Sheik, the tale the scribes missed
Disclaimer: Again, I have to tell you that I do not work for Nintendo, nor am I in the possession of a graduated shading programme, I think it's safe to say that none of the characters featured here in are mine. *Grins to self* That's the most adult disclaimer I've ever done, yay me! I really want a graduated shading programme though, and then I could scan in my anime pictures and give the special touch to their hair - oh well. I'll just have to cope with my 2B pencils for now, lol. Well, anyway, just to recap in case you forgot already.
I see Sheik as a person in his own right, and so far on his mission, he has already discovered the melody for the Forest Temple. There are four more to find. Now, on to the story!
~*~*~*~
The light is now bright enough for me to write by. I am thinking about going to Lake Hylia for the day - after all, I do not believe I have been there since that day. The day when I taught Link the melody to open the Water Temple. I wonder if it has changed much in all this time? Well, I shall find out when I get there. For now though, I shall relate to you a little about my recuperation in Kakariko, after my confrontation with Ganondorf.
~*~*~*~
I woke up late in the morning, to the appetizing smell of cooking which wafted up to me through the floorboards. I sat up cautiously, waiting for the same shooting pain I had experienced so often as I turned over the last few nights. But, there was no pain, so I sat up more boldly. I felt revitalised after the potions shop had leant a red potion to cure my wounds. I supposed I'd better go and pay for it, so I swung my legs out of the bed, and searched for my clothes.
I couldn't find them anywhere, so I decided to venture downstairs in only my long nightshirt, to see if I could discover their whereabouts. Slowly, I edged my way out of the room, and looked around, to find the stairs on my left, past two other doors. I made my way to them, a few floorboards squeaking as I walked along - but no one called up to see who it was, so I carried on. Clutching onto the handrail, as I was still a little dizzy, I made my way down the stairs.
About four steps from the bottom, I peered through the rails to see who was in the one large downstairs room. Malon and Talon were sitting at the table, and a middle-aged woman was carrying a large pot of steaming soup to the table. My stomach rumbled loudly, and she set it down on the table, before looking up and spotting me. "Hello young man," she smiled invitingly. "Nice to see you up and about at last!"
I smiled back, and walked down the last four steps, feeling a little self conscious in just the nightshirt. It came down to my knees, which left my exceptionally pale legs exposed to the world. I have always wished that I could tan, but I cannot. Malon just smiled at me, and patted the seat next to her, "C'mon, Eloise is a great cook!" The woman, who I now knew as Eloise laughed, and started dishing up the soup. Talon, Malon and Eloise all looked to me, and Malon nudged me. "Say a blessing silly!" I was a little perturbed, but said one that I remembered being taught years before.
"May Din, Nayru and Farore know how truly grateful we are for the fruitfulness of their creation. We gladly accept their reign, and thank them for this food, which we are about to eat. Goddesses be praised." Malon looked at me appreciatively, and then we all tucked into the soup. She had been right; Eloise's cooking was delightful, and I was happy to accept the second helping.
Finally, I sat back, feeling better fed than I had in a long time, and ran a hand over my head. It was still slightly sore, but the red potion had closed up the wound. I slowly remembered why I had come downstairs in the first place, and asked all in the room, "I was just wondering, where are my clothes?"
"Oh, I washed them dear. They're over there of the clotheshorse. They'll be quite dry by now."
"Thank you very much, Eloise," I said, grabbing them from the clotheshorse. "I'll be right back when I've got dressed."
"OK. See you in a minute Bandy!" Malon called after me. Someday, I would tell her to stop calling me that!
I came back to the room I had awoken in, and noticed that my pack had been hung on the back of the door. I pulled it down, and took out the book and pencil. It was then that I began my journal; the one that I am in fact using now to help jog my memory for this tale. I wrote only a few lines to recount my progress, and the strange appearance of the forest spirits, as well as my confrontation with Ganondorf.
Then, I pulled my clothes on. Back then, I wore much the same as I do now. An indigo all-over body suit. The top half was then covered with a white shirt with the Eye of Truth emblazoned across it in red. Then, I tied bandages around my wrists to protect them from harm during battle. Then, bandages around my waist to hold the white shirt. Lastly, my armour, which strapped across my legs and arms, along with some boots and my facemask.
When I had put on my strange, signature ensemble of clothes, I came back down the stairs. Malon and Talon wanted to know how I came across my injury, and I am ashamed to say that I could not hold out on them for long. After all my many years of training, it only took the bond of friendship to make me break. After all, I felt as though I owed it to Malon for choosing me to be her friend in the first place. Eloise hovered in the background, washing the lunch dishes, and generally cleaning.
"Well, to cut a long story short, I had a confrontation with Ganondorf himself, and I'm lucky to have gotten away without more injury," I told them simply, trying to sound as though it had been nothing. But, yet another display of emotions ran through the room. I would never get used to all these easily displayed emotions; no Sheikan person would ever let their emotions known so easily.
Eloise dropped the plate she had been drying, and it shattered on the hard stone floor. Talon's hands balled into fists, and Malon once more threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. "Thank goodness you got away!" she exclaimed, looking at me. "How on earth did you just run into him?"
"I was going to visit the Zora's Domain, and he in the pathway there, attacking the guards. I couldn't just leave them at his mercy, so I threw myself onto his back and told them to run away." I didn't go into too much detail, but they still seemed unduly concerned for my well-being.
"You should stay here, young man, where it's safe!" Talon urged, but I shook my head.
"Much as the offer tempts, I cannot, I have things to do. I must see the Gorons for one thing. And the Zoras when Ganondorf is done wreaking his havoc there."
Malon looked impressed by my important sounding words, but Eloise and Talon looked perturbed. Before they could try and place an order to ban me from doing such things, I spoke to Malon. "Do you want to go out and practice archery in the training centre (the Archery shop now)?" She nodded, and then looked downcast.
"But, I don't have any money," she said, even as she followed me out of the door. I opened my wallet and showed her the glowing gold rupee inside.
"This should be more than enough to cover it!" I smiled, and she clapped her hands in delight.
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" she smiled, tugging me towards the building eagerly.
"Wait a minute - I must go and pay back for that red potion at the shop."
"No, she said she was glad to give it for free, for that time when you rescued her from that group of mad deku-shrubs." She again pulled me towards the archery shop, and I marvelled at the kindness. That red potion must have cost at least thirty rupees, and yet she allowed me to have it for free!
~*~*~*~
Well, the dawn has at last left the sky, and I've just borrowed a horse from Malon to make my way to the lake. I'd better put this away - it is more than a little difficult to write when one is trying to ride at the same time!
*
I am here - and much more has changed than I would have thought. Everything is so much better - I was not here to witness the return of the waters, so it seems amazing to me. There are not even any of the blue tektites residing over the water anymore. I am in the island in the middle, where the great old tree stands next to the inscribed stone. The sun is sending sparkles off the rippling water, and I'm glad that I decided to come back here. It has given me the quiet place I have needed.
At this very moment, I am lying full length on the grass, and have even removed my facemask, I am so relaxed. My knives are still on though - there have been too many times I have been caught off my guard in the past; but I have learnt from them. Now, onto my journey to seek the melody of the Fire Temple. A journey, which was a lot more arduous than that to seek the one of the Forest.
~*~*~*~
I stayed in Kakariko for a longer measure of time than I had planned to. It allowed me time to re-acquaint myself with the place, and spend time with Malon, which I felt was well spent. I found myself a job amongst the villagers as a builder; helping to erect buildings for the many people fleeing Ganondorf's wroth. The pay allowed me to treat Malon as I had on that first day, and to keep my equipment in top shape. Also, as I grew, I found that I needed new clothes often, and stockpiled material for my travels ahead.
It was about a month after arriving in Kakariko that I at last left for Death Mountain, shouldering a pack of only the barest necessities. Malon, Talon and Eloise expressed their worries, but did not prevent me from leaving. I showed the guard at the gate the seal of Rauru, knowing that he would have been introduced to the seals by Princess Zelda's orders. He sidestepped immediately, looking down at me with worry. "You should equip a better shield lad. One that will not burn up."
"Which would you suggest?" I asked, valuing the opinion of a trained soldier.
"Perhaps you could use this - it's a little small for me, but it should be light enough for you." He handed me his non-standard shield, which bore the Eye of Truth. "Eh, it matches your ensemble anyway," he guffawed, and I thanked him politely, before setting up off the steep mountain path.
The going was tough, that I will not deny. I also will not deny that I loathe climbing. I even thought of using the 'Winged-Harmonic', but I was still not fully up to using my powers yet. Ganondorf had hurt me in more ways than one. His own, dark brand of magic had drained mine, so that I couldn't do any large-scale magic for a long while. So, everything was done manually and literally.
The red tektites on the mountain paths plagued me, so I steered away onto the rougher terrain around a hundred yards away from them. Here, I had to watch for falling boulders and loose scree, but there were fewer enemies to battle. The ground was constantly crumbling between my feet, and more than a few times I found myself slipping down the mountainside, and only saved myself with a quick grab at a ledge with my hands.
The climb apart from those few slips was uneventful, so I will not bore you with the details.
I reached the entrance to the city of the Gorons on the second week of my climb, after spending cold nights huddled up under my cloak and blankets. I was still shivering slightly from the cold of the altitude, and held my hands gratefully over the lit torch at the entrance.
A Goron just inside the city entrance sat up with a mumble, and looked right at me. "Hmm, what are you here for?" it asked, before curling up again, and falling back asleep. That seemed more than a little strange, so I went and tapped it on the shoulder, and it uncurled once more. "Sorry about that - we've just had a wonderful feast of rocks from Dodongo's cavern, and we're all a little sleepy."
"Uh - that's all right. I was just wondering where king Darunia is?"
"Ah, Big Brother is in his chambers asleep - he refuses to see anyone after the loss of his spiritual stone." The Goron curled up again, leaving me to wonder how on Earth I was to find where the king, or 'Big Brother' as he was known here, lived. I didn't know where to start, and didn't even have a map of the city to aid me.
Instead, I just looked around the city, and saw a platform in the middle on the same level as the one I was on; the top level. Ropes connected the platform to the ringed level outside, and I hopped onto the nearest one. It felt as though the rope had once been taut enough to walk upon, but had been allowed to go slack. I swayed precariously, and chose to drop down and shimmy along with my hands.
So, hanging beneath the slackened rope bridge, I shimmied closer to the platform, thanking my training all the way. The bottom level was a very, very long way off, and I didn't dare think about what would happen if I fell off.
I reached the end of the rope, and swung myself up onto the platform, landing right next to yet another sleeping Goron. They stirred as soon as I landed, and sat up in much the same style as the other had. I could tell immediately that it was female by the voice, which asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm Sheik of the Sheikah, and I seek Darunia. Where may I find his chambers?"
"Oh, they're on the bottom level. But, you won't get in. He will only let messengers of the royal family in, and even then, only if he is feeling in the mood for company."
"Oh. Well, thank you for the directions anyway," I said, turning away to make my way back to the main ring of the top level. How would I gain an audience with Darunia? Well, I had the whole journey down to the bottom level to think of some plan.
*
I reached his chambers, thinking that I could just walk in and force him to take an audience with me. That was before I saw the thick stone doorway covering the entrance. I walked over to it, hoping that I could merely push it open if I shoved hard enough; no such luck. I even tried to blow it open with a bomb flower that I plucked off the wall - the door was not scathed. Through the fallen dust from the blast, I could read the symbols on the door.
I recognised them as calling for a melody, but the exact symbols denoted a melody which I did not know. Feeling a little perturbed about calling on Rauru so early on in my adventure, I nonetheless pulled his seal out of my bag. "Din, Nayru and Farore, allow me to converse with the Great Sage of Light." A magical shield of teleportation enveloped me, and within seconds, I opened my eyes to the interior of the Chamber of Sages.
"What is it?" Rauru asked, barely veiling his concern, in case I had some overtly bad news of the world.
"I need to know how to open the chambers of Darunia; there were symbols on the door calling for a melody I do not know."
"Oh?" he looked puzzled, and I bought out my book to jot a hasty sketch on the paper, before handing it to him. "Oh!" he said again, and then smiled. "It calls for the royal melody, Zelda's Lullaby. I cannot play it, but I know the notes." He took the pencil from my hands, and wrote the melody down in my book. "Now, go back, by the powers of Din, Nayru and Farore to the place from whence you were summoned."
Again, the magic enveloped me, and I landed before the same stone door outside Darunia's chambers. I looked down at the book in my hand, and quickly memorised the notes there. (AN: These really are the notes from the game. I just took it from the stave on the screen. And a little twiddly bit I thought sounded cool. Please, remember, I haven't played the game for ages, don't hurt me if it's wrong!). They read; 'B, D, A, B, D, A, B, D, G, E, D, B'. For a royal melody, it did seem a little short. I pulled out my lyre dubiously, and played the notes.
Immediately, the great mass of stone shifted to show a long dark tunnel, lit by one small, flickering torch. I was amazed - so that was the power of those few notes. I heard a deep rumbling come from down the corridor, and shivered slightly. If I angered a Goron, it could all be over in an instant - they were all more than large enough to crush me easily. So, with some trepidation, I walked down the tunnel.
I could see the room at the end, and see the flickering torchlight in there. Another low rumble passed through the corridor, and I could feel the floor shudder beneath me. Finally, I reached the room at the end, and stepped into the torchlight. Darunia sat on his throne, looking both menacing and impressive, and I bent down on one knee before him. To my surprise, a deep booming laugh came from him, and I glanced up.
"Well, I suppose you are not so much a child as the last messenger the royal family sent me!" he said, looking down at me. "And you seem much more respectful of your elders. What is it you want this time? You already have our Spiritual Stone."
"In truth, your great majesty, I am no messenger of the royal family."
"What?" He looked furious, and stood from his throne, towering many feet over me. I climbed to my feet, and handed the seal of Rauru to him. He peered down at it, his black eyes widening as he recognised the symbol. "Ah, you are errand runner to the Sages then boy? Why is it all adventurers seem to be so much younger all of a sudden." Another booming laugh, and he sat down again.
"I come here to seek the lost melody of the Fire Temple," I told him straight, and he looked glumly at me.
"What can I expect in return - though I have no clue as to where or how you'll find it."
"I don't know," I answered, stumped. "Is there anything that you would wish me to do? Rid somewhere of dark creatures, serve you until you no longer have need of me?" I said both of these with utmost sincerity, which made him laugh yet again. He seemed a likeable enough fellow from what I had seen of him so far.
"No, no, nothing so drastic young man. I see you have a lyre; perhaps you could play me a few tunes on that."
"Oh," I pulled my lyre from my back and rested it on my arm, raising the other to pluck at the strings.
"Do you know any forest tunes? I do so love them - so bright and cheerful," he said wistfully. I smiled slightly, thinking that both tunes I was to play I had only learned a few weeks before. First, I played the Minuet of Forest, which set him to drum his armrest appreciatively.
When I played Saria's Song (without wishing to contact her, so I did not), he literally sprang from his throne and danced around the room. I had to move surreptitiously out of his way to avoid being trodden on, and when I finally drew it to a close, he collapsed back into his throne. A few beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, and he wiped them away contentedly.
"You are the second person I've met who knows that tune. Perhaps you know him? A young boy called Link; re-opened Dodongo's cavern so we could eat again a few months back."
"I know of him," I answered, not giving too much away, and he laughed heartily.
"Now, where do you propose to start your search for this melody?" he asked. I shrugged, and replied,
"I thought perhaps I could start at the Fire Temple itself, perhaps search around for an inscription or some such thing."
"Hmm, hmmm," he said. "Well, I'll have to see to getting you one of our tunics then."
"A tunic?"
"Yes, it'll protect you from the heat of the crater."
"Why must we go there?"
"It is where the Temple is, of course!" he boomed, and I nodded my understanding. "Now, I think I have a spare one around here somewhere - all you need do is slip it over the clothes you're wearing. You may need to roll it up a tad - we only make them for adults after all." I accepted the red tunic, and pulled it over my clothes.
A ripple of magic sparked on my skin as the material brushed my ears; 'how useful magic is' I thought, as I rolled up the sleeves like Darunia suggested. When I was happy that I could actually see my hands, I hoisted my bag onto my back, and stood up again. "Ready to go then, young 'un?" I nodded, and he turned around to his throne. I did not realise what in Hyrule he was doing until a wave of heat hit my face - it was pleasant, not painful as I would have expected such high temperatures as are said to come from the crater to be.
"A secret passage," I said admirably, and he laughed once more. It seemed the 'Big Brother' of the Gorons was quite the light-hearted type. He led me to a bridge that led to a stone Tri-Force symbol on a platform on the other side. Over from that, directly in front of the Tri-Force symbol, was the entrance to the Fire Temple. Darunia directed me to the bridge, which led across to the symbol, then hurriedly left back to his chambers. It seemed the heat even got to him; but I was more than comfortable in my Goron tunic.
Feeling very content that it had been so easy to find the Fire Temple, I ambled over to the bridge, and began to cross it. There was a slight cracking sound, which I chose to ignore - at great expense in the long run. The bridge wavered slightly, and I paused, more than a little worried about it's structural integrity - it was about then that it chose to snap. I went hurtling downwards, towards the boiling magma fifty feet below. Twisting quickly, I shot my hook shot into a rung of the bridge, and pulled myself up.
I was on the wrong side of the bridge, and turned my hook shot to reach across the gap to a post of wood on the other side. I looked through the crossfire to level the shot, and was just about to fire when something knocked me flat on my back. There was a burning sensation on my legs and arms, and I looked down to see a red bubble sitting contentedly on my feet. It screeched, and more of its buddies erupted from the lava pools to the left. I screamed myself, and jumped up, pushing the red bubble away from me, singing my palms in the process.
I ran to the throne room entrance, but Darunia had already closed it; either he couldn't hear me, or he was choosing to ignore me. No matter; I looked around for somewhere else to run to. I had never been trained to deal with creatures made almost entirely of fire. There was another bridge to the right of the throne room entrance, and I sprinted across it, feeling the heat of the red bubbles bearing down on me. There was a small crack in the wall, and I forced my body through it, squeezing as hard as I could.
My legs began to burn up, and I yelped as the red bubbles brushed against my bare skin, having burnt through my body suit. Suddenly, I was through, and deftly shoved a boulder over the entrance to prevent them following me. I could hear them battering against the rock for a few minutes, and leant heavily against it, breathing deeply, trying to block out the feeling of pain in my legs. Eventually, the red bubbles seemed to give up, and their screeches died away.
There was a slight phosphorescent glow within - well, wherever I had stumbled upon. Feeling curious, and needing something to take away the focus from the pain I was in, I began to crawl towards it. A few times, I attempted to stand up, before realising it was hopeless. So, I carried on crawling like a snake on my belly, until reaching the room from which the glow came.
Waterfalls of light cascaded down the walls, and there was a Tri-Force symbol on the raised white platform at the end. I rolled into the pools of light, and found them to be of water instead. My legs cracked from the sudden transition from heat to coolness, and I gritted my teeth against the pain. When the steam had stopped rising from them, I stood up, testing out my legs. They just about held me, and I wobbled over to the platform to sit down on it, dangling my legs in the pool of water at its centre.
Slowly, I became sleepy - each time my head fell, I jerked it back up, knowing I should not sleep. But, I had not slept for days - the sleep on the mountain had been a mere slumber, not the real sleep I needed, as a growing child. So, eventually, I did sleep, curling in a foetal ball on top of the perfect white platform, staining it with a small pool of dark blood.
*
A tinkling laugh woke me, and I jerked into a sitting position, hand resting on my knife. Blinking in disbelief, I stared up at the glowing woman before me - her clothes were made of leaves, which barely covered her modesty, and I looked back down, embarrassed. I felt the woman fly down towards me, and a tingling sensation in my legs, and my other wounds. "You're - a fairy?" I exclaimed, and she tinkled again.
"That's right. And you're the searcher, Sheik. Murl told my sister about you, and she told the rest of us. I'm the Great Fairy of Magic, at your service," she performed a little twirl in the air, before coming to land next to me. She sat down, and took my chin in her glowing hand. "Why the long face?"
"I'm just worried; that's all," I said simply, but I had the horrible feeling that she could read minds as well as Rauru could. She didn't pry however, just sat there and looked at me for a while. I could feel my ears burning at this unwanted attention, and she laughed again. Why was it that everyone else around me seemed so happy? Did they not yet realise the seriousness of the situation? The fact that Ganondorf held a piece of the Tri-Force, and the other two pieces had fled Hyrule altogether. That we were to be plunged into an age of impenetrable darkness...?
"Shush, child," the Great Fairy of Magic soothed, laying a hand on my shoulder. "People are merely cheerful to kid themselves that such things are not happening. Not all can handle the truth, and find white lies much more appealing in the long run." I looked up at her, a slight flicker of understanding was in her eyes, and I nodded. I suppose I did understand that; many people did not want this to be happening, so would pretend to themselves that it wasn't.
"That's the spirit!" she said, chucking me under the chin. "Now, I gave the boy you are completing your mission to help a gift, so it seems only right that I should give you one."
"But, I have nothing..."
"I want nothing in return. Just that you accept this gift along with my blessing," I agreed, and she directed me to stand upon the Tri-Force symbol etched in gold on the white floor. She flew up high again, and I closed my eyes as the wave of magical blessing hit me. It was a pleasant, warm feeling that began in my toes, and ran through my body, along to each fingertip, and up to the very top of my head.
The feeling subsided, and I opened my eyes again, feeling revitalised, and - I don't know how to describe it. I felt - powerful. I looked quizzically up at the woman hovering before me, and she tinkled once more. "I have gifted you with a greater capacity for magical power. You now have a stockpile of magical energy about two times greater than you did before. Use it wisely." And with that, she disappeared with a slight shimmer in the air.
For the umpteenth time in so many days, I was surrounded by magic, and transported in complete safety to the Tri-Force symbol on the platform before the Fire Temple. As I had for the Forest Temple, I searched around for an inscription of some sort - and, as with the Forest Temple, there was none.
Deciding that I did not want to scale the lava pits and magma drops again, I used my new magic talents to play the Winged-Harmonic and transport back to the city of the Gorons. Night was falling yet again, and I sat on the raised area with a ring of stones on it before the entrance to the city. As my lyre was already out, I began to strum a few melodies on it.
I remember, I was trying to figure out the 'Song of Storms' from an old text I had read somewhere a while ago. I finally figured it to be 'D, F, D, D, F, D' in an ascending scale. The floor seemed to cave from beneath me, and I tumbled down into darkness. Miraculously, I managed to land on my feet, and blinked a couple of times to adjust my eyes to the darkness. I was in an underground room somewhere.
Striking a match, I wandered forwards, and almost fell headlong over something wooden, by the sound of it. Lowering the match downwards, I saw that it was a chest; the match was burning low, so I struck another one, and held it high aloft, to see if there was something I could use as a torch. Indeed, not more than ten yards away, was a torch bracket with a store of fuel; I held my match to it, and it lit very quickly.
The whole room was cast in the ghostly light of the one torch, and I could see a further two chests. One was very large, but the other two were the small ones that you will often find in any normal house. I kicked open the two small ones, finding a gold rupee, and what I recognised as a Goron bracelet, which I left there, as I was already strong enough to lift bombs without the assistance of one. Then, I walked over to the large chest, and knelt down to lift up the catch.
It came up with a sharp jolt, breaking through the layer of rust, and the top burst open. I jumped back, hands raised in case some kind of dark creature pounced out upon me. But, nothing at all sprang from the dark depths of the chest, and I walked back to it to see what on Earth it contained.
Bending down before the chest, I reached in, and withdrew one, small slip of paper. Such extravagance for a piece of paper? I was about to throw it away, when I caught the words 'Fire Temple' at the top. Walking back over to the torch, I began to read the spidery scrawl, which ran across the page, and my eyes widened at what it said.
'The Fire Temple Melody; If you have found this, you are indeed a resourceful person. As such, you probably seek the melody of the Fire Temple. If so, then hear this, and take heed.
Your journey will be long,
As long ago as I hid this and more.
But if you are determined,
Now you know what's in store.
Seek the place that seems disjoined
A place where Fire seems scarce
Seek this place, and you will find
The melody that's there.
Where Water great, and Fire bright
Gather before the dark of night
You will discover a shining light
And the place where the melody hides.
So, seek it out if you have the will
And test your courage to the brink
But beware, if you become still
You shall surely be made to sink.
So, if you are still meaning to seek out this melody, then you must work out my clues.
If you cannot, the melody is not to be found by you.'
I dropped the paper to the floor in shock - these were the directions to find the Fire Temple Melody - if only I could figure them out that was. I placed the paper ever so carefully within the pages of my book, and climbed up the vines back out of the hole and onto the raised area. The Goron at the gate was still asleep, and I deposited the Goron tunic I had borrowed next to him, along with a note of thanks to Darunia. Then, I used the Winged-Harmonic once more, and re-appeared in my home village.
~*~
Ah, please excuse me. Talking of my home village just reminds me...but, that shall come into the tale when it needs to be told. It is just strange to think - no, I will not give anything away. I shall be back to writing - now I just need a little time to recollect myself.
~*~
My village was quiet always at dusk - we were always a community to go to bed early. I walked through to find my favourite tree, needing some familiarity amidst all the strange happenings I had been through. It was far enough into the surrounding forest for me not to be seen from the village, and I retrieved the piece of paper from my book. I lit a small lantern hanging on the tree branch next to me, and read through it again in the failing light.
"Where Water great and Fire bright,
Gather before the dark of night
You will discover a shining light
And the place where the melody hides."
I read that part aloud - it seemed important in the context of the clue, and I tried to figure it out. 'Water great' - perhaps it meant large body of water? Well, the largest body of water I could think of nearby was lake Hylia. 'Fire bright' - perhaps a place where fires are lit? No - fires aren't lit near lake Hylia.
'Fire bright, Fire bright' - the sun! Of course, the greatest fire in the entire world, the sun which hangs in the sky and warms the earth below.
'Gather before the dark of night'. That must mean I had to search around dusk, when the sun was setting. So, Lake Hylia, when the sun is setting. 'A shining light' - perhaps some kind of beacon put up to reflect the last rays of the sun and point the way? I never was very good at riddles, but I thought I had this one cracked. I fell asleep again, after putting out the lantern, and planned my travel by magic to lake Hylia the next day.
I got there early next day, and looked around for a point at which I thought the sun would reflect off the water when it set. I ended up on the very same island I am lying on now, the great tree a few girths smaller then, but still older than all can remember. A sapling before all of us living today were ever born. So, I awaited the sun's setting on the island, sketching away in my book.
By the late afternoon, I had fleshed out the picture of Saria, and begun one of Darunia, standing tall and proud before his throne, face thrown into relief by a blazing torch to the left of the picture. As the sun was about to begin its descent below the horizon, I looked up, and shimmied up the great tree, to scan the whole lake for any shining lights. There! I ingrained the area where the light appeared in my memory, and, leaving my bag on the island, began to swim with strong strokes towards it.
It was near the far edge of the lake, where the cliffs rise high above before mingling into the heavy trees at the top. There, I dived down, to see a small tunnel far below. Steeling myself, I came back up, drew a deep breath, and swam down to it. I swam through it, feeling enclosed and slightly claustrophobic within the walls of the tunnel. A few panicked thoughts that this could be a well thought out trap ran through my head, but then I suddenly broke the surface.
I drew in a deep gasp of air, and bobbed in the chamber I had entered. There were already torches lit there, and a great chest much like the one I had found in the underground room stood between them. I floated over, and heaved myself from the water, dripping all over the stone floor. I lifted the latch easily - it had not yet accumulated the rust of the other one. At the bottom was another piece of paper, which I removed with trembling hands.
With great trepidation, I broke the seal on the folded piece of paper, and unfolded it gently. Eagerly, I scanned the paper, and felt my high spirits fall. It was another clue in the form of a riddle.
'The Fire Temple Melody; Well done my friend for finding this. There is but one more test you need to pass, one more riddle that you must solve. You have proved your courage, and now I test your knowledge.
Go to the place where Water's power
Falls by five thousand gallons from high above,
From the greatest river, every hour
And pours into the lake with furious love.
Down a deep canyon this Water roars
And cuts it's course,
High above it, a mighty bridge soars
And hides from Water's force.
Climb down from your bridge, leave behind safety
Find the hidden chamber behind the Water,
Knowledge is the one true key
To find what you must do in order
To get what you need.'
I sighed heavily; yet another riddle. I hid it within the watertight seal of my boots; I knew they were watertight as my feet were the only part of me that was still dry.
Breathing in a deep, gargantuan breath, I dived down, and out through the tunnel into the lake. Then, I made my way carefully to the island in the middle of the lake, swimming silently around the blue tektites that rested on the water. I thought how strange it was that I was being sent to look for the melody of the Fire Temple within the greatest body of water in Hyrule.
When I reached the island, I climbed back up the great tree; here I slept, for what felt about the millionth time feeling bark against my back, and smelling the earthy smell of leaves in the air. The stars twinkled over the rippling waters of the lake, lulling me to sleep with their quiet, twinkling beauty.
*
It is strange, but I believe that my brain must have been working upon the riddle as I slept, because when I awoke the next morning with the dawn, I knew exactly where it was I had to go. The riddle spoke of the waterfall in Gerudo valley, and a chamber behind the waterfall itself. Once there, I would be put through some kind of test of knowledge, from which I could either not answer, and walk away, answer correctly and receive the melody, or answer incorrectly and battle to the death. I knew that my only options were out of the last two, and took slight comfort in my weaponry as I made my way from Lake Hylia to Gerudo valley in haste, running all the way.
I reached it in the record time of three hours, panting and puffing as I came into view of the bridge. It was still broken - which was no matter to me as I was going down into the gorge. I pulled out my hook shot, which had been a very useful tool so far. I fired it into the wood of the lowest bridge rung, and lowered myself down on the chain. The closest ledge was still about four yards away, and I yanked hard on the hook shot, falling to the ledge. Again, I fired into a wooden post in the wall, and lowered myself to the next ledge. As I lowered, I kept on moving to the left (facing the side of the gorge which leads out into the field).
The roar of the waterfall was almost deafening as I lowered myself into the calm water of an eddy about ten yards from where it thundered into the river. I fired my hook shot into the wood of the ladder beneath the waterfall, and was pulled through the rushing water to be slammed against it. The air whooshed out of me, and I clung onto the wood for dear life. Looking upwards, I couldn't see anything, so just began to climb.
Eventually, I came to the top of the ladder, and pulled myself out of the spray of the waterfall and into a small indent in the cliff. There was a wooden door in it, and I walked over, pulled it open, and walked inside. Immediately, the knowledge seeker, an old man who bore the crest of a learned one, swept over to me. "You seek the melody?" he asked, and I nodded. "Good, good. There is but one more test for you to overcome. Listen carefully to my riddle. You may walk away if you wish."
"The companions of the child race,
Fairies are their given name,
They are true and fair of face,
With a great sense of fair game.
But, before the child race was made,
And they had no friends to guard,
They held another task of aid,
To work and work away hard.
What was this task, which they did do?
When their forms were different too?
One clue will I give to thee,
To tell me what their task may be,
They served a great three in a task
Now, what was their job, may I ask?
Who did they aid, before the child race,
And their fair turn of face?"
I looked at him in horror, and asked him to repeat it again. As he said it, I wrote it down in my book, and he looked at me appraisingly, as though I was a little strange in the head. I ignored him, and began to try and work it out.
"Oh, I don't know!" I muttered to myself. "Din, Nayru, Farore, help me! Wait - that's it!"
I asked the old man to repeat it once more, to assure myself that my answer was correct. Then, I said, a little dubiously I will admit, the answer.
"They helped the three Great Goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore to keep the world in order before the placing of the last of the races of people, the Kokiri. The Kokiri were the last creation of Nayru, and after she made them, the fairies were given the task to care for the Kokiri." The old man smiled, showing chinked teeth, and I balled my fists.
"You are right," he said, and disappeared, leaving behind him a chest like the two I had seen already. I opened it, withdrew the paper, broke the seal, and opened it. Scrawled across the paper was a stave, headed 'The Bolero of Fire'. I played it through on my lyre to see how it sounded, and as with the Minuet of Forest, committed it to both memory and paper.
Then, I used my Lyre to play the Winged-Harmonic once more. I had been away from Kakariko village for six months now, even though it had seemed only a few days. Time passed differently in my village, and I had in fact stayed there for about half a year. The last few days were taken up by the wild goose chase to find the Bolero of Fire. It was about time that I saw Malon again - her tenth birthday had already passed, and I owed her a belated gift.
~*~*~*~
There I go again - I have dragged up reminiscent memories of my village. I must stop, or I shall sound sentimental and silly. That last riddle by the old man was foiled purely by luck - do not let yourself be fooled into thinking me some sort of genius, for you will be very wrong. Even so, I do bless my wide knowledge of the races, which is the attribute that did help me solve the riddle.
Now, I must take the horse and myself back to the ranch as the sun is setting. I can see the shining light that first led me even now. It's strange to write, but I am smiling - I know not why. Perhaps I am feeling content that my adventuring is over - perhaps my contentment comes from telling my story. Whichever it may be, it is a nice feeling. I shall hold it for as long as I can. The next time I write will be tomorrow - about the finding of the next melody.
~*~*~*~
I'm having fun writing this! I can make him however I want. In the last paragraph, I am trying to show that he does have feelings, even though he has suppressed them for most of his life. I hope that you like the riddles - the rhymes might be a little but iffy, but whenever you read riddles in fantasy tales, they always rhyme, so...
Anyway, as always, please review, as this is my very first proper Zelda fic. Thanks for reading, and until next time, I'll be here, writing the next chapter! Thanks, Soda.
PS: I just found an old cheat manual that came with the game, which guides you through the dungeons and stuff, which is how I got the actual notes - the Zelda's lullaby I remembered from the screen, but the others I got from the centre page of the manual.
PPS: Sorry if I'm boring you, but if you were wondering, the Winged- Harmonic notes go like this. 'A, D, B, G, D, A, D, B' Or, for those veterans of game controllers, it would be this ', ^, , V, A, , ^, ' (left arrow, up arrow, right arrow, down arrow, A button, left arrow, up arrow, right arrow). OK, well I'm off before you get annoyed. Bye!
R+R
Thanks so far to those who have reviewed.
Canihavea_soda - thanks to me!
Emma-chan - aww, thanks - I'll go along and read your stuff when I get the time. I actually know some of the Sonic characters, which is something I'm very proud of! Did you use to watch the cartoons? I can remember Knuckles and Tails and all that - but, I haven't seen any for ages [pouts] stupid TV doesn't have the right channels!
Cassidy dell - [blushes] I'll be off to read your stuff soon too! I just have to finish this ice cream cone [licks] yum, mint-choc-chip. Life can get no better.
Disclaimer: Again, I have to tell you that I do not work for Nintendo, nor am I in the possession of a graduated shading programme, I think it's safe to say that none of the characters featured here in are mine. *Grins to self* That's the most adult disclaimer I've ever done, yay me! I really want a graduated shading programme though, and then I could scan in my anime pictures and give the special touch to their hair - oh well. I'll just have to cope with my 2B pencils for now, lol. Well, anyway, just to recap in case you forgot already.
I see Sheik as a person in his own right, and so far on his mission, he has already discovered the melody for the Forest Temple. There are four more to find. Now, on to the story!
~*~*~*~
The light is now bright enough for me to write by. I am thinking about going to Lake Hylia for the day - after all, I do not believe I have been there since that day. The day when I taught Link the melody to open the Water Temple. I wonder if it has changed much in all this time? Well, I shall find out when I get there. For now though, I shall relate to you a little about my recuperation in Kakariko, after my confrontation with Ganondorf.
~*~*~*~
I woke up late in the morning, to the appetizing smell of cooking which wafted up to me through the floorboards. I sat up cautiously, waiting for the same shooting pain I had experienced so often as I turned over the last few nights. But, there was no pain, so I sat up more boldly. I felt revitalised after the potions shop had leant a red potion to cure my wounds. I supposed I'd better go and pay for it, so I swung my legs out of the bed, and searched for my clothes.
I couldn't find them anywhere, so I decided to venture downstairs in only my long nightshirt, to see if I could discover their whereabouts. Slowly, I edged my way out of the room, and looked around, to find the stairs on my left, past two other doors. I made my way to them, a few floorboards squeaking as I walked along - but no one called up to see who it was, so I carried on. Clutching onto the handrail, as I was still a little dizzy, I made my way down the stairs.
About four steps from the bottom, I peered through the rails to see who was in the one large downstairs room. Malon and Talon were sitting at the table, and a middle-aged woman was carrying a large pot of steaming soup to the table. My stomach rumbled loudly, and she set it down on the table, before looking up and spotting me. "Hello young man," she smiled invitingly. "Nice to see you up and about at last!"
I smiled back, and walked down the last four steps, feeling a little self conscious in just the nightshirt. It came down to my knees, which left my exceptionally pale legs exposed to the world. I have always wished that I could tan, but I cannot. Malon just smiled at me, and patted the seat next to her, "C'mon, Eloise is a great cook!" The woman, who I now knew as Eloise laughed, and started dishing up the soup. Talon, Malon and Eloise all looked to me, and Malon nudged me. "Say a blessing silly!" I was a little perturbed, but said one that I remembered being taught years before.
"May Din, Nayru and Farore know how truly grateful we are for the fruitfulness of their creation. We gladly accept their reign, and thank them for this food, which we are about to eat. Goddesses be praised." Malon looked at me appreciatively, and then we all tucked into the soup. She had been right; Eloise's cooking was delightful, and I was happy to accept the second helping.
Finally, I sat back, feeling better fed than I had in a long time, and ran a hand over my head. It was still slightly sore, but the red potion had closed up the wound. I slowly remembered why I had come downstairs in the first place, and asked all in the room, "I was just wondering, where are my clothes?"
"Oh, I washed them dear. They're over there of the clotheshorse. They'll be quite dry by now."
"Thank you very much, Eloise," I said, grabbing them from the clotheshorse. "I'll be right back when I've got dressed."
"OK. See you in a minute Bandy!" Malon called after me. Someday, I would tell her to stop calling me that!
I came back to the room I had awoken in, and noticed that my pack had been hung on the back of the door. I pulled it down, and took out the book and pencil. It was then that I began my journal; the one that I am in fact using now to help jog my memory for this tale. I wrote only a few lines to recount my progress, and the strange appearance of the forest spirits, as well as my confrontation with Ganondorf.
Then, I pulled my clothes on. Back then, I wore much the same as I do now. An indigo all-over body suit. The top half was then covered with a white shirt with the Eye of Truth emblazoned across it in red. Then, I tied bandages around my wrists to protect them from harm during battle. Then, bandages around my waist to hold the white shirt. Lastly, my armour, which strapped across my legs and arms, along with some boots and my facemask.
When I had put on my strange, signature ensemble of clothes, I came back down the stairs. Malon and Talon wanted to know how I came across my injury, and I am ashamed to say that I could not hold out on them for long. After all my many years of training, it only took the bond of friendship to make me break. After all, I felt as though I owed it to Malon for choosing me to be her friend in the first place. Eloise hovered in the background, washing the lunch dishes, and generally cleaning.
"Well, to cut a long story short, I had a confrontation with Ganondorf himself, and I'm lucky to have gotten away without more injury," I told them simply, trying to sound as though it had been nothing. But, yet another display of emotions ran through the room. I would never get used to all these easily displayed emotions; no Sheikan person would ever let their emotions known so easily.
Eloise dropped the plate she had been drying, and it shattered on the hard stone floor. Talon's hands balled into fists, and Malon once more threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. "Thank goodness you got away!" she exclaimed, looking at me. "How on earth did you just run into him?"
"I was going to visit the Zora's Domain, and he in the pathway there, attacking the guards. I couldn't just leave them at his mercy, so I threw myself onto his back and told them to run away." I didn't go into too much detail, but they still seemed unduly concerned for my well-being.
"You should stay here, young man, where it's safe!" Talon urged, but I shook my head.
"Much as the offer tempts, I cannot, I have things to do. I must see the Gorons for one thing. And the Zoras when Ganondorf is done wreaking his havoc there."
Malon looked impressed by my important sounding words, but Eloise and Talon looked perturbed. Before they could try and place an order to ban me from doing such things, I spoke to Malon. "Do you want to go out and practice archery in the training centre (the Archery shop now)?" She nodded, and then looked downcast.
"But, I don't have any money," she said, even as she followed me out of the door. I opened my wallet and showed her the glowing gold rupee inside.
"This should be more than enough to cover it!" I smiled, and she clapped her hands in delight.
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" she smiled, tugging me towards the building eagerly.
"Wait a minute - I must go and pay back for that red potion at the shop."
"No, she said she was glad to give it for free, for that time when you rescued her from that group of mad deku-shrubs." She again pulled me towards the archery shop, and I marvelled at the kindness. That red potion must have cost at least thirty rupees, and yet she allowed me to have it for free!
~*~*~*~
Well, the dawn has at last left the sky, and I've just borrowed a horse from Malon to make my way to the lake. I'd better put this away - it is more than a little difficult to write when one is trying to ride at the same time!
*
I am here - and much more has changed than I would have thought. Everything is so much better - I was not here to witness the return of the waters, so it seems amazing to me. There are not even any of the blue tektites residing over the water anymore. I am in the island in the middle, where the great old tree stands next to the inscribed stone. The sun is sending sparkles off the rippling water, and I'm glad that I decided to come back here. It has given me the quiet place I have needed.
At this very moment, I am lying full length on the grass, and have even removed my facemask, I am so relaxed. My knives are still on though - there have been too many times I have been caught off my guard in the past; but I have learnt from them. Now, onto my journey to seek the melody of the Fire Temple. A journey, which was a lot more arduous than that to seek the one of the Forest.
~*~*~*~
I stayed in Kakariko for a longer measure of time than I had planned to. It allowed me time to re-acquaint myself with the place, and spend time with Malon, which I felt was well spent. I found myself a job amongst the villagers as a builder; helping to erect buildings for the many people fleeing Ganondorf's wroth. The pay allowed me to treat Malon as I had on that first day, and to keep my equipment in top shape. Also, as I grew, I found that I needed new clothes often, and stockpiled material for my travels ahead.
It was about a month after arriving in Kakariko that I at last left for Death Mountain, shouldering a pack of only the barest necessities. Malon, Talon and Eloise expressed their worries, but did not prevent me from leaving. I showed the guard at the gate the seal of Rauru, knowing that he would have been introduced to the seals by Princess Zelda's orders. He sidestepped immediately, looking down at me with worry. "You should equip a better shield lad. One that will not burn up."
"Which would you suggest?" I asked, valuing the opinion of a trained soldier.
"Perhaps you could use this - it's a little small for me, but it should be light enough for you." He handed me his non-standard shield, which bore the Eye of Truth. "Eh, it matches your ensemble anyway," he guffawed, and I thanked him politely, before setting up off the steep mountain path.
The going was tough, that I will not deny. I also will not deny that I loathe climbing. I even thought of using the 'Winged-Harmonic', but I was still not fully up to using my powers yet. Ganondorf had hurt me in more ways than one. His own, dark brand of magic had drained mine, so that I couldn't do any large-scale magic for a long while. So, everything was done manually and literally.
The red tektites on the mountain paths plagued me, so I steered away onto the rougher terrain around a hundred yards away from them. Here, I had to watch for falling boulders and loose scree, but there were fewer enemies to battle. The ground was constantly crumbling between my feet, and more than a few times I found myself slipping down the mountainside, and only saved myself with a quick grab at a ledge with my hands.
The climb apart from those few slips was uneventful, so I will not bore you with the details.
I reached the entrance to the city of the Gorons on the second week of my climb, after spending cold nights huddled up under my cloak and blankets. I was still shivering slightly from the cold of the altitude, and held my hands gratefully over the lit torch at the entrance.
A Goron just inside the city entrance sat up with a mumble, and looked right at me. "Hmm, what are you here for?" it asked, before curling up again, and falling back asleep. That seemed more than a little strange, so I went and tapped it on the shoulder, and it uncurled once more. "Sorry about that - we've just had a wonderful feast of rocks from Dodongo's cavern, and we're all a little sleepy."
"Uh - that's all right. I was just wondering where king Darunia is?"
"Ah, Big Brother is in his chambers asleep - he refuses to see anyone after the loss of his spiritual stone." The Goron curled up again, leaving me to wonder how on Earth I was to find where the king, or 'Big Brother' as he was known here, lived. I didn't know where to start, and didn't even have a map of the city to aid me.
Instead, I just looked around the city, and saw a platform in the middle on the same level as the one I was on; the top level. Ropes connected the platform to the ringed level outside, and I hopped onto the nearest one. It felt as though the rope had once been taut enough to walk upon, but had been allowed to go slack. I swayed precariously, and chose to drop down and shimmy along with my hands.
So, hanging beneath the slackened rope bridge, I shimmied closer to the platform, thanking my training all the way. The bottom level was a very, very long way off, and I didn't dare think about what would happen if I fell off.
I reached the end of the rope, and swung myself up onto the platform, landing right next to yet another sleeping Goron. They stirred as soon as I landed, and sat up in much the same style as the other had. I could tell immediately that it was female by the voice, which asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm Sheik of the Sheikah, and I seek Darunia. Where may I find his chambers?"
"Oh, they're on the bottom level. But, you won't get in. He will only let messengers of the royal family in, and even then, only if he is feeling in the mood for company."
"Oh. Well, thank you for the directions anyway," I said, turning away to make my way back to the main ring of the top level. How would I gain an audience with Darunia? Well, I had the whole journey down to the bottom level to think of some plan.
*
I reached his chambers, thinking that I could just walk in and force him to take an audience with me. That was before I saw the thick stone doorway covering the entrance. I walked over to it, hoping that I could merely push it open if I shoved hard enough; no such luck. I even tried to blow it open with a bomb flower that I plucked off the wall - the door was not scathed. Through the fallen dust from the blast, I could read the symbols on the door.
I recognised them as calling for a melody, but the exact symbols denoted a melody which I did not know. Feeling a little perturbed about calling on Rauru so early on in my adventure, I nonetheless pulled his seal out of my bag. "Din, Nayru and Farore, allow me to converse with the Great Sage of Light." A magical shield of teleportation enveloped me, and within seconds, I opened my eyes to the interior of the Chamber of Sages.
"What is it?" Rauru asked, barely veiling his concern, in case I had some overtly bad news of the world.
"I need to know how to open the chambers of Darunia; there were symbols on the door calling for a melody I do not know."
"Oh?" he looked puzzled, and I bought out my book to jot a hasty sketch on the paper, before handing it to him. "Oh!" he said again, and then smiled. "It calls for the royal melody, Zelda's Lullaby. I cannot play it, but I know the notes." He took the pencil from my hands, and wrote the melody down in my book. "Now, go back, by the powers of Din, Nayru and Farore to the place from whence you were summoned."
Again, the magic enveloped me, and I landed before the same stone door outside Darunia's chambers. I looked down at the book in my hand, and quickly memorised the notes there. (AN: These really are the notes from the game. I just took it from the stave on the screen. And a little twiddly bit I thought sounded cool. Please, remember, I haven't played the game for ages, don't hurt me if it's wrong!). They read; 'B, D, A, B, D, A, B, D, G, E, D, B'. For a royal melody, it did seem a little short. I pulled out my lyre dubiously, and played the notes.
Immediately, the great mass of stone shifted to show a long dark tunnel, lit by one small, flickering torch. I was amazed - so that was the power of those few notes. I heard a deep rumbling come from down the corridor, and shivered slightly. If I angered a Goron, it could all be over in an instant - they were all more than large enough to crush me easily. So, with some trepidation, I walked down the tunnel.
I could see the room at the end, and see the flickering torchlight in there. Another low rumble passed through the corridor, and I could feel the floor shudder beneath me. Finally, I reached the room at the end, and stepped into the torchlight. Darunia sat on his throne, looking both menacing and impressive, and I bent down on one knee before him. To my surprise, a deep booming laugh came from him, and I glanced up.
"Well, I suppose you are not so much a child as the last messenger the royal family sent me!" he said, looking down at me. "And you seem much more respectful of your elders. What is it you want this time? You already have our Spiritual Stone."
"In truth, your great majesty, I am no messenger of the royal family."
"What?" He looked furious, and stood from his throne, towering many feet over me. I climbed to my feet, and handed the seal of Rauru to him. He peered down at it, his black eyes widening as he recognised the symbol. "Ah, you are errand runner to the Sages then boy? Why is it all adventurers seem to be so much younger all of a sudden." Another booming laugh, and he sat down again.
"I come here to seek the lost melody of the Fire Temple," I told him straight, and he looked glumly at me.
"What can I expect in return - though I have no clue as to where or how you'll find it."
"I don't know," I answered, stumped. "Is there anything that you would wish me to do? Rid somewhere of dark creatures, serve you until you no longer have need of me?" I said both of these with utmost sincerity, which made him laugh yet again. He seemed a likeable enough fellow from what I had seen of him so far.
"No, no, nothing so drastic young man. I see you have a lyre; perhaps you could play me a few tunes on that."
"Oh," I pulled my lyre from my back and rested it on my arm, raising the other to pluck at the strings.
"Do you know any forest tunes? I do so love them - so bright and cheerful," he said wistfully. I smiled slightly, thinking that both tunes I was to play I had only learned a few weeks before. First, I played the Minuet of Forest, which set him to drum his armrest appreciatively.
When I played Saria's Song (without wishing to contact her, so I did not), he literally sprang from his throne and danced around the room. I had to move surreptitiously out of his way to avoid being trodden on, and when I finally drew it to a close, he collapsed back into his throne. A few beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, and he wiped them away contentedly.
"You are the second person I've met who knows that tune. Perhaps you know him? A young boy called Link; re-opened Dodongo's cavern so we could eat again a few months back."
"I know of him," I answered, not giving too much away, and he laughed heartily.
"Now, where do you propose to start your search for this melody?" he asked. I shrugged, and replied,
"I thought perhaps I could start at the Fire Temple itself, perhaps search around for an inscription or some such thing."
"Hmm, hmmm," he said. "Well, I'll have to see to getting you one of our tunics then."
"A tunic?"
"Yes, it'll protect you from the heat of the crater."
"Why must we go there?"
"It is where the Temple is, of course!" he boomed, and I nodded my understanding. "Now, I think I have a spare one around here somewhere - all you need do is slip it over the clothes you're wearing. You may need to roll it up a tad - we only make them for adults after all." I accepted the red tunic, and pulled it over my clothes.
A ripple of magic sparked on my skin as the material brushed my ears; 'how useful magic is' I thought, as I rolled up the sleeves like Darunia suggested. When I was happy that I could actually see my hands, I hoisted my bag onto my back, and stood up again. "Ready to go then, young 'un?" I nodded, and he turned around to his throne. I did not realise what in Hyrule he was doing until a wave of heat hit my face - it was pleasant, not painful as I would have expected such high temperatures as are said to come from the crater to be.
"A secret passage," I said admirably, and he laughed once more. It seemed the 'Big Brother' of the Gorons was quite the light-hearted type. He led me to a bridge that led to a stone Tri-Force symbol on a platform on the other side. Over from that, directly in front of the Tri-Force symbol, was the entrance to the Fire Temple. Darunia directed me to the bridge, which led across to the symbol, then hurriedly left back to his chambers. It seemed the heat even got to him; but I was more than comfortable in my Goron tunic.
Feeling very content that it had been so easy to find the Fire Temple, I ambled over to the bridge, and began to cross it. There was a slight cracking sound, which I chose to ignore - at great expense in the long run. The bridge wavered slightly, and I paused, more than a little worried about it's structural integrity - it was about then that it chose to snap. I went hurtling downwards, towards the boiling magma fifty feet below. Twisting quickly, I shot my hook shot into a rung of the bridge, and pulled myself up.
I was on the wrong side of the bridge, and turned my hook shot to reach across the gap to a post of wood on the other side. I looked through the crossfire to level the shot, and was just about to fire when something knocked me flat on my back. There was a burning sensation on my legs and arms, and I looked down to see a red bubble sitting contentedly on my feet. It screeched, and more of its buddies erupted from the lava pools to the left. I screamed myself, and jumped up, pushing the red bubble away from me, singing my palms in the process.
I ran to the throne room entrance, but Darunia had already closed it; either he couldn't hear me, or he was choosing to ignore me. No matter; I looked around for somewhere else to run to. I had never been trained to deal with creatures made almost entirely of fire. There was another bridge to the right of the throne room entrance, and I sprinted across it, feeling the heat of the red bubbles bearing down on me. There was a small crack in the wall, and I forced my body through it, squeezing as hard as I could.
My legs began to burn up, and I yelped as the red bubbles brushed against my bare skin, having burnt through my body suit. Suddenly, I was through, and deftly shoved a boulder over the entrance to prevent them following me. I could hear them battering against the rock for a few minutes, and leant heavily against it, breathing deeply, trying to block out the feeling of pain in my legs. Eventually, the red bubbles seemed to give up, and their screeches died away.
There was a slight phosphorescent glow within - well, wherever I had stumbled upon. Feeling curious, and needing something to take away the focus from the pain I was in, I began to crawl towards it. A few times, I attempted to stand up, before realising it was hopeless. So, I carried on crawling like a snake on my belly, until reaching the room from which the glow came.
Waterfalls of light cascaded down the walls, and there was a Tri-Force symbol on the raised white platform at the end. I rolled into the pools of light, and found them to be of water instead. My legs cracked from the sudden transition from heat to coolness, and I gritted my teeth against the pain. When the steam had stopped rising from them, I stood up, testing out my legs. They just about held me, and I wobbled over to the platform to sit down on it, dangling my legs in the pool of water at its centre.
Slowly, I became sleepy - each time my head fell, I jerked it back up, knowing I should not sleep. But, I had not slept for days - the sleep on the mountain had been a mere slumber, not the real sleep I needed, as a growing child. So, eventually, I did sleep, curling in a foetal ball on top of the perfect white platform, staining it with a small pool of dark blood.
*
A tinkling laugh woke me, and I jerked into a sitting position, hand resting on my knife. Blinking in disbelief, I stared up at the glowing woman before me - her clothes were made of leaves, which barely covered her modesty, and I looked back down, embarrassed. I felt the woman fly down towards me, and a tingling sensation in my legs, and my other wounds. "You're - a fairy?" I exclaimed, and she tinkled again.
"That's right. And you're the searcher, Sheik. Murl told my sister about you, and she told the rest of us. I'm the Great Fairy of Magic, at your service," she performed a little twirl in the air, before coming to land next to me. She sat down, and took my chin in her glowing hand. "Why the long face?"
"I'm just worried; that's all," I said simply, but I had the horrible feeling that she could read minds as well as Rauru could. She didn't pry however, just sat there and looked at me for a while. I could feel my ears burning at this unwanted attention, and she laughed again. Why was it that everyone else around me seemed so happy? Did they not yet realise the seriousness of the situation? The fact that Ganondorf held a piece of the Tri-Force, and the other two pieces had fled Hyrule altogether. That we were to be plunged into an age of impenetrable darkness...?
"Shush, child," the Great Fairy of Magic soothed, laying a hand on my shoulder. "People are merely cheerful to kid themselves that such things are not happening. Not all can handle the truth, and find white lies much more appealing in the long run." I looked up at her, a slight flicker of understanding was in her eyes, and I nodded. I suppose I did understand that; many people did not want this to be happening, so would pretend to themselves that it wasn't.
"That's the spirit!" she said, chucking me under the chin. "Now, I gave the boy you are completing your mission to help a gift, so it seems only right that I should give you one."
"But, I have nothing..."
"I want nothing in return. Just that you accept this gift along with my blessing," I agreed, and she directed me to stand upon the Tri-Force symbol etched in gold on the white floor. She flew up high again, and I closed my eyes as the wave of magical blessing hit me. It was a pleasant, warm feeling that began in my toes, and ran through my body, along to each fingertip, and up to the very top of my head.
The feeling subsided, and I opened my eyes again, feeling revitalised, and - I don't know how to describe it. I felt - powerful. I looked quizzically up at the woman hovering before me, and she tinkled once more. "I have gifted you with a greater capacity for magical power. You now have a stockpile of magical energy about two times greater than you did before. Use it wisely." And with that, she disappeared with a slight shimmer in the air.
For the umpteenth time in so many days, I was surrounded by magic, and transported in complete safety to the Tri-Force symbol on the platform before the Fire Temple. As I had for the Forest Temple, I searched around for an inscription of some sort - and, as with the Forest Temple, there was none.
Deciding that I did not want to scale the lava pits and magma drops again, I used my new magic talents to play the Winged-Harmonic and transport back to the city of the Gorons. Night was falling yet again, and I sat on the raised area with a ring of stones on it before the entrance to the city. As my lyre was already out, I began to strum a few melodies on it.
I remember, I was trying to figure out the 'Song of Storms' from an old text I had read somewhere a while ago. I finally figured it to be 'D, F, D, D, F, D' in an ascending scale. The floor seemed to cave from beneath me, and I tumbled down into darkness. Miraculously, I managed to land on my feet, and blinked a couple of times to adjust my eyes to the darkness. I was in an underground room somewhere.
Striking a match, I wandered forwards, and almost fell headlong over something wooden, by the sound of it. Lowering the match downwards, I saw that it was a chest; the match was burning low, so I struck another one, and held it high aloft, to see if there was something I could use as a torch. Indeed, not more than ten yards away, was a torch bracket with a store of fuel; I held my match to it, and it lit very quickly.
The whole room was cast in the ghostly light of the one torch, and I could see a further two chests. One was very large, but the other two were the small ones that you will often find in any normal house. I kicked open the two small ones, finding a gold rupee, and what I recognised as a Goron bracelet, which I left there, as I was already strong enough to lift bombs without the assistance of one. Then, I walked over to the large chest, and knelt down to lift up the catch.
It came up with a sharp jolt, breaking through the layer of rust, and the top burst open. I jumped back, hands raised in case some kind of dark creature pounced out upon me. But, nothing at all sprang from the dark depths of the chest, and I walked back to it to see what on Earth it contained.
Bending down before the chest, I reached in, and withdrew one, small slip of paper. Such extravagance for a piece of paper? I was about to throw it away, when I caught the words 'Fire Temple' at the top. Walking back over to the torch, I began to read the spidery scrawl, which ran across the page, and my eyes widened at what it said.
'The Fire Temple Melody; If you have found this, you are indeed a resourceful person. As such, you probably seek the melody of the Fire Temple. If so, then hear this, and take heed.
Your journey will be long,
As long ago as I hid this and more.
But if you are determined,
Now you know what's in store.
Seek the place that seems disjoined
A place where Fire seems scarce
Seek this place, and you will find
The melody that's there.
Where Water great, and Fire bright
Gather before the dark of night
You will discover a shining light
And the place where the melody hides.
So, seek it out if you have the will
And test your courage to the brink
But beware, if you become still
You shall surely be made to sink.
So, if you are still meaning to seek out this melody, then you must work out my clues.
If you cannot, the melody is not to be found by you.'
I dropped the paper to the floor in shock - these were the directions to find the Fire Temple Melody - if only I could figure them out that was. I placed the paper ever so carefully within the pages of my book, and climbed up the vines back out of the hole and onto the raised area. The Goron at the gate was still asleep, and I deposited the Goron tunic I had borrowed next to him, along with a note of thanks to Darunia. Then, I used the Winged-Harmonic once more, and re-appeared in my home village.
~*~
Ah, please excuse me. Talking of my home village just reminds me...but, that shall come into the tale when it needs to be told. It is just strange to think - no, I will not give anything away. I shall be back to writing - now I just need a little time to recollect myself.
~*~
My village was quiet always at dusk - we were always a community to go to bed early. I walked through to find my favourite tree, needing some familiarity amidst all the strange happenings I had been through. It was far enough into the surrounding forest for me not to be seen from the village, and I retrieved the piece of paper from my book. I lit a small lantern hanging on the tree branch next to me, and read through it again in the failing light.
"Where Water great and Fire bright,
Gather before the dark of night
You will discover a shining light
And the place where the melody hides."
I read that part aloud - it seemed important in the context of the clue, and I tried to figure it out. 'Water great' - perhaps it meant large body of water? Well, the largest body of water I could think of nearby was lake Hylia. 'Fire bright' - perhaps a place where fires are lit? No - fires aren't lit near lake Hylia.
'Fire bright, Fire bright' - the sun! Of course, the greatest fire in the entire world, the sun which hangs in the sky and warms the earth below.
'Gather before the dark of night'. That must mean I had to search around dusk, when the sun was setting. So, Lake Hylia, when the sun is setting. 'A shining light' - perhaps some kind of beacon put up to reflect the last rays of the sun and point the way? I never was very good at riddles, but I thought I had this one cracked. I fell asleep again, after putting out the lantern, and planned my travel by magic to lake Hylia the next day.
I got there early next day, and looked around for a point at which I thought the sun would reflect off the water when it set. I ended up on the very same island I am lying on now, the great tree a few girths smaller then, but still older than all can remember. A sapling before all of us living today were ever born. So, I awaited the sun's setting on the island, sketching away in my book.
By the late afternoon, I had fleshed out the picture of Saria, and begun one of Darunia, standing tall and proud before his throne, face thrown into relief by a blazing torch to the left of the picture. As the sun was about to begin its descent below the horizon, I looked up, and shimmied up the great tree, to scan the whole lake for any shining lights. There! I ingrained the area where the light appeared in my memory, and, leaving my bag on the island, began to swim with strong strokes towards it.
It was near the far edge of the lake, where the cliffs rise high above before mingling into the heavy trees at the top. There, I dived down, to see a small tunnel far below. Steeling myself, I came back up, drew a deep breath, and swam down to it. I swam through it, feeling enclosed and slightly claustrophobic within the walls of the tunnel. A few panicked thoughts that this could be a well thought out trap ran through my head, but then I suddenly broke the surface.
I drew in a deep gasp of air, and bobbed in the chamber I had entered. There were already torches lit there, and a great chest much like the one I had found in the underground room stood between them. I floated over, and heaved myself from the water, dripping all over the stone floor. I lifted the latch easily - it had not yet accumulated the rust of the other one. At the bottom was another piece of paper, which I removed with trembling hands.
With great trepidation, I broke the seal on the folded piece of paper, and unfolded it gently. Eagerly, I scanned the paper, and felt my high spirits fall. It was another clue in the form of a riddle.
'The Fire Temple Melody; Well done my friend for finding this. There is but one more test you need to pass, one more riddle that you must solve. You have proved your courage, and now I test your knowledge.
Go to the place where Water's power
Falls by five thousand gallons from high above,
From the greatest river, every hour
And pours into the lake with furious love.
Down a deep canyon this Water roars
And cuts it's course,
High above it, a mighty bridge soars
And hides from Water's force.
Climb down from your bridge, leave behind safety
Find the hidden chamber behind the Water,
Knowledge is the one true key
To find what you must do in order
To get what you need.'
I sighed heavily; yet another riddle. I hid it within the watertight seal of my boots; I knew they were watertight as my feet were the only part of me that was still dry.
Breathing in a deep, gargantuan breath, I dived down, and out through the tunnel into the lake. Then, I made my way carefully to the island in the middle of the lake, swimming silently around the blue tektites that rested on the water. I thought how strange it was that I was being sent to look for the melody of the Fire Temple within the greatest body of water in Hyrule.
When I reached the island, I climbed back up the great tree; here I slept, for what felt about the millionth time feeling bark against my back, and smelling the earthy smell of leaves in the air. The stars twinkled over the rippling waters of the lake, lulling me to sleep with their quiet, twinkling beauty.
*
It is strange, but I believe that my brain must have been working upon the riddle as I slept, because when I awoke the next morning with the dawn, I knew exactly where it was I had to go. The riddle spoke of the waterfall in Gerudo valley, and a chamber behind the waterfall itself. Once there, I would be put through some kind of test of knowledge, from which I could either not answer, and walk away, answer correctly and receive the melody, or answer incorrectly and battle to the death. I knew that my only options were out of the last two, and took slight comfort in my weaponry as I made my way from Lake Hylia to Gerudo valley in haste, running all the way.
I reached it in the record time of three hours, panting and puffing as I came into view of the bridge. It was still broken - which was no matter to me as I was going down into the gorge. I pulled out my hook shot, which had been a very useful tool so far. I fired it into the wood of the lowest bridge rung, and lowered myself down on the chain. The closest ledge was still about four yards away, and I yanked hard on the hook shot, falling to the ledge. Again, I fired into a wooden post in the wall, and lowered myself to the next ledge. As I lowered, I kept on moving to the left (facing the side of the gorge which leads out into the field).
The roar of the waterfall was almost deafening as I lowered myself into the calm water of an eddy about ten yards from where it thundered into the river. I fired my hook shot into the wood of the ladder beneath the waterfall, and was pulled through the rushing water to be slammed against it. The air whooshed out of me, and I clung onto the wood for dear life. Looking upwards, I couldn't see anything, so just began to climb.
Eventually, I came to the top of the ladder, and pulled myself out of the spray of the waterfall and into a small indent in the cliff. There was a wooden door in it, and I walked over, pulled it open, and walked inside. Immediately, the knowledge seeker, an old man who bore the crest of a learned one, swept over to me. "You seek the melody?" he asked, and I nodded. "Good, good. There is but one more test for you to overcome. Listen carefully to my riddle. You may walk away if you wish."
"The companions of the child race,
Fairies are their given name,
They are true and fair of face,
With a great sense of fair game.
But, before the child race was made,
And they had no friends to guard,
They held another task of aid,
To work and work away hard.
What was this task, which they did do?
When their forms were different too?
One clue will I give to thee,
To tell me what their task may be,
They served a great three in a task
Now, what was their job, may I ask?
Who did they aid, before the child race,
And their fair turn of face?"
I looked at him in horror, and asked him to repeat it again. As he said it, I wrote it down in my book, and he looked at me appraisingly, as though I was a little strange in the head. I ignored him, and began to try and work it out.
"Oh, I don't know!" I muttered to myself. "Din, Nayru, Farore, help me! Wait - that's it!"
I asked the old man to repeat it once more, to assure myself that my answer was correct. Then, I said, a little dubiously I will admit, the answer.
"They helped the three Great Goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore to keep the world in order before the placing of the last of the races of people, the Kokiri. The Kokiri were the last creation of Nayru, and after she made them, the fairies were given the task to care for the Kokiri." The old man smiled, showing chinked teeth, and I balled my fists.
"You are right," he said, and disappeared, leaving behind him a chest like the two I had seen already. I opened it, withdrew the paper, broke the seal, and opened it. Scrawled across the paper was a stave, headed 'The Bolero of Fire'. I played it through on my lyre to see how it sounded, and as with the Minuet of Forest, committed it to both memory and paper.
Then, I used my Lyre to play the Winged-Harmonic once more. I had been away from Kakariko village for six months now, even though it had seemed only a few days. Time passed differently in my village, and I had in fact stayed there for about half a year. The last few days were taken up by the wild goose chase to find the Bolero of Fire. It was about time that I saw Malon again - her tenth birthday had already passed, and I owed her a belated gift.
~*~*~*~
There I go again - I have dragged up reminiscent memories of my village. I must stop, or I shall sound sentimental and silly. That last riddle by the old man was foiled purely by luck - do not let yourself be fooled into thinking me some sort of genius, for you will be very wrong. Even so, I do bless my wide knowledge of the races, which is the attribute that did help me solve the riddle.
Now, I must take the horse and myself back to the ranch as the sun is setting. I can see the shining light that first led me even now. It's strange to write, but I am smiling - I know not why. Perhaps I am feeling content that my adventuring is over - perhaps my contentment comes from telling my story. Whichever it may be, it is a nice feeling. I shall hold it for as long as I can. The next time I write will be tomorrow - about the finding of the next melody.
~*~*~*~
I'm having fun writing this! I can make him however I want. In the last paragraph, I am trying to show that he does have feelings, even though he has suppressed them for most of his life. I hope that you like the riddles - the rhymes might be a little but iffy, but whenever you read riddles in fantasy tales, they always rhyme, so...
Anyway, as always, please review, as this is my very first proper Zelda fic. Thanks for reading, and until next time, I'll be here, writing the next chapter! Thanks, Soda.
PS: I just found an old cheat manual that came with the game, which guides you through the dungeons and stuff, which is how I got the actual notes - the Zelda's lullaby I remembered from the screen, but the others I got from the centre page of the manual.
PPS: Sorry if I'm boring you, but if you were wondering, the Winged- Harmonic notes go like this. 'A, D, B, G, D, A, D, B' Or, for those veterans of game controllers, it would be this ', ^, , V, A, , ^, ' (left arrow, up arrow, right arrow, down arrow, A button, left arrow, up arrow, right arrow). OK, well I'm off before you get annoyed. Bye!
R+R
Thanks so far to those who have reviewed.
Canihavea_soda - thanks to me!
Emma-chan - aww, thanks - I'll go along and read your stuff when I get the time. I actually know some of the Sonic characters, which is something I'm very proud of! Did you use to watch the cartoons? I can remember Knuckles and Tails and all that - but, I haven't seen any for ages [pouts] stupid TV doesn't have the right channels!
Cassidy dell - [blushes] I'll be off to read your stuff soon too! I just have to finish this ice cream cone [licks] yum, mint-choc-chip. Life can get no better.