Chapter 3
It was later in the evening, and Link and Epona had been riding for the better part of a day before he came to the steel and concrete bridge of Ordon, which connected the province to the rest of the Kingdom. He stared down the deep, deep gorge which seemed like a great violent tear in the earth and wondered how people in times past managed to stir up their courage to cross it when it was only a rope and wood construction. It looked like one would fall forever into the void if they crossed the safety barriers. He had never been out of his province before to see the wider world, and he wondered if he had the courage to do so this time.
"Well, this is it, girl. Do we go on, or do we turn back?" He asked Epona, who snorted and shook her head. "Yeah, it's a big decision for me too." He responded.
An image of the beautiful, blue eyed blond princess being carried off by a black dragon came into his mind. "I have to get to her, girl. She's in trouble, and I've got to help her." The feeling of urgency was insistent inside of him.
He summoned everything within him and urged his nine year old mare onwards onto the lightly traveled structure, the shoes of her hooves clacking loudly against the pavement. Neither horse nor rider had stopped to rest or eat until they had gotten to this point, and both were exhausted as they crossed.
Throughout the day, other people in cars or trucks on the road had passed them both, either waving or ignoring them as the case had been. A few who knew Link and Epona had waved and called out greetings as they passed by. Link waved back at these and smiled, but kept going. Ordon was still a very rural province, and no one had been surprised to see a man on horseback along the road on the weekend, though the shield and sword he carried on his back might have raised a few eyebrows.
Link and Epona warily reached the other side, and, guiding Epona over to the side of the road he dismounted and led her to a patch of grass while he looked around for a place to camp. Down the road he could see some lights from a business, but he had only brought a few rupees worth of banknotes, and a couple of hard green ones. He had been in such a hurry to get moving that he hadn't actually planned it out and gotten the rest of his savings out of the bank. And now he was committed, and whatever was inside him driving him wouldn't turn back.
He went to the saddlebag where his uncle had packed the rations for him to see what he had to eat for the night before he made camp in the cold night air. Opening the saddlebag, he reached his hand in and found some fruit, and a wrapped piece of his birthday cake that his aunt Tara had been baking for him earlier in the day. He smiled and fought back a tear at the man's thoughtfulness. They had both been so good to him over the years, he could never repay them. There were even a few cans of his favorite pumpkin soda.
As he rummaged through the bag, his hand brushed up against a wad of paper which had been bound together by rubber bands. Knowing that he hadn't put anything like that in Epona's saddlebag, he brought it out and looked out it. It looked like royal banknotes. He undid the rubber band to see a face which looked startlingly like his own on orange colored, hundred rupee banknotes, and a hand written note. He opened the note and read it, "These are coupons which are good for anything anywhere in Hyrule I happened to just have laying around. Make good use of them. If I'm right, all of Hyrule is depending on you, son."
He stared at the sizable roll of money which his uncle had given him, unable to hold back the tears at the man's generosity. "I won't let you down. I promise." He said as he stuffed the money into his pants' pocket. He patted Epona on the side of the neck and said, "Just a little farther, girl, there might be an inn down the road where we can both get some proper rest." He then climbed back into the saddle and rode on.
A dark man with flames for hair laughed at Link in the distance. He could hear his deep voice taunting him, "Come to me little Hero! I'm waiting for you!" He could feel his sword... No it wasn't his sword, it was a different sword with a blue hilt. But he felt it as he pushed the blade into the dark man's chest and then the whole world exploded around him.
Link woke up with a yell, breathing heavily. His sheets were wet from his sweat. The first rays of dawn were just beginning to peak through the glass windows of the roadside inn's room. But there was no dark man, no threat that he could see in the single room. His clothes and armaments lay exactly where he had put them the night before. He pulled himself out of bed, and went to shower off the sweat in the tiny bathroom.
As luck would have it, the business had in fact been an inn, as well as a service station for travelers. The owner of the place, when he had found out Link was Russel's foster son, had refused to take his money, and made sure to stable Epona with the horses he normally kept for tourists and vacationers to rent out, giving her a good portion of oats.
"Russel's an old buddy of mine from the guard," he had told Link. "He saved my life during a Bulblin raid on our position, and took one of the bastard's blades in his own leg as a result. Nope, your money's no good here, son. I owe him at least that much. Let me fix you something before you hit the sack, okay?" It was yet another reminder of the family that cared about him back home. The family he had been driven to leave to accomplish something that still seemed insane to him.
The nightmare wasn't new. It had visited him time and again as he grew up, along with others. Many of his dreams involved Zelda, some of them embarrassingly so. Others were of a different, pretty flame haired girl whose name was always out of reach. Most of them ended fighting some kind of hell-spawned creature. The images were always fuzzy, but his mind kept forcing him to relive horrors that he knew he had never faced, at least not in this lifetime. Would he have to face them again? It was a question he knew the answer to, and wished he didn't. He hadn't asked anyone to be "the Hero," and he wasn't really convinced that he was. He just knew that someone he cared about, even though he had never met her, was in trouble and she needed him.
He dressed himself, donning his sword and shield over the back of his leather jacket again, and went to see if there was any breakfast to be had. Sure enough, the man already had cucco eggs, bacon, and milk waiting for him with a strong cup of black tea to boot. "Just enough to get you going for the day, lad." The innkeeper had told him. "And when you see your uncle again, let him know Claude from the 3rd Cavalry still remembers what he did for us that day, okay?"
Link promised to tell him as soon as he saw him again. He and Epona left the inn shortly after that, heading ever north deeper into Faron Province.
King Daphnes Johnson sat at his antique Deku wood desk by the telephone and computer device in his expansive, wood lined office waiting for any news about his daughter. His eyes were red from a lack of sleep, but nothing could seem to get him to close his eyes and rest. Several cups of strong tea had come and gone on his desk, and a fresh one now sat in front of him. He had held this vigil now for the thirty six hours or so since he learned of his daughter's abduction. Holding vigil with him were his minister of defense and the head of palace security, both men having come in and out of the office several times since the crisis had begun as they oversaw all efforts to track down the creature that had absconded with the Princess. But the king himself would not, could not find any rest.
The men assigned to protect her were still in the hospital, their wounds strangely resistant to the traditional red water of life. The head of palace security interviewed all three of them several times while they lay in their hospital beds, though there wasn't much more they could add except to verify what the creature that took her was. They had all confirmed it.
For the last thirty six hours the king had been talking with anyone and everyone who could or might know anything about what had happened. Everyone agreed that it had been a dragon attack from the forensic evidence on top of the eyewitness testimony, but no one could say more than that. "Why would a dragon abduct the Princess?" He kept asking these "experts." No one had any answers for him.
The dragons of Hyrule were, as a rule, guardians in a similar way that Sages were guardians. They were intelligent, self aware, and, with a few notable exceptions, almost entirely benevolent. But according to the men who survived the attack, this dragon had been black as the night. No one knew anything about a black dragon anywhere in Hyrule.
King Daphnes had called back the Sage of Time, his great-great-great-great-great-grand-uncle. He had tried calling him many times in the last day and a half with no answer. He had also tried personally calling every Sage in the other seven Sacred Temples to find out what the Sages might know about the Sage of Time's phone call. No one responded to him. The telephone was just left ringing. The Sages were silent. Even the Sage of Light, Rauro, in the Temple there in Castleton would not answer. The King had sent a representative there, but the doors to the Temple would open for no one.
Out of desperation, he began to make plans to travel to the Sacred Grove himself to speak with his relative and find out what was going on, but his own bodyguards and ministers refused to allow it with the Crown Princess missing and no other royal successor. He became a prisoner in his own palace.
He took another sip of the tea, though he had ceased to be able to taste it long, long before that, and once more started to try and think through his options. "The Hero has been reborn." He said out loud.
"What was that, your majesty?" The minister of defense, a retired old veteran of the military whom Daphnes had trusted, asked.
"The Sage's original message to my daughter, the reason why he tried to get a hold of her. It was that the Hero had been reborn." The king told him again. "Zelda tried calling him back and couldn't get an answer, so she set out to go see him immediately. It's not every day a Sage calls you with earth shattering news, and then doesn't pick up when you call. It merited her personal attention."
"Indeed, your majesty. That is troubling news for all of us then." The minister said.
"Where would he go?" The king asked, a light coming on in his eyes.
"I don't know where the Sages go or why." The minister responded.
"Not the Sage, the Hero." The king said. "If the Hero's truly been reborn, he's seen that my daughter has been kidnapped. It's been broadcast all over the news for the last day and a half. Would it be reasonable to think that this would somehow 'awaken' him?" He reasoned.
"If I read the Sacred texts correctly, maybe sir. Hypothetically speaking." The minister responded, seeing where the king was going with it. "At some point in time he would have to pay a visit to the Sacred Grove to retrieve the Master Sword. We still have the temple ruins under strict guard there. No one enters the Sacred Grove without authorization from the royal family."
"Yes, the standing orders are to shoot trespassers on sight." The king remembered. He then said, "Get me the guard captain for the Sacred Grove command post on the line."
"Your majesty?" The minister asked.
"If this is happening again, we may not be able to stop it, but we might at least be able to make it easier for the one who can." The king said. "If the Hero really is reborn, he'll be drawn to the Master Sword. Do you really want our guardsmen standing in his way?"
The minister responded quickly, "I'll place the call right now, your majesty."
A few minutes later, the king was having a conversation with a very nervous guard captain over the telephone. "Captain," he began the conversation, "I am sending you by fax a portrait of a certain individual that the minister of defense and I believe may try and enter the Sacred Grove as deep as the Master Sword sanctuary."
"Of course, your majesty, he won't get by us." The guard captain responded confidently.
"You misunderstand, Captain." The king corrected him. "You are to allow him entry to wherever he wants to go. Do not, I repeat, do not try and stop him. If he requests an escort down into the Grove, give it to him. Under no circumstances are you or your men to engage him in combat, is that clear? If he is the man I believe him to be, you will be doing so at the risk of your own lives. I am sending the portrait now." The king looked to the minister of defense who had scanned the portrait into the facsimile machine and sent it.
"Okay, your majesty it looks like we've got it." The guard captain paused for a minute. "Uh, your majesty, is this some kind of mistake? I think you sent us a religious image instead of the individual's photograph."
"No captain, this is no mistake, and I assure you it is no joke. I am deadly, deadly serious. This individual will most likely be a teenage young man about the same age as my daughter. He will answer to the name of 'Link.' If I am correct, he will attempt to draw the sword from its resting place in the sanctuary." The king explained.
"I... I understand sir. And if he is unable to pull the sword from its pedestal? Do we arrest him then?" The captain asked.
"Unless I am grossly mistaken, that won't be necessary. If he is an imposter, then the sword may not let him leave the Grove alive." The king said. It was a cold, harsh reality. But this was a cold, harsh game which had been begun, and the rules were set down eons ago.
"Yes, your majesty. We'll take that under advisement." The Guard Captain replied, understanding the serious nature now of what he was being asked to do. He then asked with a little trepidation in his voice, "Is this really happening, your majesty? Could it really be possible?" The guard captain had never been a very religious man. He had doubted if the old stories were even true, or just made up fairy tales.
"I'm not sure myself, Captain. But if it is, we need to do everything we can to help him for my daughter's sake, and for all our sakes." King Daphnes told him. "See to it my orders are followed, Captain."
"As you command, your majesty. I'll send the orders to all the men right now. We won't do anything to stop him. I just hope he realizes we're friendlies." The Captain replied.
"As do I, Captain." The King responded. "As do I."
Talon had been brought with armed escort out of the great library and up into the underground city's higher levels which opened into a great cavern with an expansive underground lake. There was a strange twilight lighting to the city caused by an orange glow coming from the lake. When Talon had inquired of Daniel what was causing it, he replied that they thought it was some kind of phosphorescent algae that gave the underground world its own thirty-five hour day and night cycle.
"Is this Atlantis?" Talon asked him as he surveyed the buildings of the once great city around him.
"No." Daniel responded. "This city was abandoned due to what we think was a plague about two hundred years ago. We're just here studying it, trying to learn about its inhabitants, and how they connect with the Ancients, your ancestors in fact. We think the first inhabitants of Hyrule originally came from this city actually. That would explain the presence of the descriptive and linking books joining the two worlds." He said, slipping into his teaching mode. "Our government sealed it off from the general public about twenty or thirty years ago when we made the connection with it and the people we call the Ancients. Atlantis is several thousand miles away, on the opposite side of the planet, in fact."
"I see. So, will I then be able to make my case to those who must make the decision?" Talon asked. "Have I traveled so far only to find I have not come far enough?"
"No, I've already made contact with Stargate Command at Atlantis. We'll be picked up and taken there any time now." Daniel said.
"But I thought you said it was several thousand miles away? Won't that take days to travel, even by aircraft? And we are deep underground." Talon questioned in confusion.
Daniel said nothing but just moved closer to him, folded his hand together in front of him and nodded, saying, "you might want to brace yourself for this."
"For what?" Talon asked. Then a sudden wave of nausea and disorientation overtook him as he and Daniel were quickly consumed by a blue flash of light and were gone.
When Talon came to himself again he was standing in a circular conference room. A circular table ran around the room, and several men sat at the table, one of which he recognized immediately. On the table was a small round black device with a glowing light that rotated around its circumference.
"What... what just happened?" Talon said as he tried to catch his breath. His head felt light and he had difficulty concentrating. "My head..." He said, blinking several times.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I should have warned you about our transportation. The General Hammond happened to be in orbit around Earth at the moment. What you just experienced was an Asgard transport beam. It'll pass." Daniel said.
"In orbit?" Talon said. "You mean spaceflight? My people have made some successful experiments with it in our recent past as well, though your Asgard spell casters could learn to to balance out their transport magic a little better."
"Yep." Was all Daniel could say to that, turning to the other men seated around the table.
A balding man with black rimmed glasses stood up and motioned to Talon with his hand towards a chair around the table, saying something in a polite tone in an unfamiliar language. Talon looked to Daniel who said, "Talon, this is Mr. Woolsey. He's in charge of this city. He said, 'Welcome to Atlantis, please take a seat.'"
Talon nodded to the balding man and moved to sit down. Mr. Woolsey then said something else, and Daniel translated again, "Mr. Woolsey also wants you to know that this device neutralizes your abilities as a Sage for the time being. The effect is only temporary, but it's for our protection."
"I understand. I would do the same in your place." Talon responded. Daniel relayed that to Mr. Woolsey, who smiled.
"You I recognize, Colonel Shepherd, from my childhood." Talon said to the dark haired man sitting across from him who wore an olive green uniform of some sort. "That day you first told my mother of my father's passing."
Colonel Shepherd nodded, "That wasn't a really a good memory for me." He said, keeping his eyes on him.
"Nor for me. I loved my father dearly, Colonel." Talon responded. "Imagine my shock at seeing his face again on the television."
Mr. Woolsey said something, and this time Colonel Shepherd translated, "He says why don't you tell us about it, and about what brought you here?"
So Talon spent the next several minutes relating everything he knew, and the reason for his desperate action of traveling back in time and coming to them. They listened patiently, every once in a while stopping and asking questions. One man in particular, Doctor McKay, asked questions relating to Hyrule's level of technology when that came into play. He answered everyone's questions as honestly and completely as he could. He didn't need his abilities as a Sage to know these men didn't trust him any more than Daniel Jackson had when he first made contact with him. He would gain nothing by hiding anything from them.
They then talked among themselves in their own language as though he wasn't there. It was a bit rude, but he said nothing, instead paying attention to their body language and facial expressions. Doctor McKay clearly didn't trust him, and seemed to be arguing against him. Strangely, Daniel Jackson seemed to be rebutting Doctor McKay's arguments with calm reason. Colonel Shepherd asked Doctor McKay several questions which must have been of a scientific or technical nature because the man's whole demeanor changed as he began thinking about what was asked of him. Mr. Woolsey seemed to value Colonel Shepherd's and Daniel Jackson's opinions most of all. Finally, they turned their attention back to Talon.
"Can we assume that the amount of time that passes here shouldn't matter because of the portal of time there?" Mr. Woolsey asked through Daniel Jackson.
"Yes. The portal's connection isn't calibrated so finely that it is down to the minute, but upon my return I shouldn't have been gone for more than a few hours no matter how much time I spend here." Talon responded.
"So we can afford a couple of days to make proper preparations?" Mr. Woolsey pressed.
"Then you will help me?" Talon asked hopefully.
"Yeah. If something bad's going down in Hyrule it could eventually bleed back to us." Colonel Shepherd said. "Especially if it's another 'Demon King' person like the last one."
Daniel quickly translated the brief exchange for Mr. Woolsey and the balding man added, "To put it bluntly, your grace, we have no way of cutting off the passage between our worlds without reducing yours to smoking ash. That means anything bad enough to cause two very powerful ascended beings to return to mortal form to fight it becomes our problem as well. But we have tools and technology to deal with such threats that you may not."
"Thank you, sirs." Talon said gratefully.
"Give us a couple of days to get everything together and then we'll send a team back with you. Until then, you may enjoy our hospitality under escort." Colonel Shepherd told him. "Doctor Jackson here will show you around until we're ready to go."
"Thank you again." Talon said.
Link had taken Epona off the main paved road around mid-morning and was now following a strange dirt path through the Faron woods. The forest trees around him were somewhat comforting and familiar as he road the brown and white horse along them.
Epona whinnied at him questioningly when he left the pavement with her several hours before. "I don't know girl," he responded, "I just feel like this is the way we need to go."
The hard packed path looked like it was originally made by horses coming to and from somewhere at the other end, though Link couldn't imagine what would be back in that part of the woods that anyone would want to see. "What am I doing going through this when I need to get up into Hyrule Field?" He questioned himself.
The horse trail passed by a crystal clear pond fed by a spring that was partially enclosed by a rock and stone barrier. He dismounted from Epona there to let her drink and get some water himself. There was something familiar about this spring, he thought. Looking around, there was something familiar about this whole place like he had been there before. Though he knew he had never traveled this far north in his life. "What is going on with me, girl?" He asked the horse. Not wanting to comment, she pretended not to hear the question and continued to drink. "Yeah, thanks to you too." He said to her silence sarcastically.
Shadows began to fall on the spring and Link looked up through the trees to see if clouds had come in. It would be miserable to be caught in the rain for both horse and rider. But the sky was clear and sunny through the branches. Link began to get a bad feeling, and unstrapping his shield from his back, he slipped it over his right arm, drawing his trusted sword with his left. In a brief moment he remembered that the edges of his sword was intentionally left blunt for competition. He would have to remedy that with a good stone as soon as he got the chance. If he got the chance.
The shadows moved like living things towards the center of the spring from which he heard a young girl's scream, "HELP ME! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!" He couldn't see anyone, but he jumped into the water towards the cry for help.
As soon as his riding boots hit the water the scene exploded and changed as the three shadows materialized into dark, bulbous dog like creatures with gleaming, cruel yellow eyes. They were snapping and terrorizing what looked to be a young, barefoot teenage girl with flowing bright pink and blond hair in a swimsuit that covered very little of her. Link wanted to cover his eyes for the sight out of modesty except for the enormous, luminescent gossamer wings that protruded from her back. He had never seen one of these creatures before either, but he had heard about them from his uncle. They were rarely seen in modern Hyrule. They were supposed to be creatures of great magical power, but this Great Fairy looked terrified at the monster shadow dogs snapping and growling at her.
"Help me!" She screamed in terror again, and that was enough to get Link's legs pumping further into the water. His mind went blank as the muscles and tendons of his body seemed to take on a life and memory of their own. He gave a great yell as he launched himself into a spin into the air bringing his sword around to plunge it into the first shadow beast he aimed for. It's body went down as Link's blade severed the beast's head and sent it a distance into the water.
The other two dogs wasted no time in attempting to avenge their fallen comrade and Link met the first with the point of his sword running into the beast's mouth and down its throat, the second attacked from the other side and Link's right arm instinctively reacted with the shield bashing it in the head and sending it rebounding from its attempted strike. The first beast went slack on Link's sword while he drew it out and quickly met the second's next attack with a quick thrust up through its chest as it leaped upon him. The third beast quit struggling after a minute.
All was quiet, and then the bodies of the three monsters vanished with a puff of black smoke. "You don't see that every day." He commented on their disappearance. Though he had seen it before, he mind told him. Many, many times before.
"Are they gone?" The Fairy asked, opening up her eyes, which had been filled with tears.
"Yes, lady, they're gone. Are you hurt?" He asked, not even sure if a Great Fairy could be hurt, but she looked so frail and helpless.
"No," she sniffed once, "I don't think so." She was trembling still as she said, "You saved me."
"Well, uh... yeah, I guess I did, but..." Link began to say as he replaced his sword and shield. The truth was, he didn't know what to say to that. He had just heard someone in trouble and he reacted, like he always did. "Well, I'm just glad you're okay. I was passing by along the trail and I heard you scream."
The Great Fairy looked at his face then, and she stared as if in awe. Link began to feel self-conscious as she said nothing for what seemed like an eternity, then she said, "It's you isn't it? It's been so long since I've seen you, but I should have known you would be the one to rescue me like you did before." Her whole tone of voice became one of almost worshipful admiration. "Thank you for finding me again when I needed it."
Link was taken aback, "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. My name's Link, and I..." He didn't get the chance to finish as she held up one finger to his lips. "Shhh, my Hero." She said. "We have met at many times in the past, and in many places you and I. Your memories may be buried, but believe that mine are not. I am surprised to see you have returned to us, but I am glad of it." She giggled, and the whole spring radiated with her laughter.
She turned her hand over and produced a delicate glass vial with a stopper. She put the vial to her eyes and let the tears from her eyes flow into them. The liquid which was collected glowed with a pink light all of its own. She replaced the stopper and pressed the vial into his hands. "Take these tears of mine Hero, for in them are contained all of my heart, and in them can be found healing from any wound. Use them wisely for all our sakes." He handled the glass vial carefully, as though it was a fragile egg. She laughed again and said, "Have not fear for the delicacy of the vessel. Fairy glass cannot break even if your horse were to balance on it with all four hooves." He then slipped the vial into his front jacket pocket, realizing the value of the gift he had been given. "Thank you, lady." He said, bowing his head slightly because it seemed the thing to do. "You would bow to me?" She said in disbelief. "You have not changed, humble Hero. For that again, I am glad. Now go, fulfill your quest."
Link then remembered where he was and what he was doing, and so he asked, "I am not sure of my quest, lady. I felt like I should take this trail with my horse, but I don't know where it leads to. Our princess has been taken by a dragon. I don't even know how I know it was a dragon, but I do. That was up in Hyrule Field, but I feel like I need to follow this road, and I am so confused right now. Can you tell me at least where I am going?" Some of his emotions from the previous day spilled into his voice, and he became embarrassed at how much he said. He certainly didn't sound like the confident Hero to himself.
The fairy listened patiently to him, and then looked at him with an almost maternal compassion and said, "It is disturbing news you bring me, my Hero. Disturbing news indeed. But I assure you that you are indeed on the right trail, for this path leads to the Sacred Grove of the Temple of Time. There you will find an old friend, perhaps more than one, who will aid you in your search for our beloved Princess." She told him. "And now I have detained you for too long. Go with my blessing, my Hero, and if you should ever need my help or the help of my sisters, find our fountains and we will give you all the aid within our power." And with that, she quickly pressed her lips to his, giggled girlishly, and then vanished into a thousand points of light, and all was quiet again in the natural fountain.
Link just stood there motionless for some time before he waded back out of the water. Strangely he felt strong and powerful and full of energy in spite of his hours of riding, and the monsters he had just fought. "Let's go." He told Epona, and then mounted her, practically leaping into her saddle. Taking one last look at the fountain, he then urged Epona down the trail again.
Hours later, Link and Epona emerged from the forgotten horse trail into a clearing in the woods. At one end of the clearing stood a great, massive Deku tree that appeared to have been growing for centuries if not longer. A wooden path carved out of roots and dirt led up to the base of it, though from that distance he couldn't see why there might be. To the left of him looked to be the ruins of an old wooden structure, though it was so old, he couldn't tell what it might have been at one time. It was mostly quiet in the clearing as he took in the whole sight in front of him until he nudged Epona forward slowly.
It's off to the left. The thought passed through his mind. The pathway is off to the left. Not knowing what that meant he rode Epona towards to his left, what he believed was slightly north or northwest. A few minutes later he came upon a chain link fence with signs posted every few feet, "NO ENTRY BY ORDER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY – USE OF DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED – AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." Razor wire ran along the top of the fence all the way across the considerable distance as far as he could see.
"They're really serious about this aren't they girl?" He asked his horse. "I wonder what they've got back there they don't want anyone to see." He said.
You need to go down there, again his thoughts were bidding him onwards. "You've got to be kidding me." He said in response, arguing with his own mind. But he urged his mount on along the fence, trying to see if there was a way through. Not far down he came upon a guard tower which had been erected behind the fence, and some kind of a gate had been set into it. He rode up to the gate, but didn't make any attempt to cross it. "As long as we stay on the right side of it, we should be fine, eh girl?
"Halt!" A gray suited guardsmen called out, and Link turned his head to look at him. The guardsmen came out from behind the gate. He was carrying what Link knew was the kind of rifle that only Hyrule's military forces were permitted to use, the kind which could reduce a man to shredded meat in a matter of seconds. He wondered if his shield could stop the rounds.
"You aren't permitted to be here, sir. This is a restricted area. I'm going to have to ask you to..." The guardsmen looked directly up into Link's face. "I'll be damned." He said instead of the speech he was going to give about turning his horse around and going back the way he came.
"I'm sorry?" Link said.
"What's your name, sir?" The guardsman asked.
"Link." Link responded. "Link Faroson." He had thought to offer to just ride off, but something within him refused to do anything of the sort. Stand your ground against these men, it kept telling him.
"Can you dismount and come with me, sir?" The guardsman framed it as a request, but Link knew it wasn't. He quickly dismounted, but didn't offer up anything else. "Epona comes with me." He told the guardsman.
"That isn't a problem, sir. There's a place inside the gate for you to tie her up. Don't worry, we'll take good care of her." The guardsman replied in a professional manner. "Please follow me inside the gate."
Link took Epona's reins and followed the guardsman to the other side where there was an entire command post for the Kingdom Guardsmen set up, including a building for sleeping quarters.
"What is this place?" Link asked.
"This is the entry point for the Sacred Grove, sir. I was under the impression that you were informed of that." The guardsman responded as he showed where Link could tie Epona up next to other horses used by the guard to navigate the uneven terrain.
"You seem to know who I am and what I'm doing here." Link observed after he had seen to Epona.
"We received orders earlier today to expect you, and to give you unimpeded access to the Grove. We are not to molest you or stop you in any way, and to render whatever assistance we can give." The guardsman replied. "My name is Guard Captain Jovani."
Link was completely taken by surprise. They were expecting me? The military was expecting me to come to a restricted area that no one knows is here? What is going on? He wondered. "Who gave those orders?" Link asked.
"Our orders come directly from King Daphnes Johnson himself, sir. I will escort you personally anywhere you want to go or see as if you were his majesty himself."
Towards the canyon, the inner voice urged Link. "I need to go towards the canyon." He said.
"Right this way, sir, follow me. Will you be needing to go into the Grove?" Captain Jovani asked.
Yes. "Yes." Link responded.
They came to the edge of a great canyon where a system of bridges, checkpoints, and elevators had been set up. Heavily armed gray uniformed guards patrolled every checkpoint and every bridge. Large gun emplacements were placed at key points to cover the entry through the canyon completely. Good, the thought came unbidden to Link's mind. This is good. But Link said nothing. He just took in the entire sight. The other guardsmen who saw him stared at him as though in awe. He caught the sight of one man passing a wad of banknotes to another who had reached out his hand, mouthing the words, "pay up."
"So, you're on a fencing team?" The guard captain asked him.
"Huh?" Link said, having been focusing on all of the security measures around him. His sense brought in all the information he needed instinctively to avoid, circumvent, or neutralize every threat around him he realized. He had been thinking it through without meaning to.
"Your sweatshirt." The guard captain pointed out.
Link looked down, he was still wearing his green fencing sweatshirt. "Yeah, Ordon Provincial Champions two years in a row."
"I was on my High School team in Eldin." The Captain went on. "As I recall, we kicked your collective butts in the inter-provincial semi-finals."
"Not when I was on the team." Link said matter of factly. "Not in the last two years." In fact he had personally trounced Kakariko's best varsity swordsman when they came to town for competition.
"That was held at Sariaton in Lanayru this past year wasn't it?" The Captain asked.
"No. It was held at Ordonville the last two years. I've never been out of Ordon before now." Link responded.
"Is that a fact?" The captain replied, though it was more of a statement than a question. He became pensive and quiet after that, not offering up much more conversation. They came to the caged elevators that led them down into the long descent to the grove.