Chapter 11: Temple of Time
Dad finally emerged out of the kitchen and walked over to our position at the fireplace. Dad pulled Relena in for a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe Relena. I was beginning to worry."
"Thank you so much." She said. "If it hadn't been for you, I don't know what would've happened."
They pulled themselves out of the hug and Dad said, "You never wanted to hurt us did you?"
She shook her head. "After you all took me in so graciously, only for a moment did I think it would be too easy to actually do it. But then you gave me clothes, food, shelter, a bed to call my own and the longer I stayed, the more I realized that I could never hurt any of you." She looked back at me and smiled. "I mean that."
"Then we won't talk of this anymore. You will not be apprehended but forgiven. And by the way Landon," Dad said to me, "Don't mention this to your mother."
"When we find her." I said. "Which of the last two temples do you think she is in?"
"I don't know for sure Son. But given the history of the royal family, perhaps they placed her in the Temple of Time. That is the only place we can all travel safely. The City in the Sky is far to treacherous for someone of your age Landon."
"But weren't you my same age when you traveled there?"
"That is beside the point. The point is that only I would be going up there; to even begin to search there would require two Clawshots and I'm afraid I only have two of them." Dad handed us some warm soup and we ate. When our bowls were clean, Dad asked Yeto and Yeta for assistance in getting back to Zora's Domain. They happily agreed. The five of us made our way to the entrance and when we passed through the doors, Yeto lifted me and Dad into his big brawny, hairy arms and began to walk up the mountain.
The blustery winds still tried to cut at us but the warmth of Yeto's arm kept the snowflakes at bay. From the height we were being carried, I could see the mountain and its entirety; it was massive yet beautiful. The winds picked up once more, making it difficult to see the horizon. We said goodbye and thanked Yeto and Yeta when they set us down just before the mouth of the cave. They waved goodbye and trekked back up Snowpeak Mountain. The three of us went back through the cave and welcomed the warmer air of Zora's Domain.
"Alright, Landon and I left the horses at the mouth of the cave up there. Relena, where did you leave Autumn?"
"I followed your horse tracks. When I found Rain and Epona, I knew you had gone through the cave. So I left Autumn with them."
"Alright then, let's go." Dad led us back up that tricky trail; this time Relena slipped but I grabbed her hand and pulled her back up with us. Her feet found solid ground again but she did not let go of my hand and so we walked the rest of the way hand in hand.
"You know Relena, I never thought this day possible until a year ago." I told her. I kicked myself internally for spitting out something so private like I was telling her that the weather was great today. She smiled anyway and giggled.
"You really think this could be a thing?" She referred to our entwined fingers.
"If you want to." I kissed her fingers through mine and Dad asked us to pick up the pace. I kissed Rain's muzzle when I found her again. "I missed you big girl."
Dad was already mounted on Epona. "Listen up, either way we go, we have to go into South Hyrule Field and into Faron Woods. You kids have been there before and you know the way so I won't ask you to keep up. Meet me at the cave." Dad galloped away on Epona towards Kakariko Village; he must have wanted to check and make sure the townsfolk were safely inside the village boundaries. Relena and I galloped off in the same direction. The trail seemed dark and ominous; like a ghost town. We crossed a little bridge and I heard some intolerable screeches coming from the mountain above our heads.
"Landon, watch out!" Relena cried from Autumn's back. I looked in the direction she pointed and I saw a fierce creature aiming an arrow straight for my head. I quickly pulled out my bow and an arrow from my quiver and fired before he had the chance to. My arrow landed directly in his heart and we forced the horses to gallop even harder to get through the trail. We didn't stop when we hit the West Hyrule Field because I heard that same screeching; ahead, there were three hogs charging toward us each carrying two of those nasty creatures.
"Relena, is your bow on you?" I shouted over to her.
"Yes." She pulled it out and aimed an arrow.
"Take out the boars. They will be without a ride and we can get away." I aimed for the center hog and hit it directly in the forehead. The beast crashed with a terrible thud and the two creatures were knocked out on the ground. Relena took out one and the third disappeared behind us. We made a break for the trail to Kakariko Village; the hog dared not to tread there and I knew we were in the clear. Relena and I finally slowed the horses at the gate and walked them through the village.
It was total chaos; everywhere we looked, people were running in and out of buildings, children were crying hysterically while their mothers tried to take what food they could.
"Everyone please, do not panic." Renado tried to calm the crowd from the steps of Barnes Bomb Shop. "There is plenty of food to go around. The inn is open to everyone and we have plenty of room."
"Everyone please, please quiet down." Dad said, joining Renado on the steps. Relena and I dismounted and grabbed the reins of our horses to listen to Father's speech. "I know this is terribly confusing and frightening for all of you. But I am going to find a way to fix this. Our castle will not remain in shambles and it is critical that we do not fall apart now. So please, take only the food you need for your family and make your way into the inn. Renado has gathered many spare blankets and cleared every room to make space for everyone here. Please, take a blanket and wait inside the inn. And do not fear. Once the Queen is safe, the prince and I will take care of this matter. Then we can all go home. Thank you for your attention." Dad came back down the stairs and over to us.
"Good, you weren't too far behind. We have to move now; everyone is starting to panic and everything is going to chaos." Dad whistled for Epona and she came barreling up the path. Relena and I mounted our horses again and raced to Faron Woods. Dad and Epona led the way, though Rain and I were right on their heels. West Hyrule Field also seemed dark and ominous; the sun desperately tried to shine through the thick black clouds but failed. Dark, ugly creatures roamed freely in the once beautiful green grass now turned brown and crackly.
"Dad." I called.
"I know Landon. Once we find your mother, we'll make all of this right. YAH!" We raced to the mouth of the cave and met that man Coro once more.
"You're back again so soon? What news of Castle Town?" He asked.
"Castle Town is going to ruin. Once we find Queen Zelda we will head to the castle and rid it of its evil inhabitant." Dad said.
"I'm glad to see you so live and well King Link."
"Thank you Coro. May we rest our horses with you and your household?"
"It would be my pleasure Your Majesty." He called for his two sisters to come out and take the other horses. They led them to the house and tied their reigns to a nearby post. With the horses being cared for, the three of us headed up to the cave. Relena must have been frightened; she grabbed my hand and buried her face in my shoulder during the long trek. I squeezed her hand in reassurance and pressed onward. Dad's lantern illuminated the path for us and then we saw daylight once again. The sight of Faron Woods was even worse than I imagined. Miasma layered the ground; too thick to penetrate or even walk through.
"This just got a whole lot harder." Dad said. "I don't see any choice; you two stay here and I'll come back."
"No way. How do you plan to get across this miasma?" I asked.
Dad reached into his pocket and pulled out the familiar rock. "Remember when I told you about this rock?"
"Yes Father, and that's the answer."
"Yes I am going to use it and transform into a beast."
"And so are we."
"Landon, no. When I crossed the twilight, I should've become a wandering spirit, unaware that I was ever touched by twilight. That will probably happen to the two of you."
"Well what allowed you to transform into a beast instead?" Relena asked.
Dad held up his hand, three triangles lit up his hand. "This. This is the Triforce; I possess the Triforce of Courage and that is what allowed me to transform into a beast rather than a wandering spirit. Your mother has the Triforce of Wisdom; I do not know what would happen should she touch this rock, for she was unaffected by the twilight the first time. Ganondorf, an old enemy, had somehow been given the Triforce of Power and he was trapped by the twilight. In short Landon, I do not know how the twilight will affect you and Relena, therefore I will not take that risk. You are my son and I am to protect you with my life; that's the duty of a father."
"But I'm telling you Father; you do not have to do this alone. Surely one who is the blood of someone blessed by both the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage would surely be allowed to pass through the twilight."
"But you don't have what I did. The princess of the realm, Midna. Without her help, I never would've saved my friends or Hyrule the first time. You do not have the assistance of someone from the twilight realm. It may not work, so I'm not asking again, stay here."
I grabbed his shoulder before he could turn away from me. "Father, I'm eighteen years old. You have got to stop treating me like a child. I can do this, just have faith in me."
"I do have faith in you Son, but.."
"Then let me try Father. If you and Mother have taught me anything, it's to believe in myself and do what I can for my kingdom. This is what I can do so stop trying to push me away and let me help."
Relena joined in. "Me too."
"Relena, I still cannot allow you to touch the rock. You will be carried on my back." He looked at me. "As for you Son, I trust you." He handed me the rock and I touched it with my index finger. I felt a weird sensation spread from my finger, up my arm, surrounding my shoulders and creeping down my back. "Landon?"
"Landon?" Relena bent down with me. "Landon, are you okay?"
"Get…back…" I grunted. I could feel something pulling me down onto four legs. One by one, my feet were exchanged for furry feet, my hands became paws. I felt myself being ripped away and replaced by the furry torso. Finally, the weird sensation spread around my head and my face. The next thing I knew, I was standing on all fours and looking at my father and my girlfriend at the end of a wolf's muzzle.
"Landon…you're…a wolf!" Relena said.
Dad smiled at me. "I should've known. Now, the rock goes around my neck when I am a wolf and when I transform back into a human, you touch the rock with your snout. Do you understand?"
I nodded my head and grumbled a bit. Relena came to stand by my shoulder, leaning into my new body. "You're very warm." She whispered. I lowered my head for her to pet it, her gentle fingers grazed the hairs on my head. I couldn't help but to close my eyes and let out a wolfy sigh.
I heard a bark ahead of me and saw my father in his wolf form for the second time. He nodded his head; it was time. I waited for Relena to crawl on my back and I ran after my father. She made fists with my hair and held on with all of her might to my scruff. Father taught me how to jump from branch to branch and we landed on the hill just after the miasma. He transformed back into his human form and Relena climbed off of my back. Father brought the rock over to my snout and I touched the rock with my snout.
The weird ripping sensation overcame my body again and I stared down at my human hands, and wiggled my human toes. "Welcome back." Relena said.
"Don't be so quick to stand up Landon." Dad coached. "Your body is not used to that transformation. You must give your body time to catch up." A few moments passed and then I was able to finally stand on my feet. Relena stayed by side, rubbing my back gently and helped me to my feet. I kissed her hand gratefully and we pressed on. Getting to the Temple of Time proved a bit easier. We flew over a great canyon, and trekked through the Lost Woods. Dad finally brought us to the ruins and led us up to the great door to the temple.
We passed through the portal and the ruins transformed into a beautiful temple. We went up illusory stairs and passed through the stained glass, behind which stood another door, in what Dad referred to as the "Chamber of the Sages". A massive bell was centered in the middle of the room with two grand doors peeking over it.
"This is where we split up." Dad said.
"Split up? I thought we agreed to find Mom together." I said.
"Yes we are, but there is much ground to cover and we don't have enough time. So you two," He pointed to a staircase behind us, "head up that staircase and search the rooms ahead of you. When you reach the dead end, turn around and come back. I will head through those doors and cover the rooms in there."
"Agreed." I said.
"Be careful." Relena cautioned.
I wished my dad luck and Relena headed up the staircase.
Link
I waited for the children to pass through the door at the top of the staircase before I opened the giant doors before. If I had not convinced Landon that there were so many places here for Zelda to be hidden in, he never would've agreed to split up. What he didn't know was that Shad was being held prisoner here before and I knew exactly where Zelda would be.
The room had not changed one bit; the traps were still set and running smoothly. "Hello old friends." I said to myself. "Long time no see." I bounded past the first trap, shot the statues with my arrows, and bounded past the swinging blades. I leapt over the small gap in the floor and rolled to my feet on the other side. I dusted off my tunic. "Still got it." I said to myself.
I ran down the sloped path and opened the last set of doors. "Zelda, are you here?"
"Link!" She called out.
"Zelda! Where are you?" I pulled out my lantern and lit it. "I can't see you."
"I'm over here! Link!" I finally found her, trapped in the statue.
"Don't worry my love." I said, as I reached her. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm going to get you out of there." I pulled out a bombling from my pouch. "Stand back as far as you can." I let the bombling go and it crashed into the statue. Zelda came out through the smoke, coughing. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me. "Oh Zelda. I was so worried about you."
"I was worried about you too." She sighed, digging her head into my chest. "I've missed you so."
"I've missed you too." She suddenly looked up.
"Where're Landon and Relena? Are they safe?"
"They are wandering around the temple looking for you. Don't worry, they're both safe and unharmed. We have to get out of here in case something shows up." I grabbed her hand and guided her back to the entrance. We made it back to the booby traps.
"Some things never change." Zelda said.
I laughed and squeezed her hand. "We can still do this." As if we were young again, we dodged each trap together without a scratch. We opened the doors and I heard Landon call out.
"Mother!"
Landon
"Landon, I don't think anything is here. This place looks as abandoned as the ruins." Relena said, still grasping my hand.
"I have the same feeling. Perhaps we should turn around now and meet up with Dad in the other room." I turned the two of us around and behind us stood a giant lizard with armor on its shoulder. It drew a sword and stared at me with hungry eyes. "Relena, run!" I told her. She pulled out her sword and looked ready for battle.
"Like hell I'm running. Let's double team this guy, we can take him together." There was no time to argue, the lizard charged us in that moment. Relena and I split up and attacked the creature from behind. We sliced into its backside and it let out a terrible wail. While it was distracted by the pain, Relena and I chopped off its head; the head crashed to the floor and rolled away. "Let's get out of here." Relena said.
We ran for the exit, eventually ending at the room with the giant bell. "Well, at least we made it out of there alive." I said.
"See, two is better than one." Relena said, huffing. She smiled at me and sheathed her sword. I did so as well and then I pulled her close to me for a hug.
"I'm getting tired of putting you in danger all of the time."
She laughed and looked me in the eye. "It's okay. I'm kind of into adventure. And when I'm with you, nothing will hurt me." She smiled. I don't know if it was the heat of the moment or the relief that we cheated death but I found myself closing my eyes and inching toward her lips. I couldn't tell if she was going to accept it but I was going for it. I felt her lean in close to me and our lips were about to meet when the door ahead swung open. I saw Dad and Mom coming through the door, looking exhausted and worn out.
"Mother!" I called.
"Oh Landon!" She called back. I bolted down the stairs and raced to meet my mother. I grabbed her in my arms and held her close. "Oh Landon. I'm so happy to see you. I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too Mother." I kissed her cheek and held her close. "Are you alright?"
"Yes I'm fine." She broke the hug and ran her hands down my shoulders, looking me over. "What about you? Are you hurt? Are you cut? Are you bleeding?"
I stopped her hands. "No Mother, I'm fine. And Relena is too." She suddenly saw Relena as she came down the stairs.
"Oh Relena, it's so good to see you dear." She broke our embrace and ran to Relena.
"It's good to see you too Zelda." Relena responded, looking over her shoulder at me. "I'm so glad we finally found you."
Mom broke her hug with Relena, kissed her forehead, and went back to wrap herself in Dad's arms. "What's happening?" She asked him.
"Zelda, I'll explain everything later my darling. But for now, we must go."
"Go where Link? I don't understand."
"We have to go back to the castle. And take care of this pesky problem once and for all."