Ocarina of Time II: Parallel Symphony

Standard disclaimer: I don't own any of these people, places or things. Heck, even most of the verbs belong to someone else. :-) All characters and settings © Nintendo. Hey, they've earned it.

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Part One: Boy

Chapter Four: Thirteen -- Fire

Zelda bit back a curse and slapped the ground three times. Impa released her pinned arm and backflipped away. "Well done, child. You lasted three minutes that time."

The Sage of Time snorted derisively, rolled onto her back and sat up. She wasn't sure if she was glad or annoyed that her garden sanctuary was virtually untouched by their training exercises. "Oh, that's very comforting, Impa," she quipped, voice thick with irony. "Knowing that Ganondorf would capture me in three minutes instead of two is a great relief."

"I'm pleased that you think me as great a warrior as the King of Evil," Impa said dryly, not reacting in the least when Zelda stuck her tongue out at the Sheikah, "but after two centuries, I do have some skill. You have mastered the arts of invisibility, mental defense, vanishing, your Sheikah form and even the Eye of Truth, which Link himself still struggles with." Zelda suddenly felt as if she could float off the ground. Blinking back tears, she nodded as respectfully as she could manage. "I will not have you overestimate yourself, my child, but neither will I have you denigrate your abilities. Even without your wizardry, you are a match for any Stalfos, Moblin or enchanted beast in Ganondorf's arsenal. With it, I daresay you would last more than three minutes against me."

Seeing her opening, Zelda struck immediately. Just as Impa taught me, she thought with an impish grin. "So I'm ready to go with Link when the next Temple is threatened?" she asked with sweet innocence. Impa's eyes went wide -- the first time in either life Zelda could remember surprising her thus -- then swore so vehemently at such length the princess was frozen with shock. "Impa!" she blurted, scandalized.

The last Sheikah shook her head sadly, then smiled at Zelda with pride. The tears threatened to resurface, and Zelda's throat felt tight. "I keep telling myself that I cannot shelter you forever, yet here I am, teaching you to be one of the deadliest beings in our world with one hand and trying to keep you a safe and gentle princess with the other."

"Impa, I love both sides of who I am," Zelda replied patiently. "There were occasions when I hated being a dress-up doll, I will admit, but knowing what good I can do as heir to the crown..." she smiled shyly. "It is a great comfort."

"And, perhaps, the gowns and courtly manners are not so odious as they once were?" Impa asked, not quite smiling, one eyebrow raised.

Zelda looked away, still smiling, and toyed with a single flower with one finger. "I...I suppose not. At times." She pulled back her hand then, fist clenched. "But I am also the Hero's Sage. His guide. He needs me, Impa. In that other life, even if I could only advise him, I was there."

The princess was stunned when Impa sat beside her, then wrapped her in a gentle hug. "I know, child. I know." The Sheikah did smile then, rueful and fiercely proud all at once. "Your father is going to be furious with me."

"You leave father to me," Zelda said with a slight chuckle. "He knows how important this is." She grinned at her bodyguard and constant companion. "Besides, I'm sure I'll have my nanny along to wipe my nose if I get in over my head."

Impa snorted. "Do not test my patience, girl," she said, though without the least indication of heat. "I'll carry you off myself if I see you growing reckless."

Zelda's eyes went wide. "Then...you mean...?"

"Could I stop you if I wished, 'little princess?'" Impa asked quietly.

"If you found me in three minutes," she quipped back. Then she threw her arms around Impa and hugged her fiercely. "Thank you," she whispered.

Impa shook her head. "Don't thank me yet. If you are truly going to do this thing, you'll find that your training has hardly even begun." Still, she patted Zelda on the back. "Zelda, I know we have these memories, but they are not ours. You, the you that is here, now, has never faced true battle or bloodshed."

Zelda nodded, trying to ignore the butterfly storm in her belly. "I know. It doesn't matter. He needs me. I -- I have to do this, Impa. I have to."

"Well then." Impa slowly disentangled herself from her charge. "I suppose we should tell the Hero." She regarded Zelda carefully. "You must realize he will not be at all happy to see you endanger yourself."

"I do," Zelda replied solemnly. "I'll explain it to him. He'll understand." She frowned slightly. "Well, he'll accept it, anyway." The princess knew Impa well enough to know when she was carefully saying nothing. Zelda's expression hardened. I have to deal with it. So can he.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"BROTHER!" Darunia boomed, gripping Link in one of his bone-crushing Goron hugs. Link had never been so glad of the Golden Gauntlets.

"Brother Darunia," he gasped. Navi blinked in alarm over his head. The mighty Goron chuckled sheepishly and released him.

"It is so good to see you again! Goro-Link has been looking forward to your return," the Goron Elder Brother said happily. Above them, Goron City hummed with life, Din's mighty children of stone and fire rolling, digging and trading vigorously. "I must say, you've been visiting most regularly of late." The Sage of Fire paused before they emerged into the city, looking the Hero over with a penetrating eye. "Your exploits are renowned across Hyrule, but I can see them etched in your living form. You seem half-Goron yourself, muscles like stone and strength like Din's Fire itself."

Link rubbed the back of his neck and smiled shyly. "I'm just doing what I can. I'm glad you approve, Brother."

Darunia nodded seriously. "Indeed I do, Hero, but it occurs to me that it has been a mere week since your last visit, where once you came with the new moon as reliably as a light clock." They walked out into the bottom level of the city, Gorons smiling and waving to the pair. Link waved back slightly. Gods. I will never get used to this, he thought in amazement.

#Well get used to it, Hero!# Navi 'pathed back to him happily. #You deserve it!#

#The gods chose me to do a job. I'm doing it. That's all,# Link replied, a touch defensive. He turned to Darunia. "It's been over eleven months since the Forest Temple. I, well, I've got a feeling."

Darunia nodded. "Ah. I do recall you visiting this often immediately after you saved the Kokiri." He looked in the direction of the caldera, smile vanishing. "Your intuition serves you well, Brother Hero. The volcano has been angry of late."

"Angry?!" Navi blurted, darting back under Link's hat and peering out nervously from beneath the rim.

"Indeed." They walked up to the next level, Darunia plucking a bomb and chewing on it absently. Link froze briefly before he realized the Goron elder had torn off the 'fuse' with his teeth first. I'll never get used to that either, he thought while Darunia nodded to younger Gorons. "I fear that some fell power calls to Volvagia. He might even return to life."

"Or unlife," Link muttered darkly. "Darunia, you do remember...?" The Sage of Fire nodded. "I have the Megaton Hammer. The moment you see that thing, just say the word and I'll knock it out of the sky again."

"Hmph." Darunia scowled. "Ganondorf tricked me last time. I'll find our own Hammer, then we will crush Volvagia together."

Images of the Fairy Bow and Boomerang vanishing filled his mind suddenly. "Brother, you remember when we went into the Dodongo Caverns together last year? The Bomb Bag, and what we told you?"

At that, Darunia looked down to Link, then laughed. "Ah, but I do. I have consulted with the Sage of Time on this matter. She believes that you must be a certain distance from the object to send it through these so-called time streams. I will take Volvagia from one end of his lair, as will you from the other. He will not have a prayer against our might combined!"

Finally, Link grinned. "You've really thought this out, huh, Darunia?"

"Of course!" Darunia boomed in his friendly way. "I am a Sage, you know."

"Big BRUDDA!" a squeaky child's voice -- at least, as much as any Goron could squeak -- echoed around them, and a thigh-high rock made a wobbly roll to their side. It sprang into a waist-high Goron, who immediately mimicked his father's emphatic embrace, albeit with far less danger to Hylian life and limb.

"Goro-Link!" Link laughed. "What is that ribbon on your head?"

"Is my hero hat!" Goro-Link said proudly, straightening to give himself as much height as he could, placing his hands on his hips, and throwing his head back. The green strip of cloth he had literally tacked on to his head swung limply for a moment. Darunia covered his mouth, and Navi lost her battle with a case of the giggles. Link's jaw ached from not joining her, and the fairy dove back into his hat to avoid embarrassing the child. "No one stop Link the Hero!" The boy drew a sandstone sword, reminding Link of wooden blades with which he'd slain the mightiest monsters his imagination could conjure as a child, and thrust it into the air. Then he looked up at Link and started bouncing on his feet. "Wanna seed! Wanna seed!"

Link couldn't help it. He chuckled. "You mean 'steed,' Goro-Link?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Horsy-ride, pease Link, peeease?" Link laughed outright at that, picking up the young Goron and placing him on his shoulders.

Darunia laughed as well. "You treat the Hero as well as he does Epona, you hear, son?" he called out, the city echoing with his voice.

"Ay-yup!" Goro-Link said. "Yah!" Link snorted, then took off. Goro-Link swung at imaginary villains, then pulled out a stone hammer that couldn't have been bigger than Link's hand and attacked 'Volvagia.' "Bad dragon go boom!" he laughed, and Link 'reared' back so the child could hold up his hammer in triumph.

A real roar echoed through the city. The entire mountain shook. "Great Din!" Darunia shouted.

"Volvagia!" Goro-Link cried fearfully, clutching Link's head briefly. Trembling, the child still asked, "We go fight dragon?"

Link carefully put the young Goron down. "And they gave me the Triforce of Courage," he said, rubbing the boy's stony head. "Your father and I are going to go fight the dragon. See those Gorons?" he asked, pointing to a knot of the rock-people coordinating the retreat to the more heavily reinforced areas, which clearly served as shelters. "You go with them and make sure they don't panic, okay?"

Goro-Link nodded solemnly. "Count in me!" he insisted, rolled himself up, and wobbled towards the group Link had pointed to.

Darunia laid a hand on Link's shoulder with surprising gentleness. "You are good with children, my friend." Then he smiled broadly. "Then again, I suppose that's to be expected!"

"The youngest true Kokiri is at least a hundred," Link replied wryly. "Come on, Brother," he said, a grim smile on his face. He gestured, and the Megaton Hammer appeared in his hands. "I know your people eat stone, but I have a sudden craving for dragon steak."

"Spoken like a true Goron warrior!" Darunia boomed with pride and good humor, then led the way toward the Temple. "You have your Tunic?"

Again Link gestured, and green swirled away, replaced with red in the exact same instant. It's still kind of loose, but at least it works now, he thought with relief, tucking some extra fabric into his belt. "You okay, Navi?"

"Yeah, but I think I'll stay in here until you need me anyway," she replied from the safety of his hat.

Link nodded. "I've got to ask Zelda how that works." He slapped his forehead. "Zelda. I'd better contact her. She'll kill me if I don't let her know what's going on." Darunia chuckled and nodded, and Link played Zelda's Lullaby. #Zelda? Can you hear me?#

#Link!# she replied happily, but her mind quickly grew serious as she sensed his grim readiness. #The Fire Temple?#

Link nodded as he and Darunia exited the city, entering the searing fury that was Death Mountain Crater. #Darunia's with me, so I've got backup. I just didn't want you to worry.#

#That's sweet,# Zelda replied, and Link sensed her smiling. He also sensed something else, a secret satisfaction. It worried him. #I'm sure the Fire Temple will be no problem at all.#

Um. Link nodded. #Good. Thanks. I'm sure we'll manage.#

#So am I,# Zelda said cryptically. #Gods be with us all.# With that, her mind was gone.

"Look out!" Navi cried, and Link leaped backwards. Three dodongos landed in front of the Hero and Sage, and Navi immediately flew above one of their tails.

"Hah!" Darunia shouted with savage glee. "The King of Evil is desperate if he thinks these meager forces will slow us!" He ignored the dodongo's flames and crushed its mouth shut with one mighty punch. It flailed around briefly, then fell still, exploding in Dark Fire.

"Maybe, but this didn't happen before," Link muttered, dodging around the dodongo's flame and easily destroying it with the Megaton Hammer. "I don't like it."

The third dodongo snapped its vicious jaws at Darunia, and to Link's surprise, the Goron Sage stepped back warily, bringing up his hands in a defensive stance. "You have changed what was," he said reasonably. "It is only logical that small things would change along with the great."

Link nodded, then leaped at the thing from behind. Again, one deadly blow reduced his foe to scattering motes of debased mana. "You okay, Brother?"

Darunia nodded. "Oh, certainly. Dodongo flames are of no consequence to a Goron, but their jaws chew through stone even more readily than ours." He brushed some ash off his shoulders. "Thanks to you, however, it never came close."

Link nodded. "Let's go, then." They strode down to the Bolero of Fire platform and the Temple entrance.

There, waiting for them, were Sheik and Impa, the Sage of Shadow standing there with her arms folded, as Link always remembered her, and her apprentice leaning insouciantly on a boulder. Sheik wore the familiar Sheikah symbol over her chest, but it no longer covered her face, and the wrappings were all missing save for the one that served as a sort of hat. Few would mistake that lithe azure figure for a man's. "Z-Sheik?!" the Hero burst out. "What in Farore's name are you doing here?"

Sheik's confident demeanor melted in the caldera's fury. "It is something that grows over time...a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time..." she said slowly and evenly.

Link scowled. I'm not in the mood for this. "I appreciate what you're trying to do...Sheik...but I know the songs, and this inferno is no place for Sheikah." He turned to Impa. "I'm amazed that you let -- him -- do this." At least her features are somewhat different, he thought with relief. I hope that hair is magic and not a quick slice, though, or this disguise is going to last exactly until we get back to the palace.

"Her," Sheik said, almost apologetically. Darunia coughed into his hand.

"I had little choice, Hero of Time," Impa replied, only a hint of regret in her tone. "It was accompany her, let her run off on her own, or lock her away so even a Sheikah could not escape. This was the best choice."

Link's hands tightened on the Hammer until his fingers ached. Din sear it all! The one person I don't want within miles of this horror, and... He locked eyes with Sheik. They were the familiar vivid red, but otherwise, he realized with a shock, they were her eyes. Defiant, yes, but also pleading for him to understand. How could I have not known? Those eyes...the same eyes, red or blue... He could never refuse those eyes. Never. Din burn me. All the same, he matched her gaze for gaze. "You follow my lead, stay in the shadows, hit from a distance and for the love of Nayru, watch out for the drops. There's a nasty four-level fall from the Temple's peak." He shuddered at the memory, then hefted the Megaton Hammer. "Let's go," he said reluctantly, and strode into the Fire Temple.

"I defer," Sheik said with light amusement, "to your wisdom, Hero."

"Experience," he corrected through gritted teeth. Sheik nodded, her smile hidden only by the tilt of her head. Gods be good. This is going to be harder than I thought.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The keese had been simplicity itself. This room, though...this gigantic chamber with the broken bridge... Are they right? Zelda wondered, suddenly horrified. Should I be here? I can't let him do this alone, but I can't be a burden to him, either. I can't be. She looked around, the Goron fabric woven into the inside of her suit protecting her from the heat, but watching the cavern boil with monsters as much as lava gave her genuine pause.

Sheik straightened. No. I can do this. "What do you suggest, Hero?"

Link frowned in thought, looking behind them. "Last time, Darunia went off to prevent Volvagia from escaping, but..."

"Have no fear on that account, Brother," Darunia replied lightly. "He hungers to feast on us, but as you said, it is we who shall dine on dragon tonight!" He laughed. "Volvagia will not leave until he can face us. It is we two he was reborn to destroy, the Sage of Fire and the Hero." Link nodded to himself while Darunia continued. "Shall we go up? The key to his room lies on our level, but my tribe's Megaton Hammer awaits us at the Temple's peak."

"To the peak, then." Link led the way across the bridge, leaping across its gap with an agility a Sheikah could envy. "I should avoid entering the room with you, Darunia."

"That would probably be best --" Sheik began.

"DOWN!" Link roared, charging toward her with the Hookshot forming in his hand. Sheik immediately rolled forward, bouncing to her feet behind the Hero. Three quick pops, and three burning keese had exploded into smoky mana. "To the door! NOW!"

"Why..." Sheik's eyes went wide, Darunia swore something she didn't understand, and even Impa hissed through her teeth. A gigantic lizard-like skeleton was emerging from the lava. "What evil is this?" she asked, already obeying his command.

"It's King Dodongo!" Link shouted, throwing bombs at the monster. "That's it's corpse!"

"As if we lacked for troubles!" Darunia boomed, throwing the door open. "Quickly!" Impa and Sheik darted through, Link following after the creature's mouth slammed into his shield, throwing him in. The Hero landed on his feet, however, apparently unhurt. The huge undead thing snapped at them in fury at its revenge denied, and Sheik imagined the empty sockets glaring at Link hatefully.

Link merely laughed at the creature. "Looks like that diet you're on still isn't enough," he quipped, saluting the thing jauntily, then slammed the door in its face. It roared in fury. He turned to the others, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling that blasted smile of his. "Well, as long as none of us fall down there, we don't have to worry about that ugly beast again."

Darunia folded his arms. "I would not be so sure, Brother. We may have to pass through the chamber again."

"Sure, but as long as we're quick, he shouldn't be a problem," Link said. "Anyway, that block is our ride." He pointed with his Hookshot at the huge cube near the top of the room.

Darunia nodded and rolled up and over the fence, then pushed the block onto the jet of lava in the center of the room. Sheik tried to keep her eyes from widening as the block shot into the air, then fell back to the floor. "Are they all like this?" she asked faintly.

Link snorted. "This? Sheikah, this is nothing." He used his Hookshot to fly to the top of the fence, balanced easily there, then jumped lightly down to the block when it touched the ground. Darunia watched placidly while the Hero rode it to the next floor.

"You wanted to come," Impa whispered to her evenly, then used her chain to fly right over the fence and land on the block herself. She rode it up without the slightest hesistation.

I can do this. Sheik grimaced and drew out her own chain, then latched on to the fence and performed nearly the same acrobatic maneuver her mentor had. By design, however, she landed well short of the lava jet. "Not so bad," she said quietly.

Darunia beamed at her. "You move well, little Shiekah. Impa has long sought to rebuild her secret tribe. You do her proud."

Sheik blushed. "I wish that were true. I fear becoming a burden to her, or worse, to the Hero." Before Darunia could respond, she leaped onto the block the moment it landed. "I will not let that happen." She crouched on the block as it shot into the air, then rolled forward the moment it came to 'rest' in the floor above. Sheik stood, turned and watched it fall again. "wow."

"Yeah, it's kind of jarring the first time, but it's really amazing, isn't it?" Link said from behind her. Her blush returned, deeper than before. Sheik was grateful she faced away from him in that moment.

"We must press on," Impa said calmly once Darunia had reached them with a whoop of triumph. "There is much of the Temple left to explore."

It was slow going at first, Link watching all of them carefully as they wended their way through puzzles, mazes of flame and stone alike, and deadly creatures in every direction. Together, they tore through Ganondorf's monsters with ease. Link's experience combined with Darunia's knowledge of the Temple allowed them to make good time once they grew accustomed to one another. By then, Sheik was proud of how she acquitted herself.

Link paused as they reached another wall of flame, the crystal below them seeming to pulse with anticipation. "The Megaton Hammer is up there," he said, pointing at the mesh. Sheik looked at it. Anyone could climb it with ease, once the fire was dealt with; for a Sheikah, it would be as easy as walking. "I'll deactivate the flames. There's a tricky wall-walk to get up to it, so be careful."

"Wall-walk?" Darunia asked, then chuckled. "Oh, I am sorry, Link. We Gorons use such tracks as shortcuts." Link sighed and shook his head, but he smiled as he did.

"It will not be a problem, Hero," Impa said simply. "We will let you know when Darunia has the Hammer." Link nodded and activated the crystal, and the trio easily ascended to the Fire Temple's apex. Darunia rolled straight up the mesh, while Impa and Sheik scrambled up easily.

Sheik looked into the vast shaft that led all the way down the Temple, eyes widening. Far below, King Dodongo's remains lashed about furiously. "He fell down that?" she whispered.

"The Hero is strong!" Darunia laughed. Then he curled up and easily rolled along the wall top. "Now, Impa!" he called the instant he sprang to his feet. Impa stepped onto the switch, and the circle of flames around the chest vanished. Darunia thumped the top of the chest. He reached in when it opened, hefting the Hammer with one hand and grinning broadly.

His grin vanished with the Hammer, the swirl of light exactly as Link described. Darunia looked at his empty fist, nonplused. "Impa?" he asked dubiously. "I believe you should contact the Sage of Time."

"I will do that," she drawled. #Zelda?#

Sheik blushed and looked away. #I...do not know. If Link is the one to send them back, then his presence should be necessary. If he is not, they should already be gone. Perhaps a Sage can retrieve the artifacts for my counterpart -- it may be necessary for the Temple Sage to take it, or any Sage might be able to send them. Perhaps Link need only be in the Temple, or the chest need only be opened. This is temporal theory beyond anything in my knowledge as Sage of Time. Frankly, I thought the Hero's touch was required, but I considered it best to be cautious. Apparently, I was not cautious enough.# She grimaced. #I suspect the Arbiter's handiwork, myself.#

#You cannot be expected to know everything, child,# Impa replied soothingly. #The other items will not be particularly valuable in duplicate, at least not for our purposes. We will deal with Volvagia as we are.# She looked up. "Our apologies, Darunia, but even Zelda does not know how or why such a thing happened. She suspects the Arbiter's handiwork, however."

Sheik nodded, relieved. Darunia descended. "Link! You may come up!" he called, then turned to Impa. "Tell the princess that she need not be ashamed. We are all on unstable ground here, and Time is no strong earth, but shifting sand." He pounded his fists together and grinned. "Nor does it matter here, for Volvagia shall fall by our hands!"

"No Megaton Hammer, then?" Link asked, his head popping up. He looked...guilty, somehow.

"What difference does it make?" Darunia turned his grin on the Hero. "You felled Volvagia alone. Together, we shall shatter him to pebbles!"

Link nodded, then walked over and held out the Megaton Hammer. "Definitely. Now, though, this is yours, Brother."

"That..." the Goron elder's mighty hand pulsed briefly. "That is a mighty gift, Hero."

"No gift, Darunia," Link replied. "I borrowed this long ago. With your Hammer gone, I'm just returning it to its rightful owner."

Darunia gazed at the Hammer a moment longer, then laughed and slapped Link on the back. The Hero staggered. "Magnificent! I think not, however. Return it when Ganondorf is beaten, if you wish. Let the strength of the Gorons flow through you, and teach Volvagia what it means to challenge my Sworn Brother!"

Link smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck. Sheik forced her heart to beat normally. It was easier this time, though not nearly as much so as she'd hoped. Still, it hasn't been as bad as I thought. I think I'm getting the hang of this. The descent was far simpler than the climb, and the Sheikah apprentice felt more confident with each monster she felled.

Then she met her first Like-Like.

"What in Farore's name..." Sheik stared in amazement at the slow, strangely pulsing creature before them. She shook her head and chuckled. The flying tiles were shattered all around them, and the only 'threat' that remained was this bizarre, translucent thing.

"Sheik, that thing is a Like-Like," Link said warily, sheathing his blade and summoning his Megaton Hammer, "and it's a lot more dangerous than it looks."

"You cannot be serious," she replied incredulously. It looked like a gelatin mold with a toothless maw, pulsing slowly enough to make a Torch Slug seem like a falcon. With a flourish, she summoned half a dozen blades into one hand. "Let us see how this beast deals with a diet of Sheikah blades."

"That should be effective," Impa agreed slowly, Link circling the creature and Darunia staring at it with distaste, "but only if you -- keep your distance! Sheik!"

Sheik had already been in the air when Impa shouted her warning, and she realized the creature's mouth was pulsing at her, but the apprentice Sheikah was confident that she could kill the monster before it could do anything to her. She fired one needle into its mouth, then a second. Then, with a speed it hadn't remotely displayed before, it shot upward and swallowed her whole!

Gah! Sheik thought, disgusted. The thing's innards were as gelatinous as she'd expected. She tried to push her way back out. To her horror, she couldn't move! It pulled the blades from her hand, the wrappings from her hair and the Sheikah tabard from her body. Each pulse felt like a fist clenching her entire body. Worst of all, she couldn't breathe. Fool girl! They warned you! She could hear nothing but the monster's pulsing, but through horrible distortion she could see the three of them dancing around her captor, unable to attack for fear of hurting her. All at once, Link dove at the monster, golden arms reaching in to her. She recovered just enough movement to reach back -- the thing seemed to find her less appealing a meal than her blades or clothes -- and he pulled. At that moment, the Like-Like spat her out.

"WAAAH!" Link shouted as they went flying, Sheik landing on his stomach as he hit the floor several feet away, hard.

"Nayru! Link, are you all right?" she cried, rolling off his body and checking him over quickly. Impa was already firing needles into the Like-Like's amorphous body, and Darunia was pitching bombs into it.

Link grunted and nodded, standing, summoning the Megaton Hammer again and hefting it with determination. "Get back," he said bluntly, and Sheik did. "SEI-YAH!" he roared, crashing down on the monster with the weapon's full might. The Like-Like collapsed into a puddle of melting ooze, wheezing, then dissipated entirely. Much to Sheik's relief, her blades, scarf and tabard remained, unharmed and even unstained.

She pulled her stolen clothing back on quickly and sent her knives into her own fairy space, then turned to the Hero. Sheik wanted to sink into the floor and vanish. "Link...I'm sorry..."

To her amazement, he grinned at her. "Don't feel bad. My first time in a Like-Like was no fun, either, but they're more annoying than dangerous. You have to get swallowed an awful lot of times for them to be a real threat." He gestured with a nod of his head to the door. "Come on. We've got a lot more temple to get through."

Sheik nodded and followed. I'm not going to let that happen again. She snuck a look at Impa. Her mentor didn't return her gaze, picking up her own knives and banishing them with a simple wrist movement. Sheik's heart fell into her feet. "Lady Impa, I know I should have--"

"That was reckless and foolish," Impa said curtly, still not looking at her. "Had that been a more powerful opponent, your life would have been in real danger."

"I'm sorry, sensei," Sheik whispered, looking at the floor. "It won't happen again."

Impa looked at the door, only a narrowing of her eyes betraying any emotion. "Good." She strode onward, Sheik following obediently. They encountered their second Flame Dancer, which fell quickly to their combined power, then passed what looked like an open prison cell. Link looked at it with disgust.

"Brother?" Darunia asked, surprised at the sight. Sheik looked at Impa with a raised eyebrow, but Impa merely shrugged.

"The first time I arrived here, the meditation rooms we passed had been turned into prison cells for the Goron people. Only a tiny handful were still free." Link's hands tightened on the Hammer, and Sheik heard the creak of stressed leather from his gauntlets. "This time, Ganondorf will never have that chance."

Darunia nodded. "That I remember, but why in Din's name is it here, now?"

#Gods be good,# Sheik 'pathed to Impa, forcing her face to become an expressionless mask. #This must be what the Arbiter was warning us about. The Time energies...#

"Zelda has contacted me," Impa said. #Good work, child.# She looked at the room impassively. "She believes that this is the work of the time streams intermingling."

Link looked at the cell in horror. Slowly, he pulled out the Ocarina and played the Song of Time. The cage vanished in the now-familiar swirl of Time mana, replaced by a small stone cylinder that looked like a very short tree stump. It was almost exactly the diameter of a rolling Goron; presumably, one could 'lie down' here. Sheik smiled faintly. "Well done, Hero," she said as evenly as she could.

"Tell Zelda the same thing," Link replied, smiling at her. Sheik looked at him for a moment, puzzled, before she realized he was saying that Zelda had done well. This time, she had to force herself not to smile like a silly little girl. Her glee vanished quickly, though, as they approached the great chamber that once held Volvagia's remains -- and now, Volvagia itself. "Everyone ready?" the Hero asked. They all nodded, Sheik and Impa arming themselves with their needle-blades. Link took the golden key and threw the door open, and together they strode in, leaping to the die-like platform in the center of the vast chamber.

Behind them, the lava devoured the block of floor they'd leaped from. Then, in an explosion of fire, the serpentine lava dragon exploded from the central hole. Link gaped in shock, however, when what looked like all the burning keese in the world erupted from the other eight holes! "Farore!" he swore, pulling out his boomerang for a moment. He grimaced at the sight of it, comically small in his hand, then seemed to transform it into his long Hookshot with a flick of his wrist. "Start shooting and don't stop until there isn't anything moving but us!"

"What about Volvagia?" Darunia bellowed, clapping his hands and sending keese flying by the dozen. The dragon flew back down into its warren, and bursts of lava shot from several holes. Sheik and Impa fired needles in every direction, bringing down at least as many keese as Darunia with far greater range, but there seemed to be no end to them.

"You worry about those keese! I'll worry about Volvagia!" Link shot keese as well, in fewer numbers but with greater accuracy while guided by his loyal fairy. The instant one of the lava bursts lasted longer than the others, he leaped forward and raised the Megaton Hammer. Volvagia swept his head around, but Link evaded and slammed the great Goron weapon into the evil thing's head twice. He leaped away again when it swung its head around, apparently in pain, and ducked back down.

Sheik kept one eye on the Hero and the other on killing any keese that came near him. #Impa, they're everywhere, and there's no end to them! What do we do?#

#Do as the Hero said -- keep killing them!# Impa rolled and dodged, her needle storms devastating the keese wholesale. #There is no such thing as infinite enemies, remember that.#

#O-okay...# Sheik darted across the battlefield, looking far more confident than she felt, as Link repeated his whack-a-Vol battle with the dragon. The third time it stuck its head out, however, it didn't stop, surging into the air above them. Mercifully, any keese it passed were torn to pieces by its jagged scales and lashing body.

The dragon breathed fire at the heroes in a huge cone of death, but Link rolled in front of its mouth and brought up his shield, grunting as waves of flame washed around him. "Never thought I'd look forward to the Water Temple," he muttered as their foe flew towards another hole. The Hero looked up in surprise then.

As he did, Sheik's heart skipped a beat when a flock of keese flew right at his back. "Watch out!" she shouted in time with Navi, and leaped between them and his back. A storm of needles flew from her hand, shredding the infuriating winged rats. She turned to check on the Hero, only to find that he had spun his blade to do much the same thing to several keese flying at her back; his shout had been lost in hers and Navi's. She grinned sheepishly at him. "Teamwork?" Sheik asked.

"You bet," Link replied with a fond smile. Then he looked down, of all things, and dodged forward, carrying Sheik with him. A boulder crashed into the ground where they'd been standing. "Watch out for their shadows!" he shouted, and all four of them dodged the miniature avalanche. To Sheik's amazement, nearly all the keese were dead. Impa was right. Which, of course, is about as unreliable as the sun rising in the east. Why am I surprised? Sheik thought dryly. Once more, Volvagia rose from the platform, but this time, all four were ready. The evil dragon found himself immediately in the center of a storm of knives, Goron fists, and the wrath of the Megaton Hammer.

Suddenly, the monster ignored their blows, screaming in despair as it shot towards the ceiling once more. It curled in agony, twisting as Dark Fire consumed it from the tail up, reducing Volvagia to nothing but a skeleton. Sections of rib fell to the floor around them, its head landing right next to Link. He let the Hammer's head fall to the ground and rested on the handle, taking long, deep breaths. Then he spun, brought the Hammer up, and turned the skull into dust with one blow. Above them, the Fire Medallion descended briefly, then vanished.

Sheik sat on the ground heavily, rubbing her back where keese had bitten her. "And you did this by yourself?" she asked quietly.

"There weren't all the keese in the world last time," Link replied between gulps of air. Meanwhile, where the skull had been, a heart-shaped field of power formed. "You take it, Sheik," he said, gesturing vaguely at the energy. "A body can only hold so much of that energy, and I reached my limit in Termina years ago."

Sheik looked at the field with just a touch of trepidation. That came from Volvagia, didn't it? she wondered. Still, if Link said it was safe...she walked over and carefully placed her hand inside it. The results were dramatic. Energy filled her, the life of Farore, the strength of Din and the blessing of Nayru. Her wounds vanished, even the rips in her Shiekah garb sealing. "That was -- amazing!"

Link nodded as the orange-gold circle appeared where Volvagia had emerged for the last time. "Yeah. It is."

"Arbiter," Impa said simply, gesturing to the rising figure in the gateway. They all looked to him.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"You have now seen that there is no escaping the need to seal the streams," the Arbiter said grimly. It was the first real emotion Link had heard from the strange figure. His tone became neutral again immediately. "The paradox of worlds and times merging can be healed, but only with courage and sacrifice. You cannot cheat the will of the gods."

Din burn you! Link thought with a snarl, suddenly sick of the figure. "We weren't cheating! We were going to send the Hammer through the moment Volvagia was dead!"

"That is unacceptable," the Arbiter replied. The feather pattern in his cape seemed to ripple briefly. "You have all the powers and weapons you will need to defeat Ganondorf's minions. When the time comes, you shall draw forth the Blade of Evil's Bane; the rest, you have already been given. The weapons and power remaining belong not to you, but the Zelda who gifted you to this past."

"Then take them!" Link shot back. "Why in Farore's name do we have to find them all?"

"Indeed!" Darunia roared in kind. "You presume much, to claim the Hammer of the Gorons when it was we who did the hunting!"

"You can leave them where they lay, if you desire," the Arbiter replied. "They will be yours when the time streams match in flow. However," he continued, "you will deny them to that other world. It is merely not permitted for you to have them before then."

"And we have to fight through half a temple to send them," Link replied wearily. "Great." Sheik stepped towards him, worry filling her eyes. "I'm okay," he said quickly. "I know my duty." He stood straight. It was harder than he'd imagined. He was more tired than he thought he'd be. Zelda. All I wanted was for you to be safe. There wasn't anywhere that was safe any more, though. "Let's go." He walked toward the Arbiter, who sank into the gate. The others followed.

Once again, they emerged before the Spirit Temple. Again, a great pillar arose from the sand, this one with a replica of the Fire Medallion surmounted by the Phoenix wings. This time, however, a great section of wall arose beyond them, and masonry grew from the new wall as if alive to attach it to the Temple.

"Link?" Sheik whispered. "Let's get out of here."

Link merely nodded. When they were all touching him, he played the Prelude of Light, and they were gone.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"You did WHAT?!" King Nohansen roared, towering above his daughter. Behind him, a fireplace crackled as if in agreement with his wrath.

Zelda stood tall before her father. Impa, as much as she agreed with His Majesty, was proud beyond measure of her charge. "I aided the Hero in his need. I'll not claim that I made no mistakes," she said, slightly chagrined, "but Sheik guided him once, and she will do so again."

"You will do as you are told!" the king bellowed, slapping the table beside him. I can see how he became Darunia's Sworn Brother, Impa thought with distant amusement. "Princess or no, Sage or no, you are the only heir to this throne, and if anything should befall you, the kingdom would fall into chaos!" He glared at her. "Lady Veran would mourn you publicly and toast Ganondorf in private! General Onox would all but dance on your grave!"

"And if anything befalls the Hero, what hope have we?" she replied calmly. "Veran and Onox would have true reason to mourn then. As would we all." A flicker of light reflected off of Zelda's right hand, and Impa's heart froze -- No, it was merely an errant ray of sunlight, she saw. She hoped.

Daphnes took in a deep breath...then released it. The last Sheikah could almost hear him counting to ten. Quickly. "Zelda, you are not the exiled rebel you once were. You are the Crown Princess and the last Nohansen heir. Now. There will be no more of this foolishness."

"Will you send Impa in my place?" Zelda asked evenly. The sitting room, its chairs and books normally framing tranquility, crackled with the intensity of their bladeless duel.

Daphnes' eyes widened. "Your bodyguard?! Madness! You'd be better off out there with--" He coughed into his hand. Zelda smiled. "Zelda," he said, trying to sound soothing (though the clenched teeth ruin the effect, Impa thought), "you cannot do this thing. I understand that the Hero is your best friend. I am all too aware how much rests on his young, slender shoulders."

"Not so slender, any more," Impa noted calmly. Both royals looked at her in amazement. "Nabooru has been admiring them," she explained evenly. Nohansen slapped his forehead, and Zelda's expression went flatter than a dead Like-Like.

"My point," Daphnes said, teeth still pressed together, "is that we cannot risk Zelda in this manner! It's intolerable! It's unacceptable!"

"If the situation were any less dire," Zelda replied, "I would agree, father. However, Ganondorf is adapting to Link's knowledge and power with every passing year." Impa saw then why she'd willingly worn one of her finest dresses; the voluminous skirting hid well how her legs were shaking. "The Hero needs our help. Our vassals and allies need our help, help we are sworn to give."

"Help I am sworn to give!" Daphnes fired back. "I will choose who to send to the Hero's aid." The fury faded quickly, worry settling into his eyes. "Zelda, I will not say that I bear no pride for your courage. Your mother, I'm sure, would be proud as well." He took Zelda's hand. "She is gone, now, and you are all that remains of her. Of the royal family."

Zelda's gaze never wavered. "Find someone who can best me," she replied, "someone who will accompany the Hero faithfully, and I will gladly stand aside."

Daphnes released her hand in shock. "I -- well!" he chuckled. "That, I suppose, is reasonable enough."

Zelda grasped his hand again. "Done!" she said, shaking the king's firmly.

"Sire, you walked into that trap like a rabbit hopping into the wolf's jaws," Impa said with rueful pride. "I can best her. Link can as well, most likely. Darunia, she would struggle against. I would pit her against any other you could find to challenge her."

The king scowled furiously. "I cannot ask Darunia to leave his people!"

Zelda laughed. "I know," Impa said evenly.