Chapter Eight
Zelda felt a gentle shaking rouse her from her sleep. Blinking back exhaustion, she looked up to see Alfonzo.
"We're here."
Zelda groaned, taking a moment to stretch. Glancing out the window, she saw that the train, as Alfonzo had called the metal contraption, was no longer gliding through the green land as it had when she'd dozed off. Now it seemed like they were inside some sort of building.
"Did you sleep well?"
She turned back to her impromptu traveling companion, "Yes, actually, I did."
"Good."
They slowly made their way out of the train, not making much other conversation. They had talked as much as they could on the way there before Zelda had finally succumbed to sleep. After her last 24 hours, she simply couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.
Finally stepping outside the train, she took a proper look around. It seemed like they were in some sort of tower. The ceiling was certainly tall enough and there was a set of stairs on the far end. There were four doors, one of which they had come through on their way in, with sets of train tracks leading out of them.
"Who exactly are we looking for again?" Zelda asked.
"Anjean. She's the Lokomo Sage who guards the Tower." Alfonzo answered easily, "Link's met with her quite a few times. He had to keep coming back to the tower to help rebuild it. Hopefully she's home."
"As it so happens, I am." a new voice entered the conversation. The two of them spun around to see an old woman in some sort of mechanical chair turn around the end of their train. She had pink hair that was piled into a swirling bun on her head and a long angular nose. "I got back just a few hours ago."
"Got back?" Alfonzo wondered.
She nodded, "I was with Link and the Princess when they went to face Malladus."
"Malladus is gone then?!" the engineer burst out hopefully.
Anjean shook her head sadly, "In a way, but not the way that you would have hoped."
"What?" he was obviously confused, "What do you mean?"
"It is my belief that he was taken by the same thing that brought your new friend here." Anjean tilted her head and winked at Zelda.
Zelda's eyes widened, "Excuse me?"
"You fell through some water and arrived in this time period, did you not?" Anjean asked for clarification. At Zelda's nod, she continued, "It's a working theory, but I believe that is precisely what happened to the Link and Zelda of this time period, along with my apprentice, Byrne."
Zelda opened her mouth to ask the Sage a question, but Alfonzo beat her to it, leaning forward impatiently, "What do you mean?! What's happened to Link?! If this isn't Zelda, then where is her Majesty?!"
"As far as I can tell, they fell into another time period, much like this Zelda has. Hopefully they are unharmed." Anjean nodded to her again, "And don't worry dear. I know you are a Zelda, you have the aura of one, but which one precisely, I cannot tell."
Alfonzo huffed, obviously not happy with that answer, "And where were you when this happened?"
"I was with them." she said bluntly, "I told you that before. I watched their battle with Malladus. Just as her Majesty was about to reunite with her body, all of them disappeared. I looked all over, but couldn't find any sign of them. There was a slight trace of time magic, but it was tinged with darkness. At first I thought that Malladus was behind it, but I do believe he was a victim in the incident, suprisingly."
Alonzo glared, still worried over his own apprentice.
Zelda cleared her throat, "How exactly did you figure all this out? How do you know so much about what happened to me?"
Anjean gave her a small smile, "Well, once I saw that everyone was gone, I thought I had better come back to the Tower. I had to drive the Spirit Train myself, but luckily I did. As soon as I got here, I noticed that I had a visitor already."
Anjean turned to look behind her, "You can come on out dear. Neither of them will hurt you, I promise."
Zelda and Alfonzo watched eagerly as Anjean's visitor stepped out from where they were hiding behind the train, much like Anjean had done moment's ago.
They gasped when they saw her.
She was barely taller than Anjean, with long red hair tied back in a low ponytail. However, instead of skin, the girl had snow white feathers, and instead of a nose, a sharp beak. The girl looked to the ground shyly.
"This is Medli," Anjean introduced them, "She, like you, also fell through to this time period. We'd been chatting for a while, trying to figure everything out, when you showed up."
"Thank you for your help, but I really have to go!" Link insisted, pushing away another cup of red potion, "If the princess has been turned to stone then I have to help her!"
Gale shook her head, holding out the potion again, "You aren't going anywhere until you're fully healed! I don't care what you say, you're no help to anyone, especially the princess, if you're hurt!"
Link groaned, "You've given me so much potion that I could burst!"
Hailey rolled her eyes from the other side of the bed, reaching forward and grabbing his arm to forcibly push up his sleeve. Underneath, his skin was covered in dark purple bruises and he winced slightly as she poked one.
"Still in pain, still injured, you aren't going anywhere!"
"It's just bruises!" he protested.
Gale shook her head, "We didn't let Link leave when he was injured after getting the element, we aren't letting you leave injured. That's just how it is."
Link groaned, flopping back down onto the bed, "I keep telling you, I am Link!"
"Then you're a different Link. Either way, you aren't leaving until you are better!" Hailey practically growled at him.
"Drink up. Two more potions ought to do it." Gale held it out again.
Not having any other choice, Link took it, muttering under his breath about overprotectiveness.
Hailey heard him and snorted, "You are literally covered in bruises and only stopped bleeding an hour ago. You aren't allowed to comment on overprotectiveness."
Link chose not to respond to that, trying to gulp down the potion as quickly as he could. His stomach grumbled in disagreement.
He still had no clue what was going on, but while being force-fed potion after potion, he'd gotten a general story from the two sisters taking care of him.
He was still in Hyrule, but they said that Vaati had attacked instead of Ganondorf. He'd turned Zelda into stone, broken the Picori Blade, and freed countless monsters. Apparently another Link, one much younger than him, but still resembling him, was trying to stop him and save Zelda. He'd been here to get some sort of element a couple weeks ago.
None of that matched up with what he remembered happening.
He was more confused than ever, but if he wanted to find out what had happened, then he had to make it to the castle. The princess could explain from there. And, as he said before, if she really was turned to stone, then he had to help her.
He still had the Ocarina of Time, but he had already tried to use it when the two sisters weren't watching over him. He couldn't get in touch with Saria or anyone else. The Song of Storms still worked, but none of the Temple's Songs did. He couldn't teleport out of there.
Gale handed him another potion as he tried to sort through his thoughts. But the more he reviewed everything, the more he was certain he had to get to the castle.
After yet another potion, the two girls finally agreed to let him out of bed. His injuries, bruises and all, had finally disappeared and Link never wanted to see another potion in his life. His stomach was so full of the medicinal red liquid that it was a wonder he hadn't thrown it up yet.
"Can I finally go now?" he huffed.
Hailey rolled her eyes at him, "I guess. You're completely healed at least."
"Great, thank you!" he rolled his eyes and reached for his stuff. In a few moments he was ready to go. "What's the fastest way to the castle from here?"
"I'd suggest the portal in Grandpa's room." Gale told him, "It'll put you out next to Link and his Uncle's house. The castle is just north of there."
That made him stop and think. A portal directly to the other Link they kept talking about? That may be helpful. He was incredibly confused as to who this other Link was, but there was a chance, however slight, that he might be able to help him.
Ok then, change of plans. He'd meet this other Link first.
"Perfect." Link nodded, "Which way to your Grandpa's room?"
"We'll show you." Gale answered, walking to the door. Hailey followed with a huff, "I still say this is insane. What exactly are you hoping to do?"
"I'm hoping to find my friends and go home." he answered honestly. "I was in the middle of something really important. I just, I have to get back, ok?"
"I still say you should let one of us come with you."
Link immediately shook his head, "It's too dangerous. What if whatever brought me here happens again? Then you'd be taken away from your family, maybe permanently. I can't let that happen."
Gale led them up some stairs and into a room that looked remarkably similar to the one he just came from. In a bed on the far end was an older man, sleeping peacefully.
"Ignore Grandpa, he's been sleeping a lot to try to recover from when he was sick." Gale explained.
Hailey pointed out a glowing sphere on the floor, "Just step on this and it'll do the rest."
Link looked at it skeptically, "Are you sure?"
She rolled her eyes, "Have we lied to you yet?"
"That remains to be seen." he muttered to himself.
Luckily she hadn't heard him otherwise he was sure that she'd have started yelling. Instead, he just said, "Thank you again. I appreciate you healing me."
Gale smiled, "Anytime. Even if you aren't Link, we can't stand to see someone who needs help and then do nothing."
He smiled back before turning to the glowing sphere. Bracing himself, Link stepped on it gently.
Immediately he heard a loud humming and he felt himself begin to spin.
He spun faster and faster, the room blurring around him until he was forced to close his eyes, praying that the potions he'd been forced to take would stay down. Eventually he felt himself slow down until, finally, he stopped.
Opening his eyes, he saw that he was in a forest next to a hill with a small house on top.
He was here.
Despite what everyone else thought, Shad was not oblivious. He was passionate, especially about his studies, to the point that he got some tunnel vision. He could admit that. He would get so wrapped up translating ancient texts that he would completely lose track of time. He did not, no matter what Rusl teased, tune everyone out. He paid attention very well, just usually to one thing at a time. If he happened to miss something while paying very close attention to something else, then that wasn't his fault. It was an accident. That was it.
But, despite this, even he wouldn't risk getting distracted while helping his friends and Link storm Hyrule Castle.
So, when he followed Ashei around a corner hallway, trying to get to the throne room in an effort to find Link, and then suddenly wasn't there anymore, Shad knew that it was through absolutely no fault of his own. He had been paying attention!
That didn't change when the hallway gave out beneath him and he was suddenly swept away by some water underneath the castle. He paid attention, trying to keep track of which way the current was pushing him so that he knew which direction to go to find his friends again. He definitely didn't pay any attention to the very logical conclusion that he had most likely fallen into the castle's sewer system. It was the only answer for the consistency of the water he was stuck in, but that didn't mean he wanted to admit exactly what he was swimming in.
And yet, when he finally got away from it, Shad was confused.
He had been paying attention, very diligently. He hadn't missed a thing in that entire trip.
And yet, somehow, he'd ended up completely dry, not even sputtering for breath, against a cliff. He could see the castle in the distance, miles away.
'That isn't possible!' his brain sputtered at him. 'It simply wasn't possible! I couldn't have traveled more than a mile at most!'
That didn't stop him from gawking in amazement at the sight. It was even worse once he realized that he was nowhere near a sewage pipe, the castle moat, or even any sort of river. The water had absolutely vanished!
Shad sat there, leaning against the cliff, completely gobsmacked, as he tried to figure out what exactly had happened.
After a few minutes, in which he still wasn't able to figure it out, much to his frustration, something else grabbed his attention.
Above him, sweeping low over the small cliff, were two figures, flying through the air with a third clutched between them. They passed close enough for him to see them easily. Two old ladies, riding broomsticks, with a statue held between them.
Shad bit back a yelp, trying to huddle against the cliff even more and push down the panic that filled him. By some miracle, they hadn't seen him yet.
The two of them flew over him without even sparing a glance towards the ground. He could hear their voices arguing back and forth with each other, but couldn't make out what exactly they were saying.
Shad couldn't hear them, but he did see them. And he had been paying attention.
Those two witches, for he couldn't find a more apt name for them, held a statue of Princess Zelda between them.
Professor: We finally get a look at some of the villains! I'm so excited to actually get to the plot of this thing, but I have so many more characters I want to introduce first!
Hope you're enjoying it!