What Now?


Link stumbled towards the now-empty space, as if expecting to find the witches and Sheik still there. But they were already gone, with only the slight lingering feeling of magic tingling under his bark to suggest they were ever there.

How did things go so horribly wrong?

"Oh, goddesses, Sheik!" Navi was the first to break the stunned silence, stumbling over her words as she flitted towards the older Sheikah in jerking bursts. Distressed jingles punctuated her words "Impa, I'm so sorry, this is my fault! I messed up again! I should have done better I should have been a better guide I should have—"

Impa held up a hand to silence Navi. "Peace, Navi. This is not your fault. While I can't pretend that this is good, fretting will not help us. You said Sheik revealed his Triforce when he was caught by the monster." While her tone and her body language suggested calmness, her countenance remained strained.

Navi took a deep breath. "Yes, but—"

Impa silenced her again. "Sheik would not have done so if he didn't think it the wisest decision. He took a risk so that you three could make it here. You need to use this opportunity that he gave you."

"I know, but…"

Link tuned the two out, slumping to the ground in exhaustion and flopping onto his back. The heat of the moment had passed, and now he was beginning to feel his exhaustion. His whole body ached, and all he wanted to do was curl up among some tree roots rest for a season. But he knew he couldn't. He still needed to press on.

Something nudged him in the side, then Skull Kid leaned into Link's field of vision. He looked about as bad as Link felt, with new chips in his bark and a dark stain on his makeshift bandage.

"Hey," he began, a whine in his tone. "How much more before we can go home? This isn't fun anymore."

"I don't know," Link answered honestly. "It hasn't been fun in a long time." But it wasn't ever about fun, was it? It was a responsibility. Something he had to do for everyone. Something he had to see through to the end. But as he opened his mouth to try explaining this to Skully, commotion from Navi and Impa broke his train of thought.

"He didn't teach Link the song?!"

Link turned his head just in time to see Impa's air of calm shatter. One hand cupped around her mouth and the other rose to her chest as she took a step back.

"This is a problem. We needed those songs, Navi. We can't wake the last sage without it. And without them… Without them we can't neutralize Ganondorf's power."

"I know, I know! I just…" Navi paused. "Oh, what were we supposed to do?"

Dread crept through Link. They couldn't fail like this, not when they were so close. Not because of one thing going horribly wrong. There had to be something they could do. Something everyone was overlooking. A rescue mission was a possibility, but he wouldn't even know where to start. For all he knew, those witches could have taken Sheik anywhere.

He shifted, letting outa pained whimper as his battered body creaked. But it was enough to catch Impa and Navi's attention. "How did Sheik know the songs?" he asked.

Impa glanced in his direction, then cleared her throat and stood up a little straighter. "Sheik and Navi spent the last several years traveling just beyond the borders of Hyrule, looking for clues to piece the ancient songs together."

Sheik and Navi?

Link tilted his head. "Do you know the songs?" he asked the fairy.

Navi paused. "I… do. I think."

"Then could you teach me?"

"Maybe?" Navi turned to Impa. "Do you think that will work? I know the songs are supposed to come from the leader of the sages but… But I was there. I learned them because Sheik learned them. Isn't that close enough to the same?"

Impa hesitated. "It… It's worth a shot. You could even argue that he's still learning them from Sheik. You only know them because of him. And everything that's happen thus far shows how odd fate can be."

Groaning, Link staggered to his feet. He was already in pain, but moving made him realize just how battered he was. Old wounds had cracked open in the fight, slowly sealing over with fresh resin. His tunic clung to him in spots, including over the discolored scar where he'd first been struck by Ganondorf. He'd be sleeping these off for a long time.

…If he ever fully recovered at all.

But he couldn't focus on that now. There were more important matters at hand. As he approached, he fished in his bag for the ocarina, coming to a stop just as he pulled it free of all his other gear. Out of him and all his equipment, it was the only thing still in pristine condition. Still bright and glossy among all the dirt and damage.

"Okay," Navi began, her voice unsteady. "Let me see if I can remember…" She began humming a tune, only to falter. "No, that's not right…" Another, cut off in a third manner.

Then a third one that Link recognized as the first song Sheik taught him, the Minuet of Forest. A pang of hurt and longing struck him, but he forced it away. "You know this, Navi."

She hummed another tune. Falteringly, at first. But then she repeated it. Then a third time, confidently. "That's it! Link, repeat after me."

Navi began singing again, and Link raised the Ocarina to his mouth to slowly follow along. Then a second time, slightly faster. Then full speed. As the last melancholic note rang in the air, he glanced anxiously towards Impa.

When he saw the way she nodded solemnly, he knew it had worked.


"This is a disaster! Everything is ruined!"

Ruto's words cut through the distant crashing of waterfalls, high and distressed.

Link stood on the center dais in the now-familiar sacred realm. Impa, waking to the knowledge after his performance, had brought them both to the realm. Now, the two of them and Navi joined the sages in a heated conversation about Sheik's capture, Navi resting wearily on his shoulder.

Well, he himself hadn't said anything yet. Nor had Navi. Impa had been the one to explain the situation. Admittedly, most of the conversation was lost on him as his attention drifted in and out. But Ruto's outburst drew him back into the moment. He jolted, standing to attention.

Saria held one hand up to the zora. "Peace, Ruto. I know the situation is bad, but we can't panic. "

"Even so," Darunia cut in, "we could stand to get something more done than talking in circles."

"I don't see how it could be much worse," Ruto replied, her voice turning cold. "Ganondorf now has two pieces of the Triforce, and to make matters worse, Sheik was the only one that knew the song to wake the last sage. A sage that, need I remind you, requires Link here to sneak into the heart of Ganondorf's army to find."

"Couldn't we try to rescue Shiek?" Link asked.

"Out of the question, unfortunately," Rauru responded with a shake of his head. "Sending you to his castle would be impossible without the power of the all the sages. Not to mention foolhardy. The only option is to find the last sage."

Ruto crossed her arms. "But what about the song? We're already doomed as we are."

"Perhaps not."

All eyes turned towards Impa. "We still have someone who knows all the songs. I would not be standing before you without her." She nodded her head towards Link. Or, more specifically, the fairy sitting on his shoulder.

"Me?" Navi squeaked. "I mean, I do know them, and it worked for you, but…"

Darunia raised a brow. "But?"

"But I wasn't supposed to be the one to teach it! That was part of Sheik's roll. This goes against everything I was told."

"None of this was supposed to happen," Saria argued. "Almost nothing has been as it should. Almost everything that could have gone wrong, has. But we have to push forward, anyway. Because the worst comes to pass if we don't try." She paused before adding, "Besides, it worked for Impa, right? That means it'll work for our last sage, too.

Rauru closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "You're right. Navi. it is up to you to see us through to the end."

Navi stared at the sage for a moment longer, silent except for a quiet tinkling noise. She took a deep breath. "O… okay. I'll do it. I would have even if you hadn't asked. It just… honest to the goddesses didn't cross my mind."

Rauru nodded. "Good, that's settled. Which leads us to the next point of business… Link."

"The final sage will be your most dangerous challenge yet. You'll have to travel into the heart of Ganondorf's homeland in the desert and find a woman by the name of Nabooru. I'm afraid there is little I can tell you about her. My attempts to gather information in the desert have been limited by the danger of being caught. But if fate plays out how I expect it to… you'll find her at the Spirit temple. Finding a way to access the temple should be your first priority, regardless. If she isn't there, then you'll have to take your search elsewhere in the desert. Understand?"

"Okay." Link nodded, shifting his weight. "I'm ready to go."

"Good," Rauru replied. "But there's still one thing we need to do, before you leave. Impa, if you would."

He gestured to the Sheikah, who took a step forward on her pedestal and cupped her hands together against her chest.

"Right," she began. "Link, we Sheikah have served the royalty of Hyrule from generation to generation. As attendants, as messengers, and as enforcers from the shadows. However… I was able to do little more than spirit away the princess, and watch the kingdom I'd dedicated my life to fall. All because of one man's thirst for power. Still, I protected her as she grew. But I have a new task I must attend to. And I have to trust Zelda's fate to you."

She closed her eyes, and there was a long pause as she hesitated. Link could not be certain why — if she didn't trust him, if she was finding it hard to pass on her responsibility to another, or something else entirely — but the moment passed, and she continued.

"This medallion represents my power, my desire to protect and serve those I hold dear. Take it, knowing it, knowing you have my full support." A soft glow resonated in her hands, and as she held them out, a deep purple medallion formed from the light.

Link carefully stepped forward, splashing in the shallow water, and reached out to take the token. "Where is Zelda?" He asked, hesitating with one hand on the medallion.

"Closer than you think," Impa replied near immediately. "She's been hiding for some time. But she will reveal herself when the time is right."

That was a reasonable enough answer, he supposed. Even if he hated being left in the dark. Link gave the woman a solemn nod, then returned to the center dais.

"It's time you left us, Link," Rauru said as he raised one hand. "Time is of the essence. You as well, Navi."

"You have our support," Saria added with a gentle nod.

"That goes for all of us," Darunia chimed in, smashing his fists together.

Even Ruto had words of encouragement. "I'm… glad we were able to figure something out. You two are Hyrule's last hope. So… don't screw it up!"

As Link's vision began to fade, he swore he heard Impa say something more about Zelda, or perhaps about Sheik. But his hearing had already faded, and he wasn't able to make everything out before all went dark.


Link came to with the sensation of hard stone against his back, staring into darkness. Fire flickered in the corner of his eye as he sat up, a single torch fighting back against the oppressive gloominess. As he looked around, he saw Impa sitting across from him, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. Navi rested on her shoulder, but was coming to herself, stretching out like she'd just awoken from a long nap. How long had they been out?

Skull kid sat a little further back, visible only by the glow of his eyes. As Link shifted, his equipment clinking and clattering at his side, Skull Kid turned to look at him.

"Fiiiiiiiinally," Skully said, springing up and scampering over. "That took so long, I thought you were never going to wake up! You wouldn't leave me here alone, would you?"

Link tilted his head, eyes flickering with concern. "Was it really that long?"

Skull Kid waved his hand. "Details, details. It was long enough and that's all that matters!"

Link held back a sigh. Of course, he wouldn't get a straight answer. Not that he should have expected one in the first place. For one thing, time was all relative to a skull kid. And for another, they couldn't even see the sun in here! Who knew how long they'd been wandering about this terrible temple?

"Are you two ready to move?" Link turned his head at the sound of Navi's voice. She fluttered about, already prepared to move out and filled with anxious energy.

"Leaving already?" Skull Kid asked. Then, after a beat of silence, he added, "You know what? I didn't want to be here anyways. This place sucks!"

And then he scampered away, nearly vanishing into the darkness before Link could get to his feet and chase after. He caught up a moment later, Navi just behind.

"So where are we going next?" Skull Kid asked as Link caught up. "We've already been to a mountain and a lake and some spooky stuff, what is there left to explore?"

"A desert," Navi answered bluntly. She took the lead, flying down a particularly dark tunnel. Impa had pointed it out before the three of them entered the Sacred Realm, informing Navi that it was the quickest way out. "We'll have to be careful not to get lost. There won't be many landmarks out there, and time is something we don't have right now."

"Uh huh. Sounds boring." Skull kid let out a fake yawn.

"Skull Kid, this is serious," Navi chided, spinning around to glare at him briefly before continuing on.

"And?" Skully counted. "That doesn't make it any less boring."

Link shook his head, speeding up to run ahead of the bickering pair. Navi was right, time was of the essence. But… He glanced back towards Skull Kid, gaze lingering on the makeshift bandages. Then he turned his attention to his own aches.

Neither he nor Skull Kid was in good shape after the last battle. And they'd had far too many close calls already. How much longer could they hold up?


Cold stone hallways, rank with the scent of mildew and death, heralded Ganondorf into his dungeon. He'd had no reason to visit its depths in some time; most rebellions had long been quashed, and the few that remained weren't worth his personal hand.

But this was different. This was something he'd awaited for a long time.

He passed by cell after cell, headed for the deepest recesses. A regular cell would not do for this prisoner. Though knowledge of the Shekah was hard to come by, guarded heavily by the Hylian royalty, he knew better than to underestimate one. And even besides that, he could not risk losing this particular prisoner.

As he reached the deepest recesses of the dungeon, he came to a thick metal door guarded by two stalfos. One approached, emitting a series of hissing clicks from its unhinged jaw. Ganondorf knew enough about their kind to understand the intent: no problems had been reported and all was good.

He raised a hand to wave the stalfos aside, then pressed his palm to the door, channeling dark magic into his hand. The door responded to the magic, runes lighting up on the surface before it swung open.

The room was illuminated by a soft glow emanating from a large, semi-transparent purple crystal. Not only was the prisoner locked behind a door with a magical seal, a lock that only Ganondorf and his most trusted advisors could open, but he'd kept the prisoner bound within a separate magical prison. Few of his prisoners had required the types of magical failsafe he'd designed this room for. But this was no ordinary prisoner.

"I've been expecting you, Triforce holder," Ganondorf began, squaring his shoulders as he came to a stop in front of the crystal. He stared up at the Sheikah captive, a malevolent grin stretching across his face. The Sheikah said nothing in response, staring through narrowed eyes. Most of his features were hidden behind his garbs, Ganondorf could feel his anger and hatred permeating the air. It only made him grin wider.

"Nothing to say?" Ganondorf spread his arms wide. "I thought for sure you'd tell me how evil I am. How wrong I was to drive Hyrule to ruin. How your plucky band of rebels will come save you and stop me. After all, prophecy states I am to fall, now doesn't it, princess?"

He paused for a beat waiting for a reaction. But he got none. His smile faltered. He couldn't possibly be wrong… could he? No. All his intel implied Impa had been the last person following the ways of the Sheikah. The only way there could be another was if she passed her knowledge on to another. And the only logical protégé was…

He snorted. "Very well, keep your secrets. It will do you no good." He waved his hand dismissively, before flashing the back of his hand to show off the golden mark, the sign of a Triforce holder who had awakened to their element.

"It's only a matter of time before the last piece of the Triforce shows itself. And once I have it, not even the sages will be able to stop me."

Sheik still said nothing. Ganondorf scoffed. What a waste of time. He would love to twist information out of his prisoner, to remind the supposed princes how a real monarch treats their political enemies, even in times of peace. To make her crack and spill every bit of information she might have.

But no, he wanted her in pristine condition when he acquired the final piece. To see the look on her face when he used the Triforce for his own desires. Only then would he lay a hand on her, end her miserable life.

With another derisive snort, he turned, his tattered cape billowing out behind him.

Just as he reached his hand out for the door, his prisoner finally spoke.

"You are a fool, if you think you've won. I prepared for this possibility."

Ganondorf rolled his eyes, casting a glance behind him. "Did you, now?"

"Fate has a funny way of playing out, Ganondorf," Sheik replied. "And you were always fated to lose. You are a disgrace to the gerudo people."

Ganondorf whirled around. "Was it fate that left my people stranded in the desert, without resources or hope? Was it fate for the Hylians to prosper while we suffered?"

Sheik's expression suggested calm. "This was never about your people. This was always about you and your ambition. Your people still suffer in the desert while you waste your time ravaging Hyrule. You aren't fit to rule.

Rage bubbled in Ganondorf's chest. It would be so easy to cross the room and end the Sheikah. He could snap them like a toothpick. But with a deep breath, he turned away. No. He would stick to the plan.

With a grunt, he turned and slunk into the hall, slamming the door shut behind him.