The Legend of Zelda: The Hero's Twilight, a 'Legend of Zelda' fanfic by Tsunami Storm
Chapter 8: Requiem
"I wonder if the Requiem of Spirit still works." Time mused aloud, and Twilight overheard him and shrugged.
"Why wouldn't it?" Ilia asked, and Time nodded. "It may work, but the Arbiter's Grounds is not the same as the Spirit temple of my day. That temple was destroyed years ago."
"Who destroyed it? And why?" Twilight asked, confused. He was hurt to think that an important piece of his ancestor's history had been wiped off the map.
"After Ganondorf was arrested and executed, the Hylian soldiers raided the Spirit temple and destroyed it. The Gerudo didn't worship Hylia or the three Golden goddesses, so the people of Hyrule saw that temple as a sanctuary of blasphemy. I'm not sure I agree, though. The goddess of the Sand may be an aspect of Din, or it could be the goddess of Time in a different form. After all, sand and time are often associated with one another. In any case, it's gone now. And so are the Gerudo, with the exception of your friend Telma."
Twilight gasped in surprise at this revelation, but then nodded in understanding. Telma was the only red-haired, dark-skinned individual he knew. She could be a descendant of the Sage Nabooru. Twilight thought to himself.
"Probably. Nabooru swore fealty to Zelda after Ganondorf was executed. Quite a few of her people did too. But not all of them. And thus, the defectors were wiped out." Time told them, looking down in sadness. A whole race driven to near-extinction for believing in a false savior.
"Maybe the magic adjusted to the changing times and will now transport us to the Mirror Chamber in the Arbiter's Grounds." Twilight suggested hopefully, trying to change the subject. "Either that or just outside the temple."
"I hope you're right, Link." The ancient hero answered, bringing the Ocarina of Time to his lips and sounding the notes of the ancient melody. Then the two heroes disappeared in a vortex of orange lights, leaving Ilia and Epona at the South Castle Town gate that overlooked Lanaryu Field. Ilia walked up to her best friend's faithful steed and put a hand on her silken neck.
"I guess it's just you and me, girl." Ilia whispered to Epona, who nickered gently. Please keep our Heroes safe, O Great Hylia. She prayed silently.
"Ilia, hon! It's been too long!" Telma beamed as the young woman entered her establishment. "How are ya, sweetie?"
"I'm doing fine, Telma. Thank you." Ilia bowed back, also smiling. She would be forever grateful to the woman for helping her when she'd lost her memory.
"Did ya meet up with Link? He looked like he was really missin' ya last I saw him." She asked, and the girl nodded. "They already left for the desert. May the goddesses keep them safe."
"Hear hear." agreed Telma, raising the empty tankard she'd been cleaning.
Suddenly the tavern door burst open and admitted no less than ten of Hyrule's 'finest', still clad in their armor and carrying their spears. They were courteous enough to at least wipe the mud off their boots before entering, and they stacked their spears and halberds against one of the walls before approaching the bar and ordering a round of drinks. Ilia tried to stay out of their way as much as possible, as she knew that men could get cranky when they were tired and hungry. Instead of the bar, Ilia chose to sit at the private table in the back that the Resistance had used during the Twilight War. She tried not to eavesdrop- as it was rude- but she couldn't help overhearing the soldiers' conversation.
"Can you believe our Princess sometimes? We've been lookin' fer this kid fer almos' a decade now, yet Zelda refuses ta believe th' prince is dead." One soldier grumbled before taking a large swig from his tankard.
"She's a stubborn one, all right. Must've gotten that from her ancestor. From what I've read of Hyrule's Golden Age, their Zelda was quite the tomboy." Another commented.
"An' we don't exactly have much ta go on. I mean, the boy disappeared without a trace just before his tenth birthday. Nobody knows what happened to 'im. All we got is a royal portrait. Like I said, it ain't much in the way of clues." Another contributed.
"Well, that and his name. And it's not exactly a common one. How many people do you know that were named after a Legendary Hero?" Their captain put in. "We've just got no idea where Prince Link could be, or if he's even still alive."
Ilia gasped aloud at that, and several of the soldiers turned and saw that she'd been listening.
"Hey, I 'member you." A rather portly soldier pointed at her. "Ain't you that young lady that saved that Zora kid an' took 'im ta Kakariko Village?" He asked, and Ilia nodded shyly- not wanting to bring up what happened at the end of their encounter. Some people could get violent if they were embarrassed or reminded of past mistakes.
The captain looked directly at her. "Do you know the prince, miss?" He asked sharply. "Answer truthfully, because this is extremely important."
Ilia gulped nervously. "Well, I don't know any prince, but I do have a best friend named Link. Rusl and I found him when I was nine years old. He was badly wounded and unconscious in the Sacred Grove."
"Did he bear any symbol of who he was? His royal garments, for example?" Another soldier asked.
Ilia shook her head. "His clothes were so torn and dirty that he'd blended in with the environment when we found him. A strange Golden Wolf had led us to him, and it clawed his name in the dirt before disappearing."
[Prologue to the Twilight ch. 1]
"A golden wolf?" One of the soldiers gasped. "Sir, could it be the legend?"
"Nah, that's just an old wives' tale. Wolves wouldn't save a human. And they certainly don't glow or know how to write." The captain disagreed. "But your story intrigues me, young lady. Please continue." He encouraged.
"Um-" Ilia faltered for a moment. "There was one more odd thing about Link. He has a birthmark on the back of his hand. A mark that looks like the Triforce. And sometimes it glows." She explained with a confused frown, not knowing what it meant.
"The goddesses' brand." One man breathed, the one who'd studied the Golden Age. "People say the Hero of Time himself had a mark just like that."
"Jus' because people say it don't make it true." Another growled. "Yer such a nerd." He ribbed, and the first man scowled and flushed angrily, looking down into his tankard of mead.
"The prince also had such a mark." The captain recalled. "People used to say he was the Hero of Time reborn or the like because he bore Farore's seal. Being a direct descendant of his probably didn't help the kid much either."
"Are you… saying what I think you're saying, sir?" Ilia gasped, completely nonplussed. Could her best friend, the Hero of Twilight, actually be-?
"The long-lost crown prince of Hyrule." The captain answered. "We've finally found him. Tell me, miss. Where is our prince now?"
"He went to the Arbiter's Grounds with-" Ilia broke off, not sure if she should reveal Time's presence just yet. "-with a friend. They're trying to quell this new threat on Hyrule."
"By themselves?!" One guard shouted, causing the others to wince at the volume. Clearly he'd already had one too many. "What can two barely draft-age teens do that th' whole Hylian army can't?"
"Well, our Hero of Twilight basically won the Twilight War singlehandedly." Telma commented proudly. "Trust me. Those two Heroes have got this 'in the bag', as they say."
Ilia could only gape at Telma after she'd basically insulted and humiliated the entire militia of Hyrule in one sentence. And so could the soldiers. Telma merely shrugged and resumed cleaning a beer tankard. "You don't like it, then change it." She added to those men who were glaring at her murderously.
As one, the ten soldiers in the room sighed. "She's right. We're pretty pathetic. We couldn't do a thing when Zant invaded and took the kingdom of Hyrule in less than an hour." The captain groused, banging his fist on the bar.
"Guess we need reckless heroes like our prince ta show us what true courage really is." Another added dejectedly.
"We need more than courage. We need to be more like the Knights of the Golden Age. They were trained by the Hero of Time himself." That 'nerdy' soldier from before claimed.
At this, Ilia and Telma looked at each other and grinned. "I think we know someone who can help with that." Ilia commented softly with a mischievous smile.
Time sneezed right when they set foot in the temple, and Twilight guessed it was a reaction to all the dust in the air. Time knew better, though. He'd never had allergies as a child or as an adult, and the only time he'd sneezed was in reaction to the cold of the Ice Cavern.
[That actually happens if you idle in OoT in the Ice Cavern. Go try it. NOW. It's really funny!]
"Farore bless you." Twilight said to his partner, and Time grinned and displayed the back of his left hand. "She already did." He joked. Both boys laughed at that briefly, then descended the staircase into the ancient structure.
To the heroes' slight surprise, nothing appeared to have changed in the Arbiter's Grounds this time- as was the case with the last three temples. However, the four Poes that had stolen the flames were conspicuously absent this time.
"Maybe they passed on." Twilight shrugged, but Time was still wary.
"Not those four. They were persistent. I first encountered them in the Forest temple of my day, and they apparently followed me all the way to Termina- because I found them in one of the houses in the abandoned Ikana Kingdom. Come to think of it, Flat and Sharp must've followed me too. The two Composer Brothers." He added to Twilight's confused look.
"That's strange, for Poes to have names." Twilight mused, and Time nodded. "Strong Poes tend to keep some remnant of their personalities. Like Flat, Sharp, Amy, Beth, Joelle and Meg."
"You called?" A female quartet of ethereal voices echoed through the chamber, and both heroes drew their bows.
"Oh, it's just that Kokiri guy and Wolf-boy." One of the Poes growled, waving a dismissive hand. She held a green lantern in her left hand, and Time recognized her as Amy.
"Aw, we thought it was somebody important. Nobody ever calls us by name except Mr. Boss-man." Another whined, this one bearing a reddish-orange lantern.
"Joelle, zip it! You'll spoil the surprise!" A Poe with a blue lantern piped up, spinning into her sister and smacking her.
"Ow, Beth! Your smacks are worse than his arrows and his wolf teeth!" She complained, pointing at Time and Twilight respectively.
Twilight rubbed the back of his neck apologetically. "Sorry about that. I just needed those flames you'd taken." Beside him, Time nodded- echoing his student's statement.
"Oh, we're not mad anymore." Joelle waved him off. "You just did what you had to. We understand. Same goes for you, mister Hero of Time." The look she gave him could almost be described as a coy smile.
"Joelle, for once in your afterlife, take things seriously!" The last Poe sister- Meg- growled, holding a purple lantern. "You know why they're here, so do what you're supposed to! The Master has a special surprise for these two. Go and get him!"
"Aw, you're no fun, big sis." Joelle groused before flying off and floating through a wall.
"What surprise?" Twilight asked, and Meg grinned evilly. "You will see, hero."
"How come you ladies look different now? I think I preferred your other forms." Time asked, and Beth shrugged. "Same reason the Kokiri kids look different. Changing times call for a change in appearance."
"Speaking of appearances, you haven't changed at all in a century, Hero of Time. Are you immortal or something?" Amy asked, looking honestly curious.
"Nope. I died just like any other Hylian. But I was resurrected in this age to deal with Hyrule's new threat." He explained, and Beth and Amy looked surprised.
"You weren't a Kokiri?" Beth asked, and Time shook his head. "They raised me, but my mother was a Hylian. I never knew my father. He died in the Civil War." He answered, looking down sadly. Twilight put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. He could relate. He didn't remember his real parents either. Rusl and Uli had filled that role when he'd first come to Ordon.
"Well, that's just perfect." A new voice wheezed. "You'll meet them again soon enough, when I sacrifice you to resurrect my liege!"
Twilight gasped in horror, then his normally handsome features contorted into a look of pure loathing and outright fury. The Poe Sisters' 'boss' was none other than the undead sorcerer, Deathsword.
"Ooh, scary." Deathsword sighed sarcastically. "I see you managed to regain your Hylian form, boy. Too bad that little imp wench of yours isn't here to transform you at will like last time."
Twilight saw red as rage burned in his sapphire eyes. Time put a hand on his shoulder, but he rather rudely shook it off. "How dare you speak of Midna like that! She was more human than you will ever be!"
"True, I suppose. I was never really human in the first place. Just a tool devoted to his Master. In my case, the King of Evil." Deathsword shrugged uncaringly. "I look forward to when we cross blades again, 'hero'. This was merely the prelude." And with that, the doomed prisoner disappeared in a swarm of black moths and the smell of decay.
"Well, there's your surprise!" Joelle commented almost brightly, floating back through the wall. "I wish he would've waited for me, though." She groused, looking put-out.
Twilight looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry I lost control back there, Time. He just- hit a really sensitive nerve."
Time nodded. "That was his goal, I imagine. To unsettle you. But don't worry, I'm not offended. Farore knows I've lost my temper before."
Twilight was surprised. "You have?" This shocked him.
Time nodded again. "History may have painted me as some sort of perfect hero, but in reality I was just like anybody else- shortcomings and all." He half-smiled abashedly. "I was quite a bit too harsh with the Skull Kid after the incident with Majora's Mask. It's a good thing he still has the patient understanding and forgiving nature of a child."
"Ugh. Is 'sappy hour' over yet?" Meg growled. "Don't you heroes have a mission or something?"
Time nodded and smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Yes, we do. Come on, let's show Deathsword the true courage of two Chosen Heroes!"
After putting Stallord to rest for now a third and final time, and after sending Deathsword back to the shadows to lick his wounds, Time and Twilight climbed up to the top of the temple to the Mirror Chamber. Or what used to be the Mirror Chamber. When both heroes set foot on the roof, a surprising sight met their eyes.
Gone was the pedestal that held the Mirror, as was the giant obsidian slab that once bore the portal to the Twilit Realm. Instead the giant statue of the Sand goddess was back, a snake curled around her form like a scaly ballet ribbon. The statue seemed to smile in the light of the flame in her cupped hands. But that wasn't the oddest thing about the room.
Gathered around the statue in a broken circle were five Sages, but the younger hero did not recognize their forms from his own quest.
"Rauru?" Time breathed, walking up to the ancient Sage of Light and trying to touch his shoulder, but his hand passed right through him.
"We're only here in spirit, Link." Saria giggled lightly at her best friend's dumbfounded expression. "Just like in the Sacred Realm all those years ago."
"But one of our number is missing." Darunia frowned. "The circle of Sages cannot be complete without her."
"Ruto." Time looked down. His first friend among the Zoran people was gone. He'd heard that Ganondorf had reduced her to dust just before his execution, and he'd been wracked with guilt for weeks afterward. Why hadn't he killed Ganondorf himself instead? He hadn't reciprocated Ruto's feelings, but he'd still considered her a friend. Even after he and Zelda were married, they had remained good friends and allies.
His mind years in the past, Time absentmindedly dug around in his 'special items' pouch on his belt and drew out both the Zora's Sapphire and Ruto's Water Medallion. "Oh, Ruto. Forgive me." He mourned to himself.
Just then, a familiar melancholy tune began to play from somewhere behind him, and Time turned to discover that Twilight had taken out his ocarina and was playing the 'Song of Healing'. However, it didn't look like he knew what he was doing. It was as if he were in a trance- as if some unseen force was guiding him- and his blue eyes were glazed over as if to prove it.
A strong urge to play the Serenade of Water suddenly washed over Time, and he nodded and brought the Ocarina of Time to his lips. Playing the five notes in time with the proper tempo, he was surprised to hear that his song and Twilight's blended in harmony at that moment.
Further surprising him, something in his 'mask' pouch felt hot, so the reborn hero drew out the source of the sensation. Sure enough, the Zora mask he'd received in Termina was glowing. He flipped the mask face-up to look at it, and the mask seemed to speak to him- pleading that he don it. Shrugging, the Hero of Time agreed- changing his form from Hylian to Zora in a matter of seconds.
Twilight and the others watched their old friend in increasing awe as Zoran Link removed one of his razor-sharp fins and drew it across his webbed palm. A line of red appeared and the warrior squeezed his injured hand over the Water Medallion, sacrificing some of his own blood for this mysterious ritual.
Nothing happened for several minutes, but then a female voice behind them spoke up. "Okay, how did you know to do that?"
Time took off his Zora mask and returned to his true form before turning to face the astral projection of his old friend. He shrugged. "It just felt right. I didn't really know what I was doing." He answered, confused.
"The legends are true, then." Nabooru commented with a grin. "Hylians have pointed ears to hear the words of the goddesses. They must've really needed you back, Ruto."
The Zoran princess somehow blushed, fiddling with the hem of her new purple dress. Time raised an eyebrow. Now she looks exactly like Lulu from Termina. That's an interesting coincidence. He thought to himself. Did the goddesses do that on purpose to mess with me?
[They totally did. Besides, I didn't really like the fact that Ruto was in her birthday suit in OoT. At least they remedied that in MM.]
"Can't keep order in Hyrule without a Sage from every race. That's partially how that Civil War started in the first place." Ruto shrugged. "Lack of communication leads to misunderstandings, and pretty soon you have a full-scale war on your hands. And war leaves orphans and widows and fatherless kids all over the lands." She looked at Time sadly, who looked down. That was his life she was describing.
"Can we change the subject? This one's depressing." Saria asked, a moody frown on her face. She could see how much this conversation was hurting her old friend, and she didn't like that one bit.
"Agreed, kiddo." Nabooru grinned. "Now that all six of us are back and the heroes are here, we can get down to the matter at hand: this new threat on Hyrule."
"There is one problem, however." Impa added, speaking for the first time. With an austere smile of greeting for Time, she elaborated. "We do not know the enemy's goal, what their endgame is."
Twilight frowned. "I do. Deathsword plans to finish what his Master started and conquer all of Hyrule, and then resurrect the demon king with the blood of the Hero." He looked at Time then. "Either one or both of us." He added, sharing a worried expression with his double.
"Well, that's not gonna happen." Time growled determinedly. "The goddesses brought me back here for a reason. And I'm gonna stick around till I finish my task. And I'd die before I let anything harm you, my son." He smiled, causing Twilight to turn slightly pink and smile back.
"Wow. Who knew you were so sappy, Time?" Nabooru teased lightly, and the elder hero scowled at her. "You were always so stoic when I'd known you."
Time just rolled his eyes and didn't answer the snickering Sage, who'd got Ruto giggling as well. Soon even Saria joined in, causing the young man to blush. "Oh, cut it out. Who says I have to be the 'Hero' 24/7? Can't I just be a normal Hylian father sometimes?" He asked with a frown, causing the giggling girls to feel a bit guilty.
"You were never a normal Hylian father, Link." Impa spoke up, smirking slightly. "You were already king of Hyrule when your eldest was born." She reminded him.
"Well, yeah, but- that's not the point. Can't I have some time to be silly and sappy instead of noble and heroic all the time?" He argued, and the Sage of Shadow nodded. All his life, Time had never had a chance to be normal. That was all he'd ever wanted, to be a normal guy and have a family. Twilight put a hand on his shoulder. "You can be yourself around us, Time. After all, we're all practically family here." He grinned, and Darunia nodded. "He speaks the truth, my Sworn Brother." He also grinned, mirroring Twilight's smirk.
"When you passed our 'test' and freed those carpenter friends of yours, I made you an honorary member of the Gerudo tribe. As far as I'm concerned, you're my little brother, kid." The Sage of Spirit grinned and winked, calling the grown-up Hero by her old nickname for him to lighten the mood.
"I watched over you for seven years while you were sealed in the Sacred Realm. I know that doesn't say much, but you are like a son to me, Hero of Time." Rauru smiled. "And I watched over your journeys as a child as well, through the eyes of the owl Kaepora Gaebora."
"We've been family from the very start, Link. You know that!" Saria laughed playfully, and Time smiled. He'd always seen Saria as a big sister, and the other Kokiri as cousins at the very least.
"Of course you're family, Link! You're my fiancé!" Ruto joked, continuing their little running joke. She hadn't felt that way about him since they were kids. But it was still fun to tease him about it.
"When I gave you that earring as a sign that you passed all of the tests of a Sheikah*, it was also a sign of 'adoption', if you will. From that day to this one, you have been- and still remain- an honorary member of the Sheikah clan." Impa told him, giving him a stern smile. "The Princess of Destiny- our Zelda- was like a daughter to me, so I consider you a son-in-law at the very least." She added, her austere expression turning just a little fond.
[The stuff with Time's earring can be found in the OoT manga. I forget which chapter. Go look it up if you want.]
When everyone was finished reminding or alerting the Hero to the strength of their bonds, Twilight again put his hand on the man's shoulder. "You said it yourself that I'm like a son to you, and I'm your direct descendant by blood. You'll always have family in me, master- no, father."
Time had tears in his blue eyes as he embraced his student and son. Though not everyone present could participate in the display of affection, they all felt Time's love for each of them as if he were embracing them directly as well.
It was in the oddest place that this epiphany struck the reborn Hero: Though he walked a lonely road as the goddesses' Chosen champion, he was never truly alone.
End of Chapter 8
Next Chapter Teaser: Recall
Gah! Sappiness overload! I need some tragedy to offset this sweet stuff! Eh, I guess I could go read chapter 4 again.
So, Ilia finds out about her friend's mysterious origins and royal blood, and Hyrule's militia discovers that their crown prince is still alive. Woo-hoo! Unfortunately, Link still doesn't remember, and Zelda's still in the dark too. Well, I think we all know what's coming next, then!
If you're wondering why Time doesn't just tell Link outright, it's because he's waiting for the memories to return on their own. I don't think Twilight would believe him otherwise. XD
Oh, I totally made that up with the 'bringing Ruto back' thing. And the Link and Zelda 'honorary Gerudo/Sheikah' thing.
Honestly, I had to gape at Telma too when she dissed the entire army of Hyrule. And I'm the one who wrote that! Dang, girl! You got some backbone!
-She's right, though. Hyrule's 'finest' are pretty pathetic in TP. Especially those cowards who chickened out of the escort mission. (Not that I can really blame them. That mini quest is a pain in the petunia.)
Ja ne, minna-sama!
God Bless!
Tsunami Storm