FicWad

The Switch of Fate

By: USA Tiger

Disclaimer: The characters of The Legend of Zelda series belong to Nintendo.

Author note: Special thanks to my new beta Leopardfire97 for going over this for me.

Chapter 15

Link and Sheik spent the rest of the day at the fortress of the Gerudo, making sure Dark was settled in. The first thing Ganondorf did was order new clothing for the dark haired Elven boy; the boy’s black tunic was just asking for a heat stroke as hot as the desert got during the day.

Dark was none too happy to learn that Link planned on leaving soon, clinging to his ‘brother’ with a pout.

“Dark, it’ll be ok,” Link said with a sigh. “I’ve got to do this.”

“But…but what if that scary lady hurts you?” Dark said, hugging Link’s arm closer. “What if she makes you do something you don’t want to do?” Link did not bother telling Dark—he was starting to wonder if they should choose an actual name for the teen instead of just calling him ‘Dark’—that Zelda had already tricked him and Navi once already when Link went against his gut-feelings about Zelda and had gathered the other two Spiritual Stones at her request seven years ago.

“Child, Link will be fine,” Ganon said with amusement. Dark just pouted again, pressing his cheek against Link’s shoulder. Link gave Ganondorf and Sheik a helpless look; he had no idea what to make of Dark’s reaction. Link had no brothers or sisters, at least none that he knew of, since the Deku Sprout had only told him of his mother, not his father, therefore he had no idea if the man was alive or dead, not that Link really stopped to think about it, and had never had anyone be so clingy to him before. It did remind him of Fado, the blond girl Kokiri not his friend the male Fado, as she had a habit of hanging of her brother Mido quite often. (1)

“You’re his family now, Link,” Sheik said softly to his friend. “And he’s yours. He’s afraid of you going away for good. Kain was clingy like this when we were children and had to leave Kakariko Village.”

Link though he understood at least somewhat, Dark was scared that Link could be killed and he would never see the blond again. Link offered to tell Dark a few stories of his time in the Forest and Fire temples, to put his dark twin’s mind at rest that Link would be fine. This was the first time Sheik fully heard of Link’s adventures and he thought his heart would stop a few times as he heard some of the dangerous situations he friend got into. At the same time he admired the strength the hero had to get through his trails so far.

Ganondorf also listened with interest, the first time he had heard any of this himself. When Link mentioned that inside the Water Temple his Hookshot had trouble reaching some of the targets inside the temple, Ganondorf plotted ways he could help his kitten out.

***

Later that evening, Link and Navi prepared to return to the Water Temple. Dark was distracted by some of the younger Gerudo girls as he drew him away to get changed into the light clothing made for him. Link thought this would be a perfect time to leave so the darker Hylian wouldn’t start clinging to him again.

“Link,” Ganon called before the blond could start to play the warp song that would carry him and his fairy partner back to Lake Hylia. Link blinked and lowered the Ocarina of Time, looking up at the much larger male.

“Yes?” Link asked.

“I think you will find this useful Kitten,” Ganondorf said with a slight smirk as he handed over an object to Link. Link blinked again and looked at the device in his hands. It looked like a Hookshot, but it seemed to be bigger than the one he received from the ghost of Dampé.

“Another Hookshot?” He asked, looking up at the giant of a man.

“Technically, it is called the Longshot,” Ganon explained. “It is a modified Hookshot with a much longer chain and a more powerful spring inside. This little device should allow you to reach the places you couldn’t before.”

“Where in the name of Nayru did you get something like that?” Navi asked.

“It is a left over relic of our past as thieves,” Ganondorf said with a shrug of his shoulders. “It was a useful item to sneak into high, hard to reach windows. I think it should be more use to you now than it is for my tribe.”

“Thank you,” Link said with a sunny smile. Ganon’s lips quirked into a smile and he nodded.

“Just continue to be careful Kitten, I hate to have to break the news to break the news to your puppy that you are hurt,” Ganon said with a laugh as he turned and walked again back into the fortress.

“Din,” Navi muttered with a shake of her head. “Kitten, Puppy… what is with him and giving you two those ridiculous nicknames?”

“It’s better than being called ‘Mr. No Fairy’ or ‘Fairy Boy’,” Link said, nicknames he had gotten from Mido and Malon in his youth. “I don’t mind it and Dark doesn’t seem to either.” He wasn’t sure just how he was a ‘kitten’ but he could see how Dark was a ‘puppy’ as his dark twin was sometimes downright hyper in his childlike actions. Navi just sighed and let the subject drop as Link played the Serenade of Water, whisking them both away back to their task.

***

Link reappeared in the room where he had fought with Dark in a flash of green and the sound of the rushing wind. He looked around cautiously, the last time he had been in this room it had been covered in an illusion that made it appear as a misty, watery landscape with only a lone dead tree to see designed to draw him into a false sense of safety, but the room appeared as it did after he had broken the spell over Dark. The only thing he did see was the dark copy of the Master Sword that Dark had used.

“Don’t touch it,” Navi said as they drew closer to the item. “It’s muted but I can feel the evil in that blade.”

“Zelda must have made it,” Link reasoned. “Do we just leave it here?”

“I don’t see what else we can do with it,” Navi admitted. “We don’t have the means to safely carry it and we shouldn’t return it to Dark anyway, it could reactivate Zelda’s spell over him.”

Link hesitated for a moment, he wasn’t sure about leaving such an evil dark object in the temple like this when they were trying to clean it out, then turned to head toward the door on the other side of the room that he had yet to enter. As the Hylian hero and his fairy left the room the dark sword seemed to glow with a dark light then disappeared all together, a cackle filling the still air.

*****

The next room was small and offered no way out, at least none Link could see, until he found a blue stone block that could be moved by playing the Song of Time. Under the room Link fell into a long cavern that had a rushing river flowing through it.

“This must have been here before the temple was built,” Navi yelled over the sound of the water. “The cave walls are natural.”

“What are those?” Link asked point to a swirling vortex in the river.

“A whirlpool vortex,” Navi informed him. “We’ll need to be careful, we don’t want to get pulled down into one of those, who knows where it leads or even if there’ll be a way out of it.”

“I’ll be careful then,” Link promised then jumped into the water. Link carefully made his way down the river-like room, finding the water came just above his head when he was weighed down by the iron boots. The vortexes scattered along the path had a strong pull and Link had to quickly run or even swim away to keep from being sucked in. By the time he made it to the other end of the room, Link was panting as he sat on the edge of a small platform. To his left was a gate with a small chest behind it and across from him was one of those strange eye targets that he often found in the temples. Water dripped from his hair and down his nose to fall off the tip.

“Don’t stop now, I can see a tunnel on the other side of the gate,” Navi said as she peered through the gate.

“Navi, I don’t see you having to run and swim for your life to keep from being pulled Nayru knows where by one of those whirlpool things,” Link said as he leaned his head back against the cave wall behind him. “All you do is fly above the water so let me rest for a few minutes.”

Navi sighed and rolled her eyes, not that Link could see her do this. “Fine, fine,” she said. Link huffed softly; he knew Navi wanted to get this temple done and the Water Sage awakened but Link would be no good to fight if he was too tired to do so. All the fairies he ever met seemed to be filled with endless energy and Link wondered if they ever got tired in the same way a normal mortal like himself did.

Sometime later Link finally roused himself and used his bow and arrows to trigger the eye target and jump across to reach the tunnel with the chest before the gate snapped closed again. After Link grabbed the key inside the chest he wondered down the tunnel and found himself looking down into a room he had been in before, a square room with a pool in the middle that circled around with a very strong current that had battered him into the walls a few times.

‘At least I know where I am in the temple,’ Link thought with a sigh as he jumped down into the water.

**

Link found himself having to backtrack through the temple, which he found a bit annoying, to get back to the Triforce emblems that controlled the water level in the temple. He did find the Longshot that Ganondorf had given him to be very useful, finally able to reach places he hadn’t before. At one point the teen got so turned around he finally had to sit and take out the map of the temple he found at some point earlier to figure out where he hadn’t been yet, marking out rooms that he had been. He still hadn’t found the key that matched the large door at the topmost level of the temple.

“There,” he said pointing at a tunnel on the map that was on the bottom level, “I remember going in there but couldn’t get past the spikes and the Hookshot was too short to get me across.”

“Well you’ll be able to get across now,” Navi said. Link nodded and folded up the map, tucking it into magic pouch on his hip, marveling once again at the item like he had so many times before. Even though he was soaking wet, everything inside the pouch was bone dry. Link dove into the water and let the iron boots drag him down to the bottom; he had gotten use to the feeling of being underwater and still being able to breathe by now. He quickly found the tunnel and used the Longshot to get over to the spikes once on the other side. Both in the next room and the room after that he found Tektites, causing Link to scowl when he saw them. He hated Tektites; they were annoying and had jumped him several times when on the trail up Death Mountain as well as here in the Water temple. He had to learn to recognize their tell-tale scratching noise that they made when they moved to avoid being pounced on. Red or Blue, both types bugged him.

The blond hero quickly worked his way through the rooms, avoiding large rolling boulders, blue eyes widening at he watched one of those whirlpool vortexes suck the boulder down, and the aforementioned Tektites. The rooms and tunnels seemed to circle around themselves as he soon found himself in the same place that the boulders had been falling from. He quickly dashed and jumped into a pool of water under the waterfall once one of the boulders had rolled past then swam to the other side.

In a room at the end of the short passageway Link finally found the key he had been searching for.

“Wow…” Link whispered softly. In the middle of the room stood a podium decorated with gold and blue stones, remind Link of the Spiritual Stone of Water. Hanging right above the podium was a large globe of water and inside was a large key with a water drop on one end, matching the lock on the door Link first saw when he first entered the Water Temple. (2)

Etched in the middle of the water drop was the symbol of the Water Sage. Link reached toward the globe to take the key out.

“Careful!” Navi warned, Link snatching his hand back at the sound. “It might be booby trapped.”

“Well, how am I supposed to get the key out?” Link said.

“Hmmm….” Navi circled around the globe, feeling out with her fairy magic to see if she could detect any dark magic that would be harmful to her charge. She didn’t but that didn’t mean the water globe or the podium wasn’t booby trapped. “Oh, I know! You still have those Deku Sticks from when you were a child?”

“Yeah, why?” Link asked.

“Use one of those to just knock the key out of the water,” Navi said. Link reached into his pouch and took out one of the long sticks he collected as a child. It looked and felt so much small now in his adult sized hands but it was still long enough to reach into the water globe and knock the key out of the other side without Link touching the water. As soon as the key broke through the surface, the magic holding the water together in the globe shape broke apart and spilled onto the floor. Link smiled happily and picked the key up.

“Let’s go,” Navi said. “We have a sage to awaken.”

****

Link carefully edged his way into the next room after he unlocked the door, not knowing what to expect or what was waiting for him.

The room was fairly large, the floor covered with water that reached up to his mid-shins and Link nervously eyed the wall of spikes all along the walls, with very few spaces spike-free.

“Link!” Navi said as she bounced in the air in alarm. “It’s Princess Ruto!” Link looked up at the ceiling where in the middle of the room Ruto floated in a dark purple crystal. The Zora princess banged her fist against the side of her prison as she yelled,

“Link! Look out! That’s not normal water!” (3)

The warning came too late as something grabbed Link by the leg and hoisted him up into the air. Link yelled and looked down, or up seeing as how he was upside down currently, to see what had him. It looked like a tentacle made of water that had rose up out of the water he had been standing in. He yelled again as the water-tentacle violently flicked him to one side, throwing him into the wall.

Link groaned as he slid down the wall, landing between two rows of spikes luckily.

“Ow,” Link said as he reached up to rub the back of his head, knock the blue stocking cap off of his head.

“Link! Get up!” Navi said as she flew over to him. Link groaned softly but quickly climbed back to his feet while drawing his sword and shield.

Link watched the water warily for another attack from the water tentacle.

“Behind you!” Navi warned. Link spun his blade cutting through a forming tentacle which burst like a bubble.

“HEEHEEHEE!” A high pitched laugh filled the air and several feet from Link the strange water started to build up, making a new form. Link gasped and took a small step back as the water became a humanoid shaped like a woman with a strange pulsing orb in the middle of its ‘forehead’. A swirl of black light surrounded one of the water creature’s hands, forming into the black Master Sword like blade that Link and Navi had left in the room where Dark had been. As the water woman raised the sword above her head, the blade pulsed with black light, reshaping to become larger and longer with a wicked curved blade.

Link barely had time to swear to the Goddess as the water warrior moved to attack. Link blocked the sword just in time with his shield then counterattacked with a swipe of his own. He quickly discovered that his blade only went through the watery limbs without really hurting the creature; the limb would just reform as quickly as he sliced it. He also had to dodge and cut through any water tentacles that came his way, warned by both Navi and Ruto when it formed.

Link grunted as he used the Master Sword to block a vicious strike from the creature, his boots sliding in the water and almost sending him flying as he slipped. He locked blades with the creature, both trying to knock the other’s sword from their hands. He could feel one of the water tentacles starting to wrap around his ankle just as Navi shouted out a warning, twisting to the side to get out of the tentacle’s hold. The creature stumbled forward as she was no longer pressing the dark blade against Link’s sword, the blond teen using the break in the attack to slide the hand holding the blade off. The blade fell into the water with a splash while the water woman turned to face Link, her sword hand already reforming.

“Link, that sword needs to be destroyed!” Navi called as she flew into the face of the water warrior to distract her. Link glanced at the blade, not sure at first how to destroy the dark sword the glanced at the Master Sword. He gasped softly; the Master Sword was glowing softly with an inner light as he neared the dark sword, reacting to the evil in the blade. Thinking quickly, Link decided to try a move that he had seen some of the Sheikah warriors back in their village use. Taking the Master Sword in both hands, Link leapt into the air with a yell. The Master Sword was pointed downward as he landed on top of the dark blade. The light in the Master Sword gleamed brightly as it pierced the dark blade, destroying the evil dark magic within it. The dark blade shattered under the attack, then disappeared for good. (5)

“No!” The water warrior yelled as she felt the blade’s destruction. Navi dove under a swing that the creature took at her and quickly flew back to Link’s side.

“Good job! Link, that orb in her head, that’s where her powers are coming from,” Navi told Link, having been close enough to feel the creature’s magic. The water warrior screamed in rage, gathering the strange water around her to form several water tentacles to attack Link with. Reminded of the black core of the Flare Dancers back in the Fire Temple, Link quickly took out the Long Shot and aimed it at the core in the water creature. The end of the Long Shot flew through the air and sunk deeply into the orb, dragging it out of the body constructed of water. As the orb left, the water body and the tentacles fell to the floor with a splash.

Link charged magic into his sword as the Great Fairy of Power taught him 7 years ago and spun in a circle, the Master Sword almost singing as it flew through the air. The magical blade struck the orb just right, knocking it off of the tip of the Long Shot and flew through the air to land on the tip of one of the spikes along the edge of the room. He quickly followed up with a second attack, pushing the orb down onto the spike further until the deadly point pierced the middle of the orb. There was a hit pitch sound that filled the room as the orb convulsed then exploded, Link using his shield to protect himself from the blast. In the middle of the room, the crystal holding Princess Ruto shattered. She hung in the air for a moment, her violet lighting up as she was filled with the knowledge of who she was then disappeared in a flash of blue light.

In the space where Ruto had been a prisoner, a vortex of water rose up to the ceiling. Slowly the odd water that had filled the room drained away, disappearing to someplace else until the last drop reached the ceiling. The drop clung to the roof for a second or two then dropped to the floor with a splash. A circle of light appeared in the spot and Link breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank Nayru,” Navi said with a sigh of her own. “The lake and the Zora are saved now. Come; let’s go to the Chamber of Sages.” Link nodded, sheathing the Master Sword and stepping into the light.

****

Link and Navi reappeared in the Chamber of Sages, facing the platform that contained the symbol of the Water Sage. It glowed for a moment then Ruto rose from the light facing him.

“Link,” She said with a smile. “I would have expected no less from the man I chose to be in husband.” Link fought to keep the grimace off his face when Ruto called him her husband. It wasn’t that he disliked the Zora Princess but he didn’t want to marry her. “Zora’s Domain and its people will eventually return to their original state. As a reward, I grant my eternal love to you.” Link took a step back in shock then shook his head.

“Ruto, look I don’t thi-“ Link started to say as Ruto laughed softly.

“Well, that’s what I wanted to say,” She said with amusement in her voice. “But I don’t think I can offer that now. I have to guard the Water Temple as the Sage of Water. It was a silly little offer from a silly little fish girl a long time ago. And you… well, your heart already belongs to someone else.”

Link frowned slightly, he wasn’t completely sure what she meant by that.

“What are you-“ he started to say then became quite as Ruto held up a hand to stop him.

“You can’t hide anything from me!” She said with a shake of her head. “Maybe you don’t quite know it yet, but I think you will see.” Link nodded slowly in agreement. Ruto looked satisfied with his agreement then said, “I can tell nothing well stop you in your quest for justice and peace. You must take this medallion; take it respectfully!” She held out her hand, a dark blue medallion appearing over the palm just like the ones Saria and Darunia had given him. Link took the medallion from the Zora and slipped into his pouch with the others.

The space under Link’s feet lit up and he was once again encased in a crystal that would take him out of the Chamber. As he left, he heard Ruto’s voice once again.

“If you see Sheik, please give him my thanks, Ok?” Ruto watched as Link and Navi disappeared. She sighed as she continued to watch the spot where Link had been.

“Princess,” Mako’s voice said from behind her. Ruto turned to her fellow Zora, she was only a little surprised to see him there.

“Mako… so this is where you’ve been the last seven years,” She said. Mako came closer to the younger Zora then knelt on the floor, one of his hands pressed over his chest briefly then stood up again.

“When the boy drew the blade, I was awoken as the Sage of Earth and came here to perform my duty,” He said. “Much like you will now.”

“Yes,” Ruto agreed with a sigh.

“Princess… it wasn’t a silly promise you made was it?” Mako asked. “You had every intention of making the Hero your Royal Consort.”

“Not for the reasons you think, I was charmed like any princess would be when a dashing hero comes to save her,” Ruto admitted. “But I mostly knew it would make Father angry that I intended to marry a human instead of a Zora.”

“His majesty is wrapped around your little fin,” Mako remarked. “I don’t think he would have been as angry as you think.”

“Maybe not,” Ruto agreed. “But I saw the look on Link’s face when I brought the subject of marriage up; he didn’t want to marry me and what I told him was true, someone else has his heart. I don’t quite sure who, but someone does.”

“You’ll find your prince charming one day,” Mako said.

“Perhaps,” Ruto said then shook herself. “Away with you, you have your scared duty to perform and I have mine. It’s time to bring down that tyrant Zelda and return peace to our waters.”

“As your wish,” Mako bowed to his princess then disappeared in a flash of light blue light. Ruto humphed, then giggled slightly before flashing away in a rush of dark blue light to her own temple.

****

Meanwhile, outside of the Water Temple, Sheik jumped down from the dead tree that stood on top of the hill where the Water Temple was located. The constant rain that had plagued the area had stopped a few minutes before hand and the sky became clear as the storm clouds rolled away. Sheik held his breath, waiting for the final sign that Link had awakened the sage. A pulse of power ran under his feet then spread out across the lake bed in a rush of blue light. Sheik looked over at the water fall, whatever magic that had been holding back the water fell and already the water was rushing into the dry lake bed, filling it once again with pure, clean water.

“As the water rises, the evil is vanishing from the lake,” Sheik said with a grin. The water was rising fast, faster than Sheik would have through it would have considering how large Lake Hylia was. It was as if all the missing water was trying to come back at once. “Link you did it!”

“Sheik!” Link called as soon as he saw his friend as his feet touched the ground. Sheik turned to face the other teen, his eyes smiling as Link ran up to him. “Ruto, she-“

“Did Ruto want to take me?” Sheik guessed.

“Hmm,” Link smiled as he nodded his head.

“I see. We have to return peace to Hyrule for her sake, too, don’t we?” Sheik said then turned toward the water. To the east, the sun had started to raise, its warm light touching the area for the first time in years. “Look at it, Link. Together, you and Princess Ruto destroyed the evil monster.”

“Ruto didn’t do much,” Navi muttered softly next to Link’s ear.

“Hush,” Link said just as softly.

“Once again, the lake is filled with pure water. All is as it was here,” Sheik continued. Link stepped forward to stand by Sheik’s side, looking over the lake that was now filled with water again. It was beautiful, reminding Link of his first glance at the lake as a child. Sheik watched Link in turn as the sunlight sparkled off the calm waters, the reflection of the light dancing over Link’s form. It made Link look so handsome to Sheik. The serene scene struck Sheik, reminding him of what he and Link were doing and what he felt for the other boy.

Sheik! Sheik jerked in surprise as his mother’s telepathic voice filled his mind.

Mother? What’s wrong? Sheik thought back.

Kakariko Village is under attack! Impa told him. Hurry!

Link turned as Sheik gasped and stepped away.

“Sheik?” Link asked as he turned toward his friend.

“Kakariko Village,” was all Sheik said as he teleported away.

“Wait!” Link called too late. “What do you think that was about?”

“I don’t know, but we should get going,” Navi said. “Whatever it is, it’s something important.” Link nodded, starting to turn to leave but a glint of light caught his attention. There was a plaque sitting on the ground near the tree. Link walked over and knelt down next to the plaque to read it. “What’s that?”

“Don’t know, it says to shoot an arrow toward the rising sun,” Link said. He stood and took out the Fairy Bow out of his magic pouch then took out an arrow from a quiver on his back. He aimed at the sun and let the arrow fly. There was a red flash of light, causing Link to raise his hand to block the light.

“Link, look!” Navi said. “There, on that island over there!” Link lowered his hand and looked; there on an island between two small pillars hung his arrow with the tip surrounded by ball of fire. Link dove into the water and swam over to the island, pulling himself out of the cool waters to get a closer look. “It’s a spell…” Navi said as she hovered over the arrow.

“A spell,” Link repeated. Curious he reached over and wrapped his hand around the shaft of the arrow. The arrow disappeared with flash of red light, the light sinking into Link’s skin. Link’s eyes lit up as he stood, looking at his hand. “Hey, I know how to make my arrows into fire arrows now.”

“That could be useful,” Navi agreed. “Come on, let’s get to Kakariko Village.”

****

Sheik appeared in the middle of Kakariko Village, gasping in shock. Several of the buildings in the village were either on fire or were incased in ice. High above the village Sheik could see the sorceress Koume hurling a fireball at the bazaar. Sheik cursed under his breath and teleported to a nearby roof top. As soon as he reappeared, Sheik tossed several of his sharp throwing needles at Koume.

“Heeheehee!” The witch crackled as she barrel-rolled in midair and dove down to dodge the attack. “Look what we have here, one of the traitorous Sheikah.”

“I am not a traitor,” Sheik said as he readied another handful of needles. “My loyalty is to the Royal House of Hyrule. Zelda is the one who is a traitor.”

“Watch how you speak about your queen, boy,” Koume said in amusement as she held up her hand, another ball of fire forming above her palm. “Ho!” She tossed it at Sheik who leapt out of the way, tucking himself into a roll as he hit the ground below.

“Zelda is no queen of mine,” Sheik said as he jumped to his feet.

“Ah yes, you Sheikah dogs always follow the blood-line of your beloved goddess,” Koume said with a snort. “Hurry up, Kotake!”

Sheik cursed and looked around as he realized that he hadn’t seen the ice wielding sorceress anywhere. He looked around, keeping half an eye on Koume, trying to find Kotake.

“HEEHEEHEE!” An echoed laugh rang over the village from the direction of the well. Sheik’s ruby eyes widened in horror as he stared at the old dry well.

“No, what have you done?!” He yelled as Kotake came flying out of the well with a cackle.

“It’s done,” Kotake said as she hovered next to her sister. “Shall we get rid of the Goddess’s dog?”

“No, it will take care of the boy for us,” Koume said. Both witches cackled in laughter again as they spun in the air, disappearing in a flash of fire and ice. Sheik slowly approached the well, watching it with dread.

***

As Link and Navi approached the village, Link could see smoke filling the air above it.

“There must be a fire!” Navi said as Link quickly dismounted Epona and ran up the stairs to Kakariko Village. Link stopped at the village entrance, looking around in horror. The buildings all around him were on fire, many of the people who lived there trying to put the flames out with buckets of water. Link looked around again, searching for Sheik. He spotted the other blond standing in front of the well outside of the windmill.

“Sheik!” Link called as he ran toward his friend. Sheik turned his head, holding up a hand to stop his friend.

“Get back, Link!” He warned too late. Something that neither Link nor Navi couldn’t see but could sense burst out of the well and grabbed Sheik. The Sheikah teen yelled as he was tossed back and forth, trying to break free of the thing that held him. Whatever it was, it tossed Sheik like a rag doll across the ground. “UHH!” Sheik grunted, gasping in pain as the air was knocked out of him. Link ran over to Sheik’s side, kneeling down beside his friend. Link was sick with worry after seeing Sheik attack and hurt, touching Sheik’s arm.

“Sheik?” Link asked softly.

“Li-nk,” Sheik croaked and coughed.

“Link, I think it’s headed our way again!” Navi warned. Link leapt up, drawing the Master Sword and his shield, looking around for the enemy. Sheik reached for Link, trying to stop him, but was too late as the shadow creature attacked.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

****

Link groaned as he came to, looking up into the cloudy sky. His whole body hurt from being tossed around by a creature he couldn’t see. His head was pillowed on something semi-soft and something stroked the side of his face gently.

“Looks like you’re coming around,” Sheik’s relieved voice said above him. Link opened his eyes, looking up into Sheik’s.

“Are you ok?” He asked the other teen as he sat up, realizing the thing he had been laying on was Sheik’s lap. Sheik gave a small cry and flung his arms around Link, so relieved that Link was ok. Link wrapped his arms around Sheik in return; he had been frightened by the way his friend had been attacked, lying on the ground barely moving.

“Link, a terrible thing has happened,” Sheik said, holding Link tighter. Above them the rain started to fall, both of them could hear the fires hissing as the rain started to put them out. “The evil shadow demon has been released.”

“Is that what attacked us?” Link said as he let Sheik go when the other teen started to pull back.

“Yes, Mother sealed the demon in the bottom of the well years ago, long before I was born. But that witch Kotake, I don’t know if she broke the seal or helped the demon inside, but now it’s escaped into the world. I believe Mother has gone into the Shadow Temple beneath the graveyard here in the village in an attempt to seal it again but she will be in danger without any help!”

“Why would Impa go to the Shadow Temple?” Navi asked as Link stood up then helped Sheik off the ground. Sheik put most of his weight on one leg as the other was still sore.

“My family has always been the Sage of Shadows,” Sheik explained. “Unlike the other races, we’ve never forgotten. Mother is already awakened as the Shadow Sage and if something happens to her…. I will be the next Sage. Link, help mother defeat the demon.”

“I will,” Link promised.

“I’m going with you into the temple,” Sheik declared.

“No! You said you couldn’t go into the temples with Link,” Navi said.

“This is my mother!” Sheik cried. Link quickly grabbed Sheik into a hug again, Sheik resting his forehead against the other’s shoulder. “Link, our temple isn’t like the others. We call it the ‘House of the Dead’ for a reason. We used it against anyone who attacked this land during the wars; my people don’t have a pretty history. The temple is filled with illusions, with things you can’t see with the naked eye.”

“Sheik, I promise to find Impa and help her with the shadow demon,” Link said. “You’re hurt, badly I might add. I can see the way you’re trying not to put any pressure on your leg, I think you should go see your village’s healer.” Sheik sighed softly, he ached all over but he wanted to help Link and his mother. In the end though, he nodded and straightened back up, pulling himself from Link’s warm arms.

“The only thing I can do for you then is teach you the melody that will lead you to the Shadow Temple,” Sheik said as he removed the Goddess Harp. “This is a melody that will draw you into infinite darkness that absorbs even time. Listen to this, the Nocturne of Shadow…”

Sheik carefully plucked the tune to the Shadow Temple, the few notes already haunting in sound. Link repeated the notes the played a short duet with Sheik as the magic of the song filled him. Link shivered, the song was dark and filled his with a haunted, lonely feeling as if he was mourning for something or someone.

“Sheik… how do I get past the illusions you talked about?” Link asked as they each put their instruments away. Sheik frowned, happing his fingers again his leg.

“I wonder….” Sheik turned his gaze toward the well, ruby eyes lighting up as an idea came to him. “That’s it!” The blond grabbed Link suddenly then grabbed Navi, the fairy squawking as Sheik shoved her between their bodies, then teleported them away from the village.

***

Link stumbled as they reappeared, looking around in surprise.

“The Temple of Time?” Link asked, they were in the chamber where the Master Sword has rested, where he had first seen Sheik again after his seven year sleep.

“Yes,” Sheik said as he walked up the dais where the Pedestal of Time rested. “You asked me how to get past the illusions in the temple. A long time ago, a Sheikah man that once lived in the village experimented and created two items. One was called the Mask of Truth, a mask that allows a person to read a person or animal’s thoughts. It also allows our people to speak to the Gossip Stones scattered throughout the land. But he also made one other item, the Lens of Truth.” (4)

“Lens of Truth?” Link repeated as he followed Sheik.

“Yes, it allows you to see the truth of an illusion and allows you to see anything invisible, like a certain demon,” Sheik said. “But the lens was deemed too powerful to use unlike the mask and it was sealed away in a chamber that had been created under the man’s house. A house that used to stand where the well is now.”

“Why are we here then?” Navi asked. “We should be in the well getting that Lens of Truth.”

“The chambers were sealed away after the man died, only a small opening still exist, only a child could go through it,” Sheik explained.

“So teleport us there,” Navi said.

“I told you before bug, I cannot teleport anywhere I haven’t been before and I have never been in the bottom of the well,” Sheik told the fairy.

“Sheik, how do you know about all this,” Link asked.

“The story is a common one in the village through no one was ever sure if it was true,” Sheik said. “But the man was my great-grandfather; the story has been passed down as fact within my family.”

“Ok, so why are we here at the temple? How do I get the Lens of Truth if I’m too large to enter the bottom of the well?” Link asked as he scratched the side of his head.

“You have traveled over mountains and under water, now you must travel through time,” Sheik said as he waved his head at the Pedestal of Time. “Return the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time and your spirit will be transported seven years in time to your younger body.”

“And I’ll be able to enter the well!” Link said. Sheik nodded then took out his harp again.

“You may need to return here quickly, I will teach you the song that returns you to the Temple of Light – the Prelude of Light.” Sheik plucked the notes for the new song with Link skillfully repeated, playing yet another duet with his friend as the magic filled him. This time Link found himself filled with the feeling of a warm, welcoming light that chased away the lingering feelings of sadness from before.

“I will return to Kakariko Village and take care of it,” Sheik said as he tucked the harp away. “Then I will return to the Sheikah village to see the healer. I’m counting on you, Link!” Sheik used a Deku nut to teleport away, disappearing in a large flash of light.

Link watched the space where Sheik had been for a moment then drew the Master Sword, stepping up to the pedestal.

“HAA!” He thrust the sword downward and felt himself being swept away in a rush of blue light.

***

When Link could see again, he found himself eye level with the hilt of the Master Sword.

“Link, Sheik was right!” Navi exclaimed as she looked at her partner. “You’re a child again!”

“That’s why I feel so much weaker,” Link said to himself as he checked himself over. It was… odd… being back in his original age. He had gotten use to being an adult, to being taller and stronger. He checked inside his pouch, only half surprised to see the Fairy Bow, Megaton’s Hammer and Longshot within. He was too small to properly use to the bow now and there was no way he could ever lift the Goron made hammer at this size when he could barely lift it as an adult. He also saw something else in his pouch that gave him pause, sitting next to each other in the magic pouch were the Ocarina of Time and the Fairy Ocarina given to him by Saria. He felt a pang of loss when he saw it; Saria’s awakening as a Sage had hurt him more than the others as she had been his best friend his entire life. In a way, she was both like his big sister and his mother as she helped raised him.

But Link suddenly realized, he was seven years in the past. Zelda hadn’t started her takeover of Hyrule just yet and Saria wasn’t a sage now.

“We’re going to the forest,” Link said as he took out his blue ocarina.

“What?!” Navi yelled. “Link, we’ve got to go into the well and get the Lens of Truth. We don’t have time for anything else.”

“Navi… I don’t know how I know but I think when we go back to the future it will be the same time that we left, or close to it,” Link said. “I don’t think a few hours more in the past will hurt anything.” Navi sighed, she didn’t know why she tried to be the voice of reason here, Link would do whatever he wanted and there was nothing she could do to stop him. Then again, she wasn’t a very good voice of reason seeing as how she nearly got Link raped during the first attempt of sneaking into Hyrule Castle, then blindly trusting Zelda until her eyes were open to the truth.

“Alright, fine,” Navi said with a sigh as she floated over to sit on Link’s shoulder. Link just smiled and used the Ocarina of Time to play the Minuet of Forest, sweeping the Hylian and Fairy away in a rush of green to the Lost Woods.

**

In the Scared Meadow outside of the Forest Temple, Saria happily sat on her favorite stump playing her song to several little animals that had come to hear her play. A flash of green light startled Saria as she stopped her playing to hold up a hand to shield her eyes while the animals scattered, running back into the woods.

“What in the name of Farore was that!?” Saria’s fairy partner Dits exclaimed. Saria lowered her hand then gave a gasp of surprise.

“Link! You were the one you did that?” She asked as she slid off her stump to meet her friend. Link didn’t say anything as he stepped up, a sad lost look in his blue eyes. “Link? Are you alright?”

Saria squeaked as Link suddenly hugged her, his face buried against the side of her neck. Saria blinked forest green eyes which soften as she reached up to stroke Link’s hair. Whatever it was, Link needed to get it out of his system and Saria was happy to comfort her young friend. She cooed softly in his ear, humming a soft lullaby she use to sing to him when he was just a babe.

They stood like that for a while and when Link finally pulled away, he refused to tell Saria the reasons behind his actions. He couldn’t tell her that in the next seven years, their beloved forest would be overrun by monsters that would drive even the poor, kind Kikwis from their own home in the forest to seek shelter with the Kokiri. That in seven years Saria would be awakened as the Sage of the Forest, swept away into the Sacred Realm.

He did tell her a little more of his adventures, heavily edited so she wouldn’t know about the future. Saria could tell he was leaving something out but didn’t pressure him. No she just enjoyed the tales he could give her from outside of their forest until it was time for Link to leave once again, this time is a swirl of purple light as he played the Nocturne of Shadow.

**

As Link and Navi reappeared, Link found himself standing on a small cliff overlooking the graveyard. Behind him stood a tunnel that when he peered into it, he could make out a small cavern with a dais surrounded by unlit torches. There was nothing he could do about the Shadow Temple for now, turning away from the tunnel and back toward the graveyard.

“Let’s go see about the well then,” Link said as he climbed up a small fence on the edge of the cliff, dropping down to the ground below next to the grave where he had learned the Sun Song. It was raining again, like it always seemed to rain in the graveyard, and it was very late in the evening. As Link headed for the entrance of the graveyard, Link stopped as he saw a hunched figure walking around. It was Dampé, alive again as he tended to the graves. The last and only time Link had seen the grave keeper, the man had been a ghost.

“Come on,” Navi said, nudging him in the head. Link shook his head then ran past Dampé who yelled at him not to run around the graves. In Kakariko Village everything was quiet as Link walked through the little village. Once again it was strange to see the houses still being built instead of finished. And it felt empty as well, all the Sheikah who had live there had already left the village to the remaining hidden ones throughout Hyrule. And the people from Hyrule Castle Town had yet to flee as Zelda hadn’t started her attack on the beautiful city just yet.

Link quickly ran over to the well and frowned as he peered over the side.

“It’s filled with water,” he said. “I can’t wear my Zora Tunic, I’m too small and it’ll fall off like this.”

“I could have sworn this well was dry in the future,” Navi said with her own frown.

“So how did it become dry then?” Link asked in confusion. Something was niggling at his memory but he couldn’t quite grasp it.

“Excuse me,” a tiny voice said from Link’s elbow. Link looked down and nearly cried, it was a tiny Town Minish wearing a little blue robe and red hat. Link hadn’t been able to see the Minish once he turned into an adult as only children, animals and the Kokiri could see or hear them. “Are you looking to drain the well?”

“Yes, there’s something in the bottom we need to get really badly,” Link said with a quick nod.

“Well I don’t know if this will help but the water is drawn up by the windmill,” the Minish told them, pointing at the tall windmill behind the well. Link looked up at it, his memory niggling again then gasping as he remembered.

"A punk kid with an ocarina came in one day and played a song that started to make it rain in the windmill," Guru-Guru said, his eyes all but growling in his anger. "It made the windmill spin to fast, it drained the well. Grrrrr!"

That had been what the caretaker of the windmill Guru-Guru had told him in the future when the angry man had taught him the Song of Storms. Guru-Guru had said Link’s ocarina had been the same as the kid who originally played the song.

‘I’m the ‘/punk kid/’ he was talking about,’ Link realized. “Thanks for your help,” Link said over his shoulder to the Minish as he ran off to the windmill. The Minish watched the boy and fairy then leave, shake its head in amusement, then filled up its bucket in a small puddle on the edge of the well.

Link cracked open the door to the windmill, peering inside.

“Welcome! Welcome!” A jolly voice greeted from the other side of the room. “Come in, don’t be shy.” Link stepped into the room and saw Guru-Guru standing in the same stop as the last time, still turning the crank of his music box.

“Umm, hi?” Link said as he walked up, unsure of how the man would act. The Guru-Guru in future had been a hateful bitter man but his younger self was a man with cheerful smiles.

“Hello! Go around, go around,” Guru-Guru chanted with a laugh. “How I love to go around. What brings you to my windmill?”

Link felt really bad for what he was about to do. Guru-Guru was so happy right now and Link now knew he was the reason the man was so hateful when Link had first met him.

“I’m sorry,” Link told the cheerful man, a look of confusion lighting up Guru-Guru’s face as Link took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Storms. For the second time, or the first time in truth, a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightening filled the air as a torrent of rain came down, making the windmill spin faster and faster. Outside the water inside the well started to drain away, confusing the people still in the village as to why when they saw it the next morning.

“Go around, go arou- wait, it’s going way too fast!” Guru-Guru yelled as he watched his beloved windmill spin out of control. Link didn’t wait around, turning and running out the door before the man got his wits back. Link jogged over to the well and peered into it again.

“It’s dark down there,” Link said softly.

“I’ll light the darkness,” Navi promised her partner. Link nodded and climbed over the edge of the well, for some reason there was a ladder that lead out into the deeps of the well which Link was grateful for cause he didn’t fancy jumping into the well and had no idea how he would climb out otherwise. Navi’s blue light lit up the area around Link as he walked small cavern at the bottom of the well, just barely keeping the shadows at bay. At the bottom of the far wall was the opening Sheik had told Link about. Link gathered up his courage then got down onto his hands and knees, crawling through the opening to the space beyond.

*****

Author note: Yay! Another chapter is out! I’m sure everyone has noticed I haven’t put anywhere near as much detail into the Water Temple like I did for the Forest and Fire Temples. The reason is simple, I find the Water Temple to be really, really, /really boring/. It’s my least favorite temple in the whole game; I like the Lakebed Temple in Twilight Princess a lot better. I tried to make it a little more interesting but there wasn’t much I could really do. I do hope everyone likes the Boss I came up with.

And OMG, I am so loving what I’ve been seeing of Hyrule Warriors, that has become my favorite design of Ganondorf ever. I also got a lot of ideas to add here to the fic in future chapters. Nothing storyline wise but some of the game play stuff has given me a lot of ideas so be on the lookout!

(1) The blond girl with the pigtails whose name is Fado is really, really loyal to Mido and some people believe they may be brother and sister.

(2) Kinda like how the werewolf cure was suspended in the orb in Van Helsing if anyone has seen that movie.

(3) I came across something that said it's Ruto who tells Link this, not Navi. Never made sense to me since she wasn't there in the game so I put her there.

(4) The old man in the blue robe tells Link a similar story in the future part of the game.

(5) The first attack that the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess teaches that game's Link. Since the Hero's Shade is this Link's ghost that means he had to learn and use the hidden skills at some point.