Divine Encounters
Time thoroughly enjoyed greeting his palomino mare when he picked her up at the stables. She almost seemed to have a skip in her step as they trotted through town and met the rest of the party at the pavilion directly outside the castle. "Oh wow," It was shaded by a patch of trees and had water flowing between the cut stone, "It's a wonder this is the first time I'm properly seeing this. We must have passed it dozens of times." His eyes glanced toward the other three— 'THREE!?'
Link.
Zelda.
His palm met his face, 'Impa…' He pinched the bridge of his nose, 'If our relationship wasn't always on the rocks, I'm pretty sure we'd be friends by now! Instead she's remained suspicious of me no matter what I do! I'll give her credit where it's due, but it's damn annoying!' Fixing his face to be pleasant, he waved to the rest of them, "Hey! I'm here!"
Zelda gestured to him to join them.
'Help.' He hopped off before strolling their way, "Hey guys!"
The Princess looked delighted to see him. Link dipped his head per usual. Impa simply acknowledged him…good enough. "First off, I'm incredibly happy that you're officially aiding the effort against the Calamity! I'm sure you were going to from the beginning, but you know…policies."
"Actually that brings up a question I've had: what is my rank in the castle? I always kind of assumed I was a part of the kingdom, but another knight insinuated that I'm an outsider, hence the signing of the allegiance and all that." He remembered Link briefly explaining it to him sometime after he pulled the sword, but it was rather so-so at best. It only gave him an idea rather than an exact answer.
"Are the others not bowing in your presence?" She asked, a hint of dismay lurking within her pupils, "Luckily, there isn't much nobility to contend with, so—being frank—given you're a living legend, you easily stand just below me." Zelda registered his astonishment, "Did—did you forget that you sat next to me at the dinner following the ceremony?"
His eyes only grew wider, "Well, I guess it's not as if we stuck around the castle too much for me to notice the effects…also I don't want people bowing to me. As far as acknowledgment and everything goes, that can remain in the background." He gave her a small curtsy to be funny, "Thanks for telling me, Princess." He smiled as her face changed to give away her understanding.
She looked to the other two, "Right, the plan." She started to open her mouth before pausing, "Hm…well…really we're just going to arrive and Impa and I will learn what we can. We're going because we recently found more ancient tech on the plateau! Exciting, isn't it?"
He had to agree with her there, "You bet!"
"Ah, so you've taken an interest in this now?" Impa commented with raised brow.
"Well, I can't say my ideas differ too far from Zelda's, but I still find it all interesting," he explained.
She considered his words before nodding back to their horses, "Well, I might ask you about your thoughts later, among other things. For now let's get going, we're already going to be arriving when it's dark. The Yiga have been awfully quiet, but we all know how they are."
With that, they mounted their steeds and set off.
The feeling of adventure swelled as they drew closer and closer to Gatepost Town. "Ooohh! So that's why this place is called that. Duh!" 'I can't believe I didn't put two and two together the other time I'd been here!'
The sun had already set as their surroundings became lit by torch fire. Ahead of them was a large stone gate guarded by two knights. "Good evening, Your Highness." They greeted.
"It's a bit late, but we'll send you in."
Link drifted closer to him while they waited, whispering, "These gates are only open at certain times of the day. Though, no matter what, they always close them at night."
His gaze drifted up to the walls above, "Ah, very interesting. Thanks for telling me."
"What will probably happen next is we'll get off and continue on foot, then go to bed. Beyond the gates are…well," A small grin flashed across his face, as he made Twi shift away, "You'll see."
Link had predicted it down to a T. "S-So…many…" Time's ears drooped at the sight of all the stairs they had to climb. They paved through the towering buildings on either side and were decorated with carefully spaced yet beautifully crafted arches. He had his saddlebags draped over his shoulder as he walked with the others, 'At least I'm not tired yet…really I could race them all to the top if I wanted to.' He glanced toward Impa, she always knew exactly where they were going, so based on her expression he'd be able to tell when they were going to stop.
She squinted once they reached the slight bend in the stairway, "This should be it." Link held the door open for them as they shuffled in.
Judging by the exterior, this must have been a hotel of sorts. The interior lobby confirmed as much. Time had seen his fair share of lodgings, but it was rare he stayed in one that went up rather than out…or had more than a second floor in general. He took in the extravagant rugs and exquisite drapery while Zelda talked to the nippy person at the desk. The structure was primarily made of stone, but they must have added wood for the interior walls as well as support beams. There were paintings of things like fruit here and there, and the furniture was padded with stuffing and fabric—very similar to the castle's!
'This must be expensive…I wonder how long we're staying.' Somehow the conversation at the desk began to drag. He had to break away, soon finding himself entranced by a painting of grapes that were deliciously draped on a porcelain platter. 'Whoever made this can't be human. I wish I could reach through the canvas and eat them! My heart!~' His captivation lasted another minute before getting tapped on the arm to follow them up the stairs.
Zelda took the first room with Impa—of course—and surprise surprise, the heroes were back to rooming together. Before either of them began undressing, the Princess knocked at their door, "Sorry to barge in, but Impa and I wanted to formally show you around tomorrow. Sound like a plan, Hero?"
He was going to pretend like he didn't just finish swatting the champion for trying to get him to believe that he was drooling over the painting downstairs. Nevertheless he gratefully nodded, "That'd be great!" They hugged each other goodnight.
And then the door closed.
Time whipped around with a fierce look in his deep blue eyes. The sheer force of it sent a wave of once settled dust to the walls.
"Aahh!" Link feigned his fear, "I'm telling the truth, I swear!" His sniff was partially convincing, "You can't kill me! I'm too young!"
His ancestor began to evilly laugh, "Little did you know, I wanted you to believe I'd been drooling!"
He gasped, "You weren't!?"
"Yes! Mua ha ha haaa!" But sleep was beginning to pull at his eyelids, leading to the swift decision to drop the act before it went on for much longer, "Okay okay, I'm done." They shared a laugh, "You're a terrible actor by the way."
Link had quickly stripped into his underclothes, and even then he seemed to contemplate the status of equipping his shirt or not, "I'm no more terrible than you, thanks."
Time rolled his eyes as he called forth a single flame to light his index finger. He lit the cream-colored candle on the nightstand before blowing out his finger. His ears perked at his descendant's chuckling.
"Sorry, it never crossed my mind until now that you have to put yourself out."
He climbed under the covers, "Well not with bigger flames anyway. Oh also, have you ever been here bef—"
They both sat up at muffled yelling erupting beneath them. Time signaled for the other to standby while he rolled out of bed and put his ear to the floor. 'Huh…their hearts sound normal to me. They would be frantic if something happened.' He could pick up Zelda's bashful voice.
"Impa! Not so loud!" She giggled, "Gosh, why did you respond like that anyways? What's wrong with either of us sharing? It was just once!"
Her friend appeared to be scolding her, "Princess! Sleeping with the Hero is completely out of line! Terribly improper! You said it was just once, right!? Is that true!?"
He made a face as he sat up, "They're fine, don't worry." Sighing, he slid back under the blankets, "Zelda must have told Impa about when we shared a room back at Rito Village. I presume that yell was Impa reacting to that."
"O-Oh, I've never heard her…well actually I have heard her do that before, never mind." Link pat his head, "Hey speaking of which, you two try to make nice while we're here okay? The tension is a little obvious sometimes."
"Ugh, by that you mean me. Me bend over backwards to make nice with her." He repositioned his cheek against the pillow, "At least we share similar views on how careless Zelda seems to be when she wants to room with me."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again: Zelda can kinda do whatever she wants." There was something about the tone of his voice that made it seem as if he was smirking, "Besides, it's not a crime, just terribly awkward if someone ever stumbles in on that."
Time glanced back at him from over his shoulder, "And you just voiced the exact reason why I think it's a bad idea. Anyways, goodnight." A millisecond after his mouth closed, he caught Link's arm in action, "Link, dear Goddesses above, you are absolutely ridiculous."
"But you're healed now!" He tried to pull his arm out of his grasp, but it was to no avail.
"Just because you could doesn't mean you should!" 'Ha! Cornered you there! Though I kinda can't believe he's arguing with me.'
"What about this morning? You seemed fine then."
"Link, you know why that happened. Don't play stupid." He let go of his arm and turned away from him, "Anyways, goodnight. I look forward to the tour." A few long seconds passed with zero response back. He groaned, "Gods, I hate you. Fine."
His descendant's crafty snickering was the icing on the cake, "Goodnight indeed."
…
In truth, it could be that the Hero didn't mind as much as he often reminded the knight he did. However, what were once jars of wind attempting to knock him off dungeon platforms in his dream turned out to be gusts of breath shooting from his assailant's nose. His energy felt sapped. He could hardly control an eyelid as he plopped a hand on Link's face, "Urk…Link. Quit breathin' on me…" Blinking felt like taking a slippery slope back into sleeping, "Hey…give me my energy back too."
Link remained unresponsive as Time's gaze stumbled around for a window to tell the time. "Mmf…too far to tell. At least it's light out." He managed to steady himself on his arms after convincing the rest of his body to work together to sit up, "Dear Gods…I feel as dead as a door." The first idea that crossed his mind was throwing himself into some water. That was a pretty good wake-up call most of the time. Another idea was throwing himself off the bed. He winced, 'But that would hurt and bruises don't heal very fast for me.' All this thinking led to his breathing beginning to slow while his eyes protested performing their primary function.
Knock knock knock!
He snapped awake, "Ah! Who's there?" His voice hid nothing.
"Young o—" The Princess muttered under her breath for saying the wrong name, "oh gosh darn it!" Her volume resumed as normal, "I-I mean Hero? Are you awake?"
The next thing he knew, he was opening the door with a drawn-out yawn, "Morning Princess…" Time's cheeks grew warm at her smile. He knew what she was thinking.
"My, do you need another five minutes?" She joked with a quiet laugh.
"More like another hour. I thought I slept fine…" His eyes nearly closed on him until they reacted to feeling his hand getting softly pulled on, "Huh?"
"Come, how about you finish waking up while I wait for breakfast to come upstairs."
'Ah, a room riddled with anxiety. Not a bad idea.' "Lead the way, Zelda." A few minutes later, he heard a door swing open and was greeted by the light scent of flowers, "It smells so nice in here.~"
Zelda giggled, continuing to lead him inside, "Thank you! It's a perfume made from wildflowers found in Hyrule Field."
"Haha, that sounds like something you'd have." He flopped onto the end of her mattress. "Not the rarest flowers found deep within a cave that only grows once in a century, but simple flowers found in your homeland that are easy to access. I bet you made it yourself too."
She sounded impressed, "Wow, how perceptive of you. I actually did make it myself." The Princess took a seat next to him, "In fact, I thought of making some from those bluebells back in Kakariko until you told me what they did."
He could feel the drowsy fog clearing from his head, "To be honest, it would make a good form of defense if it wouldn't take you out with it. Imagine being able to put someone to sleep with a mist." The intrusive thought that followed made him jolt up, "Oh Gods no, that would be terrible. In the wrong hands it would be deadly. I'm sure the effects of blue nightshade are obvious among the other scholars, but please never mention turning it into a perfume."
Zelda pet his head, "Will do!"
"Princeeessssss," Time half-whined, "I'm glad you like my dumb hair, but please consider what would happen if Impa were here." 'This makes it two mornings in a row!'
The petting continued, "Oh that reminds me, what were you two doing up there last night? It kind of sounded like…arguing?"
This woke him up further, "Oh me and him do that all the time. It's never serious though." He fell onto his back, escaping her fingers for now, "Ugh, but he makes me so jealous sometimes!"
This was news to her, "J-Jealous?"
"He falls asleep so fast, Zelda! Your knight genuinely dies each and every night and rises from the dead the following morning. A corpse! He's a corpse I tell you!"
Now she laughed, joining him by lying on her side, "Small correction, I'm sure you meant our knight? In fact, I think that's more the case than I initially thought before. Though, back on topic, I assume this means you don't sleep well? Maybe that's why you were still asleep as we walked here. Oh and that nightmare you woke from back at the stables."
He felt bad, "Geez, I really did scare you, huh? I'm sorry about that. Otherwise, I just wish I could go to sleep that fast. I mean yeah, we've all had times where we were so tired we can hardly remember making it to bed, but for him it's so consistent no matter what! Hmph," He smirked, "It's not fair."
She'd started to respond when there was a knock on her door.
"Your Highness? It's your breakfast!"
Her eyes sparkled, "You can come in," she called back.
'EH!? Why is she not getting up to go get it from them!? Don't tell me they'll—'
A young woman wearing a dull-colored dress and a long apron opened the door with her back to them, trailing behind her was a delicious smelling cart. It became apparent that sugar was a part of Her Highness's morning meal, for a profound sweetness drifted into the air as well. "Good morning, Princess," she happily greeted, though there was a relatable tiredness that edged her tone.
Ba-dum.
"Now," she picked up a porcelain pitcher, "where would you…hm" she seemed to be looking for something on the cart.
Ba-dum.
The Hero of Time was frozen stiff as his heart bounced off his ribs, 'Maybe if I don't move…she won't turn around and notice me.'
"Ah, there it is," a handkerchief, "sorry, where would like me to put this?"
Zelda acted as normal, gesturing with her hand to the area just in front of her, "Oh, if you could bring it closer that would be wonderful, thank you."
Ba-dum.
The maid curtsied, looking over her shoulder, "O-Of course! Anything for you my—excuse me!?"
He internally screamed as he watched her straighten up in surprise.
"Princess! Forgive me for prying, but what is he doing here? You're not even dressed!" Her fingers became nervously laced together.
'She's not!?' He'd been too tired to consider what she wore when she initially came to him. A quick glance saw her wearing a light shirt with loose-fitting pants. Basic sleepwear if you will. 'Phew… I'm more surprised it's not a gown or something.'
Zelda's hand sat dismayed at her chest, "This is the Hero of Time, a very close friend of mine who's accompanying me while I'm here. I understand your concerns, but you'd best believe I wouldn't allow a stranger to see me this way."
The maid gasped, quickly bowing, "My deepest apologies, Your Highness!" Without another word she brought the cart closer and bowed once more before leaving.
Time's heart slowly returned to normal levels. 'Well…I'm awake alright…' But more importantly, "They gave you so much!"
Waffles topped with syrup, blueberries, and sugar. Toast slathered with butter and spices. A platter of steaming fried eggs with a few links of the local sausage sat beside it. A bowl of fruit, and the choice between squeezed citrus juice or milk.
Both of them shared a similar gluttonous gleam in their eyes, "That's why I thought I'd ask you to come with me! It won't go to waste if we share!"
His cheeks were rosy, "Zelda~ how could I ever repay your kindness?"
She giggled, "Do you mean that, Hero?" The brief gluttony in her gaze had been replaced by one of overt cleverness.
He met it with interest, "Well I'm curious now. What do you have in mind? A favor?" 'Though, I don't know how that would work.'
"A theory," She was reading his reaction, "I'd like you to test." However, she resumed her focus on the food, "I'll explain more later, but I think you have an idea of what I'm talking about."
Time nodded, 'UM, I REALLY DON'T.' While they enjoyed the food, he scoured his memory for any research-related things she could be talking about. 'I know I explained the protection spell the first night I came to her with those wives' tales…but how would she test that? It couldn't be something with guardians either, right? I'll be damned if they found one here too!' Nothing from their small talk contributed to any hints either, 'Maybe it's about that feeling she gets when I kiss her hand? Gah, it sounds terrible like that!'
As the plates were nearing spotlessness, a question came to mind, "Right, where is Impa? I actually would have assumed you'd share this with her instead."
"Ah, she left early this morning to meditate at the temple, but she'll be back in time to join us for your tour." A smile reflecting on memories emerged as she shook her head, "I've tried to get her to join me in the past. We have very different tastes to say the least, hm hm."
"That makes sense." He slid off, taking her hand into his, "Well, I look forward to helping you with this theory, whenever that may be. I'll leave you to get dressed." He kissed it, feeling the same slight zap before heading to the door. 'Whatever it is, I really really hope it doesn't make me do anything weird…'
Much to his amusement, he found Link peacefully snoozing away. Smirking like the devil, he imposed a similar treatment he received back at the citadel. '…Why isn't this working?' Now using his thumb and his first two fingers, he grabbed his face and wiggled it back and forth, "Liiiiinnk," He sang, "Link!" Now he frowned, 'What the!? I pulled out my rare singing voice and everything! This leaves me no choice…'
Seeing as he was lying on his back and therefore leaving his abdomen exposed, the Hero figured a sudden weight would get the job done. Nothing too mean, of course. Not a drop that would leave him breathless. In fact, no more than a hand-width above should suffice. He'd managed to avoid touching him up until he let gravity do the work.
As soon as the Hero came into contact with his descendant, he found himself getting pinned against the mattress.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Came Link's teasing sneer. His long forelocks hung just barely above Time's cheeks to induce a faux ticklish feeling.
He tried to blow the hair away, "Dammit! I had the feeling you were faking it!" Time struggled against the immense force the knight used to hold him down. His head turned this way and that, the tickling was too much! "And get your damn hair out of my face! Ah!" This demand was met with his descendant getting closer and making his locks purposefully attack him more! However, he quickly backed off once one of them got chomped on after many unsuccessful attempts.
"Ew, now it's wet," His hand would get irked each time he went to touch it. He sat at the edge of the bed, "Anyways, I'd been awake for a while. Also, you don't have a terrible voice. You almost got me with that."
Time was going to ignore that compliment for now, "Yeah well I thought I'd do you the favor of giving you a wake-up call so Impa didn't scold you later. Now I've got the taste of your hair in my mouth instead of breakfast, what the hell." He got up and pulled the darker green tunic over his head.
"It was your decision to bite at my hair," the knight sassed with a hand on his hip. He'd paused midway through sliding on his shirt, leaving one arm in and the other out with the fabric gathered at one shoulder.
They bickered a bit more until they left to go to the lobby. There his descendant broke off to indulge in the fresh food, leaving his ancestor to wander outside. The sun cast cooling shadows off the buildings, making it worthwhile to do a little sunbathing. Birds sang, the breeze was gentle, and it seemed as though it wasn't time for people to begin busying about, adding to the serene peace.
Time had begun to guess which buildings were what when something up the steps dashing around a corner caught his eye, 'Hm?' He couldn't hear any footsteps heading his way so he jogged to the top, stopping near the arch it happened by. "Strange," he muttered, peeking around the base, "I could have sworn I—" Again! But this time from the other side.
He checked there too, "Nothing? Really?" His eyes trailed to his hands, 'It's not as if I feel strange I guess. I think I'm seeing the edge of something white before it disappears. Like it's clothes maybe.' After sparing a minute or two to see if it would happen again, he was quickly wrapped up into being shown around by the others.
Beyond the first set of stairs was a stone plaza. Ahead of it lay even more stairs, Dear Goddesses, and to either side were pathways that led elsewhere. Zelda decided heading to the left was the best way to go. Not long after going down the steps, the group strolled under the shade of the trees when they passed by a particular patch of land a few yards off the path.
The Hero stopped dead in his tracks, transfixed. The old tongue slipped through, "Here." The feeling from before resounded within his core as he left the others to investigate. Stone steps lined raised parts of the land for easy access, but he felt light as he skipped over them. His stare settled on what looked to be an ordinary patch of grass. "What? But…it must be…"
Cocking his head, he scrutinized it the way he would any other time he came across an inconspicuous spot where his gut indicated a secret to be uncovered. "A few wildflowers, but they're all different colors and appear unrelated. No obvious switches." He walked over where it felt strongest, "No soft dirt." A ball of fire ignited in his hand , "That can't be right." It poofed into smoke as he began to pace. An idea crossed his mind, leading to him grabbing his Ocarina from his waist, "Ah, the Song of Storms would open grottos sometimes. Maybe it's underground."
D, F, D'~
D, F, D'~
E'~, F', E', F'—
He winced, holding the instrument in front of him, "Wait, there's no chance this world follows the same logic mine did. Besides, I don't want rain at the moment." Another song, "Her lullaby maybe?" That lasted two notes before it fell off. "Maybe an old spirit appears at night with a nonsensical riddle?"
A, F, E'~
A—
He intentionally cracked the next note as his eyes widened, "Ack, no! I can always come back later." An intrusive thought about using the Elegy of Emptiness had popped into his head when found himself watching Link crouch in front of him. "What are you—huh!?"
The champion brought both of his hands to the grass and rapidly rummaged the open spot, "Hm, I don't think there's anything here."
Time clapped a hand over his mouth as he snorted at the action, "What th—" He shook his head, "What the hell was that! What if there was a huge bug-monster just below? Link, you would have lost your hand!" His laughter was infectious.
Link tried to still his chuckles as he stood and put a hand on his shoulder. Though his face certainly wasn't doing him any favors. He whispered, "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that so I don't have to imagine it. Also, I have no idea what you think is here, but we've been trying to talk to you for the last few minutes. C'mon."
He was lightly pushed ahead, "Oh right."
Zelda appeared intrigued. Perhaps there was a speck of displeasure in her eye that he returned so soon when she wouldn't have minded watching his thought process continue to unfold. So curiously different from anything she'd seen before.
Meanwhile Impa wore a complex expression that was somewhere between concerned and confused, "How did you manage to not hear a single thing we were saying?"
"Old habits die hard," He explained, "Any time I feel like there's treasure somewhere, I can get…very focused I suppose."
"Why speak in the Old Hylian?"
"What an oblivious question," the Hero chided. It came out before he could stop it, oops.
Her brown eyes narrowed.
He went on, "I'm not hiding anything, that's just how I speak when I'm trying to think because that's my language. I don't even speak this new one in my head. It wouldn't make sense to." 'Okay, make this seem more lighthearted.' "Either way, I was going to apologize. Like I was saying, getting distracted by things like that are just old habits." His soul shed a tear for that ice rod. "I didn't mean to come off rude if I did."
Zelda chimed in before her friend could, "Oh no worries!" They continued walking, "To be honest, I get the same way sometimes. I'm glad someone else relates!"
As they continued, the surrounding walls encroached more and more, creating a valley that funneled down to a passage with a bridge overhead. From there the land gradually sloped upward until they made a left and went up a hill, ending up on more stone-paved land. There were two rows of decorative pillars that directed you either to the left, suggesting access to the bridge they passed under, or to the right, pointing your eyes to a massive three-point arch where a towering silhouette of a building loomed beyond it.
Time blinked in amazement, "Dear Goddesses, the buildings in this land always amaze me! They're always so huge!" He'd seen his fair share of larger-than-life structures, but they had always hinted at the idea that their creator was likely divine to one degree or another. Often temples were meant to serve or make offerings to gods. Meanwhile, in this world, he was left with the understanding that Hylians were the only ones who built all this themselves! Truly a feat!
"Interested in the Eastern Abbey? We can go there next, but," Zelda smiled, "I think you'll like what's to come." She gestured for them to continue across the bridge, leading them through a sort of "back route" to another plaza that led back to the previous one. This time it was a bit bigger and held a gushing fountain in the center. Lining the edges were people in the midst of setting up their shop for the day. The colorful tents they used seemed easy to put up and take down.
'Is…is that a game?' Across from them stood an older man putting up wooden boards with hand-painted figures on them. Some looked new while others appeared more splintery. He kept up with the rest of them while watching him place the boards onto a conveyor of sorts. His initial idea was confirmed when the boards began to move around via an arm crank, 'It is! Haha! I should ask if we could play it later!'
Ahead from there were a set of stairs with lush gardens accompanying either side. Time could tell the large building in the back was their end goal, but for the meantime their next destination looked to be one of three temples that came before it. Gazing toward the roof, a particular symbol caught his eye, "Wait is that…" He squinted, "Courage? The symbol of courage?" Strolling ahead, his brows raised at the symbol sitting clear as day on the floor. It was set in marble within a circle of regal designs. His gaze trailed up, finding a short statue sitting atop a platform. Using his peripherals, off to either side of the room were benches pressed up against the wall. Four tall candelabras stood around the symbol as well.
The others finished walking in as he went up the steps, cocking his head at the statue. It looked like another depiction of the Goddess Hylia, but it certainly wasn't her. It felt different than them. 'Farore?' He reached out, keeping his expectations low. It took a few moments, but he flinched as he felt the stone beneath his feet turn into grass. The smell of old stone shifted into sodden earth and wood. His surroundings had changed into a deep forest. He spoke to the air, "You didn't…take me from where I was, did you?"
A breeze gathered the fallen leaves into the shape of a tall, slender woman. Floating away, they revealed the Golden Goddess Farore—only she wasn't golden at all. As the metallic shine dimmed, his eyes were captured by her curly, leaf-green hair that had been separated into two bush-shaped bundles. Next, a dainty flower crown, and her skin that took the color of oak. Golden freckles dappled her cheeks and shoulders, and she wore a dress made of leaves with puffs of sheer linen hanging off onto her arms. Otherwise, she wore a belt of gold that attached the Spiritual Stone of the Forest to her hip, but what stood out most were that her eyes remained closed.
Her voice was lighter than he expected, but soothing. Green magic freely flowed from her fingertips as her hands shifted.
Fierce Deity…Hero of Time.
Might I gaze upon you? I feel that would make our time together more proper.
He realized he hadn't shifted forms, 'Right, different customs…though I can't believe she's asking me of all people! She literally gave life to everything!' "Of course." His soul felt pierced into as her glowing golden eyes settled on him. She commented on his appearance.
I thought as such…to answer your question: your physical body remains in front of my statue. After all, I know your secrets. I would act accordingly.
Welcome to my domain.
She continued to hover as she drifted closer to him, her head falling to one side.
So, you called? Whatever for?
Time's hands raised as he took a step away from her, "I was just curious if you were there, that's all. I won't waste your time any longer." Now she smiled, floating closer and taking ahold of his left arm with her gaze fixated on his hand. To his dismay, the Triforce of Courage rapidly flickered at her touch.
I thought as such…
Her eyes met his own.
Will you be visiting my sisters?
There was no point in pretending he would. At least not like this. Not to mention, it was hard to keep his cool after witnessing that, "I'm sure you already know why I won't, but please extend my regards to them if you don't mind."
I'm sure they'll be happy to receive them.
Now, if it's no trouble to you, say hello to my descendant for me when you see her.
"O-Of course!" He tried not to act surprised, "What does she look like?" Farore booped his nose.
She's a beautiful dragon.~
Before he could respond, he was surrounded by a suffocatingly dense fog, causing him to brace his arms.
His eyes flicked open.
He was back in the temple in front of the statue. His first thought was to move his arms back to his sides, but they were already there, the same as when he initially walked up to it. 'I can't believe I just talked to her! To her!' As much as he wanted to delve into the emotions that came with meeting one of the Goddesses he forever referred to—exasperatingly most of the time, but still—he would have to do that later. As he started to turn back, he found himself catching a hand as it went for his shoulder. The bright glow that followed told him who it was.
Yet he gasped, the image of his own hand from a few moments ago still fresh in his mind. He dropped it immediately, quickly blinking to try to get it to go away. A pant had quickly developed from the adrenaline rush it gave him, "Hah…Gods, you scared me a little! Can't I pay my respects in peace?" He would have had to completely force a chuckle out if he didn't already find his last notion amusing. 'Wait huh?!'
Even Link had a look in his eye indicating he was hiding something! His descendant joined in the awkward chuckling, "Hey well I can't be too sure when it comes to you and statues!"
When he glanced at the others, he found that Zelda wore a knowing look while her friend seemed to be searching for a reason behind the champion's words. Nevertheless, they continued into the next temple: Wisdom. Time had zero clue how long he took at the last one, hopefully only a minute or two, but he could assume it might have been for longer since Link felt the need to step in for whatever reason. And, while on that note, he assumed that had to do with his last statue run-in from a little over a month ago, where Link found him groaning in pain in his bedroom. Either way, he figured he'd stay consistent and "pay his respects" to each one.
He felt relatively normal with his head bowed in front of Nayru's statue until he counted to sixty seconds and heard her giggling echo around his head. Her voice was deeper than Farore's, and she sounded quite older than her. Though, the gorgeous resonance in her tone could make your ears melt.
Why the counting, Fierce Deity?
Your meticulousness over this charade is unendingly amusing.
I feel as though I could sing a song about it.
'Nayru don't tease me!' He had to restrain himself from putting his hands on his hips. Peeping an eye open, he was relieved to see her statue remained normal. 'If their eyes started glowing…I can already imagine the questioning from Impa…' 'Surely you're wise to my whims, no?' Speaking their language generally seemed to get the message across. He would have spoken more respectfully had she given him the indication to.
Not that I'd call this particular one wise.
Nor the last one.
However, your clever words make me grow more fond of you.
Speak more.
It was becoming ridiculously hard to keep his hands at his side, 'Wait, what was my last whim? My memory must have lapsed on that one.'
I could have sworn you said you knew that going into it, though.
Some quarrel that was, hm? Even if it was unsurprising you'd turn out to be the victor.
There weren't too many battles he could think of that pertained to what she said. He decided to roll with it, 'Wouldn't that make it all the more convincing that I lost my memory, though? Acknowledging I'd know it would happen doesn't change that it still happened, right?'
There's that wisdom of yours. I must agree.
She appeared to think for a moment.
Hm…maybe that explains a few things.
His fists tightened at the possibility of her revealing more, 'Such as?' Nayru giggled once again.
Knowing you, it'll come back with time.
And it will be delicious when it does.~
With that she was gone. The Hero of Time exhaled, relaxing his hands, 'Why am I unsurprised that I can't ever get a straight answer! Though really, I should've expected nothing less from the Goddess of Wisdom. Maybe if I'd slipped into her domain she might have said more after seeing me this way…One can dream, I guess.' He faced them with a smile, indicating he was done.
"I think it's nice that you're paying your respects to them," Zelda mentioned as they continued up another flight of steps, "I bet they must think it's nice for a change."
"Really?" He asked, "How so?"
"More often than not, they're asked to bless certain things. Whether that be that the rain will be wise come this fall, or that the animals keep their bounding spirits for hunting. It's unknown if they make a difference, but I've heard theories from both sides."
'Well if that's all you ask of them, they're probably bored out of their minds.' "Interesting. It's weird to think Nayru would bless something like rain."
This rang a bell to Impa, "Oh? We're not talking about the dragons, silly. She meant the Goddess of Wisdom."
"Yeah, Nayru."
The other three stopped and looked at him.
He cast out his arms, "Do you guys seriously not know about the three Golden Goddesses of courage, wisdom, and power?" He couldn't help sounding a little offended.
They nodded. "Of course we know about them," Impa assured, "I don't know anything about Nayru, though."
His eyeroll was sharp, "Right, well they have names. Farore, the Goddess of Courage. Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom. And Din, the Goddess of Power." He scratched the back of his head as he continued toward the next temple, "Crazy you guys didn't know that somehow. Maybe if you address them by name, your prayers may have an effect."
"You make a good point," the Sheikah agreed, "However, if we're being realistic, without any proof that they had names in the first place, that won't stick with the public."
He could feel his hands sparking with the intent to ignite as he stepped up to Din's statue and bowed. Each spell he learned from the Great Fairies of his Hyrule had their names in the spell! He purposefully muttered to where they could audibly hear him , "Din, bless me with the might to withstand the force of monsters whose strength outmatch my own. I gaze upon your power knowing that with it comes a great mind to hone it. I wish to learn this myself out of respect for you."
She snorted as her fiery cackling filled his head.
My! The Fierce Deity is teaching these mortals how to properly pray?
I thought I'd never see it! Better yet that it's to me of all Goddesses! Oh, I can hear Nayru wishing it was her now! Ah ha ha haaa!
But! Nevertheless I am pleased beyond words, my little firefly. If you would let me see you, you could remind me the lengths this respect of yours goes.~
Hm hm!~
He tried to stay on topic, 'If I were in a different situation, I'd grant you the permission. For now, how about my request? I'd like to prove a point.' 'Din, not you too! I thought only Hylia did that!' She was frank.
Well you'll have to choose something else. Only I among a few others outclass your strength, Fierce Deity, and I can't change that without someone getting mad at me.
You know how that is. Not that I'd want to change our power dynamic anyways.~
While her words were distracting, he managed to think of their next move. After all, this needed to be quick, 'The longer this takes, the more it hurts my credibility dammit!' 'Din, you know how gullible Hylians are. Simply make your magic appear around me, and they'll believe it.'
Ooh! Smart!
How grand are we talking?
I'd love to hear That One turn in his grave with envy! Oh, or fear!
'Who the hell is that?' 'I'm going to pretend I don't know who that is, and, while I get the feeling that this isn't your style, I'm talking more like baby sized. Hylian baby sized.' Because Hylia help him if he didn't clarify that it wasn't the size of a Hinox baby or an orc's child—whatever those looked like. She huffed a sigh.
Fiiine. Very boring, and quite unlike you given your flashy storms.
But!
Your wish is my command!~
Their interaction had only lasted a few seconds before the Hero of Time rose from his bow and turned to face them. In the next moment, his gaze flit to the entrance of the temple. He gasped, bracing himself. A red ball of light came soaring in his direction from the sky far above, leaving a sparkling trail behind it as it traveled. It hit him not a second later and exploded into thousands of red sparkles that spiraled around him. With this, he developed a soft red glow that smoldered around his figure.
Time blinked at their shocked faces, "See? It's not a guarantee, but I bet they like it far more than just their titles." He gestured back to Din's statue with his thumb, "Also, don't expect this to happen again anytime soon. I don't know for sure, but from my understanding, they probably only answer every once in a while." He wanted to tell them to give it a half year, but that would sound too insightful.
Zelda touched his forearm once he hopped down, "Do you feel any different?"
Not at all actually, but he looked at it with her, "Uh, a little? I guess I feel a bit lighter, but not by a lot."
She appeared terribly intrigued yet contempt, "How did you seem to know that would work?"
Impa barged in, "I'm dying to know as well! I mean—" Her eyes flit between him and the statue, "I just can't believe it! Never in all of my years have I seen this happen before!" She began to pace, "You must automatically be some kind of servant to them!"
Time's hand visited his hip, the other showing his skepticism, "That is true, but aren't we all?" Still, he weighed her idea in his hands, "Well, I guess I might have some better favor after serving my quest under them, but what I said still stands. They have names."
This somehow didn't sit right with her, "Okay fine, names make a difference. How are you so… mundane, so unreactive to being blessed by a Goddess!? Not to mention, everyone across the entire continent must have seen that! They're going to have questions!"
'Oh yeah…I actually appreciate her for reminding me of the scale of this sort of event. I honestly didn't think about it like that.' "Simple: my prayer was answered. Also, I guess I'm sorry for not breaking down crying and thanking the statue? You keep forgetting that I've seen and experienced things far stranger than anything I've stumbled across in this land so far. I am not from this time. I'm not. I'm so unreactive because magic, and Goddesses, and mystical happenstance are my normal!"
Zelda squeezed her friend's hand. This seemed to have a calming effect on her. Her voice was hushed, "Maybe he'll have more to tell when we get to the last one, Impa."
She sighed, "You've got a point." Both of them led the way up one final set of stairs.
Even Link had to see if his glowing ancestor felt any different, "This means you can punch through rocks now, right?" His partial smile said everything.
Time flashed him a grin, "Maybe not rocks, but I could totally beat you at arm wrestling. Easy." He knew it would be a good time when his descendant got a look of determination in his eye.
"You're so on when we get back."
"Right back at—DEAR GODDESSES!" His breath was taken away at the symbol of the Triforce sitting atop of the arch leading into the Temple of Time. Despite the different surrounding scenery, and different brick color, it looked practically identical! He couldn't help himself as he sprinted up the steps, sliding to a halt in front of the entrance. The image of that fateful day came flooding back.
There he stood, drenched in rain as the castle gates came slamming down. He could hear the sound of hooves moving fast on the pavement.
Something wasn't right.
Not a moment later, a white stallion raced by, the water whisking off its fur from the sheer speed. Time seemed to slow as he caught sight of Princess Zelda desperately holding onto its mane as Impa steadied the reins. He was shocked, aghast at what he saw.
'But our plan!' He fervently thought, 'We were going to do this together!' Before he could reach his arm out to her, his attention was redirected to the sound of something splashing into the moat behind him, "Wh-What?"
Cuh-lop. Cuh-lop. Cuh-lop.
He whipped around to face the gate at the sound of another horse snorting, 'YOU!'
The Hero recalled Ganondorf's sneering remarks and how he blasted him with his dark magic. Yet, after finding the ocarina Zelda had thrown into the moat, time was still of the essence! He raced through Castle Town, sliding to a stop in front of the entrance to the Temple of Time.
He blinked.
The grim courtyard surrounding the temple faded to the stone walkways with pruned shrubs decorating it today. Time squinted, shaking his head to make the image fade sooner. When he reopened his eyes and gazed through the entrance, a finger made its way to his chin. Ahead of him sat a large open room full of wooden pews and candelabras lining the walkway where he could barely catch sight of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. He looked further.
A gigantic statue of the Goddess Hylia perched at the top of a grand staircase with a prismatic glow illuminating around her. She seemed to watch him.
'I don't think I'm going in there…yet,' He concluded, 'I'm not about to make the mistake of mentioning that she's glowing. Even if that's out of the blue for me.' When he faced them, he was met with a spread of keen expressions, "Ah, so for you guys it's a church."
Impa's eyebrows raised, "Why do you sound so disappointed?"
'Story time!' He smirked, "See, in my time, the Temple of Time was not only a temple, but also the door to the Sacred Realm."
Their heads all tilted to one side at the end of his sentence.
'Right, I don't know that word.'
"Er…like the heavens? Where you'd find gods and goddesses probably, but in this case—and most importantly—the Triforce. The full Triforce. So, as long as the door was closed, no one could get in and take it." The Hero thought for a second, 'Though, to be fair, I think the door must have been metaphorical in a way as well, because when I opened it all those years ago, I'm pretty sure I would have seen the Triforce and not just the sword…also it did not look like the Sacred Realm in there.'
"You needed four things to get in: the three spiritual stones that were protected by the different races across Hyrule, and the Song of Time. See, I had collected the different stones but, when it came time to go to the temple, my Zelda was fleeing the castle with Impa. This was because Ganondorf was after her on horseback, and we were both literally ten years old. She couldn't do anything to stop him, and I couldn't do anything to stop him. But!" He held up a finger, "The last thing she did was throw the Ocarina of Time to me, and even though I'd been knocked down, I still ran to the temple to finish our plan. Although, as for an interesting note about my princess, while she wasn't able to protect herself at the time and relied on Impa, she was surprisingly good at…talking to you through your mind?" Another word he'd have to learn.
Impa had been fervently listening along with the Princess and her knight, "Telepathy?"
"Yeah that! When I touched the ocarina, she told me that she couldn't wait for me any longer but that she was glad she could at least give me the instrument and teach me the Song of Time. We had intended to open the door together and come up with what to do afterward. Either way, I opened the Door of Time, saw the Master Sword, and pulled it from the pedestal. Little did I know, Ganon had followed me in, accessed the Sacred Realm, and made a wish on the Triforce." He sighed, "We were both so naïve…" then he perked up, "But my point is, this temple not only was the door to the heavens but also held the Master Sword. Pretty cool, yeah?"
Zelda's eyes glittered, "What happened after you pulled the sword? Didn't you say you were older back in the forest when Link did the same?"
"That's right! The Master Sword accepted me at ten years old, however, Link has let me hold it before, and it's pretty unwieldy for someone my size. To remedy this, I was sealed, asleep, in the Heavens for seven years while Ganon was unfortunately busy being the King of Evil." He nodded at their assumptions, "Yes, you could say the world had already ended when my true adventure began."
"I'm sure we're all thinking the same thing, but what were the Heavens like? I don't think I've read a single book that doesn't leave it up to your imagination."
He thought for a moment, trying to come up with a way to explain it, "Well…I almost wish I knew how to say the other word because 'Heavens' doesn't really describe it that well. It was actually quite dark in there! Genuinely! And there wasn't a cloud in sight! Plus, I only saw the same part of it every time I was there. They didn't really show me around or anything. Also, I wouldn't say I was allowed to go there whenever I wanted. I was just sort of in and out for the purpose of my adventure. Pop in, do one thing, leave. Rinse and repeat." In this instance, he didn't mind recounting his history to them. After all, the properties that applied to his land appeared to be lost on this one. With that said, clearly the real Temple of Time isn't around anymore, so it wasn't that someone could take the knowledge from his legend and use it to access the Sacred Realm.
As his phrase came to a close, he felt a familiar weight upon his shoulders.
I'm sure you could have asked, Dear Hero.
Time felt his mind getting pulled from the conversation to her plane of existence. 'Oh my Gods! Hylia! This—aaaargh!' 'What the hell happened to the restraint she had in the desert?!' He could hear the others' voices start to fade as they each realized his irises had rolled up to leave just the whites of his eyes. Meanwhile the Goddess was giggling as she played with his hair.
You can ask me. I could show you if you'd like.~
He puffed out a sigh, he couldn't be annoyed at her…just like his descendant. His tone was curt at best, 'Maybe later. However, sweet Hylia, I would appreciate it if you didn't put me in awkward situations like this! I was keeping a believable lie going since the ceremony, but there are consequences to you doing this in front of them!' A soft gasp echoed around his head.
Oh, that's right.
I was just enthralled in your retelling of your adventure up until you mentioned the Sacred Realm.
Surely you knew I was listening, no?
Now that she mentioned it, her statue was just several yards away. Knowing that those are her ties to the world, it's not unreasonable to assume she's there and that she would have considered herself to be a part of the conversation. 'I should have known you were, yes. Anyways, I have something I want to discuss with you later. So, thanks for letting me know, but goodbye for now, Dearest Hylia.' He felt her press her lips against his cheek before watching her forearms disappear along with the weight on his shoulders.
In the next moment, he flinched as he realized he was taking in a mixture of shocked, concerned, and curious expressions. 'Dammit…' He could already sense the playful twinkle in the statue's eye fading away. Time let his gaze curiously wander to each of them. His plan was to play stupid, "Sorry, what were you guys saying?"
"That…thing with y-your eyes…" Zelda stuttered in disbelief.
He believably feigned his surprise, "R-Really? Again!?" His hand went to his chin as his gaze became troubled, "I still have no idea why that happens."
The Princess's eyes unexpectedly flicked to the Goddess statue behind him, "Wait could it be the statue again? Like from the time in Rito Village?"
His mind and actions were polar opposites. Internally, Time was flabbergasted at her suggestion, yet impressed with her resoundingly sensible conclusion. Even if it stoked the flames of annoyance deep within his heart. Externally, he appeared to take her suggestion seriously, "Actually, you've got a point. Maybe it is…but," They all followed him inside.
The interior was just as exquisite and detailed as the exterior. Carefully crafted windows lined the sides of the temple, pouring endowing light onto the pews. The ceilings must have been designed to make you feel small, for they rose incredibly high into the air. Upon closer inspection, there were more windows seated behind Hylia's tether. At her feet were six smaller figures of her…or they likely represented something else. His lucky guess would have them as the six sages. To either side of her platform stood two more with plaques displaying the Triforce and some text below them.
After feeling giddy from seeing the Triforce engraved into the floor, he took a couple of steps toward the start of the stairs, 'AH! Why is she glowing brighter!?' He wore a thinking expression, "Hmm…yeah I'm not getting any strange feelings from it."
"Well, what if yo—"
"Wai-wai-WAIT!" Impa barged in with her hands thrown to either side, "Am I missing something!? What are you two talking about!?"
Zelda's eyebrows raised in surprise before she explained, "Oh, well when both of us went to Rito Village, something similar to what happened to him at the ceremony had occurred while I was praying to the statue. Then, I believe he said that sometimes the statues make him do weird things and that something happened with one in Hateno Village as well."
Time crossed his arms as he agreed, "Yeah, you guys' statues are weird when it comes to this one. I didn't get some odd feeling while praying to the other three."
The Sheikah almost looked offended, "Why is this the first time I'm hearing about it?"
"Ah, well, you are very busy helping me with my search for more relics. I don't think it could've been helped." It was clear the Princess felt a little bad for keeping her out of the loop.
She nodded her understanding and then immediately jumped to questioning him, "So what happened? Did you feel anything? See anything?"
He instinctively raised his hands, "I-I don't know! One second, I was talking to you, I sort of zoned out, and then you guys were all looking at me like something had happened."
Impa began to pace like before, thinking, "Hm…well since you keep using the words 'zoned out,' what does that mean?"
It was hard to not sound a little disgruntled, "I dunno…I feel…not real? Not here…mentally? It's like suddenly staring off into space and then realizing halfway through that you're staring off into space. Everything is blurry for what seems like a few seconds, and then it's not, and then I can hear and I can see again." He emoted his resentment toward it, "Ugh, how do you think I feel not knowing what's happening yet seeming powerless to stop it?"
Zelda's head dipped, "It's nice knowing someone else can relate."
His face became sympathetic, "Aw, Princess…" He had to wrap his arms around her, "I wish I could do more than say sorry." While his head was still buried in her shoulder, he could visualize her rising hand, whispering, "Don't you dare, Your Highness."
Her eyes darted away from him as they separated, her cheeks turning pink. She couldn't contain her nervous giggle at her actions being exposed.
Impa's weight shifted to one side, "Hm, well I'm not sure how we'll set up an experimental process for this, but I'm sure Purah and Robbie will come up with something."
'There are those consequences…dammit.' His face was dumbstruck before he masked it with one of understanding, "Ah right, well I'll keep good on my promise too, but considering it happens randomly, I'll be impressed if they figure it out." 'Pissed too.'
Zelda looked between them, "Wait, what's this about?" Link was curious as well.
The Sheikah blinked in surprise, "I guess we both forgot to tell each other something! He promised me back at the pavilion after the Champion's Ceremony that he'd let me oversee a study on whatever causes this should it happen again." Her eyes reflected a kind of superficial apology when she glanced at him, "It's just…too strange, if I'm frank."
"Hm, very interesting!" Of course the Princess was onboard with it. "Well, let's head back down. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry! Consider the tour complete."
The Hero of Time glanced back at the statue with a look of uncertainty, "I might meet you all at the bottom. I want to explore this temple a little longer." He internally sighed in relief when the idea of him being by himself didn't trigger anyone into egging him to come along.
Zelda simply nodded before gesturing to the others to follow.
Link watched his ancestor turn to the grand statue, his feet beginning to shift in the direction of the Princess. He too wondered what caused his eyes to creepily roll back into his head. What made him become something of a shell of himself. Eerily quiet. Strangely indifferent. Clearly absent. He knew it couldn't have anything to do with him being a deity, 'The marks don't appear on his face. I've also seen enough of him like that to know he doesn't act that way either.' Perhaps it was best described that he'd become a statue himself in those moments.
He took a second to look at the sacred idol as well. It was a beautiful rendition of her likeness. 'Did he really promise that to Impa? If so, he's probably kicking himself for it now.' He considered the red glow that had yet to fade, 'The priestess will have lots of questions…she's Sheikah after all. She's the one who anointed the priest in Castle Town too.' He could feel his posture slipping as his mind briefly delved into further curiosities that came about from this tour. He quietly fixed it. The Princess's knight shuffled a few steps forward before catching himself. It was something from his peripherals, 'What is…!?'
He quietly gasped once his eyes captured the reflection in Time's. Initially he thought it was the light cast from the large windows behind the figure. 'But that normally reflects white or whatever the sky looks like. His is…it's shifting colors…'
Stoic as always, his gaze crawled back to the statue. His heart pounded. They were not seeing the same thing.
'It glows.'
Author's Note:
Things are getting interesting! :)))