Atticus
Link was able to reach Kokiri Forest by nightfall. As the sun took its last few paces on the orange horizon, Epona padded her way out of the tunnel and onto a ledge that overlooked the entire village. Dismounting from the horse, Link took a wide gander around at the familiar sod houses which served as the Kokiri's residences. They all proved to be as worthless as ever, and some had already begun to leak from ancient wounds. Yet, Link felt as if this was still home.
"Come now," he said to Epona, "let's go see Saria."
Holding the horse by the reins, Link quietly and carefully descended the winding path that led down from the overlook. By the time he arrived at the level of the village, the sunset had disappeared behind the treetops and swirled the dark cloak of night over the forest. Link removed the brass lantern hanging from Epona's saddle and wound the key at its base to switch it on. With a bright light now emitting from the interior, he returned the lantern to the saddle and began walking Epona down the dirt road that ran through the heart of Kokiri Forest.
As Link passed houses, he noticed that all were lifeless. None bore the distinct luminescence of candles or the thick scent of an evening barbeque. The Kokiri themselves were nowhere to be found outside of their homes, and it was unlikely that all of them were cowering in the darkness from Link's insidious return. Link wondered if they were praying at the Great Deku Tree, but he quickly decided that those rituals were far too irrational to be conducted. The only other possibility would be that they were throwing a surprise party for him. But Mido was not one for big celebrations, especially those commemorating his least favorite fairy boy. He would not allow such a party to be assembled, or thought of for that matter.
Link stroked Epona's mane as they traveled further down the dirt road. A strange sensation pressured him to turn at one point. Once they had altered course, Link saw that he was heading down the road to his old tree house. It was not a very long road, but it hooked off from the main path and set him apart from the rest of the Kokiri houses.
He unfastened the lantern once again and aimed it at the house. The ladder had long since rotted away and left him no sane way of getting up. Huffing at the predicament, he placed the lantern on the ground and made his way over to the gnarled roots of the tree. With little hesitation, he ran up the trunk of the tree and grabbed hold of a sturdy branch. Thankfully, the branch held well and allowed him to pull the rest of his body up over the branch. When he was able to maintain a standing position on the branch, the balcony of the tree house came in reach. He distrusted its primordial foundation, and instead looked around for another branch to grab onto. Sadly, there was none within his general area. The closest branch was high above him, perhaps ten feet. He knew that his arm could not extend to that length. But he knew something that could.
Putting two fingers to his lips, he whistled to Epona. The horse came trotting over almost immediately. He stroked her nose to show appreciation, and then grabbed one of the larger satchels hanging on her saddle. It took him almost no time to find what he was looking for: his old hookshot. Though it had once been brazen, the hookshot now bore a repulsive green color that was chipping apart to reveal a brown undertone. Despite its contemptible appearance, it would have to do. Throwing the satchel aside, Link aimed the hookshot at the high branch and placed his finger over the trigger.
"For Din's sake don't break on me." He told the hookshot, pulling its trigger.
With blinding speed, a chain ejected from the interior of the hookshot and split directly through the branch. The sharp end of the chain appeared to lock itself in place, and Link felt like cheering.
Now came the difficult part. Balancing once on the chain to verify its stability, Link began to climb his way up the metal circlets. When he reached the general height of the balcony, he threw one foot out and placed it on the railing. He tapped it twice to check if it was safe. A loud creak was heard following each tap, but Link was too lazy to care. Letting go of the chain, he jumped onto the balcony and panted. He smiled to himself and made his way toward the obscure doorway. Three steps later, the entire balcony collapsed.
Link's hands shot out to grab the bottom of the doorway just as the wooden planks gave way. The collapse kicked up a deep cloud of dust that shrouded the already shrouded night. He heard Epona shriek below him, but he assumed it was in reaction to her own safety, and not his. Frankly, he wasn't surprised that the balcony had just buckled. Considering his sluggishness, he probably deserved it.
Thinking no more on the matter, Link pulled himself up into the tree house and slithered his way to a stable position. He threw up one arm up onto a nearby table for support and attempted to stand up. Instantly, he slipped and fell on his rear. As he rubbed his aching tailbone, he noticed something on the table: a mask.
He sat upright to see the face of the mask, stretching his tense back. His eyes gazed over its surface and widened. Instinctively, his leg beamed out from underneath and toppled over the table. The streams of blood in his veins froze, and a tingling sensation crept up his back. He drove himself into the nearest wall and stared at the table, knowing what lurked behind its menacing figure.
"How?" he said quietly, "How did you tumble back into my life? What makes it your personal business to meander my life around dark corners like these? Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Because that is what sins do." A voice echoed from behind the table, "They are a part of you. And, essentially, you are a part of them. They cannot be destroyed, lest you be destroyed along with them. They can be tamed, and that is why I am here now."
"You've come to me in order to be tamed?"
"No," said the voice, "I have come to tame you."
Link chuckled in disbelief, leaning his head against the side of the tree house. He removed his cap for comfort, but never kept his eyes off the table that rested in pieces on the other side of the room.
"I cannot forgive myself for the sins I have committed." He admitted, "Not even if they were done by your power."
"Taming entitles no forgiveness." The voice said, "To start fresh, one must forget the past. Forgiving it is an entirely different matter."
"How do I know I can trust you?"
An ugly laugh arose from the back of the room.
"You don't," the voice laughed, "It is your choice to do so, and it is therefore your fault to trust the wrong individual. But know this: if you have any desire to save this land you have returned to, then my power is more than likely to help."
"Save?" said Link, cocking his head, "From what?"
But the voice did not answer as it did before. Feeling drawn to the warning, Link crawled over to the table. Without looking, he reached behind the hefty splinters of wood and began to search blindly for the mask. It didn't take him long to find it.
As he pulled the mask over the remains of the table, a loud voice called out.
"Is anybody there?" it called. Judging by its pitch, the source was a man.
Link sensed that the voice came from outside. He swiftly gathered a few personal items left in the tree house and shoved them into a satchel along with the mask. Throwing the satchel over his back, he stepped out of the doorway, almost forgetting that the balcony no longer existed. A man was standing by Epona, illuminated by the lantern that Link had left on the forest floor. He was a soldier.
"Do you live here?" he asked, pointing at the tree house.
Link looked back for a moment.
"Once," he replied, "but not now."
Before the soldier could say anything, Link leaped off the edge of the doorway and followed through with a graceful somersault on the dirt. Now that he was on the ground, he could see the man a lot better.
He had a militant posture with almost no evasiveness in his spine. Though he was definitely a soldier, his garments were unlike what a Hylian soldier was expected to wear. They were lightweight and without metallic plating, as if he expected to never be cut in combat. Link had only seen a few armies equipped with this armoring system. Holodrum's small but working military were equipped with muskets, which easily overwhelmed armor plates. Therefore, it was illogical to wear these heavy armors if they were not effective in warfare. This soldier had a musket slung over his back, and Link assumed that Hyrule had joined in on the technological revolution.
As far as his physical appearance went, Link determined him to be rather handsome. He had dirty blonde hair like Link, but it was cut nearly to the point of annihilation. His face, bearing deep blue eyes, was cleanly shaved and impressively tan. It constantly conceived a serious expression, but Link could see that his personality was not austere. Of course, he was a lot taller than Link, estimating at perhaps six feet. Considering what he'd stood up to before, Link had no problem with confronting the soldier at close range.
"What is your name?" Link asked, walking over to Epona.
"Atticus." the soldier said, tentatively, "Atticus Ashei. And you?"
"Link."
Atticus seemed to ponder on the name, if only for a moment.
"If you don't live here," he said, "then what are you doing here?"
"What's it to you?" Link retorted, "My business is none of your concern."
Annoyed, Link adjusted the scavenged satchel onto Epona's saddle and mounted her. He prepared to whip at the reins, but Atticus stopped him.
"Listen," he said, "this is a dangerous place. It appears that I cannot stop you from your dealings, but at least heed my notice."
Link was suddenly interested.
"What's dangerous about Kokiri Forest?" he inquired.
Atticus stared at him for a moment, skeptically.
"Gerudo scouts." He finally answered, "They're in every nook and cranny of Hyrule that isn't Castle Town. If they spot any defenseless Hylian, they'll kill and scalp him."
Link couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Gerudos," he said, "in the Lost Woods? When did this start happening?"
"You clearly haven't been to Hyrule in a while." Atticus inferred, "Because this has been happening for a year now."
"Why? What happened?"
Atticus looked around, motioning to keep silent. Link glanced around at the dark trees that surrounded them, and began to fear the hazards they could host. When Atticus had taken long enough, he spoke again.
"The damn Arcadians happened." He said angrily, "They waltz into our kingdom like the proper humbugs they are and expect the queen to relinquish control."
Link was confused at first, but his mind sparked when Atticus talked about the queen.
"But the worst of all," said Atticus, "is that she lets them. What powerful leader allows her country to fall without a fight?"
"So Hyrule is occupied?" Link asked, horrified.
Atticus sighed with a heavy breath.
"Thankfully not," he said, relieving Link, "but it feels like it. The Arcadians have endowed the country with this ludicrous look but don't touch policy with the Gerudos. They've labeled them as rebels, nothing more. The only enemy they're concerned about is Labyrnna, and Labyrnna isn't even an enemy."
"Rebels?" Link questioned, "The Gerudos weren't even considered Hylian citizens two years ago. What makes them so special now?"
"A better question is what makes everyone so special now. The Arcadians assumed that the borders of Hyrule extended to the Zoras, the Gorons, the Kokiri, and the Gerudos. None of them liked that one bit."
Link narrowed his eyes, pondering the situation. He dismounted Epona. The need to be informed was overwhelming him at this point.
"I can imagine it would be too much for some of them." He said.
"More than too much, actually." Atticus replied, "The Gorons threatened to attack Kakariko Village when Hylian soldiers arrived to take over Death Mountain. The Zoras sealed off the entrance to the Domain in a similar instance. And the Kokiriā¦"
He extended his hand to the ghostly Kokiri Forest.
"Military subjugation was too much for them." He finished, "They left over six months ago, bound for a new home in the south."
Link perused the dirt ground for a moment, kicking at a blade of grass for some momentary emotion. Atticus could tell exactly what he was musing over.
"They were your family, yes?" he assumed.
"Yes." said Link, almost immediately, "So there is nothing left here for me now."
Atticus's face brightened up.
"Join our cause, then." He offered.
Link turned to him, bearing an expression that labeled Atticus insane.
"After everything you just told me about Hyrule," he said, "why the hell would you want me to join the army?"
Atticus smiled, and suddenly began to laugh.
"You think," he said, chuckling between words, "that just because I look like a soldier that I am one? That's rich."
Link looked him over curiously.
"Then what are you?" he asked.
"It's simple," said Atticus, "I'm a rebel."
"For what?"
Atticus paused, as if for effect.
"For overthrowing the Hylian monarchy, of course."
A Note from the Author
After many months, I've finally gotten chapter five up on this story. I hope I didn't lose too many fans from my absence, but it's inevitable that I lost a few. Nevertheless, I am glad to be writing this story again, and I plan to finish it out. I will try to post a chapter every Saturday, as that is the most convenient time for me. If I can finish a chapter earlier, then that will count as my chapter for that week. It is also possible that I will be able to post two per week, but that's highly unlikely.
For future reference, I may be absent for another long period of time. Though I hope it will never be as long as this, I do ask that you stay alert for my return. This story has gone through too much planning to be forgotten on my agenda. Unless I remove the story, it is still being written.
If any of you have previously read this story, then you are no doubt wondering why the old chapter four was replaced. I had introduced the enemy's intentions too sloppily, and that the writing technique I used had interfered with the ferocity of those villains. Also, I decided to reformulate the villains in this story, and that chapter was preventing me from following through with those intentions.
Stay tuned for another chapter next week!
