After the dark flash, Link found himself in a huge plain. It wasn't like the plains of Ordona, though. There were no green waves of grass or golden wheat to be seen for miles. The valley was empty, barren, and filled with bleached-white deadwood trees that stuck up like bones out of the blotted land. The sky above was pitch black, but he saw everything around him as though the sun was shining.

"What do you want from me?!" He pleaded, squirming about in the air. "Let me go!"

The man said nothing. His eyes flitted across Link's body.

"You really are just a spoiled brat, aren't you?"

Link watched helplessly with dread as the man studied his body fastidiously. He was reminded of the way Talon would pinch, prod, and look a horse in the mouth before deciding whether to buy it for the ranch.

"I'm not talking to myself, am I? Are you, or are you not, a spoiled brat?"

A huge wave of pain suddenly penetrated Link's body, and he screamed. It felt like a million tons of pressure weighed down on him, compressing him and grinding his bones into dust and squashing his organs. The pain continued for what seemed like an eternity.

"Well? Let's hear it, boy."

"I AM!" Link shrieked, jerking violently in torment.

"Hmm? You're what?"

"I'M A SPOILED BRAT!"

The pain stopped instantly. Tears poured uncontrollably out of his eyes. More blood from his internal injuries came spilling out of his mouth, and he coughed violently. His body trembled in aching misery. He opened his eyes and realized that instead of levitating, he was now lying on the hard ground. He could see cracks in the dry earth where mud used to be.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" The man mocked him. "I'll make this easy for you, since you're so special and all: I'll ask you some questions, and you get to answer them. If I don't like what I hear, you get to enjoy another bout of my power. Understand?"

"Yes!" Link cried, curling instinctively into fetal position. He felt a sharp pinch in his broken arm, so he coddled it with his other limb.

"Good boy," the man cackled. "You're smarter than you look. Most people don't get it the second time. They usually do something stupid, like cry or beg for mercy. But then again, you're not like most people, are you?"

Desperate to avoid another wave of pain, Link answered immediately.

"I don't know!"

The man frowned.

"Wrong answer."

A second torturous wave penetrated Link, and his body was sent into another crushing spree. He clawed madly at the ground, his fingernails bleeding. It ended almost as soon as it began. Link gasped desperately for air. The bouts of pain were beyond anything he'd ever felt, and it was too unbearable. He couldn't take much more. He just couldn't.

"I don't like the answer, 'I don't know,' and I'll tell you why."

The man spoke matter-of-factly to Link, and began pacing in very slow circles around him.

"When someone tells me 'they don't know,' it usually means they're lying to me. You're not lying to me, are you boy?"

"No," he moaned hoarsely. "I'm not lying…"

"I can't hear you," the man commanded, "Speak clearly to your superiors."

"I'm not lying!"

"Well then, the question still stands."

The man pointed down at him.

"You are not like most people, are you? Think hard before you answer, boy."

Even though his body ached enormously, Link forced himself to think. He remembered the dreams he'd dreamed, the visions he'd foreseen, the nightmares that tortured him, and his sudden increase in strength and dexterity. Everything came back to him in a desperate rush for survival.

"No…" Link finally proclaimed. "I'm not."

"There's a good lad," the man applauded him. "I was wrong, you're much smarter than you look. You'd better drink in this moment. I don't admit to being wrong very often."

Link could barely hear his abductor's speech, since he was trying futilely to stabilize himself mentally and physically. He covered his head with his arms and started rocking back and forth.

"I gotta get outta here!" His instincts screeched. "I'm gonna die!"

The man laughed coldly at Link's suffering, and lifted his hand into the air again. Link's body followed the movement of his hand.

"I wouldn't think of running away if I were you. You're in a realm of my own creation, and no one comes in or out without my permission. Those who do are met with a terrible fate."

Link looked hopelessly up at the black sky. How did this evil man know what he was thinking? It was terrifying to think he could hear his thoughts. He strained to clear his mind when another jolt of devastating force convulsed through his body, then ended abruptly.

"That's another thing," his tormenter continued. "I can't stand talking to someone who won't look me in the eye."

The one thing Link feared most had finally been approached. He had been doing everything to avoid this awful man's gaze since he'd first seen him, but now he would be forced to make full eye contact. To look into this monster's eyes seemed worse than death. Knowing full well the consequences of his decision, Link turned his head away.

"You defy me, eh? I guess you haven't learned your lesson."

Unlike the other waves, this one did not come and go. It persisted agonizingly until Link had no choice but to meet his warden's gaze, or risk permanent damage to his body. The man's eyes were surprisingly casual, if not downright heartless. He was afraid that if he stared too long, the man's heartlessness would seep into him and make him just as cruel and mean.

Until now, Link hadn't taken a good look at the man, but now every detail of his appearance was forcibly engraved into his mind; he was a lot taller than he originally thought, and his skin was so deeply tanned that it was almost black. His short, frizzy hair was a dull red, and his wicked eyes were electric yellow. He wore full-body armor, colored onyx and lined with gold, that covered him from head to toe. He was neither human nor Hylian.

The man must've noticed Link scanning him, because he lifted him so close that his eyes were level with his and only a few centimeters away.

"Take a good look, boy," the man breathed into Link's ear. "I'm the last thing you'll ever see."

The man changed the grip of his hand so that he seemed to be holding something. As he did, Link felt an invisible hand clasp around his throat. He grabbed at his neck to remove the feeling, but to no avail. He could still breathe, but he had no idea when that would change, and the idea of it changing any time soon terrified him.

"Have you learned your lesson?"

"Yes yes!" Link begged, his rigid body hanging magically in the air by his neck.

"One more thing," the man added. "I'd prefer to be called by a more formal title. It annoys me when my subordinates don't refer to me respectively, and I can't stand to be annoyed."

The man tightened his grasp, and Link began choking. He gagged and seized at his throat, but could do nothing to stop the obstruction.

"You'll do as I say?"

"…Yes!" Link managed to gasp through his suffocation.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And you won't defy me again?"

"No, sir!"

The man loosened his hold, and Link's airway became clear again. His cough turned into a loud bark as he filled his lungs with precious air. He didn't know what was worse: the bolts of pain, the emotional torture, or the magical strangulation.

"Good. Very good. You're doing well, boy; a lot better than most. Now for my next question."

The man lowered his hand, and Link plummeted to the ground. He landed on his knees, fell to his hands, and then collapsed onto his stomach. He didn't stay there long. He quickly pulled himself up so that he could follow orders, look the man in the face, and be ready to answer when the time came.

"Do you know who I am?"

"No, sir…"

"Really? You aren't lying, are you?"

All the man had to do to send Link into a fit of panic was lift his hand menacingly toward him. Link shrank away and covered his throat.

"I'm not lying! I don't know you, sir! I swear!"

"Hmm…Perhaps I'm not asking the right question."

The man put his fist to his chin and looked at Link with a studious expression. Link could only stare back in blank-minded fear, shivering.

"Do you know my name?"

"No sir."

"But have you seen me before?"

"Yes sir."

"That's more like it. What have you seen me do?"

"You burned down my home, and killed my friends and family, sir."

Hearing this, the man guffawed joyfully.

"That would be perfect! Too perfect for words! If only I could boy, if only I could."

It finally became too much for Link. His head dropped onto his chest, and he was about to lose consciousness when he was sharply lifted into the air again. His head shook upright.

"No no, boy. You don't get to pass out. You've plagued me so greatly in the past that it wouldn't be fair. I've still got questions for you."

"Yes sir," Link murmured weakly, exhausted.

"I'll give you a nice easy one. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good, sir."

"What is your name?"

Rusl's specific instructions overflowed Link's senses.

"No matter what happens, don't ever give your name out to anyone you don't trust!"

Link most certainly did not trust this man. What he felt was the absolute opposite. He hated him, the way anyone hates their prison keeper, and he was scared of him. He wished he'd leave him alone; go away and let him go home. At this point, he wished he would let him live. All the man had done since he'd met him was hurt him; hurt him in every way he thought possible, and he was obeying his orders like he was his son―no. Worse, like he was his dog.

Today had been a rotten day for Link. So far, he'd woken up from yet another night terror, was beaten by a couple of self-entitled thieves, and now he was being viciously tormented by the man of his nightmares come alive, and it was still only early morning.

Link, despite his age, had a vague sense of knowledge that sometimes, life isn't fair. But this was just too much. What had he done to deserve any of this? Maybe he could've been nicer to Malon, or did what Talon told him more often, or even suck up his ridiculous phobia of cuccos and be the one to feed them every now and again, but did not doing those things really entail such a punishment? He was just a boy from a ranch; why was he being treated this way? Why had all these awful things happened to him? It wasn't fair.

Link's anger rose within him; anger he'd never felt before in his whole life. He felt his body waking up, getting inexplicably stronger by the second. Every fiber of being within him raged and lit his spirit on fire, demanding justice. He didn't deserve to be treated like garbage. He was alive, and had the right to live. He wasn't going to let this man, no matter how mean or barbarous he was, take his life away from him so easily; not without a fight. His sense of righteous fury flared up within him so powerfully that he asked himself if he was insane, because he had to be in order to even consider saying what he was going to say next.

"What was that, boy? Speak so I can-"

"No."

The negative response came so firmly out of Link's unwavering lips that the man's response was delayed.

"…What did you say?"

The man spoke in a quiet undertone, the sort one speaks before they go into an uncontrollable fit of rage.

"I said, no."

The man laughed so unexpectedly that it threw Link off, if only for a moment.

"I commend your bravery, boy. You've got guts to stand up to me. But at some point, I will get an answer to my question. Tell me now, what is your name?"

"No."

The man's face twisted into a gruesome grimace.

"Your impudence is getting irritating. Tell me your name now, or suffer my wrath!"

"Never!"

A new wave of pain shook Link, but this one was greater than all the others. His body was so utterly rattled that by the time the pain finally stopped, he was numb all over.

"Tell me your name!"

"No!"

Each time Link answered in defiance, he felt his body being crushed endlessly over and over again.

"Insolent brat! Tell me your name!"

"I'll never tell you in a million years!"

"Say it!"

"No!"

"SAY IT!"

"NO!"

"I SAID, SAY YOUR NAME!"

"NOOO!"

A blinding green flash shot out of Link's eyes and hit the man in the face. He was sent flying nearly twenty feet away while the green light enveloped Link, healing him and saturating him with a new found energy. Link's mind vanished, and was replaced with a hundred others. His body marched over to where the man was now lying gawkily on the ground.

"GANONDORF!" Link's body commanded angrily in a hundred voices that weren't his own.

"WE KNOW YOUR NAME, AND YOU KNOW OURS! YOU WILL NOT TORTURE THE ONE CHOSEN BY THE GODDESSES! YOU WILL NEVER FIND HIM AGAIN, UNTIL THE DESTINED DAY ARRIVES, SO SAYS FARORE!"

The child Link's body shot another green ray out of the palm of his hand. This beam of light hit the man on the ground, engulfed his body, and swallowed him up into oblivion.

"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME, FARORE! I WILL DESTROY YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

The man cursed in blind fury as his body dissolved into the green light and disappeared from the realm. No sooner was the evil man banished from the dimension, did the divine entity manipulating Link's body begin to feel Her presence wavering. Before Her temporary burst of energy faded entirely, She shot another green ray at the ground in front of Link. The ray expanded until it formed a large portal, and Link stepped into it. Just as he arrived on the other side of the portal, the dimensional entrance back to Ordon Village melted away, and Link collapsed, unconscious.

In a province neighboring Ordona to the east, there consists of woodland with forests that span distances so great, the Ordona Woods themselves are actually branches of these forests that happened to overflow into their respective province. This massive forest is famously referred to as the Faron Forest, and it is in this forest where a particular tree stands; the oldest tree in all of Hyrule. Its sacred countenance is above and beyond that of even the Great Deku Tree. This particular tree stands erect in the Sacred Meadow on the other side of the bottomless Deep Gorge, and it is thanks to this gorge that the hallowed tree is kept safe and holy from unworthy eyes.

The omnipotence of this tree is considered so providential by the citizens of the Faron Providence that if anyone were to catch a glimpse into the internal goings on in the tree, their eyes would be shocked. Contained in this magnificent tree is, a monumental library, and along with it a living quarters. And if anyone were to see the particular inhabitant living inside the tree, their eyes would not only be shocked, but amazed at the audacity of the little girl living inside.

Everything about her appearance is green; her hair is green and set in two round buns on each side of her head. Her eyes are green too, and so big, round and bright, that she always gives off the impression of being ecstatic, even when she is angry. Her dress is green, too, and comes down at her knees in a poofy ball. Everything about this girl is jestingly green, round, and bright.

This girl, while young and dapper in appearance, gives off the impression of being only six or seven years of age, but she is anything but naïve. On this particular morning, bright and early, she sits in a rocking chair, holding a mug of a hot drink in one hand while reading a humongous volume of a book on her lap. The book covers her so immensely that it makes her look miniscule compared to it. The rocking chair is much too big for her, but she sits comfortably in it anyway, her tiny legs dangling to and fro without touching the ground. She's wearing reading glasses much too big for her face.

As she sits surrounded by her shelves of books, reading and taking occasional sips from her mug, a monkey with a sealed letter in its hand climbs up the tree, sits on the sill of a window outside the library, and knocks politely on the glass. The little girl looks up from her reading, sees the monkey, breathes in sharply, and immediately closes the book and drops it on the ground.

"A message from the Mistress herself!" She says in shock, climbing adorably out of the rocking chair, taking off her glasses and placing her mug next to her book. Taking quick steps towards the window, she opens the pane and allows the monkey to enter. It jumps from the sill and into the library, sitting on the hardwood floor in front of her, and presents the sealed letter.

"Thank you very much!" She takes the letter from the friendly lemur. "Would you like to stay for a while? I'm sure if I look around, I could find some peanuts for you. It's awfully chilly this morning."

The monkey shakes its head and jumps out the window, leaving the girl behind.

"He didn't even stay for peanuts," the girl replies, amazed, while closing the window. "Whatever the Mistress has requested, it can't be good."

The girl walks over to a desk covered with messy papers where she picks up a letter opener and uses it to peel off the seal from the letter. She goes back to where she left her reading glasses, and putting them back on, proceeds to read her letter. Her facial expression jumps back and forth between frightful terror and utter rage.

"Why that no good, dirty rotten, PIG MAN! If I were Din, I'd do away with him myself and be done with the whole mess! He has the nerve to go and do a thing like that to my hero! My hero; the one the Mistress let me choose out myself! HOW DARE HE?!"

She lifts up her foot and kicks the desk with her heavy boot, knocking several of the books onto the ground, and sending papers flying into the air. She's about to kick the desk again when she stops herself and breathes heavily, clenching her fists and as a result wrinkling the letter, and regaining her composure.

"Ooh, I can't stand him! I wish we could do away with his part of the legend and never bother with him again! But then,"

Her breathing slows as she finally calms herself down.

"I suppose if we did things my way, then there would be no order to this chaos."

She sighs, continues to read the letter, and nods her head.

"Yes, this is no good at all. That poor boy can't be allowed to wake up with those memories! It would be a disaster! You have my word Mistress Goddess, I'll get to the bottom of this, or my name isn't Farore, Oracle of Courage!"

The little girl throws the letter onto the desk, hurries downstairs, and begins to prepare a memory-wiping spell.

"I just wish he'd hurry and grow up. He'll be so handsome by the time he finally awakens!"

Two men from Ordon Village, their names Hanch and Jaggle, walked along the path of the wood, each one looking into the forest and sometimes moving branches aside. Hanch is the shorter of the two, sporting greasy hair and a mousy facial appearance. Jaggle on the other hand, is bulkier, with hair on his arms and chest, and his eyebrows set at a permanent angle.

"I swear," Jaggle replied. "Sometimes I think Rusl's a little cucco in the head, makin' us look all over for a little kid we barely know."

"Maybe," Hanch agreed. "But wouldn't you want him to be just as concerned if it were Beth we were lookin' for? I know I would if we were talkin' about my own son, Talo."

"But still. Formin' search parties? Doesn't it seem like a bit much? I mean, it's not even his kid we're talkin' about. It isn't Colin, it's the kid from Lon Lon Ranch. Sometimes I think Rusl knows more than he lets on."

"Hmm."

The two men walked on in silence and continued to search.

"Look over there!"

Jaggle pointed suddenly toward a large bush filled with brambles. If they hadn't been paying attention, they would've missed it. Sure enough though, lying beside the bush was an unconscious Link.

"There he is!"

"I'll go tell Rusl!"

Hanch began running back towards the village. Jaggle ran towards Link and knelt beside him. He carefully lifted him into his arms, careful not to aggravate his injuries, but was shocked when he found him whole and healthy.

"Hey kid! Wake up! You okay?"

In Jaggle's muscular arms, Link stirred and opened his eyes.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the Ordona Woods. Don't you remember nuthin'?"

"You don't remember anything?"

"No, nothing. I remember being beaten up by those thieves this morning, but everything after that is just a big blur, like a dream.

"Say 'ahh.'"

"Ahh."

Link opened his mouth, and the doctor prodded him with a tongue depressor, staring inside at his tonsils. Despite Link's body having no injuries anywhere in or on his body, and though it took convincing on Rusl's part to get the agitated doctor to perform what at first had been an emergency procedure, but ended up being a routine checkup, the doctor finally agreed to stay and examine Link in exchange for free room and board for the night.

"Not even anything from this morning?" asked Romani. "Like when we found you or when you were lying in bed?"

Link waited until the doctor removed the depressor before answering.

"No. Everything after the thieves is blank."

The doctor gently hit the top of Link's knee with a reflex hammer, causing his leg to jerk slightly.

"This is so strange," Cremia breathed, sitting on the bed beside Link.

"What could've happened?"

"What a mystery," said Rusl. He was sitting backward in a chair on the other side of the room, leaning his chin on the headrest.

"Maybe a giant grasshopper came and abducted him, and was gonna eat him before he fought back, so it dropped him where Hanch and Jaggle found him!"

Romani rubbed her makeshift claws together as she hopped around the room pretending to be the so called grasshopper.

"That's not funny!" Link shouted, but Malon and Ilia couldn't help laughing.

"Or maybe!" Malon giggled, "A wolfos came out of the forest and tried to eat him!"

"Stop it!" Link's face turned beet red.

"Girls, don't bother him while the doctor's trying to work," Cremia interjected. "I'm just happy he's safe and sound."

"As am I," Rusl sighed, then laid his head in his hands, and rested his eyelids.

"Take a deep breath," the doctor ordered as he held a stethoscope to Link's chest.

Link inhaled deeply, held it, and then exhaled.

"The boy's fine. There ain't a thing wrong with him."

The doctor finished up with a few routine procedures and stood up.

"We're really sorry about all this, sir."

"We weren't lying, honest!"

Malon grabbed the sheets of the bed.

"This is the blood Link was coughing up earlier, and it's stained all over the front of his sweater, too, see?"

She pointed to the bloody sweater he was still wearing.

"I know you weren't lying," the doctor revealed. "I doubt the blood on the boy's sweater came from anyone but the boy. Rusl's been a friend for years, and he isn't one to lie much less pull pranks, so I'm inclined to believe him. It's just as he said; what we have here is nothing short of a medical phenomenon."

"Maybe the same reason Link's injuries disappeared is why he can't remember anything," Ilia suggested.

"Could be," Rusl nodded. "Unless his memory suddenly returns, we might never know for sure what happened."

"Is it possible that he managed to walk out of the house without us seeing?" asked Cremia.

"Not unless he climbed out the window," said Rusl. "But he was barely able to lie down comfortably without coughing himself hoarse. And even if he had, he wasn't anywhere near the spring when Jaggle and Hanch found him. It doesn't explain how his injuries disappeared without a trace."

"Then what happened?"

"I still think it was a grasshopper," Romani whispered to Malon and they snickered.

"I'm sorry, Link," Ilia groaned. "But I think seeing the blood on your sweater is making me faint."

Cremia rubbed Link's back.

"Why don't we head back to Fado's house and get you cleaned up?"

"Okay," he agreed and jumped off the bed.

"I'll stay here and sort things out with the doctor," Rusl said, standing out of the chair. "You go on ahead."

Cremia escorted Link out of the room while the three girls followed behind.

"That boy's only nine years old and he's already got girls chasin' after him," the doctor muttered as soon as they were out of earshot. "I wish I could find a woman that easily."

Rusl laughed, "I don't know about that. The older one is practically his sister. And don't you have a wife?"

"Yeah, but she's always griping about somethin'. You know how it is with women."

"Yeah…" Rusl sighed dreamily.

The doctor carelessly threw his supplies and instruments into his black satchel. Rusl sat down in the chair once more, leaned back on its legs, and couldn't help recalling courting Uli only a few years ago. It seemed like only yesterday he'd first seen her, the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It hadn't taken long before she was glowing from her pregnancy with Colin. Now, here he was, starting a family with her.

"Rusl, I know you ain't a fool."

"You've heard about it by now, haven't you? The thieves came and the boy bravely fought to stop them, but then they caught him and nearly beat him to death. Everyone in the village is talking about it."

"You know that's not what I mean."

Rusl opened one eye to peer out at the doctor.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, aloof.

"Stop that!" The doctor yelled. "Ever since I got here, people have been saying things about that kid, and most of it's just how he's prone to accidents, but I can see it in your eyes, and I saw it in that kid. There's something odd about him. I have no idea what, but it'd make a goose walk over my grave. He may be a Hylian, but even a Hylian dumped in the Ordona Spring can't heal injuries nearly as fast as he did. I may be a lousy doctor, but I'm not stupid!"

The doctor put his foot on the chair's leg and forced it down so Rusl was sitting properly.

"If you know something about all this, now's a damn good time to share it."

The doctor folded his arms. Rusl's apathetic expression was replaced by a severe, deadpan look.

"Well? Let's hear it!"

"I have my suspicions, but at the moment, I'm not obliged to share."

"Suspicions of what, might I ask?"

Rusl's brow furrowed as the doctor glared at him. He started laughing nervously.

"Geez, man! You're worse than my mom. Cut me some slack, would ya?"

"This isn't a joke! That boy's a walking hazard! I've barely met him and even I can tell that much!"

The doctor rubbed his temple fiercely.

"Just tell me if he's gonna get hurt again while I'm here, so I can at least be prepared."

"I don't think so. I think we can all finally relax."

"I sure hope so. What a blasted way to start the New Year."

Link stripped out of his torn, mud and blood-caked clothes, washed up, and finished putting on a fresh set. His old clothes had been destroyed beyond reuse, so he threw them away. After doing so, he went outside where the girls were waiting.

"I originally planned on leaving today, since we'd gotten all our work done," Cremia began. "But after the fiasco with the thieves, I have to go back and help the others go over inventory again, and make sure nothing was damaged. I'm afraid we'll be stuck here for another day. I think the four of you deserve a rest after what's happened."

"Fine by me," Malon replied. "More time to play with Ilia before we go home!"

"Just stay near the village, please. Let's hope nothing else goes wrong today."

Cremia ruffled Link's hair before walking away in the direction of the Ranch.

"So, what should we do today, guys?" giggled Malon. "Swim in the river? Tease the goats on the ranch?"

"No way!" Romani cried. "After everything that's happened, you still want to play?"

"I agree," Ilia murmured. "It would be best, for Link's sake, if we did something a little quieter."

All things considered, Link felt fine physically, but he was deep in thought and didn't feel like playing.

"Actually," he said. "I wanna go talk to Rusl."

The girls looked sadly over at him.

"Link," Romani began. "We were really worried about you."

"Yeah!" Malon replied in irritation. "You were crazy to try and stop those thieves! They almost killed you! What were you thinking?"

"Gee, I don't know!" Link fought. "Maybe I didn't want them to steal all the milk from our ranch, or Romani's ranch either, or something stupid like that! Excuse me for caring!"

Before Malon could retort with a hostile comment, Ilia stepped in front of her.

"Link."

She spoke with the same voice she'd used on the doctor's rogue horse.

"We're your friends. We care about you. If there's something you want to talk to Rusl about, don't you think you could trust us enough to talk to us, too?"

Link had crossed his arms defensively and was ready to go at it with Malon, but Ilia's soothing voice and rationality proved too much for him. He felt his anger melt away unwillingly.

"I guess I can tell you, but only if you promise not to think I'm weird."

"It's a little late for that," Malon pointed out. "And you know what? I don't care. I like that you're weird. I'm weird, Link. Everyone is weird."

"Me too!" Romani chirped. "Cremia called me weird once when she found me sleeping on one of the cows."

"You were sleeping on a cow?" Malon raised her eyebrow. "That is weird."

"This isn't normal weird though," Link explained. "It's something awful."

"How bad could it be?"

"Bad enough that you might be mad at me."

"Link," said Ilia, "No matter how bad it is, we promise we'll listen, and we won't get mad. Honest."

She gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't we go to the spring and talk there?"

"Good idea," Malon replied. "A nice visit to the spring would be the perfect place to talk privately."

"But Cremia told us to stay in the village," He reminded them.

"Cremia said to stay near the village," she nudged him. "There's a huge difference. We're just going to the spring and back. It's not like we'll get lost."

"Well, okay," he gave up.

The four headed out of the village and into the forest. It was still early in the morning, and the sun barely shone above the horizon. The air was much colder than yesterday. There wasn't a single breeze, so the trees stood erect and still. Buds of new leaves had finally started to emerge, peaking off the branches. The wind would pick up later in the day, but for now, the atmosphere surrounding the forest was ominous and painfully foreboding.

"I don't like this," Romani clung to Link. "There's something really scary about the forest today."

"I feel it, too."

"So do I. Maybe we should go back."

"This was your idea, Ilia," Malon explained. "We'll go to the spring and come right back. Maybe it won't feel as weird there."

She was right. When they reached the spring, the four of them were relieved to feel the foreboding sense vanish almost entirely. They made themselves comfortable as they sat next to the bank.

"All right, Link," she demanded. "Spill it."

"Well…"

Link relayed the event of his encounter with the thieves, leaving out the curse words they'd used and other unpleasant details.

"Oh my god," Ilia gasped. "That sounds terrifying."

"They really did try to kill you. But you can't remember anything after, right?"

"Pretty much."

"But I don't get it. You said this would make us mad at you. Why would we get mad at you for getting beaten up?"

"Well…" he hesitated. "When they tied me up, they saw my ears and realized I was Hylian, so they asked me why my ears weren't pierced. I told them it was because I was raised by humans, and then…"

"And then what?"

"One of them called me a freak."

"Why that jerk!" Malon yelled. "If I was there, I'd have given that guy a nosebleed! I'm mad, all right! Nobody calls my brother a freak and gets away with it but me!"

"I'm not your brother…" Link grumbled under his breath. Malon's outrage quickly changed to distress.

"What's that supposed to mean?! What are you saying?! If you're not my brother, then what are you?"

"Right when they were about to kill me, I knew he was right," his voice cracked. "I am a freak. Why else would my parents leave me? They probably hated me…"

"Your parents?" Ilia asked. "Link, is that what you're worried about?"

"Yeah."

"Link," said Malon with growing concern. "Talk to us. We can help."

"No you can't," Link's voice was barely a whisper. "No one can, except for maybe them. You don't know what it's like."

"That's not fair," Romani's quiet voice interrupted him. "We do too know how it feels."

"That's right, Link," Ilia leaned her head on his shoulder. "My mom died before I was old enough to remember."

"So did mine," Malon added. "She died right after you came to the ranch, Link. I can barely remember her."

"Both of my parents are dead," Romani whispered. "I can't remember my mom very much either, but Dad only died last year, and I miss him so much. Cremia is all I have left."

"At least you knew who they were!" Link lashed out. "Even if you don't remember them, you still had someone who could tell you about them. I'm not like that. I don't-"

His voice choked, and he continued.

"I don't even know their names, or what they look like."

His shoulders began shaking.

"I don't know who they were. I don't even know who I am…"

It wasn't cool to cry in front of girls. Even in his anguish, he felt pathetic for doing so, but he just couldn't help it. Everything inside him had built up and exploded in misery.

"Link?"

Malon's voice whispered timidly. He hiccuped before answering, "…What?"

"We might not be, you know, your real family, but we're still family."

Link didn't reply.

"Even though I'm older," Romani wrapped her arms around him. "You're like my big brother."

"Me too," Ilia agreed. "We're the same age, but I know you'd protect me just like a big brother would."

"That's right!" Malon remembered. "You promised us you would protect us just like a hero, remember?"

"…Yeah."

"When did he promise that?!" Romani cried angrily. "How come I don't know about it?"

"We all promised last night, after you went to sleep. We'll tell you about it later, promise."

She frowned, but let it go for the sake of cheering Link up.

"But I think it should go the other way around, too," Malon decided. "From now on, we'll protect you too."

"…Okay."

"Link," Ilia began. "You might not know why your parents gave you up, but you can't assume it was because they hated you. I can't imagine anyone not loving their child."

"But no matter what the reason," Malon continued. "It was their loss, because they didn't get to see how awesome you grew up to be."

"And if they hadn't given you up," Romani finished. "We never would've gotten to meet you."

All three girls group-hugged Link. Their logic didn't make much sense to him, but he was grateful for their efforts, and he did feel better.

"We're your family now, Link," Malon announced. "And nothing's gonna change that!"

"Okay," he finally smiled back.

"And from now on, we'll all protect each other, just like a family!"

"Do you feel better, Link?" Ilia asked.

"I think so."

"Good!" Malon stood up and turned to face the exit of the spring. "Now let's get out of here. I wanna get out of this creepy forest."

"I think I remember something that happened after the thieves."

"What is it?"

"I can hear someone saying something, but it's really weird. It sounds like they're saying, 'No one comes in or out without my permission. Those who do are met with a terrible fate.'"

"Maybe that's why this forest feels so creepy today," Malon whispered sinisterly. "Maybe someone put a curse on it…"

"I don't think so," Link answered. "Ordona Woods has never felt like it's been cursed before. Anyway, it sounds like a man saying it."

"Maybe it was that guy from your dream."

"What guy?"

"The one you told Romani and me about. The dark man with fire in his eyes, remember?"

"I think I would remember dreaming about someone as scary as that."

Malon and Romani looked at Link confusedly, both of them shocked.

"You can't remember him?"

"How can I remember him when I've never even heard of him until now?"

"Maybe it's another part of his memory that he lost," Romani whispered to Malon.

"I think you're right," she whispered back. "Link talked to Rusl about his dreams yesterday. Let's ask him when we get back."

"Good idea."

"Ilia?"

"Yes, Link?"

"Yesterday, you said you were going to show me something, but I don't remember what."

"I'm surprised you remember me saying that. I could've sworn you weren't listening."

She smiled, and Link blushed.

"Why don't we head back now?" Ilia addressed them all. "I have something I want to show you. I've been working on it for a really long time now."

The four of them hesitated to step out of the sanctity of the spring, but finally pushed each other forward into the woods. No sooner had they done so did the foreboding sense return, as though they were being followed.

"I really don't like this."

"Me neither. Let's hurry up."

"Hey," said Romani. "Look over there."

Ilia and Link looked where she pointed. Off the path and not too deep into the forest, a faint red glow reflected off the trees.

"What do you think it is?" Malon asked hazily.

"I don't know," Romani answered as if she were half-asleep. "Let's go and see."

The two girls took off into the forest.

"No!" Link and Ilia called after them. "Come back!"

They followed behind them and caught up when they found what the red glow really was. An ancient pine tree stood high above the canopy of the forest, higher than any of its neighbors. Its massive trunk was ten feet around in circumference. Gathered in wild bunches at the foot of the tree were fresh, crisp daisies. Their black stems stood half a foot long, their square petals were white as snow, and their discs were blood red.

"What are those?" Link bent down to look at them. "They don't smell very good."

"I'm not sure," Ilia traced a finger against one of the petals. "I've never seen them before, but they look familiar."

"They're so pretty!" Malon exclaimed lazily.

Link looked up at the tree, and felt a shiver run up his spine. It was the tree from his dream.

"I'm going to pick some and take them to Big Sis!" Romani clapped her hands.

"Good idea!"

"NO!" Ilia grabbed their hands. "You can't! I remember now! Dad told me those are Twilight Daisies!"

Moving hypnotically toward the flowers, Malon and Romani pulled away from Ilia's grasp and knelt down to pick the flowers.

"They're poisonous! Something really bad will happen if you pick them! Link, help me pull them away! …Link?"

Ilia saw a large blotch on his neck, colored a sickening mauve, eating away at the skin on his throat and exposing the muscle and arteries beneath.

"Link?!"

He mouthed something, but could only stare back at Ilia in wide eyed-horror.

A cracking and splintering suddenly erupted through the forest. While Malon and Romani remained entranced on the flowers, Link and Ilia jolted up to see the tree's trunk snapping at the base. Ilia screamed. Link grabbed Malon's shoulder and tried to pull her away, but she was hard set and as cold as stone as she made robotic movements to rip the flowers out of the ground. Ilia tried to pull Romani away as well, but had the same amount of success.

"Malon! Romani! Wake up! Please!"

The final chunk of wood flew out of the split in the tree's trunk, and it began to tumble. Link mustered all his strength, braced himself, and shoved all three girls out of the way. He could've sworn he saw the flash of a golden wolfos right before the tree crashed to the ground. Following the crashing were the sounds of bones shattering, and flesh being pierced.

Flocks of birds from the surrounding area cawed and twittered as they leapt in the air and flew about in dismay. The tree was so tall that its fallen trunk blocked the forest path nearby.

"Nngh…What happened?" Malon groaned, rubbing her head as the poison wore off.

"It feels like I fell asleep," Romani moaned as she slowly picked herself off the ground.

"LINK!"

Malon and Romani jumped at Ilia's desperate scream, and looked for her. They found her lying next to the pine tree, her long hair caught underneath its massive trunk.

"Ilia! Are you ok?!"

"WHERE'S LINK?!" She shrieked, kicking and trying to free herself.

"What?! What do you mean?!"

"The tree fell and he pushed us out of the way! What happened to him?! Where is he?!"

Romani looked to and fro. It didn't take long to find him. She pulled on Malon's sleeve.

"Over there," her voice cracked.

Underneath the trunk and branches of the pine tree, Malon saw an arm, and a pool of blood.

"AAAAAAAAGH!"

She streaked over and tore hopelessly at the branches.

"LINK! PLEASE! YOU CAN'T DIE!"

"Romani!" Ilia cried as she pulled a small knife out of her pocket. "Go get your sister, and as many of the other villagers as you can! Tell them what happened! HURRY!"

Romani sprinted back toward the village while Ilia began sawing away at her own hair. Malon wept as she frantically ripped away the branches.

"LINK! I'M SORRY I WAS EVER MEAN TO YOU! I PROMISE NEVER TO BE MEAN AGAIN, IF ONLY YOU'RE ALIVE! PLEASE DON'T DIE!"

Ilia chopped away at the last bit of her hair, leaving nothing on her head but a short ragged clump. She stood up, and pulled the flailing Malon away from the tree.

"Don't! You could hurt him even more by doing that! We have to wait for the others!"

"WE CAN'T WAIT! HE COULD DEAD ALREADY!"

She hit Ilia to get away from her, and fell on her knees. She buried her head in the trunk and sobbed as she beat her fists against the sturdy wood.

"Link…you saved us just like a hero…like you said you would…please, Link…don't die…Link…"