Link blinked. He had never heard of whatever that evil banishing blade was, but the High Priest clearly had and the Princess made it sound like it was a very big deal. Well, whatever it was, if the Princess needed it, he would see to it that she got it.
"Blade of Evil's Bane, is it?" he asked. "Where is it? I can go get it. If you need this blade, I won't rest until I have delivered it to you, your Highness!"
Rauner's eyes flew open and he stared at Link, then at the Princess. She was not calling him off. A trainee, a mere boy, was offering to go get the Master Sword and she was not calling him off! Did she think…? "Your Highness…" he started.
"You might be able to, yes," Zelda said, locking eyes with Link, "but it won't be as easy as simply finding it, and I can't guarantee that it will let you claim it."
Link hardly heard her through his heart's mad hammering. She was looking straight into his eyes. Sweet Hylia, she was looking right into his eyes and he was looking right into hers and… he swallowed. He couldn't let his heart overrun his head like that, not when he was needed. Besides, the Princess was just talking to him, she wasn't... looking at him. That is, she was, but not because she just wanted to. He needed to focus: his princess needed his help. "LET me claim it?" he asked.
Rauner looked from one to the other, his jaw tightening. Link looked desperate to be of service, and the Princess looked deadly serious. He'd never be able to live with himself if he didn't speak up.
"Your Highness, are the tests required not dangerous?" he asked.
She glanced his way and nodded. "Yes, they are. Link," she continued, her eyes on the boy again, "the Blade of Evil's Bane will not allow just anyone to take it and use it. To stake a claim to it, you must pass three tests and bring three pendants to the Master Sword's altar as proof of your victories: the pendants of courage, wisdom and power."
"Master Sword? Is that the same thing as the Blade of Evil's Bane?" Link asked.
"Yes," Zelda said. "As for the pendants, I'm sorry to say that I don't know where they, or their associated tests, are located."
Link's eyes widened. Hyrule was a big place; having to find whatever those tests were would be a huge problem if they had no idea where they were.
"I do know, however, who can tell you," Zelda continued.
Rauner clenched his jaw. "Princess Zelda, I am deeply sorry, but I must ask, I can't just..." he shook his head and looked at Link again. The boy was, well... a boy! A child! "Are you sure Link is the right person for this quest?"
Zelda lowered her eyes and nodded.
"I'm the best you got," Link said.
He wasn't stupid, he understood the High Priest's reservation and the Princess' sad look just now: he was just a half-trained kid. However, he also understood that none of them had much of a choice right now. Rauner didn't realize that yet.
"All the other guards and knights are under Aghanim's spell or dead," he continued. "I haven't seen anyone in their right mind, and the one person outside of myself who was..." his throat closed. He swallowed and took a deep breath: he had to get through this. "My uncle was not bespelled, he tried to rescue the Princess, and…" his throat closed, and his eyes were stinging. He took a deep breath and forced the words out. "He was killed."
Zelda winced at the confirmation that Sir Gedion was indeed dead. "Aghanim told me the spell would envelop everyone inside the Castle's greater walls, that I had no ally left. I called hoping some guards or knights were outside the spell's range. I didn't even realize that Sir Gedion and his nephew did not live inside the walls, I was merely hoping someone, anyone, would be outside for... business or pleasure. I'm so sorry, Link. Sir Gedion was a valiant knight. I promise you he will be remembered."
Link swallowed and nodded. He didn't want to think of it, not right now. It didn't hurt as much when he just didn't think of it. "In the middle of the night like that, I don't think anyone else would have been outside the walls. But even if anyone else was, they didn't come." His upper lip curled up at the thought of guards or knights not being under Aghanim's spell and just choosing to ignore the Princess' calls.
"I think we have to assume that they're ALL under Aghanim's spell," Zelda said.
Link nodded again. The idea that any other guards, knights, or trainees would just ignore the Princess in her time of need while in their right mind was not just unpleasant, it was truly unlikely. The spell had almost certainly caught every last one of them. "Except me," he concluded. "I'm still in training and even though I'm doing pretty good, I'm not the best or exceptional or anything like that." He took another deep breath and puffed up his chest. "But I won't fail! I know what's at stake, I won't allow myself to fail!"
Rauner bit his lips. "My poor boy, I don't doubt your courage, or your character. I will pray for your safety."
"He's not going alone," Zelda said. "We will be journeying together. I have some magic, and I have a fairly good knowledge of the land."
Zelda winced when both Rauner and Link turned white as ghosts and started opening and closing their mouths, clearly trying to find a way to protest the idea.
Rauner was the first to find his voice. "Princess, Aghanim is looking for you, and he will likely be telling everyone that Link kidnapped you, so every last person in Hyrule will be on the lookout for you both. You MUST remain hidden here. Link can run if needed, and if, Hylia forbid, he IS taken, at least you will still be safe and Ganon will still be kept out of Hyrule, and we can hopefully form another plan, find other allies."
"I understand your concern," Zelda started, "but..." she trailed off. She wanted to help, she couldn't stand the thought of sending Link alone to face dangerous trials and worse yet, eventually Aghanim himself.
"Princess..." Link said.
She turned to him and knew instantly that she'd lost the argument: Link's eyes were too shiny, they were about to overflow, and his lips were turned slightly downward.
"Princess," he started again. "Please. I beg of you, please listen to the High Priest! We cannot lose you! We can lose me, but I promise we won't! I'll be careful, I swear! I will come back with the sword! Alive! Me, alive. Not the sword." He suddenly frowned and titled his head. "Or... is it alive too?"
Zelda felt a giggle escape her at the sudden shift in tone. "We... don't actually know," she said. "In some legends, it has a soul." She sighed. "I understand that I would be safer here, and yes, you're both right, I must remain as safe as I can. Maybe... maybe you can come back here each time you're not sure how to proceed, Link? I could help."
"I may have a more practical solution," Rauner said. "Princess, you are clearly capable of telepathy. It's how you called for help, correct?"
Zelda nodded.
"Excellent. We can perform a spell that will open a channel between the two of you. You will be able to talk as if you were standing next to each other, anytime you like, until one of you chooses to close the channel. Would that be agreeable, Princess?"
"We... would share thoughts?" Zelda asked.
Rauner thought over his response: both the Princess and Link had flushed bright red at the thought.
"Only the thoughts you are actively trying to share," he said, opting for simplicity rather than for detailing the mechanics of will and intent built into the spell. "Your privacy would not be compromised, your Highness."
Both kids let out a breath of relief.
"If I am to remain behind, the ability to at least offer advice and information would be precious," Zelda said.
Link nodded enthusiastically. "I would welcome anything you wish to tell me, your Highness!" he said. "And will gladly share anything I find with you! Except... I don't know telepathy at all. Will I be able to talk, or just listen?"
"One telepath to establish the channel is enough," Rauner answered. "I need a personal object from both of you to leave in the other's keeping."
Link's eyes widened: he had nothing on him he could part with. Minimal clothing, his uncle's weapons, and his lamp.
"I... I have nothing but what I am currently wearing," the Princess said, echoing his dilemma. "Would a lock of hair work?"
Link's eyes went wide.
A lock of hair.
From the Princess.
He was going to get a lock of hair from the Princess.
AND he'd be able to talk to her anytime, anytime at all!
He had to figure out where to put the lock of hair, how to protect it. He couldn't let it get wet, or drop out of his pocket, or get squished or pulled, or hit by a weapon. He couldn't let it come to any harm, not the Princess' hair, generously given to HIM for the express purpose of being able to help him while he did those tests and fetched that sword. Maybe he could tuck the precious hair in his belt... no. No, that was far too close to body parts he was absolutely not going to allow to touch the hallowed hair.
"...hair, too, Link?"
He startled at his name. He'd completely tuned the priest and the princess out to think about the lock of hair... and here they were in the middle of making desperate, urgent plans to save the Kingdom. He hung his head, heat rushing to his cheeks.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," he muttered.
"I was asking whether we could simply use a lock of your hair as well," Rauner said.
"Yes!" he said, his head snapping back up. "Yes, that would be fine! I... don't have anything on me either that I don't need. Except hair! I have hair. You can have some. I mean the Princess can have some! For the spell! I mean for the spell!"
The spell was a simple matter: specific magic words spoken to pour intent into the objects by their respective owners, exchanging the objects, and more words spoken by the telepath, in this case the Princess, to seal the deal.
Rauner gave them each a small leather satchel to put the locks in. Link, who still hadn't figured out a respectful enough place to securely stow the hair, gratefully put the precious lock in the satchel and attached it to his belt.
"You should now be able to send thoughts to Link quite effortlessly, Princess. And you to the Princess, Link. Princess, would you please make an attempt?"
Zelda nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate. "Are you ready?" she thought at Link. It was the first thing that came to mind.
Link's eyes widened. "I am!" he said out loud, and then slammed his hand on his mouth. "Sorry, should have thought that! Hold on."
Link closed his eyes, like the Princess had. "I am ready, Princess," he thought towards her.
"I heard you!" she exclaimed, smiling. "High Priest, this is perfect. Thank you!"
An idea suddenly struck Link. "Princess? Would you mind if I tried thinking something else?"
"Not at all," she said. "But why?"
"Just a second."
He didn't close his eyes this time, instead turning his back to her and looking at the wall. He looked at a water stain on it and concentrated on sharing the image.
Zelda gasped. "The stain…" she said. "I see it! I see what you're looking at!"
Rauner's eyes widened. "That's… well done, Link!" he said. "I never thought of sharing images, I never would have expected it to work."
Zelda felt herself swell with pride at Link's ingenuity, although she would have had great difficulty explaining why, even to herself.
Link straightened. "All right. Then I'm off. I'll make sure people spot me far from here to throw Aghanim off."
He bowed and made for the ladder but stopped as soon as he put his hands on the rungs. He had no idea where to go.
He turned back to the Princess and rubbed the back of his neck.
She flushed. "I forgot to tell you who knew the locations of the tests, didn't I?" she said. "I'm sorry. Let's make it another chance to practice."
She didn't say the name, but it sounded in Link's head, in her voice, just the same.
He smiled, both at the sensation of the gentle, beautiful voice filling his thoughts and at the name. "Sahasrahla? From Kakariko?" he asked, like her using his mind's voice.
She nodded. "Do you know him?" she asked out loud.
"He's basically my adopted grandpa," Link said. "This is great news, I know where to find him and I'm sure he'll trust me!"
Rauner resisted the urge to ask who exactly the Princess had named: he didn't need the information, and the easiest secrets to keep from potential interrogators were the ones you didn't know.
"Let me go up first, Link," he said. "I'll make sure we're still alone."
Link obediently stepped away from the ladder and Rauner climbed, his heart heavier than ever: children, off to save Hyrule, and the best he could do to help was to help them talk to each other and otherwise stay out of it.
The ceiling door opened back on Rauner a mere minute later.
"The way is clear. Come quickly, Link."
Link looked back at the Princess and bowed. "Princess, please have no fear. With Gramp's help, I will find those trials. And I will get the pendants, and I will get the Master Sword! I won't fail you, I swear it!"
The Princess smiled, sending his heart into overdrive again. "I have faith in you," she said. "Thank you, Link."
Link tried to reply but his brains seemed to have forgotten how to think in words, supplying him instead with nothing but a vision of the Princess bathed in light and surrounded by beautiful flowers and fairies.
He made his body bow again and clambered up the ladder. The vision was going to be his goal, his motivation: he would see the Princess enjoying a sunny day in a field of flowers, with no danger in sight, with Aghanim and Ganon defeated and the future ahead bright enough to dispel the darkness of these current days.