LOZ:Twilight Princess:40:P1 Rev

----Chapter 40: Through the Barrier PART 1


The four shadow beasts still waited at the bottom of the stairs of the throne room, barring Link and Midna's exit.  With bone-shattering shrieks, they vainly gave their lives in the attempt to avenge their fallen leader.  Midna gave pause once more to honor her lost subjects with a prayer and perhaps even an apology.

On the way back through the dark palace, Link let his mind wander.  He reflected on his confrontation with Zant, and how the Triforce had truly twisted the usurper's mind.  It had almost been like looking into a dark mirror, seeing what he could have become if he had made different choices along his journey.  The images that Lanayru had shown him of the Interlopers came back and the memories of their sinister faces hung within his mind.  

Questions hung in Link's thoughts.  He was the rightful heir to the Triforce, the blessing of the goddesses.  Zant had not been.  Link had always been a person of right and good, but now he had to wonder….  Was there a power that could change that?  Could he ever become infused with the same sinister darkness that had lived within Zant … the Interlopers?  Or was it because of his status as the true Hero of legend that he had always been a selfless person?  Was its power the only thing protecting him from the temptations of other men, the temptations of evil thoughts?  What would he be without the blessing of the gods?  Who would he have become if not the Hero?

Had he been given the mark of the gods because of his courageous heart, or had the blessing created courage within him?

Link stopped when he realized that they had reached the periphery of the square outside and that Midna had stopped in her tracks, looking out at the sight of her people stumbling around as if blind.  They reached out, conferred with each other, tried to make sense of their situation.

Midna surveyed her people with a glazed expression.  She did not saying anything, and Link did not interrupt her.  Her eye drifted from one body to another until finally her vision rested upon the twilit sky, its deep violets and blinding yellows casting a watery reflection in her eye.

Link thought he understood what must have been going through her mind.  He thought perhaps that she whispered an unvoiced goodbye to her people, words that would live within them if she were to never return home.  Link braided his fingers together before him and stood silently at her side.  He offered her all the time she needed.

In the long moment Midna remained hovering there and absorbing the landscape she had once described as having serene beauty, Link pondered what form Midna would take if the curse of Ganon was lifted.  Each of the Twili were either a few heads taller than the average Hylian or were the same size as the Twilight Princess was now: impish.  Would her figure take on only a somewhat different appearance, or would she become one of the taller ones with the slight hunch in their shoulders?  

Suddenly he realized the pessimistic tone his thoughts had taken.  If the curse was lifted….  The curse would be removed.  They would defeat this dark lord, and they would reclaim all that had been lost to them, all that had been lost to both their worlds.  In that moment, as Link looked to Midna, he realized he would do anything to erase the numb look on her face.  Even if all hope looked to be lost, even if he wavered in face of battle, even if his very breath faltered … he would maintain his oath to an old mentor.

For as long as there was life in him, for as long as there was another step needing to be taken … he would pick himself back up.  He would march on.

As Link's vow echoed within his bones, Midna turned to him.  She had the same look in her eye, one that said she would willingly sacrifice her life for the sake of their mission.  But Link swore to himself that as the Hero, he would never allow it to be her.  If someone's life had to be forfeit … it would be his.

After all, Link was not the reigning monarch of Hyrule.  That honor was bestowed upon the princess, Zelda.  Midna, too, was a leader.  The people of the realms would need their sovereigns after the battle was won.  In a time of peace, a time when the pieces were to be healed, Link thought there would be little use for a hero to save the day after it had indeed already been saved.  Link was a warrior, a soldier, and in the aftermath of the final battle he did not expect there to be much need for his role to continue.

Together, Link and Midna marched back into the light … both ready to give their life so the other could survive.

===============

Once they had rematerialized within the Mirror Chamber, Link and Midna had expected to be greeted by the sages and final words of wisdom, but it was perhaps due to the guilt of which they had convicted themselves that they remained silent and unseen.

Night still reigned in the skies above, making the eve of their return seem all the more ominous.  The air was still, and once they had trekked back through the dungeon to come to the boundary of the encampment, Link found the reason for the disquiet in his bones.  A storm approached Hyrule on a southward wind, and if Link understood the signs in the clouds, the storm would be upon the town only a day ahead of their arrival.

Link began the long road back through the rising and falling dunes and tried to stave off the hunger licking at his insides for as long as he could.  What water he could drink due to his rationing was not near enough sustenance, and by noon of the next day, he could ignore the sensation no longer.  He crept up on a shaded area where he had seen the sands shifting from about a quarter-mile away.  Through this pocket of sand protected from the sun by a short ridge of crags, Link hunted one of the many moldorms that slithered through the area.

He had climbed up onto one of the rocks to get a better view of their nesting ground and found that they stuck together mostly and only to one portion of the rocks.  He glimpsed a single pocket of sand moving near the center of the ridge and slunk down and moved across the rocks to approach it, moving steadily away from their main group as he did so.  It did not take him long to corner his prey, as it merrily skittered through its sandy blanket, unbeknownst to the danger of the looming Hylian.  As the moldorm glided along, it came to a dead end.  That was when Link made his move.

From his observation of their nest, Link knew that the moldorms could tunnel under the sand, but it was unclear just how deep they could dive.  He was not about to take the chance that his meal would escape by tunneling under the barrier.  He speared the sands with his Master Sword and raised it again with grim smile.

Moldorms were encased by a tough outer shell, stretching the length of their fat, snakelike bodies.  Its grey head--with its triangular maw accompanied by three ugly fangs--would be completely inedible.  However, the soft underbelly of the creature would provide him with enough nourishment to continue his journey back to into Hyrule's mainland.

He moved to the west side of the rocks away from the gathering of the other moldorms and prepared to roast his catch.  Had Midna not been with him, scouring the desert for fire-starting supplies would have taken quite a while.  Before he asked her help, however, he knelt down in the sands and took dagger in hand.  He worked its steel through the hard carapace of its head and back and soon separated them from the fleshy body.  He stabbed his sword through it once more and held it out.  One zap from Midna's magic charred the meat instantly and perfectly.  

Before he took to his meal, he offered Midna a sliver.  She rejected it.  "Are you really going to eat that?"

He chuckled.  Well, the desert is called a wasteland for a reason, he wanted to retort, but his mouth watered in hunger and decided not to waste any more time in regaining some much needed energy.  He sliced off portions of the cooked moldorm and gobbled it up thankfully.  Its taste was not much to his liking and was tougher than steak, but it satisfied his pleading hunger.

As he sat there Link tossed a look to Midna, who sat on a boulder to his right.  Her legs dangled at his eye level, and he watched her for a moment as she kept her eyes on the horizon.  A thought stemmed from her refusal of Link's catch.  He had never once seen his friend eat, neither a crumb of bread nor a sip of water, and he had to wonder how she had maintained a full belly throughout their journey together.  Had she taken her meals while he had slept?  What kind of food did the Twili eat?  Did they even have the need to eat, or did they sustain their hunger in some other fashion?

Link could not help thinking about the manner in which Midna might eat.  Did she require knife and fork as he expected was demanded of a member of a royal household, or would she happily dig out a healthy helping with those small fingers?  The image of both brought a soft chuckle to his throat which he tried to snuff out, but that became difficult when his laugh turned to a harsh cough from the rough meat he had just swallowed.

Midna turned to him in concern, but Link waved her off and dispelled the rest of his cough into a fist.  He subconsciously kept his head turned as if afraid she would glean the truth of his cough by looking into his eyes.  She stared at him a moment longer, watching as he then continued to eat his meal, slicing off another portion of the moldorm and biting it into his mouth straight from the grasp of his thumb and blade.  Momentarily, the scene before her turned from desert to woods as she imagined what his life had been like before all this … before her.  She imagined him sitting under a tree in Faron Woods, graciously stoking a fire as he ate a proper meal of deer or rabbit or some such forest animal.  He could be there right now had it not been for her, had she not been so easily cast aside by Zant … had she his courage.

Forest tumbled into desert once more, and she turned her eye from him, looking off into the western horizon.  Once all this was over, would Link return home to that forest … or would he explore the lands beyond his kingdom, perhaps even whatever land it was that lurked in the distance?

She promised herself that he would see those days and make that decision for himself.

===============

Sometime in the late afternoon of the next day, Link and Midna crossed through the canyon that led back into the western rocks of Hyrule.  It took them until evening to cross the Great Bridge of Hylia and approach Castle Town's west bridge.  At this point, Midna had descended into her partner's shadow, for they were surprised at the flow of citizens moving out of the town's gates.  Link passed each group of people with a concerned look.  It was as if they were refugees fleeing the scene of a terrible battle, each cluster or family holding only to the items they would need for relocation.  Horses drew carriages and carts along holding food and other necessities along with young children.

Link stopped and cast his gaze up to the castle walls.  Hylian archers and soldiers lined the battlement above.  Some had their backs turned, watching the goings-on within while others observed the evacuation.  With the barrier still shielding Hyrule Castle, Link wondered why now, of all times, the soldiers had deemed it necessary for the residents to vacate the grounds.

The citizens seemed to raise their heads in recognition as they brushed past him.  He heard whispers rise through the crowd as he approached the gates.  He did not know if they were gossiping about his newest affliction of scratches and cuts or whether they were spreading the hope that he had come in their hour of need.

"Hello, Grasshopper!" a shrill voice called out.  Link looked down and recognized the little girl named Agitha who had given him the wooden statue he had needed to help Ilia.  She held her pink parasol in one hand as she carried her basket in the other.  Something told Link that she had packed bugs instead of survival food.  She was an odd one.

"I suppose you've come to help the soldiers," she said.  "It's funny.  They look like big beetles in all that armor, don't they?"  She giggled and then continued on with the other citizens.  She called back a blessing of good luck as Link watched her, blinking rapidly as he tried to shake the strange joviality of her comment.

Behind him he heard another voice, but this one was much older and masculine.  "You know, if you came here looking to become a solider, you may want to change your mind; I won't say a thing."

Link turned to find an older gentleman kneeling down to reclaim the belongings that had apparently spilt from his satchels.  Link bent over to help the old man gather apples, small trinkets, and other fruits and bread.  With this gesture from a young lad, the older man's tone shifted.  "Do you know what's been going on around here lately?"

Link knew from that question that the old man likely did not know who he was.  Link remained silent.

"Hyrule was always known as a sacred land in the past," the white-bearded man said, "and even now it's protected by the royal family and other spiritual figures….  But there was a time when Hyrule was torn by conflicts that swept the land.  The rumor is that these recent events may be caused by the leftover anger and misery of the souls who were driven from this land.  By the look of that dark magic over the castle, I'd say the rumors are true.  They say not even the soldiers can penetrate the wall.  There seems to be little hope for the princess."  

Together, they had refilled the man's bags, and Link helped him to stand once more against the support of his staff.  "You best be on your way, boy.  There is no hope left to be found here."

Link watched as the old man hobbled across the bridge, and sadness washed over the young warrior.  Time seemed to pass slowly as he stood vigilant of all the departing inhabitants.  He heard the whispers, the sobbing from children, the downcast glances from the adults, but he also heard a group of youngsters rolling away on a cart; they sang a tune to keep occupied on the long road ahead of them.  

"Jovani, Jovani, idiotic troll.  Blinded by greed, the imps took his soul."  The melody brought Link out of his daze, and he at once turned to shoulder his way through the throng of people.  The people who recognized his blond hair and intense blue eyes gasped or cheered at the sight of him so that by the time he reached the gate, the soldier who stood watch over the traffic already knew of his coming.

They stopped Link, for he was the only one trying to get in to the town.  Link said nothing and neither did the guard who scrutinized him.  The soldier tossed a look behind Link and immediately identified the legendary blade that had, in fact, bestowed the same honors to its current owner.  The appearance of the Master Sword was now known to all soldiers of the Hyrulean army, as were the features of its bearer.

The solider, a stern look over his countenance, conferred silently with another guard.  They seemed to come to some agreement, for he then nodded Link on by cocking his head to the side.

Link did not wait for the soldier to change his mind and entered the streets of Castle Town.  He looked to his right, down the western thoroughfare, to see its cobblestone path stripped bare of most of the vendors' kiosks.  The tables that had been left in the streets were pushed up against the houses and their boxes of goods shut up tight.  Barely any of the houses were filled with light, and the few that cast out orange glows were only alive while their inhabitants packed up what belongings they could carry.  Some of the people had even gone to the trouble to stay long enough to board up their doors and windows in fear of invading warriors ransacking their homes.  At least this meant that they had not lost complete hope that the town would be lost forever.

As Link made his way along the stones, he took his steps slowly, looking all around.  Evening had fully lit the sky, but instead of the red and violet paints that normally brushed its clouds, darkened grey had overtaken with the threat to rinse the town in rain.  There was a calmness about its dulled appearance that sent a shiver through Link's spine.  

The still before the storm.

He noticed a few guards spreading light to the torches surrounding the square as he entered it.  There were a few dozen residents encircling the fountain at the center, collecting water into buckets and waterskins.  Some even took the opportunity to wash a few blankets or articles of clothing.  None of the guards seemed to care how the citizens used the water in this time, but a few stood to the side, urging them to do what they needed and then move along to make room for the others that waited to use the resource.

Link longed to splash water in his face, to taste something so cool and luscious as this on his tongue again, but he refrained.  Instead, he sidestepped the gathering to approach the bottommost tier of the wide steps that led up to the castle's southern portcullis.  There were two guards posted at this golden gate, and Link already knew that there was no way but by force that he and Midna would be able to pass through.

He did not stop at the bottom of the stairs, instead redirecting his route over to the covered niche where a troupe of musicians had once entertained the people of Castle Town.  Now, however, regular citizens and children were gathered here, and Link assumed by their stares into the surrounding crowd of the fountain that they had either been instructed to wait here for their turn or they were the family members of those now collecting water, waiting for their return so that they could join their place among the caravan of evacuees.

Quietly, Link slipped into the shadows, leaning back against the farthest wall at the outer corner so that he could still have eyes on the castle's entryway.  He was close enough to the mass to be mistaken as someone patiently waiting for water, but he was far enough away for the people to give him no attention.

He had not noticed that Midna had emerged from his shadow, and when she hovered close, he nearly grabbed his sword in mistaking her as a shadow beast.  "To think that Ganondorf was just using Zant to help him return to the world of light," she said, and Link could almost detect a tone of pity for Zant.  He had been so blinded by Ganondorf's power that he had not realized how he had merely been a disposable tool.  "I guess now we know the true nature of that barrier."

They conferred in low voices on how best to gain entry without anyone's notice, but before they could agree on any one tactic Link felt a slight tug on his cloak.  Turning, he found young Soal looking up to him.  It was too late for Midna to disappear; the child had already seen her, but he did not seem to be afraid of her dark figure.

"I knew you'd come back," the boy said, his white puppy curled up in his arms.  "Some of the other kids heard about you, what you've done for us.  But they heard you had gone for good.  They said you wouldn't come back, but I told them you would."

Link knelt down to the boy and cupped a hand over his shoulder with a smile.

Soal looked up at Midna.  "Who's that?"

Link tossed a glance back at his partner, saw the wary look in her eye.  "A friend."  He said it while looking at her, and she turned a curious eye on Link before she nodded to the boy.  Link turned back to Soal.  "She's been helping me."

The boy smiled at her, and she was not sure what to do.  She had never previously made small talk with a child, but before their conversation with Soal could deepen beyond simple greetings, they heard his mother calling.  Midna sunk away from the torchlight as the mother stepped up to Soal.  Link stood and nodded to her in acknowledgement.  She smiled, pressed her palm against his breast, and exchanged a few words to thank him for everything he had done.  She then said her farewell and retreated into the western streets with an arm around her son.

As the couple passed by the fountain, a man sent a nonchalant glance toward them, returned to his attention to filling his bucket … then glanced up yet again, passing his vision to the columns from whence they had come.  Immediately the man recognized the figure of the Hero shadowed by the stones and columns surrounding him.  Leaving his bucket on the rim of the fountain, he charged over to where Link stood, taking each step as swiftly yet as casually as he could to avoid the notice of the guards.

Link suddenly felt a tight hand grip his left forearm, and his breath caught through his clenched teeth, for the fingers had grasped him round the wound he had sustained in the Twilight Realm.  Pain turned to caution in a split second, however, and his right hand immediately dove for his dagger as he swiveled about to look upon the face of his attacker.

Coming face-to-face with Rusl stopped his hand mid-action.  "Where in all of Hyrule have you been?" demanded Rusl, as he noticed the strange imp he had seen only once before hovering nearby.

"It's a long story," answered Link.  "When did the evacuation begin?"

"The order came three days ago.  The Gorons left yesterday across the eastern bridge, likely headed back into their mountains.  Now, the only road open is to the west.  The last of the people are leaving now."  Rusl released his grip on Link, and realized the flakes of dried blood on his fingers had come from Link's arm.  He tossed a glance about, making sure the soldiers were occupied.  "Come.  Let's continue this elsewhere."

Rusl watched as Midna descended into the shadow of the Hero and then beckoned Link to follow.  He did so, stopping only momentarily as Rusl passed by the fountain to pick up his pail of water.  Link questioned the blacksmith about what had been happening in the town since his absence, and he answered each query at length.

"The Hylian guards have seen movement within the bailey," he was saying now.  "It seems that troops are massing within the walls, and the general of the army is afraid that an attack is imminent … which is why he ordered the evacuation.  They've been monitoring the castle grounds from the battlements ever since the barrier appeared, but there was no sign of movement, which is apparently why the general didn't inform the people about what was really happening.  There was nothing to report until now."  Link listened intently as Rusl spoke, being sure to nod or lock eyes with each fleeing citizen they passed.  The people needed hope now more than ever, and with a rumor about that Link had abandoned them, he hoped that some kind of courage would return to their hearts with the reappearance of his face.

Just as Link was about to ask what the Group had been doing to help, they had reached the bar.  Epona was tied up outside, and Link raced to her side.  Surprise and happiness filled him in seeing his horse, and he patted down her mane, settling her mutual glee in seeing her master alive and well.

"Shad returned with her just two days ago," said Rusl, answering the question in Link's eyes before he could put words to it.  "And that's exactly why we've all been worried.  He said you disappeared."

Rusl ushered Link inside; Link gave Epona a final caress and entered the bar, where the moans of a half dozen Hylian soldiers greeted him.  Link stopped in shock.  He gazed about the room.  Each of the six tables housed the makeshift bed of a wounded Hylian.  Surrounding the tables were several of their comrades and medics who passed from one to the other.  Link saw Telma making rounds with food, each graciously taking a drink of water or a helping of hot soup.  For those that were more severely injured Telma took time to stop and help them eat.

He saw Ashei standing in the company of two of the standing soldiers, possibly talking about what a poor strategy they had used.  Shad sat at the Group's regular table in the corner room with Auru and another few soldiers.  Link was not sure what they were discussing, but a map had been stretched over the table.

Link turned to Rusl as he shut the door.  "Was there an attack?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"What you see is the aftermath of trying to bring down the barrier," he said grimly.  "The general tried for the first two days during the evacuation to bring it down.  He wanted to strike down the enemy before they were ready."

"The barrier … did this?"

"That's right, honey."  Link watched as Telma approached, setting down an empty tray on the counter of her bar.  "Old Auru tried to talk reason into the general, but he wouldn't listen.  Just marched his men right up to the wall.  Swords, fire, battering ram … you name it, he tried it.  And got a lot of his men nearly killed in the process."  An afterthought came to her, and she amended her last with a pitiful face that was also filled with anger.  "Actually, it may have cost one or two of these boys their lives.  Time will tell…."

Link could barely digest this news.  Death from the barrier itself?  He should have instantly believed the magic of Ganondorf to be capable of such power, but he could not comprehend it and his eyes sought proof.  As he surveyed the room, he saw soldiers with what were likely broken ribs and charred arms along with an assortment of other afflictions.  He could not believe that there were those with worse injuries.  "There must be others.  Where are the other soldiers?" asked Link.  "Did Doctor Borville--"

Telma snorted angrily.  "That old coot?  Of course not.  First thing the evacuation was announced, he was gone.  Coward."  She let her fury simmer to a mild bubble before she continued.  "The army has, however, taken up his hospital to house those worse off.  He left behind most of his medicines and potions, which have brought those fortunate back from the brink.  For others … it's not looking too good, honey."

The sight of their pain cut deep within Link.  He could not understand the desire to harm someone for no other reason than plainly to cause pain.  How was there honor in this?  How was there delight to be had in seeing a man suffer?  

A memory came to Link.  "Why didn't you just tell them about the sewer entrance through your cellar?"

Telma's shoulders slumped as she crossed to the other side of the bar.  She brought out a hunk of bread and pushed it toward Link, but he did not touch it.  Though he was still hungry, all the news of this evening had quieted his stomach.

"I did, honey," she said, "but when they investigated….  Turns out collapsing the passage was one of the first things those monsters did after they sealed off the castle.  There's no way in or out that they've found, and there's nothing can break that barrier."  She gathered up dirty dishes from the bar and began washing them out with a bucket already filled with dirty water.  Apparently, she was rationing it, for there were about seven other pails behind her filled with clean water.  Rusl just then stepped up behind her to add the eighth he had just refilled.

The blacksmith came back around the bar then.  "I think it's time you told us your story."  He guided him into the other room.  Ashei noticed and followed.  

"Where have you been?  Were you able to collect the last of the Mirror Shards?"  When Rusl asked the question all those within the room gave Link their firm attention; even the Hylian guards gave him ear, recognizing him instantly from the stories they had heard from both the Group and the citizens.

"Yes, ole boy, do tell us," said Shad.  "The children were awfully worried about you, wondering where you'd gone off to.  I had to leave after a few days, unfortunately.  I came back to get some more books, you see, for the translations, of course.  But … when I arrived, sadly, the town was being evacuated.  I couldn't leave again.  I feared they wouldn't let me back in if I left.  I hope you don't mind that I used your horse."

Everyone except Link sent a glare or an odd glance toward Shad in that moment as he rambled.  Link, however, only nodded as he replied.  "I promise I will give you every detail once this is over."

After silencing Shad, Link approached the table and leaned against one of the chairs as Rusl and Ashei gathered.  Telma, too, abandoned cleaning her dishes to listen to Link's story.  He paused for a long moment, trying to find the best words, the simplest and quickest explanation.

"I was able to secure the last of the mirror pieces," said Link, "and with the Mirror reassembled, I entered the Twilight Realm."

Everyone shifted in their seats or where they stood once Link told them this, but it was Auru who appeared the most concerned.  "You really did use it….  That accursed Mirror."

"Oh dear," said Shad excitedly.  "What was it like?"

With a nudge from Telma, he readjusted himself and apologized for his ebullient tone.

"I met the King of Shadows in battle."

Telma gasped and clutched at her heart as the others looked on in shock.  They gazed over Link's battered and dirty appearance; blood and small bruises caked his cheeks, cuts had reopened on his fingers, and his arm bore gashes trying vainly to heal as they were as equally covered in sand as they were of scabs.

"I'm guessing from the fact you stand before us that you defeated him," said Auru.

Link's mouth tightened into a thin line.  How would he deliver this news?  The Group waited with bated breath, and Link could tell that they realized the reality was not so black and white.

When he spoke it was almost as if he were saying it to himself, trying to figure out how he had gone wrong.  "I went into the Twilight Realm believing that it would put an end to this, put an end to everything."  Link's eyes were downcast, as if ashamed.  Rusl, Auru, and Telma noticed this in him, and each wondered just what it was that Link was trying to tell them.  "I thought that Zant and Ganondorf both lay within the Twilight … but I was wrong."  He finally found the strength to look them in the eyes.  "It was after I fought Zant, and defeated him, that I learned the truth.  As long as his master remains alive, he will return from the dead.  And now … Ganondorf has been reborn into Hyrule."

He let the truth of his words wash over them before he said anything more.  They exchanged glances among themselves, trying to digest the complexity of what Link proposed.  Shad had even let out a squealing gasp that he tried to cough away.  

Was it true that all this time their greatest enemy lie dormant within their kingdom, waiting for the perfect moment to strike?  Link waited for the fear in their eyes to abate, and then he continued.

"Ganondorf has been within the barrier this whole time.  He likely put it in place," he explained.  "And now, that is where I must go."

They were still trying to register Link's words, their deepest fears creeping into them.  Ashei did the best in hiding her alarm, but she was not entirely immune to his tidings.  Rusl was the first to speak this time, reminding Link that "Nothing can get through that barrier."  His tone switched to something near hysteria, and Link knew it was solely from his concern for Link's wellbeing.  "You heard Telma.  The guards have tried everything!"

Link met his mentor's gaze.  "Not everything."

"You have a way through?" yelped Auru, incredulous.  

Link nodded.

"How is that possible?" interjected Shad, somehow immediately transformed into a man of action.  "We have been looking through these books for two days, researching all mentions of magic.  There's nothing to explain this phenomenon.  It's fascinating."

"And the blueprint of the castle," intersected Auru, as Link realized that the map splayed over the tabletop was of Hyrule Castle, "has led us nowhere.  There is nothing neither physical nor magical that we can use to break the barrier.  What way have you discovered?"

The tight line defining Link's lips turned into a frown as they looked at him.  Auru's stare commanded an answer and would be furious, Link knew, if he withheld his method.  His hands tightened over the back of the chair, as if trying to wring the right words for the answer to Auru's demand from its wooden frame.  He shuffled his feet about one of the back legs of the chair, and he looked down, watched as his boot rubbed against the leg.  He could feel their eyes on him, waiting anxiously for his reply, for the hope his news would bring them.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  His mind had already been made up.  He had made his choice after the death of Zant--even much longer before, he admitted.  He could not lead them into the heart of danger.

"I must ask you now … for something none of you have ever wanted to give."

Link gazed up at them, passed his eyes over every visage.

"What is your plan, Link?" asked Auru, the anger in his eyes diminishing slightly from the sincere melody of Link's voice and the promise of being able to help him in the battle to come.

Link clenched his jaw and looked down at the map of Hyrule Castle, reminding himself that it was for their own good.  "We must continue the evacuation … get the rest of the people out, and after they have gone … we must seal off the town.  No one in.  No one out.  The soldiers should remain stationed where they are, protecting the boundaries and stationed to defend the castle gates if anything should come through once the barrier has been broken."

Auru and Rusl were nodding by the time Link had paused to take a deep breath.

"There's only a handful of citizens left," informed Rusl.  "The evacuation should be done within the next hour … two at most."

"What is it then," asked Auru, "that you would ask of us?"

"We're ready to take the fight to them," said Ashei, a grim thirst for bloodshed staining her features.

Shad nodded as he pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.  "Yes, you know you need only ask, ole boy."

Link thought that perhaps it was the revelation that Shad was ready to pick up arms against their enemies that was the depth of the reason he needed to ask this of them.  Shad was a man not the least bit formidable in battle and his involvement would likely only risk harm to himself unnecessarily … and risk the lives of others in the process.  They were so ready to stand with him.  It made what he had to say … what he felt obligated to ask … all the more difficult.  This was the one favor that he knew none of them would have ever wanted to gratify.

A weary suspiration preceded his words.  "I must ask you…."  His gaze fell momentarily, but he recovered soon after to look at them.  "To not follow me."

A roar of disagreement and argument exploded within the room, one that the tending medics of the other room could not quiet with their loud requests.  Link had expected them to toss his words into debate.  Ashei had the same deadly scowl across her face as had lit her eyes the time he had left for Snowpeak without her.  She threw curses and insults at him for demeaning her abilities, and Auru and Telma demanded that she lower her tone just as Auru also turned more questions to Link.  Rusl calmly argued Link's decision, saying something about him needing their support on the battlefield.  Even the Hylian soldiers who had listened to Link's news and strategy hurled harsh words at him.  As their fury rose, the Hylians refused to remain in Link's presence, calling back insults to his supposed heroism as they left.  Shad was the only one who stayed out of the conversation.

Finally, as Ashei's voice rose and threatened to rattle the plates from their place at the bar, Link could stand no more of it.  It was the first time he could remember ever really raising his voice to someone out of anger.  "Enough!"

Their voices died out, and they again looked to Link.  They were surprised at his tone, at the commanding volume of just one word from this young man.

Link's brows had furrowed.  He pushed away from the chair, taking only one step away before turning to face them again.  "Each and every one of you embrace me as the chosen hero.  You wish me to take a stand, but each time I have made a decision you do not agree with you treat me like a child."  These first words were filled to the brim with his full frustration toward them and the way they had treated him through their time together.  His tone steadily declined into one of desperation, the need that they fully understand why he could ask something so belittling of them.  "In the world Ganondorf would give us, there would be no children.  The innocence of every child would be taken."  

Everything Link had ever felt during his journey finally came spilling out.  "I did not ask for this life or the responsibility to be a Hero.  My path was laid out before me.  I was born into it.  I did not choose it, but … I did accept it.  I never understood why the gods chose me for this task.  It wasn't long ago when the only world I knew was the woods of Faron."  Link looked to Rusl here, as if trying to remember the simple days when his mentor and he would travel into the forest for something as humble as chopping wood or hunting to feed the bellies of the village folk.

His gaze hardened again.  "But, no matter how alien it was to me at first … Hyrule is my home.  It's as familiar to me as if I have ridden its fields all my life."  He could not express the sheer admiration he had for the kingdom of Hyrule, how beautiful it was to him, how precious.  His countenance fell into one that gazed inward.  "I am no more a hero than the rest of you; you have all helped in saving Hyrule."

He noticed how their eyes perked at his recognition of their skills and their commitment to keeping their homeland safe.  Even Ashei seemed to be moved by the words he spoke, though she tried not to show it.  "But I know that I alone must face Ganondorf."  The thought terrified him; he had admitted the fear to himself, but he could not let it show.  His attention turned to his left hand, and he ran his fingers over the glove covering it.  "I was given the gift of the goddesses for no less a fate … as was Princess Zelda," he assured them--and himself.  He turned his glance back to them.  "And so only we have the power to stand up to him."  

He stood before them, trying to reassure them that this was the right choice, that this was not something they could do.  "You have done more than enough, more than most.  Now, I ask of you … I beg of you … give me your trust and your resolve.  Allow me to carry out the role of Hero."

Link's words sunk into them, and at first they did not look at each other.  Each only had eyes for Link, searching his deep blue eyes intently, and each looked away in their own time to muse over what he had said.  After a long pause, they began to cast glances round the table, conferring with each other silently.  When at long last they had agreed on how to respond, it was Rusl who had apparently been elected to speak.  He stepped around from the opposite side of the table to stand before Link.

"Link, we want you to understand.  It has never been that we doubted your abilities."  He touched Link's forearm.  "What I mean to say is…  It has been our deepest honor to serve you in your quest.  Anything we did … any disagreement we voiced … it was done out of respect."

"I…" stammered Link.  He gazed upon his old mentor for a moment as if looking at him for the first time.  He had always thought their unwillingness to let him venture alone, their disapproval at some of his methods, to be merely some reluctance at accepting someone so young to be someone so competent, so important.

"Link, I have watched over you like a son for seventeen years.  The very moment I saw the mark on your hand when I found you as a babe, I knew what one day might lie before you.  I tried to prepare you as best I could, and I have watched you mature into a man, nay, a Hero.  On this eve of our final battle, you must know how very proud of you I am."  Link's nerves were awash with such emotion that he could hardly understand the tides that flowed through them in that moment.  His mind felt dizzy suddenly, and he realized he had never been more proud, more thankful, that it had been Rusl who had reared him.  

Rusl's eyes remained soft as his next words rose in his throat.  He took the time to enunciate every word slowly and precisely, giving such life to them as Link had never heard from a human voice.  "A hero is not defined only in battle.  They also inspire.  They bring hope of a new horizon.  They return faith to faithless.  You are a hero in every way.  The courage of your heart is unmatched."  Rusl smiled, and Link saw his surrogate father shed a tear for the first time, and he felt the same sensation tug at his own eyelids, but he held back the rain.  "So, Link, I ask you … I beg you … let us stand together, for though you are the hero of legend … heroes need not stand alone."

The members of the Group behind them all turned to look at one another again and they smiled and nodded to each other.  None of them could have said anything better.

Rusl's speech moved Link, and he found honor in what he had said, felt his words rattle him to his very core.  He took a deep breath that wavered behind his lips.  Before his emotions betrayed his resolve, Link nodded.  He had only meant the gesture as thanks to the blacksmith for his kind words, but he was also fully aware that Rusl would mistake it as acquiescence to his terms.  Link busied himself with looking down at his left forearm as his right hand played with the frayed strips of his sleeve.  He listened to the cheerful voices of the Group as they rallied their support in what they had believed to be Link's surrender.

The blacksmith patted Link's shoulder as if to commemorate their compromise, and the Group went to work discussing the strategy they would need to use once inside the castle walls, the details of which they graciously left to Link.  Link did not interject his opinion in the matter of how best to storm the castle because he knew that such discussion would be futile.  They asked of his opinion, but Link shrank from their side by politely indicating how hungry he was.  Further argument about going into the castle alone would prove just as pointless, for in their minds, the discussion was over.  He respected how loyal they were, how selfless they were.  But they were wrong.  He would not lead them beyond the barrier, and he was fixed on that.  Opening the armies of Hyrule into the inner sanctum of the kingdom's most feared enemy would do nothing but bring more needless death.

He knew what he needed to do.  Now, all that was left for him to do was continue the ruse that he was in accordance with this new plan.  He did not like to lie, but this was something he had to do in order to save lives, which was his ultimate mission as the hero chosen by the gods.

Rusl ushered Link away from the Group then, and Telma guided him over to the bar.  He sat at a stool and waited in silence as she prepared him a hot meal.  His stomach lurched, thankful that its master had finally allowed it the pleasure of tasting food once more.  As he sat there, forearms lying across the counter, he realized how tired he was.  Telma served up a bowl of steaming stew and bread to dunk in the broth.  As he gratefully scooped one spoonful after the other into his mouth, she poured him both a glass of hot milk and cold water, allowing him the choice of drink to soothe his palate.

With the way she continued passing looks toward the Group, he knew they had silently elected her to be the one to watch over Link … and, more importantly, the exits.  

After he finished the meal, he thanked Telma, took up the mug of hot milk, and stepped over to the hearth on the far side of the room.  He could feel the eyes of the Group and the Hylian soldiers on him as he unstrapped his scabbard and shield and leaned them against the wall.  Next, he removed the bow and quiver and set them gently on the floor before them.  After giving a weary stretch, he pulled a chair up to the hearth and sat down, extending the heels of his feet to rest upon a group of stones on the side of the hearth that jutted out more than the rest.

As Link watched the dancing flames within, his eyes began to droop.  He knew what he must do, but he could not yet act.  He would have to continue his deception until the perfect opportunity presented itself.  He knew now was no time to escape their eyes, especially since he wanted to be assured that all the citizens had vacated and would not come to harm with the breaking of the barrier.  Just as they would be free to enter once it had been removed, the enemy force lying in wait would also then be able to descend upon the streets of Castle Town.

Needless to say, there was time for sleep, and Link grabbed it by the reins.