Author's Note: This is Part 2 of this special trilogy. It's inspired by the new GBC games. It follows the storylines (though it's intertwined with Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask), but it also contains a couple of side stories of my own that I hope will help make this series very special.
Link and Tatl ducked behind a bush. They had found their target. A hooded girl in a red cloak and a bow attached to her hood. An enigmatic little creature, she was, with no part of her body visible at all, leaving her true appearance shrouded in mystery. And it appeared that she was lost.
"So what's she supposed to be?" Tatl whispered.
"I guess she's a Subrosian," Link answered. "And I have a feeling she'll lead us to our underground world."
"So why are we hiding again?" Tatl asked.
"Because from the stories we've been hearing, I think it's safe to say that Subrosians are reclusive. And the last thing we want to do is scare our little friend off."
They managed to stay well-hidden. Link was experienced at this sort of thing. It was very similar to his experiences in Hyrule Castle when he was hiding from the guards. There was one major difference, though. This time, Link was dealing with a young girl. So it was safe to say that he wouldn't be caught.
The little girl looked around, anyway, to make sure she wasn't being followed. She was one of the more high-strung creatures that Link had ever seen. She was going out of her way to make sure she wasn't being followed and that forced Link and Tatl to be on the move constantly. Finally, the Subrosian girl moved on and Link and Tatl followed her from a distance.
Link and Tatl ducked behind another bush and waited for the Subrosian to reach her destination. They had managed to stay quiet so far…but that's when a little bird started flying around Link.
Link took his hat off and started swatting at the bird. "Shoo! Shoo! Get out of here!"
Tatl slapped Link across the face, which wasn't really painful coming from such a little fairy, but still hurt nonetheless. Link finally realized that he almost blew his cover, because the Subrosian girl stopped in her tracks and didn't move. She turned her head and tried to find any sign of followers, but Link and Tatl managed to stay silent long enough for the Subrosian to shrug it off and keep walking. But when she turned her head to keep walking…the little bow on her head flew off and the wind carried it away.
"Aw…not again!" she cried to herself. "I hate when that happens!" After wallowing in her loss, the Subrosian girl kept walking. Link was about to follow…until the bow fell into his lap. Link stalled for a moment before pocketing the bow.
Link and Tatl kept on walking until the Subrosian girl finally stopped at a seemingly dead end. She removed a big rock and revealed…a small portal on the ground. The girl looked around one more time to see that the coast was clear and then she stepped in. The Subrosian disappeared.
"Think that's our underground world?" Tatl asked.
"It's the best clue we have," Link sighed. He slowly stepped towards the little portal. "Looks…safe enough to me."
"Then let's go!" Tatl coaxed. She rushed into Link and he stepped forward into the portal…leading them away for Holodrum…and into another land.
Finally, there was a break. Rauru saw another prophecy that seemed to make a lot more sense now. And most importantly of all…Rauru now knew who he had to look for. The one person who would help the sages…and the Hero of Time. He found the missing link. Both Saria and Impa were occupied…so that meant Rauru would have to summon the rest of the sages.
Rauru then began to see three lights shining down on three of the medallion platforms. The rest of the sages were here.
Out of the Fire Medallion platform came the mighty Darunia, the Sage of Fire. He was leader of the Goron people and had a wild personality that made him truly fitting of the title 'Fire Sage'. He was one of the luckier of the sages as he had not been as active as the other sages in recent years. But likewise, he was also one of the busiest of the sages, because he had to lead and govern the Gorons from his domain in the Fire Temple.
From the Water Medallion platform came Princess Ruto, the Sage of Water. She wasn't the strongest of the sages, but she demonstrated a lot of courage when she infiltrated the Water Temple shortly after Zora's Domain froze over. It was that courage that helped define her as the Water Sage.
And from the Spirit Medallion platform came Nabooru, exalted leader of the Gerudo. While the Gerudo proved to be merciless thieves on many occasions, Nabooru proved to have a good heart when she was willing to stand up to the tyrannical Ganondorf. Add that to the fact that she was a fierce warrior, one of the best in Hyrule, and she was truly one of the mightier sages.
"I am happy to see you here, my friends," Rauru greeted. "These last few days have been very difficult and highly confusing, but now it seems that I have a solid direction on where to go."
"And I'm betting it has something to do with us?" Nabooru grinned.
"I have sensed the worlds of the future are in danger," Rauru continued. "And that is why I feel the Hero of Time was fated to find himself in the future Holodrum."
"What kind of danger is the future in, Rauru?" Ruto asked.
"There is a great evil loose in the future," Rauru answered. "An evil that I have not felt…since the first emergence of Ganondorf, but an evil that feels eerily similar. The worlds have been thrown out of balance because of the abduction of two oracles, an act committed by this great evil. The Hero of Time is destined to save these oracles. However, there is also another piece of the puzzle we are missing.
"And then I saw her in a prophecy. She is also an oracle and in my prophecy she told me that our answers would be found in the desert. Saria and Impa are currently working on trying to bring back the Hero of Time. So I need you three to find this other oracle in the desert."
Ruto frowned. "Desert. I hope I don't dry out."
"Not too many rocks out in the desert," Darunia added. "And it's really easy to get lost out there."
"What does she look like, Rauru?" Nabooru finally asked, ignoring her friends' complaints.
Rauru thought deeply, trying to see his prophecy again. "She…has a somber face with long dark green hair that flowed with the winds. She was dressed in green garments and she spoke very softly. She called herself…the Oracle of Secrets."
"We haven't even met her and she's already keeping secrets," Ruto remarked with a grin.
"She's out somewhere in the Desert Colossus," Rauru continued. "I have foreseen it. Find her, my friends. She may very well be the one with all the answers."
Nabooru looked out towards the center of the Chamber of Sages. "Just send us on our way, old boy. I'm sure we can handle a few days of the hot desert sun."
"Speak for yourself," Ruto muttered under her breath.
Taking one more deep breath, Rauru watched as each of the three sages stepped into the circle of light in the center of the Chamber of Sages…and disappeared towards their destination of the Desert Colossus.
"Good luck, my friends," Rauru said to no one in particular. "I only hope you can find her."
"Ok…NOW where are we?"
The first thing Link immediately noticed…was the immense heat. And then Link looked around and realized where he was. He was in a volcanic place full of lava, hellfire, and brimstone.
"Hey! Which way did she go?" Tatl asked.
Link noticed that they had lost the Subrosian girl. There was no sign of her anywhere. Maybe she would know which way to go, but Link wasn't sure of what to do. The heat was starting to get to him and maybe he could go find a place to cool off.
Instead, Link found no oases, but he did find other Subrosians, covered in green robes. They were doing various tasks, such as hauling buckets, tossing boomerangs, and lying in hot springs…of lava. With no sign of the Subrosian girl, Link decided to start asking around.
"Um…hello? Have any of you seen a big temple around here?"
The three Subrosians lying in the hot springs turned to Link and glared a hole into him. It looked like this should have been obvious.
"You mean that HUGE thing that fell into the middle of Subrosia?"
"Yeah, we've seen it. Of course, I doubt you can get in."
"Some of it's blocked off. But you can probably get in if you had a boomerang."
Tatl flew off Link's shoulder and floated above the hot springs. "Uh huh. And where can we find one of these boomerangs?"
The three Subrosians pointed southward. "Over there!"
They were pointing at a small little facility where Link could hear music. And it was loud music. It almost sounded like a dance club.
"It's the Subrosian Dance Hall," one of the Subrosians said. "If you can prove that you've got the moves, then you'll get one of our fine boomerangs."
Tatl sighed. "You can dance, right?"
Link nodded confidently. "Of course I can." Link tried a quick move, but unfortunately…tripped over his left foot and embarrassingly fell to the ground. "Well…that was just practice."
Tatl groaned. "This is going to be a LONG day."
Link ignored that and undauntedly got to his feet. That's when it was time to move on into the Subrosian Dance Hall. Honestly, how hard could it be to dance?
"Um…ok, I think it's this way…or…is it this way?"
Malon couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Tael, I thought you lived here. Are you sure you know where you're going?"
"Uh…of course I do," Tael gulped nervously. "I think it's this way. Follow me!"
Tael started flying towards a tunnel to their right. Malon followed the little fairy along with her two Kokiri escorts following behind her. Before she went too far, though, she took a quick dose of an extra bottle of red potion from the Forest Temple. It was the best way to keep…IT from happening. Hylians who just wandered into the Lost Woods would come out a Stalfos…unless they take the necessary precautions beforehand.
"NOW do you see why we can't change the name of this forest?" Mido asked Dore. "It's called the LOST Woods for a reason."
"Ok, ok, I guess we'll have to find something else to complain about in our next meeting," Dore grinned.
Malon ignored the arguing Kokiri for the simple reason that she didn't want a headache. Instead, she just continued to follow Tael. Unfortunately, he stopped somewhere in the middle of four tunnels.
"Um…at least I KNEW where I was going for a minute," Tael stammered. "Maybe I don't know this place as well as I thought."
Malon looked back at the Kokiri. "Do you two know where we are?"
Mido shook his head. "Don't look at me. I was lucky to get out of here last time."
Dore nodded smugly. "That's our leader."
"Oh, shut up."
"Hey! Over here!"
Malon turned around to hear Tael calling out from a stream nearby. The farm girl and her two Kokiri companions walked over to see he was flying by a small log and a batch of vines. The stream seemed to lead down an unknown path.
"I think I found a shortcut!" Tael cried out triumphantly. "This should take us where we need to go."
"Why am I not assured?" Dore muttered cynically.
"It's worth a try," Malon said, trying to add a sense of confidence. "So we just go down this stream, Tael?"
"The Skull Kid, my sister, and I see this small river all the time. He's always either swimming for treasure or trying on one of his self-made shark costumes. This has to lead home! So…we can take this log and you can strap yourselves in with these vines."
Maybe Dore's cynicism was rubbing off on her, but Malon wasn't completely sure about this idea. She wasn't used to setting sail on a log, but there was plenty of room. Mido and Dore found a seat in the middle of the large log and their respective fairies hid inside their tunics. The two Kokiri weren't too big, so they held on to some of the vines that were wrapped around the huge piece of wood. Malon grabbed a long, stiff branch that she would be able to use to row and maintain a sense of direction.
"Just tell us which way to go, Tael."
"For now, just go straight. I'm sure it'll all come to me as we go along."
Not arguing with such logic, Malon sat on the log and started slowly rowing forward. As the log crawled forward, Malon looked out to see that there was no sign of the stream having an end, so she realized this would be a long trip. The day was just beginning and now the farm girl found herself in the midst of a log ride.
Definitely more exciting than a day at the ranch, that much was for sure.
It was amazing that the Temple of Seasons was left with hardly a scratch after taking such a tremendous fall. Link traveled towards the middle of Subrosia just after a brief stint at the Subrosian Dance Hall. After a few tries, Link finally had what he needed: a boomerang.
"Only took you about fifty tries, didn't it?" Tatl chuckled. "Hey, don't you get tired? You've been dancing for hours and yet you keep walking like you're full of energy."
"Can't take a break," Link sighed. "Too many people depending on me. I can't leave everything like this."
Tatl reflected on that statement. "Up to us. I still don't understand that. We don't even belong here. Yet we arrive in this place and there just HAPPENS to be trouble. It doesn't sound right to me."
As Link finally approached the immense temple, the reality of what his fairy companion was saying hit him. He DIDN'T belong here, yet once again he found himself playing hero. It's not that he wasn't used to it. But Link would much rather go home. Of course, he had to keep going. If what Impa said was true, then Link would save Din and take her to Zelda. And Zelda would give him the answers he needed. Though there was no denying that something felt wrong about this whole thing.
Then they entered the temple. There was a noticeable silence and emptiness that gave it an eerie feeling. Link continued walking until he reached the next chamber…where he found a small glowing podium. The podium held a rod about the length of Link's sword. Link reached the podium and picked up the rod.
Immediately, Link felt new sensations. He felt warm, hot, and cold all at once. He saw flowers blooming, trees withering, the sun rising, and snow falling all in a matter of seconds. Then…it all stopped…and Link realized what he held in his hands.
"The Rod of Seasons."
"So…what does it do?" Tatl asked.
"I…don't know…but I can feel…that's it really powerful."
"So…where do we go from here?"
At first, there was no answer.
"Well…I saw another entrance to the temple. Maybe we can explore in there for a while?"
"I don't see anything else we can do. I just hope it doesn't get dark…of course, it's not like we can tell in here anyway."
Having said that, Link and Tatl turned to leave the silent temple. But Link couldn't help but think of what he had in his hands. For a moment, he literally felt the power of the four seasons flowing through his body. There was something powerful about this rod.
He could sense that there was more to this rod than he knew.
"Hello?"
Silence.
"I don't think there's anybody here, either," Tatl whispered.
As he had planned earlier, Link ventured into the other entrance to the temple he found in one of the four towers. There was one difference between this chamber and the one where he found the Rod of Seasons. This place was frozen over, like Zora's Domain was so many years ago.
Link walked up each of the steps until he reached the top floor of the temple's chamber. All he could see in front of him now…was a shrine. Like the rest of the chambers Link saw since he came in, it was frozen over.
Link stepped up to the shrine…and was immediately met with a light…and a voice.
"It is you. You have come…just as was destined."
"Destined?" Tatl asked curiously. "As in we were MEANT to come here?"
"The boy in the tunic," the voice continued. "The one called Link. Indeed you are destined to wield the Rod of Seasons and save the Oracle. You will need help. You have the Rod of Seasons, yes?"
Link reached into his tunic and took out the strange rod. "This thing?"
"You hold the legendary Rod of Seasons, but currently it can do nothing. I shall help you, Link. I shall grant you the power of winter. Hold up the wand."
There was a brief moment of hesitation before Link slowly raised the powerful Rod of Seasons. Once the rod was up in the air, an unseen force came down and started to empower it. Link got that feeling again, only this time…it was much colder. Link felt an immense cold start to run through his body. When it all ended, Link fell to his knees.
"Are you all right?" Tatl gasped.
"Just…feel…cold…" Link said softly.
The voice spoke again. "Your discomfort is only temporary. The Rod of Seasons has been granted the power of winter. Please…use it to save Din."
The last words faded and the voice was gone…leaving Link alone with his fairy friend.
"That was so…unreal!" Tatl exclaimed.
Link didn't say anything. He just stood in awe of what just happened. He could have stayed there and remained caught up in the moment. But Link realized…he had a quest to finish. There was someone who needed his help; someone who needed rescuing. So…Link slowly turned back…and started to walk away…almost leaving behind his friend.
"Link! Wait for me! At least say something! It's too quiet in here!"
Hours passed and the sun had set. Night had fallen and Link continued on his long journey. There was one thing Link noticed at that moment, though. Everything was quiet. There was nothing stirring. And Link saw why.
He peered over to his right shoulder and noticed a faint light. Tatl was sound asleep. It was late and the poor fairy was tuckered out. Link couldn't blame her. It had been days since he had a good night's sleep himself, but he couldn't stop to rest. He had to keep going. With the seasons in chaos, this strange world of Holodrum depended on him.
Link stopped and looked in front of him. He saw his next destination. It was the next dungeon where the second Essence of Nature was being held. Link had to move in…but he didn't want to wake his friend. Then he got an idea.
He decided to leave Tatl behind in a safe place and pick her up on the way out. As Link picked her up off his shoulder, he felt her body shivering. It was from the winter breeze that was blowing from Link using the Rod of Seasons for the first time. Link laid Tatl down by a bush and removed his hat. He covered Tatl with his hat to keep her warm before moving on. He realized she had been through a lot. The least she deserved was some time to sleep.
With his friend in a deep sleep, Link knew it was time for him to keep moving. He took out his sword and continued forward…into the dark dungeon…by himself.
"We're not getting very far, are we?" Saria asked.
She didn't want to admit that things weren't going well, but the Forest Sage had to face facts. It was almost impossible to open a portal with all the elements she needed. There was no way to time it just right. She had to time it so the portal opened at the time AFTER Link saved the future Holodrum. It felt like an impossible task, even WITH the help of the Shadow Sage, Impa.
"Unfortunately, I believe you're right," Impa sighed. "Maybe we need to clear our heads…or maybe we need to clear a little more."
"More?" Saria asked curiously. "What do you mean?"
Impa almost looked surprised. "You mean I've never taught you?"
"Taught me what?"
"I'm surprised I never taught you. We've been sages for years. Well, as you know, opening portals takes a tremendous amount of concentration. To achieve that level of concentration, we must clear our auras of any distractions. We have to meditate."
"But I meditate sometimes. Is there something I'm doing wrong?"
"Maybe you haven't reached that level of concentration, yet. I can help with that. I'll walk you through it. All we need is…to concentrate…and have an atmosphere…of silence. Are you ready?"
Saria nodded. This was an unexpected twist to say the least. One minute, she was trying to help Link. The next, she found herself about to receive lessons in meditation. It would be a unique experience as long as things stayed quiet.
One thing was for sure, Mido and Dore were gone, so she would get no interruptions. And things would stay quiet…wouldn't they?
Having faced the many perils of this treacherous dungeon, Link was ready to collapse any second. But finally he reached what was sure to be the final chamber.
"I've been everywhere," Link said to himself. "What else is left?"
Link didn't usually talk to himself during these kinds of moments. But with Tatl asleep outside the dungeon, that's what he did. He was on his own. And he would face whatever was in this next chamber…on his own.
So Link went in…and found himself facing…
**ROAR**
…a Dodongo.
Link took out his sword and noticed that this Dodongo was significantly bigger than the others he had faced. And from its enormous size, he could tell he was going to be in for a tough fight.
Any comments? Mail me at HyruleKokiri13@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below.
