The Legend of Zelda: The Return
Chapter 5
The sun rises slowly over the walls surrounding Lon Lon ranch. Epona's red hair shines brightly as she rears up on her hind legs to greet the morning. She lands gracefully back on the ground, throws her head back and prances towards the object of her focus this morning: Me. She hasn't left my side since I called her from the Kokiri's wood. I think she was worried when she couldn't find me after the Moblins attacked Castletown . . .
I pause in mid-song and open one eye to look up at her when she nudges me, pulling my ocarina away from my lips. Saria gave me the flute before I left the Kokiri village for what I thought was the first and last time. To remember her by.
Maybe I should have made a point of going to say hi – to her at least . . . Saria was, and probably still is my best friend. But she wouldn't have recognized me anyway . . . she probably thinks there's still some 11 year old Link running around Hyrule somewhere. I don't think I would have been able to stand the look in her eyes when she realized that Mido had been right all along. I really wasn't a Kokiri . . .
"All done showing off?" I ask Epona with a grin, forcing my mind away from my melancholy. I've got more than enough to be depressed about without adding my heritage into the mix. She neighs good-naturedly and nips at my hat, pulling it off my head. Buried in my hair, Navi stirs and blinks blearily at the morning light.
"Huh . . . wazzat . . .?" She mumbles. I ignore her. She'll go back to sleep as soon as I put my hat back on.
"Sorry girl," I say, pulling my hat out of her mouth and stroking her muzzle. "Can't play with you today. Mother-Hen Sheik will take a fit." Epona whinnies in disappointment and buckles her knees to lay down beside me. She puts her head in my lap and nudges my ocarina hand. I smile. "Now that," I say, "I can do." I life the ocarina back up to my lips and start in on Epona's Song. It doesn't take long for the music to overwhelm me and I lose myself in reverie as I play.
It's been two days since I arrived at Lon Lon Ranch, five days since Sheik promised to tell me what's going on, and two weeks since I was run through by Psycho Me. In that time, from what I've been able to figure out, the Moblins have completely taken over Castletown and either killed or enslaved it's occupants.
I could have cried with relief when I heard that.
That meant that there's still a chance that they're alive . . . Bruiser, and Malon, and Talon, and Ingo, and everyone else who didn't make it out. I flub a note.
What am I talking about?
I'm the only one who made it out.
And Sheik and Zelda too, of course.
Still don't know how that happened.
When we got here the Ranch was empty of the Lon Lon clan. I went nuts looking for them, tearing the place apart in the desperate hope I'd find Malon, or Talon, or anyone familiar. All I succeeded in doing, however, was wearing myself out, collapsing in a corner, nearly reopening my wound, and giving Sheik and Navi heart attacks. Navi yelled at me for a good hour afterwards. Sheik looked like he wanted to, but he couldn't get a word in edgewise. Navi said enough anyway.
I didn't know fairies could swear like that . . .
And then 'The Others' began to arrive.
First came a tall, imposing Sheikah woman named Impa who has a limit of two words when she speaks. I don't think I've ever heard her say more than that. She seems to be good friends with Sheik though, so she can't be that bad. The two of them are together a lot since she arrived.
Second came my personal favorite (I've really got to do something about that sarcasm. It's going to get me in trouble someday). A female Zora named Ruto. Every time she sees me she gets this glint in her eyes and she starts ordering me around and acting like she owns me. Next thing you know she'll have me carrying her around on my shoulders . . .
After Ruto came Darunia and Naboruu. Darunia is a huge, fierce looking Goron – his angry expression, however, is contradicted by the laugh lines around his eyes. I like Darunia, but he has this odd habit of banging me on the back (I've got the bruises to prove it) and calling me Brother.
Naboruu is a Gerudo – oddly enough dressed in white. I don't think I've ever seen a Gerudo in white. She's got a cynical smile and a sharp wit, combined with a slightly condescending attitude and a look that makes me want to prove myself to her. She's got this irritating habit of calling me kid all the time. I wouldn't be so bad, except it reminds me of Bruiser and then I get this constriction in my chest and I can't talk . . .
Zelda's apparently here too, but I haven't seen her yet. Talk about ungrateful. I saved her life and she can't even take the time to come say thank you.
All in all I've been trying to avoid everyone anyway. I can't look at any of them without being assaulted by those creepy visions I've been having lately. I have enough trouble with them when I'm asleep and dreaming. Don't need to have to deal with that in the daytime as well. And besides, they all look at me like they know me somehow . . . I can see it in their eyes. They've got some big, sad, secret and none of them want to tell me anything.
If I didn't know better I'd say they were trying to protect me from something, but all they're doing is making me mad. How am I supposed to defend myself against whatever it is they're protecting me from if I don't know what it is? And why do they care anyway? I get the feeling they're all very important people as far as their races go, so why would they care about me?
It's all very frustrating.
An ominous creak above me breaks me out of my reverie. I lean my head back without stopping my playing.
An unusually large owl blinks down at me.
I blink up at him.
The creaking becomes a snapping and the branch below the owl breaks, dropping its load on me.
I cry out, Epona whinnies in fright and jumps up, Navi leaps off my head, my wound is sending lovely waves of agony through my middle, stars are exploding in front of my eyes from the pain, and there is something green in my lap.
"Link!" The green thing cries. "Oh my goodness! Link! Are you all right?" There's a thousand and one things I'd love to say right now, but all that comes out is a hissed:
"Get off!"
"What?" The thing says. Then: "Oh! Oh my goodness! I'm sorry!" It jumps off my stomach and I inhale sharply, trying to make my eyes focus again.
"OK . . . ow . . ." I manage, pressing a hand tightly to my stomach and rolling over on my hands and knees.
"Saria!" Navi shrieks above me. "You could have killed him!" I blink around my pain. Saria? Here?
"I didn't mean it!" Saria cries, I can't see her, but I can picture her wringing her hands. She always does that. "I didn't realize how weak the branch was when I asked Kaepora Gaebora to put me down on it. Link! Are you okay?"
"Fine," I lie. "Just great." I sit back against the tree with a groan and look at Saria with wide eyes. "What are you doing here?" I demand incredulously, then I freeze suddenly. "Hey . . . how . . . how do you know it's me?" She smiles at me – that secret smile she always gives me. The one that makes Mido livid.
"Best friends don't forget, Link," she says, placing her hands on her hips. Her green eyes twinkle. "You may be big now, but I'd know you no matter what size you were." Her smile dissolves suddenly and she gives me a hurt look. "Why didn't you come to visit me when you were in the village?" She asks. "You haven't forgotten me, have you?"
"No!" I cry. "No! Saria! No! I wouldn't! I'd never! I just . . ." I hesitate. How can I explain it to her?
I blink when she kisses my cheek suddenly.
"It's okay," she says. "I'm sure you had your reasons. I forgive you for it. Now," she adds, rolling up her sleeves. "Is everyone here yet? We should probably get this show on the road . . ."
xxx
"Hey?" I ask suddenly, looking around the circle and doing a headcount: Impa, Ruto, Darunia, Naboruu, Saria, me, Navi, Zelda (who is definitely in better shape than the last time I saw her. Her hair's all fixed, and she's wearing actual clothes, not just a nightgown, and she's really, really, good looking, and okay, back to the original topic) . . . "Where's Sheik?"
"He's, um, he's not coming," Zelda says quickly. I frown.
"Why not?" I demand, feeling slightly betrayed. Is it just me, or did Zelda wince just now?
How could Sheik just run off and leave me like this? Why does he always have to disappear whenever I need him the most?
"He's got another job to do . . ."
Some friend.
Great, just great. He owes me big time for this.
"Relax," Navi says, settling herself on my shoulder. "Believe it or not these people are all your friends."
"He was supposed to tell me what's going on," I shoot back. "If he's skipped out on me I'm going to kick his ass."
"He hasn't skipped out on you," Navi says, looking at Zelda. "He's probably closer than you realize."
"Don't you start getting cryptic on me now," I say flatly.
"What's eating you?" She demands huffily. I shrug uncomfortably.
"I just . . . Nevermind," I say. "Sorry."
"Sure you are," she says caustically. I frown. She sounds like me . . . that can't be a good thing.
"All right," Zelda's saying. I turn back to face her. "Let's get down to business. The immediate danger to the Hero of Time's life has passed –"
"Woah!" I say, my face going pale as I jump to my feet and stare at her like she's grown two heads. "What did you just call me?" She blinks at me, along with everyone else.
"I . . . the Hero of Time," she says. "That's . . . it's your title. That's who you are." I frown darkly at her.
"Let's get something straight right here and now," I say, glaring around at all of them. I'm already not liking this meeting. "My name is Link. That's who I am. Despite what you seem to think, Princess, I'm no one special, and I'm definitely no Hero of Time."
"Link," Navi hisses in my ear, "you're embarrassing me." I ignore her.
"The last time someone mistook me for your Hero of Time," I say flatly, "I got run through. I've still got a hole in my stomach if anyone cares to see it." The others are all looking around at each other, exchanging glances that for some reason make me feel very small, and very frightened.
"Maybe we should have left him with his memories," Darunia says, rubbing the back of his head. "This is going to be more complicated than we thought at first."
"Please don't start that again," I say – despite my best efforts I sound more like I'm begging than demanding. Oh man . . . where's Sheik?
"Please, Link," Zelda says, her tone soft and gentle and comforting. I eye her warily before I take my seat again. Comforting or not, I'm not liking this at all. "There's been no mistake, Link. You are the Hero of Time." I glare at her.
"I already told you, I'm not –"
"You are," she says. "You are the Hero of Time. And if you'd shut up for long enough maybe I could explain a few things to you." I cross my arms sullenly and glare at her, but I say nothing else. She clears her throat (I hope in embarrassment, but somehow I doubt it) and smoothes out her long blonde hair. "All right," she says. "You say you want to know what's going on. Before we can tell you that we need to tell you what's happened . . ."
And she tells me a story.
A story in which I am the hero. A story in which I traveled back and forth in time. A story in which I saved the world.
Every now and then one of the others – Sages apparently according to the story – interject with their own versions of what happened. Parts of the story that the others couldn't know because they weren't directly involved in them.
Parts where I fought monsters. Parts where I collected Spiritual Stones. Parts where I freed temples.
Some of the characters are familiar. Me, obviously, but Epona's in it too. And Navi – even if she didn't get familiar until a few days ago. Some are not. Like the Sages sitting around me.
Sheik's in this story too. Him and his harp. I can't help but notice though that Zelda's always got this funny look on her face when she talks about Sheik. Wonder why? The other Sages look kind of funny at those parts too. Like they've got a bad taste in their mouth – and Zelda put it there.
I'm starting to wonder about that princess . . .
I've got a bad taste in my mouth too. But it's from something else entirely . . .
As they're relating this story to me, something in my mind keeps telling me it's not a story. And it's backing it up with the visions I've been happening. Zelda tells me about how I broke into the Golden Palace . . . about a spirit in a well in Kakariko Village . . . about a frantic flight from Gannondorf's castle as he brought it down around us . . .
All things I've seen in my head . . . all things I've felt like I've done . . .
And then she starts in on how I finally defeated Gannon in the end . . .
" . . . while I was holding him with my powers as a Sage, you took the Master's Sword and . . ."
"Drove it into his head, right between his eyes," I say darkly. Everyone stares at me in surprise.
"I . . . yes," Zelda says. "That's right. How did you know that?"
"Because I saw it," I answer, getting to my feet without another word and walking away from the group, leaving them to stare after me in confusion.
Good. At last I'm not the only one who's confused.
I walk over to the tree where I'd been sitting earlier this morning and drop into a sitting position on the other side of it, so I don't have to watch the Sages or whatever they are talk about what they're going to do about me. After a moment of silent brooding, I reach behind me and draw the Master's Sword.
I hold it up in front of my face and stare at my reflection. Long blonde bangs fall out from underneath my hat, brushing the tops of my eyes, and hiding the base of my ears. Crystalline blue eyes peer back at me, challenging me, daring me to deny the things they've told me . . .
In the reflection I can see Zelda approaching my tree hesitantly. I frown and put the sword away. Why can't she just leave me alone right now? I hear her come up to me and I can sense her standing at the side of the tree, just behind me, but I don't turn to look.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks.
"Not to you," I respond shortly. I can picture her wincing. Navi's right. I am a jerk. There's a long awkward pause.
"You don't believe us, do you?" She asks. I give a short, humorless laugh.
"The problem, Princess, is that I do believe you," I answer. "The problem is, that even though I don't remember doing those things, or meeting those people, or being that person, I know, somehow, that I did those things, I met those people, and I was that person."
"You still are," she says softly. "That person." I don't reply again. There's another long pause. "You don't have to keep calling me Princess," she says finally, more to banish the silence than anything I think. "We used to be . . . to be friends. You can call me Zelda if you like."
"I don't," I reply. There's a rustling sound, as though she's shifting her weight, followed by a sigh. She turns to go back and join the others and I wince.
"Prin . . . Zelda, wait!" I call, twisting around and to my feet. I jog the few steps between us and grab her arm. She turns back around to look at me. "I'm sorry," I say hastily. "I know . . . I know I probably seem like a horrible person right now, and I'm sorry for that. I'm just . . . I just . . ." I sigh and shake my head, releasing her arm and letting my hand fall limply back at my side. "I'm sorry." She smiles and pats my shoulder gently.
"It's all right," she says. "I don't imagine this to be easy for you. I can't help but feel partly responsible . . ."
I suppose I should argue with her on that . . . it would be the polite thing to do . . .
"Anyway," she says after a moment, "I should get back to the others."
Not that anyone's ever accused me of being polite . . .
"You can come and join us again when you're ready," she says as she walks off. "We'll try and answer any questions you have."
"You're absolutely amazing, you know that?" Navi demands after she's left, zipping out from under my hat and into my face. "How can you be so callous? Couldn't you have comforted her some?"
"Why?" I ask blandly. "From what I understand she's totally responsible for this mess. Why lie to her about it? So she can feel better about making my life miserable? Don't think so . . . "
"You're so cruel!" She says, frowning darkly at me.
"You think that's cruel?" I ask, grinning wolfishly at her. "Watch this." Before she can react I reach out and snatch her out of the air. I lift up my hat, throw her under it, and pull it down tight over my head. "I'm starting to wonder why I ever wanted a fairy partner," I mutter under my breath as I move back towards the circle of Sages, ignoring the muffled, indignant, shouts coming from under my hat.
xxx
"So let me get this straight," I say. The Sages all groan. This is like . . . the millionth time we've been over this. So sue me! They've all got their memories . . . "I am the Hero of Time," I say. "The child chosen by destiny, blah, blah, blah. My job is . . ."
"To defend Hyrule, and all of time, from those like Gannondorf," Zelda says.
"Right," I say, digesting that. "And you're all Sages, who I freed from the temples, and your job is . . ."
"To help you defend Hyrule, and all of time, from those like Gannondorf," Zelda says.
"And we did this already?" I ask. Zelda nods.
"We did this already."
"And Gannondorf got sealed away in the realm outside of space and time?"
"Between the Sacred Realm and this world, that's right," Zelda says. Darunia gives a huge yawn. I throw him an apologetic grin and turn back to Zelda.
"And Navi left me?" I ask. She nods.
"That's right," she says.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because I couldn't last any longer away from the Kokiri forest," Navi says. "You may not be a Kokiri in blood, Link, but I'm still a Kokiri fairy." I frown.
"Why didn't you just go back before?" I ask. "Spend a bit of time there to recuperate?"
"You needed me," she says simply. "And you couldn't have spared the time to go back to Kokiri forest and wait for me to get my strength back." I make a face at her.
"I'm not that cold hearted," I say. "I get the feeling you didn't tell me about this little catch in you leaving the forest." Navi's guilty silence is all the answer I need. I frown at her and open my mouth to say more, but Impa interrupts.
"You and Navi can catch up later," she says impatiently. I turn to look at her and smirk.
"Wow! Seven whole words! It's a new record!" I say. Saria giggles, Darunia and Naboruu burst into laughter, Ruto looks appalled at my audacity, and Zelda's trying to hide a smile. Even that huge owl (perched on the top of the fence now) hoots in amusement. Impa's expression doesn't change.
"Forgive me for my lack of articulation then," she says with an absolutely straight face. "But I wasn't sure you could understand more than two words at a time." I blink at her as the group breaks into laughter again. I grin ruefully and rub the back of my head.
"Ouch," I say. "Remind me not to engage you in a battle of wits."
"Burn," Navi says. The Sheikah doesn't even crack a smile! Not so much as a twitch!
"You shouldn't equate silence with slowness," she says. "It's dangerous and foolhardy." I smirk at her.
"You sound like Sheik," I say. Now she smiles. That she finds amusing for some reason. Go figure. After a moment Zelda clears her throat.
"All right," she says, "back to the matter at hand." I blink and tear my gaze away from Impa's face.
"So after all that, my memories got erased, right?" I ask. Zelda nods.
"That's right," she says.
"Why?" I ask. Zelda suddenly becomes very interested in the patter sewn into the hem of her sleeve.
"It was for the best," she says. "We – " The other sages frown simultaneously at her and she winces. "I wanted you to be able to live a normal life . . . so . . . so I used the Ocarina of Time to erase your memories. You woke up on the day you would have met Navi as though nothing had happened." I frown and think all of that through.
"Did I know my memories were going to be erased?" I ask.
"Oh!" Zelda says suddenly. "Did you remember to bring the stones?" She asks, looking around at the sages. Saria, Ruto, and Darunia all give her knowing looks before holding out their hands and closing their eyes. Shimmering lights – green, blue, and red respectively – suddenly gleam into existence just above their outstretched hands and a shimmering sound hums brightly on the air. The sound reaches a crescendo and the lights flare brilliantly. When they fade again, the sages are holding three, exquisitely beautiful stones set into gold in the shape of the symbols of their races. The shimmering sound softens, but doesn't fade.
"These are the Spiritual Stones you searched for so long ago," Zelda says.
"The Kokiri's Emerald, Spiritual Stone of the Forest," Saria says. "Here you go Link!" And the green stone floats from her hand and begins to hover merrily in a circle around my head.
"The Goron's Ruby, Spiritual Stone of Fire," Darunia says. "Take care of it, Brother!" And the red stone floats from his hands and joins it's buddy in their orbit of my head.
"The Zora's Engagement Stone, Spiritual Stone of Water," Ruto says. I blink at her. Engagement Stone? What's that supposed to mean? "Take it respectfully!" The shimmering sapphire takes leave of her hands and joins the other two spinning around my head.
"These stones are the keys to the Sacred Realm," Zelda says. "The Hero of Time can use them, in conjunction with this –" There's suddenly a gleaming blue Ocarina in her outstretched hand. No shimmering or light that time. It just appeared. I frown and examine her gown. No pockets to be seen. I shake my head. Creepy Princess. " – to travel to and from the Sacred Realm, and to travel back and forth through Time." The Ocarina – the Ocarina of Time to be exact. Another one of those lovely little facts that come to me out of nowhere – floats over to me as well, but instead of circling my head it floats expectantly in front of me. Waiting . . . for what?
"Take it, dummy!" Navi hisses at my shoulder. Hmmm . . . someone's bitter about being shoved under my hat earlier . . . I reach out and grab the Ocarina and immediately the Spiritual Stones stop spinning and float in front of me. They begin to spin in place rapidly and then vanish in a flash of light. I gasp in horror.
"I didn't do it!" I cry. "Where'd they go? I didn't mean it! Honestly!" Zelda's lips are twitching oddly at the corners. If I didn't know better I'd say she was going to laugh at me (Darunia and Naboruu I can't help but notice are already laughing at me). I get the feeling I'm missing something here.
"It's all right, Link," Zelda says, grinning finally at me. "They were supposed to do that. When you get close to the alter where they're supposed to go they'll come back."
"Oh," I say lamely. "I knew that." Navi snorts and I shrug my shoulders violently. She topples off them and only just manages to catch herself. She kicks the back of my head before she settles back down on me.
"Some things never change," Impa says mildly, looking at me and Navi – currently involved in a glaring contest. We both turn to glare at her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" We demand simultaneously. Impa's expression doesn't change. Nor does she answer. Damn Sheikah. Zelda clears her throat again and I turn back to her.
"So . . . what, praytell am I supposed to do with these things?" I ask.
"Well, nothing yet," she says. " Until we figure out exactly what the Moblins are up to, I don't think we should be messing with Time and the Sacred Realm just yet."
"So why give them to me?" I ask, examining the Ocarina.
"Because they're yours," Zelda says. "You fulfilled the quests for the Spiritual Stones, whether or not you remember it, and the Ocarina of Time, belongs to the Hero of Time."
"Hmmm," I say noncommittally, slipping the Ocarina into my pouch. I turn back to face the Sages. "So, now that I've got the past more or less sorted out, how about you guys sort out the present for me!" I say brightly.
"Are you going to throw any more temper tantrums over what we tell you?" Ruto demands imperiously. Ruto does everything imperiously. I get the feeling she's not one to talk about throwing temper tantrums. I throw her a hooded glare.
"I might," I answer darkly.
"The present," Zelda says, interrupting Ruto's reply, "is currently very, very murky. We became aware of unusual Moblin activity about six years ago . . ."
"I thought we defeated the bad guys," I interrupt.
"We did," Zelda says, trying her best not to scold me for interrupting her. I can tell. She's got that look on her face that Malon gets when I interrupt her. Memo to self: Interrupt Zelda whenever possible. "But we didn't destroy them. We sealed Gannondorf – they're leader – away, but that doesn't mean we got rid of the Moblins who followed him. They just kind of faded back into the background for a while. They were a nuisance to travelers, and so on, but nothing major. About six years ago, however, they began to gather."
"Where?" I demand. "Where could a large group of Moblins possibly hope to hide?"
"The desert," Naboruu answers. I look at her. "I was the one who first noticed them. They were gathering in the desert, not far from my Temple. I sent a messenger to Zelda and since then we've been trying to work out a kind of treaty between our peoples." My brows draw down in confusion.
"But . . . the Gerudo and the Hyrulians weren't fighting," I point out. "Why did you need a treaty?"
"Because if Gannondorf actually manages to return, he will no doubt try to reclaim his rightful place as King of the Gerudo. If we have this treaty, we may be able to give the rest of the Gerudo an excuse not to follow him."
"You don't sound very hopeful," I can't help but note. Naboruu sighs.
"My people are very, very strict about tradition," she says. "Treaty or no treaty I've no doubt if Gannondorf returns a vast majority of them will follow him." Darunia frowns suddenly, as I scratch my head.
"So that's why there's so many Gerudo dignitaries in Castletown!" I say, more to myself than anyone. "I was wondering about that."
"Surely your people wouldn't follow him again, not after what happened last time," Darunia's saying. "They must realize that he's evil." Naboruu and Darunia quickly dissolve into an argument over the Gerudo, but I'm not paying attention to them. Something is nagging at the back of my mind.
Six years ago. I left the Kokiri's forest six years ago. Moblins started gathering six years ago. In a few months it will have been seven years. I'll be 18. The same age I was when I apparently fought and defeated Gannondorf . . . and now this Psycho Me is after me, an army of Moblins at his back, taking over Castletown, screaming about my blood and the seal. It can't be a coincidence, can it?
I've heard it said that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
Is that what this is?
Is history repeating itself?
My face darkens and I instinctively loosen the Master's Sword in its sheath.
"You look," Zelda says softly, beside me out of nowhere, "like you've come to some sort of conclusion." I turn to look at her, expression unchanging.
"We're in trouble."