Two Worlds, One Link between Them
As dawn breaks over South Clock Town, Clock Tower bangs out its daily morning signal. Across the plaza, curled up on the roof of a thatched tent, a girl of about ten years stirs. Slowly sitting upright, the weave of hay crunches beneath her. Blinking open eyes of cerulean against the penetrating rays of early light, she squints ahead to the ever present and familiar structure. The stone spire, resting in the very center of the town that was named for it, Clock Tower. It stood, as it always had, and as it always will, ticking off each passing second.
Stifling a yawn, the girl pushes back light brown locks and looks over the sign that lay before her.
"Karin Arzen, portrait artist." She read off of the board. "Ten rupees per picture." She looked back at Clock Tower once again before telling herself,
"Time to go to work."
Her knapsack packed with drawing pads and pencils, Karin climbed down from the roof and began walking up the bridges past Clock Tower. Passing through an entry arch, she entered the secluded North Clock Town. In the north, there were no shops, no stone paths, and hardly any people. As Karin crossed the grass, a small breeze struck up. Blowing gently through the glade, it swept across her fair complexion and rustled through the tree leaves.
"What a perfect day for drawing!" Karin exclaimed aloud to no one in particular. She sat down roughly at the edge of a dirt pathway and shimmied the pack off of her shoulders. Hitting the ground, the top flapped open and several pencils rolled out.
"Oh, I'll get those later." She sighed, rolling her eyes. Stretching out the 'A' shaped signboard, Karin set it up beside her.
"There!" she said proudly. "I am now open for business."
Twenty minutes passed. After nearly falling asleep with her head in her hands, Karin decided to busy herself.
"That's probably why I don't have a customer yet." She chided herself. "I fell asleep." Thinking for a moment, she decided to practice on somebody. Looking around North Clock Town, Karin saw there was no one around yet except Jim, the little boy that ran the Bombers club. She was a part of it, also. Karin thought to herself,
"I love being a bomber because I know the code that gets me into the observatory." She snickered.
Forty minutes later Karin had a nice sketch of Jim on her paper. She put it down and was about to start drawing a tree when she noticed a Deku boy crossing the grass. The scrub stopped for a moment to glance at Karin's sign.
"Well, I do have several hours to kill." The Deku muttered to himself.
"Eh? What was that you said?" Karin asked. Startled, he looked up.
"Oh, nothing. I would like a picture, though." He said, his eyes smiling at her. "Soon, it will be the only memory left of this horrid altered form of mine." The Deku thought. "Hopefully." He added under his breath.
"Sure thing…what is your name?" Karin questioned the scrub.
"I am but a nameless Deku scrub. If you must call me something, let it be Link." The Deku boy answered.
"Link?" Karin repeated with wide eyes. She looked closely at the golden stained wood pieces that stuck out from under his over large green cap.
"No, it cannot be." Karin thought, shaking her head. The Deku called Link peered curiously at her.
"Is there something wrong?" Link asked. Karin suddenly looked up.
"No, nothing. Are you willing to sit perfectly still for about a half an hour?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Sure." Link replied, sitting down on the grass. Karin took a pad of paper and a pencil out of her pack.
"You know", Karin said while starting the sketch, "You remind me a lot of someone I once knew."
"Really?" Link questioned. "Would you like to tell me? It might make the time go faster."
"Good idea. I'll tell you the story, then." With each scratch of her pencil, Karin wove a thread through her tale.
"I believe it started about two months ago, in this time. I know a secret about Clock Tower no one else does. Or at least, no one I know about." Karin paused to erase a couple lines of the picture.
"Do you think you can tell me?" Link asked, interested.
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Yes." Was the reply.
"Okay." Said Karin. "I guess it wouldn't hurt, because you'd have to be extremely lucky to actually find it… There's a portal between Termina, this land, and another land called Hyrule." Link's eyes widened at the mention of Hyrule. Karin continued.
"I ventured into the tower one day, to see how the mechanisms worked. What I found was a very camouflaged tunnel. Because I am very curious, I immediately followed the tunnel, not even thinking about the dangers. Where it led was a forest. I like to call it the Forgotten Forest, because it looks like no one has ever set foot in it before. It was very dark and cool in the forest, and instead of turning back, I ran on ahead, to see where it ended. I was running for a couple minutes when a tripped over something in my path and fell. I looked back to see what it was. It was a green tunic and a green cap. Now I've heard stories about woods. It's said that if a child gets lost in woods, they turn into Skull Kids. That's exactly what I thought had happened. But because it was so cold, I took the clothes and put them over top of mine. Then I started running again, until I came to a square of woods that was light and cheerful. It really was a square, with hedge walls and wooden portals on each side. It reminded me much of the woods here at Southern Swamp. You know, behind the hag's potion shop?" Karin asked Link.
"Yes, I know where they are." Link answered.
"Well", Karin began again, "I ran through one of the portals, and found myself in an open glade. Glancing around, I saw all kinds of tree houses, and many little kids with the same green clothes as I. A sign near me read 'Kokiri Forest'." Link gasped. Karin glanced at him, but went on, still sketching.
"A girl came up to me…"
*flash*
"Hello! Who might you be?" a girl asked. Her sapphire eyes glittered and short, curly auburn hair bobbed as she inclined her head at me. Frightened by the sudden question, I backed away a few steps.
"I-I'm Karin." I said, unsure of what to do.
"Karin, eh? Are you a Kokiri?" I simply stared at her. Without waiting for my answer, the girl went on,
"You must be a Kokiri, you have our green clothes on. You must be!"
The girl suddenly turned around and cupped her hands to her mouth.
"Fellow Kokiri! Come out and welcome our new friend!" I watched in surprise as about fifteen faces peered from around corners, out of tree houses, and over fences. Soon they had all scrambled down to where we were and made a circle around me. One boy with a haughty smirk stepped up beside the girl.
"Who're you?" he snarled. The girl glared at him.
"She's Karin, another Kokiri, dummy!" The boy glared at her.
"How dare you talk to me, Mido, the ruler of Kokiri, like that!" Mido looked like he was going to push her, but another girl jumped out of the ring. She grabbed Mido by the shoulders.
"Mido! You stop that! You are not our ruler, the Great Deku Tree is!"
"That not-so-great piece of lumber is dead. I'm the ruler now."
"His spirit will live on inside of us, his children. Also, I'm appalled you're treating our guest like that! If you want to call yourself our ruler, act like it, or my friends and I will never accept you." Mido stared in sorrow.
"I'm sorry, Saria…"
"Never mind that now. Just keep your peace for the moment."
The girl named Saria turned to me. She had sparkling emerald eyes and wavy green hair cut short. She smiled at me and pulled over the girl who had first found me.
"This is Lily, and my name is Saria." Saria inspected me. "You are a Kokiri!" she exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"
"That wooden entrance over there." I said, pointing at it. My fear had vanished the moment Saria came. She had a calming and friendly aura.
"The Lost Woods? That's no place for you. You should live here in Kokiri Forest, where you'll be safe." I figured I was lost and would never get back home, so I agreed.
"It seems as though all of your nice tree houses are filled, though." I said.
"That is a problem…I know! You can live with Link. He has a two-story tree house, and nothing but cobwebs lives in the first floor. Link, come here!"
(It's unfinished, I know! If I get good reviews, I'll hurry up and get the second chapter uploaded, deal? Karin is my copyright, but everything else is owned by Nintendo. If you decide to sue, the most you will get is $1.34 and a peppermint.)
As dawn breaks over South Clock Town, Clock Tower bangs out its daily morning signal. Across the plaza, curled up on the roof of a thatched tent, a girl of about ten years stirs. Slowly sitting upright, the weave of hay crunches beneath her. Blinking open eyes of cerulean against the penetrating rays of early light, she squints ahead to the ever present and familiar structure. The stone spire, resting in the very center of the town that was named for it, Clock Tower. It stood, as it always had, and as it always will, ticking off each passing second.
Stifling a yawn, the girl pushes back light brown locks and looks over the sign that lay before her.
"Karin Arzen, portrait artist." She read off of the board. "Ten rupees per picture." She looked back at Clock Tower once again before telling herself,
"Time to go to work."
Her knapsack packed with drawing pads and pencils, Karin climbed down from the roof and began walking up the bridges past Clock Tower. Passing through an entry arch, she entered the secluded North Clock Town. In the north, there were no shops, no stone paths, and hardly any people. As Karin crossed the grass, a small breeze struck up. Blowing gently through the glade, it swept across her fair complexion and rustled through the tree leaves.
"What a perfect day for drawing!" Karin exclaimed aloud to no one in particular. She sat down roughly at the edge of a dirt pathway and shimmied the pack off of her shoulders. Hitting the ground, the top flapped open and several pencils rolled out.
"Oh, I'll get those later." She sighed, rolling her eyes. Stretching out the 'A' shaped signboard, Karin set it up beside her.
"There!" she said proudly. "I am now open for business."
Twenty minutes passed. After nearly falling asleep with her head in her hands, Karin decided to busy herself.
"That's probably why I don't have a customer yet." She chided herself. "I fell asleep." Thinking for a moment, she decided to practice on somebody. Looking around North Clock Town, Karin saw there was no one around yet except Jim, the little boy that ran the Bombers club. She was a part of it, also. Karin thought to herself,
"I love being a bomber because I know the code that gets me into the observatory." She snickered.
Forty minutes later Karin had a nice sketch of Jim on her paper. She put it down and was about to start drawing a tree when she noticed a Deku boy crossing the grass. The scrub stopped for a moment to glance at Karin's sign.
"Well, I do have several hours to kill." The Deku muttered to himself.
"Eh? What was that you said?" Karin asked. Startled, he looked up.
"Oh, nothing. I would like a picture, though." He said, his eyes smiling at her. "Soon, it will be the only memory left of this horrid altered form of mine." The Deku thought. "Hopefully." He added under his breath.
"Sure thing…what is your name?" Karin questioned the scrub.
"I am but a nameless Deku scrub. If you must call me something, let it be Link." The Deku boy answered.
"Link?" Karin repeated with wide eyes. She looked closely at the golden stained wood pieces that stuck out from under his over large green cap.
"No, it cannot be." Karin thought, shaking her head. The Deku called Link peered curiously at her.
"Is there something wrong?" Link asked. Karin suddenly looked up.
"No, nothing. Are you willing to sit perfectly still for about a half an hour?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Sure." Link replied, sitting down on the grass. Karin took a pad of paper and a pencil out of her pack.
"You know", Karin said while starting the sketch, "You remind me a lot of someone I once knew."
"Really?" Link questioned. "Would you like to tell me? It might make the time go faster."
"Good idea. I'll tell you the story, then." With each scratch of her pencil, Karin wove a thread through her tale.
"I believe it started about two months ago, in this time. I know a secret about Clock Tower no one else does. Or at least, no one I know about." Karin paused to erase a couple lines of the picture.
"Do you think you can tell me?" Link asked, interested.
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Yes." Was the reply.
"Okay." Said Karin. "I guess it wouldn't hurt, because you'd have to be extremely lucky to actually find it… There's a portal between Termina, this land, and another land called Hyrule." Link's eyes widened at the mention of Hyrule. Karin continued.
"I ventured into the tower one day, to see how the mechanisms worked. What I found was a very camouflaged tunnel. Because I am very curious, I immediately followed the tunnel, not even thinking about the dangers. Where it led was a forest. I like to call it the Forgotten Forest, because it looks like no one has ever set foot in it before. It was very dark and cool in the forest, and instead of turning back, I ran on ahead, to see where it ended. I was running for a couple minutes when a tripped over something in my path and fell. I looked back to see what it was. It was a green tunic and a green cap. Now I've heard stories about woods. It's said that if a child gets lost in woods, they turn into Skull Kids. That's exactly what I thought had happened. But because it was so cold, I took the clothes and put them over top of mine. Then I started running again, until I came to a square of woods that was light and cheerful. It really was a square, with hedge walls and wooden portals on each side. It reminded me much of the woods here at Southern Swamp. You know, behind the hag's potion shop?" Karin asked Link.
"Yes, I know where they are." Link answered.
"Well", Karin began again, "I ran through one of the portals, and found myself in an open glade. Glancing around, I saw all kinds of tree houses, and many little kids with the same green clothes as I. A sign near me read 'Kokiri Forest'." Link gasped. Karin glanced at him, but went on, still sketching.
"A girl came up to me…"
*flash*
"Hello! Who might you be?" a girl asked. Her sapphire eyes glittered and short, curly auburn hair bobbed as she inclined her head at me. Frightened by the sudden question, I backed away a few steps.
"I-I'm Karin." I said, unsure of what to do.
"Karin, eh? Are you a Kokiri?" I simply stared at her. Without waiting for my answer, the girl went on,
"You must be a Kokiri, you have our green clothes on. You must be!"
The girl suddenly turned around and cupped her hands to her mouth.
"Fellow Kokiri! Come out and welcome our new friend!" I watched in surprise as about fifteen faces peered from around corners, out of tree houses, and over fences. Soon they had all scrambled down to where we were and made a circle around me. One boy with a haughty smirk stepped up beside the girl.
"Who're you?" he snarled. The girl glared at him.
"She's Karin, another Kokiri, dummy!" The boy glared at her.
"How dare you talk to me, Mido, the ruler of Kokiri, like that!" Mido looked like he was going to push her, but another girl jumped out of the ring. She grabbed Mido by the shoulders.
"Mido! You stop that! You are not our ruler, the Great Deku Tree is!"
"That not-so-great piece of lumber is dead. I'm the ruler now."
"His spirit will live on inside of us, his children. Also, I'm appalled you're treating our guest like that! If you want to call yourself our ruler, act like it, or my friends and I will never accept you." Mido stared in sorrow.
"I'm sorry, Saria…"
"Never mind that now. Just keep your peace for the moment."
The girl named Saria turned to me. She had sparkling emerald eyes and wavy green hair cut short. She smiled at me and pulled over the girl who had first found me.
"This is Lily, and my name is Saria." Saria inspected me. "You are a Kokiri!" she exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"
"That wooden entrance over there." I said, pointing at it. My fear had vanished the moment Saria came. She had a calming and friendly aura.
"The Lost Woods? That's no place for you. You should live here in Kokiri Forest, where you'll be safe." I figured I was lost and would never get back home, so I agreed.
"It seems as though all of your nice tree houses are filled, though." I said.
"That is a problem…I know! You can live with Link. He has a two-story tree house, and nothing but cobwebs lives in the first floor. Link, come here!"
(It's unfinished, I know! If I get good reviews, I'll hurry up and get the second chapter uploaded, deal? Karin is my copyright, but everything else is owned by Nintendo. If you decide to sue, the most you will get is $1.34 and a peppermint.)
