The Spirit of a Hero—III—Return to Hyrule

DragonKnight19

Keith wandered through the trees, taking in the sights of his homeland for the first time. Though the forest was dark and foreboding, and he was completely lost, he felt right at home. He was back in his homeland, the land where he had been born. Now he just had to figure out where to go.

Presently he came to a break in the trees and found himself in a clearing. Scattered around the clearing like fallen leaves were the ruins of old treehouses. They looked like they had been deliberately destroyed, and had obviously not been lived in for quite some time.

"You're new to this land, aren't you?" a voice broke the silence. Startled, Keith spun around and saw a green-haired little girl standing behind him. "I've never seen you before, and nobody ever enters the forest. You must have come from another land. Follow me, and I'll show you the way out." The girl turned and started walking back into the forest. Keith had no choice but to follow her.

As soon as he caught up to her, Keith asked her, "Who are you?"

The girl kept walking, but turned towards him and replied, "My name is Saria. I am the spiritual leader of my people, the Kokiri. We once lived in that village, but Ganon destroyed it. We now reside in the Forest Temple. Funny, isn't it? The Forest Temple, which was Ganon's stronghold in this area during his first reign, now protects us.

"It is the same all throughout Hyrule. All five races were forced out of their homes when they were destroyed, and now live in their local temples. We Kokiri in the Forest Temple, the Gorons in the Fire Temple, the Zoras in the Water Temple, the Gerudo in the Spirit Temple, and the Hylians in the Shadow Temple. It is there, to the Shadow Temple, you will want to go."

Keith interrupted her suddenly and asked, "How do you know all this? And why should I bother going to the Shadow Temple? All I want to do is find Ganon's Castle and save Sheik."

"You know Sheik?" Saria asked. "Then that is all the more reason why you should go to the Shadow Temple. Seek out Impa, the leader of the Hylians. She will be able to help you." She suddenly stopped in her tracks. "We have arrived."

Keith looked up and saw sunshine through the trees. Saria had led him out of the forest. "We are now at the edge of the forest," she told him. "If you go straight north from here, you will eventually come upon the ruins of Kakiriko Village. The entrance to the Shadow Temple is in the Graveyard. Goodbye, and good luck." She turned to go, but stopped and looked back at him one more time, and said, "I don't know why, but for some reason, when I see you, I remember...him..." With that, she turned and disappeared into the forest.

Keith didn't stop to dwell on the strangeness of the girl's behavior. Every second he wasted was another that Sheik could be suffering, or worse. He set off north, following Saria's directions to Kakiriko Village.

After a few hours of walking across a vast field, Keith finally spotted the ruins of a village in the distance. As he got closer, he saw that the destruction here was worse than in the forest. Ganon had obviously wanted to make an example of these people.

He made his way through the ruins in the direction of the graveyard. When he got there, he stopped and looked around. Unlike the village, the graveyard seemed to still be intact. Keith suddenly realized that Saria had not told him where in the graveyard he could find the entrance to the Shadow Temple. With no other option, he started wandering around, looking for signs of an entrance. As he was passing by an inconspicuous tombstone, the ground suddenly gave way beneath Keith's feet and he fell down a deep shaft. He hot the bottom hard and landed flat on his back. Momentarily stunned, he just laid there, surrounded by the remains of the dead.

Suddenly, as pair of rough hands grabbed Keith and yanked him to his feet. He looked around and saw that he was being accosted by a pair of skeletons! "Alright, get on your feet," one of them said in a gruff male voice. Wait a minute, Keith thought. Skeletons can't talk. Upon closer inspection, Keith saw that they were really two men dressed as skeletons.

"Well, well, what have we here?" asked the second one. "A spy of Ganon, perhaps? Our allies would have sent advance notice of their arrival."

"Spy of Ganon?" Keith echoed incredulously. "Never! How do I know you don't work for Ganon?"

The first skeleton roared with laughter. "Who does this kid think he is, calling the Guardians of the Shadow Temple, servants of Ganon? Son, I've killed more Stalfos than you've taken breaths."

"My name is Keith," he told the guards. "I've returned to Hyrule to save my mentor Sheik. I need to see Impa."

"You know Sheik?" the second guard asked. "Why didn't you say so? Follow me." He released his grip on Keith's arm and walked off into the shadows. Keith hurried after him.

The guard led Keith through many dark, twisting tunnels, deeper and deeper into the Shadow Temple. Along the way, there were many disabled traps from when this dungeon had been a stronghold of darkness. Now it was a refuge for the survivors of Kakiriko. The Guard led Keith deeper and deeper into the darkness. Finally, Keith felt the path start to lead upward again. Eventually, they came to a heavy wooden door guarded by another two Guardians. When they saw Keith and his escort coming, they opened the door and ushered Keith inside, then closed the door behind him.

"So, you have finally come," Keith heard a voice say from his left. He turned and saw a figure bent over a small fire in a fireplace. The room looked like a typical cottage, but that wasn't possible; they were underground, weren't they?

"You are thinking, how can we be in a cottage if we are underground, are you not?" the figure turned to face Keith. He saw that it was an ancient woman, withered and venerable-looking. "I can't read minds directly, but as the former Shadow Sage, I can hear the whispers of the shadows, and they are more perceptive than you would think. I am Impa. It is good to see you again, Keith."

"How do you know my name?" Keith asked her.

"It was I who delivered you, that fateful night, seventeen years ago," Impa replied. "Tell me, how is Sheik doing? I haven't seen him since he escaped Hyrule with you."

He was kidnapped by Ganon," Keith answered gravely. That is why I have come; I was told to see you before confronting Ganon and rescuing Sheik."

When the old woman heard that Sheik had been captured, her face fell. "So, Sheik has finally fallen into Ganon's hands. It is good that you have come. You must save Sheik. Only you can defeat Ganon."

With a confused look on his face, Keith asked, What do you mean, I am the only one who can defeat Ganon? What can I do that any other experienced warrior can't?"

Impa looked right into his eyes and said, "only you can, because it is your destiny. With your arrival, the light of Hope has returned to Hyrule."

"I'm still confused."

Impa sighed. "Look out that window and tell me what you see."

Keith walked over to the window Impa was pointing at and threw it open. To his amazement, sunlight streamed into the room. They really were above ground. He tried to look out the window, but the sunlight blinded him. "I can't see anything," Keith replied. "The sun is too bright. It's light is everywhere."

Impa hobbled over to where he stood and looked out the window too. "That's the first time the sun has shone in seventeen years," she told him. "It is a good omen, a sign of hope. Now do you believe in your destiny?" Keith remained silent. "Well, I won't keep you from your quest. Just let me give you something before you go." Impa shuffled over to a large chest in the corner and pulled out a small object. She returned to Keith's side and placed it in his hand. He looked down and saw that it was a battered Ocarina.

"That's the Ocarina of Time," Impa told him. "It was used by Link, the Hero of Time, when he first defeated Ganon. It shall aid you in your quest and will show Ganon who you truly are."

Keith thanked her and turned to go. He stopped at the door and turned back to face her, and asked, "Wait, if you delivered me, then you must have known my parents. Please tell me! Sheik never told me, because he said that not knowing kept me safe."

Impa shook her head. "I cannot go against Sheik's wishes. All I can tell you is that your parents were very brave, and fought to the death to protect Hyrule, and to protect you. I guarantee that before your quest is over, you will know the full truth."

As he was led beck to the entrance of the temple, Keith lost himself in thought. His destiny? Only he could defeat Ganon? And what about this Ocarina? How could it make Ganon recognize him? These thoughts and many others swirled through his head as he walked back to the entrance.

Once back above ground, the guard gave him directions to Ganon's Castle. Keith learned that it stood where the old Hyrule Castle had once been. When he took over, Ganon leveled it and built his own fortress on the exact same site.

Keith walked for a while until he reached the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town. Ganon obviously had a thing for ruins. In the Town Square, ReDead zombies were stumbling around, moaning the moans of the dead. Keith quickly disposed of them before they could get him. He then continued towards Ganon's castle.

The castle was impressive, to say the least. It was the largest structure Keith had ever seen, and the whole thing was made of black granite, with spikes jutting out everywhere. However, Keith was not intimidated. He had to save Sheik, and no castle was going to stop him from his mission.

During the era of the Hero of Time, Ganon had protected his castle with an impassable gap, which Link had had to seek out the aid of the six Sages in order to cross. Now, after seventeen years of unrivaled dominance, Ganon had gotten cocky, and had a vast bridge connecting his castle to the land. He obviously was not expecting intruders, which was good for Keith. He took a deep breath, braced himself for whatever he might find inside, and then stepped into the darkness of Ganon's Castle.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form