A/N: Hey, fans! Welcome to my newest story! I think this is the fastest story I have ever written. I started it on Monday, and it's already finished and published on Thursday! *weeping* I grow up so fast... I'm so proud of me.

So yea, anyways, the inspiration for this story came from me actually playing the Earth Temple in Wind Waker and wondering how little Medli would be feeling. I really do like Medli. Especially after writing a whole story in her PoV (point-of-view). She's one of the few major female Zelda characters that I actually like (Unlike Ilia. *retch*).

**I have a little game for y'alls. There are two specific rooms in the actual Earth Temple mentioned in here (though they aren't adjacent to each other). ONE: The room with the three Moblins, and TWO: the room with the blue fog and the Floor Master(s) and fly-to-able ledge on the other side. If you can tell me specifically where in the dungeon these rooms are, I'll draw you a picture of Toon Link or Medli (your choice, I've drawn both of them before and can actually do it. Just might take a while). Any way of telling me will count just fine. (If you don't have a FanFic account, but know my Facebook, tell me there)**

Oh! Also, if there are any of you that don't know what the Earth God's Lyric sounds like (or wanted to be reminded), copy and paste this link (it is underlined) into the URL box (where you type "www..."): watch?v=_xcVVjKfxvw It's the actual song that Medli plays at the end of the dungeon. Very beautiful, in my opinion. Also, if you don't know what Medli looks like, the cover for this story is her, and there's a picture of her on the YouTube video. (P.S. If you don't see the YouTube part of the URL, just put what you see after the "/" after ".com"

This story was 16 (SIXTEEN!) pages on college-ruled paper! When I typed it up, it was just over 7. I feel like all my work was for nothing seeing that tiny (and prime) number

Why must my AN's be so long? TT_TT When you're done reading, I would very much appreciate reviews and comments. Thank you so much and enjoy! Don't forget about that little Game. Midnax loves thee! 3

"The Sage of the Earth Temple"

"Medli, are you ready?" Link asked me, my fingers entwined with his. He and I stood outside the entrance to the Earth Temple. On the other side of the large stone door was my fate.

I nodded absently, my eyes wide and unblinking. Link squeezed my hand a little tighter, gaining my attention. "It's going to be a dangerous journey, Medli. The creatures in this dungeon will do everything in their power to kill you. I'm not going to lie," he said. I winced at the piercing truth in his small yet courageous voice. "Your life is in my hands. I will get you to the heart of this temple safely, even if I must risk my own life. But that means that you need to listen to what I say, without hesitation."

"What do you mean?" I asked softly.

"I mean, if I tell you to take me to a high ledge, you'll listen. If I tell you to stay where you are, you'll listen. If I tell you to run away and abandon me if I am in danger, you'll listen," Link explained.

"Abandon you? But Link, I–"

"Medli." His firm tone silenced me. "You are much too important. All of Hyrule – the entire world – needs you as the Sage of Earth. If your safety means putting myself in danger, in the face of death, then so be it."

"But Link, you–"

"Please, Medli." He stopped me again, leaving no room for argument. "Please just listen to me." His eyes, so full of emotion, were begging me.

But Link, I thought, you are much too important to me. Biting back any further protest, I nodded and said. "I will."

A small smile of gratitude spread across Link's face. "So are you ready?" he asked again, and nodded a second time. He stepped forward, touching the stone door entrance, and it split open, revealing the temple within.

Time to fulfill my destiny.

Leading me through the umpteenth doorway, Link stopped as we entered the room. He looked around silently, as if searching for the trace of a sound.

"What's going on?" I whispered, and he held his hand up, motioning me to stay quiet.

"Moblins," he said after an eternity's worth of seconds had passed. "Three of them."

"How can you tell?" I breathed.

"Lanterns. I can hear and see their lanterns," he stated. Link unsheathed his sword, the very one I was helping to revive. "Stay here. Stay hidden." And he sprinted away without a backward glance.

Moments later, I heard porcine grunts mixed with young cries. I inched myself forward to try and see what was going on.

There were two Moblins left, and between the pair of fat, pig-like creatures, was Link, skittering around like a little green mouse. Link had disarmed one of the ugly monsters, and he had most of his attention on the other beast, who still had a firm grip on its own weapon. The disarmed Moblin, seeing an opening in Link's defenses, crept up behind him without being noticed.

My heart leaped into my throat and I couldn't breathe. The Moblin swung its fist into Link's left side. The force sent him flying into the wall nearest to me with a sickening thud and a cry of pain. Link slid to the ground face down, lying motionless. The terrifying seconds stretched by, and he still wouldn't move. My eyes widened in horror and I began to panic.

"Link! Get up!" I shrieked. I took a step forward, ready to run to his side.

He finally stirred, raising himself to his feet slowly. He tried to hide the fact that we was limping, and winced when he stood up straight.

Trying to appear uninjured, his face went hard, void of all emotion, like it did when he was ready to fight.

""Medli. Go, keep yourself hidden," he called; we were close enough that he had no need to raise his voice. He then ran off again, the signs of his injuries no longer present.

"Link, you can't do this to yourself," I muttered under my breath. "I won't let you die."

Even though he hid it well, it was more than clear to me that he was hurt. When he dodged and jumped out of the way, he landed on his right foot and put little to no weight on the other. There were countless cuts and scrapes on his arms and torso, all seeping dark crimson liquid. His face and hair were shining with sweat. This was too much for him, and there was nothing I could do about.

It saddened me to see him in so much pain.

Suddenly the large room had gone silent. Link caught my gaze and beckoned me to him; it was safe now. When I reached him he was looking in pots for little vials of medicine. Too soon, the pots were all empty and he hadn't found enough to heal his leg or settle his racing heart.

Panting heavily, he wiped his forehead with his sleeve and said, "Alright. Let's go."

On an impulse I grabbed his arm. "Wait."

"What?" he rasped. His lungs must have been screaming for air.

"Let's rest," I offered.

"We don't have time to rest. I don't need to rest. I'm fine," he defended. It was all I could do not to snort. Well, I thought, looks like all his Courage comes with a side of pride. Men.

"I need to rest," I made up. "I don't get out much, being Valoo's attendant, so I'm tired. Come on and sit with me for a while."

I think he knew I was lying, but nonetheless he crouched down and sat between my legs. I swore I could hear him holding back groans of pain.

My back was to the wall, so I gestured for him to lean against me, my chest to his back. "Stop being such a tough guy for three seconds, Link," I said.

"Medli," he began.

"Just this once," I interrupted, "please just listen to me." At my words, he finally relaxed, a long sigh escaping his lips.

I let loose a sad smile. If only we could stay like this always…

I all but forced Link to rest long enough so that his wounds would make some form of recovery. But I wouldn't let him sleep; every few minutes I would jerk him awake and he would grumble angrily. I feared that if he fell asleep, he would lose consciousness, or worse.

Link soon grew restless, told me that we had to go, and I reluctantly obliged. I missed feeling him so close already, but I held it back, knowing there were more pressing matters at hand.

Finally going through the door and into the next room, the first thing we both noticed was a large pool of ominous blue fog. Link and I glanced at each other, and he tentatively stepped toward it.

"Link, I don't think that's such a good idea," I warned.

"I'm just testing it," he told me. Extending his hand into the cloud of smoke, he allowed a few tendrils to curl up his arm. He turned around to face me, staring at the blue fog. He flexed his fingers and bent his elbow, wincing and grunting in pain.

"What's wrong?" I asked urgently.

"Well, at first, nothing. But when I move, it feels like my very bones are on fire." The smoke on his arm faded, and he clenched his fist experimentally. "Well it's good to know it wears off at least. I won't be able to walk you through this."

I looked past the fog and saw a ledge that was clear of the smoke. It wasn't terribly far away.

"I can fly us across this," I told him.

Link shook his head, grabbing my shoulders. "No, it's too dangerous. I'll figure out a way to go around it."

"Come on. I've been nothing but dead weight this whole time, let me help," I persisted.

"Medli, if something happened to you, I –" Link started, but I covered his mouth with my hand.

"Just let me fly us across, Link," I said. "I'm not budging on this." I held his gaze and he sighed, defeated.

"Fine." He crouched down and lifted me over his head. He ran toward the fog and jumped over it. I instantly spread my wings and flapped furiously. Carrying Link's weight was tough.

"Medli!" Link cried out from below me. "Look out! In the fog – Floor Masters!"

I gulped. There were two things I had learned about Floor Masters: they grabbed at anything that moved, dragging it to a faraway place in the temple, and they particularly favored Earth Sages.

I continued to fly. We were almost there. In only a few seconds we would be safe from the blue fog and the Floor Master.

Suddenly I felt a tug around my waist, and was pulled to the ground, into the middle of the smoke. For some reason, though, I was unaffected by it. But I couldn't dwell on that thought long, because I heard a blood curdling scream of agony.

"Link!" He had fallen, too. And he must have been in so much pain. I tried to run to him, to get him out of this horrible fog, but I felt that tug on my waist again. A Floor Master had grabbed ahold of me with its large, black hand. My breath caught and I began to panic.

"Link! Help!" I called out. He was crouched on his hands and knees, eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched tight. I could tell that he was in no condition to save me now. "Link! Come and find me, alright? Come and find me!" I yelled before that Floor Master's grip pulled me under the black abyss.

I must have lost consciousness, because when I regained it, I was trapped inside what appeared to be a cage with very steep walls.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. Looking straight ahead, I noticed a great, golden sun hanging on the far wall. "I know this room…" I was in the center of the dungeon, the ground-level hall that connected all corners of the temple. I had no doubt that Link would find me here. It would just be a matter of how long it would take.

Being trapped in a cage was not as glamorous as one would think. My imagination and boredom stretched the minutes across eternity. To pass the time, I pulled out my harp and plucked it melodically. I started with the Earth God's Lyric, but changed the tempo, plucking slowly in some places and quickly in others. Then I added flourishes and twists to the melody, giving the tune a jumpy, eerie feel to it. I heard a door open and close, and I stopped playing my harp immediately.

"Link? Is that you?" I asked tentatively. I peered between the bars of my prison, trying to find a hint of green. Link appeared on the left, and I called his name again. He turned my way, and his eyes drifted to something above me. I followed his gaze to see a gap between the bars and the ceiling.

Was it really that obvious? I thought with a sigh. I extended my wings and flew up and over the gap, landing by Link's side. "Thanks, Link," I said casually. Something wasn't right with him. He wasn't speaking, and there was a vacant look in his wide eyes. His face was white and he was shaking pretty badly.

"Link? Link, are you okay?" I asked, touching his shoulder. He jumped back, lost his balance and fell back. "Hey, it's alright! What happened?" I crouched next to him, but didn't dare touch him again. I looked straight into his eyes. It was like he couldn't see me. "Link, you're safe now. You're safe. Just tell me what happened."

He let out a long breath, as if he had been holding it in for much too long. His eyes found mine and he began to relax. "Medli," Link sighed. He cupped my cheek, as if making sure I was real.

"Link, what's wrong?" I repeated, leaning into his touch. He shuddered and gulped.

"Redeads," he breathed. My heart stopped in realization and understanding. Redeads didn't just attack their victims, they broke their victims. What they did, and how they did it, was too gruesome to even describe.

"Oh, my. Link, I… I'm so sorry." His eyes began to water and I instinctively wrapped my arms around him. If he wanted to protest, he held it back.

For a long while, we just sat on the stone floor, not speaking. Finally, and to my dismay, he pulled away, mumbling that we should be on our way. "We've almost found the heart of the temple," he stated, wiping his eyes discreetly. Pulling out his map of the dungeon, he gestured north, toward the large golden sun on the wall. "If we go that way and follow the eastern trail, then we should find our way easily."

Nodding in agreement, I followed Link obediently, quietly complying with his orders.

We've almost found the heart of the temple… I knew all too well what that meant. Soon Link and I will be separated, no doubt forever. I couldn't even guess if Link would be upset about this truth, but it was just devastating to me. I wish I didn't have to spend my life away from my green-clad hero, but I had no other choice but to embrace my fate as Earth Sage.

I must have really been out of it, because before I knew it, Link told me we were just outside the center of the temple. The only thing that stood between that room and us was a deep chasm.

"Well, I guess there's really no other way," Link said to me shrugging. I crouched down, allowing him to carry me. He leaped across the chasm, and my wings gave out just in time. We made it.

Standing just outside the large, ornate door, Link and I both visibly shuddered. "Do you sense it, too?" Link asked me.

"Yes. It's evil," I responded.

Link turned to face me and looked straight into my eyes. "I'm not letting you go in there."

"But what if I could be of some help to you?" I offered.

Link shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. They're after you, Medli. You can't be in that room with me and whatever else is in there because you need to be safe. I'm sorry, Medli, but your safety is most important. Once it is safe for you to be in there, I will come and get you. I promise."

I nodded. "I only wish I could be less… useless," I admitted.

Link grabbed my shoulders gently. "No! You've been so much help to me. I wouldn't have been able to enter this temple without you, let alone get you through it." I could somehow tell that he wasn't lying, and it warmed my heart.

"Okay, well I'll stay out here to help you then," I told him. Link smiled and stepped to the door.

"Link!" I called out at the last second. He turned around and looked at me with a concerned expression. I hesitated for a moment, then ran toward him and hugged him tightly around the waist. "Be careful in there, Link," I muttered into his chest.

I felt his arms wrap around my shoulders as he embraced me back. "Thank you, Medli. I will," he replied.

I begrudgingly let him go. I watched with tears in my eyes as Link stepped through the door and into the danger that lurked behind it.

For the second time, I was sitting all alone in a big, empty room, waiting for Link to come and get me. I sat against a large metal pot and randomly plucked at the strings of my harp. It didn't do much to drown out the sounds of sword slashes and cries. I was resisting every urge and impulse to press my ear against the door, so I could hear every strike, every grunt, every drop of blood.

He'll be alright, I had to constantly remind myself. He's not going to die. He won't die. He is not going to die. I let my head fall back and rest against the cool metal as I let out a sigh.

"Please, Link. Just be okay," I murmured, allowing my eyes to close. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." It came out as a tear-stained whisper.

Letting my harp rest idly in my lap, I remained in that position against the pot as I waited patiently for Link to come and get me.

Next thing I knew I was, to my surprise, being shaken awake from half-sleep. The first thing I saw was Link smiling warmly at me, and I couldn't help but grin back. His bright, soft face was a wonderful sight to wake up to.

His golden hair was dripping with sweat, and there were countless rips and frays on his clothes. But there wasn't a single drop of blood on his person, nor was there any trace of pain in his eyes. He must have been able to heal himself before coming out here.

"Link," I breathed, my face beaming. "You made it. You're alive."

"Good morning, sleepy head," he teased, crouching down next to me. "Of course I'm alive. You have no faith in me."

I touched his hair with the tips of my fingers, to confirm that I wasn't imagining him. So soft, I thought briefly.

"Our job here is not done yet, Medli," he told me, a hint of sadness in his voice and in his eyes.

I tore my eyes away from his, instead looking at the floor. "I hate this part," I said sighing.

Link stood then helped me up. I grabbed my harp and was led to the center of the next room. It was a large, circular chamber, with a great Triforce emblem covering the floor. In the center of the Triforce, between the three sacred triangles, was a piercing, soft blue light. It's the perfect place to spend the rest of my life as a Sage, I thought with mixed emotions.

I stood still and silent for a moment, pondering my place in the world. Only days ago, I was an attendant in training, insignificant at best. But now, I was a Sage, the Sage of Earth, helping to save the land from all evil that may threaten it. I was important to the fate of the world. I had a destiny to fulfill, and I would fulfill it to the best of my abilities.

Link stood next to me, entwining his fingers with mine. I was brought back to the very beginning of this perilous journey. It felt like so long ago now, a different lifetime even.

"Medli, are you ready?" he asked, like before.

My eyes remained on the blue triangle of light as I said, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Link nodded his head in response and unsheathed the legendary Master Sword, striking it into the center of the altar.

Link stood across from me and we faced each other ceremoniously. As I readied my harp, he pulled out the Wind Waker, the age-old conductor's baton that led me to embrace my own awakening, to realize my own destiny. He held the Wind Waker high above his head and looked straight into my eyes, asking the silent question. I nodded with finality, and Link dropped the baton, tracing it to the left and right.

I allowed six counts before starting. The Earth God's Lyric slowly filled the room, circling Link and I, swirling gracefully around the Master Sword. I felt the ghost of my predecessor's hands hover over my own, guiding my fingers. After the first verse, Laruto accented the sacred melody with fourths and fifths and dominant sevenths. The song became full and complete, saturating the room with its warm, fluid timbre. The air around the sword was crackling from the song's spiritual energy.

My fingers brushed across the last note and the chord reverberated off the walls. The echoing sound curled up and around the blade of evil's bane. In a flash of blinding light, the sword transformed, the hilt now fully extended.

Link lowered his Wind Waker, and I held my harp at my side. He stepped into the blue light and took the Master Sword, raising it high above his head.

"Thank you," he said sheathing the blade.

I smiled back. "There is still one more prayer that needs to be made." Link nodded. There was little that needed to be said at this point. "Komali… please watch over him for me," I requested.

"Of course," Link agreed, walking over to me. "Take care of yourself, Medli."

Tears filled my eyes. This was actually happening. "You too, Link." He wrapped his arms around me, and I returned the embrace. "Will you come by sometimes?" I said, ignoring the sharp pain in my throat.

Link hugged me tighter and promised, "Of course I will." I could only hope he would keep it.

I pulled away from him, wiping my eyes. "Go on. Go be a hero," I said.

Link stepped into the blue light once more. Our eyes met for the last time. Link waved to me with a smile, concealing the sorrow in his eyes. "See you later, Medli."

I waved back. He was vanishing, returning to the surface to complete his journey. He was a hero. I was a Sage. Our destinies were intertwined, meant to aid each other, but nothing more. It couldn't be any other way.

My journey with the hero I had grown to care deeply for was the best time of my life. If I could hold onto those memories, I could withstand my duty as the Sage of Earth for all my existence. For Link.

Just before he disappeared, tears once again began to spill from my eyes. I opened my mouth to speak. "Goodbye, Link." And he was gone.

A/N: Sooo... did you like it? I really do. I just feel like pointing out that it's not supposed to be clear how Link feels about Medli, being that she doesn't know herself. I meant to leave it to y'alls imaginations. So, you tell me. Does Link love Medli? Or is she stuck in his Friend-Zone? Actually tell me, too, please. Let's see how people deciphered him. Thank you.

Also, I wonder if you really can go back and see her in the game. I've never actually tried. I'd be a jerk if I was Link, I kinda forget about her once the dungeon is done. Does anybody know? I was thinking about doing something like this for Makar, but I'm not (unless someone gives me ideas). I don't know how I would do it.

But I am gonna write a fic about Colin and Wolf Link... "When?" you ask? As soon as I can come up with more detail, like a beginning, and an end, and more of a middle. Yea, I only have one little bullet point of information right now. It'll be cute though. (not yaoi)

Pardon any grammar/spelling mistakes I might have made. If I made any. Please review! It's Makar's source of food and income. And we wouldn't want that cute, creepy little tree... thing to be unemployed and starving! I love any and all suggestions! And I love YOU for giving them! I'll give you cookies if you review! "What kind?" you ask? Why, virtual cookies of course! ...I can't bake...

I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you so much! I loves you all so muches! 3