Chapter 34: Impa and the Geoglyphs

The scent of incense burned in Link's nose, and he could hear an ancient voice chanting low, quiet words. Little by little, he became aware of other sensations. Air, drifting lightly across the exposed skin of his back, cooling a light sheen of sweat. Something firm and covered in cloth pressed up against his chest. An ache in his neck, which was twisted to the side to allow him to breathe. And a fierce pain in his back, along with the prickling of stitches in his skin.

The chanting stopped. "You must be waking up," came Impa's frank, elderly voice. "You're making a good many unhappy sounds, dear boy. Are you aware of my speaking?"

He hadn't even realized he was groaning. Wearily he dragged an eyelid open, finding himself in an underground room with thick gray bricks along the walls. The… the barracks. Lookout Landing.

"Well, now, that's promising," Impa said lightly. He could see her sitting on a pile of cushions on the ground near his cot, a brush pen in her hand as she dabbed something on a piece of paper stretched out before her. "It's been some time since you last opened your eyes. Of course… that does seem to be the case most of the time, does it not? So often you fail to see clearly what is right in front of your face."

Link closed his eyes again, hoping he would fall asleep again instead of having to deal with Impa's scolding. His back was in agony and his head hurt.

"Trying to avoid me, are you?" Impa commented wryly. "I'll have you know, I've had quite enough of that." She waited.

Link let out a tired breath that brushed weakly past his lips. He recognized the feeling of having slept long enough that the pain of his wound would prevent him from getting more rest without something to numb him. "What… happened?" he mumbled.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Impa said, glancing at him over the edge of her paper. "But as I understand it… you and Princess Zelda were separated months ago, and as soon as you returned, a lookalike of the princess began to appear a number of places. Hyrule Castle, Goron City, Rito Village, to name a few. You followed said lookalike into dangerous situations that, had you been a man with any lesser mettle, would have killed you. But you prevailed, saved people across Hyrule from dire threats, and awakened sages with mystical powers granted unto them by 'secret stones.' And then, at last, you continued following the lookalike princess into Hyrule Castle, where you met with a terrible fate – a trap that, dare I say it, was designed specifically to catch you in its jaws. And it succeeded."

Feeling a stirring of anger, Link pushed himself to a sitting position on trembling arms, his back protesting. He noticed a cup filled with water on a small nightstand next to his cot, grabbed it in both hands, and tediously brought it to his lips, downing it dry before he spoke. "It looked like her," he defended, his voice low and hoarse. "There weren't any other… any other leads."

Impa gave him a stern look. "I told you about the geoglyphs before you had even reached Rito Village," she said testily. "I'm not saying that you did anything wrong, necessarily, in traveling across Hyrule to save the Rito, the Gorons, the Gerudo, and the Zora. Sages and secret stones will, I'm sure, play an important role in this yet. It was their swift action that saved you."

Link frowned. "They… saved me?"

He allowed his mind to drift backwards, beyond the dark fog that had veiled his mind. The puppet Zelda had stabbed him in the back, and then the Demon King revealed himself, and his name – Ganondorf. And then… that terrible vision… He shivered, his back pulsing angrily. He… assumed I was dying, and wanted me to die as miserably as possible.

Link swallowed. He felt a highly acute sense that this was what it meant to be utterly despised.

All because… Rauru believed I could save Hyrule? But then why does Ganondorf seem so personally motivated to destroy me?

"Purah sent word to three of the sages some time before you departed for Hyrule Castle," Impa reminded him. "They were close to Lookout Landing when you left, and had only to figure out a way past the Demon King's armies. Prince Sidon of the Zora was independently on his way with a platoon of Zora soldiers to aid in the war efforts. Cado and I managed to assist your sweet young Gerudo friend on her way, with our balloon. We all arrived at more or less the same time, and when they learned you had gone off to Hyrule Castle, they set out at once to find you. Robbie and I used our balloons to help those without wings to get up there. They found you lying in a puddle of your own blood in the Sanctum, frightfully pale, perhaps minutes from death. Then they brought you back here, to Lookout Landing. It was a near thing – you almost did not make it."

Link swallowed again, feeling something thick and tight in his throat – gratitude for his friends, and shame that he had been so thoroughly bested. In the end the shame won out, hot and bitter, rising up like bile in his throat.

"Ganondorf was right," he murmured, mostly to himself, feeling sick. "I… I don't have the power to defeat him."

"Ganondorf?" Impa echoed, her brow wrinkling more than normal as she frowned at him.

"The Demon King," Link explained glumly. "I encountered a… a shadow of him, at the Sanctum. We… spoke. He explained about… the lookalike Zelda. The puppet."

"And he told you that you couldn't hope to defeat him, did he?" Impa sniffed, raising an eyebrow. "I daresay there's more than hope, dear boy. This Ganondorf merely knew exactly what strings to pull to lure you into his trap, and it worked. Which tells us we are dealing with an enemy just as cunning as he is cruel – not the mindless Calamity, nor any other simple beast you've faced. You allowed your emotions to get the better of you, to keep you from thinking straight. You must keep control of yourself, your mind and your heart, as you do so flawlessly on the field of battle. Remember that, and you'll send this so-called Demon King packing, I've no doubt."

"He destroyed the Master Sword," Link reminded her blithely. "I can't stand against that kind of power."

"That blade was made by a goddess," Impa reminded him somberly. "It cannot be destroyed. Damaged, broken, certainly. But it can always be repaired."

Link bit the inside of his cheek, his heart heavy as he remembered what he'd learned in the Korok Forest. "The Great Deku Tree says the Master Sword is in the sky," he told her. "He said… it's not ready to be found."

"Mmmh," Impa hummed, not sounding particularly surprised. "I daresay I have an inkling as to why. You do not know the truth. You have not found Princess Zelda."

Link looked down, at his mismatched hands resting loosely in his lap. He closed his eyes briefly, his back burning, his skin and muscle sundered by some disgusting creature he had thought was the woman he loved. "I had a vision of her," he whispered, his voice raw and aching. "Back before I even left the Great Sky Island after the Upheaval. I touched her hand – I felt her pulse. She wasn't… herself. She seemed mostly asleep. But she gave me a sage's crest, just like the others did. She's alive – I know she is. And I heard her voice, asking me to find her." He grimaced, his heart aching. "But… every time I've seen her since then… wasn't actually her."

He looked at Impa pleadingly. "There are no more leads," he said helplessly. "I – I don't know where she is! She could be anywhere – somewhere in the Depths, somewhere on a mountaintop… I have no way of knowing. So of course I followed what I could see."

"And now that you cannot chase the Princess in plain view, what will you do?" Impa asked calmly. "I would recommend turning to less direct methods of investigation."

"You mean the geoglyphs," Link sighed, feeling an uncomfortable, heavy, anxious feeling in his chest. "I… I don't know that I want to do that."

"You're afraid of what you might find," Impa nodded understandingly. "And perhaps there is good reason to be afraid. Is that any reason to turn back? Is that any reason to ignore potential answers?" Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward. "I have been to all of the geoglyphs," she told him gravely. "I discovered a secret room in the Forgotten Temple of Tanagar Canyon, opened in the Upheaval, that gives a sequence in which to visit them. The images, in order, are these."

She rotated her paper, showing him eleven stylized drawings. "A Zonai," she said, pointing to the first image. "A mighty fortress. The Purah Pad."

Link's eyes flew wide.

Impa gave him a knowing look, and continued, "A Molduga. A man with a wicked smile. A Hylian woman with very long hair. A curved dagger. A demon with a wild mane. A secret stone. A tomb."

Link grit his teeth, his heart pounding harder and faster, dread and fear and dismay welling up within him. His words to Sidon echoed in his mind, raw and desperate – "If it's not her, then she must be dead!"

But Impa wasn't finished. "And, finally, the last of the geoglyphs – the Master Sword," she said gravely.

Link fought to swallow, his throat irreparably dry. "It – it can't be," he croaked shakily. "The Purah Pad? The Master Sword? It – it must be a coincidence!"

"Indeed," Impa said skeptically. "Haven't you had enough of denial? Aren't you ready to know, once and for all, the truth?" She turned her paper back around. "Consider this. I told you before that the geoglyphs were formed of a dragon's tears when the Upheaval happened. You mentioned a fourth dragon then – you called it the Light Dragon. I saw that dragon myself for the first time a few days ago, circling above Hyrule Castle when the sages went in to rescue you. As if, somehow, it knew that you were in trouble."

The heavy feeling in his chest seemed to triple in size, dragging his head into his hands, as he remembered seeing the Light Dragon after encountering Zelda on the Great Sky Island. It had cleared a path through the clouds, showing him the way to Lookout Landing.

"You seem to have gotten yourself a guardian dragon, somehow," Impa said with a soft chuckle that sounded almost mournful. "What do you say, Link?" she asked. "Humor an old woman, and travel to the geoglyphs with me."

"I just got stabbed," he pointed out quietly.

"Your wound's a week old now," Impa informed him. "Not that injuries have stopped you in the past. And you shall merely have to sit in a hot air balloon for a bit. You can do that, can't you?"

Link looked back down at his hands. He felt a sudden, dizzying sense of vertigo, as if he were at the edge of something monumental, something too big for him to truly comprehend.

"Alright," he murmured, pushing to his feet with a pained grimace and reaching for the undershirt neatly folded on the nightstand, next to his emptied glass of water. With some difficulty he pulled it on and followed Impa out of his little room. Between her great age and his injury, he was amused to find that they ended up moving at about the same pace through the underground barracks.

"Hey – hey, hey, hey!" Purah's voice exclaimed, when they emerged on the surface of Lookout Landing in bright sunlight. "What are you doing? Link, go back to bed! Every time you leave, you almost die again! I can't take it anymore – you're grounded!"

"He'll be alright, sister," Impa said with a small smile. "We're merely going for a balloon ride."

"He doesn't have a very good track record with those!" Purah protested loudly, stamping her foot. "Between Robbie and Riju, he only ends up in those when he's badly hurt!"

"Doesn't this merely fit that pattern?" Impa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't I get a say?" Link added.

"No! You've only ever shown that you can't be trusted to take care of yourself well enough!" Purah crossed her arms.

"You're not stopping us, sister," Impa said mildly, hobbling towards her balloon next to Robbie's. "Link and I will be perfectly alright. Some sightseeing will do us both some good."

"I – I – rrrrgh, you're both impossible!" Purah huffed. "Don't you understand that there's people out there who don't want to see you get hurt every two seconds?"

"It's not 'every two seconds;' I'd be dead if that were true," Link sighed, glancing back at the irate Sheikah scientist. "It hurts, but I'm fine."

"If it hurts, then you're not fine!" Purah wailed. "Seriously, Link, if I have to send people out to get you and they drag you back half dead again, I will – I will – I will be very angry!"

"She'll get over it," Impa chuckled to Link, as they reached the hot air balloon. "Now, sit down in there, try and get comfortable… I've gotten quite good at operating this device, don't you worry…"

She got the fire going, and soon they were lifting off, up into the air above Lookout Landing. Impa directed the balloon steadily northwest, skillfully controlling their altitude with bellows and bags of sand. Link shivered as they climbed in elevation, realizing that perhaps it hadn't been his best idea to go out in nothing but loose trousers and an undershirt after losing a significant amount of blood. But Impa, unsurprisingly, had brought along quite a few thick woolen shawls to keep herself warm, and she draped one around his shaking shoulders with caring, knobby old hands and a tender, grandmotherly smile.

A surprising little amount of time passed before, using the bellows, Impa began to take them down, towards a geoglyph shaped like a Zonai, with unmistakable long ears.

"Each geoglyph has a glittering pool of water," Impa explained as they descended. "I figured we could start there. Nothing happened when I investigated it, but you are not me, Link. We shall see what happens."

"Do I… drink from it?" he asked uncertainly, unable to free himself from the somber weight in his chest. His heart was pounding.

"It's worth a try," Impa said with a slight shrug. The balloon touched lightly down on the grass, and she shuffled slowly out. "I am not sure."

She led him up a lightly sloping hill, one that winded both of them by the time they reached the top. As she had described, in a patch of grass stained a shimmering gold in the shape of a teardrop, there was a perfectly circular pool of water that took the light of the sun and seemed to amplify it.

Link knelt down with a grunt, peering down into the pool, meeting the gaze of his reflection. He could see dark bruises under his eyes from the blood loss, and his hair hung ragged and unkempt around his shoulders. He winced slightly, looking past his own reflection into the pool, and lightly tapped the water the way the sages had tapped their secret stones.

Ripples broke out across the still surface from the place he had touched. When it cleared, his reflection was no longer alone in the water. Squinting, he could just make out a long, slender shape that seemed to be moving fast, faster than a cloud driven by a fierce wind –

"Link!" Impa gasped, and Link turned around wildly, wincing at the answering flare of pain in his back; he half expected the old woman to be on her knees having a heart attack, but instead she was pointing into the sky. He looked up, and his breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of the Light Dragon streaking down towards them, sleek as an arrow in the sky, its brilliant golden mane and iridescent horns flashing in the sunlight –

He felt the impact of its nose against his chest, driving the breath from his lungs, and when he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else entirely.

Lush green grass rose up to his knees, speckled with white and gold wildflowers. A warm afternoon sun shone through lofty branches of elm trees drenched in their summery green. Birds chirped, chasing each other playfully from limb to limb, as squirrels chittered invisibly in the shadows.

Wh-what? Where am I?

"Impa?" he called uncertainly, looking around with a chill tingling painfully up his spine.

A soft chime sounded, and Link turned towards the sound, gasping as he caught sight of an orb of bright golden light appearing beneath the trees, growing brighter and larger until it burst like a bubble, dropping a bundle of blue cloth and golden hair to the ground. Link's heart spasmed.

"Zelda!" he exclaimed desperately, rushing towards her. His vision flashed red for a moment and he stumbled, his back seizing painfully, and he crumpled to his knees at Zelda's side. She was lying seemingly unconscious in the soft grass, wearing the bright blue tunic and cloak she had vanished in, her secret stone loosely pillowed in her hand. Link let out a heavy breath that felt like a sob, weak with relief as he caught sight of her face – somehow, miraculously, the Light Dragon had reunited them. "Zelda! Can you hear me?"

He patted her cheek lightly, but she didn't stir. He moved his hand to her shoulder, giving her a light shake. "Zelda?" he asked, concern growing within him.

The sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears, and he stiffened, turning around and pushing to his feet with some difficulty, standing protectively in front of Zelda. His jaw dropped as he recognized the figures heading towards him – Rauru, without the ghostly green glow of a spirit, and the Hylian woman from the dreams he'd had within the Shrines of Light.

"Rauru," he greeted uneasily. "What's going on?"

But Rauru didn't so much as glance in his direction.

"What?" the Hylian woman at his side murmured, taking Rauru's hand and pulling him urgently closer. "Oh! Oh, dear!" she said, bending down at Zelda's side.

"What?" Link asked worriedly. "Is – is something wrong with her?"

But then at last Zelda began to stir, and when she opened her eyes an expression of fear flashed across her face before she lurched to a sitting position and scrambled backwards, staring at Rauru and the woman with undisguised wariness, without acknowledging Link's presence at all.

Link felt a growing cold realization settling deep into his bones, noting the lack of familiarity between people he knew to be allies. Zelda is the Sage of Time – she worked with Rauru. She should recognize him.

He took a wary step back, his spirits plummeting. Unless… this is the first time she met him. She's… not wearing the Zonai dress, after all.

"Where am I?" Zelda gulped, panic evident in her voice.

"We didn't mean to startle you," the older Hylian woman said with a warm smile that Link recognized well by now. "I'm sorry. It's okay – my name is Sonia."

Sonia, Link thought, his brow furrowed. Well… at least I know her name, now. Not that it tells me anything else about her.

Rauru stroked his short beard thoughtfully. "And could we ask what your name is?"

Zelda swallowed, pushing to her feet and dusting off her trousers. "I – I am the daughter of King Rhoam, of Hyrule," she said uncertainly. "Zelda."

Rauru and Sonia exchanged surprised looks. "What an unexpected answer," Rauru said with amusement. "We are the king and queen who founded Hyrule, after all. Or at least, we were the last time I checked."

Link exhaled heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose as sour disappointment engulfed him. This… this is all in the past. And it's not even that I traveled to the past – they're all acting like I'm not there. It's… just a vision.

"You two founded Hyrule?" Zelda asked, a note of her usual scholarly zeal entering her voice. "And you're… the king?"'

"My name is Rauru," the Zonai man introduced himself. "King Rauru of Hyrule."

"King Rauru, and Queen Sonia," Zelda murmured, her eyes darting all around as she thought through some great discovery in her mind. "But… that must mean… I'm in the past!"

Link saw the despair on her face and reached out to try and comfort her, but all at once she went unnaturally still, her expression frozen in pain and fear. He noticed that the rest of their surroundings were similarly frozen, and suddenly he became aware of something tugging on the back of his mind –

– the peculiar sensation of a dragon's mane beneath his fingertips, of a fierce wind rushing all around him, and not the warm stillness of a summer afternoon –

The scene before him changed slightly, grass and trees below him now, a forest stretching out before his feet. He stood atop a high verdant cliff, somewhere on the Great Plateau, from what he could tell. Zelda, Sonia, and Rauru all stood nearby, gazing out over the Hyrule that spread out before them.

"As I thought," Zelda murmured. "This is not the world I know."

Link could see what she meant. There were tall ridges where there ought not to be, wilderness in places he knew had been settled. Hyrule Castle was gone entirely. Death Mountain was active, with peculiar rings of smoke rising up from its crater, unlike anything he'd seen of the volcano in his lifetime. He put a hand on her shoulder, wondering if perhaps, somewhere deep down, she could still feel that he was trying to comfort her.

"It's a time so far back in the past, it's become legend," Zelda said, her voice torn between sadness and awe. "So it's true – this is really the era of Hyrule's founding?"

"Your presence here is just as strange to us, Zelda," Rauru admitted. "But if you, like Sonia, have a secret stone and are able to manipulate time, then your story makes sense."

"Oh?" Sonia smiled teasingly. "I believed her right away. You needed the secret stone as proof, Rauru?" She turned towards Zelda, her gaze kind. "I can feel your light power within her, as well as my time power. Additionally, I sense that we share a blood connection."

Link saw the sudden dawning of hope and longing in Zelda's gaze, the glistening of tears in her eyes, and he couldn't help but feel something warm in his heart. He smiled. Blood connection… they're your family, Zelda.

"Uh… I see," Rauru said, sounding slightly embarrassed. He cleared his throat. "In any case, Zelda, you had said that you needed to return to your era as soon as you possibly could."

"Yes," Zelda answered. A troubled look returned to her face. "In my time, something terrible is happening. I need to get back there… but I don't even know how I got here, even with the secret stone. I – I've never truly been trained in my magic…"

Sonia walked closer to Zelda. "Now, dear," she said in a comforting voice. "You don't need to solve all of your problems all at once. I'm sure an answer will come to you, but wisdom takes time. Why not come back with us to the castle?" She took Zelda's hands, chuckling lightly. "We'll tell everyone that you're… a distant relative of ours."

Zelda managed a small smile at that, her eyes glittering. "It… it is true, I suppose," she murmured, sounding astonished. "I… don't know what to say…"

Rauru hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder… Mineru. She may have some idea of how to get you back to your era – she's a wise loremaster, with great knowledge of the Zonai people and relics. And like us, she also has a secret stone."

"Rauru's sister," Sonia explained, nodding. "We'll call on her."

– high, high above Hyrule, mountains and fields and settlements passing in the blink of an eye far below as he fought to hang on to the Light Dragon's mane –

Link's feet abruptly touched solid stone, and he found himself in a dark, cool room that felt like a cave, with rows and rows of books lining the walls, and two Zonai steward constructs making tea over a small blue fire. A female Zonai sat at a desk in the back of the room, clad in purple robes that seemed to ripple about her when she moved. In her hands was the Purah Pad. Zelda and Rauru stood before her, and Link noticed that Zelda was no longer wearing her blue tunic, but rather, the white dress she had worn at the Temple of Time.

And… as Ganondorf's puppet. His back twinged, and he winced.

"It is… quite an interesting device," Mineru mused, tilting her head. Unlike Rauru, her long ears stuck straight up in the air, like a rabbit's, giving her the appearance of being perpetually alert. "This is definitely not of this era."

"So you really believe my story?" Zelda asked anxiously, clasping her hands tightly together. "That I came from the future?"

"I never doubted you for a moment," the female Zonai assured her.

"Mineru, do you know of a way we could return Zelda back to her time?" Rauru asked.

"Well… it was clearly the power of your secret stone that allowed you to travel through time," Mineru answered thoughtfully. "To put it simply, secret stones amplify the power their owners already possess. For instance, I am able to separate my spirit from my body, to at least temporarily escape death. Rauru can repel or destroy evil with his power of light. And Sonia can control time."

Repel or destroy evil, Link thought, intrigued. Sounds… exactly like the Master Sword.

"As for you, I can sense… both light, and time powers," Mineru said. "Rauru… does that mean…?"

Rauru chuckled. "Yes, she's gotten along quite well with the boys," he said with a fond smile. "We eventually decided to have them call her 'Auntie.' I'm afraid you've been replaced, sister."

Mineru gave Rauru an exasperated look. "They can have multiple aunties," she insisted. "Why not have them call her 'cousin?' That's more accurate."

"Accurate doesn't matter," Rauru waved her off. "I'm not about to have my ten-year-olds call her 'great-great-great-great-grandaughter,' after all."

Zelda laughed, smiling at Rauru. "I think there's more 'greats' than that."

"Sheesh, now I'm old," Rauru winced.

"If I may continue?" Mineru asked, raising an eyebrow, though amusement danced in her eyes. "Zelda, your secret stone seems to have chosen to amplify your time power." She smirked at her brother. "It seems you take more after Sonia than Rauru."

Rauru put a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"So… what does that mean?" Zelda asked. "If my powers got me here, couldn't they get me back?"

"In theory, yes," Mineru nodded. "If you know how you did it."

Zelda looked down at her clasped hands, her brow creased. "I… I don't," she admitted. "It all happened so quickly. I picked up the stone, and I felt as though a part of me… joined with it, and then…" She grimaced slightly. "Well… here I am."

"And that makes sense," Mineru nodded. "Upon accepting a secret stone, one will feel a surge of power that may allow them to do things they did not know they were capable of." Her ears drooped slightly. "Ultimately, a secret stone only amplifies your powers. It doesn't… suddenly grant you mastery and control. That's still up to you."

"Ah," Zelda said, disappointment palpable in her tone. "I… I see. I'll… have to keep working on it, then."

Link cringed, reaching out to her, wishing he could do something. He could guess that she was remembering how she'd so desperately struggled to unlock her powers the first time, how quickly she turned her lack of progress into proof that she 'wasn't good enough.' And now, yet again –

"You could practice with Sonia," Rauru suggested brightly. "She's quite good with her time magic."

"I'd like that," Zelda said, smiling. Link glanced between her and Rauru, regarding the first King with fresh appreciation.

"But Sonia has done most of her work with sending objects through time, not herself," Mineru pointed out. A troubled expression flitted across her face. "There… there are stories, about the secret stones and a forbidden act called draconification."

Link stopped breathing.

"'To swallow a secret stone,'" Mineru went on gravely, "'is to become a dragon, one blessed with eternal life.'"

"Interesting," Rauru said, his tone considerably more tense. "Another way to reach the future… though not a very quick one."

Zelda, you… you didn't…

"You think those stories could hint at a solution to our dilemma?" Rauru continued uneasily.

Mineru's expression was pained. "I'm your advisor," she sighed. "It's my duty to lay out all possible avenues, and then it's up to you to decide which to pursue." Her gaze hovered over Zelda. "But there is still more to those tales. 'To become a dragon is… to lose oneself.' That is why it is forbidden. Maybe this could lead to a solution, some way to transcend time, but if you have to sacrifice your heart and mind – sacrifice what makes you, you…"

Link could feel his heart hammering in his throat like some live frog trying to escape. Dinraal, Farosh, Naydra… three dragons with long ears, goat-like faces, scales and hair similar to Rauru and Mineru's own.

They… they were Zonai once. Those must be the stories Mineru is referencing. The three great dragons who roam our skies – they were Zonai who swallowed their secret stones.

And… the Light Dragon… does not look like a Zonai.

He could feel something cold and heavy winding around his chest and slowly squeezing, like ropes made of ice.

Once again it was Rauru who interrupted his thoughts. "We do not know the limits of the secret stones," the first King of Hyrule pointed out optimistically. "And they can amplify your powers. Zelda, you got yourself here. I think the answer lies in study and learning more about the nature of your power. And I'm sure Sonia would be happy to help you."

Link's mind caught hold of Rauru's words, and Zelda's face reflected the hope he felt inside. She – she got herself there. She can get herself back! And the scene in the library froze –

– bitingly cold air that froze the tears on his face, that clawed at his raw throat as he wept, some distant, buried part of him already aware of the terrible, bitter truth –

"Molduga are approaching our position!" a gruff, masculine voice called out. Link found himself standing on a paved lookout at the top of a cliff – the Great Plateau again, he noticed in surprise, recognizing the view of the Gerudo Highlands, though the mountains themselves weren't quite the right shape. At his side were several soldiers, all wearing off-the-shoulder robes similar to the one he had found on the Great Sky Island.

"It's more than we thought," another soldier noted worriedly. "It's a swarm!"

Link traced their gesturing spears and pointing fingers with his eyes, his brow furrowing at the sight of a thick cloud of dust kicked up in the Taobab Grassland far below – although it didn't look much like a grassland now, more like a dusty desert canyon. He gasped quietly when he made out the distant shapes of fins and protruding jawbones weaving through the dust. That's… a lot of Molduga. And they're not just roaming, either. They have a plan – a motive. They're going to attack the Great Plateau?

What… what happens when Molduga try to attack a cliff? Could they actually win?

Uneasily he realized that he had never seen Molduga so driven before – he had no idea what they could do in such a situation.

He heard footsteps rapidly approaching behind him, and turned to see Rauru, Zelda, and Sonia rushing towards the lookout. Zelda's eyes were wide, her face pinched and pale in fear. By contrast, Sonia was almost smiling, as unperturbed as if she were going for a peaceful walk in the countryside.

And Rauru…

The first King of Hyrule stood tall and regal, his expression stern but calm and collected, composed as a strong tree in the midst of a storm – aware, but unbothered, by the danger.

"There are so many of them!" Zelda exclaimed, lifting a hand to her cheek in horror. "But… why would they…"

Then Rauru raised his hands at an angle to each other, his fingertips pressed together. It was a gesture Link instantly recognized, and a chill dripped down his spine.

That's… that's what he showed me at the Sanctum. That's how I held back Ganondorf's magic.

Rauru's own secret stone flashed to life, white-gold and pure, gentle waves of magic radiating steadily out from it. Link watched attentively, his heart in his throat, loathe to miss a single detail.

Then Sonia nodded comfortingly to Zelda, raising her right palm out towards Rauru, deep golden magic flaring out from her hand. Hesitantly Zelda copied the gesture, astonishment replacing the fear in her gaze as magic billowed from her palm, her secret stone shining brightly.

Bathed in their magic from behind, Rauru gave a small nod, his eyes narrowing in concentration. Then a third eye that Link hadn't yet noticed sprang open in the center of the Zonai's brow, and with a great cry Rauru gathered up a massive orb of light that engulfed all three of them before sending out a blinding jet of magic that tore through the oncoming Molduga swarm, utterly destroying them.

Link gaped at Rauru, his mind all over the place, from repulsion at the third eye to awe at the sheer might of his power combined with Zelda and Sonia's, to a deep sense of humility and no little shame comparing Rauru's light magic to his own –

– drifting through clouds, over mountaintops, the beautiful lands of Hyrule spreading out beneath them; was this what it was like to be a dragon? –

He stood in a grand hall draped in blue banners bearing Zonai designs in gold. Rauru and Sonia sat upon gilded marble thrones, with Zelda standing next to them. Guards filled the chamber, as a procession of Gerudo marched down the long hall towards the throne.

Link's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of their leader. The man was built like a mountain, and likely weighed as much as one, all from solid muscle. He was taller than even the tallest of the other Gerudo, and bulky enough that Link wouldn't have been surprised if he was the one man in Hyrule that could wrestle a Goron and win. He wore a regal black and red robe over his left arm that trailed behind him like a cloak, and traditional billowing Gerudo trousers. Golden ornaments were draped across his chest and brow, and his crimson hair was gathered up in a topknot. In sharp contrast, his skin was an unsettling green hue.

Link did not need to hear the man speak to know that this was Ganondorf – this was the man who became the Demon King.

The Gerudo man knelt before Rauru's throne, setting down the ornate katana held in his hand and dipping his chin to his chest. Around him, his entourage copied his position.

"Allow me to offer you my deepest apologies, on behalf of the Gerudo, for taking so long to accept your repeated invitations," Ganondorf said, his voice convincingly contrite while retaining a calm sense of power and confidence. Although, Link reflected, perhaps 'calm' was not the right word. Ganondorf was not calm like Rauru; rather, he seemed like a lion lurking in tall grass, waiting quietly and patiently for the right moment to strike.

"It is our desire," Ganondorf continued, "to be accepted into the protective embrace of your kingdom. To serve it faithfully."

Not good, Link thought, his spine prickling. But… maybe I'm wrong? When, exactly, did Ganondorf become evil? If this is before he turned…

His blood ran cold as an ominous realization struck his mind, and he glanced worriedly at Zelda. Regardless of whether this is before he became evil, Rauru and Zelda and Sonia would have no way to know.

"A welcome appeal, Ganondorf," Rauru said respectfully, though Link could hear the underlying layers of wariness in his voice. "I will accept your vow of fealty to the kingdom of Hyrule. I understand a single male is born to the Gerudo every hundred years. Receiving such an appeal from you, a hero to his people and a king by birth… well, it is truly reassuring."

So Buliara's 'myth' was true in these days.

"It is my honor," Ganondorf said solemnly. "When your Zonai ancestors first descended upon these lands long, long ago, they must have seemed to be gods. And now you rule as King, and have taken a Hyrulean woman as your wife." The Gerudo's calculating golden eyes lingered on Sonia, and Link thought at once of a predatory beast that had acquired its target. His skin prickled. "Your Majesty has certainly risen above your admirable lineage. Most impressive.

"It is unfortunate," Ganondorf continued, the barest hint of sinister intent seeping into his voice at last, "that the noble Zonai no longer grace this world with their presence. All except you and your sister, that is."

"Even if something were to happen to me, both my kingdom and the peace it brings – these will endure for generations to come," Rauru said firmly. Link felt some relief seeing that Ganondorf's subtle threat had been recognized and called out by the first King of Hyrule.

Peace to endure for generations… and, it has, more or less, Link thought. Aside from the Calalmity of ten-thousand years ago, and of a century ago. A few minor wars every couple hundred years or so… but overall, we have had peace.

"Your actions today are appreciated, Ganondorf," Rauru went on, his tone indicating that the meeting was over. "I look forward to your future endeavors. You may leave."

"Your Majesty," Ganondorf acknowledged. He bent to pick up his sheathed katana on the ground and turned to leave, gathering his robe up around him in a gesture for the other Gerudo to follow.

When the door had safely fallen closed behind them, Zelda leaned closer to the thrones. "King Rauru," she said quietly, her brow furrowed. "I believe that man's heart holds many dark ambitions. Just his name… even that… it gives me pause."

Link's heart lurched, his eyes flying wide as he realized she hadn't recognized the Gerudo King. "He's – he's the corpse we saw!" he exclaimed, remembering belatedly that no one here could hear or see him. He grit his teeth, frustration bubbling inside of him at his inability to provide some warning about what an alliance with Ganondorf would bring upon them. 'Dark ambitions' hardly covers it! Although… this man isn't much similar in appearance to a corpse, and… I've seen him quite a few times now, whereas Zelda… she only saw him the one time.

"I am well aware of his evil nature," Rauru answered at last, his gaze fixed on the closed door to the throne room. "For that reason, and others, I want him close. It will be easier to keep an eye on him." He smiled reassuringly at Zelda. "There is nothing to worry about."

Link frowned deeply, even as his surroundings froze again, signaling another jump through time. That only works if you know you can contain him, he thought uneasily. And remembering Rauru's devastating beam of light, and knowing he had the ability to defend against Ganondorf's attacks, perhaps he did have the means to handle Ganondorf successfully.

But if so, we wouldn't be in this mess now.

– Link was exhausted now, in mind and body; he was cold, his skin ice beneath his flimsy undershirt, the stab wound in his back a brutal furnace at odds against the cold. Perhaps the Light Dragon meant ill after all; perhaps it meant to fly him to his death –

Water rushed gently over a pebbled lakeshore. Aspen trees in full leaf swayed lightly some distance from the shore, lush grass and wildflowers blooming among their roots. Link reveled in the comforting warmth of the sun, looking around to see whatever it was he was meant to see here.

Under a small pavilion Zelda sat together with Rauru and Sonia, bowls of fruit and lightly steaming teacups set out before them. Two young boys splashed and played in the water, clearly the children of Rauru and Sonia – they had ears larger than most Hylians,' oddly shaped eyes, and skin the same shade as Sonia's, but tinged slightly blue.

Link winced sympathetically as Zelda accidentally knocked a teacup off of the table, but then with a warm golden glow and a twist of Sonia's fingers it returned to its initial place.

"Are you well?" Sonia asked, looking at Zelda intently. "You seem a bit distracted."

"It's… nothing," Zelda answered, frowning slightly at the cup she had knocked off the table. "I'm fine."

Rauru chuckled warmly, comfortingly resting a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "I do not believe it is possible to keep anything secret from Sonia," he told her with a knowing grin. "She probably already knows exactly what's in your head."

Sonia gave Rauru a teasingly exasperated look, and Rauru shrugged helplessly.

"Well… I keep getting lost in my thoughts," Zelda admitted, her gaze troubled. "There's just… so much in my mind right now. I… almost feel guilty, trying to have a good time here in the past, when I need to find a way back to my own time. So I think through everything we've talked about, all that you've taught me about time magic, seeing if there's some other angle I could approach the problem from, and… I come up short. And then there's that bizarre Molduga attack, monster activity on the rise, and of course now Ganondorf is staying at the castle, and…"

"Oh, your concern is very sweet, Zelda," Sonia smiled. "But listen. You can focus your attention on returning home. After all, you possess more than power over time. You have a sacred power that can dispel evil. Both of these powers will help you protect your own era." Her eyes twinkled. "And, of course, you must make it home safe to put Link's mind at ease."

Link gave a start, staring at Sonia. Me? How does… how does she know about me?

"Link?" Rauru echoed, as Zelda's cheeks grew steadily redder. "That is not a name I have heard."

"It's – it's Auntie Zelda's boyfriend!" one of the boys on the lake called out to them, wading through the shallows towards them while the other sniggered behind him. "She's told us a ton of stories about him!"

"Yeah, like the times he licked a frog!" the other boy giggled, shoving water at his brother, and Zelda covered her crimson face in her hands. "Who does that?"

Rauru looked at Zelda almost sternly. "You have a boyfriend who licks frogs?" he asked, and Link felt embarrassed on her behalf.

"It's – it's not – like that," Zelda stuttered, slowly lowering her fingers. She swallowed. "Link is a royal knight – I, er, not actually royal, but – a knight of the royal guard. Which guards royals. He had originally been appointed for my protection. But later, he became a hero by saving both me and Hyrule from a great evil."

"Oh," Rauru hummed thoughtfully, gripping his chin in one hand. "A hero, is he?"

Link scratched the back of his head self-consciously, feeling at once very uncomfortable in the situation. Not everyday you hear what people say about you behind your back.

Then Zelda's gaze turned towards the table, a soft, beautiful smile tilting her lips gracefully upwards, and he felt something entirely different at the realization that she was smiling like that thinking of him.

"He is so very dedicated," she said fondly. "And he refuses to back down from any challenge… especially if he thinks it'll make the people he cares about happy. Like… licking a frog, or trying to eat a rock." She giggled to herself, shaking her head. "He is very strong, and his heart is good and true…"

"Zelda," Link whispered, touched, reaching absently out for her.

"A hero who's saved your life, and will lick frogs and eat rocks for you," Rauru nodded slowly, sounding amused. "Sounds like a keeper."

"Oh, Rauru!" Sonia exclaimed, lightly swatting at his arm.

"No, no, I'm serious," Rauru assured her. "Think about it! He sounds much better for our Zelda than some stiff, uptight noble, or some brawny moron going on and on about his muscles or his wealth or anything of the sort. He seems real and genuine." He smiled at Zelda. "I can see that you have absolute faith in him."

"So you… approve?" Zelda asked shyly.

"Hearing you speak so highly of Link, I find myself wanting to meet him as well," Rauru grinned.

"Indeed," Sonia agreed. "I would also like to meet him. What a picture Zelda paints of him!"

"When do we get to meet him?" one of the boys in the water demanded. "He's gonna be family, right? I want him to show me a sword trick!"

And then it hit Link, like a blow to the gut. 'Our Zelda,' Rauru said. Auntie Zelda. Asking for… approval…

They truly think of her like family. However long it's been since they first met, they've… they've really taken her in.

He looked at Zelda, still slightly red in the face from the teasing, her eyes dancing with delight and contentment that he had only rarely seen in the past. His heart felt warm, looking at her, and he realized that, whatever else would happen, he was grateful that she had gotten the chance to be a part of a good family at last. A family completely different from Rhoam and his shortsightedness. A family that truly loves her.

I only wish I could have been a part of it, he thought, and the warmth was eclipsed by a wave of deep sadness that stole his breath, and a growing dread of what this bizarre journey through time would reveal.