Link ran, clutching his sword low in one hand. He had to hurry, as Tatl kept reminding him, because the monkey was due to be executed any minute. In truth they had no idea how long the monkey had, but it seemed a good idea to hurry.
So Link did just that, running up the crisscrossing slope that ran behind the waterfall. Water sprayed out over the path, turning the dirt to mud in some places and making even the packed gravel slippery. Link stayed low, ran fast, and held his sword out to the side so an accidental slip wouldn't end him.
There were a few monsters lingering on the trail, a few mad Deku and a couple clusters of keese hiding in the darkened corners. Link didn't have the time or the patience to even try sneaking past, so he launched himself into frenzied battle at every possible opportunity.
So far he hadn't even taken a scratch, maybe he was a better warrior than he thought.
Before the ego feeding thought could go any further, a soft bird cry drew his attention. It wasn't a hawk, or a crow, but an owl's hoot. Something about the sound drove a spike of disgust into Link and that disgust managed to morph into aversion and fear.
Before he could think to wonder why, Link ducked behind a stand of sickly looking shrubbery and held his breath. The owl hooted a few more times, some nearer and some farther, then after a while it faded away. Link didn't understand the unrest the owl caused, but it did. Once the bird was gone, Link left his place of hiding, ignored Tatl's caustic remarks, and continued his ascent.
It wasn't long before he reached the top, which was the lip of a large bowl. The bowl was full of water which supported a menagerie of debris, from lily pads to floating wooden barges, from half submerged skeletons to glistening masses of snot colored substances.
One of the most obvious and disturbing aspects of the lake was the color itself. The water was a sickening purple color. Gigantic bubbles floated to the surface and popped in a way that suggested they were thicker than water should be. The whole thing gave off an acrid stench that stung Link's nose.
He gripped his sword harder and ran down into the bowl. A path led from the lip and to an area packed with debris. Link leapt onto a wide platform that accepted his weight with only the slightest amount of unstable swaying. The purple water crept up over the edge and Link leapt to the next platform before it could come close to his foot.
Like this he went along, leaping from one platform to the next, and from there on. The platforms themselves were made from a wide variety of debris, from the broken bows of ships to decrepit river boats, front doors with peeling paint and thick tables with three or four greying legs pointing up to the sky.
In the center of the bowl was an island. It looked like a large boulder had been dropped in the middle of the lake and Link would've dismissed it as such if he hadn't seen the gravelly beach and the darkened archway leading into the island's depths.
It took him the better of an hour to cross over the lake, zigzagging across its surface as he did. Finally he managed to throw himself through the air and onto the beach. However, as he leapt, the platform slipped and his course was thrown off. Link landed with one foot on dry gravel, and one foot half submerged in the acrid purple water.
Link let out a cry of pain as a burning sensation raced across and through the flesh of his foot. Link collapsed onto the beach and dragged himself away from the water as quickly as his shaking hands would let him. Link finally escaped the burning water and found himself lying on the gravelly beach with his whole body limp.
It took a few minutes for the crawling, burning pain to subside. Eventually it turned into a kind of half remembered itch that allowed him to operate the limb once again. Link tore of his boot and examined his foot, surprised to find it completely unharmed.
Putting his shoe back on, Link glared out at the lake, and then ran into the cavern. Whatever that purple water was, Link didn't doubt that it came from the temple.
The air inside was dark and cold. Somehow it was dry while the stink of decay lay heavy within it. Link stood on a ledge, only partially illuminated by the outside sun. Beyond the semicircle of light, the place was as dark as night. A few lanterns dangled strayly in the darkness, not giving off enough light to illuminate anything beyond themselves.
Link walked cautiously to the ledge and gazed down into the deep darkness. Skittering sounds came from below, scratching and squeaking in a way that drove a wedge of uneasiness into Link's determination.
However, Link only had to think of the nonexistent wound, the purple water, the monkey, and the princess. Those things drove him to do something that any normal person would never have imagined doing.
Link took a deep breath, readied his sword and shield, and leapt down into the abyss.
Link struggled down the hill, feeling the weight of his equipment dragging him down piece by piece. A dozen wounds marred his body, not counting the throbbing exhaustion he felt. Beside him, Tatl jabbered constantly about something. On the other side, the Deku Princess trotted along, ignoring his pain and insisting he hurry up.
Up ahead the Deku complex stood, menacing. The three of them made their way to the river and crossed it with the help of a half-submerged log. Link was happy to see the water back to its normal colorlessness, marred only by the average swampy muck that floated through it.
They reached the far side quickly and stopped before entering the complex. The princess thanked him there and apologized for not bringing him into the complex but rules were rules. She thanked him again then Link watched as the princess ran across the bridge and into the complex.
From where he stood, Link could hear her surprise the guards then, a moment later, begin yelling at someone, presumably the king.
"He didn't kidnap me!" she shrieked, "How dare you imprison this monkey! He's a hero, not a villain! Release him!"
Link could almost feel the princess screams echoing through the air, and he almost felt bad for the king.
"Link…" Tatl said, "Look at the moon…"
Link obeyed, forgetting about the Deku, and was shocked to realize the moon was so close. He knew what was coming, of course, the imminent contact.
"How long were we in there?" Link asked in an astonished fashion.
"I don't know…" Tatl responded, just as surprised, "Days… I guess. Hurry, play that song so we can get outa here."
Link nodded and pulled the ocarina from his bag.
Pressing it to his lips, Link played the song the reminded him of Hyrule, of home, of…
"Malon…" Link murmured.
All at once he realized where he was. Link stood in the center of a white room that seemed to stretch on forever. It shouldn't have been called a room, truly, but Link didn't know what else to call it. He couldn't see the sun, so it must have been indoors, but there were no walls that he could see, and no ceiling. A certain unearthly light seemed to come from all around, pouring from every nonexistent surface.
Link looked up with a glare and found himself staring at Rauru. The sword gripped in Link's hand reminded him what he was doing and, before another second had gone by, Link leapt toward Rauru.
He struck out as quickly as he could, remembering how the man had so easily evaded him before. Rauru leapt aside, escaping the blade, but barely. Link felt his blade catch on something and he heard a loud tearing sound.
Link and Rauru both froze, staring at the long gash cut in the sage's robe. Rauru looked back at Link, apparently preparing to do or say something, but Link beat him to it. His sword flashed out and caught the man's robe again.
Again and again, Link attacked and Rauru escaped by a hair. The sage's robe was covered in long gashes and torn patches.
Link drove his sword forward, hoping to drive it straight through Rauru's chest. The sage raised a hand and held it out, palm facing the sword. Rauru's hand began to glow and Link saw a pulse of light burst from his flesh.
It sprang forth in a ring, and Link could feel the energy buzzing in the air. The ring flew forward until it had surrounded Link.
