Chapter: XVIII
"The Ruined Forest"
Though months had passed since the moblin raid, the acrid smell of smoke and wood-ash still hung over the remains of the Kokiri Forest. Every tree along the forest path was blackened and charred, without a single leaf or twig remaining on the upper branches. The once lush underbrush was now gone, and the forest had an eerily open, yet claustrophobic feel to it. The icy winter breeze curled around the trunks of the dead trees and bit at Link's hands. The adrenaline of the previous night had worn off and he was shivering. Epona was uneasy and did not like entering the forest path. The smell of ash obscured all other scents and the creaking trees left her wary of an attack. Link had often thought about returning to the forest to look for his friends, but he had not thought about food, shelter, or fresh water while he was here.
As they approached the old rope-bridge that spanned the forest gorge, Link decided that they would attempt to find his old village and shelter there until he could locate some food. Small springs were plentiful in the forest and Link still had a flint-stone from the cook's tent, so he could easily keep himself warm. Despite the damage to the forest, the bridge did not appear to be burnt as the old wooden planks and ropes creaked and groaned under Link and his horse. "The last time I was here..." Link said to Epona, "Saria had said goodbye to me." The little filly just continued to trudge forward. "I hope she's still alive." Link muttered to himself. Though the forest had become a dark and menacing place, no creature stirred and no monster attacked as Link and Epona worked their way deeper into the forest.
It was mid-afternoon when they reached the glade where the Kokiri village had been. Link's heart sank as everything around him was as blackened and charred as the outer trees had been. The grass was gone, most of the Kokiri's huts were gone - though a couple still stood, blackened - the small forest stream that had crossed through the village was dirty and filled with ash. Link gently directed Epona to the nearest hut that still stood. It was Mido's old house. The flowers and small shrubs that Mido kept were gone as well as the heavy cloth that hung in the doorway. But any roof and walls would help to shelter Link and his horse. As they neared the house, Link spotted a small mound of ashes just outside of the door. Sliding down from Epona, he crept forward and examined the mound closely. It seemed to be a large pile of ashes from burned leaves, but why would Mido have kept a pile of leaves near his door? Link carefully drew his sword and began working the point of its blade through the ash-pile. The top layers were very light and blew away in the breeze, but just below the surface, Link's sword hit something hard. Using his sword, Link rolled the object out of the ash and brushed it off with his hand. A blackened, human bone lay before him. Confusion mixed with horror inside Link as he slapped his arm at the ashes, revealing the charred skeleton of a child.
~Back at Lake Hylia~
The lake's garrison began to buzz with activity as the small herd of horses and cattle rushed down the lake road, followed by the wagon of wounded. "Call for the healers!" the driver shouted as they halted in front of the entrance to the temple, "The Marshal is wounded!" Captain Corin, overseeing matters at the garrison while Alfon was away, quickly rushed to the temple with two of his men. "You two, get the healers and help them get the Marshal inside!" he ordered, as he turned and made his way to the princess' throne room. When he reached the door, he could hear Zelda and Impa arguing about something, but he quickly knocked and shouted, "Captain Corin, Your Highness, permission to enter?" The two women stopped abruptly as Impa threw the door open, "Yes? What is it?!" she nearly shouted at him. "The horses, my lady, they've just arrived." Corin reported. "They've done it!" gasped Zelda, a bright smile breaking across her face. "Yes, your highness," Corin replied as he bowed his head, "But it seems the Marshal was wounded in the attack. They are calling for the healers now." Zelda's happiness suddenly dropped into great fear, "Link! Where is Link?!" she asked. "He was not with the wagon, Your Highness, none know what became of him."
Impa and Zelda rushed toward the temple's entrance, but were stopped by the soldiers carrying the Marshal inside. "Alfon! Alfon! Where is the boy?!" Impa asked urgently, but the knight could not respond. "He has been poisoned, my lady," the healer said, "We will do what we can, but he may not wake. The bat's venom is quite powerful." After the marshal's soldiers passed, another appeared at the entrance, carrying Malon. "This girl was in the wagon with the Lord-Marshal, your highness. She had been badly hurt, I am taking her to the infirmary." He said when Zelda caught his eye. The princess recognized Alfon's deep-blue cloak wrapped around her and knew it must be Malon. She felt ill when she saw the extent of her injuries and the evidence of torture by Ingo. "Go..." she said with a cough, "Make haste!"
For several hours, the healers worked earnestly to save the stricken Marshal as Impa and Zelda watched. Malon, having been bathed and bandaged, slept soundly in a bed near her father's as Talon lovingly stroked her hair with his remaining hand. As the healers tried every remedy and herb they could think of, frustration began to mount. Alfon, large and strong as he was, was slowly slipping away. The Matron, pursing her lips and shaking her head, dismissed her nurses and approached Zelda. "I beg your forgiveness, your highness, but this dark poison is beyond our skills. I am certain that it was created with foul magic by our enemy, and we have no herb nor spell that can counteract it." Impa's shoulders slumped in defeat as she stared at the stricken knight. "Our greatest warrior... the last of his majesty's knights..." she murmured. Zelda's eyes were streaming tears down her cheeks. Alfon had been a wonderful source of confidence and strength for her, but she truly valued him for how he had taken to Link. Despite the boy's outburst, Zelda still cared for him as a dear friend, and she secretly took great joy in seeing Alfon take Link under his wing and act as a father for him. "Oh Link," she wondered to herself, "Where are you?!"
The Matron stared thoughtfully at Zelda for a moment before she spoke again. "There is... one final remedy that we could try, your highness, though I have never seen it performed." Impa and Zelda both snapped their attention back to her. "What do you mean?" asked Impa. "There is... an 'old nurses' tale' that has been handed down over the centuries amongst the court physicians. It claims that the eldest female of the royal line has the ear of the Goddess Hylia. That any prayer the Queen... or..." she now motioned toward Zelda, "...the Princess makes will surely be heard. If her highness were willing..." she finished as she waved her arm toward Alfon. Zelda stood motionless, staring at the knight on the bed, her heartbeat quickening. While some sort of power seemed to have awakened within her, she had no idea how to control it... and she had never used it to heal anyone. "Come." Impa said gently, as she guided Zelda next to Alfon's bed. Impa gently lifted the knight's hand, and placed it in Zelda's. "I will be with you." she whispered soothingly into Zelda's ear, as she placed her hands on Zelda's shoulders.
Telma now appeared at the infirmary door. Her mouth hung open in complete shock, but she made no sound. As Zelda clasped Alfon's hand and closed her eyes, Impa nodded to Telma, signaling that she may enter. The beautiful bar maiden dashed across the room and knelt beside her beloved knight - opposite Zelda. "My lord! My lord! Please... speak to me!" she sobbed, but Alfon did not move. Telma leaned in, close to Alfon's ear, "Please... my love... I cannot live without you! Don't leave me!" she whispered. Though she continued to hold her stoic expression, Impa's heart was aching for this poor woman. "She really would do anything for him..." she thought to herself as she watched Telma sob and plead for her lover to awaken.
Zelda remained silent, with her eyes closed, for several minutes. She did not know what to expect and had hoped that something would happen on its own. When it became obvious that she needed to do something, she began to silently pray in her heart. "Goddess Hylia, we pray for this man: Alfon, son of Duron. He is very ill and near death. We ask you, your grace, to heal this man and return him to us. He is vital to our survival." A little dry perhaps, but the princess had never attempted to heal someone through prayer before. She opened her eyes slightly and looked at Alfon's face. He was turning ashen grey and his hand was growing colder. Telma's hands shook as she held a handkerchief over her face and sobbed. "It's not working!" Zelda thought to herself with panic rising. Closing her eyes again, she focused on her memories of Alfon and Link. How they trained together, how Alfon had guided Link these past months through every facet of his life, how he was steadily turning him from a boy into a soldier. Zelda kept thinking to herself, "He's such a good man! Link needs him to be his father! Please, spare him!"
In her mind's eye, Zelda could see them training on the practice field with their swords, then marching around the camp inspecting the soldiers and their equipment. Next, they were gathered with Telma and the other soldiers in the tavern; laughing and singing. Finally she remembered how they had traveled to the Forbidden Forest together. How Link had sought out his friends and Alfon chased after him. Zelda had her arms wrapped around Alfon's waist as she rode behind him on his horse. As she looked around them, she saw the cruelly burned carcasses of the trees and the bones of the murdered creatures of the forest. "This... this is not right." Zelda wondered to herself, "I have never seen the forest in this state." As the great Hylian steed charged down the forest road, Alfon began muttering under his breath, "Goddess Hylia, let him be alive. Keep Link alive and strong! I beg you!" He was afraid, he genuinely feared that Link might be dead. Zelda turned her mind to Link now and the dream shifted and changed.
She was standing in a small glade within the burned forest. Darkness had fallen and very little could be seen in the overcast gloom, but Zelda could make out a small hut close by, carved from the trunk of an ancient tree. Inside, she found Link, sleeping beside a brilliant red filly; the remains of a small campfire smoldered close by. Zelda moved to wake him, but the sudden crunch of snow outside warned of an approaching stranger. Zelda turned and saw a strange creature, crouched very low, walking on its hands and feet toward the hut. Its arms and legs seemed to be nearly skeletal thin but it moved with remarkable speed through the snow. Its eyes blazed an eerie yellow light as it dashed to the doorway of the house. "Link! Get up! Look out!" Zelda cried, as Link opened his eyes and gasped with fright. The image of Link, the house, and the creature quickly vanished, and Zelda was left standing in the darkness. "No! No! Alfon! Alfon you have to save him! Don't let that creature hurt him!" she begged in her heart. Very slowly, the knight's hand began to warm and gently squeeze Zelda's hand.
Impa's eyes were closed now too as she gently gripped Zelda's shoulders. Very quietly, she spoke to Telma, "Call to him Telma." With a hoarse voice, Telma once again plead with her beloved, "Alfon, my lord... my love... please speak to me. I am here. Please Alfon... come back to me!" For a few seconds, everything remained very still, until the knight began to draw deeper breaths. His color began to return as he slowly rocked his head toward Telma and opened his eyes slightly. "I am here... my lady." he murmured as he weakly brushed a tear from her cheek. "Alfon..." Telma gasped breathlessly as she leaned in and kissed him. Zelda opened her eyes, and gently set Alfon's hand back on the bed. Impa gave her shoulders an encouraging squeeze as they turned to leave the infirmary. The matron and all of her nurses, curtseyed low and bowed their heads as Zelda passed. "Bless you, your highness! Goddess bless you!" Telma called to her as she cradled Alfon's head against her breast. Zelda looked back at her. Telma's face was the expression of one who has faced great horror and been delivered the greatest joy. Zelda simply smiled, and bowed her head once to Telma, and left.