A/N: Next chapter (this is a long one).

Enjoy!

Chapter 14

"Take Wing"

Rain pattered against the window of the small infirmary, the cool air of the night seeping through the glass. A feminine figure laid curled in one of the beds, wrapped in blankets, shivering. Perspiration trickled down her brow, and she moaned, as if in a nightmare. The shadows lurking in one of the corners shifted, revealing a cloaked figure. It chuckled to itself, morphed into a tight sphere, and slammed into Terra. It seemed to be absorbed into her body. Underneath the sheets, the magnificent tribal marking of the bird hummed low and radiated light, as if defending its master from the evil now within her.

Her cries of pain penetrated the silent air of the infirmary, waking those who rested there. When a nurse came to investigate, all that could be seen was a single brown feather resting on the sheets, no girl in sight.

Terra had vanished.

Link yawned and stretched his arms above him. Despite what he had been through in recent days, he felt lazy. He wandered aimlessly through the Capital, passing by those who wished to buy foodstuffs for dinner that night.

He found a quiet secluded spot, away from the hustle of the main square, and looked up at the early morning sky. He worried to himself. What a beautiful sky, it is so peaceful. He frowned. It may not last forever, the Light Spirit stressed that Terra and I had to save the world from Twilight before it consumes our world, but with Terra out of commission it is almost impossible. He sighed in frustration. I have no idea when Terra is going to recover, if ever, and if what Midna said was true, we do not have much time left. I may have to go it alone after all. I'll set off right away. At that thought, he gave himself a shake. He was being stupid, he couldn't complete this quest without Terra's help. He had no choice to wait – the prophecy the Light Spirit stated said they could not succeed without each other's help. But had Terra done enough? Would Link be able to succeed on his own? He had his doubts. After all, a prophecy is a prophecy.

He hadn't thought about Midna lately. Part of him gnawed away at him, eating away at him, and he wished he could have done something, anything. It happened so quickly, and he didn't have any time to react, but considering he had the Triforce of Courage he should have been able to react fast enough. He wondered how her people, the Twili, were doing now without a Princess to rule over them. Did they even know what happened to her? Would they mourn her death? He shook himself again. Of course they would mourn her. She was their Princess, their Queen.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't have the luxury to mourn. We are running out of time and we have to get out there and –

He stopped before he gave himself a panic attack. With Terra out of commission, all he could do was wait. He hoped she would recover quickly.

Link resumed wandering through town, familiarizing himself with the landmarks. There was an impressive looking fountain in the middle of the main square, a carved statue of the Triforce proudly sitting in the center of the display. Several children frolicked around the fountain, playing some sort of game while waiting for their parents to finish buying food they would need for dinner that night. A small band played in a sheltered area of the square. They were playing upbeat music, the likes of which Link had never heard before. It is rather festive, he thought as he deposited several green rupees as a tip.

There were several offshoots from the main square that led to residential divisions. With the exception of the Castle and the main square, the city was a maze of tightly packed cobblestone streets lined with cramped houses, and was a far cry from what he was used to at home in Ordon – wide open spaces with greenery. He frowned at that. He missed home. He missed the simple life – herding goats and farming pumpkins. He wished he could go back to that, but now he wasn't sure he would be able to settle down again after what he had been through so far. The things he had seen changed him.

Link made a beeline towards the nearest tavern, which was tucked behind some houses on a lower level. He needed a drink to calm his nerves.

Link stumbled out of the tavern that afternoon – he might have had one too many drinks. He made his way over to the castle as he wanted to check in on Terra. Along the way, he could have sworn he saw a big bird flutter by, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light. Or as a side-effect of the butter beer he had consumed. It's good stuff, Terra was right...

When he arrived at the castle gate, a nurse frantically ran up to him, "There you are! We've been looking all over for you – that poor sick girl, Terra, is missing!"

Link sobered up almost immediately, "What? How could she possibly -" he cut himself off. The nurse likely wouldn't know how Terra got out of the infirmary, or what she was thinking of escaping. Time to be a hero, kid.

He ran off in a random direction, hoping to find her somewhere in the Capital. He passed by several civilians, and paused. Would they know her? He stopped a man walking by and described Terra to him.

The man shook his head sadly, "I am sorry lad, I haven't seen her before. But honestly," the man paused, "In this city people can blend in easily with the crowds, so I might have seen her. I just can't recall,"

Link sighed and rubbed his head, frustrated, and turned away. Well, that wasn't helpful at all. What was she thinking, running off like that!?

"I hope you find her!" the man called after him. Link waved half-heartily at him in thanks, and ran in another direction. He asked several more people, but they did not know of Terra, so he gave up. Shoulders slumped in defeat, he made his way back towards the Castle. Maybe they found her?

He took a shortcut back to the castle through an alleyway. A bird that had been following him landed on the roof on a nearby building. He waved his hand to shoo it away, but it just squawked at him. It followed Link with its eyes. Link squinted it at it, and noticed it was a rather large hawk. It was a beautiful animal – the breast was mainly white, but along the underside of its wings and tail feathers the were speckled with brown. Its backside was mainly black and brown in varying hues.

Wait a second, doesn't Terra turn into a brown hawk? But that is only under the influence of Twilight, unless something happened to her that made her this way.

He reached towards it, his other hand on the hilt of his sword in case it attacked him. To his surprise, the hawk caws a little and raised its wings seemingly in greeting.

"T-Terra?" he asked, feeling foolish he was talking to a bird. People might hear him and deem him insane.

The hawk cawed once more and flapped its wings happily. It was Terra.

"What happened to you? This area isn't under Twilight, we fixed that,"

Terra didn't respond and only stared at him. Shrugging, he extended his arm further, allowing the hawk to scramble onto his shoulder.

"Now what are we going to do?" Link mumbled out loud for Terra's benefit. Terra's only response was a flicker of her tail feathers.

Seeing no use in a one-sided conversation, he headed towards the nearby stables to quickly check in on Epona, Terra still perched on his shoulder.

Out loud he said, "I remember one of the villagers in Ordon suggested to look in the Capital for a saddle for Epona where both of them could ride on. I wonder if we can find one at the stables? If it has to be made, it can take awhile, so it would be best if we could order one now," Let's just take a quick look, and then I'll see Eleon. Maybe he knows something about what happened to Terra and how to fix it.

Upon entering the stable, he encountered a stable boy cleaning out muck from one of the stalls. Link cleared his throat to draw attention to himself, and the boy looked up annoyed.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for a saddle that is suited for two people,"

The stable boy's eyes were downcast, "I'm sorry sir, we don't sell nothin' like that. You could try the saddler on the other side of town, he makes saddles for a livin',"

The boy gave Link directions to the saddler's house. Waving in thanks, Link left the stables and followed the stable boy's directions. It led him to a small detached house nearby the southern exit of the Capital. Vines were growing up the walls and over a sign hanging over the door. Link cleared away the vines and read the sign. 'Hylia Saddles', seems like this is the right place.

Link raised his hand and knocked on the door. A few moments later, an old man answered. He peered up at Link, adjusting his glasses, "Who are ya, and what do ya want?"

"Hi, my name is Link," the old man looked him up and down. "I'm a traveller, but that isn't important. I was told you could make a double saddle for my horse?"

The old man nodded, "Yes siree, I can. I'm the best saddler in all of Hyrule. Where is your horse?"

Link led the old man back to the stables to Epona. Upon seeing Link, Epona nickered happily in greeting.

Behind him the old man whistled in appreciation at the sight of Epona, "That is a fine looking dray mare you've got there. She's healthy. I could use a strong dray like her, you selling?"

Appalled at the question, Link shook his head. The saddler looked disappointed for a moment, "It was worth a try. Alright, let me through will ya? I need to take measurements,"

Link moved out of the way, "Take all the time you need,"

The man approached Epona with a measuring device. He took measurements in various places, and wrote them down onto some parchment. When he was finished, the saddler backed away from Epona, "So here how it is going to work. You want a double-seated saddle, yeah?" without waiting for Link to confirm, he continued, "A plain leather saddle will cost you 800 rupees and it will be ready in one week,"

Link opened his mouth, ready to agree to the terms, when he felt Terra's talons dig into his shoulder. He winced at the pain, but understood: the price was too steep, "How about 600 rupees?"

They haggled.

"750"

"725," Link countered.

The saddler thought for a moment, "Done. 725 rupees, and it will be finished in one week. I can rush the process, but it will cost more. Regardless, you'll have to pay me 20% up front,"

No protest came from Terra, so Link accepted and shook the man's hand to seal the deal. He dug out three red rupees from his pouch and handed it to the man. Close enough, I'll have to pay the whole thing eventually.

The saddler counted the rupees and doubled-checked his measurements before leaving.

Link tried to enter the castle, but the guards would not allow him to enter with a bird on his shoulder, "Its against the rules, and it can get messy," he added.
Fair enough, I suppose.

Terra suddenly took off and circled around the castle. He had no idea what she was doing, but he had to get to the Princess to tell her what had happened to Terra. Maybe she has an idea of what happened, and if not, they could go see Eleon. Eleon is probably the better choice, he has the answers to everything.

The guards now allowed Link to pass, but when he requested an audience with Princess Zelda he was told she was unavailable at the current time. So much for 'see me anytime for help', huh?

Upon exiting the castle, Link bumped into Eleon, "Hello Eleon," Link paused as Terra fluttered down onto his shoulder, "Can I talk to you in private?"

Eleon widened his eyes at the hawk on Link's shoulder, "That is a fine looking hawk you've got there, Link. But yes, follow me," he motioned Link to follow him through the thinning crowds of the Capital.

He stopped in front of an old house and unlocked the door. He motioned Link to enter in after him.

"You've met a terrible fate, haven't you?" he gestured to Terra on Link's shoulder.

Link was shocked, "Wait a moment, you know what happened to Terra?"

"Yes," Eleon replied gruffly, "It was very dark magic that turned her into this form, but this kind of power hasn't been seen in quite some time," he paused, "The legends state that, long ago, an evil power was sealed away to protect the citizens of the sky city. But the evil would not rest for long, it never does," another pause, "If Terra's power has been awakened, that only means one thing..." he trailed off.

"What?" Link asked, urging him on. Terra cawed softly, questioning.

"The Imprisoned One, Demise, has returned to Hyrule,"

Terra squawked in surprise.

"But fear not as there is a way to return you to normal, Terra," he paused, as if for dramatic effect, "You need to obtain the Blade of Evil's Bane – the Master Sword,"

He continued, before Link could ask where this sword was, "Long ago, the Master Sword was sheltered in a great Temple. In order to gain access to it, one needed the power of the three sacred Spiritual Stones. It is likely you will need that same power again, but obtaining them will not be easy,"

"What would happen if we never got this Master Sword?" Link asked.

Eleon's response was blunt and swift, "Then the evil magic within her will surge forth unchecked, killing her very painfully,"

Oh.

A soft feminine voice floated towards them, "But even with the Spiritual Stones, we do not know where the Temple is. It has been missing for hundreds of years. There is also the matter of the Ocarina of Time that has been missing for hundreds of years as well. My grandmother told me it was used to open this door in the Temple of Time, giving access to the Master Sword. So, even if you find all the Spiritual Stones, if we can't find the temple then the mission is pointless,"

"Princess Zelda?" Eleon remarked in surprise, "How ever do you do that? Sneaking up on people the way you do..." he recomposed himself, "Besides that, there is a major problem to this plan. One of the spiritual stones belonged to the Kokiri, a race of forest children that is now no more,"

"I brought a book I thought would be useful, Eleon. I found it in my chambers – it wasn't in the library," Zelda handed a book to Eleon. He blew on the cover, scattering dust everywhere, and the title of the book was revealed: Hyrule Historia.

Eleon gasped, "The lost book! This book contains information that even I do not know! Let us see," he muttered and flipped to a page, "Fascinating, this book. May I borrow it, Princess?"

"Of course, Eleon,"

Looking pleased, Eleon flipped to the front of the book. His stubby fingers traced a few lines of the page before he turned to a page further in the book. He paraphrased, "The Temple of Time. In order to access the Master Sword, one had to present the three Spiritual Stones and had to play the Ocarina of Time to open the Door of Time, where the Master Sword resided behind. However, the Temple of Time was destroyed along with Castle Town, in a civil war between the races of Hyrule – the Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, and Gerudos," he paused and scanned down the page, "The races of Hyrule were tired of being ruled by the Royal Family so they fought for independence," Eleon scanned even further down the page, "They won. It was decreed that the country of Hyrule be split, with each race occupying its own country. It is not known what happened to the Master Sword itself - there is no one alive whom knows where it now rests,"

Link sighed at the news, both equally stressed and depressed. He remembered the Light Spirits. Link mentioned them to Zelda and Eleon, and the prophecy they were given when they first set out on their journey. Zelda had not heard of them, but Eleon suggested to visit one for further advice, suggesting since they are the essence of the Goddesses, they must know more about the Master Sword.

Link turned to leave.

"Wait," Zelda said, "Let me write a letter for you. It should help in obtaining the Spiritual Stones from the other races – the Zoras and the Gorons," she took out a piece of parchment and began to write her letter, "I am sure I do not need to tell you this, but this mission is top secret. The Spiritual Stones would fetch a lot of rupees on the black market, and if their powers fall into the wrong hands who knows what could happen,"

Link watched as she wrote the letter. Her hand glided over the parchment, her eyes focused at the task at hand. When she was finished, she gave the letter to Link with a smile, and left.

Eleon smiled, "I think you should wait until morning to leave, it can be dangerous at night,"

"I agree," Link replied.

So it's settled. We leave tomorrow at dawn. Let's hope the Light Spirit can provide more information on where the Temple of Time is, and how to obtain the the Kokiri's Emerald, because we are running out of time. The fate of Hyrule rests in our hands.

The first rays of the morning sun peeked through the soft pink window curtains of the Castle's guest room. It was quiet, and usually only the servants and the mice roamed the castle this early in the morning. Link yawned and stuffed a warm bread roll into his mouth, "Good morning, Terra," he voiced to the hawk, his voice far too cheery for this hour. In response, the hawk – Terra – ruffled her feathers. She was definitely not a morning person and did not appreciate being woken up this early.

Link popped another roll into his mouth, and offered other to Terra. She pecked at the roll greedily and the roll fell out of Link's hands onto the floor with a soft thump. Terra swooped down and pecked at it just the same. "What do you think, Terra," Link asked while he chewed another roll, "About the saddle we ordered yesterday? By the time we finish with the Spiritual Stones, do you think it would be done by then?"

Terra blinked at him and let out a soft caw. Link took that to mean 'yes'.

"That settles it then, after the business with the Spiritual Stones, we will get the saddle,"

He hoped the Master Sword truly had power capable of dispelling the curse in Terra. He put a hand to his chin in thought, and voiced his thoughts for Terra's benefit, "I wonder what is going to happen to the Twilight zones? We still have one more zone left to find, however with your condition we should find the Master Sword first, but the longer we spend looking for the sword, the more the Twilight will expand and threaten Hyrule," he paused, "More than just Hyrule, the entire world."

Again, Terra cawed in agreement.

Link peered at a map that one of the guards had given him, "It looks like Faron is the closest Light Spirit. Now that we have Epona, we should reach it before noon. Hopefully it has the answers we seek,"

Terra just looked at him, a little worried. Link smiled slightly, "You know, these one-sided conversations can get boring at times, but I'm sure you'll be back to your old self soon. Don't worry,"

That didn't seem to lift her worries.

He popped the last roll into his mouth, and licked his fingers, "Well, I'm all finished. Should we set off?"

Terra chirped in agreement and fluttered her wings. It was time to go.

The ride to Faron was uneventful. Terra kept up with Epona and flew beside her with relative ease – the air of the world of light was much easier to fly in than the air of Twilight was. She seemed to be enjoying herself as she soared through the air.

They arrived just before noon at the empty spring. Link called out, but there was no answer. He was about to turn away when he caught a weak glow in the corner of his eye. A voice floated to them, "I know why you have come. You seek the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Master Sword," there was a short pause, "The Temple of Time rests in another dimension, protected by the Goddesses themselves. If you show your Triforce of Courage at the point where it once was, it should appear to you,"

"Where is this temple?" Link asked.

"The Temple rests in a sacred grove hidden away deep in the forest. But in order for the Master Sword to deem you worthy, even though you possess the Triforce of Courage, you must obtain 3 ancient relics ," The Spiritual Stones, Link thought. "One of them has been lost to time, but the other two remain. You must obtain them," Another pause, "You must make haste. A great evil is approaching. If it lays its hand on the Master Sword, it will be able to corrupt it and use its power for its own," It paused again, "But two evil forces are at work here. One is much older than the other. If they should find each other and join forces, they will be unstoppable as one of them holds the Triforce of Power. Ganondorf, the one whom possesses the Triforce of Power, has had his memory sealed and does not remember whom he is or what he has done, thus he has resorted to petty thievery and banditry. The older evil, Demise, has been creating pockets of Twilight throughout the land, resurrecting old Monsters in shadow, its goal unknown,"

"Terra has been touched by an evil spirit – we think it is Demise. Will the Master Sword have the power to quell it?" Link asked it.

"Yes, it will," there was a pause, as if Faron was gauging Terra's strength, "It seems Terra does not have much time left. Time is of the essence, for if she is lost, then you cannot succeed alone,"

"What about the remaining Twilight area? Is it still a threat to us? To Hyrule?"

"You will need not worry once you obtain the Master Sword. It contains power capable of dispelling the Twilight with a single strike of the sword,"

Link was about to ask how it could do this, and why this weapon was not given to him in the first place when their journey first started, but Faron spoke cutting him off, "You and Terra have performed admirably at dispelling the Twilight in Hyrule. Because of this, some balance has been restored to Hyrule and this will buy valuable time before the two worlds of Light and Twilight collide into each other, destroying both worlds as we know them,"

"Princess Zelda told me the Ocarina is required for the Master Sword as well, but she does not know where it is. Do you know where we can find the Ocarina of Time?" Link asked

There was a sudden rush of wind, as if the Light Spirit just sighed, "Yes, I realize this. The Ocarina of Time is a relic that was in trusted only to the Royal Family, but was instead given to the Hero of Time to keep when his youth was restored. Its a relic that he brought to his grave. You must visit his grave to obtain it,"

Link opened his mouth to ask where to find this grave, but Faron spoke before he could get a word out, "In the Sacred Grove lies a statue of his likeness. His grave is underneath that statue,"

As if its strength had failed him, the Light Spirit twinkled out of existence, leaving an eerie silence.

Seeing no use in staying, Link turned and walked away, Terra still perched on his shoulder. When they reached the clearing where they had left Epona, Link drew his sword. Epona was not here.

Instead, a wolf stood in the middle of the clearing. Its golden coat shimmered in the sun as it stared at them with red eyes. Link approached with his sword drawn, ready to fight. Terra pushed off of Link's shoulder and took to the skies, ready to provide support if necessary. The wolf took a non-threatening step towards it, however Link interpreted it to aggressive. He charged at it, sword raised high in the air.
The wolf dodged at the last second, effortlessly spinning away. Link's sword slid into the dirt, hitting a rock, and sending a shock through Link's arm. He dropped his sword in shock. While he was recovering, Terra went for the face with her talons outstretched. The golden wolf easily dodged her, tongue lolling out of its mouth, and immediately jumped over a horizontal strike from Link's sword.

Link knit his brow in confusion. Why isn't this beast fighting back? He thrust his broadsword at the wolf, hoping to impale it.

The golden wolf hopped onto his sword, stopping Link in his tracks. The broadsword bent slightly with the weight but did not break. He swiftly executed a backflip off the sword, successfully dodging another aerial attack from Terra.

The wolf then snarled, exposing its sharp teeth. Link readied his sword again. The wolf charged towards Link, once again effortlessly dodging an attack from Terra, and hit Link in the chest with its front paws, knocking Link onto his back. Link's sword clattered out of his hands from the impact. It put a giant paw on Link's chest, and looked down upon Link, letting out a throaty growl. Saliva dripped from its maw. It snapped at the air threateningly. Terra attacked it with its talons, slicing at its face, but the wolf managed to swat Terra away with its paw. She shrieked and hit the ground.

At this victory, the wolf let out a short howl and sprinted away, taking a path that led deeper into the forest. Furious with rage, Link ran after it. Terra flapped after them in an attempt to keep up.

The forest seemed to close in around them as they followed the wolf, who was now merely loping as if enjoying being chased. Link was panting heavily and he slowed to a walk. Terra flew forwards to inspect the creature. It didn't seem bothered by her as she flew beside it, studying it. It didn't seem aggressive, and according to her, it looked as though it was leading them somewhere.

She couldn't voice her opinions to Link, of course, but she hoped he figured it out. Whatever it was, it was fast, and it certainly knew how to gracefully dodge attacks.

Trees of various height and diameter towered above them, creating a multi-layer canopy, and the dense undergrowth made travelling difficult. It was an old-growth forest, and it looked like it hadn't been disturbed for centuries. It gave Link an uneasy feeling, as if he was not welcome in the forest. Several times the outlines of various creatures, including Stalfos, approached them. They were warded off by a deep growl from the Golden Wolf, as if the creatures respected its presence in the forest.

The golden wolf led them even deeper into the forest, never stopping to rest or have a drink. Link lagged behind it. He looked like he needed a break. He stopped and sat down on a nearby log. Terra fluttered down to earth beside him. The golden wolf trotted forward a few steps and turned around, staring at them. It sat and waited, panting softly, ears perked forward in attention.

After a short while, the Golden Wolf got up and trotted off, apparently deciding their rest was over. Link and Terra followed behind, having no choice in the matter unless they wanted to be surrounded by Stalfos.

They travelled for awhile in silence. Eventually, the thick growth of the forest opened up into a foggy clearing. An old worn stone statue of a figure stood in off to one side of the clearing, sword raised in the air. Link approached the statue with caution and attempted to read the worn plaque out loud, "Here lies the Hero of Time. May he rest in peace in the Sacred Realm,"

Link looked up at the statue. So this is the Hero's grave that the Light Spirit told us about.

The Golden Wolf stared at them for a moment, before letting out a haunting howl. Its howl varied in pitch, and to Terra it seemed at an attempt at a song. When the wolf was finished, it spun around on the spot and let out a gruff bark.

There was a rumble deep in the ground. Link spread his legs apart to steady himself, while Terra simply took off and hovered to avoid the earthquake. The Hero's statue slowly moved aside, revealing a well preserved hole in the ground. In this hole lied not only the remains of the Hero of Time, but also the Ocarina of Time and the Kokiri's Emerald.

The Golden Wolf dashed away, disappearing into the forest.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this one. Please leave a review as they remind me to write the next chapter!