CHAPTER FIVE
In Hyrule Castle, the king was having an awful sleep. He tossed and turned, and when he was able to doze off, he had horrible nightmares. He decided to get up and have a drink of milk. He got up and made his way through the darkened castle to the kitchen, where he poured himself a glass. As he sat at the bench to drink it, he thought of Zelda.
"That's odd," he muttered. "She didn't say goodnight to me."
Every night for as long as he could remember, Zelda had insisted on saying goodnight to him. It was their nightly ritual, but because the king had been so wrapped up with the treasure business, he had completely forgotten about it. He decided to go and check on her.
The king's slippers made a soft scuffing sound on the stone floors as he walked to Zelda's room. Just as he was about to open the door, the door from across the hall opened and Impa emerged, rubbing her eyes.
"Hi Impa," the king whispered.
"What are you doing this late at night?" Impa asked in a tired voice.
"I couldn't sleep, and I decided to check on Zelda," he replied.
"She's sleeping," Impa replied. "She had some friends around this afternoon, and I think they tired her out and she went to bed early. I haven't hardly seen her all afternoon or evening."
"I guess you're right," the king replied. "I should really get to bed anyway. I've got a big day tomorrow."
"Okay," Impa said. "Night."
"Good night."
The king, having had his mind put at ease, went back to bed and enjoyed a perfect sleep for the rest of the night.
* * *
Zelda awoke to the feeling of something crawling on her face. She sat upright and brushed something off her face, and let out a small cry when a bat flew off her face. Saria, next to her, opened her eyes and couldn't believe what she saw. On the roof above her head, were hundreds of bats, and as Zelda's bat was disturbed and fluttered upwards, it disturbed the other bats, and soon hundreds of bats were flying around the cave.
Link and Lyla woke up, as Zelda and Saria tried to cover themselves under their bed covers. Link grabbed his sword and began swinging it at the annoying bats, but it didn't make much difference. Covering her face, Lyla picked up her blanket and swung it in the air, whipping the bats and sending them off in different directions. Link got the same idea and began using his own blanket. Shortly, the cave was empty of bats, minus a couple that were lying motionless on the floor.
"Yuck," said Lyla. "Bats are disgusting."
"I can still feel one on my face," Zelda said, as she and Saria got out of bed. Link's and Lyla's hair were messed up from bats flying into it and getting tangled. Lyla pulled a comb out of her bag, but Link just used his hands to smooth his hair down.
"Did you see where they went?" Link asked. The others shook their heads.
"Well," Link said, "Only a few went out the front. The rest of them flew towards the back, and I think that the cave goes back further."
"Can we explore it?" Saria asked.
Link loved exploring caves and new places, and before Zelda could protest about them leaving the trail, he had found a small tunnel and was heading down it.
The tunnel looked as though it was man made, as no natural tunnel could be so straight and the same for so long. It continued downwards for hundreds of meters, veering slightly to the right. It was dark and hot, but thankfully Zelda lit a lantern. It was quite narrow and tight, and Lyla, the tallest, had to stoop slightly as she walked so that she didn't scrape her head against the rough ceiling.
In the front, Link stopped suddenly. The others behind reacted too late, and they crashed into each other, sending Link falling headfirst into a wooden cart.
"Wow what's that?" Saria asked.
Link clambered out of the cart. "That's why I stopped," he said.
Zelda passed the torch to Link and they inspected the cart. It was quite plain and almost crudely fitted together. Saria looked at Link and burst out laughing.
"Your hat is covered in dust!"
Link reached up and tried to brush the dirt of his hat. When he looked at his hand, it shimmered in the light of the lantern.
"Hey!" he exclaimed. He showed Zelda.
"That looks like gold dust," she said. Link shined the light inside the cart, and they looked at the inside, which was covered in gold dust.
"This must have been used to carry gold!" Zelda exclaimed. "Maybe we are near the treasure, although we're not according to the map."
They increased their speed going down the rest of the tunnel, until it opened up to reveal a large cavern. Wooden beams supported the ceiling, and there were several more wooden carts around the place. The walls were covered in holes, and there were several more tunnels leading off in different directions. The air was stale and old, and it had a damp, musty smell.
"This place is great!" Saria exclaimed.
"I think we are in an old gold mine," Zelda said. Although none of them had ever seen one before, it was a correct assumption.
"Wow," Link said. He imagined the men who must have toiled in there, hundreds of years ago, digging up gold. He felt excited, and wondered what the treasure might be like.
"I can't wait to find the treasure now," Saria said, echoing everyone's thoughts.
"We'd better get back to that," Zelda said. She led them up the tunnel they had come down, and eventually they found their way out into daylight.
It was a beautiful day in Hyrule; all of the previous day's bad weather had blown away. The four travelers squinted as their eyes adjusted to the light after being down in the cave for so long. The land around them was deserted, and they were surprised to see that they were near the bottom of Death Mountain. The land on the other side of the mountain was more rugged, with many rocks and hills scattered across an area similar in size to Hyrule Field.
"The map says we should go straight across this area," Zelda said after examining it for a moment.
The discovery of the abandoned gold mine had renewed their energy, and they made fantastic progress across the rough terrain. Around midday, they stopped to eat, and then set off again. They could see in the distance that they were approaching a river, which was marked on the map.
* * *
"Finally, we're off Death Mountain," Jamie commented as he led his men to the foot of the mountain. Like Link, Zelda, Saria and Lyla before them, they were amazed to see the landscape on the other side. With only a brief hesitation, they continued along the trail that was marked on the incomplete map.
* * *
"The question is, how do we get across?" Link asked, staring at the wide, rushing river in front of him. It was full of jagged rocks that turned parts of the river into white water rapids.
"We can't turn back now," Zelda said after failing to think of a way across.
"Do we still have a rope?" Link asked. Lyla took it out of her bag and handed it to him.
"Maybe we could throw it over that stump over there," Link said, tying the end into a circle. "It should be long enough." He swung the end of the rope around his head lasso-style, and then threw it towards the tree stump. It missed, landing in the rushing water. He hauled it in and tried again. This time the rope hit the opposite bank. After a dozen more tries, he began to feel frustrated.
"Come on," he urged his throw, seconds before it bounced off the stump.
"Keep going Link," Saria encouraged. "You nearly had it that time."
Link took a deep breath to relax, and threw the rope again. It soared through the air and settled around the tree stump. Link pulled tight on it, but it held.
"Way to go!" Zelda said. Link smiled in relief. He took the end he was holding and tied it around a tree on his side of the river. With one last tug, he made the rope taut, and then swung his weight on it.
"Follow me!" he said. Making sure that their stuff was secure, they copied Link, and hung upside down on the rope, pulling themselves along with their arms and legs. Saria could hear the water rushing underneath her, and shut her eyes as she pulled herself along. However, it was Zelda who unexpectedly slipped and let go of the rope. She dangled upside down, her hair getting wet in the river below.
"HELP!" she screamed. Lyla who was behind her, reached down with one arm.
"GRAB MY ARM!" she yelled above the roar of the rushing water. Zelda reached up, and Lyla pulled until Zelda grabbed back onto the rope. Link and Saria, who had already made it across, watched nervously until Zelda and Lyla were both safely on the other side.
"How do we get our rope back?" asked Saria.
"Leave it," said Zelda.
"But it's already help us twice!" Saria remembered climbing the sheer wall on Death Mountain.
"I'll get it," said Lyla. She swung herself back onto the rope and climbed back across to the other side. She untied the end from the tree, and then, holding tightly onto the rope, she waded out into the water. The water was cold and was a lot faster that she'd anticipated, but she held onto the rope tightly, and used it to pull herself into the shore, against the flow of the current.
During the two years that she'd worked as a servant for Kormand Delfire, Lyla had often had to life heavy items, and consequently, she was very strong, especially for a woman. She had no trouble fighting the current, and shortly joined Link, Saria and Zelda on their side of the river, dripping wet, but with the rope.
"Thanks!" said Saria.
"You didn't have to do that," Zelda said. "But thanks anyway."
"I thought we'd probably need it again," Lyla replied. She was cold and wet, but she didn't complain. "Let's keep going," she said.
* * *
"Where are we now?" Saria asked Zelda later on, wanting to check on their progress. Zelda stopped and pulled out the map. Saria and Lyla leaned over to get a look, while Link had a drink of water.
"We should be approaching this gorge soon," Zelda said, pointing to the corresponding diagram on the map. "When we get there, were not that far from the picture of the treasure chest. And the trail ends there!"
"Wow," said Saria. "I can't wait to get there."
"We should make it to the gorge by dark," Link said, joining them. He looked at the sky and estimated that they had about two hours of daylight left. Unfortunately, his estimate was wrong, and after another hour, the light slowly began to fade, and they were still about a mile away from the gorge.
"Maybe we should set up camp while we can still see," Link suggested.
"Oh, come on. Let's hurry and make it to the gorge first," Zelda said.
"Okay."
It was pitch black by the time they reached the gorge, which was a lot larger than it had appeared on the map. Using the light of the lantern, they set up their bedding next to a small rise of rocks that didn't really offer much protection. However, the sky was clear, and didn't seem to show any signs of bad weather. The previous night's limited amount of sleep combined with a full day of hiking had tired out all four adventurers, and they welcomed the prospect of sleep eagerly. Even before their heads hit the pillows, they were fast asleep.
* * *
The king's soldiers were traveling about an hour behind Zelda. When they reached the river, they were equally as puzzled as the others had been as to how to cross it. They carried rope, but they didn't have the idea to climb across on it. It was Jamie who decided to use their army training to do a river crossing. His idea was to form a single-file chain of men, with the strongest men at the back and the front, and to slowly make their way across the river provided it was deep enough to walk across the whole way. He ordered the men into their positions, and then they headed out into the cold water.
The water was fast and the current was strong, and the men had to maintain a tight grip to ensure that the chain stayed intact. Fortunately, the river was shallow, and they were able to walk along the bottom. Their progress was slow but steady, until the man behind Jamie tripped on a rock that was buried in the bottom of the river. Jamie fought hard, but was pulled under as well, and he felt his grasp on the man in front loosen. He stood up and turned his head behind him to look at the chain behind him. The man who had slipped, Arnyu, was still a part of the chain, but the three men behind him had separated into their own mini chain, and they were fighting a losing battle against the current. Arnyu tried to reach out to them, but already they had slipped further downstream.
"Let's get across to the other side," Jamie yelled. "We can't do anything at the moment!"
They were near to the other side, and quickly made it across, worried about their colleagues. When they made it to the bank, they scrambled up and ran parallel to the river, towards the three men. The men had separated and were now getting swept downstream at an alarmingly fast rate. Arnyu pulled a rope out of his bag and threw it towards the nearest man. The man grabbed onto the rope, and Arnyu pulled with all his strength. It was hard against the current, but he slowly began to tow the man in.
Then without warning, the rope snagged on an underwater log, and Arnyu was nearly dragged into the river. Both he and the man in the river let go of the rope. Arnyu fell forwards onto the ground, and watched helplessly as the bobbing heads disappeared off down the river. He lay on the spot, speechless, devastated at what had just happened. Jamie and the other six men slowly walked over and stood behind him. They stood silent for a moment, thinking of the men that they had just lost, and hoping that they would somehow make it safely to shore.
"Come on," Jamie spoke in a soft voice, "There's nothing else we can do here." He picked up his gear, turned, and began walking away. Slowly, one by one, the others did the same and followed him. Arnyu was the last to leave.
* * *
Link was the first one to wake up the following morning. Once again, it was a fine, clear day, and he watched the sun rise slowly. The sunlight pouring over the dry land that surrounded the gorge made for a beautiful sight, and Link decided to get up and have a look around.
In the daylight he was able to get a good look at the gorge. It was a lot wider and deeper than he'd realised, and although in most places it was a sheer drop to the bottom a long way below, he found a trail that they could probably negotiate down. He went back and got the map out of Zelda's bag and studied it. The trail on the map did lead down into the gorge, and it looked like the treasure was somewhere down there. He was not sure where exactly. He sat down on a small rock and gazed across the rugged land. Link realised that this was an adventure that he was enjoying. He was with people he liked, they hadn't encountered any real danger, and they were on the verge of making the most significant discovery in Hyrule's history. Not that Link was really worried about making history. His encounters with the infamous Ganondorf had already ensured that, but Link liked the idea of being one of the first people to lay eyes on the treasure in hundreds of years. He took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp morning air, and then stood up and returned back to camp. The other three were awake now, and Zelda handed him a piece of bread.
"Breakfast?"
"Uh, thanks," Link took the simple food and scoffed it down. He then packed up his things, and when the others were ready, he pointed out the way down the cliff that he'd found.
"Wow, that is the biggest fall I've ever seen," said Saria, gazing over the edge.
"Let's just hope it doesn't turn into a fall," commented Lyla.
* * *
It took two hours of careful trekking, but finally they safely made it down to the bottom of the gorge. They were all covered with dust, and Saria looked a bit tired. Link stared at her proudly. She had proven herself to be far stronger than Link had ever realised. The little Kokiri girl certainly had guts.
Zelda pulled out some water bottles, and they had a good long drink. The water was getting a bit low, but Zelda wasn't too concerned. There was sure to be somewhere that they could refill their supply from nearby.
"We go left along the floor of the canyon for several hundred meters," said Link, looking at the map again. "We're not that far away from it now!"
This sentence brought excitement into the group, and they began to make their way along the rocky ground with renewed vigor. The air down there was a lot cooler than on the surface, but at least they were sheltered from the hot sun.
Suddenly, Saria let out a loud scream. Zelda nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Is something wrong?" asked Lyla, concerned.
"It's... I saw...a, a snake!" Saria trembled.
"Oh, is that all?" replied Lyla, bending down to pick up a stone. "I'll kill it if it bothers you that much."
"Wait!" Link exclaimed. "Let me have a look."
He crept closer to where Saria pointed, and saw a snake sleeping in a crack in the walls.
"Great," he muttered.
"What's so great?" asked Saria. "It's a snake!"
"I was being sarcastic," Link replied. "It's not just any snake. It's called a Rope, and it's a very aggressive snake. I haven't seen one of these in a long long time."
"How aggressive?" asked Saria, with the slightest hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Well, to be honest, it's very poisonous, and if you disturb it, it will charge at you and try to attack."
Saria gulped and took a few steps back. "I think we should be leaving now," she said.
"Yes, just keep out of their way."
Saria kept close to Link as they hiked down the trail. She was quite scared of snakes, because they hardly ever came into the Kokiri Forest and she'd only heard bad things about them.
"Hey, look, there's a hole here," Lyla observed. Zelda glanced at the map.
"The trail ends here," she said. "The treasure marking appears to be somewhere inside that wall."
"This must be the way in!" Link said happily.
"But, it's so small," Lyla said.
"I'll go first with the light and have a look," said Link. He lit the lantern that they carried and got down on all fours. He shone the light into the hole and peered in.
"There's a tunnel, but it'll be a bit of a crawl."
"Who cares!" Zelda exclaimed. "If it leads to treasure!"
Link entered the tunnel. He could just crawl, if he kept low. Saria and Zelda followed on their hands and knees. Lyla went last. It was a tight squeeze for her to fit through the hole, but the tunnel was a bit wider. However, she had to pull herself along on her stomach to get along the tunnel.
"For once, I wish I was little," she remarked.
The tunnel wasn't very long, and it opened out into a small cavern. The four of them were happy to be able to stand up again.
"Wow, look at that," Zelda said, gazing around the cavern. The others turned and looked at the symbol carved into one of the walls.
"What is it?" asked Saria, being the only one who didn't recognize it.
"It's the crest of the Royal Family," Link explained.
"Your family?" Saria asked Zelda.
"Yes."
"That means we must be heading the right way!" Lyla exclaimed.
There were two more passages leading out of the cavern, and they appeared to lead in different directions, one to the left and one on the right.
"Which way is it?" asked Lyla.
"I don't know," replied Zelda looking at the map. "The trail ended outside this cave, and I can only see that the treasure is somewhere in here."
"Why don't we split up?" suggested Link.
"Okay," replied Saria.
"I don't know," said Zelda. "We don't know where they lead, and how are we going to meet up again. Even if two of us find the treasure, the other two won't."
"I agree," said Lyla. "It's safer to go together."
"Well then it's a guess," said Link. "Left or right?"
"I don't mind," replied Zelda.
Saria picked up a small stick that was lying on the ground and placed it in between the two tunnels. She then spun it, and they all watched it slow down and eventually point to the left.
"Left it is!" she declared. Link laughed at her enthusiasm, which resulted in Saria giving him a huge glare. They set off down the left tunnel, and were surprised to find that after a short while, there were several old torches mounted periodically on the walls down the tunnel. Zelda lit the two nearest to her using the lantern, and immediately the tunnel around them lit up. It was not nearly as narrow as the one that they had squeezed through earlier and two of them could walk side by side quite comfortably, with just enough room. The tunnel was very long, and Zelda lit each wall-mounted torch as they passed it. At first the passageway had been flat, but gradually it had become steeper, sloping downwards. Just as it had become so steep that they were nearly losing their footing, a staircase had been appropriately placed so that they could walk more easily.
The staircase was long, but it opened out onto a small rock shelf. The shelf was on the wall of a large cavern. Everyone gasped when they looked over the edge of the shelf.
A drop that descended into complete blackness so that it looked bottomless awaited anyone who fell off the edge. On the opposite wall of the cavern, on the other side of the drop was another shelf. It was a much larger shelf; it had to be to accommodate the huge pile of glittering treasure that sat upon it
In Hyrule Castle, the king was having an awful sleep. He tossed and turned, and when he was able to doze off, he had horrible nightmares. He decided to get up and have a drink of milk. He got up and made his way through the darkened castle to the kitchen, where he poured himself a glass. As he sat at the bench to drink it, he thought of Zelda.
"That's odd," he muttered. "She didn't say goodnight to me."
Every night for as long as he could remember, Zelda had insisted on saying goodnight to him. It was their nightly ritual, but because the king had been so wrapped up with the treasure business, he had completely forgotten about it. He decided to go and check on her.
The king's slippers made a soft scuffing sound on the stone floors as he walked to Zelda's room. Just as he was about to open the door, the door from across the hall opened and Impa emerged, rubbing her eyes.
"Hi Impa," the king whispered.
"What are you doing this late at night?" Impa asked in a tired voice.
"I couldn't sleep, and I decided to check on Zelda," he replied.
"She's sleeping," Impa replied. "She had some friends around this afternoon, and I think they tired her out and she went to bed early. I haven't hardly seen her all afternoon or evening."
"I guess you're right," the king replied. "I should really get to bed anyway. I've got a big day tomorrow."
"Okay," Impa said. "Night."
"Good night."
The king, having had his mind put at ease, went back to bed and enjoyed a perfect sleep for the rest of the night.
* * *
Zelda awoke to the feeling of something crawling on her face. She sat upright and brushed something off her face, and let out a small cry when a bat flew off her face. Saria, next to her, opened her eyes and couldn't believe what she saw. On the roof above her head, were hundreds of bats, and as Zelda's bat was disturbed and fluttered upwards, it disturbed the other bats, and soon hundreds of bats were flying around the cave.
Link and Lyla woke up, as Zelda and Saria tried to cover themselves under their bed covers. Link grabbed his sword and began swinging it at the annoying bats, but it didn't make much difference. Covering her face, Lyla picked up her blanket and swung it in the air, whipping the bats and sending them off in different directions. Link got the same idea and began using his own blanket. Shortly, the cave was empty of bats, minus a couple that were lying motionless on the floor.
"Yuck," said Lyla. "Bats are disgusting."
"I can still feel one on my face," Zelda said, as she and Saria got out of bed. Link's and Lyla's hair were messed up from bats flying into it and getting tangled. Lyla pulled a comb out of her bag, but Link just used his hands to smooth his hair down.
"Did you see where they went?" Link asked. The others shook their heads.
"Well," Link said, "Only a few went out the front. The rest of them flew towards the back, and I think that the cave goes back further."
"Can we explore it?" Saria asked.
Link loved exploring caves and new places, and before Zelda could protest about them leaving the trail, he had found a small tunnel and was heading down it.
The tunnel looked as though it was man made, as no natural tunnel could be so straight and the same for so long. It continued downwards for hundreds of meters, veering slightly to the right. It was dark and hot, but thankfully Zelda lit a lantern. It was quite narrow and tight, and Lyla, the tallest, had to stoop slightly as she walked so that she didn't scrape her head against the rough ceiling.
In the front, Link stopped suddenly. The others behind reacted too late, and they crashed into each other, sending Link falling headfirst into a wooden cart.
"Wow what's that?" Saria asked.
Link clambered out of the cart. "That's why I stopped," he said.
Zelda passed the torch to Link and they inspected the cart. It was quite plain and almost crudely fitted together. Saria looked at Link and burst out laughing.
"Your hat is covered in dust!"
Link reached up and tried to brush the dirt of his hat. When he looked at his hand, it shimmered in the light of the lantern.
"Hey!" he exclaimed. He showed Zelda.
"That looks like gold dust," she said. Link shined the light inside the cart, and they looked at the inside, which was covered in gold dust.
"This must have been used to carry gold!" Zelda exclaimed. "Maybe we are near the treasure, although we're not according to the map."
They increased their speed going down the rest of the tunnel, until it opened up to reveal a large cavern. Wooden beams supported the ceiling, and there were several more wooden carts around the place. The walls were covered in holes, and there were several more tunnels leading off in different directions. The air was stale and old, and it had a damp, musty smell.
"This place is great!" Saria exclaimed.
"I think we are in an old gold mine," Zelda said. Although none of them had ever seen one before, it was a correct assumption.
"Wow," Link said. He imagined the men who must have toiled in there, hundreds of years ago, digging up gold. He felt excited, and wondered what the treasure might be like.
"I can't wait to find the treasure now," Saria said, echoing everyone's thoughts.
"We'd better get back to that," Zelda said. She led them up the tunnel they had come down, and eventually they found their way out into daylight.
It was a beautiful day in Hyrule; all of the previous day's bad weather had blown away. The four travelers squinted as their eyes adjusted to the light after being down in the cave for so long. The land around them was deserted, and they were surprised to see that they were near the bottom of Death Mountain. The land on the other side of the mountain was more rugged, with many rocks and hills scattered across an area similar in size to Hyrule Field.
"The map says we should go straight across this area," Zelda said after examining it for a moment.
The discovery of the abandoned gold mine had renewed their energy, and they made fantastic progress across the rough terrain. Around midday, they stopped to eat, and then set off again. They could see in the distance that they were approaching a river, which was marked on the map.
* * *
"Finally, we're off Death Mountain," Jamie commented as he led his men to the foot of the mountain. Like Link, Zelda, Saria and Lyla before them, they were amazed to see the landscape on the other side. With only a brief hesitation, they continued along the trail that was marked on the incomplete map.
* * *
"The question is, how do we get across?" Link asked, staring at the wide, rushing river in front of him. It was full of jagged rocks that turned parts of the river into white water rapids.
"We can't turn back now," Zelda said after failing to think of a way across.
"Do we still have a rope?" Link asked. Lyla took it out of her bag and handed it to him.
"Maybe we could throw it over that stump over there," Link said, tying the end into a circle. "It should be long enough." He swung the end of the rope around his head lasso-style, and then threw it towards the tree stump. It missed, landing in the rushing water. He hauled it in and tried again. This time the rope hit the opposite bank. After a dozen more tries, he began to feel frustrated.
"Come on," he urged his throw, seconds before it bounced off the stump.
"Keep going Link," Saria encouraged. "You nearly had it that time."
Link took a deep breath to relax, and threw the rope again. It soared through the air and settled around the tree stump. Link pulled tight on it, but it held.
"Way to go!" Zelda said. Link smiled in relief. He took the end he was holding and tied it around a tree on his side of the river. With one last tug, he made the rope taut, and then swung his weight on it.
"Follow me!" he said. Making sure that their stuff was secure, they copied Link, and hung upside down on the rope, pulling themselves along with their arms and legs. Saria could hear the water rushing underneath her, and shut her eyes as she pulled herself along. However, it was Zelda who unexpectedly slipped and let go of the rope. She dangled upside down, her hair getting wet in the river below.
"HELP!" she screamed. Lyla who was behind her, reached down with one arm.
"GRAB MY ARM!" she yelled above the roar of the rushing water. Zelda reached up, and Lyla pulled until Zelda grabbed back onto the rope. Link and Saria, who had already made it across, watched nervously until Zelda and Lyla were both safely on the other side.
"How do we get our rope back?" asked Saria.
"Leave it," said Zelda.
"But it's already help us twice!" Saria remembered climbing the sheer wall on Death Mountain.
"I'll get it," said Lyla. She swung herself back onto the rope and climbed back across to the other side. She untied the end from the tree, and then, holding tightly onto the rope, she waded out into the water. The water was cold and was a lot faster that she'd anticipated, but she held onto the rope tightly, and used it to pull herself into the shore, against the flow of the current.
During the two years that she'd worked as a servant for Kormand Delfire, Lyla had often had to life heavy items, and consequently, she was very strong, especially for a woman. She had no trouble fighting the current, and shortly joined Link, Saria and Zelda on their side of the river, dripping wet, but with the rope.
"Thanks!" said Saria.
"You didn't have to do that," Zelda said. "But thanks anyway."
"I thought we'd probably need it again," Lyla replied. She was cold and wet, but she didn't complain. "Let's keep going," she said.
* * *
"Where are we now?" Saria asked Zelda later on, wanting to check on their progress. Zelda stopped and pulled out the map. Saria and Lyla leaned over to get a look, while Link had a drink of water.
"We should be approaching this gorge soon," Zelda said, pointing to the corresponding diagram on the map. "When we get there, were not that far from the picture of the treasure chest. And the trail ends there!"
"Wow," said Saria. "I can't wait to get there."
"We should make it to the gorge by dark," Link said, joining them. He looked at the sky and estimated that they had about two hours of daylight left. Unfortunately, his estimate was wrong, and after another hour, the light slowly began to fade, and they were still about a mile away from the gorge.
"Maybe we should set up camp while we can still see," Link suggested.
"Oh, come on. Let's hurry and make it to the gorge first," Zelda said.
"Okay."
It was pitch black by the time they reached the gorge, which was a lot larger than it had appeared on the map. Using the light of the lantern, they set up their bedding next to a small rise of rocks that didn't really offer much protection. However, the sky was clear, and didn't seem to show any signs of bad weather. The previous night's limited amount of sleep combined with a full day of hiking had tired out all four adventurers, and they welcomed the prospect of sleep eagerly. Even before their heads hit the pillows, they were fast asleep.
* * *
The king's soldiers were traveling about an hour behind Zelda. When they reached the river, they were equally as puzzled as the others had been as to how to cross it. They carried rope, but they didn't have the idea to climb across on it. It was Jamie who decided to use their army training to do a river crossing. His idea was to form a single-file chain of men, with the strongest men at the back and the front, and to slowly make their way across the river provided it was deep enough to walk across the whole way. He ordered the men into their positions, and then they headed out into the cold water.
The water was fast and the current was strong, and the men had to maintain a tight grip to ensure that the chain stayed intact. Fortunately, the river was shallow, and they were able to walk along the bottom. Their progress was slow but steady, until the man behind Jamie tripped on a rock that was buried in the bottom of the river. Jamie fought hard, but was pulled under as well, and he felt his grasp on the man in front loosen. He stood up and turned his head behind him to look at the chain behind him. The man who had slipped, Arnyu, was still a part of the chain, but the three men behind him had separated into their own mini chain, and they were fighting a losing battle against the current. Arnyu tried to reach out to them, but already they had slipped further downstream.
"Let's get across to the other side," Jamie yelled. "We can't do anything at the moment!"
They were near to the other side, and quickly made it across, worried about their colleagues. When they made it to the bank, they scrambled up and ran parallel to the river, towards the three men. The men had separated and were now getting swept downstream at an alarmingly fast rate. Arnyu pulled a rope out of his bag and threw it towards the nearest man. The man grabbed onto the rope, and Arnyu pulled with all his strength. It was hard against the current, but he slowly began to tow the man in.
Then without warning, the rope snagged on an underwater log, and Arnyu was nearly dragged into the river. Both he and the man in the river let go of the rope. Arnyu fell forwards onto the ground, and watched helplessly as the bobbing heads disappeared off down the river. He lay on the spot, speechless, devastated at what had just happened. Jamie and the other six men slowly walked over and stood behind him. They stood silent for a moment, thinking of the men that they had just lost, and hoping that they would somehow make it safely to shore.
"Come on," Jamie spoke in a soft voice, "There's nothing else we can do here." He picked up his gear, turned, and began walking away. Slowly, one by one, the others did the same and followed him. Arnyu was the last to leave.
* * *
Link was the first one to wake up the following morning. Once again, it was a fine, clear day, and he watched the sun rise slowly. The sunlight pouring over the dry land that surrounded the gorge made for a beautiful sight, and Link decided to get up and have a look around.
In the daylight he was able to get a good look at the gorge. It was a lot wider and deeper than he'd realised, and although in most places it was a sheer drop to the bottom a long way below, he found a trail that they could probably negotiate down. He went back and got the map out of Zelda's bag and studied it. The trail on the map did lead down into the gorge, and it looked like the treasure was somewhere down there. He was not sure where exactly. He sat down on a small rock and gazed across the rugged land. Link realised that this was an adventure that he was enjoying. He was with people he liked, they hadn't encountered any real danger, and they were on the verge of making the most significant discovery in Hyrule's history. Not that Link was really worried about making history. His encounters with the infamous Ganondorf had already ensured that, but Link liked the idea of being one of the first people to lay eyes on the treasure in hundreds of years. He took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp morning air, and then stood up and returned back to camp. The other three were awake now, and Zelda handed him a piece of bread.
"Breakfast?"
"Uh, thanks," Link took the simple food and scoffed it down. He then packed up his things, and when the others were ready, he pointed out the way down the cliff that he'd found.
"Wow, that is the biggest fall I've ever seen," said Saria, gazing over the edge.
"Let's just hope it doesn't turn into a fall," commented Lyla.
* * *
It took two hours of careful trekking, but finally they safely made it down to the bottom of the gorge. They were all covered with dust, and Saria looked a bit tired. Link stared at her proudly. She had proven herself to be far stronger than Link had ever realised. The little Kokiri girl certainly had guts.
Zelda pulled out some water bottles, and they had a good long drink. The water was getting a bit low, but Zelda wasn't too concerned. There was sure to be somewhere that they could refill their supply from nearby.
"We go left along the floor of the canyon for several hundred meters," said Link, looking at the map again. "We're not that far away from it now!"
This sentence brought excitement into the group, and they began to make their way along the rocky ground with renewed vigor. The air down there was a lot cooler than on the surface, but at least they were sheltered from the hot sun.
Suddenly, Saria let out a loud scream. Zelda nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Is something wrong?" asked Lyla, concerned.
"It's... I saw...a, a snake!" Saria trembled.
"Oh, is that all?" replied Lyla, bending down to pick up a stone. "I'll kill it if it bothers you that much."
"Wait!" Link exclaimed. "Let me have a look."
He crept closer to where Saria pointed, and saw a snake sleeping in a crack in the walls.
"Great," he muttered.
"What's so great?" asked Saria. "It's a snake!"
"I was being sarcastic," Link replied. "It's not just any snake. It's called a Rope, and it's a very aggressive snake. I haven't seen one of these in a long long time."
"How aggressive?" asked Saria, with the slightest hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Well, to be honest, it's very poisonous, and if you disturb it, it will charge at you and try to attack."
Saria gulped and took a few steps back. "I think we should be leaving now," she said.
"Yes, just keep out of their way."
Saria kept close to Link as they hiked down the trail. She was quite scared of snakes, because they hardly ever came into the Kokiri Forest and she'd only heard bad things about them.
"Hey, look, there's a hole here," Lyla observed. Zelda glanced at the map.
"The trail ends here," she said. "The treasure marking appears to be somewhere inside that wall."
"This must be the way in!" Link said happily.
"But, it's so small," Lyla said.
"I'll go first with the light and have a look," said Link. He lit the lantern that they carried and got down on all fours. He shone the light into the hole and peered in.
"There's a tunnel, but it'll be a bit of a crawl."
"Who cares!" Zelda exclaimed. "If it leads to treasure!"
Link entered the tunnel. He could just crawl, if he kept low. Saria and Zelda followed on their hands and knees. Lyla went last. It was a tight squeeze for her to fit through the hole, but the tunnel was a bit wider. However, she had to pull herself along on her stomach to get along the tunnel.
"For once, I wish I was little," she remarked.
The tunnel wasn't very long, and it opened out into a small cavern. The four of them were happy to be able to stand up again.
"Wow, look at that," Zelda said, gazing around the cavern. The others turned and looked at the symbol carved into one of the walls.
"What is it?" asked Saria, being the only one who didn't recognize it.
"It's the crest of the Royal Family," Link explained.
"Your family?" Saria asked Zelda.
"Yes."
"That means we must be heading the right way!" Lyla exclaimed.
There were two more passages leading out of the cavern, and they appeared to lead in different directions, one to the left and one on the right.
"Which way is it?" asked Lyla.
"I don't know," replied Zelda looking at the map. "The trail ended outside this cave, and I can only see that the treasure is somewhere in here."
"Why don't we split up?" suggested Link.
"Okay," replied Saria.
"I don't know," said Zelda. "We don't know where they lead, and how are we going to meet up again. Even if two of us find the treasure, the other two won't."
"I agree," said Lyla. "It's safer to go together."
"Well then it's a guess," said Link. "Left or right?"
"I don't mind," replied Zelda.
Saria picked up a small stick that was lying on the ground and placed it in between the two tunnels. She then spun it, and they all watched it slow down and eventually point to the left.
"Left it is!" she declared. Link laughed at her enthusiasm, which resulted in Saria giving him a huge glare. They set off down the left tunnel, and were surprised to find that after a short while, there were several old torches mounted periodically on the walls down the tunnel. Zelda lit the two nearest to her using the lantern, and immediately the tunnel around them lit up. It was not nearly as narrow as the one that they had squeezed through earlier and two of them could walk side by side quite comfortably, with just enough room. The tunnel was very long, and Zelda lit each wall-mounted torch as they passed it. At first the passageway had been flat, but gradually it had become steeper, sloping downwards. Just as it had become so steep that they were nearly losing their footing, a staircase had been appropriately placed so that they could walk more easily.
The staircase was long, but it opened out onto a small rock shelf. The shelf was on the wall of a large cavern. Everyone gasped when they looked over the edge of the shelf.
A drop that descended into complete blackness so that it looked bottomless awaited anyone who fell off the edge. On the opposite wall of the cavern, on the other side of the drop was another shelf. It was a much larger shelf; it had to be to accommodate the huge pile of glittering treasure that sat upon it
