The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

by YtseJam2012

This is my epic telling of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and it is epic. This is a huuuuggggeee work in progress so... bear with me until it's finished. It was easier to post this as one big story instead of separate chapters

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

By Scothanial Karrasch

A Novelization of the popular Nintendo game

Chapter One: The Dark Forest

Usually the town that surrounded Hyrule Castle would be full of life and excitement. Sales clerks would set up their stands in the morning and tear them down at night only to set it up again the next day. Street performers would play their instruments and passersby would dance to the delightful tune. Rupees would be exchanged for food and jewels, and visitors would gaze at the excitement of all that went on. Usually, Hyrule Castle Town would be a peaceful place, but not today.

On this day a being of a dark heart terrorized the town in search of something important to him. When I reached the drawbridge to the town, it was completely empty. All of the people hid inside their houses and shops. I looked up to see dark swirling clouds right above Hyrule castle. The dark man on his horse was galloping through the town, trotting over anything and everything. He turned his head to look at me. Our eyes met and his darkening stare paralyzed me. His horse galloped toward me; I couldn't move. The horse moved faster and faster, they were heading right toward me. Just as he was about to run me over… I woke up.

Panting and wiping sweat off of my forehead, I pushed myself up and sat on my bed. The dream seemed so real, and it was not the first time it plagued my sleep. I have had the same dream for about a week now. I felt like the dream was trying to tell me something, but just what it was telling me I was not sure of.

I've been living in this forest for as long as I could remember. I've never even been to the boarder of the forest. I felt like I hade to talk to someone about this. I had to see my best friend Saria. We've best friends for as long as I could remember. She was also very smart. Maybe she would know what my dream means.

I got out of bed and I got dressed in my usual green tunic accompanied by a green hat to hide my messed up long blond hair. I slid my brown boots over my feet, stepped outside and took a long deep breath, taking in the cool fresh air of the forest.

"Ahh." It is such a beautiful place, the forest is. Seeing my little village had already lightened the darkness from my dream. I find it to be visually and architecturally pleasing. The villagers and I all reside in trees. The forest's trees are large and hospitable, perfect for living in. Connecting all of the trees is a network of bridges going from house to house. Some trees have branched close together making the tree easy to climb. Other trees don't so those trees have ladders leading up them.

From where I was standing, I could see Saria's house. Saria was sitting on a branch looking in the distance. I wasn't quite sure what she was looking at. Perfect! I'll get to show her what I made. I went back inside and from under my bed, pulled out a slingshot. I put it in my back pocket and ran back outside. My house was pretty high up off the ground but that never stopped me from jumping off. I leaped off the branch and when I hit the ground, I rolled. Not a scratch on me.

I dusted myself off and set off for Saria's house. Saria, who wore a green sweater and green boots to match her perfectly green hair and shiny green eyes, had her back to me and didn't see me coming. I saw an opportunity to scare her. I quietly and carefully pulled myself up the tree, got one foot away from Saria, and then,

"Boo!" She turned around and smiled.

"Oh, Hi Link!" she said with a smile.

"Didn't I scare you?"

She laughed and said, "I know you too well for you to scare me. You do this every day."

"I guess it's not a surprise if you see it coming," I said. Saria's pink fairy, Twinkle, who was flying around Saria's head laughed at me.

Everyone in Kokiri Forest had a guardian fairy, except for me. Once a week, a swarm of fairies would pass through Kokiri Forest. They would fly around the people and when a fairy was destined to be that person's guardian, it would stay with that person for life. I was able to catch fairies and they would stay around for a minute but would return back to its flock.

"Speaking of surprises," Saria said in excitement, "I have something to show you."

"I have something to show you too." I was about to reach for the slingshot in my back pocket but Saria grabbed my arm before I could reach it.

"Nope, mine first." She leaped out of the tree and pulled me with her. She dropped and landed gracefully on her feet but I fell on my back with a thud. "Come on! Hurry up!" She pulled on my arm dragging me with her, wherever she was taking me. I was struggling to keep my footing as she pulled me through the Kokiri forest.

We finally stopped at the line of trees that divided the light forest from the dark forest. The trees in the dark forest grew so close together that the leaves prevented any light from reaching the floor. Saria pulled on my arm.

"This way," she pointed in the dark forest. I stopped her.

"Saria, wait. You know the Great Deku Tree told us not to go in there."

She taunted me, "Aww. Is little Linky scared?"

I blushed. "No, I'm not scared. I just have respect for the Great Deku."

She punched me lightly. "Come on. I thought you were the adventurous one. Besides I've been in here a thousand times before. I know the entire forest inside and out."

I got excited. Saria got out of the forest? No one has ever left the forest. I asked, "How did you get out of the forest?"

She looked at me confused, "What are you talking about?"

"You said you know the forest inside and out. You've been out of the forest? What's it like out there?"

"Link, it's a figure of speech." My excitement dropped. I was sure that there was something outside of this forest. I guess not.

She continued, "My point is I know the forest." Saria held her hand out for me to grab. She asked, "Do you trust me?"

I held onto her hand. It felt smooth and warm and loving. "Of course I trust you." Then she led me through the pitch black forest.

I could not see anything. This time she was walking more slowly to make sure I stayed with her. The only things I could sense were our boots smacking against the wet ground, the sounds of leaves rustling up above me, and the warmth of Saria's hand against my hand. She was swerving in and out of trees like she had done it thirty times before.

We finally reached a lighted area in which I could see a granite staircase. As we walked up the stairs, our boots clanked against the stone. At the top of the stairs was an open area in the middle of the forest the dark forest. The trees were cut out to make room for the temple that was put in there. It looked like the stairs would have kept going up to the temple but have broken away and fallen over the years. In the middle of the area was a hexagonal stone that had a symbol on it in the middle and the symbol was surrounded by a triangle shaped figure.

"Do you like it?" Saria asked.

"It's beautiful," I replied. It really was beautiful. It was like a ray of light inside of a sea of darkness, it felt surreally pleasant. Everything was perfect, except for a buzzing noise coming from the corner of the temple. A beehive has made that corner its home.

Saria sadly looked at them. "I wish they'd leave. I would knock it down but I can't reach it." I saw this as an opportunity to show Saria what I made.

I reached into my back pocket. "Now it's time for my surprise." I pulled out my slingshot, grabbed a nearby rock, placed it in the sling, pulled it back, aimed, and fired. It hit the beehive straight on and it fell to the ground with a crack. The bees abandoned the now useless hive.

"Wow! Thank you, Link!" Saria looked at my slingshot in amazement. "You made this?"

I let her hold onto it. "Yep," I said, "I saw this stick lying on the ground. I looked at it and the idea just came to me. I guess I'm pretty weird aren't I?" I said blushing. Saria was aiming at nothing and she pulled the empty slingshot back. She let the sling go and it snapped in the air.

"Of course," she said. I looked down at my boots. How could Saria think I was weird? She was my best friend.

She put her hand on my shoulder. "But that is what makes you so charming." She smiled and winked. Looking into her eyes made me feel better.

"Thanks, Saria. You've always been there for me."

I watched as Twinkle fluttered to the entrance of the temple, but seeing the darkness of the inside temple reminded me of my haunting dream.

"Um, Saria," I said rubbing the back of my neck nervously, "There is something I have to tell you." I sat down next to her on a nearby tree stump, took a deep breath and began my story. "About a week ago I started having these strange dreams…"

I told her about the dark clouds covering the castle I saw and about the evil man of a dark heart on the horse. When I was done, I asked, "Do you think this could have a purpose to it? Could it be trying to tell me something?"

Saria looked up into the sky, pondering a meaning to it. "I'm glad that you came to me about this," she started, "but I really think you need to speak to the Great Deku Tree."

I thought about it. "Why would the Great Deku listen to me? I'm different! I'm weird! I don't even have a guardian fairy!" I shot a jealous look at Twinkle.

Saria looked at me seriously, "Because I think that your dream will have something to do with the outside world, outside of the forest." Again she mentioned the outside. She must know something about it and doesn't want to tell me. "Just be sincere and honest. He will listen to you."

My curiosity for the outside nagged at me. I had to ask. "How do you know there is life outside of the forest? No one has ever been outside."

Her eyes locked onto the hexagonal stone in the center. "Because I have been having dreams too." I got myself into a comfortable position ready for a story.

Saria put her hands over her heart and closed her eyes. "In my dream, I am standing in this blue room with light flowing down like a waterfall. I am in a group with six other people of different races. One person is in the middle while the rest of us surround her. All of us are each wearing a necklace and every necklace had a different symbol on it. I looked at the necklace around my neck and its symbol stuck in my mind. Then I was surrounded by darkness. But I recognized a scent, the scent of trees. 'That is how I knew I needed to be in the dark forest.' Then a marble staircase appears in front of me. I walked up it and when I reached the top, I met with the symbol that was around my neck. That is where I wake up."

She stood up from the stump and walked over to the stone and put her hand on it. "So I walked through the forest until I saw the staircase and I walked up it. When I saw this stone, I knew that this is where I belonged. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do here, but I feel comfortable when I'm in this place. It's peaceful."

I closed my eyes and opened up my other senses to the environment. "I feel something here too." A slight breeze wiggled my hat back and forth and rustled my tunic. I smelled the air and the scent was calming. Then I looked up and noticed that the sun was setting and the sky was a pinkish color.

I said, "It's getting late. We should probably start heading back home."

Saria backed away from the stone. "That sounds like a good idea," she said. "Thank you for talking with me."

My heart lifted a little. "Thank you for listening to my story."

Saris held her hand out again. "Take my hand. I'll lead you back home." I sighed looking into the forest. I didn't like the idea of going back into the light deprived area of the forest, but looking into Saria's eyes calmed my nerves, knowing that whenever I was with her I could be safe. I slower reached my hand out to hers and held onto it softly.

When we reached our village, the sky had turned dark, but from that darkness, little dots of light broke through the curtain and brightened the sky. It reminded me that whenever times get dark, there is still a light behind it. The most light was coming from the moon, which was lighting up the village.

Everyone else had prepared for bed so it was just Saria and I walking through. The only sound we could hear was the splashing of a nearby stream letting into our little pond. Saria walked me back to my house, and as I reached my ladder's steps, we prepared to part ways.

I said, "I'll go see the Great Deku Tree first thing tomorrow morning."

"That sounds like a good idea," Saria replied. She brushed the hair out of my eyes.

"Thanks." The hair wasn't bugging me but it felt good to have Saria move it out of the way for me.

She smiled and said, "Try to get a good night sleep tonight."

I returned with, "I'll try," which was true. All I could do was "try" to get a good night sleep. I appreciated Saria's caring for me. We hugged each other and Saria left to her own tree house. I climbed up the ladder to my own house and looked back at Saria's.

"Good night, Saria," I said to her. I knew she couldn't hear me but it felt good to say it. We've been friends forever. I knew she would be the only one who would listen to my dream and believe it. I slipped into my sleeping pajamas and got into bed.

My thoughts were switching between my dream and Saria, and then switched to the events of the upcoming day. Would the Great Deku tree listen to my dream like Saria had? And Saria, I can connect with her better than anyone else in the forest and I knew she could connect with me. She is the only person I could feel comfortable around. After a while, my thoughts started to fade and get quieter until I finally fell peacefully into a calm sleep.

Chapter Two: The Curse

The next day, I didn't wake up because of my dream. Actually I didn't even have the same dream I've had for a week. In this dream, I was holding an orb that glowed bright green. Something about holding this orb felt sad though. Why was it sad? But, before I could answer that, I woke up. I did not wake up in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat like my nightmares would produce.

No, this time, I woke up to the sun light shining through the opening to my house, a cool wind blowing around me, and to the sweet sound of a flute playing. Who was playing a flute? Who even had a flute? Curious, I lingered outside in search for the source of the music. I looked to the left of me to find Saria, sitting on a branch of my tree, playing a potato shaped instrument. Twinkle danced around her head.

I rubbed my eyes, still half asleep. "Oh. Hi Saria. Isn't it kind of early?"

Saria stopped playing to talk. "Yes it is," she smiled and looked at her potato flute, "but I thought it would help if you woke up to something more peaceful."

I did appreciate the sweet sounding wake-up call. It was a great way to start the day. "Thanks," I said, "I got a pretty good night of sleep. I didn't have that nightmare."

Saria beamed, "Well, that's good news."

I nodded. "So, um, what's that thing called.

Saria held up her flute so that it glistened in the sunlight. "It's called an ocarina. The Great Deku Tree gave it to me. He said it would help me spread joy to the forest. Everyone enjoys its sound. Well, almost everyone. Mido is quite annoyed by it," She looked around at the different tree houses looking for him, "but I think he's asleep now."

Saria put the ocarina up to her mouth and blew into it. One note barely got out before Mido, whose red hair matched his hot headedness, came storming out of his house in a rage of fury.

"Who is making all of that noise?!" He was so steamed that he forgot to climb down the ladder. He fell out of the tree and landed with a great thud. Saria and I both laughed.

I asked, "Why does Mido have to get so fired up all the time?" She shrugged, not knowing what to say.

After dusting himself, Mido came running over to my tree, glaring up at us. "Saria, why do you have to play that danged potato all day long?" he complained.

"Because it annoys you," she teased. "It brings peace to the forest, it calms our fellow Kikori, whereas, you just bring frustration and negativity."

"I Do Not!" Mido shouted. He shouted so loud that it shook the leaves on the trees.

Someone yelled from his tree house, "Mido, be quiet! We're trying to sleep!" Saria played a tune from her ocarina. From that same tree house we heard, "What a sweet sound." Mido looked dumbfounded.

I waved him away. "Why don't you go back to your house? I have to get ready."

Mido was eager to nose in on anything I was doing. Being the odd ball in group, Mido wanted to get any interested gossip he could on me. "Get ready for what?"

I replied, "I'm going to speak with the Great Deku today."

Mido couldn't resist laughing. "Why would the Great Deku speak with you?" Apparently, in his mind, I was unworthy of the Great Deku's company.

Saria backed me up, "What is it your business?"

Mido shifted his feet. He didn't expect Saria to be on my side. "It's not. I was just curious."

"Well butt out. Link's got more important things to deal with now." Saria stuck her tongue out at Mido and walked me into my house. "Come on Link. You got more important things to do than to talk with jerks." She said this more to Mido than to me.

"Don't you guys walk away from me!" he shouted, "I want to know what you're up to!"

His yell disturbed many more sleeping people who shouted from their houses, "Mido, quiet!" Careful not to disturb anyone else, he tiptoed back to his own house.

In my house, I shuffled through my dresser and pulled out my green tunic and hat. I was about to get out of my pajamas when I realized that Saria was still in the room.

I said to her, "Um, Saria, you know you're always welcome into my house. But I'm going to have to ask you to step outside for a second." She was standing by my doorway with her hands behind her back.

"What? Oh. Right. Of course." She blushed as red as Twinkle, embarrassed that she lingered around almost long enough to catch me undressing. "I'll just be right out here."

Once she was out of sight, I took off my pajamas and put on my regular clothes. I tucked the slingshot I made into my back pocket and slid the hat over my messed up hair. Taking a quick overview of myself, I felt that I was ready to see the Great Deku Tree.

I called out to my friend waiting patiently outside, "Alright, Saria, I'm finished." She walked back in. "How do I look?"

When she came in, she still looked a little red in the face, but she returned to normal in a second. "You look," she was searching for the right word, "handsome" or "pretty" might have sounded to personal so she just said, "presentable."

I smiled at hearing this. I knew I could count on Saria to give me the honest truth. "Great, thanks! Let's go see the Deku Tree."

The Great Deku Tree lived in the middle of the forest in an area called the Deku Shrine. The path to the Deku Shrine lied just outside of the village. Past generations built the village close to the Great Deku so that the Deku Tree was close enough to be approachable but far enough to keep it sacred. The Great Deku did not talk of modern gossip or petty trifles but talks of legends and important stories. He only says what is needed to be said. Not a lot of villagers have been to visit the Great Deku Tree, but those who have spoken to him have been inspired greatly by his words.

Although the Great Deku remained forever still and unmoving, he was the guardian of the forest. His light spirit covered the forest and protected it from anything dark and evil. As I walked the path to the Deku Shrine with Saria, I could feel the righteous spirit of the Great Deku fill up in my heart and warm my body. We finally reached the Deku Shrine, and as I gazed up at the Great Deku, I could already tell that he was seriously Ill. His bark looked grayer then all the trees around him and his leaves were faded and hanging onto branches by mere fibers. As I walked forward to him, he spoke to me with a deep grizzly voice like I expected an old wise tree to sound.

He said, "I was expecting your arrival, Link." At first I was taken by the fact that he know I was coming. I had never told him or anyone except Saria that I was planning on seeing him today. But then I remembered that he was the spirit that oversaw everything that lived in the forest.

I cleared my throat to speak. "Oh, Great Deku Tree, I have been having these dreams that I believe to be visions that are important to the safety of the outside world."

The Deku Tree pondered my statement. "Yes, your dreams are in fact important ones. I know you know not of the outside world, but there are other species, other tribes and other lives outside of this forest. It is a grand world out there that is in danger." I knew there was something more out there. I could just feel it. He continues, "I have seen your dreams. I watched the dark clouds hover the castle. I saw the dark man on the horse. It is not just a nightmare; it's a prophecy, a vision of the future to be. And that darkness will one day cover this forest."

Saria looked shocked. "But don't you protect the forest? Doesn't your light prevent darkness from ever entering?" Great Deku nodded his head and leaves fell from his branches.

He said, "Yes this is true, but darkness is coming, and there is a way to stop it. But I recently became quite ill. The evil man I saw in Link's dream visited me a night ago. He has placed curse upon me."

I felt like our forest's sanctity was threatened. If the dark man from my dream could get it, this forest is no longer safe. What would we do? I asked, "Why did he curse you? It's not because of me, is it? Do I know too much because of my dreams?"

He replied, "No it is not because of you. I was cursed because I possess something very important to the evil man; something that he desires desperately for some evil plan." He groaned in pain. "Link, hidden inside this forest is a blade that will help vanquish the source of the curse that is inside me." He now addressed someone who was not present with us. "Navi, come hither."

A blue fairy fluttered from the Great Deku's canopy of leaves. "Here, sir."

Great Deku commanded, "Lead this young warrior to the Kokiri Blade. Link will need it to help kill the curse." Navi flashed white to signal understanding. Then she fluttered down near me. Could this be it? Would Navi be my guardian fairy?

I asked, "So you are you my guardian fairy now?"

Navi replied, "Well, I will have to stay with you until the deed is done." I was about to yell out in except but she quickly added, "But, once you mission is accomplished I will have to return."

I wasn't terribly thrilled to hear this but understood why she wouldn't stay with me.

Saria got restless and wanted to start looking for the blade, "Come on. Enough chitchat. Let's get that blade."

Navi lead us deep into the forest, in the opposite direction of out village. We walked for a bit, sometimes backtracking and taking an alternative route do to Navi's foggy memory.

"It should be just… about… HERE!" She yelled the last word as she caught to sight of a handle of a blade sticking out of the ground. "Well, this is it," she said.

Saria walked over and noticed that it only went up to her belly. She asked, "Doesn't it seem small to you?"

Navi responded, "It's not the size that matters. This is an enchanted blade, forged to keep away evil. Of course, this is not the most powerful blade. There are others but…" she decided to drop the subject, "No, forget what I just said. Link, pull it out of the ground."

I stepped up to the sword, grasped my hands around the handle, and pulled it up. Surprisingly it slid out of the cold hard ground quite easily. I held the blade up in the air. It felt comfortable to hold, like it was made just for me.

Saria's restless caught up to her again. Eager to get back now, she tugged on my tunic. "Alright, we got the sword. Now let's get back. We need to get to the Great Deku Tree."

Navi lead us back through the forest, this time taking quicker because she remembered how to get back.

"Great Deku Tree," I exclaimed as I ran back into the Deku Shrine, "I got the sword!"

A passage way in the shape of an arch opened at the base of the Great Deku. He said, "Take it inside of me and defeat the evil curse known as Queen Gohma." I took a giant step forward, ready to defeat the evil that is attack our guardian, but then there was a tug on my shoulder. Saria was holding me back.

"Link, wait," She said. I waited for her to speak. She opened her mouth like she was ready to say something really imported but instead changed her mind and just said, "Be careful."

I smiled at her, "I will. Don't worry." Then I turned to enter the Great Deku and face the attacker. "Alright Navi, let's go get that curse." I passed through the passageway and was immediately surrounded by darkness. I couldn't see a thing. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to look for anyway."

Navi said, "I saw it when it when the dark man let it inside here. It looks like a giant one eyed spider." So, now my search narrowed down to a giant one eyed spider. But with it being so dark, I wasn't sure if I could even find that. I From above me I heard something crawling and rattling on the ceiling. I could hear it but I couldn't see it, not even an outline.

'Come on!' I screamed in my head, 'I'm ready! Show yourself!' As if it heard me, it revealed its large bright yellow eye. It stared right at me. It rolled around in its socket before the spider let go of the ceiling and drop to the floor. It raised itself on its hind legs, making it appear even larger than it was, and let out a defining squeal. It was so loud that I had to cover my ears.

"Get out of our guardian!" I yelled at it. Preparing to fight, I raised my sword up. I lunged after its legs it was standing on, but the blade just bounced off with a clank. The vibrations shook my arm, making it numb. 'What is wrong with this thing?' I thought. I checked the edge of the sword, it was not dull. Maybe Gohma's armor is too tough for me to slice through it.

Gohma wacked me aside with one of its front legs with ease and climbed up the wall to hang from the ceiling again. As I pushed myself back up I saw that it was laying eggs. Three of them dropped to the floor and cracked open releasing little Gohmas that charged after me.

Navi said to me, "Link, these are young and haven't developed their armor yet. You should be able to use your sword on these." I brought the blade down on one of the hatchlings and just as Navi said, it split in two. I sliced through the other two as well with ease. This angered Gohma, for she let out another cry and let go of the ceiling, charging after me at full speed.

"Uh oh," I said, "now I've done it." Navi hid behind my back. While she was back there, he noticed something I had in my back pocket. "Link, your slingshot!"

"What? Oh, I forgot I had it on me." I reached in my back pocket and pulled out the stick with a sling attached to it. I grabbed a couple of nearby stones and placed them into the sling. I pulled it back and released it, sending the stones flying towards the speeding Gohma. One of them hit its shoulder. It kept charging. Another stone hit its back. It didn't stop.

"Come on!" I only had one more stone at hand and if I missed, I wouldn't get another chance. I loaded it up and aimed carefully for its eye. I pulled it back and released. Bull's-eye! Actually more like Spider's-eye! Gohma stopped in its tracks and skidded toward me. I had paralyzed it. I grabbed my sword and stabbed it right into Gohma's eye, the only weak spot I could find.

That did the trick because Gohma started to fall apart and fade into dark mist. After I watched the black dust float away, I relaxed. Panting deeply, I called out, "Great Deku, I did it! I beat Gohma!" I ran back outside to talk to Great Deku, to see if I succeeded.

Apparently, I didn't. Even though I defeated the curse, the Great Deku Tree's color did not go return to normal. He still looked half-dead.

"Link," he started, "you have done well, but unfortunately, we were too late. The curse was too far into me for it to be reversed. But I will die in peace now. Thank you." No! I wasn't able to save my guardian. I tried; I really did, with all of my effort. Maybe if I had realized I had my slingshot sooner, I could have. I was feeling guilty, absolutely responsible for this turn of events.

"With my dying breath," he continued, "I will tell you of a tale. I'm going to reveal what the evil man from your dream is so desperately after." I sat down on the dewy wet grass. The wetness cooled my boiling hot body.

"The man's name is Ganondorf. He was born to into the Gerudo tribe, which is a tribe consisting of only woman. The tradition of the Gerudo is that if a man is born into the Gerudo tribe, he would become their leader. Ganondorf hungered for more than just a little tribe of thieves to rule. He desired for control of the entire universe. And the only thing that could bring him this is the Triforce."

My eyes opened wide. Suddenly, I had the vision of three golden triangles, one at the top and two at the base like a pyramid. "The Triforce is a relic that lies within the sacred realm." The golden triangles in my vision were being surrounded by a room of blue light. "What makes the Triforce sacred is it contains the essence of the three goddesses." Three gold women statues floated up the Triforce. "Before you and I existed in the great land of Hyrule, before even Hyrule existed, the goddesses created a world with their essence. Din, the goddess of power, created the land and gave it warmth." One of the statues turned red and hugged the top triangle. "Nayru, the goddesses of wisdom provided the land with spirit." Another statue turned green and embraced the bottom right triangle. "Farore, the goddesses of courage, brought life to the land." The last one turned blue and surrounded itself around the bottom left triangle.

"When the three goddesses left, they left a relic, the Triforce, to uphold their creation. This relic is sealed behind the Door of Time inside a place called the Temple of Time." A marble stone sealed my view from the golden glowing Triforce. "The only way to get passed the Door of Time is to collect three special stones." One a table in front of the door stood a stone that shone in green, red, and blue. "I possess one of these stones that open the door. This is why Ganondorf placed this curse on me." The vision disappeared and I was once again sitting on the dewy grass of the Deku Shrine.

"And now I must pass the stone on to you. You must bring this to the King of Hyrule. He has the power stop Ganondorf before he gets to the Triforce. Hyrule castle is just outside of the forest. I am giving you permission to exit with this." He shook his tree branches and an emerald stone fell out of the leaves. I pushed myself up and jumped up to catch it before it fell to the ground.

"It looks pretty," Navi said. I moved the stone back in forth, reflecting the light. The great Deku Tree was getting grayer, getting ever closer to death.

"I am going soon, and when I do I need you to carve a shield out of my bark. It will be able to protect you well. Navi, you shall lead and aid this young hero on his journey to the castle. Do you understand?" Navi flashed and nodded.

The Great Deku was getting to his last words which long and unforgettable, "Link… save… Hy… rule." Then he turned as gray as gray can be. I started to tear up a little, gripping the stone in my hand with unnecessary force. This was my fault. If only I got there sooner. I tear finally found its way down my cheek. It fell to the ground.

"I will save Hyrule."

Chapter Three: Hyrule Castle

Kokiri forest became silent after the Great Deku Tree had passed. Everyone gathered inside the Deku Shrine to morn for him. Even Mido paid respects to the Great Deku. It seemed he blamed me for his death. Whenever he passed me, he gave me an evil stare. Saria knew it wasn't my fault. Even as she stood next to me crying for her lost guardian, she understood that there was nothing more that I could've done.

To comfort her, I put my arm around her shoulders and she leaned into me. Navi rested quietly on my shoulder and Twinkle sat on top of Saria's head. After a long moment of silence the Kokiri started to leave. Saria, Twinkle, Navi, and I stayed to take care of some unfinished business. I kneeled next to the Great Deku, took my sword, and pried off a piece of bark from his trunk to make a shield. I explained to Saria about everything the Deku Tree had told me. I told her how I was on a mission to take the emerald stone he gave me to the Hyrule Castle and that the king would help stop the evil man named Ganondorf.

"So, it's the Triforce that he wants?" Saria asked.

"Yep," I nodded, "It's supposed to contain the essence of the goddesses. We believe that if Ganondorf gets to it, he'll be unstoppable. That's why he is after it. That is why he cursed Great Deku." We both looked up at the Great Deku. All of his leaves have fallen to the ground and his bark looked completely gray and dead.

"I hope Ganondorf never gets that Triforce," Saria said.

"Me too," I replied. Saria grabbed my hand, desperate for something real to hold onto. "Me too."

Saria fallowed me back to my tree house and sat on my bed watching me pack. I put my most important things I need for travel in the bag that I got from the nearby store. After a glass bottle of water, some apples, and some parchment and a pen, I packed the emerald stone. I wrapped a belt around my waist and put the sword in its sheath. I pulled the bag over my right shoulder and the sheath over my left. Then the shield slid over the sheath. I took one last look around my house and then I locked eyes with Saria.

I said, "I think I got everything that I need."

Saria got up from my bed. "I'll walk you to the bridge."

I climbed down the ladder and Saria fallowed me. Then side by side we walked to the edge of the forest fallowed by our fairies. The trip was surprisingly silent. We were just enjoying the last few moments we had in each other's company. At the edge of the forest is a bridge that led from the forest to the outside land. Kokiri people weren't able to cross this bridge because of the protection of the Deku Tree. But even though the Great Deku died, his protection remained intact. Once we reached the bridge, Saria took out something from her pocket. It was her Ocarina. She handed it to me and said,

"Here, take my Ocarina. It will be a symbol of our friendship. Whenever you play it, think of the forest, and me."

I took the Ocarina and placed it into my bag. "I'm just going to the castle. I should be back in no time." I gave Saria a "we won't be apart for long smile" and Saria returned with a "be careful out there" smile. Saria gave me one last hug and then walked back over the bridge to the Hyrule with Navi flying behind me. Saria watched as I left the forest, left the Kokiri, and left her.

I had to cover my eyes when I stepped outside of the forest into the light. But when my eyes adjusted, I was amazed at how big Hyrule was. I could see green grass all the way to where the land met the sky. And the sky was bigger then I remember it in the forest. From where I was standing I could see a giant fence surrounding an area that had horses galloping inside. To the right of me, I could see a river flowing past. I stood there speechless, taking in the vastness that was Hyrule, but Navi broke me out of my daze.

"Okay, first thing's first. You'll need a map to the area so you know where you are going." I pulled out the parchment and pen that I packed from my bag. I was drawing on the parchment as Navi was giving me directions. "That area in the middle there is called Lon Lon Ranch. It is owned by Mr. Talon and his daughter, Malon. It is the center of Hyrule. I will tell you where everything is from its point of view. North of the ranch is Hyrule Castle and Castle Town. This is where you need to go. East of the ranch is our very own Kokiri Forest. Then south of the ranch is Lake Hylia, and west is the Desert area. Shall we get moving?"

I rolled up my drawn map and placed it back in my bag. "Right." I ran across the field, the forest behind me grew ever smaller and the castle ahead grew bigger. The draw bridge was down so I thought I could just walk in, but when I passed the gate guard, he stuck a metal arm out to stop me. He grasped a hand around my sword, took it out of its sheath, and examined it.

He asked me, "What is a little kid like you doing with a sword like this?"

I replied, "I just use it for protection." He looked at me suspiciously. "I'm going to keep in it its sheath the whole time. You can trust me."

He looked me over before deciding that I wouldn't be the one to cause trouble. "I do trust you," he said, "But I will have to keep hold of this. I will give it back to you when you leave back through here. Good day sir."

I was fine to give him my sword. What kind of trouble would I get into in a nice place like this? I stepped inside and took in all of the hustle and bustle of everyday town life. In the middle of the town was a fountain that the buildings in town surrounded. More of the places were stores that sold battle items like arrows, bombs, and shields. Another store hosted some sort of bombing game where the hostess inside told me about these little mouse shaped bomb's called Bomb-chu. Another store was called the Happy Mask Store. When I walked in there, the Happy Mask salesman didn't really seem happy at all. He was rambling on about how he hasn't sold a mask in Hyrule's market in all the time he's been there. He asked me if I would like to deliver masks for out of town buyers, but I told him that I was on official business at the moment and left.

There was also a bar where men would come in to drink beer and where boys could come in to drink ice cold milk. 'A glass of milk sounds pretty good right about now,' I thought. I walked into the bar and sat down at one of the stools placed there.

A big man, washing a glass, turned around and asked me, "What would you like sonny?"

"A glass of milk please," I replied.

He took out an already clean glass and placed it on the counter. "Sure thing. That'll be five rupees."

I looked at him puzzled. "Rupees?" I asked, "What are those?"

"It's money. Don't you have any money with you?"

"What's money?" We never had a money system in Kokiri Forest.

"Um," He never had to explain what money was to a customer before. He grabbed some differently colored stones from under the counter; a green, a blue, and a red colored stone. "These are rupees. They are rocks that can be found almost anywhere, but some are rarer than others. The green is worth 1 rupee. It's the most common. Then the blue one is worth 5 rupees. It's less common. Than the red one is worth 20 rupees. It's the rarest that can be found. There are more valuable rupees but are very hard to find and are worth a lot more. There are purple rupees worth 50, silver rupees worth 100, and gold rupees worth 200."

I picked up the green rupee and studied it. "Where can I get these?"

The bartender grabbed a mug and filled it with beer for a man three stools to the right of me. "Well I get rupees from customers, and they get rupees from working. But a traveler like you can find them in bushes or under water, or if you get a shovel you can dig them right out of the ground. They are naturally acquiring currency that varies in value."

I decided that if I wanted milk, or anything in this town, I would have to get some rupees. I spun around in my stool and waved to the bartender goodbye. "Thank you for your help. I'll be back with some rupees."

There were some bushes in the Castle market that I looked inside but all I found was one green rupee, not enough for milk. But just north of here, I noticed the castle and it reminded me of the task that I was sent here with. I went up to the castle's gate and asked the guard running the gate if I could come in to speak to the king, but the reply I got back was not what I had hoped for.

"I am sorry," He said to me, "But the King is in a very important meeting."

I told him, "But this is concerning the safety of Hyrule."

"Anything that can be said now can wait until after his meeting."

As I walked away from the gate I noticed there was a vine hanging from a cliff that overhung the path to the castle. The cliff passed right over the gate and I saw it as an opportunity to sneak by. So I looked back at the guard and I could tell that from his point of view, he would not be able to see my walking over that cliff. I checked the vine's strength by tugging on it, it held its ground. I climbed up it and pulled myself onto the cliff and walked past the gate and then jumped down on the other side. That was easier than I thought it should be. I took the trail leading up to the castle and as I got close to the castle I noticed a mote surrounding it. 'I wonder if there are any rupees in there,' I thought.

I looked over the edge and saw gems shimmering in the light. I was right, there were rupees in there. Even if I don't get in to see the king I could at least get money for some milk. I laid down my sword, shield, and bag and then jumped into the mote. I grabbed as many rupees as my arms could hold, but when I returned to the surface for air, a young blond girl dressed in expensive looking apparel was looking down at me. She must be the daughter of the king. I was in trouble now.

My arms dropped the rupees as I tried to explain myself to her, "I was just in here looking for some rupees. I wanted some milk and the bartender said I needed five rupees but I didn't have five rupees so I went up to the castle to talk to the king but the guard said he was busy but I found a way in and then I saw rupees in the mote so I jumped in. That's all, rupees."

She just stared at me. "I have no idea what you're rambling on about," she said, "but you better get out of the water before you catch a cold."

"Yes, ma'am." I pulled myself out of the mote and shook some of the water off of my clothes. My clothes were soaking and dripping on the ground.

The girl wrapped a blanket around me. "That should keep you warm," she said.

"T-t-thank you," I shivered.

She asked me, "How did you get passed the guard?"

I blushed, "Well, um, there is a vine that I climbed."

She looked back at the gate. "We should get that cut down," she said. "You are going to have to leave I'm afraid." She picked up my shield and my sheath and my bag to hand to me. As she picked up the bag the emerald stone fell out.

"Oh I'm sorry I dropped… your…" Her eyes locked on the stone. "It's you," She said. "It's you!" She dropped all of my stuff and hugged me. "You're the one from my dream!" She tackled me so hard that we both fell back into the mote. After helping each other out, we shared the same blanket.

"So," I asked, "I was in your dream? What is the dream about?"

The girl pushed her finger to my mouth shushing me. "We can't talk about it here. Let's go to my garden. We can talk freely there."

After passing through a door into the castle we passed many large trimmed hedges and fountains with statues resting in their water. Finally we reached this girl's garden full of yellow, purple, and red flowers. Surrounding the garden were windows looking into the halls of the castle. The girl walked up to the center window and turned around.

She said, "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself before. I am Princess Zelda." I couldn't believe it. I met someone royal! I always thought that princesses were spoiled snooty girls, but Zelda was nice, and kind, and cute. Her rosy cheeks topped off her sweet smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Zelda." I gave a little bow. "I am Link of the Kokiris, and this is my fairy, Navi." Navi flashed white.

Zelda giggled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Link the Kokiri and Navi the fairy."

I took the emerald stone out of my bag and held it in my hands. "So what is this prophecy you spoke of before?"

She pushed some hair behind her ear and prepared herself to tell a story.

"It's actually a dream that I had," she started. "In my dream, Hyrule was being covered in a dark cloud and everything feels black and hopeless. But as the black cloud was about to surround the castle, a green light covered it and from the light, a boy with an emerald stone walked out and was pushing the cloud back. I believe that boy is you."

Zelda motioned to the window she was standing in front of. "If you look through here," she said, "you'll see a man named Ganondorf. He has a meeting with my father, the king of Hyrule. I believe the dark clouds in my dream represent that man in there." I looked into the window and saw Ganondorf bowing to the king. Then he turned his head and look right at me. I felt his eyes bear into mine with darkness but I quickly looked away.

Zelda asked, "What happened? Did he see you?" I nodded. "It's alright. He doesn't know of our plans. Ganondorf has evil intentions, I can feel it. I have warned my father about the prophecy but he won't believe me. You believe me, right?"

I nodded again, "Yes, I do."

She smiled, "Thanks! There is something I need to tell you though. A story passed down through my family." She gestured to the Triforce sewn into her dress. "It has been told that the sacred realm is a reflection of the one who obtains the Triforce. If a person of a pure heart touches the Triforce then the sacred realm will be a paradise, but if a person of an evil heart touches it, the sacred realm will become a place of darkness and monsters. This is why I think that we should get to the Triforce before Ganondorf does. If he gets to the Triforce, Hyrule will be shrouded in evil. Will you help me prevent Ganondorf from getting to the Triforce?"

'I was told by the Great Deku to bring this stone to Zelda's father, the king. But now that I've learned that he wouldn't believe of Ganondorf's evil intentions, I decided to take the matter into my own hands. But that means I'm going to be away from Saria and the forest longer then I planned.'

I asked, "Will it be a long quest?"

Zelda said, "It might be long, but it will be necessary. The fate of Hyrule rests in our hands now."

I remembered the Great Deku Trees last words. "Link, save Hyrule." I would not want to let him down.

I agreed, "Okay, I'll help you."

Zelda got excited and hugged me. I almost got knocked off of my feet again. "Oh, thank you, Link! I know that we are doing the right thing." She hugged me a lot. It must've been a princess thing.

"So, what will I have to do?" I asked.

Zelda let go of me to talk. She said, "Well you will need to take this and two other gems to the Temple of Time. The stones will open the door to the Triforce. The second stone will be in Goron City, and the Third stone will be in Zora's Domain. You will need some proof that you are on my orders though. There is a song that is special to the royal family that only we and the leaders of every tribe in Hyrule knows."

I pulled out the ocarina Saria gave me. "I can play it with this."

"Perfect." She pulled out a hand held harp and plucked the strings. What came out was the tune she called Zelda's Lullaby. I repeated the song back to Zelda to make sure I memorized it.

Zelda smiled and giggled, "Yes! That's it! Play it to the leaders of the Goron and Zora tribes and they should know that I sent you."

I put the ocarina back into my bag. "Thank you, Zelda. I will get the stones and take them to the Temple. You can count on me." I pointed a thump to chest. I started to walk away but I bumped into a woman. She stared down at me.

I was cautious of her at first but Zelda enthusiastically said, "Hi Impa!" to her. This was someone Zelda knew and trusted. Zelda said to me, "Link, this is my attendant, Impa. She watches over and protects me. She will lead you out of the castle."

I said, "Okay. Bye Zelda." I was about to walk away when Zelda tackled me from behind and I fell forward on my face. She laughed. I said, "You kind of have to get off for me to leave."

She giggled in my ear. "But I don't want you to leave."

I tried to push Zelda off, "I have to leave, for Hyrule, remember?" Zelda got off of me.

"Oh yeah," she said, "I guess that's important, but remember me by this." She kissed me gently on the cheek. My face turned bright red.

"Okay, I guess I'll fallow Impa out then." I walked away from Zelda and Impa led me out of the castle. Navi floated next to my head.

I whispered to her, "This might seem weird but I think Zelda likes me. I'll gt started on this mission right away."

Navi bumped into me. "What about Saria? She's waiting for you back in Kokiri Forest. Don't you think she'll want to know about your new plans?" Saria was my best friend and I told her everything. It would seem right to tell her of the new turn of events.

"You're right. Before I get any saving done, I should get back to the forest."

Chapter Four: Back to Kokiri Forest

I left Zelda around twilight, so I decided it would be best to stay in town for the night. I slept at an inn, which cost 5 rupees of the 50 rupees Zelda gave to me as a goodbye present. The next morning, I packed up my stuff and headed out of Hyrule market. As Navi and I passed the drawbridge, the guard that I gave my sword to before gave it back to me. I took it and placed it back in its sheath. When we got out into the open field, Navi directed me to where I have to go. She flashed to the left. Past a stream there was a set of stairs leading up to a village but the only way to get to those steps was to cross over a little bridge.

Navi said, "Over there is Kakariko Village. You'll have to go through there to get to Goron City, which lies on top of Death Mountain. Then, if you fallow that stream flowing past, it'll lead you to Zora's Domain."

I said, "Thanks, but first, let's go back to Kokiri Forest." I had to go talk to Saria and tell her of the new plan. I started to walk toward Kokiri Forest when I suddenly got a feeling like it was 20 miles away.

I said to Navi, "I can't believe people would travel on foot everywhere they go. Look at Hyrule! It's Huge!"

Navi took notice to the ranch in the middle of Hyrule Field. "I wonder if you could get a horse there?" she said.

I thought about how tired my foot would be in these uncomfortable boots. "That would be nice," I said.

I ran to the ranch and was immediately greeted with the sounds of chickens cooing and horses neighing. Inside the large fence that surrounded the ranch there was a smaller fence for the horses. A tall skinny man with a thin crooked mustache was working on moving hay from the field to his truck, a young girl with long red hair was singing with the horses, and a short portly fellow with a neat thick mustache was sleeping with the chickens. The skinny man was busy and the portly man was unconscious so I thought I should talk with the girl.

I walked up to her and she stopped singing to talk to me. "Hello there," she saw Navi floating by my head and decided to call me, "fairy boy." Fairy boy, it actually sounded nice.

"My name is Link," I said, "but you can call my fairy boy. What may I call you?"

She smiled and said, "My name is Malon but you may call me farm girl."

I pointed to the sleeping man, "So, that is your father, Talon?"

"Yep," she replied, "He's always napping on the job."

I pointed to the skinny man hauling hey. "So, who is he?"

She said, "That is Ingo. He works for my dad. But he doesn't like that my dad sleeps all day."

"Well farm girl," I said, "do you have any horses that I could ride? I'm on a journey and it takes too long to walk to where I need to be."

She looked around for a certain horse but couldn't find it. "There is this one horse. She is small so you should be able to ride her, but I can't find her."

She sang her song again and the small horse she was looking for galloped right to her. Malon put her hand on the horses head. "Her name is Epona," she said, "She is young but I have been riding her, I'm sure you'll be able to ride her as well."

I placed my hand on Epona's back and tried to get on her but as I jump up to climb on her back, she ran off and I fell on my face.

Malon looked confused. "That's weird," she said, "She's very friendly with me." Malon helped me to my feet and I brushed the grass off of my tunic.

Navi bumped into my head to get my attention. "Link, why don't you try singing Malon's song?" I whispered to Navi, "Are you kidding? I have a terrible singing voice. But I could play it on the ocarina." I took the potato shaped flute out of my bag and did my best to mimic Malon's song. Epona seemed to like the sound of the Ocarina as much as Malon's laugh. She galloped right to me and pushed her nose under my hand, wanting me to pet her.

Malon laughed and said, "Wow! She must really like that song."

I hesitantly placed my hand back onto Epona, but seeing that she did not run away gave me the confidence to climb on top of her.

Malon said, "When you're done, Epona will come right back here. But if you ever need her again, just play her song."

I asked, "Are you sure your dad doesn't mind me taking Epona out?"

Malon looked back at Talon sleeping with a chicken sitting on his head. She giggled at him. "Nah, he won't mind. He's an easy going person."

I wrapped my arms around Epona's neck, prepared to take off. "Thank you for letting me barrow her," I said. "Um, how do I ride her?"

Malon hit Epona's rear and she went galloping with me on her back. I had to hold on tighter to keep from sliding off.

I heard Malon call out, "Good luck, fairy boy!" I steered Epona out of the ranch and toward Kokiri Forest. This was much better than running all the way there.

I got to the entrance of Kokiri Forest and let Epona go back to her ranch. I contemplated Saria's reaction to me having to leave for a little while longer. She could be proud of me for being the one who gets to save Hyrule or she could be scared for me because of the trouble I could get into. She could be happy that I get to live out my ambitions and see the world or she could be sad that I can't stay at the forest with her for long. It turns out it was all four, and then some.

I passed over the bridge leading to Kokiri Forest. When I reached the village, everyone looked up and was excited that I had arrived, everyone except Mido, and Saria, who was massing from the group. She must've been in the dark forest waiting for me. Everyone minus Mido and Saria came up to me and hugged me.

They said, "We missed you, Link. Did you make it to the castle alright?"

I was overwhelmed with all the attention but finally asked, "Um, has anyone seen Saria?"

I heard a lone voice reply to my answer. "I have." It came from Mido, and it sounded resentful. Everyone fell silent to him. He said, "All she does is sit inside that dark forest and play her ocarina all day long, just for you." Mido had a negative air around him and I saw that he was aiming all of that negativity towards me.

I said, "It comforts her. Why do you have a problem with it?"

"It's not the ocarina I have a problem with," Mido said, "The problem I have, is with you."

I was shocked. I knew Mido didn't like me but now he hates me. I started to get angry. "What's your problem with me?"

He got up and walked toward me. "I'll tell you. First, you killed the Deku Tree," My heart twisted inside, "and then you got Saria obsessed with you. You're all she ever talks about. It's not good for her to be so fixed on one person, and especially not you."

I shot back, "You're just jealous because I'm Saria's best friend and you aren't."

"The point is," Mido got face to face with me, "I thought you were gone for good and that we could live as a peaceful forest."

I got tired of Mido's jealousy over me and I tried to walk Mido to get to the dark forest, but something stopped me. Mido had his hand on my chest and was pushing me back.

"Let me go Mido," I said.

"You're not going to see Saria now," he pushed me to the ground, "Not Ever!" I felt my hand grip the handle on my sword. I didn't know what I was doing. It was instinctive.

Navi whispered in my ear, "Link, don't you dare!"

I didn't hear what Navi said. Adrenaline was shooting through my body and it was about to be let out all on Mido.

He saw me go for my sword. "You think you can cut me? Go ahead, just like you killed the Great Deku."

The sword flew out of its sheath by my hand and headed right towards Mido. It was about to reach his stomach when I heard, "STOP!" I forced the sword to miss Mido and it dug into the ground.

I looked over to see a mad Saria running over to us. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of Saria, even when she's steaming mad. "Saria, it's so nice to see…" I was cut off.

"Not now!" she said. "Put your sword away!" I pulled the sword from the ground and placed it back in its sheath. Saria then yelled at Mido, "And you, stop tormenting Link! He has enough to worry about. You don't need to make it worse!"

"Okay, okay." Mido backed away from Saria. She is beautiful, but can be scary when she's mad.

Saria headed back to the dark forest and grabbed my shaking arm with her. I kept up with her the best I could but it was hard since she was walking so fast with anger. It didn't help that the adrenaline was making my legs shake and lock up. She dragged me all the way through the dark forest and all the way up to the temple.

When we reached the temple, Saria looked at me with her fire filled eyes and hit my shoulder. It left a bruise.

"Ow! What was that for?"

She replied, "That's for pulling your sword out on another person, even if it is Mido. You know you're better than that."

I tried to fight for my side of the situation, "Mido started it. I was just on my way to the forest to see you when he…"

All of a sudden, warmth fell over me. Saria had me in her arms. When I realized that she had been hugging me, I laid my arms over Saria's back and hugged her. When she let go I saw that the fire from her eyes had disappeared to be replaced by the green pools that made her look so stunning.

I asked, "What was that for?"

She smiled and said, "You came back for me. You do care." The rush went away. Saria always had a way of calming me down. I knew that I could always trust Saria even in the darkest of situations.

Saria and I sat together on the tree stump. I was telling her my side of the fight. "When he brought up the Great Deku Tree, I couldn't help myself. It was like my hand was fighting for me when I didn't want to."

Saria placed a soothing hand on my back. "It's not your fault," She said, "Mido had it coming to him. But you should be more careful about that sword, if you want to keep it. But since you don't need it anymore, maybe we should stick it back in its stone."

I was reminded of the task I was set to do by Zelda and the reason I wanted to find Saria in the first place. I told Saria everything I've been through since I left the forest.

"Zelda wants you to find the other two stones for her?" Saria asked. I nodded. She made the conclusion in her head but still asked, "So you're going to have to leave again?" I nodded slower this time.

I saw Saria's eyes start to shine from minute but noticeable tears. I didn't like to see her cry, so I stared down at my boots. Then she saw the bright of it, "But it's for the fate of Hyrule."

"Right," I said back.

She remembered my desire to know what was outside of the forest, and said, "You'll finally get to live out your ambition of getting to see the world." She smiled, thinking of me laying in some grassy meadow looking up at the stars and trying to make constellations out of them, like what she does when she can't fall asleep.

I said, "You really do know me and what I want."

Saria smiled and said, "Of course. It's a best friend's job to know what the other wants out of life."

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "And we'll always be best friends."

Saria worked her arm around mine to get to my shoulder. She said back, "That's right. Friends forever." She picked up her ocarina. "I want you to learn this song. It's a special song that speaks through the forest. If you play it while I am in the forest, you can talk to me."

I set up my ocarina also and played the song Saria was playing to me.

When we were done playing together, Saria said, "Play this every once in a while. It'll let me know that you are alright."

I smiled to her and said, "I will, every chance I can."

Chapter Five: The Gorons of Death Mountain

I rode Epona back across Hyrule Field. It was a lot quicker than walking everywhere, plus it would help me do my job faster. I needed to go to Dearth Mountain next, but to get there, I needed to pass through Kakariko Village.

Kakariko Village was huge compared to my little village in the forest. The buildings were made out of wood and brick. Some of the buildings didn't even have brick around them yet. Carpenters carried long boards and slabs of cement to an area where a new building was being set up. The tallest building in this village was the windmill. Because the wind was calm, the windmill didn't turn as quickly, but I could imagine it would be really spinning in a storm.

I walked inside to find a man playing a wind up music box. I thought the song that was coming from the music box sounded cool and I wanted to learn it. I played the song on Saria's ocarina. All of a sudden it started to storm outside and the windmill's gears spun rapidly inside the building. The man forced me out after that, called me a troublemaker as he did so. I walked outside and as soon as the storm came, it left. It did leave some water filled inside the well that was in front of the mill. Someone explained to me that the water was not for drinking. I was placed there to keep something from escaping the well. At the time, I didn't want to know what that was.

There was also a distressed lady rambling about her cucoos. She said that her father's cucoos had escaped from their fenced area and were now roaming the village. She would catch them herself but she is allergic to the cucoos and can't touch them. I helped her get all of the cucoos back into the fence and she gave be a bottle for it. I already had a bottle but another one wouldn't hurt.

From the lady's cucoo fence I could see an area that led to the graveyard. I didn't want to go back there. It had an eerie feeling to it. I found a shop that sold potions. When I opened the door the aroma of all the potions hit my nose and almost knocked me off my feet. I didn't need any potions anyway. Finally, I reached the gate that connected Kakariko Village to Death Mountain.

The guard that operated the gate prevented me from progressing any further. "You can't get up to Death Mountain right now. The volcano is active."

"I shouldn't be long," I said, "I just need to meet with the Gorons who live in Death Mountain. I've been sent by princess Zelda."

He looked at me suspiciously. "Princess Zelda sent you? How can you prove it?"

I pulled out Saria's ocarina and played Zelda's Song for the guard.

"Hum. Only members of the Royal Family know that song," he said, "You must have been in contact with the princess. I'll let you go past." He unlocked the gate and it opened with a squeak. I said my thanks and was about to go to Death Mountain but I stopped to listen to what the guard had to saw. "Be careful. It's a bit of a climb to get up there." I took his word of advice and advanced on to Death Mountain.

The volcano of Death Mountain always had a ring of smoke circling around the summit. Navi told me that the ring was made up of smoke that spills out of volcanoes entrance and it reflects the quality of the volcano. If the volcano was dormant, the ring was a calm grey, but if the volcano was active, then the ring turns into a troubled red. The rings color was between red and grey which led the guard to believe that the volcano would become active soon. I figured I would have had enough time to get to Goron City and back before then. It was a steady walk at first but as the mountain got steeper, the steps got harder and harder.

Finally it got to the point where I had to crawl my way up. Then it turned into a vertical wall. I looked up before making my first climb. The height of the mountain shook me at first but I built up my courage and I grabbed onto a rock and pulled myself up. Then I placed my foot on another rock. Then my other hand and leg got onto the rocky wall. I got into the rhythm of pushing myself up with my feet and grabbing higher rocks with my hands.

Navi cheered me on. "Good job Link. Keep it up. You're almost there." My arms and legs started to burn and I felt like I needed to rest a little. I looked around for anyplace to set down and relax for a minute. My eyes locked onto a ledge in the rocky wall that I could stand on. I focused my energy into getting myself onto that ledge.

Once I got there I was able to let go of wall and relax my muscles. I panted heavily but in the sound of my breathing I also heard another sound; the sound of a Skulltula, a spider like creature that hangs on walls, climbing through the rocky surface of the mountain.

"W-what is that?" I asked.

Navi answered, "It's a Skulltula. Be careful. If it gets agitated, it will charge after you."

I said, "I'll take care of it before it becomes a threat." I pulled out my slingshot and loaded a pebble into it and pulled it back. I aimed and shot it at the Skulltula, but it missed. It hissed loudly and started speeding toward me. 'Sword!' I shouted in my head. I reached behind me, grabbed the handle, and pulled the blade out from its sheath. It came down on the Skulltula and sliced it in half. It faded away into black smoke.

Bullets of sweat poured from my forehead. "That was a close one," I said.

I reached the top of the rocky wall and looked around for any Gorons that could be up here but I didn't see any life. All I saw were brown boulders that didn't match the rest of the reddish mountain.

"I'm going to rest on one of these boulders and drink the water I brought." I told Navi.

She tried to hold back a laugh and said, "Okay. You try and do that."

I sat down on the boulder, nothing happened to me. "You see Navi? It's perfectly fine!" Just as I said that, I was flown off of the boulder. It got up, and walked! It had legs, and arms, and a head! He must be a Goron I was looking for.

It was talking in a weird language. It kept saying, "Goro, Goro Goro."

I said, "What?"

It looked at me and studied my green clothes. "Goro Goro?"

I said nervously, not knowing what he was saying, "Um, I'm Link. I come from Kokiri Forest."

It stopped and said, "Kokiri?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Yes, Kokiri!"

He patted me on the back and laughed. "What brings Kokiri boy up Death Mountain?"

I told him, "I'm on a business from the Princess of Hyrule. Do you have a leader, or a master Goron?"

He rubbed his rocky chin. "We have king. King Darunia. Come, I take you."

I did as the Goron said and fallowed him. He led me into Goron City, which was quite big. The city was built with a base and levels spiraling up from the base. We entered from top of the spiral. The Goron rolled down the spiral but I had to carefully walk down. The King resided in at the base. The Goron led me to the King's door and he opened it by gripping the bottom and pushing the door up. It stayed open when the door reached the top of the doorway.

I walked inside and saw the King Goron, Darunia. He was bigger, more muscular, and older than the rest of Gorons I have seen today. He paced back and forth in his office, obviously deep in thought about something. I waited to see if he noticed me but after a couple of laps, he still hadn't stopped his pacing.

I cleared my throat and declared, "I am Link, messenger for Princess Zelda and I have come in search for a ruby."

The King laughed drily, still deep in thought. "Well you don't have to look far. There are plenty of rupees in Goron City."

I was confused at first but said again, more clearly, "No, a Ruby."

The King stopped and frowned. He said, "Hmm, well that makes two of us." He restarted his pacing but still talked to me. "See, there is a rupee mine near here, this is where we get all of our rupees from."

I exclaimed, "A rupee Mine! You guys must be rich!"

The king laughed again. "Ha ha. No, son. We don't spend them. We eat them!"

'Eating rupees?' I thought with disgust. But I guess rock people must eat something.

He continued, "Recently, the evil Ganondorf had demanded control of the Mine, but I would not let him take all of our tasty snacks, so I refused. He just smiled and walked away. The next thing I knew, there was a huge monster in the Mine eating a boiling all of the rupees with his fire! Ganondorf placed him in there. Not only is he eating our rupees but he also ate the Ruby. That

Ruby is a special gem to the Gorons and was kept safe with me until the Monster knocked it off of me and gobbled it up."

"You look like a strong Goron. Couldn't you beat it out of him?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. These hands can crush through many objects, but the monster's armor is harder than diamonds. Not even our special crop, the bomb, can penetrate the shell."

I tried to picture this creature in my head. He was big, had armor like diamonds, no, stronger than diamonds that not even bombs could break, and he could breath fire. Maybe I've bitten off more than I can chew on this one. But I needed that Ruby.

I said, "I could get that ruby back for you. I'm small and can dodge his fire. I bet I will find a weakness on him somewhere. Maybe his belly is weak?"

The King Darunia rubbed his chin in thought. "That… just might work."

Darunia led me to the rupee mine just outside the entrance to Goron City. He pointed his rocky finger into it. "He is in there. He is called Dodongo. You have to watch out in there. It's dark in there.

I nodded, "I'll keep that in mind." My first step into the mine was slow, but progressively got faster as my confidence and determination grew. Navi's light showed a little bit of the mine, but not enough to really make out anything. Her light bounced off some rupee's and made them sparkle. It caught my eye.

"It probably wouldn't hurt to take a couple of rupees." I reached down to grab one.

"Link!" Navi yelled at me. "Are you stealing rupees?"

I tried to defend myself. "Don't think of it as stealing. Think of it as, sampling."

Navi flew nervously, the light flickering off of the rocks. "I don't like this," she said.

I bent down to grab a blue rupee. It didn't give. I tightened my grip and tugged on it harder. It wiggled a little. It was almost free. I pulled as hard as I could this time, like yanking out a loose tooth. Finally the rupee broke free of its hold on the ground. As the rock gave way, so did the ground. The ground I stood on crumbled under my feet and I fell along with it to a chamber under the mine. It was incredibly hot, I was sweating bullets. There was a pool of lava in the middle of the chamber and flower bombs at every corner.

"Something doesn't feel right about this place," I said.

Just as I said that, the giant lizard, Dodongo, leapt from the lava onto shore. The lava flowed off of it like water. It roared and slowly walked toward me.

"Man that thing is slow!"

It breathed in hot air. When it breathed out, it breathed out fire. The fire gets five feet from my face and singed my eyebrows.

"Woah. It has reach though."

It inched closer to me to get its fire to reach me. I moved back to the wall, careful not to step on the flower bombs. It let its fire go and I jumped out of the way. The fire hit the bomb and it exploded, blowing up the rocky wall around it. I looked at it and looked for any cracks or weak points in Dodongo's armor. I didn't see anything on his back or chest or even his legs for a soft spot to hit. The only thing left was…

It curled up into a ball and rolled towards me. Its ball form was much faster than its crawling position. I again moved out of the way with ease due to its lack of aim. It hit the wall and stumbled back into crawling form. It took its stance once more and breathed in. As he was breathing in, I picked up a bomb and threw it into its mouth. It ate the bomb and it blew up inside of him. It burped up a cloud of smoke and rolled into the ball. As it died, it turned into stone. In his rolled up state, I saw that the Ruby was lodged in his armor. I picked it out. Soon after, the remains of Dodongo blew away in a cloud of dust, just like Gohma had.

"I'm so glad to have the Goron's precious jewel back," Darunia said, holding the ruby proudly in his hand. He continued, "But someone needs it a lot more than we do at the moment. Here."

He handed the stone to me. His huge, rocky hands cupped over my small hands and the stone dropped into them. It sparkled in the sunlight. It was a beautiful ruby.

"I award you the Goron's Ruby for your braveness against the darkness of the beast and for your dedication to the Gorons. With this I now pronounce you a member of the Goron tribe. Thank you, brother." He placed his hand on my shoulder, making me lean a little.

I said, "Thank you for letting me be part of your tribe. It is such a great honor. And you have helped tremendously in the fight against evil. The Princess greatly appreciates your contribution." I bowed to him, but Darunia grabbed me and gave me a bone crushing Goron Hug. I was dizzy after he let me go. I got the Kokiri Emerald and the Goron's Ruby. Now all that's left is the Zora's Sapphire.

Chapter Six: Zora's Domain

It felt good to get the Goron's Ruby. I was two thirds of the way done with my mission given to me by the princess. Not only did I want to do this for her but for the sake of Hyrule. As I explored its vast lands I discovered how beautiful the fields and villages were. It made me realize how much more life there is outside of my small forest. Yet, Kokiri Forest was still my home. I had friends, a house, and a best friend waiting for me.

I did as I promised to Saria and contacted her via ocarina every now and then to tell her of my journey. She was proud of the things I had accomplished, scared for the dangers I had faced, and worried about the problems that may occur ahead. But most importantly she was happy that I got to live out my ambitions and see the world. She told about things that have happened in the forest. She told me that she felt a darkness start to creep into Kokiri Forest.

She says that her playing the ocarina keeps them out. "The Great Deku Tree always told me that I would keep this forest safe. Maybe this is what I was meant to do. Protect the forest."

As Navi directed me before, Zora's Domain was up the river that I had to pass to get to Kakariko Village. I fallowed the stream all the way up. I enjoyed the sound of the water flowing by. After a while I stopped running and started to walk. Accompanying the sound of the river was an ensemble of birds singing a sweet melody just for me. The only thing that could possibly break me from my relaxing thoughts would be Navi reminding me to keep on track, which she did. Annoyed, I rushed on forward. I kept walking until I hit a dead end. A waterfall blocked me from proceeding any further.

"Well," I said, "It looks like this is it. Why don't we just sit down for a while? Watch the scenery, listen to the birds."

Navi flashed at me. "No, you're not getting off that easy. Why don't you climb up the face of the wall? It could be on the other side."

I sighed. "I just can't get a break with you, can I?" I got up and faced the wet surface of the rocky wall. I gripped a rock as tight as I could with my right hand when I pulled myself up, it slipped and cut my palm. I yelled out and covered it with my left hand. "Yeah, Navi. This was a great idea!"

While I was hunched over, I noticed a stone with an engraving on it. It read, "Only Zora's and members of the Royal Family may enter." It was here. Was it behind the water fall? I looked behind it only to find more of the rocky wall.

"Maybe it's hidden." Navi suggested. "The entrance would only appear to Zora's That meant I'd have to prove myself. Once more time, I pulled out Saria's Ocarina and I played Zelda's Song on it. After the song was done, a slate of rock slide out of the wall in the middle and blocked off the water fall. At my level, rock disappeared into the ground to reveal a doorway. "This must be it." I stepped inside. Once I was a couple of steps in, the waterfall closed in behind me like a curtain. As I walked further on, I felt goose bumps on my arms. It was getting colder with each step.

After a minute of walking, I noticed a weird light off of the cave walls. The light was dancing and waving on the glossy surface of the rocks. I wondered why the light was doing this, but I found out the reason for this light show. In the middle of this cave is a giant pool filled with crystal blue water. There were stalactites hanging from the ceiling and stalagmites growing from the ground. Some of them met in the middle to make a pillar. On the bigger pillars, there were spiral steps leading to rooms in upper and lower levels of the cave. I let loose a soft, "wow." Inside of the pool swam fishlike creatures. I saw one come out of the water and it had arms and legs much like a person. These must be the Zoras. That meant I was in Zora's Domain. I had to find the leader and tell him about my mission.

"I would love to aid the royal family but unfortunately I am not in possession of the sapphire at this time." The king Zora said. I was in his chamber two levels above the main pool room. The water flows from the river behind where he sat, through his chamber, down a corridor and falls into the pool below.

I asked, "If you don't have the Sapphire, where is it?"

The king replied, "I have entrusted it with my daughter, Princess Ruto. It is a tradition in our family that the prince or princess will present the jewel to his or her mate as a representation of their engagement."

I asked him where the princess is. He said, "The last time I saw her, she was back there," He gestured to the area behind him, "tending to our guardian whale, Lord Jabu-Jabu. Last thing I knew, she was feeding him. But, all of a sudden, she just disappeared. She hasn't returned and she can't possible have left without me knowing it. I have many Zora's looking for her right now but no one has found her yet."

I offered, "Maybe I could help look for her."

He waved me off. "Don't worry yourself. The situation is being taken care off. Stay awhile. Swim in our pool. Enjoy yourself. I will call you when I get the Sapphire and my daughter back."

I left the king's chamber disappointed. Even if I couldn't get the sapphire I should at least be allowed to help look for the princess. Anyhow, I walked down the corridor where the waterfall lets out. A Zora was standing at the edge of the water fall holding a staff.

He said to me, "Hey there. You look like you like to fun. Want to play a game?"

I didn't really feel like playing anything but curious, I asked, "Sure. What game?"

He said. "It's a diving game. First I'm going to need some rupees. Any amount will do."

I reached into my bag and pulled out four green rupees. I handed them to the Zora. "Will this do?"

"Yes, this will do fine," He threw the rupees over the water fall. I watched as the tumbled though the air and splashed into the water below. They sunk to the bottom of the pool. "I'm timing you," the Zora said. "Get all of the rupees back before the time is up and I will give you something cool."

I didn't have a choice now. I needed my rupees back. Plus, I was curious to what this guy had for me. So, I took a couple of steps back and charged to the edge of the hall. When I got to the edge, I leapt off and dove to the water below. For a few seconds, I was floating in mid air. All of that changed when I hit the cold water. The chill cut through to my core but I quickly adjusted to the temperature and swam to get the rupees. I got one and two of the rupees. For the third one, I had to kick harder to get further down. I wanted to get to the fourth one but I ran out of air and had to return to the surface. After collecting a lungful of air, I swam back down to the bottom of the pool. While grabbed onto the fourth rupee, I saw a glass bottle half buried in the sand. It looked like there was a note in it. I tried to grab it but it was too deep for me to get with only so much air.

With all of my rupees back, I went to the Zora who throw them for me. "Congratulations!" he said, "You got them all just in time."

"So what's the prize?" I asked.

He pried two blue scales off of his arm and gave them to me. Those spaces were immediately replaced by two new ones. "Here, take these."

I took them. "Okay? Great. What do I do with these?"

"They let you breathe underwater. You put them inside of your cheeks and when you breathe in, they will separate the oxygen from the water."

I put them inside of my mouth, pushing them to the wall of my cheeks. In a muffled voice, like I was talking with a mouth full of food, I asked, "Like this?"

He smiled, "There you go. Try it out." He pushed me off the edge causing me to once again plummet into the cold water.

My first couple of attempts to breath under water was unsuccessful. I tried to breathe in but instinct kicked in and prevented me from doing it. After a while, I closed my eyes and pictured being back in the forest. I imagined the scent of the trees and the sound of birds chirping. And, I imagined Saria. She waved to me. I had to say hi to her.

"Hi Saria," I said. Then I realized that I had just breathed underwater. I couldn't believe it worked. I took a couple more excited breaths and swam around the open water. But then the bottle poking out of the sandy ground reentered my memory, and I swam for it.

Up on dry land, I opened the bottle and emptied the contents; a rolled up parchment.

"Help, I am trapped inside Lord Jabu-Jabu. I can't explain now. Come save me!

P.S.

Bring Fish,

Ruto

Before showing the note to King Zora, I caught a fish in the bottle. "What?! Lord Jabu-Jabu ate my daughter?!" The king couldn't believe what he heard. "I cannot believe this! Lord Jabu-Jabu is a gentle creature. He wouldn't eat anyone." It had to be the only reasonable explanation. Ruto was out there with Jabu-Jabu and the next thing we know, she's gone. She didn't leave, so she must've gotten eaten. I offered, "Your Majesty, maybe I could go inside Lord Jabu-Jabu and get your daughter back for you. I am small. If Princess Ruto could do it, I could to." Once again my small size comes to my advantage. The king thought about his options and decided that I was his best and most eager option to do the job. "Alright then," he said, "You will go after my daughter and bring her back to me." He scooted to his right out of the way of the passage. This was a little uncomfortable since every time he scooted, he made a squeaking noise. One the passage was clear, I ran forward to the outside.

This area was on the side of the mountain. This leveled land contained a vast lake of shimmering water much like the pool inside the cave. It was a bit chilly and I had to hug my chest to get warm. I looked around the surface of the lake. I didn't see a sign of the wale so I stepped closer and looked down into it. There was a giant wale at least 50 feet deep into the water. I waved my arms to get his attention but I don't think he was going to see me from up here. I readied the scales into my cheeks and I dove into the water. I got deep enough that I was face to face with the wale. I thought he looked big from 50 feet above. He looked even bigger up close. I remembered the fish that Ruto told me to bring. I guessed that I had to bring an offering for him to accept me. I uncorked the bottle and let the fish swim. The great wail seemed interested in the fish and started to chase after it. The wale opened up his giant mouth for the fish. It swam right in. After a moment, I noticed that the wale started to go after me as well. I tried to swim away but got stuck in the force of him sucking me in.

Inside the mouth of the Great wale, I had plenty of air to breathe and space to move around. Navi's natural light lit up the cavern. As I looked around, I saw a small figure that looked almost Kokiri like. I thought that might be Ruto, seeing as she was the only person around. As I got closer, I could see her features more clearly. She was as short as I was and she wore a light blue dress that matched her skin tone. I called out to her, "Princess Ruto!" She turned around, shocked to see someone else in here with her. In an angry tone, she snapped at me, "What are you doing in here?" I knew then that she didn't want to be messed around with. "I'm here to rescue you of course." She gave a sarcastic laugh and folded her arms. "Ha! I don't rescuing. I can handle this creature on my own." I was confused now. What creature was she handling? Was the wale causing trouble? I asked, "Why do you have to "handle" Lord Jabu-Jabu? Isn't he a gentle creature?" Now it was Ruto's turn to be confused. "It's not the wale that's the problem. It's the parasite that is living off of him that I am dealing with." She started to get defensive about something. I think something else was on her mind. "I know what I'm doing. I'm not a helpless little girl!" That last comment was almost a scream. Taken aback, I tried to assure her that I wasn't there to demean her. "I don't think you're a helpless little girl. I just found the note that you wrote asking to be rescued." I showed the rolled up piece of parchment to her. After looking it over, she turned back to me. "I- I didn't write this."

For the first time, Ruto started to look scared. She continued, "I wouldn't ask for help anyway. I'm here hiding. I'm supposed to be married to this jerk tomorrow but I don't want to. I'm too young and not ready for a marriage. My dad says that my duty as a princess is to marry a prince, but I don't like him. He treats me like I'm a helpless little girl that can't do anything for myself. I'm strong and tough. So I'm here to prove it. I'll show my dad that I killed the parasite that is killing our guardian all by myself!" I tried to calm her down. "Okay," I placed my hand on her shoulder to reassure her, "I trust that you can handle this thing. While I'm here, I can help look for it for you." She seemed like for a moment like she enjoyed my company, but soon, she shrugged off my hand and walked off. "I guess you can stick around," she said, "But that monster is all mine." I walk along with her on her search to find the parasite.

After a bit of walking, we hear an electric sound off to the side. Ruto stops dead in her tracks and smiles an evil smile. "I found you," She said. She held a triangle shaped object in her hand like a sword ready to strike. I watch her carefully. Suddenly, she throws it hard and it hits something in the direction of the noise we heard. The object comes right back to her and she catches it. The creature she was looking for springs to life. Its body is covered in an electrical force field that lights up the entire room. The membrane of the creature was surrounded by eleven large jelly fish (twelve before Ruto destroyed one) acting as a barrier between it and anything harmful. In an act of vengeance, the creature shoots a bolt of lightning out of one of its three antennas aimed at Ruto. She dodged the first attack but failed to escape the second one. It hit Ruto in the shoulder and knocked her out.

I cried out, "Ruto!" I rush over to her. I place my head to her chest to hear any sign of a heartbeat. After a moment I heard a slight thump, then another thump. She was going to be fine. I let her down to rest. I grip my sword so hard in my fist that my knuckles turned white. I charge after the creature with my sword drawn. "You'll pay for that!" Navi yelled out, "Wait Link. Don't!" But it was too late. I jumped up and brought my sword down on one of the jellyfish. It cut through, but it also sent a sharp painful electric shock through my body. My muscles immediately tensed up with pain. "Ahh!" I cried out. The electricity finally flew out of my body and I stood up painfully. My left arm was completely numb.

Navi chimed in my ear, "I told you to wait! You cannot attack them head on. Your sword attracts the electricity. You have to use something that will attack it from a distance." Through the throbbing pain in my arm, I managed recall the object Ruto used to attack it. Once she threw it, it came back to her. I rushed over to Ruto, who was still passed out, and took the wooden boomerang from her loosely clenched hand. I had to use my right arm to through it. I wanted to aim for all but it only managed to get one. Just as it did for Ruto, It flew right back into my hand.

Four of the jelly fish formed a ring around the creature and spun around, making it hard to aim just one. Navi chimed in my ear, "If you aim closely, you can get all four at once." I nodded in understanding and waited for the right moment to throw it. I saw an opportunity and chucked it. Just I planned; it sliced through one, two, three, the entire ring of jellyfish. The creature, shot out another bolt of lightning at me, I was ready and deflected it with my shield. The rest of the six jelly fish form another protective ring around it. The boomerang came back around and I caught it. Once again I aimed it and it sliced through the rest of the Jelly fish leaving behind the bare core, creature.

As its last resort for protection, it covered its body in an electrical shield. I still could not get to it with my sword. "You have to stun it first," Navi pointed out. "Then you can wound it." I took her advice and threw the boomerang once more. Just as thought, the creature was stunned and the force field was gone. Now that I had an opportunity, I grabbed the sword in my right hand and stabbed the creature in its core. At once, it started to blister and boil growing more than half its size until it finally popped. From the explosion came flying a shiny blue stone. I leapt up into the air to catch it. It fell right into my hands. 'Yes!' I thought, 'Now I have the sapphire. I mean, Ruto has her sapphire back… Oh Ruto!' I just remembered Ruto lying unconscious on the floor.

I rushed over to her and sat her up on my good arm. Her eyes were still closed but she was breathing fine. "Ruto," I said, "Wake up. It's over. I got the stone back for you." She opened her eyes slowly looking at me and then hunched over still in pain. "Ohh," she groaned. "I got hit hard, didn't I?" I still supported her on my arm. "Yeah," I said, "That creature shocked you." As she was bent over, she saw my other reddened arm and gasped. "Ah, Link. You're hurt too!" I acted like it wasn't anything to worry about. "What, that? Na, it's nothing." It was not nothing. It hurt like hell. But at the time, I was more worried about Ruto than with my arm. Ruto relaxed back onto my arm and softly spoke. "We have to get back to the water." I looked around for any place to get out. The wale's mouth was completely shut and that was the only way I could think of to getting out of here.

Ruto closed her eyes and concentrated hard. I could sense that she was communicating with Lord Jabu-Jabu. Apparently he had listened because a minute later, the wale opened his mouth and let us out onto the shore. I stayed lying on my back and enjoyed the warm sunlight. Ruto, however, had something else on mind. "Link," she called out in a small voice. "Can you carry me into the water? I'm too weak to stand up." She held her hands out like a baby wanting to be held by her mother. I agreed and got in front of Ruto, letting her climb up onto my back. I stood up and led her into the water. I got in to the water until it reached my chin.

Ruto let go of my shoulders and fell gracefully into the water. She stood up right next to me and closed her eyes once more. In a moment, the water around her body started to glow bright blue. I looked down at my left arm and it too glowed blue. I could feel it feeling better and better over time. After a minute, my arm felt perfect again and Ruto stopped. She looked up at me and smiled. "See? We're all better now." She stretched for a little bit. In this time, I asked her, "How can you do that?" She simply said, "It's a gift only the princess of the Zoras can have." She bent over to touch her toes. I flexed my own arm, stretching it out. It felt great to move it again.

When Ruto came back up, I showed her the shining blue sapphire I had rescued. "Here, Ruto. I got your sapphire back." I held it out to show her. She shook her head and pushed it back to me. "No," she said, "You keep it. It's the least I can do. You saved me. So as thanks I am entrusting you with the Zora's most precious relic. Plus," she added, "Since I'm giving this to you, I don't have to be engaged to that creep anymore." She smiled at me. It felt good to have the last key to unlocking the Door of Time in my hands. I wasn't sure what it meant to be engaged though. How bad could it be? "Thank you, Ruto. I will take really good care of it." She pecked me on the cheek, much like how Zelda did, and swam out into the middle of the lake. I got up on shore to let my clothes dry out as I waited for Ruto to come back out.

"I appreciate you taking the time to see me today, your highness."

"I always have time for anyone who lives in this great province of Hyrule. How are the Gerudos, Ganondorf?"

The king of Hyrule and the leader of the Gerudo tribe walked through the great hall in the castle that led to the throne. Ganondorf rested his arm around the king's shoulder like they were best buddies.

"They are doing just fine," he said to the king. "How are things as the King of all of Hyrule?"

The king heaved a sigh and confessed, "It's been stressful. The Great Deku Tree of Kikori forest passed recently," Ganondorf expressed his sorrow, "And the great lakes of the Zoras are starting to freeze. They can't live in a frozen lake. Oh, what am I going to do? I can't fix everything." They had finally reached the throne and the king sat at it, supporting his tired head with his fist.

"Well," Ganondorf said while leaning in close to him, "You won't have to worry any longer." The king grunted and fell forward onto the floor. He laid there with a knife in his stomach and a stream of blood flowing down the hall. "Long live the king."

Chapter Seven: The Temple of Time

With all three of the sacred stones in my possession, I raced back to Hyrule Castle to see Zelda. I was so excited I didn't need to call for Epona. My feet were on autopilot and didn't quit until they were where they wanted to be, but when they reached the drawbridge, they suddenly stopped.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed. Hyrule Castle was on fire. Fear shot into my eyes. I saw fire explode from a room in the tower of the castle. "Zelda!"

My feet picked up again to race toward the castle. As I reached the draw bridge, I heard a grunt. It came from the soldier that operated the drawbridge, the same soldier that took my sword on my first visit to Hyrule Castle. I was wounded on the ground. I walked over to him. He seemed like he had something to say.

He moved closer to me and breathed out, "The castle has fallen," he groaned, "The king is d… d…" I knew what he had to say but I didn't want to believe it.

"Dead," I finished for him.

The soldier continued, "Ganondorf." Of course Ganondorf did this. My hatred for him grew stronger.

I asked, "Do you know anything about the Princess Zelda?"

He groaned again, "I haven't seen her."

I rested his head down. "Thank you, sir."

Black clouds roamed over the castle and it brought rain and thunder with them. Along with the sounds of rain splashing in the moat and thunder booming against the sky, my ears picked up the sound of hooves trotting on stone. A white horse was escaped from the castle and trotted through the town. It reached the drawbridge. Impa was the rider. She had something in her arms. As I looked closer, I could see the blond hair and pink dress of the girl. It was Zelda. Our eyes met.

"Link!" she cried out. She threw something in my direction. It landed in the moat with a splash. I watched Zelda leave until I couldn't see her anymore. Another set of hooves came my way. I turned around to see a black horse with Ganondorf on its back riding toward me. Something about this seemed very familiar to me. It should, I have dreamt about this moment many times. Only this time, it's real. Ganondorf stopped his horse at the drawbridge. "Damn!" He exclaimed, "I lost them." He looked at me. His devilish eyes sent shivers up my spine, but I was strong enough now to tolerate it. He spoke to me, "Boy, you must have seen the Princess go through here, correct?" I shook a little but regained my confidence and I said, "No, I have not." He smiled and turned his head toward Lon Lon Ranch. "It's bad to lie to the new ruler of Hyrule." I unsheathed my sword and gripped it firmly in my hand. I growled, "You don't deserve that title! You greedily stole it from its rightful owner the King of Hyrule!"He laughed. "You've got guts kid. If you were older I would take you under my wing and train you as my personal knight. But seeing as you are just a boy, you are useless to me." Useless?! I'll show him! I leaped into the air and readied my sword for my attack. Before I could bring it down on his head, I was blasted with a dark force. I hit the ground hard and the sword flew out of my hand. I looked up. Ganondorf had his hand out. "Black magic is such an evil force," He said, smiling as he said evil. "It would be best not to be on the wrong side of it."

I stayed down, defeated and watched the man I could not match up to ride out to the horizon in search from Zelda. I could I let this happen? If only I was stronger, bigger, I could have beaten him now and get it over with. But I am only a Kokiri, who never grows old. I will always be this young, powerless boy. I winced at the word boy. It was such an insult to me. After all the tasks I have done and things I have been through. I am more than just a boy. Navi broke my train of thought. "Don't you want to get that thing Zelda threw?" I remember the object landing in the mote. I jumped into the water, didn't even take my boots off. I reached my hand out and grabbed the object. It was an ocarina. It looked different than Saria's ocarina. This one was blue and it had a Triforce symbol at the mouth piece. When I got to the surface, I dusted the mud off with my tunic and dumped out as much water as I could. I tested it to see if it still sounded good. I tried to play Zelda's Song. The first few notes were drowned by the gargling sound of water passing through. Once the water was all blown out, I played Zelda's song one time through. When I got done I felt really dizzy. The field was fading away and then the sky went blank. Everything around started to turn white.

The next thing I knew, I was completely surrounded by white. Nothing was above me, nor was it below me. I moved my feet like I was going to step forward. I didn't feel anything to step on but when I pushed down, I didn't fall. I was suspended in space, floating in mid air, if there was any air, but I didn't understand how or more importantly, why. All of my questions disappeared when I saw Zelda appear in front of me. She held in her hands the same Ocarina she had thrown into the mote. "Zelda," I said, "I'm so glad to see you." I ran up to hug her but when I reached out to grab her she turned into a white smoke and I passed right through her. The vapor from my hands returned to form Zelda's image. "Are we dead?" I asked. She replied, "No were not dead. This is a telepathic connection between our thoughts. All though you can see me, you can't touch me." I was disappointed that I couldn't even hug Zelda. It filled my heart though to know that she was still okay. I wanted to ask where she was hiding but decided not to ask. If I went looking for her, Ganondorf could fallow me. I don't want to risk her safety. I asked, "Why am I here? Is there something you need to tell me?" The three jewels I have gathered appeared above her head. She said, "I sent you to find these stones and bring them to me so that I could open up the Temple of Time and prevent Ganondorf from getting to the Triforce that hides within it. If all three stones are present and one plays the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time, the Door of Time inside the Temple of Time will be opened. It is not clear what is on the other side of the door, but whatever it is will help us fight Ganondorf. I cannot complete this task. I am asking you to continue where I left off. Will you do this for me?" I understood what I had to do. For Hyrule, for the Triforce, and for Zelda, I accepted. Zelda said, "Thank you, Link. You are so brave. There is one more thing you need. You have to learn the Song of Time in order to enter the Door of Time." She put the ocarina up to her mouth and played the Song of Time. I played it back to her on my Ocarina. Before Zelda left, she placed her hand on my cheek. All I could feel was vapor, but it still felt good. She said, "Have courage. I will see you again." Then she faded away. I tried to hold on. "No, wait, Zelda!"

The white started to fade away and I could see the sky again. The feeling in my body came back slower. First I could only feel my fingers and toes. Then my arms and legs came back. When I could feel my stomach, I pushed myself up. Navi bumped into my head. "Link, I'm your okay. What happened?" I told her, "I saw Zelda. She said I had to go to the Temple of Time." The Temple of Time was inside of Hyrule Castle Town. I had to pass through the market to get to it. It was completely empty. Doors were locked and windows were boarded up. The fountain no longer spewed water and fruit stands were crushed. I had to kick a watermelon out of the way. "This is horrible." I felt a tear come to my eyes. "If only I was stronger. I could have prevented this." Navi sat on my shoulder, "You can't do anything about it now. What is done is done. Come on. We need to get to the Temple." I nodded. "You're right."

The Temple of Time was a big marble white building. It looked like the same marble that the steps in the Dark Forest were made out of. I wondered if they were created by the same person. The big wooden doors opened up with a creek. The outside showed signs of ageing but the inside looked like the building was built yesterday. As I walked inside, my footsteps echoed through the great hall. At the end of the hall was a table. In front of the table was the Door of Time. There were black marks around it, signs from past attempts to open it, but the door was perfectly fine. Above the door was Triforce symbol. It was marble white, unlike the gold colored Triforces I have seen everywhere else. In the middle of the great hall was a hexagonal stone that resembled the one in Kokiri Forest only it had a different symbol on it. "I think I know what I have to do here." Instinct was taking over, like Zelda was acting through me. I took the stones out of my pack and placed them on the table in order. First the Kokiri Emerald, then the Goron's Ruby, and last the Zora's Sapphire. I took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Time. After the song was done, the marble Door of Time began to disappear. Behind it was a dark chamber with a single window. This window let a waterfall of light spill onto the object of interest lying in the very center of the room. It was the Blade of Evil's Bane, The Master Sword.

Navi flow out from under my hat and hovered over the blade's handle. "This," she said, "is the famous Master Sword. In the past, this sacred blade, along with the power of the Triforce, helped the noble hero vanquish the evil king Ganon. I'm sure it will do the same for us now. Ganondorf should be powerless against this sword." I looked at the large blade extruding from the stone it rested in. I could feel a force emanating from it. "It sure is a powerful looking blade." Maybe with this sword I would have the strength to fight against Ganondorf. I wrapped my hands around the purple handle. "Go on Link. Pull it out of the stone. I know you can do it." I gripped it tighter and lifted it up. Surprisingly, it left the stone without a fight. It was almost eager to get into my hands. It didn't feel as heavy as I thought it would. "Wow. It feels so… Great." I couldn't help but smile as I gripped it.

Just then, the room was filled with a blue light. Just before I was engulfed in blue light, I heard a voice say, "Thank you, Link, for opening the door." An evil laugh fallowed it and faded away. I tried to look back to see who it was, but I was unable to. The blue light was carrying me through space and time to its destination. I was transported from the Temple of Time to another place. It was unreal. Waterfalls of light surrounded me poured out from invisible walls; the nonexistent ceiling was supported by what I could only describe as columns of light. I was standing in the middle another column that was set a lot lower than the others. The face of this column was engraved with six symbols of different colors. I stood on an engraving of a Triforce in the center of everything. From behind me, I heard a voice. "I've been waiting for you Link, the Chosen One."

The Chosen One? What in the world did that mean? The voice came from an old wise looking man wearing a light brown robe. He had a bald spot but whatever hair he did have was log and snow white. His beard was scruffy and white as well. He stood on the gold symbol. I had so many questions for this man. "Who are you? What is this place?" Then a shock came upon me. "And what happened to my voice?!" When I spoke, I did not hear my childlike voice, but instead a deeper voice that sounded like it could have come from an adult. The man smiled. "I guess a better question is not who I am, but who you are."

I looked down at myself and noticed that I was twice the height I was before. I had grown taller and more muscular. My arms and legs felt stronger. Under my familiar green tunic, I was wearing white under-armor and had gauntlets covering my hands and wrists. I… grew? But the Kokiri people never grow. As I understood it, they stayed childlike for as long as they lived. The older man spoke again. I decided it would be better to listen to what he has to say. Surely my questions would be answered.

"To answer your second question, we are in a place called the sacred realm. I am sure the Great Deku Tree has told you about this place?" I nodded. I still didn't like to think about the Great Deku much. He continued, "Then I guess you understand that this is the place that keeps the sacred Triforce safe." I nodded again. "As to your first question, I am Rauru, one of six sages. I am the sage of light." The gold symbol below his feet made sense now. He was the sage of light standing on the light spot. The remaining spots go out to the rest of the sages.

(A.N. Writer's block T.T I promise I will work on this)