27: Courage

A sword wielded no strength unless the hand that held it had courage.

One had to wonder if that also applied to something as sacred as the Master Sword, the fabled blade of evil’s bane. But was it the only reason someone as evil as Ganondorf didn’t dare wield it? 

Any sword, fabled or not, was merely an extension of its wielder. If that wielder’s sense of valor was powerful enough, perhaps he could still stand a chance in the face of that great evil. 

It was that very chance, slim as it was, that Zelda decided to pour all of her hopes into. 

Rauru’s words were muffled, drowned out by Zelda’s senses being overwhelmed by her journey through time. She took slow, deep breaths and planted her feet, steadying herself to discourage her impending dizziness. Now was the time to stay focused at all costs. They all had to prepare themselves.

“Why would you give them the sacred instrument?” Rauru’s great, white eyebrows nearly took up the entirety of his now-scarlet-colored face as he rounded on her.

“You have forever doomed us all!” Abnar cried, nearly toppling over as he yanked his cane back upright.

“Oh silence your bleating, Abnar! What other outcome did any of you expect?” Odan’s laugh was the very essence of jadedness, devoid of any real humor. “Ganondorf is gone, yet we are now left with the Sheikari, who need no assistance entering the Sacred Realm. Had Zelda not brought us here, they would have certainly killed us by now!”

“That’s enough, Odan!” Grig growled, though he offered no true rebuttal.

Zelda jumped as someone took her hands into their own, clasping them gently. She looked down at Mison, his bright blue eyes filled with both sorrow and determination.

“I see something in you,” he squeezed her hands gingerly. “It was quite a journey, I suspect. Yes, you witnessed a terrible fate indeed. Yet, you somehow found your way back.”

Zelda nodded, and Mison turned to rejoin the others as they continued to fuss and squabble amongst themselves. His words took a few seconds to register as she recalled why they seemed so familiar. “Your son…is he…”

“You would all do well to trust Her Highness!” Mison addressed the others without acknowledging her question. “I believe she knows exactly what she must do now!”

Rauru blustered and started to say something, but Zelda held up a hand to silence him.

“You must allow me to explain,” she was surprised to hear her voice could still carry the air of authority she believed seven hopeless years had worn down. “I have only managed to buy us a little time. As you all may know, once the Sheikari reach the Triforce, it will split into three separate fragments. They have forgotten this, but that will not stop them from trying to acquire the rest.”

Odan’s eyes grew wide. “Which means so long as we can protect those chosen by destiny…”

“We may still be able to defeat them.”

Rauru shook his head. “We stand no chance against their sorcery. You must know that more than anyone.”

Zelda met Rauru’s worried gaze and allowed the seconds between them to stretch uncomfortably before finally nodding. “I do. I have seen their magic firsthand, the Fused Shadow and…the cursed mask that continues to haunt all of you, even in your sleep.”

Almost in unison, the Sages winced and covered their eyes, doing their best to banish the memory deep within the furthest reaches of their souls. Zelda was done debating whether or not they deserved to be free of such torment, for there were more pressing matters to attend to.

“What’s done is done,” it was finally Grig who spoke up. “What do we do now?”

Zelda was about to speak when a figure burst into the room, his golden armor glistening in the torchlight. The Sages backed away from him, but Zelda gestured for him to approach. “He is who I was buying time for. Ancient Sages…the Hero of Time.”

Link stopped in front of them, removing his helmet and bowing his head slightly. The Sages all looked to Zelda, who nodded in response.

“T…the Hero of Time…” Nove’s reedy voice trailed off into silence.

“He is here at last!” Mison bounced up and down like a child who’d just won a foot race.

“Yet he is without the Master Sword…”

Everyone turned in unison to face Rauru, whose expression was one of grave concern. Link scratched the back of his head sheepishly, his eyes trailing to the floor.

“Yes, he is, Rauru,” Zelda removed the enchanted cloth she’d so carefully tied around her head, watching as the male physique of “Sheik” was replaced with the slender, softer features of “Zelda.” 

Link’s eyes grew wide, but he quickly nodded in understanding, and Zelda smiled in return. There would be no point in disguises now, physical or otherwise. “And now…the Sheikari will have reached the Temple of Light. I must transport all who are in this room away while my magic can still withstand the darkness.”

She reached deep within herself as she had so many times now, calling upon Farore without an incantation for there was no longer any need. Here, she was gathered with every Sage and the Hero of Time. There could be no greater beacon than the one she had carefully assembled. 

The room filled with a dazzling green light before all present found themselves plummeting through the darkness. If any of them screamed or cried out, they wouldn’t be heard, not until they reached their destination. Zelda maintained her focus, not allowing herself a single moment to lose her balance. 

When she landed, she had little time to orient herself as the raging sandstorm battered her from all sides, promising to soon rip them all to shreds within seconds. She could see nothing in front of her, and the howling gales made it impossible to hear anything else. Yet, she remembered what the mask salesman had told her when she’d decided to follow him across the dunes. It would stop now that she was here.

The strange chime sounded again as the sandstorm dissipated, revealing the walls of the colosseum inside the Arbiter’s Grounds. The monolith and Mirror of Twilight sat undisturbed, streams of sand gently racing down their surfaces onto the ground below.

“The Arbiter’s Grounds…” Rauru whispered in awe, as he and the other Sages slowly climbed to their feet, brushing themselves off. Zelda found Link and quickly crossed the distance between them. She reached out her hand before quickly drawing it back, and she felt her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. 

Link noticed her reluctance and extended his hand with a smile, and Zelda realized how foolish it was to be sheepish now. So, she took his hand in hers and squeezed gently.

“I had given up hope, venturing out and making a mess of things,” she was facing Link when she spoke, but her voice was loud enough for the others to hear, “but Ganondorf is now gone. All that is left is to deal with the Shadows that haunt my kingdom’s past. Truly, this is not your fight, but I would ask for your aid just the same.”

Link squeezed her hand in return and nodded without hesitation. Zelda’s vision became blurry, and she quickly wiped her eyes with her free hand. That was when she first heard it, the wailing, chanting, and screaming in the distance. It was time.

“They have already found us?” Abnar dropped his cane and fell to his knees, his face ashen. “All the way here?”

“Yes, just as I predicted,” Zelda’s gaze shifted to the Mirror of Twilight. “We have tricked them, after all. They will not take that lightly.”

Yes, she had chosen this location deliberately. Tucked into the farthest corner of Hyrule, it was the ideal place for a final confrontation. Yet, that wasn’t the only reason Zelda had lured them here. For, not only was this the perfect battleground, it was also the perfect trap. 

For, the moment she claimed the Triforce of Power from Adelora, she would seal the Sheikari within the Twilight Realm forever. She clasped Link’s left hand once more, her expression determined.

“Link…you do not have the Master Sword,” she looked up at six tall pillars before them, certain only a few seconds remained. “You were gifted with a proper childhood, and so you never had the chance to pull it from its pedestal. However, you are more than any sword, more than any legend…”

What looked like tiny wisps of smoke slithered up from the tops of the stone pillars before growing and shifting into six distinct figures. They were here at last.

Adelora hovered above the pillar of light, still taking on the form of Dark Link, a mockery of the man who stood beside her. He held up the Ocarina of Time for all to see before balling up his fist and crushing it. The Ancient Sages saw this and crowded together, fear and dread evident in their expressions.

Yet, it was at this moment that the back of Link’s hand began to glow with a brilliant golden light. His eyes widened in surprise as the symbol of the Triforce of Courage materialized upon it, as if it were a birthmark he’d had all along, while Zelda beamed in approval.

“And the Golden Goddesses have chosen you. They will always choose you. You will always be worthy.”