While the young hero walked off, Saria couldn't help but smile.
"How much of this really happened? Do tell me Link, if this actually happened, did you really leave the temple happy?"
Link wasn't quite sure if it would be best to answer that question. He cleared his throat, sending the girl from her warm thoughts back into reality.
"What? Oh, yes, the trial! Did we succeed?..."
There was no mysterious voice, and they were still in the Temple of Time. Had they not solved the riddle correctly? From outside the doorway, a whirlwind swept in. It lifted both the children from the ground, whisking them right into the air.
"Oh! I think we definitely did something!"
Slowly, the Temple of Time turned back into the Palace of Lost Souls. Link and Saria floated back down to the floor, gaining their ghostly appearances again. The hoard of Poes spawned again, surrounding the children once more.
"Well done. While your methods of solving the riddle were a bit... unorthodox... you answered correctly. The Master Sword belongs rightly in the hero's hand when evil is in the land. You have completed the trial of wisdom. While you two may just be children, you are both wiser than your years."
"Is that even a valid compliment? Both of us have lived longer than our years."
"Be careful what you say, forest sage. Back talking is not appreciated among the dead. Both of you have shown your ability to make careful decisions based upon the past. Such is wisdom."
"So if power is the ability to control the future, and wisdom is the ability to learn from the past, then what is courage?"
"The ability to face your present. I'm sure you know a thing or two of that, boy. Eehaha! This time, the two of you must face the trial separated."
"Wh-what?! Why?!"
"Because, in this challenge, both you must face your greatest fears, and you must face them alone."
Saria near immediately began to quaver. Their greatest fears? There was an armload of things that scared Saria, ghosts being one of them. She could only imagine what horrors await her. Link, on the other hand, could think of nothing that struck fear into his heart. He had long since put his fears behind him. Surely, this trial could not be as easy as he thought. There was always a catch.
"Why alone? I'm sure it wouldn't hurt anything if me and Link did this one together. We did all the others together, after all!"
"Do you want the last fragment of the great fairy harp?"
The green clad girl was quick to respond.
"Y-yes!"
"Do you want to live?"
At the second question, she shrank down a bit.
"Er- yes..."
"Then you will attempt the trial of courage alone! Now wish each other farewell, the challenge shall begin at once!"
Saria quickly ran up to Link and threw herself upon him in a hug.
"I don't want to do this alone Link... up until now, I've done everything on this adventure with you..."
Link wanted to say that everything would be fine, but he didn't know that. Instead, he said what he thought needed to be said, and nothing more.
"Without you, I wouldn't have even gotten this far. You are braver than you think."
"But-"
"Enough with the hugging! Now, are you both ready for the trial of courage?"
The pair separated from the short embrace, and looked up to the Poes. Link gave a sharp nod, and Saria clutched together.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"Eehahaha! Up you go, then!"
The whirlwind the Poes created was much like the few that came before, but it differed in that Saria and Link spread apart from each other, and arced off into separate directions. A strange feeling came over Saria as she watched her friend fly off to who-knows-where. A feeling reminiscent of anxiety, but more than just unease. A feeling of utmost aloneness. But her aloneness eased itself as she touched down into a familiar place. What could be more comforting to her than the Lost Woods?
"Let the trial of courage commence!"
The Poes said she was to face her greatest fear, did they not? Perhaps there had been a mix-up? She wasn't going to complain, she was quite literally at home in the shade of the trees. She skipped lightly along, admiring the fresh scenery around her. Behemoth trees giving a veil overhead, bushes ripe with fresh raspberries, and- hey! One of her friends was even here!
"Hey! Mido!"
The boy, who was preoccupied with filling his basket with raspberries, snapped his head toward Saria with a look of confusion. Gleefully, Saria ran up to the boy, who only seemed more out of sorts as she approached.
"A friendly face is just what I needed! What ya doing there?"
"Picking berries?"
"How fun! Would you mind if I helped?"
"Uh... who are you?"
A look of hurt crossed Saria's face, before she quickly laughed it off.
"You had me for a second there Mido, haha!"
"How do you know my name?"
Suddenly, Saria realized he wasn't joking.
"Wait a minute... you don't recognize me?"
The redhead furrowed his brow at the odd girl.
"No... is there a reason I should?"
"Mido, me and you have both known each other for hundreds of years! Why are you acting like you just met me?"
"Because I did just meet you, and you're kind of freaking me out. Can't you go bother someone else? Like Link? He could use some bothering. Now if you would excuse me, whoever you are, the Great Mido has to get back to the village. So beat it! If I catch you following me, I'll... I'll throw a rock at you! Now leave me alone!
With a pompous air to him, Mido marched off, leaving Saria confused in turn. Mido had never really been rude to her before... at most, he had been bit overbearing. Something in Saria's heart felt like it had been yanked out and trampled under foot. Why didn't he recognize her? She didn't look any different, did she? Well, she was a few inches taller, but she still wore her typical green garb. Maybe someone else could sort this out? Saria started for Kokiri Village, taking a different path to avoid Mido.
Floating on the air, Link couldn't feel more confident. He had been through some pretty scarring things. He had seen things that no man should see, let alone a boy. He had slain all kinds of monster and demon. What could they possibly throw at him that would scare him now? As he drifted to the ground, however, his nose picked up the smell of ash and charred wood. Landing on a patch of burnt grass, Link took a look at his surroundings. A small civilization in the forest, burnt to the ground. Something about it just didn't sit right with him.
"Let the trial of courage commence!"
He felt as though he had been in this wasteland before, yet, it was in no way familiar. The desolate piles of smoldering wood held meaning to him in an odd way. But just what was it that made the ruin so surreal? Link prodded at the splintered boards with a boot, uncovering something that made him gasp. The crest of the Kokiri, etched into a sheet of wood. If that was the remains of a Deku shield, then...
"Oh no..."
Link span around, and mapped his surroundings in his head. All of a sudden, each of the smoldering piles of wood held a very specific meaning to him. After looking everything over for the third time, he could confirm it. Kokiri Forest had caught fire, and the flame had left next to nothing in its wake. Neither the forest, nor the entirety of the village. What had happened? He lifted up the crisped shield, and blew out the few sparks still flickering on it. After strapping it to his back, he continued walking through the village. Each and every carved tree home, burnt to ash. Even his own had not survived. And what of the Kokiri? There was no trace of them... he doubted that anyone had survived. Something in his spirit told him so. Even as he shuffled through the remains of each and every building, he found no signs of life. If the Poes were trying to freak Link out... they were succeeding. Even as he glanced above, the remains of the Great Deku Tree were nothing but a high rise of crisped black wood.
"Who would do this?"
The boy thought to himself. Taking one last look at what was left of the village, the boy shuddered to think what may lie outside the roasted woods. Reluctantly, he trudged toward the exit of the Kokiri forest. Reaching Hyrule Field, Link wasn't sure at all if he could believe his eyes. The field itself was just as torched, but that was not what he was looking at. Across the plain, a great flame burnt right atop Hyrule Castle Town. The smoke billowed so high, that it covered the entire sky. But how... why? Who would set Hyrule to flames? This was clearly deliberate. Without a second thought, Link knew the answer. Ganon. This must've been the work of Ganon. In a world without a hero, evil reigned free. Of course, even when Hyrule was without a hero for seven years, it hadn't even gotten this bad. Perhaps this was an echo of what was happening in Saria's world?
After standing still for longer than he could comprehend, Link mounted the willpower to press forward. He could not any faster than walk across the field. He couldn't tear his eyes from the blazing civilization, likely burning alive. He was going to put an end to this. Even if he was armed but with a charred board of wood, he felt he could take on an entire army. Wrath filled his veins. His hatred only festered more as he identified Lon Lon Ranch's demolished farmhouse. The prince of evil would pay for this. As the fire-scathed gate of the castle town came to view, Link could spy a figure standing before the moat. His adversary. He approached slow, but with a flaming passion. This man would never again see the light of day. He stopped just ten feet from the man. He could now see that they wore a hood and cloak. Before he could make a move, the man spoke.
"Look at the world we've created... isn't it beautiful?"
That definitely wasn't Ganondorf's voice... who was this hooded man? And what in the goddesses names did he mean by we? Link had nothing to do with this catastrophe.
"Come now, there's no denying it. This is just as much my creation as it is yours. Just look. All those self consumed Hylians, consumed by flame. It brings tears to my eyes. They will cause us pain no more."
Us? Just what did he mean by us?! Link got all the more more enraged that the man was grouping himself with him.
"You think of me as the enemy, I can sense it. Such a naive view of me. You really don't know who I am... who we are."
Link put the charred Deku shield on his arm. Though he had not a sword, he was well ready to beat in this stranger's skull with his shield. But he hesitated as he saw the back of the man's left hand. On it, he had the mark of the triforce, the bottom right triangle aglow. Link looked at his own hand, also aglow. They both shared the triforce of courage? How could that be? The mysterious man pulled down his hood, revealing a head full of shaggy golden hair. He turned around to look at Link, and revealed his face. Link's body went limp, and he began to stutter incoherently.
"What? Never looked in a mirror, before? I would have thought that you would recognize yourself. I am Dark Link, the physical embodiment of your dark side."
Author's Note
Do forgive me for the dark tone this story has gotten into.
You gotta get dark before you bring in Dark Link.
The story will be making it's transition back to lightheartedness soon enough.
