Chapter 8: One Thing After Another
Leyla sat up in bed. Her head felt like a hammer had struck it repetitively, and the room swam before her eyes. She squeezed them shut, then opened them slowly again, and things started to settle and make sense.
The room she was in had a large, red dresser with several pictures on it, most of them pictures of a fluffy cat. There was small fireplace against the wall to her right, and a window to her left. Leyla looked down and examined the large bed; the quilt was gingham pattern of pink, white, and red. Leyla looked to her immediate right, and saw that red-haired Telma was sitting on a stool next her.
Leyla raised a hand to her head, and heard Telma say something like, "And don't think of coming here for a drink again!" Leyla raised an eyebrow at her, only to notice that the short, long-nosed doctor with huge, round spectacles was leaving the room.
Telma turned to Leyla with a kind, yet somehow frustrated, smile. "Sorry about that, dear. You fainted, and my immediate reaction was to send for the doctor." Her eyes darkened. "Of course, he only helps 'humans'. When he was going to check your pulse, you still had a cut on your finger. He saw the gold in your blood and gave up on you right away." She gave a loud sniff. "First, he refuses to work with that poor Zora Boy, now you, I oughta…." She bit her lip. She readjusted her seat and looked at Leyla. "Oh, Renado and his daughter are downstairs, waiting for you."
"Oh, thanks." Leyla said, standing up. Her head protested at the sudden movement, but she ignored it. She had one last favor to ask of Renado….
AAAA
As Tam's eyes flew open, the memory of the "more than a normal dream" dream fresh in his mind, he noticed Mink, his white-yet-dirtied-brown mink friend, had once again sneaked into his cot. A mischievous smile crept over his face as he unsuccessfully attempted to smooth down his unruly, brown hair with his hand. Silently, he slipped out of bed, stalked around it, quickly grabbed Mink's slender body, and threw him against the wall of his small forest hut.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my bed?" Tam demanded.
"Hey, I got tired of my rag in the corner," Mink growled in Minkish, picking himself up. "Besides, why do you need such a big bed all to yourself?"
"Will you two stop fighting every single morning?" a voice questioned in Arctic-Foxic. "It gets very tiring to listen to you squabble all the time."
"Morning Arctic Fox," Tam yawned.
"Hey, Si-SQUEAK!" Mink shouted as Arctic Fox pounced on his head, stifling his cries.
"For the last time," from her tone Tam could tell Arctic Fox was struggling to keep anger from her voice, "just because Tam is both my brother and yours, that doesn't mean we are RELATED!"
"I had a dream last night," Tam cut in before any further tirade could come, "except it wasn't a dream."
"What do you mean by that?" a breathless Mink inquired.
"Well, first I was in a hallway-"
"What's a hallway?" Arctic Fox asked, relinquishing her grasp on Mink just enough for him to slip away.
"It's sort of…a corridor-"
"What's a corridor?" asked Mink, imitating Arctic Fox.
"Okay, picture a tunnel in a cave."
"We pictured it," they cried in unison.
"That's a hallway."
"But what's a corridor?" asked Mink.
"It's a hallway!" Tam shouted.
"Okay, okay, you don't need to get emotional about it," Mink muttered.
"I'm not getting emotional!" Tam yelled.
"Let's just get on with it," interrupted Arctic Fox, "before we start resorting to violence." Although by the tone of her voice, it seemed as though she was considering it.
"Anyway, I was in this hallway with a door and-"
"What's a door?" cut in Mink.
"Just continue, Tam," Arctic Fox said her voice taking on a slightly dangerous tone, "I'll keep Mink in line."
"Well," Tam continued, his eye on Mink, "I was walking down the corridor-"
Mink opened his mouth, but Arctic Fox's white paw slammed it shut.
"And I heard someone calling my name."
"How?" Mink asked before Arctic Fox could stop him.
"Kinda, ghost-ish," Tam said.
"Ghost fish?" Arctic Fox asked, "Never heard of that before!"
"No, ghost-ish!" Tam said, pronouncing every syllable clearly.
"Oh," The two animals said together.
"Like this?" and Mink tried a wavering ghost voice, "Tam…Come…To…Me…"
"No, stupid!" Arctic Fox yelled, "It was obviously like this!" And she tried a smooth, creeping ghost voice, "Tam, come here, Tam."
"No way!"
"Yes, way!"
"Shut up!" Tam yelled over the din Mink and Arctic Fox were making. "Anyway again," continued Tam, with a significant look at Mink, his voice picking up speed as he went on, "there was Leyla, trying to open the door, when along comes this lady who was really pretty and had flying hair and told Leyla to go to the Heart of the Sacred Grove alone. Then Leyla disappeared and the lady turned to me and said I was invisible by her magicand I had to follow Leyla but remain hidden for a while. And then I asked her if this was a normal dream and she said no. Then I asked her if she was sure, because sometimes a dream seems real when it's not, and she said yes, she was sure. Then I asked her if she was positive, and she said yes, she was positive. Then I told her that I was sorry that I was only wearing my underwear in the dream. Then she told me to wake up, so I did."
"So, life pretty much returns to normal, huh?" Mink squeaked.
"No, now we have to follow Leyla," Tam replied, "Oh, yeah, and guys, the lady said that I would save her life."
There was a short pause, then Mink and Arctic Fox both burst into laughter; the rolling on the floor kind.
"What, you guys don't think I can save a person's life?" Tam exclaimed indignantly. "How many times have I saved your life, Mink?"
"How many times has it needed saving?" Mink retorted, attempting to catch his breath.
"Well…that's not the point," Tam said, rubbing the back of his neck.
They heard a rustling of feathers outside.
Tam opened the door and looked out. Mother Hummingbird, a giant hummingbird the size of two Spear's, drowsily yawned and said, "Why must everyone bicker in the morning?" her voice silky, with every bit of annoyance a mother has when her children fight. "It's such beautiful morning, and yet, you can turn any morning into a bad one." She ruffled her feathers and sighed. She was what was called a Great Animal, an animal that was an enlarged version of their species, and who was immortal. They were often called to be protectors of the animal kingdom, and only one of each animal could exist as a Great Animal. Mother Hummingbird had been around since more than 400 years ago, and it often showed in her forgetfulness.
There was then a loud screech above them, and everyone looked up to see a hawk, by the name of Hawky, circling down out of the sky.
Tam held out his arm, somewhat awkwardly, and Hawky landed on it.
"What's up?" Arctic Fox asked, her furry white tail wagging happily with excitement.
Hawky drew a deep breath and said, "Leyla's coming here!"
Everyone stared at him incredulously.
"How do you know that?" Tam asked suspiciously.
"I was flying by them when I heard Leyla say, 'Let's go find Tam,' right after she hopped out of a wagon." Hawky shrugged his wings.
"Who's 'them'?" Tam asked, even more demanding.
"Leyla and, I think, um, Midna! That's her name!" Hawky said.
Arctic Foxes smooth, white face had a quizzical expression on it.
"Who's Leyla? Who's Midna?" she asked.
Mink jumped onto her head and said, "Leyla is this girl form Ordon, and Midna is some sort of…Twili, is what they called her."
Arctic Fox shook Mink off her head and asked Tam directly this time, "What's a Twili, Tam?"
"I dunno. But if she's coming with Leyla, you'll know what they look like." Tam said.
Mother Hummingbird spoke up, "If she's coming, you better go find her. The forest is so dense and dark now, she'll need help." Then Mother Hummingbird turned around and tried to go back to sleep.
"Right," Tam said. He looked at Mink and Arctic Fox, sighed, and said exasperatedly, "Mink, Arctic Fox, would you like to come?"
Arctic Fox was first to answer; "Yes! Yes! YES!"
Mink nodded excitedly, and Tam grabbed Mink, placed the browned white mink on his shoulder, and he walked into the forest, Arctic Fox at his heels.
AAAA
Leyla waved to the retreating wagon, and then turned to the forest. Midna, who had hopped out of Leyla's shadow as soon as the blonde-haired girl's feet had touched the ground, let out an impressed whistle.
"Looks a lot more overgrown than before, huh?" the Twilight Princess commented.
Leyla gave a simple nod. "We should look for a way in." She transformed into her small, grey wolf form, a slight tingling in her chest as she realized that she was using the powers of a Wood-Elf. She quelled this feeling, however, as she thought of the many tasks ahead of her. She could let herself faint from shock at the news later.
Midna lightly rapped Leyla's furry wolf's head with her knuckles and pointed to a part of the overgrown forest. A figure was coming towards them. Leyla at first would have guessed that it was Spear; how else could it move so fast through the thick underbrush and the low hanging branches of the trees? But the figure was too skinny, and not quite tall enough. That, and no trees were being knocked over in its wake.
Leyla raised her head. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing towards the forest instead of from, so she couldn't catch any scent of what was racing towards them. The figure burst through the trees and bushes, covered in leaves and dirt from head to toe.
Leyla returned to her normal form. "Tam!" she called out, running over to greet him. She stopped just short of him, though. He hadn't taken a bath in weeks.
Mink was slung over his shoulder, and looked like he was ready to hurl, making Leyla take an unconscious step away from Tam. Midna walked over to Tam inclined her head in greeting, looking as though she had considered offering her hand for a handshake. Tam looked Midna up and down and asked, "Weren't you… shorter… last time?"
Midna raised an eyebrow at him, but her smile stayed, unwavering. Both the girls' attention was taken from Tam when they heard a sharp yapping behind him, and shortly after, a small, white fox appeared, a patch of black fur on her head. Leyla's face lighted at the sight of such an adorable creature, and Midna practically squealed with delight. The fox, seeing the two girls, first hid behind Tam's legs, then ran out to greet them, allowing them to stroke her snowy soft fur. "Who's this?" Leyla asked, her face beaming.
"That's Arctic Fox," Tam answered. Mink squawked, and looked down at Arctic Fox as though jealous of the attention she was getting.
"She's so cute!" Midna exclaimed, taking Arctic Fox's cheeks in her hands and gently rubbing them. Arctic Fox yapped happily, then turned to Tam and gave him a questioning bark.
"Yeah," Tam answered, "that one's Midna." The tall, dirt covered boy turned his attention to Leyla, "So, what's up? Do you need help?"
Leyla straightened up, and her face became solemn, "Well, it's bit of a long story, but I'll try my best to make it quick." She then delved into what had happened; starting from her dreams and ending with Zelda saying she needed Tam's help.
Tam scratched at his surprisingly smooth chin as he processed all that Leyla had just said. He then inquired about the saddle bag.
Leyla jumped, as though she had forgotten about it. "Oh, it's with Storm!" she cried out. She produced the Horse Call from her bag, the one she had made specifically for Storm, and played its sweet, strong melody. It wasn't long before Storm came galloping towards her, his voice causing the air to ring.
He stopped just short of running her over and nuzzled her cheek. Leyla stroked his nose, and then traced her hand down his neck and to the saddle bags. She removed the one with the mirror shard and handed it to Tam, then began checking Storm hooves for rocks.
Tam opened the bag, took at the cloth wrapped mirror, and unwrapped it. He yelped in surprise when he saw Jav's face looking out. Jav stared up at Tam, and was pushed away by Link. "Tam!" the young hero exclaimed. Link looked as though he was trying to peer around Tam. "Where's Leyla?" he asked, almost demanded.
"I'm right here," Leyla said, and Tam turned the mirror so that Leyla would be visible.
"Oh," Link sighed with relief, and Leyla rolled her eyes. Link looked from Tam to Leyla and asked, "Where's Midna?" Leyla looked over Storm's back and pointed, "Down there." Tam lifted the mirror over the stallions tall back and tilted it downwards so that Midna, who was still happily playing with Arctic Fox, would be in view.
"Oh. Ok. Hi, Midna," Link said. Midna didn't even look up.
Leyla took the mirror from Tam and said, "I'm going to put the shard away, now." Link sighed, but didn't protest as Leyla wrapped the shard in the cloth, then placed it back in the saddle bag, which she slung around her own shoulders. "Tam," she said, turning towards him, "we need to find someone who knows about a secret having to do with the Sacred Grove."
"Well," Tam said, scratching his head, "I don't know much about the Sacred Grove, but I know someone who knows a lot about it because he spent years around that area."
"Who?" Leyla asked, excited.
"Uncle Budz!" Tam answered. "He's not really my uncle, but I call him that because he's like an uncle." Tam waved her over to the forest. "Come one, you'll love him! He tells the best stories! Arctic Fox, let's go!"
The small fox yapped in what Leyla's mind translated to be agreement, and Midna got up and walked with Leyla.
"So, what did we learn?" the Princess asked.
"Well, we learned that this Budz guy is not Tam's uncle," Leyla answered with smile. When the girls caught up with Tam, he was waiting for them by a small bush.
"Just follow me and the trip should be pretty smooth, ok?" he said before diving in. Midna followed, but Leyla turned to Storm first. The gray stallion let out a whicker to tell her to not worry about him, and nudged her in the back, telling her to go. Leyla kissed his head and turned to follow Tam in the forest.
Following in the tall boy's tracks did, indeed make traveling much easier. He seemed to know every twist and turn, every branch and bush, even every animal that was in their path to their destination. It wasn't long before they came to a clearing with trees that had golden brown bark and light green leaves. Leyla could feel a powerful magic all over the place. In the middle of the clearing was a small wooden hut with dark green, flowering moss growing over it. Tam ran right up to the door and knocked. The door swung open silently to reveal a man, almost as tall as Tam, and old enough to be his father.
"Uncle Budz!" Tam exclaimed, hugging the man as a child would his father.
Budz patted Tam's back once, then pushed him away, saying, "All right, all right, nice to see you too." He then looked at the girls. He studied Midna carefully, but his eyes lingered on Leyla, his eyebrows raising as though he had seen her before but could not remember when or where. He gestured to them and asked, "Who are your friends?"
Tam puffed out his chest and cleared his throat, "This is Princess Midna of the Twilight Realm, and this is Leyla, Hero of Hyrule," he announced proudly.
Leyla stepped up to the man and offered her hand. He took it and gave it a firm shake, and gave one to Midna as well. Midna shook her hand when it was released, over-exaggerating her pain.
"They need your help for something," Tam said, allowing himself into the house. Budz rolled his eyes and sighed, then stood back for the girls to enter.
"What do you need help with?" Budz asked, addressing Leyla.
"Um, we need to know about a secret having to do with the Heart of the Sacred Grove," Leyla answered quietly.
The man sat down at a table and gestured for the others to sit. "The Heart of the Sacred Grove, eh?" he said. Leyla felt her heartbeat quicken. What if he didn't know it? "Course I know it." He leaned back in his chair. Leyla let out the breath that she just realized she had been holding. "However," Budz added, taking a pipe from a shelf just behind his chair without looking, "only a Wood-Elf can truly unlock it." He lit his pipe and began smoking.
Leyla's felt butterflies crowding her chest. Only a Wood-Elf could open it. She was a Wood-Elf. "I… I can… do it…." Leyla didn't know what she was saying, but she said it.
"You can do what, child?" Budz asked curiously. He had started serving up what looked to be apple pie.
"I… I am… a… Wood-Elf…." Leyla whispered hesitantly.
Budz froze in place, holding a pie in Tam's face. He looked at Leyla, an unreadable expression on his face.
"You are?" he asked slowly. Leyla nodded. Budz moved in a flash. He was holding a knife to Leyla's throat before she could blink. "False," he snarled, "they all died years ago. How do I know that you aren't working for Dark Link?" He looked over at Midna, who had produced a spear of white light with her magic. "Put that away unless you want your friend dead," he said. Midna reluctantly complied.
"Ze-Zelda told me to come!" Leyla called out. It was the only thing she could think of saying.
Budz's eyes widened. "Zelda? Is she safe?" he growled.
"Wha-? Yes! Yes! She's fine!" Leyla gasped. She could feel the knife point threatening to bite into her skin.
"Budz!" Tam managed to shake of his shocked sense and reached for Budz's knife hand. "What's going on? Leyla's a good guy! Er, girl, I mean." Budz glared at Tam, then slowly took the knife away from Leyla's throat.
"Who are you, really?" Leyla asked, rubbing her throat.
Budz looked down at her, and said with little effort to be regal, "I am King Rithor of Hyrule. I have exiled myself for thirteen years now, as I have failed in my duties as king, and as a father." Tears began to well up in his eyes, and Leyla's eyes widened. This man, who lives in the middle of a forest, was the king of Hyrule? This man was Zelda's Father?
