Author's Note: Hi there! I am super sorry that this chapter is so late out, but I have been working on this and college work at the same time. I should have a job in the summer too, but it is my wish to get these stories done as fast as possible whilst also being happy with their outcome. There aren't going to be many differences to the plot like there was in Ancient Roots, but hopefully it will still be enjoyable. Also, I am terrible at writing battles, so please don't focus too much on that.
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."
~Margaret Thatcher~
Girl of the Dream
Chapter 8: Odolwa
"Monkeys?" Tatl demands of no one in particular, staring at the blue eyed creature jumping before us. We have spent numerous hours wandering between the trees of the Woods of Mystery, the trees hanging low and the humidity rising with the more time that we spend in here. The hours have passed by quicker than ever expected, and we are no closer to finding Kotake's sister who supposedly made her way into here in search of mushrooms for her Potions. The Woods themselves seem to be weaving themselves around us, determined to render us lost and hopeless.
Until the monkeys appeared, it seemed.
"They want us to follow them," Link says from beside us, kneeling down to stroke one of them and being returned with immediate praise for it. I smile a little, then realise that there are more important things going on around us. As he rises, he glances over at me. "Maybe they saw Koume and want to show us where she is?" It is a stretch at best, but hopefully it may lead us to somewhere.
I agree whilst Tatl fumes over the "stupid idea from a stupid not-Deku," which only makes her partner even more happy over his choice. Something in his eyes shines differently as we follow the monkeys, though. He had mentioned to me earlier during our rest that it was very familiar to a place known as the Lost Woods, a magical forest that only welcomed those that it trusted, and even then it was a treacherous maze filled with mystery. He had explained that he had only been through it a few times in his life, alone and with others, and he shared numerous happy memories there despite how much it was notorious for its curses.
He still hasn't told me why he looks at Tatl with so much sorrow and regret, however.
The monkeys speed up, dancing between us and sometimes tricking us to make sure that we are with them, but we thankfully manage to keep on track and within their sights. For some reason the Woods don't seem to be moving much more than a natural forest would now that we have a guide, as if it has finally given the call to trust us and permit us to where we want to go to. The idea lifts a great weight from my shoulders, and I carry onward until the monkeys disperse and leave us alone in a large clearing dotted with mushrooms, and a figure lying on the floor.
"Are you alright?" I ask as I kneel down before the figure, who I soon realise must be Kotake's sister after how similar they are.
She blinks open her eyes and knocks me away, most likely in shock, and rises to her feet as fast as she can despite her lack of stability. She holds her hands up until the world around her focuses once more, and she manages to relax a bit. "Watch what you're doing, Missy," she yells, then brushes some stray hair out of her face. "I suppose it would be stupid to ask if either of you have seen that pesky Skull Kid?" We all exchange knowing looks as she mutters to herself, "Did he not think that I wouldn't recognise him if he hid his face? Bah, to think he's that powerful..."
"What happened to you?" Link dares to ask.
She snaps her eyes up to him as he steps closer, and she gives in. "I was just busy minding my own business and bam!" She makes the motion of being hit around the head. "Oh well, I suppose I can't do anything but—You!" she adds suddenly, grabbing Link's wrist so tightly that he can't break free of it. "Do you have anything that I could have for energy?" He stammers for a moment, shocked, then fumbles around in his bag and hands her a small bottle of Red Potion. She downs it without hesitation, then sneers, "It isn't my sister's," and releases him.
I rush up to Link and take his arm, hoping that this Koume is not like the Koume that Link knows and remembers with little warmth.
Koume gathers up her basket of red mushrooms and shuffles over to grab her broom, shaking her head wildly as if trying to stop something in her mind as she hovers above the ground. When her eyes find ours, they are softer, kinder. "I'm the swamp tour guide. I run the boat cruise, so come by if you want a free ride."
Then she gestures to her broom, offering us a ride, and Link has never been more confused in his life.
The hospitality of the sisters doesn't stop there.
They offer us a place to sleep in the back of the shop, and we are so exhausted from the constant walking that we accept with little fuss and sleep through the night. Well, I vaguely recall snapping awake once or twice in the night to see Link keeping watch, his apprehension over the witches keeping him up and reducing his rest. If I was rested enough I would have coaxed him back to sleep, but I myself was asleep before I could do anything.
By the time the morning of the second day arrives, it is raining just like it was in the previous cycle. We rise early because of the rain pattering loudly against the roof, Link surprising looking rested, and Koume keeps to her word by taking us over to the Tourist Center and guiding us toward the Deku Palace. It takes under an hour to ride from the Swamp Tourist Center to the Deku Palace, its grand structure rising up from the distant mist.
"I wouldn't fly too close to the water, bug," Koume calls from behind us as we go. "You never know what's in there now." Tatl fumes, but says nothing. Koume, even though she doesn't look back, clearly revels in the Fairy's reaction. She raises her head to the far distance, then, "We've arrived." The three of us straighten as the view arrives over the horizon, the sight of it filling me with both hope and bear. Bamboo walls tower high above us, the lower half painted crimson whilst the upper half is painted a bright green.
The walls have been worn down from age and wear, and yet it stands strong nonetheless – wooden spikes still sharp and unyielding. The main chamber is sculpted up into three green, merged columns. "I hope you're only looking at it, though, since there's no way to get in unless you've been invited or you're a Deku. Which," she adds before we can say anything in response, "I can see that you aren't."
"Well we are looking for Woodfall Temple," I clarify, catching her attention instantly. "We wanted to ask the Deku for directions, but I suppose if you know it—"
"I wouldn't even if I knew you all properly," she sneers suddenly, anger flaring. "Even if you got the right directions there's no point in checking it out after how much it has declined. No one but the Deku have gone there in years, so I doubt you're here to pay your respects. I may have done this for you, but I'm not letting you mess with the Deku." She forces the boat into a jolting halt, knocking us forward a bit, and her snapping attitude has returned with full force. "Now go on with you all. Don't bring me any more into this."
And with that, she is gone.
We turn back towards the entrance to the Deku Palace, numerous Scrubs guarding its entrance. "No one else is permitted into the Palace other than the Deku and invited guests. We don't stand a chance," Tatl says from beside us, flying up to scan the terrain before us. I wring my hands, but Link only smiles, unhooking the Deku mask from his belt and holding it up.
Dread fills me.
"No," I snap suddenly, surprising myself. "We only just got you back, and we don't know if putting it back on will leave you like that permanently. I am not taking that chance so soon after you have returned to me. It may be selfish, but—" He smiles tenderly and rests his hand onto mine, his eyes trying to make me understand. I know that our choices are diminishing by the hour, but a part of me still doubts the power of the mask. I croak out, "Can we really trust the Mask Salesman?"
Link ponders on how to word his argument, but Tatl speaks up without hesitation. "If he wanted us to fail, then we would have been stopped by now. But he needs us to find the ones Tael was talking about that night, and trying to block us from that would ruin his chances of success. And I think he would know what would happen if he tried to stop you two staying together again." As much as I want to protest, her words ring true, causing me to stop before I can start.
My shoulders slump forward slightly, and I quickly mutter, "Be quick... please."
Link nods firmly, not smugly, and raises his hand. He frowns when nothing happens, resorting to murmuring something in an unknown language—[Ancient Hylian. You forget. You forget...]—and his throat glows a dull green. I raise a brow in confusion, though he says nothing as he hovers the mask over his face. The mask itself glows a dark light, latching onto his face and sending him to his knees. I try and reach out, but a force holds me back. He screams in immeasurable pain that I cannot relate to, although no sound escapes from him.
Moments later, a small Deku lies in place of the only man I have memories of.
I sink onto my shins, finally granted the ability to clasp his wooden shoulders tightly. He waves his hand again and tries to speak, croaking out, "I'm fine," before forcing himself to stand despite the slight stumble that he makes. I rise also, unnerved by the transformation and even more so by the prospect that he may be stuck like that forever. Tatl rests on the top of his head, causing a dry look to be sent her way, though she is far from joking. "It was just a silencing spell... nothing else to it."
I go to murmur my thanks, only to stop when I realise how patronising it may sound; encouraging him to hide his pain from us. Instead I whisper, "What is our plan? Obviously Tatl and I cannot enter, but you can't just go in alone without knowing what will be there."
"Well hopefully he can just go in, find out where Woodfall is, and then leave," Tatl offers, though her lack of confidence fills her words. With our luck, it has never been that easy before.
Link nods in agreement. "It won't be too hard. They will recognise me, and I have very little to ask. I probably won't need to talk to anyone higher than servants, so it should go smoothly."
I kneel down and hug him tightly, making sure that he promises to be safe before we part and his form shrinks into the distance.
Minutes pass, then as more time passes we move around the edge of the treeline in order to find a way in. These minutes soon turn into an hour, but there is simply no way to clamber up and over the towering outer walls.
"This is stupid," Tatl mutters under her breath, causing me to chuckle. "He said that he wouldn't be long! What is he doing in there? Leaving us and staying with the Deku for the rest of these three damn days?" I smile but say nothing, the thought crossing my mind at the same time. Of course the Deku are peaceful, so I seriously doubt that something could have happened to him, but there is very little that he can do in the Palace. Why has he taken so long? Stop doubting him, an inner voice sneers. Do have any right to do such a thing?
Then, in the far distance, is an ear splitting roar.
"What was that?" Tatl whispers as we both whip our heads in the direction of the sound, startled and confused. It doesn't seem to be on the other side on the swamp and the vegetation blocks the view from us, yet both of those factors unnerve me rather than comfort me. "Unless it's what Tael meant by—"
Uproar explodes from the center of the Palace, and after exchanging concerned glances we shoot off to find out what in the name of the Four is going on.
And yet, as we round the corner of the pathway circling around the large moat, we are both stunned into a halt when Link, no longer in Deku form, and another Deku are running out of the Palace as a number of Deku follow from behind; the former slightly hesitant until he finds us. "Zelda, Tatl!" Link cries as the two make their way down the logs. I stumble back when their pace does not lessen, and I am left with little choice but to carry on with them when he takes my hand and drags me away from the oncoming group.
"Link!" Tatl yells. "What, in the name of the Four, did you do?"
He flashes her a grin. "It's a long story, and no time to explain until we're safe. Oh," he adds between breaths. "And this is Palus. He's going to help us." As Tatl fumes, Link's sudden burst of sarcasm and the way he protectively holds my hand sparks something in the back of my mind. It reminds me of us running for our lives down a collapsing tower, rubble tumbling down and catching his back as we make it to the entrance—
I snap back to attention when several projectiles whizz past us. I glance back for a moment as we follow the heavily muddy pathway around the moat and seemingly to nowhere in particular. The group of Deku, around five in total, are attacking with intent and I dread to know why. "Where are we going?" I demand, fear rising up from my gut as the pathway gets shorter and the distance between us and the Deku decreases. "There is nowhere else for us to go!"
His joking demeanour fades away, replaced by a firm but comforting response, "We're going to be fine, Zelda."
A small smile tugs at my lips, and Palus rushes on ahead to open up a slim passageway in the wall before us. My fear is quelled as we pick up our pace, starting out outrun the Deku horde as we leap into the passageway, Palus darting in behind us and slamming the rock back into place. Darkness cloaks us until a ball of flames appears in Link's hand, illuminating the cavernous caves around us. "Can they get in?" Tatl asks, out of breath.
"They cannot," Palus reassures. "It is only I who can open it, and leads straight to Woodfall."
"Then we have time for you to explain what is going on," I say.
Numerous coloured paints dance over the walls, insignia intertwined between them. Ahead , Link lights two torches that light up a door; one decorated with the image of a female Deku. Palus nods to it. "The Deku Princess, Azalea, was captured but weeks ago. Tamotusu, the Deku King, has lost himself in a fit of rage that is much unlike him; an anger that has cursed our land. He is threatening to punish the innocent for conspiracy in kidnapping his daughter—" For a moment, Link lowers his head. "—and yet I know that, thanks to the monkeys here, the Princess has been captured by our God, Odolwa."
"Odolwa resides in Woodfall, but the King gave me no direction when I asked him so," Link adds on, the sounds of the Deku outside receding. "He was too caught up in punishing one of the monkeys to tell me. There was a fight in the Throne Room when I tried to stop them and... they accidentally pulled the Mask off. So now I'm a black magic user, and Palus has gone from a Butler to a traitor for helping me." He turns to Palus. "I'm sorry."
He shakes his head softly. "You need not say such a thing. I was waiting for our way to the Princess, and your arrival means that I no longer need to wait. Odolwa has become enraged for a reason that I do not know of, but I trust in you to help. Can you please do that for me?"
I cast my gaze between Link and Tatl, but they both say nothing and nod firmly. I turn back towards the Deku Butler. "We will help you, Palus. Please lead us to Woodfall and we shall save your Princess." He bows deeply and thanks us kindly, opening up an umbrella and physically flying on ahead, the doors opening once he gets close enough to them. We exchange perplexed looks before running on ahead after him.
I find comfort once again when Link's hand finds mine.
"So," I whisper as we run, torches of varying colours lighting up our pathway. "How did the fight start?"
"Like I said, I was trying to stop the Deku King from killing that innocent monkey," he explains quietly, as if hiding something. Palus guides us over a small stream and further through a maze of corridors. I squeeze his hand, causing him to sigh. "A lot of people here have suffered, Zelda, and it's because of the Skull Kid. Those monkeys have been waiting for someone to save their brethren, Palus lost his son to the Skull Kid, the Deku King has lost his daughter and is taking it out on everyone else, and everyone is trying to carry on with so little hope that I can't not do anything."
I swallow thickly, then, "Have you always been so selfless?"
"They have suffered," he says softly with an embarrassed smile. "I won't let them lose what they care about like I have. Now, come on." He forces himself to cheer up a little, but I can't help but think, does he mean me or something else? I shake my head and speed up nonetheless, hoping that he doesn't have to suffer too just for the sake of being so selfless.
Palus leads us up a long set of stairs, the stone caked with so much moss and moisture that I partially slip a few times. The torches decrease in number the higher up we get, though it isn't long before there is a light ahead that blinds us long before we reach it. I force myself onward, my heart soaring when my feet no longer meet stone but marshy grassland instead.
We slow into a stop, the midday sun greeting us as our vision returns. We stand on a small patch of land, poisonous water lapping at its edges. Ahead is a long set of rickety logs created as a form of makeshift bridge, the large structure that it leads up to ominous and imposing. Thick vines cake its surface, nature trying to destroy what was made here, and even from here I can sense the foreboding presence that lingers from within it.
"You sure like to run," Tatl mutters as we catch our breaths back.
Palus sighs. "I am afraid I may have tried too hard to outrun you. As old as I am, I am still a fast competitor. Just like when I raced my son..." His eyes widen and he pauses for a long beat. "Please forgive my rudeness. Woodfall is ahead, but I am afraid that I cannot help you in this fight. As I said I am too old, and I never practiced the ways of any weapon. I shall wait here and beg to the Four that you all return safely with the Princess in tow." Link murmurs his thanks before silencing himself and transforming back into a Deku.
For a moment, Palus' eyes shine with tears.
Then he focuses again and we are off.
I tread extremely carefully as we make our way down the logs, the pink water lapping dangerously close to my toes. I constantly watch Link as he goes on ahead, desperate to keep his form away from the water. I pick up my speed until I am fully running, crossing the many logs across the lake as fast as we can. By the time our feet meet the rugged and crumbling stone, we don't even allow ourselves to stop before we are clambering up the steps again. We all glance at each other, then to the Temple, then back at each other. I raise my brow in a silent question, but their response is but a firm nod.
I tug off a torch that is attached to the outside, its light illuminating the dark corridor that we make our way into. It is the stench of overgrowth that slams into me first, the usual fragrance of greenery now replaced by a horrible smell. I gag but press on, moss shifting beneath my shoes. The large square room is dotted with torches, twisted vines choking the dark brick that upholds the supposed holy place. Deku designs decorate the walls, but have faded over time and wear. Water drips from the ceiling from built up rain, our shadows disturbed by their movement.
And yet, directly ahead is a set of steps leading up to a destroyed altar, a statue of what I assume to be Odolwa crushed beneath it; its head far from the rest of its body.
"This must have been what the explosion was," Tatl mutters from beside us, floating on ahead and glancing into something that I cannot see through the darkness. "Hey, there seems to be a secret passageway here." I cast my gaze to Link, however he simply catches up with his partner without saying anything. Steeling my courage, I run off after them, the wind against the torch casting distorted shadows across the room. This must have been the main part of the Temple where the people prayed to Odolwa, which simply begs the question: why did he destroy it?
I move on ahead of Link and Tatl, as I have the light, and light the way down a narrow corridor. There seems to be less vegetation clinging to the walls, however the air is still so thick that it isn't much of a benefit.
Gaps soon appear in the walls like windows, revealing other parts of the Temple that have laid dormant, ones overcome with water and dormant torches. Creatures growl in the darkness, and I have to force myself to look away from the windows numerous times as my heart leaps into my throat. We climb a spiralling staircase and cross a rickety bridge, the darkness so thick that I cannot see who or what is beneath me. Constantly checking to see whether Link and Tatl are still with me, the three of us make our way across as fast and cautiously as we can before creeping through a grand, slightly ajar door.
Our breathing is the only thing that we can hear and feel, the temperature so drastically low in here compared to the rest of the humid Woodfall that our breath fogs up in front of our faces. The room is octagonal with numerous pillars embedded into the wall, the only light in here being emitted from a tiny one too far up on the ceiling to recognise properly. Many layers of mosaic tiles encircle the room, moss seeping in between the cracks just like in the walls; vines dangling down and resting against the wet bricks. Thick branches twist out from the walls, a large butterfly insignia plastered against the opposite wall.
"Hey!" Tatl calls out, searching around. "Odolwa, we are here to—"
Without warning, a gigantic figure leaps down from the darkness above, causing many branches that grow out from the walls to snap into two. The creature sinks into a deep crouch, revealing a twitching eye on the back of its neck, earth dyed arms clutching a blade and shield that are easily the same size as me. The figure rears up, revealing a large brown mask decorated with numerous primary colours, the face's angry sneer sending fear straight through me. It attempts a few practice swings of its sword, ones so quick that Tatl can barely dodge it herself.
"I-Is that—?"
"—Odolwa," Tatl cries, pointing at the gigantic beast. "Don't get close to it, and find a way to that eye!"
And yet, Odolwa does not attack us immediately, instead he begins to dance; revealing a bottle strapped to his belt. As Link begins to survey the area, I focus my attention on the bottle and what is moving inside of it. It seems to be some sort of creature that is desperate to get out, small sparkles of jewellery flashing whenever the little amount of light here catches it.
And then Palus' words enter my mind. "—and yet I know that, thanks to the monkeys here, the Princess has been captured by our God, Odolwa."
"She's in there!" I cry out, catching the attention of my companions. They follow my train of gaze up to the bottle on Odolwa's waist, their eyes widening in shock as they come to the same conclusion as me. Link dodges an unintentional swing of the creature's blade as it dances about. "If only we had a Bow, or something to knock it down with," Tatl fumes. She snaps her head over to her partner. "I thought you had done this sort of business before!"
"I have, but all of my things are with my horse, and you know what happened there." I go to ask what actually happened, but the glint in both of their eyes makes me judge the situation better. But then Link looks down, an idea in his mind. Odolwa still doesn't care for us, waltzing in place without a care in the world, giving us the time to think. As long as it doesn't end as badly as his other "idea" had done, then I am willing to be open to what he is thinking of. Without hesitation, he creates a small bubble from his "snout" and sends it flying into the bottle on Odolwa's side.
I go to question it, but then stop myself.
The first bubble barely hits it, knocking it slightly, then a set of consecutive bubble mange to send it spiralling from its waist, finally catching Odolwa's attention.
But it doesn't matter, because the shattered bottle lies a few feet away from the tense Odolwa, and a Deku rises from around the glass shards. She, I assume, clasped her hands together and dusts off her red garments, swooping back her headress decorated with so many feathers that it nearly hits the floor. Beside her is a small bow, something that grabs everyone's attention. Her eyes find Link, and she races over to him, enveloping him in a tight hug. "I thought that you had died, my love."
"I..."
"My lady," I call out, catching her attention instantly. "Odolwa is still prepared to destroy the Temple and us with it. We are thankful that you are safe, as we were sent by Palus to send aid to you, but we must either subdue or defeat Odolwa. I am sorry, but we desperately need your help."
She nods firmly, detaching herself from Link. "Indeed." She then turns to him, and hands him the Bow. "This used to be my brother's before he married to another country. Please, my love, take it." He holds and accepts her offering, struggling to draw it in his Deku form. Odolwa takes a leap backwards from us, readying its blade to harm us. The Deku Princess retreats to the edge of the room, and a part of me is enraged by her fleeing and leaving her "love" to fight without hesitation.
[But you did the same.]
I shake my head as Odolwa takes a flying jump forwards, and I push Link out of the way in time for it to just miss us. It raises it arms and lights up torches around the room, ones I never saw before, and sends moths in our direction. "I'll take care of these. Start shooting for its eye," I command, making his eyes shine with something that I, once again, don't understand. "Go!" He snaps back into reality and rushes away from the center of the room, allowing Odolwa to pray on me now that I am alone.
Focus...
I tug out my knife from my bag and begin slashing away at the moths, their spiked wings catching my face and arms every now and again. There are two cries of my name and one gasp, but I stay focused and allow the world to fall away a little. I twist away, a gash of warmth bubbling out from my arm, yet I hold myself firm and spin back. I keep my arm firm and tense, a memory tumbling out from my mind but not enough for me to register, and I catch Odolwa in the leg as it races past me, sending it onto its knees as it throws away its shield to protect its wound.
"Now!"
I cast my gaze back over to Link, who forces his Deku body to work despite its limitations, striking Odolwa's eye on the back of its neck three times with so much skill that it leaves me in a strange but familiar sense of awe. Odolwa screams in pain, which in turn causes Azalea grief from the other side of the room, yet Link does seem to stop himself for a moment. As the god twists its mask in the Deku's direction, it watches as he blesses the next arrow with a heavenly light that I have never seen before and sends its straight towards Odolwa, surrounding it in a bright light.
"And here is a weapon that can penetrate the Evil King's defences... the power given to the Chosen Ones..."
I, for some reason, rush towards Odolwa as the light slowly begins to fade, its screams with it, and the entire Temple seems to be lifted of a great evil. I fall to my knees, the pain in my arm becoming more and more apparent as time goes on, staring down at the cracked mask that remains of Odolwa. Even though Azalea is happy to be done with this mess, she still weeps softly on the other side of the room whilst Link comforts her. Tatl floats over to my side, anticipating what is to come next; peace here.
But it doesn't come yet.
I curl my fingers around the edge of the mask, causing tendrils of shadow to dart from the edge of the room into the mask, creating an explosion of light. I am vaguely aware of screams, soon realising that they are my own, before the world goes black.
Author's Note: I know that Woodfall wasn't greatly explored, and wasn't considered as a "dungeon," but I want to keep these Temples as a place of worship with interconnecting areas behind them that few can actually access. I hope that you all understand. Either way, please rate and review if you haven't already, and I hope that you will keep reading on to see what happens next.
