The Ordona Woods burned before Link's eyes. Ordon Village went up in flames. Houses crumpled to coals and ashes. Ilia, Malon, and Romani were huddled together, encircled in a ring of fire.

"Link! Help us!"

He ran toward them and reached out for their extended hands. Just when he was within grasp, the ring of fire swallowed them up.

"NO!"

Link reached into the fire and tried to catch them anyway, but the jutting flames knocked him away and burned his hand. Evil cackling exploded behind him. He looked up and saw the dark man with fire in his eyes towering over him. He was looking down on Link.

"I'm so close!" He yelled. "I'll find you! And when I do, I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!"

The man slammed his heavy fist into Link's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As Link collapsed, the man laughed and disappeared in a flash of fire.

Link shakily got to his feet, struggling to regain his breath. He was in the Ordona Spring, the woods around him burnt and blackened. Across the spring, he saw the wolfos made of light, and it spoke to him in a low, growling, strangely maternal voice.

"Run, boy," the female wolfos snarled. "Run while you still can."

It charged at him and leapt with its sharp fangs bared. Link screamed and covered his face with his arms, bracing himself for the bloody impact. But it never came. Link peered out between his arms, and saw neither the wolfos, nor the spring. He was now in the Ordona Woods outside the village. They were whole again, unmarred by the fires from before. He lowered his arms, looked to his left, to his right, and straight ahead. Nothing but trees.

A deafening cracking and splintering of wood erupted from a hundred-foot tall tree in front of him. Time slowed as the tree tumbled to the ground, casting a dark shadow as it crashed down on Link.

"AAAAAGH!"

Link's eyes snapped open and he sat upright, gasping. He was sitting on his mat in the out-of-doors, alongside everyone in the village. There was nothing left of the bonfire in front of him except for cold, black coals. Everyone around him slept soundlessly. The waning moon and stars lit up the forest and village in an eerie blue light.

"Link?"

A urking noise slipped from Link's throat as he whipped around toward the voice. He cringed from a lit oil lamp and a concerned Rusl.

"You okay, son?"

"…No."

"Why don't you come and sit with me?"

Rusl extended his strong hand, and Link gazed groggily at it before returning his own. He felt himself being lifted off the ground, then set gently down on his feet.

"Come on. You can keep watch with me."

Rusl stepped carefully over and around each sleeping person that lied on the ground. Link stood and swayed back and forth sleepily, then shook his head and followed after him. It was a wonder he didn't trip over any of the other villagers. Rusl led Link to a willow tree with branches that hung down as low as the ground, creating a natural hiding place for them. He pushed aside the draping curtain of branches, revealing a wide root that grew out from the ground. Rusl sat on the root, placing the lamp on the ground. Link sat next to him.

"I've been keeping watch now for about five hours."

"Aren't you tired?" Link blinked, rubbing his eyes.

"I'll stay up all night if I have to."

"What about the others? Weren't they supposed to help keep watch, too?"

"They got so drunk, they're out cold for the night."

"That's not fair," Link moaned, and Rusl nodded.

The two waited together on the tree root as they watched the path and forest between the willow's overhanging fingers. There were no sounds except the barely audible burning wicker of the oil lamp, and the chirping of distant tektites. They let the stillness of the night surround them.

"Link."

"Yeah?"

"You were tossing and turning the whole night through. You okay?"

Link sighed and looked down unintentionally at his hands.

"My hand…" he gasped.

"What?"

Link opened his eyes wide in horror and examined the burn wound on his hand; the same one he'd gotten in his dream.

"What's wrong, Link?"

"I dreamed…that my friends were burning…and when I tried to save them…I got burned too."

"Link, what happened?"

Rusl's voice grew stern and critical, but Link was beside himself, and broke down.

"Why is this happening to me?!"

He sobbed and clasped his hands over his face. He tried his hardest to keep quiet, but he couldn't stifle his sniffles or hiccups. His hot, salty tears stung the surreal burn. Rusl grabbed Link by the shoulders and shook him forcefully.

"Link! You listen to me!"

Link stopped crying and stared straight into Rusl's crazed eyes.

"You can beat him, you hear me?! You can beat him, but you've got to get a grip on yourself."

"What?!" Link demanded, bewildered. "Beat who?"

Rusl stared back urgently at Link, and abruptly released him.

"Sorry."

"Rusl?"

Rusl refused to look at Link.

"Something else is happening to me."

Rusl finally turned to face him.

"This isn't just Hylian puberty, is it? All these dreams, they don't make sense. I'm going crazy!"

"Link, take a deep breath, and tell me what happened in your dream."

Link gulped in as much air as he could, and exhaled. He recalled the details of his nightmare more effectively than he would've liked, and relayed the events of his dream to Rusl.

"First the fire, then the dark man, then the wolfos, and the tree?"

"Yes sir."

"You've told me about the fire and the man before, but what about the wolfos?"

"Actually, I saw the wolfos the same day I disappeared in the forest, and saw the Goddesses in the stars. I'd forgotten all about it."

"What about the tree? Have you dreamt anything like that before?"

"No, sir. This is the first time I've seen anything like it."

"Link, look at me, and listen to me very carefully."

"What?"

"Your name is very important. Don't ever give it away to anyone."

"Why not?"

"Just listen. If anyone you don't know asks for your name, do not give it to them. Do you understand?"

"Okay."

Why Rusl felt the need to give him a lecture on stranger danger, especially when he had much bigger problems, was beyond Link.

"I'm serious, Link! No matter what happens, don't ever give your name out to anyone you don't trust! Make up a name if you have to, you can even use mine if you can't think of one, but don't ever give out your name carelessly!"

"Okay, okay! I got it!"

"Keep that in mind, and keep your eyes open. You're a smart kid, Link."

Link didn't bother asking anymore questions, now that he was more confused that ever.

"We can talk more in the morning, but for now, let me see your hand."

"It doesn't hurt much," he lied. "Only when I touch it."

Link reluctantly gave his hand to Rusl, who carefully scrutinized the burn wound. It was a superficial second degree burn; his skin was bright red, and a blister had formed on his thumb. Small pieces of skin flaked off where the burn was most prevalent.

"Are you sure you didn't accidentally put your hand in the bonfire while you slept?"

"We weren't sitting anywhere near the fire. We were in the back, remember?"

"You can go into the spring as soon as the sun rises, but it's too dangerous to go in the middle of the night. Try and get some sleep. Can you find your way back to your mat?"

"I think so. The stars make it really bright out here."

Link pushed himself off the root of the tree.

"Link?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm sorry I grabbed you earlier. I didn't mean to frighten you. I know you're confused, but right now isn't the time to talk. Don't worry, the answer will come eventually. It always does."

"Thank you, Rusl."

"Don't mention it."

Link parted the willow drape and stepped out of the light of the lamp. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the moon and starlight before slowly making his way back to his empty mat. Malon stirred and turned onto her other side, facing away from him. The image of her being devoured by flames came back to him, and he shuddered.

"If anything happens to any of us, you'll come and save us, just like a hero. Right, Link?"

"I promise I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever."

Link lied down and gazed up at the stars. Going back to sleep only frightened him, since the thought of having another nightmare was unbearable.

His eyelids were finally fluttering closed when he realized he heard unfamiliar voices within earshot. His heart skipped a beat. Without realizing that his hearing abilities had doubled since his ears had grown, Link listened in on the apparent conversation.

"…ya hurry up? Someone's gonna hear us."

"I'm tryin', but these boxes are really heavy."

Boxes? What boxes?

"We just gotta get across the bridge with as many as we can, and we'll be safe."

The bridge? Were they talking about the bridge outside of town, the one overlooking the canyon?

"I swear, the owner of Romani Ranch is an idiot."

Romani Ranch?!

"No!"

Link sat up quickly. The thieves! They were here, and they were taking the milk!

"Who's there?!"

Link quickly laid back down and lied perfectly still.

"Not so loud! You nearly woke up the whole dang village!"

"I could've swore I saw somethin'."

"It was probably just one of 'em movin' in their sleep. Let's just go already. There ain't too many left."

How did they even get into the village?! Wasn't Rusl keeping watch?

From what Link could tell, there were only two of them, and they didn't sound nice at all. He also heard them say 'there ain't too many left.'

"What do I do?!"

Link's heart was practically bursting from his chest.

"I can't just lie here and let them take the milk! If they do, Cremia will be ruined! I gotta do something!"

Link lifted his hand out past his head as far as he could, flipped over onto his stomach, and began crawling as swiftly as he could. With the same he'd used when Romani challenged him to shoot the targets with a bow and arrow, he weaved through all the sleeping villagers without making a single sound, and didn't stop until he came back to the willow where Rusl was sitting.

"Rusl! Rusl!" He hissed loudly.

It was no use. Rusl was fast asleep, snoring loudly, his head slumped over on his shoulder. He wasn't waking up anytime soon. Link felt his heart plummet into his stomach.

"What do I do? What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!"

Link jumped back and forth between trying to shake Rusl awake and looking to see where the thieves could have gone. Every second he lost more and more hope; he felt sure the thieves were taking the milk and cutting town that very second.

"Oh man! What do I do?! Oh, Goddess, somebody help me!"

Piercing blue eyes suddenly entered his mind, and Link froze. The man from the picture in the book infiltrated his vision and impaled every sense of panic that had seized him.

"But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand…a boy clothed in green appeared as if out of nowhere. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he drove out the darkness with wisdom and courage…"

Yeah! That's right! Link wanted to be a hero, didn't he? It was his big chance, and he was running around like an idiot, instead of going out there and stopping those guys himself! How could he be so blind?!

He didn't have time to think. He had to stop those guys no matter what, and there wasn't a moment to lose! But how, was the question.

"I've got an idea." Link grinned and sprinted for the bridge.

"Try not to drop any of the boxed," one of thieves directed. "They're no good to us if they're broken."

Following his direction immediately was the sound of a box hitting the ground and of a bottle smashing into pieces.

"What the hell did I just say?!"

"Sorry, bro," the other apologized. "These boxes are packed way too tight."

"Just keep movin', would ya?"

The two gruff and humorless men finished carrying two more boxes to the carriage waiting by the bridge, when the younger of them noticed something strange.

"Hey bro?" he said. "Where'd all the milk go?"

The older one looked and noticed that several boxes in their carriage were gone.

"Confound it! We've been had! Get back to the village and get the last of the milk! And hurry, before they wake up!"

The younger brother sprinted back toward the village while the elder began searching the woods. With a lit oil lamp in hand, he shoved aside bushes and branches with the least bit of regard. He tore away a smaller bush when he saw four of the milk crates, each one stacked on top of the other.

"Ha! Found ya!"

"Found what, mister?"

The man gave a loud yelp when he saw a boy no older than nine sitting cheekily on top of the stacked milk crates.

"Why you little-"

Those were his last words before the boy leaped off and smashed a boulder down on his head, hard enough to knock him out. The man flopped to the ground, dropping the oil lamp in his hand. Link picked up the lamp and set it upright, away from the trees and any loose foliage.

"Now to wait for the other one."

"What's goin' on back there?"

A voice Link hadn't heard until now called out from the driver's seat. He ducked into the forest just as the carriage driver stepped down from his seat and walked around to the back.

"Of course they'd have a driver!" Link mentally slapped himself. "How could I be so stupid?!"

"What the- Gorman?! Wake up, man!"

The driver stooped down and grabbed the unconscious man's shoulders, trying to shake him awake.

"You can't sleep at a time like this!"

"What an idiot!"

Link sneered, and jumped up into the branches above him.

"Who's there?!" The driver called out to the forest, hearing the rustling of the branches. He looked all about the forest but saw nothing.

The sound of a snapping twig came from the other side of the woods, and the driver sped around.

"Show yourself!"

"Don't hurt me!" Link cried out, weakly limping out of the forest into full view. The driver relaxed.

"It's just a kid," he sighed in relief. "What're you doin' in the woods in the middle of the night?"

"I was trying to get home," he grunted, grabbing at his hand. "But I got lost, and then I was attacked by the Takkuri."

"A takkuri? Shoot kid, that ain't no big deal."

"Not a takkuri. The Takkuri."

"What's the takkuri?"

"It's like a regular takkuri, but it's as big as a mountain, and it breathes fire! It got my hand, see?"

Link shoved his burnt hand into the driver's face, who backed away in revulsion.

"Yuck! Yes, I see!"

Link looked down at the man he'd knocked unconscious, and gasped.

"Oh no! The Takkuri's here! It must've killed him!"

The driver's forehead started beading drops of sweat.

"It'll come back! You've gotta get outta here!"

"What do I do?! I'm waitin' for someone, but I don't wanna be killed by no fire-breathing bird!"

"They're probably dead, too! Get outta here!" Link yelled. "Save yourself, or it'll kill you, too!"

The driver ran back towards the carriage.

"Wait! Look at all the milk you've got in the back!" Link warned, pointing to the carriage's load. "You'll never make it out alive if you're carrying all that! It'll weigh you down!"

"Yeah, good idea!"

The driver jumped into the back of the cart and started throwing out the milk crates as fast as he could. With his newly-gained Hylian speed, Link darted back and forth, catching each box of milk before they hit the ground and carefully placing them upright.

"Thanks for the warning, kid!"

The driver, now steering a completely empty carriage, snapped at the reins, set the drawn horse at a mad dash, and galloped away. It didn't take long for the carriage to cross the bridge and disappear into the night.

"Good thing they weren't stealing Cremia's cart, too," Link smiled as brushed his hands and watched the carriage go. "Now for the next part."

Link approached a nearby tree and ripped off several tender young limbs, bending and stretching them. Using them as a makeshift rope, Link tied them together and used the tied branches to bind the unconscious thief's hands and feet together.

Next, Link used a trick that Talon had shown him a long time ago; he'd have to re-proportion it to work right, but it wouldn't be too hard to figure out.

Link found a tree deeper in the woods that was young and supple compared to the surrounding ones. It stood about twenty-five feet high, and flexed back and forth easily when he tested it. He broke off the extending limbs, and made another extra long rope out of them. Leaving the rope at the base of the tree, he climbed up to the very top, and under his weight, the tip of the tree bent down until it reached the ground. While still holding onto the top, Link carefully stepped onto the ground, and picked up the rope he'd made, and tied it tightly around the tip. When he released the rope, the tree swung back upright.

Link then marched to where he'd left the bound and unconscious man, dragged him back, and laid him eight feet away from the tree snare. He then climbed the tree once more, far enough to reach the rope, and jumped down. The tree bent at the drag of the rope, so Link pulled on it even further until it was nice and tight and wouldn't bend anymore without breaking. Stamping his foot down on the rope to keep it down, Link grabbed the end of the rope and made a noose out of it. He then carefully looped the noose around the unconscious man's hands and feet, and stepped off the rope. The tree flung back, carrying the man with it. The noose tightened and the man hung against the tree's bark, low enough that Link could jump up and touch him.

"He won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

Link ripped the sleeve from his sweater, and ripped it again lengthwise. He used both of the new pieces to blindfold and gag the man. He'd just finished the task when the thief started coming to. His moans as he awoke and his screams for help were muffled by the makeshift gag.

"Don't worry, mister. I'll take good care of you."

The thief's screams for help quickly turned into screams of rage. He struggled to get loose, swinging back and forth on the end of the rope.

"What in blazes?! Now where's the carriage?!"

The younger thief's voice exploded angrily from the path. Link picked up a loose pebble, and tossed it out towards the path. It landed with a 'plink,' just in front of where the thief stood. He looked into the woods, and Link ducked into a nearby bush and waited. The man tore into the forest.

"Brother?! What are you doing up there?"

The tied-up thief wriggled, let out smothered yells, and shook his head.

"Don't worry. I'll get you down."

The younger reached up into the tree and undid the elder's gag.

"IT'S A TRAP!"

Too late. Before the younger thief knew what hit him, Link took the same boulder he'd used before and bashed it over his head, doing away with the last thief. He collapsed while still holding the part of Link's sleeve.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT! WHEN I GET DOWN FROM HERE, I'LL SMASH YOUR FACE IN!"

Link reached down, pulled his sleeve out of the comatose thief's hand, and tied it over the other thief's mouth again, muting the furious curses to muffles once more. With a few more tender tree limbs, Link bound the last man's hands and feet together, and after ripping off his other sleeve, blindfolded and gagged him just like his brother. He didn't bother to tie him into the tree the way he had with the other; he decided there was no need for that.

"What do I do now? I have to wake someone up, but I can't leave them here by themselves."

Unbeknownst to Link, the thief hanging in the tree fingered through his own pockets despite the ties, looking for his concealed knife. He soon found the dagger and began sawing away at his bonds.

"Maybe I can check and see if Rusl will wake up again," Link thought.

At that moment, the branch rope came undone, and the thief tumbled to the ground.

Link jumped back in shock and barely dodged as the thief took a blind swing at him with his knife, making contact with Link's face and slicing his cheek. The thief ripped off his blindfold and gag and made a grab at Link, but Link swerved to the right and managed to jump into a tree out of reach.

"GET DOWN HERE YOU BRAT! YOU'RE GONNA FUCKING PAY!"

An impending sense of doom crept up on Link as he realized his plan had failed. He stuck one of his fingers into the open slash on his cheek. Ignoring the pain, he coated his finger as much as possible and flung the blood down at the raging thief beneath him. The drops of blood fell into the thief's eyes, and he screamed and clawed at his eyes.

Link jumped out of the tree and kicked the thief in the face on his way down. They both crashed to the ground, sprawled out on the forest floor. The knife flew out of the thief's hand and rolled into a bush.

The thief quickly stood up, and with furious bloodshot eyes, grabbed at Link one more time, and succeeded. He lifted Link clear off the ground by the collar of his sweater, who writhed in the man's grasp.

"You're not getting away from me this time!"

The man wound up his fist and punched Link in the mouth. Blood, saliva, and a tooth flew out of Link's lips as the man wound up and punched him again, this time right below his eye. The man pounded him one more time, hitting him on the open cut on his cheek, and Link blacked out. The man threw Link against a tree, and he felt himself slam into its trunk before he fell on his flat on his stomach and passed out.

Link groaned and finally roused. His cheek throbbed painfully, and he tasted iron in his mouth. He knew he was going to have a black eye, and as he tried to move his hand to touch the swelling bruise, he realized he couldn't. He looked down and saw a coarse rope that tied him around the trunk of a tree. He grunted and squirmed, trying to free himself.

"Don't even try it, you little shit."

Link looked up and saw both of the thieves standing over him. The other one must've woken up while he was unconscious.

"Let…me go," Link weakly demanded.

"Not on your life," The younger thief laughed.

Link slowly became aware of his situation again, and found that his whole body was in a great deal of pain, not just his face. They must've beaten him after he blacked out. The taste of iron became unbearable to to Link, and he spat on the ground. A dangerous amount of blood fell out of his mouth. The cords were tied so tight he could barely breath. He coughed and his chest suddenly lit up on fire. They must've kicked him in the chest, too.

"What's your name, kid?" The older thief demanded.

"If anyone you don't know asks for your name, do not give it to them. Use my name if you can't think of one. Do you understand, Link?"

"R-rusl," Link managed to say.

"Look at his ears, bro," the younger thief pointed at him. "He's Hylian."

"So what?"

"They ain't pierced, though."

"Hey. Why ain't your ears pierced, Rusl?" The elder snickered. Link frowned.

"I w-was raised by h-humans." He gasped, bursting his lungs when he breathed in too deeply. He coughed again. The older thief smiled maliciously.

"What a freak."

Nothing that the man had said, not even his vulgar language, had hurt Link in the slightest, until now. The word 'freak' echoed traumatically in his mind. It must've shown on his face.

"What's the matter, kid?" The man asked mockingly. "Strike a nerve?"

Link glared up angrily at the man with his pale eyes. The man's taunting sneer turned down into a thoughtful frown.

"Bro. Go get the rock the snot used to knock us out. Bring it here."

He definitely didn't like the sound of that, but all Link could do was watch and listen. The younger one ran off into the forest while the older one stayed behind. He pulled out the knife he'd recovered earlier, approached Link so that he his face was only a few inches from his, and leisurely moved the knife back and forth across Link's line of vision. As Link followed the path of the knife as it swung to and fro, a wave of adrenaline ran through Link's body. He wanted to run away.

"You're gonna pay, kid. For everything you did to us."

The younger thief came staggering back under the weight of the heavy boulder.

"This thing weighs a ton!"

He heaved, and dropped the humongous rock onto the ground. It landed with a thud.

"I guess…" Link wheezed. "You're just weak."

He smirked, but his tease was quickly followed by a hard whack to the face.

"Shut up!" The older thief yelled. "Just who do you think you are, huh?! You think your some kinda hero, here tah save the day?!"

Link spat up more blood and coughed violently, the fire in his lungs flaring up again. He felt his stomach retch aggressively in pain.

The man stooped down, put his face right next to Link's, and spoke in a harsh whisper.

"Well I got news for you kid. Y-"

"I'm not."

He finished the man's statement before he had a chance too, and the man raised an eyebrow at Link.

"What a freak."

The words hit him over and over again. He wasn't a hero, or anything like it. These were two older men way bigger than he was, and he was stupid to think he could stop them. He was just a normal boy on a normal ranch, or at least he had been. Everything that had happened to him over the last few day had taken that away; he didn't even know what he was anymore.

Link's life flashed before his eyes, including the people he'd always thought of as family: Talon and Malon and Ingo and Cremia and Romani and everyone in Ordon Village. Suddenly, they didn't seem like much of a family after all. Talon was Malon's dad, and Mayor Bo was Ilia's dad, and even Romani and Cremia had a father before he died, but what about Link? Where was his dad, or his mom for that matter? Where did they go? Why weren't they here to protect their son?

Beaten up and beaten down, poor Link came up with the answer that most children come up with.

"They didn't want me, because it's true. I am a freak."

Link's head slumped down onto his chest, and he carefully breathed in and out, trying not to flare up his lungs again. He could feel a knot in his throat, but he didn't care.

"Forget this," the older thief said to his younger brother. He'd heard Link mutter what was to him nonsensical gibberish, and he'd had enough.

"Give me that boulder."

The younger thief lifted up the heavy rock and passed it to his older brother, who raised it up above his head.

"Say goodbye, Rusl."

As Link waited patiently to have his brains beaten out, he thought of Malon, and he remembered the day they'd spent in the forest not too long ago. He could almost hear her singing along with his flute.

"I'm sorry, Malon. I couldn't keep your promise."

The boulder came crashing down.

Link heard a snap, and the first thing that came to his mind was that it was the sound of his own neck breaking. He was proven utterly wrong when the snap was proceeded by a blinding flash.

"What the- gack!"

Link's vision was completely gone; he only saw bright white and stars, but he could still make out the sounds of a struggle of some sort go on between the two thieves. He heard the banging of metal, thwacking of fists, as if someone was wrestling, and soon, the noises stopped.

He felt the ropes that bound him to the trunk being removed. His body slumped forward and was caught by two strong, warm arms. He was being carried, but he didn't know where. His mind was so disorientated that it hadn't even occurred to him to consider who his savior was.

As his vision slowly returned, he squinted up at the person rescuing him. He couldn't make out any details of his face, except for his ears; they were the same as his. An instant healing sensation came over Link as he felt himself being slowly lowered into water. He noticed in the east the the sky was lighting up, and he finally got a good luck at the person's face.

Even though the sun hadn't risen yet, Link could clearly see the piercing blue eyes gazing deeply down at him. Through his swollen eye, he saw a green cap on the man's head, and messy blond hair shooting out from underneath it.

"It's… it's you…" He whispered.

The warm man holding him in the water was more surprised at Link's statement than Link was. He stared at Link with a look of epiphany in his eyes.

Link heard a familiar voice talking to this new person, but he felt himself slipping away and couldn't hear very well. He saw Rusl's silhouette standing over him next to the one holding him, saying something. He managed to catch the last bit before he finally went to sleep.

"…know if it's against the rules to tell you this, Link, but I knew all along, and you turned out pretty good…"

"…gonna be okay?"

"We won't know until he wakes up."

"Has the doctor arrived yet?"

"He's on his way, but for now, all we can do is wait."

"Please let us in! We wanna see him!"

"Hush, girls. Not so loud."

"Poor Link. He's been through so much."

"Sorry girls, but you have to leave now."

Faded colors swam around and came into focus as Link's eyes opened. The voices he'd heard had been nothing but muddled sounds, but became comprehensible as he woke. He found he was lying on a firm bed. He tried to sit up, but groaned in pain when his chest flared up, so he flopped back down.

"Hear that? He's awake! Can we see him now, please?!"

"Girls, wait!"

Malon, Romani, and Ilia rushed into the room, cautiously approaching Link's bed, while Cremia followed behind them. Before any of them had a chance, Cremia said, "Don't ask him too many things right now."

"Why not?" asked Romani.

Ilia took hold of Link's hand and started petting it.

"Link, can you hear us?" she asked.

"Nngh…yeah," he mumbled back.

"Can you remember anything?" Malon's eyes were filled with concern as she knelt by Link's pillow.

"…Not really."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he had some memory loss," Rusl's voice came from outside the room as he stood in the frame of the door.

Seeing Rusl, Link's clouded mind began to clear, little by little.

"The spring…" he said groggily.

"That's where Rusl found you, Link," Cremia explained, keeping her voice at a low whisper. "You were very badly injured."

Images of the thieves and his efforts to keep them from stealing the milk entered Link's memory.

"The thieves…tried to stop them but…they tried to kill me."

"Girls, move aside," Cremia ordered them. Ilia, Malon, and Romani stepped away from him, and Cremia and Rusl approached Link's bed.

"They did quite a number on you, Link," Rusl said calmly. "We found quite a few bruises on your body, and the doctor will probably find even more once he gets here. They broke your arm and several of your ribs."

"So that's why my chest hurts so much," Link thought to himself.

"Do you think you can drink anything?" asked Cremia. Link nodded his head slowly.

"I'll hold his head up, " Rusl instructed Cremia. He gently slipped his hand underneath Link's neck and lifted him while Cremia slowly poured water from a bottle into his mouth. The pain in his chest and arm slowly dissolved.

"This is water from the spring, Link," Rusl informed him. "It can't heal internal injuries like broken bones or organ damage if you only step into the spring; you have to drink it to do that."

"The milk!… Is it…?"

"Don't worry," Rusl continued. "The other villagers are recovering it and taking it back to Ordon Ranch as we speak."

"What about…the thieves?"

"They're being detained. Mayor Bo is questioning them right now. They won't be going anywhere."

"We found them tied up next to all the boxes of milk," Cremia said quietly. "Do you know anything about that, Link?"

He shook his head. He remembered tying them up before, but they'd gotten undone when they'd beaten him.

Link's stomach suddenly retched again, and he sat straight up and heaved. He didn't vomit like he thought he was going to, but his heaving and suddenly sitting up started up a violent fit of coughing that made his chest scream in agony. Blood flowed freely from his mouth, staining his sweater and the bed's sheets. At the sudden fit, the three girls cried out and stepped forward, but stopped when Cremia held up her hand.

"That doctor needs to hurry up," Rusl said bitingly. "He always takes his sweet ass time."

"Rusl, please! There's no need for language," Cremia ordered him. "Maybe it'd be better if everyone else waited outside."

"No!" All three of the girls immediately protested.

"We won't leave him!" Malon loudly declared.

"I know, girls. I'm just as worried as you are, but all this noise isn't any good for Link. He needs his rest."

"Cremia, I understand what you're getting at, but I agree with the girls," Rusl pleaded. "If it were me, I'd want to be with the ones I love."

Cremia was her wit's end. She inhaled deeply before yelling.

"GET OUT!"

At her extreme outburst, all three girls and Rusl reluctantly left the room.

"You're making a mistake," Rusl murmured before closing the door behind him.

"I thought she said noise was bad for him," Malon complained before the door closed.

Cremia knelt down by Link's bed once more and steadied him. She carefully wiped the blood away from his mouth. Once he finally stopped coughing, she cleaned up the remaining blood.

"Link, I'm not very happy with you right now."

"No duh," Link thought. He wasn't exactly happy with her either. Rusl had been right; he wanted to see the others so badly, and he wished she hadn't shoved them out, but he didn't have the strength to say so out loud.

"When Rusl woke us up this morning, and showed you to us, we were all scared out of our wits! I told you that if anything happened, you were to tell one of the adults, but you didn't! Why would you do that?"

Cremia kept her eyes down the whole time she worked. She spoke in an angry and exasperated tone that irritated Link.

"I wonder if this is what having a mom is like," he thought.

His mood changed instantly when he saw tears falling from Cremia's eyes, even though she'd tried to hide them.

"Why, Link? Why did you do that?"

She cupped her face into her hands and wept. Link's heart broke watching her. He lifted his good hand and gingerly placed it on Cremia's knee.

"I'm sorry…"

Cremia looked up into Link's worried sympathetic eyes. She grasped hold of his hand.

"Link," she sobbed. "This is the second time in two days that you've saved my ranch. You don't know how much this means to me. Thank you…"

Her teardrops streamed from her eyes and down Link's hand and arm, but he didn't mind.

"Thank you…Thank you so much…"

Cremia looked up at Link, and saw his frail smile through her tears. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you…Link…"

"I'm tellin' ya, it's true!"

A gaggle of rough men, gathered in a saloon in an unknown location, laughed at the storyteller's expense. Each one held a pint of foaming beer in his hand, and drank heartily as they laughed. They'd been there all night, drinking to the New Year, when a carriage drove up to the bar, and the driver burst in with his hilarious tale.

"A takkuri as big as a mountain, and breathes fire?! You're drunk, man!"

"Maybe, but I know what I heard. That kid wasn't lyin'. He had the burn on his hand ta prove it. He showed it to me."

The men fell out of their seats laughing, taking care not to spill their drinks.

"And this kid. This kid," one of them wheezed, trying to regain his breath. "He told you ta run away and leave everything behind, or else the 'Takkuri' was gonna eat you?!"

"You're not drunk!" One of them gasped. "You're an idiot!"

"You're insane!"

At this, the men in the bar busted up in one cacophony of laughter. They jeered at the carriage driver's story, pointing their fingers at him and howling. The driver's face turned crimson in rage and embarrassment.

"Why that little punk! If I ever seem him again, I'll make him pay!"

The bartender, who'd been laughing alongside his customers, interrupted their guffawing.

"You didn't happen to get a good look at this kid now, did you?"

"Yeah, I did actually. He had blond hair and these really strange blue eyes. He also had ears like a Hylian."

The driver stopped and looked suspiciously at the bartender.

"You don't know him, do you?"

"I was gonna say I did, until you mentioned his ears. It sounded like a kid who lives with Talon over on Lon Lon ranch. He adopted him when he found him right outside his ranch, when he was just a babe. It ain't too far from here. But that kid ain't Hylian, so it can't be him."

Just then, a massive hand came out of nowhere, reached over, and lifted the carriage driver clear off his feet. The driver suddenly found himself looking into a pair of yellow eyes so filled with hatred and avarice, that he started shaking out of utter fear.

"This boy," the dark man demanded. "Where is he now?"

The driver stammered helplessly.

"Ah-I-uh-"

"Where?!"

"I-I saw him right outside Ordon Village, so that must be where he is now, I swear!"

The towering man tossed the carriage driver at the table where the other men were drinking, knocking over the table and a pitcher of beer. As the table clattered to the ground, no one dared breath a word.

"Thanks."

With an evil grin, the eight-foot man took two strides toward the bar door, opened it wide, and slammed it behind him. It took several minutes before anyone moved or said anything. The fun which had been there just a moment ago was ripped to shreds.

"Who was that guy?" One of them finally asked.

"He came in a few hours ago," the bartender revealed. "Didn't take his order cause he scared me shitless. I can tell when people wanna be left alone."

"What makes ya say that?"

"'He took a seat over in that booth, the one next to the window, and just fumed the whole time he was here. I didn't know what he was mad about, and I didn't care. He looked like he wanted to murder the next person who bothered him."

"Why didn't we see him before?"

"Cause you idiots were too busy getting drunk to notice him, that's why!" The bartender spoke angrily. "And you!"

He pointed at the carriage driver who lied on the ground soaked in beer.

"Why'd ya go an' tell him where that kid was?!"

"The guy nearly made me piss myself!" The driver cursed furiously. "I wasn't gonna not tell him! You said so yourself, the guy scared ya shitless."

"The kid may have humiliated you, but that doesn't mean he deserves what's about to come to him! Don't you get it?! You just sent death to that kid's door!"

Link lied uncomfortably in his bed. Cremia had left the room to let him sleep. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling aches throughout his body, but was ultimately bored. If Malon or Ilia or Romani were here, he'd at least have someone to talk to, but all he could do was count the tiles on the ceiling and wait for the doctor they said would soon arrive. The problem was that there were no tiles on the ceiling, so he didn't even have that luxury. He thought about the ocarina, and how he could talk to Saria if he had the chance, but the ocarina was still with the rest of his stuff in Fado's old house.

All he could do was try to remember what had happened with the thieves. He recalled how he'd tried bravely to stop the thieves, but how they'd overtaken him and had kicked the crap out of him. He remembered his feelings of hopelessness and shame right before the thieves were about to crack his skull open like a cucco's egg. But there was something else he couldn't remember, no matter how hard he tried.

He recalled the snapping sound, and the white light that had blinded him, but after that, nothing else. He strained his thoughts as best he could, striving desperately to callback the information that eluded him: who had saved him in the forest?

It hadn't been Rusl, he remembered that much, but if it wasn't him, then who else could it have been? The man who'd saved him was very strong, but wasn't as big as Mayor Bo, so it couldn't have been him either. It wasn't Cremia, because she said Rusl had to wake her up when they found him. He was pretty sure it wasn't a woman who rescued him anyway, and it certainly hadn't been Malon, Romani, or Ilia; there was no way any of them could've carried him that easily.

Was it one of the other men from the village that he didn't know very well? Maybe, but for some reason, Link wanted to rule that idea out. He wasn't sure why, but something told him his rescuer wasn't someone from the village. Perhaps it was someone passing through who saw that he needed help.

Link groaned, wishing he could turn onto his side, but knew he'd hurt himself in the process if he did. He wished desperately to know who the man who'd saved his life was. He wanted to thank him with all his heart. His thoughts went back to the night before, and he absently recalled the pictures Rusl had shown him, and the story he'd told around the fireplace. Link wondered how funny it would be if the Hero of Time had been the one who'd saved his life, and he managed to chuckle once without hurting his chest again.

Wait a minute! The Hero of Time! Link's memories before he'd blacked out suddenly came back to him. He saw the man's face, and his Hylian ears, and the green cap on his head! It wasn't very much of the picture, but it sure was enough to convince him. The Hero of Time had saved his life!

Link's heart skipped a beat, and hard goosebumps formed on his skin. He stared at the ceiling in amazement. The Hero of Time! He'd been there, and he'd fought off those two thugs like they were nothing! Even though he hadn't seen the actual scrap, Link knew it must've been that way. He knew the Hero was a good man, and he was right! Not only did the Hero save the kingdom of Hyrule, but he went out of his way to rescue a boy he didn't know from being killed by two ordinary thugs!

Now Link was too excited to sleep. He giggled happily, but stopped when his chest started to hurt again. He didn't care though. It had happened just like the story; just when Link had lost all hope, and his hour of doom was at hand, there he was to save the day!

Link closed his eyes and basked in the memory. He wished he hadn't been blinded by that light, so he could've seen how the Hero had taken down those two good-for-nothings. He wondered if he'd used his sword, or maybe his shield, or maybe he just went down to the brow and decided to go all out with a fist fight. Link's spirits soared back up, and he felt so whole, it was almost as if he wasn't lying in bed with several broken bones.

"Thank you, Hero of Time," He thought to himself. "I don't know where you are, but thank you!"

Happy as can be, Link opened his eyes. He gasped and flinched. His happiness shattered, and was replaced by blind instinctual fear when he saw a tall dark man looming over him. His nightmares instantly flooded back to him; his home, his family and his friends, everything he knew and loved was on fire, and the man responsible for all of it was here. The man with fire in his eyes had come for him.

Link scooted away from the man, but was cornered into the wall.

"Hello, little hero," the huge man greeted Link, his voice dripping with ecstasy and quiet rage. "I've been looking for you."

Link opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The man chuckled and half-heartedly lifted his hand. Link suddenly levitated off the bed and into the air. Petrified, he didn't dare move a muscle.

"Let's go someplace where we can talk."

In a dark violet flash, both Link and the giant man disappeared from the room.

Having crossed the bridge overlooking the forest canyon, an ancient gelding and its overweight rider slowly rode into the Ordona Woods and closer to the village. The horse pawed at the ground stubbornly, anxious for its rider to dismount.

"Hey there!" The rider kicked the horse hard in the stomach. "We're almost there, you don't gotta- WHOA!"

At the kick to its stomach, the horse raced off, and the two of them went flying down the forest path. It only took a few minutes before the horse galloped into Ordon Village. The horse streaked by several of the villagers, nearly running over them.

"Stop this crazy thing!" The rider cried out, holding on for dear life.

Ilia ran in front of the horse's path and held her hands out as high as she could. The angry gelding skidded to a stop and reared up on its hind legs, braying loudly.

"It's okay," Ilia lowered her hands, and spoke in a cooing murmur.

"It's okay…"

At her gentle words, the horse stood down onto its front legs, and breathed heavily. It lowered its head and scraped its shoe against the dirt, getting ready to charge. Ilia carefully approached the angry animal and ran her fingers across its nose.

"There's nothing to fear. You're all right here. We're good people…"

The horse lifted its head and began to sniff Ilia's shirt and face. While she calmed the animal, Malon helped the rider off the horse.

"That crazy animal!" He yelled. "It 'bout decked me off!"

"Are you the doctor, sir?"

"Yes, I am! Gods help me, I must be insane to take house calls like these. I can't stand horses!"

"Please hurry!"

Without a moment to lose, Malon took the doctor's hand and proceeded to drag him across the village.

"Wait a minute! Slow down, girly!"

"We don't have time to wait! Link could die at any minute!"

She pulled him to the house where Link was lying in bed. Outside the house waiting for the doctor was Cremia, Romani, and Rusl.

"Good to see you, Doctor," Rusl addressed him.

"I should think not! I get sent for at the crack of dawn, and I was forced to take that unruly animal to get here as fast as I could, and now this girl drags me about and tells me of dying boys!"

Rusl laughed. "I'm sorry we had to put you through so much trouble. The situation is somewhat dire, but I can assure you that the boy is nowhere near dying."

"Yes he is!" Romani interjected. "I saw him too, you know! He was coughing up blood!"

"Hush, Romani!" Cremia sharply told her.

"Please help him!" Romani begged.

"He's our friend!" Malon cried.

"All right, all right, goodness!" The doctor conceded. If there was anything he didn't like when it came to his patients, it was being surrounded by crying women. They got in the way of his work.

"Just show me where the lad is."

"I'll take you to him," Rusl beckoned and opened the door to the house. While the others waited outside, Rusl led the way into the house, to the bedroom where Link was resting. He knocked on the door.

"Link, the doctor's here."

He opened the door to reveal an empty room. Rusl froze in his tracks.

"Hey! If this is your idea of a trick, it ain't funny!"

Rusl's bolted out of the house, his horrified eyes as large as platters.

"Hey, wait a minute!" The doctor demanded and ran after him. "I'm too old for this!"

Rusl burst out of the front door and grabbed Cremia by her shoulders.

"Where is he?! Where's Link?!"

"What?! Isn't he inside?!"

"Where's Link?!" Malon screamed.

"How could he have gone anywhere?!" Romani cried while pulling at her hair. "We've been standing outside this whole time! It's not like he could've run away! His ribs are broken for crying out loud!"

"Link is in danger!" Rusl announced, releasing Cremia.

"What?!" All three girls gasped.

"How do you know?!"

"I wish I'd never let him out of my sight!" Cremia broke into sobs.

"Start looking! The entire village needs to form search parties! We have to find Link, and we have to find him NOW!"