Zelda woke up the following morning to sunshine on her face. She
glanced at the sun quickly (so as not to look into it directly) and
recognized the 8:00 position. Good, they hadn't slept too late. She sat
up into a soft morning breeze.
Link was in sight; he was standing in the field a little ways off, practicing with his sword. Instead of going over and bothering him, the princess stayed where she was, and sat, entranced. In the morning light, it was a very beautiful thing to watch; Link's fighting drills were like rhythmic dances, each one executed with perfect form and perfect speed. Thrust in, and out; cut here, swipe there-it was all moving together, all making a pattern. The princess found it more spectacular than most artworks she'd seen.
After watching for a while, she slowly got up, and began to walk over to him. He seemed completely absorbed in his pattern dance. When she got just out of blade range, the princess stopped; she was behind Link's back, but the pattern soon spun him around. When he saw her he stopped abruptly, and lost concentration, and exclaimed, "Zelda!"
Zelda gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I startle you?"
Link smiled. "Don't worry, it's all right. I was almost finished anyway." They started back towards the fire pit.
"It was very beautiful," she began. "The drill you were doing."
"Oh, thanks!" He said. "I made it up myself."
"Really?"
"Well, yeah, it's not like there was anyone to teach me this stuff."
"I guess that's true. It was amazing."
She was rewarded with a sincere smile, and a slight blush. "Thanks."
"And so you say you'll teach me that someday?"
"Yep," Link said, re-sheathing his sword, "someday. But not just yet. In the meantime, I suppose we ought to be heading for Lake Hylia, hm?"
"Yeah," she said. They went and found their horses; neither Odin nor Epona had wandered too far. Link and Zelda found them grazing peacefully under a nearby tree. They mounted up and started off towards the four- walled gate that safeguarded the placid Lake Hylia.
"So. . . how do we get through that?" Zelda wondered as they approached the four fences.
"We jump," Link replied.
"We. . . jump?" Zelda asked, a bit of nervousness creeping into her voice.
"Yeah," he said. "They really need to put in an actual gate." Then he noticed the look on her face. "Don't worry, you can do it!" Zelda did not look very reassured. "Here, it's easy. Watch me." He turned Epona towards the fences at a direct angle and kicked her into a gallop; they cleared the gate easily and gracefully.
Epona landed neatly, and Link turned his palomino back towards the fence to see that Zelda hadn't followed suit. She looked terrified now. "Is something wrong?" He asked, concern coming into his eyes.
"I'm, kind of, um, a little bit, well, scared of jumping," Zelda said.
Link took pity on her, and smiled. He and Epona jumped back across the fences to where Zelda was still mounted on an anxious Odin. "Here, now, it's not so high," he said. "Look how short it is. You could step over that." Zelda was still looking at the fence like it was about to explode. "Now why should you be scared of jumping over that-that thing?"
It was a rhetorical question, and she knew that, but Zelda soon found herself answering anyway. "It's just that when I was younger, and I was learning to ride, jumping was the one thing I couldn't do, because the first time I ever tried it, I. . . " She trailed off.
"Yes?" Link asked gently, concernedly.
"I fell, and I.broke my arm, and then I couldn't do anything for a month and a half, and by the time it was healed I was very scared of jumping, and even a little scared of horses. The latter," she finished, "I've gotten over. But the former. . . " The princess looked at him earnestly.
"I understand," he said, and by the look in his eyes she could tell he really did. "And," he continued, "I have an idea."
"You do?" The princess asked. She DID want to get over that fence.
"Why don't you try jumping on Epona?"
"Thanks, but I don't think the horse will make too much difference. And anyway Odin wouldn't let you ride him."
"I meant, with me," he said. "Like, two to a horse."
Zelda paused. "Oh." Then: "All right, but what about Odin?"
"Hobble him, he'll be fine. He's a good horse."
Zelda dismounted and did so; then, she went over to Epona and climbed up into the saddle behind Link as best she could. "Ready?" He asked as soon as she was steady.
"As ready as I'm gonna be," she replied. He chuckled and turned Epona towards the quadruplet fences, and then backed her up so as to be able to get a good running jump. Zelda took a deep breath. Riding like this wasn't so bad, but she didn't think she'd want to try it with anyone who wasn't a close friend.
"Here we go! Remember to lean forward when we're jumping!" Link said. Zelda shut her eyes tight and held on to him. Link urged Epona into a gallop. Zelda felt motion but did not open her eyes. The fence approached, and Link calmly gave Epona the signal to jump. She took off; Link felt sorry for Zelda and put one of his own hands on hers, which were clenched around his waist. Zelda, meanwhile, felt wind rushing through her long blonde hair, and opened her eyes for just a second. She could see the grass several feet below her, but now, it didn't look threatening somehow. Even so, she closed her eyes again and held on tighter. Epona landed, but there was another fence.
They landed for a second time. "And that's it," Link said. Zelda released her grip and sat up straight. She blinked once, twice, at the ground below them and the fences behind them and Odin neighing on the other side of the fences. They really had done it. She laughed for joy and threw her arms around Link again, in a hug this time. He rolled his eyes, but smiled and patted her arm.
"See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He asked as he let Epona go into an easy walk towards the lake.
"I guess not," Zelda answered. "Wow, I never thought I'd ever jump again!"
"So then how did you get into Lake Hylia before this?"
"There are ladders," she replied simply.
He rolled his eyes again, his smile reappearing just as quickly. Yes, there were ladders, but they were old and tall and difficult. Oh well, never mind that. Just past this bend and they'd be at the lake.
He saw a glint of light reflected off the water, and felt the joy he always felt at going to Lake Hylia. It was vast and deep, and filled with the purest of water; water that flowed miles and miles from Zora's Domain, through the Field, splitting into two moats for the castle and for the city gate, then meeting up again in the Field to flow through Gerudo Valley and wind up here, at its final resting place, the sparkling clear lake that he so loved to visit. He rushed Epona forth to get there faster.
But at the sight he met, he stopped the palomino in her tracks. Zelda gasped behind him.
So the princess had been right. The lake was swamped with Guays, Blue Tektites, and Octorocks! You could barely see the water! Hundreds upon hundreds of Guays, wicked crows, Blue Tektites, like the Red but of the water variety, and Octorocks, like terrible octopi, were absolutely everywhere! Link jumped down from the back of Epona and Zelda followed. She began to fend off the nearest monsters with Sheikah techniques, and he ripped open the saddle bags for his weapons. His fingers settled on Din's Fire. Good enough.
"Zelda, come over here! Quickly!" The princess did not question his orders, but came and stood close to him to avoid the flames. He cast Din's Fire on the ground and everything within about a one hundred foot orb was instantly incinerated.
"Wow," Zelda marveled for just a second before going back to fighting.
They were standing by the patches of grass just above the lake laboratory. After Din's Fire destroyed all the monsters around them, there was a new wave coming from the scarecrow's gardens and Link and Zelda were pushed back towards the bridge over the lake. The made their way down the rickety wooden bridge back-to-back, Zelda fending off all the monsters in front and Link, all the monsters behind.
In the midst of battle, Link and Zelda presently found themselves on the island with the sole grave on it. They were forced to split and go around either side of the stone slab. Zelda was picking off an Octorock on her side when a guay flew behind her and knocked her off!
Falling, and then-Link's gauntleted hand had caught her wrist. He pulled her back up. "Thank you," she said before dealing with the guay that had done the dirty deed. Link nodded like it was nothing. They returned to the back-to-back position and started down the next bridge.
The island in the center of the lake was a little bit bigger and had a shore, so one couldn't fall off. However, that also meant that the Octorocks and Blue Tektites in the water had an easier time getting at Link and Zelda! They were pushed back to the huge tree in the middle of the island. Link was hacking at some monsters when he presently realized that Zelda was no longer by his side! "ZELDA!" He cried, looking around briefly, drawing his attention away from the monsters that were attacking him. He turned back towards them just an instant too late, and looked like certain doom when-
Suddenly, he was wrenched up into the tree! He turned around and saw Zelda crouching on the top with some rope in her hand that she pulled him up with. "A life for a life," she said breathlessly, firing off a kick at a Tektite that was scaling the trunk. "How did you get up here?" Link asked, aiming an arrow.
"The Sheikah jump really well," she said simply.
"Ah."
From their perch on top of the tree, Link and Zelda could see that they had made a very large dent in the population of monsters at the lake. In fact, if they could get them all onto the island, and then if Link cast Din's Fire in the middle of the island, the monsters would all be gone! The only problem was, how to get them there. . .
"Look out!" Zelda cried. A gigantic Guay was swooping in on them! On impulse Link took Zelda's hand and jumped off of the tree into the water. "How did he get that big?" She asked when she resurfaced.
"Happens when you kill ten of them," Link replied breathlessly.
Zelda nodded and swum back to land. Link fired off an arrow at the giant Guay. They stayed on the island, fending the monsters off as quickly as possible, and soon it became evident that their plan was working without any of their own, well, planning. The monsters were slowly closing in on the island! Just a little bit more-and-
They were all in range! Link set off Din's Fire as quickly as he could as Zelda dove quickly underwater to escape the flames. When she came back up again, Lake Hylia was peaceful once more.
"Whew," the princess sighed, trudging back up onto land. "That was a little bit easier. . . a little bit. . . "
"Yeah." Link sat down at the base of the tree. "You okay?"
"I think I'll live," Zelda said.
"So, where to next?"
"I don't know. . . keep your eyes open."
"Okay."
They sat at the base of that tree for about an hour, not saying anything, just resting. When Link and Zelda both felt ready to go on, they got up, and went to where they had left Epona, by the entrance to the Lake. They mounted up, and Zelda braced herself for jumping again; not wanting to look at the gates in front of her, she looked up at the sky instead. And there it was; the same shining gold light she had seen before. "Look," she said to Link, pointing it out. "What's over to the northeast, over there?"
Link looked. "In that direction," he began calmly. Then his eyes filled with fear. "In that direction," he said once more, shakily. "In that direction is. . . "
"Yes?"
". . . Kokiri. . . Forest."
Link was in sight; he was standing in the field a little ways off, practicing with his sword. Instead of going over and bothering him, the princess stayed where she was, and sat, entranced. In the morning light, it was a very beautiful thing to watch; Link's fighting drills were like rhythmic dances, each one executed with perfect form and perfect speed. Thrust in, and out; cut here, swipe there-it was all moving together, all making a pattern. The princess found it more spectacular than most artworks she'd seen.
After watching for a while, she slowly got up, and began to walk over to him. He seemed completely absorbed in his pattern dance. When she got just out of blade range, the princess stopped; she was behind Link's back, but the pattern soon spun him around. When he saw her he stopped abruptly, and lost concentration, and exclaimed, "Zelda!"
Zelda gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I startle you?"
Link smiled. "Don't worry, it's all right. I was almost finished anyway." They started back towards the fire pit.
"It was very beautiful," she began. "The drill you were doing."
"Oh, thanks!" He said. "I made it up myself."
"Really?"
"Well, yeah, it's not like there was anyone to teach me this stuff."
"I guess that's true. It was amazing."
She was rewarded with a sincere smile, and a slight blush. "Thanks."
"And so you say you'll teach me that someday?"
"Yep," Link said, re-sheathing his sword, "someday. But not just yet. In the meantime, I suppose we ought to be heading for Lake Hylia, hm?"
"Yeah," she said. They went and found their horses; neither Odin nor Epona had wandered too far. Link and Zelda found them grazing peacefully under a nearby tree. They mounted up and started off towards the four- walled gate that safeguarded the placid Lake Hylia.
"So. . . how do we get through that?" Zelda wondered as they approached the four fences.
"We jump," Link replied.
"We. . . jump?" Zelda asked, a bit of nervousness creeping into her voice.
"Yeah," he said. "They really need to put in an actual gate." Then he noticed the look on her face. "Don't worry, you can do it!" Zelda did not look very reassured. "Here, it's easy. Watch me." He turned Epona towards the fences at a direct angle and kicked her into a gallop; they cleared the gate easily and gracefully.
Epona landed neatly, and Link turned his palomino back towards the fence to see that Zelda hadn't followed suit. She looked terrified now. "Is something wrong?" He asked, concern coming into his eyes.
"I'm, kind of, um, a little bit, well, scared of jumping," Zelda said.
Link took pity on her, and smiled. He and Epona jumped back across the fences to where Zelda was still mounted on an anxious Odin. "Here, now, it's not so high," he said. "Look how short it is. You could step over that." Zelda was still looking at the fence like it was about to explode. "Now why should you be scared of jumping over that-that thing?"
It was a rhetorical question, and she knew that, but Zelda soon found herself answering anyway. "It's just that when I was younger, and I was learning to ride, jumping was the one thing I couldn't do, because the first time I ever tried it, I. . . " She trailed off.
"Yes?" Link asked gently, concernedly.
"I fell, and I.broke my arm, and then I couldn't do anything for a month and a half, and by the time it was healed I was very scared of jumping, and even a little scared of horses. The latter," she finished, "I've gotten over. But the former. . . " The princess looked at him earnestly.
"I understand," he said, and by the look in his eyes she could tell he really did. "And," he continued, "I have an idea."
"You do?" The princess asked. She DID want to get over that fence.
"Why don't you try jumping on Epona?"
"Thanks, but I don't think the horse will make too much difference. And anyway Odin wouldn't let you ride him."
"I meant, with me," he said. "Like, two to a horse."
Zelda paused. "Oh." Then: "All right, but what about Odin?"
"Hobble him, he'll be fine. He's a good horse."
Zelda dismounted and did so; then, she went over to Epona and climbed up into the saddle behind Link as best she could. "Ready?" He asked as soon as she was steady.
"As ready as I'm gonna be," she replied. He chuckled and turned Epona towards the quadruplet fences, and then backed her up so as to be able to get a good running jump. Zelda took a deep breath. Riding like this wasn't so bad, but she didn't think she'd want to try it with anyone who wasn't a close friend.
"Here we go! Remember to lean forward when we're jumping!" Link said. Zelda shut her eyes tight and held on to him. Link urged Epona into a gallop. Zelda felt motion but did not open her eyes. The fence approached, and Link calmly gave Epona the signal to jump. She took off; Link felt sorry for Zelda and put one of his own hands on hers, which were clenched around his waist. Zelda, meanwhile, felt wind rushing through her long blonde hair, and opened her eyes for just a second. She could see the grass several feet below her, but now, it didn't look threatening somehow. Even so, she closed her eyes again and held on tighter. Epona landed, but there was another fence.
They landed for a second time. "And that's it," Link said. Zelda released her grip and sat up straight. She blinked once, twice, at the ground below them and the fences behind them and Odin neighing on the other side of the fences. They really had done it. She laughed for joy and threw her arms around Link again, in a hug this time. He rolled his eyes, but smiled and patted her arm.
"See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He asked as he let Epona go into an easy walk towards the lake.
"I guess not," Zelda answered. "Wow, I never thought I'd ever jump again!"
"So then how did you get into Lake Hylia before this?"
"There are ladders," she replied simply.
He rolled his eyes again, his smile reappearing just as quickly. Yes, there were ladders, but they were old and tall and difficult. Oh well, never mind that. Just past this bend and they'd be at the lake.
He saw a glint of light reflected off the water, and felt the joy he always felt at going to Lake Hylia. It was vast and deep, and filled with the purest of water; water that flowed miles and miles from Zora's Domain, through the Field, splitting into two moats for the castle and for the city gate, then meeting up again in the Field to flow through Gerudo Valley and wind up here, at its final resting place, the sparkling clear lake that he so loved to visit. He rushed Epona forth to get there faster.
But at the sight he met, he stopped the palomino in her tracks. Zelda gasped behind him.
So the princess had been right. The lake was swamped with Guays, Blue Tektites, and Octorocks! You could barely see the water! Hundreds upon hundreds of Guays, wicked crows, Blue Tektites, like the Red but of the water variety, and Octorocks, like terrible octopi, were absolutely everywhere! Link jumped down from the back of Epona and Zelda followed. She began to fend off the nearest monsters with Sheikah techniques, and he ripped open the saddle bags for his weapons. His fingers settled on Din's Fire. Good enough.
"Zelda, come over here! Quickly!" The princess did not question his orders, but came and stood close to him to avoid the flames. He cast Din's Fire on the ground and everything within about a one hundred foot orb was instantly incinerated.
"Wow," Zelda marveled for just a second before going back to fighting.
They were standing by the patches of grass just above the lake laboratory. After Din's Fire destroyed all the monsters around them, there was a new wave coming from the scarecrow's gardens and Link and Zelda were pushed back towards the bridge over the lake. The made their way down the rickety wooden bridge back-to-back, Zelda fending off all the monsters in front and Link, all the monsters behind.
In the midst of battle, Link and Zelda presently found themselves on the island with the sole grave on it. They were forced to split and go around either side of the stone slab. Zelda was picking off an Octorock on her side when a guay flew behind her and knocked her off!
Falling, and then-Link's gauntleted hand had caught her wrist. He pulled her back up. "Thank you," she said before dealing with the guay that had done the dirty deed. Link nodded like it was nothing. They returned to the back-to-back position and started down the next bridge.
The island in the center of the lake was a little bit bigger and had a shore, so one couldn't fall off. However, that also meant that the Octorocks and Blue Tektites in the water had an easier time getting at Link and Zelda! They were pushed back to the huge tree in the middle of the island. Link was hacking at some monsters when he presently realized that Zelda was no longer by his side! "ZELDA!" He cried, looking around briefly, drawing his attention away from the monsters that were attacking him. He turned back towards them just an instant too late, and looked like certain doom when-
Suddenly, he was wrenched up into the tree! He turned around and saw Zelda crouching on the top with some rope in her hand that she pulled him up with. "A life for a life," she said breathlessly, firing off a kick at a Tektite that was scaling the trunk. "How did you get up here?" Link asked, aiming an arrow.
"The Sheikah jump really well," she said simply.
"Ah."
From their perch on top of the tree, Link and Zelda could see that they had made a very large dent in the population of monsters at the lake. In fact, if they could get them all onto the island, and then if Link cast Din's Fire in the middle of the island, the monsters would all be gone! The only problem was, how to get them there. . .
"Look out!" Zelda cried. A gigantic Guay was swooping in on them! On impulse Link took Zelda's hand and jumped off of the tree into the water. "How did he get that big?" She asked when she resurfaced.
"Happens when you kill ten of them," Link replied breathlessly.
Zelda nodded and swum back to land. Link fired off an arrow at the giant Guay. They stayed on the island, fending the monsters off as quickly as possible, and soon it became evident that their plan was working without any of their own, well, planning. The monsters were slowly closing in on the island! Just a little bit more-and-
They were all in range! Link set off Din's Fire as quickly as he could as Zelda dove quickly underwater to escape the flames. When she came back up again, Lake Hylia was peaceful once more.
"Whew," the princess sighed, trudging back up onto land. "That was a little bit easier. . . a little bit. . . "
"Yeah." Link sat down at the base of the tree. "You okay?"
"I think I'll live," Zelda said.
"So, where to next?"
"I don't know. . . keep your eyes open."
"Okay."
They sat at the base of that tree for about an hour, not saying anything, just resting. When Link and Zelda both felt ready to go on, they got up, and went to where they had left Epona, by the entrance to the Lake. They mounted up, and Zelda braced herself for jumping again; not wanting to look at the gates in front of her, she looked up at the sky instead. And there it was; the same shining gold light she had seen before. "Look," she said to Link, pointing it out. "What's over to the northeast, over there?"
Link looked. "In that direction," he began calmly. Then his eyes filled with fear. "In that direction," he said once more, shakily. "In that direction is. . . "
"Yes?"
". . . Kokiri. . . Forest."