Every sign pointed to the cave entrance ahead of him, yet every sign also pointed that he should run screaming out the open archway behind him, jump off the cliff, and sail away in his magical, talking boat. But Link hadn't collected all of those keys for nothing, and the "Boss Key" had been a pain to find. No—he couldn't turn back now, he had to fight whatever creature was disturbing that dragon thing sitting on the top of the volcano. Honestly, he couldn't remember what that thing's name was. Something like hullabaloo sounded familiar, though.
Before he could unlock the door, though, he found a pot with a few heart containers in it.
Yeah, the hero thought, looks like I'm going to need a couple hundred of those.
Still, he couldn't deny that they looked like they'd be useful, especially with that awful wail coming from the other side of the door. What kind of creature would want to mess with a dragon's tail, he didn't know, but he felt as if a reference to something he wasn't supposed to know about yet had just sailed over his head.
Clearing his head of the strange thought, he bent down to reach into the pot with the life energy. At about the same time, one of those annoying fire-centipede things had uncurled and decided to make his legs its new target.
A very surprised (and slightly undignified) Wind Waker leapt into the air, letting out a shriek. His sword was drawn in under a second, and the creature, quite frankly, didn't stand a chance.
Why it had designated the green-clad Outsetter as its prey, Link would never know. He hardly thought that he would've been tasty, anyways. But nonetheless, those that insulted the tunic-and-tight-wearing individual had something coming to them, anyways.
Another reference soared over the child's head, but he ignored it and, after carefully surveying the area, reached down into the pot, restoring the life energy that had been leeched from him by both the lava creature and a great many other foes on the way to the door.
And somehow, it always came back to the door. That menacing, gold-plated door, that seemed as if giant teeth were guarding it. It was ominous to ever degree known to man (or, more specifically, little kids trying very hard to save their even littler sisters). …This was increased by the fact that Link was still scared of (including but definitely not limited to) the dark, spiders, enclosed spaces, and the color purple.
…After he unlocked the door and stepped inside, his (very long) list of fears was increased by about five—magma, giant magma monsters, tripping when in the midst of the previous two, being burned while all of the above were there and/or happening simultaneously, and most of all, dying of all of those before he was even a teenager.
Link took a single step forward, bracing himself (and making sure his trusty grappling hook was close at all times) for the beating he was sure to get in the time to come.
…And then he really saw the monster and tripped over his own two feet out of fear, landing face-first into magma, getting burned pretty badly before he instinctively jumped from of the pit of fire and out of harm's way. That was about the time when the magma monster slammed itself on top of the young hero.
000
"You've got to be kidding me," a single voice spoke up, astonishing the rest of the Council of the Realm of Heroes as he stood. The only one who he really knew in the room rose, too, and gently took his hand.
"Now, Link…" she said quietly, with the grace only a true princess of Hyrule could manage. Really, it was no surprise that he was acting this way. He hadn't been too different in his time as a Hero, and quite frankly, he didn't like seeing someone else have to go through the same thing. There was also the small factor that this new Link (no older than twelve) was making a complete fool of himself.
"What?" he snapped in angry defense, ripping his hand away from hers. "I'm allowed to be worried for the kid." The Hero of Time ran his fingers through his ever-messy hair, and slumped back into his seat. "I mean," he continued, "I at least had Navi. This kid's got absolutely no one to help him figure out what to do."
Zelda nodded. She knew how he felt, really—she just didn't like complaining about things that she couldn't change. He frowned up at her, and then glanced back at the glowing scene in front that rested on top of the Heroes Table.
The younger Link was dusting himself off, and trying very hard to stand up straight, but it was easy to see that he'd been badly burned, and the Hero of Time knew that it was never fun being squished by something at least a hundred times your weight.
Still, the elder of the Links couldn't help but be proud of his counterpart. The Wind Waker hadn't been called to fight by a talking tree—the boy had started his adventure by saving a girl that he didn't even know (a pirate, nonetheless!) and then finding that his sister had been kidnapped. So far, he'd already managed to sneak into the Forsaken Fortress, (though, due to his lack of training, he was caught by the same bird that took his sister), cast far off into the sea, where he was found by a talking boat (which, in the Hero of Time's opinion, it reminded him a great deal of someone he knew, who, by the way, still hadn't made it to the Realm of Heroes, which he should've, if he was truly dead) and ultimately ended up here, in Dragon Roost Island, battling some hideous monster just because he didn't think that that poor Valoo deserved to be tortured.
Link almost smiled when he thought of how brave the twelve-year-old was. …Well, brave but utterly lacking in strength, skill, and training in general. And reckless—couldn't forget that.
"I just wish there was something I could do to help him," he sighed, leaning forward onto the table, cupping his chin in his hands.
To which some of the elders glanced between themselves, and one, Link honestly didn't know his name, cleared his throat, making a strange gesture with his hands. Several whispered back and forth to eachother, and finally, the eldest, who was sitting at the end of the table, nodded to the others and began to speak.
"We have… been studying what a retired hero may do, and we have decided to allow you certain… privileges, because of what you've already accomplished." The man paused, allowing the seventeen-year-old to process the information. "If you wish, you could become this boy's mentor—teach him what he needs to know and guide him through all of his trials and tribulations."
The Hero of Time blinked, studying the old man's face, trying to see if this was an elaborate joke… or if he might actually be allowed to keep this child from sharing his fate. And if he succeeded… then there might actually be a chance of this boy having a long, happy life, with children and grandchildren to share his adventures with…
A destiny that had been denied to each and every Link in the past. They had all been, sooner or later, killed. Heroism had its rewards, yes, but also many harsh consequences. There was no safety once you took that first step, and once you entered the battlefield, your mind never seemed to exit it.
Link nodded.
Yes. The boy needed him. A pirate girl who could occasionally communicate with him by use of rock was better than nothing, but she almost never spoke to him, and quite frankly, she didn't have enough experience. The Hero of Time was going to do his best, and his best was better than everyone else's best.
Maybe the kid would have a chance, after all.
"I accept."
And the moment the words were out of his mouth, the men and women at the other side of the table seemed to become as one as the Wind spun him around, until he found himself in a dark room.
One wall appeared to be magic, because, through it, he could see the younger Link, and everything around him, all at once.
000
The Wind Waker stood up slowly, pretending his absolute hardest that an imprint of his spine hadn't been permanently grafted onto all of his other organs. Yes, he was bruised. But by some miracle, nothing seemed to be broken…
Until he tried to grab his sword, which was right about when an intense pain shot up all throughout his arm. It didn't exactly feel like fire, but that was mainly because he'd just taken a nice, refreshing bath in a pool of magma. Yeah, he knew what fire was, and what he felt in his arm hurt, but not quite as bad as tripping into that pit.
Link backed up until he touched the wall, and from there, slowly slid back towards the door. He didn't exit it, but instead crouched down against the sides. He was fairly certain that the monster couldn't get to him from there, so he felt safe enough. You know, if he ignored the giant magma centipede's angry shrieks and hullabaloo's wailing.
Really, he wanted to fight the thing, if nothing else but to show the monster that it wasn't so tough, and that it should stop hurting the dragon. But Link needed to rest, just for a moment.
He cradled his left arm in his right, and propped his useless sword and shield against the other side of the door.
Gritting his teeth, he found that he could ignore the pain, at least a little. Taking a few deep breaths, he finally managed to roll up the burnt sleeve covering his left arm. What he found underneath was rather disheartening—his forearm had turned an awful reddish-purple color, and it rather than straight and smooth, his arm was bent at a place no arm should be bent at.
And though he carefully observed his other injuries (most of them bad burns, and there was one cut that he couldn't remember getting but figured it had something to do with the drying blood lining one side of his sword), none were so repelling as his broken arm.
Not for the first time on this adventure, Link closed his eyes and wondered if he was really cut out for this 'hero' thing.
000
The older Link stared at the screen, watching his counterpart crouching next to the door. He had to suppress a wince once he saw exactly how bad the kid had been hurt, but he couldn't have done anything to prevent that.
What he could do from then on, however, was a different matter entirely.
The Hero of Time glanced around the insides of the volcano.
Was there anything he could use to defeat the Fire Monster without having to do much, himself?
And, quite frankly, he didn't think that the kid could do much with that sword of his right then, at any rate. His arm would distract him too much from the task at hand.
The older Link looked back to the Wind Waker, and raised an eyebrow at the child's meager supplies. No potions, no healing fairies, no fantastic weapons—only a rusty sword, a small wooden shield, and… a grappling hook? Good, Link thought, that's something useful!
His plan in order, the Hero of Time yelled as loud as he could at the screen, and the boy clapped his hands over his ears instantly, his face contorted in pain.
000
'HEY! LINK! CAN YOU HEAR ME?' a voice shouted. The child was unprepared, and although his arm hurt, he honestly couldn't help but try to block out the noise. It was instinct, after all. People tended to try to protect themselves from sudden, loud noises.
And noises that come from the inside of one's head are always a good deal more troublesome than those on the outside.
'…Sorry about that, Link,' the voice said, much softer this time. 'I was just trying to get your attention. I didn't mean to hurt you.'
The young Wind Waker pulled out a stone from his back pocket and stared at it.
"Tetra?" he asked quietly, "Is that you? You sound… different."
'No, no. I'm not Tetra. But I am here to help you. I couldn't help but notice that you're in a bit of a bad situation. Your arm's busted and you don't have many supplies with you.'
The boy couldn't help but agree.
'But I have a plan. You don't have to do much, but I'm fairly certain that if you do it right, you'll end up okay. I'll guide you through it, but for now, just get your grappling hook.' The strange voice seemed to have finished, but Link couldn't help but be confused.
He tilted his head to the side. "If you're not Tetra, then who are you?" he asked, and really, it wasn't too unreasonable of a question. But for some reason, the voice seemed almost angry when it replied.
'…I… I'm, um… Nevermind that! Right now, I'm just trying to keep you from getting killed out here, Link. You were already dehydrated before going into this battle, and I doubt you have much longer before you get drowsy. And believe me, that is not something you want when you're in battle.' The voice stopped for a moment, as if considering something, then started up again. 'You need to get out of here soon. Adrenaline only lasts for so long, and once it wears off, that arm's going to hurt a lot worse.'
"Forgive me for saying so, mister, but… you seem to know an awful lot about how things work in battles, and injuries and stuff. And… how do you know my name?"
'Enough questions! Geez, kid! I'm trying to save your butt, and you don't trust me! Is there anything I could say to you that would make you believe me?'
"For one," the boy said determinedly, "You could tell me who you are."
'If I say, 'your conscience', will you believe me?'
Link sighed, shaking his head. He was basically stuck here, and the voice may sound slightly insane, but he also knew that he only had a few options. And crazy as he might feel, the voice actually did offer some useful advice.
"But… I don't have much of a choice here, do I?" he sat up as gently as he could, putting most of his weight onto the leg that had been the least burned.
"And besides," he said between gritted teeth, wincing as he accidentally bumped the elbow of his injured arm into the wall, "it's not like I have much of an option. What's this plan of yours, anyway?"
The voice told him, and then the boy grinned.
"That's it? That's all I have to do?" the green-clad figure's eyes widened, realizing in shock that the plan was actually pretty ingenious.
'That's it. That's all you have to do. So what are you waiting for? Get out your grappling hook! …And do it carefully, for Farore's sake. Wouldn't want you to remind the creature that you're there with some loud squeal.'
Link complied slowly, unclasping it carefully. His left arm—his dominant hand—wouldn't really respond anymore, so everything he did seemed awkward.
'Now. Aim for Valoo's tail. It should be hooked enough that getting a hold on it would be easy. Just aim very, very, very precisely, because if you missed and hit the creature…'
That was about when the young Wind Waker missed and hit the Fire Monster.
It roared and thrashed around, wondering what had disturbed it, before finding the little boy it had crushed earlier standing paralyzed with fear out in the open. It started towards him, but right as the creature was about to hit him, the voice came out loud and clear.
'Move, you idiot! Do you want to be crushed again? RUN! Back into the doorway!'
Thankfully, the little boy in green listened, and was inside the door once more, breathing heavily, and fighting against the pain.
000
The Hero of Time put his face in his hands. It was hopeless. The boy just couldn't aim correctly with his right arm, and the pain might not even be manageable if he tried with his left. Still, Link was not about to let this boy die. This foe wasn't even that fierce—it would be a dishonor if the boy died because of such a low-ranking monster.
Link breathed deeply, trying very hard to focus.
He couldn't help it. He hadn't been in a combat situation for more than a century, and it really didn't help that in the Realm of Heroes, people never really fought, save for the occasional duel, which the Hero of Time never participated in, anyways. But if he wanted to succeed, he would have to remember every single trick he'd learned.
He glanced back up at the screen, where the little boy seemed to be fighting back tears.
Of course. Running with his arm like that… the pain must be excruciating. And it had been nearly ten minutes—the Wind Waker's adrenaline was on the decline. Both Links were running out of time and options.
000
"Hey, voice?" the child squeaked, his voice high and brittle. "Are you still there?"
'Yes. I'm here. Don't… don't try to move for a minute or two. Moving around with your arm like that wasn't too good of an idea. For that, I apologize. I hadn't factored in what would happen if you missed, and for that, I'm… sorry.' The voice almost seemed to sigh.
Link furrowed his eyebrows and tried to concentrate on anything but the pain. But he wasn't prepared to die, so, the only logical thing would be to try again. And… this time, he would shoot with his right.
The Wind Waker stood up and walked gently towards the insect, who seemed to have forgotten him once again. The boy had left his sword and shield at the doorway, and now he was armed only with his grappling hook.
'Link! Be careful, will you? If you fail, I don't think you'll be able to try this again!'
Link nodded. And then, while the monster was turned away from him, he launched the hook at the dragon's tail. With his left arm. ...His broken arm.
And the hook caught—barely, but it caught on, and soon the Wind Waker found himself swinging high towards the other side of the volcanic shaft.
As he let go, the ceiling suddenly collapsed, trapping the magma insect underneath it. A few precious moments went by, and Link found himself holding both his breath and his arm.
Had he done it? Had he really done it?
'Nice job, kid. You did well for your first Boss Battle. But right now, you need to—'
The voice cut himself off, because right then, the creature pushed the great Valoo back up. The Fire Monster's armor was slightly cracked now, but it was most certainly alive.
'Do that about three more times, I'd say.' The voice sighed, and Link got the sudden impression of a man pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. 'Sorry, kid. I hate that these guys take so much to take down, but… well, being the Hero is never quite what it's ever cracked up to be. I'm guessing you already knew that, though. Right?'
The boy nodded, and readied his grappling hook once more. He was preparing to throw it, but the voice interrupted his actions.
'No. Go back to where you were before. You're out in the open and exposed—it's better to have a clear shot and be out of the line of fire whenever you can.'
The boy sighed, but ran towards the cave once more.
Twice more he did this, each time hurting more than the last, but the voice was a good deal more encouraging than before, reminding him that with every swing, he'd be closer to healing and a glass of water.
That was honestly all that kept him going.
But finally, Link had an opportunity to grapple the tail again. It would be this time, he was sure of it. And it was, indeed, the last time he had to swing across the monster's head. The ceiling collapsed once more, and this time, the Fire Creature did not rise. Instead, there seemed to be a glowing heart nearby.
The Wind Waker grabbed it, and all of his burns were healed. Not his arm, really, but any relief from the agony was good enough for Link at that point.
Besides—once he stepped onto a strange, shimmering platform in the center of the volcano, he found himself floating up and out of the fiery chamber.
000
The Hero of Time couldn't help but sigh in relief. His counterpart had made it out alive, and honestly, he couldn't be happier. It had been a while since he'd saved anyone, after all—it felt nice to be a hero again.
And, he couldn't help but smile at the notion that he'd be getting to help the newest Link more often. Maybe after the boy got his arm fixed up, he could teach him some proper sword-skills. Because, really, the elderly warrior on Outset was pretty good, but he was no Link.
The Hero of Time reached into his back pocket and pulled out an almost forgotten piece of wood—
Zelda's Lullaby was oddly comforting to the boy—especially when played on the Ocarina of Time.