A/N: I cannot honestly believe that I have returned to this after all this time. I cannot honestly say for sure if I will keep with it. So much has happened since I left this off. An entire new Zelda game has come out that I enjoyed and beat entirely too fast and it has so many stories inside of it begging to be told. I will try my hardest to continue on with this story. I have grown a lot as a writer since I left this off (a lot can happen in 2 years) and so I expect that my tone and my style shall be different in these next chapters. I apologize if this throws anyone off. I may just go back and rewrite the earlier ones if the mood strikes me someday when I don't have a million other things to do. Anyway, this note is becoming entirely too long. I hope that you enjoy this next chapter.

Link was dreaming when he first heard the sound. It broke through his sleep but did not shatter it; it simply became a part of his dream. The swirling purple haze that surrounded him in his dream took the shape of a hand and slapped the ground. In the distance he could hear laughter. His hand felt for his sword, his shield, something, but he was stripped of all protection. The misty purple hand danced in front of him, taunting him, jolting forward without warning and scaring him. In his bed, his body twisted and turned, the sheets tangling around his legs. His brow glistened with sweat and his eyes were tightly shut.

The sound that had first simply become a part of Link's dream woke him now and he sat upright with a cry. His eyes darted around the darkened room looking for the source of the noise. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he smoothed his sweaty hair out of his vision. He could see nothing, and yet he knew that he was not alone. His sword and shield were resting against the bedside table, and he reached for both in the dark. He calmed slightly when his fingers grazed the hilt of his sword. He was not defenseless now.

Link slowly sat up, trying his hardest to make as little noise as possible. He quietly swung his legs out of bed and stood up, grabbing his sword and shield as he did so. Armed and ready to defend himself if necessary, Link called out to whoever or whatever may have been nearby. He heard a shuffling noise near his doorway and his body tensed and turned in that direction, his sword out and ready to strike. It took only a second for him to realize that what he thought had been a part of the cloth that covered his doorway was actually a cloak draped around a person. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice a deep whisper.

The cloaked figure lifted its head and Link caught sight of glowing blue eyes. "Please, lower your sword. I mean you no harm." The voice was female, and surprisingly warm. She held out her pale hands as if to prove to him that she had no way of hurting him, but Link was still not convinced.

"I'll lower my sword when you tell me who you are," he said, although he relaxed his stance to be less threatening.

The figure sighed and shook her head slightly. "This is not how I had hoped to work things. There is much at stake. If I tell you who I am, you must promise not to breathe a word of our meetings to anyone. My safety, your safety, and the safety of many others would be at risk if you were to reveal my identity. Do you understand, Hero?" asked the woman.

Link hesitated. There were very few things that he kept to himself, and if the woman was here because of the things that were going on in Hyrule, he would be obligated to tell his princess, and would want to tell Saria. Still, she may have valuable information that he would need to conquer what lay ahead. Link kept his hand on his sword, but allowed it to touch rest on the ground now instead of holding it in the air. "I will agree, but not willingly. I have a duty to the princess of this kingdom."

"You have a duty to the people of this kingdom, first and foremost. Princess Zelda must understand that. The power that you have was bestowed upon you by the goddesses, not by the Princess of Hyrule. You would do well to remember that, Hero." Link was shocked by the woman's words. Of course she was right, but no one had ever spoken to him in such a manner. Her warm voice had turned cold, and Link felt as if he was a child being scolded. Still, he had always felt as if he was serving Zelda, and he knew that he was and should be serving all of Hyrule.

At this moment the woman let the hood of her cloak fall off of her shoulders. Her hair was a brilliant white that softly curled around her face. Her glowing blue eyes were striking against her pale-grey skin. She wore a necklace with a brilliant golden pendant in the shape of the triforce. Link had never seen anyone quite like her before, and his confusion must have shown on his face because the woman smiled. "Yes, I am different."

"Different, yes, but who, and what, are you?" asked Link, this time his voice contained more awe and less demand.

"I am a servant to the goddesses. Long ago I would have been called a priestess. Of course, nowadays those positions no longer exist. Still, someone needs to keep up the temples, someone must continue to interpret the legends that have been passed down, someone must pray to the goddesses. That is what I do. Me, and the other woman that I work beside. Very few people outside of our circle know that we still exist. The people wander aimlessly into the temples to pay homage when they feel the need, but there is no longer a call to worship like there once was. We uphold that tradition amongst ourselves, and in these uncertain times it is most important.

"I work alongside other priestesses who look at the legends that have been passed down for ages. We look for prophecy and clues as to what must be done in the present based on what happened in the past. I have come because our circle has come to a very frightening conclusion about what is happening in Hyrule now. This is why our meetings must remain secret. No one must know that I have come here. Not Princess Zelda, not even Saria, though I know you feel you could trust her with anything, you cannot trust her with this. As a sage she understands things that you cannot. There are serious repercussions for a servant who leaves the temple, and even more serious ones for a servant who reveals the secrets of our lives and our discoveries. Please, promise me that you will keep this a secret." The woman's blue eyes were pleasing with Link. How could he refuse a priestess, or servant as she called herself?

"I had no idea that priestesses, or servants, were still around. It is shocking, really, to learn this. I promise not to tell anyone. What is your name?" he asked her, reaching out to her as if to shake her hand.

The woman pulled her hand into the sleeve of her cloak and backed away slightly as if she did not want to touch Link. "Thank you for your promise. As for my name, well, it is Skatha, Hero."

"Please, call me Link."

Skatha whispered his name before continuing with what she had to say. "Link. Link there is much that needs to be said. A story that I must tell you and a theory that I must relate to you. If we are right, and I fear that we are, then you are up for a serious battle." Skatha sat down on the edge of Link's bed and looked up at him.

"Tell me everything you know," he said as he sat down next her, afraid and yet excited over what he was about to hear.

A/N: I don't mean to leave you hanging, but it gives me incentive to continue writing if I leave this off with a cliffhanger. I hope that the liberties I have taken here (you know, the temple servants and stuff) do not take away from anything. So, I hope that I still have a few loyal followers out there who will return to this and review again. It's been so long, I apologize.