New Chapter! Possibly an end to the cliffhanger part? Not saying anything. Warning: this one is a long one.
-=]I[=-
"The Sword… it's gone…"
"How is this possible?" Zelda stared at the podium, not daring to believe it was actually gone.
"It shouldn't be… it was said to have rested here…"
"The only other documented location of the Master Sword is the Temple of Time, and we were already there."
Link slammed his fist into a giant tree root, causing one of the little creatures to jump out of its hiding spot and scurry off. Zelda looked at him disapprovingly, these woods were supposed to be sacred, after all.
"Excuse me!" Zelda and Link turned around in surprise as a booming voice seemed to shake the forest around them.
"Who said that?" Zelda reached for the bow she had strapped to her back. Link already had his sword drawn and was looking around suspiciously.
"I did." Bewildered, the two of them looked around the clearing, still not finding the source of the voice. "I would appreciate if you would not hit my roots."
Slowly, Zelda turned to face the massive tree. The giant wooden face peered down at them, but not in a malignant way. Instead, it looked old and kindly, like an old grandfather taking amusement in his grandchildren's antics. And it was talking. Completely normal.
"Oh, sorry about that." Link stared up at the tree and slowly sheathed his sword. "I didn't mean…"
"Don't worry, it matters not. An old tree's roots aren't something you need to worry about."
Zelda was still speechless. She had always assumed that the Great Deku Tree was a myth, a fairytale. Of course, vanishing in a cold mist and reappearing at the front gates of a mysterious forest also seemed like a story. Perhaps it was wise to assume that the majority of the tales told in Hyrule weren't just falsehoods.
Twilight barked, somewhat impatiently.
"Ah, so you've returned, have you? It's been a while, hasn't it?"
If this wasn't strange before. Now, apparently the Deku Tree knew Twilight.
"Pardon me, Great Deku Tree, but we are here to find the Master Sword." Zelda might have sounded rude, but if the goddess was appearing to her in her dreams, could she really spend time talking to an old tree? The entire realm was at stake!
"Hm, quite straightforward, are we? You're quite different from your ancestor, you know. She was quite the talker. But I do see the similarities between you two. Very well, I will tell you what I know about the sacred blade… the sword that seals the darkness… the Master Sword."
Zelda started to express her gratitude, but was interrupted.
"However, I know not whether you are ready to wield this blade. Should one who is unworthy of it attempt such an act, they are doomed to fall. Before I tell you anything, I wish to assess your strength."
Link smiled confidently. "Alright. I'm sure we can handle it, right Lana?"
"Hmm. Interesting. I thought you… ah, never you mind. Just the ramblings of an old tree. Speak with Chio, the same korok who addressed the last Hero."
"Thank you, Great Deku Tree," Zelda said, respectfully bowing her head. Inside, she was panicking slightly. That was close. If the Deku Tree knows who I am, he could have told Link. I suppose I'm lucky. He's come close to realizing several times. I must tread carefully.
"So,you're Chio?" Link was already speaking to one of the little creatures from before. A korok, a forest spirit.
"I am! I never thought I'd ever see another Mr. Hero again! I guess you're here to try the Korok Trials! You need to follow the bean lamps and find some of my friends who can explain them to you. The trials are: The Trial of Wood!" The little korok mimed slashing a sword around. "The Trial of Second Sight!" He put a hand over his eyes(?) and spun around in a circle. "And… The Lost Pilgrimage! Best of luck to you, Mr. Hero!"
-]I[-
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the first trial. A korok was waiting for them, playing around with a leaf branch. Zelda giggled. They really were adorable.
"Ah! You're here! I'm honored that you are taking on my trial first! Welcome to the Lost Pilgrimage. Us Koroks undergo this challenge when we are young. My name is Oaki, by the way. I met the last Mr. Hero here a while ago. He was supposed to follow me and make sure I was safe, but I did the trial allllll by myself in the end. Anyway, you need to find a Shrine in there."
"How do we know what the right path is?"
Oaki sighed. "It's a trial-and-error thing. Your trick you used to get here won't work, it'll just guide you back to the Korok Forest. But remember to watch the flowers and go through the hollow oak tree. Good luck, Mr. Hero!"
Link and Zelda started down the trail.
"They keep calling you 'Mr. Hero.' It's kind of adorable."
"I guess you're right. I don't feel like much of a hero though. Twilight is the only real reason we got through the woods in the first place. I haven't done a lot of heroic stuff."
Zelda stopped walking. "Link. If anyone in this entire world is a hero, it's you. Now quit whining about how you've only rid the world of a few assassins and bloodthirsty monsters and accept the fact that you are the bravest, strongest, kindest person I know and keep walking."
Link looked stunned for a minute, then continued walking. It might have been the mist, but Zelda could have sworn there was a pinkish tinge to his cheeks.
Zelda and Link were able to make it to a hollow oak tree. Oakie was right, they could pass through the grounded trunk with ease, and they were able to follow the blue flowers that created a path for them. Once or twice, one of them would wander a bit too far to the side and begin to fade away, but the other (or in one instance, Twilight) was able to pull them back to safety.
"Wow." Link, who was a bit further up the path, gasped slightly. Zelda rushed up next to him. One of the ancient shrines, glowing with a soft blue light, illuminated a meadow full of flowers. Zelda pulled out the Sheikah Slate for the first time in a little while and quickly captured an image. The opportunity was too beautiful to pass up.
"Well, one trial down."
-]I[-
The two had just started the trial of Second Sight, and they were hopelessly lost. Three times had one of them strayed too far into the mist, and three times they had appeared at the beginning, gasping and shivering.
Metal.
Link looked quizzically at Wolf Link, who was curled up on the ground, half asleep.
"What?"
Metal. All I'm going to say. Now, I'm trying to nap.
Helpful. Link turned to Lana.
"Call me crazy, but I think it has something to do with metal."
"You are crazy. We tried that, remember? We couldn't find the next one, got lost, and now we're back here."
"I know that. It's got to be something to do with it though, right?"
"I suppose so. If only we had…" Lana trailed off, then whipped out the strange tablet. "If only we had an easier way of seeing it… by the Goddess, why didn't I use this before?"
"Use what before?"
"Magnesis!"
Link couldn't really make sense of it, but she seemed confident enough. He followed her into the fog.
They two of them made it further than they had before, all the way to a stone tablet, flanked by two lit braziers. On it read a faded inscription: Feed me the aged shield guarded by monsters eternal. My brother will repay you in kind.
"The rusted shield from before." Link glanced behind them, at a small rise with a rusty shield embedded in the top. They had fought off a few stalkoblins there, but hadn't bothered to pick up the shield. Lana nodded and ran back, picking up the shield. Hesitantly, she dropped it into the mouth of the tree behind the tablet, and a silver chest dropped down in the mouth of a nearby tree. In the distance, another pair of torches could be seen.
Link retrieved the treasure (a nice lump of amber, which could be sold later) and led Lana down to the lake. There was a decent enough raft in front of them, which could easily be brought across the lake. Link directed it using a korok leaf (he still had no idea how those things worked, but whatever) and they started drifting across the lake.
"Lana, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead." She smiled.
"When we thought we were going to be lost in the woods, what did you want to say to me?"
"It's nothing." She looked away quickly. "Nothing that would interest you anymore."
Link wanted to press the matter more, but dropped the subject. If she didn't want to say something, fine. He was going to respect that. Hylia knows what he was keeping from her. Leaving the kingdom against the king's orders was treason.
It didn't matter anyway. They had come across the next carving.
Place my chest back in my mouth. The shield-eater's brother stole it from me.
"How are we going to lift that chest?"
"Leave it to me." Lana whipped out the slate and directed it towards the chest. A small orb of yellow light shot out of the slate and made contact with the chest. Lana easily directed it back towards herself, and carefully placed it in the mouth.
As if he didn't have enough to question about that girl…
They didn't waste any time gawking. The sun was getting low.
-]I[-
It was already sark by the time they arrived at the final trial: The Trial of Wood. Three weapons were laid out- bow, sword, and shield. Zelda was better archery, and Link was better at swordplay. They reached an unspoken agreement and took the respective weapons.
The task seemed simple enough: the boundaries were marked, they could only use the wooden weapons, and they had to reach another shrine.
The first onslaught of monsters appeared in a clearing. They were easily dispatched. Link would rush up and attack while Zelda provided covering fire. If a stray projectile headed towards Zelda, Link was able to perform a perfectly timed parry and deflect it right back at the sender.
Link wouldn't be vain to call himself the greatest warrior in Hyrule. He would simply be stating the obvious. Zelda admired her perfect form. It somewhat reminded her of the knights back at the castle. Of course, he did used to be a knight. But somehow his style was more refined, more elegant. He was stunning to watch.
"Well, are you too stunned to shoot those arrows?" Link gave her a crooked grin and Zelda giggled.
"I'm just reloading. Don't flatter yourself too much."
"Hm. I'll try not to."
The hardest part of the trial was near the swamp, with a huge number of monsters, all armed to the teeth. Zelda's bow ran out of arrows, and Link's shield shattered after trying to repel an attack.
"Do we retreat?"
"No! In my pocket, there's an extra arrow. Of the explosive variety. Take it and fire it right in the center. When they're dazed, I'll finish them off."
Zelda took the arrow in her hands. It was tipped with a sack of gunpowder, and obviously it was highly dangerous.
The monsters continued to change formation, pummeling them with volleys of arrows. They left no openings for Zelda to fire her own arrow.
"I can't get a clear shot!"
"I'll boost you! Run at me."
Zelda complied, charging at Link at full speed. She stepped onto his palms and he threw her into the air.
Time seemed to slow down as Zelda pulled back the bowstring and released. The arrow zoomed towards its mark, Link dove for cover behind a nearby rock, and Zelda remained suspended in the air, watching the arrow slowly fall to the ground.
Time snapped back to normal again. The arrow hit the ground and exploded into a beautiful mass of color and light. Fire rained down over the monsters as Link dashed forward, executing every last one of them.
Every last one of them, save one. A lizalfos took advantage of Zelda's dazed state, she had been quite close to the explosion, after all, and scurried towards her, weapon raised.
Zelda blocked the blow with her bow, but the metal edge of the boomerang slowly began to cut through the wood.
Link couldn't make it in time, and Twilight was busy wrestling a bokoblin into the swamp.
But Zelda refused to allow this to be the end. She wasn't helpless at the hands of the Yiga Clan anymore. She was stronger. Smarter. With a swift kick, she launched the lizalfos into the point of Link's blade. Both their weapons shattered, but it didn't matter. They had won.
The final shrine appeared in the distance. They didn't bother trying to reach it, they just walked back into the woods, hand in hand.
-]I[-
It was well past midnight when they arrived back at the empty pedestal. The Great Deku Tree looked at them with pride.
"I see now that you two are worthy heroes. And so, I will tell you what has become of the Master Sword."
-=]I[=-
Long chapter. Very long chapter. I didn't think I should space out the Korok Trials, so I didn't. Hehehe.
I bet you were hoping for an answer to my cliffhanger. Sorry, next chapter maybe? You'll never know.
As for the reviews: Bladeofthebookworms, I'm glad you're picking up on hints like this… I won't make promises, but it's pretty likely that Dark Link will appear some time later. As for the selfie, I could go on and on about the ones I've taken, but my favorite is a series of five where a Lynel kills me eventually. The last one is literally the whole club taking up the screen. Yeah, Twilight is kind of the "annoyed older brother" in this story, but he's going to be given a much bigger part soon enough. And glad you liked the surprise! It's still a mystery though… Green Tunic, as hinted before, Shade will probably appear later, so stay tuned. Well, if it isn't Aaron Burr, sir. Glad you like the story! Not-So-Silent, I will do my best. Kaikitty, they can be shifty, but they are kind of cute though.
Thanks so much for reading, and have a wonderful day!
~Silver