"The Great Impa opened this village to us poor folk, but one day it'll be as lively as Hyrule Castle Town. Oh, yes. It will."

-a guard in Kakariko

Chapter Twenty-One: Kakariko City

Forest Temple, Lost Woods…

Amy Poe, joined by I-no Cubus and the troops stationed within the southern woods, arrived in the deepest recesses of the temple. They cleared out what they could, defeating a colony of untrained Bokoblins and rogue Bublins. Once they done so, the green clad girl used her power to fix what she could in the temple, summoning large tree roots to connect gaps in areas where the earth gave out and/or bridges fell apart. Her older, purple and blue wearing counterpart commanded the soldiers to fix what they could.

She didn't see how an important temple in Hyrule fell into such disrepair, but she felt it was her duty to help fix it. After a few days, the group managed to get more than half of the temple repaired and connected for future geologists and imperial explorers. That and they made it to the largest chamber.

The power behind the large door prompted for her to open it, despite I-no's misgivings. Behind it was a large chamber with a pool filled with water and long decayed logs. Water poured from openings in the walls and a gated entrance was on the far side of the room, past the logs. Amy could sense a faint power coming from there, but the more pressing matter was the dark power within the room.

A dark green, glowing medallion was in the middle of the room, near the water's edge. It was connected by dark threads that came up from the floor and ran down from the ceiling. It was like a spider's thread and it pulsated with the light that came from the medallion.

"This must be the Forest Medallion His Majesty talked about. So, how do we get it disconnected?" I-no asked, eyeing it.

"Maybe we should cut it apart," a Hylian soldier said.

He unsheathed his sword and swung at it, only to receive a nasty shock. He was sent flying backwards into his fellow soldiers and I-no scoffed.

"Idiot! Why would you do that?" she asked.

"S-Shut it, you Sheikah potato-girl!" the man said.

"POTATO?!" I-no bellowed.

Amy smirked, remembering how much I-no loved eating potatoes of all kinds. But her attention was turned back to the medallion. She knew of I-no's ability to absorb dark magic, but the kind that was before her was too dark, almost demonic.

"So, what do we do? Slashing it doesn't work and Mistress I-no's ability doesn't look like it would come in handy," another soldier asked.

Due to Amy's mutism, she said not a word. Only pointing at the medallion and the spider web-like threads. I-no found it useless, saying, "We see that already, Amy. And I know you don't want me to eat that magic."

Amy shook her head and cupped her hands, showing the green flames. I-no grabbed them and said, "So, are you going to shoot it? Doesn't seem like a good idea to me."

The girl in green shot the flames onto the barren ground near the barrier, causing everyone to step back. Once the flames disappeared, rumbling rocked the place. Large tree roots sprouted from the ground and wrapped around the medallion. With a snap, the roots broke the medallion out of its shadowy web and tossed it towards Amy before the roots were set ablaze.

I-no quickly ate the purple flames, inhaling deeply like she was eating a noodle soup. Once the medallion was freed and a forest fire prevented, Amy picked up the medallion and held it close to her. It had a warmth that came from it, almost as if the object was thankful it was freed.

"Okay, mission accomplished. Let's go home, people," I-no said.

Two days later, Kakariko City outskirts…

After crossing snowy plains, passing up ruined forts and even seeing the entrance to the southern forests, Link, Aryll and Oni arrived at the Eldin plains. From there, the three could see the second most populous city of the empire. Like Hylia City, Kakariko was situated on spires, with the second and third spires on the mountainside cliffs. Two large gates and their security towers, one set in the north and the other in the south, kept Wolfos, rogue Bulbin, Keese and bandits out of town.

Very tired and hungry, Link nodded in and out, eventually falling asleep on Aryll's shoulder. Aryll, not as tired, looked over the atlas she stole from Agitha and flipped through the pages. She got to the section on Kakariko City and found that the area had been inhabited for well over 2,000 years. Originally inhabited solely by the Sheikah, the area was the capital of the tribe, before their unifying with the Old Hyrule Kingdom. After the 1st Hyrulian Civil War, a legendary sage opened the village to the destitute and the surviving Sheikah moved to a village closer to where Hylia City was eventually established.

Aryll yawned but continued reading. Then, after the era of the Hero of Time and his bringing Termina back to the light, a great earthquake shook Hyrule, splitting apart much of the continent. Hyrule was especially devastated as Death Mountain erupted and destroyed much of the landscape. Kakariko was no exception as the old village was wiped out. The tunnels to the Shadow Temple and Royal Family Tomb were buried under lava, but…

"What are you reading?"

Aryll saw Link somewhat awake, but…

"Kakariko…" he muttered.

"Um…" Aryll started.

He fell back asleep and Aryll sighed in relief. She was sure that another one of his "others" appeared and she was too tired to deal. The girl heard Oni yawn loudly and she hoped that he wasn't falling asleep at the reins.

"I was there before…" Link muttered again, still asleep.

The wagon suddenly stopped and Aryll nearly fell over. Link woke up with fright and looked around, as if not knowing where he was. He calmed down and looked at Aryll questioningly. They heard someone outside ask, "What is your business here?"

Oni replied with, "We're here for mining work. My family and I just moved from the mountains as I heard there's a need for miners here."

"Family?" the man, assumed to be the guard, asked.

"Yup. Me, a boy and a girl. They're sleeping in the back. You can check if you don't believe me," Oni said.

Footsteps approached the back and the small wagon door opened. Aryll and Link yelped as the guard was a very large Goron wearing armor. He looked them over and another Goron appeared, peeking in through the small window on the wagon's left.

"Medigoron, I don't think they're bandits," the smaller Goron said.

Medigoron was suspicious and told him, "You never know! We already gotta deal with the crime in the city. And humans are the ones bringin' the crime!"

"Which is why I don't think they're bandits. And if they were, you know Daruk'll set 'em straight, goro," the smaller Goron said.

Medigoron couldn't object and said, "Alright. You can pass."

Oni thanked them and gave a light slap of the reins to get Epona moving. The way he treated her was like he already had knowledge on how to treat horses. They rode into Kakariko and the first thing that treated them was the stench. That fully woke the two up and Link was the first to cover his nose.

"Wh-What…? W-Where…?" he asked.

"We're in Kakariko City. But why does it stink so badly here? It's worse than Hylia City," Aryll said.

She peeked out the window and saw the destitution of the place. The first tier was filled with stables, dirt roads and many dilapidated homes. Signs of people living there was all around as Hylians and rounded-ears were in the streets and near the homes, doing daily tasks as it was early morning. Like Hylia City, the nicer homes were on the upper levels and Aryll figured they belonged to those that ran the city.

Many businesses were also on the first tier, as well as a few large chapel and several springs. One spring was gated up and had "Do Not Enter" signs around it and sulfuric smoke rose up from it. Next to it was an old decrepit chapel, unused and boarded up. Behind that chapel was a road that led to the city's graveyard.

Oni stopped at a stable near a very old and shady looking hotel. He helped Aryll and Link out of the wagon, led Epona and the wagon to the stables and put her in one of the empty stalls after disconnecting her. They then headed into the hotel and Oni paid for both the stall and a room for the trio. As he did, Aryll looked around, wondering why he would bring them to such a place. Sure, they didn't have much, but…

Link nudged her and the two saw the hotel's lobby was just dirty. Boxes, both broken and whole were in the corners. A few tables with chairs around them looked as if they hadn't been wiped down in years. The bar had a few stools at the counter and many bottles of alcohol behind it. Several of the bottles were covered in dust and dirt and Aryll spotted spider webs.

A draft kept the lobby chilly, but Aryll felt warmth coming from the pipes above. Gas lanterns kept the place lit and were connected to pipes funneling natural gas from Death Mountain. Windows were covered in tapestries, keeping out the rest of the cold and whatever light that came from outside. Behind the lobby desk was a path that led to the hotel's kitchen and the only good smells that came from it was the smell of fish and cheese.

At the desk was a young girl who looked to be around Aryll's age. She wore a thick dress made of tan animal furs and leather and leather open-fingered gloves. Covering the top of her head but exposing some of her long, dark greenish hair was a tan-colored bandana. She looked over a ledger and didn't see or hear the three come in. Aryll saw why as she had on thick ear muffs.

She hummed to herself an odd tune and Oni approached the desk. He tapped on it, to which she jumped and said, "Hey! Don't scare me like that!"

When she realized they were customers, the girl said, "Oh! Um, sorry about that. Welcome to the Old Elde Inn. Are you guys looking to stay the night?"

"Yup. How much is it?" Oni asked her.

The girl fumbled around, bending down and picking up a receipt book underneath the desk. She then told Oni, "30 rupees a night. And breakfast is included, but its 15 rupees a person."

"Um…shouldn't that be included in the price?" Aryll asked.

Link shrugged and Oni reluctantly handed 135 rupees to the girl. She then handed him the key and said, "Okay. Your rooms on the second floor in our 'Knife Chamber', three beds and one bathroom. I'll come up and get you all your towels and other toiletries. And if you want to visit our bathhouse, it's on the third floor and it's one of the best in the city."

'I really doubt that…' Aryll said.

"And if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask for me, Sarada, or my dad," the girl, Sarada, told them.

Oni thanked her and led the two to the "Knife Chamber". Aryll didn't know what to expect hearing a name like that. She thought of a whole bunch of knives, lined along the walls of the room or even torture devices everywhere. She also thought the room was going to be horrendously dirty, like much of the lobby.

Bracing herself, she watched as Oni put in the key to the door, turned the knob and opened the door. Instead of dirt and grime, the trio saw the room was virtually immaculate. There were indeed three beds, each lined up next to each other, and a doorway that led into a small bathroom with a sink for washing and a toilet for relieving oneself. There were a few toiletries, but towels and wash cloths weren't available at that moment. A small stove, connected to the pipes that brought in natural gas, heated the whole room and brought in light. Like the lobby, the room was also lit by lamps.

Oni collapsed face-first onto the bed nearest the tapestry-covered window. Without sparing a second, the young man fell asleep, apparently exhausted after driving from Lake Hylia. Link gave a small smile and Aryll asked, "So, what are we gonna do now?"

"I…I-I-I was th-thinking a-ab-about th-the…hot s-spring," he told her.

"Well, we have to wait for Miss Sarada…" Aryll started.

A knock at the door interrupted her and Link opened it. Sarada was standing on the other side, holding several towels, bath robes and cloths. She smiled sweetly and said, "Here ya go. This should be enough for the…"

Oni's loud snoring made the girl laugh. Handing the items to Link, she told them, "I won't ask where you guys came from, but try to enjoy Kakariko. We're not as bad as people think."

She closed the door and Link looked worried. Aryll shrugged, saying, "I guess Kakariko's got their stereotypes?"

"Why did he do that? Why?" young Agitha said.

Aryll, recovering from getting bit on her left arm and slashed across her chest, watched as Granny Matilde bandaged her up. She had already finished up with Agitha and Pipit who received injuries on their torsos, legs and faces. The wounds looked like something made by a wild animal and Agitha was certain that it was.

"He couldn't have known he was doing that," Pipit said, still believing in his friend.

Agitha cried, yelling, "No. He knew! He…he…! That thing's not my brother! My brother wouldn't try to kill me!"

Granny Matilde assured her that Link, their beloved brother with his stutters and seizures, wasn't trying to kill her. Agitha didn't believe her, yelling, "You didn't hear him scream at us! You didn't hear what he said!"

Their grandmother went silent, continuing to tend to Aryll's wounds. Aryll remembered how they were originally playing near the chapel and Pipit wanted to play with his toy sword. The instant he saw the toy weapon, Link screamed in absolute terror and Pipit was startled. Before he could put it away, Link leapt up, tackling Pipit to the snowy ground and began slashing and biting him.

Pipit defending himself by holding his arms up to cover his face, but the boy bit his arms and slashed his chest. Agitha tried to throw him off of the boy, only for the feral Link to slash her cheek with his nails. Aryll tackled Link off, but the boy retaliated by biting her left arm and nearly ripping the skin off. Agitha tried prying him off and he released Aryll, instead stabbing Agitha in her right arm.

Aryll couldn't shake what she had seen in his eyes, almost as if something had control over him and was enjoying inflicting pain as there was a glee in his red? Was his eyes red at the time, Aryll thought?

"He told us that he could care less if we lived or died," Agitha said.

"Yeah…he did. But I don't think that was him. Maybe he thought we were monsters," Pipit said.

Agitha shook her head, saying, "If anything, he's the monster…He got Father killed and now he's trying to kill us. Why? What did we do to deserve this?"

"Agitha, enough! Talk like that will not help him. Prayer will," Granny Matilde said.

"But I don't want to help! He doesn't even deserve it!" Agitha yelled.

3rd floor bathhouse…

Aryll sat in the shallows of a hot spring bath, sitting in the ladies' section of the bathhouse. She tried to relax as she soaked away the dirty on her body and her cares. But she couldn't as the memories of what happened seven years ago came to her. Her arm still had the scars from when Link completely lost it. It was like they were facing off against a Wolfos when he attacked. And the look in his eyes. Aryll could've sworn they had turned red, but she didn't look carefully as she was trying to get his maw off her arm.

'Well, I have a reason to hate him too…But hating him's not going to bring Dad back. And it's not like it's his fault that he's this way now,' Aryll thought, sinking deeper into the hot pool.

She stopped when the water was at her nose and she admired the Sheikah-styled bathhouse. It had wallpaper that depicted a blossom tree in a moonlit palace courtyard. A dressing room allowed for patrons to undress before taking a dip. Pipes and drains allowed for the hot water to flow in and out of the pool, keeping it fresh.

"Wow, so this is how bathhouses look like."

Aryll jumped, nearly falling into the deeper part of the pool, and saw that Fi appeared. The little girl looked around and said, "You guys aren't really good at keeping your minds closed. And to answer the question, we found out where you guys were going after reading your minds. I hid in your shadow until you guys got here. But it's only me that's here. Midna's with Groose and Pipit to find the Temple of Light while Sheik went with Agitha and Karane to the desert."

"So, you're going to coming with us?" Aryll said, hiding underneath the water as she wasn't decent.

"Yup. And here's a bathrobe. You left it in the room," Fi said.

Aryll indeed forgot to bring one when she came to the bathhouse. Fi smiled and told the blonde that she would see her back in the room. Once she slid the sliding door shut, Aryll was alone again.

Later…

Oni, looking a bit annoyed, asked Fi, "Why didn't you let us know that you were coming?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be espionage. So, I'm not supposed to let you guys know I'm here," Fi said.

Link was napping on his bed, which was at the door. Aryll, who changed into a simple white sweater, brown pants and socks, looked over at Link and she wasn't comfortable. She could only think of him running away and putting himself or others in danger. That and what if he had another feral fit and try attacking them again. There would be no way to escape. And…

"Aryll, it'll be okay. I don't sense his 'others'. Almost like he's found away to keep them calm," Fi said.

"So, you believe those 'others' exist too?" Aryll asked her.

Fi nodded and Oni said, "Well, we'll find a way to get his head back together. Until then, we have to find a way to put everything right back in that Fire Temple."

"But how are we going to get up there? This place is huge," Aryll said.

Fi looked at a map that she procured during her recon of the city and said, "Well, the entrance to Death Mountain is about five miles from here. And we'll have to pass up a lot of slum area and convince guards to let us up the mountain. I doubt they will because my brother told me that Gorons are really territorial and protective of their mountain 'goddess'."

"Mountain goddess?" Aryll asked.

Fi shrugged and Oni said, "I've heard of that before…somewhere. Don't ask why, Fi. I'm still trying to remember things."

The blue-haired girl pouted and muttered, "Well, I wasn't gonna ask anyway."

Aryll went back to the atlas, viewing the pages on Death Mountain, and asked, "So, if we are able to get up there, what should we do to reach the crater?"

"Well, there's a series of caverns in the mountain called Goron City. So, we should speak with the Goron elders there," Fi said.

Link moaned in his sleep, muttering with a few stutters. Oni went back to Fi, telling her the story he had given the Gorons before entering the city. Fi nodded and said, "Well, I'm sure that'll work since a lot of people work in the mines on the mountain. But then…they'll wonder about us. Wondering if we're school age and we are."

"But the kids in Kakariko should be out of school too. It's only 21st of Rauru," Aryll said.

"Yeah and we'll all have to go back to school in a few weeks. Well, everyone except for Link. I'm sure His Majesty would want him to return to that hospital…"Fi said.

"Wait, what? What does the emperor have to…?" Oni asked.

Aryll unwillingly shuddered as she saw his eyes suddenly glow a deep red. Fi realized her mistake and muttered, "Oop…Impa did say that it was a secret mission. Um…"

She admitted that the emperor to keep an eye on Link, as he was friend with Dame Lydia, their mother. Midna believed his caring for him was over something traumatic he experienced years ago. Aryll felt a twinge of jealousy as she didn't know that Link got the attention of the emperor. She knew that if Agitha knew, she would be even more livid.

Oni's demeanor didn't change, and he became extremely suspicious of Fi. The air in the room became tense and Aryll said, "I-I don't think she'll betray anyone or turn Link in. If anything, Fi's a good girl."

"I know, but her 'being good' could be bad for us," Oni said.

Fi gulped and said, "I…I won't do anything to get you guys in trouble. I just want to help Link out and help save what I can. I don't want the world to end. So, don't look at me like that, Mister Oni. Please…"

Oni sighed, and the air returned to normal. He told Fi, "I just hope we won't regret…"

The sound of a horse neighing loudly was heard, and Link jumped out of bed. He looked around in fright and then confusion as he saw Fi. The neighing continued and the four ran out of the room, running outside and towards the stables.

There, the doors were wide open and Link ran for Epona's stall. He fell to the ground, seeing that the horse was gone but the wagon remained. Oni gasped and Aryll became numb. Fi looked around for clues and saw that the horse struggled against those that took her.

"Who would take her…?" Aryll said, trying not to cry.

"Oh no. Oh no. Oh no."

Sarada had appeared, seeing the missing horse. She muttered to herself about locking up things and Oni asked her, "What happened? Who took…?"

"Um…I should've warned you guys. Um…here in the slums, people care more about what you bring than who you are. I'm sorry! And I should've told you guys to lock up…" Sarada said.

Oni's eyes suddenly turned bright red and he grabbed her by her arms. In a very uncharacteristic manner, he yelled, "What do you mean? Someone just snatched up our only form of transportation?!"

His voice darkened and Aryll became very scared. Sarada was the same, crying as it seemed like Oni was becoming another person. Before anything terrible could happen, Link said, "O-Oni…d-d-don't…"

He stood to his feet, turning to face them. Oni calmed down, realized what he was doing and released Sarada. The girl rushed for Link and sobbed in his arms. Oni backed away, saying, "I'm…I'm sorry. I…I'm sorry."

He quickly left the stables and silence filled the place. Fi, breaking it, asked the dark-haired girl, "Um…So, who do you think took the horse?"

"Um…maybe…maybe someone in the underground caverns. People take really expensive looking things there and make them as prizes for the tournaments there," she said.

"Then we'll head there and get Epona back," Aryll declared.

Link nodded and Fi asked, "But what if someone won her already?"

"Well, they can't tame her unless they know her favorite song. And only me and Link knows," Aryll told her.

Link nodded again and Fi shrugged, saying, "Alright. Let's go."

The three was about to leave when Sarada yelled, "Wait!"

"For what? You helped get our stuff stolen," Aryll said.

"But I know how to get to the catacombs and through them to the coliseum. If you go down there without someone who knows the area like the back of her hand, then you'll get lost and even munched up by ReDeads," Sarada warned.

Fi and Aryll looked at Link, who shrugged. The girls agreed and Sarada wiped her blue eyes. She went back to the hotel, went inside, came out with weapons of two swords, some throwing knives and Deku Nuts and locked the hotel.

"Okay, these two are for you guys," she said, handing Link and Aryll the swords.

Link held it with trepidation and Fi said, "It's only dangerous if you make it so."

He looked at her and Aryll said, "Don't be scared. I know it's metal and sharp, but as long as you're careful, you'll use it properly."

Her brother didn't seem to believe her and reluctantly put the sword and its sheath on his back. He looked a bit more warrior-like than before and Aryll couldn't shake the image from her mind.

"Okay. Let's go and get your horse back," Sarada said, leading the three.

And there's chapter 21. Wow, Kakariko's people are serious pickpockets. Wonder who took Epona. And what's the deal with Oni's increasing erratic behavior? Stay tuned.

*Sarada's name did come from a particular very popular anime, but she is NOT Sarada Uchiha. And her role in this fic will be apparent soon. Until then, read and review.