Notes: Not much to say before this chapter. Thanks for the reviews, and if it so pleases you, continue to R&R. We begin to approach the titular character's introduction…

Previous Chapter Summary: After leaving Ordon, Link travels for several days in the Rolling Plains of Hyrule Field. One evening, he is attacked by a group of four Bulblins, a Bulbo, and a Kargarok. Using his quick wits, superior skills, and incredible luck, he defeats them without injury. However, his heart is put into turmoil from his first time taking another creature's life. He continues his journey, arriving at a small village called Napils as it comes under attack by a flock of Kargaroks. With the assistance of a company of Knights, he defeats the Kargaroks and finally has a chance to relax. The company leader, Sergeant Hawke, assures him that certain creatures are evil and need not be pitied, but this does not completely get rid of his emotional difficulties.

CHAPTER FOUR: Discoveries

Location: Rolling Plains
Time: Early afternoon of the thirty-sixth day of the Summer of the 35th Year of the Reign of King Armin Hyrule II

"I'm starting to feel like an idiot, talking to myself like this," remarked Link.

Link had spent the last few days, up to two days ago, in the small village of Napils, resting, restocking, and learning the rumors. It was the third of those things that most interested him. After all, he had left Ordon in great part because he felt that there was some impending disaster that he needed to combat. Sure enough, there were plenty of happenings to rouse suspicion. No nationwide events had occurred as of yet, but there were plenty of unusual things happening locally.

Link had learned his first important piece of information from Hawke's company of Knights.

Hawke looked at Link seriously. "I'm not surprised you're asking. I would say that it's simply natural to want to know the news, but I get the feeling you have a more specific reason for asking about recent happenings. Well, you won't be disappointed if you're expecting me to tell you that things are starting to look sour. The Kargarok attack here wasn't the first sign of unusual monster behavior that we've seen since we left Castle City to patrol a few weeks ago. The Bulblins have been more active in their raiding, and Lon Lon has had trouble with Bokoblins trying to get inside the village. This wasn't the only Kargarok assault, either. I don't know what's got the monsters acting up, but something has. And based on the reports of other Knights, this isn't the only area with problems. The Hills have been having problems with Lizalfos and in the mountains Tektites and Dodongos are causing a fuss. It's getting dangerous to travel. With your skills, you should be all right, but be careful if you plan to go alone."

But it seemed that monsters weren't the only problem, as Link found out from one of the villagers.

The village doctor, an old woman with some knowledge of herbs, shook her head sadly. "I've been seein' far more people than I'd like. There ain't been that many cases of serious illness, thank the goddesses, but there've been more than usual. What's really causin' problems is the minor sicknesses – late spring and so far this summer there've been at least five times as many people fallen sick as usual. I can feel it in the air – there's some fell breeze beginnin' to blow, you mark my words."

A traveler who had just come from Lon Lon Village happened to arrive on Link's third day in town, so Link questioned him about the most recent state of affairs in the ranch-based village. The traveler was eager to oblige his request.

"Lon Lon? Yeah, there's stuff goin' on there, all right. You ever been there? No? Well, first, let me tell you – Lon Lon isn't just some rinky-dink place like this. Nah, it's a pretty big town. In fact, it's about as big as Kakariko – except bigger, land wise, 'cause of the ranch takes up a lot o' space. Well, anyways, there's some funny stuff goin' on there. I'm glad I left when I did. The mayor, a fella' by the name of Talon – he owns the ranch, too – he's been actin' kinda strange lately. All funny like. I don't know details, but people say he's not like himself at all! And at night, there's these loud scratchin' noises everywhere. People been attacked by Guay, too – you know, those big ol' crows. You should steer clear if you know what's good for you, you know!"

That information seemed more specific, less generalized to the land as a whole, but still extremely significant, so Link had decided to make Lon Lon his next destination. Yesterday morning, he had left Napils with a renewed supply of food and water and a slightly lighter wallet – he only had 60 rupees now. Having gotten used to talking with the villagers, he was bored and a little lonely on the road by himself, so he had started talking aloud to sift through his thoughts.

"But, I suppose there's no real reason for me to feel like an idiot when no one can hear me except me. I could sing and no one would laugh at me! La la laaaa!"

He skipped for a few feet before returning to a walk. He snickered. "Ahh, that felt good. It was a little weird being in a place where everyone thought I was some amazing guy. It's nice to be able to relax, even if I am just by myself." He looked up at the sky. "Even the heat doesn't seem to be as bad, for some reason. Maybe that's because there's a breeze right now."

He fell silent for a while, enjoying the slight breeze. Then he said, "You know, if I'm going to fight flying enemies, I should probably see if I can get my hands on a bow as soon as I can. Maybe I can fine one for sale in Lon Lon… I doubt it, though. I'd have better luck in Castle City." He thought for a little while, then mused, "I wonder why the Triforce burned like that when I used a bow back in Napils. Even the Sage couldn't tell me exactly what all the Triforce of Courage does, so I'll probably never know, but I'm curious. Oh, well. I should reach Lon Lon sometime around midday tomorrow, if what I was told about how far it was is true. I'm glad I haven't run into any more Bulblins since I left the village.

"Hmm. I need something to whistle or hum or sing beside the Lost Woods music. Let's see if I can come up with something… Lessee… Da da da daa daaa da da-da dada daaa, da da da da daa da da-da dada daaa…"

Location: Just outside of Lon Lon Village, Rolling Plains side

Time: Noon of the thirty-seventh day of the Summer of the 35th Year of the Reign of King Armin Hyrule II

Link gazed at the walls of the village. Village was an understatement, he decided. The boundaries might not be of the strongest stones and represent the best fortification, but the settlement was surrounded by walls some fifteen feet high made out of a combination of wood, metal, and rock. What made this even more impressive was the fact that the circular town's diameter was more miles than he cared to estimate. Even if most of the area was taken up by the ranch, that was still a big place.

He approached the nearest gate in the wall, which was made of vertical bars, and called out.

"Oyy! Traveler at the gate! Anyone home?"

A few moments later, a pair of men appeared on the other side of the gate, clutching gisarmes. Upon seeing Link, they relaxed slightly, but they did not let down their guard. The taller of the two men replied, "Who goes?"

Grinning, Link answered, "Link, of Ordon, a traveler who has wandered from his home to right wrongs and defeat evil. With my swords" – he swiftly drew his weapons – "I will put an end to all monsters that threaten the peace of the land." Bowing, he added, "I have heard that this grand village is troubled, and I would seek to solve what problems I am able. For this reason, I ask that I be permitted entry through the gate." Link laughed inwardly. My, this is fun!

The shorter of the two men unlocked the gate and opened it while the former addressed Link.

"I would have warned you away from this place if you had known nothing," he said as Link came up to him. "We're no safer within these walls than outside them. The gates must be kept shut to protect against the Bokoblins, but in the village itself is a threat that is just as frightening. I'll lead you to the militia's headquarters – we can explain the situation there."

Link nodded, his face serious. Things must have gotten even worse in the few days since that traveler had left Lon Lon. Yet, for some reason, Link did not feel frightened. He was apprehensive, true, but there was another part of him that was excited. Somehow, it felt right that he was stepping up to face unknown dangers. It felt natural that he should put his life on the line to protect these people. It was a feeling that ran deeper than the instinctive obviousness of helping those whose troubles he could see. That he had never faced true danger until about a week ago (barring the encounter with Dark Link) didn't seem to matter.

The two guards, after re-securing the gate, led Link into the village. The village's organization was rather odd; it seemed that there were neighborhoods here and there, with vast stretches in between them. There were far more buildings than Link had ever seen in one place – it dwarfed Ordon. It took almost two hours of walking before they reached the largest collection of buildings, the commercial and political center of Lon Lon. The two lead him inside a large two-story building.

A bearded man sat at a desk in the first room. He looked up when the three of them entered. His eyes rested on Link's two swords, and his face split into an excited smile.

"Don't tell me – you're here to help us!" he exclaimed.

"That's right!" Link said. "Although, I don't really know all the details yet – my information is a little dated… it's about five days old, and even then it wasn't everything. So, what exactly has been going on?"

"Let me take you to the captain," the bearded man insisted, grabbing Link's hand and practically dragging him through the door to the next room, up the stairs, and into yet another room. Link found himself face-to-face with a middle-aged man in overalls who had muscular arms and a tall, stocky build. The man's brown eyes surveyed the tunic-wearing boy with interest. He gestured to a chair before grabbing one for himself.

"Siddown, kid. You're gonna need it."

Link unshouldered his backpack and obliged, careful to make sure his swords didn't hit anything at odd angles. He faced the man resolutely. He absently noted that the bearded man had left.

"I'm Mick, the captain of Lon Lon's militia," the man said by way of introduction.

"Link, of Ordon."

"So you came here to hear what the trouble is so you could help, huh? Well, if you still wanna help after I tell you, you're either stupid or brave. Ready to hear it?"

"Absolutely. I cannot see others in need of my help and not help them. It's just the way I am," he smiled. "And the swords aren't just for show – I can fight."

Mick gave a humorless smile in return. "Well, that's good, 'cause you'd be dead if you couldn't. I'll start at the beginning."

Mick leaned back. "I guess it started about three weeks ago, though we didn't notice it at the time. There had been a hellava storm. Lightning struck several buildings, and we had to put 'em out. The mayor, Talon, started talking about making sure that everything was safe. Made sense, of course, since damaged property is damaged property, ya know? But that was probably the start of it.

"You see, Talon's always been the laid-back sort of guy. Likes a good drink and then a long nap. Usually leaves running the town to me and my men and running the ranch to the workers and his younger brother. They say he took after his grandpa, who liked to lay about instead of doing his job. Well, anyway, Talon didn't seem to wanna relax after that storm. Seemed mighty interested in making sure that everybody was all right, that all our stuff was okay. In fact, over the next week, he got more and more into it, even though everything was already accounted for. Micromanaging, I think they call it. Soon, everything had to be done perfect, or he would lose his head and start yelling something or other. That was when we noticed something was wrong.

"That was about a week and a half ago – about ten days ago. Right around then, accidents started happening out at the ranch. The animals got real spooked all the sudden, and they attacked the handlers. It didn't change the next day; if anything, it got worse. Nobody could control the animals at all. Talon was screaming in worry."

Mick leaned forward and stared Link in the eyes.

"Then all the sudden, it stopped. The animals acted real calm, and Talon was real calm too. But not relaxed calm, more like…dead calm. I saw Talon's eyes, and I don't know what I saw – they looked like a dead man's eyes. One of the ranch hands told me the animals were like that too.

"Then, seven days ago, it got different at night. There was this scratching noise coming from the ranch. It sounded…sort of like those skull-spiders, the Skulltulas. You ever seen one of them? There's several different kinds – the wall ones, which are about as big as your chest plus legs; the gold kind, which are about the same size, but rarer and deadlier; and the giant kind, which have bodies at least as long as a man is tall. Well, we militia went out to investigate, but we couldn't find anything. During the next day, Talon started reaching out toward anyone who came close, like he was gonna wrap 'em in a hug, but it was disturbing. He wouldn't say anything. Nobody would go out to the ranch anymore.

"That night, the scratching noise started to spread throughout the whole town. Everybody stayed locked inside. Then during the day, all the Guay that fly around started attacking people, and we had our hands full fighting off the crows. The next night, it got worse. Me and my men checked around, but we didn't see anything 'til we got to the ranch."

Mick closed his eyes and shuddered.

"The old warehouse out at the ranch…was crawling with Skulltulas. I ain't talking about fifteen or twenty; there had to be more than two hundred, and more inside! And…that wasn't the worst of it."

Link stared at the man in horror.

"There's worse?"

Mick nodded grimly. "Lots worse. Tell me, kid – have you ever heard of the walking dead?"

"Stalfos? What's a Stalfos?" Link asked, confused. Saria giggled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sometimes I forget how different things are now," she apologized. "A Stalfos is a type of monster. They're skeleton warriors that walk about and fight, powered by black magic." She made a face. "They're horrible. There are smaller versions of them that don't use weapons called Stalchildren, too. The Hero of Time was so good at fighting the Stalfos – he cleared out a lot of them from the temple." She gestured at the ruins behind her.

"So… they're skeletons that move around?" Link said, disgusted. Saria nodded, sympathetic.

"Truly horrible."

Link gulped and nodded. "Yeah…I have."

"Well, there must have been at least thirty skeletons roaming around. Some of 'em were little, like kids, but at least half of them were as big as me or bigger and carrying swords and shields. My men and me – well, we ran for it, to tell the truth. I'm still not sure whether anything we did woulda made a difference, but..." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, over the last few days it's gotten worse. Guay have been attacking during the morning and evening, and the spiders and skeletons have been roaming farther and farther away from the ranch every night. So far, nobody's died, but several people have had to abandon their homes and move farther away from the ranch."

The Ordon villager was thinking hard. "Have any of your men fought against the spiders or skeletons?" he asked.

Militia captain Mick nodded. "Yeah, and some of 'em are still abed from their injuries. We've killed five of the big spiders and at least that many of the small ones. The remains from the few skeletons we destroyed turned to dust. We only fought the little ones, though."

Mick looked out the window. "They should come out this far tonight. I'm not sure what we're gonna do. Even with your help, we can't hope to kill them all."

Thoughts flew through Link's head. Thoughts such as "we're all going to die!" and "this is hopeless!" and "if I run now, maybe I'll stand a chance!" He shook his head vigorously. No, he admonished himself, I am not going to run. I am not going to give up. I'm going to fight, and I'm going to save these people, even if I have to die to do it. I'm going to find out what's causing all this and destroy the source!

He glanced around the room, which was mostly barren except for a few chairs, a filing cabinet, a desk, and a weapon rack. His eyes fell on an extremely old-looking bow which was fully strung.

"What's that?" he asked abruptly. Mick turned to look.

"Oh, that. That's been in the militia since as long as anyone can remember. Nobody knows how old it is, or what kind of wood it's made of, or even what the string is made of. It seems to be unbreakable. It would be an incredible weapon if anyone could actually use it."

"You can't?" Link asked.

"Nope. Nobody can pull it. I've tried, and I don't think it's the pull that's the problem. I think it's got a spell of some kind on it."

Guided by some inner impulse, Link stood up and walked over to the bow. It stood about up to his chest. As he stood next to it, a strange feeling rose up inside of him. He knew, somehow, that he would be able to use the bow. He knew that he should use the bow, that it was his bow. He reached out and wrapped his left hand around it.

There was a tingling, and then suddenly a huge shock of power ran through his body from the bow. The back of his hand burned. And then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over. Picking it up, he switched hands so that he could draw it back with his left. He was ambidextrous, but it somehow felt right to use it left-handed. Grasping the string with his fingers, he pulled.

The captain watched in amazement as the teenage boy effortlessly drew the string all the way back and let it go, a twang sounding from the vibrating string. He continued to stare as the boy turned back to him, a smile on his face, and said, "Can I have it?"

"Yeah…" was all the middle-aged man could manage.

*
Location: Lon Lon Village, near the warehouse tower of the ranch
Time: Late Evening of the thirty-seventh day of the Summer of the 35th Year of the Reign of King Armin Hyrule II

Link stood alone, his bow in his right hand, and watched the sun continue to sink beneath the horizon. He had left his backpack at the militia headquarters, figuring that it would get in his way when he fought. After borrowing a bag to carry his Deku Nuts, which he affixed to his belt, he had strapped a quiver full of thirty arrows across his back so that it would be easy to draw them with his left hand. His potions were concealed inside a second pouch on his belt. He had told Mick to stand guard back in the village, while the green-clothed boy went alone to the ranch. At first, Mick had balked at the idea, saying that it was suicide. After Link had argued that the fact that the bow had chosen him meant that he was intended to solve the town's problem, and that anyway at least only one person would die if something went wrong instead of lots of people, Mick had given in.

One thing that had surprised Link when he had reached the ranch was that none of the animals (or Talon, whom he had discovered sitting in a daze) were harmed, apart from being in an unnatural stupor. He had expected to find their bones, if that much. Why had the abominations left the animals alone?

A second thing that had surprised him was that although there were clear signs of destruction on the ranch buildings, none of the nightly horrors was anywhere to be seen. Though he was initially surprised, he was actually grateful for this on multiple levels. First, it postponed the time he would have to face the monsters. Second, it meant that there was a chance he would get to see where the monsters were coming from.

The instant the sun vanished beneath the horizon, the ranch came alive with skull-backed spiders and undead horrors.

The perfectly still earth erupted all around him with skeletons clawing their way into the night air. Gigantic spiders began to swarm out of the warehouse tower windows. Glancing around rapidly, Link noticed that none of the other buildings had spiders emerging from them. That meant that the source of the spiders was the warehouse… or, perhaps, underneath the warehouse. His mind whirring, he tried to see if he could find some common point other than just "down" for where the skeletons had come from. There didn't seem to be, but –

Wait, he thought. I can't see it from here, but maybe there's a pattern… I need to get up somewhere. I need to see this from above. He spotted another tall structure, which, luckily, happened to have one of its walls partially destroyed, rendering it scalable. Ignoring the skeletons, he ran as fast as he could toward the building, dodging any blows directed at him. Upon reaching it, he scrambled up, fitting his bow over his shoulder so that he could use both hands. Once at the top, he was a good forty feet up. He scanned the area.

Masses upon masses of spiders were spewing from the warehouse and beginning to crawl across the ground. Mick had been right, there were hundreds of them. The skeletons had begun prowling around, but yet more skeletons were still rising from under the earth, giving Link a good look at the general pattern. He gasped.

It was a spiral. A spiral, centering on… something other than the warehouse. It centered on single rock jutting out of the ground about one hundred yards away from the warehouse and about sixty yards away from the building where Link was standing.

"Time to test out the range on this thing – and my accuracy," Link said, pulling out his bow and knocking an arrow to it. "Let's see what happens. Here goes an arrow!"

He aimed and let fly. The arrow struck the rock dead on. An eardrum-shattering explosion caused Link to look at the warehouse – or rather, where the warehouse had been. The building, spiders and all, had exploded in flames, leaving a crater at least eighty feet across in the ground. In the rapidly dying light of the fire, Link spotted a large hole in the ground in the center of the crater.

"I must be insane," he muttered as he clambered down the building to run toward it.

END CHAPTER FOUR

COMING IN CHAPTER FIVE: TOMB

Link heads down the hole to find the source of the undead and spider plague. What awaits him is an ancient underground structure – what appears to be a mass tomb. And like any mysterious underground tomb, there are traps, monsters, and treasures to be found. And one piece of treasure is quite different from the rest…