A/N: I don't own Legend of Zelda. And, a great thanks to my beta reader, WolfsLegend. Also, this is a light AU. Termina borders Hyrule to the east and Link's adventure there takes place when he is an adult.
Six years… six long, agonizing years it'd been left to drown in solitude. Trapped in a dimension that held no beginning, no end. A void that was neither reality nor fantasy. Six years it'd been stuck in its personal hell, hatred its only companion.
Cursed to dwell in nonexistence, in a devoid dimension where only darkness remained. If it wasn't for that accursed Hero. The prison of exile trembled, frothed at the very thought of the Hero of Time. To think that a mere Hylian had rid it of its freedom. How preposterous! How disgraceful! How utterly pathetic.
But this isn't the end. Hyrule's history is written in blood. I will have my revenge. I will end the life of that vile child of the goddesses. As it promised revenge onto the nothing that clung to it, its prison shifted. The dimension whined, a sound akin to white noise, and the telltale resonance of a shattered crack resonated in the endless black.
Six years… six long, agonizing years it'd been left to drown in solitude. Six years… and finally the prison was beginning to weaken.
I will make Hyrule bow down to her knees.
Chapter 1
Minuet of the Forest
So that's how they managed to fix everything so fast. Honestly, Link shouldn't have been too surprised, after all, he had witnessed fairy magic across both his adventures in Hyrule and Termina, but seeing Tatl and Tael jointly use their magic to repair the damage to his tree house amazed him. Both had such control of the art. To sit back and watch the flashes of light and displays as they worked was awe inspiring. For several minutes, he watched the two work, using their magic to remove the burns, heal the bark, and do other repairs on the tree house. Seriously, he never thought they'd have it in them, especially with how much the brother and sister pair liked to bicker whenever they had been put to a job of some sort. Nearby, Skull had nearly finished crafting a new rope ladder for the house. Link smiled and approached them, the three paying little mind as they worked.
He watched Skull for a moment, his skill in weaving seemed odd for a skull kid, but he probably had decades to learn such intricate weaves. The skull kid had changed so much over the years after they had left Termina. Despite having fought and met several skull kids and stalfos, he had never been aware of the changes they went through as they aged. He had assumed, like Kokiri, they were eternal children, only cursed eternal Hylian children who had lost their way within the Lost Woods. The more he thought about that so called curse, the more he came to believe that the rumors of lost children turning into skull kids and lost adults turning into stalfos weren't true, especially with how little evidence he and even the Kokiri found to support that claim. The Kokiri probably knew a great deal more about skull kids, but Link had never asked them, or Skull for that matter. As for his appearance, Skull had grown taller over the years, his face and arms becoming more like bone. In fact, he nearly resembled a stalfos, other than still being a little too small and his face still looking like that of a weathered scarecrow that had begun to turn white and harder.
After a moment of silence, he said, "I really appreciate what you three are doing. You've all helped a lot. Really, I mean it, thank you."
"Yeah, yeah," Tatl said. The little fairy looked over from her work and flew at Link, bumping into his head. "You could have at least brought us some food, would have helped Tael's complaining."
Link smirked. "Do fairies eat?"
She flew up as if offended. "Of course we do! Okay, we don't eat as much as you Hylians and skull kids, but we still eat."
"Really? I've never seen it."
She sighed. "You've lived in the forest and been around fairies for how long and you now ask this?" She mumbled something unintelligible and her wings drooped, the brightness of her glow dying down. "Did you find anyone?"
Link looked down, knowing she had meant to say if he had found any survivors. Which, as bad as Kokiri Village looked when they came here a few days ago, they hadn't found any bodies. For his own sake, he didn't want to believe anyone could have died, despite how illogical that may sound with the sheer amount of mayhem that must have taken place. He couldn't, wouldn't believe something like that could happen here, not in Kokiri Village which for as long as he knew had been a safe haven, a place of refuge for the Kokiri and himself. Even on his return here on his way to the Forest Temple, the monsters hadn't killed anyone or destroyed anything. Now, the whole village lay in ruins. A few buildings, including his own, remained largely intact, but he had a sinking feeling that was due to no one being there. Actually, the only other building that he could tell hadn't been destroyed or damaged severely would be Saria's house. His had been ransacked though, so he supposed hers probably had been, too.
He looked down and took a deep breath, wracking his brain for any sort of clue or branch or something that had been misplaced or marked. "I didn't find anything. No signs of a camp, bodies, or anyone who could have done this."
"We don't know how long ago this happened," Tael said. The fairy flew toward Link and his sister. "Leaves and other debris could have covered everything. I'm sure you did your best, Link."
"I know. I just wish I could have found something useful."
Part of him wanted to return to Hyrule Castle and ask Zelda for the lens of truth, but there wouldn't be a point, unless the Kokiri had somehow turned invisible. As the Sage of Time, she may have answers or could help him, but as the Hero of Time, he could do just about as much. Anyway, he had reached this place first, he'd be a fool simply to run away and report to the princess and king without doing his own investigation. That did bring up its own issue, what about the forest's sage? He hadn't heard from Saria at all, so unlike her, especially after an attack in her domain. Granted, their lack of communication had in part been his fault. He hadn't spoken in person with her in years, and hadn't called her on the ocarina in months. Still, one would think she'd call him once this attack happened. Inside the forest, even if she had been at the opposite end, or in the Sacred Realm, she would have known.
"Not like I visit her often. As much as I want too," he said, earning a strange look from the fairies.
"Is everything alright, Link?" Skull asked.
No, but Link didn't answer. He trudged his way toward the skull kid to help him with the ladder. He didn't have much more to go, but it would help get his mind off things. They had helped repair his house, helping them do so was the least he could do, especially as he spent the past day and a half looking for clues of what happened while they slaved away on a problem that should have been his.
Unlike him, they didn't have to sleep in the Lost Woods, last night anyway. He could have come back, but the destruction hadn't advanced far into the woods, and he didn't want to have to walk through the field of ash again just to enter and start up the search this morning and be reminded of something he should have known about or have been able to help with. In Ganondorf's reign, he had seen this level of destruction, but he never expected this, in a small remote village that few outside the royal family knew of.
"You could speak with the Great Deku Tree. The barrier he brought up to protect himself is down," Skull said.
Link nodded. It had fallen, that disturbed him more than anything, but he didn't let his friend see his doubts. If the tree could protect himself that way, why hadn't he used that magic to try and stop this, or use it to protect the Kokiri? In fact, if the tree could make that barrier then why hadn't his predecessor used that magic to halt the curse Ganondorf brought onto him? Maybe younger Deku Trees had more power than older ones while older ones had more wisdom? No, well, maybe, he wasn't sure, but that probably wouldn't make much sense. Besides, even if the younger tree had more power, he doubted it could have made the barrier, let alone defend the village from attack.
For all they knew, maybe that had been Saria's doing... he sure hoped so. That would make more sense than the tree using magic, but if it had been her, why did she not show herself? He, Tatl, Tael, and Skull hadn't been here when she put it up, but Tatl, Tael, and Skull had been here when it fell, likely sometime earlier in the morning. She had met the three shortly after their time in Termina so they wouldn't have been strangers to her, not that it would have stopped her from seeing what they were doing had she been here. He knotted the last bit of rope and swore as he accidently slid his finger down the wood. With a grimace, he pulled out the splinter. In a vain attempt to ignore Tatl's laugh, he decided Saria had to have been the one. After all, the current tree's predecessor could only stop monsters and dangerous animals from invading. He didn't have any reason to believe the older tree could have done more when younger. Besides, those monsters never tried to destroy the village…
"No wonder I don't have the Triforce of Wisdom if it took me that long to figure out," he said to himself with a dark laugh. It seemed the others had heard him.
"Found what out?" Tael asked. The purple fairy hovered toward him and Skull, gazing down at them quizzically.
"Monsters couldn't have done this. People attacked the village. Maybe they had monsters with them, but monsters couldn't have done this alone."
The three exchanged stares. Skull fidgeted around uncomfortably before saying, "Any idea who?"
"No," he said grimly.
He let his gaze wander off to the scorched, stone walls nearby. Once word leaked out, if it hadn't already, many would claim the Gerudo responsible despite their distance from the forest. That aside, Link knew it couldn't have been them. He, Zelda, or Nabooru would have been informed of a marching Gerudo army. That aside, this wasn't their style, especially with the Spirit Sage taking over the Gerudo in some form or less, even if acting only as a voice of sorts when inside the Sacred Realm. Occasionally, they still had disputes at the border, but nothing so far inside Hyrule.
Zoras and gorons couldn't have done this, either. He saw no signs of explosives or marks in the ground to implicate gorons, nor any signs of a zora attack, not to mention the two races had usually been peaceful and had no reason to launch an assault. The only other culprit he could think of would be Termina, but that wouldn't make any sense. Termina and Hyrule had allied together years ago after that whole moon fiasco. He looked at Skull. The skull kid had been free from Majora's influence for a few years now, not to mention he had been with them the whole time. That didn't mean that the spirit couldn't have survived their battle. No, that couldn't happen, the mask salesman had confirmed the evil had left the mask. Then again, history liked to repeat itself...
"You don't think Majora's Mask could have done this, do you?" Skull asked suddenly, as if reading his thoughts.
"Of course not!" Tatl snapped, "you're free from that possessed slab of wood, and stop feeling so guilty about it. What happened wasn't your fault. Well, not entirely your fault, the spirit just took control of you and worsened your already deep insecurities. Link destroyed Majora, remember? Even that creepy mask obsessed guy said the mask was now just a normal mask, with no hint of deranged spirits. It couldn't have been Majora, and it definitely wasn't you. You need to stop blaming yourself. We saved Termina, repaired the damage caused, and had a great time at the festival."
"But what if there is still something lingering in my mind?"
The fairy sighed, "there isn't, Skull."
He grimaced but said no more. Tatl had spoken the truth, but at times, Link couldn't help but have doubts. He hated to think such thoughts about such a good friend, but once every few weeks, Skull's eyes would darken for an instant and his posture and voice would change to a cruel or violent tone. He never remembered those episodes, but Link wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be some lingering side effect. He never attacked any of them or anyone during those moments, and Link didn't want to risk telling him and possibly make him worry. Then again, maybe Skull just happened to be tired, many skull kids acted darker when tired.
"Link," Skull whispered, pulling the hero's attention, "Y— you don't think I did it, do you?"
Link stood up. "Ho, but I need to speak with the Great Deku Tree. I'm sure he'll know what happened here." He knotted the last strand of rope, this time making sure not to give himself a splinter. They'd tie it up later. Honestly, he couldn't wait to be out of here. The repairs on his house had been only meant to try and get their minds off things while he, and occasionally one of the fairies, went searching for clues. Maybe one day he would return and live here again, or to visit. He still had his house in Castle Town and as much as he hated to say it, he had less and less reason to return.
"Can we come?" Tael asked.
"Tael!" Tatl snapped. "We need to work."
"No, Tatl, it's fine. You three did enough for me already. All that needs to be done is to get the ladder up there. Come on, all of you."
He forced himself to smile, helped Skull to his feet, and marched off. For a brief second, he allowed a childlike grin to cross his face. Maybe the grin wasn't right, especially in the center of the destroyed village, but even at its state, the remnants of Kokiri Village reminded him of his childhood and the fun he had with Saria and Navi. Back in those fun innocent times when he didn't have to worry about Ganondorf or a crazy moon trying to kill everyone, or some weird green man wearing tights claiming to be a fairy for that matter. As a Hylian, he did grow, leaving behind his innocence, but he hoped the Kokiri would be the same as they always had been. After all, they were eternal children, but now, it seemed some sort of darkness had finally wiped them away.
Navi… he had been unable to find her. She had vanished days after they defeated Ganondorf, not even staying for the full celebration in Castle Town, let alone the festivities put on in Kokiri Village. His search for her resulted in nothing, other than saving Termina and finding Skull, Tatl, and Tael. He'd always be grateful for them, but he still yearned for the fairy who helped him save Hyrule. He shook his head, his gaze drifting off to the ash ridden village. Maybe some things weren't meant to be. He kicked dust into the air. The others gave him a concerned look. It didn't matter anymore. Navi wouldn't be coming back. No one in Kokiri Village had seen her and though it had been months ago, if not longer, since he called Saria, she hadn't seen her either.
Of the barrier, only bits of bark remained, along with some vines that draped over the stone walls and covered the ground. If Saria had been responsible for crafting the barrier than she seemed to have done a good job putting it in place. How it came down didn't fully sit right, then again, nothing felt right about this mess. Why wouldn't have Saria taken apart the full barrier? The more he looked, the more evident it became that the barrier had collapsed upon itself. No, this couldn't have been her work, unless she had been in a hurry.
Cautiously, they crept their way through the wall and passage that led to the meadow of the Great Deku Tree. Exactly what had happened over the past few years, Link wasn't sure, only that somehow the new Deku Tree had absorbed the corpse of the old one. Odd as it may sound, the Kokiri wouldn't have wanted his corpse to just sit there, let alone burn away by whoever did this. It still seemed odd though, that the corpse of the old tree had decomposed so fast, but maybe that was how the goddesses made them, to disappear and give their nutrients to the next generation. After all, if he remembered correctly, the nutrients of old Great Deku Trees helped give birth to a new Kokiri every few decades.
Once they reached the tree, he and Skull knelt. The two fairies fluttered lower to the ground. For several minutes, the three remained silent. As time passed, Link looked up, to see the spark of green light that announced the tree had noticed them. The flash of green looked weak, and it took on a dull, vomit color. Odd, he'd remembered it being much brighter, more vibrant. Usually, it took only seconds for the tree to notice them, unless they had been called, in which the tree would have been waiting for them.
"Link," the tree said. It spoke slowly, softly, "It has been far too long. Skull, Tatl, Tael, I am pleased that young Link has found such great friends as you three, even in these troubling times."
"Is something wrong, sire?" Link asked. The tree sounded strained, old, way beyond seven years of its short life. In fact, it sounded older than its predecessor did even as he had succumbed to the curse. The way it talked, not only old, but in a sort of distant voice, as if the tree wasn't fully there.
"I told you to come back last week," the tree continued. "You know how much trouble we've been having lately. Where is Saria, Mido? Don't tell me you have been picking on Link again."
"Sire?" Link asked. Skull fidgeted around next him. Link instinctively reached for his sword. The sky visibly darkened as the tree spoke. Though no fire or ash had come to this part of the village, the air became twice as stuffy as it had been. He could almost see the moisture in the air now, appearing seemingly from nowhere. Dampness, he could feel a strange dampness on his boots and tunic. That hadn't been there moments ago. He looked up at the Great Deku Tree and shivered as a gust of wind swept across the meadow.
"I— I don't like this," Tael said.
Link grunted and said in an almost too calm of voice, "Great Deku Tree, it's Link, not Mido." It had just recognized him as Link before, why the sudden confusion? The tree's brows narrowed. From above, he could hear the leaves and branches shake.
"Link? No, it can't be. Link is dead, like the rest of them. They died, burned, oh Saria, oh my sweet Saria, forgive me," the Great Deku Tree said as a waterfall of leaves began to fall from its limbs, almost as if it was weeping.
Link's eyes widened, "Saria? What happened to her? Sire, what's wrong? Do you know what happened to the village? Please, sire, answer me."
Loud creaks, something akin to the groan of bones, rumbled through the tree's branches. It caused a second stronger gust of wind to rip through the meadow. Both fairies shrieked, grabbing onto the back of Link's tunic before they blew away. Skull had been blasted off his feet. Link had to brace himself by unsheathing his blade and digging it into the wet earth so as not be blown over. Above him, he heard several of the tree's branches snap violently through the air. Link dared himself to look up. He could see some sort of liquid coming from the tree's eyes. Could it be… crying?
"Fire, so much fire," the tree wept, "the Kokiri, my beloved children, dead. I can still hear their screams… can still feel the flames." His voice deepened, resonated through the air with great anger. Vibrations came from below. Above them, the branches and leaves continued to snap through the air, growing more ferocious with every second.
"Link," Skull said with a nervous jitter as he returned to Link's side. "I think we should leave. Something isn't right."
"No," Link replied as he snapped upright and stepped forward. "Something is wrong with the Great Deku Tree. He knows what happened. Maybe the damage to the forest traumatized him or something, that's why he's acting odd. We have to help."
"No, he's right Link," Tatl said. She flew into one of his pockets. The wind had died down a little, but still blew strong enough to make flight difficult. "Something is terribly wrong here. I can feel it. Possibly another curse, I don't know, but—"
"Leave this place vile Hylians." From the ground, a massive root erupted, causing violent rumbling from below. Link and Skull leapt away as it slammed down, leaving a large crack and an explosion of grass and dirt where they had just been.
"Great Deku Tree, it's me, Link!" He forced himself to his feet, the constant shaking of the ground causing him to wobble.
"I will not be lied to by another Hylian. You killed Link, just like the others. Forgive me, my children. I failed you, I could not protect you."
More roots shot from the ground, followed by hundreds of snake like vines that descended from the tree tops. Link swore to himself. When… how had the tree gained this much power? He expected power like this from Saria. She was the sage, after all. Unless… unless…
"Sire, what happened? Where's Saria? Why do you have her power?"
"Silence!"
Link leapt away, barely dodging a massive root. He grimaced, kind of wishing he had brought Din's Fire. Saria would kill him for setting fire to the trees, especially the Great Deku Tree. Albeit he didn't really care at the moment, not when his and his friends' lives were on the line. He glanced up, his eyes wide with worry. He advanced closer, his left hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword.
"Please, calm down sire," Link yelled, his voice barely carried over the harsh wind and thundering branches, roots, and vines. "It is me, Link. Please, tell me what happened. I will hunt down those who have caused this. Just please, tell me, where is Saria? Do you at least know if she's alive?"
"It's not working, Link," Tael's quiet voice said. He could still feel both fairies clinging to his pockets. "We should go."
"No, we need to, we—" his voice fell silent. From what seemed to be nowhere, the tree had summoned forest creatures. Each of them stared at him and Skull, snarling with raw anger, their intent on ripping them apart. More vines and roots joined in, somehow snarling like the creatures.
"Run!" Skull shouted.
Link didn't need telling twice. He turned and fled after Skull. The creatures and roots right behind him. They wouldn't be able to make it out, but trying to fight all of them would be suicide. Damn it, he really should have been more prepared.
"Die, Hylians," a dark voice rumbled through the ground and walls.
"Watch out!" Link shouted. He jumped and tackled Skull, just as several large vines had struck out from the top of the walls at where he had just been. Above them, several monstrous owls circled.
"Did you bring your dart gun?" Link asked. Skull shook his head.
"Damn it, Link. Play your ocarina!" Tatl shouted.
"Um, yeah, right." Thankfully, he always put the Ocarina of Time in the same pocket. As fast as possible, he played the tune for the Minute of the Forest and just as the creatures and plants reached them, the four vanished into green light.
Once they reached the Sacred Forest Meadow, the two fairies flew from his pocket. He grabbed his sword and shield, bracing himself for what was to come. His eyes shot around for any sign of an ambush. No one was around them, what a relief, but he kept his ears tuned. For all he knew, any rustle in the trees could be another attack.
"The Forest Temple," Tatl shouted, forcing Link's attention away from any possible danger. "Why in Din's name would you bring us here? Did you get hit by a root or something? We already had one crazed tree try to kill us. We don't need more."
"We need to figure out what happened."
"Yes, but maybe go to Death Mountain first and ask Darunia to leave the Sacred Realm and help us so he can burn up any more of those evil plants that want us dead. Or, we could take this to Zelda and the king. You know, the sovereign of Hyrule, the man who probably would want to know something bad has happened inside his realm. Hello, Link? Are you listening to me? Link, hello?"
"Yeah, yeah, be quiet, Naggy."
"I am not Navi!"
She did fall quiet once Link reached the stump, Saria's stump. He hadn't expected her to be here, especially after what the Great Deku Tree had said, but part of him had hoped she would be sitting on her stump, waiting for him and ready to talk and to explain just what in the goddess's name was going on. He frowned and approached the stump, just as he had the day he came to the Forest Temple to free her.
He really shouldn't have expected her to be here. After all, she would probably have more pressing issues now, but he had hoped that he'd find her. Skull put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Link shrugged him off as he sat down and looked up at the temple. Someone had made a rope ladder to get inside, likely Saria as the last time they talked she mentioned to him about how she had begun cleaning out the temple. Actually, no, she had said that the last time they visited the village. Their last talk on the ocarina hadn't gone to well. Best not to think of that now.
"Maybe's she's inside?" Tael said with an attempt at a cheerful smile.
He shook his head. That could be possible, but after what the Deku Tree said, he had his doubts. He grabbed the ocarina and played her song, praying to the goddess that she would respond, she didn't. All that met him was cold silence. With a deep sigh, he jammed the ocarina into his pocket only to pull it out seconds later. He should have expected as much. The last time the two talked he had to play the song five times in a row to get a response from her, which probably should have made him question why she waited so long.
He forced himself to play again, and again, and again. He ignored the concerned looks from the others and continued for five minutes until a voice in his head said with eerie conviction, What do you want?
It wasn't Saria.
"Who are you?" Link demanded, both out loud and in his head. "Where is Saria?" How could someone else be talking to him? That couldn't be possible. Only he and Saria could contact each other with that song.
I will not answer to you, traitor. An explosion resonated along with several screams from inside the Forest Temple. Link leapt up and jammed the Ocarina of Time back into his pocket.
"What was that?" Skull demanded.
More screams and a second explosion came. Link growled and climbed the ladder, the rest followed behind him. He ran toward the entrance of the temple, only to run face first into a barrier. Skull slid to a stop behind him, but Tatl flew at the barrier. Her body glowed brightly when she struck only to bounce off like Link. Link hurried toward her, only to give a sigh of relief when she popped up.
"It's fairy magic, very powerful magic," she said.
"Can you two counter it?" Link asked.
"No, there are too many keeping it powered. They probably know we're here..."
"I guess that explains the explosion, must have freaked people out inside knowing others came, especially if they know what happened in the village. Too bad I wasn't here to help, anyway, can you speak to them? Tell them we mean them no harm."
"I'll try. Tael, help me." Her brother flew next to her and the two approached the barrier and froze, both taking in a great deal of focus.
For a moment, he watched the two. He saw both strain, though if from trying to communicate with the fairies inside or from the actual conversation, he couldn't be sure. Fairies, hopefully that meant some of the Kokiri had survived. The Great Deku Tree made it sound like all were dead, or maybe what ever happened made him think them all dead. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen any fairies in the ruined village, or in the Deku Tree's meadow. He paced around, cursing himself again for not bringing more gear. If only the damned song could get them inside.
"Link, what happened when you tried to talk with Saria?" Skull asked.
Link rounded on him. He took a deep breath to force himself to calm down. "Someone else answered. I don't even know how it could be possible. Whoever it was, called me a traitor."
Skull's eyes widened. "Are you sure it wasn't Saria? Who would think you to be a traitor?"
"It wasn't her. As for why they called me a traitor, I don't have a clue."
"Could it have been a Kokiri?"
"I don't see how." Then again, he didn't see how anyone else could have responded to that song. He didn't know much about the magical songs, other than what they did. Maybe Zelda would know. After all, as Sheik, she did teach him the songs for the temples.
Skull shook his head. "I really should have brought my sword and shield, or the dart gun."
"I still don't understand how you're transforming."
Skull looked at him. "We age, just a lot slower than Hylians. We skull kids can live for hundreds and hundreds of years. We mature and age slowly, I am a lot older than I appear to be. Around two hundred, so I'd guess about the same age as you in Hylian years."
"Okay, I guess. I must say, seeing you looking increasingly like a stalfos creeps me out even more." Both laugh to which Link added, "It wouldn't explain why all those I've met on my journey attacked me."
Skull shrugged. "We aren't used to outsiders. And those you met inside the temple were likely under Ganondorf's lingering control."
"I suppose that's true."
"Hey guys!" Tael said, flying straight into them. "We opened the barrier. Okay, those inside did, but you wouldn't believe who it is. It's the Kokiri."
"What?" Link said.
Tael flew off to the door with Skull and Link running behind them. Link flung the door open, leapt inside, and ran down the hall, paying little attention to the changes that had been done. Once inside the main room of the mansion like temple, he gasped from what he saw. Tael wasn't kidding. Inside were Kokiri and fairies. Each of the Kokiri looked terrified, their eyes wide with fright and horror. Even the fairies seemed tense. With them stood a few skull kids and even some stalfos. The stalfos stood in front of the Kokiri and skull kids, each of them brandishing a sword and shield at the intruders.
Link sighed in relief. He looked over them, the Kokiri, and noted that there were only ten of them. His smile vanished. So few left, and all of them, along with the skull kids, seemed petrified with terror. After what they must have seen at the village, he couldn't blame them. Even the stalfos looked worse for wear, some of their bones had cracks, bits of their armor looked rusted, and their red eyes looked worn and tired. Such a strange contrast to those he had fought. He looked at Skull. Though not quite a stalfos, he looked much better than those standing in front of them, attempting to look intimidating as they guarded those behind them.
Ten Kokiri, about twenty skull kids, and five stalfos, he didn't like the looks of it. There should have been more. Kokiri village had a larger population, and he knew of a few Kokiri who spent their time wandering the Lost Woods, outcasts of sorts. Where were the rest? Could they have died? No, they couldn't have. Despite everything he saw and witnessed he didn't want to believe them dead.
"Link, is that, is that really you?" A voice said. One of the Kokiri broke the lines and crept hesitantly toward them. One of the stalfos attempted to stop him, but he said, "It's okay, I know them."
Link watched the Kokiri approach him, a small smile of recognition crossed his face. Red hair, an attempt at a tough attitude, it couldn't be, but here he was, Mido, the self-proclaimed leader of the Kokiri, standing in front of him. Link stared, and though he still had some resentment toward him, he couldn't have been happier. Mido's fairy, Orion, hovered next to him. He looked at Tatl and Tael and gave a light smile. He must have been the one in charge of keeping up the barrier.
Like many of them, Mido looked weak and tired. Cuts and bruises ran across his arms and legs, and a large scar streaked across his right cheek. His eyes had gone gaunt with exhaustion and his clothes were in tatters. For once, Link felt sorry for him.
"Mido, what happened?"
Mido's eyes narrowed, his hands clenching into fists. "So, it is you. Where have you been? You were supposed to protect her. You were supposed to stop this!" He lunged at Link. From more shock than anything, Link just stood there, letting him pound weakly away at him with his fists until Skull smacked him away, sending Mido sprawling to the ground.
"Hold your tongue, Mido!" Skull snapped and advanced toward him, only to fall back when two of the stalfos advanced.
"Let him talk," Link said. He may be twenty three and Mido a Kokiri, but goddesses, Mido had some strength despite his disheveled appearance. When had Mido grown muscle? He stepped closer to the fallen Kokiri and ignored the warning from the stalfos. "Mido, what happened?" An idea came to him. The voice from the song sounding familiar now. "That was you I spoke to, wasn't it?'
Mido looked down then. It seemed to take all his willpower to not weep. "Yes. Why didn't you come, Link? Why didn't you help us? We needed you."
Link scanned the crowed in front of him and knelt down. "What happened?"
His shoulder's shook. "He went crazy. He attacked us, so many died. The village destroyed, the others dead, I— I tried to stay strong for them. I am their leader, but, but," Mido shivered, "all the bodies. All of them, so many of us dead, many of the fairies dying around us, and I couldn't help them."
It couldn't be… Link shook his head, no, there was no way. No way in hell that the person that caused all this was—
"Who did this? Mido, answer me, who did this?" Mido shook his head. Link asked again, but he still refused to answer. He only shook like a leaf. Link grimaced, nearly grabbed him and shook him to demand answers, but Orion intervened and landed on Mido's shoulder to comfort him. Link looked at the fairy and asked him the same question, a sinking feeling told him that he already knew the answer.
"The Great Deku Tree, he did this to us," he said quietly.
Link's frown deepened. "Why?"
"We don't know. A few months ago, he just snapped. He didn't attack the village until last week. He'd only throw us out if we went to speak with him. Others came before and took some of us captive, but I don't know if that's what caused him to go mad. Many times we tried to contact you or Zelda, but no one responded."
Saria's Song, of course, but how could they play it? As far as he knew, only he and Saria could contact each other through the melody. Now that he thought of it, he had sensed in the back of his mind someone playing the song, but he had ignored it, having thought that it was from a guilty conscience. For all he knew, someone could have sent him a letter to his house in Castle Town, but he had been out in Termina for most of the year visiting friends, only returning to Hyrule a month ago.
"What happened to Saria?" He asked. "Mido, why did you answer her song?"
He looked at him quizzically. Mido stood up, looking like he regained a little bit of his confidence. "I was hoping you would tell me that. After returning to the Sacred Realm over a year ago after her stay, she returned about ten months ago to give me control and access of the song. She seemed troubled, I don't know why though, maybe sage business, probably having to do with the Deku Tree honestly. She said you talked with her earlier, shortly before she arrived. What did you guys discuss?"
Link shrugged. He had talked to her afterwards, to, and he didn't remember the whole conversation, but the last two conversations they had with each other had been mostly the same, and she had been deeply upset each time. "Not a lot really. I just know she wasn't happy. Did something go on with her and the Deku Tree? Skull, Tatl, Tael, and I talked with him not that long ago. Despite sounding crazy, he seemed to think he did something to Saria or knew something happened to her. You don't know anything more, do you?"
"That's enough," Orion said, though not unkindly. "Please Link, he told you what he can. We don't know what happened between him and Saria or what caused him to go insane. Only that Saria came to the village one day and gave Mido access and sole authority to her song. He needs rest, they all do. We fought off a swarm of forest creatures a few hours before you arrived. They need rest."
Link nodded. "Okay, but where did they come from? Do you at least know where Saria is?" The fairy glared at him and remained silent. Link opened his mouth to demand more answers from him, only for Tatl and Tael to land on his shoulders.
"Leave it Link, they don't know," Tatl said. "We might be able to get more from them later, but let them recover."
Of course, they need to recover, but he'd rather have answers to his questions, or at least some sort of explanation of what happened. With the forest creatures now turning on the Kokiri they wouldn't be safe here. He doubted their barrier would have hold for long, especially if they had been attacked so recently. Saria, she'd have answers, but with Mido having her song and them not having a lead, searching for her would be useless.
Link looked around. Though clearly the inside of the temple had been cleaned up and furnished since his last time here, the signs of battle were evident. A few blood stains, arrows, even the remains of a few creatures they hadn't yet finished discarding littered the once pristine stone. As time went by and no one had spoken, three of the stalfos, a few skull kids, and even a few Kokiri left to finish cleaning. All of them looked so defeated, so disheartened. How long had they been here? Mido said that it had been nearly a year since Saria had vanished, and probably around a month or so since the Kokiri came here. Exactly how did they manage to survive? Link looked over them. If only he could do more for them.
"What are you going to do?" Mido asked. Link looked down at him. "You'll help us, right?"
"Of course, but I have to return to Castle Town first."
His eyes widened. His voice radiated with fear and anger, "What? Why? I thought you'd help us!"
"I will, trust me, Mido, I want to, but I need to tell Zelda and the king what has happened. Don't worry, Mido. I promise I'll be back."
He shook his head. "No, please stay. We need you."
Link looked off as the rest of the crowed separated, most, if not all, talking quietly to themselves. Mido was truly terrified. As much as he wanted to help though, he had to return to Zelda and explain what happened. Then he'd come back, but he also needed to leave and look for Saria. If anyone did, she'd have the answers.
"Mido, listen," Link said. "I will be back. Princess Zelda needs to know what happened here. I'll speak with her, get some of my gear then come right back. I promise. I know we never got along much when I was younger, but I don't want the Kokiri, and anyone else here, to suffer."
"What about us?" Skull asked. He craned his neck around. "We can stay here with them."
Link nodded. "That would be a good idea. What about your weapons? They're outside of the forest."
"I'll go get them when we have time."
"No," one of the stalfos finally spoke up. "You will remain here. You are nearly grown, it is time you have proper training. You've been gallivanting around for far too long. If what Mido told me is true, you nearly destroyed a whole country. You need to control yourself, and I know we have our differences, but you need proper training. We stalfos have extra weapons."
Skull fiddled around with his fingers and looked around shakily. "Yes, Father."
Tatl shot up. "Your father? You told me he was dead!"
Skull looked down. "Tatl, please."
The stalfos, Skull's father gave a strange laughing hiss, "That ashamed of me, son? You'd rather tell them I died than admit who I am?"
"I, uh," Skull looked down. "I'm sorry, Father. I will accept my training, especially if I can help protect those here."
His father's bones rattled, "Good."
Link and Tael looked at each other, the fairy likely feeling as bad for Skull as Link did. Link had never asked about his family, but this now brought up so many questions, but there were more important things to deal with right now… those could wait. Hopefully Skull or the stalfos would explain this when he returned.
He brought his attention back to the Kokiri, doing his best to ignore the sudden tension in the room. "Remember, Mido, if you need me, just play Saria's song."
"Yeah, right," he said. "I, uh, thank you Link." He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry I called you a traitor."
"That's fine. I should have been paying more attention. Anyway, I'll be back soon." Once again, he pulled out the Ocarina of Time. After playing the Prelude of Light, he warped away in a show of golden energy.