Chapter Twelve

I stare at the Trail Gate. We have to go into the Silent Realm? I was scared of it when I first played it, and it was in a video game! Now that it's real, and I know that on the other side of that gate dwells the Guardians and Watchers and Waking Water, I'm terrified.

"So, care to explain to us what the heck this Silent Realm is and why you're so scared of it?" Navi asks.

I'm brought back to the real world. Or, at least the video game real world. Link still stands by my side, staring warily at the gate. "I take it it's not a very fun place, huh?"

I take a deep breath. "Yeah, you could say that..." I tell them all about the Silent Realm. Navi looks terrified, even Sheik looks pretty scared. But Link just takes it all in calmly and asks practical questions about how the Silent Realm works. I guess he's already been through so many life threatening situations lately that this is just his daily routine. And the fact that he's spent the past nine days learning all about a different world in which he's a video game character.

Nine days. I've been in here for over a week. What are my parents and David doing right now?

"Nicky?" Link says next to me.

"Yeah, did you say something?"

"No, I did." Sheik says. "So, if Link can call you Nicky, can I too? Just makes it easier."

"Me too!" Navi chimes in.

I laugh. "Sure."

Link looks around at the city we stand in. "So, how about we start exploring? I never thought I'd be able to explore a dungeon before I had to go through it." He turns to me. "Lead the way."

"Okay." I say, excited to explore Skyloft in real life. "Where do you want to start?"

"Everywhere."

So we spend the next few hours exploring Skyloft. We climb the Light Tower (which is terrifyingly high by the way, combined with the fact that we're on a floating island thousands of feet above the ground), we go through the now empty Bazaar, we go into all the deserted houses, and go into the waterfall where Link and Sheik have to fight off Keese and green Chuchu. It's amazing, and beautiful. We finally end up at the Knight Academy.

The doors are locked on the lower level, but we get in through the doors on the top level. I walk over to Zelda's room and turn the knob. It's open.

We all walk inside. It looks like it does in the game, but a bit more barren, like everything else here. A small picture still sits on Zelda's old desk. As Link and Sheik sit down on the bed and Navi flutters under Link's hat I walk over to it and pick it up. It's a beautiful drawing, and incredibly life like, even though it's extremely old and a bit faded. The detail of the two people in the drawing is fantastic. And I recognize the young couple instantly. It's the first Link and Zelda.

Zelda has her hair in a braid down the front, and has on a beautiful purple and blue dress. Link wears his usual green tunic, but has a red cape draped across him. They both look so happy.

"Is that Link and Zelda?" Link asks from behind me.

I turn around. "Yeah. I guess this is after they went down to the ground." I hand it to him. He studies it for a minute.

"We look almost exactly alike," He says.

"Yeah. You kind of do." Sheik says as he looks at the picture. "Is that Zelda?"

I nod. "Does she look different from your Zelda?"

"Yeah. I mean, they look similar but different too. This Zelda doesn't look as... how do I put it... royal as the Zelda I know."

"Ironic since this Zelda is the goddess Hylia," Link says as he puts the picture back. He looks out the door. "Is his room somewhere here?"

I nod.

"Can we see it?" He asks.

"Don't see why not," I lead them downstairs. We open the door to Link's room. It looks the same, but again, it's much more empty.

Link walks around slowly. This must be so strange for him, walking through a room that once belonged to him, just in a different life. He opens the closet, which still has a few articles in it, and then goes over to the bed. A letter sits on it. He picks it up.

He looks up to me. "Do you think it'd be okay to open it? Since he's been gone for thousands of years."

I look at Sheik. He shrugs. "Yeah, I think so."

Link opens it and starts to read. He raises an eyebrow. After a few minutes he hands it to me. "It was addressed to me."

I raise an eyebrow too. I start reading it, and Sheik and Navi read it over my shoulder.

Link,

Even though we've just founded the ground below into our new home, Hyrule, I'm sure you've lived there for centuries. But, now that you're reading this, it must be once again in danger, and you've been called upon to save it from evil.

I'm sorry for the fate that's been forced upon you. I'm afraid you've inherited it from me.

When I defeated Demise, the evil Demon King, he put a curse upon mine and Zelda's descendents. He promised that he would be born anew to plague them. At first I didn't understand it. But now I do.

Zelda just told me something about our future, something she decided when she was the goddess Hylia. Hyrule will be in danger many, many more times in the future. And it will need a hero to vanquish the evil again and again. That's where Demise's promise comes in, or as you know him, Ganondorf. Me, Zelda and Demise will be reincarnated. I am you. We are the same, just in different times.

Zelda told me that we will be born again numerous times throughout the centuries. But I write this to you in particular. Zelda also told me that one day, centuries from now, one of my reincarnations, will come to Skyloft. You will have to go through the Silent Realm to retrieve items to save your present day Hyrule. I know exactly what you search for, and who left it there. But Zelda has asked me to keep it a secret from you. You'll find out soon enough.

The Silent Realm is a dangerous place. You'll need to be careful. Just be thankful you don't have a time limit like I did when I went through.

It's been many years since I defeated Demise. I've married Zelda, and we live happily in the town we've named Ordona in Faron Woods. I believe you now know the area as Ordon Village.

But I can still recall the countless times I almost died like it was yesterday. I know how hard it will be, and I'm sorry you have to go through it. But if you really are me, you'll be able to do it.

And be strong. It'll be over soon, you just have to show your enemies that you're stronger than they think. You can do it.

Funny how much trouble one girl can put us through, huh?

~Link

Wow. So Link knew that he was going to reincarnated. That would be so weird.

"What girl is he talking about?" Sheik asks after he finishes the letter. "Zelda?"

"I think he means Nicky," Link answers looking at the books on the desk.

So he and Zelda knew about me? That's both cool and weird. I don't know if I should be offended or excited.

"So, where to next?" Navi asks from her perch on my shoulder.

I look at Link.

He looks grim and determined when he answers. "The Silent Realm."