Author's Notes:
To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed that I was too busy to post on the anniversary, so Happy Late 3rd Anniversary! Also Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate it!
Anyways hope y'all enjoy! This was originally just one big chapter, but I split it into two upon pondering the idea further.
Content Warning:
- sexual themes & implied scenarios
Like y'all saw the way the last chapter ended, I know you're not surprised. XD
Hylia's "Tour"
Fierce Deity woke with a pestered groan, hissing under his breath, "Curses, I'm starving!" Waving his covers aside, he realized this predicament was from failing to eat anything after they returned. He rolled his eyes at himself as he stood, the reflection of his silver rays briefly capturing his focus. They lit the room quite nicely. 'Hmph, not bad.' But he had to pick at the skin on the back of his hand, listening to his stomach growl at him, 'I could do better to ensure I don't wake up this way again. Very annoying.'
Listening to the door click behind him, he found a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips as he strolled to the Dining Hall. There were far less guards pointlessly lining the corridors. An eyebrow rose in question as he passed by a tiny pair of them, 'Strange…why are you so small?' Ignoring the obvious dread his presence put in the poor mortals' hearts, he realized his surroundings continued to gradually shrink. 'Why is everything becoming so small in general?' His ears perked at a few dozen more hearts pounding as he found himself ducking into the Dining Hall. He watched a sea of heads nod and murmur his acknowledgment. Quite appeasing. The old tongue echoed throughout the room, "Ah, I see. Too big."
'Odd,' he thought, confounded as he gave the men a simple wave and shrank to a less troublesome height. 'I'm not sure why I grew without reason…notable reason anyway. Hmm…' Wincing, he began to will the assembly of a bowl of oatmeal. Only his concentration kept getting interrupted by the men's apprehensive staring. His ear flicked as his low voice rumbled, "Hmph, don't let me distract you. Carry on about your business." Once the atmospheric buzz of conversation returned, he was pleased to soon find a hot bowl in his hands.
Despite catching sight of familiar faces, he had no intention of making conversation. He simply stood to the far right of the room and ate in silence. This didn't, however, keep him from observing the tidings of the soldiers…though not listening to their words either. His eyes surveyed a sense of unease, reluctance. 'Well, I can't blame them, I suppose. There's no doubt it's because of me.' His mind drifted back to how their hearts dramatically beat faster once he stepped in, 'They must have felt me coming, hm? That would explain the guards' pale faces too. Not to mention their disbelief I'm sure.' He swallowed the last of his oat mush, 'Very interesting.'
He sat the bowl with the other soiled ones and promptly left, figuring his companion was likely with the Princess in her room, 'I would feel bad if I didn't at least say goodbye. Besides, I can imagine the worry he'd stir had I simply left and he was unable to find me later.' Fierce Deity surveyed the lack of twenty guards outside her room, blinking as he realized, 'Ah, all those soldiers lining the halls when we returned was the King's response to keep the castle protected in our absence.' He snickered to himself, 'Overkill at its finest. I would have sooner believed there were more graduates from their little academy.'
Lost in his snark regarding the King's feigned strength, he didn't realize he'd grown again until he stood eye to eye with the top edge of Zelda's massive doors. He knocked twice before ducking into her room, his eyes brightening at the sight of his tiny companion. He happily sighed, smiling as he drew closer and resumed his typical height, "Goodness, I have no idea what possesses me to be so tall." At the same time, he analyzed the way the knight's gaze seemed to be expecting him when he entered. This confirmed his prior suspicions. "That said, it is easier to tell when you're around for reference," he mused.
Link's narrow pupils flicked between him and the Princess, his voice lightly lined with cautious uncertainty, "Time?"
Fierce Deity held his face, enjoying the way the silver light lit his complexion—well, more like perplexion. This only increased as he booped their noses together, chiming, "Good morning! I'll be out for the day, my spark. I thought I'd let you know before I go."
His eyes fluttered; this was news. "O-Oh okay. Where uh…to?"
He cunningly smirked, "That's a surprise, my knight.~" The god stooped to kiss his cheek, "I might be back this evening or, at worst, tomorrow morning." He hugged him, smushing his cheek into his temple, "I'll come see you when I return, of course. I want to see you try out one of those arrows tomorrow." One final squeeze, "Goodbye for now!"
His mushiness produced a modest smile, "Ahem, s-see you later. Hopefully it's fun!"
"Oh.~" The deity's eyes shined brighter as he twirled the knight's hair around his finger, "You'd know, hm?" He waved his fingers and diminished before his eyes, excusing himself to Hylia's domain. He scanned her cloud plain, dismissing his silver aura. "Hylia?" Strange, she didn't appear to be there. He winced as her old nickname rolled off his tongue, "My starlight?"
A particular ray of sunshine beamed beside him, brilliantly shining to reveal the silhouette of the Goddess. She threw her lips on his, squealing with joy, "It feels like it's been eons since I've heard that name!" The glow of her cheeks extended to her ears as she fanned her face, "I've had an… interesting morning, but I think you've just made it, my love.~" Normally the Goddess went without clothes, though for now she wore a short, white, silk slip dress with slits cut in the skirt at either hip.
He took her into his arms, pressing his forehead into hers, "Aw, I'm glad to hear it! So," their eyes met, "what all are we doing today, my sweet?" 'Because I truly don't have a clue and it's been picking at my mind. Besides, knowing you, you always have something planned.'
Hylia coyly thumbed his cheek. Perhaps she caught onto his suspicions, "My, I figured I'd finally take you on a tour of the realm. How does that sound?" She glanced at the position of the sun, "Unless one might consider it to be dawn still?"
"One doesn't, pretty Goddess." Fierce Deity kissed her cheek before setting her down and taking her hand, "Otherwise, I'd love for you to show me around! Where will we go first?" 'I'd like to think seeing the scenery might help me recall more about myself.' After all, spending time with her only opened more opportunities for recollection.
"Ooh! Let's go to the Central Domain first. It's so beautiful at this time of day!" They warped from her domain, reappearing in front of a huge, marble arch with the words "Central Domain" artistically inscribed in it. "Here we are!"
Sparkles floated from his eyes as he took in the entrance, let alone the beautiful sanctuary beyond it. While this was, in a sense, a part of his true home, he could hardly believe it. Dainty flowers spotted the rich green grass, each blade curling in the most peculiar way—very charming. He gasped as she led him through the gate. Fantastical, winding trees provided ample shade with their tresses of leaves and pastel blossoms. Cozy marble benches were situated not far off the path. Finally, the center of the sanctuary hosted a modest fountain; perhaps it didn't wish to compete with the grandiose of the gate.
His other hand had yet to leave his chest from sheer wonder. He could see her amusement from his peripherals. "I…I have no words…and yet I'm sure there's far more too."
She giggled with excitement, bouncing on her heels, "Come, you'll see.~"
Beyond the wooded entrance was an enchanted meadow home to the smallest amphipteres he'd ever seen, little worm-like dragons with wings ranging from that of a typical dragon to those of a fairy chased each other with excited chirps and clicks. One floated by, it took the colors of the flowers from the trees in the sanctuary.
"Careful," Hylia eyed it, "they nip sometimes."
Still, he cooed at the mystical creature, "This one's cute! I presume they live in those trees back there?" It could have fit in the palm of his hand.
She nodded, "They keep any unwanted pests at bay." Then she motioned to the pond just over yonder, "Though, every century or so, I end up culling the ones who like eating the water jewels."
A very straightforward name, for the bright, colorful luster of the pond skaters could have easily been mistaken for a floating gem. "Goodness…I can't say I blame you. When was the last time you did that?"
Her eyes glancing elsewhere indicated she likely didn't enjoy the process herself. She sighed, "Last week." Hylia nodded at the perception in his gaze, "Yes, there are normally more of both in these meadows. You know how things are. Their population will return with time, and then inevitably evolve to enjoy the lazy water jewels."
He chuckled at her nonchalance, "Lazy how?"
"All they do is skate around!" She playfully shoved him with a laugh. "Which is fine of course, they're meant to be decorative. Otherwise, the amphipteres have to work to catch the other pests flitting about the air. It's easy to understand why they'd sooner or later opt for easier food."
"Well what if you let the ones who like the skaters still exist? Wouldn't they learn to skate away or dive beneath the water? Maybe develop a sort of toxin that makes them taste bad?"
"Oh I've tried," her eyes grew solemn, "I nearly lost them every time. Then, when Farore and I tried to breed them for more brilliant colors and hopefully more wit, they proved not only to be lazy, but weak-willed too." Moving on, with a wave of her hand, a sparkling fish rose into the air inside a bubble of water. She made it swim around his head, "As I'm sure you know, this is Everpond which pools into Everlake down below. It's best known for it's shimmering waters and far more exquisite specimen, such as this wishcarp and the water jewels."
A metallic dragonfly with six wings hung onto his bangs as he strolled closer to the cliff's edge nearby, "I see several gazebos on the water too." His brows came together as he squinted, "Ah…several occupied gazebos…" The structures appeared to stay closer to the lake's shores with docks leading to each one. In addition, three larger pavilions making the symbol of the Triforce floated directly in the middle of the water.
The Goddess released the carp back into the pond, "Really? I'm sure at least one is open. Let's go see."
They returned to the stone path, traversing down a natural staircase. Halfway, Hylia decided she'd rather be carried, so she sat on his shoulder when they reached the bottom. 'Well well…' He was right. 'These are very occupied.' Looking past a plethora of skin, it seemed the Triforce-pavilion was the only one missing any inhabitants…even if the others were temporary at best.
Fierce Deity didn't find an issue with the "voyeur's paradise" unfolding before him until he felt more and more of the gods' and goddesses' gazes on him. Unsure, but feigning otherwise, he gave them a polite wave as Hylia hopped down and pulled him to the water's edge. '…why are they staring? Was my absence really so head-turning that they'd stop in the middle of their affairs to look at me? It seemed like most of them couldn't believe their eyes!'
Another aspect he respectfully noticed was—similar to himself and the Golden Goddesses—they all had various shades of skin ranging from dark to light. Only Hylia stood apart from them with hers being a radiant gold, though not necessarily metallic. 'Hm…I suppose this is the consequence of willingly giving up your immortal body for a mortal one, huh? Perhaps you're only left with the physical manifestation of your spirit since it died. Why not create another immortal form, though?' He internally winced, 'Actually, that might have something to do with fate.' He winced more at himself, 'Did I really do what she did? My issue is that I would never do so in the first place. She had her reasons, but I couldn't conjure one if I tried.'
Meanwhile, Hylia was entirely unfazed, sweetly commenting, "Of course my darling has quite the keen eye." She nodded to the marble structure ahead of them, "I've always preferred the pavilion anyways."
He meant to ask if they were going to swim over, but the next thing he knew, they were walking on the water! No thoughts, no magic, just strolling along the sparkling surface film until they reached the platform. It must have been muscle memory, for he stepped up first and hoisted the Goddess up next. He kissed her temple as he gazed around the structure, "I can see why you would prefer this."
Each sector of the Triforce wore its respective colors via the airy curtains hanging in each corner, the cushions adorning the canvas furniture, and through the flowers and other decorations. They happened to enter from the "wisdom" sector, so, likewise, everything was largely blue or accented with blue. The center triangle held easy access to the water should one choose to sit on the edge or hop in. The fierce god would say it held a "tropical" feel despite the surrounding land being made of clay and sand without a single palm tree in sight.
There was a slight wobble in the floor to get used to as he walked around to take a closer look. In the outer corners was space for a tiny bar, the throw pillows on the couches had golden tassels and trim, and all the flowers were different colored lilies and hibiscuses, though the sector for courage had yellow flowers instead of green. He turned to look back at the Goddess when a familiar voice poured into his head.
'…you too Time, please don't let me say something I shouldn't.'
Fierce Deity abruptly blinked as the voice began to fade, "I-I think my companion just… prayed to me to some extent?" 'That's interesting…all it takes is referring to me by name? Or at least a name I've specified? …It could also be specific to him too.'
Her eyes lit up with curiosity, sounding mushy, "Aw, that's adorable.~ Whatever about?"
"He wants me to make sure I don't let him say something he shouldn't. Mind sitting with me while I listen in?"
"I'd be happy to."
A few seconds into snooping on his companion's peculiar conversation, a blatant strangeness came over him. After glancing at the Goddess, he realized it didn't feel right to have her simply sit there. In fact it felt rude. He took her hand and brought it to his face, purple sparks igniting between them, "May I?"
"For a gesture so small? Ha, I'm surprised you even asked!" Still, she was flattered, "Of course you can, my sweet."
He kissed on her until he felt the particular topic of Link's conversation had gone on for too long, "Excuse me for a moment." The fierce god didn't physically leave, only closed his eyes to spiritually intervene—another gut-driven action. 'No wonder Hylia used to speak to me this way when we finally made contact again. I can tell that thing beneath the castle is blissfully unaware of me rather than cowering like before.' When he returned, he knew better than to think he was done eavesdropping. His lips hardly touched hers before he rolled his eyes and "left" once more. "Well, that should be the end of that. I can't imagine being a patron god."
She played with the tips of his ears, "Hm, I suppose some things about you never change, don't they? Though, to be fair, from how they've been using my name over every little thing, I only take a peek when it's something very very dire. When we strolled together on the plateau, it only confirmed how loose they've become with their tongues. They're fine more often than not anyways." She shrugged, "I'm sure there's a number of them that take my silence for neglect, but they're far more resilient than they're willing to give themselves credit for, my love." Hylia wistfully sighed. "They've yet to understand that it's a good thing when they don't need their goddess."
"Ah," this certainly altered his perspective, "so taking up a patron position is more like a fail-safe in your case?" His brow quizzically rose, "They all expect you to lend them guidance."
"And through their introspection do they often find the answer yet award me the credit, my sweet." She had a point. "Silly, aren't they? But I enjoy them nonetheless."
He smirked, "So what of their priests? Do you whisper odd things in their ears from time to time?" 'I doubt it's beyond you to do such a thing.'
Hylia laughed, playfully pushing his shoulder. "You're suggesting I tell them nonsense to spin into a lecture?" She laughed more, snorting, "You're terrible! I try not to do that!"
The sound of her snorting will never leave his memory for as long as he lives. It made him laugh too. "There's no way you haven't done it once if not several times by now, Hylia! I don't believe you!"
The back of her hand fell over her face as she dramatically admitted defeat, "Fine! You've caught me!" She leaned in as she recounted a few stories. "Ah~, my sweet, I think the silliest thing I'd ever done to a priest was bleat like a goat. Just once. Another time I was trying to give a more rural village directions to prepare them for a harsher winter, and my goodness they nearly slaughtered all of their cows! The bleating was a couple hundred years ago to amuse myself, but the mass murder of cows was about a thousand. Things were much different then, and while they had leather to keep themselves warm, they felt the weight of their actions when spring came."
"Ha! I'm sure they did!" Which reminded him, "Speaking of which, what era are all of these shrines and guardians from?"
"That's right, you weren't around to watch their construction, were you?" She pulled the straps of her dress back onto her shoulders and stood, drawing a rectangle in midair with her forefingers. When she snapped, the image of a beautiful city appeared, "Ten thousand years ago, in this cycle, the Sheikah had grown their intellectual prowess to heights even I was impressed by. Remarkable, aren't they?" An image showing the construction of the guardians appeared, "There's always been a certain balance between the Sheikah and the Hylians. Yes, I made them to aid the royal bloodline I created, but it's been interesting to watch how they're revered change over time. By this point, while still under the control of the royal family as designed, they'd gained a significant amount of respect from the Hylians. Sheikah was synonymous with being an artisan, scholarly, and notably in touch with the divine—me."
Fierce Deity smiled as the image of a decorated priestess emerged, "You made them aware you were impressed with their work?"
She sweetly chuckled. "I couldn't help myself.~ Hence why they're so easily controlled by you and I. Sometimes I made my presence known through them to humor their makers." Her cheery demeanor remained as she sighed, showing a picture of a crowd of whom he presumed to be Hylians, "But, of course, when I speak to anyone, their status tends to elevate beyond their control. Expectations for them rise even faster. This is a property of their society that has remained constant through time. Though they did well to maintain their eloquence through it all."
Next was an image depicting a half-constructed Vah Naboris, "I tasked them to create defense measures to ensure Hyrule's safety and tasked the monks to create challenges for the future hero to overcome. To prove his worth, of course. I might as well make it interesting for the Hero's Spirit. These machines manned by their champions alongside the hero and the sacred powers within the princess would serve to seal Demise's newest incarnation, 'Calamity Ganon.' And they did. Easily. Without fail." Hylia glowed as her hand rose to pridefully sit at her chest, "They attained something close to peace for a time."
He watched her shine fade, "And then their silly king told them to bury it all, fearful of the Sheikah's creations. Some of them appeased him and others split, creating the Yiga."
She thoughtfully nodded, "Yes, exactly. Now, while I loathed the king's orders—after all, it was sort of my project too—I loathe traitors more. That's likely the most annoying thing about this cycle, my sweet. You can imagine what it's like to watch those I created so long ago turn on me, and worse yet, worship my only enemy! If they didn't become such a disappointing faction and truly knew how to function to Demise's liking, I would have damned them all as they split." Her ever-flowing hair fell flat behind her, her voice turning icy, "I learned from you that they're still no better despite all this time. I also learned that perhaps they're not in touch with Demise's incarnation either if they're using old blood curses to serve me." Hylia's eyes glowed, "Tsk, imbeciles."
'Your perspective of them is surprisingly refreshing.' He nodded along, minding the dip in her temper, "I have to agree. Though, I have a couple of questions."
Like flipping a switch, her smile returned as she waved her projecting rectangle away and returned to his side, "Ask away."
"Since you tasked them with building the divine beasts, what creatures do Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris take after? I don't think I've ever seen anything like them before."
Hylia blinked, "Oh really? Well, Naboris is based on a camel and Ruta is an elephant." She projected miniature, sparkling silhouettes of the animals into the air, "See?"
"Aaahh, that makes far more sense now. I've genuinely been stumped on this since I first saw them." He watched them fizzle out, realizing her hair returned to its usual flowing state, "As for my other question, what do you mean by cycles?"
Now she chuckled, "Okay, I might understand camels and elephants slipping your mind, but cycles? We used to all get together and theorize when a new one began!"
"How about you indulge me just for fun then?" He asked, 'Though now I wish I could remember what you're talking about. It sounds interesting. But who and how many is a part of "all?"'
Her eyes held a peculiar glint as she considered his request, "Hm…well, you did miss the beginning of this cycle after all. Maybe you really…" She shook her head, "Never mind that, my apologies." Hylia took a breath before explaining, "As you know, Demise, the demon king whose constituents gave him claim to a false godhood, cursed my bloodline and the Hero's Spirit to face incarnations of his hatred for all of time to come. Well, by doing this, he also essentially cursed me. Because I'll never die, my bloodline will forever continue, and his curse will never fade." Their eyes met, "'Everlasting peace' is only real to those whose lives are short enough to assume such a concept exists. Each cycle is based on his incarnation's ability to bring my people to such destruction, to such ruin that they have no choice but to start anew."
She shrugged, "Don't get me wrong, of course. No matter how fate twists, my people succeed every time in one way or another, even when it appears otherwise. Perhaps it's fate this is so. A new cycle comes with a new incarnation of Demise's hatred. When he battles to the point of my people toppling, he often topples as well, and thus a new incarnation is needed to continue his curse." A finger rose, "Now, what is most interesting to me is how my people's progression isn't always tied to the end of their cycle. For example, this one is still continuing. It's lasted over ten thousand years by now. Yet, they went from being incredibly advanced to far less advanced, all thanks to their king deciding the technology was dangerous."
His brows rose in astonishment, "That's…wow." 'Who knew his selfish decision not only caused the Yiga to exist, but also took a huge step backwards in general.'
Her disappointment was obvious, "Yes, they often cause their own regression. It's a marvel to witness." She got back on topic, "Either way, new cycles come with their own prophecies too."
He understood, "Prophecies that are conjured by fate."
"Precisely, so…even I'll admit it can be hard to push them in the right direction without saying too much. For now, this feels like the same Calamity from last time." Her eyes flicked to his, a thoughtful tone coming forward, "I'm surprised honestly. I watched that last skirmish ten thousand years ago and it was hilarious watching him suffer. Delicious actually." Her hand flopped back into her lap, an aloof aura permeating the air, "But, my sweet, what do Hylians do when they no longer have a wretched threat looming over them?"
He could recall bits and pieces of the war his companion occasionally mentioned, "Fight themselves?"
"Ugh! Yes! And I'll tell you it's always for naught. Those who stray from my light either become a darkness to be vanquished or worse." She shook her head like a mother whose children get on her nerves. Then she stood once more, smiling as she tugged the god along with her, "Well, I suppose that's enough of that. Let's continue with the tour, shall we?"
Fierce Deity perked up, "That's right! Where to next?"
He came to realize the land surrounding Everlake spread into several different regions which then spread even further into others. Central Domain was huge. Practically a world of its own! Hours later, they walked through a valley of waterfalls that poured into a whimsical jungle. "By the stars, the patterns in that big cat's fur were nothing like I've ever seen before!" They happened to spy one from afar.
"Ah~ the Vyprés...yes, I love how they sassily prowl around." She took his hands, "So, had any favorites, my love?"
He breathed a smile, "So many! But the crystal caves in Frigarrd have captured my heart compared to the rest. It takes my breath away just thinking about it!" If not for the crystal's translucent nature, they could've easily been mirrors. They twinkled like stars against the black rock they grew from. He kissed her hands as he watched a grin stretch across her face, "Hm? I doubt it was your favorite too." 'After all, you were busy watching me react to everything.'
She shrugged with a sly crease to her eyes, "Oh, you'll see what I mean later.~ For now, let's head to the Sacred Domain, hm? I want to show you a few things."
Interesting. 'I would've never thought there was a "sacred" portion of the Sacred Realm…is it perhaps the site of creation or something akin to that?' The paradise around them melted into a plain of short green grass. They made a trail through the light fog that hovered just above the ground as they strolled together. The blue sky felt endless. The clouds above inspired wonder. A thicker layer of condensed vapor covered the land as it sloped upward. In fact, this domain was home to several thunderheads, though only a few off in the distance stormed. The vast majority appeared peaceful.
Breathless at the sight, his eyes drifted to the Goddess's. Of course she was watching him. He had to laugh. "What is it? Am I awfully expressive today, my sweet?" 'Though, thinking about it now, it's possible I've forgotten this observant side to you.' A different chord struck, '…Why haven't I remembered anything yet?'
Her defenses sounded natural enough, "Well, it's been so long since you were last here. I'd like to hope you're happy to be home, dear." She gestured ahead, "I think you'll like this first stop." She led them to a paper-thin, twisting arch of clouds, nodding for him to step in first.
Fierce Deity paused, glancing it over, 'Hm, seeing as there's nothing beyond this arch other than the rest of the domain, I'm assuming this must be a sort of portal.' Bearing that theory in mind, he readily went through, finding himself in a vast, dark space. He stood on a familiar blue platform where an even more familiar ginormous owl sat before him. His eyes sparkled with joy as Hylia appeared a moment later, "Rauru!? Is that really you?" 'I'd recognize this wonderful owl anywhere!'
A yellow eye flicked open, its pupil dilating from a thin slit to a wide circle as it found his face. The great great owl seemed to smile back as his low voice filled the starry void-like temple, "Hoo! What splendor it is to find the fiercest god before my very own keen eyes!" Rauru spread his massive wings, grandly motioning to their surroundings, "I personally welcome you and Hylia to the Temple of Light!"
He blinked, his head tilting to one side. It didn't seem right for the wise owl to intentionally forget to mention aiding him in his efforts so long ago. He chuckled, morphing into his younger form while retaining his white hair and eyes, "Don't you remember helping me however long ago? Your explanations were so long and thorough!" 'Really. I'm aware I'm wise myself, but—strangely-ten-years-old at the time or not—you taught me to listen the first time. It was dreadful listening to you repeat exactly what you'd said, my feathery friend.'
Rauru froze, stupefied in the middle of bringing his wings back to his sides. His pin-sized pupils flicked between the god and Hylia, "Oh—OH MY STARS! THAT WAS YOU?!" He genuinely couldn't believe his eyes.
He watched his hair turn blonde, "Of course!"
This shocked him further, "I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA!" Flabbergasted, he seemed to mull through his own memories regarding the god's hero-quest. His head turned upside down when he was done, "Well, but then I look at you now and you certainly still have a mortal body! So strange!" Rauru laughed, playfully flapping a wing in his direction, "Hoo! You really had me tricked! I should expect nothing less from you!"
Fierce Deity returned to his less egregious self, nodding at his words, "I'll have to agree with you about the strangeness of it all. Not even I have an explanation for my little, corporeal situation."
His head returned to its upright position, "Hmm…very interesting." He folded his extended wing close to his body, wearing a pleased expression, "Well, you're permitted to stay for as long as you wish. I'm sure you recall that this temple no longer serves as a gateway between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm. We…certainly learned from the events of your quest to become the Hero of Time to say the least."
'It seems like you have more to say regarding my body. What do you know? Or think you know?' Perhaps that was a discussion for a different time. It was clear the owl didn't wish to linger on the subject. He spoke with a lighthearted tone, "I can't say I'm surprised there!" He caught Hylia's eye, they flit from the owl's to meet his, "Though, we should resume our stroll, yes?"
The Goddess took his hand, "Of course! It was lovely seeing you, Rauru."
"The same ten-fold to both of you! Farewell!"
It struck him that there wasn't an obvious means of leaving the temple…until Hylia simply led them to the ledge and hopped off. They reappeared through a veil of cloud fluff outside the arch, gently landing on their feet despite plummeting into darkness the moment before. "If only I knew that was how you normally left!"
"Abstract, isn't it? I have to compliment Rauru on the ingenuity of it from time to time." She knowingly nudged him as she began to lead them toward what seemed to be a hill. The light fog had condensed into visible clouds. "I can sense your questioning mind, you know.~ Ask away, my love."
'What were you telling him with your eyes back there?' "Actually, thinking back to earlier, it seemed like the others from the gazebos wanted to…talk to me? Why didn't they?" The clouds cleared at their ankles as they continued, revealing a regal marble path. Pairs of beautiful bird-statues held gilded lanterns from their beaks overhead.
This caught her attention as their pace slowed to a meander. She was frank but didn't hide the fact she was confused by his query, "Ah…well, we were clearly busy. It's not their place to interrupt us, my sweet."
'Not their place? Is there some kind of ranking system I've forgotten about? Hm.' His brows feigned his realization, "Oh right, I remember. I guess it briefly slipped my mind." Onto the next question, "Where are you leading me now?"
She smirked, waving her hand to reveal a vast garden whose petaled patrons perked at the light of the sun overhead. Ahead of this sat four magnificent temples. "You'll see! Though, I think you'll enjoy this even more than our first stop."
As the words left her mouth, the familiar lurch crept around his chest and hovered about his head, 'Seriously!? Now?' He mentally groaned, 'Aside from my companion's loose tongue, what's causing this now?' Though, as they continued, he figured it had something to do with the temples, for it faded the closer they got. He gazed ahead in awe; it was clear which temple belonged to each goddess.
Hylia's proudly stood the farthest up the path above the rest, like a townhouse to a village. With how each temple was within close proximity of each other, it truly was like a small village composed solely of lavish temples. Din's temple, with its fiery red walls and black, blazoned shingles, sat diagonally to the right of Hylia's. Nayru's elegant, blue temple was across from Din's, sitting diagonally to the left of Hylia's. She utilized marble arches to provide an exit for the several waterfalls that flowed from her estate. Finally, Farore's rustic, earthy temple was beneath Din's, leaving what seemed to be a vacant spot under Nayru's. Though, perhaps it wasn't so vacant, for a large fluff of clouds filled the space. The courageous goddess's abode was responsible for the flourishing vines and grass among the more "manicured" flora.
He winced as they came closer, 'Are those spider webs? I'm a little surprised by you Farore.' Then the Goddess directed his attention to their left, "Yes?"
Smiling from ear to ear, Hylia waved her hand. The clouds beside Nayru's estate misted away to reveal another temple. She happily sighed, "Ah~ I've been looking forward to the day I could showcase your temple once more, my love."
His mouth dropped open as he watched on, astonished.
Meanwhile the Goddess spoke as if she were in love, her folded hands smushing into her cheek as the rest of the clouds cleared, "Weee! It's finally complete again!" Her pale eyes flit to the clearing at the center of the temples, "Oh look, the fountain!"
A beautiful fountain depicting the Triforce at the center had four thin streams of sparkling water crossing through the empty middle triangle. Now they witnessed a fifth stream join the rest. The sculpted triangles glowed as the fountain itself began to radiate a prismatic array of colors.
"It's beautiful…" He was still processing everything she'd just revealed, yet his smile remained as he watched her bounce on her heels while jostling his hands.
"Isn't it! I can't tell you how much I've missed its glow!" She motioned back to his temple, "Shall we? No use in standing out here!"
"O-Of course." His heart fluttered as they paused in front of the entrance, 'This is starting to feel familiar…' Especially as his gaze met the complex insignia embedded in the huge metal doors. Without thinking, he stepped forth, his hand rising to touch the cool material. Sparks of electricity popped from the tips of his fingers. They raced to illuminate his symbol line by line. Returning to Hylia's side, he took in the rest of the exterior as the doors slowly creaked open.
Aside from the metal doors, the walls appeared to be made of dark stone brick. The kind he'd expect to find in some evil ward's tower. Though, as he gazed higher, he realized the bricks became lighter, but never entirely white. Like the others' temples, the exterior showcased several tiers of shingled roofs. A vicious wolf-like gargoyle was perched at each corner. Some even appeared mid-kill with …demons between their spitting jaws. Another interesting aspect of his temple was how the cracks between the bricks misted. He couldn't tell if it was dust or perhaps something akin to dark storm clouds.
"Are your clouds busy today?" the Goddess asked, "Normally they'd be hovering about by now."
"Good eye." He nodded, "Yes, I've stationed them elsewhere for the time being. You know, keeping a watch over a certain someone."
She grinned, nudging him, "Ah~ I suppose I'm not surprised then."
Walking inside revealed a hall of various horns sticking out from the walls with a glass-like floor beneath them. His eyes widened in dismay as he watched Hylia run her fingers over the curled horns.
"Oooh! I remember this one!" Her finger hit each ridge, "Such a nasty little demon wasn't he?"
'Aha, so my first hall is full of trophies?' He touched the other horn of the pair, flinching as his mind was brought back to how he obtained them.
Fierce Deity stared the snarling behemoth straight in the eye. He'd wrestled it to the ground without so much as a scratch. "New, aren't you?" He grunted, "You'd have to be an outcast for the others to let you wander so far in Betwixt."
"AN OUTCAST!?" It roared, struggling beneath him, "JHIRVOBA IS THE STRONGEST OF THEM ALL!"
"If you were so strong, you'd eat the weak beneath you rather than storming through our Spiracorn field. Your strength matches your wit really." He cocked his head, a wry grin stretching across his face, "Now, I might take only one of your horns if you'll tell me the path you took through Betwixt."
It writhed even more at the mention of losing a part of itself, let alone cooperating with the divine, "NOOO! NEVER!"
He rolled his eyes, his gaze landing on the Goddess calmly sitting atop one of the magnificent spiracorns, "Well, seems we'll have to figure that one out ourselves, my star." He willed the demon's neck straight as the double helix sword materialized into his hands. With one swift strike, he took off both of its horns. He listened to her footsteps draw closer.
She chuckled as they witnessed the rest of the beast become absorbed into its horns. "I truly never tire of watching their fickle existence fade before my eyes. Especially with the gall this one mustered."
"I must agree.~" He pecked her cheek before swiping the pair off the silken grass, "I'll mount these when we're done here."
The god blinked as the rest of the memory faded back into the daunting hall. He couldn't help his conniving grin, "A nasty one indeed, pretty Goddess." 'I was wrong about this hall.' He had to chuckle to himself as he took in the vast amount of horns down this particular stretch, 'These aren't trophies. They are my prisoners.' Recalling one of his functions as a warden felt invigorating.
He waved on, "Let's keep going."
"Of course!" Hylia stayed close to his side, "You know, I was curious if any of them would escape while you were gone."
His brows rose as the thought of hundreds of demons running amuck from his temple permeated his mind, 'Oh my goodness…that would be terrible.'
She shrugged, "I gave it a thousand years or so, my sweet. but after seeing they had no intention of escaping, I wasn't worried. They should know better anyways. If you didn't sense them—which I'm aware is quite impossible—we would." Her finger came to her chin, "Though, it is fun to imagine Din absolutely losing it on the little wretches. We both know how she loves to play with her food, per se."
"Oh absolutely." 'I don't have a clear memory of that, but that's certainly within her personality.' Beyond the Hall of Horns was a spacious room with tall ceilings. The atmosphere felt far more welcoming than the prior hall. Instead of a reflective, glassy floor, this one featured a giant rug with intricate designs. As he peered at the walls, he realized the paintings were quite peculiar. They didn't depict him nor his divine neighbors. Instead they showed corridors, corners, and the occasional door. 'Strange. Though, if my hunch is correct, I bet I can walk right into them and they'd take me to wherever they depict.' Otherwise, there were a few cushioned benches near the walls to lounge on.
He decided they'd continue exploring the ground floor before tempting the paintings. He was most impressed with the sheer size of everything. Other rooms were more compact, yes, but they were still huge compared to some of the bigger spaces within the castle. Most notably, each room held a couple of paintings to act as doorways too. He smirked to himself as they found themselves on an upper floor, catching a view of the others' temples. "It's so wonderful to be here again," he mused, taking Hylia's hands into his own. 'Especially since I've recalled a few things. For example, I can practically see the last spar I had with Din up here.' Especially the fire blazing from her eyes, 'Ha! She was so mad she lost!'
She happily smiled, "My heart sings to know we feel the same way. I know the other three will be just as thrilled!" Her eyes lit up as her expression turned playfully sly, "Ooh, I just had an idea!"
"What is it?" 'Will it tell me why you're starting to blush too?'
She ran her fingers through her floating hair, catching his eye, "There may or may not be some time still left on our hands, my silver star.~ I was thinking we could spend it in your domain together, hm?"
"What are we waiting on though?" 'I don't remember you saying we were doing anything else other than the tour…'
"That's right!" She threw out her hands, sending sparkles of light in every direction, "Surprise! Nayru and I are throwing you a party to celebrate your return! We've been planning it ever since I found you speaking with that little demon in that village." She deviously giggled. "You'll have to forgive me. The tour was a bit of a ploy, but I couldn't seem to find another way to get you back up here without spoiling our plans, my love."
He picked her up into a hug, "By the stars, thank you so much! Both of you!" He sat her down, seeing the faint sparks flying off his face in his peripherals. The feeling of delight ballooned in his chest, "I can't express to either of you how much this means to me! When does it start?"
Hylia coyly shrugged, "I have to keep some elements of it a surprise, don't I? Just know that we still have some time to kill." She put a hand on her hip, "So what of us going to your domain, hm? It's been eras since I've been there after all.~" The Goddess explained, "See, the Sacred Realm as a whole is generally made up of everyone's domains. However, for the five of our domains, you'd need permission to enter…if you were everyone else. Though, since you're one of us, we can all come and go into each other's domains as we please…but," her fingers laced together, "not when you're not there of course. After you disappeared, we all soon lost access to you, in a sense."
'Interesting…just what am I a part of?' He figured it was best to be straightforward, "Well, as much as I'd love to take you there, believe me when I say I truly don't remember how to get there." There she went, acting as if he was playing his games. He tried to reason with her, laughing, "Truly, I don't! How's this: If I could remember, I would've taken my companion there by now too."
It was clear she didn't particularly believe him, "Very well, my sweet." She held his chin, "We can stay here too, of course. It wouldn't be the first time." Once again, her cheeks and eyes lit up, "Right! My favorite part was the hot bath you have!"
The next thing he knew, she took him by the hand and led him through a series of paintings, all while she murmured about how she had no idea why she hadn't added one to her own temple. Minutes later, they stood in front of an empty, semi-outdoor bath. The bath itself sat under the open sky, though the entrance to it remained under an overhang with dark tiles. He watched Hylia wince.
Her hand partially covered her mouth as she muttered under her breath, "Oh right…I did empty this." She turned to face him, sounding frank, "I didn't want anything growing in your absence." She motioned to the little vegetation at the bottom of the basin, "A little moss is nothing compared to sky mold, my dear. One word: dreadful. And I have no idea why it exists either!"
Fierce Deity smiled; it was nice hearing her talk this way. 'I would've never thought you could be so inconvenienced by sky mold.' Together they sorted out any unwanted flora and, most importantly, got the water running into the bath again. They disrobed and sat on the edge as they watched the waterline rise. "Thankfully it's a little shallow, so it shouldn't take too long to fill."
Hylia wearily dipped her toe in, "Indeed. Though unfortunately it won't necessarily be hot so to speak."
He waved off her worries, "That's fine, I'll just use a bit of fire." A thankful kiss was planted on his cheek.
"Oh right! I nearly forgot you could do that." A small white flame danced on the tip of her finger, "I'd use mine, but then we'd be back to where we started with an empty tub." She suggestively sighed, catching his eye, "Besides, I was in the mood for something wet anyways.~ I'm glad we went with this idea."
His slyly brows rose at what she implied, "Tch, well well," a grin slipped onto his face, "count me as yours then. Though, what's the occasion? …Aside from having time to kill, of course." 'Clouds above…why are you laughing?'
Her giggles ended with a lofty sigh, "I'll put it plainly then. You've been gone for nearly twelve eras, my beautiful confidant." Hylia nodded at his surprised expression, "Mmmhmm, gone nearly twelve eras and back with all these scars he has no plans of getting rid of either!" She flipped a lock of hair behind her shoulder, her other hand fanning her sparkling face, "You can expect my full attention for the next hundred years for all I know. For the third time, I've missed you." The Goddess eyed him from head to toe, "Quite sorely, might I add."
He put his hands up, laughing, "Alright, alright. I understand your sentiments." 'I suppose it's safe to assume the same of the Golden Goddesses as well? That would explain Din's swift ticket back to her bedroom while I was on the plateau.' "One last question though, and before you hear it, just humor me, okay? Let me have my fun." 'Even though I'm genuinely curious.' "Why do I have a temple with the rest of yours? I by no means want it moved. No, not at all." The fierce god kissed her temple, "Not to mention, we're all pretty separated from the others and possess a courtyard entrance too." 'I want to connect the dots as to why the others would have to ask permission to talk to us earlier.'
Her smirk was snide, "Link, you're one of the five sworn protectors of this realm. Of course your temple is with the rest of ours! Besides, our sphere wouldn't be complete without you." She couldn't maintain her devious demeanor as she swooned, "But now it finally is!"
"Ooooooohhhh," he mouthed, unable to hide his newfound understanding, 'So there is sort of a ranking system…and I'm essentially at the top… Me, you, Din, Nayru, and Farore are all the sworn protectors of this realm? Well, now I really AM dying to know what happened to me twelve eras ago! How do I forget something as important as this?' Before he could ponder the rest of his pressing questions, he was getting pulled into the lukewarm bath. He shook his thoughts away, "Right, what exactly are we doing again?"
Instead of getting an answer, he watched her lean backwards until she was completely submerged. His head started to tilt one way before her hands popped out of the water, grabbed his shoulders, and began pulling him toward a similar fate. He finally caught her drift by the time his nose touched the water, 'Hylia…by the stars…' Fierce Deity chuckled as he shook his head.
"You realize I still need to breathe, right?"
The bubbles rising to the surface weren't concerned.
Link watched in stoic awe as the remainder of the god's silver sparkles disappeared into thin air, 'Oh, so you're literally…huh. You probably went somewhere that's either really important or really none of my business…probably the latter.' He shook himself from his slight daze and resumed his prior stance, catching the Princess's eye. 'Oh no.'
"You're not…" Zelda blinked at him in disbelief, "You're just not going to say anything? About any of that?"
'Damn. I am really bad at acting like I know as much as everyone else. I don't even wanna know how you're so good at this Time…' "Well, what is there…to say, Your Highness?" 'Help, this is an awful start.'
She listed plenty, "You're not surprised that he was glowing? Why was he acting like that toward you? Where is he going? What was he implying before he left?" She took a breath, "Frankly, there's too much to say about all of tha—"
He motioned for her to quiet down as his eyes drifted toward the ceiling, 'There are more eyes on us than we thought…' "I…" he winced, "can't really…tell you."
Zelda frowned, "Link, what do you mean you 'can't tell me!?'" Her voice turned from astonished to stern, "And how dare you try to silence me!"
He spoke quickly, bowing his respects, "I sincerely apologize, Princess, but if there's one thing I learned, you absolutely cannot meddle in the divine's affairs. At all."
"M-Meddle?" She made a face, "But those are simple questions!"
'I wouldn't say simple.' "I know, but even though he's our friend and ally, his whole being-a-god-thing is way bigger than we think. Bigger in the sense that there are dire consequences for asking the wrong questions!" He tried to keep this cordial, but the pertinence of the topic was too great. His eyes wouldn't leave the ceiling as he strolled over to her. His tone was hushed, "Princess, he told me you could get cursed forever— and that applies to them too!" He shook his head with a sigh, "I don't know anything else, but I'm very sure that's their biggest rule: staying out of each other's business."
A streak of fear cut across her green eyes, "Cursed? Forever? Them?"
'Hylia above…you too Time, please don't let me say something I shouldn't.' "What do you mean by 'them?'"
She brought her hand to her chin as she winced, "There are multiple…?" A light lit her eyes, "Well of course there are! Sorry, I was thinking of only Hylia for a moment. I—well—" She waved her notion away, pulling out her journal, "So…which questions can you answer, Link?" Zelda quizzically smiled, intrigued, "How much do you know about this?"
"Um…" his eyes dropped to the floor, "I'll be frank, I probably have less than a toe in the door if we're speaking in general. Otherwise, he glows like that when he's…more like his god-self?"
"Really? Interesting…" She continued writing as he spoke.
He folded his hands together, "Well, as for where he was going, I genuinely have no idea. I don't have the slightest idea what he was implying either." A finger rose to his chin, "Yeah I…no."
She hummed her interest as she tapped a dot onto the page, "What about the way he acted toward you? That was…" she eyed him, "…interesting."
Link chose his words carefully, "From my understanding, they, referring to the gods and goddesses in general, seem to have a very romantic culture compared to ours. Well, we would call it romantic, anyway. I tried to tell him, but he genuinely couldn't comprehend how that word describes it."
She held up a finger, "Ah, I see! I suppose it was similar to how he kissed my cheek to say goodnight? Why couldn't he see how that word describes it?"
He half shrugged, "You're asking the wrong person. It's our best guess." 'Though I think I recall him saying something about his head fogging when he tried to understand what I meant. Did the same thing happen a second time? At the pond before we came back?'
"Hmm…" she stared into space before blinking back at him, "So what about what he called you? Spark?"
His heart beat a little faster, "U-Uh…that's—" He jolted as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Something pushed into his nose.
Don't, my spark.
You've said enough on the topic.
Words couldn't leave his mouth, only gurgles.
This is a private conversation, no?
Think, don't speak.
'T-Time!?' He easily recognized his voice echoing around his head. 'What… what just happened!?' Now his heart raced. It was as if they spoke on a different plane of existence.
I'm keeping you from saying something you shouldn't, just as you asked.
Remember?
'You heard that!? I mean—thank you of course—but I thought I was talking to myself!' The sensation from his nose disappeared.
Of course I did. You said, "you too Time." I can't ignore that, can I?
Anyways, just so you're aware of what's happening, you're physically unable to speak on the subject until I return.
This isn't a punishment nor are you in trouble. I figured you might like it, actually. They might stop asking questions.
He considered this…but knowing he wasn't in trouble was really all he needed to hear, 'Oh…well I suppose that works.' His eyes widened at a soft sensation grazing his cheek.
I'm glad.
Also, should you find yourself in any real trouble, my clouds still float overhead.
Goodbye once more, my beautiful spark.
Link gasped as the Princess's bed chambers melted back into view. Zelda's voice pushed into his ears.
"Link? Link!" Her eyes were glossy, her tone changing from one of worry to relief, "Oh thank goodness!" She wrapped her arms around him.
It was nice to be reminded that the Princess did somewhat care about him. The sentiment ended when he mentally screamed as his eyes briefly connected with Impa's. 'AAAAHHH! WHA—HAS SHE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME?!'
The Sheikah wore a look of concern, "How did that happen!? That was the exact same thing that happened to the Hero in front of the Temple of Time!"
Zelda let go, looking hopeful for an answer.
He took a breath, gathering his words, "So, one second, I was talking and then the next thing I—" Not a sound left his mouth. He flinched, his hands coming to his throat, "Wh-what?"
The color drained from their faces.
Shaking his head, he tried again. "Sorry, I said I was talking and the next thing I—" Nothing but air as he moved his lips. Meanwhile, he internally smiled to himself, 'Sweet, so that's how this works. I'm gonna have to make this up to you somehow. Maybe you don't owe me a point after all!' For now, he swallowed, showing his mild discomfort, "Maybe…this is a sign of what I said earlier…"
Zelda's hand wobbled over her mouth as Impa spoke, "Do you think you're cursed?!"
He felt his throat, pretending to feel for some hidden abnormality, 'No…I get the feeling I'd know if I was. This…seems like a warning to me." 'If I have Time's mega storm to go by, I feel like they'd tell you straight to your face and probably make it the event of the century too.' He shrugged, regaining his typical, stoic composure, "We should just drop it for now."
Impa cocked her head, "Wait, but can't you nod 'yes' or 'no' to our questions?"
Once again his eyes rolled out of view. A sigh from the fierce god bounced around his mind.
My goodness, do they really think they're that smart?
'I won't deny it's a little clever.'
Hmph…perhaps.
Now, mind if I…try speaking through you for a moment?
I won't say much.
He mentally shrugged, not finding much of an issue with this. Besides, surely this will get them to cease their questioning. 'Yeah sure, go ahead.'
The knight's eyes glowed as the god's words left his mouth and echoed throughout the room, "I am forbidden to speak on the subject in any way, shape, or form. The Laws of the Sacred Realm will see it so."
'Wow…that felt weird.' Is this what getting possessed is like? Now something pressed into his other cheek.
Did it? My apologies.
Hopefully you shouldn't expect me again.
He frowned, 'Well wait, what's this stuff touching my face? What is that?' Turns out the answer was simple.
My face.
His voice seemed to move from one ear to the other.
I'm here with you, you know. You just can't see me.
When my voice leaves, so do I.
'Oooohhh okay, so it's not exactly like telepathy.' His head tilted one way, 'Why can't I see you? Is there some way I can?'
No, my spark. You'd have to be one of us too.
The god sighed once more, this time more wistfully.
Goodbye once more.
The following gasp even shook his ribs. He coughed hard, one hand sitting over his chest while the other cradled his throat, 'Oh man my throat hurts.' His tone was hoarse, "I-I…really don't think…it gets any clearer than that…" 'WAIT WHEN DID THE REST OF YOU GET HERE!?' He realized Purah and Robbie now stood across from him too. His eyes found the Princess had a light hold of his right forearm.
She appeared a tad shaken. "Are you okay?" Zelda asked, "Your eyes were glowing too!"
'They were? Geez…' He stood up straighter, releasing his neck, "I'm fine."
Impa glanced over at Purah, "He's got a point, you know." Her sister didn't appear to care, only rolling her eyes.
The Princess continued to think aloud, "The Laws of the Sacred Realm?" Her gaze met his, "Why…this must mean you're talking to a god or goddess when that happens to you!" Then her eyes widened in dismay, "A god or goddess spoke to you!? Did they say who they were? What are these Laws?"
Link kept himself from scowling, his eyelids only rising in surprise, 'I thought it was obvious a god was talking to me!' He mentally shrugged, 'Well, but then technically none of them heard him but me. I guess him speaking was the nail on my foreseeable coffin.' He initially nodded before trying to speak, "Yes, bu—" 'but I don't think I can say their name and I don't know what…aw dammit.' One hand held up two fingers and the other held up three fingers to hopefully signify her second and third question. He shrugged twice. 'Okay great, they seemed to understand what I meant.'
Purah cocked her head, commenting, "Well whatever they did to keep you from talking is pretty inconvenient."
Impa began to nod in agreement when her eyes widened.
Zelda did the same as she pointed at her.
They thought the same thing: "The Champion's Ceremony!"
"And each time after that!" Impa continued, absorbed in their discovery, "Who was the Hero speaking to?"
"I-I have no idea! Could it be—"
"—Hylia herself?" Robbie's brows rose over his mask.
"Mmm…" Purah tapped her cheek in thought, "But what could she possibly be saying to him, though? Especially then."
Impa threw out her arms, "But there's no way it wasn't her in front of the Temple of Time! We were so close to her statue!" She gestured back to Zelda, "In fact, wasn't that what both of you were theorizing? That it had something to do with the statues?"
The Princess's composure slumped as her mouth dropped in realization. Her hands covered her face, sighing, "Of course we were that close to the answer." Her gaze drifted to her knight, "Time surely wasn't lying about his sphere over tricks…"
He nodded, understanding how she felt, 'Trust me, I know…though, while what you're all saying is making sense, and he did tell me he was with one of his own… can we really be sure it was specifically her?' Link processed this theory further, 'Well, but then again, it must have been—'
"Wait what?" Purah interrupted his thoughts, "Who's 'Time?'"
She regained her typical posture as she explained, "Oh, that's how we're now referring to the Hero. He told me we could call him that."
Impa's sister winced, "Interesting…and what about spheres? I know he's akin to a god now, but…" she put a hand on her hip, "clearly I don't have all the information."
Zelda held out her hands, "Oh, no actually the both of you were right, he is a god. It's my understanding that he's been one all along. Anyways, trickery is just one of his spheres of influence, so…just continuously putting two and two together." Her eyes met Impa's, "Back to what we were saying before, can you recall if the people mentioned what they were talking about?"
He could feel his heart beginning to flutter again, "But wait!" He tried to ignore the far-too-interested gazes collectively coming from the Sheikah as he faced the Princess, "First, don't you remember what I said? Second, how can we be so sure it was her?"
"Right…" She crossed her arms in thought, "Link told me the divine have very particular rules, the most important seeming to be that they stay out of each other's business."
Impa shifted her weight to the right, "Or else what?"
Now the Princess searched his expression as she spoke, "You'll get cursed forever."
"Exactly." 'Am I sweating?' He could feel a drop trying to form at his temple, 'Let's see how much of this I can say without getting cut off…I mean, I'm not talking about him so…' "As for my other point, I originally thought it must be…her… too, but the other statues in the three other temples look exactly like the mini version of her throughout Hyrule. Even then, I'm pretty sure Time said they weren't her. They were the goddesses of those temples…" He shrugged, "I'd say their names, but I think I'm barred from doing so. You get what I mean."
The other four looked between each other.
Purah wore an easy smile, "That's a good point…but while I can believe that for the smaller statues, the giant statues of Hylia were created by the priests of old at her command." Yeah, she let that sink in. "So, sorry, there's no way he wasn't with her."
The tips of his ears grew hot despite his cordial tone, "Forgive me, but why does it matter if we know what they were talking about or not? Their rule of affairs still applies to us!"
Impa insisted otherwise, "But what if it was something about the Calamity? That would be incredibly useful information!"
"Why would they talk about that!?" Is what he was dying to blurt. Instead he held his peace, pretending to understand where she was coming from with a simple nod. 'I'll be frank, if I were to take anything from how he apologized to Zelda, it's obvious he can't help us with this. Not because he doesn't want to, but because something— probably the fact that he's a deity—makes him incapable of doing so.' He thumbed the pommel of the Master Sword, 'After all, I've seen the prophetic tapestry. He's not in it.'
A few minutes into their discussion of different theories over what they could've discussed, Zelda was the first to call it off. "I…really don't see this going anywhere." Her eyes drifted toward the ceiling, "I also…worry about the integrity of this conversation." She quickly explained, "Because the clouds—his clouds…" Zelda shivered, looking to her knight, "I can't lie, the thunder from last night…how it shook everything… I know you still remember the way it felt too. Besides," she wore a small smile, "surely none of you would mind asking him yourselves if it was terribly pertinent, right?"
None of them were enthusiastic about the idea.
'Yeah why am I not surprised?' If only he could cross his arms. 'And I certainly remember the thunder, Princess. You should see the way he fights…intensely brutal but also inspiring…but also "thank Hylia I'm not your enemy."'
She changed the subject, "So, Robbie."
He looked up from his sketch pad.
"You said three guardians awoke at the citadel yesterday?"
Robbie fervently flipped through the pages before turning it around to show everyone. The image depicted three rampaging guardians, "Dear Hylia yes! Though," he pointed to the colorful designs on the machines. Everything else appeared half-colored. "I might note they all turned teal just like a couple days before!" He shook his head, "They gave us quite the scare when they started pointing their lasers at the citadel! We thought they'd become cannon fodder for sure…" He rubbed his chin as his head tilted one way, "Then, strangely the citadel fired at this golden glowing wolf with a black, caped rider, and lightning struck it out of the sky! Now, I don't know this for sure, but I mention it because when the wolf howled—terribly terrifying by the way—it was only then that the three guardians turned on the citadel! Beforehand they were doing the same as last time, just running amuck." Robbie tapped the edge of his goggles, "I personally think they're connected."
"I'm glad no one was hurt…" Impa muttered, "A golden wolf with a black rider? Who was the rider? Could you see them Robbie?"
"Sorry sis, they were too far away." He shrugged off her scowl at the misuse of "sis."
"But of course you'd ask about that," Purah smirked, "I've been wondering the same thing. I'm also still trying to connect the dots between what significance the color teal has in all this too. Teal is close to blue, sure, but…still. Too loose of a connection."
Link had long resumed his typical stoic silence. He didn't plan on breaking it. 'I think I'll die before I'm convicted of war crimes by association. Besides, I pretty much said "stop" and then he said "grr" because he was a wolf, and then, the next thing I know, I suddenly had a lot more to worry about other than getting sand in questionable places.'
Meanwhile Zelda flipped through her notebook. "Hmm…" her finger paused on a particular line she'd written.
From his point of view it appeared that she sketched a decent-looking guardian on the page too. This must have been from when Time helped them with… He blinked, 'Oh shit…'
The Princess motioned to Robbie, "So you think the wolf was the one controlling the guardians?"
He bobbed his head up and down, "That's my theory, yes."
"Well…and I don't intend to point fingers, but…" she sighed, "the only other person we know that can control the guardians is…Time." Her pupils widened, "Which actually makes more sense now considering he's a god! I wonder if that was a part of their intended design?"
Purah seemed to agree with her take, "I wouldn't be surprised considering they're so old. Though, to take a step back, Robbie said it was a wolf. Maybe there's a kind of divine wolf who's paired with an archer god or goddess? We should go check the library and see if there isn't some folktale describing something similar. Otherwise we just witnessed another event of the century!"
Link walked beside Zelda as they followed the others to the library. 'There's no way Zelda doesn't think it's Time…she definitely spent her time reading up on gods and goddesses while we were gone too…or it seems like something she would do granted everything that happened with her finding out.' He sighed through his nose as they entered the grand library.
'At least this will distract them for a while.'
Author's Notes:
I really enjoyed the process of coming up with what the Sacred Realm is like! In particular, I liked having FD ask about what animals Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris were because, y'know, this whole time he has no idea since those animals legit aren't even in botw nor totk. XD
I like to think the Sacred Realm isn't just a bunch of clouds like Hylia's Domain appears to be. It's a realm. To me, that screams massive, all-encompassing, several biomes if not towns/establishments. In fact, I think of it sort of like God of War: Ragnarok...only instead of the World Tree connecting them to these different, beautiful realms (forgive me if I'm getting this wrong), we still get land diversity but without a converging point.
I enjoyed writing Hylia here too. It was nice to show more of her personality and how FD reacts to it (although, I think the main difference is that Time would likely question her far more often, whereas FD is more trusting yet inquisitive.)