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The Flow of Time	By : Catbeastaisha Category: Zelda > General Views: 5083 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda game series, nor any of the characters from them. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter Five: Resurfacing
Disclaimer: Zelda characters and Hyrule are owned by Nintendo. Badria and Kaula, however, are mine.

           I’ve waited long enough.

            The water gave slightly under my feet as I moved before the loathsome doors. Doors that had kept me in this room, the room I’d been imprisoned by the man in. The room where I met him, my farkas, in. The room where I’d waited and would wait no more in.

            Flicking my fingers at the door, two large tendrils of water shot forth from the lake, struggling with the doors till the detestable things could take it no more and opened. The water rippled eagerly, surging from the room, crashing into the walls, roaring as it plowed forward, heedlessly sweeping up anything in its path. I calmly followed in its wake, urging the mass along. The rampant wave grew larger as it went, gathering more substance and mass as it pulled fragments free from the walls, gathered more water, and drew skeletal remains into its form, hurling recklessly ahead.

            When I entered the main room, the water had formed into a substantial blob, quivering and awaiting my next order. Making my way towards the exit, I could feel the wards brushing against my “skin.” There was a slight tingling sensation, the magic hissing a warning, but I kept moving forward. Instantly the dormant magic lashed out, trying to throw me back, away from my goal. The force that slammed into me burned but I dug my feet in, trying to ignore the feel of it ripping apart my being. I brought my right hand forward and plowed it into the sides of the magic, this “thread” as thick as a forty-year old tree trunk. I had to extract my hand and jump back as another thread, just as thick, snaked at me from my right, brushing close enough past my face that I could feel the sting without contact.

            A slight frown creased my lips. The wards were stronger than I remembered…

            A quick jerk of my head had my massive blob of water and magic lashing out with its own tentacles, jerking whenever it came in contact with the wards. However, the water maintained its form, my magic combined with the fragments of water magic I’d stolen from the Sage confusing the wards. Clearly the wards could feel my magic, just as easily as it could feel the Water Sage’s magic, but it couldn’t decide whether to attack or allow itself to be attacked.

           It gave me the spare moment I needed.

           Spreading my fingers out, I curved them towards my palm, summoning water to my hands, infusing the Sage’s magic and my own into the water, using it to cover my forearms. Running towards the wards, a single leap had me in the air. Upon my decent, I brought my arms forward and slammed them into the mess of tangled Sages’ spells, the water and magic offering minimal protection as I slashed and tore at the threads, broken pieces of spell flying as I kept digging, trying to find the main six threads that kept this damn ward up and running.

           The ward bucked, apparently deciding that being destroyed was not an option. Pity. It would have been much easier had it given me my way…

           My hands clenched inside the carefully woven spell, trying to keep myself from being flung free of it, certain that once it cast me aside I’d never get another chance to do this. My beastly brute of water and magic kept launching its tendrils at the mess of wards but I could feel it slowly starting to destabilize as the wards frantically tried to dismantle it while at the same time trying to be rid of me.

           I heard the crashing sound of water, felt droplets splash my back as my creation fell, turning back into a useless puddle. Blindly seeking, I felt something and tugged on it, the wards thrashing wildly the instant I did. I allowed myself a triumphant grin as I pushed against the mass, ignoring the sizzling of my feet, pulling the thread with me. The spell bucked again, this time throwing me into a nearby wall. I was shocked when pain registered, startled by how the wards were still moving, five tendrils now shooting straight for me.

           A half smirk, half smile tugged at my lips as I held up the broken golden thread I’d pulled from its innards.

<I=========================================================|]]]]}

            There was no escape.

           Something had awoken me.

           Gradually, I half opened my eyes, keeping my body stilled as though asleep. Epona stood near, head lowered as she dozed, the grass near her nose swaying with each breath. I took some comfort in the fact that she still slept, it meant that whatever had me awoken me was still outside of her range of hearing.

           Eyes now fully open, I began to rise, ignoring the twinges of pain that ran along my back. Funny. As a boy I’d been able to sleep on the ground without much discomfort but now, back in the man’s body I’d once had, I often found myself dreading bedding down for the night. I’d gotten better at finding soft moss and sweet grass to give some thin layer of comfort but I almost missed being able to change from man to boy at a whim. Almost.

           I absently scratched the back of my left hand, allowing myself a brief moment of recollection on the past.

           I’d never found Navi, Goddesses protect her. After the fifth year, I’d given up hope completely on ever seeing her again. Since then I’ve wandered, my only goal to get further away from Hyrule and Termina, Dunders and Pesita, essentially, away from everyone and everything. I didn’t know how much longer the Goddesses planned to bless (or curse) me with life and didn’t want to spend what time I had near those who would manipulate me to reach their own ends. I’m still not sure who was pulling the strings at Termina but I never wanted to go through something like that again. Perhaps it was the Goddesses, who else would have seen to it that I remembered the Song of Time at the exact moment Skull Kid/Majora was trying to crash the moon into the world?

           My teeth bit together as I changed my train of thoughts to the strange itching of my left hand. I’d been rubbing it the whole time and the sensation persisted despite my efforts. Ripping at the strap at the back of my glove with my fingers, I tossed the worn leather to the ground, examining my hand to find what was causing the annoyance when my throat went dry.

           The Triforce was glowing.

           “No.” The word rushed past my lips in a futile attempt to deny what my eyes were telling me. As though it could sense my dread, the Triforce pulsed, a strange heat making my fingers clench in the wake of pain it left behind.

           Why? Why after nearly seven years would it awaken?

           I heard something move behind me and turned to see Epona looking at me expectantly, ears flicking as she turned her head towards where I’d vowed never to go back to.

           “No.” This time the word was stronger, given power from my anger and hatred. “I’m not going back there.”

           Epona moved her gaze back to me, shifting her weight a little, the leather saddle protesting as she did so. Experience had taught me long ago that if you slept outside you kept your horse saddled. Always. There were some things even I wouldn’t fight, things that made Ganondorf’s beast form seem pleasant.

           The pain in my hand increased, the glow of gold becoming insistent. I scrambled for my glove, not bothering to shake the dirt off that was on it, hastily shoved it on my hand. The glow permeated from behind the cloth and it did nothing to still the pain. The triangle piece clearly visible, despite being covered, I struggled to keep from falling to my knees, clutching my wrist against the waves of pain it kept radiating. I had to think, I had to find some way…

           I don’t want to go back!

           Epona bumped her head against my chest, distracting me. She breathed out through her mouth, her lips making a soft sound as they flapped together. She pulled back, shaking her mane, as though telling me to get a move on, get going, come on. There were times when I thought my mare had extraordinary intelligence. Now was not one of those times.

           “No.” Damn Zelda, damn Hyrule, and damn this Triforce! I was in charge of my life, damn it! Not them!

           The pain in my hand increased, no longer pulsing but becoming one continuous flow of searing agony, burning stronger each time I refused to go. I didn’t care. I’d die before I let them guide my life again!

           ~Link.~

           The feminine voice, familiar somehow, made me want to look up but I couldn’t focus. A soft blue light slowly formed, the golden light receding, the pain temporarily fading to tolerable as a touch stirred my gaze off the ground. Fingers brushed against my face, leaving a cool, soothing sensation behind them. Stupid as it was, I wanted to cry with relief that the pain was gone.

           ~It’s not gone, I’m not strong enough for that.~

           The voice ran along my mind, easing a tension inside I hadn’t known was there. The fingers stroked along my cheeks, the voice continuing to speak.

           ~You have to go back, Link.~

           “No.” I wanted to shout the word but it only came out as a subdued whisper. Vaguely I wondered what sort of spell was being worked on me, what sort of spell would make me more focused on those soothing touches than my life being in potential danger. Not for one instant did I think they saved me for the sake of saving me.

           ~Link…~ Gentle hands cupped my face. ~You must trust me. Go back to Hyrule.~

           The sting was gradually returning, the soothing from the hands fading, the cooling sensation dissipating like mist. The spell it held on me seemed to weaken as the pain strengthened, enough where I could lift my head to meet its face, a face I knew from long before. A face that held a wistful smile as fingers attempted to touch me but passed through my skin, lips that moved but made no sound save for the fading voice inside my head.

            ~I’m your guardian for life, Link. Don’t forget that.~

            I lunged to grab her, somehow foolishly thinking that if I could embrace her I could stop her from disappearing. Her image swayed, dissipating from a being my size to the form I knew so well, a little orb of aqua light with dragonfly wings. She gave a little chime…

            Then, she was gone.

{[[[[|=========================================================I>

            Bring him to me, princess…

            I could feel her wretched glow from within my temple and found myself rubbing my right arm where one of the wards had left a particularly deep gash. The wards had unraveled without the golden thread but not before one of them had left me with this parting gift. Three days later and the blasted thing still hadn’t healed...

            I allowed myself a soft snarl in her direction before focusing on more important matters.

            I’d yet to leave the temple. As much as I wanted to, it was best not to escape at the moment. Right now, the temple offered me protection in the form of walls and water, it would be foolish of me to depart. Let them come to me, I’d use them all to feed my hunger.

            Yet I knew, even as I thought it, that there was only one who would truly fill me.

            I extended my senses, using the water of the lake as an amplifier for my powers. By doing this, I could perceive where my enemies were without their notice and without extending large amounts of energy. Typically such an ability was useless, however, when I gained the Sage’s Water powers I found that it had many advantages.

           For one, the land around the lake was heavily saturated, making the water run close to the surface. With my ability, I could feel the Sages walking along the soil, their recently awakened powers vibrating the molecules around them. The old magic within the new shells sung to me, one ancient song with very distinguishable notes. Some notes were rich and hot like lava, others like wind through reeds and grass. There were notes that crashed like thunder, a few that chimed, and some that gave melodies like a harp. However, the notes that caught my attention were the gentle, cascading sounds emanating from the second smallest Sage in the group. It took me a moment to realize why.

           Magic was calling magic.

           “Really,” I mused aloud, flexing my fingers as a rare grin crossed my features. “They should know better than to come here, untrained as they are…”

           My tongue ran over my lips. It wouldn’t hurt to have a taste. Inferior as they were, the magic was still strong…

           Just as I’d been about to twist my wrist and send the water tearing upward through the ground to assault the Sages and their princess, I felt something else enter the area. I paused, hunger urging me to attack and envelop the ancient magic, logic telling me to hold my hand.

           I held my hand.

           The closer the presence came to the lake, the more I gleaned from the water. Three beats striking the soil again and again… a four-legged creature running at a canter. My head cocked a little to the side, attempting to strain my hearing through the water. I could make out the labored breathing of the beast, feel the lather from its lips splash against the dirt to be absorbed into the already damp soil. And yet…

           Not all that was soaked up was water.

            I half expected the creature to stumble and fall but it kept its pace up, slowing only as it neared the cluster of Sages and princess. The notes from their magic instantly raised louder, the presence of the beast eliciting jumbled sounds of joy and relief, almost (but not quite) hiding the softer, darker sounds that all mortals have deep within their souls. Tender little sounds, much prettier to my ears than the obnoxious noise they were making now. If I launched my attack now, I could take them–

            The beast stopped and you, my farkas, got off. I could feel you through the soil, feel your song reverberating and deafening my ears to the other melodies. Each step you took, each time your foot touched the ground, the notes shouted out. Laced with the charming notes of sorrow, the bittersweet taste of tears, and the tender chimes of despise, I could almost forgive you for taking so long when I realized just how pleasant you were going to taste.

            Almost.

<I=========================================================|]]]]}

            They really don’t give a fuck, do they?

            After three days and three nights of nonstop riding, the scalding heat of the Triforce on my hand not allowing me to stop and rest, I was finally back in hell. Epona was ready to drop, her whole body trembling as she tried to regain her breath, something she’d lost a long ways back. All I really wanted to do was see to her, cool her down, get her some warm mush (grain would have been too hard on her stomach just yet), and make sure she’d be okay.

            But no, the fucking Sages swarmed around me as soon as I’d dismounted, ushering me towards the lake, giving me no chance to do anything for Epona. Not one of them noticed my distress save for the source of my concern and all she could do was lift her head, hung low from exhaustion, and give a weak, comforting whinny that barely rose above the Sages chatter.

            It was the last time I saw her.

{[[[[|=========================================================I>

           You were coming. It was all I could do to keep from personally assaulting the Sages and claming that which was mine. I didn’t want them close to you. Didn’t want them to silence your song, as the magic within them had instantly started to do once they’d surrounded you. Magic and song were attempting to wrap around you, confine you to do their wishes.

           My fingers flexed. I could feel my eyes burning from within my skull.

           You were MINE.

<I=========================================================|]]]]}

            There was a shriek, from the monster or from the Sages I couldn’t tell. After the initial cry, everything went silent around me, despite the battle being waged.

            Tendrils of water rose from the ground, more massive than Morpha’s had ever been. Each one was twice the width of my body, longer than Volvagia’s whole body. They hung lazily in the air, tips swaying, before twitching and striking with a speed that rivaled a snake. Ruto was the first to get hit, the water plowing into her chest and surrounding her. Ruto’s eyes went wide then rolled to the back of her head while she floated, suspended in the water. Saria and Nabooru tried to run and help Ruto but the tendril containing her lifted the unconscious Zora out of their reach. By now my sword was already in my hand, the Triforce humming inside my head, urging me to fight.

            But I didn’t want to.

            Darunia was shouting at me, I think. I didn’t hear what he was saying but his mouth was moving as he dug into the soil to throw rocks at the tendrils. Stupid, really. The water let itself be hit, the rocks sticking to it. When enough coated its surface, the tendril Darunia’d been attacking flung the pieces outward, one striking Impa’s arm, her mouth parting to scream just as a different tendril encased her from behind. Zelda had her arms raised, a pink glow surrounding her as she frantically summoned a shield around herself. How thoughtful, princess, that you’d save yourself but not your followers.

            For a moment, her eyes met with mine. Our gaze held and I’m not sure what she saw but it was enough for her to look shocked. After that, I turned away from her, sheathing my sword, and began to walk towards the lake, leaving the fighting behind.

            If this was Morphea reincarnated, I’d get to the heart of the matter the same way I’d done everything else.

            By myself.

{[[[[|=========================================================I>


            Mine! He is mine! Touch him, taint him with your ways and I will make you DREAM of dying!

            Damn. I’d lost my advantage.

            I could feel the Sages power stirring with in them, rippling outward from their bodies. I had to withdraw quickly before their full potential was unleashed and the backwash of ancient, good magic attempted to purge me from the water.

            A growl swelled in my throat as the tendrils lost their shape and released the two Sages I had captured.

           You better be worth this…

            Eyes narrowed, my sight flickered to the entrance of the temple. I could feel you swimming through the water, hear your heart pulsing inside your body. Soon… you’d be here. My fingers curled as I watched the entrance, waiting for you to emerge.

           I would finally have my fill.

<I=========================================================|]]]]}

            Shit.

            I’d forgotten how deep the water temple was. Ludicrous as it was, I figured if it really was Morphea it wouldn’t leave its heart so callously unguarded. The temple seemed like the best choice to stash its heart but I didn’t have a Zora tunic or even the Zora mask to help me get in.

            I did have the Zora scale though…

            If I held my breath long enough and if nothing attacked me, I might just be able to make it inside.

            Either way, I had nothing to lose.

{[[[[|=========================================================I>

            There you are.

            Coughing, sputtering, not quite the reunion I’d hoped for…but you were here. I watched you, my farkas, pull yourself up out of the entrance well, clothes heavily saturated with water. I could see you struggling, muscles straining, before you finally succeeded. Once out, you sat there, panting for the air your lungs had been denied.

            The thought that I hoped to have you panting in a similar fashion later made me smile.

            Something perplexed me, however, enough that I kept myself hidden amongst the shadows and the shallow water. It was you, your scent, your vibrancy, your soul… but you looked no different than you had seven mortal years prior (at least I thought seven mortal years had passed…it gets hard to distinguish their days from mine). Why was that? Did my farkas not age? A worthy pet, to be sure…

            You were rising now, shaky, having to put your hand on the wall to steady yourself. I counted quietly to myself, waiting. You pushed off from the wall, drawing your sword and shield, walking down the tunnel, towards the main chambers of the Water Temple. You wander about and I watch, amused as you try and find whatever it is you think is lurking in my temple, retracing your steps, I imagine from the last time. You tense suddenly, either remembering some past event that took place here or sensing what would transpire, and took the final step inside the chamber, my chamber.

            Now, my farkas, you are mine.

<I=========================================================|]]]]}


            I felt the spell tingle behind me, whirled to look even though I already knew what had happened.

           I was trapped.

           It wasn’t just a door either, something that would open once the monster had been beaten. No, it was a massive wall of water blocking my way out. One that was slowly starting to freeze at the base till the wall of water became a wall of ice.

            “Impressive, isn’t it, what one’s will can do?”

            My head slowly turned, my grip on my sword tightening. There, just before me, his own sword in hand, was my doppelganger.

            “Y-you’re suppose to be—”

            “Dead?” His voice, oddly enough, didn’t sound like mine. It was an octave deeper, words spoken clearly without the Hyrulian accent I’d been accused of having. “Oh, no, my farkas, I was never dead.” His lips tightened into a smile, one that made me want to take a step back. “I’ve been alive and waiting.”

            “Waiting?” Too many disadvantages. I didn’t have the Master Sword, I wasn’t rested, hadn’t eaten… I was going to die.

            He took a step closer, moving with more grace than I remembered.

            “Oh, yes.” His eyes, redder than the lava in Death Mountain, seemed to glow against his dark skin, my skin. “I claimed something from you long ago. Now… I want to claim it all.” His sword dragged, carving a line into the water. “You’ve kept me waiting far too long, my farkas.”

            Before I could ask what in the Goddesses’ name he was talking about, his form blurred, leaping for me. I drew up my sword to block his swing, the impact of his blade on mine almost numbing my whole arm. Holy Shit! Did he get stronger?!

            Or did I get weaker?

            I tried to take charge of the fight, wanting to end this quickly before what little strength I had vanished. He wasn’t letting me though. It was all I could do to defend against his unexpected thrusts, thrusts that came without mimicry. Sparks cascaded when the blades clashed, the noise so loud it rang in my ears. I could feel sweat building on my brow, threatening to spill in my eyes. I didn’t dare try to blink, certain that if I did, he’d run me through.

            The realization made my worn body struggle to move faster, urged my head to think clearer. I jumped to the side as his blade came swinging down, hastily raising my own sword to swing in an upward arc. He evaded by pulling back but not before I tore some of his tunic, a line of liquid gray tipping my sword’s edge.

{[[[[|=========================================================I>


            You surprised me again, my farkas.

            The cut you’d graced me with was already healing, only slightly deeper than a scratch. You looked so proud over it, I didn’t have the heart to tell you that you’d have to do better than that.

            I pushed harder, impressed when you managed to block my swings. I still wasn’t giving it everything I had, not wanting to permanently damage you (yet), but I was giving it more than I had the first time we’d met. Even without the sword drenched in magic and your growing scent of fatigue and desperation, you fought better now than you had the last time.

            You swung in a circle with your blade, trying to catch me off guard but I know that trick, remember? Leaping back, I wait and meet your charge, raising my sword to block the high arc you attempt to bring down on my head. The instant after I block it, I take a swing at your side. You block, counter, make your swing…

           Our swords lock, just as they had seven years prior.

           Much in the same way, with the same motions, I lean in and take your lips for myself. There’s no blood or tears in this kiss but your sweat and exhaustion. When you try to push me away, I deny you, putting more pressure into the kiss till I feel your sword shaking against mine

            You don’t have the strength to push me away this time. This time, you stand there, unable to move as I savor what I’d long been waiting for these past seven years.

           You.
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The Flow of Time

Chapter Five: Resurfacing