Chapter 2

The Mysterious Island

"Help me. Please help me. I am a prisoner in the dungeon of the castle. My name is Zelda."

Memories of that night were common in Link's dreams. That desperate cry for help through Zelda's telepathy was what started everything. At the time, Link didn't even consider ignoring the plea, only doing whatever he could to help the wayward princess. He rushed outside, forcing his way through the storm that raged that fateful night, as well as the guards loyal to Agahnim. When he inherited his uncle's sword and shield, Link plunged into the depths of Hyrule Castle, rescuing the Princess Zelda from Agahnim's clutches and leading her to the safety of the church.

"You are a descendant of the Knights of Hyrule," Zelda had told him. "The only one not bewitched by Agahnim's evil magic. Can I count on you to help the Kingdom of Hyrule?"

"Of course. Anything for you, Princess."

Link never imagined at the time that Zelda's request would entail so much hardship. The courageous youth pushed open the doors of the church that morning, and set out for Kakariko Village.

~o~

"He's waking up!" Came a muffled voice from the darkness. Link opened his eyes, only to close them again as the light pained him.

"What a relief! You've been tossing and turning in your sleep, as if you were having a nightmare!" The voice was soft and comforting. Link almost recognized it.

"Zelda?" He asked, his voice coarse from the unimaginable amounts of seawater he probably consumed the night before.

"Zelda? No no, my name is Marin!"

As his senses began to readjust, Marin's voice cleared up. Link opened his eyes slowly, taking in the red-haired woman bit by bit as his vision focused. Clearly this wasn't Zelda, yet as her features became visible to the young man, he felt his heart go aflutter. Hers was a beauty he had never quite seen in all his years, more so than even the graceful Hylian royal from his homeland.

"Where am I?" Link asked, clearing his throat after asking the question. He took a quick glance around, seeing the worn walls of an old house all around him.

"This is our house," Marin told him with a smile. Quickly, Link felt his face flush red.

"O-Our?" He stammered, causing Marin herself to blush a bit with a giggle thrown in.

"She means our house, son." A second, gruff voice came from behind Marin. The owner approached his bedside, and looked down at Link from behind the young woman.

His face was familiar, almost like a younger version of Link's own uncle. Covering most of his lips was a thick, brown mustache, but even it couldn't hide the man's smile. Link's anxiety seemed to melt away; he couldn't imagine either of these people being dangerous in any way.

"The name's Tarin," he said, offering Link a handshake. Link sat up, and took hold of Tarin's hand. After a few strong shakes, the man continued the introductions.

"You've already met my daughter Marin. She's the one that found you washed up on the beach."

"Beach? What beach?"

"The Toronbo Shores, remember?" Jumped in Marin, eager to speak with the blonde youth. Link was still clearly confused.

"I'm sorry, I meant where am I? What part of Hyrule is this?" His question caused both Marin and Tarin to look at each other, then back at him. Just what had Link said that was so strange?

"Hyrule? This isn't 'Hyrule', son." Link's eyes went wide at Tarin's statement.

"So... where am I, then?"

"This is Koholint Island, Link," said Marin, her smile returning to her face.

"Koholint...? Wait, how did you know my name?"

Overjoyed that Link had finally asked, Marin clapped her hands together and ran over to the other side of the room. Link looked after her, and saw as she carried over something very familiar to him. It was his shield, the Triforce engraving still visible despite it being pretty banged up.

"Your name is Link, right? It was written on the back of this shield," she said, pointing at the small scratches on the backside of the defensive tool. Link had made the marks himself, shortly after setting sail a few days ago.

"Did you find anyone else?" Link asked, suddenly remembering the rest of the crew he was traveling with. "Our ship was caught in the storm last night, and a lightning bolt struck the ship."

"Sorry, son," said Tarin with a frown. "We didn't find anyone else. Just you, that shield, and one other thing."

"What was it?"

"Well, I couldn't be sure, but it might've been a weapon. Before I could fetch it, some monsters showed up. Had to carry you out of there, so I left it behind."

A weapon... his sword, Link thought to himself. Though it was strange that no one else, not even wreckage from his ship had managed to wash up on shore, Link knew he had to get his sword back. It was much more than just a sword, after all. Aside from his shield, it was the only other item that tied him to Hyrule. At that moment, he remembered something else. Link's hands shot towards his pockets, but naturally he found them to be empty.

"Something wrong, Link?" Marin asked. The young man gave his sides one final pat down, but of course the ocarina wouldn't just magically reappear in his pockets.

"N-Nothing," he lied, giving Marin an unconvincing smile. "Nothing at all."

Link finally forced himself out of bed, finding that he was feeling quite refreshed and energized. Even his left arm, which had taken quite a pounding during the storm the previous night, was feeling right as rain. He picked up his shield with his right arm, adjusting his shoulder to the weight. Tarin watched closely the entire time, while Marin couldn't help but smile in marvel. That same smile had Link a bit nervous, so he tried his best not to look directly at her, or in her general direction.

"So," Link finally said, "where's the shore where you found me?"

"Going to find your sword, are ya?" Tarin asked, a bit skeptical of the boy.

"It... means a lot to me," Link replied, carefully choosing his words. "And if there are monsters running around, I can deal with them. As thanks for helping me out."

"Well, the Toronbo Shores-"

"-Are down south," Marin cut in, "not too far from the village. I can take you there, if you'd like!"

Link wasn't sure how to respond to Marin's offer, and looked to Tarin for some hint. Marin followed his gaze, and Tarin was put in quite the awkward position.

"You heard the lady, Link," he finally said. "She knows the way just as well as me. Let her guide you down there."

Marin literally cheered at her father's approval, and ran to her room to collect her things. In the short moment she was out of earshot, Tarin leaned in close to Link to whisper something.

"Take care of her, ya hear? Those monsters might still be around."

"Yes, sir," Link said rigidly. "I'll make sure she stays safe."

Once Marin returned, the two young people set out from the house. Link half-expected to recognize the place, but of course that wasn't the case. The town wasn't very big, with only a handful of houses making up the place. Marin noticed Link was lost in the sights, and cleared her voice to catch his attention.

"This is Mabe Village," she told him. "It's not much, but it is the biggest village in the whole island!"

"How long have you lived here?" Link asked, wondering how such a small settlement could've lasted with so few residents.

"For as long as I can remember," Marin answered. Link looked at her, which made her smile cheerfully. She couldn't be older than he was, he guessed, so that means the village had probably stood for at least a dozen years or more.

"Come on! The beach is this way, Link!"

Marin grabbed hold of Link's left arm, dragging him out of the village. Though his mind was still trying to make sense of all this, he put it on hold as the two made their way down to the shores. After all, he couldn't very well ignore Marin as she started to talk to him about all sorts of things!

~o~

Getting information out of Marin reminded Link of his first journey, and the very first task he had to accomplish, as well. Without Kakariko's elder, the wise Sahasrahla, Link didn't even know where to begin his search for the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane. To make matters worse, Agahnim had already spread false rumors of the Princess's abduction, forcing Link to be discreet in his own hometown. Every street corner had guards posted, ready to apprehend him.

At the time, Link had to team up with the most unlikely companion. Her name was Ghanti, a thief looking to earn a fortune by turning in Princess Zelda to Agahnim. Neither traveler trusted each other, but when things got ugly they'd always bail each other out. And after every such skirmish, Ghanti would always try to mine the location of Zelda out of Link. Of course, he never said a word. But all his own questions regarding Ghanti's past were blocked by the fiendish bandit girl.

And things were looking the same for Link when it came to Marin. No matter what he asked the girl, she'd either dodge the question or answer with something of a giggle. She wasn't being uncooperative; she just didn't seem to know much about the island itself.

"My father's explored most of the island," Marin said, answering another of Link's questions. "I've gone with him often, but I don't know it as well as he does."

"But is there any way off it? A port, a ship... anything?" Marin stopped dead in her tracks, then turned to face Link.

"I-I think the place where we found you is right over there," she said, pointing towards the ocean. She was dodging the question, much like every other attempt Link had thrown at her. Why didn't she want to say anything about how to leave the island? Was Link being held prisoner there? What would Marin and Tarin gain from keeping him on the island, and how would they stop him from merely forcing the information out of them?

Link shook his head, unable to imagine he was entertaining the thought. Harming these people? Had he really let that thought even form in his mind? His memory flashed to his time with Ghanti. At one point, he had become that desperate. Desperate enough to use force to get information out of the girl. It was a low point in his adventures around Hyrule.

Before he allowed himself to drown in guilt and painful memories, he looked to where Marin was pointing. Sure enough, wedged in the sand by the tide was a sword, begging to be extracted and recovered.

"We've been lucky," Link said as he walked towards the sword. "No monsters."

Of course, his very claim was the jinx, and emerging from beneath the sand, two monsters sprung out. They were green, with a set of three sharp horns surrounding a mouth with dozens of teeth. They were creatures Link had faced before.

"Leevers! Marin, stay back!"

The young lady did as she was told, allowing Link to face both monsters head on. Without the sword, there wasn't much he could do to harm them, but he could still keep them at bay with his shield. Using his right arm and the slab of metal and wood, he reflected the Leevers' attempts to impale him with their long teeth. After a few failed attempts, the Leevers retreated into the sand, giving Link a clear shot to the sword. He blasted forward in a sprint, reaching the sword before the monsters resurfaced.

As his hand touched the blade, memories of retrieving the Master Sword flooded his mind's eye. The sanctuary of the fabled weapon had been hidden in the Lost Woods, a heavily forested region of Hyrule. Centuries had eroded what was once a grand temple surrounding the pedestal where the sword rested, yet it as well as the blade were intact; proof of a powerful magic safeguarding the sword. Were it only in his hands now, instead of the blade he held there on the beach.

"Link, watch out!"

Marin's voice brought Link back to the beach, where the two Leevers were about to make short work of the green-clad adventurer. In one swift movement, Link drew the sword from the sand, spun around, and cleaved both monsters in two. He held his ground for a couple seconds following that, and watched as both monsters erupted into a cloud of black mist. The dark cloud dissipated with a low groan, something Link couldn't quite explain.

Link held his recovered sword high in the air, letting the light of the sun reflect off the blade for a moment. This was only the beginning of his newest journey. To return to Hyrule, and escape Koholint Island.