him, at least not in a crowded room like this. Then again, before this adventure, he'd find an excuse to not be here in the first place. What was he even doing here?

While other were talking, she reached under the table and tugged at his sleeve. Link looked back at her and there was something familiar to her eyes. If they got to a quieter place, she would let him do what he imagined. He couldn't recall what her name was. But she wasn't likely to hurt him, might not even talk about it with others. Still, he shook his head and turned from her again, hoping that none of the others noticed.

Then a dark-skinned hand touched his shoulder, making him look up at a red-haired man. Wasn't that…? He was dressed like any of the normal men around, but Gale was unmistakable. "Hello, what are you doing here?" he asked cheerfully.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked, causing others at the table to laugh.

"Just traveling as I do, as I suspect you're in the middle of doing," Gale replied, taking a chair to join in. And no one else batted an eye at this, nor seemed to recognize him.

It reminded him of another time they'd been in a bar, when Link hadn't known who Gale really was and had to keep his nerves talking with only him. Smiling at him, he said, "Yeah, like usual."

"Well not many people's usual includes fighting dragons," someone else said. Without the threat of their lands becoming venomous, everyone in Reeds was lighthearted tonight. And Gale was quick to act so charming that none of them would have believed he was also Ganon. It was a surreal evening, happy at the same time.

Having him here reminded Link that there was something he wanted to get done here. "I know the Song of the Marsh Queen," he said when someone mentioned it. "He does too, right?"

"Of course, we must respect such a gentle lady," Gale said, which the locals approved of. "Though it's been a while since I've sung the words. I'm sure I could still play it on a piano or the like."

And that got others, without Link's prompting, to ask for that to be done. Link brought out his pan flute, which helped get Gale to cave in and play with him on the piano. Others sang along, some more drunkenly than others. Although, he didn't hear them much. He heard the flute and the piano, playing together in a bright almost normal moment. Gale looked nostalgic in that; Link was sure his smile was authentic. When others looked for something else to do after the song was done, Link tugged at Gale's sleeve and they managed to slip out before anyone noticed.

There were questions that were out of reach, and that he didn't care to look for now.

Link woke up alone again, but he didn't care about it this time. They had to keep up pretenses, that's why Gale would have shown up with some disguise magic that only he could see through. But at some point, it would all be unnecessary. He wouldn't need to fear being hurt and could live in that happiness, no longer alone or burdened. That was his goal and he'd make it work, no matter what anyone else thought.

But, there was someone whose thoughts did matter now. Bringing himself out of his reverie, he prepared for the day and headed out to meet with the Marsh Queen again. He must have spoken with others on the way, like her guards, but they didn't seem to matter. Even as they talked over the sphere of water and cursed or blessed rains, there was only one thing he cared about. "I got Gale to play your song last night."

"Yes, I heard it," the Marsh Queen said. Link felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. Something wasn't right. "Your's was as beautiful as before, but his part, unfortunately, was full of darkness."

He gripped the handle on his shield a little tighter. "No."

"He's been overtaken by the demon and has nothing but evil in his heart."

"That can't be true, his smile last night..." Gale was human, but everyone had turned on him, declaring him evil because they felt someone had to be evil to explain everything bad in the world. People wanted something to blame for their suffering, and someone to take care of it for them.

The Marsh Queen seemed kind, but perhaps she did that so people kept worshiping her. "He's fooling you. You're just a temporary amusement to him, someone to toy with before he crushes you."

"But..." there was so much he wanted to say in defense of Gale. He was the first person to compliment his voice, he was struggling against what he saw as fate, he was trying to make the best of a bad situation. Gale was not evil.

Then a familiar voice came from behind him. Gregio was here too. "You're letting your emotions sway you too much," he said in the strict tones he used for correcting mistakes. "You've forgotten why you set out on this journey in the first place."

"I haven't," Link said, stepping to the side so he could face both of them. "But I found new reasons, and Gale has no one else who truly believes in him. We're both going to lose in this, why can't any of you just let us be happy?"

"You'll betray everyone, even yourself, and bring suffering to even more," Gregio said, drawing his sword like he would stop at nothing to correct him. "You're chasing a phantom, in love with the embodiment of evil."

"What kind of hero are you?" a voice that sounded like Zelda said.

"No, I'm the only one who can see past all the stories and lies!" Link challenged back. His heart beat fiercely; he'd stand up to anyone for what he believed in, he wasn't afraid anymore.

He was alone now. A cold rain surrounded him; his chest tightened and a sob escaped him. Feeling lighter than before, he looked down and realized that he had nothing. There was no one he could trust, not after even Gregio had deemed him a fool. Why had they all betrayed him? He hadn't meant to betray them; he hadn't meant to hurt anyone. Link just wanted to save the person he loved, and now all this complicated mess made it hard for him to tell what he should be doing at all.

"Link?" Ganon beckoned him from a thorny throne; the sky shone red through the castle windows.

He tries to understand without accepting. He doesn't come from a world that understands love. But, they'd been through this over and over again. He'd taken on the life of a human so many times. He had to understand now. In the way he smiled, the way he gripped him when they embraced, he had to know.

"Gale..." there was so much to say, but his mouth felt dry. Link walked over to him, dropping his sword on the way. When he stood up, he ran over and hugged him tight. "I, I won't betray you."

"Are you going to be my hero?" He touched his cheek; that kind of gentleness couldn't belong to a demon.

"Yes." That was his goal, the dream he wanted more than anything else. Being with someone who loved him, giving up the silence that led him to leave before he woke up every morning, never having to be apart, never having to fear death because he was too strong for that… what he wanted more than anything.

"No matter what must be done?"

"Ye..."

Link was filled with a strange emptiness, looking at the ashes that remained of Taven. Everything had died, all that he had known was destroyed. No, no that didn't matter. He had what he wanted more than anything.

His lover touched his wet cheeks and Link laughed painfully. No, it was just what he thought was pain, he felt like this so much, it was just normal. He felt empty only because all the unnecessary things were gone. No more burdens, no more legends, just what he wanted right here with him…

Link bolted awake, gasping and afraid of himself. The morning sun hit his eyes painfully. When he put his hand on his face to shield it, he found that he had been crying. That dream was as vivid as any of the memories of past heroes. Unlike those, this was horrifying. As his vision steadied, he spotted a red hair on the pillow. Gale was gone again, without another trace that he'd been there at all. Link's throat tensed and he knew, without a doubt, that the nightmare could happen to him.

It took some time before he was able to get himself out of bed and to the bathroom to wash up. Last night had been real, the hair was the proof that Gale had been here. It all seemed warm and fuzzy, what he wanted to believe their relationship was like. If it wasn't for who they were, what roles they had, it might've been like that. But no, that wasn't their reality. The reality was that here he was considering running away again when he had his plan worked out, and knowing that he could betray everyone else if he let himself only see Gale. This wasn't something knowledge of the past heroes could help him with.

"I've got to be sensible, not getting wound up in all these possibilities," he told himself in the mirror, getting his hair straightened. "I keep telling myself I have to stop wavering and doubt; I really need to. Be confidant, be someone he can believe in so he has a chance at being a better person."

He looked closer and noticed a smeared shine still on his cheek. Sighing, Link wiped that off. This was getting him nowhere. He had to talk to the Marsh Queen first thing. She must have heard them last night. Hopefully, she had good news for him. But could he control himself if she didn't? He could imagine too a scene where he had Ganon lifeless on the floor, blood on the holy blade. But there was the same emptiness, having lost what made him feel such happiness and hope… and tormenting uncertainty that he could have never imagined before this all started.

Not even checking out with the innkeeper, Link left the inn and headed for the barn where the Marsh Queen was. The people of Reeds were going about their usual business, still elated at his deeds yesterday. They greeted him with warm awe. While he tried to return their greetings, he knew he was just going through the motions in that. This wasn't how a hero was, but he didn't care.

"You seem awful grim," one of the human guards said as the other went in to announce his presence.

At least an answer came to him quickly, something from another legend. "When a powerful evil hangs over the land, those sensitive to it often have troubled nights," Link replied. "This isn't the first time I've woken up like this." Perhaps not as intense, but it was true.

"It can't be all bad," the guard said, trying to cheer him up. "You seemed pretty happy last night, especially when that friend of yours showed up out of the blue. Or is he more than that?" He winked playfully.

Link smiled at that, glad for a brief moment. "That's between us. Thanks." But he turned grim again when he got inside the barn and it was just the Marsh Queen there with him. "I'm sorry for being rude, but I have to know, what did you hear in Gale now?"

Thankfully, she made no mention of how he blurted that out impatiently. "What I heard was a fragmented being, a human imprisoned in a demon's form. He fears stepping out of bounds for being erased entirely, but a growing hope centered on you makes him want to try what he gave up on before. His love was false at first, but it is becoming real and confuses the demon that thinks it is in full control."

"Oh thank god," Link muttered into his hands. He was relieved at that, he shouldn't start up crying again. "Sorry, I'm something of a mess this morning, I shouldn't be."

"It's all right," the Marsh Queen said, giving him no reason to doubt her sincerity. She even leaned closer to him, trying to touch him with her snout to reassure him. While it reminded him of Epona again, he smiled at the motion. "I was hoping for you all along, to settle your conflicted heart and let you focus on what you want to accomplish. He was genuinely happy to play with you. However, I must tell you that he is conflicted too and may not believe you entirely until you can save him from himself. But he needs as much hope as he can get, especially with what you plan to do. You are counting on him to make the right decisions."

"And I still have to defeat all of these dragons to have a chance at all," he said.

"You seem more confidant in that now," she said, pleased with it. "I did call on your sword master to meet with you today."

"Gregio's here?" It was like the dream, but hopefully it would play out better.

"Not quite yet, it's still early," the Marsh Queen said. "I told him to meet you at the inn, and told the owner that you would have a guest this morning. It's all settled, so go back and calm yourself. You'll need a clear mind, and the will to be completely honest with him."

"All right, thank you again. This helps so much." The appearance of the Triforce and the acceptance of the Master Sword had given him more confidence, but she had given him certainty that not even Gale could give him.

"You have done much good for me, it's only a fair exchange," she said, although her happiness at helping him was unmistakable.

He went back to the room he rented and took the time to make sure his gear was clean from yesterday's battle. The washerwoman had already sent back his clothes with a note saying that the payment for that was already taken care of. Good, that was one small obligation he didn't have to worry about. As much as he appreciated the small favors, he knew these people needed to make a living too.

He didn't hear much from the hall outside his room. At a time like this, there wouldn't be as many travelers to be guests to this place. All the people in the bar last night aside from himself and Gale had been locals. When he heard footsteps near the stairs, then, he was sure it was Gregio. Link got up to open up the door before he arrived. "Hello, Master Gregio."

He nodded. "Hello Link. I got a message from the Marsh Queen saying that you wanted to talk with me."

"Yes, come on in. There aren't any other guests, so we shouldn't be bothered. Um, sorry about the mess, I had to clean up my gear from battling in the marsh yesterday."

"That's fine," he said, shutting the door behind him. "You already seem different from last I saw you, mostly in that you would have hardly said anything before even with me."

Link chuckled at that, removing the quiver from a chair so they both had somewhere to sit. "Right, but having to deal with strangers everywhere I go forced me into talking more. It's not as bad as I was making it out to be in my mind."

When you were aware of what was happening, the power that orchestrated legends was easier to catch. Easier, though in the sense that navigating a dark trap-filled maze was easier with a candle than without. It was a subtle thing, nudging thoughts in directions it deemed proper and restricting the choices you saw. As long as you followed it, the path was indeed clear. But it was a path that disregarded the human heart, as was apparent in listening to Link now and recalling how Zelda was behaving.

Gregio felt one of those mental nudges and hoped that Rosso was holding up on his end. Maybe they should have asked one of the other sages along too. Then again, it was a question he wanted to ask himself. "Has he hurt you physically when you're alone?"

Tensing, Link looked aside and rubbed his neck. He'd admitted earlier without hesitation that he and Ganon were lovers. He was also certain that there was a way to save him from his fate as a villain. While the gesture was something new, the way his speaking slipped wasn't. "Well, it's… it's not entirely him, that is, once but it was clearly not Gale. His eyes were, they weren't right. And he chained me up back in the tower to tell me who he was, but again, that wasn't under his control."

"Can you tell the difference between his various selves?" There was a nudge in his mind trying to get him to tell Link that he couldn't trust Ganon at all and he was best off accepting that they would battle and only one of them would be walking away from it. On a more personal level, Gregio felt that if this was anyone else, he'd want to help them get out of this relationship. It couldn't be safe.

"No," Link said after a moment, looking defeated. He was well-liked and admired for his deeds, as was apparent from the maid who'd given Gregio the message from the Marsh Queen. In spite of that, Link had just a handful of people he was close to. Everyone else would be baffled if they heard about how vulnerable he actually was.

Gregio had to consider too that Link's partner could turn the continent into a living hell with the right motivation. This wasn't something he'd expected when he'd taken the boy under his wing, but they couldn't ignore it. "Sounds rough; I'm not sure I could handle a relationship where you know you can't trust them."

"No one else would care enough to try," Link said, something he kept coming back to. Even with the perfectly reasonable fear of being hurt, there was a fire to his eyes when he spoke like this. "But, I know that too. I had a dream last night, not like of the past heroes but what could happen." He bit his lip, still troubled over it. "I was worried for a while if something bad came of this talk and lead to.. well, I want to make sure the kids back home can live a safe life, but I also want to save Gale. It's just, those reasons could clash easily and dropping either one," he waved his hand some, trying to work out what he wanted to say. "It'd hurt and I'd regret it all my life. But I think I can make both happen."

"Still, you shouldn't accept him doing something harmful like choking you."

"How did you know?" he asked, startled and nearly going defensive again. But it was out and couldn't be ignored.

"It was a guess."

"Well he apologized and I should have been more careful not to..." his voice trailed off.

Gregio clasped his hand. "Don't blame yourself for someone else hurting you like that."

"I know it's risky, but I'll deal with this quickly and won't have to worry about it. I think. It's just, I have to get past the Septdraco challenge, and then," he tried to slip away from the subject a couple more times, but Gregio didn't want Link blaming himself for what he wasn't responsible for.

It was an hour to noon when they parted, Link going to warp to Taven to start on the road south. Gregio headed into the local bar, finding Velken and Rosso at one of the tables. The Zora was still absorbed in his prayers. Putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, Gregio asked, "You all right?"

"Hmm?" He shifted his head, noticed him, then grumbled. "That gave me a headache, I had no idea it'd be like this."

"Did it work?" Velken asked.

Gregio nodded. "There was a power trying to influence me, but it was obvious this time. It would have done more harm than good if it got to me."

Rosso rested his head in his hand; he looked like he needed some time to recover, given how his fins were keeping close to his body. "So what's going on with them?"

"Let's get some lunch here before we get you back to the castle to rest," Gregio said, sitting down at their table. "There was some foolishness in it, but he recognizes it now. Link is in love with him and means to save Gale from what he's become. At the same time, he's doing what he always has, protecting the other kids at St. Saria."

"Aren't those conflicting goals?" Velken asked.

"Maybe not," he said with a shrug. "The Marsh Queen has recognized that Ganon does retain some humanity from this lifetime, so he's not a pure manifestation of evil." He tapped the table since that returned some thoughts to him. "According to the legends, Ganon's line started with a demon king and Zelda's line started with a goddess. Both were reborn as humans over many generations now, so they've become very distant from what they were."

"The hero was always human, though," Rosso said, putting his hand down and trying to keep awake.

"Which means he was always bound to change from generation to generation due to what kind of life he lived," Gregio said. "Link has a plan and told me about it; I personally believe he can pull it off, although he does need to gain mastery over the Septdraco before that can be certain. The problem there is that he has not gained control over the Prism Dragon, which was created of lust."

Velken frowned at that while Rosso shook his head. "Right, that could undo him even if he can save Gale as he wants."

"I did what I could, but it's up to him now," he said. Although, he still had confidence in his student.

Now that she could get replies for her letters, Zelda was finding a lot of support from the many provinces that now made up Hyrule. The Ordonne province south of Taven Forest was where the Thorn Dragon had ended up; they had managed to trap the dragon after it had torn up much of their farmland. Unfortunately, they weren't able to do anything more to it so they had to rely on Link getting there to take care of it.

She bit her lip at thinking about him again. She was getting many requests to repeal her statement against him, from the snowbound northern region to several small towns throughout Sudai. Of course, Taven was fully behind him and even central Hyrule was in his favor for getting rid of the Clockwork Dragon. But that could turn out to be a dangerous thing. Those dragons were powerful beings of evil that could corrupt Link even further. Once he had control over all of them, he would have a wide array of deadly powers when he was still influenced by Ganon. Things were going to get worse.

No, she had to set those thoughts aside and focus on uniting the provinces to reclaim Hyrule Castle. A large army was not the way to go; they couldn't conquer it like her father had conquered many lands. They would need skilled warriors and magicians to eliminate the many monsters under Ganon's command. And to nullify Ganon himself, she and the sages had to work together to get him captured under a powerful seal, then find a way to eliminate him fully. They would soon be capable of creating the seal while the real goal was still uncertain.

Was there some way they could limit the involvement of the fighters until the seal was done? She and the sages would need to get most of the work done without his notice. While the fighters were to keep his attention elsewhere, she didn't like doing that because it put all those people at risk. But this had to get done. Some risk was needed. But if there was something that distracted him without their intervention, there would be fewer deaths when it came time to put Ganon down.

There was a knock on the office door. Zelda glanced at the guards with her, guards that would do fine except for against her true enemy. "Come in," she said, reviewing a spell she was trying to learn. It might only buy her some time, but it would be time enough to get away to better protection.

Thankfully, it was one of the sages. Gregio came in and offered her a letter. "Link asked me to pass this along to you."

"Did he?" She picked up the letter gingerly; it seemed ordinary. "How did your talk with him go?" And where was he? She'd heard nothing about Gregio going out to meet with him, although she had been busy today.

"I'm sorry, but much of that talk I don't want to relate to a lady," he said.

"Oh right." Since he said nothing more, Zelda opened up the envelope. Link's handwriting was simple and neat, without any of the little flourishes that were in many of the other letters she'd been reading this morning.

'Dear Zelda:

I'm sorry about getting mad at you the other day. I shouldn't have been so quick to get angry at you when I am partly at fault. Even so, I can't change my heart that easily. I still love Gale even if you can only see him as Ganon. No matter what anyone else might think, I want to save him and I'm not giving up on him.'

She was not going to forgive him for this. Zelda gripped the paper tighter, thinking of tearing it. He'd written more, but what did it matter? This was going entirely wrong and it was up to her to bring light back to Hyrule.

Without warning, she felt her awareness shift. Her mind was no longer in a mundane office of Sudai castle, but in a sacred place hidden away from reach of most people. "Read the rest of his letter," a kindly motherly voice suggested.

"I don't want to, it's clear he's gone astray," Zelda said defiantly.

"Read it," the voice said, reminding her that mothers could be strict in their love as well.

Although reluctant, it was hard to ignore the request. Zelda read on.

'I know it will be hard to accept given what's happened to you, but think about this all as more than just that. It's clear now that something like this was bound to happen. However, the both of us had choices to make on how to handle things. We could have chosen to not do anything, or keep away from this conflict. Although, I know I would have had a difficult time following through on that. I still could have left when this turned out to be more than a simple conflict of good and evil.

Gale didn't have any choice. Talk to anyone around there and they'll say that he's changed drastically from the king they loved. It's even in his portraits, he looked a lot different from who he was around two years ago. He was forced to become Ganon and I don't like that. I want to give him a chance to have a normal life after this, to prove that he's really a good person when he can be himself. We do have to stop him from what he's doing now, but please give me a chance to save him first.

I know what I mean to do is dangerous and would seem foolish to others. It's already been hard on me and I can easily get hurt again because he is ruled by a demon now. But I believe I can find what I'm after and bring peace to the land. If something goes wrong, I've already told your general Kimbera that she could take over. I'm sure that if the Master Sword finds me to be lacking, it will find its way into her hands and she can take care of things.

In the meantime, I'm sure you have your hands full leading so many people. You mentioned not feeling like you could do much. However, you are much better suited than me to deal with our nation as a whole and address more practical matters after this conflict is over. I won't bother you again, but I wish you well in what's to come.

From Link.'

"He holds no ill feelings towards you. Can you forgive him?"

At the same time, he didn't seem to have any good feelings towards her, just a neutral respect. It made sense given how little contact they'd had. Still, it didn't change how she felt wronged by all this. This wasn't how things were supposed to go and there was little she could do about it directly. "No, he's being a fool."

"But think about this: what kind of happiness can he expect if he does things as you think he should? He has no family to return to. This sage has said he has few friends to return to as well. He has no chance at love with you. While he would be lauded for all time as a hero like the rest of his line, he would lose the one he loves even if it is foolish. It would be an empty victory, meaningless to him as everyone else enjoys it. It seems inhumane to expect him to soldier on with only duty and destiny in mind."

"But a hero should respond to duty and do what must be done. We can't excuse Ganon based on who he once was. He's become evil incarnate, he can't be forgiven."

"He had no choice."

"I don't believe that! He chose to kill Impa, he chose to take over Hyrule. And he chose to turn Link against me, so both of them must suffer the consequences of what they chose."

"You won't reconsider? Very well."

Her mind shifted again and she was back in the office with all the rest of today's paperwork. "Queen Zelda?" Gregio asked.

Keep calm, at least outwardly. Zelda had a lot of practice in that. "Sorry, I lost my composure for a moment." She meant to ask him how much he had heard.

But a golden sparkle distracted her. She lifted her left hand and looked at it. The marking of the Triforce shimmered, then peeled itself away. When the Triforce of Wisdom itself appeared in front of her, she had a feeling like when Impa rebuked her. "Consider your choices." Then it vanished, leaving her entirely.

"What?" Zelda murmured in shock. The guards in the room stared, not sure what to make of this.

In contrast, Gregio didn't seem surprised. "He spent every day after your argument trying to compose that apology," he said.

"Did he?" She'd not thought once of trying to talk with him again, since it was clear he'd made his decision and was going to stick with it. Although, she'd not thought this could happen to her.

"Whatever happened just now was apparently between you and the gods," Gregio said, closing his eyes. "You'll want to be keeping knowledge that it's left you to a minimum, right? You should at least let the other sages know. You're counting on us and not being straightforward will cost you."

"Why do you figure I'd want that?" she asked. Although she did want to keep this quiet. The people needed a strong leader they could count on and this news would cause them to start losing hope.

When he looked back at her, she knew that he was tolerating her for now. But he had limits to how much he would tolerate, as he had left her father's service before. "That's how things usually are: people want to believe royalty is good and strong, so those like you must appear so no matter what's going on in your personal life."

"Of course." But what now? She didn't have the power of the Triforce to count on, so plans for the seal would need to be adjusted accordingly. "Thank you, Sir Gregio."

"I thought I told you not to address me like that," he said. "I'm around because I want to help the peoples of Hyrule. Since my weak leg won't let me do so as a swordsman, I will do what I can as a sage. But while you may have called on me, my duty is to the children of Taven, much like Link feels his duty is due to." He then left her to consider those words as well.

"I don't see how he could protect children and be loyal to Ganon," Zelda said to herself quietly. A part of her wanted to declare that there was nothing more to this, that they should get rid of both Ganon and Link at this point. But she couldn't ignore that Wisdom had left her. She was doing something wrong too.