Chapter: XXI
"The Grey Phantom"
Mido pushed the great stone doors closed behind Link and crawled deeper into the temple. Though Link did not believe that Mido had any violent intentions, he could not help but feel unsettled by the dark appearance of the temple interior. Nearly all of the windows had become overgrown with ivy and allowed very little light to enter. The floors were dirt covered and many of the paintings and tapestries along the walls had faded or rotted to nothing. A series of chambers opened and closed one after another along a central hallway. The temple was built like a fortress, with layers of bottle-necks after the initial entrance, to allow defenders to resist a large assault. Soon, Link began to feel that this structure was not a temple at all... at least, not originally. "Where are the Kokiri?" asked Link, disappointed that no one had met them at the doors. "This way." answered Mido quickly.
They traveled for several more minutes through the empty temple, passing dimly lit chambers and overgrown courtyards, until they finally reached the main hall at the back of the temple. Mido pushed open a ruined wooden door and entered, waving at Link to follow. The room was quite large; very tall with stained glass windows near the ceiling and was shaped with eight sides. From the north, south, east, and west: four different staircases descended to a stone floor in the center. Link and Mido had entered from the south side of the room. Mido quickly scampered down the stairs and crawled to the middle of the room. At the center, was a large square hole cut into the stone floor. In the gloom, Link could not see how deep it was, but it was certainly wide enough for a man to fall inside. Standing at the top of the stairs, the squire slowly scanned his surroundings. Something was wrong... no one had greeted them or challenged their arrival. Where were the Kokiri? Where was the Lady of the Forest? Why did this 'temple' have such an ominous feel to it?
Link rested his hand on the hilt of the sword at his side, "Where are the Kokiri?" he asked Mido firmly. "They are here child." answered the voice of an old woman. Mido crouched on his haunches, hands splayed on the floor in front of him, as he faced Link from the center of the room. Slowly, beside him, the spectral image of an old woman faded into view. She seemed to be made of a dim, silver light that steadily pulsed brighter and dimmer, like a slow heartbeat. Her face was lined and serious and her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, but she wore a soft, silken dress - like a robe, which was made of the same silver light. She seemed to lightly hover just a few inches above the ground, even though she possessed the body and limbs of a Hylian woman. Link was startled by her unexpected appearance, and gripped his sword tighter. "Are you the 'Lady of the Forest'?" he asked with a shaking voice.
After studying Link for a moment she replied, "I am the warden of this temple." Link was puzzled by her evasive response, but she quickly spoke again, "What is your name child?" Link hesitated and glanced at Mido for some guidence, but the yellow-eyed creature just stared straight ahead and said nothing. "I am Link." he replied. The silver lady's light seemed to pulse brighter as Link said his name. Her eyebrows raised and her mouth hung slightly open in mild surprise. "You... you drew the Master Sword, did you not?" she asked. Link was stunned, "How... How do you know that?" he stammered. The lady turned to look down a Mido, who inclined his head slightly. "You have done well." she said to him, "I will inform the master of your obedience." The glow in Mido's eyes seemed to intensify and he muttered, "Thank you, my lady."
Link's heart began to beat faster as a sudden rush of fear came over him. "What master? What are you talking about? Where are the Kokiri?!" he demanded. The lady seemed to ignore his questions, and curled her lips into a wicked smile. "It is good that you are here child! The Great Lord of Darkness will be pleased that you have come to us!" Link swiftly drew his sword, and crouched into a fighting stance. "You serve Gannondorf!" he shouted as he slowly backed his way to the door behind him. The silver lady let out a shivering cackle as the image of her face seemed to melt and twist into one of a fanged skull. "All serve the God of Darkness child!" her shrill voice echoed around the hall. "Bring him!" she bellowed as Mido lunged forward and quickly climbed the steps at Link's feet.
~On the Forest Road~
Lord Alfon and Captain Corin looked up at the ominous form of the Forbidden Forest. For years, all of Hyrule had warned its children to never pass under its boughs, lest the wolves or vengeful spirits of the forest would eat them alive. Now, with the forest blacked and ruined, the feeling of dread seemed to grow tenfold. Alfon carefully studied the path before him as Corin nervously kept watch. "Do you see anything, My Lord?" he whispered. The Marshal slowly ran his fingers over the dead grass which covered the path and felt the small impressions made by Epona's hooves. "Thank the Goddess the ground has not frozen yet!" he thought to himself, as he nodded to Corin. "He passed this way... within the last few days." Alfon said. Corin turned and looked down the path, further into the forest. "What in the blazes would drive that boy to go into the Forbidden Forest?" The Marshal hesitated for a moment, then answered, "He is looking for a friend... or lost family member, I believe." "Poor lad," continued Corin, "He won't find anyone alive in there." Alfon quickly climbed back onto his mount and spurred it forward to a trot. "Maybe not... and... maybe," he muttered to Corin as he passed, "If I should not return, tell the Princess to choose a new Marshal and to carry on the fight!"
He kept his horse at a brisk pace as they wandered down the forest path. Deeper and deeper it ran into the ruined wilderness, over a rope bridge, until finally opening into a clearing. Several small wooden structures lay burned and ruined around the glade, with one or two still standing upright. It looked like a small village had been here, but all of the houses were too small for Hylians. Alfon thought back to Link's stories, and remembered that he had been told of the 'Kokiri' tribe: a group of forest children that never grew up. "So this was his village..." muttered Alfon to himself, "This was his home." A twinge of pain gripped at his heart, seeing such a secluded sanctuary ruined by his enemy; especially the thought of terrified children being burned alive. But Alfon shook his head and focused, he did not have time to grieve for Hyrule's lost children, he had to find his missing ward! Once again, he slipped down from his mount, and scanned the ground for any sign of Link or Epona's passage. He found several tracks moving around the village, but always returning to one of the remaining houses. Inside, Alfon found the remains of a recent campfire and the hulls of several nuts on the floor.
~In the Temple~
Link ran for his life back through the temple. The shrieking cackle of the silver woman seemed to echo after him as Mido doggedly pursued him through room after room. Link retraced his steps toward the front of the temple, but the rooms seemed to shift and change. What was once a straight corridor, now became a dead end. Fighting panic, Link began to shift and change his course, turning this way and that to throw Mido off his trail, but all the while, becoming more and more lost within the giant stone mansion. After what seemed like an eternity of running, Link suddenly burst out into a courtyard that he had never seen before. He quickly slammed the door behind him and desperately looked around for an escape. The courtyard seemed to be an immense garden, now horribly overgrown, with brambles and Ivy covering the walls and grounds. But in the corner opposite Link, was a large stone well with a rope descending down inside it. Link dashed forward and, seizing the rope, leapt inside the well.
The rope creaked and strained dangerously, but held. Link carefully lowered himself deeper into the well until he was certain he could not be seen from above. After only a few seconds, Mido's menacing yellow eyes appeared above, searching the blackness for his prey. Link's hands strained on the rope as he held his breath, trying to remain as silent and motionless as possible. The creature narrowed its eyes at the blackness of the well and hissed, it knew its victim was very close. Link's heart pounded against his ribs and his fingers burned with strain against the coarse rope. "You don't see me... you don't see me!" he silently plead to himself. Slowly, Mido reached a boney finger out, and plucked the rope like a harp-string. His eyes blazed with sudden fury as the rope's tension revealed Link's presence.
With no escape above and no desire to kill his old friend, Link swiftly lowered himself further and further down into the darkness. As Mido hissed and snarled above, Link continued downward, expecting to find a pool of water, until his feet hit a hard stone floor. Releasing the rope and groping the darkness, Link found that he was now in a long stone tunnel, with a small stream of water flowing down its center. Keeping his sword in one hand, Link followed the stone wall with his other as he carefully stepped down into the tunnel. Mido's hissing and grunts faded behind him as Link found several turns in the underground aqueduct. Soon, a dim light could be seen ahead as Link approached the bottom of another well. This one was encased in vines and brambles which had stretched their way down, searching for water. Link quickly checked behind him again for evidence of pursuit, then sheathed his sword and hauled himself up the vines.
The well opened into another overgrown courtyard, but this one had several small cages placed near the door to the temple. As Link pulled himself over the edge of the well and got to his feet, he caught sight of their inhabitants. Four small creatures, much like Mido, cowered and shivered within the cages. One, the nearest to the well, grasped at the bars and stared intently at Link. Her deep blue eyes were filled with sadness and fear. Link stepped toward her, but her eyes suddenly widened as she frantically pointed behind him. Link could only turn and see the flash of Mido's vengeful yellow eyes before a heavy stone knocked him unconscious. The caged Kokiri whimpered and gasped at Mido's violent attack on Link. Mido just glared at them and slowly dragged Link back to the central hall.
Link drifted back to consciousness with a throbbing pain above his right eye. He was on his back, laid onto the cold stone floor of the temple's hall, next to the opening in the center of the room. Mido crouched close by, keeping watch over his victim and holding Link's sword. Link tried to sit up, but his head was swimming and his eye sight was blurred. He felt sick to his stomach and was sure he would pass out again soon. "Troublesome brat!" came the eerie voice of the silver phantom, "Our master will enjoy consuming you!" Even through his closed eyelids, Link could make out the grey glow of the evil ghost that Mido served, hovering on the other side of the pit. "Mido..." groaned Link, "Don't do this..." Mido quickly shuffled over to Link and hissed in his ear, "Quiet you!" But Link opened his eyes and looked right into Mido's. "I should have been better to you... Mido... I should have been... your friend." The lost Kokiri blinked and leaned back away from Link; the menacing glow from his eyes dimmed slightly. "...'friend'?" he repeated quietly.
"Enough!" Shrieked the ghost, "Push him in! Feed him to the master!" Far below them, a bubbling growl echoed up from the pit and rippled through the hall. Mido shuddered, and slowly put his hands on Link's side, preparing to roll him into the hole. "Mido... I'm sorry." whispered Link. He believed that he was going to die, but he wanted to make amends with Mido before he left. They had fought each other terribly for years over the attention of Saria and the Deku Tree. Time which should have been spent in friendship. Mido's ashen hands trembled slightly as he hesitated, "...me too..." he replied, as he reached behind him and grasped the Kokiri sword. "Do it!" shouted the phantom, as Mido looked up at her. His mind wandered back over the years the Kokiri had spent together in the forest. The games, the happy bonfires, the joyous feasts, even chasing fireflies together through the forest... They had a happy life... and Mido had always been cruel to Link. Always made sure that Link was not having as much fun as the other Kokiri. It was because of the Deku Tree! He had ordered them to accept a Hylian child into their family. Mido always resented how the Deku Tree seemed to favor Link, but he knew that it was unfair. Link's mother had died right infront of them, begging the Guardian of the Forest to protect her child... what could they have done?
Mido closed his eyes, and remembered one of the last things the Deku Tree had said to him: "You have great anger within you, child. You must beware that anger, as evil will find a way to use it." the Deku Tree paused and breathed deep, "I can foresee that you will have a great choice before you... to follow your anger and hatred or to choose mercy and love. Always remember my son, you must choose the side of light. Love and protect your fellow Kokiri, always!" Mido's eyes began to water as he began to realize what he had become. Black tears streaked down his face and dropped onto the cold stone floor as the evil yellow light faded completely from his blue eyes. "No..." he croaked at the ghost, "I will not hurt... my brother." The phantom screamed in rage and cast both of the boys against the far wall. "Then the both of you will die!" she screamed as she drove down upon them.
Mido gallantly covered Link with his body and slashed the Kokiri Sword out at the ghost. The phantom dodged to the side and mercilessly clawed at Mido's face. A terrible roar bellowed up from below as Link struggled to roll away from Mido and his attacker. "The master is coming! The master is coming for you!" jeered the ghost as she hacked away at Mido's body, "Soon, he will-" but a sudden whistle and flash through the air stopped her. The phantom froze, hovering over Mido, with a look of shock on her ghastly face. A brilliant silver arrow stuck out from her neck and a small trickle of silver blood dripped onto the floor beside Mido. "Your master will die, ghost. Just like you." came a deep voice from the doorway. Alfon had found his squire.