A/N: Well, I've been gone for a long time, and I bet people thought I had given up on this fic, but I haven't. I've just been busy with college, and other fics. I do not own The Legend of Zelda. Enjoy!

~Moon White Rose

Chapter 6

A Secret in the Temple

Back and forth, back and forth; Luna couldn't stop pacing. She had given up on sleep long ago; once she had awakened, sleep hadn't even been a possibility. For hours she had just sat on her bed, numb; the mark on her hand being the only source of light to keep the darkness of her room at bay. It glowed brighter than the mark on her mother's hand, and Luna vaguely wondered if it would shine right through her gloves.

Finally, as the darkness of the night had started giving way to the light of dawn, she had snapped out of her dazed state, changed into a suitable dress, hid the extravagant white gown under her bed, and slipped on a pair of thick, cream colored gloves. Thankfully, the light hadn't pierced the material, but then she had begun to really worry and think about what had happened, which had resulted in her pacing, which had yet to stop. Who should I trust? Can I even trust anyone? She wished she had immediate answers to her mental questions.

Naturally, the idea of telling her father wasn't even an option. At the very best, her father wouldn't believe her and call her a liar; most likely he'd do something to humiliate her as well, or physically punish her. If he did believe her, however…. A violent shiver danced up Luna's spine and she willed herself to breathe. No, that was not a thought she would entertain. Going to her father was not an option… yet strangely, she didn't feel safe going to her mother either, which scared her. There was no one Luna was closer to than her mother, so why did she feel uneasy about telling her?

Despite all that had happened to her, her mother was still Zelda; The Master Sage, The Princess of Destiny, and the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. Her mother was Nayru's Chosen, the rightful ruler of Hyrule, and most importantly, she was Luna's mother. She was the one Luna had run to as a frightened little child on stormy nights; she was the one who had stayed up all night with Luna when she had been sick. Trust, love, and gentleness were things Luna associated with her mother; in short, Queen Zelda was the first person Luna should be going to about this whole situation.

But she couldn't; just the thought left an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She wasn't worried that her mother would be mad, or not believe her; if she really thought about it, she couldn't even say why she was uncomfortable! A sigh of weariness escaped Luna and her pacing finally came to a stop. She quickly realized that there was no one she felt safe with telling, as obviously, her siblings were out of the question as well. Was this a secret she was going to have to keep to herself? The question filled her with a deep despair, almost to the point that she didn't hear… it.

Darkness dwells in everyone. Luna nearly jumped out of her skin and she had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming out loud. Had she really just heard someone talking, even though she was alone? Darkness dwells in us all, but very few of us have ever faced it. There it was again, she had heard someone! Luna looked all over her room, trying to pinpoint where the voice had come from, when suddenly she froze. Her thoughts… the voice was coming from inside her mind. Someone was speaking to her telepathically.

"H-hello?" her voice trembled and was hardly more than a whisper. She had never held a telepathic conversation with someone before; she didn't even know that it was possible for her.

Darkness and light dwell in everyone so don't let the light deceive, for it can… "mask great darkness." An icy feeling danced up her spine as the voice suddenly became audible. Surely someone had to be in her room for her to actually hear them with her own ears. Slowly, her eyes swept over her bedchamber before ghosting over her vanity mirror, to which they suddenly returned. For many long moments she stared into the mirror, and then she turned and looked behind her. What she saw was only her room and that did not add up with what her mirror was portraying.

Another look into the glass showed no change and a soft whimper pushed past her lips. A spirit was in her room with her. This didn't really surprise her, as her mother had said ghosts of fallen knights still roamed the halls, but it did scare her more than she could say. Though she was half Sheikah, she did not possess any of the qualities of the race. She didn't even have her father's red eyes, which the rest of her siblings had inherited. The ghost gazed at her and another whimpered escaped.

"Don't be afraid, I wouldn't hurt you even if I could," spoke the spirit. His voice, though soft, was warm and comforting; it was almost the same tone of voice her mother had used to calm her fears when she had been a child. Slightly reassured, Luna sat down before the mirror and regarded the ghost with a blank expression as she took in his features. He was handsome, in a haunting way, and he vaguely looked familiar.

His sun gold hair fell slightly over eyes that were as blue as a summer sky. His tunic was forest green but ragged and filled with holes and his ghostly body bore countless scars and wounds. He looked only a couple of years older than her, but she knew that meant nothing. He could have died centuries ago for all that she knew, but there were two things she was sure of. One, he had met a very violent end; she didn't know how she knew that, she just did and she wondered if it was just her intuition, or unrealized abilities coming to the surface. Two, something was keeping him from peaceful, eternal rest.

But what exactly? She mused. Also, why does he look so familiar? As she thought on all this, the spirit, who had been studying her too, suddenly smiled. It was small but real and it brought Luna out of her thoughts.

"You really are as pretty as your mother, but you remind me of your father a little too." The end of the statement took her by surprise and, if she were honest, admittedly insulted her somewhat.

"Oh, how am I like my father?" she questioned tightly. He laughed, but there was no trace of mockery that she could detect in the sound.

"I say you're like your father because like him, you're good at masking your feelings and emotions so that they don't show on your face." He paused and looked her in the eyes. "That's not always a good ability to possess though; I suppose it really depends on how you use it, or any of your talents for that matter. Don't you think?"

"I… I guess so. By the way, since you seem to know who I am, who are you? Why are you…?" Luna trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"Speaking to you?" he offered. "Well, you are a Sheikah, and talking to the departed is one of their abilities." A blush of embarrassment warmed her face at both the statement and her lack of Sheikan abilities; perhaps he didn't know her as well as she had assumed he did.

"I'm only half Sheikah, and I've never possessed any of their qualities. I don't even have red eyes," she murmured, more sadly than she had intended. It always bothered and frustrated her that she wasn't more like her siblings in some ways. Vaguely she wondered if her father's hate stemmed from her inabilities. She decided to ponder on that thought later.

"So," her visitor returned. "What's wrong with that? What's wrong with being you?" The questions caught Luna off guard and she had no answers. "As for whom I am… I'm disappointed. Perhaps you should brush up on your history Luna. It will only help you on what lies ahead. Things learned about the past can play a big part in how the future is shaped." As he said this, more sunlight started to fill her room and as a result, the man in the mirror began to fade. Panic hit Luna; she didn't want this mysterious visitor to go. She didn't even know why he had come in the first place!

"I promise to remember that, but why are you here?" she asked desperately. She could barely see him now and his voice was hard to hear.

"To warn you to trust your instincts. Don't be fooled by the light of a person; be mindful of their darkness. You must be careful with who you trust."

"Does that mean I can't trust my mother?" Luna got no answer; the ghost was gone and only her confused face could be seen in the mirror's surface. After a minute she stood and replayed what had just happened in her mind. He told me to trust my instincts and to be mindful of a person's darkness. She mulled that over for a bit and then decided that, for now, she would tell no one as to what had happened, even though a vast part of her mind was screaming for her to tell her mother. Worry about that later. What else did he say? For some reason, one part of the conversation stuck out.

"'Perhaps you should brush up on your history Luna. It will only help you on what lies ahead. Things learned about the past can play a big part in how the future is shaped.'" A queasy feeling suddenly settled in the pit of her stomach and her ivory toned skin paled, if that were even possible.

No; that couldn't have been The H-

"Highness, are you up yet?! Why is your door locked?!" The thundering voice of Master Iron and his pounding on her door made her both yelp and jump in surprise. Her thoughts flew out the window as her heart picked up speed in her chest.

"Umm, yes! Yes, I am awake. I locked the door because I chose to dress myself," she babbled as she forced herself to take steady breaths.

"Well open the door! Your ladies are here with your morning meal!" he bit out. Rushing to the door, she threw it open and nearly collided with the Walking Armor. Nearby, her two ladies-in-waiting, barely older than her, shuffled from foot to foot nervously. Like her, they were unnerved by the presence of the fierce monster.

"I shall be dining with my parents this morning," she informed them. "Enjoy what you brought me for yourselves." The two girls smiled at each other than bowed to her.

"Thank-you your highness," they murmured together before retreating to their room across the hall. Luna began to head down to the dining hall, but Master Iron's harsh voice froze her in her tracks.

"Why the sudden desire to dine at your father's table? You are still in trouble." It was common knowledge amongst the castle dwellers that she didn't eat with the family except for when it was needed. Her two youngest siblings made it very clear she was unwanted and her father made sure she knew his displeasure as well. The only one who made her feel welcomed and wanted was her mother.

But you can't trust her, taunted her mental voice. She didn't really want to answer the question so she continued on, but she heard his heavy footsteps echo off the stone floor as he followed, so she stopped. "I wish to dine with the family so that I may speak with my mother on certain things. I don't need an escort," she added as he resumed walking when she did. He stopped and suddenly she turned back to him.

"By the way, do I… look all right? Does anything look… different about me?" Luna knew that if he noticed something off about her, then there was no way she could fool her father. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, she could tell that they were on her; looking over every inch of her. This turned her spine into an icicle, but she remained still.

"No." The answer was blunt, but honest and she gave a silent sigh of relief as she turned away. She had deceived him; hopefully she could do the same with her father.

"What are you doing here?" the question, voiced by Rose, her youngest sister, caused all eyes to turn on her. Luna froze, but only for a second. She ignored the question and went straight to Zelda, whom she hugged and kissed on the cheek. Her mother retuned the gesture, a warm smile on her face.

"Good morning mother," Luna said quietly, to distract herself from her guilt. "Good morning father," she added with a small bow. As much as she wanted to ignore him, she knew better. You did not, under any circumstances, ignore the king when you were sitting at his table; that was something he made clear a long time ago. From his position at the head of the table, he just watched her, his eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion.

"Good morning sweetheart." The soft, but happy voice of Queen Zelda made her relax and she sat at her designated place. Zantos and Rose glared, Crystal looked bored, and Vaati II ignored her completely. She followed his example and ignored her siblings; they meant nothing to her right now.

While Luna didn't trust her enough to tell her the secret, she knew that there was no one more qualified in all of Hyrule to tell her the history she wanted to know than her mother. The only problem was getting her mother alone; her father forbid learning what she wanted to know and he kept just as tight a leash on his wife as he did her. Hopefully, I can think of something.

"What do you want Luna?" Vaati finally demanded guardedly after several minutes of quiet eating. Appeal to his wants; impress him. Be submissive. While she wanted to do the opposite of the thought, she knew it was the best chance at getting the alone time she wanted. With the delicate grace learned from hours of lessons Luna wiped her mouth and folded the napkin neatly. She sat straight and looked her father in the eyes.

"I would like to be treated as an adult father; I've wanted that for a long time… only now do I realize," she said, dropping the gaze, "that I have been acting as a stubborn child. Being locked in my room last night lead me to thinking. While I am terrified at the idea of marriage and all that you want me to do…." She paused and looked him in the eyes again. "I should have come to you calmly and in a mature matter and voiced my fears to you civilly. I'm sorry for the embarrassment I have brought to you, myself, and this family." She looked down and mentally begged for this to work. Each word was like acid on her tongue. She didn't regret her actions one bit.

Vaati was surprised at the words, but only because he never pictured them leaving her mouth. His eyebrow arched and his hands gripped the chair armrests. "Oh really? You expect me to believe you've changed after just one night of being locked up?"

"No, I don't," she replied seriously. After all, she didn't expect it; at least that much was true. "All I'm saying is that I want freedom, but I realize why you kept me confined. I realize why you want me to get married. You want these things because… because you are a father who cares for the safety of his children. You want me married so that I will have someone to provide for my needs. I just wish you could see things from my point of view. Wanting me to marry a stranger scares me more than I can put into words. Not giving me even a reason as to why I can't leave the castle only confuses me. I just want… I just want to experience… life."

A quiet settled in the dining hall and Luna couldn't believe how much of that was true. All the good things she said about her father were a lie as far as she was concerned, but the things she said about herself were true. She wanted to experience things like she had yesterday. Meeting Ruby and riding back to the castle with Aieden had been one of the best days of her life. Too bad he isn't of noble blood. I would have liked to get to know him more.

"You want to be treated as an adult, do you? You admit to finally seeing all the good I do for you?" She could hear the vanity and smugness in his voice and it almost made her gag.

"Yes father."

"So what do you want in regards to 'freedom'?" he asked slowly.

"As I said… marriage to a stranger scares me… so let me meet some people. Let me choose who I spend the rest of my life with."

"I would not push your luck in that, but what are you suggesting?" She had him, so long as she didn't mess up, which she was in danger of doing. She was getting nervous and it was making her jittery. She took a deep breath and the words flowed from her.

"For now I simply suggest still having suitors come to the castle, but not so many at one time. Also… I was hoping that mother and I could have the day together, just the two of us." Vaati held her gaze and she could tell he was somewhat caught off guard by the last request.

"Vaati," Zelda said, breaking the semi tense atmosphere. "I'd love to spend the day with Luna, and if she is opening up to you about her fears of marriage, then I know that means she has some fears and questions to ask me… things only I can explain and answer simply because we're both women. She just wants to have a girl talk unless, of course, you want to answer her questions." Luna coughed into her napkin to mask her laugh at the appalled look on her father's face, a look her siblings snickered at openly.

"Spend the day with your daughter, and do not inform me on whatever you discuss. As for you Luna, I will reduce the number of suitors who come, but I expect you to behave and give a real effort into picking someone. Am I understood?"

She couldn't believe it; it had worked. He actually bought all that she had said. "Yes father, I understand." He nodded in satisfaction and under the table her mother gently squeezed her hand. Luna glanced at her and the two shared a quick smile.

"Hurry and finish eating Luna," Zelda whispered softly. "There's somewhere I want to take you; it'll be the perfect spot to answer all of your questions."

"I still cannot get the look on father's face out of my mind!" Luna laughed before running ahead and twirling around, just for the fun of it. She and her mother were walking along the path that lead to town, and since it was just the two of them, she threw all proper actions to the wind. Running was something Luna loved doing, but around the time she had turned eight, her father had said running was for children and that she was a child no longer.

Her mother on the other hand could have cared less. She had let Luna be a child when they were alone then, and she let her be silly now. Zelda laughed at the statement and her daughter's actions. She could recall doing the same thing at Luna age; after all she and her daughter were people, just like everyone else. "I know it was very amusing. What was surprising though was you impeccable lying performance. You're becoming quite good at being deceiving," Zelda said with a wry smile as she playfully ruffled her daughter's pale, silvery blond hair.

"I still can't believe that fooled him myself, but I figured if I kept telling him what he wanted to hear, I'd get my way, and it seemed to work. By the way, where are we going? How do you know I had questions to ask that weren't… appropriate for the castle?" Zelda only smiled. Fifteen minutes later, they were in the Temple of Time courtyard. Luna's breath caught in her throat as she took in the beauty and peaceful quiet of the place; a place she was forbidden by her father to go.

"Mother…."

"Come Luna, it's all right." Still somewhat nervous about risking her father's wrath if he discovered she came here, she followed her mother inside. All around was marble that gleamed thanks to the light that was spilling in from the crystal windows. A single gold trimmed red carpet cut the nearly white floor in half. Near the entrance was a pedestal with the Triforce and a strange symbol on it and at the end of the carpet was a barren alter. Beyond that stairs led to a stone wall topped by a black Triforce.

"Your father doesn't want me here because of me being a Sage and because it is the resting place of Evil's greatest fear. He doesn't want you here because he knows that you are more like me than you realize." Luna tore her eyes away from the stone wall and looked at her mother in confusion. A tingle of panic went off in the depths of her mind. Did her mother know after all? She didn't look any different, but something was bothering her. Something was going to change between the two of them here; they were not going to leave this place as the same people who had entered.

"Luna, what is it you wanted to know?" The two stared at the other for a moment and Luna wiped any trace of emotion from her face.

"I want to know what happened. I want to know the story of you, King Ganondorf, and The Hero of Time. I want to know what part father played in everything. I want to know how The Hero died." A wistful smile appeared on the Queen's face. She walked over to the pedestal and turned her attention to Luna.

"I said this would be the perfect place to answer your questions, and it seems I was right. Those are questions that you should know the answers to, but allow me to shed some light on things. I think to best understand those events you asked about, you need to hear the History of Hyrule… from the very beginning. No one, save for a very limited few know of what I'm about to show you." Zelda turned away and raised her Triforce marked hand over the pedestal and whistled the tune she used to sing to Luna as a lullaby. Then the notes flowed into a short tune Luna had never heard.

When the last note faded into silence, the pedestal shook, then moved to the side. The Temple doors closed and Luna could see stairs descending into the darkness revealed by the pedestal's move. Luna just stared in awe until Zelda came up beside her and gently grabbed her gloved hand; the hand with the silver mark. "Come Luna; it's time for you to learn about your past."

A/N: Well, I know it took me forever to update. The next chapter will finally reveal how Link died, so be on the lookout for it. Anyway, thanks to the following people for reviewing the last chapter:

StraightedgeWingZero, msfcatlover, Rosy the Spazz, Forest Princess, StattStatt, xrated9390, Cheese, a ZeLdA sKaTeR, TwilightEternal412, imnotraven16, and Waterbomb22

Thanks for the reviews. Later!

~Moon White Rose