The Legend of Zelda: The Return
"There are two great tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it."
– George Bernard Shaw
Chapter 16
Ever since, well, ever I've wanted to know who my parents are. I wanted to know what they looked like, I wanted to know what they sounded like, smelled like, felt like. I wanted to know their personalities. I wanted to know what they liked, what they didn't like, what they cared about and what they didn't care about. Hell, I would have been happy for a while with their names.
I wished myself to sleep every night for some inkling about my past. Something, anything that would tell me who I am and where I come from.
Somehow, this wasn't what I mean when I said I wanted to know about my past . . .
I raise the Master Sword and drive it through the back of the Moblin attacking the father I never met. The Moblin falls with a scream and I whirl around to fend off the next one as Brayden throws himself at another.
Natalia's still running, little Link clutched tightly in her arms.
She fought bitterly about leaving until I ordered her . . . I tried to use Bruiser's tone of voice . . . it worked well enough. She wasn't happy with me, but it worked and that's the important thing. She wasn't about to turn down an order from her king.
That's another thing I never, ever expected.
Me . . . King of the Gerudo . . .
I still don't think I believe it.
I watch Natalia run.
She might make it . . . if Brayden and I can hold off the Moblins long enough for her to get into the woods . . . she just might make . . .
The thought dies in my mind before I can complete it. Detsu's spotted her. His face twists in fury and he drives his heels into his horses flank. It leaps into a run after her. Detsu raises his hands and the black energy I've come to associate with evil people starts to swirl around him. My heart hammers against my ribs.
"No!" I shout, slashing through the Moblin in front of me and whirling out of the fray. I ram the Master Sword into its sheath my back and rip my bow off my shoulder, reaching into my quiver and tearing out an arrow. I nock it to the bow and take aim, letting the bowstring loose with an audible twang . . .
I'm too late . . .
The ebony bolt sails from his hands just as my arrow rips through his left shoulder. Detsu cries out and falls from his horse as Natalia screams in pain and topples to the ground. Little Link falls from her arms and rolls with a frightened cry. I waste no time.
I ran his right shoulder through before and it didn't stop him.
An arrow in his left isn't going to do anything short of annoy him.
"Link! Wait!" Brayden cries as I trade my bow for my sword and head for Detsu at a dead run. He starts after me in a desperate attempt to stop me from what is pretty much tantamount to suicide, but the Moblins stop him. He slashes furiously at them. "LINK!"
Detsu's three feet away from Natalia and little Link when I take a flying leap towards him, sword drawn, screaming a battle cry. He turns at the cry and rips his sword out of its sheath.
Moron. I'm a moron!
Why did I do that? Why did I let him know I was coming? The only advantage I had was surprise, and then I go and scream a battle cry . . . what in Din's name is wrong with me?
Now I'm going to die.
Lovely.
Natalia groans from her position on the ground and little Link pulls urgent on her sleeve.
Thank the goddesses.
She's alive.
Not that I have much time to be happy about it. Kind of busy with tall, dark and ugly.
"Who are you?" Detsu demands furiously, frustration flashing through his crimson eyes. I understand now why I don't like his eyes. They remind me of Ganondorf's . . .
"My name is Link," I say, blocking his sword with mine and slashing at him. My back screams in pain, but I ignore it. "Hero of Time, at your disservice."
"Hero of . . .," Detsu says in surprise as he rakes his blade across my shoulder. "So, the legends are true." His eyes narrow. "Thank you for confirming my master's suspicion's about this boy," he says with a cruel grin. "To think I might have actually let him live . . ."
I know he's lying . . . he never would have let the kid live . . . and he didn't need me to confirm anything . . . but . . .
Moron, moron, moron, moron, moron!
No. I don't think moron's a harsh enough word.
I gasp as Detsu slashes at me again. I just manage to block it. He takes advantage of the time it takes me to recover from the blow to spin around behind me and slam the hilt of his sword into the still bleeding wound in my back. Stars explode in front of my eyes and I cry out and fall to the ground.
"LINK!" Natalia cries, awake now – obviously. She surges to her feet and tears her scimitar from it's sheath at her waist, throwing herself furiously at Detsu with a shouted cry.
Goddess I'm in pain . . . the hold in my back must be worse than I thought at first . . . or Detsu made it worse . . . it's all I can do to push myself back to my hands and knees, but I can't get further than that. I can hear Natalia and Detsu having it out behind me. I open my eyes painfully.
I can see Hyrule Castle in the distance . . .
It hasn't changed much over the years . . .
Someone grabs my arm and hauls me to my feet. I stagger and fall against them for a minute.
"Easy, Link," Brayden says. "Are you all right?"
"Sure," I lie between clenched teeth. "I'm fine. Where's my sword?" I suddenly feel its cool hilt against my palm and I look down at little Link, his face deadly serious.
"Will you hurt him for me?" He asks, his crystalline eyes intent on me. "I'm not big enough . . ." I nod at him.
"I'll hurt him for us both," I say, clenching my sword tightly.
"You can hardly walk," Brayden hisses at me. "For love of Nayru, you're bleeding to death. How are you supposed to hurt anyone?" I shake my head to clear it and glare at Detsu.
"If I hold my sword right all I've got to do is fall on him and he'll get hurt, right?" I ask. "Or maybe if I just lie down he'll trip over his own two feet and fall on my sword or something."
"You're not serious!" Brayden says, staring at me disbelievingly.
"I try not to be," I answer, pushing away from him and standing unsteadily on my own two feet. I look around, measuring our situation. Most of the Moblins are lying dead in a pile over there. I'd love to say I'm responsible for at least half of the dozen or so that are there, but I think I killed like . . . three. No, two and a half. I finished off one of Brayden's. There are still five or six left. They're all busy looking from the pile of their dead buddies and us and trying to decide what's worse: what Detsu will do to them if they run away now, or what we'll do to them if they don't. Tough choice. If they weren't Moblins I might feel bad for them. Nothing that smells that bad is worth my pity though.
And then there's us. Natalia's wilting as we watch. It's hard to say how badly that bolt hurt her since she's hiding it for all she's worth – in true Gerudo fashion – but I know for sure she's much worse off than she's letting on. Brayden's got a severe limp going on and is bloodied and bruised from head to foot. Fighting off a dozen Moblins doesn't come without its price. Even little Link's kind of messed up. He's got a scrape on his cheek and a skinned elbow from his fall from his mother's arms and his hair's wilder than usual.
Detsu, minus the arrow in his shoulder and the hits that Natalia, unlike me, is landing, is doing peachy keen. He could probably take us all right now if he wanted to. But I think he's enjoying playing with us. I think that's a mental deficiency that comes with being evil. They can't just kill you and let it go at that. Noooooo . . . they have to rub it in first.
"What do you think are our odds for making it to Kokiri Forest if we run for it now?" Brayden shakes his head grimly.
"We're still a half day's walk away," he says. "We'll never make it. It's too far."
Natalia suddenly screams in pain and falls to the ground. Detsu laughs and turns to me. Little Link whimpers and hides his face in Brayden's leg.
"Are we gonna die?" He asks.
Whatever answer Brayden was going to give little Link is lost in the flashback that slams into my mind at the same time as Detsu slams into my body . . .
"We're gonna die," I say flatly, staring up at the ominous form of DeathMountain.
"Pssshhhtt," Navi says derisively. "Don't be so pessimistic. Geez, it's your first adventure and already you've decided you're going to die?" I cross my arms and glare at her.
"First things first," I say crankily, "I'd say that getting rid of that . . . thing inside the Great Deku Tree counts as an adventure. Not to mention being the only Kokiri to ever leave the Forest and live. And, second of all, I didn't decide that I'm going to die. I said we're going to die. Bit of a difference."
"What difference?" Navi demands.
"The difference between me being able to spend my last few moments on this earth in peace, and me spending them with you complaining the whole time I'm trying to die." She gives my ear a shove.
"Jerk," she says. We stand in silence for a moment more, staring up at the mountain. She can say what she wants, but Navi knows as well as I do that this is impossible. How am I of all people supposed to get the Goron's Ruby? Do I just walk up to their king and say, "Hey there! My name is Link and I would like you to give me your most sacred of sacred stones. Here! I have a note from the Princess Zelda! See? She would like it too. Apparently we have to save the world. No, you're right, she doesn't have very nice handwriting. I think she's a bit crazy too. And very stuck up as well. I don't think she realizes that she's just a little girl. And I'm just a little boy. And there's no way we're going to be able to do what she's talking about. But anyway, about that stone . . ."
Yeah . . . that'll go over well . . .
I wonder what Goron's eat . . .
Probably Kokiri.
I smile evilly.
Maybe they eat fairies.
"Hey, Link," Navi says, "maybe we should go talk to Saria about all of this. Fill her in. I bet she'd love to hear this story." I stare at her incredulously.
"What?" I cry. "Why? It's too far. It'll take us all afternoon to get there. And then we'd have to walk all the way back here so we can go and get ourselves killed on DeathMountain. I think I'd rather spare myself the walk and just skip right to the dead part thank you very much."
"Don't you want to go home for a bit?" Navi asks, fluttering up in front of my face. I frown at her.
"Why?" I ask. "So that Mido and the others can keep going on about how I killed the Deku Tree?" I shake my head bitterly and bite back the tears that still threaten to overwhelm me whenever I think about the Great Deku Tree. "Thanks but no thanks."
"Oh get over yourself, Link!" Navi cries, dashing at my face suddenly. I take a surprised step back.
"Hey!" I cry.
"Saria's probably worried sick about you!" She cries, flying at me again, I take several steps back as she continues to lunge at me, herding me backwards.
"What's gotten into you?" I cry, raising my hands as she drives me back another step . . .
. . . and the ground suddenly falls out from under me.
I cry out in surprise as the world disappears and I slide down a long tunnel, flying out its other end and back into the daylight. I land hard on the ground. When my mind is once again able to comprehend more than the shock and pain in my tailbone I suddenly become aware of very familiar sounds. And I'm in a very familiar place.
The Lost Woods . . .
I'm in the Lost Woods . . .
That psychotic little rat with wings shoved me down a Lost Door. She flutters down and out the end of the tunnel that I shot out of and hovers in front of my face, smirking at me.
"I hate you," I say flatly.
"No," she says brightly, "you love me."
The flashback fades and I struggle to bring my mind back around to reality. The last thing I remember was Detsu hitting me . . .
The world suddenly comes back into focus and I stare in horror at what happened during the short time I was out of it.
Natalia's bleeding badly from a wound in her side, her head in Brayden's lap. Little Link is clutching his father's waist tightly and Brayden as one arm wrapped around him protectively. The Moblins remaining apparently decided what Detsu would do to them would be worse because they're standing in a tight semi-circle around the little family.
And Detsu . . . Detsu has a knife pressed firmly against my throat.
So. This is how my parents died.
Their moronic son decided to take a trip back in time one day and let himself be used against them.
I'm so brilliant sometimes I amaze myself.
But wait . . . this can't be the end . . . at least . . . not of Natalia and little Link . . . they make it to the Kokiri Forest somehow . . .
Unless . . . unless I screwed something up . . .
Unless I changed something by coming back . . .
But I don't think I can. I'm the Hero of Time . . . I don't think it works like that . . .
My eyes widen suddenly.
The Lost Door . . .
That's it!
I struggle in Detsu's grasp. The knife cuts deeper into my throat but I don't care. I scan the area around us.
There! That's where it is! That hill!
Detsu gives me a rough jerk and forces me to be still again.
"Bring me the boy," he hisses. Brayden's grip on little Link tightens and he glares defiantly at the Moblins, but Detsu's grip tightens on me and Brayden freezes, at a loss . . . he wants to protect his son . . . but which son does he protect? I meet his eyes, trying to make him understand with a look . . . it's all right . . . I know what to do . . . he stares at me for a moment. One of the Moblins grabs little Link and roughly takes him away and Brayden closes his eyes tightly, probably praying to all three Goddesses that I know what I'm doing.
He's not the only one praying to the Goddesses . . .
The Moblin carries little Link over to Detsu (upside down as a matter of fact. His face is getting all red, but I can't tell if it's from anger or just from the blood rushing to it) and hold him out.
"Take him," Detsu says, shaking my roughly. "I'll kill you both in one go." It's all I can do not to cry with relief. At that went well.
Now if I can just pull off the rest of it.
I reach out and take little Link, righting him. The red doesn't fade from his face. Must be anger. Good.
"Help me," I whisper to little Link as Detsu turns back to the Moblin. I flick my eyes down to Detsu's arm and an evil grin of understanding lights up the kid's face. He grabs hold of Detsu's arm and sinks his teeth into it as hard as he can. Detsu shrieks in surprise and jumps backwards, letting me go. I leap forward, little Link still in my arms, making a face at Detsu's taste and trying to get the blood out of his mouth.
"STOP HIM!" Detsu shrieks, clutching his arm.
The magic flares inside me as I throw myself into a standing position over Natalia.
"DIN'S FIRE!" I scream. A dome of crimson flame erupts around us and extends outwards, striking the stunned Moblins and setting them to running around and screaming as they burn. Detsu stares at the flames then turns and runs the other way. They fade out just before they catch him.
I turn to Brayden, who's already on his feet and helping Natalia get there. She leans heavily on him, clutching her side.
"I can get them to Kokiri Forest," I say, transferring little Link to my back. "There's a Lost Door just over there. It'll take us into the Lost Woods."
"But . . . won't you be . . ." I shake my head.
"I grew up in the Lost Woods, remember?" I ask. "I can lead them through it. They'll be fine." I hesitate then. "But we'll never make it if Detsu . . ." His face hardens.
"Say no more," he says. "I'll distract Detsu."
"I'm sorry," I whisper. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Detsu heading towards us now that the fire's gone. "I wish there was another way . . ."
"Just go," he says sternly, transferring Natalia over to my shoulder. She stares helplessly at him and opens her mouth. He presses his lips fiercely to hers before she can say anything. A single tear cracks through her iron resolve and rolls down her cheek
"Save your strength," he whispers. "You'll need it to survive." He gently wipes the tear away. It's a false hope and everyone here but little Link knows it. She closes her eyes tightly and looks away from him. He fixes me with a single look that somehow makes up for all the years I spent by myself . . . for all the years he wasn't with me . . .
"I'm proud of you son," he whispers, drawing his sword and turning around. He runs for Detsu and I force myself to look away from him and move as fast as possible for the Lost Door. The Moblins are still either running around and screaming and trying to put out the fire on them or lying on the ground in a blackened heap twitching.
I'm not afraid we won't make it. I know we will.
And I know what will happen when we get there . . .
I focus on the pain in my back – aggravated by little Link's presence there. It hurts so bad, but it hurts less than thinking right now . . .
A few moments later we stand on the brink of the Lost Door. Natalia's nearly unconscious and little Link's crying softly against the back of my neck. The ride down is rough . . . I call up the magic.
"Nayru's Love," I whisper and the blue shield springs into existence around us. I turn my head, unable to resist one last glance back at Brayden . . . my father . . . he brings his sword down across Detsu's chest, leaving a nasty gash. Detsu doesn't even falter. He reverses his grip on his sword and slams the hilt into Brayden's head . . . he goes down with a crash.
Detsu looks up and focuses on me, his crimson eyes narrowed in frustration and anger and hatred. I return the glare tenfold, then turn and jump down the Lost Door before I can start crying or something equally not heroic . . .
We skid down the hole and fly out the other end. The shield protects us from the impact and I let it dissipate once we're on the ground. I force myself back to my feet and try and help Natalia to hers. She tries, but she can't. She's too weak, and I'm not strong enough anymore to help her any further.
"Farore," I swear, rubbing my eyes.
"Mama?" Little Link whimpers, climbing off my back and moving over to her. "Mama?" The world shimmers gently around us and a green light infuses everything. When it fades we're in the middle of the Great Deku Tree's glade, safely beneath his protective leaves.
"Welcome, Hero of Time," says a familiar voice. I try and swallow around the lump in my throat.
"Hello Great Deku Tree," I say thickly. "I . . . I suppose you know about . . ."
"I do," he says, his voice heavy with sadness. "I am sorry, Link."
"And there's nothing you can do?" I whisper, unable to bring my voice any higher than that. Little Link curls up beside his mother and starts to cry. The Deku Tree doesn't answer. He doesn't need to I guess. I already know. I blink furiously.
"It's not fair," I whisper. "This isn't fair . . . why . . . why can't they . . . I mean . . . why do they . . ." For a moment the only sound in the glade is little Link's wracking sobs as he clings to his mother's form.
"Link . . .?" Natalia calls weakly after a moment. She groans and opens her eyes, peering at us . . .. "Link?"
"I'm here," little Link and I both whisper at the same time. A small smile creases her face.
"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I can't stay with you . . ."
"Why?" We whisper simultaneously.
"I'm dying, Link," she whispers. I furiously swipe at my eyes. Blunt as usual . . . even in the face of death. "You have to be strong now. I know . . . I never . .. said . . . it . . . but . . ." She winces suddenly and gives a pained gasp. A pain filled smile fills her face. "I thought it . . . would make . . . you stronger. If you didn't know. If . . . if you thought you . . . had . . .to work for it. But . . . now . . . that seems . . . so foolish . . ." She reaches out with on arm and wraps it around little Link, and with her other hand she touches my face gently. Several tears break free finally and roll down my face. "I'm proud of you, Link," she says, her voice so low I almost can't hear her. "So proud . . . you grew up into . . . into a fine man. Worthy . . . of your father . . . worthy . . . of . . . the Gerudo . . . I'm sorry . . . I never told you . . . I do love you." She winces again and her hand falls away. "I'm sorry . . ."
"Mama?" Little Link whispers, clutching her tightly. He shakes her. "Mama?" He cries. I bury my face in my hands.
So . . .
Now I know . . .
A single sob manages to escape me before the running, the blood loss, and the past few days events suddenly all come crashing down on me . . .
I lose consciousness.
xxx
I come to curled into a tight ball against the familiar bark of the Great Deku Tree. Somebody bandaged my back and arm and wrapped a blanket around me. It's Saria's blanket . . . I close my eyes. Even before she knew me she looked out for me . . .
"How art thou?" The Great Deku Tree asks, concern in his voice. I shake my head wordlessly, unable to voice, or even describe, the way I feel right now.
"It hurts," the Deku Tree says softly. "Losing something ye love always does . . . but ye know that. Better than most I think. And ye know too that the pain does not go away . . ." I nod silently. "But that is a good thing, Link." I look up at him in surprise. "If the pain goes away that means you have forgotten. The fact that the pain – though it will fade with time – never completely leaves, means that ye will never forget. Now ye know, Link, who ye are, and where ye come from. And even though it hurts . . . ye will never forget. No one will ever be able to take that away from ye." I nod again, not really understanding, but I still feel better . . . not much, but a bit. There's silence for a moment more.
"Link, I wish I could give ye more time to heal," the Deku Tree says finally, "emotionally and physically. But . . ."
"Hunter!" I gasp suddenly, my eyes widening. "And Neesha!" I struggle into a sitting position. "Farore! Detsu's going to . . ."
"Settle down, Link!" The Deku Tree says. I get to my feet and lean against him.
"I can't! I have to find a Pedestal! I have to get back!" The Great Deku Tree's face creaks up into a smile.
"That, I may be able to help ye with," he says. "Look to the grass beneath your feet." Frowning in confusion I drop to my knees on the ground. I blink in surprise. There's an odd looking patch of grass. My eyes widen when I look closer at it. It's not grass! It's vines! I hastily pull at the vines, pulling them away.
Buried at the foot of the Great Deku Tree is a Pedestal of Time. A small rectangle of white marble gleams up at me, the Triforce engraved on it reflecting the sun. There's a slit – just big enough to slip the Master Sword into. I draw the blade and it rings brightly, flashing blue in the sunlight.
"Farewell Hero of Time," the Great Deku Tree says as I drive my blade into the slit. "Farewell Link, son of Brayden and Natalia!"
The world turns to blue around me and the Great Deku Tree's Glade disappears . . .