Bring me to Light

Thanks for the review, Artemis-sensei.
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Enjoy!
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Blame your fate

Cockerel crows pierced the chilled, silent air as the two figures made their way through a small orchard, brushing branches that should be heavy with ripe fruit but stood bare instead out of the way. The leader, a slender blonde man stopped at a rocky embankment, hidden by the trees and motioned for his companion to climb up.

The second blonde man, this one slightly broader and taller, did as he was told and disappeared up the stones. The smaller man glanced around and, a second later, followed the other, disappearing off the plain of Hyrule field.

--

Link slumped against the rough stone wall of the cave Sheik had brought him to, exhaling wearily, glad to be sitting after the long morning spent travelling. Bearing in mind that he had only had a couple of hours sleep and that this time yesterday he was already labouring for the Gerudos, it was hardly surprising.

The trip across the field, however, had been a welcome change despite the fact it had exhausted him. The air here was wonderfully cool, but not frigid like that of the desert at night, and there was life! And not just that of horses and women.

There were plants, proper plants, not just stupid cacti. There were birds, rabbits, insects…and him. A guy. Finally another guy!

Link revelled in the change.

His rescuer, this… ‘Sheik’ person, hadn’t said more than 20 words to him since they had reached Hyrule field, and that included his introduction. But then, from the little Link could remember of Impa, the princess’ guardian, the Sheikah weren’t exactly the most talkative or friendly of races.

Most of the words that Sheik had said to him were brisk instructions, and the newly freed Hylian had the impression that ‘Sheik’ was either very unimpressed by him, or that he had been put up to rescuing him.

The silent warrior was currently crouched by the entrance to the cave that they were hiding in and seemed to be camouflaging it. Finally, he leaned back and dropped a thick khaki cloth over the ragged hole, plunging the cave into pitch blackness.

A rustling sound alerted Link to the fact that the other man was searching for something, and a moment later, a small flame burst into life. The man walked around the cave, lighting crude, mounted torches that Link had failed to notice earlier, creating a flickering light in the cave. Trails of smoke drifted to the back of the cave and disappeared into the unlit darkness, and the shadow-man followed it, lighting more torches as he went, revealing a larger chamber further into the rock.

Noiselessly (and Link was noticing a theme here) he walked motioned for Link to follow him into the chamber, and the Hylian grudgingly got to his feet and staggered into the large, round chamber.

A small fireplace, merely a circle of stones, stood in the middle of the pseudo room, surrounded by three worn blankets, laid out in sleeping arrangements. Aside from that, and a few worn pots and pans and bags that sat by the walls, the hollow was empty.

“I’m guessing you don’t entertainment much,” Link commented, wincing at how hoarse and scratchy his voice sounded. The echoes that flew back to him, making it sound ten times worse.

“This is not my home, hero, merely a hiding place. We will rest here until you are fit to travel.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I advise you rest for a while.”

Though the Sheikah phrased it as advice, Link was pretty sure it was a command and he slowly lowered himself onto one of the thin blankets near the none existent fire.

‘Being ordered around again, great… at least I get to sleep lying down though…for the first time in, what, 7 years?’

The thought swirled around in Link’s head as he lay on the floor, and despite his mind’s activity, his body demanded sleep.

Slowly, his eyes drifted shut, and within moments the young man was sound asleep.

Leaning against a wall on the other side of the chamber, the Sheikah watched with hawkish eyes, analysing and examining the boy as his consciousness faded. He had a difficult task ahead, and he wondered if this broken boy could really fulfil his destiny and save the world.

‘We shall see. But if this…boy, proves too frail, what hope do we have then?’

Visions of death and carnage filled his dreams. A forest growing fear, a volcano erupting with hate, a lake filled with toxic death, a graveyard of the disturbed dead and a blistering sand goddess…and even in his subconscious, it was the thought of sand and it’s connotations for him that forced Link awake.

He blinked rapidly, trying to pull himself out of the dream and focused on his surroundings.

The cave.

A small fire was now lit in the centre of the cavern, only feet away from him, a blanket lying over his all but naked body, cocooning him in pleasant warmth that gave him a sense of security.

A movement flickered in the shadows and Link turned instantly to see what it was.

Sheik. The man was leaning against the wall, passing a short, curved knife from hand to hand, staring up at the roof of the chamber as he did so.

“You’re awake.” he observed, without looking at his audience.

Link nodded slowly “Well done.”

Red eyes flicked to meet his in a penetrating gaze that made him feel vulnerable. Apparently, the ninja-esque man didn’t appreciate sarcasm. Or at least, not from people he had just met and rescued.

“Your tongue is going to get you into trouble someday,” the blonde commented, pushing away from the wall and walking over to his ‘guest’. His gait seemed to match his attitude, calm, confident, smooth. It was more of a stalk than a walk, every step seemingly liquid, and it reminded Link, once again, of a wild cat hunting its prey.

The Sheikah crouched down beside Link, his garnet eyes scanning the face of the other man.

“Stand up,” he ordered suddenly, pulling away.

“Why?”

“Before we do anymore travelling, I need to assess your physical condition. You’re of no use if you can’t fight.”

A growl festered in the back of Link’s throat at the man’s brash statement, the evidence that to whoever it was who wanted him rescued, he was just a tool, just as he was to the Gerudo.

“So what happens if I can’t fight? And who’s ‘us’ exactly?”

A hand was held up “In time, I shall tell you. Now,” he made a motion for Link to stand and the Hylian did so, grudgingly.

He rose slowly to his feet, trembling as he did, his muscles still sore and stiff from their abuse. Sheik stepped towards him, catching his arm roughly to help him stand.

When he was sure he could stand, the warrior took a step back, trailing his eyes over the almost nude man.

Link shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny as Sheik’s eyes took note of a scar on his chest and averted his eyes from the other man.

Within seconds of looking away, the other blonde darted forwards, grabbing the ragged pair of shorts that he was wearing and tearing them off so that he stood completely nude. Instinctivly, Link reached down, cupping his hands over his groin so that he wasn’t totally exposed.

“If I was worried about seeing you naked, I wouldn’t have done that.” Sheik informed coolly, stepping up to him again, examining a heavy purple bruise on Link’s shoulder.

“What the hell are you…”

“Hush, hero. As I told you, I need to examine you for injuries.”

“Well there aren’t any down there!”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“But…”

“Shhh!” This hiss was scolding, similar to that of a parent reprimanding a child “Settle down, I won’t harm you.”

The Sheikah’s bandaged hand travelled down Link’s left arm, fingertips testing muscle density and probing for tenderness in the skin before taking the young man’s hand, turning it palm up. A thick white scar ran across the centre in a straight line, a testament to some punishment that he had received.

Repeating the process on the other arm soon after, the garnet eyes man rested his hand on the other’s chest, feeling thin, burnt skin stretched tightly over ribs.

The Hylian didn’t seem particularly underweight to look at, maybe a little on the undernourished side, but nothing much….the feeling of skin stretched so tightly over bone, particularly as his hand ran over the side of the ribcage, however, pointed out the fact that he wasn’t far from starvation. The only reason he didn’t seem to be was the well developed muscles in his shoulders and arms; somehow the hero’s body hadn’t started to digest them as a source of protein yet.

Moving further down, and crouching a little now, he continued to examine the rest of the body in front of him, his eyes skimming over a muscled stomach and sharp hips saving the boy some dignity, however minor. It was doubtful that the Gerudo would cause injury to that region anyway; if they hadn’t completely castrated him, it was unlikely they had done anything else. Besides, given his appearance, which the Gerudos would probably deem exotic, it was probably the case that they had sexually abused him. Vaguely, Sheik wondered to what extent the boy was mentally damaged after 7 years of torture, but he would surely find out when he travelled with him to the temples. He seemed fairly normal, but he had a sense of darkness lying under the exterior that would probably come to the surface under intense circumstances. Having said that, he seemed strangely cowed and subdued at the moment, no doubt a result of the Gerudo’s punishment, making the saviour of the land compliant with their orders…it was making Sheik’s job a good deal easier at the moment though.

How long would it take the ‘hero’ to rebel?

Glancing up into the other blonde’s blue eyes, he could still see a spark there, some dimly glowing embers that hinted to the innocence and life he had possessed so many years ago.

‘Not quite broken. Near the breaking point, but not quite gone…he may actually be able to rise to his destiny and if not…blame his fate.’

Standing up abruptly, he walked around the adolescent to his backside, glancing at the back of the calves for any scarring, although it seemed that legs weren’t the favourite place for Gerudo inflict pain upon.

Link shifted in discomfort, and Sheik could see that he was uneasy with having people standing behind him. Not that he could blame him…the Sheikah was the same himself.

Pulling his gaze up past the boy’s thighs and buttocks he lifted it to the flat plain of his back…and only just held back a noise of disgust. It was no wonder he was in pain.

Dark strap lines marred the formerly white skin, ranging from a few inches long to a foot and a half. One scar in particular caught Sheik’s attention. A smooth line, at least 4 centimetres in width, travelled from his right shoulder to left hip, deep red in colour even though it was clearly a few years old. Hesitantly, Sheik placed a bare fingertip against it and traced the scar, feeling Link shudder beneath him from the contact, the raised skin forming a definite ridge under his finger. Whip scar…and the Gerudos were known for their expertise in using that form of punishment. It wouldn’t have surprised Sheik to learn that the originally injury had split the skin and flesh of Link’s back down to the bone…an injury that still crippled him from time to time, even now.

The skin that wasn’t scarred was sunburnt to an extent that Sheik had never seen before. Red raw, flaking and chaffed, it was almost peeling off in sheets and Link’s neck and the backs of his arms were in a similar state.

Biting his lip against commenting on it to the boy, Sheik drew his attention to Link’s neck, noting a slender line that encircled the entire area. Slave collars.

“You were given special treatment,” he commented to his patient, mainly to stop him from trembling rather than an actual desire to speak to him “Gerudo rarely use collars on anyone these days, even their prisoners.”

“Guess they just took a shine to me, then.” Link replied sarcastically. Behind him Sheik snorted in perhaps a vague sense of amusement.

“You’ll be fine,” he informed him “The sunburn will heal on its own once it’s covered and the whiplashes will close up soon.”

“So I can fight for you then?” the voice held mock excitement, imitating a child at festival time.

Beneath the mask, a smirk twisted the Sheikah’s lips, and he found his opinion of this outwardly frail youth improving slightly. Only slightly though…he still had to prove himself before he’d give him any real credit.

“Indeed. Once you’ve eaten and you’re fully equipped.”

“…So tell me, Sheik,” Link started sitting down and turning to face the fire, folding his legs so his genitalia was hidden “What’s my big mission? What and who am I fighting for?”

The blonde wandered over to the far wall, lifting a pot from the floor and a bag before returning to the fireside and Link, laying the bags out on the floor as he knelt on a remaining blanket.

“And why do you keep calling me ‘hero’?”

Sheik pulled the bag open. “I address you as ‘hero’ because that is what you are. Or, at least, what you will become should you accept your task.”

Placing the pot onto a stand above the fire, he continued.

“I am a servant of her highness, the princess Zelda, with whom you are acquainted, yes?”

Link nodded silently.

“Then you know of her plan 7 years ago to save Hyrule from Ganondorf’s wrath. Unfortunately,” he pulled out several ingredients out of the bag “events did not go according to plan. Ganondorf stormed the castle just as you were retrieving the final spiritual stone from the Zoran princess, Ruto. The princess and her attendant, Impa, were forced to flee when Ganondorf invaded and his majesty, King Harkinian, was murdered.

“With the royal family gone, you were essentially alone, and Ganondorf realised this. When he learned your plans to open the sacred realm and obtain the Triforce to stop him from getting it, knew that you were the person princess Zelda intended to stop him, he decided that it would be safer for him to assure he knew where you were all the time. Therefore, he captured and imprisoned you.”

“Yeah, I got that bit.” Link commented, watching Sheik slice a few ingredients up and push them into the pan.

“I suppose that was something I should have expected you to know, so this is what’s happening now; In the seven years that have passed, with the Royal Family absent, Ganondorf has taken over Hyrule and is known as the Dark Lord. He does not have absolute power yet, that will only come if he possesses the Triforce, but he is seeking a way to reach the Triforce without the spiritual stones and the Ocarina of Time, and all his thought is bent on it.

The objects required to open the Door of Time are safe,” Sheik stopped Link from interrupting with his question

“They are in my possession currently.

Hyrule is a darker, more dangerous place to live now. Without the Royal soldiers protection, the people are scared and monsters are running rampant.”

Sheik took a breath as he poured water into the pan “The princess is firmly under the belief that you, Link, are the Hero of Time, destined to save Hyrule from Ganondorf’s wrath. That is who and what you are fighting for. Hyrule and its people.”

“…That’s…”

“Possible. You have already completed part of the prophecy of the Hero of Time by collecting the stones and gaining the trust of the princess. There is only one way to tell if you truly are the hero…and that, we shall see tomorrow.”

Link sat silently, deep in thought. Eventually he opened his mouth to speak, but Sheik cut him off again.

“Do not try to tell me that you’re not the Hero. You undergo the test tomorrow and we shall see whether or not you are.”

“What if I’m not?”

Sheik remained silent, and Link had the distinct impression that this was the only question the other blonde didn’t have an answer to.

The man busied himself with serving the soup he had just made and he handed a bowl of it over to Link without a word.

Sniffing the food he had been handed, Link savoured the smell, before eating it slowly, trying to pace himself from just devouring it all. It had been so long since he’d eaten anything but gruel and stale bread that this simple soup was as good as a rare delicacy. Hell, it actually had meat in it, something Link had rarely eaten even before his incarceration.

When he had finished his meal, Link turned his attention to the Sheikah, watching him rummaging through another bag, stretching as he did so. The wounds on his back stung at the movement and he quickly lowered his arms, loosening the tight skin on his back. The pain didn’t ease up that much with the slackening and he found himself wishing that he hadn’t done it in the first place.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated on thinking of something else, trying to diminish the pain, when something cold touched his back, and he jerked, his eyes flying open.

“Calm down,” Sheik instructed “It’s just a salve.”

“I thought you said I didn’t need treatment.”

The man behind him grunted “You don’t but it will ease the pain. You can’t fight if you’re crippled from pain.”

Link raised an eyebrow at the weak explanation but opted not to say anything as the cool ointment was spread and rubbed into the blistered skin, soothing the hot, burning sensation that seemed perpetual now.

The Sheikah finished his ministrations to the burnt skin quickly and turned his attention to the whiplash wounds, applying a different lotion to them before dressing them. When he had finished, the blonde stood and walked away, commanding ‘rest’ again and saying nothing more for the rest of the evening.

Settling down into his makeshift bed and feeling a lot more comfortable than he had for over seven years, he allowed a small smile to creep onto his face as he fell asleep.
Shaking sensations woke him from his peaceful slumber, dragging him out of a blissful unconsciousness, and Link grumbled, swatting at whoever it was who was disturbing him…didn’t they know he needed his beauty sleep?

“Arise, hero.”

“No offence, Sheik, but…bugger off.”

A snort sounded above him and Link sniggered to himself at the aggravation it portrayed. He stopped laughing a second later, however, when the warm blanket was wrenched off him.

“Arise, or ice water will be poured over you.”

Link cracked an eye open, shivering at the sudden cold, trying to focus on the figure of the man who had just woken him.

“Fine,” he grumbled pushing himself into a sitting position, his legs splayed out in front of him. It took him a moment to remember that he was naked, and when he finally did, he quickly folded his legs so that his ‘private place’ was hidden, blushing profusely as he did.

Sheik threw the blanket over to the other side of the cavern, than handed Link a bundle of cloth. As he walked away, Link could have sworn he saw a glint of amusement in those deep red eyes.

Looking down at the bundle, Link quickly untied it, noting that the cloth was actually clothing, and he quickly pulled the items on.

“Ok…well, I can see some similarities between this and my old outfit….and you do realise that I hate my kokiri clothes?” Link mumbled, only half jokingly as he straightened out the green tunic.

Sheik didn’t respond, concentrating as he was on packing the few meagre items the cavern held away.

“And leggings…wow, interesting.”

“You’re not at liberty to complain, hero.”

Link merely rolled his eyes at the other blonde’s response. Clearly he wasn’t going to indulge the young man’s newly freed sense of humour.

Standing up, he stretched cautiously, not wanting to pull at the healing whiplash wounds by accident, but even that caused a twinge in the most damaged tissues and he hissed quietly at the burning sensation that was radiating from the wounds.

Sheik gave him a cursory glance, not seeming to have a great deal of sympathy for his companion, but rather a harsh judgement instead.

“We must leave shortly.” The shadow warrior stated, throwing an apple at Link “Hurry and eat.”

Link caught the fruit, biting into it eagerly “And we’re going where exactly?” he asked through a mouthful of apple.

The other man gave him a disdainful look over the lack of manners and turned his back on him before he answered.

“The Temple of Time.”
The two men left the safety of the cave a short while later, travelling in silence across the stretching plain of Hyrule field, neither man knowing how to break that tenseness that kept them quiet…or wanting to know in the case of Sheik in particular.

The ninja-esque figure was radiating an aura of severe pessimism, and he had made it quite clear through hints in his voice and body language that he didn’t think much of Link or the idea that he could be this so-called hero.

At midday, they reached the crest of the field, heading to Hyrule Castle Market Town from the west side of Lon Lon Ranch and Link gave it a longing gaze as they passed, wanting nothing more than to see Malon’s friendly face. He was fairly sure that Sheik wasn’t going to let that happen. Not until he had ‘proved’ himself anyway. Maybe he could get to see her under the pretence of needing a horse…although, that might not be so much of a pretence as an excuse, maybe even a reason to go to the ranch. As they trudged on over the field, Link’s mind wandered, as it was prone to doing, to thoughts of his other friends. He wondered how Saria was getting along, or Darunia, or even Mido and Ruto, gods forbid. It had been so long since he’d had contact with anyone who gave a damn about him and with his new found freedom, he was desperate to see them. Princess Zelda too…Sheik had mentioned her, so he must have had contact with her recently…maybe he could get some info out of the stoic man. He doubted it somehow, but still, Link wasn’t one to give up before he had begun.

Clearing his throat to speak, Link opened his mouth to voice his question, but was cut off abruptly before he had a chance.

“Do not speak,” Sheik whispered “There are monsters roaming these fields, and I do not want to draw their attention. If you have further questions, they can wait until we reach the castle.”

“Which’ll be how long, exactly?” Link asked, dropping his voice to a lower register to keep it quiet.

“A few minutes.”

Link looked up from the ground, which he had been staring at in thought, and noticed the castle mere metres in front of them. It seemed darker than he remembered, the white walls seeming grey and foreboding.

Within a minute or so, he and Sheik were stepping over the shattered drawbridge into the entrance street of the town.

“Do not be too alarmed when we enter the market. Ganondorf’s influence is strong here and the people have long since abandoned the town. His fortress stands on the ruins of Hyrule castle.”

Link nodded silently, setting his lips in a grim line, expecting the worst as he and Sheik walked to the town centre.

It was empty.

Dark.

Silent.

The sky was dark with clouds that blocked the sun, shops lay in ruins, boarded up or burnt down, pillaged and destroyed. Plants lay dead in their beds, lank, yellow and stringy while flies buzzed around the rotting corpse of a dog that had died from starvation and neglect. A sense of desolation hung over the shattered town.

Sheik raked his eyes over the now-too-familiar-sight, the desolation so absolute but so…normal for this place, in this time.

Footsteps to his right alerted him to the fact that Link was moving, and he flicked his eyes to his charge, expecting to see the young man crouching by the side of that dead dog or holding an abandoned toy that had once belonged to a child. Any sign of softness, or remorse or shock for the state of the town.

Disturbingly, there was none. The blonde had lifted an eyebrow as he looked over the empty shops and debris, and picked his was through it, glancing once at the dog’s body with an expression that could vaguely resemble pity. But only vaguely.

The shy, playful, caring, friendly, soft, wonderful ten year old boy was gone. The child that Sheik had watched as a fellow boy, sneaking through the mazes of Hyrule castle as he studied him from the inside, standing beside an oblivious Auntie Impa, didn’t appear to exist at all anymore…even Sheik had some of his childishness, however minor it had always been, left within him.

Link’s however, had been completely stripped away and Sheik was now unsure as to whether that flicker of life he had seen in those blue eyes had been just a trick of the light.

When Sheik had first returned to the market town with his aunt just a few years ago, for a reconnaissance mission on Ganondorf, he had been horrified by the state of the place. He had never been attached to the lively, bustling place, it had never truly been his home, but it was still a horrendous sight.

Link barely seemed to have noticed.

“I thought we were going to the Temple of Time.” Link stated, halfway to the steps that led up to the large grey building, already.

“Indeed.”

A wolfos howl broke the air, and Sheik grasped a needle blade between his fingers as he slunk over to the other youth, on guard as they entered the temple.

It was the same as he remembered it and it was a relief to see it as such, still a firm bastion against evil’s darkness. The door of time stood open in its great arch, the spiritual stones set onto the black marble altar, something Sheik had done months ago in preparation for today.

Link stared around at the inside of the building quietly, some light back in his eyes, and it was with a slightly childish awe that he looked around the cavernous room.

“Come. You must undertake the test.” Sheik instructed, wrenching Link from his appraisal of the room. He nodded once in compliance. Such a change from the Link who had looked dispassionately around the hellish market.

“I placed the stones and opened the door of time.” Sheik explained as Link looked at the altar, leading him into the deeper room, shrouded in shadows.

Hollow taps echoed in the dark corridor as they walked to the chamber before white light blinded the two, filtering down from high set stained glass windows, highlighting the extravagant details of this inner area.

The Sheikah warrior sped up slightly so that he walked just ahead of Link, climbing up the shallow steps to stand on the raised pedestal, folding his arms and turning to face the other man.

“What’s…?” Link started, but trailed off when he saw the glimmering silver-blue sword that Sheik stood beside and he walked to it hurriedly, somehow drawn to the sword as if it were an old friend.

“This is the Master Sword,” Sheik stated simply “This is your test.”

Link raised an eyebrow “My test is pulling a pretentiously named sword from its pedestal?” he looked back to the sword and shrugged “Ok.”

Red eyes watched intently as the teenager stepped up to the sword and cautiously wrapped his hands around the amethyst hilt, completely unaware of the almost frantic rhythm that Sheik’s heart had taken to beating.

‘Seven years. Seven years this moment has been in the making. 2555 days spent waiting and preparing for this event that will last only 30 seconds. 61320 hours to answer a question of ‘Is he or Isn’t he?’…Of course, it’s only 7 years for them. For me, it’s my entire life. My entire existence revolving around protecting the person this boy may become…’

He was pulling. The youth’s hands were locked firmly around the sword’s handle, attempting to extract the weapon from its resting place…but only attempting, not succeeding.

Sheik felt his heart plummet, despite the fact that he was not prone to emotion…his few hopes, however, had rested on this. 12 years of training, waiting, watching, learning and this wasn’t it. His time had not yet come.

Then, out of the blue, the sword dislodged, wrenched free from the stone it was locked into and his heart skipped.

Blue light spilled from the slit that had held the sword, rising to the ceiling and forming into a circle that Sheik leapt out of as it engulfed the boy. It grew brighter, taking on a blinding, electric blue hue as it reached ever upwards, growing brighter still until all colour faded and only pure, angelic white bathed the room.

The shadow warrior blinked rapidly as the light dulled and faded, looking to the spot where the boy had stood with the legendary sword in hand.

And Sheik was alone.

Blue. It was all he could see, even as it faded into nothingness, revealing bizarre settings that made his head swim.

A soft blackness encased the room, seeming to move and shimmer like water, trickling into a void that bode no ill. Ribbons of light twisted in extravagant, beautiful shapes, spiralling ever upwards to disappear into the void with the rippling black walls, almost a physical presence.

Link looked around, his eyes scanning this realm which reached into infinity.

“Link, the chosen one.”

He spun sharply at the voice, finding a portly, elderly man standing before him. Tanned, weathered skin, a long white beard, brown priest like robes gave him the impression of age at least, but bright blue eyes that looked at him from under thick snowy eyebrows radiated youth.

“Do not be alarmed, Link,” the voice was deep and soothing “I am of no threat to you. There is no danger here, be at ease.”

The blonde unclenched his fingers from the fists they had formed into, still eyeing the man warily.

“I am Rauru, Sage of Light,” he informed the young man, gesturing to the golden disc which he stood on. “And you are the Hero of Time. Much time has passed and you have not had an easy path thus far, but please, hear my words and I will explain.”

Hesitantly, Link dropped his guard.

“Thank you. I imagine that Sheik has told you of Ganondorf’s influence, but not what it means for you.”

“Too right he hasn’t.”

A gentle smile flitted over the sage’s lips. “You are the Hero of Time, chosen by the Goddesses to wield the Master Sword and save Hyrule in its time of need. Now, is that time. The Master Sword repels all evil and under the will of our creators, chooses the hero. Your mission now, is to save Hyrule from its peril…this may seem to be an impossible task, but there is more than just your own strength at work here.

“When you entered here, the Chamber of the Sages, in the Sacred Realm, you released the seal on that realm and Ganondorf knows it. He has already entered the divine empire and taken the Triforce of Power…however you, and one other, have received respective pieces of the holy relic.”

“I…hold a piece of the Triforce?”

“Yes. You hold courage, Link, for that is your strength. You must return to Hyrule now, though you may find that it has worsened in its condition already, so hurry.”

“Wait! What am I supposed to do to save the land?”

“…Sheik will inform you of what needs to be done. Now, take this and we shall meet again soon, I’m sure.”

A floating ball of light appeared out of the warm darkness, hovering towards Link and he put a hand out to meet it. The light solidified at his touch, dropping heavily into his hand in the form of a gleaming, gold medallion.

“My power merges with yours, Hero of Time. Return and save the land. Fulfil your destiny.”

Link wavered, clutching the golden disc as his vision blurred and disappeared.

It was a period of time later that seemed both eternal and instantaneous that the semi familiar surroundings of the inner of the temple of time reappeared to him.

“So, you really are the Hero of Time.”

The voice resounded in his ears, distorted by his spinning head.

Sheik ran his eyes over the swaying boy and grasped his arm, steadying him, as he took in the details of his appearance.

Somehow, despite the somewhat frail build, pretty features and dulled blue eyes, holding that sword he managed to look like the hero he was to become.

Lucidity returned to the boy and he pulled his arm out of Sheik’s hold…but it wasn’t in anger, or humiliation, just the want to stand on his own.

“Guess so…what do I have to do though…he, the sage…Rauru? He didn’t explain.”

“Sit.”

The hero didn’t take much persuading and he sank to the floor. Sheik crouched in front of him, his eyes watching the entrance to the temple of time.

“The duty of the Hero of time is to save Hyrule.”

“Got that part.”

Sheik cleared his throat in annoyance “The role the hero plays depends on the situation at the time. In this case, you must awaken the sages.

“When you released the Triforce, and Ganondorf took possession one of the three elements of it, his wishes came true. An earthquake shook the land and I fear that Death Mountain has erupted. Within a few days, he will be the Dark Lord, the King of Evil and hold full dominion of this place. With this power, the sages are blind to their roles…you must travel to each temple that they protect and banish the evil from them.

“One is in the forest, one on the mountain, one under the lake, one in the graveyard and one in the sand goddess.”

Link stared at the sword clutched in his hand.

“And it’s really me who has to do this?”

Sheik nodded.

“…why is my life filled with this stuff? Can’t I just live a normal life? Without torture or capture, or destiny and heroics?”

“It would seem not.”

“This sucks…Is there someone I can blame this on?”

Frowning beneath his cowl, Sheik stood, staring down at the other blonde.

“…Blame your fate.”

***
Thanks for reading the chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated and please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the fic. Apologies for if the scene suddenly switches in places. The formatting on ff.net is lost during transference and also for any spelling mistakes.