Chapter Text
Rushing up the stairs and onto the roof, the group was met with a spectacular sight. Two massive dragons flew overhead, one a deep red while the other was dusty white, just like the statues they had seen at the entrance. However, these dragons were very much alive. Giant wings flapped ferociously, sending powerful gusts of wind in every direction as their claws clashed and they rammed into each other, wrestling the other until one broke away. Streams of orange and white flames blazed across the sky, sending sparks in every direction. Both dragons screeched angrily, neither wanting to back down until there was nothing left to fight about.
Noticing the group appear, the rider on the red dragon flew out of reach of the other, giving them enough time to introduce themselves.
"Welcome, summoner!" Flying a little closer, they could see a strikingly attractive blonde woman who couldn't have been no older than thirty. Her light blonde hair cascaded down her back, framing her angelic face, blue eyes sparkling with relief at seeing some backup. "I'm Rhiannon, counsellor of the eastern region of Asterlin and lady of Canarfon." Before she could continue, another stream of fire snaked in her direction, causing her dragon to twist upwards to avoid the attack.
"Damn, she can step on me any day," Amber whistled, admiring more than the woman's dragon riding skills.
"My brother has been out of control for a while now," Rhiannon flew back towards them. "We need to calm Tyson to break the spell! I'll lead my brother away while you handle the spirit!" Barrelling away from another attack, Rhiannon flew in the opposite direction which caused the white dragon to give chase.
Before they could wonder where Tyson was, a streak of lightning forked across the sky, striking one of the castle's highest towers. A second flash lit up the clouds as a large grey and white wolf landed on the turret, golden eyes flashing violet as it leered at them from above. Letting out a long howl and leaping from the tower, it partially opened its jaws, revealing razor sharp teeth as if daring them to attack.
"Here we go," Link unsheathed his sword, hoping they could overpower it before things got too chaotic. "Cover me!" He told the others before rushing at the wolf. Sword and fangs met in a grinding clash, Link blocked the wolf's attacks blow for blow but he couldn't get through its defences to weaken it. About to switch strategies, the Hylian got a nasty shock when the wolf reared back on its hind legs and pounced, its sharp claws digging into his shoulders as the two rolled along the roof. Coming to a stop at the end, the wolf took its chance and tossed Link over the edge.
"Link!" Saria screamed, a series of vines shooting towards the wolf, wrapping themselves around its giant body and slowly pulling the animal backwards. A wave of relief came over her when she saw Link had gripped onto the roof's edge.
"I've got this!" Amber dove into action, racing at the wolf and grabbing its tail. Using the extra strength of the silver gauntlets, she yanked its body out of the way so Link could clamber up.
"Thanks," Link breathed, this spirit was stronger than he expected.
"Maybe the help of another spirit would be useful?" Taj looked at Alanna who was stood holding the staff awkwardly.
"Um, well, the thing is, I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?!" Amber folded her arms. "You're the summoner, so summon!"
"No matter what I try, it's like I don't have enough power." Alanna knew she needed to do better but this was all still new to her.
"It's okay, we'll figure something out," Saria reassured the other girl, although what they could actually do was another question.
"How high can you throw that thing?" Link asked Amber, referring to the shield.
"Pretty high, I think? Why?" Amber replied.
"I've got an idea that just might work." Link grinned. Filling them in, he explained that if Amber could throw the shield high enough over the wolf's back, he could use the switch hook to swap places with it and land on its back. Using the blunt end of his sword, he would try to knock it out while the others restrained it.
"I'll keep trying to summon Magnus while you do that," Alanna nodded, not ready to give up yet.
"Okay, I'm ready!" Amber waited for Tyson to be within throwing distance and launched the shield as high as she could in its direction.
Gripping the switch hook, Link aimed for the shield, pressing the button as it reached its highest point. Instantly, the hook shot upwards, clasping onto the shield and sending it and Link in opposite directions. Using the additional height, he was seconds from flipping down onto the wolf's back when something unexpected happened.
There was a blinding flash of violet light that engulfed the entire area for a few seconds. As the light cleared, everything appeared to be the same, that was until one boy's shout sounded way more high pitched than it should have.
"What's going on?!" A ten year old Link crashed onto Tyson's back, his small arms trying desperately to hold on.
"I-I can't use any magic!" Saria dropped her hands. She had been about to try restraining Tyson but couldn't feel any of her Sage powers. Looking down, she realised she was wearing her old Kokiri clothes and was a child again.
"I swear you didn't look that young a second ago," Amber glanced at Saria and gasped when she heard her own younger voice. "I'm a little kid again!" Not being able to support the weight of the shield anymore, she dropped to her knees.
"The spirit has sent us back to the past," Taj said, not enjoying being quite a few inches shorter.
Easily being thrown from Tyson's back, Link fell backwards onto the roof with a thud. Not wasting time, he leapt up and grabbed his boomerang. If this thing wanted them to be young then he would use weapons that had worked for him back then. Angling the boomerang, he let it fly towards the wolf, hitting it in various places as it twisted around its head.
"I can still use these!" Taj launched a series of throwing stars through the air, watching them slice their way through Tyson's fur causing the beast to roar in surprise.
"Being a kid won't stop me!" Amber screeched. She may have dropped both the shield and gauntlets but she still had her fists and feet. Taking a running jump into the fray, she smashed into the wolf's side, letting her foot connect into one of its legs.
The onslaught of attacks was enough to cause Tyson to leap out of the way. Returning to safety at the top of the highest tower, it let out a deafening howl that caused another blinding flash of light.
"Alright, this is more like it!" Amber pumped a fist. Looking in the shield, she admired her older body, the shining Gerudo armour sparkling in her reflection. "I've never felt this strong before!"
This time the flash of light had caused them to become their future selves.
"Ugh!" Link put a hand over his missing eye in shock. It wasn't painful but it felt so weird and not something he wanted to get used to. "How am I going to fight like this?" He raised his sword, peering at his face in the blade.
Seeing Link was distracted, Tyson used the opportunity to lunge towards him, however, the wolf was thrown off when a series of emerald lightning bolts shot across the roof.
"I'm not so helpless anymore." Saria felt a surge of new energy flowing through her as she walked towards them. Is this how powerful she would be when she was older? Sending a further lightning strike at Tyson's front legs, she joined up with Link and took his hand.
Both Alanna and Taj hadn't changed this time, making them wonder if only those who had seen their reflections would transform. Even though she hadn't changed physically, Alanna felt a strange sort of power pulsing from the staff. Gripping it with both hands and holding it front of herself, she closed her eyes and focused on summoning.
"Come forth and lend me your aid, Magnus!"
The staff shook violently, a dark shadowy glow appearing at the tip. A streak of dark magic shot into the air, slowly forming into the shape of a large bear; however, it wasn't quite what they had been expecting. The giant form of shadow Magnus roared in anger, gleaming red eyes glaring down at them as it surveyed its surroundings. Lowering itself to all fours, the bear took aim at Alanna, opening its mouth and sending a blast of dark magic right at her.
Thinking fast, Taj shoved the girl out of the way, barely being missed by the blast which skimmed the side of his arm. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, he took his sword, quickly throwing a handful of throwing stars into the air. Holding the sword outwards, he used the blade to absorb the stars so their energy powered it up. When enough power was stored, the blade turned a bright purple, enabling the Sheikah to fire a series of glowing throwing stars out of the sword towards Magnus. Each star blasted into the bear, temporarily distracting it from rampaging at Alanna again.
"W-what's going on?!" Alanna looked in fear at the abomination she had summoned.
Link, Saria and Amber stared open-mouthed as Magnus regained its composure and turned angrily to face them. Looking closely at the dark magic it had been created from, Saria wondered if she could heal it somehow.
"If you can distract it, I think I can do something."
"Something?" Amber asked, sounding nervous.
"Well, Magnus is a spirit of nature, I'm a Forest Sage, I may be able to calm it down."
"Right, we believe in you." Link nodded. Taking out his bow, he decided to distract Magnus with arrows, grateful that Tyson was keeping its distance from the raging bear.
Deciding to trust Saria too, Amber took the shield, using her increased strength to throw it even further than usual. The shimmering weapon spun around the bear multiple times, causing it to thrash out in blind frustration.
Placing her hands on her chest, Saria closed her eyes, focusing on the same feeling she'd had that time she had to heal Peri back in Pelotrona; surely this time it would be even easier to achieve with her enhanced powers. As she focused, her body started glowing a light green, as if the energy itself was trying to break free the more intense it became.
When she was finally ready, the Kokiri sent a surge of magic towards Magnus which engulfed the spirit in an emerald cylinder. Bright green rings of energy started forming around the cylinder, each pulsing in and out as they sent wave after wave of healing magic into Magnus. After one final attempt at breaking free, the bear turned its head without warning, sending one final blast of dark magic in Saria's direction before vanishing back into the staff in a burst of shadowy vapour.
Knowing she had only seconds to react, Amber held the shield in front of herself and moved in front of the blast. The impact crashed into the shield with such force it sent the Gerudo sliding back a couple of feet but she wouldn't give in. Seeing Amber struggling, Link ran behind her and helped push against the blast until the shield was able to reflect it. However, due to its immense power, Amber hadn't been able to aim where she wanted the magic to go so it shot diagonally up into the sky.
Seconds later there was a deafening scream from above. Looking up, they saw the blast slam into the side of the red dragon, sending a startled Rhiannon tumbling towards the roof below.
"I've got her!" Taj dashed in the direction he thought she would land but got a shock when Amber raced ahead of him.
"No, she's mine!" Amber glanced above before lunging forward, barely catching a stunned Rhiannon.
"Thank you," the blonde woman breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know how I'm going to get back up there."
Both Link and Saria watched as the dragons continued their never-ending battle. The white dragon who still had its rider wouldn't give the red dragon a chance to break away, sending stream after stream of burning hot fire at every inch of its body.
"I'm going up there." Saria said after a few minutes. "Someone has to intervene."
Link wanted to stop her but he knew she was right, if they didn't do anything this would never end. Feeling a wave of energy next to him, he noticed a small emerald cyclone building in Saria's hand. Aiming it at the floor, she used its momentum and shot into the air, creating another in her opposite hand and doing the same thing, sending herself higher and higher with each cyclone.
"She's even cooler than I thought." Amber watched in awe as the Sage soared up and up above the castle.
Launching over the red dragon, Saria managed to land on its back, clutching its reins and hoping it wasn't too different from riding Perri. Sending a streak of lightning at the white dragon, she was able to distract it enough so they could escape. Pulling back as hard as she could, she encouraged the dragon to fly upwards, just as another wave of fire erupted towards them.
"Keep the wolf distracted!" Link yelled at Amber and Taj who didn't need telling twice. Not wasting any time, the Hylian took out the hookshot and started scaling the castle's turrets until he reached the highest point. Focusing his attention on the red dragon, he waited until the perfect time, letting the hookshot chain grapple onto its back leg as it flew past and dragged him into the air with them.
"Link! What're you doing?!" Saria exclaimed.
"Helping!" He replied, a slight grin crossing his face. Biding his time until their dragon was as close as it could be to the other one, he took a breath and unclipped the hookshot, swiftly aiming it for the white dragon's front leg. With expert timing, he was able to hook on before gravity sent him hurtling down below. Swinging himself up behind the rider, he finally got a better look at the person causing so much chaos.
He was a slim man, probably in his early thirties. Short white-blond hair curved around his stern, pointed face, ice-blue eyes glaring coldly at Link. Not giving the man a chance to do anything, Link sent a fist into the back of his head, knocking him out cold. Grabbing the reins from his hands, Link tried desperately to calm the dragon, hoping now that it wasn't being controlled by that guy it would stop fighting.
"Hey, it's okay, you're okay now." He said soothingly, rubbing a hand along its neck. The dragon fought some more before eventually calming down, as if it had broken free from a terrible trance. Hearing shouts from below, he looked down to see Amber and Taj still fighting the wolf, dodging blasts of magic while trying to land their own attacks. Noticing the glint from Amber's shield, a brilliant idea hit him. Taking out the smaller mirror shield he had found in Termina, he took aim and threw it down to Taj.
"What's this for?!" Taj asked, easily catching the child-sized shield.
"If we can't deal with Tyson head on, we'll surprise him!" Link tried to wink which looked strange with only one eye but the Sheikah understood his meaning.
"Amber, stand the other side of Tyson and hold your shield up!" Taj instructed, motioning with his hand where she should stand.
When they were in position, Link and Saria flew the dragons in opposite directions so one was facing Amber while the other focused on Taj. He wasn't sure if the dragons would listen to him but it was the best idea they had right now.
"Three… Two… One… Fire!"
Two streams of fire blazed through the air, snaking their way directly at the shields. The moment the flames hit, both Taj and Amber held their ground, reflecting the fire right at Tyson who howled in surprise. There was a fiery explosion as a cloud of smoke rose from where the wolf had been standing. As things cleared, they could see the spirit laying dazed and curled up on the roof in an unconscious heap.
Rushing towards the wolf, Alanna held up the staff, ready to collect the spirit's power.
"Please, Tyson, Spirit of Reflection, lend us your aid in restoring Asterlin!"
There was a moment of silence followed by a swirl of energy as the wolf spirit seeped out of its large body, giving one final howl before leaping into the staff, the body completely disappearing.
"As you wish, summoner. I will lend my power to such worthy opponents." Tyson's deep voice echoed in her head.
There was a bright purple flash and everything returned to normal.
"Oh my goddess, that was intense," Amber collapsed to the floor.
"You're telling me." Taj joined her, sitting with his hands leaning behind his back.
Landing with a soft thud, the dragons waited patiently for Link and Saria to dismount. Leaping easily to the ground, Link moved towards the red dragon, standing at one side and holding out his arms.
"May I assist you, m'lady?" He smiled, knowing full well she could get off on her own if she wanted.
"Why, thank you, kind sir." Saria giggled, letting herself fall into his arms.
"Wha? Where am I…?" A male voice asked groggily from atop the white dragon.
"Rhydian!" Rhiannon made her way over to his dragon. "I've been so worried!"
The blond man known as Rhydian sat upright, rubbing the back of his head where Link had punched him. Carefully dismounting his dragon, he shakily walked to the edge of the roof and peered down over the abandoned town.
"What have I done?"
"You couldn't help it, Tyson had control over you." Rhiannon tried to comfort her brother. "Speaking of, that was some impressive flying." Her comment directed at Link and Saria.
"She owns a flying monster is why!" Amber joined in.
"He's not a monster… most of the time," Saria smiled sheepishly.
"Lady Rhiannon! I'm really sorry for what happened back there," Alanna bowed her head apologetically. "I never expected Magnus to appear like that."
"No harm done!" Rhiannon placed a hand on Alanna's shoulder. "Although…" She glanced at Saria who caught her gaze for a second before looking away.
"Although?" Alanna asked nervously.
"Oh, nothing!" She turned her attention to Amber. That was quite the catch you made, Amber was it?"
"I do that kind of stuff all the time, no big deal." The Gerudo tried to look as casual as she could. "Anytime you need catching, I'll be there!"
"I'll try to remember," Rhiannon laughed.
Taking out the sketchbook, Alanna glanced around, wondering what needed to be drawn to reveal the next location. Tyson didn't have anything physical like Magnus had and the whole castle would be a lot to include. Glancing over at the dragons, she smiled when they flapped their wings, looking in her direction as if they knew what she was thinking.
"Is that Dewi and Gwyn?" Rhiannon leaned over the girl's shoulder.
"Is that what they're called?" Link took a seat nearby.
"Yep, they've been with us as long as we can remember," the counsellor replied. "Gwyn, my brother's dragon, is the more passive one but you wouldn't have guessed it the last few months."
Finishing up the sketch, Alanna signed her name at the bottom and took a breath. Turning the page, she was greeted with a scene of a huge volcano, situated in a vast mountain range. Atop the mountain sat a large, proud lion, its mane made from literal flames, its green eyes staring threateningly from the page.
"Asgarl, Spirit of Fire," the summoner said. "Things are about to get tough."
"You mean they weren't already?" Link raised an eyebrow.
"Magnus and Tyson are two of the more passive spirits," Alanna explained. "Asgarl has been known to cause volcanic eruptions when it's in a good mood so I can't imagine what things are like over there now."
"All of you must be exhausted. Why not spend the night here and decide on your next steps tomorrow?" Rhiannon offered.
"Sounds good to me!" Amber leapt up. "Do you have any food that won't try to kill us?"
"This place is bigger than I thought," Saria murmured later that evening. Turning down another passageway, she finally found a row of rooms she assumed were the guest rooms. Before she could open a door, footsteps echoed their way along the passage, stopping when their owner rounded the corner.
"You know, I thought you were the summoner when we met," Rhiannon's voice said softly, making sure none of the others were within earshot.
"Me? Oh, no, being a Sage is more than enough."
"I didn't want to be a counsellor when I first found out. I had always assumed it would be Rhydian, him being my older brother," the older woman moved a little closer. "But once I got used to the idea, I realised this is a great opportunity to shape how the country is ran. Am I right in guessing you didn't want to be a Sage when you first found out either?"
"How did you know?" Saria started to feel uncomfortable, it was like this woman could see into her soul.
"My powers aren't like the other counsellors. I can see a person's past, future and current potential in a single glance into their eyes." Rhiannon explained. "What I see isn't always one-hundred percent accurate, the future is never set in stone, but it's usually close. The room full of mirrors that you went through earlier was a creation of mine. You saw something you didn't want to see in there, didn't you?"
"I saw myself with the staff but that can't be true. Alanna's the summoner, not me."
"Alanna Laramie will indeed become a summoner, just like the prophecy predicted, but she won't be the kind of summoner Asterlin needs. I'm not saying you have to take over from her but just think about it." The counsellor smiled. "Like I said, the future isn't always certain."
"Right," Saria nodded. The last few days had been seriously overwhelming and now she had potentially being a summoner to add to the list. She needed a long lay down in the Sacred Meadow with only being a Sage to think about but they had four more spirits to obtain before they even got close to going home.
"Anyway, I'll let you get some rest," Rhiannon turned to leave. "See you in the morning."
"Give me that teacake!" Amber yelled, trying to grab the piece of food from Taj who was using his height to keep it away from her.
"Get your own!" He grinned. He knew he could just grab another one but so could she.
Alanna sat silently at the other end of the room, staring intently at the staff, as if willing it to work properly for her.
"Everything okay?" Link asked, taking a bite of an apple.
"Huh? Oh, I don't even know," Alanna sighed. "You saw what happened with Magnus, I'm not sure I'm cut out for this."
Link didn't know what to say. When he felt like he couldn't do something, he would do it anyway and hope for the best. However, he knew he didn't have to rely on magical power to do everything he needed to do. It must have been difficult, having so many expectations on you and not being able to follow through. Then he had an idea, what if there was somewhere that could help increase her magical potential?
"Do you have any Great Fairies or springs or somewhere that has a lot of magical energy?" He asked aloud.
"Hmm," the girl took out the map of Asterlin. "There are the Ouzekke hot springs at the base of the Rubin mountains. They say there's one spring there that has magical powers, maybe it could help me!"
"Sounds like a plan," Link picked up another apple, he felt like he hadn't eaten properly in days.
"Got it!" A victorious Amber screamed as she practically stood on Taj's shoulders and snatched the teacake.
"Cheater," the Sheikah mumbled, picking up another teacake.
"You lot should probably go to bed, it's getting late!" Madi chirped from her place on the table.
"You're not my mother!" Amber replied, trying to hide a yawn. "I'll go when I damn well please."
"I think we're all glad we aren't your mother," Koda stretched his tiny arms, hoping he could sneak into Link's room since Saria had already gone to bed.
"Don't blame us when you're tired tomorrow." Link got up to leave. "Goodnight."
Walking as quietly as he could down the guest room passageway, Link suddenly stopped when he heard faint crying. At first he thought he had imagined it but the closer he got to Saria's room, the clearer it became. Pushing open the door ajar, he could see her sat at the top of the bed, hugging her legs to her chest and hiding her face.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Link closed the door behind himself. Moving over to the bed, he sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Nothing," she sobbed, knowing she was a terrible liar.
"Well I'll be right here if you want to tell me about 'nothing'." Link hated seeing her so upset but didn't want to force her to talk if she didn't want to.
Lifting her head, she rubbed her eyes before sliding both arms around him and snuggling into his chest. Adjusting his position, Link wrapped his arms around her, gently kissing the top of her head.
"It's just been… a lot," Saria finally said. She didn't want to admit it but she hadn't had time to get over the other night with the bandits. If Link had been one second later, if Amber had been her usual cocky self and refused to hand over the shield, things would have ended differently; she probably wouldn't have been there right now.
"I won't let them touch you, ever again." Link replied, as if he knew what she was thinking. Taking one of her hands in his, he entwined their fingers together.
"That's sweet but you can't promise that." She could feel his heartbeat change with his thoughts.
"I shouldn't have dragged you into all this," he admitted, feeling guilty for taking the shield in the first place. "Maybe I could take you home and come back, mayb-"
Saria stopped him by placing a finger on his lips.
"You didn't drag me into anything, I wanted to come. Remember, you don't need to do all these heroic things on your own anymore."
"I can't argue with that," Link smiled. He was grateful everyday that she had chosen to be with him, no matter how dangerous it got.
"There's also another reason I need to stay…" Saria decided to tell him what she had seen in the mirror room and what Rhiannon had told her.
"I can see why you don't want to tell Alanna," Link said when she had finished. He had known Saria long enough to know she was far too humble for her own good sometimes. "But I think if things carry on the way they are, you've got to try using the staff."
"I know," she sighed. "I just hope things get better before then."
They sat in contented silence for a while until Link spoke again.
"Did Rhiannon mention anything else about the mirror room?"
"Hm?" Saria looked up at him to see a concerned look on his face. He hadn't mentioned it since but she realised he was probably still worrying about losing an eye. "She did mention that even though her powers can see the future, they aren't always accurate." She hugged him tighter. "All these things we're worried about may never happen."
"Yeah," Link hoped she was right. Suddenly he gave a big yawn, they'd been talking longer than he realised.
"You should go to bed." Saria said, not wanting to move from the embrace.
"I should," Link replied, also not moving. "Or I could stay here, if you want me to?"
"I'd like that," Saria smiled. It wasn't unusual for them to fall asleep together back home but it felt like a lifetime ago. Wriggling under the covers, she shifted over for him to get in, letting herself finally relax properly as he curled up behind her, one arm hugging her waist.
"I've missed this," Link whispered, nuzzling into her neck while running a hand through her hair. Looking over, he wasn't surprised to see she had already drifted off to sleep.