「01」 Paths Untravelled, Worlds Unknown

Link never thought that time could pass that quickly when an important part of one's life was missing, yet he was doing rather well. More than half a year had passed since the end of Ganondorf's terror reign; winter had turned to spring, then to summer, and now it was already autumn. It had taken many months to rebuild the houses and stables of Ordon that had been burnt down completely during the war, and they were still working to completely restore the small village. Link's former hometown. From all the inhabitants, only four had survived the assault, and Link was paying Rusl, his son Colin and his pregnant wife Uli a visit in their new, old home, hoping to find some distraction from the thoughts that were nagging at his brain lately.

"Uli?" he called as he pushed the door open and stepped inside the small, cosy house. The scent of freshly baked apple tart filled his nostrils, and he could not stop his stomach from growling. Uli showed up in the hallway with a spoon in her hand, her swollen belly clearly visible under the rather tight dress.

"Hello dear," she chirped and smiled, "come on in, we were just about to have tea and a piece of apple tart. Why don't you join us?"

"Thank you," replied Link, and took off his boots, stepping inside the warm kitchen. Colin and Rusl were already sitting at the small table, a plate and a fork before them. Link helped Uli take out more dishes, and he sat with them, watching how the pregnant woman cut the tart into pieces.

"What brings you here, Link?" asked Rusl, a grin on his lips, "did the smell of Uli's heavenly apple tart lure you into our house?"

Link laughed and shoved a bit of tart into his mouth, sighing in delight at the taste of warm apples with a hint of cinnamon on a delicious crust.

"No," he said then with his mouth still full, for which he earned a stern look from Uli, and only dared to speak when he had swallowed. "I just did not want to be alone," he admitted, shrugging.

"You know you are always welcome, dear," said Uli, her face again soft.

"What about queen Zelda? Has she married yet?" asked Rusl.

Link shrugged again. "As far as I'm concerned, no, and it seems like she can't find a suitor yet."

Uli gave him a smug grin. "Because she is still waiting for her hero," she said.

Link fell silent. It was true. Before Link had decided he couldn't possibly live in the castle, Zelda had -sort of- asked him to become king, but he had declined. He loved Zelda, yet he never had wanted them to be that close. Apart from that, he wasn't suited to be a king, and he'd rather return to his old hometown. And then there was still someone else in the back of his mind; someone he had abandoned, and who had then left him. He wondered how Sheik was doing.

As if she had read his mind, Uli went on. "It's a pity that Sheikah friend of yours has returned to his land. I think you would be less lonely with him around."

Link frowned. He did not like it when anyone brought this subject up and talked about Sheik. It was his sore point, the reason why he had not been able to completely settle down in Ordon. During the day, he usually was distracted and managed to shove the thoughts deep into the back of his head, but when he lay in bed, they came creeping back to haunt him. Their relation had been complicated from the start, and the times they had actually managed to be a bit closer to each other were very few. He felt guilty for leaving Sheik during a time he had needed his support the most; a time when Sheik struggled to remember his past after Ganondorf had violently penetrated his mind and deleted his memories. But Link had not been there, he had shut him out of his life, too selfish to care about anything else than his own well-being. Along with the guilt came also the images of those people he had cherished but lost during the war: Ilia, Ashei, Auru, Renado and his daughter Luda, and Midna. Not to mention all his friends from Ordon which had been slaughtered like pigs, their houses burnt down to ashes. Link would never be able to sleep comfortably again, not in this life at least.

He had not noticed how quiet it suddenly had become in the small kitchen, and only the noises of forks on plates were to be heard. Link harrumphed uncomfortably and took a sip of his tea.

"I think it was good for him to return to his homeland. I guess he never really felt at home in Hyrule." It was all he said about this subject, and Colin gladly changed to something more cheerful.

It was Rusl who accompanied Link out of the door later, when the sun had already set.

"Why don't you take a time off and travel to Termina?" he asked, arms folded over his chest.

Link shrugged. "Ordon needs me more."

Rusl shook his head. "We will manage just fine without you, don't worry boy. Uli and I have been watching you for a long time, we can see that you do not feel at ease here anymore."

Link sighed. Rusl was right, and Rusl also knew that he was.

"After all that happened, I cannot sleep at night anymore. Sometimes I lie awake until the sun goes up. Nowhere feels like home."

Rusl nodded. "Of course it is up to you, but if you listen to my advice, you will get your horse and travel to Termina. It is a whole new world, after all. Go on a new adventure, Link." He placed his hand on the Hylian's shoulder and squeezed it.

Link gave him a short nod, and then trotted off to reach his house that lay at the end of the village. Maybe Rusl was right. Maybe it was time to make up for the things he had done wrong.

A week later, Link involuntarily became a witness of a fight between two men, as he was about to bring bales of hay to the stables. One woman cried out as her husband punched the other man into the face, and they ended up kicking and punching, pulling at each other's clothes and hair, and rolling in the dirt of an earth patch. Link dropped his bales and ran towards them, easily pulling the man on top away from the one whose face was in the dirt. He spat angrily but seemed to calm down in Link's strong grip.

"What on earth is going on here?" he asked, releasing the man's arms.

"That bastard is a thief and a liar!" screamed the man.

"I didn't steal anything! Nor am I a liar!" the other barked in response, clenching a fist.

"He took a precious pot filled with 10.000 rupees from me and hid it in his house! I saw it!"

"I have no idea how it got into my house, but I swear, I did not steal it!"

"Calm down! Both of you!" roared Rusl as he stepped into the circle that had been built around them. "I do not tolerate violence in this village. I want you both to come with me, now!"

The men had become quiet and only nodded, somewhat intimidated by Rusl's temper. They followed him as he lead them away. Link shook his head, confused. In all those years he had lived in Ordon, nothing like that had ever happened, and even with the new inhabitants, it had always been rather peaceful. He walked back to the bales he had dropped earlier, strapped them back on and returned to his work.

What had begun as one fight, slowly turned into a collective distrusting between the inhabitants, as more and more precious items disappeared and at times reappeared in a different place. People no longer openly fought but the distrust in their eyes had the same effect, and they started to blame each other for everything. The atmosphere in the village had turned from relaxed and cheerful to cold and hostile in only a few days. Link thought about Rusl's offer more deeply as he strode back to his house after a tiring day. He grabbed the doorknob and was about to push the door open when something caught his eye. Dried leaves were strewn across the entry -which would not have been anything unusual in autumn- but they led into his house. Carefully, he pushed the door open and peeked inside. Everything seemed normal, so he went inside, intuitively checking his weapons that hung on the wall. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed that something was missing: the Master Sword no longer hung next to his bow, and it was nowhere to be seen, even after he finished checking every corner of his house.

"Dammit!" he cursed, knowing that the Master Sword was not only a precious weapon but also a very powerful relict, that, in the wrong hands, could cause a lot of damage. He also knew that it was impossible that anyone from the village would steal the sword; they all looked up to him and would not dare to rob their hero of anything. Frowning, he changed his clothes, put on his boots and a cape, and strapped the bow and quiver around his back. He also grabbed the dagger he had received from the blacksmith in Gamelon, and left his house again. The trace of dried leaves led away from the village, and they were no ordinary leaves. No tree like that existed in Ordon. He walked around the house, greeted Epona, saddled her, and gently patted her neck. "I need your help girl," he said, running his fingers through her thick mane. She snorted and bobbed her head up and down. Link smiled as he put one foot into the stirrup and hoisted himself into the saddle.

Link felt strangely excited as he rode through the dark forest, his weariness completely gone. Epona seemed to feel the same about it, for she fell into a light trot or gallop every now and again. For hours, they followed the traces that Link could only see with the help of the moonlight.

"For a burglar who does not want to be detected, this one clearly made sure I would not miss his trace," he mumbled to himself. They eventually reached the clearing that housed the huge tree that people worshipped as the protector of the woods and used it as a temple at the same time. The traces ended at the abyss surrounding the tree, and bad memories came back to Link. Once before, he had ventured into the secret forest behind the temple, and the way there had been extremely dangerous. He dismounted Epona and sighed. "Wait for me here," he murmured, petting her soft nose as she nudged his side.

This time, he had no rope, but the moon shone brightly, allowing him to see well in the darkness. He carefully climbed over the edge of the clearing, first the left, then the right leg, and dug his fingers into the earth to steady himself. His feet searched for small rocks that would give him support, and slowly he started to climb down. When he was but a mere meter away from the ledge underneath his feet, he let go and landed safely, sighing in relief. The rest of the path was easier, and he reached the secret forest without falling into the abyss. Just like the first time he had ventured here, the magic this place contained tingled in his body, and it was a pleasant feeling.

Link thought he would remember the way, but everything looked different than before, and he scratched the back of his head, confused. A sudden, cackling laughter disturbed his thoughts, and he intuitively reached out for his bow, looking around the place to find the source. Nothing moved, but a faint light at the end of a tunnel on his far right. Determinedly, he grabbed the bow tighter and followed the light.

For half an hour, he continued playing the game, following the laughing, the light and an eerie melody played on a flute. All of a sudden, the sounds stopped and the light went out, and Link found himself in a forest that was thick with conifers and moss, with barely any light shining through the dense treetops. He took one step back, and bumped into a wall. Where earlier had been a passage, a wall, as high as a fortification wall, stood. Link cursed. His guide was gone and the way back blocked. All he could do was continue and hope that he would find a way out soon.

The night wore on, and Link was still wandering through the dense woods, cold, hungry and lost. He mentally slapped himself for going alone, yet he knew that he could not have brought anyone. Tired, he leaned against a tree trunk and closed his eyes. He needed rest, and already he could feel his eyes close and his mind drift off.

Link had no idea how long he had been sleeping, but when he woke up, the sun was shining, although it barely reached him. Yet, it was much brighter than during the night, and he collected himself, and started to walk again. All the while he walked, he couldn't shake off the sensation that he was being watched, however, he saw no one. Only a few birds or insects were buzzing around. He came to a stream soon after, dropped down on his knees and satisfied his thirst, then moved on. When the sun set again after a long day, he stopped, approaching a tree. The mark he had left with his dagger in the trunk in the morning was still there. Frustrated, he punched the tree and cried out as he realised that he was walking in circles. Everything looked the same in those damn woods. Desperate, he sat down on the ground and shoved a handful of berries, he had collected earlier, into his mouth.

Soon, the moon shed his pale light on the trees again, and turned the world into a black pit, partially illuminated by its silver rays. Link had his eyes closed, his back leaning against the trunk behind him. His feet and legs felt strangely light, as if all the weight was lifted from him. His toes were tingling, and warmth spread through his limbs. He blamed the weariness from having walked all day, or the magic that this place contained, but either way, he was way to sleepy to be concerned about it much. He drifted off into sleep, and strange dreams befell him; about swarms of insects and rotten corpses, about flesh coming off and revealing the bones underneath. He woke up with a scream and panted. His sweaty bangs were sticking to his forehead, and his heart thumped in his chest. A rustling of leaves brought his attention back to the real world and he listened and stared into the distance. His hand clutched against his chest to stop his heart from beating so fast. His eyes adjusted to the faint light only after a few moments, and when they did, he saw that he was not alone. Not far from his spot, a figure was hunched over something.

"Hello?" he called. The figure stirred but did not move away, nor turned around. He lifted himself up and stood on wobbly legs, his feet still feeling numb and tingling. He forced himself to move on, even when he felt like the world was turning.

"Who is there?" he called again, but no answer came. He approached the figure with slow steps, his hand on his bow. When he almost reached the large tree before which it huddled, it suddenly turned around. Link's grip on the bow immediately loosened.

"A child?" he asked incredulously. Before him stood a little girl, with flaxen hair and a sleeveless, green tunic. Next to her head something similar to a ball of light bobbed up and down, then flew back behind her.

The girl tilted her head as she looked him over. "And who might you be, Sir?" she asked.

He was about to answer the question when he noticed that there was another child, propped up against a tree. The boy was bleeding from a nasty wound on his head, his wet, light brown hair sticking to it.

"He is hurt," stated Link, matter-of-factly, and knelt down beside the boy, whose eyes were closed and his breathing flat.

"He won't make it," the girl answered, "he will soon become a tree like every other Kokiri who dies."

Link lifted an eyebrow. "Kokiri?" he asked. He had heard this word before, yet could not remember where and when.

"We are Kokiri," she simply answered. "I am surprised you are still alive."

Link frowned. "What do you mean?"

"If a human other than a Kokiri enters the Lost Woods, they become Stalfos."

The boy's breathing then ceased, and his body fell to the side. Link caught him in his arms, but he knew that the girl was right. He was already dead.

"The Lost Woods?" Link felt like a little, helpless child. Had this girl talked to him in the Sheikah or Gerudo tongue, he would surely not have understood any less.

"Are you stupid or what?" the girl said, though her tone was not an unfriendly one.

Link decided it would be best to change the subject and try to get the information he needed in a different way.

"What happened to him?" he asked, putting the dead body gently to the forest floor.

The girl shrugged. "It was the Skull Kid," she said, "we were playing in the woods. It was wearing a silly mask, and Kido told him to take it off. Then it became angry and hit Kido on the head with its flute. Kido and the Skull Kid began to fight, and the Skull Kid hit him again and again until his skull broke. Then it ran off. I have never seen it so aggressive before."

Link didn't know anything about Kokiri or Skull Kids, but this time he decided it'd be better to leave that detail out.

"Can you show me the way out of here?" he asked rather hopeful.

She gave him a weird look. "Why would I do that?"

He lifted his arms. "I don't mean any harm. Someone has stolen something precious from me, and I followed him here. Now I can't find the way out anymore."

"Of course you can't. Because you are a Hylian and not a Kokiri, and you do not own a fairy to protect you."

"Please," he begged.

She shook her small head. "I am sorry mister Hylian. You should have never come here."

Then she took off and left her dead friend and Link behind. The blonde Hylian tried to follow her, but again his feet felt strangely numb, and he tripped and fell to the ground. When he lifted his head, she was gone. He cursed loudly and punched the ground with his fist. Then he sat back up again and removed his boot, his foot now itching. He gingerly took of the sock as well and panted when he saw what was underneath. The skin of his foot was peeling off, already showing the white bone underneath under his toe. He panicked and quickly put the sock back on as if it would change anything. As if it had only been an illusion. His foot continued to itch. He felt nauseous. Panicky and nauseous. What if the little girl was right and he was indeed turning into a Stalfos? He did not dare to take his sock off again and put his itchy foot back into his boot.

"Ahem," said a voice next to his ear. He almost jumped.

"Excuse me," the tiny voice repeated. Link slowly turned his head to the glowing ball before his face.

"A fairy?" he gasped.

"My name is Nye," she said, "I belonged to Kido. I saw your foot. You are turning into a Stalfos if you remain here any longer."

"So it is true?" asked Link, wiping the sweat from his brow.

The fairy's dazzling light became softer and Link could now see her body. She looked like a miniature human with pointed ears and light blue hair. Her dress and wings were light blue as well. She nodded.

"Kido died. I lost my purpose," she whispered, and her voice sounded sad.

"I am sorry for your loss," answered Link, not really knowing what to say. He could not quite focus on her anyway, his thoughts still circling about his foot.

"It is all Skull Kid's fault," she continued, "his weakness for fooling around and stealing has brought him and everyone else into big trouble. But I never thought he would go that far and kill a Kokiri..."

"Who is this Skull Kid?"

"When an adult gets lost in these woods, he turn into a Stalfos. And if a child gets lost, it becomes a Skull Kid. They like doing pranks, and are mischievous creatures."

"Why are you still here, Nye?"

She rubbed her hands and looked down sheepishly. "I have nowhere else to go now," she squeaked.

"I want to find this Skull Kid," said Link, "it took something very precious from me. I am afraid that it can cause a lot of damage if it gets into the wrong hands."

Nye seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. "I will help you get out of the Lost Woods, if you promise that I can stay with you."

Link was surprised, but no better offer could the little fairy have made!

"I will gladly have you," he said. The haste to get out of this Goddess-forsaken place quickly came back and filled him with hope.

Nye held out her tiny hand and Link gave her his. He felt nothing as their hands touched, only a light breeze of air.

Every step hurt, but Link grit his teeth and continued to walk, following the soft light ball around the fairy. He had no idea how long they had been wandering through the dark woods since everything just looked the same to him. Yet, when Nye stopped in front of a tunnel, he knew they had almost made it.

"This is the exit," she said.

"Where does it lead to?" he asked, suddenly having a feeling in his stomach that the answer would not be Hyrule.

"To Woodfall," she answered.

He said nothing, and stepped into the tunnel instead. No matter where he would land, he was probably already starting his adventure.

A tropical heat hit him in the face as soon as he left the tunnel and he moaned. Huge trees densely aligned and seemed to grow right into the sky. The ground under his feet was soft and muddy, and he had to pull his boots out of the mud more than once. If he remained standing for too long, he would sink in.

"Where the fuck are we," he groaned, "this is not Hyrule."

The fairy gave him an uncomprehending look. "We are in Woodfall in southern Termina," she stated matter-of-factly. Link wasn't sure whether he should be happy about that or not, but he guessed that anywhere was better than those Lost Woods.

However, the march through the jungle was an experience Link would rather go without a second time. The tropical heat was unbearable and made his clothes and hair uncomfortably stick to his skin. Apart from the heat, his foot was itching and aching terribly, and he was stung by mosquito every few minutes. His curses wore on until they reached a stream. He wasn't sure if drinking or throwing himself in first was the better option, but either way he knelt down and almost put his hand in the water when Nye flew before his face, batting her wings agitatedly.

"No, Link, you mustn't touch this water. It is poisoned."

He drew back, frustrated. "Poisoned? Why?"

She sighed. "It all began about a week ago. Nature is acting crazy. Temperatures have become extreme, and the water flowing from the upper part of Woodfall into the stream became poisonous. It brought dead fish and frogs. Along with the water came the dragonflies. They are a real plague. There is one part that has not been stained yet. It lies in the northern portion of the swamp. Follow me, you can drink and wash yourself there."

By the time they finally reached said area, Link was close to dehydration and desperation, and he dropped to his knees beside the stream and stuck his head under water, enjoying the cool and refreshing feeling on his skin. After drinking until his stomach threatened to burst, he lay down on the grass, closing his eyes for a moment. The heat and ache in his foot made him feel dizzy, and all he wished for was a bit of sleep.

"You should take care of that foot of yours," warned Nye. Link reopened his eyes and groaned. But he knew that the fairy was right. If he wanted to keep his foot, he could no longer ignore the pain. His hands trembled as he gingerly took off the boot. He was afraid to remove the sock, though, not wanting to see how it looked.

"Link," the fairy said when he made no attempt to remove it.

He sighed, then pulled the sock off as well. His heart beat in his throat as he looked at his foot. More skin was peeling off and there were red blotches from where his boot had been constantly rubbing against the skin. He put it in the cool water and moaned.

"You should check the other too," advised Nye, and Link nodded. His other foot was unharmed, but he stuck it inside the water too, and remained sitting there, enjoying the chilling sensation.

"Am I safe from becoming a Stalfos now, though?" he asked almost timidly, afraid of the answer.

Nye nodded. "You are no longer in danger. But you need treatment. Not far from here, two old hags live. They are pretty good at making healing ointments. Can you walk a bit further?"

Link moaned. "Yeah I guess." He got back up, but refrained from putting his boots back on, deciding it wouldn't do his damaged foot any good.

Nye's words proved to be true when after a short but painful walk, a colourful house, standing on 1 broad pillar, appeared. The house had the shape of a teakettle, with crooked windows and a blue door. The walls were painted orange, red and white, and a ladder leaned against the tiny roof.

"So what now?" asked Link, "shall I knock?"

"I don't think that's necessary," said a strange voice behind him.

Slowly, he turned around, his hand resting on his bow as he felt the tip of a blade against his back.

A/N: The mythical Lost Woods...the perfect connection between the worlds. So Link ends up with a fairy at last! Decided to choose a new fairy rather than Tatl, for I wanted Nye to be a whole different character. I also will try to stick to the original plot as little as possible. Luckily the ideas always come while writing ;)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the start of a new adventure. Please r&r! :)