The Legend of Zelda: Zelda's Honor

Chapter 90 - Settling the Past

His vision blurred before his sight. He could not decipher what it was that lay before him, there was a piece of his view that was strangely absent and it felt wrong. The sound of waterfalls began to creep into his hearing, perking his ears to the possibility of where he was. The liquid began to form before him and crystalize into clarity as it poured down the walls of the chamber. A presence was felt beside him as he sprung up onto a knee, gazing his lone eye on the auburn robed figure.

"Easy there Link. You were almost dead upon coming here. You can relax." The old man placed a comforting hand on Link's shoulder, massaging the tense muscles underneath.

Link's confusion was evident on his face, "What? Where?" He thrust a hand up to feel his right eye. The last thing he could remember was searing pain in his skull as the white tile of the temple was drenched in red.

He had just touched the corrugated wound, completely sealed and fleshy with a fresh layer of scabbing when the old man brought his wrist down firmly. "It will do no good to dwell on the injury." The man's commanding voice brought Link's focus back on his stormy grey eyes. "You need to concentrate on what you need to do next."

The man brought Link slowly to his feet. He looked all around him at a place that was familiar to him. It was a chamber of light. Shimmering rays filtered through the cascading water running down the length of the room, encompassing all the surfaces. Pillars of luminescence pulsed with magickal energy which brought the water back up to the ceiling to repeat its endless cycle. Beneath them were several colored panels with various symbols depicting each race of Hyrule.

Link turned his attention to the old man. He was familiar to Link. He recalled his tawny robes complete with a rubicund girdle and cloth breastplate draping down to his feet, the symbol of the Triforce on its center. The man had a thick mustache that extended past the mouth towards the cheeks and connected up to the receding hairline encircling the top of his bald head. His eyes were creased with warmth and concern for Link, a sense of peace was about him.

"I know you." Link gaped openly. "Rauru..."

The man nodded, "It's been a long time Link. The last I had seen you was only a few days ago, but it must have been cycles for you." Upon seeing the muddled look on Link's face, he clarified genially, "In the Sacred Realm, time is of little meaning or consequence here." He raised his arm to indicate the chamber they resided in. "With Hylia's help, I built this place long ago to house the Triforce away from unworthy and unscrupulous hands. A space outside of time was deemed to be the perfect place to safeguard such a relic."

The mention of that hunted artifact brought lucidity to his purpose in being here, he had almost forgotten since pulling the Master Sword. "Where is the Triforce? I don't see it." The ball in the pit of his stomach was tightening, that singular goal that everyone was working toward was nowhere to be found.

Rauru sighed deeply, closing his eyes as he considered how best to explain it to the lad. At length he opened them and gestured to the platforms representing each race, "These were once home to the sages of Hylia, bound by the vow their spiritual ancestors had made during the war with the interlopers, the Twili; the very tribe that sought to obtain the Triforce for their own nefarious ends and was banished forever for it."

"I don't understand. Where are the sages now? Were they not here when we exiled Ganondorf in the future?" Link queried; his mind a mess of thoughts and emotions. They had struggled so hard to get to this point, only to find the one object that they seeked gone.

Rauru's brow furrowed with consternation, "Yes. You knew them well: Impa, Darunia, Saria, Ruto, Nabooru and of course myself. Once Ganondorf was sealed away, I released the sages to live out the rest of their lives in their time, only asking that either they or their descendants be able to be called upon to fulfill their duties as sages should the need arise."