1 Hyrule's Last Hope
In the vast deep forest of Hyrule, the Great Deku Tree served as the Guardian Spirit. The children of the forest, the Kokiri, lived with the Great Deku Tree. Each Kokiri had his or her own Guardian Fairy, except one. His name was Link.
The forest was silent. The trees were hushed, and not one creature stirred, not even a Deku Baba. After a few moments, the soft pitter-patter of feet was heard echoing softly through the forest, eventually becoming louder and louder as a young Kokiri girl dashed by. The many rays of golden sunlight glistened upon her green, short hair; she was seemingly headed towards a large tree-house-like home. She nearly slipped and fell over as she skid to an abrupt halt in front of the tall tree.
"Link! Hey, rise and shine! I have great news!" the young girl shouted up to an obvious friend of hers, placing a delicate hand upon her hip as she waited for a response.
"What do you want?" replied a sleepy and grumpy-toned voice. She felt her face flush in anger. She closed her eyes to regain calmness, and then began again.
"The Great Deku Tree just so happens to want to see you."
Link peered out from behind the closed curtain and down to his friend standing outside, gently rubbing his eyes to get a better view.
"Saria? Do you know how early it is? It's freaking five past two…and that's AM. Couldn't that wait until later? How about during the afternoon? Or at least after breakfast? I can't—" he began to complain, but Saria couldn't stand his childish behavior so she cut him off short.
"Of course it can't, Link! This is urgent. GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT YOUNG MAN!"
Link, mumbling, stumbled out from behind the curtain and backed down the wobbly ladder. Saria, being extremely impatient, tugged him down off of the ladder and onto the ground beside her. She shoved him forward.
"Get going!"
"Alright, alright already!"
Link whisked down the pathway, quickly disappearing beyond the lush green trees. Saria stared longingly at his backside until he disappeared, then lowered her head as she let out an exasperated sigh.
"Won't you ever learn…"
"Hey! Watch where you're goin'! What's your rush anyway, punk??" An angered Mido shook his fist toward the boy who had run past, watching as he made his way through the pathway, which lead to the Great Deku Tree. He lowered his fist in confusion. "…Hm."
"I wonder what could be so important? Must be real important if they just had to wake me up at five AM," Link muttered lowly under his breath as he swiftly dodged an attacking Deku Baba, and continued to head to the Deku Tree.
He slowed to a stop as he reached the giant meadow consumed mostly of the Deku Tree, being about half the size of the field. Link glanced up to his guardian, his arms resting casually at his sides as he prepared to speak.
"You called, Great Deku Tree?"
"Ah, Link…" a low booming voice said in reply, the tree gently rustling its leaves as he sensed the boy's presence. "I have, indeed."
"What's going on?"
"I have summoned thou for a very important matter, young hero…" Link's expression jumped from looking concerned to… rather confused as he stared up at the looming tree.
"…H-Hero? Me…? Don't be ridiculous…!" Link chuckled lightly under his breath, but the tree was silent in response. "…Hrm."
"This is a serious matter, Link. Please control yourself. I must tell thou what thou needs to do…" The Great Deku Tree's leaves rustled gently once again. "You see, Anju, she's in trouble," he began in a serious tone.
"Who's…Anju?"
"Yes…Anju is the young villager who lives in Kakariko. She does need your help."
"So you've said…"
"She's lost her cuccos, again."
"That's what's so urgent?! You've got to be kidding me!"
"…No, that's not even the problem. This is the real problem-It has nothing to do with Anju-: An evil force has taken over Kakariko Village, and it's slowly beginning to seep through Kakariko and into the rest of Hyrule. It must be stopped immediately, Link."
"…But why are you sending me? I know absolutely nothing about fighting…and I haven't done any of it in my entire life. Why don't you send the Hero of Time?"
The Great Deku Tree paused at his very words, then remembering that he had not told Link of his past…or rather his future.
"Link…There is something that I must tell thou…You must promise to listen very carefully to my each and every word."
Link felt himself tense up a little bit…'What's he talking about?'
"A long time ago…before life began, before the world had form, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaotic land of Hyrule. They were Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of courage.
Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth to give the spirit of law to the world. Farore's rich soul created all life forms who would uphold the law.
These three great goddesses returned to the heavens, leaving behind the golden sacred Triforce. Since then, the Triforce has become the basis for Hyrule's providence. Where the Triforce stood became sacred land…" the Deku Tree paused to make sure that Link was in fact listening to him.
"That's it—"
"No, no… There is something much more important than that that I must, MUST tell you…In the Temple of Time sits the legendary Master Sword, as you know. The Hero of Time, whose name was Link…" Link felt his heart skip a few beats at the mention of his name, "…had to take the sword out of its pedestal to travel back and forward in time. In order to save Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf, the king of *Gerudos, he had to do so. You see, when the Hero of Time traveled through time, Ganondorf had access to the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce was kept. That was where the goddesses had first come…as Ganondorf followed him through time; he touched the Triforce, making it unbalanced. It is told that whoever touches the Triforce and has an evil mind, it will become unbalanced. That was when the Triforce split into three separate parts, giving Ganondorf the piece of power, Zelda, the princess, the piece of wisdom…and last, Link, the piece of courage. In order for Ganondorf to take total control of Hyrule, he needed all three pieces of the Triforce. So he battled Link, but the Hero of Time successfully defeated the beast and Hyrule was safe at last…Along with the Triforce. Zelda had to send Link back to his original time…She used the Ocarina of Time, a small egg-shaped instrument…It sent Link back to the Temple of Time, where he became a child once again. But he had no idea who the princess was, who Ganondorf was, he knew nothing of what had happened before he was sent back…as if nothing ever happened…" the giant tree became silent for a moment, pausing. "…and Link, you are that child. That's why you didn't know…You are the truthful Hero of Time."
It took him a few moments to regain his thought, trying to consume all of the information at once…But he did understand now that he was infact the Hero of Time. Was the Great Deku Tree really telling the truth? Of course! He would never lie to him, never.
"I…"
"You don't have to say anything at all, Link. It's quite alright…Now I must give you a sword and a shield to get you best prepared for what you might face, Hero of Time."
As Link heard the words spoken by the Great Deku Tree, he trembled, unable to respond; his throat feeling extremely dry and knotted.
"Link…Please try to focus."
He quickly snapped out of a dizzying trance and glanced back up to the guardian of the forest.
"…Sorry, I just…can't believe it."
"I know it will take thou a while to get used to, but please…Thou must leave immediately. Take these." A sword suddenly appeared in the hands of the young boy, a shield appearing on his backside. He nearly fell over due to the unexpected weight thrown upon him.
"A Hylian Shield and the Kokiri Sword? Thanks, Great Deku Tree!" He smiled warmly at the sword, gripping it tightly in his right hand, taking a moment to admire it by shimmering it in the sunlight. Realizing that the Deku Tree was becoming impatient, he quickly nodded his head in response, darting through the pathway leading back to Kokiri Forest.
"Good luck…you'll be needing it."
He whipped out his fairy ocarina from its holder attached to his belt and hurriedly played Epona's Song. The familiar whinny was heard in the distance as Link's golden brown pony trotted up to him, her hooves flattening the grass with her each step.
"Hey, Epona! Um…to Kakariko Village," he said to her as he attempted to mount her, having some difficulties. He took a deep breath and lightly tapped her on the side. She reared up into the air, nearly knocking him off, and began running towards the endangered village. "EPONA! Slow DOWN!" He gripped tightly onto her reigns with his eyes shut tightly in fright. Within what seemed like seconds, they reached the entrance of the village, many steps standing before the two. Shaikly, Link slipped down off of his horse's saddle and took a few moments to regain himself. "Alright…you stay out here, Epona. I'll…be right back," he lied to the mare, patting her smooth, milky white mane. He waved good-bye and turned to the steps, quickly rushing up to the top and disappearing around the corner. Just as the boy had entered the village, the once clear blue sky had begun to rapidly cloud up, the sky becoming dark within minutes.
Two wooden posts stood at each side of the path into the village, a large wooden sign resting on the posts which read "Kakariko" in Hylian. He took a deep breath to relax himself, then cautiously began to walk towards the entrance. A figure suddenly leapt out at him just as he was a few steps away from it. Shocked, he fell backwards onto his rear.
"Hey, kid! What are you doing here? This isn't the best time for you to go shopping, kid! We're in the middle of a crisis here! Now scram!" The figure that scared him half to death turned out to be one of the Hylian guards, gripping tightly onto his spear. Link, still being a bit dumbfounded by the sudden action followed by an outburst, pushed himself to his feet and immediately unsheathed his Kokiri Sword.
"Let me in…believe me: I can help you people, but only if you let me in!" he shouted back in response to the short-tempered guard.
"Yeah, right. Next we'll have a pony that wants to save us all!" After he had spoken he began laughing hysterically, throwing his head back as he did. Link couldn't help but to stare blankly at the guard, noticing how strange and scary he was acting…noting that they'd never acted that way before to him.
"Umm…"
Light drops of rain began sprinkling gently over Epona's head and backside as she turned her head in curiosity toward the village. She'd been standing out there for awhile, and being the impatient horse she was, she darted up the steps as a lightning bolt jutted down in the distance. Just as the guard had smacked Link's sword out of his grip with his spear, Epona turned the corner to face the two.
"Listen to me, kid. Get out of here now! I assure you, this is none of your business!!" Epona stared angrily towards the guard shouting at her owner, backing up a little to get a head start. She reared up and took off towards him, full speed; and as soon as she came in contact with him she head butted him into the air, sending him flying. He landed harshly on the ground with a thump, resulting in a knock out.
"Good job, Epona! C''mon!" He slipped a hand around her rein and gripped it tightly. He scooped his sword up into his other hand, and continued into the village square. He stopped next to a staircase and hooked Epona's rein up to a large rusty looking nail sticking out of its side. About as soon as he turned his head to continue walking, he was face to face with a red-haired woman; screaming and flailing her arms around insanely.
"HE:LP! Please help!! My cuccos are gone! Gone, gone!" Anju was just about pulling out her hair as she screamed and shouted in the unsuspecting boy's face.
"Uhh…I, uh—"
"Please, find my cuccos! My father will kill me…" she cooed.
"I don't have time for that…right now," he responded, "I've been sent here to help the village."
"Oh, really? What's wrong with it?"
"I was told that the source to an evil force was here…and that all of you villagers were in danger. No?"
"Hm? Who told you that?"
"The Great Deku Tree told me," he said to her in a strong, proud- tone.
"Great De…ku Tree? Err, well—Nothing bad has happened except that my CUCCOS ARE MISSING!! AHH!" She began to insanely sob into the palms of her hands as she stood before him.
"Calm down, will you? I'll see if I can help you after I've checked your village to make sure that you're telling the truth…" As Link stepped around the cucco-crazed woman, he solemnly thought…'That guard told me that something bad was going on…' He climbed up another set of stairs. '…Anju…she didn't make much sense. The guard and the Deku Tree both told me that something bad was going on…but Anju: the only thing she was worried about were her stinking cuccos. Something's definitely up.' He turned his glance back down to Anju who was standing in the village square close to a villager's house. Link squinted his eyes to get a better look at something that she was pulling out of her pocket. It was round in shape; and as the light hit it, the object glared brightly…being an assortment of colors. It suddenly hit him.
"A medallion!!" Being extremely shocked he slipped off the edge of the staircase; hitting the ground with a thump. This startled Anju so much that she dropped the medallion onto the ground. As Link slowly pushed himself back onto his feet, Anju shouted at him.
"You should be more careful, young man!" She almost immediately snatched up the beautiful medallion, holding it up to her chest protectively as she glared toward the clumsy boy.
"Hey! You! Get over here, now!" shouted a familiar voice from the entrance of the village; Link turning to the voice. Quickly thinking he darted towards some villager's house, pushing the door in and tumbling forward. The guard had just reached the door as it swung back and knocked him out once more; laying motionless on the ground. Anju blinked multiple times as this strange event occurred. She glanced down to the rather large medallion in her grasp, an evil shimmer darting across her dark brown eyes.
"We must not let him get any ideas…" she lowly whispered under her breath, then giving the medallion a small kiss; snickering quietly to herself as she strode out of the scene.
Link wearily opened his eyes, suddenly feeling himself lift off of the ground and finding himself face to face with a rather obese woman with dark, curly hair and brown eyes.
"Uhh…—"
"Do you really think it's polite to barge into someone's house like that young man?" the angered and disturbed woman asked him.
"Well, um…No?" he responded in a low, squeaky tone; swallowing hard as the woman's gaze hardened.
"Then get your tooshie out of my house!!" She dropped the boy to the floor and began to shoo him out, cursing and shouting as Link rushed out of the crazed-woman's house. He swiftly ran up the staircase before him and turned up another pair, stopping before some sort of shop to catch his breath.
"Man…" He felt many eyes on his backside, staring; so he turned to look over his shoulder in question. Some villagers who were passing by glanced to him with scared expressions over their faces…the kind of expression you'd see if someone had just seen a ghost. Link swallowed hard and turned back to the store in front of him. A small wooden sign sat above the doorway. "'Village Food Store,'" he read aloud to himself. Just as he was about to reach for the handle, a man inside the store had flipped the 'Open' sign over, it now stating that the food store was 'Closed.' "Great…" Link turned his back to the store and walked away from it, reaching to unsheathe his sword. He slipped it out from its halter and stared at it for a couple moments. "What'm I supposed to do now…?"
"HEY! That kid's got a sword!! Everyone, run!!" a man insanely screamed as he slammed his door shut. Link's eyes widened as his reflexes instantly jumped, sending his sword flying into some shrubbery behind him. He stood there for a couple seconds, startled by the sudden commotion, then turning around.
"Gosh darn…" He rolled his eyes once spotting the sword as it stuck out of a bush, quickly snatching it up into his grip. "I'd better be more careful…huh?" A short wooden sign sat beside the shrubbery, and on it were inscribed small print words. "Kakariko Graveyard," it read. He followed the arrow's direction, seeing a dark pathway to his left. "Cool…a graveyard."
Link found himself walking in a dark, secluded area surrounded by an outer wall. On the ground were about five levels of graves, about six or so on each level. Towards the front of the graveyard sat an old wooden shack; but apparently someone was currently living there, noticing the smoke rising from a rusted pipe. Link felt a bit un-welcomed there, sensing a chill as it jolted up and down his spine. He walked among the first row of tombstones and scanned the names as he walked by, but he stopped by one in particular.
"'Here lies the Great Impa, the guardian of Princess Zelda who helped build this village that is still around to this day.' Huh…wonder who she is?" he asked himself as he looked over the grave some more. Something unexpected happened. The ground beneath his feet began to shake mildly, but got worse quickly. He lost balance and fell to the ground, instantly grasping onto the dirt in fright. A bright light suddenly surrounded the Impa's grave and flashed a few times, Link's eyes wide. A few seconds later the tombstone blasted into pieces as Link covered his head by placing his hands over them. The shaking faded off along with the strange glowing light, leaving a large hole in the ground where the tomb had once been. His eyes, wide open in awe, stared down at the strange hole…wondering. He inched slowly toward the edge of it with his sweaty-palmed hands clutched tightly around his sword.
"What…is that?"
When he went to get a better look, he lost his footing; slipping and falling into the dark hole…
…
It was completely silent around him with the exception of the soft cracking of fire burning. He slowly pushed himself up off of the dirty, damp floor, brushing himself off afterward. He scanned his surroundings, the room of a circular shape with lit candles hanging upon the wall. A putrid, moist smell entered his nostrils as he felt a few drops of water upon his head, noting the drippy ceiling. He noticed a door about twice his size standing before him with a Triforce mark above it.
'What's that…?' he asked himself, slowly making his way towards it. As he went to push it open, it opened all by itself. He felt his heart skip a couple beats as he forced himself forward, pushing the door the rest of the way and entering the next room. It was again another circular room, but about half the size with a tomb sitting in the center, apparently having no lid. Candles were lit all around the tomb, flickering softly and casting long dancing shadows on the wall. He felt his throat immediately dry up as he stared up at the topless tomb, wondering if he should dare to look. He stepped up to it and peered in…there lying a body of a woman. She didn't seem dead at all. "She doesn't look dead…She would've decayed by now," Link commented to himself as he looked the body over. He noticed a small plaque on the tomb, and bent down to read it.
"Who's dead?"
Link fell backwards onto his rear, dropping his sword onto the ground beside him.
"Wh…Who said that?!" He regained himself and picked up his sword, pushing himself back to his feet.
"Boy…How did you get down here?"
"But you're…dead! How can you be talking to me??" He swung up his sword and pointed it at her.
"Hey, no need for the sword. Put it down."
Link obeyed, slowly lowering his sword to his side.
"So…uh…you're not dead?"
"No. Of course not. This…was my secret hideout. Until you stumbled on in…"
"It wasn't my fault. Your tomb stone must be cursed or something…it blew up and left a huge hole in the ground."
"That was made to scare people off…you must be brave to've come here."
"…So why aren't you dead—?"
"I'm a Sage. Sages do not die."
"You mean…one of the Hyrule Sages?? Cool! You must be all powerful…whoa, don't hurt me…"
"I won't hurt you…"
Link sheathed his sword into its halter, staring at her momentarily.
"…Could you tell me what's going on?"
"Hm? What?"
"I was told there was an evil force in the village…do you know about it?"
"…Oh, that…yes. Something is happening in this village. There is a source…why?"
"I was…um, sent to destroy it." Link showed off his weaponry and shield. Impa stared at him.
"…You!? Who are you…" Impa trailed off, her voice turning into a squeak. "…Hero of Time…?"
Link stared without a blink.
"How did you know?"
"First of all, I'm a Sage…and the constant traveling back and forth in time doesn't effect me."
"Umm…"
"So…are you the Hero of Time? You must be…" Impa carefully climbed out of the tomb and stretched, then folding her arms in a serious manor.
"…Yes. The Great Deku Tree told me everything," he explained to her, trailing off as he noticed how Impa seemed to be looking him over, making him feel a bit uneasy. "Look—can you tell me anything about this 'evil force?'"
"For one thing…the entrance to this place requires something very strong and powerful in order to enter it. You must obtain a piece of the Triforce," Link stared at her, "…follow me." He watched closely as Impa stepped through another doorway. He obediently followed behind.
Just as he stepped through the doorway, it and the room behind him totally disappeared. They stood by the entrance of the village's graveyard where the little hut was sitting, the gray smoke still rising into the moist, damp air.
"We must hurry…the entrance closes at night. If you miss it, it will then be too late for this village. I must give you something first. Come with me." Impa grasped onto the young boy's hand and within seconds, the two appeared standing in the front of the village, beside a villager's house.
"What are we doing here?"
"Shh! Silence boy." He watched as she snapped her fingers, and day suddenly turned to night.
"H—!" She smacked a hand over the unsuspecting boy's mouth before he could finish. She knelt down before the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder as she stared into his innocent baby blue eyes.
"Link. Listen to be closely. What I'm about to show you must be kept secret—totally secret. You must not tell a soul of this location. Do you hear me, boy?" He nodded obediently. "Good. Stand back, then." She gently pushed Link out of the way as she faced the house before her. While raising a single hand into the air, a purplish ball of light appeared glowing in her palm. The area around the two lit up, the grass turning a light purple. He watched as she gently threw the ball at the side of the house. Link instinctively shut his eyes as he awaited the large explosion, but to his surprise, no sound came, neither did the bright flash.
"Huh…? What??" He shouted in a whispered tone as he gazed at a strange hole in the side of the villager's house. Though, it didn't lead into the house. It seemed to lead to a large pair of marble stairs going downward. "What's that?"
"The entrance to the Sacred Realm," she replied calmly and quietly. "You will not tell anyone of this. Never. Now quickly follow me." She grasped the boy by the hand and hurried down the steps, disappearing into the darkness. A pair of evil slanted eyes closely watched from behind a bush.
"Good…now that I know where that realm is, I can finish up my evil doings and Hyrule will perish…better yet, I'll have all the cuccos I've ever wanted!" Anju sniveled to herself, greedily rubbing her hands together. She tiptoed across the grass from her hiding spot to the entrance. Just as it had begun to close up, she darted down the steps and slinked into the Sacred Realm.
The other two walked swiftly into the main room, the soft tapping of feet against the marble floor being heard. Their shadows danced on the walls o the circular room which they stood in. Link glanced around at his surroundings…the main room was huge. The ceiling wasn't just and old ceiling: it was extremely high up, and seemingly made out of glass. Above it was water…colorful water shimmering brightly in the light from below. It reflected on the walls in a playful sort of way. Tall, tubular lights surrounded the room, all different colors: from blue to green, green to blue, purple to pink…a beautiful sight. The walls were also dancing with vivid color.
"Jeez…this place is so neat!" He ran his hand across the gold-plated wall, feeling its coolness and texture at his fingertips.
"There are a few things I must show you. Through this door," she said, gesturing toward a sort of hidden door within the wall. They both stepped in. It was equally as bright and cheerful as the first room, but now there were silver lights decorating the room. Doors lined the walls, all of the same design: with the exception of one. It was a good size larger than the others, made out of a rusted steel with the others were polished gold.
"What's in there?"
"Nothing that we should be concerned of…but if you really want to know, there are dangerous monster trapped in there. Dangerous, dangerous monsters that should never be let free into Hyrule again. Come on, now." She shoved him through another door, tearing his eyes away from the steel door. As soon as she shut the door, the light immediately dimmed, and the color seemed to fade out. As Link turned his attention to the center of the room, where the only source of the light seemed to be, he gasped.
"That…that's the…"
"Yes, that is. The holy piece of the Triforce: Courage. That's what I must give to you," she explained to him. Link felt his heart race in excitement.
"…Me?"
"Yes, you. You need it." She motioned for the boy to take it. He cautiously reached out his left hand towards the glowing triangle sitting atop the marble post, wincing at the bright light shining down as he stepped into it. As he went to touch it, it suddenly disappeared. No flash of light or sound was made, it just disappeared.
"Where'd it go?!" he frantically glanced around him in search for the triangle.
"Right under your nose," she teased with a smirk, folding her arms across her armored chest. Link looked down at the back of his hand. There was the mark of the third piece of the Triforce: Courage.
"Wow…" He held it up in the light provided over the pedestal, sparkling and shining mysteriously.
"Link…there's one ore thing that I have to give to you before you go. You'll need it for fighting, most definitely." Just before Impa turned the handle on another door, Link piped up.
"Hey…how do you know so much about this place?" She turned to him with her arms crossed, seemingly frowning.
"I have seen it. I have seen the black, swirling hole…and Gall."
"…Gall? What's 'Gall'?"
"Gall…it's a distant land from Hyrule, parallel to each other. The evil force is coming from that land, and we have to get rid of it before it keeps spreading into Hyrule. Gall used to be sister to Hyrule, but ever since a long while ago something split the two apart. I would go, but…it's too risky. I thought all would be lost, until you came along," he smiled a little, "…now come on."
All was silent in the second room until the soft click of a door was heard, followed by a gentle echo through the hallway. Anju carefully scanned the room to make sure she was alone. After deciding it was all right, she walked forward into the hallway, examining her surroundings. Her eyes immediately locked upon the same door Link stumbled on before. Its eeriness seemed attractive, so she crept up to it and laid a hand upon its crooked and rusty handle. Anju felt a sudden chill as she began to twist the handle, but that didn't stop her, She pulled it open a crack. A strange mist seemed to creep through the small opening she provided. She heard a low-pitched rumbling sound coming from behind the mysterious door. Peering through the small crack, she gasped, eyes flashing open…strange, unearthly creatures whisked about in what seemed like midair, almost as if they were black clouds shaped like hideous monsters, trailing through the air. She felt the tip of her mouth being pulled up in a crooked, mischievous smirk as she thought to herself.
"…Perfect."
The next room wasn't very big at all. It was half the size of the room they just came from, the only light coming from a small and solemn candle hanging upon the wall. The light reflected upon a glass case hanging nearby on the rocky wall. The top and the bottom of the case were made out of smooth wood, having a warm milky glow as the candle shimmered against it.
"Over here." She pulled the door to the case open without a squeak, revealing a sword hanging upon a hook in the velvety case. "This," she swiftly took it out from the case, "is yours. It's the legendary Aidan Sword…you won't be able to protect yourself with that puny…thing." Impa gestured toward the sword in his halter.
"Hey! This thing is pretty strong compared to its size…"
"I'm sure…" Within the blink of an eye, she swapped the two swords, now holding the Kokiri Sword in her grip. "Let's go. There's no more here to see." She grabbed the hand of the boy once again, the two suddenly disappearing in thin air. They were barely gone for two seconds when they appeared beside the potion shop.
"I can't take you any further. I can't let anyone know I'm alive."
"Wh—?"
"Don't ask. The entrance is behind the windmill. I'm sure you'll spot it easily. Once inside…find the room with the Golden Eye…" She gave him a quick shove in the back toward the direction of the windmill, then disappearing once again. Thunder rumbled lowly in the distance, seeming to come closer and closer to him. He decided that he had no time to lose, so he quickly darted through the back door of the potion shop and down the ladder, landing in a crouched position in the back. He pushed himself forward and climbed as fast as he could up another ladder, watching as the large windmill grew bigger and bigger as he made his way to the top. A bolt of lightning thrust down upon the ground nearby, causing Link to jump as he ran around the windmill and face the back of it. He felt his heart sink and flip-flip and his muscles tense. A huge, swirling, gaping warp hole sat before him, making a loud whirling noise as it spun slowly around. He felt a light wind play with his hair, but send a chill up and down his spine.
"That must be it…" he said lowly to himself. He slowly stepped toward it, his hands made into tight-balled fists, his hair whisking about in the wind. When he was about half a foot away, he reached his hand out palm-flat and slowly walked forward again. He suddenly felt a strange pull force coming from the warp hole, now unable to step away from its continuous pull. He let out a scream as he disappeared inside: gone.
…
"A. Add the rest of the monsters. B. Hide my medallion from that wretched boy. C. I will rid of him…" Anju mumbled to herself as she lay atop her bed, writing down her plans on a sheet of paper. She had already transported some of the monsters to the other world…she had her eye on one of them in particular. "Yes…he should be great to add. He's a Gerudo man: the legendary King of Thieves. Yes: He even has a piece of the Triforce…which I plan to take." She grinned to herself.
…
A loud thump echoed through the room, followed by a moan. As Link pushed himself to his feet, he examined his surroundings: he stood in a small rectangular room and the walls were made out of a mirror-like material. The circular lights placed in the ceiling above shone down on him like a spotlight, causing him to wince a little. He spun around expecting to see a swirling hole in the wall, but there was nothing there but his reflection. He stared at it for a moment.
"Weird…" Link turned back around and faced a door sitting at the end of the room, which hadn't been there a few seconds ago. "Ummm…" He remembered what Impa had told him before. Her voice echoed through his mind. 'The Golden Eye…find the Golden Eye…' He pondered confusedly to himself, glancing around the room he stood in. "Yeah…right. Golden Eye, huh." He turned to the two pots sitting at either side of the highly- decorated door. Link stepped up to one and peered inside, spotting something shimmering brightly in the spotlights. He quickly reached in, expecting to find some sort of clue…but instead finding a rather large, golden snake slithering and staring him straight in the eye. "AH!!" Leaping back and dropping the snake, he immediately reached for his sword and pulled it from its halter. He swung it forward and pointed it at the snake, shivering as he watched it slip gracefully along the tiled floor and towards him. "Don't come any closer!…I'm warning you!" The snake suddenly came to a halt. Its beady black eyes pierced deeply into his as it swiftly raised and pulled its head back, preparing to attack. In the split second that it lunged at Link, he swung the sword forward and sliced through its neck, tightly shutting his eyes as he did this. After opening his eyes and seeing what he did, a smile spread over his face victoriously. He looked to the sword. "Hey…I think I'm getting the hang of this," he smirked. He glanced to the pot on the opposite side. He slipped over to it and glanced inside: something else about equally as shiny and golden caught his eye. "Uh…better not be another snake…" He reached in slowly and felt something cool and smooth at his grip, not the texture of a snake. He felt his muscles relax as he glanced at his finding. "…The Golden Eye? This is it?" A flat, golden eye sat in the palm of his hand, the pupil made out of some sort of blue crystal. "This must be what Impa was talking about." He looked it over a couple of times, almost mesmerized by its unimaginable beauty as it sparkled in the light. He blinked. "But what the heck do I do with it??" He stepped up to the door and tried to slide it through the keyhole beside it. Frustrated, he tried to push it through, but it was no use. He threw it onto the floor before the door, making a soft thump as it landed upon the velvety rug. Just as soon as he peeled his eyes away from the object, something strange began to happen: the eye levitated above the floor and was glowing brightly, causing Link to shield his eyes.
It stopped. It was mysteriously suspended in mid air, still shining brightly. "The heck…?" he said lowly to himself as he examined the floating object. To his surprise, the eye began to slowly rotate in a circle, and became faster and faster within seconds. The room was entirely filled with the bright reflection of the spinning object: the mirrored walls nearly blinding him. It stopped once again. The eye quickly fell to the velvet rug…and his eyes leapt from the golden figure to the once locked door.. the chains upon it had suddenly disappeared before his eyes. "What…? Hm…I guess that's what Impa was telling me about." He stepped over the eye and stood before the highly decorated door…figuring that's where he needed to go. He placed his hand upon the handle and gripped it tightly, and without hesitating, turned it slowly in a clock-wise direction. Just as he pulled the door open about two inches, a bright light seeped through the crack, and slipped across the floor in the shape of a dagger. He curiously pulled it open more, then eventually all the way. Light consumed him entirely, causing him to shield his eyes from the sudden unbearable light.
But it didn't last for long. As soon as the light disappeared, but before he could open his eyes, he heard the familiar sound of a bird chirping and twittering nearby. He felt a soft breeze whisk gently across his face and play with his air…he allowed his eyes to open. Before him sat a beautiful meadow; tall, grassy fields, spread out across this new land. A small, friendly looking village sat at one side of the field, spotting some smoke rise up from the chimneys of the houses. A quaint looking castle was placed neatly beside it…it was large in its size.
"Wow…So this must be Gall," he told himself, "…I can't understand it, it looks so much like Hyrule." Out of the blue, something large and black leapt at him, causing him to fall hard onto his back .He let out a blood curdling scream as he realized it was some sort of monster, gaping at its large red eyes as they stared him down menacingly. "AHH! Get it off, get it off!!" he covered his face with his arms and turned away, hoping the monster would leave him alone. But it didn't do anything of the sort: it had placed its enormous claws around the helpless boy's neck and begun to rid him of air. His vision became blurry and his head began to sway; but before he could pass out, an arrow hit the monster in its backside and it reared up onto its hind legs, yelping; then darting off into a nearby forest. He gasped in every breath of air he could get and sat up against the ground, leaning on one arm with his other hand on his forehead. "I sure showed…him," he said to himself between a desperate gasp for air.
"Sure you did."
"Hey…who said that?"
"Up here." Link's eyes tried to follow the sweet young voice, and he laid his eyes upon a girl about his age sitting on a tree branch, a cocky smile spread over her face. She appeared to be wearing a snow-white tunic and a pair of knee-high leather boots, almost twin to him. Her long, golden hair cascaded down her back and swayed gently in the wind…she also had a bow and quiver in her grip. "So, like I was saying…you really showed him who's boss, huh?" her cocky smile grew a little as she said this.
"Well…" he looked at the bow and the quiver full of arrows over, "… I guess not." A thought came to him. "Hey…if you were sitting there the whole time, why didn't you shoot sooner?" She pushed herself down from the branch and landed upon the spongy grass, brushing herself off and returning his comment with a smirk.
"I thought you might've been smart enough to kill it with your sword. I guess not…" She hooked her weaponry onto her belt. "So, what's your name?"
"Umm…it's umm…"
"Well?"
"Link, it's Link," he spat out, feeling a bit foolish.
"Neat. The name's Juki. So, what're you doing he re? I've never seen you around these parts before."
"I…I've come to save you!" He heroically placed his hands on his hips and stuck his nose up in the air; a large-enough-to-be-stupid grin brushing over his face.
"Uh…huh."
Link's grin quickly switched around into a frown as he glanced to Juki, immediately feeling his face begin to blush.
"…Don't you know Anju?"
He noticed that as soon as he mentioned the name Anju, her expression jumped, her brows furrowing.
"Yeah, I know her…she threatened us just the other day…" She glanced to his sword. "I can see you don't know much about fighting, huh?"
"Of course I do! I killed a vicious snake."
She nearly burst into laughter.
"I killed twenty snakes at once."
"Wow…I could never do that."
"I can teach you, if you'd like," she offered to him as she folded her arms, smirking gently.
"Really? Err—I can teach myself. Really."
"Yeah, whatever you want…" She gently pushed his chin upward with the tip of her finger, "…Link." He felt his cheeks flush beet red at the touch of her finger tip, pulling back as she walked away.
Silence fell completely over the forest. The only sound was the gentle whisking of the Great Deku Tree's branches in the wind. He had been watching the happenings in Gall…watching them with his senses. He sighed deeply underneath his breath.
"I should better send the boy a guardian…I've got just the one. Navi. Come here." A small, glowing ball suddenly appeared before the presence of the large tree; its transparent wings sparkling in the sunlight as they held the tiny fairy up.
"Yes?" it spoke in its high pitched, squeaky voice, jerking hyperactively back and forth.
"Go to Link. Go help him on his quest, Navi. Go! Time passes quickly. It hasn't been a day there, and it's already been two days here …" he lowly muttered to himself, "…the time must've gotten messed up as well. Go to Kakariko Village. There you will find something that resembles a black hole. Fly!" She shot out of the meadow, a trail of glitter left behind; falling to the ground like a sparkling curtain. She hustled through the forest, her wings rapidly beating through the air as she ascended into the wide open field, and headed toward Kakariko Village.
"Wait!" the boy shouted after the young girl, then quickly placing his hands behind his head as she turned to face him. "Uh…well, I guess you could teach me. I mean…I just wanna see how much you know about fighting…"
"Alright. Sounds good to me."
"Great! AH!" A startled Link collapsed to the ground as a bright ball of light appeared in front of his face.
"Hi there!"
"Wh…What?? A fairy…here?"
"Oh, no. I'm from Hyrule! The Great Deku Tree sent me to be your Guardian Fairy. Yah-huh."
He scratched his head with a bit of confusion, feeling slightly taken aback.
"…Now why would I need a Guardian Fairy? I can take care of myself…"
"Good! So you'll be helping him? I hope you can handle him. He'll be needing all the help he can get," Juki added with a side smirk, watching as Link's face flushed with anger and embarrassment.
"Hey, don't be upset," Navi assured him. She gently fluttered toward Link, her wings beating up and down in a rhythmic fashion. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know what to do…I don't know where to start."
"I think I can help."
Link glanced up to Juki hopefully, but he quickly furrowed his brows toward her.
"How can you help?"
"I saw Anju in the village square just the other day…she suddenly appeared standing over the large fountain at the center of the square. Everyone around at the time were shocked…just about frozen. She raised her hands above her head while laughing evilly…and a rainbow colored medallion appeared above her." He stared questionably toward her, a look of discreet confusion in his eyes.
"What happened?"
Silence.
Navi bounced around gleefully.
"C'mon! Let's go!"
"Calm down, Navi."
"I'll show you to the village…but don't expect much," she turned away, "it doesn't look pretty." Link decided not to ask. He just followed behind obediently, followed closely by the hyper-active Guardian Fairy.
The trees towered high above them as a gentle breeze whisked through the forest, the three of them walking along somewhat of a pathway.
"Your world is so beautiful…it reminds me so much of my own," he commented as he passed by a large, tall tree which he glanced up at, nearly causing him to tumble over. His ears suddenly perked due to the sound of a howl…or something of that type. "Err…what was that?"
"Hmm?"
The howl sounded again.
"Oh…that? Don't worry about them. Jyckjeni's never hurt Galleons."
"Galleon? Oh, yeah…Right." He shrugged his shoulders and began walking again…but he stopped. "Juki…I'm a Hylian."
"Oh, God!" A large, furry creature; similar to the one which had attacked him earlier, stood behind them upon a rock, its eyes narrowed and its pearly white teeth shining hungrily. "Run, Link!! RUN! Follow the path! It'll lead you to the village!!" Link scrambled down the path as fast as he possibly could, not daring to look back to see whether it was chasing him or not. He turned down the hill, spotting two large doors leading to the village. He was too distracted from the heat of the chase to realize where he was running, so he tripped over a rock in the center of the trail and sent him tumbling the rest of the way…directly through the doors. The creature came to an abrupt halt before the doors of the village…and watched in anger as Link slid into the square. He eventually ran into the fountain which Juki was talking about, knocking him out shortly. The jyckjeni's gaze fell upon the young girl running after the boy…and it lowly growled in its deep voice in defeat. It began to back up, and then immediately took off toward the forest in which it came from.
In the vast deep forest of Hyrule, the Great Deku Tree served as the Guardian Spirit. The children of the forest, the Kokiri, lived with the Great Deku Tree. Each Kokiri had his or her own Guardian Fairy, except one. His name was Link.
The forest was silent. The trees were hushed, and not one creature stirred, not even a Deku Baba. After a few moments, the soft pitter-patter of feet was heard echoing softly through the forest, eventually becoming louder and louder as a young Kokiri girl dashed by. The many rays of golden sunlight glistened upon her green, short hair; she was seemingly headed towards a large tree-house-like home. She nearly slipped and fell over as she skid to an abrupt halt in front of the tall tree.
"Link! Hey, rise and shine! I have great news!" the young girl shouted up to an obvious friend of hers, placing a delicate hand upon her hip as she waited for a response.
"What do you want?" replied a sleepy and grumpy-toned voice. She felt her face flush in anger. She closed her eyes to regain calmness, and then began again.
"The Great Deku Tree just so happens to want to see you."
Link peered out from behind the closed curtain and down to his friend standing outside, gently rubbing his eyes to get a better view.
"Saria? Do you know how early it is? It's freaking five past two…and that's AM. Couldn't that wait until later? How about during the afternoon? Or at least after breakfast? I can't—" he began to complain, but Saria couldn't stand his childish behavior so she cut him off short.
"Of course it can't, Link! This is urgent. GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT YOUNG MAN!"
Link, mumbling, stumbled out from behind the curtain and backed down the wobbly ladder. Saria, being extremely impatient, tugged him down off of the ladder and onto the ground beside her. She shoved him forward.
"Get going!"
"Alright, alright already!"
Link whisked down the pathway, quickly disappearing beyond the lush green trees. Saria stared longingly at his backside until he disappeared, then lowered her head as she let out an exasperated sigh.
"Won't you ever learn…"
"Hey! Watch where you're goin'! What's your rush anyway, punk??" An angered Mido shook his fist toward the boy who had run past, watching as he made his way through the pathway, which lead to the Great Deku Tree. He lowered his fist in confusion. "…Hm."
"I wonder what could be so important? Must be real important if they just had to wake me up at five AM," Link muttered lowly under his breath as he swiftly dodged an attacking Deku Baba, and continued to head to the Deku Tree.
He slowed to a stop as he reached the giant meadow consumed mostly of the Deku Tree, being about half the size of the field. Link glanced up to his guardian, his arms resting casually at his sides as he prepared to speak.
"You called, Great Deku Tree?"
"Ah, Link…" a low booming voice said in reply, the tree gently rustling its leaves as he sensed the boy's presence. "I have, indeed."
"What's going on?"
"I have summoned thou for a very important matter, young hero…" Link's expression jumped from looking concerned to… rather confused as he stared up at the looming tree.
"…H-Hero? Me…? Don't be ridiculous…!" Link chuckled lightly under his breath, but the tree was silent in response. "…Hrm."
"This is a serious matter, Link. Please control yourself. I must tell thou what thou needs to do…" The Great Deku Tree's leaves rustled gently once again. "You see, Anju, she's in trouble," he began in a serious tone.
"Who's…Anju?"
"Yes…Anju is the young villager who lives in Kakariko. She does need your help."
"So you've said…"
"She's lost her cuccos, again."
"That's what's so urgent?! You've got to be kidding me!"
"…No, that's not even the problem. This is the real problem-It has nothing to do with Anju-: An evil force has taken over Kakariko Village, and it's slowly beginning to seep through Kakariko and into the rest of Hyrule. It must be stopped immediately, Link."
"…But why are you sending me? I know absolutely nothing about fighting…and I haven't done any of it in my entire life. Why don't you send the Hero of Time?"
The Great Deku Tree paused at his very words, then remembering that he had not told Link of his past…or rather his future.
"Link…There is something that I must tell thou…You must promise to listen very carefully to my each and every word."
Link felt himself tense up a little bit…'What's he talking about?'
"A long time ago…before life began, before the world had form, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaotic land of Hyrule. They were Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of courage.
Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth to give the spirit of law to the world. Farore's rich soul created all life forms who would uphold the law.
These three great goddesses returned to the heavens, leaving behind the golden sacred Triforce. Since then, the Triforce has become the basis for Hyrule's providence. Where the Triforce stood became sacred land…" the Deku Tree paused to make sure that Link was in fact listening to him.
"That's it—"
"No, no… There is something much more important than that that I must, MUST tell you…In the Temple of Time sits the legendary Master Sword, as you know. The Hero of Time, whose name was Link…" Link felt his heart skip a few beats at the mention of his name, "…had to take the sword out of its pedestal to travel back and forward in time. In order to save Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf, the king of *Gerudos, he had to do so. You see, when the Hero of Time traveled through time, Ganondorf had access to the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce was kept. That was where the goddesses had first come…as Ganondorf followed him through time; he touched the Triforce, making it unbalanced. It is told that whoever touches the Triforce and has an evil mind, it will become unbalanced. That was when the Triforce split into three separate parts, giving Ganondorf the piece of power, Zelda, the princess, the piece of wisdom…and last, Link, the piece of courage. In order for Ganondorf to take total control of Hyrule, he needed all three pieces of the Triforce. So he battled Link, but the Hero of Time successfully defeated the beast and Hyrule was safe at last…Along with the Triforce. Zelda had to send Link back to his original time…She used the Ocarina of Time, a small egg-shaped instrument…It sent Link back to the Temple of Time, where he became a child once again. But he had no idea who the princess was, who Ganondorf was, he knew nothing of what had happened before he was sent back…as if nothing ever happened…" the giant tree became silent for a moment, pausing. "…and Link, you are that child. That's why you didn't know…You are the truthful Hero of Time."
It took him a few moments to regain his thought, trying to consume all of the information at once…But he did understand now that he was infact the Hero of Time. Was the Great Deku Tree really telling the truth? Of course! He would never lie to him, never.
"I…"
"You don't have to say anything at all, Link. It's quite alright…Now I must give you a sword and a shield to get you best prepared for what you might face, Hero of Time."
As Link heard the words spoken by the Great Deku Tree, he trembled, unable to respond; his throat feeling extremely dry and knotted.
"Link…Please try to focus."
He quickly snapped out of a dizzying trance and glanced back up to the guardian of the forest.
"…Sorry, I just…can't believe it."
"I know it will take thou a while to get used to, but please…Thou must leave immediately. Take these." A sword suddenly appeared in the hands of the young boy, a shield appearing on his backside. He nearly fell over due to the unexpected weight thrown upon him.
"A Hylian Shield and the Kokiri Sword? Thanks, Great Deku Tree!" He smiled warmly at the sword, gripping it tightly in his right hand, taking a moment to admire it by shimmering it in the sunlight. Realizing that the Deku Tree was becoming impatient, he quickly nodded his head in response, darting through the pathway leading back to Kokiri Forest.
"Good luck…you'll be needing it."
He whipped out his fairy ocarina from its holder attached to his belt and hurriedly played Epona's Song. The familiar whinny was heard in the distance as Link's golden brown pony trotted up to him, her hooves flattening the grass with her each step.
"Hey, Epona! Um…to Kakariko Village," he said to her as he attempted to mount her, having some difficulties. He took a deep breath and lightly tapped her on the side. She reared up into the air, nearly knocking him off, and began running towards the endangered village. "EPONA! Slow DOWN!" He gripped tightly onto her reigns with his eyes shut tightly in fright. Within what seemed like seconds, they reached the entrance of the village, many steps standing before the two. Shaikly, Link slipped down off of his horse's saddle and took a few moments to regain himself. "Alright…you stay out here, Epona. I'll…be right back," he lied to the mare, patting her smooth, milky white mane. He waved good-bye and turned to the steps, quickly rushing up to the top and disappearing around the corner. Just as the boy had entered the village, the once clear blue sky had begun to rapidly cloud up, the sky becoming dark within minutes.
Two wooden posts stood at each side of the path into the village, a large wooden sign resting on the posts which read "Kakariko" in Hylian. He took a deep breath to relax himself, then cautiously began to walk towards the entrance. A figure suddenly leapt out at him just as he was a few steps away from it. Shocked, he fell backwards onto his rear.
"Hey, kid! What are you doing here? This isn't the best time for you to go shopping, kid! We're in the middle of a crisis here! Now scram!" The figure that scared him half to death turned out to be one of the Hylian guards, gripping tightly onto his spear. Link, still being a bit dumbfounded by the sudden action followed by an outburst, pushed himself to his feet and immediately unsheathed his Kokiri Sword.
"Let me in…believe me: I can help you people, but only if you let me in!" he shouted back in response to the short-tempered guard.
"Yeah, right. Next we'll have a pony that wants to save us all!" After he had spoken he began laughing hysterically, throwing his head back as he did. Link couldn't help but to stare blankly at the guard, noticing how strange and scary he was acting…noting that they'd never acted that way before to him.
"Umm…"
Light drops of rain began sprinkling gently over Epona's head and backside as she turned her head in curiosity toward the village. She'd been standing out there for awhile, and being the impatient horse she was, she darted up the steps as a lightning bolt jutted down in the distance. Just as the guard had smacked Link's sword out of his grip with his spear, Epona turned the corner to face the two.
"Listen to me, kid. Get out of here now! I assure you, this is none of your business!!" Epona stared angrily towards the guard shouting at her owner, backing up a little to get a head start. She reared up and took off towards him, full speed; and as soon as she came in contact with him she head butted him into the air, sending him flying. He landed harshly on the ground with a thump, resulting in a knock out.
"Good job, Epona! C''mon!" He slipped a hand around her rein and gripped it tightly. He scooped his sword up into his other hand, and continued into the village square. He stopped next to a staircase and hooked Epona's rein up to a large rusty looking nail sticking out of its side. About as soon as he turned his head to continue walking, he was face to face with a red-haired woman; screaming and flailing her arms around insanely.
"HE:LP! Please help!! My cuccos are gone! Gone, gone!" Anju was just about pulling out her hair as she screamed and shouted in the unsuspecting boy's face.
"Uhh…I, uh—"
"Please, find my cuccos! My father will kill me…" she cooed.
"I don't have time for that…right now," he responded, "I've been sent here to help the village."
"Oh, really? What's wrong with it?"
"I was told that the source to an evil force was here…and that all of you villagers were in danger. No?"
"Hm? Who told you that?"
"The Great Deku Tree told me," he said to her in a strong, proud- tone.
"Great De…ku Tree? Err, well—Nothing bad has happened except that my CUCCOS ARE MISSING!! AHH!" She began to insanely sob into the palms of her hands as she stood before him.
"Calm down, will you? I'll see if I can help you after I've checked your village to make sure that you're telling the truth…" As Link stepped around the cucco-crazed woman, he solemnly thought…'That guard told me that something bad was going on…' He climbed up another set of stairs. '…Anju…she didn't make much sense. The guard and the Deku Tree both told me that something bad was going on…but Anju: the only thing she was worried about were her stinking cuccos. Something's definitely up.' He turned his glance back down to Anju who was standing in the village square close to a villager's house. Link squinted his eyes to get a better look at something that she was pulling out of her pocket. It was round in shape; and as the light hit it, the object glared brightly…being an assortment of colors. It suddenly hit him.
"A medallion!!" Being extremely shocked he slipped off the edge of the staircase; hitting the ground with a thump. This startled Anju so much that she dropped the medallion onto the ground. As Link slowly pushed himself back onto his feet, Anju shouted at him.
"You should be more careful, young man!" She almost immediately snatched up the beautiful medallion, holding it up to her chest protectively as she glared toward the clumsy boy.
"Hey! You! Get over here, now!" shouted a familiar voice from the entrance of the village; Link turning to the voice. Quickly thinking he darted towards some villager's house, pushing the door in and tumbling forward. The guard had just reached the door as it swung back and knocked him out once more; laying motionless on the ground. Anju blinked multiple times as this strange event occurred. She glanced down to the rather large medallion in her grasp, an evil shimmer darting across her dark brown eyes.
"We must not let him get any ideas…" she lowly whispered under her breath, then giving the medallion a small kiss; snickering quietly to herself as she strode out of the scene.
Link wearily opened his eyes, suddenly feeling himself lift off of the ground and finding himself face to face with a rather obese woman with dark, curly hair and brown eyes.
"Uhh…—"
"Do you really think it's polite to barge into someone's house like that young man?" the angered and disturbed woman asked him.
"Well, um…No?" he responded in a low, squeaky tone; swallowing hard as the woman's gaze hardened.
"Then get your tooshie out of my house!!" She dropped the boy to the floor and began to shoo him out, cursing and shouting as Link rushed out of the crazed-woman's house. He swiftly ran up the staircase before him and turned up another pair, stopping before some sort of shop to catch his breath.
"Man…" He felt many eyes on his backside, staring; so he turned to look over his shoulder in question. Some villagers who were passing by glanced to him with scared expressions over their faces…the kind of expression you'd see if someone had just seen a ghost. Link swallowed hard and turned back to the store in front of him. A small wooden sign sat above the doorway. "'Village Food Store,'" he read aloud to himself. Just as he was about to reach for the handle, a man inside the store had flipped the 'Open' sign over, it now stating that the food store was 'Closed.' "Great…" Link turned his back to the store and walked away from it, reaching to unsheathe his sword. He slipped it out from its halter and stared at it for a couple moments. "What'm I supposed to do now…?"
"HEY! That kid's got a sword!! Everyone, run!!" a man insanely screamed as he slammed his door shut. Link's eyes widened as his reflexes instantly jumped, sending his sword flying into some shrubbery behind him. He stood there for a couple seconds, startled by the sudden commotion, then turning around.
"Gosh darn…" He rolled his eyes once spotting the sword as it stuck out of a bush, quickly snatching it up into his grip. "I'd better be more careful…huh?" A short wooden sign sat beside the shrubbery, and on it were inscribed small print words. "Kakariko Graveyard," it read. He followed the arrow's direction, seeing a dark pathway to his left. "Cool…a graveyard."
Link found himself walking in a dark, secluded area surrounded by an outer wall. On the ground were about five levels of graves, about six or so on each level. Towards the front of the graveyard sat an old wooden shack; but apparently someone was currently living there, noticing the smoke rising from a rusted pipe. Link felt a bit un-welcomed there, sensing a chill as it jolted up and down his spine. He walked among the first row of tombstones and scanned the names as he walked by, but he stopped by one in particular.
"'Here lies the Great Impa, the guardian of Princess Zelda who helped build this village that is still around to this day.' Huh…wonder who she is?" he asked himself as he looked over the grave some more. Something unexpected happened. The ground beneath his feet began to shake mildly, but got worse quickly. He lost balance and fell to the ground, instantly grasping onto the dirt in fright. A bright light suddenly surrounded the Impa's grave and flashed a few times, Link's eyes wide. A few seconds later the tombstone blasted into pieces as Link covered his head by placing his hands over them. The shaking faded off along with the strange glowing light, leaving a large hole in the ground where the tomb had once been. His eyes, wide open in awe, stared down at the strange hole…wondering. He inched slowly toward the edge of it with his sweaty-palmed hands clutched tightly around his sword.
"What…is that?"
When he went to get a better look, he lost his footing; slipping and falling into the dark hole…
…
It was completely silent around him with the exception of the soft cracking of fire burning. He slowly pushed himself up off of the dirty, damp floor, brushing himself off afterward. He scanned his surroundings, the room of a circular shape with lit candles hanging upon the wall. A putrid, moist smell entered his nostrils as he felt a few drops of water upon his head, noting the drippy ceiling. He noticed a door about twice his size standing before him with a Triforce mark above it.
'What's that…?' he asked himself, slowly making his way towards it. As he went to push it open, it opened all by itself. He felt his heart skip a couple beats as he forced himself forward, pushing the door the rest of the way and entering the next room. It was again another circular room, but about half the size with a tomb sitting in the center, apparently having no lid. Candles were lit all around the tomb, flickering softly and casting long dancing shadows on the wall. He felt his throat immediately dry up as he stared up at the topless tomb, wondering if he should dare to look. He stepped up to it and peered in…there lying a body of a woman. She didn't seem dead at all. "She doesn't look dead…She would've decayed by now," Link commented to himself as he looked the body over. He noticed a small plaque on the tomb, and bent down to read it.
"Who's dead?"
Link fell backwards onto his rear, dropping his sword onto the ground beside him.
"Wh…Who said that?!" He regained himself and picked up his sword, pushing himself back to his feet.
"Boy…How did you get down here?"
"But you're…dead! How can you be talking to me??" He swung up his sword and pointed it at her.
"Hey, no need for the sword. Put it down."
Link obeyed, slowly lowering his sword to his side.
"So…uh…you're not dead?"
"No. Of course not. This…was my secret hideout. Until you stumbled on in…"
"It wasn't my fault. Your tomb stone must be cursed or something…it blew up and left a huge hole in the ground."
"That was made to scare people off…you must be brave to've come here."
"…So why aren't you dead—?"
"I'm a Sage. Sages do not die."
"You mean…one of the Hyrule Sages?? Cool! You must be all powerful…whoa, don't hurt me…"
"I won't hurt you…"
Link sheathed his sword into its halter, staring at her momentarily.
"…Could you tell me what's going on?"
"Hm? What?"
"I was told there was an evil force in the village…do you know about it?"
"…Oh, that…yes. Something is happening in this village. There is a source…why?"
"I was…um, sent to destroy it." Link showed off his weaponry and shield. Impa stared at him.
"…You!? Who are you…" Impa trailed off, her voice turning into a squeak. "…Hero of Time…?"
Link stared without a blink.
"How did you know?"
"First of all, I'm a Sage…and the constant traveling back and forth in time doesn't effect me."
"Umm…"
"So…are you the Hero of Time? You must be…" Impa carefully climbed out of the tomb and stretched, then folding her arms in a serious manor.
"…Yes. The Great Deku Tree told me everything," he explained to her, trailing off as he noticed how Impa seemed to be looking him over, making him feel a bit uneasy. "Look—can you tell me anything about this 'evil force?'"
"For one thing…the entrance to this place requires something very strong and powerful in order to enter it. You must obtain a piece of the Triforce," Link stared at her, "…follow me." He watched closely as Impa stepped through another doorway. He obediently followed behind.
Just as he stepped through the doorway, it and the room behind him totally disappeared. They stood by the entrance of the village's graveyard where the little hut was sitting, the gray smoke still rising into the moist, damp air.
"We must hurry…the entrance closes at night. If you miss it, it will then be too late for this village. I must give you something first. Come with me." Impa grasped onto the young boy's hand and within seconds, the two appeared standing in the front of the village, beside a villager's house.
"What are we doing here?"
"Shh! Silence boy." He watched as she snapped her fingers, and day suddenly turned to night.
"H—!" She smacked a hand over the unsuspecting boy's mouth before he could finish. She knelt down before the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder as she stared into his innocent baby blue eyes.
"Link. Listen to be closely. What I'm about to show you must be kept secret—totally secret. You must not tell a soul of this location. Do you hear me, boy?" He nodded obediently. "Good. Stand back, then." She gently pushed Link out of the way as she faced the house before her. While raising a single hand into the air, a purplish ball of light appeared glowing in her palm. The area around the two lit up, the grass turning a light purple. He watched as she gently threw the ball at the side of the house. Link instinctively shut his eyes as he awaited the large explosion, but to his surprise, no sound came, neither did the bright flash.
"Huh…? What??" He shouted in a whispered tone as he gazed at a strange hole in the side of the villager's house. Though, it didn't lead into the house. It seemed to lead to a large pair of marble stairs going downward. "What's that?"
"The entrance to the Sacred Realm," she replied calmly and quietly. "You will not tell anyone of this. Never. Now quickly follow me." She grasped the boy by the hand and hurried down the steps, disappearing into the darkness. A pair of evil slanted eyes closely watched from behind a bush.
"Good…now that I know where that realm is, I can finish up my evil doings and Hyrule will perish…better yet, I'll have all the cuccos I've ever wanted!" Anju sniveled to herself, greedily rubbing her hands together. She tiptoed across the grass from her hiding spot to the entrance. Just as it had begun to close up, she darted down the steps and slinked into the Sacred Realm.
The other two walked swiftly into the main room, the soft tapping of feet against the marble floor being heard. Their shadows danced on the walls o the circular room which they stood in. Link glanced around at his surroundings…the main room was huge. The ceiling wasn't just and old ceiling: it was extremely high up, and seemingly made out of glass. Above it was water…colorful water shimmering brightly in the light from below. It reflected on the walls in a playful sort of way. Tall, tubular lights surrounded the room, all different colors: from blue to green, green to blue, purple to pink…a beautiful sight. The walls were also dancing with vivid color.
"Jeez…this place is so neat!" He ran his hand across the gold-plated wall, feeling its coolness and texture at his fingertips.
"There are a few things I must show you. Through this door," she said, gesturing toward a sort of hidden door within the wall. They both stepped in. It was equally as bright and cheerful as the first room, but now there were silver lights decorating the room. Doors lined the walls, all of the same design: with the exception of one. It was a good size larger than the others, made out of a rusted steel with the others were polished gold.
"What's in there?"
"Nothing that we should be concerned of…but if you really want to know, there are dangerous monster trapped in there. Dangerous, dangerous monsters that should never be let free into Hyrule again. Come on, now." She shoved him through another door, tearing his eyes away from the steel door. As soon as she shut the door, the light immediately dimmed, and the color seemed to fade out. As Link turned his attention to the center of the room, where the only source of the light seemed to be, he gasped.
"That…that's the…"
"Yes, that is. The holy piece of the Triforce: Courage. That's what I must give to you," she explained to him. Link felt his heart race in excitement.
"…Me?"
"Yes, you. You need it." She motioned for the boy to take it. He cautiously reached out his left hand towards the glowing triangle sitting atop the marble post, wincing at the bright light shining down as he stepped into it. As he went to touch it, it suddenly disappeared. No flash of light or sound was made, it just disappeared.
"Where'd it go?!" he frantically glanced around him in search for the triangle.
"Right under your nose," she teased with a smirk, folding her arms across her armored chest. Link looked down at the back of his hand. There was the mark of the third piece of the Triforce: Courage.
"Wow…" He held it up in the light provided over the pedestal, sparkling and shining mysteriously.
"Link…there's one ore thing that I have to give to you before you go. You'll need it for fighting, most definitely." Just before Impa turned the handle on another door, Link piped up.
"Hey…how do you know so much about this place?" She turned to him with her arms crossed, seemingly frowning.
"I have seen it. I have seen the black, swirling hole…and Gall."
"…Gall? What's 'Gall'?"
"Gall…it's a distant land from Hyrule, parallel to each other. The evil force is coming from that land, and we have to get rid of it before it keeps spreading into Hyrule. Gall used to be sister to Hyrule, but ever since a long while ago something split the two apart. I would go, but…it's too risky. I thought all would be lost, until you came along," he smiled a little, "…now come on."
All was silent in the second room until the soft click of a door was heard, followed by a gentle echo through the hallway. Anju carefully scanned the room to make sure she was alone. After deciding it was all right, she walked forward into the hallway, examining her surroundings. Her eyes immediately locked upon the same door Link stumbled on before. Its eeriness seemed attractive, so she crept up to it and laid a hand upon its crooked and rusty handle. Anju felt a sudden chill as she began to twist the handle, but that didn't stop her, She pulled it open a crack. A strange mist seemed to creep through the small opening she provided. She heard a low-pitched rumbling sound coming from behind the mysterious door. Peering through the small crack, she gasped, eyes flashing open…strange, unearthly creatures whisked about in what seemed like midair, almost as if they were black clouds shaped like hideous monsters, trailing through the air. She felt the tip of her mouth being pulled up in a crooked, mischievous smirk as she thought to herself.
"…Perfect."
The next room wasn't very big at all. It was half the size of the room they just came from, the only light coming from a small and solemn candle hanging upon the wall. The light reflected upon a glass case hanging nearby on the rocky wall. The top and the bottom of the case were made out of smooth wood, having a warm milky glow as the candle shimmered against it.
"Over here." She pulled the door to the case open without a squeak, revealing a sword hanging upon a hook in the velvety case. "This," she swiftly took it out from the case, "is yours. It's the legendary Aidan Sword…you won't be able to protect yourself with that puny…thing." Impa gestured toward the sword in his halter.
"Hey! This thing is pretty strong compared to its size…"
"I'm sure…" Within the blink of an eye, she swapped the two swords, now holding the Kokiri Sword in her grip. "Let's go. There's no more here to see." She grabbed the hand of the boy once again, the two suddenly disappearing in thin air. They were barely gone for two seconds when they appeared beside the potion shop.
"I can't take you any further. I can't let anyone know I'm alive."
"Wh—?"
"Don't ask. The entrance is behind the windmill. I'm sure you'll spot it easily. Once inside…find the room with the Golden Eye…" She gave him a quick shove in the back toward the direction of the windmill, then disappearing once again. Thunder rumbled lowly in the distance, seeming to come closer and closer to him. He decided that he had no time to lose, so he quickly darted through the back door of the potion shop and down the ladder, landing in a crouched position in the back. He pushed himself forward and climbed as fast as he could up another ladder, watching as the large windmill grew bigger and bigger as he made his way to the top. A bolt of lightning thrust down upon the ground nearby, causing Link to jump as he ran around the windmill and face the back of it. He felt his heart sink and flip-flip and his muscles tense. A huge, swirling, gaping warp hole sat before him, making a loud whirling noise as it spun slowly around. He felt a light wind play with his hair, but send a chill up and down his spine.
"That must be it…" he said lowly to himself. He slowly stepped toward it, his hands made into tight-balled fists, his hair whisking about in the wind. When he was about half a foot away, he reached his hand out palm-flat and slowly walked forward again. He suddenly felt a strange pull force coming from the warp hole, now unable to step away from its continuous pull. He let out a scream as he disappeared inside: gone.
…
"A. Add the rest of the monsters. B. Hide my medallion from that wretched boy. C. I will rid of him…" Anju mumbled to herself as she lay atop her bed, writing down her plans on a sheet of paper. She had already transported some of the monsters to the other world…she had her eye on one of them in particular. "Yes…he should be great to add. He's a Gerudo man: the legendary King of Thieves. Yes: He even has a piece of the Triforce…which I plan to take." She grinned to herself.
…
A loud thump echoed through the room, followed by a moan. As Link pushed himself to his feet, he examined his surroundings: he stood in a small rectangular room and the walls were made out of a mirror-like material. The circular lights placed in the ceiling above shone down on him like a spotlight, causing him to wince a little. He spun around expecting to see a swirling hole in the wall, but there was nothing there but his reflection. He stared at it for a moment.
"Weird…" Link turned back around and faced a door sitting at the end of the room, which hadn't been there a few seconds ago. "Ummm…" He remembered what Impa had told him before. Her voice echoed through his mind. 'The Golden Eye…find the Golden Eye…' He pondered confusedly to himself, glancing around the room he stood in. "Yeah…right. Golden Eye, huh." He turned to the two pots sitting at either side of the highly- decorated door. Link stepped up to one and peered inside, spotting something shimmering brightly in the spotlights. He quickly reached in, expecting to find some sort of clue…but instead finding a rather large, golden snake slithering and staring him straight in the eye. "AH!!" Leaping back and dropping the snake, he immediately reached for his sword and pulled it from its halter. He swung it forward and pointed it at the snake, shivering as he watched it slip gracefully along the tiled floor and towards him. "Don't come any closer!…I'm warning you!" The snake suddenly came to a halt. Its beady black eyes pierced deeply into his as it swiftly raised and pulled its head back, preparing to attack. In the split second that it lunged at Link, he swung the sword forward and sliced through its neck, tightly shutting his eyes as he did this. After opening his eyes and seeing what he did, a smile spread over his face victoriously. He looked to the sword. "Hey…I think I'm getting the hang of this," he smirked. He glanced to the pot on the opposite side. He slipped over to it and glanced inside: something else about equally as shiny and golden caught his eye. "Uh…better not be another snake…" He reached in slowly and felt something cool and smooth at his grip, not the texture of a snake. He felt his muscles relax as he glanced at his finding. "…The Golden Eye? This is it?" A flat, golden eye sat in the palm of his hand, the pupil made out of some sort of blue crystal. "This must be what Impa was talking about." He looked it over a couple of times, almost mesmerized by its unimaginable beauty as it sparkled in the light. He blinked. "But what the heck do I do with it??" He stepped up to the door and tried to slide it through the keyhole beside it. Frustrated, he tried to push it through, but it was no use. He threw it onto the floor before the door, making a soft thump as it landed upon the velvety rug. Just as soon as he peeled his eyes away from the object, something strange began to happen: the eye levitated above the floor and was glowing brightly, causing Link to shield his eyes.
It stopped. It was mysteriously suspended in mid air, still shining brightly. "The heck…?" he said lowly to himself as he examined the floating object. To his surprise, the eye began to slowly rotate in a circle, and became faster and faster within seconds. The room was entirely filled with the bright reflection of the spinning object: the mirrored walls nearly blinding him. It stopped once again. The eye quickly fell to the velvet rug…and his eyes leapt from the golden figure to the once locked door.. the chains upon it had suddenly disappeared before his eyes. "What…? Hm…I guess that's what Impa was telling me about." He stepped over the eye and stood before the highly decorated door…figuring that's where he needed to go. He placed his hand upon the handle and gripped it tightly, and without hesitating, turned it slowly in a clock-wise direction. Just as he pulled the door open about two inches, a bright light seeped through the crack, and slipped across the floor in the shape of a dagger. He curiously pulled it open more, then eventually all the way. Light consumed him entirely, causing him to shield his eyes from the sudden unbearable light.
But it didn't last for long. As soon as the light disappeared, but before he could open his eyes, he heard the familiar sound of a bird chirping and twittering nearby. He felt a soft breeze whisk gently across his face and play with his air…he allowed his eyes to open. Before him sat a beautiful meadow; tall, grassy fields, spread out across this new land. A small, friendly looking village sat at one side of the field, spotting some smoke rise up from the chimneys of the houses. A quaint looking castle was placed neatly beside it…it was large in its size.
"Wow…So this must be Gall," he told himself, "…I can't understand it, it looks so much like Hyrule." Out of the blue, something large and black leapt at him, causing him to fall hard onto his back .He let out a blood curdling scream as he realized it was some sort of monster, gaping at its large red eyes as they stared him down menacingly. "AHH! Get it off, get it off!!" he covered his face with his arms and turned away, hoping the monster would leave him alone. But it didn't do anything of the sort: it had placed its enormous claws around the helpless boy's neck and begun to rid him of air. His vision became blurry and his head began to sway; but before he could pass out, an arrow hit the monster in its backside and it reared up onto its hind legs, yelping; then darting off into a nearby forest. He gasped in every breath of air he could get and sat up against the ground, leaning on one arm with his other hand on his forehead. "I sure showed…him," he said to himself between a desperate gasp for air.
"Sure you did."
"Hey…who said that?"
"Up here." Link's eyes tried to follow the sweet young voice, and he laid his eyes upon a girl about his age sitting on a tree branch, a cocky smile spread over her face. She appeared to be wearing a snow-white tunic and a pair of knee-high leather boots, almost twin to him. Her long, golden hair cascaded down her back and swayed gently in the wind…she also had a bow and quiver in her grip. "So, like I was saying…you really showed him who's boss, huh?" her cocky smile grew a little as she said this.
"Well…" he looked at the bow and the quiver full of arrows over, "… I guess not." A thought came to him. "Hey…if you were sitting there the whole time, why didn't you shoot sooner?" She pushed herself down from the branch and landed upon the spongy grass, brushing herself off and returning his comment with a smirk.
"I thought you might've been smart enough to kill it with your sword. I guess not…" She hooked her weaponry onto her belt. "So, what's your name?"
"Umm…it's umm…"
"Well?"
"Link, it's Link," he spat out, feeling a bit foolish.
"Neat. The name's Juki. So, what're you doing he re? I've never seen you around these parts before."
"I…I've come to save you!" He heroically placed his hands on his hips and stuck his nose up in the air; a large-enough-to-be-stupid grin brushing over his face.
"Uh…huh."
Link's grin quickly switched around into a frown as he glanced to Juki, immediately feeling his face begin to blush.
"…Don't you know Anju?"
He noticed that as soon as he mentioned the name Anju, her expression jumped, her brows furrowing.
"Yeah, I know her…she threatened us just the other day…" She glanced to his sword. "I can see you don't know much about fighting, huh?"
"Of course I do! I killed a vicious snake."
She nearly burst into laughter.
"I killed twenty snakes at once."
"Wow…I could never do that."
"I can teach you, if you'd like," she offered to him as she folded her arms, smirking gently.
"Really? Err—I can teach myself. Really."
"Yeah, whatever you want…" She gently pushed his chin upward with the tip of her finger, "…Link." He felt his cheeks flush beet red at the touch of her finger tip, pulling back as she walked away.
Silence fell completely over the forest. The only sound was the gentle whisking of the Great Deku Tree's branches in the wind. He had been watching the happenings in Gall…watching them with his senses. He sighed deeply underneath his breath.
"I should better send the boy a guardian…I've got just the one. Navi. Come here." A small, glowing ball suddenly appeared before the presence of the large tree; its transparent wings sparkling in the sunlight as they held the tiny fairy up.
"Yes?" it spoke in its high pitched, squeaky voice, jerking hyperactively back and forth.
"Go to Link. Go help him on his quest, Navi. Go! Time passes quickly. It hasn't been a day there, and it's already been two days here …" he lowly muttered to himself, "…the time must've gotten messed up as well. Go to Kakariko Village. There you will find something that resembles a black hole. Fly!" She shot out of the meadow, a trail of glitter left behind; falling to the ground like a sparkling curtain. She hustled through the forest, her wings rapidly beating through the air as she ascended into the wide open field, and headed toward Kakariko Village.
"Wait!" the boy shouted after the young girl, then quickly placing his hands behind his head as she turned to face him. "Uh…well, I guess you could teach me. I mean…I just wanna see how much you know about fighting…"
"Alright. Sounds good to me."
"Great! AH!" A startled Link collapsed to the ground as a bright ball of light appeared in front of his face.
"Hi there!"
"Wh…What?? A fairy…here?"
"Oh, no. I'm from Hyrule! The Great Deku Tree sent me to be your Guardian Fairy. Yah-huh."
He scratched his head with a bit of confusion, feeling slightly taken aback.
"…Now why would I need a Guardian Fairy? I can take care of myself…"
"Good! So you'll be helping him? I hope you can handle him. He'll be needing all the help he can get," Juki added with a side smirk, watching as Link's face flushed with anger and embarrassment.
"Hey, don't be upset," Navi assured him. She gently fluttered toward Link, her wings beating up and down in a rhythmic fashion. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know what to do…I don't know where to start."
"I think I can help."
Link glanced up to Juki hopefully, but he quickly furrowed his brows toward her.
"How can you help?"
"I saw Anju in the village square just the other day…she suddenly appeared standing over the large fountain at the center of the square. Everyone around at the time were shocked…just about frozen. She raised her hands above her head while laughing evilly…and a rainbow colored medallion appeared above her." He stared questionably toward her, a look of discreet confusion in his eyes.
"What happened?"
Silence.
Navi bounced around gleefully.
"C'mon! Let's go!"
"Calm down, Navi."
"I'll show you to the village…but don't expect much," she turned away, "it doesn't look pretty." Link decided not to ask. He just followed behind obediently, followed closely by the hyper-active Guardian Fairy.
The trees towered high above them as a gentle breeze whisked through the forest, the three of them walking along somewhat of a pathway.
"Your world is so beautiful…it reminds me so much of my own," he commented as he passed by a large, tall tree which he glanced up at, nearly causing him to tumble over. His ears suddenly perked due to the sound of a howl…or something of that type. "Err…what was that?"
"Hmm?"
The howl sounded again.
"Oh…that? Don't worry about them. Jyckjeni's never hurt Galleons."
"Galleon? Oh, yeah…Right." He shrugged his shoulders and began walking again…but he stopped. "Juki…I'm a Hylian."
"Oh, God!" A large, furry creature; similar to the one which had attacked him earlier, stood behind them upon a rock, its eyes narrowed and its pearly white teeth shining hungrily. "Run, Link!! RUN! Follow the path! It'll lead you to the village!!" Link scrambled down the path as fast as he possibly could, not daring to look back to see whether it was chasing him or not. He turned down the hill, spotting two large doors leading to the village. He was too distracted from the heat of the chase to realize where he was running, so he tripped over a rock in the center of the trail and sent him tumbling the rest of the way…directly through the doors. The creature came to an abrupt halt before the doors of the village…and watched in anger as Link slid into the square. He eventually ran into the fountain which Juki was talking about, knocking him out shortly. The jyckjeni's gaze fell upon the young girl running after the boy…and it lowly growled in its deep voice in defeat. It began to back up, and then immediately took off toward the forest in which it came from.