The Legend of Zelda :
Fate VS Destiny
Chapter 8 : Farore's Emerald
* ~ * ~ *
"I have to do WHAT?!" exclaimed Zelda as she looked down the hole.
"Jump down. Why? You scared?" he said. He wasn't mocking.
She looked at him. "No!"
"Well, then, what is it?"
She peered down the hole again. "It's just that . . . I can't see the bottom . . . Are you sure you've done this before?" she asked.
"Loads of times," he assured her. "Besides, the view is totally worth it. Trust me."
//Trust me.//
Somehow, these two simple words brought a strange unknown sensation swelling all over her body. She stood up and smiled.
"Alright. I'll do it."
Brushing off the leaves and twigs from her cape, she walked to the edge of the hole and-
"Geronimo!" she yelled.
Link peered down as she fell deeper into the darkness, and after making sure he heard a soft thud, telling him she had landed safely, he jumped in after her. He landed on a light blue platform inside a huge cave-like room. Small butterflies fluttered around him. He picked up a long stick on the floor and held it still. Slowly, just slowly, the flying creatures swooped in and gently sat on the stick. Wanting to show the Princess, he carefully walked toward the girl (who had her back toward him) and he quietly held the stick near her. And then, the little butterflies flew up and settled on her shoulder.
But she was too distracted with what was in front of her to notice.
Glittering under the light shining from the ceiling stood a very large tree containing sparkling silver leaves and millions of fruits of all shapes and colors imaginable. She had never seen such a thing in her entire damn royal life. It was only when the butterfly flew from her shoulder and brushed her soft cheek that she came back to her senses.
"How did you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?"
He realized she was talking about the butterfly.
"Oh, that. It's just a little trick I learned from who-knows-where."
Zelda stared for a while, thinking about his answer, nodded and turned back to the tree. "You were right," she said. "The sight is beautiful . . . "
Without warning, she took off her cape for the first time, revealing a dark blue traveling dress and a large quiver on her back. A nice flowery smell suddenly filled his nostrils.
"What kind of showers do you royals take, anyway?" he asked before he could stop himself.
She stared at him before answering, "Um . . . no, it's not that. I always play in my personal gardens after my 'lessons', chasing birds. I guess that's how I got my scent . . . " She took out her bow and arrow before giving him a suspicious look. "Why?"
Caught off guard, he stammered, "Huh? Oh, er . . . Nothing . . . just curious, that's all . . . Hey, what exactly are you going to do with that?" He pointed at her weapon half afraid he might play a certain role of 'target'.
Without answering, she shot an arrow towards the tree. It hit a branch so hard, that it wiggled and wriggled and all the fruits it was carrying came tumbling down.
"C'mon, you didn't actually think I would climb up there, did you? No thank you. Not with these clothes," she answered.
"Yeah, I get it. Only now my tree will be filled with arrows . . . " he said, scratching the back of his head (hat).
She lowered her bow. "Oh, right, I forgot. Wait just a minute."
She slowly lifted her hand and pointed at the dangling arrow, which suddenly began to fade and finally disappeared.
"Wh- where'd it go?!" he exclaimed.
"Back in my quiver. Like this, I won't waste any arrows when I use them. But I still have a lot to learn when it comes to magic."
"Really? Like what?"
"Like attack and defense tactics. But I'm making progress. What I AM good at comes to curses, spells and enchantments."
She smiled and bent down to pick up the fallen fruits.
"Careful with the twisted purple ones," he warned. "They're sour. And watch out for the pink ones, they explode after a while."
"That's okay," she said picking up a blue heart-shaped plum. "I love sour taste, and I don't mind getting dirty for once. You should try staying at the palace for thirty minutes."
Link picked up a red star-shaped fruit and dropped it in his basket. "That bad, huh?"
"Of course," she said. "My step-mum always gets over her nerves. Once, she claimed to have a heart-attack only because I'd gotten dust under my shoes! Mother didn't use to mind . . . " She quickly shook her head, swaying her golden hair around in the process, and shot another arrow at a nearby branch, bringing down more fruits.
Link stayed silent. He was amazed. Was this the Princess he was supposed to meet? No -wait- that couldn't be the Princess . . . It was more like a mask . . . The mask of a beautiful, yet caring Princess, and under that was . . .
a tomboy???!!!
No way! And yet, it felt so . . . natural talking to Zelda. Just like it felt natural being with Malon and chatting with Saria.
Weird.
At long last, their baskets were full, and Zelda was swirling her cape around her again when she asked, "Um . . . Link? How exactly are we going to get back up?"
"Don't worry. I got it covered. Just stand on the blue platform!"
She stared at him, then at the platform, the back at him. She sighed.
"You make it sound so easy . . . "
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Um . . . -excuse me- Princess?" asked Saria from across the table.
Zelda swallowed her mouthful of fruit jelly. "Please, call me Zelda."
"Of course -Zelda- . . . see . . . Link may not have told you this but . . . he's been looking for something . . . it's the-"
"Oracle, I know," she finished. "Link told me that." She looked at Link for a few seconds with a sudden, serious look on her face. Now, she looked more like a princess that ever! "But it won't be easy," she said in a low voice. "There are things you'll need and things you need to find, each one at a price (don't ask, I have no idea what) . . . " She started counting them off with her fingers. "You'll need to know the song of the Royal Family -I can teach you that-, you'll need three specific jewels -you must find those- , and I think I'm forgetting somethi- Oh, yes! The Amulet -I can give that to you- . . ."
They kept staring.
"Um . . . That's it."
Link spoke. "Seems like a lot, doesn't it?"
She shrugged. "I suppose so . . . "
"So all Link needs are those three gems. What are they?" said Saria.
"There is only one of each in the entire world. They are priceless and very valuable. They're called: Farore's Emerald, Din's Ruby, and Nayru's Sapphire. Each of them is kept by some sort of Guardian. These gems and Guardians are only visible when one possesses the Amulet."
"So the Lenses of Truth wouldn't work on them?" asked Link.
She answered with a curious look.
"It's this magnifying glass-like device I use to see invisible stuff, no big deal," he said.
"Really?!" She shook her head. "No, I don't think something like that could make them appear. These Guardians are mystical creatures. But where in Hyrule did you find such an item?" She regretted asking the question as soon as she had said it.
It seemed to worry him for some reason. He laughed nervously. "I'm sorry! I really can't remember," he said. "Every time I try to get a clear image, this dark old well pops up!"
And to his amazement, she smiled too.
"I know what you mean. I was once hit by a vision and I saw myself surrounded by fire in a dark room. Then, these two strange skeleton creatures emerge. I don't knoe what's wrong with me . . . "
Saria couldn't help but stare at her feet. This was going to be a tight conversation. Navi noticed that, too, and decided to change the subject.
"So, do you have the 'Amulet'?" she asked the Princess.
"No," she said shaking her head. "But I can still give it to you."
They all watched curiously as she held out her palm and muttered something under her breath. Then, out of nowhere, a necklace suddenly appeared in her hand. There was a round, golden amulet attached to it with three holes forming a triangle on it. It was absolutely gorgeous and cute! ^.^
"These are the spots where you need to place the three gems," said Zelda pointing at the holes. "When all three of them are in place, you'll be able to see the Oracle."
Link observed the object closely. He had never seen something so bright and shiny. "Now, all we need is to find those famous jewels," he said, more to himself than anybody else. "Do you have any idea where they are?"
Zelda thought. "Well, for one thing, I know that one of them is hidden somewhere here. That's a head start for you."
As if on cue, Saria looked suddenly very excited and anxious. She suddenly sat up with such a jolt, that her chair fell backwards onto the floor. The two Hylians stared at her in surprise.
"I - I think I know where it is - Farore's Emerald - I know where it's hidden!!!!" she said breathlessly. "Come on! Follow me!!!"
She ran out of the door without giving them the time to say something about it. Without hesitation, the two young Hylians ran after her, leaving their feasts behind.
*~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Saria, are you taking us to the Forest Meadow?" asked Link as he followed his friend through the tunnels of the Lost Woods, Zelda at his heels.
"No," replied the Kokiri. "You don't know about this place. I found it a few months ago at night. I was sitting against a tree when I suddenly fell and . . . I think . . . Yes, here it is."
They were standing near the edge of a cliff right above green fields lit by sunlight. A single tree stood alone with its (only) branch holding a round, wooden target. Near the tree were two round platforms with two weird looking creatures standing on each of them, playing their flutes. They almost looked like scarecrows.
"We can get down there by using this," said Saria, pointing at a ladder tied to the wall of the cliff.
Without hesitation, she climbed halfway down, jumped and landed with a thud. Link turned to Zelda.
"Ladies first!" he said.
As soon as they both climbed down, though, the weird creatures jumped to the ground, yelling, "It's him! It's him!" and started shooting what looked like white leaves at them. Link easily blocked them with his shield; Saria ducked; Zelda moved out of the way and hid behind the tree. These leaves looked sharp.
"Go away! Leave us alone!" yelled Saria.
She took out her slingshot and fired rocks at each of them, who vanished during back flips. The Princess dusted herself.
"What were those things?" she asked in shock.
"Skull Kids," grunted Navi. "They're children that get lost in the forest. Try and avoid them as much as you can, mind."
"They don't like adults much," said Link, answering her puzzled look. "That's why they hate us . . . "
He turned and looked at his Kokiri friend, who was too busy patting down the tree bark, as if looking for a secret switch. She finally found what she was looking for and pulled. A door suddenly swung open revealing a dark hole on the ground inside the tree trunk.
"I think that the Guardian and the Emerald are in there," Saria said. "I couldn't see them before because they were invisible, like you said, Princess."
Link bent down and peered at the hole. "Alright, then," he said.
He stood up and jumped in, followed by Navi and Saria. The Princess looked down the hole, disgusted at the thought of jumping in. After a while, she dropped in as well. When she landed, though, she saw to her great horror that her friends were in the center of a large circular room. They were examining the statue of a hideous bug the size of a bed before them. It looked like shell-covered ant.
Zelda panicked.
"Link! Saria! WATCH OUT!" she yelled.
But as soon as she said it, millions of thin vine-like roots sprouted from the ground around the Hylian boy creating a large arena, separating him from the girls. Two thick vines suddenly seized Saria around the waist and neck and lifted her up, up in the air, choking her to death. Link didn't have time to react. The bug statue they had seen earlier came to life as four black and green wings emerged from its back. The monster let out a high-pitched scream and the boy backed up.
"Sweet merciful Din," he moaned.
~
Saria struggled against the roots but they only squeezed tighter. She almost couldn't breathe. Zelda panicked. The Kokiri was too high for her to reach; she needed a long-range weapon. She quickly seized her bow and fired an arrow at the roots sustaining her friend.
Nothing happened.
"Great. Just great," she muttered.
~
Link wasn't having anymore fun on his side of the field. The butterfly monster was flying in circles above him, shooting what looked like poisonous fangs at him. Navi was glowing a deep, yellow color as she hovered near the bug-like creature.
"Link!" she shouted over the monster's yells. "Hitting her with your sword won't do you any good, right now! You have to get rid of her wings, first!"
As if she had been listening, the guardian flew even faster and shot even more fangs, which Link dodged.
"And how the HECK do I do that, eh?" he muttered under his breath as he help up his shield.
~
"Saria! Hold on!" Zelda yelled in panic.
She knew that the Kokiri girl couldn't hang on much longer. She had to do something! But what?! Zelda was known for her knowledge all over Hyrule back at the castle, and people looked up to her for advice and instructions for their problems. Maybe, with a lot of luck, that knowledge would help her again? The Princess calmed down, and thought quickly. Plants were pretty vulnerable to fire, right? But she couldn't use magic to attack or shoot fireballs at them. She hadn't mastered THIS part of learning and would probably blow up the whole interior, like she almost did to her room the first time she had tried. But then, what WAS she good at?
And then it hit her.
Of course!
She quickly seized her next arrow and touched the tip of it, muttering a quick spell. She had to hurry, every second passing by meant less air in Saria's lungs. The arrow's head suddenly (and finally) glowed a deep blood- red color surrounded by a strange orange aura.
She had created the sacred Fire Arrows.
She immediately took out her bow - aimed her magical arrow - fired -
Bull's Eye!!!!!!
A clear hit!!!
The vines moaned and yelped in agony. Her plan worked. Now, their insides were burning at high speed. And as expected, they quickly gave up and released the Kokiri, who landed on Zelda. Saria let out a sharp long gasp and coughed uncontrollably. The Princess let out a quivered sigh of relief. Thank the Goddesses she was still alive!
"Saria! Are you alright?!"
"Yes . . . " she gasped massaging her throat. "I . . . I'm fine. Thank you so much!"
The green haired girl quickly stood and helped her up. She glanced at where the vines had been. They were nowhere in sight (they obviously had sunk back under the ground due to the great amount of pain), leaving a small gap between the other roots creating the arena where Link and that butterfly- freak were. She was about to take a step forward when two new (and healthy) vines sprouted from where the previous ones had been. Saria quickly backed away, scared out of her wits at the thought of being strangled again, and looked up at Zelda.
"Saria," she said. "When I tell you to, I want you to stand in front of this -barrier- and distract it until I hit them with my Fire Arrows."
Saria looked puzzled. "Yes, but what - "
"And when I do, they might as well sink back to the ground, if I'm right. This should give you enough space (and time) to run past them and hand my bow and quiver to Link."
The Kokiri finally understood. "Gotcha," she said.
Zelda nodded. "Good. Now, when I hand you my bow, you run. Fast. Got it?"
The Princess took two more arrows and gave her the quiver. Saria set it behind her back and stepped up to the roots. She stuck out her tongue at them. "Hey, slime brains!" she yelled. "Think you can catch me?!"
Obviously angered, they (three of them) launched themselves at her -well they TRIED to, but they were sustained to the ground, remember that- and missed. Zelda took this opportunity and shot her magical arrows at them.
Two more Bull's-Eyes!!!
She quickly handed her bow to the Kokiri girl as the roots howled in pain and sunk to the ground and watched as the little girl sprinted through the gap untouched. But to her great dismay, two healthy vines seized HER by the arms and held her firmly to the spot.
"For the love of Nayru," she moaned.
~
Saria had run past the roots safely and found herself in the arena clutching the bow and quiver in her hands. She could see Link. He was crouched behind his shield, blocking of the fangs the bug creature was shooting at him. She quickly ran up to him (making sure not to drop anything).
"Link!" she shouted.
He saw her and pulled her behind him.
"Saria, how the hell did you - "
"There's no time to explain! You have to use these to kill that -thing- !"
She showed him Zelda's weapons since he was too busy maintaining his shield; that bug was strong. He took one glance at them and shook his head.
"But Saria, I can't - "
"Trust me, Link!" she said, cutting him for the second time. "You CAN do this! I KNOW you can! Please! I need to help Zelda!"
There was such an urgency in her voice that he looked at where the Princess was (a vine was now wrapping itself around her neck) and back at Saria. He quickly nodded.
"Okay. Take care."
"You too!"
He stood up, set his shield behind his back, took the quiver and bow and broke into a run the opposite direction doing all this in an extremely fast speed. Seeing this, the butterfly monster flew right after him while Saria ran back to the spot where Zelda was being held. Link ran faster still, making it hard for the giant bug to keep up . . . which was exactly what he wanted.
She finally slowed down.
Link took an arrow from the quiver and set it to the bow. He somehow knew what to do. It was his first try at archery and yet - . . . it somehow felt so natural. He stopped running, turned around and fired. Caught off guard, the Guardian did everything she could to get out of the way.
The arrow hit her left eye.
She let out a long, high-pitched scream and whirled around, trying to hide her face. Link took this opportunity and cut off her wings with two quick slashes from his sword. The creature screeched even more while what looked like green goo leaked from her back, right from the spot where her wings had been. Half blind and unable to fly, she ran away as fast as her many straw-like legs could carry her. She was very slow.
"Oh, no, you don't," he muttered.
Link ran around her, causing him to face her and stroked her neck. Her body stood still as her head fell to the ground and rolled away across the floor. Link looked up. More green goo seemed to be leaking from her neck. Her dead body finally collapsed to the ground and, without warning, exploded, sending bits of green blood and flesh everywhere (yew!). He found the heart. It was black and stained, desperately trying to pump any remaining green liquid. Deciding not to stain his leather boots, he pushed his sword right through it.
The beating stopped.
It was over.
As soon as they had come, the vines suddenly disappeared; causing Saria to fall back (she had been trying to pull them off Zelda). The Princess gently stroked her throat, relieved she was still breathing.
"Zelda! Your plan worked!" she said triumphantly, dancing up and down. "He won!"
She looked at her and smiled. "I'm glad," she sighed.
They both ran toward him. Suddenly, the room lit up and a mystic creature appeared before them. She had dark green hair with sparkling emerald eyes and was wearing a light green robe. White and green wings sprouted from her back. She was that butterfly monster . . . or HAD been. The two girls stopped running and stared in awe. Link was thunderstruck. The fairy-like Guardian spoke.
"Thank you, Hero of Time. Thanks to you, my curse has been lifted and I can now die in peace . . . "
She didn't look at all troubled by the fact that she was dying. On the contrary, she looked perfectly happy and relieved. That must have been some curse! Link finally found his voice.
"You're . . . What did you call me?"
The woman smiled. "That is not for me to answer. However, the mystical Farore's Emerald needs a new Guardian now, for the near future . . . You shall find that new Guardian." She took a string that had appeared around her neck with a little bag attached to it and dropped it at his feet. "Now, Hero of Time, receive this gem . . . And . . . Farewell . . . "
And with a flash of green light, she was gone. There was an uncomfortable silence between the three (five, if you count Saria and Link's fairies). The two girls watched as Link bent down and picked up the necklace the Guardian had left them. He then noticed a small chest in the middle of the room. With a swift movement of his foot, he kicked it open and reached inside.
He pulled out a teeny-tiny crystal-shaped emerald sparkling with green light. It was very small . . . and absolutely gorgeous! He took out the Amulet from his pouch and placed the gem in the hole to the right. He just felt like it belonged there. As he stared at it, he couldn't help thinking,
'One down, two to go . . . '
*~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ *
Author's Notes: Finally! Sorry it took so long! I'm not that good with action scenes . . . Anyway, school's starting for me (in about TWO DAYS!!!!!) *weep*, so you might not want to expect the next chapters in a week's time. But plz bare with me!!!! And plz review!!!!! You have NO IDEA how much it helps!!!
Ani
Fate VS Destiny
Chapter 8 : Farore's Emerald
* ~ * ~ *
"I have to do WHAT?!" exclaimed Zelda as she looked down the hole.
"Jump down. Why? You scared?" he said. He wasn't mocking.
She looked at him. "No!"
"Well, then, what is it?"
She peered down the hole again. "It's just that . . . I can't see the bottom . . . Are you sure you've done this before?" she asked.
"Loads of times," he assured her. "Besides, the view is totally worth it. Trust me."
//Trust me.//
Somehow, these two simple words brought a strange unknown sensation swelling all over her body. She stood up and smiled.
"Alright. I'll do it."
Brushing off the leaves and twigs from her cape, she walked to the edge of the hole and-
"Geronimo!" she yelled.
Link peered down as she fell deeper into the darkness, and after making sure he heard a soft thud, telling him she had landed safely, he jumped in after her. He landed on a light blue platform inside a huge cave-like room. Small butterflies fluttered around him. He picked up a long stick on the floor and held it still. Slowly, just slowly, the flying creatures swooped in and gently sat on the stick. Wanting to show the Princess, he carefully walked toward the girl (who had her back toward him) and he quietly held the stick near her. And then, the little butterflies flew up and settled on her shoulder.
But she was too distracted with what was in front of her to notice.
Glittering under the light shining from the ceiling stood a very large tree containing sparkling silver leaves and millions of fruits of all shapes and colors imaginable. She had never seen such a thing in her entire damn royal life. It was only when the butterfly flew from her shoulder and brushed her soft cheek that she came back to her senses.
"How did you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?"
He realized she was talking about the butterfly.
"Oh, that. It's just a little trick I learned from who-knows-where."
Zelda stared for a while, thinking about his answer, nodded and turned back to the tree. "You were right," she said. "The sight is beautiful . . . "
Without warning, she took off her cape for the first time, revealing a dark blue traveling dress and a large quiver on her back. A nice flowery smell suddenly filled his nostrils.
"What kind of showers do you royals take, anyway?" he asked before he could stop himself.
She stared at him before answering, "Um . . . no, it's not that. I always play in my personal gardens after my 'lessons', chasing birds. I guess that's how I got my scent . . . " She took out her bow and arrow before giving him a suspicious look. "Why?"
Caught off guard, he stammered, "Huh? Oh, er . . . Nothing . . . just curious, that's all . . . Hey, what exactly are you going to do with that?" He pointed at her weapon half afraid he might play a certain role of 'target'.
Without answering, she shot an arrow towards the tree. It hit a branch so hard, that it wiggled and wriggled and all the fruits it was carrying came tumbling down.
"C'mon, you didn't actually think I would climb up there, did you? No thank you. Not with these clothes," she answered.
"Yeah, I get it. Only now my tree will be filled with arrows . . . " he said, scratching the back of his head (hat).
She lowered her bow. "Oh, right, I forgot. Wait just a minute."
She slowly lifted her hand and pointed at the dangling arrow, which suddenly began to fade and finally disappeared.
"Wh- where'd it go?!" he exclaimed.
"Back in my quiver. Like this, I won't waste any arrows when I use them. But I still have a lot to learn when it comes to magic."
"Really? Like what?"
"Like attack and defense tactics. But I'm making progress. What I AM good at comes to curses, spells and enchantments."
She smiled and bent down to pick up the fallen fruits.
"Careful with the twisted purple ones," he warned. "They're sour. And watch out for the pink ones, they explode after a while."
"That's okay," she said picking up a blue heart-shaped plum. "I love sour taste, and I don't mind getting dirty for once. You should try staying at the palace for thirty minutes."
Link picked up a red star-shaped fruit and dropped it in his basket. "That bad, huh?"
"Of course," she said. "My step-mum always gets over her nerves. Once, she claimed to have a heart-attack only because I'd gotten dust under my shoes! Mother didn't use to mind . . . " She quickly shook her head, swaying her golden hair around in the process, and shot another arrow at a nearby branch, bringing down more fruits.
Link stayed silent. He was amazed. Was this the Princess he was supposed to meet? No -wait- that couldn't be the Princess . . . It was more like a mask . . . The mask of a beautiful, yet caring Princess, and under that was . . .
a tomboy???!!!
No way! And yet, it felt so . . . natural talking to Zelda. Just like it felt natural being with Malon and chatting with Saria.
Weird.
At long last, their baskets were full, and Zelda was swirling her cape around her again when she asked, "Um . . . Link? How exactly are we going to get back up?"
"Don't worry. I got it covered. Just stand on the blue platform!"
She stared at him, then at the platform, the back at him. She sighed.
"You make it sound so easy . . . "
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Um . . . -excuse me- Princess?" asked Saria from across the table.
Zelda swallowed her mouthful of fruit jelly. "Please, call me Zelda."
"Of course -Zelda- . . . see . . . Link may not have told you this but . . . he's been looking for something . . . it's the-"
"Oracle, I know," she finished. "Link told me that." She looked at Link for a few seconds with a sudden, serious look on her face. Now, she looked more like a princess that ever! "But it won't be easy," she said in a low voice. "There are things you'll need and things you need to find, each one at a price (don't ask, I have no idea what) . . . " She started counting them off with her fingers. "You'll need to know the song of the Royal Family -I can teach you that-, you'll need three specific jewels -you must find those- , and I think I'm forgetting somethi- Oh, yes! The Amulet -I can give that to you- . . ."
They kept staring.
"Um . . . That's it."
Link spoke. "Seems like a lot, doesn't it?"
She shrugged. "I suppose so . . . "
"So all Link needs are those three gems. What are they?" said Saria.
"There is only one of each in the entire world. They are priceless and very valuable. They're called: Farore's Emerald, Din's Ruby, and Nayru's Sapphire. Each of them is kept by some sort of Guardian. These gems and Guardians are only visible when one possesses the Amulet."
"So the Lenses of Truth wouldn't work on them?" asked Link.
She answered with a curious look.
"It's this magnifying glass-like device I use to see invisible stuff, no big deal," he said.
"Really?!" She shook her head. "No, I don't think something like that could make them appear. These Guardians are mystical creatures. But where in Hyrule did you find such an item?" She regretted asking the question as soon as she had said it.
It seemed to worry him for some reason. He laughed nervously. "I'm sorry! I really can't remember," he said. "Every time I try to get a clear image, this dark old well pops up!"
And to his amazement, she smiled too.
"I know what you mean. I was once hit by a vision and I saw myself surrounded by fire in a dark room. Then, these two strange skeleton creatures emerge. I don't knoe what's wrong with me . . . "
Saria couldn't help but stare at her feet. This was going to be a tight conversation. Navi noticed that, too, and decided to change the subject.
"So, do you have the 'Amulet'?" she asked the Princess.
"No," she said shaking her head. "But I can still give it to you."
They all watched curiously as she held out her palm and muttered something under her breath. Then, out of nowhere, a necklace suddenly appeared in her hand. There was a round, golden amulet attached to it with three holes forming a triangle on it. It was absolutely gorgeous and cute! ^.^
"These are the spots where you need to place the three gems," said Zelda pointing at the holes. "When all three of them are in place, you'll be able to see the Oracle."
Link observed the object closely. He had never seen something so bright and shiny. "Now, all we need is to find those famous jewels," he said, more to himself than anybody else. "Do you have any idea where they are?"
Zelda thought. "Well, for one thing, I know that one of them is hidden somewhere here. That's a head start for you."
As if on cue, Saria looked suddenly very excited and anxious. She suddenly sat up with such a jolt, that her chair fell backwards onto the floor. The two Hylians stared at her in surprise.
"I - I think I know where it is - Farore's Emerald - I know where it's hidden!!!!" she said breathlessly. "Come on! Follow me!!!"
She ran out of the door without giving them the time to say something about it. Without hesitation, the two young Hylians ran after her, leaving their feasts behind.
*~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Saria, are you taking us to the Forest Meadow?" asked Link as he followed his friend through the tunnels of the Lost Woods, Zelda at his heels.
"No," replied the Kokiri. "You don't know about this place. I found it a few months ago at night. I was sitting against a tree when I suddenly fell and . . . I think . . . Yes, here it is."
They were standing near the edge of a cliff right above green fields lit by sunlight. A single tree stood alone with its (only) branch holding a round, wooden target. Near the tree were two round platforms with two weird looking creatures standing on each of them, playing their flutes. They almost looked like scarecrows.
"We can get down there by using this," said Saria, pointing at a ladder tied to the wall of the cliff.
Without hesitation, she climbed halfway down, jumped and landed with a thud. Link turned to Zelda.
"Ladies first!" he said.
As soon as they both climbed down, though, the weird creatures jumped to the ground, yelling, "It's him! It's him!" and started shooting what looked like white leaves at them. Link easily blocked them with his shield; Saria ducked; Zelda moved out of the way and hid behind the tree. These leaves looked sharp.
"Go away! Leave us alone!" yelled Saria.
She took out her slingshot and fired rocks at each of them, who vanished during back flips. The Princess dusted herself.
"What were those things?" she asked in shock.
"Skull Kids," grunted Navi. "They're children that get lost in the forest. Try and avoid them as much as you can, mind."
"They don't like adults much," said Link, answering her puzzled look. "That's why they hate us . . . "
He turned and looked at his Kokiri friend, who was too busy patting down the tree bark, as if looking for a secret switch. She finally found what she was looking for and pulled. A door suddenly swung open revealing a dark hole on the ground inside the tree trunk.
"I think that the Guardian and the Emerald are in there," Saria said. "I couldn't see them before because they were invisible, like you said, Princess."
Link bent down and peered at the hole. "Alright, then," he said.
He stood up and jumped in, followed by Navi and Saria. The Princess looked down the hole, disgusted at the thought of jumping in. After a while, she dropped in as well. When she landed, though, she saw to her great horror that her friends were in the center of a large circular room. They were examining the statue of a hideous bug the size of a bed before them. It looked like shell-covered ant.
Zelda panicked.
"Link! Saria! WATCH OUT!" she yelled.
But as soon as she said it, millions of thin vine-like roots sprouted from the ground around the Hylian boy creating a large arena, separating him from the girls. Two thick vines suddenly seized Saria around the waist and neck and lifted her up, up in the air, choking her to death. Link didn't have time to react. The bug statue they had seen earlier came to life as four black and green wings emerged from its back. The monster let out a high-pitched scream and the boy backed up.
"Sweet merciful Din," he moaned.
~
Saria struggled against the roots but they only squeezed tighter. She almost couldn't breathe. Zelda panicked. The Kokiri was too high for her to reach; she needed a long-range weapon. She quickly seized her bow and fired an arrow at the roots sustaining her friend.
Nothing happened.
"Great. Just great," she muttered.
~
Link wasn't having anymore fun on his side of the field. The butterfly monster was flying in circles above him, shooting what looked like poisonous fangs at him. Navi was glowing a deep, yellow color as she hovered near the bug-like creature.
"Link!" she shouted over the monster's yells. "Hitting her with your sword won't do you any good, right now! You have to get rid of her wings, first!"
As if she had been listening, the guardian flew even faster and shot even more fangs, which Link dodged.
"And how the HECK do I do that, eh?" he muttered under his breath as he help up his shield.
~
"Saria! Hold on!" Zelda yelled in panic.
She knew that the Kokiri girl couldn't hang on much longer. She had to do something! But what?! Zelda was known for her knowledge all over Hyrule back at the castle, and people looked up to her for advice and instructions for their problems. Maybe, with a lot of luck, that knowledge would help her again? The Princess calmed down, and thought quickly. Plants were pretty vulnerable to fire, right? But she couldn't use magic to attack or shoot fireballs at them. She hadn't mastered THIS part of learning and would probably blow up the whole interior, like she almost did to her room the first time she had tried. But then, what WAS she good at?
And then it hit her.
Of course!
She quickly seized her next arrow and touched the tip of it, muttering a quick spell. She had to hurry, every second passing by meant less air in Saria's lungs. The arrow's head suddenly (and finally) glowed a deep blood- red color surrounded by a strange orange aura.
She had created the sacred Fire Arrows.
She immediately took out her bow - aimed her magical arrow - fired -
Bull's Eye!!!!!!
A clear hit!!!
The vines moaned and yelped in agony. Her plan worked. Now, their insides were burning at high speed. And as expected, they quickly gave up and released the Kokiri, who landed on Zelda. Saria let out a sharp long gasp and coughed uncontrollably. The Princess let out a quivered sigh of relief. Thank the Goddesses she was still alive!
"Saria! Are you alright?!"
"Yes . . . " she gasped massaging her throat. "I . . . I'm fine. Thank you so much!"
The green haired girl quickly stood and helped her up. She glanced at where the vines had been. They were nowhere in sight (they obviously had sunk back under the ground due to the great amount of pain), leaving a small gap between the other roots creating the arena where Link and that butterfly- freak were. She was about to take a step forward when two new (and healthy) vines sprouted from where the previous ones had been. Saria quickly backed away, scared out of her wits at the thought of being strangled again, and looked up at Zelda.
"Saria," she said. "When I tell you to, I want you to stand in front of this -barrier- and distract it until I hit them with my Fire Arrows."
Saria looked puzzled. "Yes, but what - "
"And when I do, they might as well sink back to the ground, if I'm right. This should give you enough space (and time) to run past them and hand my bow and quiver to Link."
The Kokiri finally understood. "Gotcha," she said.
Zelda nodded. "Good. Now, when I hand you my bow, you run. Fast. Got it?"
The Princess took two more arrows and gave her the quiver. Saria set it behind her back and stepped up to the roots. She stuck out her tongue at them. "Hey, slime brains!" she yelled. "Think you can catch me?!"
Obviously angered, they (three of them) launched themselves at her -well they TRIED to, but they were sustained to the ground, remember that- and missed. Zelda took this opportunity and shot her magical arrows at them.
Two more Bull's-Eyes!!!
She quickly handed her bow to the Kokiri girl as the roots howled in pain and sunk to the ground and watched as the little girl sprinted through the gap untouched. But to her great dismay, two healthy vines seized HER by the arms and held her firmly to the spot.
"For the love of Nayru," she moaned.
~
Saria had run past the roots safely and found herself in the arena clutching the bow and quiver in her hands. She could see Link. He was crouched behind his shield, blocking of the fangs the bug creature was shooting at him. She quickly ran up to him (making sure not to drop anything).
"Link!" she shouted.
He saw her and pulled her behind him.
"Saria, how the hell did you - "
"There's no time to explain! You have to use these to kill that -thing- !"
She showed him Zelda's weapons since he was too busy maintaining his shield; that bug was strong. He took one glance at them and shook his head.
"But Saria, I can't - "
"Trust me, Link!" she said, cutting him for the second time. "You CAN do this! I KNOW you can! Please! I need to help Zelda!"
There was such an urgency in her voice that he looked at where the Princess was (a vine was now wrapping itself around her neck) and back at Saria. He quickly nodded.
"Okay. Take care."
"You too!"
He stood up, set his shield behind his back, took the quiver and bow and broke into a run the opposite direction doing all this in an extremely fast speed. Seeing this, the butterfly monster flew right after him while Saria ran back to the spot where Zelda was being held. Link ran faster still, making it hard for the giant bug to keep up . . . which was exactly what he wanted.
She finally slowed down.
Link took an arrow from the quiver and set it to the bow. He somehow knew what to do. It was his first try at archery and yet - . . . it somehow felt so natural. He stopped running, turned around and fired. Caught off guard, the Guardian did everything she could to get out of the way.
The arrow hit her left eye.
She let out a long, high-pitched scream and whirled around, trying to hide her face. Link took this opportunity and cut off her wings with two quick slashes from his sword. The creature screeched even more while what looked like green goo leaked from her back, right from the spot where her wings had been. Half blind and unable to fly, she ran away as fast as her many straw-like legs could carry her. She was very slow.
"Oh, no, you don't," he muttered.
Link ran around her, causing him to face her and stroked her neck. Her body stood still as her head fell to the ground and rolled away across the floor. Link looked up. More green goo seemed to be leaking from her neck. Her dead body finally collapsed to the ground and, without warning, exploded, sending bits of green blood and flesh everywhere (yew!). He found the heart. It was black and stained, desperately trying to pump any remaining green liquid. Deciding not to stain his leather boots, he pushed his sword right through it.
The beating stopped.
It was over.
As soon as they had come, the vines suddenly disappeared; causing Saria to fall back (she had been trying to pull them off Zelda). The Princess gently stroked her throat, relieved she was still breathing.
"Zelda! Your plan worked!" she said triumphantly, dancing up and down. "He won!"
She looked at her and smiled. "I'm glad," she sighed.
They both ran toward him. Suddenly, the room lit up and a mystic creature appeared before them. She had dark green hair with sparkling emerald eyes and was wearing a light green robe. White and green wings sprouted from her back. She was that butterfly monster . . . or HAD been. The two girls stopped running and stared in awe. Link was thunderstruck. The fairy-like Guardian spoke.
"Thank you, Hero of Time. Thanks to you, my curse has been lifted and I can now die in peace . . . "
She didn't look at all troubled by the fact that she was dying. On the contrary, she looked perfectly happy and relieved. That must have been some curse! Link finally found his voice.
"You're . . . What did you call me?"
The woman smiled. "That is not for me to answer. However, the mystical Farore's Emerald needs a new Guardian now, for the near future . . . You shall find that new Guardian." She took a string that had appeared around her neck with a little bag attached to it and dropped it at his feet. "Now, Hero of Time, receive this gem . . . And . . . Farewell . . . "
And with a flash of green light, she was gone. There was an uncomfortable silence between the three (five, if you count Saria and Link's fairies). The two girls watched as Link bent down and picked up the necklace the Guardian had left them. He then noticed a small chest in the middle of the room. With a swift movement of his foot, he kicked it open and reached inside.
He pulled out a teeny-tiny crystal-shaped emerald sparkling with green light. It was very small . . . and absolutely gorgeous! He took out the Amulet from his pouch and placed the gem in the hole to the right. He just felt like it belonged there. As he stared at it, he couldn't help thinking,
'One down, two to go . . . '
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Author's Notes: Finally! Sorry it took so long! I'm not that good with action scenes . . . Anyway, school's starting for me (in about TWO DAYS!!!!!) *weep*, so you might not want to expect the next chapters in a week's time. But plz bare with me!!!! And plz review!!!!! You have NO IDEA how much it helps!!!
Ani