Chapter Thirteen

Termina

'This way, we almost there, uh.' Yeti beckoned me and Link over with a quick wave of his furry hand.

There was no denying that both the Hero and I were completely worn out. Already. We had climbed unknown regions of this treacherous mountain, relying only on Yeti's sense of smell as we trekked blindly through the harsh blizzard.

My lips were blue, my body was numb, my breath was floating in front of my face and some of my hair had frozen over. I shivered uncontrollably as I pushed myself forward. My knees shook so violently that I was struggling to remain on my frozen feet. Link was worse off than me, though. His unkempt hair was stuck in one direction from the wind and then the cold snow had kept it in that position by freezing it over. His undeniably luscious lips were the deepest blue and ice clung to and bit at his skin. His thick black cloak was draped tightly around my body instead of his, and his light sweater was drenched from the snow and I could see through the fabric that the skin on his firm stomach was just as blue as the skin on his face. It seemed as if his whole body had decided to mimic the sapphire that was his eyes.

I felt guilty for acquiring his one and only form of warmth and protection, but he had offered me the material and I couldn't object. He was much stronger than I was and if I hadn't been wearing both his heavy cloak along with my own I would have never made it this far. The fact that he was still standing was proof that he could venture through anything.

I watched as his teeth chattered so fast that I feared they would shatter at any moment, and I so desperately wanted to give him back his cloak, but no matter many times I had attempted to do so, he had refused angrily. He had said that my health was more important than his. The one time I tried to secretly remove the cloak, Link had stared at me so forcefully that I had recoiled and stopped trying altogether.

We had been travelling for at least two hours, and for Yeti, there seemed to be no rush in finding the Secret Mountain. He sniffed gingerly at the wind and walked carefully, not at all hurried. Well he was covered in fur as thick as ten cloaks and he loved this weather and was comfortable in it. Why would he want to get out of this blizzard when it was pleasant to him?

Minutes passed, and just as I was starting to give up, Yeti turned around to face his dying Hylian companions and grinned. 'I found it, uh!' He ushered us forward into a peculiar subterranean area that looked more like a crevice hidden deeply in the white snow. I questioned in my head if Yeti was right and this was the passage to Snowhead, but I couldn't even open my mouth to speak. I felt as if it had frozen in place.

I glanced sideways at Link and his shivers had settled down a bit once we were shielded from the howling blizzard and harsh cold. His eyes scanned the new area; they were the only things that remained alert and ready, the rest of his body was limp and looked as if it could collapse at any second. I tried to remember when we had last ate, and by the sharp pains in my stomach I realized that breakfast and happened almost three hours ago, no wonder we were so sluggish. I ignored it as my insides growled loudly and concentrated on the intricate patterns on the cave walls. As we made our way deeper into the cave, I noticed that the rock walls grew more aged, as if it had been here far longer than the stone closer to the entrance. Was Snowhead really beyond the outlet of this cavern?

I felt it as the air around us began to warm slightly, and after a few moments it was mild enough to crack my frozen lips apart and breathe in deeply at the surprisingly fresh air. I quickly unfastened the knot of Link's black cloak and yanked it off before he could scold me. I threw it over his back and knotted it tightly, slipping on his hood and ignoring his glare. He was still too cold to speak, but even though he was scowling at me, I knew that he was grateful that he had retrieved his cloak back.

It took about fifteen minutes to cross from the two different lands, and I was startled at how bright the sun was in Snowhead. The piercing white light flooded the otherwise dark cave as the opening became visible. I craned my neck up and walked on my tip toes, eager to see more of the land. All I could see so far was that there was little snow here, having almost all of it melted. I tried to make out just where on the Snowhead Mountain we were arriving on, but all I could see was the deep blue sky and the bright white sun. If this was winter here, I didn't even want to imagine summer!

The heat filled the small cave in an instant as we reached the end of the line. I found myself loosening the top few buttons on my blouse, surprised at the intensity of the warmth. I guess the seasons were different here in Termina, and when our Hyrule was close to winter, this was close to summer. Or perhaps spring.

Link was still shivering, even with his heavy jacket on and even in the heat of the sun. His lips were a lighter blue and some of the ice in his hair had melted and was running down his face.

I bit my lip as Yeti turned around, fanning his covered body with his hands. 'This as far as I go, uh, too hot for Yeti. You go ahead, uh?'

'Thank you for escorting us,' I said sincerely, now in a much better mood than I was when I was freezing cold. 'But how will we return to Hyrule when we don't know the way back?'

Yeti pointed down the cliff we stood on. 'Easy, uh, you just climb back up here and descend Snowpeak. No need to come visit us right away, uh. We understand you be busy with wedding, need time alone, uh.'

I thanked Yeti once more before waving him good bye. Link managed to crack a small smile at the white beast, still shivering.

Yeti laughed at his quivering form. 'You cold, uh? Don't worry, you get hot soon, it spring here. Very hot, uh.'

Yeti waved once more before thudding his way back through the cave, heading home to his beloved freezing weather. I wondered idly what the Yetis did in summer when it was too hot for their liking. Did they go into hibernation or something? I shook away the unimportant thought as I stepped closer to the edge of the cave and peered down at the snowy patches of grass below us. I gasped at the beauty of it all.

We were perched on a high hilltop next to another cave opening, both obscured by thick stone walls, making it difficult to see. Below us was a beautiful spring, complete with serene lily pads and water lilies. Beyond the pool of water were grassy plains, etched with splashes of colour from beautiful flowers. A lone cabin stood in the midst of all the delicacy. It was made of light brown wooden planks and had a tall chimney dominating the roof.

There was a whooshing sound that captured my attention and I turned my curious eyes to the right, where I gaped at a rather large waterfall. It filled the spring below us and was flanking a grassy path that lead off into a sort of town. I could see from the high view that the place had to be Goron City. I could see stone structures that only a civilized community would have; not to mention the familiar Goron tribal signs embedded into the carvings, so deep that I could see them from this distance. On the opposite side of the entrance to the Goron Village was a path that took you to a somewhat empty space. It looked as though there had once been a track which led to a larger area, maybe a shrine or temple, but it looked as if it had been destroyed. I frowned and looked away, noticing a passage that led to a very generous space. I figured, as I stared at the large centre, that this would be Central Termina. So that was where we were heading.

I turned to Link and saw him gawking at the view as well. He had stopped shivering and his skin had returned almost completely back to its original colour.

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and raised his eyebrows, as if to say "impressive, huh?"

'This is an amazing view,' I noted. 'Why can't Snowpeak look like this?'

Link managed to run his hand through his soaked hair, letting the clumps of ice and snow cascade to the ground. 'Why can't Snowpeak be this warm?' He asked rhetorically as he continued to rid himself of the snow that clung to his body.

I shielded my eyes from the sun as I gazed toward what I guessed was Central Termina. 'Our best bet is to head that way,' I said to Link, gesturing with my head. 'If that's where the town is, perhaps we could purchase a map?'

He chewed on his bottom lip. 'How are we going to find the ocarina in this place if we have no idea where it is; map or no map?'

I shrugged nonchalantly. 'That's where the adventure part comes in.'

Link rolled his eyes at my positive attitude. 'How do we even know if the ocarina is still here? I mean what if it got stolen or broken or moved?'

I shook my head, disagreeing completely. 'It has to be around here somewhere, the Sages wouldn't have sent us if this weren't the case.'

He sighed but didn't object further.

We began to descend the cliff face we stood on. There were metal ledges set deep into the mountain that we used as ladders to reach the bottom.

I bent and ran my hand through the cool water of the spring, watching in awe as several tadpoles swirled around my finger tips. I glanced up and saw on the lily pads that their parents were there, croaking melodies into the sun. 'This is amazing.' I pulled my hand back as Link approached me.

He stared down at me and groaned. 'Typical Princess: amazed by baby frogs in a spring.'

I stood up and ignored him, looking across to the side of land we needed to be on. I raised my eyebrows at my suddenly negative companion as I realized the only way to cross this beautiful spring was to swim. 'You up for it?'

He dipped his foot into the water and cringed. 'No. But this is our only option.'

I sat on the edge of the platform we were on and slowly eased myself into the chilly water, biting my lip. The sun may be hot but this water could still fall under the word cold. I walked my way over to the other side on my toes, holding my arms high above the water's surface, eagerly pulling myself over the other side once I got there.

Link still hadn't entered the water and he decided to take off his black cloak. He chucked it at me without warning and I caught it with the tips of my fingers, almost dropping it and having it land in the water. I frowned as he stepped into the stream and quickly reached my side of the land. He bent and squeezed the liquid from his pants before taking his cloak back and wrapping it around his once again shivering body.

I sighed, removing my wet cloak. Why hadn't I thought of that?

We decided to see if the people in the cabin had any food, but the door was locked and the place seemed empty. So with our stomachs rumbling the whole way, we travelled towards Central Termina.

Once we had exited Snowhead, I was surprised at the view that awaited us. Termina seemed very different from Hyrule. The whole place looked as if it were set in a large square, every side harbouring a different path leading to a different environment. In the centre of the square was a large town with borders around it: the heart of Termina.

I glanced to my left and saw a passage leading to a scary-looking canyon and on my right was a trail leading to an ocean. Link didn't seem too phased by the strange scenery; he simply started for the town.

I followed close behind him, my eyes tracing over the new area in awe.

By the time we reached one of the four openings into the town, I was sweaty and beyond hungry. I wiped at my brow as my stomach gurgled angrily, begging for food. Link glanced over at me from behind his shoulder and raised his eyebrows. 'I suggest we get some food before bothering with the map.'

I nodded at his words, too weak to speak.

The town was bustling with activity once we entered. Several people were rushing around, carrying pots and burlap sacks, always in a rush, much like the folk in Castle Town. I had to step back to avoid some maniac with several stacks of lumber on his shoulder as he skittered past us hastily.

Link grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. I thought I heard the words "city" and "useless". I rolled my eyes, wondering if he would ever stop hating busy towns. I guess you can take the boy from the small village life but you can't take the small village life from the boy.

I followed him as he navigated his way through the assiduous crowd, scanning for a store that sold food.

We climbed a small flight of stairs and sighed in relief. We faced an Inn and another small flight of stairs that led to a fancy building. I glanced around, noticing a bar across from the Inn, and to our wondrous luck: two completely different food stores. One had a rather grotesque replica of an Octoroc on the roof and a sign below which read "Clock Town Seafood Deli". I grimaced. The owners of that shop should rethink their business strategy; having a huge and hideous Octoroc on top of a seafood shop was kind of gross. I wouldn't want to go in there, fearing that the only seafood they'd have would be Octorocs.

Thankfully for us, there was another building, in shape of a treasure chest. The sign on the window informed me that it was a restaurant, harbouring the best food Termina had to offer. I pulled on Link's sleeve, gesturing to the chest with my head. As if on cue, my stomach rumbled as he turned to glance at the restaurant.

'You go ahead; I'm going to book us a room.' He pointed to the Inn ahead.

I raised a curious eyebrow at him. 'Book us a room? What if we find the ocarina early?'

Link rolled his cerulean eyes as he began to walk over to the Inn. 'I'm already exhausted from finding this place; I don't plan on venturing back through that wretched mountain anytime soon.'

I shook my head slightly to myself as I turned for the treasure chest building. I pushed the door open and was greeted with... well, the inside of a large treasure chest.

'Hi, welcome to Treasure for Dinner, can I get you a seat?' An overly happy girl asked me from a reception table.

I smiled coyly, trying not to snicker at the tacky name of the restaurant. 'Yes, please. I'd like a table for two.'

The girl looked at me with a confused expression. 'But you're the only one here?'

'I'm meeting someone.'

'Oh!' She laughed a ditzy laugh and rubbed the bridge of her petite nose. 'Sure, right this way.' I followed her to the back left corner of the room and couldn't help but notice how empty the place was. She handed me a menu and left one on the opposite side of the table where Link would be sitting before heading back to her desk. I flipped the menu open and browsed, trying to find something that I was familiar with.

Link arrived at the same time the waitress did with her thin notepad and feather. 'What can I get you?'

Link pulled his seat back and glanced at me with a questionable look. He retrieved his menu and scanned it quickly. 'I'll have the Octoroc with a side of salad.'

The waitress scribbled down the order and turned to me. I hurriedly contemplated the menu once more before ordering the simple salad with green gill in it.

'Any drinks?' The woman asked, glimpsing up from her pad.

'Ale,' Link said as he handed her the menu. She turned her eyes to me, waiting politely.

'How's the wine?' I asked sheepishly, consciously steering away from the beer I had grown to like. The woman nodded. 'Very nice, we have a wide range of choices. Do you prefer white or red?'

'Err, red.'

'Perhaps a simple fruit wine?'

I nodded, handing her back the menu. 'That would be lovely, thanks.'

She smiled at me and Link before heading back to her desk, calling another woman to retrieve the orders and take them to the kitchen.

I cleared my throat as a silence fell over the table. I fiddled with my fingers, feeling Link's gaze on me. I looked up shyly, wondering what he was looking at.

He wore an amused expression. 'Wine? Really, Zelda? I thought I'd taught you to love beer,' he chuckled quietly to himself.

I looked away from his playful eyes. 'Yeah... Well, apparently I'm a cheap drunk,' I quoted his words.

Link raised his eyebrows at me. 'You remember me calling you that?'

I shrugged one shoulder. 'I remember a lot from that night.'

'Do you remember that jerk? What was his name...?'

'Rell. Yeah I remember him. How could I forget such a lovely man?' I said sarcastically, wrinkling my nose at the memory of him.

Link braced his hands on the table and folded one over the other. He looked at me seriously. 'As Princess you really should banish scum like him.'

'Banish them where? Arbiter's Grounds?' I rolled my eyes at the thought.

'Sure, why not? Let them rot away in the haunted place.'

I frowned at his sincere expression. 'That seems a bit extreme.'

He leaned back in his seat, cracking his knuckles. He didn't answer me; instead he gazed around the almost empty restaurant. After a minute or two he turned back to me. 'Why did you pick this place?'

'What's wrong with it?'

'Nothing, besides the fact that it's a restaurant.'

'So?' I asked quizzically.

Link sighed, sitting up straight in his chair. 'We don't have time for restaurants, Zelda. Did you forget that we're kind of in a hurry?'

'It's nice to eat quality food once in a while. We deserve this.'

The waitress arrived then, carrying a tray of steaming food along with our cool drinks. We thanked her as she headed off back the way she came.

I peered wearily at Link's food as he cut into it. 'You actually like Octoroc?' I tried not to gag as he split the creatures ribs open and white, gooey meat became visible.

Link took a bite and coughed. 'It's the first time I've had it. I didn't even know what it was.' He took a swig of his ale, trying to drown out the taste.

I rolled my eyes as I stabbed my fork into my salad and popped the gatherings in my mouth. 'Is it what you expected?'

He stared down at his food with a disgusted expression. 'I thought Octoroc was a type of bird,' he admitted coyly. 'This is rank.'

I laughed slightly. 'Would you like some of my salad?'

Link waved away my offer. 'I'm too manly for that crap.'

I raised my eyebrow. 'Oh, really? Well then be a man and eat your Octoroc.'

'Is that a challenge?'

I shrugged lightly, taking another bite of my delicious food. 'Perhaps.'

'Fine,' he said with determination in his voice. 'Challenge accepted.'

I watched in disbelief as he bravely ate all of the appalling Octoroc. Once he was done he downed his drink and breathed deeply through his mouth. 'That was disgusting,' he said honestly, calling the waitress over for a refill of his ale.

She took away our empty plates and returned shortly with another beer for Link and a small glass of water for me. By the time we had finished our meals, forty minutes had passed, and Link was determined to find the ocarina before night fall.

I looked up at the sky once we had paid for the food and exited the building, and I saw that it was late noon.

I chewed on my bottom lip as we searched for somewhere to buy a map. 'Do you have any idea where this ocarina could be?' I asked the back of Link's head.

He shrugged, paying the shop owner a purple rupee for the map of Termina. I stood behind him and peered over his shoulder at the parchment. Termina was a big place. We were currently in Clock Town, the central and most populated part of Termina where most of the humans resided, apart from the small ranch near a swamp. There were four different environments in Termina: There was a place called Southern Swap which was inhabited by Deku Scrubs and run by their King. There was Snowhead where the Gorons dwelled, a beach called Great Bay Coast where I assumed the ocean Zoras were. And finally there was a supposedly haunted canyon, Ikana Valley. The shop keeper who had sold us the expensive map mentioned that Ikana was where the graves of the fallen soldiers were buried and also where an ancient temple resided. Apparently Ikana had once been a place of crime and evil, but about eighteen years ago some kid clothed in green was said to have rid the place of its curse, along with all the other environments here.

I gasped quietly at the knowledge, my mind instantly turning to the Sages' words about Link's father and how he had saved the land of Termina from a great evil. Was this kid the shop keeper spoke of the one who had freed the innocent lives here and was also Link's biological father? I looked at him quickly. The story about the green clad boy seemed to perk at his interest, and he asked the shopkeeper continuous questions about him, which the man answered excitedly.

Finally, Link asked the one question about the Hero that the shopkeeper had no answer to: 'What happened to him?'

'No one knows. One day he just disappeared and never returned. Strange, isn't it?'

Link frowned deeply.

The man gazed at him carefully. His big brown eyes fell on Link's ears, and he cocked his head to the side. 'You sort of look like him. In a weird way.'

Link looked up in surprise. 'What? How?'

The man rubbed his chin. 'Your ears... and hair... I don't know, you just seem to have his face.'

'How do you know? Did you ever meet him?'

The man laughed. 'I'm only twenty, he left before I was even three years old. I was never lucky enough to meet him, but even if I was, I doubt I'd remember at the age of two.'

'Then how do you know what he looks like?'

The man laughed once in shock. 'You haven't seen the statue?'

'Statue?' Link repeated in confusion. 'What statue?'

The man frowned at the two of us. 'How long have you been here? I mean, I get that you're tourists, that's why you bought a map, but you've never even been in North Clock Town?'

Both Link and I gazed down at the map in unison, searching for it there. I shook my head once my eyes found the correct place. 'No, we've only been in the Southern and Eastern area.'

'Really?' The man asked in disbelief. 'North Clock Town is beautiful! There's a park there, and also a statue of Termina's Saviour.'

Shortly after the strange conversation with the man, Link headed towards North Clock Town and I followed silently. I was afraid that he would find out this green clad boy was his father, and that he would react badly to being lied to from the Ordonians. I chewed harshly on my bottom lip as we entered the park. It was easily a beautiful place. Grass as green and lively as emerald, sky as blue as the finest rivers... I was really beginning to envy Termina and its undoubtedly lucky scenery.

Link walked over to the huge statue in the middle of the park, to the right of a child-safe slide, staring at it in silence. I started at the bottom of the statue, my eyes slowly making their way up and over the familiar green tunic and symbolic sword and shield. My breath hitched in my throat as my gaze landed on the face of the boy. He did look a lot like Link: sand-blonde and slightly shaggy hair, pointy ears, deep blue eyes, pale skin, and strong features. My eyes shifted from the realistic statue and to the living replica beside me. I found myself chewing on my lip so roughly that a thin line of blood made its way down my jaw. I wiped it away hastily, staring only at Link.

He was a statue himself, frozen as he gawked at the striking resemblance. He remained still for a moment longer, and then he looked down to the ground, his brow furrowed in worry and confusion.

I reached out and placed a reassuring hand gently on his shoulder. 'Link?'

'Link was his name, too,' he said in a strange tone I'd never heard him use before.

I turned and saw that on the side of the statue there was a carving which read: "The Great Link, definition of courage itself, saviour of all of Termina".

I wanted to tell Link the truth, but as I opened my mouth to speak, I was abruptly interrupted by a startled gasp.

Both Link and I turned to see a group of small children gaping at us. Their eyes darted from the statue and to Link, each passing second their eyes grew wider.

'You look like him!' A young boy exclaimed in shock.

'Hey, yeah! He does!' Several of the kids started to shout and clap their little hands. 'He's come back! The Hero has returned!'

'He returned with a beautiful lady, too,' one of the girls said quietly, digging her toe into the grass shyly.

Link looked up at me, heavy confusion etched into his fine features. He went to say something but more shocked gasps erupted from all around us. It wasn't long before everyone in the park was circling me and Link, their eyes as big as saucers.

An elderly man grabbed at Link's arm, disbelief tainted with hope shone in his bright eyes. 'Have you really come back after all these years?' He asked in a cracked voice. Without warning he reached out and stroked Link's face. 'So youthful...' He mused. 'How is it that you remain so young?'

Link pulled his head back and stepped away. His confusion harboured some frustration now. 'I'm not this boy,' he said loudly enough for the crowd to hear.

The people around us babbled on about how the Hero had returned, ignoring Link's words.

A young girl tugged on the bottom of his cloak, capturing his attention. 'What happened to Malon? Is she still at the farm?'

Malon? Farm?The Sages had told me that Link's father had stayed with a farm girl and had raised their child on her family's ranch... Was Malon that woman? Was Malon Link's mother?
Several people began shouting to Link, pleading for his blessing and help. This was all becoming too much for him. I watched with sealed lips as anger crept into his face. 'Enough!' He bellowed. 'Listen to what you are saying! You're accusing me, an almost-eighteen-year-old that I'm the boy who saved Termina almost eighteen years ago when I was, what, ten? How is that logical at all?'

Silence followed his disapproved words, and then the same girl who had asked about Malon spoke up. 'Maybe you used your powers to stay young?'

Link clenched his teeth in anger and without warning, he grabbed my arm that was still on his shoulder and hauled me away from the group. The people began to follow us, their continuous rants still flowing.

Link ignored them as we reached the closest exit to the town. The guard there noticed his sword and let him step aside with a small nod, and he then saw the crowd chasing after us. Luck was on our side as he refused them entry, going on about how it was dangerous out here and if you didn't have any form of protection the Mayor's orders were to not let you pass.

Once we were free of all the chaos, Link dropped to his rear and sat on the rough ground, his head in his hands. I hesitated beside him, not knowing what to do. After about two minutes of silence, I decided to comfort him. I sat down next to him and returned my reassuring hand to his limp shoulder, and to my surprise, he relaxed into my touch.

He sighed heavily, staring at the grass. 'Why do I suddenly feel so unsure of myself?'

'What do you mean?' I asked warily, fearing the worst.

He brought his head up from his hands and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, squeezing his eyes shut as he spoke. 'It's just the realization of the fact that I've never met anyone in my family, and no one has any pictures or documents on them... How am I meant to believe that I'm who they say I am, when they have no proof?'

I swallowed the lump in my throat, debating whether or not to tell him the truth. 'Link...' I struggled to word my sentence, constantly fearing the worst would unfold if I told him what was eating at my heart strings. 'There's... There's something you should know...'