Zelda was walking towards the portal of light before her when she heard footsteps behind her. She could hardly believe her eyes. It was Link! Before Zelda could run to him, Impa stopped her.
"I cannot permit you to go to him, Your Grace. Remember what we discussed. Restrain yourself and focus on the task at hand," Impa told Zelda, holding out an arm.
Zelda frowned. She gritted her teeth and turned around, hanging her head.
"I..I'm sorry Link. I have to go," Zelda muttered, as she trudged towards the portal of light, leaving Impa with Link.
Zelda found herself in the middle of a vast desert. The sunlight beating down on her was almost unbearable in her condition. She could see a huge golden symbol in the distance. She recognized the symbol vaguely. It must be a representation of the Triforce, she reasoned. The Triforce was held up by a enormous golden bird. She couldn't help but think the bird looked almost like a Loftwing. Perhaps her memories were returning after all. This wasn't the first time she had seen this symbol. The collar of her dress was the same shape. She waited patiently for Impa to join her, and when she arrived they began their walk to the Temple off in the distance.
"We are very close now. We will pass through the Gate of Time, where we will travel to the distant past. Once there, you may wait for Link. You must tell him what he has to do next."
By the time they reached the Temple of Time, Zelda was out of breath and her head was still pounding from earlier, but she refrained from complaining. She assumed Impa to be the type to not want to hear it. Impa turned back towards the massive doors they had came through. A ball of energy formed in her hand and she flung it toward the heavy stone doors, rendering them inaccessible.
Opposite of the collapsed stone doors stood a large purple gear which was perpetually turning. Impa explained to Zelda that this was the Gate of Time.
Zelda took out the harp and played the Ballad of the Goddess while singing along. Just as Zelda sang the final words, there was a loud crash behind them. The rubble that had been blocking the door had been obliterated in an instant. The sky began to turn dark, and Zelda felt her insides fill with dread as she was reminded of the tornado. She heard an all too familiar voice laughing manically.
She saw a figure emerge from the dust. It appeared to be a man dressed in a dark red cape. He dashed towards them at an impossible speed with a black sword in hand. Impa rushed toward him creating a blue barrier around herself just before his sword could make contact. The man started to swing his sword violently against the barrier like he was going at it with all his energy. He growled insults at Impa.
Zelda felt completely helpless. Her heart was racing as she watched Impa struggle to maintain the barrier between her and the attacker.
"Your Grace, go to the gate, quickly!"
Zelda stood frozen in terror. It took her a moment to react.
"Go!"
As Zelda turned to run, she glanced back momentarily to see the man thrust his sword with such force against the barrier that it shattered. Impa went flying backwards, screaming in shock and immense pain. She fell to the ground with a loud thud and lay motionless. Without a moments hesitation Zelda ran to her side. She was still breathing, but appeared to be unconscious.
Oh no! What now?
Then the man turned his attention toward her, and she could get a better look at his features. His hair was as white as snow, and the left half of his face was obscured by a curtain of bangs. His lips were the same color of white as his hair. The area under his eyes were both thickly lined with purple. On his left cheek she could see a diamond design when his bangs swayed in the wind. A large blue diamond-shaped jewel hung from his right ear.
He smiled widely at her, filling her with fear like never before. She had never seen anyone smile at her this way, but everything in her told her it was evil. Zelda turned to run again, but her legs felt like jelly. Everything around her began to turn hazy. Her brain was telling her to run, but she felt like she was running in slow motion. He quickly picked her up and effortlessly hoisted her over his shoulder. To her surprise, he held her so gently, as if she were the most precious treasure to him. In her shock, Zelda dropped the harp and it clattered loudly to the stone floor. The man gave an insane, victorious laugh.
"My dear spirit maiden, let's not keep the Demon King waiting."
She was sure of it now. It was the same voice she had heard on Skyloft. This was the demon lord Impa had warned her about?! Ghirahim snapped his fingers, and Zelda's vision whited out as they were enveloped in yellow diamonds.
