To See the Sun Smile: Part Nine
DISCLAIMER: All of The Legend of Zelda Characters and Places belong to Nintendo, and maybe some other equally important organizations/people. They are not, nor have they ever been mine. I just write silly fics.
With my eternal love to Muse.
Chapter Ten should be shorter; I broke it and Nine apart to make an easier read. Hopefully this means it will be up soon.
As always, I love hearing from anyone who reads, good or bad. You all are wonderful.
Nine
Hope
The clouds of ash and dust had long settled; the rubble from the collapsed castle finally ceasing in its rumbling. In the center stood an open ring of charred black, the earth inside ripped apart from metal and claws. The scars left by the monster Ganon were trying to fade to a painful memory, the soft breeze brushing dirt to fill in the gashes. Above tiny patches of blue sky peeked through the clouds.
Sitting on a broken pillar some distance away, Link watched them with unseeing eyes as the princess of Hyrule coaxed her healing magic into his side. Navi sat quietly on his knee, occasionally alternating between watching his face and the soft glow of the hands tending him.
Her hands - their caring touch was too hesitant, too uncertain. They were delicate at peeling away the charred tunic to better reach the burn, but the fingers lacked the soft deliberation he had become used to. He sighed quietly, the small noise breaking the thick silence. "You aren't him, Zelda."
The hands stilled, then slowly drew away, placed Zelda’s lap as she leaned away. There was a rip on her glove and burns marring the fabrics of her dress, her golden hair tousled and damp at her neck. She examined a stain on her skirt. "Yes, I know."
Navi looked up and flicked her wings; the most animation the fairy had shown for the past hour. "How come you told us that then?"
Zelda kept her eyes on the discolored spot, brows drawing together. Her words seemed to take a great deal of effort, as if they pained her said aloud. "It was wrong of me. I...I did not know what else to do. At the time-"
"The sages had been awakened, and Ganondorf knew it." Link found himself overriding her softly. "There was no room for an explanation, not with our lives and Hyrule hanging in the balance and an evil king at the doorstep." He brought his head down as hers lifted, meeting pale eyes. There was an innocence in them, a hopeless searching for understanding under a deep well of guilt.
He selfishly wished he could be angry, to find some defiant fault and something to blame. He wished for her to hold her head high and haughty or break down sobbing so that he could feel disgust, betrayal, injustice. Anything other than this heavy emptiness in his stomach that the truth in her face could not cover. Instead he dropped his head, running his hand through his soiled bangs. "It wasn't your fault, Zelda.” And he knew it; had no right to pretend otherwise. Back in the sky a single bird flitted under the clouds. “But we have time now."
The princess took a slow breath, drawing herself up to sit at her full height beside him. Her hands had tightened, but her nod was firm. "You are right, we do." She stood, not bothering to dust herself off as she scanned the battleground. “Are you able to walk? The explanation will be easier to show.”
His side still burned dully, his body ached and his feet screamed from punishment put through them. He stood and held out his hand for Navi when she was forced into flight. "Yeah. I'm fine."
Zelda's supple jaw set as she stared determinedly forward. "Very well. This way."
***
"I didn't know there was a cave here." Navi’s quiet observation echoed in the silence. Not a single word had been spoken as they walked from the rubble and trekked across the field. There a tiny, easily overlooked gap in the wall between Kakariko and Death Mountain opened up to something much larger. The circular cave had no light save its opening and Navi's glow, the few rusted stands scattered about having long lost their candles. At the fairy’s soft words Zelda seemed to bring herself back from her thoughts.
"Only Impa and myself knew of its existence." She shifted her weight and squared her slender shoulders. "I will try to make this explanation as concise as possible, but it will take some time and I ask for your patience." Her hands fisted at her sides, then relaxed slowly, as if forced to do so. In her determination, Link could see past the little girl from his memory and forward the trained ruler of Hyrule. He nodded mutely, and lifted a hand to encourage her to begin. After a short pause, she finally did so.
"When I escaped the castle seven years ago, this is where Impa brought me." She looked to the darkened walls, running her fingers absently along the cool stone. "Of course, I could not hide away for long. With Ganondorf's power spreading, no cave would be secret enough and I hadn't the strength to face him alone. Nor did I want to drop the entirety of the battle on your shoulders; to simply throw a boy an ocarina and vanish. So here Impa and I set to create a disguise, one that would hide me from Ganondorf's eyes and allow me to walk and work freely."
She waved vaguely at the floor, where Link could see a rough circle made from the stands. "We hadn't much time to create one, but we had no choice but to try. I stood here and called on my own small magic, hoping it combined with Impa’s shadow techniques would provide us with at least a facade to buy time. Long enough to awaken the sages and gather in the Temple of Light, where the final steps could fall into place.”
Her blonde hair reflected in the glow as she lowered her head. “We had no idea that it would work as well as it did."
She paused, and Navi bobbed in the air. "What do you mean by-"
"Navi." Link glanced up at her and tapped his shoulder. Deflating, Navi silently floated down and sat, waiting for the story to continue.
"I had not known at that time that I held the Triforce of Wisdom, nor that Impa was the sage of the Shadow Temple. When we called on our powers to mix, they tapped into their full forces to grant a desperate request. Instead of my appearance altering I was swept off to a place of light. For a moment I believed the spell had killed me. But across the way I saw a boy, with blond hair and red eyes, hidden beneath a mask. Then he vanished, and I was left alone."
She shook her head violently as her voice faltered, clearing her throat to recompose herself. "Within the realm of light I had little concept of time. The Triforce of Wisdom fed me what passed throughout the years in knowledge, but not memory. I knew new words and places; I knew of your success with each temple, but I recalled no sights or sounds. It was not for me to experience. The spell was made to create the perfect illusion."
"And it made reality."
Zelda nodded slowly, her voice flattening to a monotone. "Ganondorf could not find me if I was not here. With my untested wisdom and Impa's presence, a separate being would be exactly what we asked for, but nothing that we intended." She examined her shoe, inhaling softly. "What...was his name?"
Link looked away from her, to a line of water dripping down the cave wall. His throat itched and his eyes burned, but he refused to acknowledge them. "His name is Sheik."
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Navi's wings flicker, knowing she caught his wording. "Link?" He only shook his head, a voice replaying words that suddenly made sense.
I couldn't bear that, knowing leaving would hurt him.
Everything will be fine, Hero.
I’m sorry Link - I’m so sorry.
“He knew. He knew the entire time, didn’t he?”
He did not want to hear the answer or listen to any more explanations, but Zelda’s soft voice carried through relentlessly. “Impa would not have lied to him, nor the Triforce hid the truth. As his knowledge filtered to me, I assume mine transferred to him upon his... in the beginning.” She hesitated, then shifted on her feet. “I... the Triforce of Wisdom did not pry into privacy, nor thoughts. But at some point, I realized."
Realized what? She had known the situation from the beginning. At the meaningful pause drew on however, he felt his mind grind to a slow halt. He turned his head inch by inch and met her pale gaze, full of sorrow and understanding. "Realized?" The word came forced as his tongue tripped over it, and he suddenly wished for it back. This was wrong. This was not how it should happen.
“I realized-”
“No.” It came out through his teeth, startling Zelda into silence and earning shocked stares from both her and Navi. He blinked violently and shook out his arms, straightening himself. “I can’t hear that from you Zelda. I want him to explain.” At his words something sparked weakly back to life in his chest, lending a small strength even as Zelda looked at him with poorly veiled sympathy.
“Link, he can’t give you an explanation.” Her tone had taken on that of explaining a loss to a small child. Another time, he may have appreciated the irony. “He isn’t-”
“No, Zelda.” He was interrupting the ruler of Hyrule yet again, but he couldn’t bring himself to care as he met her gaze with a focus he felt only in battle. “Don’t you say he’s not real. He convinced himself that, and he sacrificed every moment he had because of it. He changed lives, he changed time, his footprints are everywhere and they aren’t leaving. And don’t you say he’s not alive, because we don’t know that and I don’t believe it.” His tone wavered, but his stance grew firmer. Having said it aloud triggered a flow of determination that shot through his weary muscles. “Ganondorf is defeated Zelda; you have your kingdom back and they have you to rely on. I did what the sages called me for.”
“You’re gonna go after him, aren’t you?”
At the warm tone Link looked over in surprise, finding Navi perched in the air with her chin propped in her hand. She shrugged and smiled at him, then looked over to Zelda. The princess was regarding them both with a torn expression. “I...what do you mean?”
“I need you to send me to where you were, Zelda.”
She shook her head immediately, eyes wary. “That isn’t possible, Link. Even if he were... The place I was had no definition; I may as well have been nowhere.”
He merely shrugged. “Then send me to nowhere.”
“It does not work that way.” As she spoke she stepped back, voice getting sharper. “You would be committing suicide and I would be assisting you. A normal transport spell is fragile and requires incredible focus. Not only are you suggesting an impossible destination, but the power put into it would certainly rip you to pieces. And I refuse to put another life on my conscience today.” Although Link had an advantage of several inches’ height, the piercing will of her gaze put them on level ground. Still, he refused to look away even as he softened his speech.
“You need to feel your goal, to know it with your soul and senses until it’s a fact, and then force it to become true.” Zelda blinked, and he turned his gaze to the ceiling. The smell of cinnamon from a head on his shoulder, the sound of soft words mingling with harp notes. The feel of a strong chest to lean against, the taste of something rich and regretful hidden beneath the touch of a cloth mask. “His eyes warm like the setting sun when he smiles.” He brought his face back down. “Zelda, I am not asking you to help me die. I am asking you to give me a way to reach.”
“This is-”
“Sheik’s still out there.” All eyes turned to Navi, who was watching the princess with an uncommonly serious expression. “I know that you don’t want to think about it, because you’re afraid if you hope you’ll just end up with the same answer, but hope is what made today possible. You didn’t kill him, Zelda, ‘cause he’s still alive. We just have to go get him, is all.” She smiled brightly and looked over at Link for confirmation.
“You can’t come, Navi.”
The smile fell and shattered on the floor. “...What?”
“Two minds in one spell cause interference that have disastrous results even with the most trained.” Zelda volunteered absently, finding something extremely troubling in a rock formation to her left. “It would add an entire new set of impossibilities to this... this insanity.”
The fairy looked back and forth between them, wings flaring erratically. “Wha-no! I’m the guide! You need me to go with you!”
“Navi-”
“I care about Sheik too!”
“I know you do-”
“I’m not afraid, I warped with you so many times and went through every dungeon-”
“That isn’t-”
“I fought Ganon with you! I’m not some useless mind, you need me!”
“Navi.” He held out his hand, waiting for her to meet his eyes. “I do need you. But right now need to know you’re here and okay if I’m going to do this.” She fluttered for a moment, then drifted to his open palm with her face downcast. “I can’t put you at risk too.”
“...How am I supposed to be okay without you?” Never before had he seen Navi look lost. Her tiny voice was hurt and bewildered, and it pulled harshly on his already abused heartstrings. He brought her up to eye level, murmuring lowly for her ears only.
“I’ll be back Navi, before you know it. I’ll bring us both back. Do you trust me?”
She didn’t look up, watching her toes. “Yeah.”
“And tomorrow we’ll all sleep as long as you want and I’ll never mention the word drool again.”
Glowing eyes looked up hesitantly, and he gave her a small smile - the first in what seemed like days. “You promise?”
“Yeah, I promise.”
She rubbed furiously at her face with her fists, but nodded. “O-okay.” As she fluttered back into the air she drifted to his ear to whisper. “Don’t get lost, you still gotta tell him.”
He nodded and mouthed a ‘thank you’ her way, then turned to Zelda. The ruler had watched them in silence, and continued to do so for a few long seconds before speaking tightly. “You understand what you are doing?”
She should never have this responsibility shoved upon her, he knew. He stepped forward, placing a light hand on her shoulder. “I understand Zelda. Please do this for me.”
A battle raged for a few moments more in her eyes before she closed them, lowering her chin. “Stand in the center.” He gave her shoulder a small squeeze and obeyed. Her hands began to glow with golden, offset by Navi drifting behind her to watch. When her voice ran out, it left no room for argument. “Focus now. Do not think of where you are going, know it. Know it with your soul and do not let go for anything. Make it become.”
Link closed his eyes as the light grew, surrounding him. He forgot her voice and listened to the soft tenor echoing in his head, forgot the cold of the cave and felt the warmth of a bandaged hand.
“Good luck.”
It began as a gentle pull at his chest, and then the world crashed around him. With a brutal yank to his spine he hurtled backwards through what felt like a pane of glass, and then he was falling. He gritted his teeth and thought of calm red eyes, and then his back hit water that smelled of salt. Air and mind left him as he slowly sank into the sea.