Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy!

Eight: The Roundabout Way of the Woods Part III

In Which the Forest Torments Zelda in an Effort to Get Her to Where She Needs to Be

Zelda was pissed. No, she was furious. Ganondorf had wandered off somewhere and now she didn't know where he or Link were. Everything was ruined. They were going to get eaten by demon children and then none of them would get their wishes.

Great.

She had given up on yelling and wandering aimlessly after about half an hour, and now she sat on a log, quietly fuming instead. The ground around her feet had been pounded to a pulp by the end of her stick, which she had been stabbing into the dirt with more and more ferocity as time wore on.

With one final, savage stab, she buried her stick in the earth and let it stand there, heaving a sigh as she reached up to rub her temples. She could feel a headache coming on; there was an ache building behind her eyes that made her want to gouge them out, so she pressed her fingers against them gently instead.

Of all the things that could have happened, they'd just had to get separated. She didn't even know how it had happened. One minute, she'd been walking along behind Ganondorf, calling out to Link, the next, she'd been alone. There had been no warning, no shift in the air, he'd just vanished. His footsteps had stopped and it was like he'd somehow evaporated.

It was a trial, sitting still and being quiet when all she wanted to do was scream and maybe whack a few trees. Tipping her head back, Zelda groaned as loudly as she dared. She already felt like she was being watched, so she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself than necessary. The groan was necessary, though.

It didn't help.

With her jaw and fists clenched, she slithered off the log and yanked her stick from the dirt. If the forest really wanted them separate, then she doubted she'd be seeing either Link or Ganondorf any time soon, so she might as well continue on with their original plan on her own. Finding whatever lay at the heart of the woods.

She was sure it was a piece of the Triforce. She couldn't see a forest going to such lengths to protect a mask, so it was either the Triforce or something else, and either way she was determined to find it. No bullshit haunted forest was going to tell her what to do. She was here for a reason, and she wasn't leaving till she got what she wanted.

The trees around her whispered and rattled as she set off, still sounding like voices she couldn't quite make out. She ignored them. They could say whatever they liked, she didn't care.

Zelda walked for a while, heading in no particular direction as she pondered the best way to reach the heart of the woods. Obviously, the woods themselves would try to stop her, but there had to be some way to get around that. She figured she had enough time and supplies to try out different ideas, at least for a little while.

And anyway, they were just trees. How hard could it be to outsmart them?

So, on she went, testing out plan one: walk in a random direction until she got somewhere. Unless she managed to walk right out of the Lost Woods, she was hoping she'd end up somewhere useful or at least interesting.

Occasionally, the trees hissed as she passed them, low-hanging branches feeling like long, brittle fingers when they caught on her clothes, and sometimes the canopy above gave a violent rustle like something was moving through it. Other than that, the journey was fairly peaceful.

At some point the air started to cool, weighed down by moisture she could feel on her tongue and in her lungs as a mist rolled in. But nightfall never changed anything notable for Zelda, so she continued on.

And on, and on, until she eventually stopped for a quick nap. She kept her stick clutched tightly to her chest the whole time, ears straining for any unfriendly sounds. The silence was so absolute she might as well have been the only living thing in the entire forest.

When she woke, she ate quickly and moved on. As far as she could tell, she hadn't found anything interesting. Just trees upon trees upon trees.

Not wanting to spend another day wandering, she moved on to plan two: trying to get the trees to tell her where to go. She had felt it before, when she'd touched that one trunk; they were interconnected, all of them linked by a system of magic.

They could tell her everything she needed to know.

Resting her stick against a particularly lichen-covered tree, she hesitated for a moment then pulled off her gloves, tucking them into her belt. The air was cool and fresh against her suddenly clammy palms, and she flexed her fingers a few times before gingerly reaching out to them against the tree trunk.

Without the barrier of her gloves, the connection was nothing like before. Some strange force slammed into her, her body jerking like she'd been struck. But she didn't pull away. The tree was trying to deter her, she could feel it. The whispers she'd heard before were louder, more insistent, more like the roar of wind through the canopy or a thunderous downpour against leaves.

Colours and impressions flickered through her, flashes of green and gold, warm sunlight on leaves and the sweet, earthy scent of the forest. The faintest image of something old and crumbled and ruined flitted by, and Zelda nearly let it go before she caught it, snatched it back before the forest could whisk it away.

She could feel it, the place was important, and as she clung to it, the image grew clearer. Pressure began to build inside her, in her chest and behind her eyes, as she fought against the forest. It didn't want her to know, didn't want her to See, but she didn't care. It would show her, this thing it tried so desperately to hide.

The image came into focus so abruptly it was painful, and she reeled for a moment before the pain cleared and she could understand what she was Seeing.

A ruin, as suspected. Impossibly old and long forgotten, it sat nestled at the heart of the woods, guarded by a circle of the oldest trees. As twisted and gnarled as they were, they stood so tall it was like they pierced the sky itself, proud and bursting with life.

And below them, the ruin. Once a temple – Zelda thought, but wasn't sure – now it was little more than a walkway lined with pillars and a broken flight of stairs that led to nowhere.

Most important was the thing the ruin housed. She still couldn't make it out, and when she tried to it felt like her head was going to explode. The forest would not let her See.

...No, it was something else. Something far older and stronger than the forest.

As her head pounded the vision began to crumble, until all she could see was gold. Bright, brilliant gold, it consumed her and silently screamed, 'I am not for you.'

With a ferocious roaring in her head, Zelda collapsed backwards, recoiling from the light and the not-voice that had spoken deep within her, and she would have fallen completely had her back not bumped into another tree. It steadied her and held her upright as she leaned heavily against it, gasping for air and clutching her head in her hands as it throbbed.

Once she'd caught her breath and the pounding had lessened, she pushed herself upright shakily and flexed her fingers. That had been…interesting.

Setting her jaw, she furrowed her brow against the residual pain and reached out until her hand brushed the lichen-y trunk once more. She steeled herself and pressed her palm more firmly against the tree, letting the forest's whispers flood through her again.

This time, however, she stayed a respectful distance from the ruins. She wasn't going to push her luck with whatever resided there, but she was going to push her luck with the trees. Sifting through their whispering as best she could, she dug her nails into the lichen and tried to find a path. She needed to get to those ruins. Not because she wanted what was inside, but because that was where she hoped to find Link and Ganondorf.

She dug down, seeking out the magic that connected the trees, and found it snaking through the earth in a million different pathways, spiralling in and in and in until-

There they were. The oldest trees. The lifeblood of the forest. She could follow the trail all the way back to them, and therefore the ruins.

A smile tugged at her lips, as the trees around her rustled in what felt like unease or possibly annoyance, and she drew her hand back.

'Thanks,' she said, tipping her head back to the canopy. 'I'll be going now.'

A couple of leaves fell on her face, and she shook them off.

Then she pulled on her gloves, grabbed her stick, and went. Every now and then she stopped next to a tree – because they weren't exactly hard to find – to gauge the distance from and the direction to the ruins. After a while they stopped changing every time she tried to work it out, and she found herself on a beeline to the ruins. It pleased her to know the trees had given up on getting in her way, and she walked with a spring in her step, occasionally even whistling or humming.

And if that was because the forest was still deathly silent and she wanted to hear at least one voice that wasn't a tree's, well, said trees didn't need to know.

It took about an hour, but finally her stick hit stone with a light thock and the ground turned solid beneath her boots. She advanced, no longer avoiding roots but tripping over chunks of crumbled stone instead; when they skittered away from her the clattering was sharp and too loud, so she tried to avoid kicking them as best she could.

The air shifted as soon as she'd stepped onto the stone. The woods' constant smell of damp earth and rotting leaves had been replaced by a mustier smell, something dry and undisturbed, and she could feel dust settling in her nose and on her tongue. It made her itch.

There was something else, as well. A kind of thrum. It wasn't that she could hear it so much as she could feel it, deep in her bones and in her stomach, constant and low and powerful. Goose bumps prickled along her arms and she swallowed. Gold flickered on the edges of her awareness, a warning not to stray too close.

'I know,' she mumbled, even as she advanced up the walkway before the ruins. 'You're not for me.'

The thrumming didn't stop, but she thought it might have lessened.

And then, quite suddenly, her stick bumped into something soft and fleshy that groaned when she nudged it. She frowned, tapping it a few more times to make sure it wouldn't suddenly grab her, then crouched next to it. Setting her stick down she patted the squishy, probably human thing, her hands skimming across a scabbard and sword handle, then finding a head topped with a mess of shaggy hair.

She knocked her knuckles against their skull lightly, then sat back on her heels and waited for a response.

'Mmph…' They made a low, sleepy sound, and there came a rustle of fabric. 'Zelda? What're you…?'

She recognised the voice, slurred as it was. Link.

The relief that flooded through her at the sound of his voice took her by surprise, and was immediately followed by a wave of annoyance. She refused to get attached. The only reason she was glad he was alive was because it meant their quest would continue.

But still, the sound of a friendly voice after so long in the woods' silence…Zelda hadn't realised quite how much she had missed it, and just hearing Link slur her name almost made her teary. She swallowed the feeling down as quickly as she could.

'Why are you just lying here?' she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

'Farore's love, you're actually here!'

When he suddenly grabbed one of her hands she nearly screamed, but instead she yanked herself free from his surprisingly strong, desperate grip, and stood so that she could move out of reach.

'I…sorry,' Link said in a small voice after a moment. 'I just- I haven't seen you in…gosh, how long has it been?' He sounded bleary and confused, and Zelda shared his confusion.

'It's barely been a day,' she told him, bending carefully to grab her stick. She didn't want him clutching at her again.

'What are you talking about? It's been- it's been weeks…hasn't it?'

There was silence for a minute as Zelda mulled that over.

'I think,' she eventually said, 'the forest's been messing with your head. Or maybe our heads. It hasn't been more than a day for me.'

'That's…I…' Link trailed off, and his bewildered exhaustion brushed against Zelda's mind. He sounded so small and afraid and alone.

She didn't want to comfort him. Not one bit. But she still said, 'well, we've found each other now. The games are over.'

He gave a little sniffle and she wondered if he was crying or if it was just the dust in the ruins. 'So you…so you were looking for me?'

'Of course,' Zelda replied, then continued, 'I can't get my wish without you.'

She felt his disappointment, the barest whisper of it, and was disgusted with herself.

'Right.' He chuckled weakly. 'When you vanished from that damn shack I assumed you'd…'

'What, left you because the demon in your hand tried to murder us?' she finished when he petered out again.

'…Yeah.'

'What's a little attempted murder between-' she paused, weighed the words and all their meanings carefully-'Travelling…buddies?'

'Aw, are we travelling buddies, Zelda?' Link asked, and it wasn't hard to tell he was smiling.

'Where's Ganondorf, have you seen him?' she replied, because it was becoming much too chummy for comfort.

There was a rustle like Link had just shaken his head. 'No. Not since…well, whenever I last saw you both. But I did see some kokiri! They brought me here and were surprisingly un-terrifying. Held my hand and everything. One of them patted my head, would you believe?'

He seemed to be babbling, but Zelda didn't stop him. She supposed they were both grateful to hear each other's voices, especially if the forest had made Link wander around for what seemed like weeks.

Now she was really glad she'd one-upped it.

'But-' Link paused for breath and his tone turned more serious. 'Where d'you think Ganondorf's got to, then?'

'No idea,' Zelda replied, then lowered herself onto the floor next to him. She left a good metre of space between them. Short enough for her to jab him, long enough that he couldn't touch her. 'Twenty rupees says he ends up here though.'

'Where even is here?'

'Some old temple, I think. I'm pretty sure there's a piece of the Triforce somewhere inside.'

'Wait, seriously? Then let's go get it!'

Zelda had been halfway through a nod when Link scrambled to her feet, but it shifted to a shake as she thrust out her stick to bar his path. 'Wait. Before you do, tell me if you feel anything.'

'Feel anything?' he repeated. 'Feel anything how?'

'I…' She paused. It was hard to explain. 'I know it's not mine. I don't want it or- or it doesn't want me. The thought of taking it…' She shook her head. It made her stomach twist with a mix of anticipation and dread.

On one hand, there was a gnawing desire to go and look and maybe claim a piece of the Triforce for herself, because who knew what kind of power a thing like that had, but on the other she just…couldn't stomach the thought. It sent a chill down her spine.

'Now that you mention it, I think I know what you mean,' Link said, and abruptly sat down again. 'I really want it, but I also really don't. And plus…' He shifted. 'This demon really wants to get my hands on it so that probably means I shouldn't go anywhere near.'

Zelda nodded, not sure what to say. She felt like anything she did say would come across shallow and thoughtless.

She had Seen his life. She understood, to some degree, his terror and anger and hopelessness. But she couldn't exactly tell him that, not without telling him what else she knew.

A flight of sandstone steps swam across her mind's eye and she pushed it away as forcefully as she could. She wouldn't think about it. If she didn't think about it, it wouldn't happen.

An awkward silence fell between them, as they both sat absorbed in their own thoughts. After a little while Link rose and began to pace, and it didn't take long for that to start annoying Zelda. Not only were his footsteps and the crunch of his boots on broken stone obnoxiously loud, but every time he walked by her his restlessness brushed against her awareness and made her tense all her muscles until she almost couldn't bear it.

She tried to take deep breaths and shut him out, laying her stick across her lap and tapping an inaudible tune along its length. It was tempting to try and trip Link but she resisted, drumming her fingers with a little more force.

'D'you think he's alright?' Link asked after a little while, his pace slowing for a moment. 'Ganondorf, I mean.'

'As alright as you or me,' Zelda said, then paused as something rustled in the distance.

Link must have heard it too because he stopped moving entirely, and they both strained their ears into the quiet as they tried to identify the source.

More rustling, like bushes being crashed into and leaves being scuffed underfoot, and then footsteps. Loud and rapid and getting closer. Something big was hurtling right at them.

Zelda scrambled to her feet, hands clasped tight around her stick as she raised it into a defensive position. Beside her, there came the soft scrape of a sword being unsheathed; apparently Link was as wary as her, and she ran through a list of monsters it could be as the sounds grew nearer, nearer, nearer.

Panic suddenly exploded across her mind, like the whining drone of a thousand insects' wings, and it was so unexpected and all-consuming that she staggered back a step under the onslaught. It wasn't her own panic, but her throat still closed up and her stomach still dropped and her heart still jumped with so much force it felt like her whole body lurched with it as a stab of dull pain shot through her chest.

She had to run. Something awful was coming and she had to get away. They needed to run!

'Wait- wait!' Link let out a yelp as the footsteps thundered right up to them and abruptly cut off with the dull slam of two bodies colliding, which was quickly followed by another, heavier thud and the choking sound of something being brutally winded.

Zelda took a shuddering breath as the panic ebbed as abruptly as it had come, but she could still feel herself trembling as someone – Link – exploded into a string of gasped curses.

'What the fuck- you absolute- bastard?!' He gave a wheezing cough. 'You just ran straight in- straight into me! I could've stabbed you!'

There came the sounds of a struggle, a flurry of movement and soft grunts accompanied by the sound of fists hitting what could have been flesh or some other soft, supple material.

'I…I am truly sorry,' a second voice replied, and Zelda sagged with relief as she recognised Ganondorf's deep accent. 'I did not have time to stop.'

A few more groans followed, and Zelda got the feeling they were both sitting up and recovering from the unexpected collision. She tried not to grin at the image it conjured, of Ganondorf barrelling straight into Link, but it was a struggle as Link coughed a few more times and they both caught their breath.

'What were you even doing, hurtling around like that?' he wheezed after a moment, and Zelda leaned on her stick as she waited for them to recover.

'There were…stalfos,' Ganondorf replied slowly. 'And a demon that I am not entirely sure was real. It pursued after me.'

'Okay, yeah, I can see that being something you'd wanna run away from.' There came the sound of movement from Link's direction, and he gave a long, exaggerated moan. 'Din, I think you broke my ribs. You're heavy.'

'Again, my sincerest apologies,' Ganondorf replied, but there was a hint of amusement in his tone that undermined its gravity. 'Can you stand?'

Zelda backed up a little as they both clambered to their feet, and relief she felt from both of them was like a burst of sunlight against the inside of her eyelids. It made her feel all fuzzy inside so she tried her hardest to shut it out.

'I am glad that you are both all right,' Ganondorf said, his voice a little strained. From the run or something else Zelda wasn't sure, and didn't care to find out.

'Yeah, you too,' she agreed, with as little feeling as she could because she was annoyed that it was true. She'd barely known them a week, and, technically, Link had already tried to murder her in that time. What was she doing, feeling relieved they were alive instead of not particularly caring either way?

She jabbed her stick against the floor ferociously, and the impact that juddered through her arms made them hurt all the way through. The harsh thock it made was as loudly obnoxious as Link's footsteps had been, and she felt two pairs of eyes fall on her at the sound.

She spoke to distract them. 'Well, we made it. Middle of the forest. Let's go see what all the fuss was about, shall we?'

As she strode into the ruins, she didn't wait for them to follow.