Chesty woke up early and ate lightly. He did not wish to be weighed down by a heavy breakfast when he wanted to immediately make way across the Great Tabantha Bridge. The entire morning, Chesty kept his intentions close to his chest, fully equipping himself for the day ahead. Once or twice a fellow traveler tried to make idle conversation, and each time, the young man remained vague or silent.
There was one time Chesty initiated a talk with someone, but that was restricted to one of the stable staff members. She was a plump woman with dark hair named Banji.
"Excuse me miss," Chesty had said, "do you know the condition of the Great Tabantha Bridge?"
Banji paused to consider the question. "Why do you ask?"
"I intend to cross it. I went over a bridge further to the south that was in a sorry state. For safety's sake, I'd like to know whether it is suitable for a man to walk over."
"For safety's sake," Banji remarked, her face creasing with concern, "I would not cross the bridge."
Chesty felt disappointed. "Is the bridge unsafe."
"Not the bridge itself," Banji clarified, "but what is on then other side is quite the danger. There are two guardians that stalk the gorge between Piper Ridge and the Rayne Highlands."
The mentioning of two of the machines that had been mentioned by Glendo two days before sent a coldness through Chesty's being.
"If you had a swift horse, you might have a chance, but I would not risk it, stranger. Whatever business you have deep in Tabantha is not worth risking your life."
'But my business is asking for a blessing to send me home.' Chesty fretted mentally. "Is there another way to the other side of the gorge?"
"I suppose you could travel to the southwest along Tanagar Canyon. Once around, you could make your way across the badlands and pass by the Rayne Highlands. That's still not a good idea."
"How so?"
"Wolves and other beasts stalk the badlands. They'd love a chance to fall on a lone traveler, no matter how well equipped. You're traveling on foot, are you not?"
Chesty sensed the purpose of the inquiry well enough. "Yes, I am."
Benji gave a fearful look. "You'd need the blessings of Din to survive. There's no water, and you'd take hours walking over that barren way. If you dared to make camp, you'd be easy prey. I beg you not to go that route."
'Curse my luck for not accepting one of those horses back at the Outskirt Stable.' Chesty sighed. "I assume there's no other timely way to make my way to the other side."
"What reason have you to risk your life? Facing beasts or guardians by passing west is hardly a choice to make."
At last, Chesty supposed he had to explain himself. "I'm looking for a Fairy Fountain."
Banji stared incredulously. "Sir, there's no such thing as a Great Fairy Fountain. Even if such a thing existed, I would not put myself in harm's way in the vain hope for some... trinket or promise of power."
Chesty knew better than to argue the matter. "Well, I suppose I'll have to see for myself."
"But sir-"
"That will do." Chesty assured her. "If the bridge is safe to cross, then I'll take my chances. These Guardians, how do you suggest I avoid them? Are there places to escape their sight lines?"
"I don't know." Banji explained. "I'm not that privy to the path across the bridge. I know where it would take you on a safe day, but ever since those Guardians showed up, all of our traffic from north has settled for traveling around Tanagar Canyon, namely from the east."
Chesty was disappointed by the lack of information, but he supposed this was not surprising. A stable worker would likely be out of their depth if a dangerous magic machine was stalking a roadway only a mile or so away. "Alright, thank you for the help."
"Please don't do anything dangerous. You are young. You have much to live for." Banji then walked away, mildly distressed by the conversation's ending.
'If I can get home by the end of today,' Chesty thought seriously, 'then talking a risk is worth it.'
The sight of the Great Tabantha Bridge was both an awe inspiring spectacle and the worst acrophobic scenario imaginable. The morning haze made seeing the bottom of Tanagar Canyon difficult to see. Yet it did not need to be seen, for Chesty knew from a glance any fall would result in a terrifying, bone crushing death.
Everything that was suspect about the Jeddo bridge was taken to the nth degree with the Great Tabantha Bridge. Yet again, the vast majority of rigging necessary to hold up the bridge did not reach down to the bottom of the span it crossed over. One tick in the Great Tabantha Bridge's favor was that two pairs of wooden columns, one on either side of the bridge, had sturdy holdings on cliffs that sprouted out from the rock. Just as with Jeddo Bridge, chunks had been taken out of the bridge. These treacherous openings made it so that only a single standard horse carriage could gingerly crawl across the bridge. One hole was as long as a city bus, though it's deth thankfully did not reach the center of the bridge.
Terribly nervous about crossing the bridge, but still determined to find his way to the fountain, Chesty tensely made his way across. To his surprise, the bridge did not creak with every step. The visually derelict structure was holding firm. He even dared to glance about when he stepped onto a stretch of bridge where no holes were immediately nearby.
Tanagar Canyon was as great in scale as the Grand Canyon from Chesty's world. However, instead of having beautiful and striking layers of exposed rock layered on top of each other, the vast majority of the stone, whether one looked north or south, was plain and clay-like in color.
Chesty recognized this immediately. "I guess it's not that impressive."
His eye caught on to several windmills which stood proudly in place. Their structures were impressively tall despite being made entirely of wood and other common materials. As for their purpose, Chesty had no clue. They did not connect down over a typical mill-like structures; instead, the bases were skeletal and tripod-like. To a certain extent, they were structured like Christmas trees with the most boring aesthetic imaginable.
Some of the windmills were large, with distinct, painted patterns on the blades that they sported. Others had two windmills, which had thinner, less ornamental arms as they spun at the whims of the canyon breezes. It was a sight which gave pause for thought, but Chesty came to the conclusion that they had no practical purpose, perhaps only to distract from the spine chilling height that the Great Tabantha Bridge was at.
Chesty was about halfway across the bridge when the air began to feel increasingly hot and dry. It came from the north, which seemed impossible given the presumptive latitude that he was at. To the north, there were icy mountains, not scorching deserts. When he dared to look in the direction of the wind's source, he became slack jawed.
Flying towards the bridge, perhaps a quarter of a mile away, was a gigantic serpentine creature: a dragon of eastern origin. Over a hundred feet in length, its body was thicker than the torso of an elephant, with a round, prominent muzzle and what looked like a furry mane along its neck. Its body was oddly similar in color to the stone of Tanagar Canyon, and its tail was almost as long as the torso and neck combined.
There were spots on the beast that glowed with the color of open flame on its paws, horns, and back. Specifically, the glowing portions along the dragon's back looked like burning crystals that pointed to the posterior, like the large scutes on a crocodile. Its eyes were colored like fresh lava, with a sapphire like pupil in the center. Around the gloriously horned head of the beast, large plumes of flame swirled around ominously.
The dragon had no wings, instead galloping through the air on six, thin legs with charcoal paws. The claws that came from its feet looked as if they emanated fire itself. It made no sound, but the wind that heralded its arrival became steadily faster and warmer with each passing second.
Chesty was incapable of moving. To see an actual dragon, in person, left him completely out of sorts. Instead, he snapped out of his stupor when the wind became especially strong, and some of the timbers on the bridge began to groan from the force of the gale.
He staggered from the wind, eventually clinging onto a support beam in front of him. Chesty stared with increasing horror as the dragon bounded high over the canyon with the grace of an antelope. His eyes could not tear themselves from the fire that orbited around the dragon's head, adding up the consequences of the entirely wooden bridge was touched by the flying flames.
'I'm either gonna burn to death or fall into the canyon with what remains of the bridge.' He trembled against the almost desert-like breeze as it hit his face. There was no hope of him crossing the bridge either way to get to safety.
"S-sorry, Mom..." He whimpered as he clung to the bridge for dear life.
The great dragon leapt through the air with slow, purposeful strides. As it reached the bridge, it was roughly ten feet away from the bottom most portion of the rigging. At this point, the heat reached its zenith, but the temperature did not cause pain. The wind slowly began to die down as the flying serpent passed under the bridge, not a single piece of lumber catching fire during the whole ordeal.
Chesty dared to look, and could see and smell no smoke. Turning around, he glanced southwards, catching the sight of the glowing tips of a magnificent pair of horns. He crawled to the other side of the bridge, seeing the dragon bounding away without once stopping. By this time, the wind had calmed, and the air was cool and dewy again. The dragon made a northward turn heading further down the canyon, then disappeared from sight.
Back on his feet, Chesty caught his breath. "What the hell was that?!"
He knew very well that it was a dragon. That did not mean he could process the fact that he had seen a mythical creature of legend right before his eyes. Once his heart settled, Chesty hurried along the bridge to the other side. The last thing he wanted was for the dragon to make another pass and risk his safe travel across the canyon.
Safely on firm ground, Chesty looked at the map. Indeed, just as stated by Banji, he was at the start of a gorge between Piper Ridge to the north and the Rayne Highlands to the southwest. He was now closer than ever to finding the Great Fairy Fountain, and it was not even time for lunch.
The road ahead dipped inwards, like a dried riverbed that had been converted into a horse trail. Each bank of grassy ground was roughly two feet higher than the road Chesty was on. Moving forward, he stopped when he caught sight of something very unusual.
Flying out from deep in the gorge, a strange mechanical construct flew out like a gigantic drone. It flew with the power of three propellers, and was shaped loosely like an upside down triangle. The surface was dusty looking and almost stone-like in texture, but there was also a faint, reddish glow coming from the rotor masts. Hanging from the pyramidal body was head shaped like a peg with rotating "fins." From this head, an inauspicious red light panned in front of the aircraft as it circled wide in a patrolling manner into the gorge. It made a pass and disappeared back into the canyon ahead. Minutes later, it reappeared, taking the same, static path as before.
"Guardian." Chesty surmised. If the scary red light was any indication, it was patrolling the gorge where the path carried on. If Glendo's warning was true, passing under that light was to invite death.
"Banji said there were two Guardians." He muttered to himself. "Maybe further in..."
'Damn it.' Moving forward meant a non-zero chance of being spotted and blasted by an alien machine he had no experience with. It did not help that the supposed location of the Great Fairy Fountain had a level of vagueness. 'The fountain could be out in the open in the middle of the gorge, or on the other side entirely.'
Chesty questioned if risking his life on a hope for an act of magical deliverance was worth it. It would make no indifference if he could return home if he was incinerated or otherwise mortally wounded. There was no chance of easy reconnaissance to check for places to hide from the Guardian's watchful gaze. If he had to run for his life, Chesty did not have high hopes for evading not one, but two Guardians bearing down on him.
His homesickness then began to stir. The hope he had from Canni's advice bloomed once more. 'There's no place like home.' Chesty thought, and if it was but a wish away, he had to take the chance.
Glancing off the path for a moment, Chesty spotted an outcropping of rock that was still safely out of the range of the flying Guardian's range. As if he were back in Afghanistan, he took advantage of a small crease in the rock, keeping his body flat as he looked through the valley in its entirety.
He could now see the second Guardian, which was moving in a similar fashion to the first Guardian. Whereas the former moved clockwise, this machine moved counterclockwise. There were also three large pillars of rock with crowns that spread out not unlike the strange trees of the Seres Scablands. Nearer to his position, he spotted the battered remains of another covered wagon; Chesty did not dare to imagine whether its fate as caused by age, or by the predatory robots in the sky.
"Okay, so there is some cover. I just gotta move fast, and get through before they patrol over where I'm at." Chesty strategized that he would start taking cover by the wagon. Then he could run like hell to the nearest stone formation and hug its center like it were a safe spot in a life or death game of hide and seek. He would have to keep a separate eye on Piper Ridge to the north. If the fountain was somewhere nearby, he had to spot it quickly, especially if it could provide more permanent shelter from the Guardians and their alleged firepower.
When the front most Guardian made a pass, Chesty got on his feet and sprinted for the remains of the wagon with a frantic pace. He reached the point in good time, and kept a single eye peaking out of the corner to watch the Guardian's movement. Up close, he could see that the red light emanated in a cone much like a flashlight. Instead of any standard lightbulb, the luminosity came from a terrifying blue eye-like structure which pulsed with a menacing energy. The machine looked rabid from the angle Chesty was looking at, and he swallowed his terror as it flew on by.
He waited again for a full cycle of the Guardian's path before sprinting again. The machine had just turned so that its eye was not in his general direction before Chesty made a mad dash for the nearest stone pillar. The Guardian easily outpaced him, and by the time he was halfway there, it was making another right turn, around the crown of the very pillar he was desperate to hide under. Just as it made a fly back along the road, Chesty made his way under the shadow of the pillar, and he almost crashed into the stone with his heart pounding fiercely.
Chesty hyperventilated, and fear gripped his spine as he saw the Guardian flying by to make another pass again. The eye was now unmistakeable, making this Guardian appear like a chimera between a cyclops and a toy drone that one might use with a remote control. To Chesty's great relief, it did not find him and lock its gaze onto his form. The mechanical beast just lazily patrolled directly over the proper path. Assured of his safety, Chesty began to breathe properly, taking the chance to rest and check out his location.
The Guardian circled like a buzzard, but did not come closer to the pillar's base. Neither did it crane its eye to look away from the predetermined path it was currently on. Chesty felt more relief that the machine had a monotonous kind of programming. It would doubtless change its behavior if it spotted a moving target, but that was why Chesty was remaining dedicated to caution.
Regaining his stamina, he managed to crawl around the pillar until he faced west again. He was again looking right down the length of the gorge, and he could see the patrol path of the second Guardian more clearly. The path it took was significantly larger, as it patrolled around two, more stout pillars of stone than the previous guardian. That meant there was a larger area of safety, as long as Chesty stayed away from the main path or its grassy counterpart on the opposite side of the rock formations.
The horse trail cut between the first pillar and the last two pillars like a reverse "S." Not far from the path, next to the second pillar, the dark remains of a bulbous machine with reticulated limbs stood pitifully, with much of its body stuck in the ground. Upon closer examination, the stone-like patterns and distinct design gave Chesty pause. This looked to be the remains of a different variety of Guardian, namely the spider like variant that was alluded to by Glendo.
"Looks like this one is deactivated. At least, I hope it is." Chesty fretted.
The first Guardian passed by again, reminding him of the fact that he had two eyes to evade, not just one. 'I gotta time this perfectly. If he went too early, either Guardian would spot him and turn him into a pile of ash. He did not want to test his reflexes against two autonomous killing machines.
When the second Guardian passed and the first one went by as well, Chesty jumped off the boulder he rested on and ran to the next rock formation. This time, the run was much easier. The gap between the second and third pillar of stone was more than enough room for him to stand in without literally embracing the stone. He rested with greater ease as the second Guardian whirled around, not once threatening him with its lethal sight. The remains of the spider Guardian did not stir once during this mad dash.
Chesty was just about to recuperate when a gurgle sounded nearby. A gigantic blob of slime, as large as an inflatable exercise ball, materialized as if from nowhere ten feet away from him. It pulsed revoltingly, its gelatinous form quivering slowly as if it could produce waves like the ocean on a windy day. To Chesty's disgust and horror, the blob turned, staring at him with bulbous yellow and orange eyes.
The blob hopped as if surprised, before leaping in Chesty's direction. The young man screamed, narrowly dodging to his right. He scrambled up a rock outcropping just over five feet in height. From this height, Chesty was in disbelief at this new enemy. He knew of smile molds from biology classes, but none of them sported orbits that could see the world. They also did not have aggression against people.
The blob slowly turned his way, its walleyed gaze landing on the young man. With a flexing undulation, the slimy creature leaped at him again. It managed to nearly graze his feet, and Chesty nearly fell off his rocky perch onto his face. Somewhat clumsily, he juked to the left, desperate to avoid the abomination. It was a miracle he did not twist his ankle.
Staggering over the rocky surface he was on, he ran away from the two stone pillars and the area where the slime was. Facing forward, he stopped dead in his tracks before doubling back and hugging the rock wall. A cone of ominous red light passed over the horse trail ahead of him. The Guardian droned overhead, but thankfully did not spot him.
Chesty growled, and very nearly pissed himself. 'Stuck between a rock, a death machine, and a squishy place.'
He stared to the right, anticipating the blob to pursue him. Strangely, while he could hear the subtle sloshing of a watery slime monster, it did not pass around the rock pillar. Miraculously, Chesty had evaded the sight of a very dim witted creature with a short attention span.
"I guess that's what I can expect from a slimy monster thing." The danger had not passed. There was one more immediate hazard to bypass.
Chesty caught his breath and waited on the next passing of the Guadian. From the northern angle he was looking at, the safest bet was to hug the rocks near Piper Ridge. He would, presumably, be out of reach of the second Guardian, and be closer to the general area where the legendary fountain existed.
Another overpass, and Chesty sprinted down the gorge, only looking back once to see that the Guardian was staying on its predictable path. Only when he had hidden himself behind a barrier of stone did he stop again. Everything around him was calm: the gauntlet had been run.
Double checking his cover, Chesty grabbed his map again. He was literally just west of Piper Ridge, so his search had to begin now. The wind was brisk, and it made a soft whistle as it funneled through a gap in the rock just to Chesty's right. He could see that the stone gave way to an uneven corridor, and began to elevate just around the corner.
"I guess this is a safe bet to search." The closed space was a concern, but a cautious approach would have to suffice if there was a dangerous animal or monster lying in ambush.
Chesty hugged the left wall of the chasm, his knife at the ready for any threat. Peeking around the corner, he saw that the path ahead was a bit steep, but not to a difficult degree. In fact, the chasm was beginning to widen, and a near cloudless sky was just up ahead.
The hike afterward was brief, and Chesty found himself in a clearing. There were some rock formations, shrubs, as well as a plethora of flowers and a population of a thistle like plant that was the color of a sunburst. Most prominent was the largest plant of all: a gigantic flower bulb that sat just to the right side of the clearing.
The bulb was as big as an elephant, and its coloration was a messy, but healthy canvas of green. The thorny protrusions and tips of the leaves were a burnt orange, and it looked oddly like a cross between an underripe pineapple and an onion.
Most intriguing was that on two sides of the bulb, were colorful collections of mushrooms of all the colors of the rainbow. One bloom of fungus had varying heights and were as tall as trees, with white stalks supporting the mushroom head atop. The other was tightly packed, forming what Chesty could only describe as an uneven staircase.
The entire area felt unnatural. Life flourished all around, yet only a shallow pond of water could be seen. For fungi, much less plants to survive and thrive, there needed to be a copious source of hydration. An underground spring was not out of the question, but the modest amount of life giving liquid juxtaposed dramatically with the dry and stony environment around the clearing.
As interesting as this grove was, it did not look like any fountain that Chesty was familiar with. There was not a single fairy to be found. Aside from the absurdly large flower bulb and colorful mushrooms, there was no indication of anything that could be explicitly describe as magical or supernatural. Chesty's heart sank.
He did not want to give up yet. "Maybe I just need to search around." Chesty strode forth, trying to look for another path through Piper Ridge.
Passing by the gigantic plant bulb, he heard something strange. For a second, he thought it was the wind, but it sounded too deep and similar to a muffled voice. Chesty paused, looking around and straining to hear the sound again.
"Young man."
Chesty flinched as he heard those two words. It sounded vaguely female, but it was not clear. The sound came from his right, and he looked at the gigantic plant bulb.
"Young man... please... come closer..."
Although the voice was human, the source of the beckoning was hard to believe. Chesty glanced down at the stair-like assortment of mushrooms in front of him. From this angle, the tallest of the fungi looked like an altar of sorts, though it ended at a plant with absurd proportions.
"I swear, if this turns out to be a Little Shop of Horrors thing..." Tentatively, Chesty walked up the fungal staircase, surprised at how sturdy the mushroom caps felt beneath his shoes.
He came face to leaf with the plant, and he vaguely smelled a gentle scent, like a mix between aloe and lavender. Chesty started to feel calm, though he did not notice it.
"Young man..." Intoned the voice again. "Please, listen to my story."
Chesty looked at the crease between the two leaves immediately before him, feeling a little uncertain. "Sure..."
"I am the Great Fairy Kaysa..." The voice introduced itself. "This place was once a beautiful spring, but as time passed, fewer and fewer travelers arrived to offer me rupees. As a result, my power has abandoned me.
"I'm nearly powerless now, so I beg your help. I need rupees to become whole again..."
Chesty braced himself for the bargaining price. He prayed that his current spending money was enough.
"All I need is one hundred rupees..."
Chesty sighed through his nose in relief. That price was more than payable.
"Once my power has been restored, I can help you do great things boy."
Chesty reached for the wallet he had bought near the Outskirt Stable. He loosened the drawstring and five red rupees tumbled into an empty hand. For once, Chesty felt a positive excitement in his heart.
"Now, if you have rupees, hand them over to me, quickly!" Parting the leaves, a dark, feminine hand reached out, its palm extended out towards Chesty. Its appearance sent him shuddering back in fright, and the rupees in his hand nearly tumbled out.
At the end of the gigantic limb we're five, finely manicured nails of pink and green. A simple, golden ring was wrapped around the middle finger, and an equally gaudy bracelet was on the wrist. The rest of the arm to which the hand belonged to disappeared into the sheer darkness of the inside of the plant bulb.
"In order for me to regain my power, I need one hundred rupees." The distorted voice stated.
Gathering himself, Chesty extended his right hand, placing the five rupees onto the palm. A great warmth seemed to emanate from the hand before him, and he oddly felt like a small child handing something to a teacher or mother. As soon as the twinkling gems landed squarely in the hand, it grasped the money covetously, and jerked back inside the plant in a puff of pink vapor. A stray nail nearly scraped Chesty's hand as it closed around the deposited money.
"Thank you." The voice replied with sincerity. "You are too kind."
The flower bulb began to pulse and squirm, and pink vapor began to puff from the very top. "Ahh... the power... It's overflowing!" The bulb parted four ways and a great violet cloud swamped the grove.
Chesty coughed for a few moments, and squinted his eyes as his vision was briefly obscured. When the cloud dispersed, he was almost blinded by the sheer radiance he saw.
The bud had become a flower with nine gigantic petals that were colored amber with yellow splotches. Instead of stamen, statues of birds were perched atop flowing branches of gold. Another golden prominence was located at the back, looking like a tribute to flowers and fruit alike. Various mushrooms of numerous hues stood in random clusters atop the petals, and an inner ring of pink stones circled a bubbling pool of sparkling, clean water.
Pink vapor rose like steam from the water for a few seconds before the surface of the water trembled. Chesty braced himself for whatever being was about to launch itself from the water.
"Ah-HAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cried a melodious voice as a humanoid torso stood up grandly. A colossal woman stretched her arms out to the heavens, an overjoyed look on her
The Great Fairy was almost twenty feet high from her waist alone. Her skin was the color of chocolate, which allowed her luscious locks of bubblegum hair and pink and green makeup to stand out. Kaysa's dress was as elegant as it was suggestive: her top consisted of strings of iridescent fish scales and pink flower petals, with a glimmering chain of brass below her bosom. Her curves and much of her skin could readily be seen.
A form fitting necklace with pearls and ruby encrusted triangles of gold connected with her bodice. Another pair of brass chains wrapped around her biceps. Great white feathers stuck out from behind her long, pointy ears, and a headpiece similar to her necklace peaked out from a great bang of salmon hair that loped down over the right side of her handsome face.
Her stretch completed, Kaysa relaxed and regarded the man who had saved her from obscurity. She blinked back grateful tears and she flushed from her dramatic response.
"Ah... forgive my rather bold entrance. It's been almost a century since anyone of mortal race has come to visit me. So, you are the one I have to thank for bringing me back from the brink."
She glanced him over briefly, then her eyes widened in realization. "You... you are not of Hyrulean origin."
Chesty cleared his throat, almost at a loss for words. The Great Fairy was a beautiful sight to behold. "Umm, ye-yes. I am not from this land. Did the ears give it away?"
"Not quite." Kaysa explained. "Not all in the land of Hyrule bear the pointy ears of the Hylian race. A people who live in relative seclusion, in Faron, frequently bear round ears such as yours. However, every being has a certain nature about them. Powerful beings such as Great Fairies like myself can determine that nature down to a person's temperament, intention, and their relationship with the world around them. I sense that you are not a native of this land of Hyrule."
"You are quite perceptive, ma'am."
Kaysa chuckled warmly. "And you are quite the handsome young man. I wonder how you came to this place, saving not-so-little old me. Perhaps you'd like to live here with me, hmm?"
Chesty flushed and spluttered, much to Kaysa's amusement.
"Hah!" She laughed. "I only jest, of course." She sighed longingly. "Oh how I missed having men come by. They almost always looked cute when they blushed from my teasing."
At once, Chesty steeled himself. "I haven't come here for flirting, Great Fairy. I come to you as a man far from home."
Kaysa rested her chin on a the back of her fingers. "Indeed."
"I will be blunt. Somehow, someway, I was transported from my home, in another world, to this world, Hyrule. For weeks, I worked and struggled to come to terms with how I came to this land. I heard from a friend that Great Fairy Fountain was located here."
"Your friend was quite correct." Kaysa replied, her plump, red lips smiling with glee. "I am deeply grateful for your patronage. With my power, I can do many things."
"Can you send me home?"
Kaysa blinked. "Oh. Where do you hail from? Holodrum, or perhaps-"
"I," Chesty interrupted, raising a hand in apology, "I come from a different world." He breathed in to calm his racing heart. "My name is Vernon Chesty Adams. I was born and raised in Blountstown, Florida. I'm from the United States of America, and I just want to go home."
Chesty heaved air in and out. Admitting the scope of his removal from home had proven more taxing than he thought. 'Enough with the chit chat and send me on my way.'
The Great Fairy pursed her lips, a delicate hand gripping her chin as she gave his words some thought. "Would you be so kind as to regale the circumstances of your arrival to this land?"
"I was practicing archery near a cabin that my late grandfather built. I was searching for a arrow that had gone beyond the tree line, when I spotted a pristine tree trunk. It had this strange symbol perfectly etched into the middle."
"What kind of symbol?"
"Like," Chesty paused, trying to recall every detail, "if you took three triangles with perfectly even sides and placed them in such a way to form a larger triangle with longer, but still equal sides. That was what I saw."
"The Triforce." Kaysa breathed in awe.
"What?" Chesty asked.
"The Triforce is a great golden power left behind by the goddesses who created this world. Each piece of ten Triforce represents the embodiment of each of the three deities: Courage, Wisdom, and Power. When combined, they can grant the bearer any wish they desire."
Chesty was left speechless, processing the explanation. "But, that doesn't make any sense. I didn't wish to come here. I was just examining the Tri-thingy when the stump started glowing. Next thing I know, I'm floating in nothingness, then I wind up on my back just outside of a forest to the south."
"This is admittedly unusual." Kaysa conceded. "I am merely explaining the lore of the symbol you saw. It's description is unmistakable. Perhaps it was not the Triforce itself, but a blessing by the three Golden Goddesses. Perhaps, it was fate that brought you to that stump, and by extension, to the land of Hyrule."
A disbelieving laugh came out of Chesty. There was a hysterical desperation growing in his heart, and dread followed suit. "That's, he he he, that's not possible, lady. No disrespect, but trying to recover a lost arrow is not destiny or whatever the hell you're trying to say. I mean, it was a carbon arrow I was looking for, not the Holy Grail or something."
Kaysa looked down at him with growing sympathy. This young man was clearly not handling these revelations well. "Well, by fate of luck, or misfortune, you are here all the same."
"Yes." Chesty agreed, his voice becoming more and more stressed. "Now can you please use your magic to send me back home?"
"From the sound of things, these United States you speak of do not exist in this world. You are in a different world entirely, thanks to a power that easily eclipses my own. I do not entirely know the specific means by which you came to Hyrule, but..."
Chesty's face fell, his hazel eyes becoming more anguished.
"I fear I will not be able to help you in that regard." Kaysa explained, her own face marred with sadness. "If you came from another land in this wide world, it would not be so difficult, but you are asking me to send you to a land of which I have never heard of and likely could never conceive. Such power to help you would have to be taken from the Gods themselves."
Not a word was said in reply. Tears began to well up at the corners of Chesty's eyes. His gaze became distressingly vacant, and his thoughts were too overwhelmed with a wellspring of grief.
"I am so sorry, young Vernon." Kaysa consoled. "There are many things that I and my sisters can accomplish with our power. What you seek is, unfortunately, not possible."
Chesty did not say a word. Rivers of heartache streamed down his cheeks.
His magical benefactor was concerned. Such despair was not common in her experience, and she did not need the Triforce of Wisdom to know the lengths people would go to when their thoughts were driven by anguish.
"I will not let you part from this place without a worthwhile reward for your efforts thus far. A Great Fairy always pays debts to those with good hearts." With a wave of her palm, a pink and green cloth materialized. It twisted in the air and tied itself up into a neat, empty bundle, becoming a satchel as large as a standard handbag.
"This satchel can carry an infinite amount of items. Weapons, ingredients, clothes, and medicine can all be contained within thanks to the magic in the cloth. If it can fit in the mouth of the satchel, it can travel with you." Kaysa leaned over and delivered the satchel into the hands of a semi comatose Chesty.
He looked down mechanically at the satchel in his hands, then back up at Kaysa. Tears still trickled down his face as his throat began to ache.
Kaysa continued to look at Chesty with sympathy. "Fate, however it may stretch and bend, has not been kind to you as of late. Perhaps my gift as thanks to you will ease your burden."
There was still no verbal response.
"Do not despair, fair Vernon. Life may have anarchy and tragedy, but it also has opportunity for splendor and joy. Do not let your grief compel you to shrink from the joys that life can bring you. Farewell."
With a stretch and a twirl, Kaysa sank beneath the pool in the middle of the flower.
The only sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves filled the grove. Chesty stared vacantly at the spot where Kaysa had once been. She had vanished as quickly as his hopes had.
Multiple feelings swirled like a maelstrom in Chesty's mind. He wanted to scream in sheer fury, that he had come so far and passed several hazards just to have his expectations crushed. Part of him wanted to rip something apart with his bare hands, cursing whatever "fate" or "gods" had torn him away from the only home he had ever known. Another part wanted to sob like a child, and he began to sniffle as his crying began to intensify.
Never before had he felt such emotional agony in his life. No battlefield wound, nor even the death of his beloved grandparents could compare to the torment he felt at the edge of the Great Fairy Fountain. What magic trinket could hope to compare to the sound of his mother's voice? What land, however wondrous, could beat the comfortable and mundane environment of his hometown? What life was worth living if the people he held dearest to his heart would never be seen again?
He just wanted this pain to end.
The satchel in his hand was just loosely grasped in his fingers as he robotically stepped down from the fungal altar of the Great Fairy Fountain. Kaysa's words largely bounced off of his ears like water off of a duck's back as he trudged in the direction of the afternoon Sun. Each step was a blur until Chesty found himself on the precipice of a cliff. Down below, what looked like a continuation of the northerly horse trail could be seen down below. It was well over nine stories between Chesty's location, and the semi grassy terrain below.
Tears continued to blind Chesty; his mind dulled with grief. The ground below was hardly discernible with the brightness of the Sun refracting through his tears, but a final fall looked distressingly inviting from the height he was from.
'One step.' He thought. 'That should put me out of my misery without any suffering, right?'
At last, he extended a foot, halfway in the air over the road to the heart of the Tabantha region.