Legends of the Hero of Time

by Ryan-Sinclair

The Hero of Time, Link, is blessed by the Golden Goddesses with a normal existence, free for himself to rule over. He must learn the true meaning of life as he attempts to join Hylian society. Along the way, he finds a family to call his own. Protecting and loving them, as a new threat emerges, he grows to understand how he must still endure the challenges of fate.

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

.

.

.

[Time: 4:58 P.M. (Afternoon)]

[Location- Hyrule, City of Hyrule – Hyrule Castle]

.

Inside the Throne Room of Hyrule Castle, several men gathered around King Harkinian Nohansen, who was sitting on his seat of sovereignty. Compared to even the most lavish house in Castle Town, the architecture in the interior of the castle was far more regal, appearing as noble and munificent as possible. There were silk tapestries hanging from the walls and the finest of weaved rugs leading up to the equally plush throne. The entire room was lit up by multiple luxurious chandeliers dangling from the vaulted ceiling. Chairs of the grandest oak, carved by master woodworkers sat out on each side of the room for any aristocrat to rest their weary rump. At this time, many seats were already taken by patricians and nobles. Many of these people wore garments reflecting their status, their fashion showing off as pure bloods living the good life. Those who weren't dressed from head-to-toe wore clothing which represented the might of Hyrule, attire built for Royal Guards or Knights of Hyrule.

The hylians all talked amongst themselves in whispers. It remained that way, with The King waiting patiently until the a clock in the Throne Room dang loudly, echoing around the chamber as the clocktower in Castle Town chimed in unison. Whenever it finally happened and it was clear to everyone that the time was now five o'clock on the dot, a few of the men standing beside The King announced the beginning of the assembly. "Attention everyone. We will begin in just a few moments. We thank you for coming on such short notice, especially considering the circumstances with the Six Royal Sages of Her Grace being here. If you're not already, please take a seat."

The murmuring and whispering in the room soon quieted down, yet did not fully stop until the double doors on the right side of the room, leading deeper into the castle, swung open to reveal the beautiful Princess Zelda herself. She was followed ever so closely by her beloved nanny and permanent guardian, Impa, the last of the Sheikah. The Princess's supple skin was an elegant pink peach colour. Soft and smooth, it complimented the young girl's precious blue eyes, which were deep and soulful. Despite it being kept in a bun under her lavish headdress, her long blonde hair was gorgeous too. She wore her usual outfit, a lacey cotton teal chemise covered by a silk white dress that itself was topped by a fancy royal purple tabard worn as a cyclas. Her golden bracelets, embellished metal belt and necklace complimented the Royal Family Crest emblazoned on the front of her tabard.

"You're late..." The King spoke sternly, tapping his index finger on the side of his throne while gently stroking his beard with his other hand. "I told you that this is important, Princess. Can't you understand the urgency?"

Impa followed behind Princess Zelda as they slowly made their way to one of the chairs next to the throne. The young girl wanted to ignore her father. She knew he was being grumpy because of the fact that he was dealing with something he didn't want to be. However, nobody was ever going to stop her from voicing her opinion. "I understand the urgency just fine, Father. As a matter of a fact, I was contemplating our options. That's why I was late."

The King's face scrunched up as he let go of his long beard to point at the young princess sitting next to him. "Do not act snippy with me, young lady. It is because of you and your failure to alert me to these matters that we're having this gathering."

Princess Zelda didn't let his words get the better of her. While she didn't feel like she was acting 'snippy', she did note how she was being blamed for the events that transpired recently. In no way, shape or form was she responsible for what Ganondorf did. If anything, she should have been praised for her actions when she and Link alerted the kingdom to the King of Gerudo's treachery. However, in reality, she was upset too, upset at herself far more so than her father was. The girl felt that it was because of her that she was forced to save the entire kingdom.

Impa understood that Zelda blamed herself. It was obvious whenever the wise Sheikah stuck up for the gloomy daughter of royalty. "Sire, perhaps it's best we not be so hard on her. She did her best. It's not her fault that Ganondorf could not be trusted."

The very second the name of the Great King of Evil rolled off the tip of Impa's Sheikah tongue, The King stood up and shouted, making his voice echo throughout the room. Everyone could hear him and knew well that he was angered by all of this. "Impa! Do not stick up for her! It is because of her that Ganondorf was able to acquire the Triforce in the first place and it's because of her that he was able to enter the Sacred Realm! The Goddesses are likely furious with you both! Do you not understand that!?"

Through the yelling, the Princess did nothing other than sit there, with her head hung low. It was the first time her father had spoken to her with such a harsh tone. Part of her wanted to run out of the Throne Room in tears, had it not been for the fact that he might have been right. No matter how hard she wanted to feel as though she succeeded in helping everyone, it only seemed as if she had made things worse. Nobody was happy with the ending, the conclusion she had intended to be glorious for all. "I do understand..." She responded, her voice now hoarse and scratchy as her hands balled up into fists. "Things might not have turned out perfect in the end, but they're still better than they would have been had I done nothing at all."

"How can you possibly say that!?" The King snarled back immediately. "You allowed Ganondorf to take control by leading him straight to the Temple of Time, by getting the young hero to open the Door of Time and forcing him to take upon himself the obligation of the Master Sword! If it wasn't for you going about, doing things on your own, Ganondorf wouldn't have tricked you into doing all of that! Don't you see!? He wanted you to do all of that and you let him fool you into doing it! It's your fault he got into the Sacred Realm!"

Finally, The Princess had had enough of it. Her father was wise, wise and powerful, but he was still a hylian like her. He wasn't as above her as he often pretended to be. "What about you, father!? I could ask the same! You befriended him, tried to make peace with the Gerudos, and even allowed him here into the castle!"

All of that was true, Zelda and Impa knew it. The King, however, wasn't inclined to believe it was his fault. He didn't particularly enjoy having his daughter yelling back at him either. "Don't you raise your voice to me, young lady! How was I to know that he was the Great King of Evil from the legends!? I merely wanted to unify the land, to bring full peace to a war-torn kingdom! Do you think I intended to let him take control!? Come on!"

Princess Zelda was still struggling to keep down her voice, which was beginning to grow unstable from the distress. "Father… Why are you acting as if I didn't try to warn you to begin with? I tried. I tried to tell you about my speculation or the premonition, but you waved it off like child's play; like… like you always do."

In spite of Zelda's tone becoming sullen, The King didn't relent. He loved his daughter, there was no doubt of that. He only wanted her to be a great princess, one capable of becoming a queen after he was gone, a queen far better and loyal in his opinion, than her mother was. Diplomats of other regions would not be easy on her, because they wouldn't be family like him. He knew his daughter had to learn that everything she did would always come with consequences; be they good or bad. The only problem was that what Zelda said was true; he didn't listen to her whenever she tried to inform him of things. At the time, they seemed so ridiculous to him. Countless fables had been passed down through generations, hundreds of years, yet many of them proved to be fruitlessly obscene stories. There were several that he did believe in, just not many. The amount of fakes, fabrications thought up by hyliankind, hindered his belief in others.

Being stubborn, The King also didn't want to think that it was possible for such an evil as Ganon could actually exist outside of legend or hell itself. On the other hand, he knew of The Hero's existence, all too well in fact. For many years, he would grow aggressive just thinking about the little bastard while he lay alone at night. To know that the boy was even still alive, and then to see him in the flesh many years after the Hyrulean Civil War, becoming aware that he was The Hero; it sickened King Harkinian. Only one thing kept him from acting brashly, only one thing forcing him to comprehend things, to accept them, and that was seeing the Mark of the Triforce on both The Hero and his daughter's hand.

It was clear that Nohanesen didn't know what to say back to Zelda. Back then, he ignored her until the proof was absolutely undeniable. Still, he didn't want to take full responsibility for his folly. Everything was a conundrum. The gathering was already turning into a disaster. Paying respects to the Goddesses for his shouting and anger, The King sat back down on his throne to momentarily pray. The entire day was going to be full of outrage and tears, he knew it.

"Sire..." One of his advisors spoke softly, trying his best to not get on the bad side of his already ticked off lord. Interrupting The King's prayers wasn't the best idea, but the advisor needed to get things moving in their meeting. "If I may?"

Looking up, The King stared at his consultant with narrowed eyes and scrunched eyebrows. "What is it?"

With that question, the advisor replied "Everyone is here. The Royal Sages, Captain Orsen, and the Happy Mask Salesman…. Who… I'm not entirely sure how he got on the list….." Clearing his throat, he proceeded with. "We may now proceed with our conference regarding the events that transpired, including what to do with those who caused it."

Off to the side, Princess Zelda crossed her arms in an unlady-like fashion while shaking her head in disbelief. She didn't think any of this meeting was required. Considering they were talking about her and Link, things were fine. Link wasn't in Hyrule Castle and was done being the Hero of Time. She retained full memory and because of that, she continued to hold the Triforce of Wisdom.

"Now, beforehand…" The advisor continued. "The Royal Sages had provided our wonderful King and myself with all the information provided on the Great King of Evil as well as The Hero from within ancient tomes and age-old scripts. That which we all believed to be legend isn't looking so unfathomable anymore. It's clear that this is a message from the Golden Goddess. They knew we'd have to fend off the Great King of Evil once more." Clasping his hands together, he walked back and forth in front of the throne, pacing before Zelda and The King. "Ganondorf of the Gerudo Tribe is indeed the Great King of Evil they spoke of. If the Princess's revelation is true, the events which happened prior to being reverted were cataclysmic."

"Great King of Evil..." One of the Royal Sages spoke with a soft, yet somehow intense voice; a voice that seemed to be heard directly inside of everyone's head. "I am afraid that is just one title out of many." Together, in unison, one-by-one, the Royal Sages took turns saying multiple names for the essence of the same being. "The one known as Ganondorf Dragmire, who was the Gerudo King of Thieves until his incursion into the Sacred Realm, is merely one out of several. Whenever he took upon himself the name Mandrag Ganon, he became the Great King of Evil; the Prince of Darkness and the Dark Lord, all of which were and are incarnations of a being made out of pure hatred, evil and hatred."

"You must understand…" One of the sages spoke. "This is a cycle which has been repeated numerous times throughout history. Since the days in the Era of the Goddess Hylia, we've been stuck in a looping repetition of events. The Hero, The Princess, and the Evil Dark Lord, all of which are incarnations of the same beings from long ago."

Right as the Royal Sage stopped speaking, Captain Orsen brought up a quick question. "How many have you cataloged? Do we have an estimated number on how many cycles we've been through containing these beings?"

Briefly, for just a moment, all six of the Royal Sages spoke in unison. "It's not as simple as that." On the far right, the Royal Sage continued to speak for the group, lessening the amount of voices talking. It might be because of their telepathic abilities, but the more they spoke in unison, the more people in the Throne Room grew a headache. "For the one known as the Dark Lord, we are unaware of how many appearances he has made. Scripture indicates a possibility of existing before recorded history. Other sources point toward it originating from another realm, having existed prior to both the creation of Hyrule and the Triforce. Grouping them together is impossible as well, for there have been periods of time in which one didn't yet exist or was unable to return through reincarnation."

Captain Orsen was in disbelief. He knew he didn't want to put it past chance, as to him, nothing was impossible. In spite of this, he felt as though he didn't get all of an answer. The Sages seemed to have avoided part of the question. "Okay… That's… That's terrible. But, what about The Hero and The Princess? Do we have any clue how many incarnations either of them have been through?"

Each of the Royal Sages looked at one another until the same one resumed speaking. "It's not entirely relevant."

After that, The Captain felt slightly angered at the sage's concealment of knowledge. They came there and were supposed to help as well as discuss important things regarding events that could, would, and have changed the fate of Hyliankind. For the time being, nobody in the room was capable of holding their tongue. All of them murmured quietly, knowing they had to refrain from speaking about any of this outside the confines of the inner-sanctum they currently stood in. Although the Royal Sages knew that they were safe to share secrets, they still held back from divulging full details. It didn't make sense to those who were in attendance.

Thankfully, Princess Zelda sided with him, for she spoke for The Captain. "This is important information that we all need to know. If you know about it, then please, share it with us so that we are not left unaware."

"No..." The King abruptly said, making both Princess Zelda and Impa direct their eyes straight toward him. "If they think it's irrelevant, then it's irrelevant. You're just a young girl, you don't know as much as they do."

Silence ensued from everyone else momentarily before The Princess gasped from what she took as an insult. She had gone over the problem so many times, and yet, her father kept reverting to his old ways. "We just went over this, father! I'm not a little girl… If I deem it worthy, doesn't that count?"

Such insolence, under normal circumstances, would get The Princess in hot water. However, right as The King was about to get onto her as his rage began building up, the very same Royal Sage interjected. "We are here to serve Princess Zelda. If she deems it important, then we shall inform those of what they wish to know."

Along with a solid grunt, The King gave up and allowed them to speak; answering Captain Orsen's question. "The one known as The Hero, he has existed since the Era of the Goddess Hylia. Countless references toward him have been documented. Some of these heroes were lesser known than others, yet all were just as courageous as one another. The Hero of Men and The Hero of the Four Swords, these two we've been unable to locate a name. Thankfully, with blessings from the Goddesses, we've uncovered the others. Four of these heroes shared the same name. Link."

Only Princess Zelda and Captain Orsen became visibly agitated by the mention of the name Link. The King rolled his eyes with a sigh instead before the sage continued "The name appears to be favoured upon by the incarnations of Hylia's Chosen Hero; he of which was known to be the first, the original. The boy from the forest, Link, he's believed to be the seventh known Hero."

Although everybody in the room was deeply focused on the subject at hand, only Princess Zelda contemplated it as logically as she could. For the long run, the information didn't seem important, just intriguing to know. She also ran through the idea of the Chosen Hero. 'If the Chosen Hero is the original, does that mean that it was Her Grace, Hylia, who chose him? It's in the name… 'Chosen'. Seems like a good indication that he was picked.' The Princess thought. 'To think that he was reincarnated six times, it's almost too hard to fathom.'

"The Hero is not the only benevolent reincarnation, Princess." A Royal Sage said, startling her since it was as if he had read her mind. "The Princess of Legend has been there alongside The Hero in many eras since their very first reincarnation..." Suddenly, the Royal Sage turned his head to look at the Happy Mask Salesman prior to resuming. "Mr. Happy, would you do us the honours of providing the room with some secluded privacy?"

The majority of the people in the room knew not of what happened. In the blink of an eye, the Happy Mask Salesman simply snapped his fingers. Nothing out of the ordinary was entirely obvious other than the dimming of the candle lights and what seemed to be a lack of any form of circulating breeze coming in from the outside. Those who did notice anything were able to see that outside the room appeared to be frozen in time. Nothing moved. Servants which were once busy hustling through the bustle of Hyrule Castle stood as still as the Royal Guards lined up along the hallway.

"What's going on?" One advisor whispered. "I don't know, everything just… well, it just stopped." Another replied until nearly all of them were murmuring up a storm.

The King and Princess Zelda didn't seem overly phased, but still interested in what was going on around them regardless. Only when The King held his hand up, as to say 'silence', did the room return to quietness.

What the Royal Sages, together, said next was outrageous, causing many gasps from a decent percent of the advisors littering the room. "Zelda. The Princess of Legend has always been called Zelda; to which, your highness, we believe you to be the fifth of such reincarnations."

Shortly after the surprise, an eruption of voiced opinions ensued, being churned out by the advisors bickering amongst themselves. Hearing that Hyrule's Princess, Princess Zelda, the Princess whom everyone in the whole Kingdom adores, is a reincarnation of other Zeldas, it sent everyone over the edge. "Such blasphemy!" A couple of them proceeded to shout while others tried to get the point across that they didn't even understand. "How is this possible!?"

Upon the release of the shocking revelation, everyone had entirely forgotten about the Happy Mask Salesman and whatever it was he'd done to stop time. The quirky little man was quite glad that they had directed their attention elsewhere. Then again, he didn't seem to care about that which the Royal Sages spoke of. Nothing said phased him. Other than staying quiet, he just kept his unnerving grin plastered on his face.

Sooner than later, as Princess Zelda herself pondered the idea, The King shushed everyone once again. "Zelda is a very traditional name amongst nobles and royalty. How can you be so sure that my Zelda is one of these princesses from the legends?"

Hylian authority was of little concern to the Royal Sages, as they felt no obligation to explain anything to anyone other than Princess Zelda. However, they despised the fact that many of those in Hyrule remained defiant to how things were changing. The King knew of these things, yet refused to admit it. During any future events, they knew all too well that he had to accept things if he ever hoped to stay strong for his kingdom. Taking that into account, they shared their knowledge with him. "Your daughter, Princess Zelda Nohansen of Hyrule, is the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Is that not enough for you, your majesty?"

King Harkinian Nohansen momentarily grew incredibly angry at the incompetent so-called 'wise men'. For those who consider themselves to be of royalty, they were quite rude and he didn't appreciate it in the least bit. "My daughter is a ten year old girl! Call her what you want, but she's still not wise or old enough to make the hasty decisions which she did!"

Once more, the sages shook their heads in unison. "I assure you, your majesty, that she is quite capable of making those judgment calls, even at this young age. Soon, she will exceed your might and you should be proud of that. Not many are able to bear such a magnificent gift. In spite of reincarnation, the love you two share for one another as father and daughter is as real as anything else. You must stop fooling yourself."

The King's eyes widened as he felt directly insulted. Although it registered as such to those around him, those who were staring with jaws agape, he experienced a genuine discourtesy as the Royal Sages seemed to pick his brain, subtly hinting at Royal Affairs which were of no business to them. In his mind, what happened amongst his family was up to him. "HOW DARE YOU!" He shouted, his voice booming throughout the isolated room. "SUCH INSOLENCE IS UNFORGIVABLE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO EVER TRY TO TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY OWN DAUGHTER! YOU KNOW NOT OF WHEN SHE IS READY TO TAKE UPON HERSELF THE BURDENS I BEAR!"

Most would tremble at such angry outbursts coming from the bulky Hylian king. However, the Royal Sages didn't appear to move a single muscle to change their stance. They were testing him and he was going off the charts with stress. Keeping this up, they knew that he was incapable of handling the situation any longer. Never would they give up hope for him to return to the set path the Golden Goddesses had laid out for him. Nonetheless, it confirmed the notion that Princess Zelda, The King's ten year old daughter, was already more righteous in her decisions than her father was at the moment; thus proving that she was ready to begin her tutoring by them.

"Silence..." All six of them spoke together, causing many of the nearby people, including The King, to suffer from a worsening headache. "Your Princess Zelda, like all of the other reincarnated Zelda's holding the honoured title of The Princess of Legend, has existed long before you were ever conceived. In her Hylian form, she was birthed and has your blood running through her veins. Make no mistake, however, as she's still the youthful successor to the given title… We're positive that you, as well as her mother would and will be exceedingly proud of her."

Finally, The King had had enough as he stepped down from his throne, stomping slightly closer. His demeanor was frightening enough to make all of the Royal Advisors step back. "YOU DON'T GET TO TALK ABOUT THAT-… THAT-… THAT TRAITOROUS WHORE! ZELDA'S BIRTH MOTHER HAS NO SAY IN ANYTHING SINCE I SENT HER INTO EXILE; BANISHED FROM THIS SACRED LAND, WHERE HER FEET NEVER DESERVED TO SET FOOT UPON THE GROUND!" The King's face began to turn red as he grew evermore furious shouting at the Royal Sages.

Princess Zelda herself was the first to react as she sighed with tears in her eyes. Impa, her beloved Sheikah nanny, tried her best to comfort the young princess by gently rubbing her shoulders. "And what of me, Father?" Zelda inquired. "If my mother was a harlot to you, then what do you think of me, of what I am?"

Almost immediately after she finished talking, Impa attempted to keep her quiet as the caretaker knew of The King's rage and wished to stay out of it. Yet, as fate would have it, Zelda's question had taken the man off guard. He knew he loved her as his daughter and she knew he loved her as her father. She wanted to cry from the thought of being a puppet for the Golden Goddesses. It scared her to know that there was more to her than even she knew. "What am I, Father!?"

King Harkinian soon began to settle down. His anger subsided and he returned to sit on his throne with his head in his hand. "Zelda... You are who you've been since birth. There's no need to freak yourself out."

Impa spoke for him, seeing as how he couldn't summon the strength to reply to such an outrageous question. "The Throne Room is a place of contemplation. Keep calm so you can figure things out with a clear mind."

Hearing Impa's voice was enough to calm the nervous Princess. But, she still wanted answers. She just found out that she was a reincarnation and everyone wanted her to relax, as if it didn't make any difference. "No, Impa… I can't calm down… I need to know what I am, why I'm a reincarnation as they so declare."

"You are much more than just a mere reincarnation, your grace." One of the Royal Sages said, gaining everyone's interest, even the now suppressed king. "Unlike The Hero, you are more than a mortal being. You are a manifestation."

As all six of the sages hovered closer, Zelda stared at them inquisitively, unsure of what they meant. "A manifestation? Of who?" She asked, wanting to get the final answer.

Whenever they did choose to inform her of their response, it was a massive jolt to the entire crowd of people in the room. Many gasped ten times louder than previously, while others stared in amazement or refused to believe it almost immediately. "Of Her Grace, Goddess Hylia; the mother to our race."

Whispering picked up after the revelation. Everyone, despite how quiet it once seemed, now wanted to converse to exchange opinions and ideas on how they felt regarding the topic at hand. Many found it ridiculous to think that a goddess would walk amongst them. "Outrageous!" An advisor grumbled. "That's not possible." Another picked up until it blew into a greater frenzy of murmuring. "What should we do?"

The King hid his face behind his hands, not allowing anybody to see his horrified facial expression. In spite of being stunned, he didn't understand how to feel toward the revelation.

"W-What? I… I'm a reincarnation of a goddess?" Zelda stuttered, feeling a shiver go down her spine as she struggled to comprehend what she was. Always, she had known she was special, for everyone always told her. Impa believed in the girl whenever she had her premonition about Ganondorf, even when Zelda herself wasn't sure if she should believe. If that wasn't enough, there were other hints. On the occasion she saw the Triforce of Wisdom shining through the peachy skin on top of her hand, she was positive that she was destined for greatness. Little did she know her destiny would be far more grandeur than she anticipated. Being a goddess was unthinkable and unfathomable. 'I couldn't be…' She contemplated 'Me? A goddess? It's just not possible…'

"Yes..." The Royal Sages confirmed "Long ago, in the Era of Hylia, you were The White Goddess herself. You nurtured the first of hyliankind, staying with them, keeping them safe. You taught our ancestors how to live off Hyrule; the very land which you are the embodiment of."

Their words invoked deep emotions from everyone. Nobody knew what to say in regards to what was happening. The Princess had it the hardest, for she desperately tried to use her knowledge to figure out the meaning behind what they said. "Embodiment of Hyrule? The Kingdom or the entire land?" She asked, still trying to get a grasp on what they meant.

"It's not that easy…" The sage tried his best. "But… I suppose, if you wanted to simplify things; Hylia is the embodiment, a manifestation, of the world as a whole."

Many of the Royal Advisors stared at The Princess. To know that she was such an important figure, a goddess, they started to feel like they should be worshiping her. The only thing stopping them from kneeling before her was the fact that they were not sure of what their king would think of such an act. 'Unbelievable.' Some uttered, as the others expressed thrill. 'I'm so honoured to be in her presence.'

"We are here to help you understand that which must be done, Princess." The Royal Sage which had been doing most of the talking spoke, trying to bring some solace to the young Zelda. It was obvious that it was difficult for her to take in all of the information. Although they believed her to be ready to take upon such a burden, they still knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park, especially for a child. "You may not be able to comprehend everything right now, but when we are finished tutoring you, the enlightenment will leave you aware of what is right and what must be done."

While they continued to talk about 'what must be done', The Princess held back from allowing her lip to quiver. She was upset, and yet, wouldn't show it. Impa never stopped the gentle shoulder rub, on the other hand, it didn't help since Zelda could see her father staring at her out of the corner of his eye.

King Harkinian Nohansen wasn't sure how to take all of this, nor did he know what to do.

His daughter, he always knew that she was important, he never denied that; and while he felt as though she wasn't ready for any further hold on the kingdom, he knew deep down that one day she would indeed surpass him. She was his only 'legitimate' child, only official heir to the throne. Never would he ever dare to think she wasn't as sharp as the tip of a sword. He merely had to force himself into acquaintanceship with the foreign idea of her already being prepared to embark on the conquest she was fated to trek. Everyone knew of his truly fatherly love towardher. Because of their child and parent relationship, he wanted what was best for her, and would do anything to see that she got it.

"Very well..." The King spoke, agreeing as well as accepting what the Royal Sages had to say. "I'll admit, the proof is undeniable. My daughter was destined for greatness; I always knew. If you speak for The Goddesses, then what you tell us is true. Princess Zelda Nohansen of Hyrule is the fifth incarnation of Goddess Hylia."

Almost instantaneously, all but one of the Royal Advisors got down onto their knees and began praying, literally worshiping the slightly frightened ten year old princess. The lone advisor who remained standing was the very same individual who announced the beginning of the meeting currently taking place. He was The King's right-hand man. Somehow, he was unsure of what was happening. "Sire, is this something you're positive about? I trust your judgment, yet this feels… strange."

The King wanted to agree with his top-advisor. However, he wouldn't allow any emotion to show through his stoic face. "We don't always have to fully agree with what the Golden Goddesses' plans are, we only have to trust them and follow through. You trust my judgment, I trust my daughter's judgment and she trusts the Royal Sages." It truly took a lot for him to say all of that. Long ago was the last time somebody challenged his way of thinking. He didn't like it all that much, and he'd like it very much if he could make changes. Fortunately, he was able to use his wits and keep his faith in those of far higher intelligence than he. "As much as it pains me to say it… I was wrong about not listening to her in regards to Ganondorf. I should have trusted her, instead I hindered the progress of Hyrule while making my only child lose respect for me."

The top Royal Advisor shifted his vision back and forth from The King, to Princess Zelda. Bowing to Zelda, he remained highly gallant. Even so, he felt as if he still couldn't treat her like a goddess. The man's honour dictated that he was more obligated to serve his majesty than anyone else. "Very well, Sire."

Soon, as the rest of the Royal Advisors remained knelt, praying to Princess Zelda, she turned to wave her hand at them in embarrassment and a hint of annoyance. With a small blush traveling across the supple skin of her face, she tried her best to make them stop doing that which they were. "E-Enough… Please. I'm not one to worship." Regardless of her plea, the crowd couldn't stop themselves from worshiping her. To them, a moment like this was fleeting, if not extraordinarily rare. Having a person so holy walking amongst them was awe-inspiring. "Really! I… I'm serious! Stop it! D-Don't worship me!" She shouted louder than before, genuinely disliking it. To her, only the Golden Goddesses should be worshiped.

"Enough!" Impa commanded, getting the dumbstricken crowd to cease their babbling toward the uncomfortable princess. "Return to your feet and let the Royal Sages finish sharing their knowledge, all of you!" The advisors stood back up, keeping themselves humble. The aristocrats knew better than to trifle with powers mightier than them.

"Thank you." The young princess went on as all six of the Royal Sages gathered around her. "I'm not sure about any of this, but I'll do my best to not disappoint anyone." Elusively, her eyes glanced at her own hand, checking the spot where the Triforce of Wisdom had embedded itself.

Zelda felt conflicted. Prior to going through the experience she was forced into with future Ganondorf, she wasn't positive about her importance to the goddesses. Now, she leapt forward in confirming she had a place amongst the Golden Goddesses, Din, Farore and Nayru. The concept was still too hard to comprehend. Only with the faith she had in herself as well as all of hyliankind did she even fathom accepting responsibility or agreeing to be tutored by old men who claimed her to be essential to maintaining life in the world which they live in.

"We are glad that you've chosen to take on the trials of your fate. We promise to be there for you in your harshest of times. For countless decades, we've spent infusing our minds and bodies with the knowledge we need to be pioneers of the goddesses." Princess Zelda stared at them with wide eyes as they grew closer to her. "The cycle of good versus evil is far from over. With your help, we can ensure that we never lose." Their plan indeed took many years to compile into completion. All their time spent preparing made them ready for the long journey ahead. "You've already completed the first task at hand. Being aware of who you are. Never forget what you are either."

The Princess found it difficult to imagine ever forgetting something as mind boggling as what she'd been told. After all, it wasn't as if it was everyday she learned she's the reincarnation of a goddess, who in return, is a manifestation of the world as a whole.

The King, nevertheless, felt as though his daughter wasn't the end of the story. Being aware of her purpose made all the difference. Now, he knew that he needed to figure out what to do with the other two; The Hero and The Demon King. "And what of the others?" He responded to his thoughts, getting the attention of the Royal Sages. "If my daughter is in safe hands, what do we do about The Hero and The Demon King?"

A small amount of laughter ensued from the Royal Sages, frustrating The King as he found nothing funny about his sincere question. "There is both much and yet nothing that we can do in regards to The Demon King. As long as the Princess and The Hero continue their existence, he too shall exist."

Hearing that brought no solace to the obstinate king. In a sense, it infuriated him to know that it was out of his hands, that it was something that would be dealt with long after his death, that nothing he did could directly triumph over ultimately evil. Harkinian wondered what the point was in anything if it was only going to be an endless cycle of repeats.

"The point, your majesty, is to keep the darkness at bay. The cycles repeat, but no one has mentioned the word 'endless'." One of the Royal Sages replied to The King's inner-thoughts.

Again, The King grew slightly angry, choosing to give them the 'stink eye' instead of going on with another wild rant. "These cycles have a beginning?" He asked, trying to delve deeper into figuring things out.

The Royal Sage nodded, displaying some degree of movement other than his arms. "Yes… And, they'll have an end too." That did manage to successfully succeed in bringing The King's confidence up. He was glad to know that it wasn't something that was bound to happen regardless of actions taken. "Ganondorf is a reincarnation, just as The Princess and The Hero are. As said before, he bears many titles. Ganondorf Dragmire, Mandrag Ganon, The Great King of Evil, the Gerudo King of Thieves, Prince of Darkness, Dark Lord… There are many duplicates, yet none reflect the hatred for existence more-so than the original."

"DEMISE." They all abruptly said together, causing vibrations to lightly shake through the floor to the bottom of people's feet. "The name upon which, in the beginning, it called itself. We're not entirely sure where the demon came from. Though, we speculate it has always existed. Much regarding the entity was lost to time. Only pieces of the truth remain." The sage stepped a foot closer as he said "In the earliest mentions discovered through scripture, it is stated that; long ago, it and its horde of demons broke through a fissure in the ground and sought out the Triforce. However, it was defeated and sealed away by the Goddess Hylia."

Princess Zelda continued to stare at them, soaking in all of the information as everyone else did the same. Now that she knew of her purpose, that she was the fifth reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia, she felt great surprise at hearing that it was technically her who fought off the Demon King; a being so powerful that it had mastered time itself. "W-What?" She replied in shock. "Me? I defeated and sealed it away?"

Nodding again, the sage resumed talking. "Yes… The very first appearance of Demise was halted by your love for Hyrule and the people which dwell in it. When the gods of old departed from our world, they entrusted ultimate power, the Triforce, into the hands of Her Grace in order to protect it." Shaking his head with sorrow, he sighed. "Everything was fine until one dark fateful day, the ground cracked open and the devil himself crawled up from the depths of hell, bringing with him malevolent forces, monsters, fiends and bloodthirsty freaks rushing forth from the fissure. Together, unified in hatred, they mounted a brutal assault upon the people of the surface, driving the land into deep despair. Under Demise's leadership, the monsters burned forests to ash, choked the land's sweet springs and murdered without hesitation, all so they could get their hands on the power guarded by The White Goddess. Hearing of the immense energy wielded by users of the Triforce, Demise greatly wished to make it his own." Holding his hands together in prayer, the sage said "To prevent the great power from falling into hands of evil, to stop their world from being destroyed, Hylia and the other five tribes who colonized the surface joined together to seal away the unholy nightmare, restoring peace to the land."

Every bit of that being said had been processed by The Princess's mind. She couldn't resist feeling overly interested in all of it, including the parts she didn't understand or agree with. Hearing so vividly of ancient times was truly amazing to the young girl. Thinking about it all, she did have to stop them from continuing so that she could ask questions. "The five tribes? Hylian, Goron, Kokiri, Zora, and Gerudo?" There were other races that existed in the world. Those were simply the top five well-known as well as most civilized cultures. It was reasonable for her to think that those were the species the Royal Sages were referring to.

"I'm afraid not…" The Sage answered. "This took place millennia ago, long before many cultures had even developed enough from the primitive vagabonds we all once were. Several races have been lost to time, their information being either inconclusive or utterly untranslatable."

Everybody appeared to understand, but Princess Zelda was already showing signs of student-like behaviour. Under no circumstances did she let them resume talking unless she was able to fully grasp the concept which they attempted to share with her. "What about our kind? Hylians? We were there, right?"

The Sages approved of her question with a somewhat comical thumbs up. Though Zelda found it amusing, they were actually doing it to encourage her to continue such curiosity. "Indeed, we were. Alongside us were also the mighty Gorons, who were spawned by the world itself as Din channeled her power to make it so. Other than us and the Gorons, there were two other races identified. Kikwi and Mogma… Not much of anything is known about either."

In a strange kind of way, Zelda was pleased to know that, even back in ancient times, peace could be achieved when everyone came together to make harmony. The Princess wanted nothing more than to be able to get rid of evil once and for all. For many years, she had childishly hoped that everyone in the world could come to see the good side. She knew now that wasn't feasible, that evil would always exist. But, more importantly, it was up to every race to cooperate if they wanted to keep that evil at bay. By working together out of the goodness of their hearts, they were seemingly always able to achieve salvation.

"It would seem that it wasn't just them who kept the world from descending into chaos." The Sage interrupted, barging into The Princess's inner-thoughts. "Hylians were infants to the world back then. We were weak, not overly intelligent, and easily confused. Only Goddess Hylia kept our ancestors on track until they grew into the mature and dependable race we are now."

Upon hearing that, The King had something to say. "What do you mean? Are you saying we didn't protect ourselves?" He didn't particularly understand and hoped that the sages weren't trying to say that hylians were too cowardly to attempt fighting. Regardless of how young his kind was, the man couldn't imagine them hiding in a corner while all of the other races fought diligently.

"What I'm saying is that we couldn't protect ourselves. We weren't strong enough. Not until He came." The sage cleared the air. "Hylia's Chosen Hero; What we believe to be the first 'Link' to the Spirit of The Hero." He stopped to sigh again. "Unfortunately, as with alot of our information from so long ago, little to nothing is known of the brave soul. Passages in ancient texts indicate that he was the first to be appointed a Knight of Hylia. Some point in his life, he may have been framed. We believe he was imprisoned, which unintentionally kept him safe from the hordes of demons that continued to ravish the land. Not until we, our kind, came to realize that we needed a person stronger than ourselves, a more capable person, a hero, did we release him and renew his status."

The Princess felt a momentary twinge in her heart as she thought about the prior information. It pained her to know that her race had falsely imprisoned the very same man who single-handedly defeated the monarch of evil. For the Chosen Hero to accept it all, to forgive those of his own race for holding him captive and then to go out and fight for those very same people, it proved a lot toward the man's moral state of mind. Respectable bravery knew no bounds and in this case, that held true. Zelda wondered if she could do the same. If her people turned against her, wanted nothing more to do with her, despised and loathed her, would she even bother? 'Why help those who didn't want the help to begin with.' She thought, contemplating it seriously.

Captain Orsen must have felt the same confliction for he sighed while shaking his head.

"Hylia's Chosen Hero was the only Hylian brave enough to step up, to take upon himself the burden of defeating that which has conquered time. Using the Goddess Sword, he fought until the end, living up to his name as he vanquished countless foes. With the assistance of others, everyone united, they drove back the blight, back into the dark pit of despair they crawled forth from." The Sage's all stared up at the ceiling for a moment in advance of directing their gaze back toward Princess Zelda. While she herself was interested in their motions, they left her with no time to ask what they were doing before they resumed talking. "During the final stand, Hylia and the Chosen Hero were up against Demise. Most of what happens next has been corrupted. Though, we do assume that they succeeded in defeating The Devil himself, as there are mentions of Hylia's Sacred Seal, a binding curse Her Grace placed onto Demise, transforming him into an monstrous abomination known as The Imprisoned."

Although Princess Zelda wanted to feel at ease now, knowing that her past incarnation stopped an evil. Then again, knowing the evil could and continued to try and wipe out every living thing ever to walk amongst the surface, she couldn't relax yet. Based on what the Royal Sages had already taught her, she knew it was obviously a cycle that had repeated. Demise, The Demon King, Ganon, Ganondorf; whatever it calls itself, the girl knew that it was far too powerful to be stopped by normal means, often even being impossible. From the sounds of it, the monster could only be restrained by special means. Unfortunately, as history had foretold time and time again, the evil was always too strong to be held back forever. Eventually, it always weasled its way back into the world, raining its vengeance toward everyone encountered. Similar to how The King, her father, felt in regard to the subject, she wondered if there was anything that she could do in the long run, if what she did even mattered as future versions of the evil Dark Lord would still be there.

"You know better than to think such thoughts, Zelda." One of the Royal Sages spoke.

The young princess blushed lightly as she wasn't used to having another person listening in on her inner-thoughts. "P-Please stop reading my mind… I-It's awfully rude."

Impa smirked.

The sages carried on with what they knew of the first battle between good and evil. "Goddess Hylia and The Chosen Hero were both wounded. Some speculate they were both wounded mortally, others suggest it's probable that they lived out the rest of their lives or at least long enough to ensure the seal placed upon Demise would hold... The real answer is that it was The Chosen Hero who was gravely injured. Hylia, knowing that he was her Chosen One, gave up her own immortality in order to allow them both to be reincarnated for future generations... In their very first form, Her Grace came to be known as Zelda, and The Hero was named Link. They would be in this world, always there to stop Demise as they knew the seal wouldn't hold him forever."

"And, what of Demise?" The King spoke, completely engrossed in everything upon which they said.

"As their previous incarnations knew would occur, Demise did eventually break the seal placed upon him. Zelda as well as Link were forced to take action, to live for the purpose they were created for, their destiny. There are mentions of an ancient city, a loft of floating islands in the sky, also a spirit known as Fi, a magical harp, a sailcloth and even metal men which sustained themselves through continuous bolts of lightning." The Royal Sage delved into what was known. "As is the case with many old stories, there's still plenty of information left out, knowledge that has been lost. Because of that, we cannot answer everything. The events of that which transpired during The Sky Era are mostly vague, without much evidence remaining toward anything that happened. Nowadays, only the few Sheikah left know of the tale regarding how The New Hero, Link, acquired not only The Goddess Sword, but transformed it into the legendary Master Sword as we know it in today's times."

Princess Zelda looked back at her caretaker, Impa, curious as to why the woman had never mentioned anything as such. The Sheikah woman stared back, yet, didn't respond. The Royal Sages may perhaps have noticed this as they decided it was about time to wrap up what they were saying as they didn't plan on staying in the conference for much longer. "Most of that is of no relevance to us now. What is important is knowing that Demise used the last of his unholy power to place a curse upon time itself. For, when The Hero and The Princess are reborn, his hatred is too… Now, tens of thousands of cycles later, here we are. Link, The Hero of legend; Princess Zelda, the White Goddess; and Ganondorf, The Demon King."

Everybody in the room took a moment to contemplate all that the Royal Sages had said. Some found their folklore to be babble, but most took it seriously as the wise men knew far more than any normal hylian did. Though it made sense, it was still too hard to fully believe. Being aware of the endless fighting shed light on the pressing issue at hand. However, to the dismay of many, it was a lot to take in and not easy to forget about. The revelations made the world seem all that much more complicated, further complex that anyone ever could have imagined.

King Harkinian Nohansen tried hard to look past the absurdity and was already growing to accept it. Besides, the entire reason for enlisting the assistance of the Royal Sages was due to their truthful loyalty. "That is a truly fascinating explanation. I'm highly grateful we have these facts. The only dilemma is how we're going to use any of this knowledge to defeat the Demon King. What is the good of knowing such things if we can't put any of it to use?"

Captain Orsen agreed with what The King said through a bob of the head, so did many of the advisors. Knowing how Ganondorf came to be wasn't going to be enough to put a stop to him. There was no way of using it to their advantage; or so they thought.

"I still feel like it's hopeless..." The top advisor voiced his own opinion. "If this has been going on for ages, then it's senseless to think that we're going to be able to simply tie a knot in the timeline to stop it from ever happening again. This… Demise character, he's obviously powerful beyond what we can deal with. Even Hylia herself couldn't keep him under control."

Captain Orsen as well as The King looked around at everyone, seeing all of their expressions; some happy to hear for Zelda, others upset to know a pure evil exists.

Either way, before long, The Royal Sages answered the question the top advisor asked. "Things are far from hopeless, I assure you. As we said earlier, knowing this will ensure we learn from our mistakes and even our predecessors' mistakes. We can grow into a stronger species as a whole." Another Royal Sage abruptly barged into the conversation, taking over what the other had said. "Not only that... Ganondorf isn't aware of this."

That was enough to cause more rabble to be summoned forth from the crowd of advisors. They were overjoyed to know that they now had knowledge of something the enemy did not. Relevancy aside, it was useful information. The past was no longer forgotten, at least, not all of it. Knowing how things came to be was important to the kingdom's integrity. Although having the upper-hand may not be that powerful, as it was still going to be a challenging situation to try and take-down whoever holds the Triforce of Power, it nonetheless provided leverage knowing it wasn't impossible to previous generations. If their ancestors could do it, then they could too. It was never impossible to defeat him, merely hard. He may consider himself to be a god, but he was not.

"Ganondorf is oblivious to his own destiny." The sage informed. "Either way, it doesn't stop the wicked drive that resides inside, motivating him to take over everything, to conquer and destroy out of lust and hatred. Granted it stays the same, if he never knows why he is how he is, he will still continue to do that which he was reincarnated to do."

Not a single person spoke for the next few minutes as it all soaked into their brains that this was extraordinarily important, this meeting and recorded history. Everything which most of the people residing in the room thought they knew had just been turned upside-down. The adjustments would be harsh, but necessary. Princess Zelda was likely having the hardest time as she was forced to deal with the knowledge that she wasn't a normal soul, rather, one of great importance beyond that of the others. For a ten year old girl to find out, millenia ago, she was a goddess and mother to all of hylians, it was tremendously stressful. Among others, The King felt the stress too as he made sure he was certain about accepting everything the Royal Sages said, accepting that his one and only daughter was holier than thou.

"Do not fear Princess..." All of the Royal Sages spoke, giving everyone a throbbing sensation in their heads in advance of having only the main sage resume speaking. "We're here for you." While they could easily sense the fright emanating off of the others, their main concern was her only. "We came far and long to assist you in becoming ready, ready for the duty upon which you must bear the weight of burden. It will take many years and we will not stop until you are truly The Princess of Legend. Already, you have done many deeds to ensure the protection of your beloved kingdom. In the course of time, there will come a day when the entire world is in danger of suffering the same possible fate."

Princess Zelda looked up at them with great worry in her eyes. It scared her to think that the safety of the entire world may someday be in jeopardy. Ganondorf did a number on the kingdom within the seven years of time he had from now to the future. The Demon King wiped out half of the Hylian Race residing there in Hyrule. If a monster like that was given further control over the world, they would be doomed to a dark defeat. Spreading throughout the lands like a plague, he'd infect every settlement until it was diseased beyond all hope of recovery. Holodrum, Labrynna, Ordona, The Flat Lands, Xarca, and Trevania would fall quickly to the might of such an evil being. If Hyrule's superiority wasn't enough to stop him, then the others, those who follow in their footsteps, their strides toward greatness, they could never hope to defeat him.

Only one thing, one person, successfully managed to boost her faith back into place. 'If it wasn't for The Hero… If it wasn't for Link.' She thought to herself. 'I don't know what we would do, ever.' Through her opinion, it was due to The Hero that she hadn't fallen victim as the rest of her children, her species, often had. In a certain sense, it pained her to know that hylians were so weak in comparison to other races, those that appeared custom-built for this world. Without Link, who she reasoned to be the perfect embodiment of a courageous hylian male, she feared what would have or could have happened.

For a ten year old, it was hard to unceasingly remember to include past events. Including the things upon which The White Goddess, Hylia, did as well as four other Zelda's, cramming all of that into one's mind almost hurt. Considering this curse is a giant cycle of hatred, she was forced to always attempt to recall things her past lives went through. She wanted to learn from her mistakes and make better judgment calls in the future. However, being reincarnated as a mortal hindered her in that she wasn't able to directly bring forth information from the past as she had no memories prior to her previous reincarnation. The leverage tipped in the scales for evil in regard to that, as each time she is forced to repeat her blunders before maturity. Without the ambition, the spirits inside, she doubted that she'd ever be able to do any of that which she had. Learning took time, but she never shied away from gaining more knowledge. It merely seemed to be a temporary setback that she needed to spend time re-learning the same knowledge which she, at one point, already knew of.

Faults, difficulties and mistakes were a part of life, even for demi-deities such as herself. There weren't ways around complications like that. It would seem in part that good and evil was destined to outweigh one another at some point. As evenly matched as they were, only for a period of time did one triumph over the other. Judging solely by that, it looked as if they balanced each other out, never tipping those metaphorical scales to one side for very much longer than the other side. The Princess wondered if it was conceived as a dichotomy of duality; light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting. 'Is it possible that good and evil must exist in order for the world to be in harmony? Could that be the reason behind there being both in the first place?'

Princess Zelda tried her best to understand the internal workings of the universe, but it was far too complex. All existence, she knew, was bound by time and change, yet ultimately rests serenely within the Divine and the Eternal. The Cycle of rebirth was too much. Her mortal body could not handle the strain, showing signs of hardened anxiety through her sweaty hands and rapidly darting eyes. Her heartbeat sped up as she started becoming fed up with the goddesses. Even with the Triforce of Wisdom, she felt as though they could lend a bigger hand. Even deeper than that, she was angry at herself for giving up her divinity. Hylia was better suited for the task of defeating evil than herself, the Zelda she is.

"Regret is a waste of time unless it's to learn from an error..." The one main Royal Sage suddenly spoke, startling the young princess as the room had been quiet for quite some time. "You gave up your divinity to ensure you'd be there for your people and The Hero. At the time, it was imperative that you gain mortality, for without it, you wouldn't bear the Triforce of Wisdom like you do. The Golden Goddesses left the Triforce in the hands of mortals for the sole purpose of allowing us to become equals, to gain the exact same amount of power upon which they held. With that, they built it to be used by us mortals. Those of divinity cannot take the Triforce for themselves as they aren't deemed worthy for its design."

Princess Zelda stared up at the sage and thankfully wasn't upset over him reading her thoughts. The rest of the people who were gathered around stood and listened, including The King. They didn't dare interrupt something so important. When the Sage began speaking again, they continued listening, hearing out all that he had to say.

"Things will be different this time, we assure you. We came to do what has not been done before and that's to defeat the evil prior to it even being able to spread… With our knowledge, which we intend to inform you of, we have hopes to make a change, to take a running leap whereas others only crawled. Under our wings, we will prepare you for any future events and bring back the White Goddess residing inside you. You'll be far smarter and even stronger after all of it, plus, you'll know everything in recorded history."

Taking up an offer such as that didn't seem too bad in The Princess's opinion. If she was able to halt evil, wipe it clean before it ravaged the country-side, then the kingdom would be allowed further time to progress. Extra time was always beneficial, especially when it came to technological evolution as well as social development. Taking Ganondorf down for good would leave the kingdom with triple its peacetime.

Learning from the sages was her best chance of reigning supreme in the figurative battle over good versus evil that had been mentioned numerous times throughout the day. Where exactly her father found the wise men and where they came from no longer mattered as she had to settle on them regardless of their backgrounds. They wanted the same thing that she wanted and that was good enough for her. Having them tutor her into becoming the best princess the world had ever seen was a luxurious benefit that she couldn't pass up. The Kingdom of Hyrule could definitely use another great ruler; not to say her father wasn't. In her opinion, The Kingdom merely needed someone with commitment, knowledge, AND Passion. Nothing cheered her up more than the thought of everyone being euphoric toward her work. She wanted more than anything to be recognized, to be the one who created an era of prosperity. So far, it was looking as if the Royal Sages were the only ones that were ready to take upon themselves such responsibility.

"Fine..." Zelda finally replied, making her father, The King, turn his head to stare at her. "If it helps keep Hyrule and the world safe, then I'll do it. I accept your employment as my tutor with utmost sincerity… I only have one question…... When do we start?" Several of the Royal Advisors whispered amongst themselves as The King continued to stare intently. The Royal Sages did the same. It was as if everyone in the room was now staring at the young girl. She wasn't sure what it meant before she chose to focus only on the Sages. Through their gaze, she knew that they weren't going anywhere anytime soon and that could only mean one thing. "N-Now?"

The main Sage which spoke, chuckled at Zelda's hesitance. He was thrilled she accepted as it would have made things exceedingly difficult if she didn't. "Yes… Now. It will take many years, but I know you can do it. We're confident that you'll see yourself ruling over the kingdom as well as your father on the day it comes to that."

King Harkinian Nohansen felt a small smile make its way across his lips while thinking of his daughter, his Zelda, residing over the land he'd worked so hard to make for her and future generations. His choice on agreeing to the Royal Sages bargain already proved its significance. Without any inch of sorrow in his mind, he was sure that he'd done the right thing. Others in the room didn't necessarily feel the exact same way. There was something else, however. Although Princess Zelda thought about it, only Captain Orsen managed to ask about another person they'd thought about recently. "What of The Hero? What about him? Will he carry out his duties next time we need him?"

Prior to the Royal Sage trying to answer, The Happy Mask Salesman abruptly stood up, snapping his fingers. A small gust of wind blew through the air as everything, all of the sudden, returned to life around the room. The thick atmosphere, stale air, and muffled sounds of whatever he had done earlier were done with. Outside, birds flew by and people could be seen walking through the hallways, moving about wherever they wanted. After all of that, making well sure to have everyone's attention, Mr. Happy responded. "You just leave The Hero up to me. Link doesn't have any clue about all of this and I'm sure it's best to keep it that way… For now."