Ocarina of Time Chapter 41

 

Chapter 41
Requiem of Spirit

As Link approached the Desert Colossus, the harsh desert sands rose in a whirling tempest. It came upon them so suddenly that Link was certain something, or someone, had conjured it.

He pressed Epona on towards the rocky plateau that rose from the desert sands like a giant table. It was flanked by columns of sandstone and wreathed by a formidable wall. As they neared their destination, the wind died down, and Link could see more clearly the mileposts with their red flags along the road. He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at seeing the lone flat-topped hill.

"The Spirit Temple is protected by far more than just a few illusions," Halvard cautioned as they approached the wall.

"That makes me feel so much better," Link muttered, his brief flicker of elation swept away by Halvard's warning. "Now all we need is to find out the Great Fairy of the Desert is really some kind of axe-wielding maniac."

In his defence, knowing that some sorcery had
been messing with his mind, and could easily do so again, was not doing wonders to his mood.

His comment earned him a very dark look from Navi.

"I was only joking," he said sheepishly.

"I said she's a little whacked, not crazy," Navi said crisply.

She didn't speak to him again for some time. Link heaved a sigh; he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. She was usually the one getting sarcastic these days, but he reasoned that she was just exhausted. It hadn't been an easy few days for either of them.

Sheik was murmuring something, her voice almost inaudible. Link placed a hand on her forehead, brushing aside a few stray threads of golden hair. Her skin was still far too hot. The wind was probably helping her a little; she was still dripping wet from being doused in water.

"Come on, Epona, hurry up. We're nearly there." Link was worried they were nearly out of time. At least Sheik was talking, that was better than nothing.

Epona snorted in agitation. To be fair, she was accustomed to a plentiful supply of water and good food. Even during their trek up Death Mountain, he'd been careful not to tax her too much. Now, they had no choice.

"Just a bit longer, Epona," he coaxed her, patting her mane.

Sheik's murmurs became steadily louder until he could finally make out her urgent words.

"The castle is ablaze, an unholy funeral pyre of roaring flame... Oily smoke chokes the night... The last members of House Nohansen gone... The screams... I hear them... all of them. Why are we riding away? We have to save them... We have to..."

Link wished he had not heard those words. They threatened to tear open old wounds that had never quite healed. With them, memories stirred in his mind, echoes of an all too familiar nightmare. The girl. The fires. The screaming.

The candle flame, he thought fiercely, squeezing his eyes shut. Remember the candle flame.

It didn't work. For a moment, he was sure that he could hear those cries too, as if he were somehow sharing Sheik's terrible dream. He blinked, staring at the wind-blown dunes. So quiet. Almost peaceful. It was easy to deceive himself that he was alone in this vast wilderness, so far from the events of that terrible day.

Vaguely, Link recalled Sheik mentioning the horror she witnessed the night of Castletown's fall- the death of her family. Focusing his attention back to her, he shook Sheik's shoulder gently and called her name. He had hoped to break her out of her nightmare, but his efforts were useless. Sheik merely moaned and kept speaking.

"What is it?" Navi flew beside him, her voice concerned.

"I'm not sure," Link answered.

"There are stalfos everywhere," Sheik's voice became frightened. "They pour through the streets. I can see them. They reach for us... They're killing everyone."

"Fever  dreams," Navi murmured.

"Is there anything we can do?" Link asked desperately.

"Not until we get to the Great Fairy," Halvard answered, drawing his horse in closer to Epona. "She should stop soon. These episodes don't last long."

"I hope not," Link said. He didn't want to hear any more reminders of that dreadful night, and he was sure Sheik wouldn't either. She kept going, and in a way, her next words seemed more terrible than anything else she'd said so far.

"Don't go, little brother. Please, don't leave me-"

Her plea tore at Link's heart. He was so stunned, he nearly slipped from the saddle.

Was Sheik pleading? That didn't sound like her. Her voice was desperate. Vulnerable. It wasn't the flat stoic voice of a Sheikah at all.

"She never mentioned she had a brother," Navi said sadly.

Link tried shaking her shoulder again. "Sheik?"

She didn't even flinch. Halvard stared at her with a shrewd, calculating look. He glanced away, murmuring something. Sheik's words lapsed back into an incoherent mumble, and Link urged Epona on as fast as she could safely go. They were almost there when Link once again caught Sheik's faint words.

"Eliana... Yes, Eliana is a good name..."

"Who is Eliana?" Link asked aloud, not really expecting anyone to answer.

Navi landed on her shoulder, a look of consternation on her tiny face as she shook her head. "I have no idea."

His worry steadily mounting, Link urged Epona on. She seemed to sense the need for haste, but that did not stop her from tossing her head and snorting in displeasure.

"I'll get you some carrots soon," Link told her before casting a glance at the bare hills and jagged rocks surrounding him. "Somehow."

The red walls of sandstone rose up before them as they approached the crumbling ruins of what had once been a gatehouse. Two statues stood on either side of the entrance, hidden and almost inconspicuous in alcoves carved into the wall. Link thought the statues looked rather odd; they had no limbs and were round and black. Their necks were elongated and their heads seemed almost spherical. A single glowing yellow gem served as their eye. A tingling sensation was his first warning, followed by a voice in his head.

By the time Link took any notice, he was already riding hard towards the crumbling entrance of the Desert Colossus. Halvard yelled something, Link didn't heed the warning, but Navi did.

"Link, stop! It's a beamos!"

It's At Navi's cry, Link pulled hard on Epona's reins- just as a blue beam shot out from the eye of one of the statues, striking the sand near Epona's hooves. The mare reared in fright, almost unsaddling him and Sheik.

"Woah!" Link cried.

The other beamos fired. Link reined Epona to the left. The blue beam nicked the hairs on Epona's tail and Link could feel the intense heat ripple over him. Epona neighed again and bolted away from the archway. The heads of the statues turned, following the fleeing horse. The smell of burnt hair was strong, and Epona didn't like it much either. As Epona took flight, Link feared she might tumble in the soft sand. She didn't. Instead, he was the one that fell. He landed hard on his shoulder and rolled just in time to see Sheik fall off Epona.

Halvard leaped off his horse and raced to Sheik's side as Link reached for his shield. He rolled away from another beam and jumped to his feet.

Navi squeaked as another beam came close to hitting her, and she quickly flew to safety.

Halvard got Sheik out of the way while Link sidestepped another attack. He wasn't convinced Impa's ring would save him from whatever magic these things were using. Magic was never infallible after all, and even Impa's ring would have some limitation.

They're persistent.

"How do I kill them?" he yelled.

"An arrow?" Navi shouted as another beam of blue flame shot past her.

"Standing still in front of that thing doesn't look like a good idea," he pointed out.

"Repel their magic," Courage suggested. "Their strength is their weakness."

Link was too busy dodging his attacker to take this advice. The blue flames licked the ground, mere inches from his foot. He decided that this was enough dancing with death for now and ran, trying to get out of range so he could get his bearings. The beams followed behind him. The other tried to shoot him again, and Navi shrieked in horror. It didn't miss.

The beam struck the mirror shield secured behind Link, the blue flames bouncing off, slamming straight back into their owner. Link tasted the tiny granules of sand as he fell flat on his face, the mask of truth knocked away. He wasn't given any time to marvel at the fact that the beam hadn't killed him. He scrambled up as another beam from the second statue seared the ground, right where his foot had been a moment ago. It nicked the side of the mask as Link scooped it up.

He yelped, wishing the damned statue would just give up already. He quickly smothered the flames scorching the side of the mask and brought his shield to bear. The next jet of fire hit the silver surface and rebounded, striking the beamos squarely in its stone face. Stone sprayed everywhere as the enchanted menace was reduced to a pile of rubble.

"That was painful," Courage lamented, apparently not amused by Link's performance.

"Link?"

He looked up to see Navi fly to his side, looking stunned to see he was unhurt.

"I'm okay," he told her, ignoring the pestering presence in his head.

"Good thing you had that shield behind you," Navi remarked. "I can't believe you weren't hurt. Honestly, Link. Given what we've run into, I would have thought you'd be a little more careful by now."

Link stared at the crumbled remnants of the Beamos.

"Statues that shoot fire at you wasn't exactly something I was expecting," Link countered. "What did you say that thing was?"

"A beamos. I've only heard of them." Navi cast another look at the smouldering rubble. "Someone's gone to a lot of trouble to keep us out."

"Yeah," Link agreed. "Why would the Great Fairy of the Desert would choose to live here of all places?"

Link turned his attention to the most pressing issue - making sure nobody else was injured. He checked Epona. The hair on her tail was burnt, but she was otherwise unharmed. Sheik was in the worst condition but hadn't suffered any injury from her fall. Much to Link's chagrin, Halvard inspected the damaged mask without even asking if he was okay. After a quick assessment of the scorched side of the white mask, he handed it back to Link.

"I suggest you put it back on," Halvard said, "A good thing it wasn't damaged, or else it would be rather difficult to replace."

"You realize it's a little off-putting when you put more value on a mask than a person's life, right?" Navi asked, a faint thread of disgust creeping into her voice. "People aren't replaceable. That thing is."

She pointed at the mask as Link slipped it back on.

"Of course. I didn't mean to imply otherwise..." Halvard said with an air of shock.

"I should hope not," Navi muttered.

"You must understand, some of the masks in my collection are quite valuable and rare indeed. An entire lifetime's worth of work. Besides, your friend here would not survive long in the desert without it-"

"Yeah, I understand," Navi interrupted Halvard before lowering her voice so only Link could hear, "Don't let him watch our backs."

"We should keep going," Link suggested before Halvard could ask what Navi had said, or have an argument with her.

Without further questions, the mask man helped place Sheik back on Epona's saddle. Epona refused to go anywhere near the remains of the beamos, forcing Link to coax her forward on foot. Even then, she whinnied and tried to nip him every step of the way until they cleared the archway.

Now they were inside, the Desert Colossus was an impressive sight. Stone steps led to a doorway flanked by tall red pillars. Above the doorway, seated in a meditative repose within the enormous arches of an alcove, was a statue. Its arms were folded in its lap, and its eyes gazed down on them. A dais stood in front of the stairs, a familiar platform of marble with the Triforce etched across its surface. A portal. This one had music notes and words carved beneath the Triforce.

"Pakhet," Navi said as she followed Link's gaze back towards the statue. Pahket stood as tall as some of the trees in the Kokiri Forest and several people could have sat comfortably in the palms of her enormous hands.

Link started towards the steps of the temple when he noticed more of the statues with the glowing gem beside the doorway. He was out of their range and decided to keep it that way. For now, his focus was the Great Fairy. Once Epona overcame her nervous frisking, Link leaped back into the saddle. He cast another look at the statues, suppressing a shiver when he realised their ruby eyes were still staring straight at him, almost daring him to get closer.

They past past the door, the angry glares of the beamos following their every move. They rode by a stone tank filled with water and around the huge column of red rock without incident. They finally came to a fissure that ran through the rugged wall of rock, widening at the base into a small cave. It looked like it could have been a back entrance to the temple, but it wasn't. The sandy ground turned to smooth stone at the lip of the cave.

"This is the Great Fairy's home," Halvard explained.

"Looks... inviting," Link replied. He was finding it hard to believe a Great Fairy would want to a call this place home. "We better hurry."

Sheik's breathing was labored, and she made no sound as Link gathered her into his arms once he dismounted. The cave's mouth provided enough of an overhang to leave the horses in the shade. There was nowhere to hide them but Link decided to worry about that later.

As the darkness splashed over them, Link breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Though Sheik had been quite light when they started out that morning, he was tired and straining under weight, but at least the face was cooler.. In his weary state, it seemed his steps dragged on and on. Finally, Link spotted light ahead, and he hastened his step to reach it. Hope and relief burst inside him... Until the cave opened up into an almost empty chamber.

"She's not here," Link said, the pit of his stomach dropping as his brief elation died.

He surveyed the shrine for any sign of the Great Fairy, but there was almost nothing. Nothing except for the tiny balls of light that hovered along the edges of the fountain. Their light made the water reflect onto the stone walls, giving the fountain a mystical quality. The stone steps that led up to an altar of white marble stood at the edge of the fairy fountain. There was an insignia of the Triforce upon the altar's surface, but the inscription beneath it was indecipherable.

Link turned his attention to the fairies hovering in the pool, noticing for the first time that they were all staring, and no longer drifting lazily upon the water's surface. They looked rather surprised at the intrusion, bunching up together as if that would offer them some measure of protection. Navi flew up beside Link's shoulder, and the fairies looked even more startled to see her.

"A forest sprite has come to us. This is most unusual," one of the fairies said, leaving her tightly bunched kin and venturing towards Navi, inspecting her all the while. "The fairies of the woods never leave their sacred groves. Yet here is one."

"Can you tell us where the Great Fairy is?" Link asked. It probably would have been ideal to let Navi do the talking, given how suspicious the fairies were, but he didn't consider this until after the fact. Thankfully, none of the fairies objected to being addressed by him.

"Only by a lullaby, played by the Royal Family of old, will we reveal our secret," one of the sprites chimed. "That was the agreed password."

"What are you talking about?" Link asked, his brain exhausted beyond the capacity to think clearly.

"He holds the blade of the Ancient Hero," observed another fairy who joined her companion by the fountain's edge. "He is the chosen of Farore."

"That's not an answer," Link told them pointedly, growing irritated. The sprites ignored him.

"A trick, perhaps?" asked a third.

"This is no trick," answered another, "I can sense the power of Farore within him."

Navi opened her mouth to speak, but Link beat her to it.

"I don't care who you think I am!" he snapped. "If you don't stop ignoring me, one of you is going to end up in a bottle, and I will not let you out until you agree to help me."

Most faeries knew what that meant.

Apparently, these ones did too. They all gaped at him with affronted expressions. Even Navi was giving him a look of deep reproach.

Link sighed and tried again. "My friend is dying," he explained, keeping his tone calm. "Please, can you help her?

The fairies looked at Sheik, and their silence seemed to last an agonizingly long time. For a horrible moment, Link feared they might refuse to help. The Great Fairy of the Desert had lived in isolation for many years. What if these fairies didn't trust him?

"We will help you," the first fairy said. "If you are the Ancient Hero, you will know the song of which we speak of. A lullaby once used by the royal family."

"Wait... you mean Zelda's lullaby?" Link asked, trying to rein in the urge to get really annoyed with the little fairies. They didn't answer. Gritting his teeth, Link placed Sheik on the altar and Halvard passed his ocarina.

It barely registered in Link's mind that this was the first time he'd held the instrument since Dark Link had stolen it. To his dismay, it was clogged with sand. Muttering a mild oath, and vowing to pack it in something a bit more sand-proof, he quickly removed the sand as best he could.

"Singing would have been satisfactory," one of the sprites offered unhelpfully. Link ignored it, but he did notice Navi giving the fairy a very sour look.

Satisfied the ocarina was clean and no longer full of sand like everything else, Link began to play. The soft hum of Zelda's Lullaby flowed through the chamber, and a blue hue enveloped the instrument. As the last few notes drifted through the room, the fairies nodded their approval.

"Thank you," Link breathed a sigh of relief.

The fairies began to sing as one, and Link watched them, mesmerized by their melody. Their song was sweet and haunting, and he was too spellbound for a moment to wonder what they were doing. As he watched, one of the fairies began to spin around the center of the fountain, another joined it, and then a third joined the odd dance. They still sang, and as they did, a ball of white light burst into existence within the center of the pool. On and on the fairies swirled and the light grew brighter, each fairy now spinning around it. Link reached up to shield his eyes. The fairies fell silent as their song reached its end, and then light exploded throughout the chamber.

A loud, rapturous laugh erupted through the chamber and Link opened his eyes. The fairies were still there, but their gaze was now fixed on the tall figure hovering above the water.

"That," said Navi, "Is Serket."

Upon first spotting the Great Fairy of the Desert, Link couldn't help but think Navi was right. She was definitely a little whacked, and it wasn't even her mirthful laugh, full of energy and ever so slightly creepy, that bothered him the most. It was the sight of her flaming red hair, split into three thick braids that sparkled in the light of the chamber. The interesting hairdo wasn't so odd, nor were her puffy, red lips. It wasn't even the overuse of what looked like makeup smeared across her eyebrows and face that perturbed Link. What was odd was the fact that this Great Fairy was almost stark naked. Only a dress of what looked remarkably like ivy around her midriff offered any semblance of privacy. Unlike Link, who was tempted to respectfully look the other away, she was not in the least bit embarrassed. And, as if that weren't awkward enough, she blew him a kiss as she caught his eye.

Navi made a discrete, but very disgruntled, "Uggh."

The heat rose in Link's cheeks, and for an instant, he was totally distracted from the immediate crisis of Sheik's deteriorating condition. If not for that, Link might have excused himself and fled back into the tunnel. Stepping back ever so slightly, he opened his mouth to say something, but his words caught in his throat. Halvard meanwhile looked like he was wishing he had a mask without eye slits. It was clear he had not met her before, despite his claims.

"Uhh... hi," was all Link managed. "We called."

He held up the ocarina.

"Greetings, Hero of Time, and welcome to my shrine," Serket said with an elaborate flourish. "Greetings, Navi, daughter of Moriko, and to you, mask peddler."

It took a second for Link to realize who she meant, and he turned to see Halvard looking at the Great Fairy. He seemed to remember who she was and vowed ever so slightly.

"I was most grieved to learn of my sister's passing. I am sorry for your loss, Navi," Serket continued, the playfulness gone from her voice.

Navi mumbled something that sounded like a thank you.

Link pointed to Sheik, still trying to get his tongue to work properly. "She... needs help."

"Yes, I can see that." Serket looked at Sheik, the smile sliding from her face as she frowned. "This is most puzzling."

"You can heal her, right?" Link asked anxiously.

"Of course I can heal her," said Serket dismissively. "What is odd, is that I can sense two souls within your companion. Two souls sharing the same body. How is this possible?"

"Two souls?" Halvard asked, sounding suspicious. "Are you certain?"

"Yes," Serket replied. "One is a Sheikah, the other a Hylian." She cocked her head, contemplating something. "Tell me. How did the Princess of Destiny come to be in your care?"

"The princess... what?"

Link looked back at Sheik, so did Halvard and Navi. A sudden suspicion tickled the back of his mind. He had never seen much of Sheik. She always kept completely enshrouded in her rather strange garbs. Then there was the glowing Triforce on her hand. What had Serket meant by two souls sharing the same body? It didn't make sense. If Sheik and Zelda were really the same person, why would she risk everything by staying within the realm of the usurper?

Courage must have known. Somehow. Perhaps it was able to sense her, just as it could sense Ganondorf.

"You didn't know?" Serket asked.

Link touched the Mask of Truth, feeling the ridges of its wooden frame. Didn't Halvard say it could see through any disguise?

"She is Princess Zelda," Serket explained, not waiting for a response. "At least, one of the two souls within her is. The identity of the other is a mystery." When only stunned silence followed her revelation, Serket paused and regarded Link with an expression of bemusement. Then understanding flickered in her eyes and she added, "Ahh... you will have much to discuss when I wake her no doubt. It is no matter. The Princess of Hyrule is welcome in my sanctuary."

Straightening herself, Serket stepped into the fountain and examined Sheik, pushing away the stray threads of golden hair from the Sheikah's face. An eldritch glow began to encompass the fairy's hand. She placed it on Sheik's forehead, closing her eyes as she did so. The light expanded from her hand, enshrouding Sheik. The seconds went by, and Sheik's breathing became steadier. The bruising on her face from where she'd been injured during her capture faded and the color returned to her face.

Seemingly satisfied, Serket withdrew her hand. She smiled as she stepped back, announcing, "There. It's done."

Link climbed back up the steps, his thoughts torn between relief that Sheik was alright and Serket's revelation about Sheik's identity. Could she really be Zelda? It did explain why Sheik always slept with a knife on her and why she never seemed quite comfortable with the idea of sleeping at all. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to live with the constant fear of being assassinated. Never being able to sleep with the knowledge that you were completely safe and constantly trying to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. Even her Sheikan disguise was no guarantee of safety; a mage might be able to sense the aura of her Triforce piece.

"How is it possible for two souls to share the same body?" he asked Halvard and Navi.

"There is a way, but..." Halvard paused frowning, "I don't see how. No Sheikah would agree to it... not these days."

"Agree to what?" Link asked testily, wishing the man would just give him a straight answer.

Just as Halvard opened his mouth to respond, Sheik stirred.

Link reached a hand towards her, but as he did, Sheik's eyes snapped open. She gasped, one hand reaching for a knife sheathed within her boot that wasn't there. The other hand snapped shut on Link's arm and twisted. Link's relief that Sheik had her strength back was replaced with sudden alarm as she tackled him to the ground, pinning his arms against his body and holding him down.

"Aghh... Sheik, it's me!" he cried out.

"Link?" Sheik's eyes went wide.

"I'm glad you weren't armed," Link said, flinching as he tried to move. "Or else Serket here would be busy."

If his arm wasn't in so much pain, he might have grinned.

Flushing a shade of crimson, Sheik got off him faster than she had thrown him to the ground. "I'm so sorry. What..."

She looked around, her eyes finding Navi and then Halvard. When she saw Serket, her eyes went nearly as wide as Link's had been. "Who the hell are you?"

In Sheik's defense, Link was quite sure she would've been more polite had she not been so badly startled. Fortunately, Serket didn't seem offended.

"At ease, Lady Zelda Harkinian, most noble Princess of Hyrule. You are safe," she said. "I am Serket, Great Fairy of the Desert, and this most delightful abode is my home."

"What..." Sheik looked like someone had just struck her. "What did you call me?" Then she shot a glance at the others. When she looked back at Serket, her face had gone white. "You told them?"

"You did not?" Serket asked mildly.

"What? No. Goddesses damn it, they weren't-" Sheik's voice faltered as she clasped a hand over her face. "This... Oh, Goddesses, this was not the way I wanted you to find out."

"If I might add," Halvard offered, "I already had a hunch. Ganondorf knows that you bear the Triforce of Wisdom. To my knowledge, only one of King Nohansen's line can wield it, and you are the last member of that line. My guess was that you willingly gave the Triforce of Wisdm to someone else. Then you started talking in your sleep. You mentioned someone close to you, Prince Ewan."

A flash of anger crossed the Sheikah's features at the mention of her half-brother, but it was gone in a heartbeat. "How did you know I have the Triforce of Wisdom?" she asked, her eyes inadvertently traveling to her left hand.

"It used its power to keep you alive."

Sheik's eyes went wide, and she whispered in horror, "Goddesses, damn!"

Link exchanged a quick glance with Navi. Sheik must have been really unsettled to be acting so unlike her usual stony self.

"What is it?" Navi asked with concern.

"If I used the power, he will know," Sheik said, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Ganondorf?" Serket asked, looking mildly concerned.

Sheik nodded. "He will have sensed it. His minions will be marching on the Desert Colossus soon. We must hurry."

She looked up at Link, and there was obvious pain in her eyes. He'd never expected to see her so sorrowful. "I'm so sorry, Link. I wanted to tell you, and I meant to. You must hate me after everything that's happened, after the secrets I kept from you."

Her confession startled Link. Why would he hate her? He understood the need for her deception. He knew why she needed to hide if she was going to help him and her people. He couldn't hate her for that. Did she truly think he hated her this whole time?

"I..." his words caught in his throat again. Still confused, he uttered, "Zelda... My Queen... why ever would I hate you?"

What was he supposed to call her now?

A shadow of a smile passed across Sheik's face, and she suddenly seemed far more worn than Link had ever seen her. Then it was gone, replaced by the sorrowful gaze of the woman trapped beneath the mask.

"You don't have to call me that," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I just..."

"I'm sure you did what you had to do," Navi offered, seeing Sheik's obvious distress. "That you chose to remain in Hyrule at all is remarkable. I'm sure Link understands that. Right?"

Link swallowed a lump in his throat. "Of course I do. I wanted to know you were safe. I knew why you had fled, and I wasn't angry."

"No, but you did have a lot to be angry about," Sheik said with a shaky laugh that didn't sound anything like her.

The memory almost made Link cringe. He knew what she was talking about. Now that he realized just who he had vented his anger out on following his awakening in the Sacred Realm, he felt a stab of shame and embarrassment. Worst of all, he'd gotten inebriated in front of the Princess of Hyrule and...

The rest didn't bear thinking about.

"On that, we agree,"  Courage said, doing nothing to ease Link's embarrassment.

"Did you know who she was?" Link thought back.

"Of course," Courage replied, "But you needed to learn that for yourself. My aim is to guide you, not to walk this path for you. You will not learn if I do, even if it means embarrassing yourself."

Aware of Sheik's eyes on him, Link looked away, feeling ashamed. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I would never have disgraced myself so much if I'd known it was you."

"Perhaps not," Sheik said, her voice soft but firm. "You had every reason to be upset, Link. I could not imagine how it must have felt... Waking up after seven years... Navi told me what Ganondorf did when you made it to Castletown the night it burned..."

Link struggled to meet her eyes and nearly jumped when Halvard stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"If I may. This is probably a discussion you two want to have alone," he suggested.

"Yes, you are right," Sheik said quietly, before drawing herself up more confidently. Suddenly, that cold mask seemed to return. "There is little time. Ganondorf's followers will be marching on the Desert Colossus soon, and we still have to find the Sage of Spirit."

Sheik turned to face the Great Fairy. "Thank you, Serket. I am in your debt."

"Returning the light to this land and the Sacred Realm, the birthplace of my kind, is the only thing I ask, Your Majesty. You are welcome to return here, should your travels weary you."

Serket stepped out of the fountain, walked around the altar, and came to a halt in front of Link.

"Are you familiar with this process?" she asked. Not waiting for an answer, she placed her hand on his forehead. A cold, familiar sensation rippled through Link's spine and he shivered, his entire body going cold. The fatigue from the last several days left him immediately, just as it had the night Moriko healed him in the forest.

She healed Halvard next, before stepping back into her fountain and turning around. "Farewell, and may we meet again."

"Thank you for helping us," Link said.

"If that's all," Sheik said, "We best make our leave. Just one thing both of you. Nobody else can know that I am Zelda, not yet. Until then, you must refer to me as Sheik."

Link nodded. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Is there anything else I should know about that I said in my sleep?" Sheik asked just as she turned to leave.

"Not really," Navi told her casually. "Just the one confession of true love."

Sheik, who was now standing at the tunnel's entrance, turned on her heels and glared.

"What?" Navi asked sheepishly. "That's what people normally do in their sleep. Isn't it?"

Sheik sighed and turned around, clearly not amused. She strode down the tunnel, leaving the others to follow her.

~ 0 ~

Following Sheik's lead, Link retrieved Epona, leaving Halvard to his horse, and returned to the front of the Desert Colossus. The lingering eyes of the beamos awaited them. Leaving the horses at the nearby stable, Link approached the menacing statues. He was more careful this time. He didn't jump when the first one's eye flared with light, a stream of fire bursting into his waiting shield. The spell rebounded as expected, not without nearly knocking Link over, and the statue exploded. The others fired too but Link was ready, leaping back and letting his shield catch the blast. Only one of the rebounding spells hit their target, the rest crashing into stone and leaving smouldering scorch marks behind. A bomb dispatched one of the remaining beamos and the fourth, still determined, tried attacking Link again. It's attempt ended in an explosion of debris and the beamos was no more.

Seeing no further obstacles, and once Sheik reported she couldn't sense any wards that would indicate a trap, he walked up to the stone door.

To his dismay, it was sealed shut, and now that he was up close, there seemed no easy way to open it.

"This temple predates the Gerudo Kingdom and even Hyrule," Sheik said, studying the door. "The markings on the door, and on the Goddess statue, are written in Gerudic hieroglyphs. The writings on the rest of the temple's facade are far older."

"From the era of the First Sages?" Halvard asked curiously.

"Not quite," Sheik answered. "Although the oldest chambers in the temple are said to date back to their era, the remainder of the Desert Colossus was built well after their time."

"While I'd ordinarily find this very fascinating," Navi said with slight ire, "How does that help?"

"It gives us an idea of what we're dealing with," Sheik answered without inflection. "This is a more recent magic."

"You mean the door is magically sealed?" Link asked, running his hand along the smooth stone.

"Yes," Sheik said, sounding like this ought to have been obvious. "The words above the sigil of the sun-" she pointed at the main mural on the door of a sun beneath the outstretched wings of a bird "-are in Gerudic. They read Spirit and Requiem... I've seen that before."

"Requiem of Spirit," Halvard said, interrupting Sheik. Everyone looked at him.

"It's the song that's used to activate that portal," he said, pointing to the platform that stood before the temple's entrance, "Aveil told me but refused to teach it to me. There is an inscription of it on the dais."

Link led the way back down the stone steps and to the dais. They found the inscription quickly and brushed the sand off so Sheik and Navi could read all the notes.

Sheik memorized them, which didn't take long, and then turned to face Halvard. "You should go back to Kakariko and let Impa know we are all right. I trust you know the way back?"

Halvard nodded. It took a moment for Link to realize she was referring to the song used to activate the portal in Kakariko.

"What about you?" Halvard asked. "I can hardly go back and tell Impa I left you here."

"Tell her I ordered you to." Halvard didn't look pleased with this, but Sheik cut him off before he could argue. "Should any danger befall us, I will use the portal to send Link and myself back."

"The Zora Queen gave Impa your harp. I will return with it straight away."

"I am certain Impa will not have let it out of her sight," Sheik said.

Link handed her the Ocarina of Time. She stepped onto the dais and began playing an unfamiliar song. It had a slightly chilling edge to it that made Link think of the creeping shadows of the night as they extinguished the last vestiges of twilight. The familiar blue light enveloped the dais and Sheik stepped away, bidding Halvard farewell.

"I hope that was the right choice, sending him away," Navi said.

"We'll be fine," Sheik said resolutely. "He'll be back soon."

She looked at Link, a sadness creeping back into her voice. "I meant what I said about deceiving you. I am sorry. To both of you."

"It's okay," Link said, and he truly meant it. "Really."

Sheik smiled weakly. "I'm glad."

They turned back to the door, and Link played the Requiem of Spirit. The notes pealed through the air, and then a deep rumble sounded from within the temple. Link kept playing. The runes above the door glowed, and the door slid open, letting light spill into the chamber beyond.

Link finished playing, put the ocarina away, and without further ado, he stepped into the temple.

Somewhere inside, the Sage of Spirit awaited.

Next Chapter

Reviews

SunPraiser31 chapter 42 . Feb 11, 2017 Finally, they find out! I do wonder about the other soul sharing bodies with Zelda, if it was some shiekah that got injured or something, or if Zelda might have gotten injured at some point and it was necessary to survive. I don't recall if that detail was in the game at any point, but perhaps you'll touch on it soon. That ought to shake up her dynamic with Link quite a bit going forward. Interested to see where that takes them. On to find the Sage of Spirit!

HelixHero chapter 42 . May 16, 2015 I'm back! Your writing has improved a lot. Sorry, I had a lot of baseball games. Stay awesome!

Lord Darth Yoda chapter 42 . Apr 4, 2015 Sheik and Navi are forced to confront their decisions and both don't seem too happy about it while the GFairy continues to horrify us all. Good drama! The Spirit Temple's my favorite, its nowhere as complicated as it's fellow temples I think.