A/N: Late Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year! It's been a month, which is kind of a long time, I know. But at least it wasn't another year, right? I was very self-conscious about this chapter, since I DID have to come up with some stuff to get around the plot hole, so I'd love to hear what you think if you read it. Either way, enjoy! And thanks to Lovely girl 10 for the wonderful review last chapter!

AWAKENING

Chapter 11

Once I emerged at the top of the stairwell and the sealed door reappeared behind me, I found a room very similar to the Skyview Spring. It was shaped the same way, with a long stone platform leading to a staircase, at the top of which were stepping stones crossing a watery pond toward a large Goddess Statue. The same feeling of calm washed over me and I felt myself almost involuntarily relax at the peaceful atmosphere.

Impa was standing in front of the Goddess Statue with her head bowed. "Purify your body in the spring," she ordered without looking up.

Sighing in acceptance, I stepped into the spring waters and felt the water rush over me, pure and cleansing. I reached down to splash some of it on my face and immediately felt a bit less tense about the task at hand.

I couldn't deny that deep down inside of me, the small part that had been and always would be Zelda was terrified of Hylia's memories. Yes, I knew they were mine, but… Did I really want to become another person? Even if that person was me in a past life?

I shook my head, splashing more water on my face a bit more roughly than usual as though to rinse those thoughts out of my head. I had no choice; I had to do this to save the world. And besides, hadn't I just decided moments ago that I wanted to forget about Zelda's old life? There was no way I could go back to it now, anyway. Maybe it was best to just let it go…

I eventually stepped out of the spring and moved to Impa's side, where she was still apparently praying. She did not move until I stood next to her, uncertainly staring up at the Goddess Statue. She wordlessly raised her head, spared me a brief glance, and then stepped away.

I took a deep breath to prepare myself, gently knelt in front of the statue, and prayed.

Just like before, the images hit me like a stone wall.

My sword clattered to the ground, just out of reach. The imposing figure stood over me as I struggled to my feet, his smirk infuriatingly arrogant. I glared at him defiantly despite my apparent weakness.

"It's over, Hylia," the figure growled. "As we speak, my Demons are tearing your pathetic mortal army apart. And you are weakened from protecting those humans." He laughed. "I honestly did not expect such a foolish move from you. They may be out of reach for now, but once you fall, even they will not be able to escape my reign." He pressed the sword into my throat, and a stab of terror swept through me, which I quickly suppressed. I couldn't die. But if he managed to deal a blow like that to me, with his cursed blade and all, it would mean the end for my land. "There is no hope. Give up the Triforce."

Swallowing my fear, I looked right up at him, meeting his furious gaze. I laughed softly. "Have you learned nothing, Demise? It will take a lot more than this to break me."

Snarling, he lunged at me, but I was already on my feet, my sword having appeared in my hand with a mere thought. Our blades crashed, his hitting mine with a force that would have shattered any mortal weapon. He pulled back and then raised the sword above my head, and with the remains of my power I formed a shield around myself. I gasped with effort as he struck it and the shield cracked, draining my already diminished energy even faster than I'd anticipated. He raised it up again, his face a mask of rage and triumph, and I feared I could not withstand another blow.

"Your Grace!"

A flash of steel suddenly appeared in Demise's side. Although I was certain it did not hurt him – he probably felt no more than a prick –he turned to the side to observe the distraction, giving me just the opportunity I needed.

In a flash, I called upon my dwindling energy and teleported directly behind the king, which was about as far as I could go without fainting. I summoned my sword again. It was difficult to lift it with my fatigue, but I managed. With a sigh, I hefted it up and dove toward him. He turned to face me, raising up his own blade to meet it. But he miscalculated, and I saw his eyes widen as I came toward him, straight toward him–

And then my sword plunged in through his stomach.

Everything froze for a moment as his eyes widened with shock.

However, he began to stir soon after, reaching down and preparing to pull out my holy blade, despite the toll it would take on his body. But I was not ready to give up my advantage quite yet. With all of my strength, I prayed to the Golden Goddesses, my creators, that I would not fail this and sent every ounce of energy save for my life force down through the weapon and into his own body. He screamed in agony, the noise causing every mortal in the area to wince painfully. The sound was unnatural and horrifying, chilling and terrifying. But I waited patiently until he collapsed to the ground, too weakened to move.

I, too, fell to my knees, unable to support myself any longer. With a gasp, I clutched the sword, pulled it out of Demise, and summoned the power of the dragons' three Sacred Flames that was stored in the sword. It hummed with holy might.

I raised my blade skyward.

As the previous vision faded, other memories flickered before me, filling my head with godlike speed, a new experience hitting me every moment. Back in my physical body, I grimaced, muscles clenching, until another scene stood out to me, pulling me in.

"What do we do now?"

I did not respond to Impa's question for a moment, still staring at the dark totem that was the only remnant of Demise's power. It had been manifested by the power of the Golden Goddesses once I struck him down at last, confining his power at the bottom of the hole left behind when this portion of my temple's grounds was sent to the sky. Even now it pulsed with an evil aura, though I was confident that the seal would hold for the moment.

I knew I should feel happy. It appeared that after an age-long struggle, I had finally defeated my foe. But instead I merely felt... tired. And the smirk on Demise's face while his power was being sucked away... it haunted me. It was as though he had known I wasn't powerful enough, even with the dragons' aid, to contain him forever. That fact was becoming increasingly clear to me, as much as I wanted to deny it.

"Your Grace?" Impa prompted.

"We... have to find a way to ensure that he cannot escape," I murmured. "He still has thousands of servants that would gladly release him. At the moment, only I have that ability, but..." I sighed. "I am weakened, Impa. I did not come out of that battle unscathed. At this point, if some of the more powerful demons came after my power in hopes of freeing him... I am not certain I would be able to protect myself."

"That is why we are here," Impa stated. "The Sheikah live to protect you, Your Grace."

"And what of the day when he frees himself?" I demanded. "The seal is not strong enough. One day he will gather enough energy to free himself. I will need to be here almost constantly in order for it to hold beyond even the next century. And if I am always sacrificing power toward it, I will not be strong enough when the day comes that I must face him once again."

Impa was quiet. As I had expected, she had no answers. These were the matters of gods, and in spite of proving herself time and time again to be above most mortals, she was still only a Sheikah with a limited understanding of these higher powers. I knew I would have to solve this issue alone.

But then... Impa spoke up.

"Your Grace... I have been meaning to ask you... What about the Triforce?"

The word sent a shiver down my spine. The Triforce. The cause of the accursed war.

"What about it?" My tone was perhaps colder than it needed to be, but there was a part of me that couldn't help but resent the sacred power. Protecting it was a duty I had accepted and never begrudged, but at times I felt so weary...

"You once told me that it held unlimited power," Impa said. "Not long ago, you told me that we had to protect it from Demise at all costs, because with it, he would destroy our world." She paused. "If it has that kind of power... Why can it not destroy him?"

I realized then the point she was trying to make, and I suddenly wished with all of my heart that her hopes were justified. But I could not lie to her.

"It is virtually unusable in its current form," I sighed. "It has so many seals on it that only I can get through, and as an immortal, I am incapable of using the Triforce." Painful memories reminded me of a time when I had the same hope as herself. "I... I once tried to use it, Impa. I did. I thought that... if I could wish Demise away... We would all be safe." I clenched my fists and closed my eyes. "Clearly, it did not work. The Triforce does not react to me as it would to any mortal. The Goddesses ensured that no immortal could ever access its might. And due to my own foolishness, no mortal can ever access it anyway. It is beyond our reach."

"Why can you not remove the seals that prevent mortals from reaching it?"

I gave her a harsh look. "Impa, those seals are there for a reason. The Triforce contains the residual energy from the Golden Goddesses themselves. It would not do to allow it to be used by just any mortal." I frowned. "Besides... the Triforce has some protections of its own that even I cannot remove. Any mortal seeking its power must have a balanced heart, or else it will separate into three pieces. It is my duty to protect the Triforce, and I cannot allow that to happen."

"A balanced heart," she repeated. "Where do you find someone with a balanced heart?"

"I have never met anyone like that," I admitted. "It is an extremely rare quality in a mortal." I frowned. "I would imagine that any mortal like that must have an unbreakable spirit... One that can only be achieved through hardship. A mortal like that may not be born... for centuries."

"Well, Your Grace," Impa said, a hint of amusement in her voice, "you do have eternity."

I blinked. She was right, I supposed. Well, assuming that I could somehow keep up Demise's seal for that long.

I shook my head. "But even if we could find a mortal to wield the Triforce, there is no guarantee that their intentions would be pure. I would not dare to trust a stranger with its power. There would be nothing to stop them from abusing it once I remove the seals. We could be faced with a threat worse than the Demon King."

There was silence as we both considered that unpleasant possibility.

"Your Grace," Impa said, her voice softer than I had ever heard it before. Surprised by her tone, I met her gaze. "I believe that we should consider this solution. From what I understand, our situation is dire." She smiled reassuringly at me. It was an odd sight; very rarely was I the one who required assurance. Besides, Impa was one of the only few who ever regarded me with anything but awe. "As we already know, you are excellent at inspiring loyalty in mortals. If you find this mortal with an unbreakable spirit and nurture them from their birth, there is no doubt that you can ensure they will serve their purpose and no more."

"Perhaps..." I murmured. But another possibility had clicked into my mind... a piece of the picture Impa did not know and I was reluctant to tell her.

The barriers.

I was not strong enough to remove all the barriers on the Triforce without dire consequence. And with the magic I would need to expend to determine when the next mortal with an unbreakable spirit would be born...

I did not know if I could survive this. And if I did not survive... who would hold Demise's seal?

I could not wait, either; if the mortal was not born for several centuries, with the power I needed to waste on Demise's own seal, I could not guarantee that I would even have enough power at that point to remove the Triforce's seals...

It seemed like an impossible situation.If I "died", so to speak, I would have only a small sliver of my powers left, the essence that made me Hylia. I could not even form a corporeal body. Not unless I somehow regained energy...

Or... Unless I received energy from another source.

And there was one type of energy that was so abundant around me, but something that had always been out of my reach because I was an immortal.

Life energy. Life Force.

I gave a small smile, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind.

"Your Grace?" Impa urged. "What do you intend to do?"

"I have a plan, Impa," I said softly. "Now it's just a matter of working out the details..."

The scene faded. I blinked for a moment in a futile attempt to get my bearings – and then I was swept up in another memory.

I stood before the Gate of Time, lost in thought as I listened to its rhythmic ticking. It was quiet in my temple; I had sent Impa out to gather some materials just a few minutes ago. Now I was alone, enjoying the brief moment of much-needed silence. I still had a lot of planning to do. Even for an immortal, arranging for events to happen precisely as you want them to centuries in the future was difficult.

Frowning, I walked over to the Gate of Time and touched its smooth, glowing surface. Responding to my power, it shimmered for a moment before opening, revealing the swirling passageways of time within. I stared into its depths regretfully. Although I was one of the few beings who could actually activate the gate, like the Triforce, its power was unavailable to me as an immortal.

I had a momentary flutter of anxiety passed through me. What if I was wrong, and I still couldn't pass through the portal as a mortal?

I pushed those thoughts from my mind. There was no reason it would not treat me like any mortal. After all, my spirit would not even exist any longer in the time period I would be traveling to. It would return me to a moment after I had sacrificed my immortality.

Instead of pondering this further, I stepped away from the gate, turning on my heel and walking away. I heard it shut behind me, returning to its soft but insistent ticking.

I had other things to take care of. I couldn't spend my time pondering over unlikely scenarios that I couldn't prevent. After all, even if, for whatever reason, the gate did not work for me, my soul would still consistently be reborn to the mortal with an unbreakable spirit, my Chosen Hero, and linked to them. As long as they survived until they were old enough to wield the Goddess Sword, the rest of my plan would still work.

No matter what happened, no matter if Demise's seal failed because I couldn't return to strengthen it… the Hero had to save the world.

I heard the doors to the door swing open and I turned back around, seeing Impa enter the room. I dispelled these thoughts from my mind. There was plenty of other things to plan before these events could be set in motion. It would be a long time before I was finally ready to sacrifice my immortality…

Impa silently approached, a nod her only greeting, and handed me a cloth bag that she was carrying in her arms. "This should be everything, Your Grace, though I am still unsure what you need them for."

"They're just magical items," I assured her, setting aside the bag. "I'm going to require an immense amount of energy if I go through with this."

"Are you certain that you will be alright performing these tasks, then?" she asked doubtfully. "You are still weakened from your battle with Demise."

I frowned. She was far too perceptive.

"I'll be fine, Impa," I lied. She nodded in acknowledgement, and I forced cold logic to soften the realization that it was far too easy to betray her trust.

You have to. She would be worried about you if she knew the truth… and you can't allow emotions to get in the way of her duty.

I sighed dismally. It was true: I hadn't exactly told Impa the full plan yet. She still did not know that removing the seals would force me to become a mortal. But until I was ready, I could not tell her.

"Your Grace," she called to me even as she crossed the room to sit on a nearby stool. "I have been wondering… how do you intend to keep the Hero loyal? You seemed reluctant to part with the details earlier."

I tensed imperceptibly. It would be dangerous to answer questions so closely related to my own fate. But how could I tell Impa that? She would think I did not trust her.

I responded in a falsely offhanded tone, "I will create a link."

"A link?"

"Yes. A connection," I explained, "an emotional connection. Emotions are incredibly strong in humans. When I make this connection, the Hero will undoubtedly be drawn to me." I would also be drawn to the Hero, I suspected, since I would have a mortal's emotions in my mortal body. But I couldn't tell Impa that part of the plan yet. I was merely lucky that she hadn't realized yet that I had no real emotions to connect with...

"I see," she murmured, appearing to accept this answer. I allowed myself to relax.

For the most part, I had been able to tell her the truth. We would have… an emotional bond, essentially, that automatically attracted us to one another. That way, even if I died, the Hero would want to take up the cause and defeat Demise to avenge me. This way, I could ensure that no matter how powerful the Hero became, they would never stop caring.

I stared at Impa, and a slight twinge of something suspiciously close to guilt twisted in my gut. She trusted me, followed me, completely and utterly. And here I was lying to her.

"I'm going to prepare for the creation of the Hero's guide," I told her, prepared to leave the room. "That is the next step in the process."

As I left the temple, I tried to push down the shame I felt at keeping so much from her. I knew it was foolish; it was my own choice whether or not I shared this information with her. However, as my closest advisor, I valued Impa's counsel and friendship far above that of any other mortal's, in this time or the centuries passed. I had a feeling that our relationship would not be quite the same once I revealed the full extent of my project.

All I could do now was hope that someday, Impa might find the ability to forgive me.

I came back to myself in a rush, a dizzying sensation splitting my head. I groaned, shutting my eyes and grimacing against the disorienting feeling of returning to a mortal body after such vivid memories of power. Would I ever get used to that?

So much new information had been shoved into my head that I had to wait a few moments for it to fully register that these memories belonged to me. If I had been hoping that this would be easier after last time, I was sorely mistaken.

When the world seemed to stop spinning, I picked myself up, considering everything I had just learned. It seemed that I had originally not been fully truthful with Impa about the nature of the plan against Demise…

I blinked, realization dawning on me. Was that why… she was treating me like this?

I looked over my shoulder and found Impa watching me from a short distance away, her face as blank as always. I sighed, climbing to my feet. I swayed on my feet once, still a bit confused from the whole ordeal, but I steadied myself without assistance and carefully crossed the stones on the pond to meet her.

When I got closer, she frowned and looked away from me. If that didn't confirm my fears, then nothing would.

"Did I… Did I ever tell you?" I asked softly. "About… becoming a mortal?"

She regarded the question with silent calculation before turning back to meet my eyes. "At the very end, yes. It was necessary then. However, it was long beyond the time where I could have perhaps searched for another way of unlocking the Triforce for the Hero." She paused. "You… should not have become a mortal, Your Grace. It was a mistake. The people needed you."

"I think I should be the one to determine if they needed me or not," I snapped at her, suddenly feeling extremely defensive of the actions that were feeling less like those of a distant goddess and more like my own. "Surely I explained to you why I did it. It was necessary to defeat Demise!"

"But you are now… weakened," Impa said, examining me with a frown. I felt a flare of indignation.

"I've now spent an entire lifetime as a mortal, and I was perfectly happy with it, thank you very much!" I growled at her. "You think I wanted to be an immortal reborn? Actually, you think that as the goddess, I wanted to be a mortal? It's… nothing like I expected Impa! I feel so… useless…"

My voice trailed off, and Impa's gaze darkened in a way that made me know that she was angry about something. A wave of self-doubt seized me, tinged with a hint of fear. I'm a mortal now… I don't have the authority to tell off the top Sheikah warrior of a bygone age! What was I thinking?

But Impa surprised me by bowing her head, eyes closed. "You are correct, Your Grace. Please forgive me."

I blinked at her in complete shock, having been sure that she'd at least scold me for being such an idiot…

"We should return to the Temple of Hylia now," Impa said. She tilted her head toward the center of the platform we were standing on, and for the first time, I notice three Blessed Butterflies hovering around the area. "Play your harp and we can return to the outside of this temple."

Shaking my head lightly to clear it, I followed her instructions. Stepping to the center of the platform, I took out my harp and softly strummed the Ballad of the Goddess.

The portal appeared in a flash of light. I glanced back at my guide. Impa merely gestured to it, motioning for me to enter first. I sucked in a deep breath. It was time to leave this place behind. I took a step forward, unaware that someone else had stepped into the room behind us.

"Zelda!"

Din, Nayru, and Farore.

That voice. It... It couldn't be...

I slowly turned around and my eyes connected with his. Recognition dawned in his eyes and they brightened with joy, but I remained frozen, an odd mixture of hope, panic, and disbelief settling within me.

It was impossible. He couldn't be here... but there he was.

"Link?" I whispered back.