Chapter 3: The Sage of Time

Link:

"I've never been to Hyrule Castle before," Malon said in awe as she looked up to the towering structure ahead.

"Never?" I asked, surprised, "I figured you delivered milk here all the time."

I remembered her singing near the gate in the alternate timeline as she waited on Talon (and I know she would still have needed to wait on him in this timeline). I guess she never made it all the way to the castle.

She shook her head, "No. Dad usually handles all the deliveries. Sometimes Ingo."

I had to resist the urge to laugh. I could almost imagine the thoughts that would pass through people's heads when they went to pick up milk and were greeted by the often scowling, unhappy face of Ingo. He was a nice enough person, I guess, but his people skills left a lot to be desired.

We rode up to the gate, where the guard halted us.

"I'm sorry Link, but there are no visitors allowed today."

I looked at him, a little miffed. Years ago, Zelda had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure that I could come and go from the castle as I pleased. I had even heard rumors that she actually yelled at the King to let me in (nobody was willing to confirm it for me though). She even went so far as to get me permission to carry my weapons while I was within the castle. I still usually left my stuff at the gate though, because on more than one occasion I was almost locked up because a guard had "forgotten" that I was allowed to carry a sword in the castle. Not many of the guards liked me very much, though I never could figure out why.

"I know you're just doing your job," I started out slowly, "but it is imperative that I speak to Zelda immediately."

"Sorry Link, but orders are orders," he said.

I briefly considered hitting him over the head but decided that it would probably not be the wisest choice.

Before I could come up with some form of excuse to tell this guard (I figured he would not believe 'I need to save the world'), a very welcome individual strode up.

"Open the gates," Impa said.

"But ma'am!" the suddenly flustered guard exclaimed.

Before he could make any more objections, Impa thrust a document sealed with the royal seal at the guard, "This should be sufficient, yes?"

The guard quickly grabbed the letter, examined the seal, then immediately opened the document and read through it. After he finished, he took a moment to shoot a glare at me, then grudgingly opened the gate.

"Thanks," I said cheerfully as I started leading Epona through the gate. The guard stopped me however.

I did not even bother hiding my annoyance, "What is it now!"

"The letter is only a summons for you, not your lady friend."

"What!" Malon exclaimed, "Are you really going to force me to stay out here and wait for him!"

"Of course."

It looked like Malon was getting ready to jump out of the saddle at the guard, so I turned to Malon, "Sorry, but could you take Epona into town please." I then whispered, "I'll tell you about it once it is finished."

Malon sighed, "Whatever."

She rode back towards town without further complaint. I passed the guard as I walked through the gate, resisting the urge to smack the smug look off his face. I reached the Sheikah warrior, and she immediately turned on her heel and started heading for the castle. She set a fast pace and I was forced to hurry in order to keep up.

She was quiet while we made our way to the castle. As we crossed the castle moat, Impa halted, and then turned to face me.

"You knew, didn't you? You always knew"

I simply nodded. I knew what she was talking about. How could I not. Judging by the conversation I had with Saria this morning, it was very likely that Saria and the rest of the sages remembered everything from the alternate timeline.

A fact that was confirmed by Impa a few seconds later, "I guess I can't call you 'boy' anymore."

She continued on into the castle, with me trailing behind her. Hyrule castle was a very large building. Some of the temples and dungeons that I have been through were not even half the size of this place. Impa led me down several corridors, seemingly turning at random whenever she reached a particular hallway. I had been exploring this castle for years, and I still got lost. I was always amazed that anyone could ever find their way through this confusing labyrinth.

It did not take me long to realize that we were not heading towards the Throne Room, where I would normally meet up with the princess. Impa eventually led me down a corridor that was had several guards stationed along the hallway. They saluted her as we made our way to the door at the end of the hallway. The door was white and was beautifully adorned with intricate golden designs. Without knocking, she opened the door and headed inside, with me right behind her.

Inside was a rather large sitting room. There were other doors which I assumed led to a bedroom and washroom respectively, but they were the least of my concerns. Sitting on a fancy couch on the opposite side of the room was Zelda, her head in her hands.

She was in her normal gown (the same one I remembered from the alternate timeline), but her hair looked a little messed up, like she had been messing with it furiously. Her crown lay beside her on the couch, forgotten. She seemed so upset that she did not even notice mine and Impa's arrival.

Impa remained by the door and motioned for me to go forward. I approached slowly, not sure if I should disturb her at this time. Even when I was standing over her she did not seem to notice. I cleared my throat, causing her to look up quickly, clearly startled.

Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. I did not know of all the trials she had been through in the seven years that I had been sealed away, but it never dawned on me how painful it could have been. A sob tore from her throat and before I knew it, she had me in a fierce hug, crying into my tunic.

I was so shocked that I was not sure what to do at first. Even when we were children, Zelda had never been this forward. Once I regained my senses, I put my arms around her, returning the hug.

It took her a few minutes to calm down. She continued to embrace me, and I heard her whisper, "I'm so sorry Link."

"You have nothing to apologize for," I told her gently.

She shook her head against my tunic, "Of course I do. I thought by sending you back, you would get a chance at a normal, peaceful life. I didn't realize till now how lonely you had to be. I should have known…"

"Stop."

She looked up at me, tear streaks down her face, "but…"

I shook my head, "There's no way you could have known. I don't blame you at all. Besides," I said with a smile, "I was never really lonely."

It looked like she was trying to smile at least, "I still feel terrible though."

She disentangled herself from the equipment on my back, and stepped away. She had to take a deep breath to compose herself.

"As much as I would like just sit down and talk, we have much more pressing business."

I nodded, "What do you know about what's going on?"

"An ancient prophecy is starting to come to life, and it involves the Hero of Time."

"Um…" I said a little suspiciously, "you didn't find this out from a giant owl did you."

"A giant owl?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Never mind."

"I found out from Rauru," she said, still give me a strange look.

The Sage of Light… It made sense. If anybody had any idea of what is going on, Rauru would.

She continued, "Some unknown entity is after a sword that could possibly be as powerful as the Master Sword…"

"Wait a sec," I interrupted, "That can't be right."

"Unfortunately yes," Impa said right behind me, causing me to jump. I never even hear her move from the door, "According to legend, there were three blades blessed by the goddesses. However, two of the blades were altered."

"Altered?"

"Yes. You've already wielded one of these altered blades," she said. Noting the surprise on my face, she added, "The Sword of Evil's Bane. The Master Sword."

"The Master Sword is one of these blades?" I asked, "How is that?"

"I don't know all the details, but one sword was imbued with the power of light, making it into a weapon that evil could not touch."

"Let me guess," I interrupted, "The other sword was imbued with darkness?"

She nodded.

"Does any of this have anything to do with the break in at the Gerudo Fortress?"

"Rauru mentioned it," Zelda said uncertainly, "but not much else. I can't imagine that he would have said anything about it if it wasn't somehow related, though."

It seems that whenever I got even close to an answer, it would be blocked by more questions.

"Do we know where the dark sword is? Maybe we can stop it from…"

"Unfortunately, we do not possess that knowledge," said Impa, dashing my hopes instantly.

"Link," Zelda said my name softly.

I turned to look at her before she continued, "The fact that the sages' memories are returning is a sign. It would only happen if we were needed once again."

She took my hands in hers and looked up at me imploringly, "Please, will you, once again, become the Hero of Time?"

"You didn't have to ask."

She smiled when I said that.

We stood that way for a few minutes, that is, until Impa interrupted us by saying, "Time is of the essence, remember?"

We quickly backed away from each other, embarrassed. Zelda quickly recomposed herself (how does she do that!), and then said, "I can use my power as the Sage of Time to open the Door of Time without the need for the Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby, and the Zora Sapphire. After that, we'll have one piece of the prophecy in our possession."

I nodded, "After that, I'll visit the Gerudo and talk to Nabooru. We need some answers if we are going to effectively fight whatever is coming."

"We have a plan now," Impa said, "We should move now, and quickly."

A/N: Reviews are appreciated :)