All at once Link burst from the trees and stumbled into brilliant
sunlight. Immediately he threw one hand up to his eyes to protect them from
this unexpected assault. When his eyes had adjusted a little bit, he cast
around frantically for some shade, some tree to block the sun, but could
find none, and he found himself thinking wistfully of the forest behind
him.
"Navi . . . how do these people see?" He asked as he staggered forth.
"They get used to it," she said simply.
"It's so bright . . . and so hot," he groaned.
"Ah, not really. You only think that because you grew up in a cool, dark forest."
The boy glared at his fairy before plodding on.
By midday they had made little progress. Link kept wanting to stop underneath trees and rest for a moment, not because he was actually tired but because he missed his home. He got up from one such stop, more woefully than the last, and looked straight ahead.
"Navi," he said quietly.
"What is it?" she asked, a bit annoyed with him.
"Is that . . . a cliff?"
Sure enough, straight ahead of them was a sheer wall. But Navi was not convinced.
"There aren't any cliffs on Hyrule Field," she said dismissively. "It has to be something else."
Link, however, was not listening. He was running towards the wall. With a tiny fairy sigh, Navi gathered her wings and followed her over excitable charge.
"It's stone!" Link cried, pounding is fists on the man-made wall. "Who put a stone wall in the middle of an open field?!"
"I'm sure they had a good reason," Navi said slowly.
Link looked up at his fairy incredulously. "What possible good reason could there be? Now we're gonna have to go around this . . . it'll take another hour! At least!" He threw himself down at the foot of the wall.
"There's a reason this wall is here, even if it doesn't need to be here anymore," Navi replied calmly. "You'll learn why soon enough. And maybe next time you'll stay on the trail."
"Well . . . if you say so," he muttered, leaning against the stone. He supposed he was being a bit rude to Navi, but he was hot and tired and they weren't even halfway there yet and now to top it all off there was a wall in the way. If only we had a horse, he thought longingly. He'd never actually seen a horse but he'd heard all about them from the Great Deku Tree. Thinking about the Deku Tree saddened Link. For a moment he even swore he could hear horses in the distance, just the way the Great Deku Tree had described them sounding . . . wait a minute. Link sat bolt upright and looked around wildly. A wagon was coming this way!
The boy's mind raced. Should he hide? He jumped up, but did not go anywhere. Link caught sight of his fairy, who was watching this display curiously, and sighed. What was he afraid of? He sat back down against the wall and waited for the wagon to pass.
Only it didn't. It pulled up right next to him.
"Well hello there, little fella," the man driving the wagon said kindly. He was a round little man with a big nose, a thick black moustache, and small black eyes. He was tanned as if by work, and on his head was placed a straw hat to block the sun, a job which it accomplished fantastically compared to Link's floppy green hat. The wagon which he drove was concealed by a white cover, but Link thought he saw a pair of eyes peering out at him from behind the driver.
"Hi," Link breathed. He promptly learned he was no good at talking to strangers, even if they were as kind as this one.
"You look right tired," The man said. "Are you headin' to town? Maybe we can give you a ride!"
"A . . . ride?!" Link warmed to the man right away. His face fell for a moment. "Wait . . . which town?"
The man laughed a hearty laugh. "Why, the capital, o' course!"
Link brightened again. "Sure! Thanks, mister!" he turned. "Navi?" he pleaded quietly. Talon watched with interest.
"Fine with me," the fairy said.
"Great!" Link clambered up onto the cart. "Thanks again!"
"Don' mention it," the driver said. "Name's Talon." He held out a hand, and when Link made no motion, grabbed the boy's hand and shook it roughly. "And you are . . .?"
"Oh! I'm Link," the boy answered. "And this is Navi," he added as the blue fairy flew around to face Talon.
"Are you from the forest, then?" Talon asked, putting the horses into motion again.
"Yeah," Link said.
"Never seen a real forest fairy . . ." he studied Navi interestedly for a few moments before abruptly realizing that they were heading in the wrong direction. "Oop! Well, maybe you'd best go keep Malon company in the back," he said sheepishly as he set the horses right again. "Just watch your step, alrigh'? Those milk bottles are important."
"All right, sir," he said with a light smile.
"That's Talon!" the man called after him as Link went into the back.
The boy made his way carefully to the back of the cart around stacks of crates of milk bottles. When he reached the back, he found a girl sitting there, who he instantly assumed to be Malon. "Hello . . .?" Link began.
The girl, startled, turned to look at him. Her eyes, like her father's, were blue, but instead of his black hair, a wave of strawberry blonde flowed down her back. She was dressed simply in a brown cotton dress with a purple apron, and she was pretty, as ten year olds go. She looked up at him with nervousness that came from uncertainty.
"I'm Link," Link said. "And you're Malon, right?"
"Yes," she said cautiously. Just then Navi appeared over Link's right shoulder. Malon's eyes became suddenly interested. "Is that . . . a fairy?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Then you're from the forest," she went on excitedly, not nervous at all now.
"Right," Link said, wondering why this seemed to fascinate everyone so much. Malon, meanwhile, clapped with joy.
"What are you doing out here? Where are you going?" She asked, speaking very fast.
"I'm heading to the castle," Link said slowly. "I'm going to see the princess."
"My dad's going to the castle!" The girl said brightly. "But he's not going to see the princess, just to deliver some milk."
Suddenly they felt a bump and the horses' hooves, which had previously been muffled, clopped loudly on what was apparently wood. "We must be there!" Malon said excitedly. She got up and ran to the front of the cart. Link hurried along behind her.
The boy's gaze was caught by a shining white castle sitting atop a hill in front of them. It was gigantic, easily the largest structure Link had ever seen, with turrets and towers forming a lovely structure inside the walls. Banners waving in the breeze caught the afternoon sun, making for an altogether astounding impression.
Link's eyes fell slowly to what was around him. There were streets lined with houses and shops, all built of bright white stone and black granite. It was truly a feast for the eyes, at least for someone who'd never left the forest before.
"I'll see you around, Fairy Boy!" Malon said, hopping off the cart and running to meet a girl that looked about her age. They started talking, Malon looking back towards Link excitedly now and then.
Talon brought the wagon to a halt in front of a fountain the square. "Welcome to Hyrule Castle Town, Link."
"Navi . . . how do these people see?" He asked as he staggered forth.
"They get used to it," she said simply.
"It's so bright . . . and so hot," he groaned.
"Ah, not really. You only think that because you grew up in a cool, dark forest."
The boy glared at his fairy before plodding on.
By midday they had made little progress. Link kept wanting to stop underneath trees and rest for a moment, not because he was actually tired but because he missed his home. He got up from one such stop, more woefully than the last, and looked straight ahead.
"Navi," he said quietly.
"What is it?" she asked, a bit annoyed with him.
"Is that . . . a cliff?"
Sure enough, straight ahead of them was a sheer wall. But Navi was not convinced.
"There aren't any cliffs on Hyrule Field," she said dismissively. "It has to be something else."
Link, however, was not listening. He was running towards the wall. With a tiny fairy sigh, Navi gathered her wings and followed her over excitable charge.
"It's stone!" Link cried, pounding is fists on the man-made wall. "Who put a stone wall in the middle of an open field?!"
"I'm sure they had a good reason," Navi said slowly.
Link looked up at his fairy incredulously. "What possible good reason could there be? Now we're gonna have to go around this . . . it'll take another hour! At least!" He threw himself down at the foot of the wall.
"There's a reason this wall is here, even if it doesn't need to be here anymore," Navi replied calmly. "You'll learn why soon enough. And maybe next time you'll stay on the trail."
"Well . . . if you say so," he muttered, leaning against the stone. He supposed he was being a bit rude to Navi, but he was hot and tired and they weren't even halfway there yet and now to top it all off there was a wall in the way. If only we had a horse, he thought longingly. He'd never actually seen a horse but he'd heard all about them from the Great Deku Tree. Thinking about the Deku Tree saddened Link. For a moment he even swore he could hear horses in the distance, just the way the Great Deku Tree had described them sounding . . . wait a minute. Link sat bolt upright and looked around wildly. A wagon was coming this way!
The boy's mind raced. Should he hide? He jumped up, but did not go anywhere. Link caught sight of his fairy, who was watching this display curiously, and sighed. What was he afraid of? He sat back down against the wall and waited for the wagon to pass.
Only it didn't. It pulled up right next to him.
"Well hello there, little fella," the man driving the wagon said kindly. He was a round little man with a big nose, a thick black moustache, and small black eyes. He was tanned as if by work, and on his head was placed a straw hat to block the sun, a job which it accomplished fantastically compared to Link's floppy green hat. The wagon which he drove was concealed by a white cover, but Link thought he saw a pair of eyes peering out at him from behind the driver.
"Hi," Link breathed. He promptly learned he was no good at talking to strangers, even if they were as kind as this one.
"You look right tired," The man said. "Are you headin' to town? Maybe we can give you a ride!"
"A . . . ride?!" Link warmed to the man right away. His face fell for a moment. "Wait . . . which town?"
The man laughed a hearty laugh. "Why, the capital, o' course!"
Link brightened again. "Sure! Thanks, mister!" he turned. "Navi?" he pleaded quietly. Talon watched with interest.
"Fine with me," the fairy said.
"Great!" Link clambered up onto the cart. "Thanks again!"
"Don' mention it," the driver said. "Name's Talon." He held out a hand, and when Link made no motion, grabbed the boy's hand and shook it roughly. "And you are . . .?"
"Oh! I'm Link," the boy answered. "And this is Navi," he added as the blue fairy flew around to face Talon.
"Are you from the forest, then?" Talon asked, putting the horses into motion again.
"Yeah," Link said.
"Never seen a real forest fairy . . ." he studied Navi interestedly for a few moments before abruptly realizing that they were heading in the wrong direction. "Oop! Well, maybe you'd best go keep Malon company in the back," he said sheepishly as he set the horses right again. "Just watch your step, alrigh'? Those milk bottles are important."
"All right, sir," he said with a light smile.
"That's Talon!" the man called after him as Link went into the back.
The boy made his way carefully to the back of the cart around stacks of crates of milk bottles. When he reached the back, he found a girl sitting there, who he instantly assumed to be Malon. "Hello . . .?" Link began.
The girl, startled, turned to look at him. Her eyes, like her father's, were blue, but instead of his black hair, a wave of strawberry blonde flowed down her back. She was dressed simply in a brown cotton dress with a purple apron, and she was pretty, as ten year olds go. She looked up at him with nervousness that came from uncertainty.
"I'm Link," Link said. "And you're Malon, right?"
"Yes," she said cautiously. Just then Navi appeared over Link's right shoulder. Malon's eyes became suddenly interested. "Is that . . . a fairy?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Then you're from the forest," she went on excitedly, not nervous at all now.
"Right," Link said, wondering why this seemed to fascinate everyone so much. Malon, meanwhile, clapped with joy.
"What are you doing out here? Where are you going?" She asked, speaking very fast.
"I'm heading to the castle," Link said slowly. "I'm going to see the princess."
"My dad's going to the castle!" The girl said brightly. "But he's not going to see the princess, just to deliver some milk."
Suddenly they felt a bump and the horses' hooves, which had previously been muffled, clopped loudly on what was apparently wood. "We must be there!" Malon said excitedly. She got up and ran to the front of the cart. Link hurried along behind her.
The boy's gaze was caught by a shining white castle sitting atop a hill in front of them. It was gigantic, easily the largest structure Link had ever seen, with turrets and towers forming a lovely structure inside the walls. Banners waving in the breeze caught the afternoon sun, making for an altogether astounding impression.
Link's eyes fell slowly to what was around him. There were streets lined with houses and shops, all built of bright white stone and black granite. It was truly a feast for the eyes, at least for someone who'd never left the forest before.
"I'll see you around, Fairy Boy!" Malon said, hopping off the cart and running to meet a girl that looked about her age. They started talking, Malon looking back towards Link excitedly now and then.
Talon brought the wagon to a halt in front of a fountain the square. "Welcome to Hyrule Castle Town, Link."
