July 31: Yeah, I only did a tiny edit and added something in the end notes...

I know what you guys are thinking. It's probably, "YES! An update!" or "FINALLY! What took her so darn long?!" Well, I got two good reasons. Marching band is very time consuming. AND I had music lessons right after that. Barely anytime to write. Plus, My computer has parental controls. So it sucks. A lot.

Anyway! Thanks to DarkTayl, TwiliCuckoo, madlink007, account removal, neruchan94, ToonLink, and TongueTwisted for reviewing last chapter! BUt you guys should thank TongueTwisted the most because he/she made me finish this. Even though it's crappy and completely unedited.

Well, ignore me. Just go ahead and read.

Chapter 13: The Forest of Lies

An old man stared at the letter in his hand. He could barely read the scribbles on the paper, but he could make it out. After all, it is his roommate's hand writing. He was getting worried, no doubt. It has been almost a week since the boy left to get his graduation certificate. He and a couple of the villagers had witnessed the Spirit Tower collapse and rise on that very same day.

In all honest truth, he was getting scared. Not only of the welfare of his roommate, but of the fortune teller's prediction. He and Alfonzo was there the day the fortune teller had spoken to them about the prophecy all while Link was asleep, oblivious to the world around him. He sighed.

"The child is only thirteen-years-old and he is not ready for such a large burden yet. He still has much to learn." he said to himself as he spoke into the empty room. He walked to a window and looked to the heavens. "Good Spirit's above…Link, I know you can hear me. Please, not yet. Please don't let him go in this journey yet. He is much too young and inexperienced. Please, Link, Miss Tetra. Let him grow a little more."

Knock, knock.

"Come in!" he called out in a raspy voice. The door opened to reveal a twelve-year-old boy. The child walked over to him with a worried look on his face. The old man gave him a small smile. "Chive, my boy! What brings you here?"

Chive wet his lips as his sign of worry. "Niko, I don't know if he'll come back."

Niko closed his eyes as his smiled faltered. He didn't like where this was going. "Boy, you and I know very well that Link will come home. You forget Alfonzo is with him." he said with a stern voice.

"But, what if Link really can't come back? I mean I got this feeling that Link is gonna slip away from us. I can't play with him anymore. I can't talk to him anymore. I can't make up stories with him anymore. He can't be there for Prune when she wants to hear him play a song from her wooden flute. We can't pretend we're on an adventure anymore. I-I just can't feel safe anymore, Grandpa Niko!" wailed Chive. "I lost my older brother and I'm never gonna see 'im again!" At this point, the boy was crying his eyes out, on his knees, clutching on to Niko's sleeve. Niko sighed and pat him on the head.

"Shhhh. Enough, Chive. You don't know that." he soothed. But if you listened very carefully you could hear the tiny shake in his voice as he spoke. "You don't know that. Link will be delayed for a bit, but he'll be home. Even if it takes him days to get home, he will come back. And besides, can't you do those things with your sister? It'll only be for a little while." Chive looked up at him, tears still shining in his eyes.

"I guess..." Niko smiled.

"I promise Link will be back before you know it."

It was an hour later until the child finally left, saying that he wanted to check up on his little sister. Niko felt horrible. Like he just told an ugly lie. One so twisted that no one could bear to lay eyes on it.

He sighed again and his expression turned sad. "But if my prayer is too late…then please, Link. Guide him. Give him the wisdom he needs. Miss Tetra, give him wisdom. I watched to boy grow and he still has to realize that he is the only one who is holding himself back. Please. Be there for him."

If the heavens heard, then they showed no sign. The elderly bowed his head. As far as he was concerned, he had failed the boy.

Niko tightened his grip on the letter, closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. He knew it has come. The time for the child to become a legend that will never be forgotten.

A Hero.

._._._._._.

"Hey Gramps,

I can't believe I'm writing to you but me and Alfonzo aren't gonna make it back to Aboda Village on time. We're currently stuck at Hyrule Castle Town. You guys can postpone that party the villagers have been planning behind my back. Yes, I do know about it. Actually, I've known about it for quite a while. I mean, seriously? Hide the streamers under my bed? Come on.

Anyway, Alfonzo's injured right now and the Spirit Tracks disappeared, so I'm not sure when this letter will get to you. But Alfonzo's been hurt pretty badly. He got stabbed by this crazy person who has a mechanical claw as an arm. I only got hit in the head, but I'm fine.

Don't ask me how we got injured. I can't really say what happened because I can't really remember the details. The King has returned to the kingdom and he's requesting to see us when Alfonzo wakes up. It seems that the princess disappeared the day the tower broke.

I have no idea how that happened too.

Hopefully, we'll make it home before the twenty-fourth of Spring. Well…hopefully. So don't worry about me and Alfonzo. We'll be home before you know it…! I hope.

Oh, and Grandpa Niko? I still need to get back at you for laughing at me, you old geezer!

-Link

P.S. I've written this letter on the twentieth of Spring. And tell Chive and Prune I said, "Hi!"

._._._._._.

I sighed. The Spirit's Train was working just fine. I mean, there is nothing wrong with it. It runs smoothly. I had the blow the whistle a couple times just to get some animals off the tracks and shoo some birds away. But, it's just that…I wonder if the letter reached Gramps. I mean, I do recall sending a letter to him to let him know that Alfonzo and I were going to be late going home... I turned to Zelda who was floating next to me.

"Nee, Zelda?" I asked to catch her attention. She turned to look at me.

"Yes?" she responded.

"What's today's date?" I asked. She gave me an odd look. She stayed silent for a bit before answering.

"I…have no idea." she answered quite bluntly. I sighed again. Well, I guess there's no way to tell now. She gave me a curious look as I switched the tracks. "Why?"

"I wrote a letter to home. I promised Grandpa Niko that I'll be home on the twenty-four of Spring." I said. I bit my bottom lip as we passed by a village's station. Zelda tilted her head.

"'Grandpa Niko'?" she asked, "You live with your grandfather?"

I nodded as we entered the forest soon after. A thick fog surrounded us as we headed deeper. "Well, he's not really my grandpa. He's just a really old man who took me I when I was seven. So, we're actually roommates."

We both looked at a certain tree that had one huge branch pointing to one direction. As we passed it and the train turned, Zelda turned to me. "Do you mind if I ask how old you are?"

"I don't mind. I'm thirteen. Why?" I asked, staring at another barren tree with a large branch. I let the train turn in a random direction.

"I'm just curious." Zelda said, also staring at the tree. "Can I ask who was taking care of you before you ended up with your Grandpa Niko?"

I didn't answer as I stared at yetanothertree. Zelda had begun to notice as well.

"…."

"Is it just me or did we just see that same tree for a third time?" she asked, placing her hands at her hips. I noticed how the large branch was pointing to a different direction from the previous ones. I shook my head.

"No. this tree is pointing to another direction." I said. I felt the train turn again and I looked at the track switcher. It was set the same direction as the tree's large branch. I blinked. Come to think of it. The train was following the direction of the trees. How…odd.

We both stayed silent as we passed another tree. The train followed the tree's direction and the fog suddenly grew thick. Very thick. I squinted to try and see what was going on.

"Wha-What is this?!" cried Zelda. I blinked once only to suddenly find the train leaving the same way we came. Shocked, I grabbed the handle of the train gears and used the emergency brake. The train screeched to a sudden halt. I jumped off and looked around.

"What?!" I exclaimed. I did a 360 on my heel before gaping. "HOW DID WE END UP BACK WHERE WE STARTED?!"

Zelda floated by me and looked around as well. She sighed a second later. "Well, looks like we're at a dead end for now." She looked to the west to see the sun already setting behind the forest and the sky was beginning to darken. We shared a look.

"Where should we stay for tonight?" I asked. Zelda shook her head.

"Link, the question is, 'Where are you going to stay for the night?'" she said, smiling slightly. I sighed. She was right. After all, she is a spirit. I took one last look around me before climbing back on the train. I pulled out the Rail Map and set it before me. My eyes widened.

A small figure of the train was glowing right before the entrance to the forest. 'Oh wow,' I thought. 'This Rail Map is more powerful than I thought…' That tiny picture obviously showed where I was. I mentally kept that as a note and traced the Tracks with my finger before stopping at the nearest train station.

"Zelda," I said, "We'll stop here. It's the village we just passed by earlier." Zelda floated over and nodded in agreement.

"The closer the better. Maybe they can also help us how to get to the Forest Sanctuary." she said. I nodded and put the Rail Map away. I set the train on slow before setting it to full speed to the village. It didn't take us very long. In fact, it only took just four minutes to get there!

I stopped the train at the station and looked around in awe. The whole village was surrounded by a forest. The houses itself were literally tree trunks carved in to homes. The station itself was completely made from fine wood. But what I found strange was that… well…there was only men. I didn't even see a single female walking about.

Zelda shared an odd look with me before shrugging. "It seems like a peaceful village here. But…I'm very sure that there are plenty of bugs around." She gagged. "Okay, I just grossed myself out there…"

I mentally laughed and shook my head, smiling. I walked down to the village and looked up at the first person I saw. He had dark gray hair, a large peach nose, and somewhat chubby arms. The man looked down at me and stared. I stared back…

…

He cleared his throat. "Ahem! Uh…"

I continued to stare at him. He blinked. "Um, ah…" He paused and cleared his throat again. "Well, I haven't seen you around here before! Is this your first time?"

I nodded. Well, I did come here before with Alfonzo, but he made me stay in the train. I believe we came here for wood. The man smiled.

"Then, welcome to Whittleton, the village we call home." he said, smiling. He patted my head, causing my green hat slip off and mess up my hair. "What brings you here?"

I ran a hand through my hair to sooth it out as I smiled nervously.

"Well, are you gonna say somethin', kid?" he asked. I felt my smile falter slightly. An uneasy silence fell between us. The man cleared his throat and bent down to pick up my hat. He dusted it off and placed it back on my head with a small smile (and I could've sworn it was with pity).

"Shy, aren't ya? Don't worry, I'm not scary." he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Where's your parents? It's getin' quite late for a kid like you to be out here."

He looked around as he searched for my "parents" (yeah, as if I had any). I rolled my eyes. And before I knew it, the man began dragging me all around the village, asking whoever we ran into if they had seen my "parents". It was ridiculous.

About an hour later, the sun had completely set, leaving us in the dark. The man sighed.

"Well, I can't find your parents." he stated. I nearly face palmed. I didn't know whether I should yank my hand away and run away or—

"I guess I got no other option!" the man suddenly exclaimed, causing me to look up in shock. He pulled me in the direction of the biggest tree house stump in the town. I stumbled after him, giving him a confused look. He ignored me and continued to ramble off and drag me.

"I don't know what kind of parent leaves their child out on their own, but that's just stupid! When your parents come looking for you I'm gonna let 'em have it! I mean, there's monsters out here popping up at night!"

I will let you know right now that, yes, I am small for my age and I am wearing a sword at my back. I swear this guy is short-sighted.

He continued to mumble to himself as we walk up the few steps leading to the house.

"The Mayor is a really good man. He knows how to run this village. He'll know what to do." he said, knocking on the door. Zelda appeared right by me just as the door opened to reveal the Mayor. He's a tanned man, muscular around the arms. He had a huge light gray beard and hair, with a big nose and squinty eyes. Well, almost like the dumb guy who dragged me everywhere but, well, stronger.

"Good evening, Abar!" said the Mayor. He spotted me a second later. "And who's this kid? I don't recall ever seeing him."

Abar frowned. "Well, the kid was visiting with his parents and it looks like they left him here all on his own!" I wanted to kick the man (who is now named Abar) really, really badly, but Zelda gave me a stern look. Frustrated, I kicked the floor instead, but not too hard.

The Mayor gave Abar a what-in-the-Good-Spirits'-name-are-you-talking-abo ut look. He looked at me again and faced Abar with a concerned look. "Abar… If you had noticed that the boy had a sword strapped to his back, then maybe, just maybe, you would've come to the conclusion that this kid is by himself."

Abar gave him a blank look. "Uh…you lost me at 'if'…."

Kick.

"OW!" cried Abar jumping on one leg and holding his shin in his hands. "That hurts!"

Just to let you know, I did (not) hold back.

"Link! How could you do that to an innocent man?!" exclaimed Zelda. I gave her an annoyed look.

"Zelda, you would've done it too if you've been dragged around the whole fudging village for a whole hour and a half. Did he not see a sword strapped to my back?!" I exploded at her. She stared at me as she thought about it.

"Oh…Uh…yeah, I would've done that too…" she trailed off. I rolled her eyes at her.

"Are you alright, kid?" came the Mayor's voice. I snapped my attention to him. I totally forgot he was there. "You seem tired."

I blinked for a second before nodding slowly. Abar was giving me a glare. But of course, I ignored him completely.

The Mayor continued to stare at me before turning to Abar. "I can take it from here Abar. It's late, so go on home."

Abar gave the Mayor a look of curiosity before shrugging and bidding both me and the Mayor "good night". I took a mental note to keep far away (and I really do mean far) from that guy. The Mayor took my hand and led me into his house. I didn't mind, oddly.

"Go and sit on the couch over there. I need to talk to you."

I did what I was told, Zelda sitting next to me. I took the opportunity to look around. The furniture was all handmade with care. A stove at one side, the couch I was sitting on and several windows placed along the walls. Picture frames held leaves of trees.

"What's your name?" asked the Mayor. I frowned slightly at the question. He smiled as he took a small plank of wood into his hand and throwing it into the dying flame in the stove. "You don't have to talk. I do know sign language."

Both me and Zelda shared a shocked look. Well, we weren't too shocked at the fact he knew sign language, it was the other meaning behind those words. He knew I can't talk. Just as he faced me, I raised my hands and spelt my name.

"Link?" he asked. I nodded. He looked outside the windows before turning to me, as if he was being cautious. He sat next to me.

"What an interesting name you got there. You must be brave, too. Carrying a sword and all." I smiled slightly at his words. Something about him was bothering me. Well, to be blunt, he felt like he knew some great secret that only he knows.

…creeeeepy….

"Well, I want to ask you a question if you don't mind." he said. I tilted my head to let him know I'm listening. He cleared his throat as his expression turned serious.

"Can you see them?"

I gave him a confused look. He sighed and rephrased his question.

"Can you see the Spirits?"

._._._._._.

Sorry. Somehow, I can't go on. So I'm just gonna cliff it here. Sorry guys! Don't eat meeeeeeeeee…... Chocolate anyone…?

Anyway! Like I said it's crappy as heck. And yeah...My birthday was on June 23. Haha, and it's been over a darn month since then. I think I'm forgetting something but I'm short on time so I'm just gonna come back to that later when things calm down. WAY down.

July 31: Okay, now I remember. Tell me what you guys think. Is it crappy? Because honestly, I thought this chapter could use some serious editing later. Well, that's whenever that is. Is the chapter okay-ish? Or just plain bland? I'll leave that up to you guys, because, well, you guys are the one's reading this. So, again, tell me what you guys think, and maybe, just maybe, the next update will pop up like a daisy. Or popcorn...or like those jack-in-the-box toys...now that's just creepy. O_O

FLAMES WILL BE USED TO MELT CHOCOLATE TO PUT ON TOP OF CREAMY COLD ICE CREAM!