A/N: I do not own Nintendo or Zelda. Also, thank you everyone for reading and/or reviewing this story.
Chapter Three
Encounter in Kakariko
"Hey!" a voice called, piercing the silence of the darkness.
The Hero of Time lay on the ground. His left hand rested on the Master Sword's handle. His right hand was supported by his shield. His body was in a twisted position, yet he wasn't feeling any pain from it. The only agony he was feeling was on his fingers and chest, where he had been struck from the lantern.
"Link! Look!"
Link struggled to open his eyes. He blinked them open, trying to comprehend his surroundings. He was lying on cold cobblestone ground. Four pillars rose up at the corners of the surface he rested on, supporting the stone ceiling far above him. The ground below him was raised like a stage, and he would have to jump off of it in order to explore. In front of him was a yawning cave, and he could see a mysterious thing waiting in it.
Blinking a few more times to clear the blur from the world, Link rolled to his knees and stood up. He observed that the walls were blue, which was a strange color for stone slabs. It didn't matter though. He jumped down from the platform and watched Navi zip over to the strange thing.
It was obviously a person. He had light skin and stubble on his chin. His right eye was half open and bruised. He had an underbite and one of his bottom teeth overlapped on his skin. He wore a brown, sleeveless shirt and brown pants with square patches stitched into them. His shoes were the same color as his shirt.
Yes, it was definitely a person. But he was dead. The evidence to support that was the blue halo hovering over his head and the fact that he was floating. And Link knew who this person was. He had met him seven years ago and played near the graves this man supervised. This was Dampé the Gravekeeper.
But he obviously didn't care about being deceased. He gestured Link forward, a lantern like the ghost's outside in his right hand.
Link leapt off the stage and ran over as Dampé spoke. "Heh, heh, heh, young man! Are you fast on your feet?"
Link stopped in his tracks. He blinked before saying, "Perhaps. Why do you ask?"
"I may not look like it," the ghost began, "but I'm confident in my speed! Let's have a race! Follow me if you dare!"
Link took a surprised step back, only to immediately regret his decision. The ghost began to float backward, significantly faster than the Hero of Time had given him credit. He dashed towards the escaping figure. He had to sidestep as Dampé threw an orange flame on the ground. Link felt the heat kiss his face and right side, but he wasn't burned. He took another step forward and increased his pace as well. If the ghost was going to play dirty, then he was going to give it his all.
He dashed through the cave, narrowly avoiding the flames that Dampé was throwing. He turned a right before he could slam into the wall that had leapt out at him. He stepped onto a flame that the ghost had thrown, only to spontaneously combust.
"Aah! Ugh!" Link cried as he was thrown onto his back. He quickly pushed off the ground, the flames sputtering out, and shot back to his feet. There was no way was he going to let Dampé get away. The ghost was already farther away than he should have been. Link now had to catch up to him or be left behind. He sidestepped a flame and pursued the fleeing ghost. He reached a two-way intersection and followed Dampé to the left.
The Gravekeeper floated right past a door that branched off, and drifted between two sand-colored stone pillars with pinkish-magenta flames blazing atop them. Link was curious about the other path. He would have to explore there later if he got time, but because this was a race, he was not allowed to wander off until he completed it.
Dampé passed another intersection, still leading Link to the left. Link glanced behind him at the wall he almost face-planted, then tried to speed up. Why was he running so slowly?
Link found himself on the ground again, on fire. He rolled to his feet, glaring at the path the ghost had disappeared on. He ran back after the Gravekeeper, only to stop at another two-way intersection. He was slightly confused. Which way was he supposed to go? Which path had Dampé taken? His first guess was left, since he seemed to be hugging the left path more than the right, but he couldn't be certain. He couldn't afford to take a wrong path or he would lose the race.
Then he saw the dying flame on the left path.
Ah, so he wasn't playing dirty. He was marking the path for me in case I wandered off. But those keep knocking me down! Link mentally protested. He ran after the flames sputtering out on the left path. He took a right at a wall, then another left past a four-way intersection. Another left. Another wall that forced him to turn right.
Link noticed the ghost leading him again. He had entered a door that led to nothing but darkness. Did he really expect the Hero of Time to follow him? For all Link knew, that path led to death.
The door began ticking, letting him know that it was about to close.
I've no choice! Link thought. He charged forward after the ghost and heard the wooden door slam back onto the ground.
Then he saw the path he was running on and was forced to turn right again. He came to another intersection, but was required to turn right instead of left. A flame greeted him again, but by now he was getting used to the scorching heat. He dragged himself to his feet and dashed after Dampé.
Link ran down a flight of stairs and found himself in a large cavern with stalagmites jutting from the ground. There were three paths he could choose, and the ghost threw a flame at the path on the right, so Link followed him down it. Unfortunately, he found himself on fire once again. Although, this time his body hit the stalagmite beside him. The flames extinguished and he rose up again, chasing after that stupid Gravekeeper. Why was he so terrible at this race?
He turned left at the new intersection and found that the walls were beginning to turn pink. He spotted those twin pink torches and an open door in front of them. Dampé entered the open door and disappeared. Link pursued him through the blackness, trusting the Gravekeeper's judgement.
He found himself in another blue room, but this time there were walls covered in Hylian he didn't have time to read. Two pink torches blazed in front of each blue wall, and Link ran between their openings.
How long is this race? he wondered, panting heavily.
Another right turn. Then a left. The ground rose up almost at tall as Link. He had three options. One had a green rupee he wanted, but it definitely wasn't worth losing this tiring race for. Dampé turned to the left and Link ignored his craving for that rupee to his right. He climbed up onto the new path, hugging the wall to avoid the flame in the center of the course. He turned right and began to ascend a ramp, then turned left again.
Link entered another cavern, but this was even more enormous. It had a yawning pit in the center, and a path spiraled up the left wall…a path he would have to take to keep from jumping into darkness.
He watched Dampé float straight up there, so he turned to the path, going as fast as his tired legs would take him. He spotted another open door that the Gravekeeper had just opened. Two simple wooden torches waited before the door, regular yellowish-red flames blazing atop them. The doorway had Hylian on the top part of it, but Link still didn't have time to read it. He had to finish this race. He could hear the ticking sounds of gears sliding in the door, trying to allow it to drop back into the floor.
Link dashed into the yawning doorway, entering the darkness. He tried to blink away the black spots in front of his eyes as light flooded his vision. The door slid shut behind him, loudly echoing around the new room. Link noticed some stairs leading up to the platform Dampé was waiting for him on.
Aww, he thought. I lost the race…
Link was panting so heavily that he was trembling. His heart beat so strongly that the world felt like it was pulsing. He took in the details of this room. He was standing right in front of those stairs. The walls were a strange combination of blue and grey, and the ground was made of thick bricks pressed tightly together. There was a path of smooth stone that lead to that raised stage. Two simple torch pedestals blazed on either side of the stage. An open hall was seen behind the Gravekeeper, and Link had a feeling that he would have to walk through it and start all over again. Tired, he limped over to the Gravekeeper.
"The time of this race was one minute and fifteen seconds!" Dampé said.
How fast do I have to run in order to beat this race? Under a minute? Link wondered.
"Hehehe, young man…" the Gravekeeper began. "You were very quick to be able to keep up with me! Hehehe!"
Really? Link wondered. Did he really win the race? No…he had lost. He had entered the room after Dampé.
"As a reward, I'm going to give you my treasure," the ghost said. "It's called the Hookshot!"
I won?! Link wanted to jump for joy, but he really didn't have the energy. Even if he did, he wouldn't have. Dampé wouldn't have liked it, he was certain.
"Its spring-loaded chain will pull you to any place its hook sticks. Doesn't that sound cool? I'm sure it will help you! I live here now, so come back again sometime. I'll give you something cool!"
I have to return?!
"One more thing! Be careful on your way back! Heheheh…." With those final words, Dampé the Gravekeeper exploded into a ring of blue fire, which fell to the ground and sputtered out.
Link took a surprised step forward, hand outstretched to help the already-gone ghost. He was even more stunned when a golden light shimmered in a circle next to him and began to rise up, a large wooden chest materializing into existence. He glanced at the new object, then back at where the ghost had been. Perhaps the two really would meet again… If that were the case, then Dampé wasn't permanently gone. Link hoped that were the case. He didn't know if ghosts could die twice. He didn't want that to happen; he would like to return when he was faster, and be able to challenge the Gravekeeper.
Turning to the chest, Link threw open the lid and looked inside. He reached down and pulled out a strange object. The main part of this weapon appeared to be a large blue cylinder. A chain wrapped around the middle of it, and a triangular handle jutted out from the back part, bound in leather. A triangle piece of sharp metal was extended on the top part of it, deadly enough to kill something. Link wasn't sure what to make of it, but it had to be the Hookshot.
I found the Hookshot! Link mentally exclaimed. It's a spring-loaded chain that I can cast out to hook things. I can use it to drag distant objects towards me, or I can use it to pull myself toward something.
Link turned to face the exit. He ran through the dark door and found himself standing in front of a blue cube bigger than he was, with symbols on it. A second cube was stacked on top of it, and there was no other way around them. He glanced behind himself and saw that the door had closed. He turned back to the blocks.
Navi fluttered around them. "Hey… Isn't that the same design that's on the Door of Time?" she muttered.
Link put the Ocarina of Time to his lips and considered it. Yes, he did need to play a song. He began to play the same melody he had when he tried entering the Temple of Time. It caused bitter memories to surface in his mind, but he pushed them aside and played the tune Princess Zelda had taught him.
In front of him, the twin blocks shuddered and began to glow. A ring of blue light appeared around the blocks, like the kind Link had seen when he first drew the Master Sword. He watched as the cubes disappeared, leaving no trace that they had ever existed. Link took a shocked step back, then blinked a few times. He saw that the way to go was now open, so he tentatively stepped forward.
The path was above him: a raised part of the ground he would need to climb. Link leapt up and pulled himself up, then began ascending the stairs. He saw something strange at the top, like four wooden beams connecting at the center of his view, only to move down, out of his vision. Link ascended to the top and perceived a sight he wasn't expecting.
He saw a spinning pillar with a circle on the ground, also turning. Wooden planks rose out to greet him, and several other raised pillars jutted out from the walls. One of them had a beautiful Heart Piece on top of it: a red heart in the center with a larger, blue, flat heart holding it in place. He recognized this place. He had been there moments earlier. Even the man he had encountered was still there, madly winding his music box.
Link was back inside the windmill.
. . . . .
The Hero of Twilight decided that he hated boulders. It was almost daytime again, and he had been throwing rocks since yesterday evening. He couldn't ascend more than ten feet before another dreaded rock came hurtling down the mountain in his direction. He had other boulders in his path that he couldn't remove, so he was catching and tossing everything that came at him.
And there were also Tektites that wanted him dead. After killing three of them, getting flattened several times by the obnoxious boulders, Link finally decided that he was done. He hadn't made much progress up the mountain, and it was going to take him far too long to actually make it all the way up. Besides, Death Mountain wasn't even his destination. He still needed to find that item in Kakariko, and from there he had to travel to the deep woods. After that little dungeon-battling, he could head back here…probably. Until then, wasting his energy here wasn't something he really needed to do.
Link caught a boulder—which was a round rock bigger than he was, composed of smaller rocks—and spun around, his Iron Boots dragging in the dirt.
"Hnnnrah!" he grunted. He released the boulder like it was nothing more than a Goron from present-day Hyrule's Death Mountain. He watched it spiral down the mountain, and he dusted his hands.
Link looked into the sky and saw the moon begin sinking below the horizon. On the opposite side of the sky, he saw a flash of pink that was the sun. Annoyed at the amount of time he had burned here, Link leapt into the air, un-equipping the Iron Boots. His regular boots hit the dirt and he began ambling back down the mountain. If morning was already beginning to break, then he had nothing else better to do than wait for it before reentering Kakariko Village.
He reached the end of the path and glared at the sun as it rose above the horizon, beginning to climb into the sky. This journey up Death Mountain was stupid…why did he even bother trying it?
Link stopped, then sighed. He knew why. He had started feeling lonely in Kakariko. He had learned some information about the town to be sure: it was built by someone named Impa; there was someone who used to live where the well is, and he could see the truth, whatever that meant; most people had migrated to Kakariko from Castle Town; and there was a witch who lived behind the Potion Shop. But Link didn't feel welcome in that town. He was a stranger in Old Hyrule…and he felt it every second.
So, Link's only company was Midna, who wouldn't appear in towns because she didn't want people to see her. So he had gone to the mountain.
However, Link hadn't just traversed the mountain because he didn't feel welcome. He had explored all of Kakariko Village…save for the well. He had even visited the Graveyard after being told about someone named Dampé having a treasure. He had been curious, but found no one, and seen nothing other than a moved gravestone that probably led to Hyrule's Netherworld. He really didn't want to go there…not yet anyway. The mountain was his only destination that he believed could yield some fascinating information.
And it was a major mistake that he had traveled there. It had burned off the remainder of his evening, became night, then started turning to day again. Whoever the girl was that he was supposed to meet was probably in a lot of trouble due to the massive amount of time he had unintentionally killed.
The sun rose above the horizon. Link took one step forward. It was all he had time for before he heard a strange noise.
"CUCCKOOOO!"
Link flinched and reached into his pouch, drawing out the Pocket Egg. What he found instead was a young Cucco, and it was staring at him intently.
"Look, Link," Midna said, floating out of Link's shadow. "A Cucco hatched from that egg you were incubating…" She looked up at him. "Is this what the miracle of life is?" she asked.
Link studied the bird in his hand before returning it to his pouch. It wasn't like it was too crowded in there. Besides, Ooccoo and her son used to stay in there, and they seemed to like it.
Speaking of those two, where had they disappeared to? Link hadn't seen them depart, but they were no longer in his inventory, and he wasn't sure why. They told him they were looking for something in that dungeon, the Temple of Time, and they never said what it was. However, for whatever reason, they were gone now, and he had no idea where they went.
I suppose it doesn't matter, Link thought. He took one step down the path to Kakariko, and Midna dropped back into his shadow. There were two buildings that he could see the second he entered the gate that allowed him into Kakariko. Beyond them stood the house that he was looking for. Link dashed forward and jumped down off a raised section of the ground so that he was level with the house. He took hold of the door handle and opened it, stepping inside the building.
It was relatively simple. In the left corner, nearest the door, was a table. The right bottom corner was empty, but the top right one had a fireplace that was boiling some stew. A person stood there, brewing the pot. Link approached the figure and greeted whoever it was. The person had dark, long, curly hair and a beard, but wore a pink dress and seemed to be female, so Link wasn't exactly sure what to make of the stranger. However, despite this figure's strange appearance, he or she seemed nice enough, and began conversing with the Hero of Twilight.
"All people have hardships in their past that they would rather no one found out about," the person said.
"Yes?" Link asked, curious about what had brought up such a topic.
"Look over at the bearded man sleeping over there. I bet even someone like him has had his share of troubles in the past..."
Link looked to his left and noted the two other people he had seen previously but disregarded. One was lying in the bed, wearing a red shirt with blue overalls. He had dark, thick eyebrows and a beard, and he was balding. His nose was slightly oversized, and there was dark hair covering his arms. He was sleeping peacefully, completely oblivious to everything around him. Link walked over to the other person he saw: a woman with big, dark hair and red lips. She wore a blue dress and was slightly overweight, and her lips were painted an extremely vibrant red.
"Hello," he said to her.
"Look at him…" she replied, "the man with the beard. I think he was fired from his job at the ranch… He's always just lazing around, morning, noon and night. He's an awfully carefree guy during such hard times."
"Lazy?" Link looked back at the sleeping man. "I can change that…" He reached into his back pocket and approached the dreaming stranger.
"CUCCKOOOO!"
"What in tarnation?!" The man flinched and sat on the bed, rubbing his tired brown eyes. He didn't bother opening them all the way when he looked at Link. "Can't a person get a little shut-eye around here?"
"I apologize," Link said. "However…I heard you come from a ranch…?"
The man's tiredness vanished at the mention of the ranch. His expression was replaced with sadness and he replied with, "Ingo took over Lon Lon Ranch and they call it Ingo Ranch nowadays."
"What happened?" Link asked.
"I was kicked out of there, and look at me now! My girl, Malon, still works at the ranch…" He somehow became even more depressed. "I'm worried about her…"
Link looked at the ground before excusing himself and wandering back out the door. His mind was swimming with thoughts. How could anyone stay somewhere their parents were kicked out of? Did this Malon person hate her father?
Link walked back to the girl who gave him the Pocket Egg. Maybe he could get some information from her now. He spotted her exactly where she had been earlier. She smiled at him as he approached.
Link drew the Cucco from his pouch and held it out for her to see.
"Oh, your Cucco looks pretty happy!" she exclaimed. "He must have awakened an extremely lazy guy!"
A very distressed man indeed, Link thought.
"You're a good Cucco Keeper! I'll give you a rare, valuable Cucco, if you're interested… Its name is Cojiro, and it used to be my brother's Cucco. Its blue body is quite charming. It's so cute!"
Blue? Link wondered.
"Since my brother has gone, it's strange, but Cojiro has stopped crowing. Do you want to keep Cojiro?"
Link considered it. He was a good Cucco-raiser, huh? If that were the case, then perhaps it would be alright if he handled this one. Who knew where it might come in handy…?
"Yes," he replied, holding out his hand. The nice lady gave it to him, and he studied it. It was exactly as she described: a rare Cucco not because of its body structure, but because of its color. It really was extremely blue, as if someone had dyed it. Link accepted the bird, considering it.
I returned the Pocket Cucco and got Cojiro in return! he thought. Unlike other Cuccos, Cojiro rarely crows. He slipped the bird into his inventory and turned back to the young woman. "Might I ask you one question?" he inquired. "Do you know where to find some deep woods?"
"I'm afraid I don't know where that is," she replied. "No one really does. It's a secret to everybody. I'm sorry."
"That's alright," Link said. He turned to leave, deciding that he would just have to depart for now and return later with more information. He had spent too long in this town anyway; that other girl he should know was probably in desperate need of his help. Perhaps he could enter the Temple already…
Link started walking for the entrance of the town, ready to begin exploring the remainder of past-day Hyrule. He approached the exit of the town and cast a sorrowful glance back. He wanted to help these people. He wanted to assist in the alleviation of their suffering. But how could he do that when he was so lost? Somehow, someday, he would return here and aid these people. He would definitely destroy the evil that plagued the world for them. It was his destiny as a Hero…the supposed "Hero of Time". He still believed that that title did not belong to him, but if Sheik had called him that and even gotten his name correct, it had to be him.
Link walked beneath the sign that he couldn't read before he heard a strange noise. He stopped dead in his tracks and listened carefully for the noise.
"Hey!" a voice called.
Link whirled around and saw something he could never even dream of. His eyes widened and he stared, bewildered, at someone.
The person had blonde hair, and his bangs were parted in the center, fluffed up. He had long ears and blue, ring-shaped earrings, and he was wearing white tights and a white shirt. Brown boots covered his feet, almost rising to his knees. Two leather brown belts decorated his waist and shoulder. On his back was a sheathed sword that extended diagonally from two inches below his head to three inches above his knees. The sword had a blueish handle and a wing-like guard. A metal shield with a wood backing was also put away on the figure's back. Brown, fingerless gauntlets protected his hands. His garb was a green tunic with a green windsock-like hat. A blue fairy fluttered around his head.
This was impossible. There was no way this person could be here. The Hero of Twilight rubbed his eyes, believing he was seeing things. This couldn't be. There was no way this was happening. The chances of this happening should have been less than absolute zero. Yet, this image was not a mirage. It left the Hero of Twilight feeling weak, knowing that this should not have ever happened.
Because he was looking at himself.
A/N: What is the gender of the bearded person tending the fire and wearing the dress in the house with Malon's sleeping father? Help, I cannot figure it out, and I spent like 20 minutes trying to. I'm calling this person "figure", "stranger", and "person", because "it" seems too rude and might offend people. So don't complain because there's some superfluous writing in that paragraph; I have no idea and I just don't want to get it wrong and tick everyone off. (It could be a bearded lady, it could be a rather large man... I have no idea...)
