A/N: Sorry for the delay. I decided to rewrite from scratch. Then I decided not to.
Chapter 9
Link woke to the sound of his tent's door unzipping, and a the night air cutting into his sleeping bag. He groaned as the thin silhouette he knew to belong to Zelda stepped inside.
"You know, if I ever did this to you, Nabooru would have me screaming until morning or something," he grumbled.
Zelda let out a muted giggle. "Come on," she whispered. "This isn't really a camping trip. You dressed?"
The proper reply, he felt, would involve a string of words that would have earned him quite a scolding from Miss Rebecca. Instead, he muttered something he hoped sounded vaguely like 'yes' and forced himself out of his comfy sleeping bag.
"Get your shoes on; I'll wait outside." She patted him on the knee and slipped out as silently as she had entered.
Link took a moment to massage his head and reflect that this manner of nonsense had never happened at the orphanage. But the night would not get warmer for waiting, and Zelda would certainly not let him fall back asleep, and so he hauled himself up and pulled on his sneakers.
He rummaged through the limited supplies he had brought and picked out a flashlight, a bottle of water, and a pair of snack bars. If their previous adventures had been any indication, Zelda would not be properly equipped. He grabbed another water bottle just in case and joined the girl outside the tent.
She had, at least, thought to change from her night clothes into a pair of jeans and a windbreaker—much more suitable for a hike.
"That was fast," she said, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "C'mon, I don't know how long this will take."
She strode into the woods, and Link hurried to keep up. Even with his light, he couldn't see well, and he worried a misstep would send him tumbling to the ground. As he ran down the trail, however, his feet seemed to land nimbly in all the right places, all on their own.
"Where are we going?" he asked once they were far enough away that their voices would not carry to the camp.
"There is a secret that has been passed down through our family," she said, not breaking stride. "Many secrets. But this is a secret to everyone, even my father. My mother spoke it to me when I was five, and made me promise to tell only the Hero, or my daughter, if no Hero appeared."
She stopped, suddenly, and tiny hands shot out to take him by the shoulders.
"I cannot make you promise to be the Hero, but you must swear that you will not even hint at this to anyone."
Link nodded. There was no hesitation. He'd played along with her plot this far, no sense in turning back now.
She held him there, and studied him for a long moment before relaxing. Then she resumed her brisk walk.
"The secret is that magic has not vanished wholly from Hyrule. That there remains a sacred grove, guarded by an ancient sage. That it is hidden in this very forest. That only the Princess and Hero together may find it."
"What will happen there?" Link asked.
"Something important, I hope."
He knew that if they found this ancient sage, his fate would be sealed. There could be no turning back, not if magic truly still lived, and a great sage waited to send him on the first leg of his quest. He almost stopped, there. He almost plunged back through the forest to his abandoned tent. Zelda would have let him, he was certain.
But again he asked, what if she was right, and he turned away?
The answer was unthinkable.
Ahead, Zelda gasped. Link hurried to her side, almost on instinct. The princess stood, rubbing her head and muttering to herself.
"Zelda…?"
"It's nothing," she said, looking up and forcing a smile. "Just… something feels weird. Feels off." Her eyes unfocused and cast downward. Link had never seen the girl look so dull.
"Are you sure-"
"Yes!' she snapped. Then again, more quietly: "Yes. Sorry. I feel… like we should hurry. Let's go."
He knew she was lying, but followed anyway. What else could he do? He couldn't force the truth from her, certainly. He could only hope that whatever troubled her was nothing serious.
Then she stumbled. Her arms flew out, and she fell to the ground with a cry. She started to push herself to her feet, but Link placed a hand on her shoulder and sat down beside her. He couldn't think what to say, so he looked at her, and hoped it was question enough.
She glared at him at first, but then relented.
"I have a headache." She kept her eyes toward the ground, as if she were embarrassed to admit it. "Ever since we started walking. I feel like there's something scraping at the inside of my head." She winced. Her voice broke. "It hurts."
He put his arm fully around her shoulder. "Let's go back. Get away from-"
"No! We can't turn away. Don't you see? It will always be like this. It's the magic, I just know it! Something about the magic is reacting, or- or something. I'll have to bear it if we want to see the sage."
"We should wait until you're rested, at least. When it's light, and we can move faster."
She shook him off and staggered to her feet.
"Only if you can drag me back," she said, wearing the imitation of a smile. She ploughed ahead, and Link stayed close behind her, ready to catch her. Had he thought that the cause of her headaches might be a certain thing, rather than magic, had thought to keep alert for hidden dangers in the shelter of the surrounding brush, he might have seen the spiders before they attacked.
A heavy weight collided with him, sending him sprawling to the ground. Above him, Zelda screamed, a thin howl that pierced through the night and echoed inside his skull. Adrenaline filled him, and the wail faded to the background, along with his pain, and all extraneous sensation.
He shone his light around to see what had attacked him. He made out a small, ugly-shaped mass just as it leaped at him again. He threw himself flat against the ground, just in time for the thing to sail over him, assaulting him with its foul stench as it did so.
He rolled to his feet. From the click-shuffling sound he heard, there was at least one more of the beasts.
"Kill it! Kill it!" Zelda was screaming, but he had no weapons, and the beasts were fast. He aimed a hesitant kick at one. It latched onto its foot, clawing, upsetting his balance. He crashed to the ground, then flailed with his other foot until it connected, sending the thing scampering away. The other one lunged, countless legs splayed over his face, and Link threw it off.
Behind him, Zelda knelt on the ground, head clasped in her hands, screams and sobs inter-mingled with broken demands to kill the monstrosities. They turned, slowly, as if noticing her for the first time.
They advanced. Link was faster. He jumped, coming down hard on the legs of the lead creature, grinding his heel into the fragile joints as he landed. Bending down, the grabbed the other by the legs, hardly noticing the razor-like hair that cut into his palm, and flung it away to deal with the first.
It scrambled in a pathetic circle, clicking and whining as it went. Link raised his foot and brought it down. Hard. Again and again.
The other monster screamed forward, determined to avenge its comrade. If he dodged, Zelda would be vulnerable, and so instead he stepped forward.
The thing's many legs embraced him, and pincers sunk deep into his chest. The pain dropped him to the ground. He tried to tear it off, but his hand was slippery with blood, and found no purchase. He smashed it against the creature's hard back, to no effect.
Brittle legs, he remembered. His hand, already wounded, slammed into joints, bent others backward, harming the monster in any way he could think until at last it scampered off. When Link rose, he gave it the same fate as his brother.
Exhaustion took him, and he collapsed. Zelda lay close by. She shook, still, but the screaming had stopped.
"It's over," she whispered. "No pain."
Link grunted. She may have been fine, but it had bit into his chest, and he soon realized the agony of his bleeding hand.
Zelda rolled over and hugged him, her breath coming out in ragged gasps.
"I knew you could be a hero," she said.
Link made no response. It took all his power to stifle the scream that begged to erupt.
They might have lain like that all night, had a glow the shade of amber twilight not risen in the heart of the forest.
"It's hours 'til dawn," Zelda breathed. "This must be-"
At that moment, a fountain of light erupted them, whiting out their vision in its brilliance. When they could see again, a moss-covered temple of limestone stood before them, as ancient as the forest itself. Decayed pillars supported it, as green as the trees themselves. It seemed to grow with an eerie light, a light that breathed and knew its fate.
A man stood on the steps, aged beyond belief. But though his white beard descended to his waist, and his skin was wrinkled as a prune, he strode forward with a commanding vigor.
"I have waited long ages for you, my children."
Link grunted as Zelda pushed herself off him. She took a hesitant step forward, then knelt before the ancient Sage. The boy did his utmost to mimic her, clutching his chest.
"Welcome to the Forest Temple, where once the Sages prayed before even the unification of Hyrule. My name is Sahasrahla."
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