Fan Fiction ❯ Professional Hero ❯ The Sage of Wisdom ( Chapter 21 )

Chapter 21 - The Flames of War part 2 - The Sage of Wisdom

As Link rode towards Kakariko village on a feisty fox he suddenly thought of something. The Tri-force in the past was still intact, so would the piece on his hand still be there? It was in Labrynna but how was it that the banker of Clocktown had stated it? Achievements reached in the past are no guarantee for the future. He let out a grin and glanced down to his hand. Although it didn't shine so brightly as usual, it still had the faint impression of a triangle on his hand. It was still there, just undercover so to speak.

It frankly surprised Link that there were no Gerudo in sight. When he rode up the stairs leading to Kakariko village the only Gerudo he saw were the corpses scattered all over the stairway, along with the bodies of Hylian soldiers. He stopped his horse when he reached the gate.

"Halt," a loud voice boomed, "who goes there?"

"I am Link," Link responded, "from Termina! I came from Lon Lon ranch with a message for Milena from Feylon!"

"Why are you dressed in the colours of the Order of the Owl?"

"It was a gift from Feylon, and I thought it was the Sacred Order."

Link smiled as he heard the guard grunt and slowly the gate opened.

"Get in quickly before those Gerudo bitches return."

Link entered the village and got off his horse. As soon as he step foot on the ground he was grabbed and pushed against the wall.

"Mind if we take your weapons?" a woman's voice asked.

Link twisted his way out of the armlock of the guard and pushed him against the wall while he looked at the female sheikah, who was dressed in a purple outfit with a white shirt with the red eye on it. Her blond hair was tied in a ponytail and her cold blue eyes peered into Link's.

"Actually I do, but under the circumstances, I better do as you suggest."

Link undid the leather straps that held his shield and his sword on his back and both fell on the ground.

"You must excuse me, Link, if some of this offends you, but as you said, under the circumstances, we don't really have a choice."

"Lady Ellione," a man came running, "it's not good for you to be out of bed already."

"Oh shut up, Gariak, somebody has to defend this town."

Link looked at the greying man, who seemed more of an official than a soldier with his darkgreen coat, held together with a gold chain, argue with lady Ellione. Underneath the coat, he could still make out a sword. Link coughed politely to get the attention back.

"Ah yes, Link, so tell me a bit more of yourself." Ellione asked as she turned her attention back to him, seemingly relieved she didn't have to argue with Gariak anymore.

Link told her what he had told Feylon, that he was from Termina and he was looking for relatives here in Hyrule. He showed the letter Feylon had given him for Milena, his girlfriend. Ellione smiled and took Link to their headquarters. It was the large house, build against the mountainwall, which later would be Impa's house. As they entered the house, Ellione went straight to the cradle which was placed next to the table. A blonde baby woke up and laughed as it saw its mother.

"Not really a place for a child," Link said as he thought of his own children.

"I know, that's why I'm taking him, and some other villagers, somewhere safe tonight." She looked up to Link and again her cold blue eyes peered into him. "Do you have children?"

"Four," Link answered, "three boys and a girl. I was kinda forced on this trip and I can't wait to return to them and my wife."

"I just have this one," she smiled as she picked up the boy, "all I have left for the moment. My husband has gone fighting the Gerudo in the desert."

"Why isn't he here to protect his wife and child?"

"Because for one, he left before our child was born, and second of all, he had to, he's the Hero of Time."

Link sat outside, sipping from his cup of milk. Inside were tactical decisions being made and it was obvious that he, as an outsider, had no part in that.

"Excuse me."

Link looked up from his milk and looked right in the face of a beautiful girl with a letter in her hands.

"Are you the one that brought the message from Feylon?"

Link smiled and nodded. A broad smile emerged on the girl's face.

"I take it that letter is for him?" he asked.

She looked down at the letter and gave it to him.

"Could you please deliver it to him, and tell him I miss him a lot."

"He misses you as well."

The girl's eyes sparkled then saddened a bit.

"When the war started, he said he was going home to protect the ranch and he asked me to come. But I thought it would be safer to stay here. Now I wished I had gone with him, but now it's too late."

"Don't worry. The war will be over soon. I've heard the Hero of Time has gone with an army to fight the evil wizard."

And besides, Link thought, I'm going to help him.

"I've heard it will now just be a matter of days, but the Gerudo forces have become strong now. I'm scared we won't be able to hold them off until the evil wizard is destroyed."

"Don't worry. Everything will be in order, and you'll have Feylon back."

"Thank you, my lord." She nodded and returned to her home.

Link smiled. This was what he did, fight the bad guy and run around doing errands for the good guys. Wanna bet he's gonna get something in Lon Lon Ranch in exchange for the letter?

The opening of the door made Link look up from his ponderings and Ellione came outside.

"So Link, where will you go now?" she asked.

"First I'll go to Lon Lon Ranch to deliver this message, and then I think I'll go to Hyrule castle."

"Could I ask you something? I know it's not your war, but…"

"I'm happy to help. What is it?"

"You would have to go to a bit south of the entrance of Kokiri forest, that's east of here. There the Sage of Wisdom will wait for someone to escort him to Gerudo valley to help my husband fight the wizard. And when you see my husband, could you give him this letter?"

Ellione at the letter and then over the village.

"Tell him I'm sorry I can not be by his side but that I must protect our child. And please, give him my love."

Link took the letter from Ellione and nodded.

"I will leave at once." He said.

"If you should return, I will no longer be here. I will leave with a small group to someplace safe."

"I won't return."

Link stood up, grabbed his sword and shield and jumped down the ledge. He mounted the horse Feylon had given him and set off.

"Good luck Link, I hope you will be able to help us." Ellione whispered.

Link didn't even bother to take the bridge but just jumped the river. He didn't know what the safe place was Ellione had talked about, but he figured it was Mount Doom since the only way to reach it was Kakariko village so it kinda worked as a buffer zone. He rode as fast as he could. It was strange to believe but he felt like this horse was faster than Epona. Probably an ancestor, Link smiled. About a small hour later he reached the entrance of Kokiri forest. A bit further was the clearing where his house one day will be and there he had an appointment with a person he has known for many years, but who he has never met. He could see a man waiting in the dark with a large black horse right next to the owlstatue that stands next to Link's house.

"Who are you?" the man asked as Link stopped next to him.

Link grinned as he looked at the man. His white hair was bound together in a ponytail and a small ringbeard circled the thin lips of the sage. He was dressed in a black robe with a brown cloak. A silver owl was pinned on his collar.

"If you don't know that, I take it you're not the Sage of Wisdom."

"Don't get smart with me, young man, I know all soldiers in Kakariko village and all soldiers in my Order, and you are from neither, so tell me, who are you?"

"I am Link, from Termina. I got this tunic from Feylon in Lon Lon Ranch. I was asked by Lady Ellione to escort you to the Gerudo valley."

"I've seen you before," Kaepora said, "but not as you are today. You're past is clouded, no, blurred, like it are all different images over one another."

"That's one way of saying it, count to think of it, it's the only way of saying it. Now, I think it is better we move now, because I have a delivery to make at Lon Lon Ranch."

"Very well, but I think it would be better if we approached it from the south."

Link raised an eyebrow and slowly nodded.

"I suddenly have a bad feeling about this, but it may be the only way." He said.

Kaepora mounted his horse and nodded to Link to signal he could take off.

They had ridden for several hours when they started going back north. None had spoken much during the trip, but the few things they had said, were enough to make one trust the other. As they came closer to Lon Lon Ranch, Link saw the dark clouds obscuring the moon were coming from the ranch. He cried and rode faster. Quickly they rode to the entrance and as Link shot the last Gerudo, Kaepora drew his sword and killed the others. Link jumped down and ran inside. He found a crying Talon with his wife, bleeding in his arms.

"Fuck," Link muttered as he ran towards Talon, "Talon, what happened?"

Talon looked up.

"Th…they came just a few moments ago, at midnight, surprised all of us, they broke in and we tried to stop them, oh Goddess, Feylon," Link followed his gaze and saw Feylon pinned to the barn with countless arrows in him, "and Kailin, oh sweet Kailin, we were about to have our first child."

Talon started crying again. Kaepora kneeled next to him and laid his hand on his wife. A small glow emerged from under his palm and Kailin opened her eyes.

"T…Talon?"

Talon stopped crying and looked in disbelieve at his wife.

"Kailin? You're… you're alive! Oh thank the Goddesses."

Link looked at Kaepora and then at the corpse of Feylon.

"I can't help him. His wife wasn't dead yet, so I could heal her, but I can't reanimate a corpse. But now we must leave, there is no more time to waste."

Link nodded and laid his hand on Talon's shoulder to say goodbye. He didn't notice but just kept on hugging his wife.

"We should warn Kakariko village." Link shouted as they rode towards Gerudo canyon.

"It's too late, Kakariko has already fallen."

"What?"

"They have fallen or are ready to fall. It is no longer our concern, we must move on and stop the war, not a battle."

"You're one cold heartless bastard, you know that Kaepora?"

"So are you Link," Kaepora turned towards Link, "either you already are, or you will be."

He grinned and rode on. Link cursed and tried to keep up.

It was nearly morning when they arrived at the river Hylia and they were welcomed by the large Hylian army.

"Great Sage," a captain came running, "what are you doing here? It is far too dangerous to be here, the enemy is only at the other side of the river!"

"He is also behind us so I believe here is the safest place." Kaepora retorted.

"And who is this?" he nodded towards Link.

"He wears the uniform of my Order, so I believe that answers your question," Kaepora looked over the great canyon the river ran through, and saw the barricades the Gerudo had formed against the arrows of the Hylians, "so, how can we cross the river in safety?"

"Cross the river? There is no way, my lord."

"Then how did the Hero of Time do it?" Link asked.

The captain took of his helmet and scratched his black graying hair.

"Well, he crossed it with a large army via a secret route, but the Gerudo found out about it and they blocked it."

"So there is no way to cross it?" Kaepora asked, "this cannot be. There is a way, I know it, but I just don't know what that way is…"

He brought his hand to his mouth and started tapping his lips with his index finger.

"How to get to the Colossus…" he whispered.

"The Colossus?" Link asked, "I know a way."

Kaepora looked up and stared Link in the eyes.

"Yes, of course you do. That's why the Goddesses leaded you to me."

Link muttered something like "I wouldn't go that far" and took out his ocarina.

"That looks very familiar." Kaepora grinned.

"Don't ask, you will know someday." Link replied as he put his lips to the instrument and played the Requim of Spirit and both men warped to the Desert Colossus.