The princess whirled around in surprise, and in doing so lost her grip on the arrow. It headed straight for the door—and right into the body of a Red Tektite. Thankful that it hadn't been someone she knew personally, Zelda made for the door to examine the situation, Link right behind her. "Nice shot!" He said as they were running. "Thanks," she answered. Zelda reached the terrace and stopped short, Link only a few steps behind her.
Outside was one of the most revolting things that either of them had ever seen. There were dozens upon dozens of Tektites, maybe a hundred or more, positively storming the city. The villagers were doing as best they could to fend off the hordes, and some locally stationed soldiers were helping, but they were clearly losing, not because of the danger of the monsters, but because of the overwhelming number of them.
Link and Zelda looked at each other for a second, each thinking the same thing, before they charged together down the stairs and into the swarm of Tektites. Link used his mighty Biggoron Sword and Zelda employed her Sheikah training to get rid of the monsters. "Zelda!" Link called over the battle.
"What?" She yelled back as she fired off a kick at a Tektite.
"Is this natural for Tektites? To gather like this?"
"I don't think so!" She cried, both in answer to Link's question and as a threat to an attacking Tektite.
"Do you think that it could be—"
"—related to our Moblin problem? Yes!" She finished his sentence for him.
"What could be doing it?" He yelled as he thrust his sword into the belly of a jumping Tektite.
"I think someONE is responsible!"
"Yeah!" He agreed. "But who?"
The Tektites had been slowly forming a circle around them, and now it had reached the point where Link and Zelda were back to back. "Well, who would do it?" She panted.
"I have no idea," he replied, raising his sword to the "guard" position.
"Me neither. Let's discuss this problem later," she said.
"Good idea," he said, eyeing the enclosing Tektite ring.
"Meet you back at the House!"
"See you there!" Link confirmed, and the next second they both charged ahead into the mass of Tektites, and lost track of each other.
How long this battle went on, neither Link nor Zelda nor any of the villagers or soldiers could ever tell. Hours, definitely; the only question was how many. When one Tektite died, there were always more to replace it. The little monsters were very hardy, and didn't die terribly easily. While Link, Zelda, a couple soldiers, and a few of the more capable villagers were fighting off however many Tektites they could handle at once, the other monsters were using their dangerous legs to tear apart fences, walls, and even to threaten the foundation of the watchtower. There were so many that Link could hardly see, and he quite lost himself under the pressing bodies.
When the struggle finally ended eight hours later (as they were to find out from the clock soldier the next day), Zelda found herself halfway up the staircase right outside the gate to Death Mountain Trail. She picked off one last Tektite, and then, lacking the strength to return to the Spider House, collapsed where she stood; she was asleep before she even hit the ground (which was fortunate, because the ground was hard). Link was now leaning on a section of remaining fence outside the Windmill, surveying the scene that lay before him. A soldier was spearing a final Tektite with his broadsword, villagers were sliding down walls by their backs to rest on the ground. Mothers ran to find their sons. The hero was glad to see that no one had died (though in retrospect, he considered that it would be very difficult to die by the hand of a Tektite), though most were injured in some way. In assessment, the town itself had made it through in pretty good shape. The outside of the houses looked worse than the damage had actually been; after all, this was what walls were for. The mangled fence would be easy to repair, and the marred staircases could be re-carved. Impa's house, he noted, remained completely untouched. Probably something to do with her sagedom, Link figured. As the adrenaline rush wore off, the hero's eyes grew heavy with sleep, but still he got up and trudged on. He had to find the princess.
Slowly he made his way down the stairs. A soldier, leaning against the tall, exposed brick foundation of the Shooting Gallery, looked particularly damaged. Link suddenly remembered the good soldier who, seven years ago, had stayed alive in order to deliver to young Link the princess's message, and then died right before the boy's eyes. Link fished around under his shield and came up with a Red Potion, and gave it to the man, who drank it hungrily before smiling at the hero weakly. He smiled back, in spite of himself, and continued on. The soldier had been the worst of the wounded.
He felt that he knew where he was going. So much so that he did not think it odd that Zelda was lying exactly where he had thought she would be, on the staircase above the bazaar. She had escaped the battle in fairly good condition, just as he had. A few torn clothes and a lot of scratches, that was all that they had gained between them. As if it were instinctive, he picked up the princess and carried her sleeping form back to the Spider House. Link didn't notice, but Zelda woke up for just a few seconds, just long enough to see something glittering in the southwestern sky that definitely wasn't a star before sleep reclaimed her. Link arrived at the House and lay her down on her bed before walking over to his own. Torin, sitting on a crate in the back, winked at him. Link was thankful for the support.
Though he was completely exhausted, Link didn't fall asleep right away; instead, his thoughts were filled with the events of the day. He knew that this was not natural. He came to a definite conclusion about a connection with the Moblins before letting his train of thought roam to the archery lesson. It really HAD been a good shot, Link thought, smiling into the darkness before falling asleep.
Not even in his dreams did Link find peace.
In his visions, a familiar shape turned up. It appeared to be…Rauru.
"Quite a conundrum you have stumbled upon," he said.
"Yes," Link answered simply.
"So what will you do about it?"
"I have no idea." The hero thought it wouldn't hurt to ask, even though he already felt he knew: "Are the Tektites linked to the Moblins, in any way?"
"It's possible; it's probable. But I'll tell you one thing: it's not Ganon."
"What?"
"Good night," he said, and disappeared from Link's consciousness as the hero tried to sort out what he had said.
Zelda woke up to sunlight on her face, streaming in through several cracks in the ceiling. She sat up and shook her head to clear it. What time was it? What time had it been when the fight ended last night? She looked over, wondering if Link had come back, and saw he was still sleeping. Zelda got up very quietly so as not to wake him and stepped outside.
The town looked fairly deserted, though the traces of battle were evident. Carefully, still blinking away sleep, Zelda found her way to the gate at the entrance to the town. The hardy clock soldier was still there (she had to admire him for that), so she asked him the time. "Ding dong! Ding dong!" He replied happily, "The current time is: 13:47."
Zelda thanked him and turned to go back to the Spider House. She walked slowly, reflecting.
"There you are," Link said as she stepped in the door. He had (obviously) woken up. "You know, I've been thinking, and this Tektite thing is not a coincidence. I'm sure there's a connection with the Moblins."
"I know," Zelda said. "And I agree."
"So the only question is, where will it strike next?"
Zelda was thrown back to the glimmer in the sky last night. Hmm, what was southwest? "Maybe Lake Hylia," she said.
Link was puzzled. "Lake Hylia? Zelda, what are you….?"
"I have a feeling," she fibbed, "kind of like when I had prophetic dreams."
Link considered, then shrugged. "All right. To Lake Hylia we go. And I think we should go right away, because if something like this happens again…."
"I'd really rather be there," Zelda said quietly. He nodded in silent agreement.
"All right. So, where did the horses wind up?" The princess asked.
"I didn't see clearly, but I believe they were helping us last night, using their hooves," he grinned.
She grinned back. "I must remember to thank Malon for her fine training job, and make her prominent in the castle's resources list."
"I bet the horses went off to the field to graze," he said quickly.
"Probably."
After thanking Torin and his sons profusely, the hero and the princess departed from Kakariko Village. The villagers were nothing but gratitude, but Link and Zelda waved away all their reward offerings, for they needed their supplies now more than ever. The two did find Epona and Odin in Hyrule Field. The horses were standing by the river, drinking. Link and Zelda let them finish, and then set off on the thirteen-hour estimated trip to Lake Hylia.
Outside was one of the most revolting things that either of them had ever seen. There were dozens upon dozens of Tektites, maybe a hundred or more, positively storming the city. The villagers were doing as best they could to fend off the hordes, and some locally stationed soldiers were helping, but they were clearly losing, not because of the danger of the monsters, but because of the overwhelming number of them.
Link and Zelda looked at each other for a second, each thinking the same thing, before they charged together down the stairs and into the swarm of Tektites. Link used his mighty Biggoron Sword and Zelda employed her Sheikah training to get rid of the monsters. "Zelda!" Link called over the battle.
"What?" She yelled back as she fired off a kick at a Tektite.
"Is this natural for Tektites? To gather like this?"
"I don't think so!" She cried, both in answer to Link's question and as a threat to an attacking Tektite.
"Do you think that it could be—"
"—related to our Moblin problem? Yes!" She finished his sentence for him.
"What could be doing it?" He yelled as he thrust his sword into the belly of a jumping Tektite.
"I think someONE is responsible!"
"Yeah!" He agreed. "But who?"
The Tektites had been slowly forming a circle around them, and now it had reached the point where Link and Zelda were back to back. "Well, who would do it?" She panted.
"I have no idea," he replied, raising his sword to the "guard" position.
"Me neither. Let's discuss this problem later," she said.
"Good idea," he said, eyeing the enclosing Tektite ring.
"Meet you back at the House!"
"See you there!" Link confirmed, and the next second they both charged ahead into the mass of Tektites, and lost track of each other.
How long this battle went on, neither Link nor Zelda nor any of the villagers or soldiers could ever tell. Hours, definitely; the only question was how many. When one Tektite died, there were always more to replace it. The little monsters were very hardy, and didn't die terribly easily. While Link, Zelda, a couple soldiers, and a few of the more capable villagers were fighting off however many Tektites they could handle at once, the other monsters were using their dangerous legs to tear apart fences, walls, and even to threaten the foundation of the watchtower. There were so many that Link could hardly see, and he quite lost himself under the pressing bodies.
When the struggle finally ended eight hours later (as they were to find out from the clock soldier the next day), Zelda found herself halfway up the staircase right outside the gate to Death Mountain Trail. She picked off one last Tektite, and then, lacking the strength to return to the Spider House, collapsed where she stood; she was asleep before she even hit the ground (which was fortunate, because the ground was hard). Link was now leaning on a section of remaining fence outside the Windmill, surveying the scene that lay before him. A soldier was spearing a final Tektite with his broadsword, villagers were sliding down walls by their backs to rest on the ground. Mothers ran to find their sons. The hero was glad to see that no one had died (though in retrospect, he considered that it would be very difficult to die by the hand of a Tektite), though most were injured in some way. In assessment, the town itself had made it through in pretty good shape. The outside of the houses looked worse than the damage had actually been; after all, this was what walls were for. The mangled fence would be easy to repair, and the marred staircases could be re-carved. Impa's house, he noted, remained completely untouched. Probably something to do with her sagedom, Link figured. As the adrenaline rush wore off, the hero's eyes grew heavy with sleep, but still he got up and trudged on. He had to find the princess.
Slowly he made his way down the stairs. A soldier, leaning against the tall, exposed brick foundation of the Shooting Gallery, looked particularly damaged. Link suddenly remembered the good soldier who, seven years ago, had stayed alive in order to deliver to young Link the princess's message, and then died right before the boy's eyes. Link fished around under his shield and came up with a Red Potion, and gave it to the man, who drank it hungrily before smiling at the hero weakly. He smiled back, in spite of himself, and continued on. The soldier had been the worst of the wounded.
He felt that he knew where he was going. So much so that he did not think it odd that Zelda was lying exactly where he had thought she would be, on the staircase above the bazaar. She had escaped the battle in fairly good condition, just as he had. A few torn clothes and a lot of scratches, that was all that they had gained between them. As if it were instinctive, he picked up the princess and carried her sleeping form back to the Spider House. Link didn't notice, but Zelda woke up for just a few seconds, just long enough to see something glittering in the southwestern sky that definitely wasn't a star before sleep reclaimed her. Link arrived at the House and lay her down on her bed before walking over to his own. Torin, sitting on a crate in the back, winked at him. Link was thankful for the support.
Though he was completely exhausted, Link didn't fall asleep right away; instead, his thoughts were filled with the events of the day. He knew that this was not natural. He came to a definite conclusion about a connection with the Moblins before letting his train of thought roam to the archery lesson. It really HAD been a good shot, Link thought, smiling into the darkness before falling asleep.
Not even in his dreams did Link find peace.
In his visions, a familiar shape turned up. It appeared to be…Rauru.
"Quite a conundrum you have stumbled upon," he said.
"Yes," Link answered simply.
"So what will you do about it?"
"I have no idea." The hero thought it wouldn't hurt to ask, even though he already felt he knew: "Are the Tektites linked to the Moblins, in any way?"
"It's possible; it's probable. But I'll tell you one thing: it's not Ganon."
"What?"
"Good night," he said, and disappeared from Link's consciousness as the hero tried to sort out what he had said.
Zelda woke up to sunlight on her face, streaming in through several cracks in the ceiling. She sat up and shook her head to clear it. What time was it? What time had it been when the fight ended last night? She looked over, wondering if Link had come back, and saw he was still sleeping. Zelda got up very quietly so as not to wake him and stepped outside.
The town looked fairly deserted, though the traces of battle were evident. Carefully, still blinking away sleep, Zelda found her way to the gate at the entrance to the town. The hardy clock soldier was still there (she had to admire him for that), so she asked him the time. "Ding dong! Ding dong!" He replied happily, "The current time is: 13:47."
Zelda thanked him and turned to go back to the Spider House. She walked slowly, reflecting.
"There you are," Link said as she stepped in the door. He had (obviously) woken up. "You know, I've been thinking, and this Tektite thing is not a coincidence. I'm sure there's a connection with the Moblins."
"I know," Zelda said. "And I agree."
"So the only question is, where will it strike next?"
Zelda was thrown back to the glimmer in the sky last night. Hmm, what was southwest? "Maybe Lake Hylia," she said.
Link was puzzled. "Lake Hylia? Zelda, what are you….?"
"I have a feeling," she fibbed, "kind of like when I had prophetic dreams."
Link considered, then shrugged. "All right. To Lake Hylia we go. And I think we should go right away, because if something like this happens again…."
"I'd really rather be there," Zelda said quietly. He nodded in silent agreement.
"All right. So, where did the horses wind up?" The princess asked.
"I didn't see clearly, but I believe they were helping us last night, using their hooves," he grinned.
She grinned back. "I must remember to thank Malon for her fine training job, and make her prominent in the castle's resources list."
"I bet the horses went off to the field to graze," he said quickly.
"Probably."
After thanking Torin and his sons profusely, the hero and the princess departed from Kakariko Village. The villagers were nothing but gratitude, but Link and Zelda waved away all their reward offerings, for they needed their supplies now more than ever. The two did find Epona and Odin in Hyrule Field. The horses were standing by the river, drinking. Link and Zelda let them finish, and then set off on the thirteen-hour estimated trip to Lake Hylia.