A Link to the Past

Chapter Thirty One: An Odd Pearl

Link was so worn out by the time he and Maple reached the potion shop owned by her grandmother that he almost forgot that this was going to be an unexpected reunion for the two of them, being that the young woman hadn't exactly planned on traveling to another world, let alone being trapped there. The lantern hanging out side was still lit, swaying gently in the wind and rain while Maple walked up the three wooden steps to the door, but it was already locked for the night, so she had to knock. After a few times of banging her fist against the wood, the latch inside was heard turning, and the door slowly opened to reveal an old witch who looked both really tired herself, as well as having only just closed up shop for the day.

"I'm sorry, but the shop is closed for the night." The old witch said, sounding rehearsed as if this was a normal thing. "I'll open up tomorrow right after sunrise, once I've finished…

"Collecting mushrooms in the morning dew?" Maple finished, unable to keep a smile from forming across her lovely face. "Don't you recognize me? Grandmother, it's me… it's Maple… I'm home."

For a moment the old witch just stood there as if not fully understanding the words she was hearing, but then she rubbed her tired old eyes and gasped… before fainting to the floor. The young woman tried to catch her but was too slow, now rushing in and cradling the old witch's head, calling for Link to come in and help her while moving her grandmother's pointed black hat out of the way. The young man hadn't expected any fainting, in fact just the opposite; maybe some excitement and hugging, some tears and wondering where her granddaughter had been, but then again this reaction made more sense once Maple explained to him that she had been trapped in the Dark World for the last five years.

Link had been told by Agahnim and others that time didn't pass in that awful place at all, which was why the wizard had been far younger than the Lord Sheriff even though he was supposed to be more than a decade older, but it was still shocking to learn that people could simply stumble into the place and then never be heard from again. The old witch must've been worried sick, probably searching high and low for her granddaughter before slowly accepting that she was just gone as the years passed… only for Maple to suddenly show up again in the middle of the night without a word of warning or explanation. Regardless, all they could do for now was carry the old witch into her bedroom at the back of the shop and make sure she was comfortable.

Right now some sleep sounded like the best idea in the world, and at least this time the young man had a proper roof over his head instead of being under a bridge or locked in a dungeon. Maple's room was right next to hers, surprisingly clean and dusted for being unoccupied for five years, with the young woman looking absolutely thrilled to see a real bed after being locked up for so long. As for Link, there was a small sofa out in the main area of the potion shop, probably for waiting customers, so he was to sleep there for the night, but not before sharing a goodnight kiss with Maple. He really liked her, and she continued to occupy the young man's thoughts while he laid on the sofa listening to the rain hitting the roof, but he just hoped that her grandmother would… wait a second, did the old witch think that he was a criminal?

After everything that had happened since the night he snuck into Hyrule Castle, Link had almost forgotten that he was still wanted for the kidnapping of Princess Zelda, and at some point he must've fallen asleep because suddenly there was pale gray light coming in through the shop windows when the young man was woken up by a rumbling of thunder. Maple's grandmother must've kept the shop closed today since there were no customers inside and the door was still latched, and the young woman could be heard speaking with the old witch over near the store counter. She must've already told her grandmother all about everything that happened with her vanishing into the Dark World and how the two of them met because now the two of them were examining Agahnim's red pearl.

"Good morning, my hero." Maple said happily as he walked over to them, taking his hand when he sat down. "Grandmother, this is Link, the one who fought off the monsters and rescued me from that awful place. Link, this is my grandmother, Basil."

"First he steals the Princess, and then he steals my Maple." The old witch scoffed before sprinkling some powder onto the red jewel. "Just how many beautiful young women have you kidnapped from one place or another, young man?"

The young woman scolded her grandmother to be nice, wrapping her arms around Link's arm and resting her head on his shoulder, but instead of worrying about the accusations or Maple's defense, the young man was more focused on how the powder was sizzling on top of the pearl he had taken from the wizard. These experiments must've been going on for a while, because there were remnants of several different powders on the counter next to it, but from the look on her face, the old witch didn't seem to be getting the results that she expected. Reminding the two of them that her area of expertise was magic powders and potions, the only thing that she could tell them for certain was that this jewel seemed to be built for repelling some form of magic.

"What kind of magic?" Maple asked. "Like fire or something?"

"I don't have the slightest idea." Her grandmother confessed, holding up the pearl. "You see these celestial fragments shaped like stars and the moon? These are traditionally runes of warding, but they usually have something to represent what that is… this is just the runes and the gem itself. Whoever made this both had a very specific purpose in mind, and knows a lot more about magic than I do. Safe to say whatever it wards off will never touch the wearer."

"Then maybe it can help me rescue the other girls." Link replied, taking back the jewel and putting it in his pocket. "Maybe Agahnim made it to protect himself from Ganondorf."

One theory was as good as another at this point, but hopefully when he finally did discover what the red pearl did, it would help as much as everyone hoped. That being said, the young man had given his word that he would return to the Dark World once Maple was safe at home, and now the crystals in his other pocket were vibrating as if to remind him of that fact. The young woman didn't want him to go, but she understood more than anyone how horrible it was to be trapped in that awful place, and knew he had to. It wasn't like Link ever wanted to set foot in Ganondorf's domain again, especially since he would have to be a bunny-rabbit again and Agahnim was probably really pissed off about the Master Sword right about now.

"I know it's impossible there, but try to stay safe." Maple urged, walking with him to the door. "I'm so sorry I can't go back with you, but I'll be waiting right here when you get back."

They kissed again, hugging after for the longest time with the young man promising that he would rescue the other trapped girls and come back to her, and even though Link knew that it was best for the young woman to stay home where it was safe, the idea of returning to the Dark World alone, even with the Master Sword, didn't sit well. Wondering in this damn pouring rain would ever end as he started walking away from the potion shop and the girl of his dreams, there was no other guidance at the moment aside from when the crystals vibrated. South away from the shop and the river that flowed behind it, the young man had to duck behind rocks and tall grass to avoid the guard patrols searching for him, and then he saw a familiar looking bridge up ahead.

It was the same one that he had slept under that first night while heading for the second trial, the one to prove his wisdom at the old Lord's Castle, and now… and now the crystal's vibrations had changed direction along the path toward that same place. At least he knew that no one was going to be lurking around on the decades neglected estate, well, no one except those jumping statues… hopefully he didn't need to go inside the building again. Everything there was just as overgrown and forgotten as the first time he walked through the grounds, ducking underneath those same tree branches and stepping around what might have once been nice looking hedges.

"What did you bring me here for?" Link asked the crystals as it led him toward the old fence away from the ruins. "I figured we'd be going to the castle or back to the Lost…

The young man's words were forgotten as he felt a sudden sensation of falling, deafening wind and brilliant white light assaulting his senses until it was just gone, allowing the disoriented Link to fall to his hands and knees next to… next to a metal bar fence that was in surprisingly good condition, as was the stone walkway that he was kneeling on. Having experienced this a few times now, it was obvious that the young man was back in the Dark World, even if he hadn't been able to see the lack of rain in the permanently sunsetting sky, and he turned around to see that the rest of this estate was in just as good of condition. Although dead and dried, the tree branches were all lifted and trimmed evenly, as were the brownish colored hedges, and the castle behind them…

It wasn't the old Lord's Castle from Hyrule, it actually looked more like a temple with its tan colors and straight edge construction, with, uh… with some kind of monkey figure carved into all of the support columns on the outside. As nice and well crafted as this place looked, Link figured that he better be ready for a fight, so he drew the Master Sword from its sheath, but then stopped when he looked at his own hand… his own hand, not a rabbit's paw. Taking a moment to look himself over, and even using the blue blade's shiny surface like a mirror, the young man saw that he still looked like… well, himself. Was it because of the sword? Was this legendary weapon somehow protecting him from the changing magic of this world… or was it that pearl that Agahnim carried around?

Either way, it should be a lot easier now to rescue the trapped girls now that he was both armed and still a normal person, so Link took a deep breath, tried to prepare himself for whatever insanity this world would throw at him next, and started walking toward the palace.