The Legend of Zelda: The Garo’s Curse-
Part 4- Separation and Forgiveness

Within Zelda’s unconscious mind, A vision-dream-state had established itself. A voice came from the blackness: “Zelda…princess of Hyrule, leader of the sages, I beseech you to listen, even though we have forsaken you..”
Zelda, in her vision, whirled around to the helpless face of Saria. “SARIA? What’s the matter?? Is everything ok? Is Hyrule alright? Are the sages-”
“Your highness, I am powerless. On all planes.”
“Zelda gasped. You…you have lost your powers?”
Saria nodded sadly. “It is only through the powers of the other sages that I bring this message to you.”
“Is Impa-”
“She lives, but she is critically wounded.”
Zelda knew she’d be asking her next question in vain, but was determined for some sort of hope. “The war? Has it stopped?”
Saria shook her head. “At this very minute, hundreds of bodies smother Hyrule Field. Their blood covers the entire countryside! The Gerudo and Shiekah have killed innocents. Thousands of them! And now, this has forced the Gorons and Zora to take action! Our only neutral forces have picked up the sword…”
“The Gorons were never neutral! They destroyed the marketplace!“ Zelda yelled in fury. “Don’t you DARE cover for them!!”
“With all due respect, does it really matter now? This fight has gone so far as to involve the concern of neighboring countries!”
The two were silent. Saria quickly changed the subject.
“Your Highness, have you come close to finding the source of-”
“No. We have not even an idea…all we have is a mad hunch, and a spell for time-travel…”
Zelda brushed away tears that had flowed all too freely.
“Zelda, two days have now passed since you and Link left. Things, as you know, are progressing terribly, and at dangerous rates! Nabooru, probably the only one who can control her people, is still gone. Impa, still wounded, and as we speak, Brother Darunia loses his power as well. If you do not act quickly, we sages will be powerless…The world will be…doomed!”
They agreed in silence.
“Your Highness,” Saria asked softly, “You aren’t losing your powers too, are you?”
The princess did not wish to alarm Saria further. Hyrule was already a mess, things were already terrible, and The Forest Sage was upset enough for the both of them. News of Zelda’s power loss would only make Saria even more nervous and on-edge.
“No Saria, everything is fine for now. I just wish I knew why all this happening!” It was then a line from the scroll came to haunt the princess. Literally. The words floated before her eyes:
“The Noble Ones will forget their own destiny, as war plagues their souls, powerless, they will be.”
“No…It can’t be…” she whispered…
“Zelda? Your highness?”
“Saria! I promise I will right this evil, but it will take time…the mad hunch, the spell: Apparently, Du Ikana was right…”
“Zelda…the power fails me…I will…lose contact…soon…I will not forget……I know… good luck to all…and hurry…”
Saria’s image faded. Zelda had an awful pit in her stomach. She only had 5 days more…then the sages, herself included, would be powerless. The triforce would be vulnerable: to everything.
***
Ikana Graveyard, 2,000 years ago: 6:00 am

Link and Jim awoke simultaneously, both screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Hey, what’re you screaming about?” Jim asked.
“Well, what are you screaming about?” Link countered.
“No, you first!”
“Nuh-uh! You!”
“You’re older!”
“You’re younger!”
Jim and Link’s tantrum erupted into a playful fist-fight, like one that was had between two brothers. When pain didn’t work, Jim resorted to tickling. Link couldn’t stand it:
“OKAY! ST-OOOPPP! I’LL T-ELL! HAH! HAH! HEE! HEE! YAH!!”
Link sat up and composed himself. “I win!” Jim announced, with a smile a mile wide.
“Whatever…anyway, I dreamed an old adversary of mine came back to life, is all.”
“Ad-ver-sary…” Jim said, spelling it out. “Big word, huh Mr. Smarty?”
“Only to you ’cause you’re so dumb!”
Another round of play-fighting ensued.
Things died down again, and Jim spoke up: “Well, I dreamed about men in masks with two swords trying to kill me. Weird, huh?”
Link thought deeply. “No, not really..”
The warrior was reminiscing to the time he fought the Garo in Termina, several years ago- and Jim had described them exactly.
Just then, Link felt a pang of terror in his heart. “Jim, have we forgotten something? I feel like we’re missing something.”
“Or someone,” Jim replied. “Link! Your lady-friend is gone!”
The Hylian whirled around in every direction. Unfortunately, Jim was right.
Link pushed aside his bravado and started to worry. He hadn’t worried like this since the Great Deku Tree told him it was dying. “Where in the hell is she?! Farore’s Curse, how could we have lost her? She doesn’t even know where we are half the time!
She‘ll be killed!”
“Yo genius! No sweat! We’ll look for her!” Jim said nonchalantly. “Du Ikana couldn’t have messed up too badly, right?”
“Yes, good. Look for her…” Link repeated in a daze. “Good idea.”
Link had never felt so stupid. Or worried. Or upset. The woman he loved was alone in a land, not to a mention a time, that was foreign to her. She was vulnerable…especially if she had Du Ikana’s book..
“Jim! Check my bag. Is the book in there?”
Jim shook his head. “I think your friend has it. She was clutching it before we left.”
Link smacked his head. “Great. Just perfect!”
After swearing in Hylian, Zora and Goron, Link bent his knee and whispered a prayer: “Good Goddesses, if you hear me, please protect Zelda. I love her.”
Jim ambled towards Link and punched him playfully in the shoulder. “Hey Loverboy! It’s kinda dark! We oughta to figure out where we are! Besides, we need to know our surroundings if we hafta rescue your girlfriend!” He said. “True,” Link admitted. “All right,” Link said, rising. “Let’s try and get some bearings.”
The two friends surveyed the surroundings: canyon-like, all the same throughout. For several minutes, they looked around, but there didn’t seem to be any paths.
Finally, Jim got to complaining: “We’re going around in circles!!”
“We’ll get somewhere. Just be quiet and look.”
Jim rolled his eyes.
For another hour, they studied rocks, stars, anything that might give a clue as to time and place.
Suddenly, Link struck gold. Literally. The ground had turned a golden color, not like the normal red rock formations. The ground felt more gritty under his boots, more… sandy. Link picked up a sample of the soil, and Jim gave him a look: “You’re not gonna eat that are you? I saw this movie once where The guy ate the ground in order to track his enemy. The ground was all mushy like diarrhea or something! It was really gross!”
Link ignored him, and held the sand. It was like the substance that covered modern-day Ikana graveyard.
“Hey Link! Check this out!”
Jim had found symbols etched into the canyon wall. Link gave the wall a quizzical look.
“It looks like cucco-scratch! Do you know what it is? Its not Ikanese, is it?”
“Are you kidding? Of course not!” Jim replied. “Remember the writing in Du Ikana’s castle? The figures were more graceful, the symbols flowing, with dotted accents.”
“Oh wow, dotted accents! ” Link said, rolling his eyes. “Who cares what it is? Who cares who wrote it? Probably some stone-age kid who wanted to play a stupid game!”
Jim slapped Link’s head.
“Duh, genius! Ikanese kids don’t know how to write! Only the wealthy ancient Ikanese ever got writing lessons!”
Link chuckled. “I knew that. Really, I did.”
“Hey! What’s this?” Jim asked as he surveyed the land ahead.
“Link! There’s a light up there! There’s people up there! ”
Link cupped the boy’s mouth. “Would you be quiet?? I swear, I think the Sages heard that one!”
Jim eyed Link rudely, as if to say ‘that‘s nice, could you please let me go?’
Link nodded, but explained. “Look, if whatever’s up ahead is evil, we won’t have a jump on them if you yell! They might catch us first!” He whispered.
“Too late.” a stranger answered.
Link felt 2 sword blades at his throat. “Lower your weapons….” Link pleaded.
“I think not.” the stranger answered.
Link did a back-flip and landed amidst a crowd of masked men with swords at him.
“Link! Help! I’m kinda in trouble!”
Jim was being held hostage. A group of masked men had chained his hands together, while others held their swords at his neck, like others had done to Link.
“Let him go!” Link demanded.
“Silence!” His near-killer exclaimed. There was a hush. His men were quiet.
“We are the Garo, the sons of the moon! These are our lands, which you have trespassed! Now, our leader will deal with you! And the wrath of Rukinu shall be delivered!” Cheers from the other Garo ensued.
The Hylian saw he was outnumbered, and with great disgust, lowered his hands in surrender. The masked men marched their captives back to camp, passing the “etching” along the way. In the Garo language it stated:
Soldiers of light beware,
The moon has claimed this hallowed earth.
If light were to tread to darkness,
Then surely, it will be swallowed.
***

Ikana Castle, 2000 years ago
The princess of Hyrule was jolted out of sleep. Her body was swathed with sweat, and tears were beading at her eyes. She sat up, her eyes adjusting to the light. All Saria had said had truly shaken her soul. She was afraid. For her, for Link, for Hyrule.
She realized at once that she was in the past, and she was in a building of some sort. “Link? Where are you? I can’t see a thing…”
Zelda groped the walls for awhile, and made out the form of an unlit torch. “Jim? Link? I found a torch. I’m going to try and light it…why aren’t you all answering?” She decided they were probably still sleeping, and that she would wake them after the torch was lit. (“If it lights,” she thought.) Zelda closed her eyes and concentrated.
Several minutes went by, and finally, after multiple attempts, the torch lit. She looked around and immediately started panicking: Link and Jim were nowhere to be found.
“Oh no! Where are they?” She whispered.
She sat down, confused. “How could we not have arrived in the past in the same place?” She asked herself. She thought for a little while, but could not answer her question.
Zelda smoothed her dress and wiped the sweat from her head. “Well, this is strange. This just gets weirder and weirder.”
It was then the door to her “room” opened. In walked a young girl with chestnut hair and milky skin. The girl bowed low and welcomed Zelda:
“Soei! Astea, Soei!”
(Miss! Welcome, Miss!)
Zelda raised an eyebrow. “What did you say?”
The girl eyed Zelda suspiciously:
“Soei, Astea, Soei.” She repeated calmly.
“What?”
The handmaiden looked Zelda in the eye and yelled out the syllables of her greeting:
“SO-EI, AS-TEA, SO-EI!”
“Okay, stop!” Zelda said, cutting the girl off.
“MY NAME IS ZEL-DA.” Zelda said loudly and slowly, and gestured to herself.
The handmaiden gave Zelda a quizzical look, and grabbed Zelda’s hand.
“Sheiyalei` werum ju, Neira` Wej!”
(The Queen wishes your presence, Honored One!)
“Huh? Wait! Where are we going??” Zelda yelled.
The handmaiden took Zelda through the door into a large hall. Of course, now Zelda knew where she was! She was in Ikana Castle, in the main hallway! Zelda grabbed her hand out of the handmaiden’s.
“Wait! Lemme catch my breath! Ouch! You‘re pulling me! Hey! Stop it!”
Another look from the girl.
“What? Do I have a zit?” Zelda asked indignantly. “Why don’t you people speak Hylian? Why are you looking at me like I‘m some freak? Answer me!”
Unfortunately, the entire hallway heard Zelda, and all eyes were now on her.
Zelda smiled weakly. “DO YOU PEOPLE SPEAK HYLIAN?” She asked slowly and loudly.
The entire hall erupted in laughter.
“Hie wia`h, pera tan sui!” ( She is so stupid, poor thing!) The handmaiden announced to her friends. Some snickers and giggles.
“Yeli`ar cak pei Sheiyalei` bi Hie!” (I don’t why the Queen would want to see her!) More laughter. Some had gone so far as to fall down and clutch their sides.
Zelda was red at the cheeks.
“YOU PEOPLE ARE SO RUDE!” She yelled.
The girl took Zelda’s hand again.
“Where are we going now?” Zelda asked, gesturing to the handmaiden.
The girl ignored Zelda.
Zelda rolled her eyes. “Did you even hear me? What am I, invisible?”
“Pei tai cah!” (Shut up, idiot.) The girl whispered.
Zelda rolled her eyes indignantly. Well, I’ll be glad when she leaves!
The handmaiden opened a large door and threw Zelda in. “Hey!” Zelda yelled. “What’re you doing? What is this, some kind of cell?”
“Moera, Astea! Cei!”
(Many blessings. Goodbye!)
The handmaiden closed the door. She shook her head. “Teua keid-jai wej!” She mumbled. (A weirder one, there isn’t.)
Zelda was thoroughly pissed at how that gone. She couldn’t even communicate with these people! How was she supposed to find Link and Jim?
She glanced at her surroundings. Hey, this isn’t a cell! She was thankful for that bit. Wait, this is the throne room! She thought to herself. Zelda also noticed it was eerily empty.
“Hello? Is there anyone here?”
Silence, sans her voice echoing off the walls.
“Can anyone understand me? I need help!”
Again, the same.
“Please, I beg you, if there’s someone here, please help me!” Zelda yelled in frustration.
“There is someone here, and I have every intention of helping you,” came the reply.
“Who said that?” Zelda asked, surveying the room: It still appeared vacant.
“Where are my friends? What have you done with them?” Zelda demanded.
“In good time, dear. Your friends will be fine. I have foreseen it.”
“Show yourself, you, you…whatever you are!” Zelda said, flustered.
“And, how do you know that my friends will be fine? Come to think of it, how do you even know my language?” Zelda added defensively.
Suddenly, there came a rustling, and a beautiful woman emerged from behind one of the thrones. Her hair was longer than Zelda’s, jet black. Her clothes were silken-like, blue-black and gold in nature. Her skin was a milky white, like the handmaiden’s, and her eyes were sky blue. A gold sort of circlet sat a-top her head.
“There is much I do know, and this I will explain in time. But for now, Let us talk of the current situation. Princess Zelda, I am honored to meet you.”
Zelda’s mouth dropped. “You know my name, too?”
The mysterious woman smiled. “I warned you that I know much, did I not?”
“Yes…yes, you did,” Zelda said, slowly taking it all in.
“I know you are not from my lands, and that your kingdom and mine have been changing rapidly-”
“And not for the better,” Zelda interjected.
“My dear, there is little time. I need you to trust me. I know this is very hard, since you hardly know my name, but you must believe me. Our kingdoms depend on it.”
Zelda did not want to enter a truce with a stranger, but this stranger seemed strangely benevolent. She decided if she was without Link and Jim, She’d rather be safe than sorry.
***
Ikana Graveyard, the Past, 9:30 am
Link was herded into a tent, his clothes stripped from him- they let him keep only his pants and boots. Link tried to overpower them, but the one-to-five odds didn’t help. The past three and a half hours had been rough, with all of the public jeering, and brawling. And his guess was, it wasn’t going to get any better. By the time Link had stopped struggling, a Garo had brought in a whip- a sort of cat O’nine tails with not nine but 13 spikes on the end. Link swallowed hard.
Then, the beatings began. They were slow, but painful. Each time the whip was flung, Link had 13 large metal thorns dig into his back. Link moaned in sheer agony, and tried to focus his thoughts: the pain, oh, the pain! He thought it would eat him alive. Another smack of the whip: Oh, make it stop! He prayed. He had gotten into some nasty battles before, but the amount of damage he sustained was minimal, if not pathetic. Link watched his punisher as he flung the whip: He was merciless, Link realized. There was a certain fire in the eyes that gave the impression that this torture would not end soon.
The minutes passed, and Link thought of other things: The nerves in his back were so ravaged that he couldn’t feel anything anymore, anyway. He thought of Jim, how much he’d grown, and how impressed Link was at what kind of person the Bomber had grown into. He marveled at the brotherly love between them- this was the closest he’d ever had to a sibling.
SMACK!
Link winced, but again, felt nothing. His withdrew back into his thoughts-
Zelda. He had hardly to think when her face floated before his mind. Comfort flooded his being, and he meditated on his love: Her smile, her laugh, even her ditzy ways sent pure joy into his heart. Just thinking of her made the hero a little happier. “Even if I die, I will die with her face on my mind, her name in my heart,“ Link resolved. That was good enough for him.
***
Ikana Castle, the Past
Leiyra` Du Ikana slipped into the castle dungeons unnoticed, thanks to the new magic Zaron had showed her weeks before. She shivered at the sights she was beholding: Men with no legs, arms. Men with neither legs nor arms, but bloody stumps! Leprosy was rampant, and rats liked to nest on their new room-mates: some bodies were crusted with feces, and rotting carcasses were being devoured. Some of the very sick were even being eaten alive! “How does my father allow this? Has he no respect for life? And he claims to worship the Sun, the very life-giver!”
Zaron was shackled at the very end of the dungeons, the very deepest dungeon: sans his mask, sans his traditional garb, sans his pride. Leiyra` quickly revealed herself to him, and flung herself on his waning body.
Zaron stroked her face. “Darling? Why are you here? This is madness!”
“What have they been feeding you?” Leiyra` asked, her eyes brimming with tears. “You look as if Death would swallow you soon!”
“My precious dear, I will not allow death to swallow me!”
They hugged, and Zaron asked her: “How long have I been-”
“About three days. Why have you not escaped? If you do not, surely, they will kill you!”
“The trial, Leirya`. Tommorrow, I am convicted and sentenced, surely they would not kill me before. The entire town is coming to see the ‘sorcerer’ get executed! As for escape, I am using all my magic to stay healthy.”
“Can I do anything before I leave?”
“Leave! Where are you going?”
“To tell your comrades! They must know! If you die tomorrow, what’s to stop my father from mistreating all of you?”
Zaron nodded. “Leirya`, I told you of the messenger?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“We will become strong again, I promise.” He kissed her gently. “Now, go and do as you will. My blessing upon you, darling.”
“Wait! There is something I must tell you. Something that may spare you tomorrow.”
“Tell, sweet. My ears do listen.”
“I am with child.”
Zaron blushed a little, and his eyes started to tear. Most Garo were stoics when told of news like this, but Zaron was anything but. He embraced his beloved and stroked her hair.
“Darling! I know of nothing better to bring our kingdoms together than such gloriousness as this!”
He kissed her deeply, and patted her tummy.
Zaron wiped his tears and cleared his throat. “But for now, you must hide this. If your father were to discover this-”
“Or my sister,” Leirya` finished.
“They would deny you of what is yours, your precious life.” He kissed her again. “Go now, my sweet. Tell our people the news! Tell them I am well!”
“I will!”
“And darling?”
Leiyra stopped in her footsteps.
“Tell them we will get through this persecution!”
Leirya` chanted the invisibility spell, and tore out of the dungeon. Unfortunately, it was not before an unwelcome guest had discovered her secret….
***
Ikana Graveyard, the Past: 10 am
All at once, Link’s torture was halted by the sound of a horn. He instantly thanked the Goddesses for their mercy. The guards came and fetched Link, and marched him into what could be the village square.
Jim also emerged with his captors. Judging by the way he looked, Link guessed his torture had been no easier than his own. And Jim was just a child! It was a true miracle that he was even standing.
There was a command: “Fe’ra tai: Hei’dan! Koam sut!”
At once, everyone dropped to a knee. Apparently, the Garo’s leader was making a much-anticipated appearance.
Link’s head was thrust to the ground as he came into the presence of the Garo’s leader. Jim’s captives did the same to the boy: “Hey! Leggo!” Jim yelped. The rest of his words were muffled from the dirt he had in his mouth.
“You will be silent!” Jim’s captors insisted.
“Aww, Tpei kah!” Jim spat.
The Garo ran him harder into the dirt. They rubbed it everywhere: on his face, on his clothes. Apparently, that was their way of “washing out the mouth with soap.” After that, they beat him whip the same whip used on Link.
Now Link, who had seen monster’s entrails and had been covered with blood many times in his career, couldn’t watch his friend being tortured. It was true what they said: It is so much easier to bear pain than to see the pain of others.
The Garo’s Leader passed through the crowd, shaking hands. He was called
“Ke’jai,” one of their highest honorifics. Finally, he settled next to Link and his captors.
As the Garo conversed, Jim took the time to speak to Link:
“How do you like them tortures?” He asked, half-jokingly.
“As much as I like being in chains,” Link replied nastily. “Hey? Do you know what they’re saying?”
Jim opened his mouth, but never got the chance to use it.
The Leader turned to Link. “You are ignorant. Our magic is strong, and now we will converse.” “What is your business here?”
“Look, I’m just trying to find a friend. It’s a long story.”
“Yeah! It’s not like we were planning a sneak attack!” Jim interjected.
A look from the Leader, a dirty one from Link. “Well, its true!” Jim added, trying to save his skin.
“So! You have been scheming against us!” The leader said, outraged.
Link flailed his arms “Of course not, your graciousness! My friend here has a huge mouth!”
“Nevertheless, you are strangers, ENEMIES! By law, we must fight to the death!”
Link sighed. He didn’t like where this was going: death matches weren’t exactly going to lead him to Zelda, or the temporal disruptions.
“And what if I refuse?” Link retorted.
“Then your friend shall die.” There were swords automatically thrust at Jim’s throat.
“Link! Hey, I know I got a big mouth, but I’m the Bomber’s Boss! I got a job to do! I can’t die!” He turned to the Garo: “Guys, hey, we’re men! Let’s talk this out!”
“I accept,” Link said.
The leader smiled. “I have never been defeated. I am the reincarnation of the moon himself. Tremble before my power!”
A roar from the crowd.
A gulp from the Hylian.
***

Ikana Castle, the Past
“KE-IA!” came a shout from outside the hall. The doors flung open to the throne room and in rushed a girl of about Zelda’s age. She was decorated lavishly as the mystery woman was, only her features were very different: This girl had firey red hair and tanned skin, her eyes the color of chocolate. Her costume also reflected that of oranges reds and the occasional yellows and gold, not the blues and blacks of the mystery woman‘s. The girl was out of breath, and perturbed at something.
“Please excuse me,” The woman said to Zelda, and rushed over to the girl.
The girl, however, was the first to act. She ran up to Zelda: “Que` kei kai, wej?” (Who are you, girl?)
The mystery woman pulled the girl away from Zelda.
“What is it, Rheyisa?” the woman asked.
“Mother! Mother, I have found out something terrible about my sister! She’s…She’s…”
The two women conversed, and when they were finished, the elder shooed the younger out.
“Zelda, I am terribly sorry, but something has come up. Please feel free to use my quarters to relax in. I promise we will converse later and all will be explained.”
The woman ran hastily, and the throne room doors slammed shut once more.
Zelda sat. “Great. I don’t know who these people are, I don’t speak their language! I have no idea where Link is, and we are no closer to solving this mystery!”
Zelda sobbed, and her cries echoed off the throne room walls.
***

Ikana Canyon, the Past: 10:30 am
The duel was to take place in the square. Link was given his sword back, and the mysterious Garo, of course, waved around his twin blades. “First to kill the other wins the duel.” The Garo said. There was a flick of his swords. Funny. It reminded Link of the time he had fought the Gerudo women- They also favored twin blades…
“E’lai!” The Garo shouted. He struck a stance, and Link took one of his own. He assumed the shout had meant for Link to be on his guard.
The first blow came out of nowhere. Link blinked, and his adversary was gone. No sooner had he turned his head to look than was he tripped. The Garo came flying at him, similarly to the way the ones at Stone Tower had. Link parried, and the fight had begun.
Swords clashed, the clanging of metals filling the air. Some of the spectators mumbled- most challengers of the Ke’jai had hardly lasted five minutes, and this stranger was carrying on as if he were as good as the Ke’jai himself! It was indeed interesting.
Link flipped and swung his sword like there was no tomorrow. The Garo was truly testing his limits: not only as a swordsman, but as a mental fighter as well. Several times, his opponent had disappeared in front of his eyes, and Link had to anticipate where the Garo would appear next. 20 minutes into the battle, Link managed to nick the Ke’jai’s cloak. The Garo gasped. Apparently, Link had set a milestone.
***
Jim saw his chance. His captors had withdrawn their swords, and were busy debating Link’s fighting skills. He tore out of the crowd like a bat out of hell. Unfortunately, he had only gone ten feet when his captors realized he was gone. Jim cursed, and ran faster.
He hurried into a tent, gasping for breath. He proceeded to hide when his foot struck something: it was Du Ikana’s book. He kissed it, thanked the Giants, and decided to check up on what had changed.
Quickly, he flipped through it. “Damn! Too far back!” He flipped some more. “Double Damn! Too far forward!” Finally, he saw something that was of great importance…
He didn‘t catch it quickly enough. Jim was caught, and 4 burly Garo dragged him out of the tent. One stayed behind and Jim saw him toss the book in the fire. Oh crap, he thought miserably.
They dragged the boy back into the crowd, and was promptly beaten. Jim didn’t say a word, he decided he wanted to stay alive. If they beat him much harder, he knew that wouldn’t be a possibility. Jim watched the fight in the square, and prayed for Link’s victory.
The fighting went on for another half-hour with no progress. Jim prayed more furiously- the eight swords at his throat was starting to make him uneasy.
Link and the Ke’jai had been in a total deadlock for an hour straight- each one’s strength was the equal of the other’s, each one had the other’s injuries. After another ten minutes of ferocious swordplay, the Ke’jai disappeared, and Link strained his senses to find him: by this time, however, Link’s senses were too worn to keep up: The Garo came from behind, and struck Link over the head with his sword handle. Link fell to the ground, and Jim gasped audibly, and cheers came from the crowd.
The Ke’jai spoke: “You were a worthy adversary: before I send you to your maker, I pray your judgment be quick.” With that, the blades came down.
***

The Sacred Realm- Ganon’s Prison
Ganon viewed the scenes before him as calmly as one would watch television. There was the occasional grin, and of course, the belly laughs. “This is simply too amusing,” he said, aloud. “Zelda speaks, and none understand. That wretched little pretty boy swings his sword, and now, his brains will spill all over Ikana Canyon!”
Suddenly, Ganon felt another pang of warmth penetrate his body. His closed his eyes, and stretched, savoring the feeling. “It seems Brother Darunia has lost his punch,” He said, smiling evilly. “2 down, 5 to go!”
His mind lapsed into visions of grandeur: Ganon riding on his jet-black stallion, the world trembling at his feet, the magic of the Garo behind their Master. He could hardly wait.
“Don’t get too cocky, Ganon. Link will figure this out.”
He turned to see Nabooru standing in front of him. “Why, my dear Nabooru! Its been so long!”
“Not long enough,” She spat the words like a snake would acid. “I’ve come to tell you I know what you’re up to. I went through the archives and found The Garo’s Curse- translated into Gerudo.”
Ganon’s face was neutral, but he was annoyed someone had figured it out. But, on the same token, he always thought Nabooru, if anyone, would figure him out. He was impressed with her, as usual.
“You never cease to amaze me, Nabooru. You turn out to be one of those pathetic Sages, and you ruin my all my plans. I expect no less from you.”
He applauded.
Nabooru continued, ignoring his little speech. “Clever, taking advantage of my people’s history like that. It’s too bad you won’t get away with it. Link will know in time my people‘s secret, and link you to all the disaster.”
Ganon laughed: “Really? I hardly think you can help him when you’ve had a hard enough time controlling our people.”
Her face hardened. “My people,” she corrected him. “You’re a traitor! You sent hundreds of us to our deaths, stole our children, raped whomever you pleased! You dishonored our way of live! You have no right to claim us.”
“You are no better.”
“How dare you even suggest such an idea.” She whispered in a dangerous tone.
Ganon eyed her seriously. “For years, you lived for yourself. Did what you wanted, whether it hurt other people or not.”
“Because people worshipped the scum of the desert. People can be pompous asses, especially if they are led by one.”
“So that gives you the right to kill and deceive? That’s Anubis crap, and you know it! ”
“I didn’t come here to talk about me,” Nabooru said curtly. “I’ve made mistakes, but nowhere near the ones you’ve made.”
“Well, than apparently you‘ll get more than you asked for,” Ganon said malevolently. “I seem to remember a time when you and I weren’t so different-taking advantage of people used to be….fun.”
“That was then,” she said darkly. “I took advantage to thwart your plans, you took advantage for your own selfish reasons.”
“And thwarting me wasn‘t a selfish reason?” he asked.
She was silent for a minute.
“I did it because it was the right thing to do. Because it was in the people’s best interest.”
“They didn‘t seem to think so.”
Silence.
“Technically, I could‘ve killed you for treason.”
“Then why didn‘t you?”
“You were a good second-in-command. I couldn’t afford to lose you for strategic reasons.”
She crossed her arms. “Yeah, because eyeing me like some sort of candy was real strategic.”
“Tut, tut! You digress,” He said, as if she were the one guilty of maniacal lust.
“But back to the issue, Yes, I knew of your sabotage activities! I knew your loyalty to me was faked. But my dear, there is good news for you: I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself.”
Nabooru rolled her eyes. “Like I’d want to prove myself to you.”
Ganon shrugged. “Hey, I‘m giving you the option. You don’t want it? Fine. You can hide under all of this Sage crap for all I care, but it doesn’t matter- you’ll lose your powers like the others, and then what?”
She shook her head. “If that’s what must be done, so be it. I have a feeling it will never get that far.”
“You and your feelings!” Ganon chided. “It‘s too bad your feelings get in the way. I know if we joined together, they wouldn‘t stand a chance.”
There was a deadly pause. Nabooru swallowed hard. She answered candidly and calmly:
“This isn’t even up for discussion.”
Before she left, she stated: “Just be warned- you may have the upper hand now, but it never stays that way.”
She was gone in a flash.
Ganon just smiled. “My dear, if only you knew,” he said confidently.
***
Ikana Canyon, The Past: 11:41 am
“NEI!” A woman’s scream came to Link’s rescue. The Garo held his swords inches from Link’s head, and cocked his head towards the sound.
A cloaked figure ran out of nowhere, and snatched the swords out of the Garo’s hand. “Zaron! Zaron ist jeh gai kem!” (Zaron! He’s needs our help!)
The dazed Garo released their hold on Jim and he ran to Link and smacked him hard: “Hey! Wake up, man! Hurry! Now’s our chance to get away!”
No response. The Hylian was out cold.
Jim shook his friend by the shoulders. “Wake up!! Come on Link, gimme a sign! Say something!”
Still nothing. Jim started to tear at the eyes.
“Come on, man! Quit playing! You’re scaring me!”
The cloaked woman removed her hood, and asked Jim a question:
“Qe kai?” (Who are you?)
Jim looked at her, then went back to resuscitating Link.
“She wants to know your name,” The Garo’s leader translated.
Jim lashed out. “My friend’s dying here, and you want to know my name?!”
Jim pounded Link’s chest, but the Hylian didn’t stir. By this time, his tears had fallen over, but his voice remained steady. He turned to the Garo’s leader: “Tell her if she can help my friend, then I’ll tell her what she wants to know.”
The Garo translated, and the woman bent down and placed one hand on Link’s head. The other rested on his chest, and she chanted a spell. Her hands emitted purple waves similar to Zelda’s when she was healing.
Jim turned to the Garo’s leader. “Promise me you’ll spare the both of us so we can explain our situation.”
“You violated our sacred lands! I cannot promise you that!”
The woman turned around and said to the Garo: “Weilyah, du fai!” (Promise him what was asked!)
The Garo nodded curtly.
When the woman was finished, Link’s eyelids fluttered open, and Jim gave him a bear hug.
“You’re okay! You scared the crap outta me, Link! Why’d you black out like that?”
Link rubbed his head. “I don’t remember…I was hoping you could tell me that.”
There was a pause, and there was a knot in the a Hylian’s stomach. “What’s going on?”
“Hey man, ask her! She did it all!” Jim motioned to the mysterious woman.
“I don’t think so!” The Garo said. “You still haven’t explained why you are on our land!”
“Hey, Garo dude? I think we need a minute…” Jim asked.
“A minute, only.”
Jim yanked Link to the side. “How much do you remember?”
Link shut his eyes: “Just that I was fighting that guy.”
Jim paced. “Look, How are we going to convince them that we mean no harm? They think we’re from Ikana!”
Suddenly, there came an idea. “Of course! the book!”
“Goron-head! You said Zelda has the book, remember? He-llo! (He rapped hard on Jim’s head) anybody home?”
“Umm, actually she doesn’t have it,” Jim said matter-of-factly.
“How do you figure?”
“Look, to make a long story short some concepts are as old as man: If there’s a fight, we must watch: basic male programming. Anyway, I escaped during the fight and found the book.”
“Did it ever occur to you to take it?” The Hylian was annoyed.
“Uh, they kinda caught me. They took the book and burned it.” Jim had plastered one of his please-don’t-hurt-me smiles on, in hopes of appeasing Link.
“THEY BURNT IT?? HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S WRONG IF WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO GAUGE IT BY?” If it were possible, Link would’ve had smoke come out of his pointy ears.
“Hey! Don’t pop a vein! I have a photographic memory!” The bomber boasted.
“I hope so. For the sake of the entire world, I sure hope so.”
Jim gulped and laughed uneasily.
“Time is up!” The Garo shouted.
***
Ikana Castle: The Past
Zelda sat motionless. The mysterious woman’s chambers were of no comfort to her, and neither was the servant girl who had escorted her there: she had conspicuously ridiculed Zelda in front of everyone she passed, and although Zelda couldn’t speak the language, she learned to catch a sarcastic tone every now and then.
Stupid primitive morons! If I didn’t need them so much, I’d leave and seal the portal to this place!
A tear slipped down the princess’s face. Even as a girl, she had never handled ridicule well, especially when other children would point out that she had no mother… Such deep wounds had carried into her adulthood. She swore one day to quell such childish behavior.
She shook her head: Enough! She rose and started to walk around. Sitting and crying won’t help me solve this mystery. Link needs me, Hyrule needs me! I can’t just do nothing because of my own insecurities!
There was a bookshelf in the farthest corner of the room, littered with ancient papers, as well as recent musings. Zelda started for it, then paused. What good is it? Even if I found something important, I wouldn’t know it because I can’t read the language!
The princess of Hyrule dropped to her knees and prayed earnestly:
Great Goddesses, send me a sign! Show me the way! Send an aid to guide my reason and hone my insight! All this I ask through your sacred names.
At that instant, Nabooru appeared in a puff of smoke.
Zelda’s nostrils flared, and color rushed to her cheeks. “Bitch! How dare you show your evil face here!” The princess turned to the heavens: “Why do you forsake me, Great Goddesses? Always I have kept your commands, and in my hour of need, you send a worthless whore! Why?”
Nabooru bit her tongue to keep from retaliation. “Your Highness,” She said through her teeth, “I have information that will no doubt solve this mystery. I only thought it fair to offer it to you.”
Zelda turned away from the Gerudo. “Why should I trust you? As we speak, your people are slaughtering innocents! Under your orders! When Impa was wounded, you didn’t even offer to help! The Sages are weak, and you forsake them when they need you most! You don’t even deserve to be in my presence, let alone theirs!”
Nabooru thought. “No, I cannot ask for you to excuse my cowardice,” Nabooru concluded. “For that, I am truly sorry. But, you must listen to what I say-”
“Give me a reason, traitor!”
“Because if you don’t, Link will die, and Ganon will be reborn.”
That got Zelda’s attention. “How do you know of this?! Wait! You probably plotted it! You arranged it so!”
“Actually, I paid a visit to Ganondorf, he told me quite a few things.”
“Liar!”
“I speak the truth.”
Zelda and Nabooru locked gazes. “I will find out for myself!” Zelda insisted. “My mind probe is very efficient.”
“How can you? You’ve lost your powers.”
Zelda gasped. “How did you-”
“Know that? I told you, Ganon told me close to everything.”
“Why would he?”
Nabooru took a few deep breaths. “Let me start at the beginning, this is going to get complicated.”
Zelda listened intently. “You’d better not be lying.”
“With all due respect, Your Highness, you can’t afford not to listen to me. You’re in a strange place, isolated, and I’m the only one who can communicate with you.”
Good point, Zelda thought.
“And even if I was lying and somehow affiliated with Ganondorf, why would I bother to warn you?”
Zelda bowed her head. Nabooru’s logic was flawless, as usual.
“You have my attention, Nabooru D’yani Tu’lan.”
“This curse you’re investigating is indeed the Garo’s curse. Part of the reason I have remained absent for so long is because I was consulting my people’s knowledge of History. We have the same curse: translated into Gerudo. It’s called ‘Endless Winter,’ and it speaks of a monster being reborn, namely Ganondorf.”
Zelda couldn’t believe her ears. “Why would the Gerudo have the same curse in their knowledge as some small, extinct backwater tribe?”
“Remember, in this time, these people are not extinct. And also, it has been suggested by many historians that Hylian Gerudo are linked with the Gerudo of this world.”
“How is that important?”
“Both are speculated to have ties with the Garo of this age.”
Zelda took a minute. “I do not see how that can be so.”
“Neither do I, but it would explain a lot.”
Zelda crossed her arms. “That still does not explain why your people have shed blood. There is no excuse for mass murder!”
“Your Highness, that I cannot answer. I have none for you. The only thing I have is my word. I by no means ordered the attack on the Sheikah, or anyone else. All I know is I turned my back, and my people were at war.”
Zelda started to cry. “I don’t want to believe you but everything in my body says you speak truth. I…I have misjudged you.”
“You had no reason to trust me, actually. My abandoning the sages was unforgivable, and in your hour of need, of all times!”
Zelda hugged Nabooru. “Iam ….sorry. I…should’ve-”
“Consider the debt balanced. You did not trust me, and I abandoned you and the others.”
“Nabooru, there is one thing I do not understand. If all of the sages are losing their powers-”
“I found out we’re losing them at the same rate we discovered them. Sister Ruto is next, and then Impa, myself, Rauru-”
Then me, Zelda whispered.
“Princess, listen to me: I know where Link is, and I can get you there. Give me your hand.”
Nabooru chanted, and Zelda felt energy permeate her being.
“All you must do now is simply wish to be where they are, and my magic will teleport you there.”
Zelda bowed her head. “Thank you truly, Nabooru.”
“It is a sage’s duty to offer service to their leader. I was simply doing my duty.”
Nabooru winced a little.
“What’s troubling you?”
“My power grows weak, I must leave you: remember what I have told you! There are only four days left!”
Nabooru disappeared. At the same instant, Zelda wished herself to Link.
***

Ikana Graveyard: 12 pm
Link turned to the Garo’s leader. “Who is she?” He asked, gesturing to his rescuer.
“You do not deserve to know her name,” he said curtly.
The woman cut it. “What was his crime that he may not know my name?”
“You understand us?” Jim gasped.
“A friend taught me your language.”
“Please, Honored One, you should not waste your tongue with them! You should’ve let the blond die!”
“Hey!” Link said defensively.
“I know you!” Jim blurt out randomly. “You’re Leirya` du Ikana!”
The woman bowed. “That I am. But tell me, travelers, who are you, and how did you stumble upon us?”
“Honored One! They could be spies!”
“Know your place, Hei’dan! They don’t even know our language, how could they be spies?”
“My apologies.” He still didn’t trust the strangers.
“Princess! We have urgent thing to tell you! Your mother is in danger!”
“My mother? Why do you concern yourself with her?”
Umm, pardon us,” Link said, grabbing Jim’s tunic.
He literally yanked Jim to the side.
“What do you think you’re doing?? They’re going to ask questions now! And by the way: how did you know who she was?”
“I read the book remember? Photographic memory? Does that ring a bell??”
“Forget that! We’re not supposed to let people of the past know the future! What about her mother?”
“You know du Ikana said to look after his wife, right?”
“So?”
“That’s her mother!”
“Well duh! I figured. Big deal!”
“Link! Her mother is Queen of Ikana!
“Jim! Get to the point!”
“The Queen is going to die! According to the book, she‘ll be assassinated in three days!”
***