Revised as of 14/04/14

Chapter 31: Of Days Long Since Passed

"Rose, are you good to go?"

We'd simply been resting for a few hours now, and I was surprised when Link asked me this.

"Are you?" I shot back. He was the one who'd almost drowned, after all, so it was a legitimate question. It'd only been, what? Four hours? "Why are you even awake? You should be resting."

"I could say the same for you." he muttered. It was obvious that he was tired. I sighed, shifting closer to him. It was cold, and we were both shivering.

"Well, you almost drowned and got electrocuted to death, so you should sleep for a few hours." I pressed. "Plus, we're both freezing. Neither of us is in any condition to fight whatever's waiting for us."

There was silence until Midna floated up from our shadow.

"Back in the village, didn't you call it a... Morphy or something?" she asked. I let out a weak laugh.

"Morpheel." I corrected. "And that's right, I remember now. The morpheel... Ugh. Not looking forward to that at all.." I groaned. There was also the worse possibility that it would be something else other than the Morpheel, but it was unlikely. The last two temple bosses had been the same.

I looked back to Link, seeing he was struggling to keep his eyes open. I tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "Just quit fighting it and go to sleep. The goddesses won't begrudge us a few hours of rest." I urged.

It seemed that was the last of the prompting he needed before his eyes drifted closed, asleep in seconds. I didn't let my small frown leave my face. Even asleep, he was tense and uneasy. People are meant to look peaceful, innocent, relaxed, when they sleep. I saw none of that on his face. In fact, it was the opposite. All of the strain that he tried to hide while awake seemed to come to the surface. His face was worn and tired, like he was carrying the world on his shoulders.

Being sure to avoid the still-healing injuries he'd gained since we entered the lakebed temple, I leaned into his side, curling up against him. Midna didn't giggle from his shadow, either. I felt myself gradually getting warmer, but not by much.

In his sleep, Link's arm shifted, pulling me closer. The shivers lessened, which was a relief for my sore muscles. The ache in my arrow-wound was returning, and I tried to massage the area to soothe it. There was a gradual increase in temperature, slow enough that I hardly noticed, until we were a little warm.

By then, I was comfortable enough to sleep, and drifted off curled up against Link's side.

"Jethro, my friend!" Hael called. I realized I was dreaming of the past again, and would not be seen. As far as these dreams worked, I was no more than a ghost, I knew from experience. My father turned, a grin on his face. He waved his friend over, meeting him halfway. "I heard the good news. Is your wife well?"

I wondered what they were talking about. If there was good news, why wouldn't Lilliandil be well? Jethro was still smiling widely.

"She's perfectly fine and recovering, Hael. We have yet to decide on the name for her, though." he said. I could practically feel the elation rolling off of him in waves. That was when I put the pieces together; this wasn't long after I was born. It was me they were talking about.

"A girl?" Hael asked, seeming just as happy. "My wife is expecting a girl as well. She already has a name in mind for her. Arynn," he chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I've no problem with the name, but I don't think it would suit a boy very well."

"Always the last to arrive, aren't you Hael?" a female voice called from behind me. I whirled on the ball of my foot to see we were standing outside my mother's home in castle-town. It looked newer, and more home-like. I also saw the familiar faces standing in the door. My mother Lilliandil, and beside her were Ardea and Cariel. I always knew my parents were friends with them, but even now? And there I was, barely more than a newborn, in my mother's arms.

"I do have my own pregnant wife to attend to, you realize." Hael teased Cariel.

"Well lets not stand here in the cold, Hael, come inside!" Lilliandil exclaimed, pretending to shiver for effect. This was when both my parents were much younger, still in what people on Earth would have called 'The Honeymoon Stage', I could tell by their loving looks at each other and little-me, and by how much more energetic they were. Not like the Lilliandil I'd met in Castle Town a mere week ago, who was reserved and, well, older.

'He really was one of the best things to happen to her.' I thought, following the two men into the house. The vision shifted.

"It's been a long time since we have all come together, my friends." Jethro spoke. The entire group -which I noticed also held Edriel and Impa alongside the others from earlier- that was seated at a large nodded their own agreement. I was standing off to the side, invisible as ever.

"And now we're all here again, a long year since our last meeting together, mere days after Rosalie was born."

'A year? Well, thanks for telling me that...' I internally muttered. That explained the change in atmosphere since the last vision of outside.

"We must each discuss what we learned in our individual travels, and Lilliandil has made a discovery of her own, here in Castle Town." Jethro continued. All eyes flitted to my mother, who wasn't fazed.

"My daughter, Rosalie... She has been chosen by Hylia to carry the..." she paused again to lower her voice. "The Spiritus Potens. Spirit Power." she whispered. I actually heard a few gasps at this.

"But... how?" Ardea asked. Lilliandil shook her head.

"We haven't time to explain. If any of you learned anything about Astaroth in the past year, we need to know." Jethro pressed. Cariel spoke up first.

"I found his lair."

All gazes snapped to her in an instant, my own included. This would help me in the future.

"In the forest, I came across one of his demons and followed it into the mountain ranges beyond the north-western boundaries of Hyrule. In one of the mountains, in a cave near the peak, is a portal between worlds. This is why we hadn't found him before."

"Sister, why would you put yourself at risk this way? Especially when you are due to have a child!" Edriel exclaimed.

"Edriel, calm yourself. Your sister knew what she was getting into, and is no doubt capable of defending herself." Impa butted in.

Edriel and Cariel were siblings? Well then... Hey, you learn something new every day, right?

"What about your son, Edriel? What about my nephew? I'm only a month into my pregnancy, while your son Alderon is barely a year old!" Cariel snapped angrily. Ardea was next to intervene.

"I don't mean to interrupt the sibling squabble, but we have important business to discuss."

I was somewhere else entirely. The courtyard of Hyrule Castle. I looked older then, but still no more than six years old. My mother was there, as were Zelda and the queen.

"I understand more people have gone missing from the ranks, other than Knights Edriel and Ardea." the queen said severely. Lilliandil nodded.

"Ardea was the first to be taken, some weeks ago, but Edriel was only recently taken in one of Astaroth's raids. Jethro is still recovering. But my husband and I have noticed that more and more of your soldiers, even the common footsoldiers, have been abducted during raids, my queen. I think we can safely assume that Astaroth plans to build an army."

"And what of Ganon? Is he somehow involved in any of this?" the queen asked. Lilliandil shook her head no.

"Nothing has been seen or heard from the dark king since the sages sealed him away. I've spoken with the Sheikah on this matter."

"Momma, what's gonna happen to Alderon, if his daddy and mommy aren't around?" little-me asked innocently as she returned to Lilliandil. She'd just been playing with Zelda.

"I don't know, sweetheart." she said, pulling little-me into a hug, before letting her scamper off to play again. "Alderon disappeared shortly before his father was taken. But as I said before, your majesty, Astaroth is building an army. Of that I have no doubt in my mind."

"But what could he want? The triforce has been sealed away for centuries, no-one knows where." the queen inquired.

"I believe it may be related to the Spiritus Potens."

"Momma, where are daddy's friends? And Aldy, Ari and Carma?" Little-Me asked. We were back in my house, and I looked to be around eight or nine, now. This was so close to Astaroth's attacks. I did a double-take as I processed my younger self's words. Carma? There was only one person that could be. Carmen? Thinking on it...

I clapped my hands over my mouth as another realization hit me.

"They're their kids!" I screamed into my hands. It all made sense! Bethany was Hael's daughter, that was the same girl that Hael had been talking about! Carmen, she had an uncanny resemblance to Cariel, who was Edriel's sister, who had a son named Alderon, who looked like a younger version of... Scott Grant. Hael, Cariel and Edriel were Hylians but their respective spouses were human, hence the lack of Hylian ears on their children, yet they still lived for who-knows-how-long. And if Bethany's dream was any indication, Lilliandil wasn't the only one who had the idea of opening a portal to the other world. Earth. Only... at different times. Right before they were taken and corrupted by Astaroth.

"That's a terrible coincidence." I muttered. Best friends as little children, best friends on Earth, and now we all came back around the same time. Well, Scott came a year early, then I came when I was supposed to, and I wasn't sure when exactly Bethany and Carmen came. Then there was our mutual banking-on-obsession interest in Legend of Zelda, how we all felt some sort of connection to the series as a whole when we were back on Earth. We felt drawn to our home. Well, wasn't that just wonderfully corny.

Oops, looks like the vision changed while I had my epiphany.

"Jethro, Lilliandil!" It was Impa. She called my parents as she strode into the door. Both came downstairs quickly, recognizing the urgency in my 'babysitter's' tone. "Cariel has been taken by Astaroth!" she hissed, closing the door to keep unwelcome ears out.

"What? When?" Lilliandil asked.

"Mere hours ago, right from the castle itself. Astaroth is growing stronger still, and I now know what it is he plans to do. " she said, her tones lower.

"He's going to come for her, isn't he?" Jethro asked as the realization struck him. Impa nodded grimly.

"Now more than ever, you will need to protect Rosalie. For Astaroth now knows that she carries the Spiritus in her heart. And, Astaroth has made Ardea his queen. She has already given him heirs, twins. Arden and Lucien. We do not know what the future holds, and must be wary now more than ever."

Jethro's hand clenched into a fist.

"Our list of allies is dwindling... This can't happen... Not now, not ever, and especially not with..." he trailed off, looking to Lilliandil's less-than-prominent baby-bump. 'Not with Roran on the way.' I finished in my head.

"Danger comes your way, little one. The dragon-shifter may have staved off the hunters from the village, but Ardea is far from done with you. Please...Be careful..." an ethereal voice whispered, not a part of the dream. Speaking of the dream, the moment the voice had spoken, it begun to melt and fade away around me. "And never...ever...lose hope..."

Something was off when I opened my eyes. I was too comfortable, for one thing, and I was far too rested to have only slept a couple of hours. The stiffness in my limbs attested to that. Why was I feeling these things? Well, I was quick to discover exactly that as I looked around me. Then I remembered Link almost drowning, and our electrocution. I saw Link was still sound asleep beside me, and my eyes practically popped when I saw and felt his arm wrapped around me in said sleep. We'd slid down further in our sleep, so I was more resting on his chest than the wall. Midna let out an amused chortle as she floated up into visibility.

"Well it's about time one of you woke up!" she exclaimed. I put a finger to my lips, pointing my thumb in Link's direction. "You've both been out for almost ten hours, I don't think I'm gonna wake him up just by talking."

Ten hours? ... That was probably the shortest injury-induced sleep I'd ever experienced since returning to Hyrule, actually. Not too bad.

"I suppose I'll let him sleep a little longer." I decided, fishing out some of the miraculously-not-soaked food from my bag. "He'll need it."

There was a companionable silence in the cave-like room, broken only by the sound of Link's and my breathing, as well as my eating.

"Midna." I suddenly whispered. "Did your people...do they know anything of the Spiritus Potens, or Astaroth?" I asked. Midna's shadowy form shook her head.

"That first one, Spiritus, rings a bell, but I didn't know who or what Astaroth was until you mentioned him back in the Zora throne room." she answered. I sighed.

"Spiritus Potens... It translates to Spirit Strength or Spirit Power. Funny, it's actually Latin, a language I thought only existed on Earth. I still have no idea what it really is, even with those dreams." I murmured. I saw Midna cock her head to the side curiously, and I went to explain.

"I had more dreams about my past, going all the way back to when I was a few days old. And I made some interesting discoveries because of it; Bethany is General Hael's daughter, her real name is Arynn, and I knew her from the time I was one or two years old. Carmen is Cariel's daughter, Carma, and I met her soon after Bethany. And...you remember when my brother mentioned Scott Grant before?" A nod. "His real name is Alderon, and he's Edriel's son, and Carmen's cousin. Edriel and Cariel are brother and sister." I explained. Midna stayed in shocked silence for several minutes.

"Well...that explains why they came to Hyrule in the first place." she said.

"They were coming back." I agreed. "The same as I was. And... right at the end of the dream, there was a voice talking to me. It said that danger was coming, that the 'dragon-shifter' -I'm assuming that's Bethany- had chased off the hunters from Kakariko, and that Ardea was far from done with me." I added as an afterthought.

I heard a noise from Link and turned to look at him suddenly. His brow was furrowed and his eyes were shut tight. Seemed like I wasn't the only one dreaming... His sword arm twitched, and his mouth opened as if to form words. Nothing came out for a long few seconds, nothing but a name.

"Aryll..."

He was dreaming about his little sister. My face fell as I realized that, accompanied with the memories he'd shared by the bridge the other day.

"No..."

His tone was becoming panicked. I knew I should wake him, but I felt like I was frozen, unable to move or make a sound.

"Dad! No!"

His own yell startled him awake and made me jump slightly. He was still in a sleepy haze, I could tell from the distant look in his eyes. He wasn't seeing what was actually in front of him quite yet. Sitting up on my knees, I shuffled around so that I was sitting in front of him instead of beside him, on my knees.

"Link? Are you okay?"

He didn't seem to hear me, still looking wildly around us. Putting my hands on either side of his face, I turned his head so he was looking at me, and repeated my question. He seemed confused by me, by my presence, for a moment or two, but I saw the recognition flash in his eyes. I knew he was back with me then, and pulled my hands away. He caught one of them in his own, giving it a small squeeze before letting it go. I felt blood rushing to my face, and I turned my gaze to the ground to try and hide it.

"Hey, sleepyhead." I greeted rather shakily. "You feeling better?" He nodded his head, and made to stand up. I pushed him back though, gently. "You should probably eat something first." I gestured to the small amount that I'd taken out. We were running low, but we could restock in Castle Town later. He reluctantly nodded, and ate what was there. When he was finished I let him stand up, and he replaced the Zora Headpiece over his hat.

"Let's get this over with and get out of here." I said. Link nodded his agreement, and we dove into the water.

A/N: I really feel like I'm on a roll with this, I love it! Finally, productivity! It's a stark contrast from my productivity last summer. It took me from June to september to finish one chapter, though that may have been because I'd just been getting into Supernatural then, too. Anyways, leave a review below?