"Link…?"

"…Where am I?"

Link blinked several times and put his fingers to his lids before he realized his eyes were open. A black void surrounded and swallowed him. He felt his body rushing and his hair whipping across his face.

"…Am I falling?"

An eerie voice entered Link's head. His heart sank and the hairs on the back of his neck stood at the cold, dead sound.

"…What do you care, boy?" It whispered in his ear. "It's not your problem, and it's none of your business. Go home and take care of your horses…You don't belong here…"

"…But I don't…I want…"

"Hey, shut up!" A new, harsher voice demanded. This one sounded familiar, but Link felt too abject to care.

"What are you, stupid?! Get outta here and go crying home to mommy! Oh wait, you can't! You don't have a mommy!"

Both voices cackled at Link, so he covered his ears. The laughing was joined by a cacophony of jeering.

"Leave me alone!" He cried out.

"What's wrong, Link?!"

"Afraid of the dark?!"

"Look at you! So scared!"

"Go home, little boy!"

"What a coward!"

"AHAHAHA!"

"Stop it! Leave me alone!"

He squeezed his eyes shut and clasped his fists tighter over his ears. Tears streamed from his eyes.

"Aw look! He's crying!"

"What a big baby!"

"You can't do anything right!"

"Go back to your silly little ranch!"

"You can't win!"

"You'll never win!"

"Give up already!"

"Give up, Link!"

"Give up!"

"Give Up!"

"GIVE UP!"

"NO!" Link screamed. "NEVER!"

The voices vanished instantly as a pure light suddenly shone above him. He squinted up at the light and shielded his vision with his hands. A person made of blue hovered in the light and looked down at him; a person with no eyes, just blank blue where their eyes should've been.

"I'm waiting for you…" they said in a tuned voice. "The time has come for you to awaken…"

The three triangles on Link's left hand glowed, the bottom right emanating more than the others.

"…Are you…an angel?"

He watched as the person and the light both faded away. When they left, he realized he wasn't falling anymore, but was now lying in something soft, even though he didn't feel the landi–

"Link… Link, get up. It's time to wake up. I've been waiting all morning."

"…What?"

"C'mon," Navi whispered. Link opened his eyes and sat up.

"Whaa!" she cried as she went tumbling off her spot on his chest.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. I don't read human time."

Just as Navi answered, the bells from the distant Temple of Time rang through the city; they rang five times.

"Five? In the morning? It's too early, Navi. Go back to sleep."

"No!" Navi hissed. "That guy said we had to make sure to get to the Temple early, so we are! Let's go."

"He said we should try, not actually do it. I want to sleep…"

"Get up, Link! We're going right now!"

"All right, all right, geez."

Link threw off the blankets and stood up quickly, wobbling on his feet.

"Quiet!" Navi hissed.

In her bed, Malon grunted and turned onto her other side.

"They almost woke up!"

"Talon won't wake up anytime soon, but Malon's an early bird. We'd better hurry before she gets up."

"Then let's go!"

Navi pulled anxiously on Link's collar, dragging him toward the door, her wings buzzing busily.

"Okay okay, just let go of me, would you?"

"Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Good grief."

Link rubbed his eyes groggily and took a step for the door. He reached absentmindedly into his pocket and felt nothing. His heart skipped a beat.

"…!"

He checked his other pocket, pulled out the slip of cloth with his name, and stuffed it back in. He began searching the room by lifting his blanket from the ground and looking under the beds.

"What are you doing?"

"It's gone!"

"What?"

"Saria's ocarina! I can't find it!"

"You lost Saria's ocarina?! What is wrong with you?!"

"I didn't lose it! I had it last night! It's gotta be around here somewhere, just–"

They froze as Malon shifted in bed once more, stirring.

"Forget about it!" Navi whispered. "We can find it later, but we have to go now!"

"But–"

"Now!"

"Fine!"

Link ripped open the door and closed it loudly behind him. He strode through the hallway and down the stairs.

"…Link?"

"What?!"

His eyes flashed back at Navi, so her wings drooped.

"…Nothing," she murmured.

He frowned.

"…I'm sorry, Navi. I'm not mad at you. I just wish I hadn't lost the ocarina, and I didn't sleep very well."

"I'm sorry, too. I don't mean to be a nag, but I really want to find the Hero of Time. The Great Deku Tree seemed really…worried…"

Link stared at his hands, opened and closed his fists, and squeezed his eyes shut.

"…That ocarina is really important to you, isn't it?"

"…Yeah. It is."

"We'll find it, Link. I know we will! It couldn't have gone too far. Like you said, you had it last night, so all we have to do is retrace our steps. I bet you left it outside where we were, remember?"

"That makes sense. I'll check outside before we go, but if it's not there, then we'll just head for the Temple, and I guess I'll worry about it later."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Link opened the door into the bar. All of last night's candles and the fire in the fireplace were blown out, and all the chairs had been upturned onto their tables. A cold chill came into the room; the last one winter would give off. The only light in the bar came through the closed windows, but it was a weak and brought more darkness than light, since it cast shadows in the room.

He was making his way toward the front door when he looked over at last night's table where he'd sat with the others. They never finished explaining what they did as the Resistance or why people didn't like them; just that they were the Resistance and that there were soldiers showing up in the army for some strange reason. In fact, they never explained why they'd wanted Link to sit with them in the first place, except that they Rusl's friends, and to babble on about how they thought Link was the greatest thing since sliced bread, even though he'd barely met them.

Link thought of yesterday and of the strangers outside the gates of Hyrule. He thought of how they'd pointed and smiled confidently at him.

"What's the big deal? I'm just a normal person like everyone else, aren't I?"

So far, everyone he'd met in the city either fell in love with him or hated his guts. Everyone except Sir Raven, of course. Link scoffed at the thought of him. He didn't know what Raven thought of him, but as long as he never met him again he didn't care. He hated him almost as much as he hated Wallace, and he hated both of them for the same reason.

Link lifted his hand toward the front door and jiggled the handle.

"What the–"

"What's wrong?" asked Navi.

"The door's locked!"

"What? Why? Telma knew we were leaving early, right?"

"Maybe she forgot, or didn't think we'd be leaving so early."

"Try the windows. Maybe we can climb out that way."

He tried the latches of every window he could find on the first floor.

"It's no good. All the locks are rusted tight."

"What do we do now? We can't do anything if we can't get outside."

A gently thump came from behind. Link turned and saw Louise, Telma's cat. She'd jumped from the wooden floor and now sat on the bar counter. She stared at them and flicked her tail back and forth.

"Good morning, Louise," Navi fluttered over to her. "You wouldn't happen to know a way out of this place, would you?"

Louise gently cocked her head. She turned from them, leapt nonchalantly from the bar counter, crossed the tavern and made her way over to last night's table.

"Can you talk to animals, too?"

"I can, but not to that many. I'm still growing, so I don't have very many powers yet."

Louise stared hard at Link.

"She wants us to follow her. She says there's another way out."

Link and Navi followed Louise as she stepped farther and farther into the back of the bar. Past the table where the Resistance sat the night before, stacks of rotted crates lined the wall all the way up into the rafters. Louise jumped onto the ledge of a crate and climbed up to the peak of the pile all the way to the ceiling. Navi flew after her.

"She says it's this way."

"Seems like a weird way to get outta here, but okay."

Link grabbed the highest crate he could reach and pulled himself up. The crate's wooden frame groaned under his grasp and shattered.

"Watch out!"

Link pulled back his hand in time to keep from getting any cuts, but found himself tumbling back down. He reached for another crate just in time to keep from falling.

"Grab onto the crates she used to climb up. Those are the strongest ones in the pile."

He climbed up the rest of the crates without further incident and grasped onto the wide rafter where Louise sat in wait.

"Louise says to be careful; it's been a while since anyone as heavy as a human has been up in these rafters, and you've seen for yourself how run down this place is."

"I'll try."

Link lifted himself onto the rafter and knelt down on his hands and legs. With Louise leading the way, he carefully crawled across the rafter to the other side of the tavern, avoiding splits in the wood where he saw them, until they came to a high narrow ledge beside the fireplace. Louise weaved her body in and out of the pots that sat on the ledge where she planted herself in front of a boarded up hole in the wall, covered with chipping wood and rusty nails. Link squatted in front of the cover and examined it

"Think you can pull off those boards?"

"I think so."

Link used his fingers to pull on the rusted nails. They came out easily enough, so with the nails gone, he yanked the boards away and cast them onto the ground below. Each one fell with a loud 'kerklunk!'

"It'll take us in a bit of a roundabout way, but it'll get us where we need to go. She says "Good luck, Link the Hy-'"

Navi turned suddenly to Link.

"You're a Hylian?"

She buzzed over to Link and flitted from one of his ears to the other.

"Whoa, you are! Sorry I didn't notice before. And to think this whole time I was calling you a human."

Link gently scratched Louise underneath her chin and she purred loudly, low rumbled erupting from her throat.

"Thank you, Louise."

"She says, 'You're welcome.' Now let's go."

Link looked deep into the hole and realized just how pitch black the inside was.

"Are you sure it's safe in there?"

"Positive!"

Link mustered up his courage and crawled in. The hole was short and narrow, so he got down onto and drug himself by his elbows into the passage. Navi squeezed ahead of him to light the way.

"What's the matter, Link?! Afraid of the dark?!"

"What? No, I'm not afraid!"

"What do you mean, Link?"

"Didn't you just ask if I was afraid of the dark?"

"No. Why?"

"Look at you! So scared!"

"Umm, never mind."

"Hey!" She called. "It's not that long! The exit is just over here on the other side!"

"Okay."

The exit came sooner than Link expected. Before he realized what happened, he felt his elbows give way and his upper body fall out of the tunnel, along with the rest of him. He crashed onto the wooden floor below.

"Ack! Ow! Ow ow ow. A little warning would've been nice."

"Sorry."

Link got to his feet, dusted himself off, and observed his surroundings.

"…Where are we?"

"Looks like an abandoned house, and dusty at that…"

A thick layer of dust blanketed the barren room. The only decorations were a thick rug covering a corner of the floor, and an old plaque that had fallen from its nail on the wall. Navi drifted over to the plaque and peered at it.

"I think it's in Old Hylian," she stated. "I can't make heads or tails of it."

Link looked at the plaque and read the text.

"It says, 'Jovani, Jovani, idiotic troll. Blinded by greed, the imps took his soul. And even today, somewhere he stays, though he's a grown-up. Wah! Sniff! He moans…Uh!'"

"What does that mean?"

"It sounds like a nursery rhyme. Probably to warn people not to be greedy or something."

"I didn't know you could read Old Hylian, Link."

Link looked at the plaque again and realized he'd never seen those symbols before in his life.

"…Neither did I."

He walked across the creaky wooden floor and examined the room. Empty cobwebs hung in every corner. The only doors that led anywhere were the main entrance and the secret passage they'd just taken.

"What kind of house only has one room?"

Link looked down at the hardwood floor where something peculiar caught his eye. He squatted to get a better look; perfect circles had formed in the dust, each no bigger than a coin, and they were everywhere.

"What made these impressions? Navi, look at this."

"What, Link?"

"I bet Jovani used to live here."

"Huh?"

"That plaque over there, plus all these circles in the ground. I bet this used to be Jovani's house, and these ringlets in the ground were where his gold coins laid; all the gold coins that the imps gave him when they took his soul."

"That's fascinating and all, but this place gives me the creeps and you're not helping! Let's just get outta here, please."

"All right, fine."

Link walked to the front door and tried the handle. The moment his fingers touched the rusted knob, it fell off and clanked to the floor.

"Nice going!"

"How is that my fault?!"

"Now how are we supposed to get out of here?"

"Maybe I get the door open. Just give me a second."

Link backed away from the door, then charged headlong into it.

"…OW!"

The door hadn't budged, and Link collapsed onto the ground grasping his shoulder in pain.

"You big baby! All you did was hurt yourself!"

"Don't call me that! I don't see you having any bright ideas! Maybe I can try kicking it open."

"Don't bother," Navi observed as she flew into the door's mechanism where the handle had been. "It looks like it's locked, and it's so badly rusted that it's not opening anytime soon."

"Couldn't you have told me that a little sooner?"

"The windows are just as bad," Navi drifted to the dusted up windows and examined the locks. "What is it with you big people and not taking care of your windows?"

She rubbed a circle out of the dust and peered outside.

"I can see the streets from here. It looks so empty…"

Link used the sleeve of his sweater to wipe some of the dust away from the window and took a look for himself.

"Yeah…where is everyone?"

The surrounding city took on a gray silhouette from the clouds and fog hanging above. An ancient entry gate was abandoned and locked tight to the right of the house. Creaky wooden boards covered in moss leaned against the home and against the other dilapidated buildings nearby whose frames and bricks had rotted away. Weeds and grass peaked out from between the stones of the old paved road, and with no one to pull them, they'd grown tall. A dog that appeared to be sleeping (but really wasn't) laid completely still underneath of pile of wood planks, its back turned to the house that Link and Navi stood in.

"This must be the old part of town."

"Sure looks like it."

"Link, how are we going to get out of here? The Temple of Time is nowhere near wh-"

"Wait… Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

Navi hushed and moved close to Link's ear to hear what he heard.

"…Is that what I think it is?"

"It sure is."

"Where's it coming from?"

"It's coming from underneath the floorboards."

"Can we get past them?"

"I don't think we have to. Look!"

Link walked over to the ancient rug decorating the floor and pushed a corner away with his foot. The lifted corner revealed a solid crack in the floorboards, so Link bent down, grabbed the rug, and yanked it away. Beneath the rug was a large trap door, and the sound of flowing water echoed below.

"You've got really good ears. I didn't notice the running water until you pointed it out."

"I think this is our ticket outta here."

Link lifted the trap door and sat with his legs dangling over the opening. Navi's wings tingled as she did a double take.

"Are you crazy?! Who knows where that leads: probably an old waterway or a sewer pipe for all we know! That's not just disgusting, that's dangerous!"

"You're not scared, are you?"

"No, but–"

"C'mon! Let's go!"

"Link, listen! Just hang on a second!"

Before Navi could get another word in, Link scooted off the edge and jumped in.

"Oh, fine!" She cried as she followed after.

"It's so dark! I can't see anything!"

"Hold on tight!"

"To what?!"

Link fell deeper and deeper into the hole beneath the house until finally he plunged feet first into water and was immediately swept away. Navi trailed quickly after him.

"Hang on! I'm coming!"

The dark underground tunnel weaved back and forth and took Link with it in its rapids as it swept downhill. He coughed and sputtered the whole way as he was carried further and further away from Navi.

"Link! Come back!"

Every effort Link made to fight against the current was dashed as the water pulled him under every time, bringing on a new fit of coughing when he resurfaced. His heart pounded in his chest as water filled his lungs, and he felt a rush of fear when he suddenly dropped out of the tunnel down a brief waterfall.

He landed with a splash down into a new pool of much calmer water. Without hesitating, he splashed his way to a large metal grate that served as a floor where he pulled himself up and braced himself on all fours as he coughed out all the water in his lungs.

"You're lucky that wasn't a sewer, you know." Navi flew out the tunnel and down to Link's spot on the grate. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. I-" His thoughts were interrupted by his throaty whooping coughs. "I just need a minute to catch my breath."

"Weren't you scared?"

"No," Link lied.

"Not even a little bit?!"

"Not one–" he stopped to cough again. "Not one bit."

"You lie! I've never been more scared in my entire life! I was sure you were going to drown!"

"Well I didn't, did I? I'm fine and I wasn't scared, now can we drop it?"

"…Where are we?"

Navi dangled in front of Link's face, gaping at the sight before them. Link wiped his wet lips, looked up and stared. The waterway opened up into a huge underground tower made of stone bricks that stretched upward forever. A huge staircase lined the circular walls and wound its way up as high as the tower. Thick stalks of ivy sprang out of the shallow water and wound its way up as high as the tower. Chunks of broken stone decorated the large metal grates that served as the floor.

"Just how far beneath the city are we?"

"No idea."

Link stood and wrung the water from his clothes.

"Is this some kind of ancient cistern?"

"I don't think so. Cisterns don't have staircases, at least as far as I know."

"Well then, where are we?"

"Only one way to find out. Can you go to the top and see how far up it really is? I'll start climbing in the meantime."

Navi buzzed her wings and zoomed straight up while Link crossed the metal grate, his boots making soft splashes in the ankle-deep water, until he came to the beginning of the steps and began his ascent. He had to step carefully over the ivy to keep from tripping over it at every step. He'd made one full circle up the stairs when Navi zipped back down.

"It's not that far, but there are really big sections where the stairs crumbled away. There are tightropes you can use to make it across, though."

"What the heck are tightropes doing down here in a place like this?"

"Beats me, but whoever left them here must've done so a long time ago. They look like they could break anytime so you'd better be-"

The stair underneath Link's foot rumbled and gave way.

"CAREFUL!"

Link jumped off the stair, grabbed madly at the one in front of him and managed to get a good grip on it just as the stair beneath him fell with a stone-shattering crash at the bottom of the tower. He grunted as he dug his nails into the stone to pull himself up.

"All this trouble just to get to a stupid temple! Why can't anything be simple?! Don't suppose I could borrow your wings for a second, could I?"

"Sorry. The wings stay."

"I thought so."

Link strode his way up the stairs, circling the tower over and over with Navi closely behind.

"We're almost to the first rope, so you can take a break if you need to."

"I'm not tired. I think it'll be okay."

"Are you sure you don't need a breather? These are pretty steep stairs."

"Positive. In fact, I feel like I could run a mile and never get tired."

"Well, here's the first rope."

It was now that Link noticed the missing chunks in the staircase. Tied tightly to posts across the winding staircase were cords of rope. The cords intersected one another as they went further up into the tower. Weak sunlight poured in from the cracks and windowed openings in the tower.

"At least now we're above ground."

"Pay attention, Link!"

"Sorry."

Link focused on the rope tied in front of him, stretched his arms out to either side, grit his teeth, and began to cross. The rope bent under his weight and stretched downward, but remained taut. Moving one foot slowly in front of the other, Link carefully traversed the empty passage.

"It's a long way back down," Navi peeped.

"Don't remind me."

Link gulped and sped up.

"Link, don't! You're gonna-"

His foot caught behind his other and he fell forward. He grabbed the cord just as he fell, and dangled freely.

"Whew! That was close."

The rope snapped.

"Or not!"

He held on for dear life and squeezed his eyes shut as his end of the rope fell toward the other end of the stairs, swinging him back and forth until finally he slowed to a stop, the rope slowly turning him in circles.

"Lucky for us you held onto the end that took you where we needed to go, huh?" Navi dangled around Link's head.

"Yeah…"

He looked down, and his stomach lurched.

"Lucky for us…"

"C'mon! That's only the first of many!"

Link tested his upper body strength as he climbed up the rope and pulled himself back up onto the decaying stone stairs, and continued ascending the stairs. The rest of his tightrope walks went off without a hitch, for which he was very grateful. The farther up he climbed the tower, the more sunlight that poured in.

"Just how high up are we?"

"Um, that depends. You're not scared of heights, are you?" Navi clung to the shutter of a nearby window as she stared downward.

"I don't like them, but I'm not scared of them."

"Remember those clouds that were so high above us when we were in that abandoned house earlier?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I'm looking down at them right now," she squeaked.

"Navi, don't tell me you're afraid of– holy cow that is really high up!"

Link stuck his head out the window and beheld the sight in front of him. Thick, billowy golden clouds surrounded the tower on all sides and obstructed any view to the ground below. The sun, now well risen, shone just next to them to the east and reflected light off the clouds into the air, making the sky look as gold and glittery as the clouds. At this elevation, a strong wind kicked off and blew Link's hair and Navi's wings to bits.

"Wow! It's so beautiful!"

"Sure!" Navi called over the wind, holding onto the window shutter for dear life. "It really is!"

"Are we even in the city anymore? We could be climbing the stairway to heaven and I'd never notice the difference."

"Uh huh! Now let's go!"

"What? Don't you love it out here? I feel like I wanna jump into those golden clouds and sail away forever!"

"Maybe you do, but I hate the wind! I can barely fly in it, and it always messes up my wings! Can we go please?!"

Link closed his eyes and let the wind hit his face. More than anything, he wished he had the ocarina so he could play along with the clouds and wind. He breathed in deeply, held his breath as long as he could, and finally exhaled.

"Link…?"

He looked down at Navi. She turned bright red when she saw how his eyes twinkled.

"Okay, I guess we can keep going."

"Okay."

Navi jumped onto Link's shirt, climbed up, and sat on his shoulder as he turned around and continued climbing the stairs.

Malon stomped angrily down the stairs.

"Telma, have you seen Link?"

She leaned over the counter toward Telma.

"I heard him get up this morning; he slammed the door so hard I about got up and ripped him a new one. I thought he went to the bathroom or something like that, so I didn't worry about it, but it's been a while now and he hasn't come back to the room at all. Have you seen him?"

"Sorry, sweety," Telma shrugged. "Haven't seen your brother since you got in last night."

"What am I gonna do?! There's no way Dad's gonna get up this morning, and I'm not strong enough to lift the our milk crates! I need Link's help and I can't find him anywhere!"

"Now calm down, sweetheart. There's a bar here full ah men who I'm sure would be more than happy ta help you out. Ain't that right, boys?!"

The bar, which had already filled with men celebrating the coming year, suddenly went quiet.

"Oh come on! The girl needs help! Don't any of ya strong boys want to help lift some li'l ole crates ah milk?"

Malon sighed in anguish.

"Hey there!" A voice in the tavern called. "I can lift a few measly crates. Piece o' cake!"

Malon looked over at the hand raised from one of the tables.

"Hey," she said. "I know you. You're the guy from yesterday."

"See there?" Telma laughed. "I knew there'd be at least one upstanding young man who'd be willing ta help."

"Oh, I'm more than happy to help, Ma'am. Believe me, I'd be delighted."

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost."

Link clung to a slippery stone wall as he shimmied across an inch-wide ledge. With no nearby cracks or surfaces to hold onto, he dug his fingers and nails into the moss and tiny spaces in between the stone bricks. As he inched across, a pebble dislodged from a crack when his foot scraped over. It bounced off the ledge and fell back down into the tower. Link stopped to hear it land at the bottom, but never heard the tell-tale plink.

"It's times like these I wish I could fly."

"C'mon, you're almost there."

"You said that twenty minutes ago."

"Well now we're even closer than before. You see that big metal grate up there?"

"I really don't want to turn my head to look anywhere right now."

"It's just up there. It's the floor for the very top of the tower, and it's right above your head."

"Well it's not like I can quit now, is it?"

Link focused on the remaining chunk of staircase to his left and continued inching towards it. He ignored the impending depth of the fall back to the bottom if he slipped even a little bit. The last time he looked down, he couldn't even see the bottom and he'd made himself woozy, so he wasn't apt to try that again.

"Link?"

"What, Navi?"

She stared at him, but said nothing.

"…What?"

"Never mind. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"It's just, I can read your thoughts, you know. Not just when you're talking to me. You seem kind of upset."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Well for starters, that dream you had. It seemed really–"

"You can see my dreams?"

"When you were asleep, I heard bits and pieces of it. It's not the same as reading your mind, since dreams are images and not sounds."

"Can you hear other people's dreams, too?"

"I could hear Saria's dreams when I was with her in the forest. She has really sad dreams though, and I don't like listening to them."

"Why not?"

"She dreams about her old friends; the other Kokiri who used to live with her in the forest. She never cries, but she gets sad when she thinks about them. I can tell she really misses them a lot."

"What happened to them anyway? The other Kokiri, I mean."

"She never told me, but I've never asked. Anyway, what about you Link? I couldn't make heads or tails of your dream. A bunch of people were yelling at you, and then some lady told you to wake up."

"You heard all that, did you?"

"I-I'm sorry. I won't listen from now on if you don't wa– "

"It's okay. I learned a while back that it's better to talk about your dreams. Next time though, don't wake me up before it ends."

"So what happened in your dream?"

"To be honest, your take on it is as good as mine; a bunch of people were yelling at me, and then somebody told me to wake up."

"Did you see anything in your dream, like who was yelling at you?"

"No, I didn't. I was surrounded in darkness and the voices just yelled. I did recognize one of the voices, but I can't remember whose it is."

"What about the other voice at the very end? The lady who told you to wake up. Did you see her?"

"I did, but… it's really weird."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure how to describe her. She was… made out of blue."

"Made out of blue?"

"Yeah. Her skin and clothes were all blue. Even where her eyes were supposed to be, there was nothing but blue. And where her hands were, she had really long sleeves that looked like wings; I don't think she even had hands."

"Do you know who she is?"

"I've never seen her in my life… I think."

"You think?"

"I mean, I've never seen her before, but I had a dream before where I heard her voice. I had that dream a few days ago."

"What did she say in that dream?"

"The same thing she said in this one; 'it's time for me to awaken.'"

"What do you think it means?"

"I don't have a clue. Every time I've dreamed her saying that, I've always woken up immediately afterward, so I'm hoping that's all that it means."

"You really think so?"

"I don't know."

"…Link?"

"Yeah?"

"What about the other voices? Are you scared, like they say you are?"

"I'm scared of falling off this ledge and breaking my fool neck, that's for sure."

"I don't think that's what the voices in your dream meant."

"…"

"…Link?"

"…I don't know what they meant either, but I hate it! I hate these dreams! I wish they'd go away!"

"I guess I'd hate it too if people were yelling at me like that."

"It's not just that! The last time I had dreams like this, I–"

Link's foot missed the next step and his body tumbled off the ledge.

"!"

"LINK!"

"…no…"

His mind went numb as he dropped back down into the tower.

"This is it. I'm done for…"

He saw Navi shooting down towards him. He could vaguely hear her wings ringing, and her voice screaming at him, but he couldn't make out her words. They dropped past the window they'd looked out of earlier where they'd seen the golden clouds.

"My last view of the sky…"

Images of his family flashed through his mind. He thought of Rusl and Uli, of Fado, and all his friends in Ordon Village. He thought of Cremia and Romani on their ranch. He thought of Uncle Ingo, of Talon, and finally of Malon. He wondered if they'd notice him missing, and if they'd ever find his body.

"I guess…this is goodbye…"'

"Give Up!"

"!"

"You can't win!"

"You'll never win!"

"Give up already!"

" …no…"

"What's wrong, Link?!"

"Look at you! So scared!"

"Give up, Link!"

"No! I won't give up! Never!"

Link twisted his body all the way around and seized the first thing that came within reach of his fingers. He came to a jarring halt.

"Link! Are you okay?"

He closed his eyes and clutched his hands so tightly that it felt as though his fingers and eyelids were glued shut.

"Link, it's okay! Look!"

He ripped his eyes open and stared at the grasped object that saved his life; the climbing ivy that clung to the walls and grew from the very bottom of the tower to the top. His fingers were wrapped tightly around the vines.

"I…I don't believe it."

"Believe it, Link! Those vines grow all the way back to where we were before, so you can use them to climb up to the top! We're saved!"

Link trembled as he released the vines in one hand to grab those higher above him, and he began to climb.

"Link, wait! You just nearly fell to your death! Don't you wanna take a break?"

"I'm not stopping now! I'll climb this stupid tower if it kills me!"

He quickened his pace as his trembling dissipated. His fingers worked nimbly to grab the vines above as his feet moved quickly to climb. The steady rate of his ascension became apparent when they passed by the shuttered window a third time.

"Geez, Link. You climb like a monkey."

"…"

"Hey! Link, didn't you hear me? Listen!"

Link thrust up into the tower as he grabbed at the vines, switching his hands back and forth and pushing himself up with his legs. It wasn't long until they came back to the ledge where Link had fallen and passed that, too.

"Wow, you got us all the way back to the top in no time…"

"Almost there…"

Link stopped moving upward. Instead, he seized the vines to his right and moved that way over to the last segment of stairs where he grabbed the stony surface, forced himself up, and collapsed onto the top floor.

"Good job, Link. You deserve a rest."

Link's chest heaved as he caught his breath.

"I…don't…need…rest…"

"…But you're already resting."

"I know."

He looked around for an exit as he lied on his back. To his left, he noticed a tall metal door.

"That must be the way outta here," Navi pointed out as she perched on his chest.

"It looks like it weighs a ton, though."

"We at least have to try. I don't see any other exits around here. You rest first, then we see if we can open it."

"I told you! I don't need rest!"

Link stood up suddenly and Navi went tumbling off his chest. He took two long strides toward the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled.

"Link, wait! You're gonna strain yourself!"

The door refused to budge under his grip, so Link grasped the handle in both hands and pulled harder, leaning back as he put his muscles into it.

"Hey! Cut that out! Listen!"

As he pulled, the golden triangles on his left hand began to glow, though neither he nor Navi noticed. The bottom of the door scraped against the metal grated floor as it slowly began to open.

"Link! You're…you're opening it!"

His teeth grit as he yanked even harder on the door. He felt a warm energy seep into his hands as he pulled and pulled until the door was open all the way.

"You did it, Link!"

"I told you I didn't need rest. Now let's get outta here."

Link took a step out the door, and froze.

Two patrolling soldiers with pikes in hand and helmets covering their faces leaned forward loosely on the allure; the walkway between walls. The tearing wind forced them to wrap their armored arms around their own chests. They stared down at the golden clouds just below them.

"You think it'll rain today?"

"Those aren't the right kinda clouds."

"Didn't know clouds had to be the right kind in order to rain."

"Yeah, it's weird. They gotta be 'kyumonilus' or something like that."

"No foolin'?"

"Hell if I know. Don't take my word for it."

When the other one didn't respond they both remained silent for a time, until they began again.

"This sucks!"

"No shit, Sherlock."

"This is the last day before the New Year and I spend it patrolling this godforsaken wall!"

"I'm not much happier about it than you are."

"I mean seriously! You know who doesn't have duty during the New Year?!"

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me."

"Bradley! He's probably out at a bar right now drinking 'till he's so friggin' plastered. You know, I had Grand Hall duty fo–"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I don't know. It sounded like it came from the tower."

"There's no one in there except a few rats. Maybe that's what you heard."

"Maybe."

"Anyway, I had Grand Hall duty for six weeks straight, then I make one comment to Bradley about that new trade route ordinance they're gonna instate, and the next thing I know I'm out here workin' the holiday! How much of a brown-noser can he be? Just ain't cool, man, it just ain't co–"

"There it is again! Didn't you hear it?"

"Yeah, I heard it that time."

The two soldiers stood upright, clutched their pikes tightly, and stared at the tower beside them.

"It sounds like the door is opening…"

"How?! That freaking thing weighs a ton! It takes three men on each side to get that door open!"

"Should we call for backup?"

"They both froze and braced themselves. They watched as the heavy metal door slowly opened to reveal…

"What the hell?! It's just a kid!"

"Geezus; it looks like he's had a worse morning then us."

Link went rigid as he stood staring at the two soldiers.

"Hey kid! Are you all right?"

"Link," Navi whispered. "I bet if we ask them, they'll know how to get to the Temple of Time."

"No way! I'm not taking any chances with these guys."

"What? Why not?"

"You heard what Telma and the others said last night. They could be phonies."

"Oh…right…"

Navi bent her wings low and hid behind Link's neck.

"Dude, what is that thing?"

"…Kinda looks like a firefly."

"No, man. I think it's a fairy!"

"What?! You better not be pulling my leg."

"Hey kid, you're not supposed to be up here. Why don't you come quietly so we can–"

Link bolted, zipping past the soldiers completely.

"Holy!–"

"He sure runs fast."

"Don't just stand there! Stop him! We can't let him get to the castle!"

"Hey! Stop!"

One soldier took after Link while the other pulled a bullhorn from his belt and blew loudly. Within seconds a bell rang from a nearby tower, then another and another.

"Link! What are you doing?!"

"I don't know! Just hang on!"

Link yanked Navi out of the air, making her squeak at his sudden grip, and held onto her as he ran across the curtain wall.

"Link! Look!"

"What?!"

"Over there!"

Navi pointed from inside Link's hand at the multiple nearby towers. They stood erect side by side, the center tower the tallest and widest of them, which Link recognized instantly as–

"Hyrule Castle?! How did we get all the way over here?!"

"We're in trouble now!"

"You think?! No wonder they're chasing us!"

"Watch out!"

A soldier running straight for them made a mad grab at Link, but he swerved out of the way and made a sharp turn down another curtain wall walkway.

"We gotta get outta here, Link! What do we do?!"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!"

Link ran as fast as he could down the walkway of the castle walls, dodging several more soldiers. When one tried to grab him with a vice grip, he ducked under and slid past him. He barely had time to catch himself when the walkway came to an abrupt end. He stumbled forward and threw his hands out to the side to regain his balance, getting a good glimpse at the lack of ground below.

"Link! Behind you!"

Link turned and saw a group of soldiers behind him.

"Stop!" One of them called. "You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"We can help you if you just tell us what you're doing here!"

Link looked back down at the empty drop before him, then looked to the left. He took a deep breath.

"Link?" Navi's eyes bulged. "What might you be thinking?"

"Hang on tight, Navi."

"LINK!"

He jumped, and landed on the nearby ledge of a blue roof.

"Didn't you see this ledge down here, Navi?"

"…No," said a very shaken Navi.

With Navi in hand, Link ran across the blue roof.

"Which way is the Temple of Time from here?!"

"I don't know! Let's lose these guys first before we do anything else!"

Link skidded to a stop when a soldier jumped down from a wall in front of him, holding his hands up in resignation.

"Wait a sec, kid. We don't wanna hurt you. Let's talk about this?"

"Link, I don't think these guys are phonies," Navi whispered in Link's ear. "Let's just ask them where the Temple of Time is so we can get outta here."

Link took several steps back.

"Wait! Kid, you're gonna–"

His foot caught on a loose tile and with nothing to catch him but air, he fell.

"LINK!"

Link's hand automatically grabbed the edge of the roof. He held on for dear life as he dangled over the abyss.

"Kid!" The soldier ran over, stooped down, and reached out. "Take my hand!"

Link gazed up at the soldier in panic, then raised his other hand to take the soldier's.

"Let go."

"What?! Navi, are you insane?!"

"What? Why am I insane?! You're the one about to plummet to your doom if you don't do something!"

"Let go, Link…"

"!…Who…Who's there?"

"I have something to tell you…You'll be all right…Just let go…"

"What are you waiting for?! Take my hand! Hurry!"

Link stared confusedly at the soldier's hand, and let his hand slip from the roof.

"NO!"

"LINK!"

Navi and the soldier's despair-ridden faces faded as Link plunged farther away from the castle into the clouds and to his death below. The natural wind, and the wind from the drop whipped at his hair and eyes. The golden clouds engulfed his vision.

"I can't see…"

"Don't look. Just close your eyes …"

He did, and he blacked out.

He blinked. Lightning crashed. Rolling thunder and a downpour of rain followed. Link was lying in the middle of a field that stretched for miles; nothing but grass and meadow. He stared idly into a dark gray sky of rolling cumulonimbus clouds that flashed every time lightning rumbled within them.

The first raindrops fell on his face and eyelashes, and he smiled. The lightning brightened his vision and left stars in his eyes. The thunder filled his ears and made them ring. The rain soaked his skin, hair and clothes. The rain didn't fall in one direction; it whipped all around him and hit him in every direction. Wind picked up and blew the grass all around him.

Link closed his eyes and smiled wider. He never wanted to leave that meadow, and he wished it would always rain this way.

"Do you feel it, Link?" a voice whispered in his mind. "Do you feel the power of the Storm?"

"I feel it…"

"Can you hear the rain's rhythm? The thunder's beat? The wind's hum? Listen, Link. Listen to the Song of Storms…"

Link held as still as he could and meditated on the rain. In the distance, he heard an ocarina playing. He strained to take in the ocarina, and everything the voice described; the feel of the rain and wind on his face and the sound of the booming thunder and the soft mellow tones of the tiny instrument.

"Play the Song of Storms, Link…"

Link lifted his hand and realized he had an ocarina of his own within its grasp. He put the sweet potato instrument to his lips and followed along. His fingers moved agilely across the holes on the ocarina, and it was only seconds before his ocarina was in synch with the one far off.

"The storm is the power and might of the skies. It strips and heals the land of all its wounds, and brings fresh beginnings to those who witness its force. With this song Link, you too can heal the land. Remember this song well. Let it guide you…"

"Yeah…only how am I supposed to play it when I don't even have an ocarina…?"

"What?! Link, you're talking in your sleep! Wake up will you?!"

Links eyes snapped open. The first things he saw were the burning eyes of a woman with braided silvery hair glaring angrily down at him. He realized she carried him in his arms.

"What the– Let me go!"

He writhed in her hold, so she hastily dropped him on the ground. He landed flat on his back onto the stone road.

"Ouch! I didn't mean like that!"

Navi sat on his shoulder.

"Link! Are you okay?"

"Ungrateful. Unforgivable."

Link's spirit shook suddenly at the words that came from the woman's mouth. Her voice was strong and unrelentless.

"You, young man, are in a world of trouble. You better have a decent explanation for all the fuss you've caused."

Navi's wings trembled in fear as she hid once more behind Link's neck.

"Oh no," she squeaked. "Now we really are in trouble…"