Chapter 6: The Truth

Well, what now, Mils?"

Mils ran a hand through his blonde mop of hair. He knew that the journey to the Great Plateau would not be easy, but now that his crew was actually on it, it was like walking in circles.

"Mils, are you listening?"

The lanky man did not get up from the rock he was sitting on, but he looked up at his sister. Mina was a year older than him, with lighter blonde hair. She had the same armaments as her brother; a wooden shield at her side and a machete on her back. But she had a little more muscle than him, and better dressed for the occasion; she wore a padded leather jerkin, riding pants, and heavy boots against his common tunic and trousers.

"We've faced worse odds before, ladies..well, lady and gentleman." The third member of the crew looked from side to side. He was not quite used to the wilderness, and was already missing the crowds of people at Hateno Village.

"You said your map would work, Kass."

Kass was not a Hylian. He was a Rito, a tall and broad figure with a barrel chest beneath his tight blue shirt. A set of of legs that looked too thin to support his massive bulk sprouted out from beneath a pair of poofy white pants. His thick arms were covered in feathers. He did not have the head of human, but of a bird. The head was primarily blue, with a splash of red here and there, and the eyes were a deep amber. The beak was a glossy black, and the edges seemed to curve into a rueful smile as he continued speaking.

"Yes, but I didn't make the map. It's not my fault if someone drew it badly."

Mina huffed as she crumpled up the parchment and stuck in her pocket. "We've been searching the whole plateau for a day and a half." Mina's eyes creased. "The word was that there would be treasure to find here, and it better be worth our trouble."

"Come now," Kass laughed. "Surely you haven't lost your wanderlust for adventure?" He picked up his accordion. It was an old one, but it creeked along nicely enough when he pressed the buttons.

"The flames crawl, the waters rise...the lightning strikes...the wind sighs.."

Kass's voice was low and sonorous. Even Mils perked up a little.

"Let not the sound leave horses riled...breathe in the breath of the wild..."

"Okay, okay," Mina huffed. "We know you love the works of the Great Bard. Now, where are we going next?"

"It's a pity." Kass put away his instrument. "You don't find a whimsical wonder in these notes?"

"Even you can't fill your belly with notes." Mina folded her arms. She jerked her head behind her. I'm just glad we found this hut when we did."

The structure behind them was a squat, stone building, a far cry from the grandeur one would dream Hyrule Castle and the Temple of Time possessed. The roof was made of rotting wood, and the walls were full of cracks. But it would have to do as a temporary shelter.

"How long 'til Old Buddy's ready again?"

Mils shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine." He paused. "But I got to say...it's kind of weird, you know...this hut out in the middle of nowhere...there's no sign there was any kind of village here..."

Cairn was not simply angry. He was boiling.

"Link!" He shouted. His nephew had stopped in his tracks. The youth turned around, but not in fear, or in shock. The two of them were barely a half mile from the hut.

Cairn took several deep breaths. The youth before him stood resolutely, a knapsack slung over his shoulder. It occurred to the older man, deep in his soul, that he could not rely on heavy-handed commands or threats as he had done in the past. But that did not stop him from from forcing his feet forward.

"So this is how you repay me, boy?" Cairn was barely able to speak. "I took you in, raised you, trained you, gave you food, shelter, and clothing, and now you throw away the king's blessing and scamper off?"

"I didn't throw away the king's blessing." Link's face was unsettlingly flat. "I asked him for a favor. I'm starting my life in Hateno Village anew."

Cairn twisted furiously as he yanked at the gauntlet on his right hand. The flesh was the same as it had been for years; wrinkled and cracked. And there were only three fingers; the thumb and pointer were gone, as they had been when the six-year-old Link had first seen his uncle's hand.

"I could have been a great knight. I had that hope once." Cairn's voice was almost a whisper. "I wanted to fight for the king and his family, to prove my worth to the land. But the Goddesses, they..." He shook his head. "...they decided I wasn't fit to hold a sword. One battle, and I lost my future. I was hopeless." He looked back up. "But not you, boy. You were born for the life I lost, and I was going to make sure you earned your birthright. You would become a hero, or maybe even a champion, if all went well."

Despite himself, Link could not help but let his shoulders slag.

Cairn snapped the gauntlet back on. "And now you mean to leave me for some life of mediocrity? I have given everything to you. Everything! And you repay me like this?"

"That's the problem," Link snapped, his anger rising. "You..you never helped me just for the sake of helping me! It was always about you! I was your ward, your hope, your vindication for your lost dream! But I was never a nephew! Not in your eyes!"

"Don't speak to me like that!" Cairn roared. "Do you have any appreciation for all the time and energy I invested in you!? All the labor I exhausted teaching you the sword, the shield, the spear, the bow, the axe, the lance, and every other skill I carved into my brain before the day I lost my future!?"

"Shut up!" Link's face was red. He had not shouted at the older man before. "I don't...I don't care what you wanted to do, Uncle! I don't want to spend my life chasing some dream of being a great hero!"

"Oh, is that right? So the princess's safety is a mere trifle to you? Do you think the Bokoblins and Moblins and Hinoxes and Goddesses know what else won't find another moment to strike at the royal family!?" Cairn spat at the ground. "If you won't answer the call, then who will?"

"Hyrule has hundreds of soldiers!" Link threw up his hands. "They don't need me anymore, whatever you think or say!" He began to turn on his heel. Cairn's rage burst. He punched out with his good hand, but it was no use. His fist met the air as the youth sidestepped and sent his own straight forward.

Link's knuckles met Cairn's stomach. The older man coughed and doubled over. Link's hands shook.

"Uncle...no, Cairn...do whatever you like with the rest of your life."

Cairn did not respond.

"If you want to train a new ward or something, find some other tool. that's your business. I'm going to have a new life. You won't be part of it."

And then Link was gone.

The Temple of Time, as the old man had referred to it, had definitely seen better days. The roof was caved in, and the walls were covered in ivy. Heavy stones and broken chunks of limestone were strewn around in the grass surrounding the structure. There was no longer a door, only the wide opening that the old man, Link, and Ayri filed through.

"Oh, my..." Link said to himself.

The entire place was a wreck. What passed for the floor was just a few sections of stone scattered across uneven earth. The windows were little more than holes in the wall, and broken pots and well-rusted iron crates were strewn all over the place.

"I...used to come here in my youth." The old man's voice was somber. "I used to pray for strength, for wisdom, but I suppose what I received was not enough." He kept walking.

"Or perhaps I just didn't make the most of it..."

Link was about to speak up, but Ayri held her hand up. Link took the hint and shut his mouth. They followed the old man to the far corner, where there was an entrance to a staircase.

The steps were worn and cracked, but they held the trio's weight as they ascended. Link did not know how much longer he would be able to stand on his sore, tired feet, but he had to endure. The old man was leading them someplace important. He knew it.

There was a wide door at the top of the stairs. The old man pushed it open, and the party entered the open-air room. They were in the tall spire that jutted out from the ruined temple. The old man walked to one of the empty spaces between the pillars supporting the roof above their heads, waving a hand through it. He let out a forced impression of a chuckle.

"I remember when my daughter helped me choose the stained glass designs for these windows...just another memory, I suppose."

"How long ago was that?" Link asked. He watched as the old man turned around. The lad took a few steps forward. Ayri remained behind. For reasons she could not articulate, their guide unsettled her.

"To be honest, I've lost the exact count myself. Only certain facts have to be certain." He jerked a thumb backwards, at the dim shadow of the castle in the far distance. "That was my home."

"Your home? But..." Link stopped suddenly. Even from his perch in the tower, he saw that a change had come over the castle. A long column of smoke rose from it. But it did not dissipate as it moved upwards, no. It began to circle the castle, writhing like a worm.

Link gulped in his throat. An image flashed before his eyes; a flying monster, a half-dragon, half-boar thing with yellow eyes, and a body made out of black ash...

Ayri's eyes went wide, but not from fear. Emotions surged through her heart...awe, wonder, religious rapture. It was the god of the Yiga Clan...

"Ganon..."

The old man nodded. "Calamity Ganon, yes. The one who laid waste to the kingdom, the one who turned the Guardians against the people...that monster is the cause of it all. And that castle is the only thing that keeps the rest of the world safe...for now."

Link did not turn to catch Ayri's expression. "What kind of creature is Ganon?" The old man's eyes narrrowed.

"To understand Calamity Ganon, one must know the story from an age long past. The demon king was born into this kingdom, but his transformation into Malice created the horror you see now. Stories of Ganon were passed from generation to generation in the form of legends and fairy tales. It was understood that he would consume anything and everything if he could. But apart from that story, there was also...a legend."

Link's ears perked up.

"When the demon king first rose, ten thousand years ago, he was opposed by a princess with a sacred power and her appointed knight, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness. It was they who sealed Ganon, and it was they who would pass on their gifts. One hundred years ago, there was another princess set to inherit a sacred power and another skilled knight at her side."

The old man ran a hand through his beard.

"It was hoped that the new princess and the new knight would save Hyrule from Ganon forever, but fate...was not on their side. The appointed knight, gravely wounded, collapsed while defending the princess, who disappeared thereafter."

The old man walked forward, putting a hand on Link's shoulder.

"The courageous knight who protected her right up to the very end...that knight was none other than you, Link."

Link's eyes went wide. "You...can't be serious...this is insane, this..."

"The Sheikah Slate you carry would not be for anybody else."

The girl behind Link was boilin, her face white with shock and blind rage.

Him!? He's the Hylian Champion? How could he be? How could he still be alive? Why does he look so young? How the hell could I have found myself...helping him!?

But Ayri had no time for the questions she would not get answers for. It occurred to her that the old man was looking straight past Link and directly at her. She shifted. Reach for her dagger? No, too obvious. Her bow? It would be useless for close range. But there was still the quiver on her back. She could take one of the arrows. It would take only a second for her to whip the cloak out of the way. The metal arrowhead would be small, but that would not matter if it was sent straight to the neck. A quick stab, a twist, and then a yank. Link's neck would be ruined beyond any hope of saving, and he would choke to death on his own blood.

Quick as a flash, Ayri dropped her bow and let her hand fly for one of her arrows. Her fingers curled around the shaft and she yanked her weapon free, winding up for a direct stab.

"Watch out, Link!"

The only thing Ayri hit was empty air. At the very last infinitesimal fraction of a second, Link swerved and turned back. He must have intended to punch his attacker in the face. Instead, his fist struck Ayri on the neck. She stumbled back, choking. It was a weak punch, but that did not matter. Her legs buckled and she fell to her knees, gasping for air.

"Ayri!"

Link was pale, but he kept his footing. The old man's face turned stony.

"A follower of Ganon, I assume?"

Ayri wanted to throw out a witty remark, or a condemnation towards the Hylian Champion, but she did not have the strength. She was down the stairs in a flash. Link started to run after her.

"Wait!"

The old man grabbed him. "Leave her."

"What? I..."

"Listen to me." The old man's eyes bore down on Link. "Whatever she was to you before, she is your enemy now. Understand?"

Link could hardly believe what he was hearing. "I...no, I...don't understand..."

He had saved Ayri's life, and she had just tried to take his. What was going on?

Just another chapter or two, and I'll have finished rewriting my old story. I look forward to the chapters that follow.