At the entrance to the village, there was no locked gate. There was a guard, though. Link walked up to the guard, who said "Hey, son, what are you doing wandering around this late at night?"
The guard, though only one yard and three quarters tall, was as muscular and fit as the guard at the gate to Hyrule Castle, and he indeed wore the same type of uniform.
This guard was also quite mad. He answered his own question, saying, "Oh, I get it. You're testing your courage, aren't you? You must want to go to… a graveyard! There is a graveyard on the east end of town. Legends say you can calm the souls of the dead with an old song of the Royal Family. What am I doing, wasting my time talking to you? I've got work to do!" The guard turned away from Link, much to the relief of the Kokiri Warrior. Link walked through the gate and into the village.
Navi said silently to Link, "We need to explore Kakariko Graveyard."
Link incredulously exclaimed in his mind, "You mean I need to prove my courage? With all the monsters we've slaughtered between the Great Deku Tree's heart and Hyrule Field, what could a graveyard possibly hold?"
Navi answered, "You'd be surprised. But that's not why we need to go there! There are some things there we need to check. But we'll do that after redeeming your curse tokens."
Link and Navi continued to walk. They found a sickly looking young man with a shaved head sitting against a tree, holding his head in his hands. As Link walked up, the stranger raised his head. He told Link "People are disgusting. My own father and mother are disgusting. You must be disgusting, too!"
Link ignored the strange man. He heard the rustle of a curse spider up in the top of the tree. He couldn't get a clear shot at it up in the branches. He cut some tall weeds away from the base of the tree, and rolled into it to knock the curse-spider down. The spider fell to the ground, and Link claimed the token with two blows of his sword. The strange man leaned up against the tree didn't even notice. Link then explored the village further.
He explored the north end of the village first. He found the gate to Death Mountain, which was closed and guarded. He was not ready to go up the mountain just yet, so he turned around. On the north end of a house to his right, he saw a curse-spider on the wall above some clay pots. Navi said, "You can break those clay pots to get the curse-spider. Unless you want them to stay broken, they will put themselves back together in a few minutes."
Link was incredulous, but did as Navi told him. Killing the curse spider gave him nine tokens. He walked back towards the south. He saw a ladder on the north end of a tall wooden tower. On the ladder was another curse-spider! He shot it twice with his slingshot, and quickly climbed the tower to claim the token. He looked around the village from the top of the tower. Then, he quickly climbed down.
He went back down to the centre of the village. He heard the now familiar scratching sound in a partially completed building. He climbed onto the building, and the curse spider was on the side of a stack of bricks. Two quick chops later the token was his.
From his vantage point, Link saw another curse-spider on the south wall of another house. He jumped down from the brick pile, and the unfinished building itself. He ran to the side of the house, and struck the deathblows to the gold skultullah, claiming his prize. He now had twelve tokens.
Navi told Link in his mind "This is the house of the family that was cursed! Let's see if they will give you a reward!"
Link checked the door. It was unlocked, but hadn't been opened in years. Navi said in Link's mind "I don't think they will mind your just walking in, Link. I don't think that anyone has helped them yet, judging by how long this door has been unused!" Link opened the door and walked in.
He found himself in an entrance hall that was twelve foot square by eight feet tall. There were no windows, and just the one door. But there was no north wall to the room. It opened into the great hall of the house, which was square shaped, each side being thirty-six feet. The ceiling was eighteen feet tall at the walls, and taller in the middle. There were four large skultullah like creatures in the rafters in four corners of the room, and a huge skultullah like creature in the rafters in the middle of the room! There was also was a man in his mid twenties, who was jumping up and down with joy, oblivious to all that was around him!
Link asked Navi silently "Are the skultullahs in the ceiling the cursed family? And what about the man in the corner?"
She answered, "Yes, they are. I sense the young man was a skultullah himself until just a few minutes ago!"
"Can the ones that are still cursed speak?"
Navi replied, "Yes. The one in the middle is the father of the family. You should speak to him first. Walk close to the middle of the room, and he will drop down to talk to you."
Link did as Navi said, and the huge spider dropped down to hang just above the floor. It greeted Link gratefully, "Hello brave warrior, and thank you! You have already rescued one of my sons!"
Link asked, "I have heard of the curse, sir. What is your name, and how exactly did you suffer this horrible fate?"
The spider answered, "Before the curse, I was Jardain. This hovel used to be my counting house, along with my five sons. At the end of the wars, the great Duke of Hyrule asked me to let his wife and infant son stay here with me in secret. He didn't tell me why, but I sensed that he was going to mount an attack against the Gerudo, against the King's orders. I refused, but not because refusing was right. It wasn't! And, I didn't fear for my life, or the lives of my sons from the King's wrath, either! The King would never have dared moved against our lives or freedom. But he would have drawn his money out of his accounts with my counting house.
"Now, all counting houses make their money from loaning out money, or by honouring what are called "bills of exchange." Not many people know this, but there is a large world outside of the Realm of Hyrule. There used to be some travel between the rest of the world and here, perhaps there still is. But anyway, because counting houses loan out money, they never physically have all the money that has been placed on deposit with them. If enough depositors try to draw out their money at once, the counting house is destroyed, just as surely as if you broke a weaver's loom or cut off the arms of a warrior!
"The only business my sons and I knew was running a counting house. If the King had drawn out all his money, our counting house would have been ruined! We would have been destitute, and unable to get people's trust to ever run a counting house again! So, I refused.
"The Duke was killed near the Gerudo Valley, supposedly by robbers. His wife and infant son, who were at his ranch in Hyrule Field, were also killed! My sons and I were horrified, but paid it little notice otherwise.
The night after this happened; the ghost of the Duke visited us. I argued with the ghost, saying that we would have been ruined, and could not have guaranteed the safety of his family. The ghost was so furious, that he placed this curse upon us! He sealed it into one hundred golden skultullahs, and hid them throughout the realm!"
Link asked, "Sir, Do you regret not having helped the Duke?" Link felt Jardain's anger well up, but only for a moment.
The giant cursed arachnid responded sadly, "Yes son, I do. The curse did have something to do with it, at first! But, as I've thought about it, I've regretted it for a different reason altogether! You will find there are things in life more important than riches, if you don't know it already. One of those things is duty to your family. Another, though, is the duty to do what is right.
"I found out not too long after this curse was placed upon us that the Duke's son was not murdered! The child would be about eleven now. I don't know what circumstances he was raised under for sure. But I was told that he was raised as an orphan, which among the Hyleans is a poor, sad way to grow up! Had I not been cursed, I could have seen to the young man's safety, comfort, and education. This could never bring his parents back, but it would have reduced his suffering.
"I have been unable to do anything, though! All the treasure I had was sucked into the bodies of the curse-spiders, or into my body and those of my sons! Even if I could have found someone not afraid that they would be cursed too for entering my house, I had no way of finding the boy, or sending money to ensure his comfortable raising and education. This has been far more painful for me than the curse itself! This young boy has been wronged by me twice, when I didn't even mean to wrong him once!"
Link silently asked Navi, "Does this creature speak the truth?"
Navi answered, "It does, and it speaks from the heart. Even with his son restored to normal life, even with hope for his other sons, the grief can almost be touched with the hand!"
Link asked Jardain, "Can I trust you with a secret?"
The spider answered, "I already owe you the life of one of my sons! I am in your debt and service forever, for whatever the service of a giant house-bound spider is worth."
Link said in reply, "I am under the orders of Princess Zelda of the Hyleans and Sheikahs. I am to gather the three Spiritual Stones to unlock the Temple of Time. I'm then supposed to help the Princess gain the Triforce.
"Ganondorf is trying to gain the Triforce to take over the world, and the Princess wants to get it first, to stop him. I'll do what I can to lift the curse against your house while doing this, but I can't guarantee finding so much as one more curse-spider. I will need your help, though. I need to know how to find these spiders. I will also need a place to sleep for a few hours, and any other help you may be able to offer. If you can't help me, or don't want to help me, I'll understand. I'll still kill the curse-spiders that I find. But if I fail to stop Ganondorf, your curse will be the least of your worries."
Jardain replied, "You ask a lot, yet ask almost nothing! You haven't even mentioned personal reward, although I sense that was part of what originally brought you here. You will have all you ask. If I may, I would like to ask one other thing in return."
Link said "What would that be, sir?"
"The rewards you get from each of my sons are yours, and should help you on your quest. The tokens are pure gold, the gold the King and the Duke had on deposit with me. The Duke's gold belongs to his son, if he still lives. The other depositors were made whole by the King after this happened to me, and I got into this mess by caring too much of what the King thought. I ask that you split the proceeds from recasting the gold with the son of the Duke, if he lives. I owe that boy as much."
Link answered "Yes, sir. If I may, I'd like to leave these tokens here with you. They are quite heavy, and can't be spent in the form they're in now. I can claim rupees from the weeds and grasses of the field with my fairy-sword, so I have no need for them now. After I've finished my quest, I'll recast them myself."
Jardain was impressed. He said, "You are a strange hero. You have the body of a Hylean boy. But you dress as a Kokiri, and carry yourself as a young adult of their people. All you lack… " Jardain stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed Navi for the first time.
Link said, "I was a Hylean orphan who the Kokiri took in and raised as their own. But my Hylean parents were commoners, not nobility. And among my people, it was said that the Duke's son was killed! I became Kokiri myself, and except for missing my parents, knew no want. Among my people, the Duke of Hyrule was a great hero. If I find his son alive, he will be my brother, and the brother of all my people! I may make a band for my life-mate, if the Duke's son will let me. Otherwise, all the gold is his!"
Jardain said, "It will be as you ask. By the way, what is your name?"
Link answered "Link, sir." Jardain was astonished, but only for a minute. It made perfect sense, and was as the Duke said it would be.
He said, "Ok, Link. After you talk to me, you will need to talk to Arthur, to break his trance. He will give you a large moneybag, so you can carry more money without losing it. When you wish, I can tell you any legends or lore that I know that may help you. The curse will lift from my sons, one at a time, for each ten curse-spiders you kill. Each son has a treasure, and will give it to you the next time you visit. All one hundred spiders must die before the curse is lifted from me. The part of my treasure not cast into the curse-spiders is embedded in my body, and will be released. It will be here for the Duke's son, or if he is dead, for you, as you asked.
"There are some tricks to finding the spiders of the curse! First of all, you'll have to hunt at night, or in places where evil dwells. Secondly, keep in mind that they love to burrow into soft soil to hide. Pay close attention to your surroundings!"
Link answered "Thank you, sir. I'll talk to Arthur, and go to sleep for a few hours. Do you sleep?"
Jardain answered "No. We neither sleep, eat, nor age while the curse is upon us. If we are freed, it's as if the years of the curse never happened. But if the curse is not lifted, we will die like this in eighty-nine years. When do you want to be awakened?"
Link answered "Mid-morning, thank you sir."
Jardain said, "As you wish, Link! Please talk to Arthur." Link turned around, and walked over to the young man.
Arthur, Jardain's eldest son was in his mid twenties. He stood five feet and three inches tall and weighed just over ten and a half stone. He had average features for a Hylean, neither being excessively handsome nor in any way ugly. His hair was dark brown, and starting to recede, thus giving him a "four and a half-head." His brown eyes weren't focused, but that appeared to just be the trance. He was clean-shaven, and not particularly hairy, but not particularly un-hairy either. He was dressed as any prosperous commoner of the time would dress.
Arthur looked at Link, and woke up completely. He exclaimed, "Thank you! The curse has been broken! Please take this as a reward." Arthur handed Link a moneybag. He said "Sir, that money bag will hold up to two hundred rupees, and is now full."
Link said, "Thank you, Arthur. Your father told me your name while we talked."
Arthur replied, "The euphoria of being freed put me in a trance. I don't know any of what Father told you. He will tell me though."
Jardain said, "Arthur, this young man's name is Link. He is a Kokiri warrior who is working for Princess Zelda. But don't tell that to anyone without Link's permission! He is our house guest from now on, whenever he feels the need to be!"
Link had a thought. He said "Jardain, what fortune do you have?"
Jardain answered "Nothing. But we will get by somehow."
Link replied "You will take back some of the gold from these tokens, sir. Until I've freed all of you, you won't be able to return to your old livelihood. I will not have you impoverished on my account."
Jardain was astonished again! He said, "Thank you again, Link! Your generosity is a credit to your people!" He then turned to Arthur. He said "Son, after Link has gone about his business, you will need to clean this place up. Your brothers and I will hide up in the rafters during the day. Once we get this place cleaned up, we need to see if we can return to business! But Link's success comes before that! If he needs our help, he has it! He is doing more important work than just rescuing us. He must succeed!"
Arthur answered, "Yes, father!" He then turned to his Kokiri benefactor and said, "Link, you are our first depositor. How many tokens do you have?"
Link answered "Twelve. And they're heavy, too!"
Link handed Arthur one of the tokens. Arthur said, "It feels like it weighs at least five pounds! After you've slept for a while, I'll see where our scales have gone to. I'll weigh them, and give you a receipt. Make yourself comfortable wherever you like. What you see is what we have." Link rolled out his bedroll and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.
Navi remained awake. After Link was asleep, Jardain said "Navi, please come closer." She did, and Jardain continued. "Does the boy know who he is?"
She answered, "No, Jardain, and neither you, nor Arthur, nor any of your sons may speak of it in his presence, nor in the presence of anyone who doesn't already know! He doesn't need the distraction that would provide. I'll tell him myself when he needs to know.
"But it wouldn't change his mind if he did, nor will it change once he finds out. He is quick to forgive. You and your family have suffered more than you deserved. He not only sees this, but he showed it to me. He's your friend, and without fresh cause will remain so."
"My sons did, and it drove my wife to suicide! But if such a fate could be deserved, I earned my fate!"
Navi replied "I was not with him when he did this! Your not aiding Link and Junia was despicable! But you surely didn't deserve this!"
Jardain answered, "The Duke thought the same way, later on Navi.
"When he cast this curse, I was still trying to make excuses for not helping him. He was almost insane with grief for his wife, and Link. He returned a few months later, right before the Helfdanes had visited his tomb. He tried to lift the curse, but couldn't."
Navi answered "No. He should have known better. This kind of curse can only be lifted…"
"By the son of the one who cast it" Jardain finished. "The Duke said as much. When last I saw his spirit, he did not know his son still lived. I didn't know for sure until the curse was lifted from Arthur.
"Did the boy speak the truth of his upbringing?" Jardain asked.
Navi replied clinically, "He does and he doesn't. He knew no material want among his people. Among the Kokiri, only those too lazy to find it lack in food, raiment, or shelter; the forest provides all. However, he was not only raised Kokiri, he became one!
"But the Great Deku Tree failed to notice this. Link longed to have a guardian fairy, like the rest of his people. The other children taunted him for not having one. Though he didn't, and doesn't harbour any ill feelings toward anyone because of this, it brought him great anguish.
"But he also prospered beyond measure. He won the heart of the Wizard's Daughter, and she is his life-mate. He has learned skills that bring him admiration among his people, and will see to his becoming wealthy indeed. His valour and selflessness are a credit to any people. Your gold would have done him no good then, unless it could have brought his parents back, or given him a guardian fairy."
Jardain asked "But aren't you…"
Navi answered "I am his guardian fairy, and I am bonded with him, unlike his father. But I only became his guardian fairy when he started on his quest, not even one week ago. No, your money couldn't have helped him. But you can help him now, as you said you would."
"I'll do that, Navi. I could do nothing else" Jardain answered. "But he seeks the Triforce!" the spider continued. "Will my help be enough?"
Navi answered, "He'll need all the help he can get. The world can't afford to see him fail."