The woods became and dark and lonely. Well he was always alone in the woods except this time there was an eerie sense of loneliness and sadness that came with it. For years Link had ventured the Lost Woods and never did he come to a part so foggy and dead. There were no pixies floating about and not a stray fairy to be found. Riding on Epona, he knew he should've turned back but what if he found her? He couldn't help but believe that make right in the distance Navi would be there fluttering about or even endanger. So he rode on with hardly any food or water.
From the corner of his eye Link saw something, a shadow of some sort. He quickly turned his head and saw nothing but more trees and mist. He leaned down close to Epona's ear and patted her head.
"I must be losing my mind." He muttered to Epona. Somehow he knew the horse could understand him and could also feel the horrible energy in this forest.
More shadow's appeared while Link laid his head on Epona's neck and he was very much aware of their presence now. Link picked his head up and Epona jerked forward in a sprint as a shadow being leapt at him. By instinct Link put up his shield to protect him but when the shadow passed threw him it left an icky feeling of disgust sending him tumbling over the side of Epona.
"For the love of the Goddesses not again!" he yelled seeing that Epona had sprinted off leaving him on the ground. He struggled to get up still feeling like his stomach was boiling on the inside. He could only run after Epona for so long before feeling another Shadow pass through him. Buckling to the ground he drew his Glided sword and spit out a tremendous amount of blood. He saw his enemies had eyes that glowed red and claws to match. There was one in particular that took the form of Link. It cackled loudly and motioned with its hand: "Come at me bro."
Link smirked daringly with narrow eyes and shook his head while thinking: Well I'm fucked...
A young woman walked on the outskirt of the Heretic's Forest deciding whether she really wanted to venture forth or not. She needed to get away from this hell she once called home. What was the point in continuing to live, if she could not do what everyone expected to do or be the person they expected her to be?
"If I make it to the other end of the forest...that's great and if I die...so be it." she shrugged. "I think I'd be more useful if anything. Imagine me, coming back as like a bad ass deity or a great fairy or a ghost. That's way more power than I have now and then maybe..." She continued to muse on about the possibilities after death and how wonderful it would be to die and become a sage. Of course, she didn't know much about the traditions and tales of Hyrule except for the fact that this land used to be apart of Hyrule.
She came to the gates of Heretic's Forest and looked back at the horizon over the hill. Now the land was going to collapse in to nothing.
There was a galloping in the distance coming from the forest. It was a horse. the girl quickly turned around and saw a brown and white maned horse dashing towards her and jumping over the gate itself. The girl grabbed on to one of the reins of the horse and tried to whoa it.
"Whoa...calm down horsey." She said calmly trying to rub it's sides. Eventually the horse calmed down and the girl was able to see that saddle on the horse had a triforce covering.
"Triforce?" The girl thought. If somebody came from Hyrule and passed through the Heretic's Forest, they had to be in danger. The forest was where the king banished all those who defied his power and everyone knew that these "heretic's spirits" would be filled with such hatred and madness that they'd become the essence of evil itself.
The girl looked to the horse and prayed that it would take her to its master or at best let her ride. The horse sqremed at first in fright.
"I only want to help. Take me to your master." In amazement the horse actually did start for the Heretic's Forest. A rush of adrenaline started through out the girl's body that she couldn't help but be happy.
Finally I'm probably gonna die!
Ever since Ganondorf first summoned Dark Link in the water temple as an attempt to kill Link, it seems that Dark appeared to follow Link everywhere and grew more apparent as he'd grown. Maybe this was the third time within seven years that the forest tricked him in to thinking Dark Link was there. But this time, Dark was there in the shadow. They were matched in strength, intelligence, speed, and agility. The only thing Dark Link had over Link were the other spirits who constantly wormed through his body slowing him down just a bit. He was beginning to get used to the feeling but it wasn't helping him during the fight. Dark Link flipped in the air but Link rolled out of the way too late. The edge of the blade struck him across the mid section. Stabbed twice already, he was lucky Dark Link didn't try his fancy sword balancing act. Fatigued from a lack of food, water, and sleep thing this would not end well. Maybe this is how it should end. Hyrule didn't need him anymore. Zelda most definitely forgot about him already. No one needed him anymore.
There was a galloping in the distance. It sounded like Epona but there was another voice nearby. He turned from the battle even his enemies did the same. There was Epona coming at a racing speed towards Link with no intention of stopping.
"Watch out!" a voice yelled. Navi? Link dived out of the way at Epona trampled over Dark Link.
Someone jumped off Epona shooting out spurs of light at the shadows. Link picked himself up and saw that it was a young girl seemingly around his age. She had on white full body tights that clung to every inch of her body. She wore a green hoodie and a belt around her waist. There was a white mask covering her mouth and nose. Link jumped in her defense when he saw Dark Link attempt to slice at her side. He was too fast and she was too preoccupied with the other shadows to pay any attention. Link put forth his shield to defend her and countered with a blow to Dark Link's shoulder.
The girl turned around and jumped back, startled to see two of the same person. she knew from experience that someone how the ones adorned in black and doing the most damage were always the enemies. The one in green was giving way having received so much damage already. With the palm of her hands she formed a sword of light and as the dark one was about to finish off the grasshopper man, she unskillfully cut the sword through the dark one's body. There was a resonating scream of hatred before the dark one dissipated. What seemed to be out of cowardice and something the girl did not expect the Heretic Spirit's went away.
"That's strange, it was as if...never mind that" She walked over to the grasshopper man's side and got on her knees. He was crouching on the ground so the were at eye level somewhat. "Are you okay? Don't you know it'd dangerous to even venture in to this forest?" then she thought about it of course he wouldn't.
"Can you stand?" she asked.
He nodded his head yes but the girl wrapped her arms around his shoulder to help him up. He smelled exactly like a forest but not this forest. Even if he did smell forest-like he definitely didn't smell like roses.
"There's a fountain not too far from here. Can you walk? I don't know where your horse went..."
They stumbled slowly across a few trees and fallen branches until she'd finally taken him to the fountain. Unable to hold some of the man's weight, she threw him or waited for him to fall in to the giant fountain. But then quickly realized her mistake in letting him fall face first.
Frantically, she struggled to flip him on his side but soon he naturally floated in the water and she hoped it wasn't a dead man's float. The water came up to her waist and bending down she put her ear to his heart and found he was very much alive. He was just that good. The girl began to quickly unclothe him and thought it'd be too intrusive to take everything off. Things like nudity may have been different in Hyrule where as it was hardly a thing at all in this land. She began to run through his hair with her fingers taking off his cap and all the dirt from the forest washed away. In a s few minutes all his wounds seemed to lessen bit by bit.
His eyes shot open revealing his glistening blue eyes. He coughed some and sunk under the water for a second splashing the girl in the face when he resurfaced. He clung to the edge of the fountain and realized it was a long way to the bottom. He felt a hand on his bare back and looked back in alarm. Instinctively, he stood up in defense only to see it was the girl from pulled down her mask revealing soft lips.
She held out her hand for as a greeting and said: "Kidal."
"Ah...Kidal to you to." He replied kind of confused. The girl laughed so hard she fell in to the water creating bubbles as she was still laugh underneath the water.
Link stood there awkwardly unsure of what to make of this reaction. Unsure of her sanity. Then he realized that there were no more bubbles coming forth and saw through the clear water that she was perfectly still. Link quickly bent down to pull her body from the water only to be pulled down with her. Taken by surprise his eyes were open for a second underwater and met her eyes.
They broke surface at the same time gasping for air, the girl busy laughing and Link thinking he almost lost his life to a crazy girl. He splashed water at her to get her attention.
"Hey!" she gasped. "That's no way to treat someone who saved you."
"Sorry but I couldn't help but think you lost your mind or got possessed."
"Heheh, you were just so serious when you said Kidal and you thought it was a greeting I couldn't help but laugh. I suppose I couldn't help it knowing you're foreign and all. So I guess I should say that Kidal is my name not a greeting."
Link blushed with embarrassment rubbing the back of his head. "Oh...my name's Link."
"Nice to meet you...Link." Kidal thought about his name. It meant left. "I didn't think Hylian's had names like that."
"W-what do you mean? Where am I?"
"I mean right now we're in the Heretic's Forest which is in Zurdon."
"So I'm in the Lost Forest or even Hyrule anymore..." he muttered looking at his surroundings. "Heretic's Forest...? Those things that attacked me, were they ghost of the Heretic's?"
Kidal nodded her head yes. "But that Dark One, the one that looked like you...I don't think it was a Heretic..."
"No...I don't think so either." he sighed.
"Do you always fight with people that look like yourself?" Kidal said jokingly but intrigued to see that there was an answer. Link shook his head in disbelief.
"If I had a rupee every time I fought somebody who looked like me well... I'd have a rupee or two." He smiled meekly. "Of course that's the only thing with the moxy to even try to replicate me and everything about me. I swear it might actually be a part of me."
"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you were relatively safe in the Forest." she started. "There is a demanding presence about you. I can sense that much." Her hands glowed a bright light, she put them forward and the light stretched out towards him healing his wounds completely.
"Your clothes are on the edge of the fountain. I'm sorry they're wet." Kidal grabbed them for him.
"Thanks." he replied examining his body in every which way. "You're a sorceress. A great one at that! I haven't eaten for days and I feel great!" He stretched and yawned feeling completely relaxed with a childish expression on his face.
Kidal handed him his undershirt also examining the fit structure of his body. "Well with a body like that it's hard to tell. Every inch of you is built like a rock, arms, legs...abs. Yet you're so skinny. You must be a soldier or something." She walked behind him gracefully and sat on the edge of the fountain nonchalantly looking down.
Link eyed her up and down the moment she passed by. Small waist, curves, and revealing clothes. How many years has it been since he saw another women's body that close. Four years maybe since he went to Termina? And still he felt those strange feelings again rushing through his body. No one needed to teach him how to be a teenager. He could've complimented her body but could only nervously smile when she looked towards him.
"I'm not a soldier." he said. "In Hyrule they call me the Hero of Time."
Kidal's eyes widened and her mouth dropped a bit.
"So you've heard?"