Last time our heroes went to the Temple of Time to search for the second medallion. After defeating the relic's guardian and sustaining serious injuries, the threesome were confronted by the defected Peacekeeper Brandon. Brandon stole the Light Medallion and revealed to Link that Callum is his long-lost father. How will Link react when he returns to Skyloft?

Thought I'd put in this little reminder for dramatic purposes. I'm a little disappointed about the number of reviews I got from the last chapter although what I did get was interesting in itself. Ah well, still got plenty of other chances to wow the audience so all in good time. What actually impressed me was that more people are interested in my old Cursed by Shadow idea.

I will warn you that this chapter starts of with some changing of perspectives so don't assume that this is in one character's point of view.

Chapter 13: Hot Under the Collar

Midna was extremely worried as they returned to Skyloft. Link had not spoken a word since their encounter with the Peacekeeper traitor, Brandon. The shock made him look lifeless, his face blank and he gave no response whatsoever when Midna tried to snap him out of his daze. She had to help him walk out of the temple because of his broken leg, but he did not speak to her the entire time. His silence scared her, and she was even more fearful of what Link would do the next time he saw Callum.

She did not know that much about Link's parents, only what little he told her regarding his mother. It was the one subject he avoided discussing with her about. All she knew what that his mother raised him on her own since Link was a toddler and that she died from a strange illness when he was barely a teenager. Midna had never heard him speak of his father, and judging from Link's reaction to discovering that his father was none other than Callum, whatever there was to talk about was not good.

After touching ground on the island above the clouds, they found the aforementioned Peacekeeper sitting on a bench next to the fountain, nose buried within the pages of a book. Stirred by the sound of approaching footsteps, Callum gazed up at Link and his two companions. He was about to greet them when he noticed with a concerned frown that they were all injured and their expressions troubled, Link's more so than the others.

"What happened out there?" he asked. "Did you find the Light Medallion?"

The Hero looked up for the first time since leaving the Temple of Time, his face filled with dark quality that was unusual for him. "We found it alright," he said acerbically, "but the minute we got our hands on it we lost it to your old pal Brandon."

Callum's eyes flashed with concern. "You met Brandon?" He closed his book and pocketed it away.

"You bet. And you know, he said some very interesting things back there... LIKE HOW YOU'RE MY FATHER!" The Hero's sudden outburst startled Midna and Groose along with every other Peacekeeper agent in the area, causing them to turn to the display nearby. Callum on the other hand simply sat there in silence.

"What? Got nothing to say?" Link growled. "So it's true then, when were you planning on telling me?!"

Callum closed his eyes and let out a long, resigned sigh. He muttered "Silent Realm," and the space around the group began to shimmer. Link knew that this particular spell created a small zone where no sound could be heard from the outside. It was primarily used by agents working undercover who needed to exchange information without being eavesdropped on. Obviously the older man did not want this conversation to be made public.

"Yes, it's true." He looked up at the Hero solemnly. "I am your father Link. I wanted to tell you for some time now but I could never find the courage to do so."

Link's glared at the man before him with greater intensity. How had he not noticed it before? They had the same eyes. Their hair was the same shabby texture. Hell, they were the same bloody height. All of the signs were right in front of him and he had been too blind to see them. "You left Mom and me alone. YOU ABANDONED US!"

Another sad sigh. "I didn't have a choice Link, believe me. I left in order to protect you."

"Riiight, what exactly would you have needed to protect us from?" Link scoffed.

Callum rubbed his eyes tiredly then returned to look at his son. "Sixteen years ago, I was delivering the village's tribute to the royal family but my visit to Hyrule Castle was more eventful than I had been expecting. The king had just died, leaving Princess Zelda, who was no more than three years old, as his only heir. A group of corrupt nobles had conspired to take the throne and part of their plan involved eliminating the princess, a mere child for Nayru's sake!

"While I was there I witnessed something I shouldn't have and the bastards wanted me dead for it. I would be too if it hadn't been for the Peacekeepers who were keeping watch over the castle. I helped them protect Zelda and reveal the conspirators' plot so that they would be arrested. Unfortunately my involvement gave me powerful enemies who would have gone out of their way to get revenge for what I did to them. I was afraid for you and your mother's safety so I had to distance myself from you. If I did that then they would have no use for harming either of you to get to me."

"You didn't have to leave us behind," Link said, still angry. "You could have taken us with you."

"I know that, that was the first thing I wanted to do. But Ordon Village was the only home your mother knew and she was so happy there, I couldn't just take her away from there because of something that I did."

"Where were you when Mom got sick?" Link growled, his voice barely a whisper. "Where were you when she died?"

Callum shot up to his feet and glared Link furiously in the eye. "Don't you dare judge me about that! I loved your mother dearly and I meant every word I said when we stood before her grave. It broke my heart to leave both of you but I had to. When I found out she was ill I wanted nothing more than to be with her by her side. I was willing to break the oath I made when I became a Peacekeeper so that I could sit next to my wife during her final days. I was so willing that the council gave the order to lock me in a cell to stop me from going.

"It was three months before I finally calmed down enough to be released. I went to the council and asked, no, I begged them to let me bring you here so that you wouldn't have to be alone. But by that time it was too late, you had made yourself a life in Ordon and I could hardly return claiming to be your father then take you away from there. Not only that, I was forbidden to be within a thousand miles of Hyrule so that I would never be tempted to try and contact you. When I heard that the Order was considering you as a potential agent I fought to be the one to give you the offer myself."

Link listened carefully, his face unreadable. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from Callum. "Even if I could believe that story, there's no way you can expect me to forgive you. It's impossible to me to believe that after the way you left Mom and I behind you actually still cared about us."

Callum's face burned red with rage. "You think I didn't care? If it wasn't for me your precious girlfriend wouldn't even be on this goddess-forsaken rock!" Link head snapped towards him in absolute shock as Callum continued. Midna's eyes grew wide as well.

"After your battle against Ganondorf, that state of depression you fell in caused you to lose your will to fight, making you less desirable to the Order. But when Brandon released Ghirahim the council decided that they needed you regardless of your emotional state. They wanted you and only you. Midna was supposed to stay in her realm to lead the Twili as their princess. The government in the Twilight Realm was unstable enough because of Zant, it did not need its rightful ruler to disappear as well.

"The council assumed that eventually you would get over your depression but only I could see that you weren't going to and I knew why. I did everything I could to get Midna considered as an agent. I recommended her personally. I called in favours to get her approved and now owe a few of them myself. The only reason why you can sleep with her in your arms every single night is because of me. So don't think for a second that I don't care about you."

Link did not response. He did not know how to. He was unable to discern what he was feeling at that moment, his emotions were all a jumbled mess twisting inside him. He muttered something under his breath and vanished in a gust of wind.

"Link!" Midna called out. She gave Callum a sad look. "I'll try to talk to him," she said before hurrying away to search for the angry Hero.

Callum sank back into the bench and combed his fingers through his hair. He looked up at Groose who had stood uneasily throughout the row. "I'm sorry you had to see that Groose."

The younger man shook his head. "It's okay Callum, really. I'm just a little shocked about it all though. I never expected... you know..."

"I do," he sighed once more. "I should have told him sooner. He should not have found out like this. Now I'm afraid I've lost him a second time." Callum buried his face into his hands.

Groose placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey come on, I'm sure Link will get over sooner or later. He can't stay mad forever."

"I can only pray that you're right."

Midna was walking back home after a meeting with the Peacekeeper council regarding their team's performance with the Demon's Flames mission. Groose and Callum attended as well but not Link, he stubbornly refused to go as he was still furious with Callum. She had tried all she could to get Link to listen to her and forgive his father but so far nothing has worked.

Her arm itched terribly under its cast. Despite the doctor's orders she scratched at it without managing to ease her torment. Rovair was as brilliant as he claimed to be. He examined Midna's arm, saying that there was no lasting damage. Normally an injury like hers would take close to two months to heal on its own, but with Rovair's combination of potions and medical magic the healing period had been reduced to less than a third of that. For that Midna was grateful as she doubted she could last any longer with the unbearable itch that came with wearing a cast.

She walked through her front door and found Link lying on the bed exactly where she had left him and where he had been for most of the past week, brooding. Luckily for him he had only received a minor fracture to his fibula from the battle with the giant golem, now fully healed thanks once again to Rovair.

Link looked away from the ceiling to her as the door closed behind her. "What's with the new shirt?" Midna looked down at her red tunic, which drastically contrasted with her usual black attire.

"It's a Goron tunic. It's supposed to protect you from extreme heat." She saw the confused look in his eyes so she elaborated. "They've worked out that one of the medallions is hidden in this place called the Fire Sanctuary. Funnily enough the place is sitting right in the middle of an active volcano. I've got another tunic for you as well."

A neatly folded crimson shirt materialised in her hand. She placed it on the bed next to Link. Midna stood in front of him, a prolonged silence quickly becoming awkward. Link noticed the anxiety in her body language.

"What's the matter?" he asked, moving into a sitting position on the mattress.

Midna was reluctant to tell him but she knew she had to. "You really should have gone to the meeting earlier," she started. "Since we failed to get the Forest and the Light Medallions, the council is beginning to doubt our ability to protect the last two. They've decided that we need a veteran agent to take charge when we go out into the field from now on." When she trailed off Link gestured for her to continue.

"Link... They chose Callum." With a growl of frustration and disbelief, Link threw himself onto his back again.

"Link please, stop it. I know you're angry with him and you have every right to be, but you've hardly left this room the past week and it's not healthy. Can't you please find it in your heart to forgive him just a little?" she begged.

He got up from the bed and looked at her hotly. "How can you expect me to ever forgive him? He left me and my mother sixteen years ago to save his own skin. If he really felt ashamed of himself then he had an entire month already to say something. But no, ever since he came crawling back to Ordon he has been lying right to my face. If he's coming along then I'm staying right here." Midna flinched from his rant. Link hardly ever showed anger like this, and rarer still did he ever direct it at her.

"And you're not going either," he told her. "There's no way I'm letting you go off with him, especially when your arm's broken."

Hearing that made Midna's blood boil. "There's no way you're letting me? I don't ever recall saying that you could tell me what to do," she growled. "I might have an arm in a sling but I can still fight and I'm not going to let it get in the way of me doing my duty. You should try and follow the same principle, oh great Hero."

He hesitated for a second before speaking again. "Maybe I can't stop you from going but how can I trust that you'll be safe with him or that you'll come back at all?"

"The answer is simple; you stop being a stubborn idiot, put that tunic on and come with us," she countered. He scoffed and turned away.

"Link, how is what Callum did any different from when I broke the Mirror?" He turned his head back to her, as shocked as Midna was that she used that argument. When he gave no answer, Midna put her free hand on his arm and spoke in a quieter, gentler tone of voice.

"I agree with you that what he did was wrong but Callum's the reason we're together again and I'm grateful for that. He's your father Link and you shouldn't hold a grudge against him, otherwise you may regret it later. Believe me, I've been there." All anger left his eyes to be replaced by surprise and curiosity. Midna took a deep breath before continuing.

"Before my father died... we had a fight. I don't really remember how it all started though I do remember that eventually we began arguing about me becoming queen after him. He said that there was no way I was ready to take the throne, that I was too selfish to put the Twili before myself as a true ruler should. I... I got angry and... I said that I hated him." Link's eyes grew wide. He wrapped his arms around her, unable to think of anything to say. But Midna's story was not over.

"I locked myself in my room for days, just like you are now. Then one day my father went out hunting, but something went horribly wrong." Her body began to shake. "The animal they were tracking attacked and Father was wounded badly. He died before they could get him back to the palace." She felt his shirt grow wet from her tears. "Can you imagine how I felt when I heard about it? The last thing I said to him was that I hated him, what kind of monster does that make me? All of a sudden I wanted to go back in time or bring him back from the dead or anything just so that I could tell him I was sorry."

She raised her head, letting him see the wetness running down her cheeks. "I don't want you to make the same mistake I did Link. I can't bring my father back but you still have a chance to be with yours."

Link cast his eyes downwards and shaking his head, saying nothing. For a long time Midna waited for him to change his mind until she accepted that he was not going to. She freed herself from the embrace and began to leave. Holding the doorknob, she looked back to him

"You're supposed to be the Hero," she said sadly. "We need you to start acting like one." Without another word she left.

Midna kept half-expecting Link to come running after her though to her disappointment she was still alone when she arrived at the rookery. Callum and Groose were preparing their loftwings for the journey, both of them wearing red Goron tunics. Midna's black bird was already primed to go, courtesy of the men. They looked at her expectantly as she approached.

She sighed. "Link's not coming."

Tiredly, Callum ran a hand through his hair. The constant weariness from past week made him look ancient. Now that Midna was aware of it, she could see the resemblance between the Peacekeeper and his son. Midna felt like a fool for not making the connection sooner, perhaps they could have avoided all of this if she had.

"I guess it cannot be helped," he said. "We will have to go without him. We cannot afford to lose any more of the medallions."

"Are you sure?" Groose asked. "Without the Master Sword, we're going to have a harder time finding it."

"We will have to make do on our own," Callum replied. "Remember that we're Peacekeepers and we've been exploring ancient temples without the Hero's help for generations."

Hearts heavy, the three agents mounted their loftwings. Storm clouds were gathering in the far west, reflecting their sadness. Even the birds were acting gloomy, perhaps because of their missing crimson friend. But now was not the time for regret or sorrow. The Peacekeepers had a job to do and nothing was going to stop them from doing it.

Getting to the Fire Sanctuary was far from easy. The intense heat of the volcanic region and the ashy smog spewing from the mountain tops made it too dangerous for the loftwings to get close to the temple. Therefore Midna, Groose and Callum landed near the foot of the moutains where the air was clean and cool enough for the giant birds. Unfortunately this meant that the group had to hike the rest of the way.

Even with the Goron tunics protecting them, the heat was stifling. Lava streamed freely down the mountains, collecting into a ravine of death. Jets of hot steam and poisonous sulphur sprayed out at occasional intervals, requiring the group to watch out for potential hazards. The three spoke little along the way, providing little distraction from the exhausting trek. Callum would regularly check a map of the region to be sure that they were going in the right direction.

Hours passed before they began to ascend the volcano their destination resided in. Every now and then they would see the remains of a long dead tree, blackened and frail from the harsh environment. Midna and Groose's spirits lifted when they climbed up to an ancient temple built right into the mountainside, only to be brought back down when Callum told them it was the wrong place and that they still had a far distance left to travel.

It seemed that the higher they climbed, the hotter it got. When they entered a cave with trickles of molten rock coursing through the walls the temperature shot up dramatically. Despite their protective clothing each of them was sweating madly, every breath becoming a challenge in itself. Seeing light coming from an opening on the far side of the cavern, the Peacekeepers made their way over, jumping from stone to stone cross rivers of magma.

The hole led them back outside where it felt incredibly cooler with the wind blowing around them. Nearby was a spring of crystal clear water. Checking that it was safe to drink, the humans and the Twili drank their fill and splashed themselves to cool off. Refilling their canteens, they returned to the scorching cavern to resume their journey. They did not go far however as their way was blocked by a wall of fire. The Goron tunics were designed to resist heat but not burning flames so there was no safe way forward.

"Can we shield ourselves and walk on through?" Groose asked as Callum examined the trap.

"Could do," the senior agent reasoned, "but with defences like these I prefer to be a little more cautious."

Callum pulled out a scrap piece of paper from his pocket and held it before him. The volcanic heat began to dry out the parchment almost immediately. With little effort, Callum made the shrivelling piece levitate above his palm and surrounded it with a shimmering barrier, then sent it towards the flames. At first it appeared that the protective spell would hold but suddenly the fire exploded around the paper in a rage. When the blaze settled there was no sign of Callum's test subject.

The older man scratched his beard in contemplation. "Hmmm. Lucky that wasn't one of us."

"What just happened?" Midna asked, surprised. "Can we go through or not?"

"I don't think so, not like this anyway," Callum answered. "Apparently this is no ordinary fire. It seems to consume magical energy like fuel. If we were to walk through that our shields would be burned away along with us next."

"So what? We've come all this way just to turn back now?" the Twilight Princess complained.

"Not necessarily. The Hero of the Sky explored the Fire Sanctuary himself and consequently had crossed this particular trap as well. There is definitely a trick to this and I believe I see the key to our puzzle." Callum pointed to a statue protruding out of the wall of the cavern nearby, resembling a frog with its huge mouth opened wide.

"I seem to recall reading something about the Hero's journey here," Callum said as he took a closer look at the odd device. "I believed he filled the frog's mouth with something. Was it dirt... no, water. Yes, water quenched the gatekeeper's thirst to clear the way, I remember."

He took out his canteen and emptied the contents into the statue's gaping maw. As if it were alive, the frog closed its lips. Within seconds the fire wall shrank down until nothing remained but a line of holes in the floor. The sense of triumph from overcoming the obstacle was short-lived although as not much further down the tunnel was a second trap, exactly like the one they had just deactivated. The Peacekeepers did not waste their time by expressing their frustration. Midna warped right in front of the second frog and filled its belly with her own canteen.

Beyond the second diminished wall of fire the cavern opened up again to the outside, this time however in the middle of the volcano's crater. A single natural bridge of stone spanned the lake of lava below, leading to an impressively built temple. Midna had to wonder who would have gone through all the trouble to build such a design over a boiling lake of magma. She would have asked Link what he thought had he been standing next to her. She sighed. He would have loved to see this place.

But as though it was the goddesses' mission to make their lives difficult, the temple's entrance was blocked by another, larger, fire trap. It too had a frog statue designed to shut off the flames although this one was far larger than the previous and, as if it was not annoying enough, hung out of reach above the entrance.

"Great," Midna grumbled. "What are we going to do now? I doubt we can fill that thing up with our little canteens."

"We could try Tempest Call," Groose suggested. "Some heavy rain would definitely do the trick."

The senior Peacekeeper shook his head. "Bad idea. If we create a storm here then we won't just be filling the frog statue, we'll also fill up the entire crater as well. That much water pouring onto lava will create a lot of hot steam and I would rather not be caught in all that, thank you very much. I have a better solution though."

Callum pulled out his scrying mirror and gazed into it. "This is Callum reporting in. We've reached the Fire Sanctuary but we can't get in because of one of its defensive traps. I need you to send Scrapper over here with a large amount of water, about a tub-full should do it."

The officer on the receiving end of the communication line confirmed the request and told the team that the ancient robot would be there within the hour. Terminating the conversation, Callum returned the mirror back into his pocket.

"So what do we do until Scapper shows up?" Groose asked.

"For the most part, we wait," Callum replied. "But before that I'm going back to that spring to refill my canteen. This heat's unbearable."

'What the hell was Midna thinking, going off with that bastard, Callum? Why does she continue to trust that good-for-nothing liar?' Link brooded as he paced around the room for the thousandth time in Din knows how long. 'She's still injured. What if something happens to her? I should have gone with her.'

'No.' The resentful side of him protested. 'There is absolutely no way that I'm going to work with that slime ball. How can Midna expect me just to forgive him after all that he's done?' Thinking about his beloved again reawakened his more concerned self. 'Goddesses, what if they have to fight something dangerous and Midna gets killed?' He shook his head. 'Don't be ridiculous. Groose is with her. He'll protect her, I know it.'

This emotional battle repeated itself in Link's head ever since Midna left a few hours ago. He tried to stop thinking about it but his eyes would be drawn to the red tunic that she left on the bed, reminding him of where she was thus triggering another round of self-debating. He decided that he had enough and went to hide the wretched clothing where he would not see it. When he picked it up he stopped, staring at it. It was as though the garment was the source of this guilt and being this close to it made his internal struggle all the harder.

He let out a frustrated growl, clenching the tunic tightly in his hand. "Damn it," he cursed. He had to go after Midna, to make sure that she was safe. And maybe, he was still not one-hundred per cent sure yet, she was right. He was the Hero Chosen by the Goddesses and it was his responsibility to protect the world regardless of who he had to work with to do it, even if it was his two-faced father. Link threw off his green tunic and replaced it with the red one then charged out of the front door.

As he ran Fi revealed herself, flying beside him. "Master, I would like to warn you that if you wish to fly to the Fire Sanctuary via loftwing then your chances of catching up with Midna and the rest of the retrieval group quickly are minimal."

The Hero looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Your loftwing will not be able to fly within the volcanic region therefore you would have to make the rest of the way on foot. As they already have a head start of several hours, it is logically impossible for you reach them unless we find transport that can withstand the region's conditions."

Link skidded to a halt. "Can I warp there?"

"As you do not know where exactly the sanctuary is, that method would be ineffective and potentially dangerous on the off-chance that you re-materialize within fifty miles of it. I apologize Master, but I strongly recommend finding a different solution."

"Like what?" he almost demanded. Then a strange sound caught his attention. He turned to find that the noise belonged to the propeller of Scrapper, who was coming straight for them. 'Damn it,' Link thought, 'I don't have time to deal with this.'

"Hi Mistress Fi," the robot greeted happily. "Hello Mister Shortpants," he then said more flatly.

"What do you want Scrapper?" Link demanded irritably.

The robot eyed him with disdain. "Nothing with you greeny, whizzt. I just came back from delivering a HUGE tank of water to this temple in the middle of a volcano. The same place I did that all those millennia ago, remember Mistress Fi, ZRRPT-FOOSH?!"

Link's eyes widened. "You were at the Fire Sanctuary? Was Midna and Groose there? How long ago was this?"

"That's right. Carrying all that water was a tough job but unlike some people, I never shirk my work, zzzzt! As for those redheads of yours, yeah I saw them, about half an hour ago actually."

Link was glad to hear that Midna was alright, but if she was already inside the temple then she was that much closer to whatever danger was protecting the medallion she and the others were after. An idea was beginning to form in his mind though.

"Hey Scrapper." The tiny robot looked at him. "Do you think you can carry me all the way to the sanctuary you were just at? It's an emergency."

At hearing the request, Scrapper began buzzing around the air erratically. "Are you serious, BZZRT?!" he screamed with his tinny voice. "Do I look like a wagon to you? Uh uh, no way." The robot crossed the arcs of electricity that were its arms huffily.

Link growled. Here he was asking nicely for help when he needed it and this piece of junk was being uncooperative. He was about to try a more forceful approach when Fi floated in front of him.

"Please Scrapper," she begged him. "We need your help. There is no one else that we can turn to."

The Hero could not belief what he was seeing. If robots could blush then Scrapper's face would have turned a brighter shade, his segregated hands covered his scarlet features bashfully.

"Oh all right. I'll do it for you Mistress Fi." He then grabbed Link abruptly by the torso. "Hold still Mister Shortpants. If I drop you it's going to be a long way down, vrrrrrrt-CHONK!" Scrapper then flew straight up, lifting the Hero of Light into the air before moving in a more horizontal direction.

Seeing nothing but clouds beneath his feet was enough to terrify Link. Despite his fear, he managed to head his carrier's warning. After ten minutes with no sign of the Hero slipping from the robot's grip, Link felt calm enough to extend his mind to Fi's.

'How did you know that would work?' He asked, completely impressed. He could not see her as she had returned to her vessel yet he could sense a wave of pride coming from her.

'I learned that trick from centuries of observing beautiful women who requested the help of my previous masters. As I recall, there was never an instance in which one of your ancestors ever said no to such behavior You, evidently, are no exception to this phenomenon.'

He would have looked at her perplexedly if he could see her. Fortunately there was no one to see the incredulous expression on his face, not even Scrapper who was paying attention only to where he was going.

'I don't just agree to do anything a pretty girl asks me to,' he protested.

'That is incorrect Master. There is significant evidence to prove my analysis. First example; you escorted Prince Ralis of the Zora when asked Ilia without reward.'

'Of course I did. Ilia was my friend and I could hardly have left Ralis to die.'

'Second example; you helped Midna locate the Mirror of Twilight and reassemble its fragments so that she could return to her world, again without reward.'

'We had to in order to find and stop Zant! Besides, I would do anything for Midna because she's my best friend and I love her.'

'Third example;' the spirit continued, 'you collected golden bugs for the one named Agitha. This activity was not essential to your quest nor was it a matter of life or death.'

That one caught Link off guard. 'She was paying good money for those bugs.' he argued after fumbling for a better case. But with a sigh he knew that what Fi was saying was true. That was a pointless task that he really would not have done if anyone else had asked him. Rather than admit defeat, he ended the psychic conversation and tried to focus on what he was going to do once he reached the Fire Sanctuary. At the back of his mind though, he could feel his other-worldly companion radiating an annoying smugness for her victory.

I had to mash together two chapters again as one would have been too short. Unfortunately I had to remove a scene to shorten the resulting length of it. It's a shame though as it would have been about Brandon and Ghirahim and their fragile alliance. Oh well, I can do without it.

Later,

EquinoxWolf