*Temple of Time*

It never ceased to amaze Link that beyond these doors lied the past, somehow perfectly petrified in the present. His first visit to the Temple of Time was one of the most unforgettable moments of his travels.

Everything in the Sacred Grove seemed to persist against the elements from when Link last visited. The bridges he had aligned in the gorge with his Gale Boomerang still sat, waiting for his feet to tread across.

Link couldn't help but feel it persisted too well. As if someone had come before him, setting the pace for his entrance.

Zelda. And hopefully only Zelda. Link trembled at Fado's recollection of Ilia hobbling around Ordon on all fours. He saw her head swivel around unnaturally as she crouched on his windowsill. He saw the weeping eyes, devoid of any human spirit that might remain in them. He could still smell the repugnant odor that scathed the inside of his nostrils with each breath he took.

"If you really love Y/N, you'll release her so she may continue to live. Otherwise, I will behead her like her gullible idiot of a father."

Link was nauseated by the memory of the shadow's threat towards Y/N. He willed himself to move forward. He would protect her. On his life, he would protect her.

From the outside, time had claimed what it truly deemed to be its property. The Temple of Time lay desecrated in ruins. Chunks of cinderblock were choked by vines that proudly defiled them, yet the door remained miraculously intact. It was the one piece of the temple that time couldn't touch. Link pressed a hand against the frayed granite doors.

He was about to enter another world.

Hero Shade's world.

"Oh Link, you'll never be forgotten. I can promise you that. Because I'll never forget you."

Y/N was right. He hadn't forgotten Hero Shade. For Link, Hero Shade was very much alive. His once beating heart of fortitude continued to beat on in the vessel that was now Link's own body.

He pushed the doors open with all his might, unaware of what fate awaited him but no longer afraid. Should he perish, his heart would beat within the body of another.

The Triforce of Courage would find him again, at another time or another place. And that person would exist solely for the purpose of defining what a hero was.

"A hero isn't the sword you hold in your hand. It's a trait you display in your heart."

Link walked forward, the luster of the past encompassing him. The last thing he remembered before walking towards the light was how foolishly mortal he was.

There would always be another hero to take his place.

But Link would forever be the one and only hero of Twilight.

And so, Link surrendered to the light. To his mortality.

To the unyielding beating of his heart and who it beat for.

*

You had managed to make your way to the Temple of Time.

Although what stood in front of you wasn't much of a temple, but a city of concrete ruins.

You had made your way to Hyrule Castle, demanding a council with Princess Zelda. The guards harshly turned you away. All but one particular guard, who happened to remember you.

Fabian.

He saw you, a sad little sight before him. He walked over, seizing you by the arm and dragging you from the castle stairs.

"Hey!" You hissed. When you were a safe distance from the guards on entry duty, Fabian whispered, "You were with Link and met with the Princess before, correct?" You nodded, trying to drop the temper that was threatening to make a council in your place.

"Why do you seek the princess now? It is rather late."

"I have my reasons. Please, I really need her assistance."

He continued to stare at you, his eyes regarding you with suspicion. "And you are not with Link?"

Before you could respond, Fabian cut in. "Because he is with Zelda. They aren't in the castle. I can give you no other information beyond that." Nothing in the way he spoke led you to believe he was being disingenuous.

"Then may I ask, are they at the Temple of Time? Please, I will go there if they are."

Fabian grunted at your incorrigible persistence. "Do you know how to get there?"

Despite the lack of confirmation, his question was confirmation enough. Link had upheld his promise. Was Ilia with him? Surely, she would be livid if he sneaked away on your behalf. At least with Zelda there, the tear of Midna and its warning didn't seem as critical. How much danger could Link be with Zelda present? You felt your heart begin to pick up its pace at the sheer idea of seeing him. You hated admitting to yourself how bereft you'd been since his absence.

But there was no lying to yourself when the erratic palpitating of your own heart pumped the truth.

"How do I get there?"

Fabian cupped his chin in thought. "From where we stand, you will stay north across Hyrule Field. It lies a bit yonder to the east. In what is known as the 'Sacred Grove.'

You clasped both of his hands in yours, shaking them frantically. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much; I truly appreciate your cooperation."

Fabian relinquished a sigh. "Just do not tell anyone that I gave the information I did. No matter how it was stated, I could be terminated. And make sure the princess is safe." Fabian gave you a gruff salute before briskly walking off.

You were thrilled at the divine timing at play. As you ran into the glittering moonbeams that graced Hyrule Field, you felt yourself convert into your Twili form. This was an ideal time to go. You could bend the shadows to your every whim and wish. You stalked within them, transporting yourself across Hyrule Field in a dizzying whirlwind of camouflaged energy. The other perk was that while you were concealed within the familiar domain of the shadows, you were virtually naked to prying eyes.

And any possible prey.

Now you stood among the array of smashed granite and slate, bewildered. You had no reason to believe Fabian would lie to you. Why would he put his job on the line to tell you a lie? You studied your surroundings, noting the placement of every vine and crumbling column.

What struck you as most odd was the door. It stood perfectly whole. Immune to the indecent wiles of time. You walked among the rubble, stepping over to the other side of the door.

That's when you noticed something. A footprint was perfectly molded into the mud at the entrance of the door. Whoever was here had physically opened it.

Why would they open the door and not just walk through the rubble? It's not like there are even walls left standing.

You walked around to the front of the door. The sculpted footprint in the mud looked like it belonged to a boot. Its size was a tad too large to belong to a female.

Link?

You stepped into the footprint with your own boot. You pushed the doors open, amazed at how heavy they were compared to their stature.

What will I say if he is in here?

Just that I love him. Even if it is Ilia whom he loves.

Your thoughts barely seemed to concede when a blinding light beyond the opened door absorbed you within it.

For a moment, you thought this was death.

But if you had died, why did your heart still wildly beat for its owner, who was beyond these doors?

Dying seemed less frightening in the brilliance of this light.

Less frightening than the heartbreak that may await you beyond this door.

Edited: 5/13/23

A temple in ruins may become the home of a future heart in ruin. The Temple of Time, revered by many yet forgotten by most. How will the Master Sword react to its master coming back to visit?

Danger lies ahead, but the memo has been missed. It's a race through the past to claim the Rod of Dominion.

Let's just hope an unruly shadow in the form of Ilia doesn't cross the finish line first.

Check out my other completed OOT Zelda work- No Woman Beyond