Chapter Two
"Be careful with this one, boys! Haul it up slowly! This one looks real valuable!"
Deygon, a treasure-hunter who worked upon the sea, barked commands to his team of treasure-hunters as they hauled up a strange something they had found. Whatever the object was was very large and extremely heavy. The treasure-hunting team was frightened that the weight would turn over their light, miniscule submarine. Another problem that made them unsure was that the crane they were using was old and decrepit. No one was sure that it could handle such a task.
The short, skinny Deygon looked on as his team of small, weak, unqualified divers struggled to bring the object to the surface.
"C'mon, you lazy bunch of ChuChus! This is taking far too long!" Deygon roared. He took off his diving helmet, tossed it aside, and crossed his arms in all his impatience.
"It's up! We've got it!" squeaked one of the divers at last.
Deygon jumped in excitement as the divers pulled a humongous stone statue above the water. It was the strangest sight most of them had ever seen. It was the cracked, moldy form of a large man in an old, regal cloak. The man's bearded face stared forever upward in rage. What puzzled them most, however, was a beautiful sword with the mark of the Triforce upon its blue hilt stabbed straight into the statue's head.
"Wouldya look at THAT!" cried Deygon. "Think about how much this has gotta be worth! And that SWORD! It's a real beauty!"
His team cheered in delight.
"We must get this to Windfall Island right away!" ordered Deygon. "Haul it aboard and let's get going!"
**********
Only about ninety minutes later, Deygon and his team of divers had docked at Windfall Island. It took every member of the team to carry the statue ashore.
Deygon wasn't sure who would end up buying the statue, but he knew that there would be many people on this island flocking to offer them a price.
As they carried it up the streets of Windfall, curious onlookers stopped what they were doing to gaze in awe at the statue with the sword, and the odd-looking men carrying it around.
After the divers had reached the busiest part of the market, they dropped the statue in exhaustion.
"What now, Deygon?" asked one of the divers.
"Hm...I'm not quite sure," replied Deygon, observing the environment surrounding him.
Deygon didn't have to ponder for very long. "Ho, there, Sir! You there!" someone called to him.
Deygon whirled around to find an old man in an brown, old, torn, faded robe walking swiftly toward him. The man was hunched over, and used a cane for support. His bushy white beard looked very unkempt and tangled. However, he looked vibrant with energy and he was smiling.
Deygon snickered. How could this man possibly afford this amazing treasure?
The old man approached the divers and stopped to gaze at the statue. The man did not seem to be astounded with it like the other townspeople. He looked at it as if he had seen a million things just like it before.
After about a minute, the man turned towards Deygon. "I assume you are the leader of this bunch here," he said.
Deygon stood up straight, and tried to put a tone of authority in his voice. "Yes, of course I am!" he replied.
The old man nodded. Looking back at the statue, he said to Deygon, "Good Sir, have you ever seen that sword before?"
Deygon gazed up at the sword. He was shocked for a second. Now that he thought about it, he was positive that he had indeed seen that sword somewhere before. He searched the deepest, darkest corners of his memory for the place and time he saw that sword, but he just could not figure it out.
"I-I...," he stammered.
The old man smiled. "That's what I thought," he said. "Look here, son, see if you can pull that sword from the statue."
Deygon was puzzled, but he was determined to take that sword out from where it had been thrusted. In order to reach it, however, he would have to climb the statue's enormous bulk. He took a deep breath and began to climb the front of the statue. It was rather slippery, so it was not easy. After a treacherous journey up, he reached the top and grasped the hilt of the sword. With a faint "Ungh!" he pulled himself upward until he was standing on the outrageously large head of the statue.
"Ha! That was too easy!" he yelled to the people watching below.
Gripping the sword hilt tightly in his hands, he heaved at the sword, fully expecting to practically skyrocket out of the head of the statue. This was not so. Annoyed, Deygon, mustered up all his strength and heaved once more. Nothing happened. The sword refused to budge. He heard the old man chuckle from below.
Deygon turned to glare at him. "I doubt you could get it out either!" he snapped.
The old man immediately stopped laughing, but his smile did not fade. "Don't worry, lad, I knew you wouldn't be able to get it out."
"And how, pray tell, is that?" Deygon shouted sarcastically.
"Ah, let's just say it was a hunch," replied the old man.
"A hunch, was it?" sneered Deygon. "Well, I got a hunch yer being a little sarcastic, I don't appreciate mockery!" He slid down back to the ground.
"I wasn't attempting to mock you," said he old man calmly.
Deygon had just about had it. "Look, what do you want from me?" he declared.
"I don't want anything from you, but you do need to know that it would be a grave mistake to sell that statue to just anyone," said the old man.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Deygon.
"This statue should never have been removed from its watery grave," the old man continued. "I fear it does not belong here. And that sword...well, that's another story. You wouldn't understand, but this sword is...."
He paused. "Let's just call it 'special'," he said finally. Only when touched by the right hands can it be pulled from the stone. I believe I know who we can call."
Deygon was reluctant, but this man was his only hope of retrieving that sword from the stone. He had no choice but to trust this old man that had come from nowhere and seemed to know so much about this statue and sword. Deygon honestly did not care about whatever story was behind this strange treasure. He did not believe that it was all the old man said it was, anyway. He wanted to get it sold and get off this island.
**********
Deygon would never have stayed on the island had this been any other circumstance. But he so badly wanted to see what would happen to the statue that he and his team of divers stayed at a nearby inn while he and the old man waited for whoever was to arrive and pull the sword from the head of the statue.
That evening, the old man, who later introduced himself as Roshan, wrote a letter to an unknown person and placed it in a mailbox. "Two friends of mine who I'm sure can help should be arriving very soon," he told Deygon.
**********
It was a mere four days later when the "friends" Roshan spoke of arrived on the island.
Early in the morning, Roshan summoned Deygon from the inn to a cliff on the edge of the island. Placed there in all its glory, was the statue, the sword still attached. Roshan was happily talking to two beings, and they were not what Deygon expected. One of them was a girl who looked about nineteen years of age, but this was no ordinary girl. It was a Rito girl. The members of the Rito tribe who inhabited Dragon Roost Island were dark-skinned bird-people with the gift of flight. This Rito was dressed in a plain brown garment, and she was wearing a red scarf. In her hand she held a golden harp. The second being was what appeared to be a tiny little round stump of wood with a leaf for a face. Deygon had heard of these creatures, called Koroks, but never seen one. It was so small, that he may not even have noticed it if it wasn't for it jumping up and down in delight.
Deygon approached the three and cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. They all whirled around to see him.
Roshan was smiling. "Ah, Deygon! How good to see you! Let me introduce you to my two friends. He gestured toward the Rito girl. "This is Medli of the Rito tribe," he announced.
Medli bowed. "How do you do," she greeted him. Deygon peered into her wide, kind, deep red eyes. He felt as if she was piercing his mind and reading all his thoughts.
Deygon nodded and looked over toward the Korok.
"And this," Roshan continued, "is Makar of the Koroks."
"Hi!" exclaimed Makar.
"Hello," said Deygon dryly.
"I called them here," continued Roshan, "because I think they will know exactly what to do about this."
Deygon had no idea what he was talking about, but he did not want to waste time be questioning it. But Deygon knew he was being left in the dark, and it was probably amusing Roshan.
"Uh huh," Deygon mumbled.
Roshan then pulled Medli and Makar over to a few yards where Deygon was out of earshot. He spent about two minutes whispering to them in secret. When they were finished, Makar climbed atop Medli's shoulder, and Medli walked over to the statue. Grinning with confidence, she simply jumped atop the statue while Deygon watched in amazement. Gripping the hilt of the sword, she easily slid it out of the head of the statue and jumped down. Medli held up the sword in triumph as Deygon stared at her in shock, his mouth wide open.
The excitement was short-lived, however. People began to notice that the statue was beginning to rumble and shake violently. Medli let out a cry and tried to move people away, but it was too late. The statue exploded in a brilliant flash of red light, and almost every spectator was instantly killed.
**********
After the explosion, only Medli, Makar, and Roshan had escaped with their lives. Amazingly enough, they had been closest to the explosion, but had not been harmed. As the sun set that evening, they stood by watching the remaining residents of the island pick up the pieces.
"I can't believe this!" exclaimed Medli. "What happened?"
Roshan gazing into the red sky, replied, "It's just as I feared. This is all my doing, I'm afraid. I wanted the Master Sword to be in the hands of you two, because I thought it would be safest. You are both sages, after all."
Medli looked into the old man's eyes, which were filled with sorrow and regret. She had always looked up to him as a wise leader, since the day they had met. He was traveling and stayed at Dragon Roost Island for quite a while, and they became good friends. Medli told him without fear of her being the Sage of Earth, and soon Roshan learned of Makar as well, the Sage of Wind. Medli had always been fascinated with his knowledge of the legend of the Hero of Time and of the events surrounding Link, the Hero of Winds. When Medli tried to tell him of the purpose of the sages and of the Master Sword, he already knew. She always yearned to know how he came about this knowledge, but she never asked.
What Medli was wondering about now was how Roshan knew that she could successfully pull the sword from the statue, which only they knew was of Ganondorf. Medli would have guessed that only the Hero of Winds could do such a thing. Maybe it was simply an educated guess.
Roshan continued, "I don't quite understand what happened to the statue, but I have an idea. Do you know the legend about how the Master Sword, as long as it is laid to rest, keeps a seal on Ganon's powers?"
"Yes, I do," replied Medli.
"Well, it is possible that Ganon broke forth from that statue when you removed the sword."
"What!?" cried Makar, sitting on Medli's shoulder. "You don't really think..."
"We cannot take any chances. You must take that sword to a place where it will be safely sealed away until we can contact the Hero of Winds and he can take it for himself." said Roshan. "If Ganon has indeed returned, he will begin looking for it immediately."
The sages nodded.
"Leave the Hero of Winds to me. You two must take the sword to the fairy world immediately."
"The fairy world?" asked Makar.
"How are we supposed to enter the fairy world?" asked Medli.
"You must sail to the Mother and Child Isles. There you will meet the fairy queen. Tell her you were sent by Roshan," he told them.
"How does the fairy queen know you?" asked Medli, puzzled.
"That is a long tale which I have no time to tell you right now," said Roshan.
Medli nodded. "We understand."
"Yes, that is good," replied Roshan. "Now that we have established what must be done, you must sail out of this place immediately tomorrow morning."
**********
The next morning, Medli and Makar borrowed a small boat from a nearby merchant and sailed out to the Mother and Child Isles with the Master Sword. Roshan promised them that he would be safe as he sent them on their way.
When they reached the island, it was necessary for Makar to summon up a whirlwind to get them behind the enormous stone walls that surrounded the sanctuary where the fairy queen's fountain lay.
When they landed, they found themselves in a tranquil garden, with a lovely, tranquil pond in the center.
"Ok, what do we do now?" wondered Makar.
They peered around, waiting for something to happen, when a young girl's voice called to them from seemingly nowhere.
"Sage of Earth! Sage of Wind! What brings you here?" called the voice.
"You better tell her," said Makar.
"I am Medli, and this is my friend Makar," she called back. "We have come to ask for permission for a safe haven for the Master Sword from the fairy queen."
The voice giggled. "Really, now?"
"Um...yes," said Medli.
Just then, the form of a little girl appeared floating over the center of the pond. There was something very odd about this girl, though. Her skin was a light shade of blue, and she was in a lacy dress of the same color. Her hair was not like hair at all, but more like a sleek, pointy hat upon her head. But what Medli and Makar found most strange about her was that she had no real face...where her face should have been, there was a mask with two large eye holes. They noticed she was holding a little doll which looked like a Great Fairy.
"Hee hee," she giggled. "I can tell you are surprised by what you see. Believe it or not, I am the queen of the fairy world. Now, why have you come to see me?"
"I told you," said Medli, "it's because of the Master Sword."
"I don't understand," said the Fairy Queen. "Why would you come to me, of all people? Is this really necessary?"
Medli told them of Ganon's supposed return and of Roshan's orders.
"Roshan?" the Fairy Queen asked, a bit shocked. "Well, that's another story. This must be something dastardly. Why don't you come to my home and we'll talk there?"
"Your home!?" asked Makar. "You mean..."
"Yes, I mean within our world. Your in for quite a treat," said the Fairy Queen.
Makar jumped in excitement, as the Queen giggled and began to disappear. the next thing Medli and Makar knew, everything around them was fading away to white, and the fairy world began to take form....
"Be careful with this one, boys! Haul it up slowly! This one looks real valuable!"
Deygon, a treasure-hunter who worked upon the sea, barked commands to his team of treasure-hunters as they hauled up a strange something they had found. Whatever the object was was very large and extremely heavy. The treasure-hunting team was frightened that the weight would turn over their light, miniscule submarine. Another problem that made them unsure was that the crane they were using was old and decrepit. No one was sure that it could handle such a task.
The short, skinny Deygon looked on as his team of small, weak, unqualified divers struggled to bring the object to the surface.
"C'mon, you lazy bunch of ChuChus! This is taking far too long!" Deygon roared. He took off his diving helmet, tossed it aside, and crossed his arms in all his impatience.
"It's up! We've got it!" squeaked one of the divers at last.
Deygon jumped in excitement as the divers pulled a humongous stone statue above the water. It was the strangest sight most of them had ever seen. It was the cracked, moldy form of a large man in an old, regal cloak. The man's bearded face stared forever upward in rage. What puzzled them most, however, was a beautiful sword with the mark of the Triforce upon its blue hilt stabbed straight into the statue's head.
"Wouldya look at THAT!" cried Deygon. "Think about how much this has gotta be worth! And that SWORD! It's a real beauty!"
His team cheered in delight.
"We must get this to Windfall Island right away!" ordered Deygon. "Haul it aboard and let's get going!"
**********
Only about ninety minutes later, Deygon and his team of divers had docked at Windfall Island. It took every member of the team to carry the statue ashore.
Deygon wasn't sure who would end up buying the statue, but he knew that there would be many people on this island flocking to offer them a price.
As they carried it up the streets of Windfall, curious onlookers stopped what they were doing to gaze in awe at the statue with the sword, and the odd-looking men carrying it around.
After the divers had reached the busiest part of the market, they dropped the statue in exhaustion.
"What now, Deygon?" asked one of the divers.
"Hm...I'm not quite sure," replied Deygon, observing the environment surrounding him.
Deygon didn't have to ponder for very long. "Ho, there, Sir! You there!" someone called to him.
Deygon whirled around to find an old man in an brown, old, torn, faded robe walking swiftly toward him. The man was hunched over, and used a cane for support. His bushy white beard looked very unkempt and tangled. However, he looked vibrant with energy and he was smiling.
Deygon snickered. How could this man possibly afford this amazing treasure?
The old man approached the divers and stopped to gaze at the statue. The man did not seem to be astounded with it like the other townspeople. He looked at it as if he had seen a million things just like it before.
After about a minute, the man turned towards Deygon. "I assume you are the leader of this bunch here," he said.
Deygon stood up straight, and tried to put a tone of authority in his voice. "Yes, of course I am!" he replied.
The old man nodded. Looking back at the statue, he said to Deygon, "Good Sir, have you ever seen that sword before?"
Deygon gazed up at the sword. He was shocked for a second. Now that he thought about it, he was positive that he had indeed seen that sword somewhere before. He searched the deepest, darkest corners of his memory for the place and time he saw that sword, but he just could not figure it out.
"I-I...," he stammered.
The old man smiled. "That's what I thought," he said. "Look here, son, see if you can pull that sword from the statue."
Deygon was puzzled, but he was determined to take that sword out from where it had been thrusted. In order to reach it, however, he would have to climb the statue's enormous bulk. He took a deep breath and began to climb the front of the statue. It was rather slippery, so it was not easy. After a treacherous journey up, he reached the top and grasped the hilt of the sword. With a faint "Ungh!" he pulled himself upward until he was standing on the outrageously large head of the statue.
"Ha! That was too easy!" he yelled to the people watching below.
Gripping the sword hilt tightly in his hands, he heaved at the sword, fully expecting to practically skyrocket out of the head of the statue. This was not so. Annoyed, Deygon, mustered up all his strength and heaved once more. Nothing happened. The sword refused to budge. He heard the old man chuckle from below.
Deygon turned to glare at him. "I doubt you could get it out either!" he snapped.
The old man immediately stopped laughing, but his smile did not fade. "Don't worry, lad, I knew you wouldn't be able to get it out."
"And how, pray tell, is that?" Deygon shouted sarcastically.
"Ah, let's just say it was a hunch," replied the old man.
"A hunch, was it?" sneered Deygon. "Well, I got a hunch yer being a little sarcastic, I don't appreciate mockery!" He slid down back to the ground.
"I wasn't attempting to mock you," said he old man calmly.
Deygon had just about had it. "Look, what do you want from me?" he declared.
"I don't want anything from you, but you do need to know that it would be a grave mistake to sell that statue to just anyone," said the old man.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Deygon.
"This statue should never have been removed from its watery grave," the old man continued. "I fear it does not belong here. And that sword...well, that's another story. You wouldn't understand, but this sword is...."
He paused. "Let's just call it 'special'," he said finally. Only when touched by the right hands can it be pulled from the stone. I believe I know who we can call."
Deygon was reluctant, but this man was his only hope of retrieving that sword from the stone. He had no choice but to trust this old man that had come from nowhere and seemed to know so much about this statue and sword. Deygon honestly did not care about whatever story was behind this strange treasure. He did not believe that it was all the old man said it was, anyway. He wanted to get it sold and get off this island.
**********
Deygon would never have stayed on the island had this been any other circumstance. But he so badly wanted to see what would happen to the statue that he and his team of divers stayed at a nearby inn while he and the old man waited for whoever was to arrive and pull the sword from the head of the statue.
That evening, the old man, who later introduced himself as Roshan, wrote a letter to an unknown person and placed it in a mailbox. "Two friends of mine who I'm sure can help should be arriving very soon," he told Deygon.
**********
It was a mere four days later when the "friends" Roshan spoke of arrived on the island.
Early in the morning, Roshan summoned Deygon from the inn to a cliff on the edge of the island. Placed there in all its glory, was the statue, the sword still attached. Roshan was happily talking to two beings, and they were not what Deygon expected. One of them was a girl who looked about nineteen years of age, but this was no ordinary girl. It was a Rito girl. The members of the Rito tribe who inhabited Dragon Roost Island were dark-skinned bird-people with the gift of flight. This Rito was dressed in a plain brown garment, and she was wearing a red scarf. In her hand she held a golden harp. The second being was what appeared to be a tiny little round stump of wood with a leaf for a face. Deygon had heard of these creatures, called Koroks, but never seen one. It was so small, that he may not even have noticed it if it wasn't for it jumping up and down in delight.
Deygon approached the three and cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. They all whirled around to see him.
Roshan was smiling. "Ah, Deygon! How good to see you! Let me introduce you to my two friends. He gestured toward the Rito girl. "This is Medli of the Rito tribe," he announced.
Medli bowed. "How do you do," she greeted him. Deygon peered into her wide, kind, deep red eyes. He felt as if she was piercing his mind and reading all his thoughts.
Deygon nodded and looked over toward the Korok.
"And this," Roshan continued, "is Makar of the Koroks."
"Hi!" exclaimed Makar.
"Hello," said Deygon dryly.
"I called them here," continued Roshan, "because I think they will know exactly what to do about this."
Deygon had no idea what he was talking about, but he did not want to waste time be questioning it. But Deygon knew he was being left in the dark, and it was probably amusing Roshan.
"Uh huh," Deygon mumbled.
Roshan then pulled Medli and Makar over to a few yards where Deygon was out of earshot. He spent about two minutes whispering to them in secret. When they were finished, Makar climbed atop Medli's shoulder, and Medli walked over to the statue. Grinning with confidence, she simply jumped atop the statue while Deygon watched in amazement. Gripping the hilt of the sword, she easily slid it out of the head of the statue and jumped down. Medli held up the sword in triumph as Deygon stared at her in shock, his mouth wide open.
The excitement was short-lived, however. People began to notice that the statue was beginning to rumble and shake violently. Medli let out a cry and tried to move people away, but it was too late. The statue exploded in a brilliant flash of red light, and almost every spectator was instantly killed.
**********
After the explosion, only Medli, Makar, and Roshan had escaped with their lives. Amazingly enough, they had been closest to the explosion, but had not been harmed. As the sun set that evening, they stood by watching the remaining residents of the island pick up the pieces.
"I can't believe this!" exclaimed Medli. "What happened?"
Roshan gazing into the red sky, replied, "It's just as I feared. This is all my doing, I'm afraid. I wanted the Master Sword to be in the hands of you two, because I thought it would be safest. You are both sages, after all."
Medli looked into the old man's eyes, which were filled with sorrow and regret. She had always looked up to him as a wise leader, since the day they had met. He was traveling and stayed at Dragon Roost Island for quite a while, and they became good friends. Medli told him without fear of her being the Sage of Earth, and soon Roshan learned of Makar as well, the Sage of Wind. Medli had always been fascinated with his knowledge of the legend of the Hero of Time and of the events surrounding Link, the Hero of Winds. When Medli tried to tell him of the purpose of the sages and of the Master Sword, he already knew. She always yearned to know how he came about this knowledge, but she never asked.
What Medli was wondering about now was how Roshan knew that she could successfully pull the sword from the statue, which only they knew was of Ganondorf. Medli would have guessed that only the Hero of Winds could do such a thing. Maybe it was simply an educated guess.
Roshan continued, "I don't quite understand what happened to the statue, but I have an idea. Do you know the legend about how the Master Sword, as long as it is laid to rest, keeps a seal on Ganon's powers?"
"Yes, I do," replied Medli.
"Well, it is possible that Ganon broke forth from that statue when you removed the sword."
"What!?" cried Makar, sitting on Medli's shoulder. "You don't really think..."
"We cannot take any chances. You must take that sword to a place where it will be safely sealed away until we can contact the Hero of Winds and he can take it for himself." said Roshan. "If Ganon has indeed returned, he will begin looking for it immediately."
The sages nodded.
"Leave the Hero of Winds to me. You two must take the sword to the fairy world immediately."
"The fairy world?" asked Makar.
"How are we supposed to enter the fairy world?" asked Medli.
"You must sail to the Mother and Child Isles. There you will meet the fairy queen. Tell her you were sent by Roshan," he told them.
"How does the fairy queen know you?" asked Medli, puzzled.
"That is a long tale which I have no time to tell you right now," said Roshan.
Medli nodded. "We understand."
"Yes, that is good," replied Roshan. "Now that we have established what must be done, you must sail out of this place immediately tomorrow morning."
**********
The next morning, Medli and Makar borrowed a small boat from a nearby merchant and sailed out to the Mother and Child Isles with the Master Sword. Roshan promised them that he would be safe as he sent them on their way.
When they reached the island, it was necessary for Makar to summon up a whirlwind to get them behind the enormous stone walls that surrounded the sanctuary where the fairy queen's fountain lay.
When they landed, they found themselves in a tranquil garden, with a lovely, tranquil pond in the center.
"Ok, what do we do now?" wondered Makar.
They peered around, waiting for something to happen, when a young girl's voice called to them from seemingly nowhere.
"Sage of Earth! Sage of Wind! What brings you here?" called the voice.
"You better tell her," said Makar.
"I am Medli, and this is my friend Makar," she called back. "We have come to ask for permission for a safe haven for the Master Sword from the fairy queen."
The voice giggled. "Really, now?"
"Um...yes," said Medli.
Just then, the form of a little girl appeared floating over the center of the pond. There was something very odd about this girl, though. Her skin was a light shade of blue, and she was in a lacy dress of the same color. Her hair was not like hair at all, but more like a sleek, pointy hat upon her head. But what Medli and Makar found most strange about her was that she had no real face...where her face should have been, there was a mask with two large eye holes. They noticed she was holding a little doll which looked like a Great Fairy.
"Hee hee," she giggled. "I can tell you are surprised by what you see. Believe it or not, I am the queen of the fairy world. Now, why have you come to see me?"
"I told you," said Medli, "it's because of the Master Sword."
"I don't understand," said the Fairy Queen. "Why would you come to me, of all people? Is this really necessary?"
Medli told them of Ganon's supposed return and of Roshan's orders.
"Roshan?" the Fairy Queen asked, a bit shocked. "Well, that's another story. This must be something dastardly. Why don't you come to my home and we'll talk there?"
"Your home!?" asked Makar. "You mean..."
"Yes, I mean within our world. Your in for quite a treat," said the Fairy Queen.
Makar jumped in excitement, as the Queen giggled and began to disappear. the next thing Medli and Makar knew, everything around them was fading away to white, and the fairy world began to take form....