LOZ:Twilight Princess: Ch.48 Rev

----Chapter 48:  Return to the Sacred Grove


“Only the true ruler of the Twili can destroy the Mirror of Twilight,” Midna had once said.

Link had tried not to think about Midna’s disappearing image on the way back into Hyrule, but it was the only thing that continued to hammer inside his brain.  The image of her beautiful figure vanishing into white dust … and her sad, small smile.

Her single tear had been enough to shatter the Mirror of Twilight completely.  Zant’s magic had fractured it into shards, but as the true ruler of the Twili, Midna had broken it so that its glass had again become nothing more than the sand from which it had been birthed.  There was no means of repairing an artifact now scattered invisibly in the sand and washed away by the tides of the wind.

“The Mirror of Twilight is our last potential link…” she had said, and Link knew that the only lasting portal between their worlds had been destroyed.

I will never see her again.  Link had come to that nauseous realization reluctantly over the course of the few days it took for the small Hylian group to reach the outskirts of the desert once again, twenty-four riderless horses in tow.

Link had been in a daze for the entire ride, and no one had dared disturb his thoughts.  Princess Zelda had no counsel for him and had decided it was best to give Link time to accept the fate of Midna in his own time.

“See you later….”  The words played continuously through his mind, and when Link was finally able to shake off its lingering whisper, he could hear the caw of the birds, the trickle of water, and he could smell the misty air surrounding Lake Hylia.  The sight of its grand bridge looming ahead brought a sudden memory to him, and he realized that there was something he had left undone.

He pushed to the head of the column to reach Princess Zelda and nodded when she took notice of him.  She smiled, pleased to see that he was beginning to recover from the shock of Midna’s departure.

“Princess, there’s something I need to do.  It won’t take long,” he said, tentatively but with the voice of one used to following his own path.

She realized that he was asking for her permission to leave the procession, and she nodded him on.

He bowed his head, and took up Epona’s reins.  “I will rejoin you on the other side of the bridge,” he promised, and then he clicked at Epona and threw her into a gallop, turning her from the group to move ahead and wind down the hanging cliffs that jutted out from the land surrounding Great Bridge of Hylia.

Link wove through the cliffs until he reached the spread of hills below that rose from the water and made his way across the narrow wooden bridges that connected them.  The last few hung too close to the water for Epona to trust, and she tossed her mane and kicked, refusing to take her master any farther.  Link leapt down, hushing his old friend until she snorted contended under his soothing palm.

“Wait here, girl,” he cooed, and he turned from her side to pass through the narrow bridges that brought him to the shallow waters at the mouth of Lanayru’s spring.

Hesitantly, he approached the cavern, for the last time he had been here, Midna had nearly died and he had been turned into a mindless beast.  He assured himself that the threat had vanished, recalling the way the usurper king’s neck had snapped all life from his body.  With that image fresh in his mind, he entered the dark tunnel and wound through its reaches until he came to the shimmering yellow and green lights of the rocks surrounding the crystal clear waters beneath the precipice where he stopped.

A fluttering cloud of dust hung over the spring, and by its faint shimmers and the way its particles seems to sing as they orbited the central mass, Link knew that Lanayru’s spirit remained strong and alive within the cavern.  He smiled, looking across the features of the cave as its light reflected around it.  Link realized he had never noticed the serpent carvings that lined the walls, their necks stretching forward as clear water ran in a constant trickle from their gaping maws.

Link stood there, eyes closed momentarily, trying to stretch back into his memories.  He brought forth an image into his mind, but it soon escaped him as he tried to remember.  This was the last place he had had it….

When he opened his eyes and looked around, his mind still spinning to find the answers, a bright light glinted in the corner of his eye.  His attention snapped to it, and he smiled.  He had not sent a prayer to Lanayru, or, at least, he did not think he had.  He was not sure.  He had never really prayed before.

But there it was, the sword he had lost in his tussle with the King of Shadows, the very sword Rusl had entrusted to him.

The Ordon sword.

Link wove around the sloping shore of the spring until he came to the bottom and bent to one knee.  Its steel lay against the shore, half-in and half-out of the water, glistening against the shine of the spirit’s glow.  He fished for the blade’s hilt and brought it out of the water.  It had been a long time since he had held this blade, and it felt alien in his grasp as he realized … it had never truly been his to claim.

Gathering himself up, he sent a silent thank you to Lanayru for keeping the blade safe … and for everything it had helped him achieve.

Once at Epona’s side again, Link sheathed the Ordonian steel into a bundle on the back of her saddle.  He mounted and urged her forward, weaving through the hills and bridges to reach the other side of the lake and climb the cliffs that would return them to the heights of the Great Bridge.  When they reached their destination, it was to find that the Hylian entourage had not waited for Link, and he could not blame the soldiers for ushering their princess forward.  He did not want to cause any inconvenience for Princess Zelda.

Scanning ahead, he found them making their way through the hills surrounding the densely forested western plain.  Pushing Epona into a steady canter, he rejoined their unit within minutes, nodding to Princess Zelda when she noticed him return to the line.

Within the next hour, they reached the great bridge leading into Castle Town.  Link could see even being two horses behind her that the princess was both eager and apprehensive to return home, for she had not been in the city for a long time.  Even before she had tended to the wounded in Kakariko, she had been imprisoned within the darkened walls of her grand castle for months.  Now, to return to it broken and defiled, Link wondered how she would react.

Great sections of the battlement walls had fallen away from Ganondorf’s short reign, and Zelda could see that most of the spires and flying buttresses of her majestic home had been completely obliterated.  The throne room still stood at its peak, but large sections of the walls and ceiling had collapsed.  The sight took Link off guard, and somehow it had transported him back to the last time he had seen the round face of the little Midna gazing up at him with that caring smile.

“See you later….”  The words haunted him, and he shook his head to free himself of the way they tangled through his mind.

Zelda took a deep breath as they passed through the tall double doors of the city, bracing herself for the hundreds of faces that would turn to her for guidance, faces distraught under the ashes settling against their homes.

But there were no desperate faces, no crying children … no broken dreams.  

When they entered the town, the folk were racing about, helping each other with their things, clearing the rubble from the streets, unloading wagons, repainting the wood of their kiosks, removing the boards across their homes.  There were children playing in the streets and laughter echoing against every stone.

As they pulled into the main plaza, music blared strong and loud, a cheerful tune.  Masses of people were lined together dancing and celebrating with a toast.  Children splashed through the waters of the fountain, and bellowing Gorons banged fists jovially onto their rocky abdomens.  

The townspeople caught sight of their returning princess, and as they had not seen her in a long time, many approached her to extend their deepest gratitude and respect.  They had long feared for their princess’s wellbeing, and Zelda’s heart skipped at seeing so many smiling faces staring up at her.  A young woman came forward and offered her a bundle of violet flowers, and Zelda accepted them graciously.  She wanted to join her people in their festivities, but there was much work to be done.  She found comfort as they rejoiced and knew that no matter the hardships they had faced as a people, no matter the fear they had suffered, the Hyrulean people were strong, and the sacrifices that had led to their peace would not be forgotten.

The knights led the way toward the portcullis, and as Link followed he caught sight of a very familiar face.  Young Soal.  He stood next to his mother as she sipped a drink and laughed alongside a younger girl and portly fellow.  Pride filled Soal’s eyes as he waved enthusiastically, and Link offered him a short nod and grin.  Soal’s mother noticed their exchange, noticed the bandages around Link’s arm, and she tipped her glass to him to thank him for all the kind words she knew he had offered her son.  She knew what he had done, what he had given up and sacrificed to save her son and those like him.  She would never be able to repay such an act of valor.

On they went through the broken gates, the ones he had barred before Rusl.  The look on Rusl’s face had not been one of betrayal, but the pain that had glistened in his eyes when Link had closed him off from the castle still hung in his mind on occasion.  Crossing the threshold brought back the memory and the cold feeling in his heart.  He could hear the man’s desperate cries once more as he had turned away and plunged into the castle.

There were many things Link had done on his journey that he found himself second-guessing now, and this was the one that dangled in his thoughts most prominently.  Had he saved lives by cutting them off, or had he prolonged the inevitable?  Would they have stood a better chance within the bailey, or had the square provided them the better battleground?  Link tossed a glance behind him.  Already the stains of war and blood were fading from the rains that had poured that night, but there were some marks that would never truly leave.  Link looked to his left hand, and even though he could not see it through his glove, its brand still remained strong.

To console Link, Rusl might have told him that his past actions no longer mattered.  The past was the past, and the day had been won.  But was a man not to learn from his mistakes as well as his triumphs?

Link woke from his daydreams to find that they had at last come to the courtyard.  They halted their advance and looked about.  Bodies, both Hylian and foe, still littered the ground, but hundreds of surviving knights were well into their work of clearing the corpses and piling them separately, rows displaying every courageous fallen solider and a heap of the wretched creatures who had plagued their lands.

The general parted from a group of his lieutenants then and marched toward the princess’s convoy.  He extended a hand to Zelda, and as she dismounted, she asked, “What is the damage?”  Out of respect, the mounted Hylians slid down from their horses, as did Link.

The general smiled.  The first Link had seen from this man.  “A demon can break stone, but it cannot break our spirits.”  His grin faded slowly as he saw the princess look toward the rows of lifeless knights.  “Our losses were many, and they will be honored,” he replied to her unvoiced question.  “But … the number would have been much greater if not for…” --his eyes darted to Link, considering, before turning back to his princess-- “the blessing of the gods.”

Link’s smirk was quick and faint at the general’s words, glad that the proud man had accepted his will to defend the people of Hyrule.

“Come,” the general said.  “You should rest after your journey.”

“I am well, thank you,” Zelda kindly dismissed.  “I shall join the knights.”

The general hid his grin, but Link could see it in his small eyes.  “Very well.  This way.”

Before following the general, Zelda turned.  At first, the soldiers surrounding her thought perhaps she would give them orders, but they realized that her eyes were solely upon Link.  Courteously, they stepped back to offer her room to approach.  Link could not slouch due to the nature of his injuries, and at his full height, Zelda had to look up into his eyes.  She smiled that in that soft way of hers, and Link grinned in return.  She extended a hand and gently placed it over his left arm.  It reminded him of the night they had stood on Eldin field, the way her light had steeled his rage when all he had desired was vengeance for Midna’s murder.

“Thank you, Link, for your company on the road.”  She did not have to say it, but she wanted to.

“Of course, Princess,” he returned, a little timid in her presence while being surrounded by so many staring eyes.

Zelda’s smile remained as she removed her hand and turned to follow the general toward the demolished castle.  The knights trailed behind with their horses in tow, leaving Link alone.  He had one last task to complete before he left, however, simply as Link, the wrangler from Ordon.  It took him a moment to build up his nerve.

“Princess Zelda?” he called, and she and her guards immediately stopped as she turned back to Link.  She had risen a few steps up the ruined stairs and front gate of her castle, the general waiting at the threshold.

Link drew the Ordon sword from Epona’s bundles, and on instinct the Hylian knights’ hands flew to their hilts.  None pulled their weapon on Link, however, and he approached them, tentatively at first, then with a resolute stride.  He stopped a few meters before Zelda on the cobblestone path below the entrance.  He gazed across the glimmering steel of the blade in his hand, weathered and scratched from use.

Finally, he found his words.  “A long time ago, when all I knew was the scent of the Wood and the feel of the wind on my face…” --his eyes closed at the memory of the fresh aroma carried on the breeze-- “I was but an ignorant boy who dreamed of adventure.”  He opened his eyes, looked at the steel of the blade again, saw how he barely recognized the reflection there.  “I was asked to journey into Hyrule, but soon my journey became something I had never imagined, and I discovered a world that called me Hero.”  Looking back on the days he had spent in Hyrule, he finally realized he had barely been able to breathe until now, the weight of his mission had been so great.  

He gazed up at the princess then to find her smiling as she listened from her pedestal.  He took a half step forward.  “Now, Hyrule is at peace…” --he found comfort in saying those words-- “but my original task still remains.”  

Link slowly bent a knee as he worked against the swelling pain still in his chest to lower himself humbly before his princess.  On his knees he placed the Ordon sword before him, perfectly parallel and shining in the sun.  He looked onto its shimmering surface as if gazing into magical waters that transported him into the past.  “This was meant as a gift for the royal family of Hyrule.”  He did not look up to see that Zelda’s smile had turned to surprise, wonder and pleasure at how his fame had not changed any part of his ordinary character.  

Instead, Link plucked up the blade into one upturned palm, balancing the sword flawlessly as he stretched out his arm to Zelda.  He bowed his head.  “Princess, if you would have it, you would do great honor to the village of Ordon.”

His words hung on the air in the quiet moment Zelda gazed upon her most loyal subject.  Here before her knelt Hyrule’s savoir, a boy of humble beginnings whose reputation would follow him even beyond death.  Even now, after a grueling journey that had claimed blood and tears, he bowed his head just as any face in the crowd.  His ferocity in battle was well known, but his gentle heart and mild nature were his greatest assets.

When Zelda descended the steps of her castle, the general shifted behind her, hiding his grin behind his beard.  The knights stepped back, lining the cobblestone to either side, and the princess took slow steps down the aisle toward the kneeling hero.

Quietly and almost timidly, Zelda took the hilt into her hand.  She felt the weight of it and searched its dented and worn features.  She gripped its hilt tight, testing its weight and admiring the cut of its blade.  Finally, she said, “Well crafted, well balanced.  Your blacksmith creates fine work.”

Link was pleased to hear her approval, but then she asked, “This was your blade, was it not?”

The question caught him, but he replied quickly.  “It was never mine to claim.”

“But my people are alive and thriving because of its steel,” she continued.  Her voice tested him.

Link’s answer came apologetically.  “I had no choice.”

She shifted her focus from the blade to the man, considering his gift and his answers.  Link….  Never had there been a man more humble, truer or more valiant, than he.

“I accept Ordon’s gift--”

“Thank you, Princess--” said Link, before realizing that Zelda had not finished speaking, and he stunted his words.

“--and as a gift, I do with it as I please,” the princess finished.  “I offer it to a hero who saved my kingdom from great peril, a man who showed great courage.”  She closed the remaining distance between them and lifted his chin with her fingertips, seeing the look of bemusement in his sapphire eyes.  “Link of Ordon, please, rise, and accept this blade.”

Link rose at his princess’s request, but his puzzlement remained.  He understood her words, understood that she thanked him and named him hero, but his uncertainty had come at her intention.  But when he rose and looked between her smiling eyes and the weathered features of Ordon’s blade, he realized that she was not asking him to become one of her knights.  Had that been the case, they both knew he would have refused.  In that silent moment, they understood each other entirely.  Together, they served Hyrule, their hearts beat as one for the kingdom … but as Zelda was bound by her office, Link’s spirit could never be tamed in the same way.

Link took the hilt from Zelda and returned his eyes to hers.  When she smiled, the warmth filled her entire face.  “Use it wisely.”

He nodded, captivated under her eyes.  His words were quiet and true.  “Always … Princess Zelda.”

Link bowed and backed away.  When he mounted Epona and turned her toward the castle gates, he looked to Zelda one final time before disappearing just as quickly as he had stumbled into her life those months ago.

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

As Link made his way through the streets of Castle Town, he realized how exposed he had become without the cloak Zelda had given him.  Back then the people had still given him notice, but with the hood he had had the ability to shield himself from the fame he still believed he did not deserve.  Now, however, even had he the protection of that mantle, he would not have dismissed their every thank you or cheer as he passed.  He understood well enough that he had defeated a great evil and given them back their livelihoods, and they needed closure.

He made his way toward Telma’s bar.  With the town in celebration, Link could only guess that the people were gathered in her establishment and likely keeping her quite busy.  When he entered it was to find the place returned to its former glory, looking less like a bloodied triage ward and more like a place to relax, with dozens of soldiers and citizens alike cheering loudly and singing songs of heroes.  Once they caught sight of Link, a plump knight lifted his mug of ale and shouted, and the surrounding crowd joined in his cheer.  “Come!  Have a drink with us!” the large Hylian laughed, and he slid a mug straight into his hand.

Though he would have much preferred water, Link did not want to offend their kindness and took a swig of the ale at the same time the large knight and several others drained a last draught from their mugs.  As the soldiers called merrily for a refill, Link, smiling, made his way toward the counter where Telma had been lounging.  At the shout, Telma beat away the unfocused stare that had captured her and slapped on a smile.  Her face did not truly light up, however, until she approached the crowd and caught sight of Link.

“Link, honey, how are you?” she bellowed.

He grinned and waved the elbow of his injured arm as he said, “Taking it easy.”

“Good to see you up and walking about,” said Telma, and he sensed that while she had sat quietly her thoughts had been centered on him.  “Things ‘round here are finally getting back to normal.  And,” she said, looping her arm through his left, as if to take him into confidence, “the soldiers are finally getting that old coot to pay up on his tab!”  She nodded to the corner, where the short Doctor Borville stood cleaning off a table with a rather loathsome expression on his wrinkled face.  Telma winked at Link and took the mug of ale from his hand, trading it with a hot cup of milk.  This made him smile; this motherly woman knew exactly how to make him feel at home.

As Link took a grateful sip of his new drink, Telma nodded him toward the back room.  “Shad and Ashei are in the other room, if you wanna say hello.”  Link could already hear Shad talking excitedly about something inside.  

Back to normal.  Link sighed and took a sip, silently toasting.  His lips lingered at the rim of his mug, however, as his grin faded.  Normal….

Everyone was getting back to their lives, making repairs and plans, continuing on.  They had it all figured out.  The Ordonians, the Gorons, the Twili, the Hylians….  They had all gone home, returned to their routines.  Yet, what was Link to do now?  The question had plagued him constantly since beginning the trek across Hyrule to see his friends home, and he still had no answer.  Link had become so accustomed to the mindset of his missions, the people to save and the artifacts to collect, that he was not entirely sure what he was supposed to do now that it was all over.  Certainly, he could go back to Ordon, continue where he left off like everyone else, but….

But he could not go back to the way things were … because while everyone else’s lives had been interrupted by the chaos, the call to arms had been Link’s awakening, had been the event that had begun his life.  How was he to continue something that had ended as abruptly as it had begun?

Should he move on?  Explore the lands beyond Hyrule as Rusl had once suggested?  See the world?  Link’s dream had been to see Hyrule at peace, and now he had achieved that goal.  What was it one did when one realized an impossible dream?  Did one simply return to all that was familiar?  Or was his answer past the horizon?

Leaning against the bar, Link felt a nudge at his shoulder.  Turning, he saw Telma’s long-haired cat.  Link stroked its head and it purred into his palm.  It sniffed the air, and Link realized that it smelled his milk.  He smiled and offered the mug to the animal, setting it down on the counter.  As it poked its head inside and lapped up the fresh milk, Link turned back to the other room.

He made his decision, but it only prolonged his inevitable choice.  There were still loose ends for Link to bind, and here was as good a place as any to start.  He had once promised to tell Shad of the time he had disappeared from Kakariko.  With the Dominion Rod gone, he could not show Shad the wonders of the great city in the sky, but there was another place he thought might interest the young scholar just as thoroughly.

And it was a place that beckoned him.

When Link entered the small room, Shad greeted him with a wide smile, “Link, ole boy!  How were your travels?  I hear the … Twili--yes, that’s it--returned home.  Interesting people.  Not very talkative.  I would have loved to have seen this Twilight Realm, studied their culture.  Tell me, is it true in their realm there is no sun?  Oh, I wonder how their climate works, their seasons….  Hmm, fascinating.”  As he spoke, Shad had gone from standing to greet Link to leaning against his chair and pondering to himself.  Link looked to Ashei--still in full armor--who sat quietly eating a large meal, and her blank expression did not exactly make it appear she had been enjoying her conversation with Shad.

“They likely would have answered your questions if you had shut up long enough for them to even try,” came her curt reply, still looking at her food.

Shad’s features flushed slightly.  “…Er … well, I suppose I do get a little carried away….”

Link stifled his laugh at their banter.  It was not that he thought their constant arguing funny--although, that was part of it.  He simply found comfort knowing that the scars of the war had not marked them, had not taken away the things that made them who they were.

He leaned forward and offered his proposition.  “How would you feel about an expedition?”

“Oh?”  The word caught Shad’s interest, and he pushed up his spectacles.  “Where are we going?”

Link pushed off from the table to stand upright again.  “A place where legends are made and heroes are born.”

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

The journey had been exactly what Link had needed.  The road, the open air.  And Shad was the perfect travel companion, for with their constant discussion, Link had no time to think, no time for his thoughts to stray to Midna and how much he missed her.  They spoke of the Oocca, of the wonders of Celestia, and Link found the conversation stimulating, at last sharing a tale of his adventure, opening up to someone about the things he had witnessed and sharing the knowledge he had learned.

Ashei, who had volunteered to come only to provide additional security, followed behind them at a distance with an extra horse in tow that carried several bundles and satchels.  Naturally, she did not seem interested in their topic of conversation, taking solace instead in her surroundings, but Link occasionally caught her gaze shifting toward them.  What was on her mind, however, he could not fathom.  Her thoughts and feelings were those not easily decipherable, and he had given up a long time ago.

Looking back at their fourth horse, bound with their luggage, Link thought of Auru.  They had encountered him in the square when making their preparations and extended an invitation to him.  He had refused, of course, due to the work still to complete in returning the castle and the town to its former glory.  Auru had long since retired from the service of the royal family, but as one of the most learned men in all of Hyrule, who better to help rebuild and see that the mistakes of the past were not repeated?  Link suspected that the princess might even extend him the honor of joining her council of advisors or perhaps become her personal advisor.  He was not exactly sure how the monarchy worked having lived in Ordon all his life.

When they crossed the border into Faron Woods, Link heard Shad gasp at the beauty of the forest, which made Link feel a certain pride in having hailed from such a province.  Although, a string of sneezes from Shad momentarily shattered the scholar’s wonderment.  He wiped his nose on a handkerchief and returned it to his shirt pocket.  He told Link how he had never visited the woods south of Hyrule.  His expeditions had always taken him to dry places like the mountains or areas like Lake Hylia where the air was clear.  The pollen dancing around them here made the air smell sweeter, and while the adventurer in Shad delighted in the new sensation, his body did not share the same enjoyment.

At that, Shad began to inquire into life in the woods, and Link shared with him what it had been like to grow up in an isolated, beautiful world where he had been completely at peace.  He told him a funny story of how Link’s first hunting lesson had nearly ended with an arrow in Rusl’s foot and admitted how, when he had grown older, he had sometimes spent days in the woods climbing through the trees and fishing in its springs.  Shad could see the appeal of his lifestyle but jokingly admitted that he did not think he could survive for long without a good book and a hot bath.

Their road continued like this, easy and alive with conversation, as they made their way deeper and deeper still into the forest.  As Link and Shad shared stories, they occasionally tried to pry a comment or two from Ashei, to which she either ignored or urged them to keep their eyes on the road.  The few times she did speak out was to offer a survival tip or to reprimand Shad that his mindset about the history of Hyrule was too idealistic and childish.

It took them some time before they reached the deep woods where the giants slept, but the Master Sword was beckoning him, guiding him, and he never lost his way.  They stopped at the cliff face where Link remembered coming to Talo’s rescue so very long ago, and Shad marveled at the sight of the colossal trees and their canopies as massive as the sky.  Ashei even seemed impressed by the sight and brought her horse up alongside Shad to first look across the giants of the wood and then downward into the depths of the canyons below.

They made camp there for the night, and as Shad sat and sketched the landscape in one of the many journals he had brought, Link noticed that Ashei had wondered from the camp to stand at the edge of the cliff.  Gathering himself up from the fire, he tentatively approached her.  He already knew that she would sense his presence, and when she did not demand his leave, he stepped up alongside her.  Her arms were crossed as she looked into the wood, her expression deep.

For a long time, neither spoke, watching the shadows from the moon play against the bark as the leaves rustled musically in the breeze.  The fireflies sparkled in the darkness and the insects rattled and buzzed.  

Finally, it was Ashei that spoke.  “This is a fine place to call home,” she said.  “I grew up in the mountains surrounding the Zoras, and the winters there were always long and cold.”  Though Link could sense a bit of jealousy, he also understood from her tone that she was proud to have hailed from such a harsh environment.  “My father always said that a life of luxury was the fruit of ignorance … and weakness.”

Link could understand the meaning of such words, for he had lived in ignorance for some time, but the forest had structured him into a boy capable of the feats of a man.  He did not want to argue with Ashei, however, and asked simply, “Where is your father now?”

Her answer came swift and solid.  “Dead.”

“Oh… I….”  Link should have guessed as much with the way she spoke of him, but the manner in which she had confirmed this had caught his tongue.

“You don’t need to say anything.  You never knew him,” she said, and though it sounded like a reprimand, he knew she was only comforting him because she was already at peace with it.

Link’s thoughts turned inward.  “I never knew my parents,” he said quietly, and Ashei finally turned to look at him.  “Rusl is the only father I’ve ever known.”

“Then he was a good teacher,” she said, and Link looked her way.  Though she praised Rusl through this compliment, it also served another purpose, and when she smiled, Link understood that she had finally acknowledged his skill.  Voicing her acceptance through direct words was not her way; they both knew this.  She was too proud.

Seeing Ashei grin was a little strange, and a smirk cracked through Link’s lips, making the corner of his mouth twitch.  Her smile was one thing he thought he would never see during the course of his journey.

Back to normal, he had once thought, but now he realized the truth.  There is no going back.

“The past is a dangerous place to go,” warned Ashei, certain that Link’s thoughts rolled through questions of his biological parents.  He had not thought about them in some time, but found himself lingering in the stew of his questions and once more imagining faces and names for them.  “Memories are like scars.  They trigger something in you, make you smile about how you survived, but in the end all they deal is pain.  If you live in the past, you’re never going to amount to anything.”

With that, Link finally understood what bothered her so much about Shad.  He lived in the past, lived off the energy of civilizations that had come before, reveled in the discovery of something ancient.  Ashei, however, preferred a life at its base value, a life in the present, a life lived moment to moment.  He could understand both points of view.  

Link remembered the Shade, the many encounters he had had with the soul of the hero of a time long since gone, and he came to his own conclusion.

“Without the past, we can’t understand who we are,” said Link.  “Sometimes it’s painful and sometimes it’s not … so I think we just have to accept it and live with it.  It lives in us.”  It had taken him a long time to accept it, but he knew that unless by some miracle … he would likely never meet his parents.  Rusl was his father, and Ordona his mother.

“Perhaps you’re right,” she conceded, and she gazed into the woods again.  An afterthought came to her, and she shrugged.  “When we first met, I never thought I’d have an intelligent conversation with you.”

“Neither did I,” retorted Link, which made her smile reappear.

“Truce,” offered Ashei, but it was more of a declaration than asking Link to agree.  A moment later, her grin was gone and she said plainly, “One on one, though, I wager I could squash you.”

Link’s laugh echoed through the trees, and for the rest of the night he wondered just how such a match might end.

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

Traversing through the dense paths of the deep forest the next day would have proved the end to any man with its twisting roads as the leaves molded the sun’s rays into an eerie blue light.  Link’s first experience through these woods had been a dance in darkness, and even during his trek with Rusl, he would have gotten lost had it not been for the older man.  Now, however, instinct guided Link.  He heard Shad’s intermittent doubt in his direction, swearing that he had seen this tree or that rock before; Ashei did not speak, but her expression was filled with caution.  Link’s only comfort to them was his continued silence as he guided, listening to the wind in the trees and the lingering hum in his soul that he knew neither could hear.

When the trees became sparser and opened up into a small grove, he heard Shad gasp behind him.  As they continued into the grove, Link looked upon the area with a new eye.  Like so many other places, he had never had a moment to spend in awe of the beauty surrounding him.  It was clear that there had been a cathedral-like structure here in the past, but the stones were now scattered and whole walls had tumbled, and the stones were now so moss-covered, weeds sprouting through the cracks, that the distinction between life and stone was near impossible to gauge.

They urged their horses through the break in the walls and came to rest within what remained of the ancient temple’s central chamber.  It was all familiar to Link.  To the right lay the ruined staircases leading up to a balcony, and to his left were the statues that guarded the entrance to the chamber that once housed a legendary treasure.  

Link gazed up at the door that had served as a link to the past and remembered how the temple had once looked compared to its current state.  He wondered what the old hero had thought of the sight, the wonder of the temple, if he had stopped to take in its remarkable beauty or if he had entered in haste to claim his birthright.

With that, Link dismounted and slowly stepped toward the guardians.  When he crossed over the royal crest painted on the ground, he stopped.  Suddenly, he felt like a young, innocent boy again with the thirst for strength, his blood churning with the desire to be the hero he needed to be.  It was an empowering feeling, and Link lost himself in it for a moment until he realized that perhaps the spirit of the old hero remained alive within the magic of the very stones surrounding him.

“This place … is incredible!” he heard Shad gasp, as the young scholar clumsily hopped down from his saddle.  Ashei, too, dropped to the ground, and as she stepped carefully, even her eyes were prey to its wonder.  “This place has been lost for … well, at least a century.  It’s remarkable!  Link, is this truly--?”

“The Temple of Time,” the green-clad youth confirmed immediately.  As they roamed behind him, Link stood ever still, eyes glued to the door before him.  The Master Sword hummed through his bones, summoning him to his last act as Hero.  Its labors were complete, and both sword and hero were to be put to rest once more.

Without another word, Link moved away from them to approach the entrance to the stairway.  Shad noticed and went to follow him, but Ashei stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.  She shook her head, and though disappointed, Shad understood.

Link passed the archway, and stepped through the ruined remains of what looked like a door that had once blocked entry to the stairs.  Stepping across the threshold was like stepping through a door of time itself, for in his mind he was immediately returned to the moments he had first stepped through the passage, in the form of a cursed beast desperate for the feel of light.  His steps came slow as he drifted through memories and a whirl of sensations that felt like another soul entirely.  

As he took the last step into the chamber within, he stopped, staring at the pedestal at the center.  He remembered the glowing light that had saved him, the feeling of a thousand waves rushing through him and cleansing his soul.  He approached the pedestal and as he stood before it, gazing at its empty niche, he reached back.

The chime of the Master Sword hummed as he unsheathed it and held it firm in his hand.  This blade had been the light of Hyrule’s new dawn and the savior of thousands.  It had been the quiet guardian, watching, waiting, resting until the time came for a hero to pull it from its slumber.  It never whined, never doubted, never surrendered.  The Master Sword was the true sword, the only sword, the first sword, and he could feel in its leather binding and see in its reflection its ancient age.  Many stories told of heroes and legends, and this blade had been the mother of them all.  Link was not the first to hold this blade, nor, he suspected, might he be the last, but his time with the sword had ended.  He had become part of its legend, become one of its honored heroes, but it was time to let it rest once more.

Link plunged the sword into the pedestal, and the gleam of its blade brightened as its chime reverberated with a ring strong enough to shatter glass.  Its light seemed to unearth a renewed vigor to the features of the room and the sky above.  He felt the chime thunder through the veins of the soil beneath as its piercing echo diminished.  Its shimmer, however, never faded as it fell dormant, for even in its slumber the Master Sword watched … and waited.