Author's notes: Starting with this chapter, this story is now full of Skyward Sword spoilers. Most of them are from the endgame and/or ending, so if you haven't completed SS yet, this is your official read-at-your-own-risk warning.

Inner Silence

"I don't want to fight you!"

"You do not always have the luxury of fighting by choice, Historian."

When in this whole chain of ever-increasing danger have I ever had a choice? "Then let me rephrase this. I'm not fighting you."

I'm so tired of fighting. I just had to face Chambers. I trusted Chambers; I respected that man in ways I've never respected emanyone/em else. And then there's Garrimed, and... This is all too much. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

"We can press the issue if we must," the traitor-hero says, his voice low.

I curl my hands in to fists. No, I won't take any more of this! "Look, I don't care if you're doing this as some kind of test or not. I don't care about whatever reason you have for doing this! This isn't the time for tests and games. I need answers!"

"We have to know that you're ready," the traitor-hero says, crossing his arms and giving me what's probably meant to be a piercing, intimidating look.

Somehow, that look doesn't bother me. I think I'm too angry to really care. "I'm well aware of that! I know what's on the line better than you do! This is my Hyrule, and I'm not about to stand back and watch her crumble."

"That may be true," he says flatly, "but to do what you want to do, you need to know exactly what you're capable of -"

"As if any of you knew what you were capable of until you had to. I've seen some of your memories; I know what happened! Maybe I am afraid; can either of you really blame me? Were you honestly never afraid?"

"You must keep moving."

"Do you think I don't know that? I've had to face not one but two men I greatly respected, and both of them now want me dead! And all any of you can say is 'keep moving'. Are you here to help me, or are you only interested in trying to make me be like you?"

Neither of them say anything. The traitor-hero has the decency to look away from me.

"I am doing what I can. That is all I can do. I am trying to keep going, to stay strong, to focus on what needs done. But Chosen Hero or not, I'm human first!"

"You should try to calm down," the traitor-hero says. "This isn't helping anything."

"Then maybe you should stop talking about steel and give me something that will actually help!"

The skeleton grabs the traitor-hero by the arm and pulls him away from me. They move just far enough away that I can't help them and have a little discussion between themselves. This should give me time to calm down, but it doesn't. I'm still angry, and I still have things to do, and -

"Send me back."

Neither of them acknowledge me.

"Send me back now!"

"Or what?" the traitor-hero says, sounding almost sad. "It isn't good to let your anger blind you."

"Nay, anger can be motivation enough if wielded properly."

It's a struggle to keep my voice calm, but I do what I can. "Dark and Vael and the others are still in that room with Chambers and Garrimed and probably a small army of monsters. If Time itself bows to us, then you can wake me up before the fight ends. I have to get back there before anyone dies!"

The traitor-hero shakes his head slowly and walks away.

The skeleton sighs heavily and walks towards me, pulling off his helmet. And he isn't a skeleton anymore. He's the Link with the ocarina again, though he's still wearing the armor.

"I'm sorry, but we can't send you back."

"What do you mean? You brought me here; you can send me back!"

"When the Master Sword broke... So did we, in a way."

"I don't feel broken." Then again, what does being broken feel like, anyway?

"You don't even notice, do you? We possess an unbreakable spirit, or so I've been told. Unfortunately, right now, your part of that spirit is shaky and cracked, for lack of a better word." He puts his hand on my shoulder. "I know you want to get back to them, but we can't send you back. Even if we could send you back into the fray, you might break entirely. You need to restore your faith in yourself. For now, you should stay here and rest, mayhap speak with some of us here, and trust in your friends.

"Dark is with them; they shall not go down easily."

That's true, yes. But that also means that Dark will have to fight alone... Then again, is that such a problem? He's much more skilled than I am; what if I've just been dead weight this whole time?

I stagger over to the dais and fall into an awkward sit. Have I done anything at all besides make things worse? What kind of hero does that? After all this time trying, have I really done anything...? No, I've helped people. I've saved people's lives.

That doesn't seem very comforting. The Master Sword is broken, so can the others even defeat Chambers? What if he wins...? It'll be my fault. All my fault.

Have we already lost? Have I failed? I don't know.

And I cry. Some tiny, still-rational part of me thinks that I shouldn't be crying right now, that I should be doing everything I can to get back to the others, but I just feel so defeated right now...

There are arms around me, a hand rubbing gently at my back. "Go ahead. Let it out. There is no shame in tears."

I don't really need the encouragement. I cry until I can't cry anymore, and then I just sit there, head in hands. I feel so numb now, numb and empty.

When I finally look up, the other Link leans back to give me space. He looks concerned, but there's also an understanding there that makes me wonder if he's ever had moments like this. I feel like a failure. Has he ever felt like this?

No, I know the answer. He regretted something enough to linger on... He knows how I feel.

Something creaks; the heavy door at the opposite end of the room eases open. I see green grass and blue sky outside, and a gentle breeze blows into the temple.

I stare blankly at it for longer than I really should before I realize what I'm seeing. If the temple is the center and our parts radiate outwards, and if the door opens to different places for each of us, then does this mean one of the others wants to talk to me? I can tell from here that I'm not looking out at Stronghold Canyon, and that's where my place was last time I was here.

So then, which hero wants to talk to me?

I end up having to clear my throat several times before I can speak, but I finally manage to call out, "Hello? Is someone there?"

I don't get an answer.

"You should go speak with him," the other Link says softly, rising to his feet and offering me a hand.

I stare at his hand for a while before taking it and letting him help pull me up to my feet. I'm steadier than I expected to be. I guess I'm only numb inside and not all over. It's strange; if this is inside my soul or head, shouldn't everything about me right now be a reflection of my mental state? I don't know.

And I probably shouldn't dwell on that too much. I force that thought away and walk over to the door. The other Link walks with me. The breeze gets more noticeable as we approach; the air is fresh and clean and carries the faint scent of flowers.

The door opens out onto another temple, this one dominated by a massive statue of a woman with wings. There's a building nearby, one that seems half-ruined by time, and the entire area is ringed by a dense forest. Here and there flowers sway in the breeze, and the air is filled with a feeling of age and calm and relief that I can't quite place.

I find myself looking up at the statue and wondering who she is. She looks nothing like any of the depictions of the goddesses that I've ever come across, but I'm not sure if that fact means much of anything. I almost ask the other Link if he knows, but when I look around, he isn't here. He must not have followed me through the door.

Then it's just me and whichever hero calls this place comforting. "Hello?"

"Hello."

I jump a little at the voice; I honestly wasn't expecting an answer. "Are you one of the heroes?"

"Of course I am. Who else would be here?"

"I just felt like checking." I know; it was a stupid question. I'm not sure why I had to ask it, but... I guess it's because that question gets an actual answer.

"I can understand that. You've been through a lot. If it helps, you aren't the first one to ask the occasional stupid question."

I'm sure he's trying to make me feel better, and that's why I fake a smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Honestly, I'd just like answers," I say. "I don't even care which ones they are. If you could tell me why I can't leave or how I could fix the Master Sword, I'd be very grateful, but if not... Then I'll take anything I don't know."

He sighs wistfully. "I know that's what you and several of the others call that sword, but that blade isn't the Master Sword."

"I know it isn't, but it's something to call it." I finally turn towards the voice.

He's laying on his back on the grass not too far from me; he looks about my size, with light brown hair. He's dressed about the same as most of the others - green tunic, red-brown pants, sturdy boots - but that's where the similarities end. I don't recognize him. Why don't I? I met all of the heroes the other day, didn't I? Why doesn't he look familiar?

He frowns. "Is something wrong?"

"You weren't there. I was here in the temple before, but you weren't there."

"Ah, that..." He glances away, embarrassed. "I watched from a distance, but no, I wasn't part of that. I've been keeping my distance from you."

"Why?"

"Because it's really awkward to keep meeting more and more heroes, especially since I'm..." he cringes. "I'm the reason this is happening."

"But the one who fought Vaati is the first... Isn't he? Wouldn't this all technically be his fault?"

"No. He fought Vaati. No one else has, unless we count what you did. The big threat to Hyrule over the millennia has been Ganon, and... He's my fault."

That doesn't make any sense! "How can Ganon be the fault of a hero? The hero always rise in reaction to Ganon, doesn't he?"

The other Link sighs and toys with one of his bracers. "See, that's the thing. What I defeated wasn't called Ganon, but as he fell, he..." He shakes his head. "He said that an incarnation of his hatred would follow me forever. I hoped he was wrong, and that it was just him insisting on getting in one last blow, but... I'm sure that Ganon is that incarnation, and a historian must be painfully aware of what Ganon has done over the centuries.

"I'm also the one who helped forged the Master Sword in the first place. And I'm not talking about the one that broke. I mean the True Master Sword."

"Then you know how to make a holy weapon! Could you help me fix the sword I broke? Failing that, can you help me make Mercykeen into a replacement?"

"No, I can't. I gathered the special flames to temper the sword, but... The flames were hidden by the Goddess, the sword was a sacred one either made or blessed by the Goddess, and Fi was the one who knew how to perform the tempering, not me. All I really did was gather the flames and wield the sword."

The Goddess? That must be who the statue is of. At the same time, since when was there only one goddess in Hyrule?

He sighs again and stands up, stretching. "I'm sorry I can't do more."

"That's okay. Well, not okay, but understandable." I sink to my knees on the grass. It's not really understandable, but... I can't very well get mad at him for not being able to do something he isn't able to do, can I? That said, it isn't the answer I was hoping for, but at least it's an answer.

It's just as well I cried myself numb in the temple, or else I'd probably cry now. How badly have I messed everything up because I broke the Master Sword? The other Master Sword, whatever it's called. I'm confusing myself, I think. When I can think a little straighter, I should figure out some way to distinguish the two Master Swords.

"You don't look so good. Do you want some time to yourself?"

I close my eyes. "No, I don't. I don't really want to be alone right now. I'm just... I'm so confused. I don't think I've ever felt this lost before."

"It's a scary feeling, isn't it? It's been a long time since I last felt that way, and it stills makes me shiver."

"How did you deal with it?"

He chuckles, but it's without humor. "I didn't, really. Fi told me what I had to do, and I threw myself into my work just to distract myself from how much it hurt. It's kind of amazing how easy it is to ignore how scared I feel when I know what I have to do."

I think I can agree with that, but I'm not sure. So instead, I decide to change the subject. "I don't know you."

"I already told you that this is always kind of awkward."

"No, that's not what I mean. I've been having flashes of memories ever since I got the Master Sword - er, the one that broke, I mean. But I've never had a flash from you before... Why is that?"

"Why? Because the more time passes and the more heroes who rise, the more what I did is forgotten. I'm all right with that, but it means that anything you could remember from my life would just be even more confusing than anything from the others. At least with them, the important people were similar enough."

I shift position so I'm sitting properly instead of on my knees and then turn to look at him. "Confusing or not, I have an interest in this. I'm a historian; if you're willing to tell me, I'd like to know."

He seems to consider that, and then he grins at me. "I'm familiar with historians. Very well, if you wish to know, I'll tell you what I can. Where should we start?"

"If it wasn't Ganon, then who did you fight?" And why do I get the feeling that I remind him of someone?

His expression darkens. "I fought the Demon King Demise. I know you don't know the name, but... I tried to stop his weapon from freeing him, but I couldn't. Demise was freed, and we fought. It was a hard battle, but in the end, I struck him down. And then he cursed me, and that apparently led to your Ganon."

"You tried to stop his weapon?"

"Yes. His weapon called himself the Demon Lord Ghirahim. We fought several times, and -"

"No, you're misunderstanding me." Of course he doesn't realize how he's being confusing, but that doesn't make me any less confused. "How can a weapon fight you? It's just a weapon, isn't it?"

He stares at me, clearly confused, for a long moment. Then something seems to dawn on him. "Oh, right. Well... Ghirahim is like - no, you don't know about her, either. Not a single one of you knows her..."

Why does he sound so sad when he says that?

I feel guilty for asking. "Her?"

"Fi."

He's mentioned her before; she helped him forge the Master Sword. I don't want to pry, but at the same time, I really want to know. I want every detail he's willing to tell me, even if I'll never be able to tell anyone what I learn.

"Will you tell me about her?"

He stares off into the sky for a long time. Then, finally, "Fi is the spirit of the True Master Sword. Well, kind of. She was the spirit of the sword before I helped her forge it into that, even."

Spirit of a sword? I've never heard of such a thing.

"The Goddess left her to guide me. I think the Goddess made her, which makes me wonder where Ghirahim came from... Oh, er, sorry." He looks embarrassed. "I'm probably confusing you, aren't I?"

"No, not much," I lie. "Does this mean Ghirahim is a sword spirit, too?"

"Yes. There are - were - two magical swords in my world. One was the True Master Sword. You know how that one looks. Fi is its spirit. The other one... I don't know if it ever had a name. It looked like, well, an evil version of the Master Sword, with a jagged edge and a black blade. Ghirahim is its spirit, and from what I saw, Ghirahim was obsessed with breaking the seal holding Demise."

Sword spirits... They must be sentient if they can do the sorts of things he describes, which makes them some kind of created intelligence. How much magical power does it take to create something like that? I know of the existence of several kinds of magical constructs, but suits of armor obeying simple commands are a far cry from sentient.

More questions than I can count whirl through my head, most of them appearing and being drowned out by others too fast for me to even properly hear. There is one question I catch, one question my head asks over and over.

"What happened to these sword spirits?"

The other Link looks a little pained at the question. "I'm not sure what happened to Ghirahim. I've always just assumed he was sealed away with what was left of his master. Fi, on the other hand, went to sleep within the Master Sword."

So one was sealed away and the other put to sleep... Why make the spirit sleep? Wouldn't a spirit like that be an incredible help to anyone else who might need the sword, like, oh, any of the heroes who've come after?

I shake my head; I'm getting distracted by things that don't really matter right now. It takes me a moment to backtrack through my thoughts to what he said last. So at least one spirit is sleeping...

"Do you think Fi is still there?" I've only had so many flashes of memories, but I've mostly sure that none of the others knew a Fi.

He gives me an odd look and shakes his head. "I decided several heroes ago that either she was still inside the blade asleep or she'd faded away. I used to hope she was still there sleeping, but then one of the others left the blade at the bottom of the ocean, and I don't know what to think now."

That only makes me remember the sickly blade Garrimed wielded, and I'm glad I'm already sitting down, because that thought makes my head reel.

"Are you all right?"

"I'll manage. That Master Sword isn't at the bottom of the ocean anymore. I don't know how, but it's here, and it's in the hands of one of my enemies."

"That shouldn't be possible. Evil can't -"

"I know. Chambers is a powerful mage; I don't know what he did to it, but it's not holy now." There's something else that I just realized: if Demise cursed the hero to forever face an incarnation of his hatred, and if Ganon really was this incarnation, then... Now that Ganon is dead, does that mean that the incarnation has assumed a different form?

Is Chambers the next Ganon?

A loud clap pulls me roughly from my thoughts; I start to turn towards it but have to stop. The reeling in my head gets worse.

"I'm sorry. You're not in the best shape, and I've had to throw a lot at you. Here, I'll let you rest for a while. Come find me when you're feeling better, and then we'll talk more."

I want to protest, but I can't, really. When I can finally open my eyes again - not that I remember closing them - he's gone, and I'm alone on the grass. For lack of anything better to do, I look up at the statue of the Goddess. I wonder who she is...

Dark and Vael and all of the others... Are they still alive? I can't rest until I know.

I find the other Link not far away, laying atop a large piece of stone. Is he asleep? Do spirits need to sleep? What does it mean that I need to rest if this is all inside my head? I close my eyes and shove that thought away. No, I need to focus!

"Am I dead?"

He rocks his head towards me and stares at me for a long moment before sitting up. "No, you're still alive. You're unconscious, not dead."

"How long have I been here?"

"Time works differently in here. I can't say for sure."

I should've expected that. "Longer than a few minutes, at least?"

"Yes."

I sink down to my knees again and sigh in relief. If it's been longer than half an hour or so and I'm still alive, then that means that Vael and Dark figured something out. Chambers wants me dead; I wouldn't still be alive if he had me. That means I'm somewhere safe, and that Dark and Vael are somewhere safe.

Din, Nayru, and Farore be praised; the others are still alive.

It takes a while before I can pull myself out of my swirling thoughts again, but this time I don't really care. I'm just thankful that no one got killed because of my stupid mistake.

I finally brush those thoughts aside for now and look over at the other Link. He's sitting up now, staring up at the sky again. Why does he like doing that? No, it's not really my place to question his habits; I've got plenty of my own.

Ugh, I'm getting distracted so easily today; is this what the hero with the ocarina meant when he said I'm broken?

"Before I lose my train of thought again... What was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Are you sure you don't need more rest?"

"Rest isn't helping! Please, let's just keep going while I can." What's going to happen to me?

The other Link sighs again. "I'm not sure if you need to hear plans right now."

"All right, then what do I need?"

"Your spirit needs fixing. I've had to test my spirit more than once. It's a hard test and a dangerous test, but it helped my spirit grow. I'm willing to test you like I was, if you're interested."

"I'm not fighting anyone."

He laughs at that. "No, there's no fighting. The test doesn't let you use any weapons. You have to rely on your speed and your wits."

My wits... That's a lot more appealing than relying on strength, honestly. I'm not sure I like the idea of another test, but if it can help me get my focus back, then...

"Tell me more."

"To be brief, you will be sent to another realm, somewhere you know that has been distorted. You will have no gear at all, and your task is to find and collect Tears of Light that have been scattered across the area."

"That doesn't sound particularly difficult."

"You won't be alone."

"So I'll just have to get to the Tears before anyone else, right?"

He shakes his head. "No, no one else is after the Tears. The others will be after you. And should they catch you, you fail."

"Oh." Find the Tears while everyone else tries to find me. I think I can do that.

"I won't make you do it. I'm just offering. It helped me; maybe it can help you."

"Can I see this distorted realm first and then decide?"

"That sounds fair."

No sooner does he say that than everything changes, the old temple and its flowers and grass shifts into red rock and dirt and high, high walls. It's Kakariko Canyon. I think I recognize this part, too; we're near the visitor center. There are a couple of tunnels and several trails around here. Here and there, I can see some kind of stones or crystals, all glowing green. Are those the Tears?

And yet, something's not right. The colors are muted, making everything look darker. The Tears are unaffected, so they stand out. I take a couple of steps, hearing the dirt and gravel crunch beneath my boots, and then I realize what's bothering me.

I'm the only thing making noise. I'm the only thing moving.

"What's your decision?"

I turn towards the voice and yell when I see a tall suit of creepy-looking silver armor standing nearby, holding the largest mace I have ever seen. No, I think it's a statue? Whatever it is, it's perfectly still. I've been through this before - what's going to make it start moving?

The other Link laughs. "Sorry, I probably should have told you what was going to be trying to stop you."

"This thing is what's going to be chasing me, isn't it?"

"Only when it's active. You're in a protective circle right now; when you leave it, they'll wake up. Each of the Tears will put them to sleep again for a little while. It won't be for very long, but it can be more than enough. Do you want to try?"

"What happens if it catches me?"

"Like I said, its purpose is to stop you before you get the Tears. If it catches you, you fail the test."

"Can I try again if I fail, or is this my one chance?"

He doesn't answer at first. "I'll be nice and give you another try if you need one. It would be better for you to pass it the first time; I'm not sure if you'll be in any shape for a second attempt."

Because something's happening to me, yes. That's what I'm trying to fix.

"So, are you willing to try?"

I'm not sure I am, honestly. But then I turn and see one of the Tears glittering not far from me. I'm not worried about growing spiritually so much as I am just getting my head back together. Even if I do find a way to wake up and go back to the others, I'm not going to be of much help if I keep getting lost in my thoughts.

I need my focus back. It's fairly low on the list of things we need, but it's the one I've got the best chance of actually getting, so I think I'm willing to risk it.

"I'll do it."

"All right, then. I'll see you when you're finished. Oh, right! I almost forgot; here, take this. You can store the Tears in it."

Take what? Oh, this thing in my hand. Where did it come from? It's vaguely leaf-shaped, long and slightly-curved with little empty round vessels attached to the sides. I count fifteen, so does that mean I'm going to have to find fifteen Tears?

I turn what I've been told over in my head. There's a Tear right there, in fairly easy reach, and if getting the Tear makes the statue things not give chase... I'll grab it first.

I take one last look around, noting the statue things here and there. There aren't many, so they don't have much of a numbers advantage. That's something. And they're large and either covered in metal or made of metal; either way, that much metal has to slow them down. So I'm only slightly outnumbered by things I can easily outrun.

Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought.

I nod to myself and decide to get moving before I talk myself out of this. As soon as I step foot outside the circle, the air fills with the sound of something breaking. The statue thing raises its head as its eyes light up with a flash. It raises its mace and charges at me.

I yell, startled, run for the Tear. There's a loud whoosh behind me as something very large passes very close. It isn't until I have the Tear in my hand and the air goes silent again that I realize what just happened.

That thing not only managed to catch up, but it swung that huge mace at me!

Shit, it's trying to kill me! I clutch the vessel for the Tears to my chest and try to calm down. It doesn't work.

The next several minutes are some of the most stressful in my life; I admit it. When I'm not running frantically for a Tear, I'm looking frantically around for the next one. I can't let myself stop moving for long; even when I know that they're not moving, I can still hear the clanking in my head.

Thrice damn it, another one of them is right behind me!

The statue things aren't the only things here. There are also things that look like floating capes with lights, and they don't stop moving. I watch one to figure out what it's doing, and that's when one I didn't see shrieks, and the statue things wake up again.

Oh, shit, where's a Tear? I need a Tear now!Wait, I see green over there - yes!

I scramble up piles of rocks and duck under trees and pass through the tunnels, dodging the capes with lights and grabbing Tears. Every Tear I add to the leaf-shaped vessel makes it hum stronger in my hands. That should make me feel better, but it doesn't. No matter how many I collect, the statue things eventually wake up and resume the chase.

Are more of the damned things showing up every time they give chase?

By the time I reach the final Tear, I'm ready to collapse. I'm so drained now, shaky and out of breath, and the only reason I don't hit my knees in relief is because I don't think I'll be able to get back up if I do.

"I've got all the damned Tears!" There's a catch, isn't there? I'm still here, so that must mean the test isn't over.

"Good job! There's just one thing left to do," the other Link says, his voice coming from out of nowhere. "You have to get back to the circle. Then it'll be over."

"What? Are you serious?"

"You've made it this far; you can do it!"

The damned statue things are going to wake back up, aren't they? I can't grab any more Tears because I've already all of them, so once they wake up, I'm screwed.

I have to force myself to start moving again, and honestly, I'm running on adrenaline. The thought of those damned things chasing me down with those massive damned maces is what I focus on as I keep running. I can see the circle; I'm almost there! The clanking starts up again, quickly getting closer.

Shit, I'm not going to make it! I grit my teeth and use the last of my strength to lunge for the circle.

As soon as I pass into the circle, everything goes still and silent again. Everything except my ragged breathing, that is. I spend a good while glancing back and forth, expecting one of the statue things to start moving again and charge straight into the circle with me.

That doesn't happen. What does happen is that I finally realize that I hear something that isn't just the mantra of profanity repeating itself over and over in my head. It's a voice.

It's the other Link. "Answer me already!"

"What?" I turn towards him. We're back at the old temple; I'm sprawled a bit awkwardly on the grass. When did I get back here?

He breathes a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing. "Oh, thank the Goddess. I was beginning to think your spirit didn't make it."

"I'm fine. It's just a little hard to hear you over the screaming in my head. For the record, you're an ass. You could have warned me."

He sighs. "You knew more about it than I did, and you had a choice."

I scowl down at the flower in my - what the? Instead of the vessel I had just a couple moments or so ago, now I'm holding a large green flower, its petals closed.

"What's this?"

"You could say it's proof of your growth." He flops down next to me, laying on his back and staring up at the sky. "If you want to know anything more, you'll have to ask yourself. It's yours, after all."

That's not the slightest bit helpful, I decide. I shift position so I can lay comfortably on my back. What is it about the sky that fascinates him so much? There are a lot of clouds drifting above us, but I don't see anything unusual...

Staring up at the clouds does at least give me a chance to calm down and stop repeating curses. I don't complain; profanity is more Dark's domain than mine, anyway. Maybe I should tell him about the test once things calm down. Then again, knowing him, he'd find it hilarious, so maybe I shouldn't.

I'll figure that out later.

"Do you think my spirit is fixed?" I finally ask.

"I'm not sure. If it helps, you seem a bit steadier now."

That's something, at least. I hold the flower up so I can look at it; it's still closed. "Is this supposed to do anything?"

He shrugs. "I'm not exactly sure. For me, it bloomed, but... Well, I was taking being tested by the Goddess at the time, so there was a reward involved."

I watch the flower sway in the breeze for a moment, wondering if there's any kind of reward for piecing myself back together. I'm not even sure if what I just did counts as putting myself together or just as me getting talking into a meaningless test.

All things considered, I haven't made much headway on the whole "getting answers" thing. I think I'm going to try fixing that problem.

"You were going to tell me something before that test."

"Huh?" He doesn't say anything for a while, but then, "Oh, right! I must've gotten more distracted by that than I thought. I believe I know a way to fix the Master Sword."

I prop myself up on one elbow so I can give him a flat look. "Earlier, you said you couldn't."

He looks confused for a moment, but then he waves a hand in the air. "Oh, no. I can't fix the one you broke, but there's a chance I can undo whatever this Chambers did to it."

"Even the slightest chance is better than nothing. You've got my attention."

"Fi."

I frown. The sword spirit? Didn't he say that last he knew, she was sleeping inside the sword? Wait. Sleeping inside the Master Sword... and what happens if someone were to wake her...?

"Do you think she could break the magic if she was awake?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but there's something I left out earlier. She called me 'master'. She served me. I didn't really know what to think about it, so I preferred not to think about it, but..." He sets his lips in a grim line. "She knows me. We may not be able to undo whatever Chambers did to the blade, but at the very least, if she's awake, she should be willing to fight with us instead of against us."

I consider that. I'm pretty sure that Chambers simply corrupted the sword enough to make it lose its holiness, which might not have been that difficult considering it's been at the bottom of the ocean for centuries now. Huh, I can't believe I didn't think of this before: is the Master Sword unholy, or did Chambers just manage to overpower whatever magic it is that makes it so only the chosen hero can wield it? I think I'd feel better about this whole situation if it's the latter. If it's the former, I think I'm even more terrified of Chambers than I already was.

"That might work, but how am I supposed to wake Fi?" She hasn't woken for any other hero, but is that because they didn't know to even try, or because she won't wake up for anyone who isn't this Link?

"I'm not sure you can. I'm sure I can if I just get the chance, but..."

How's he going to do that? Then again, when I drift into memories like I do sometimes, is it that I'm remembering being another Link, or is it that the part of me that was a specific Link is temporarily taking control? If it's a control thing, then there might just be a way for me to yield control to this Link, even if it's only for a few moments.

It might just be enough... and at any rate, I don't have any better ideas. All I can think to do is try to get the Master Sword away from Garrimed and Chambers so they can't use it against us. If waking Fi will help me do that, then it's worth a try.

Of course, all of this assumes that there's still a Fi left after all this time.

"If Fi isn't still there, then this is all for nothing."

"I know." The other Link nods. "If I can just get close to it, I think I'll know one way or the other. If she's not, then you'll have to find another way, but if she is, then I can try to wake her if you're willing to let me try."

How will he know? "I was close to it before I passed out and came here."

He sighs. "Yes, and I wasn't exactly paying attention to what you were doing. And I realized a long time ago that I was the only hero who knows Fi. Why would I even check at all?" He looks away. "This might cause problems, though. You'll have to try and call me up at the right time, and I don't know how much control I'll need to do what I need to do. And I don't know what kind of effect it could have on you."

"I see..." No, of course he doesn't. Why would he? Weird dreams are normal. Flashes of another hero's memories are a lot less normal but still understandable. Actually waking up part of me that's sleeping and making or letting it have control of me? That's never happened before, at least as far as I know.

Assuming I'm remembering right, every time I've been controlled by an earlier hero, it was after I got lost in memories. Every time, something has happened to jolt control over to them and then back to me. I've never consciously and actively given another hero control.

It's kind of a scary thing to even consider. What if I give him control and then he won't or can't give it back to me?

Assuming there's still a Fi in the Master Sword and assuming I can get close enough to it without getting killed and assuming I can yield control to the other Link on command and assuming that he can wake her up and assuming that will accomplish something useful... Thrice, those are a lot of assumptions.

I can't completely rule any of it impossible, either. There are many parts of the myths that I thought were metaphorical and not literal, but considering the bizarre things that have happened lately, and especially considering the fact that I'm apparently somewhere in my own head so another part of me can reassure me...

I fall back onto the grass. Farore, I don't know if this is real or if I'm hallucinating.

"It's just an idea, anyway," he says, finally, his voice soft. "It might not work."

I decide that it's worth keeping in mind. I'm not going to feel comfortable trying it until I can deal with some of those assumptions, but I'm also not willing to rule it out.

"First things first, I've got to find where Garrimed and the Master Sword are. We'll see what happens from there." I sigh and close my eyes. Am I going crazy? Maybe I already am and just haven't realized it.

No, I don't think I'm crazy. I'm just stressed out.

"I need to wake up."

"There's a reason you're still here," the other Link replies.

"I thought that test of yours was supposed to fix what was broken!"

"It did. Just because you're not broken now doesn't mean you're ready to wake up. I think there's still something you need to come to terms with."

And I think I know what. "And just how am I supposed to do that?"

He shrugs. "I'd say that depends on what you need to come to terms with, honestly."

"I was told I'm afraid of my power." I don't really like admitting that, but I don't really have much of a choice. I want to get back to the others. I need to get back to Dark and Vael.

"Ah." He sits up and stretches. "What kind of power do you have that's so frightening?"

I raise my hand to show the mark of the Triforce on it. There's really no need to say a word.

"Why are you afraid of the Triforce?"

"If you know what it is, you know what kind of power it has. It's dangerous."

"Yes, it is. That means you have to be careful when you use it, but being afraid of it is only going to make it harder to use it when you need it." He turns to look up at the sky again. "And you probably will need it."

"I know I will. Someone out there has the Triforce of Power, and I'm afraid I know where it is." It always went to Ganon, always to the person threatening Hyrule. Logic says that it did the same this time, and the person threatening Hyrule is...

"Then if you know you'll need it, why are you so afraid of it?"

I shake my head. "I'm not afraid of my power. I'm just afraid that I'm going to have to kill someone I used to respect."

"Then you're afraid of your destiny."

"What? I don't have any problem defending Hyrule!"

He gives me a sad, faraway look. "Some things have to be done. I wanted to do whatever I had to do to rescue Zelda... and that meant that I had to forge the Master Sword and eventually fight the Demon King. If I didn't do it, then..." He looks away.

I don't press him; I don't think it's right to make him talk about it if he doesn't want to. "How did you deal with the fear?"

"My best friend's life was on the life. If I failed, then she was going to die. I didn't have time to be afraid. In my experience, that works. And I wasn't alone; I had Fi with me."

That's right; he had the Master Sword, and Fi was the spirit of the blade... "Will you tell me about Fi?"

"That's a really long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

I sit up and look down at the closed flower in my hand again. "If I might be fighting with her... Yes, I'd like to know."

He sits back down and grins at me. "All right. It'd probably be easiest to just tell you everything in order. It all started the day of the Wing Ceremony..."

Author's note 1 November 2015: Putting this note here at the very end, too, so hopefully everyone sees it. I have come to the conclusion that I've written myself into a corner and rushed some things that in hindsight I wish I hadn't. So the long silence has been spent completely rewriting and reworking Future Hyrule from the ground up! The rewritten, expanded, and much improved version is live as of this posting, so look for it in the Zelda section or on my profile. This original version will remain up because I know a lot of you have enjoyed it, and I can safely say that there are a lot of things in this version that aren't in the rewrite and vice versa. Thanks to everyone who has read and commented over the years, and I hope you enjoy the new version.