They found out that seven years HAD passed, and seven horrible ones at that. As soon as they opened the door of the temple, they were struck by the devastation. Where green grass and trees had grown around the temple, now there was nothing. Even from the backs, it was obvious that the buildings of the city had not been lived in or used in years, at least not by Hyleans.
They entered the Market Square. It was filled with dozens of ReDead. Link ran straight to the fountain, went around it, and ran for his life down the main street to the drawbridge. Even so, he was almost paralysed twice by the ReDead. The drawbridge was broken and laying in the moat. Link jumped from one half to the other of the drawbridge, and was out into Hyrule field. As they ran from the castle, the sky brightened into a sunny early morning. Link didn't stop until he was almost to the Kakariko steps. There, he rested.
"Link, check your equipment! A lot of time has passed, and you don't know what you have!" Link did as Navi said. They were both amazed at what they found.
"My bedroll and spare clothes have been changed. They were packed the way I would have packed them, but they are like new, and sized to fit me now!" Link exclaimed.
Navi answered, "Your silver scale and bomb bags are just like before we went into the temple! The bombs look like they're still fresh, and so do the bombchus! Your bracelet was resized! Look!"
Link looked at his left wrist. Sure enough, under the cuff of his left gauntlet, his Goron bracelet was on his wrist, adult sized, and a perfect fit. But, as Navi had feared, not all of their equipment had received this attention. Link thought: "I could never hope to use this slingshot in battle! It was snug in my hand before. I can hide it in my hand now!" Navi replied, "Look at the boomerang! It almost looks like it shrank! You had enough trouble with it when it fit you! You could never hope to throw it in battle now! At least not more than once…" "Yes, Navi! I didn't do to bad with it though, considering I hadn't seen one 'til I found it. If this "hookshot" Sheik was talking about is as good as he says, I should be able to use it instead of the boomerang anyway. The Kokiri Chieftain sword will make a good fighting knife, though the grip is almost too short." Link looked at the deku wood shield and continued. "If you hadn't had me take the shield from the Duke's tomb in Kakariko Graveyard, I wouldn't even have a shield! I could never get my arm into these straps! I can barely get my fingers into them!"
"That was your father's shield we took, Link. There should have been a sword there, too. He would have given them to you had he been able!" "You knew my father? How? The Helfdanes always said that my mother and I came to the Forest alone! And why was my father's shield entombed with the Duke…" The realization suddenly hit Link like a war club, even as Navi answered his question. "Your father was Arliss the Fierce, the Duke of Hyrule. And you and your mother did not travel alone that night. I was with you."
Navi continued. "I did not tell you before what I'm going to tell you now because I did not want to frighten you more. You are the most courageous being I've ever known, including your father, but even your courage has its limits, and you've been near the end of yours for most of our quest. But there are things you must know about yourself, our past, and me. If I don't tell you now, you will not understand all we must do. That could cause us to fail in stopping Ganondorf. If the Monster of the Gerudo wins, the entire world will be devastated like Hyrule City!
"There is much you don't know about who you are, who I am, and who your parents were. I'll speak first of your father, his is the easiest to tell.
"Your father was the son of Uther the Profound, Court Wizard to Flynn the Strong, King of the Hyleans and Sheikahs. Uther, and his wife, Ulrica the Giantess plotted against Flynn. They were both put to death, and your father was supposed to die as well. But he escaped from Hyrule, and lived for a number of years amongst the Celts, Picts, and Brittons. In their company, he learned to trade with cunning and guile, yet without cheating his customers.
"That is how he first came to know the Kokiri, thirty years before you were born; as a travelling trader. He was an honest trader, pure of heart, who travelled the entire realm. His purity of heart, honesty, and respect for the Kokiri won their trust quickly. He was the only Hylean they knew who truly knew and loved the forest. He never got lost in the Lost Woods. Even Kokiri get lost in the Woods from time to time. For a Hylean to range the Forest freely, when most Hyleans get lost forever in the woods to become Stalfos, was unheard of. It was also rumoured that he might have Kokirish blood in him. He thanked the Kokiri for saying this of him, but denied knowing of any.
"Yet even then he was more than a travelling peddler. He had settled amongst the Gerudo, and had taken the favourite princess of King Aarondorf for his wife."
Link gasped in amazement! He started to interrupt Navi, but she stopped him cold! She said, "Hold your questions, Link! Much will be answered if you let me speak.
"As I was saying, he had taken Princess Castilla for his first wife. By her he had two daughters, Princesses Nabooru and Aveil. But first, he sired a son, something King Aarondorf would never do. The son's born name was Arial. He is known to the world today as King Ganondorf."
This time, Link did interrupt! He shouted, "No! Ganondorf could never be my brother! Have even you turned on me?"
Navi shouted back sternly, "No! I said for you not to interrupt! Besides, Ganondorf is only your half-brother, and fell under the hideous influence of King Aarondorf! Let me tell your tale, then question me of it if you will!
"As I was saying, your father fathered King Ganondorf by his first wife, Princess Castilla. Your father and Ganondorf got along poorly; the Gerudo took a far greater liking to King Aarondorf, to the harm of all the realm.
"Your father's strength was legendary. He was also good with a two-handed sword, and quick to use it for a just cause. Twenty years to the day before I became your guardian, Ganondorf attacked the Kokiri, at King Aaronforf's instigation. As the only male Gerudo, he guaranteed to become King of the Gerudos at birth. He was only fifteen, but already a truly evil man. One hundred Gerudos were lined up, with Ganondorf at the lead, to burn down the Kokiri Forest! The Kokiri men, the other Battle-Fairies, and I were arrayed for battle, but we didn't stand a chance. The only fighters we had that had any courage or skill were the Helfdane twins, Saria's father Sarchan the Wizard, and Mido's father Weldo the Warlord, who was Chieftain of the Kokiri then.
"Your father appeared almost out of nowhere! He SINGLE-HANDEDLY killed ALL the Gerudo fighters! He then stripped Ganondorf of his britches and beat his bare buttocks with a deku stick in front of all the Kokiri! He then sent Ganondorf running off into Hyrule field, crying like a little girl! That night he also saved my life.
"You already know that before I became your guardian, I was a Battle Fairy. In fact, I was Chieftainess of the Battle Fairies, who helped The Great Deku Tree guard the Kokiri. Battle fairies are much more powerful than guardian fairies. We needed almost no sustenance at all, and we drew what we needed from The Great Deku Tree. We could draw on the Tree from anywhere in the realm. We had also mastered the power of the thunderbolt. We could shoot thunderbolts so powerful that they could split the largest rocks. All of the realm feared us in battle, and this fear is part of what protected the Kokiri Forest.
"Even then, Ganondorf was studying Black Magic. He cast a curse upon all of us Battle fairies as he started out from the Gerudo Valley. I lost twelve of my fairies to slowing him down and telling the rest of us where the Gerudo were. The other twelve of my fairies and I were arrayed on the field in case Sarchan could lift the curse. Failing that, we were to help Weldo and Sarchan lead the Kokiri. We fairies had already joined the battle when your father arrived. We were trying to distract and disorient the Gerudo. This was working, but not too well. We lost six battle fairies that night, and I was badly wounded. I was attacking Ganondorf himself. I had not only disoriented him, but I found the strength to shoot a few small sparks into his eyes. He recovered instantly, though, and swatted me to the ground. This alone had me dying. He was about to crush me beneath his boot when your father rescued me. He kicked Ganondorf in the chest so hard that he flew fifty feet! He scooped me up, and placed me in his shirt pocket, all the while attacking Gerudo with his great sword!
"After killing all the Gerudo, before he attended to Ganondorf, he used a healing potion on me. This kept me alive. After humiliating Ganondorf, he carried me gently in his hands all the way to the healing fairy's fountain outside the Sacred Forest Meadow. He carried me back to The Great Deku Tree and carried each of my battle fairies to the fairy fountain to be healed.
"For this, he was made an honorary Kokiri, and named "The Hylean Deku Tree". This was the highest noble rank of the Kokiri, placing Arliss above Weldo, and second only to The Great Deku Tree himself. The Great Deku Tree, seeing that Arliss had saved my life even more surely than my sisters, bid me to serve Arliss for the rest of his life, that he would have a fairy like a proper Kokiri nobleman.
"This feat also impressed the King of the Hyleans so much that he created Arliss the Duke of Hyrule, to be passed on to his sons forever. This title placed him above all the nobles of the realm, making him second only to the Kings and Crown Princes of the realm.
"Before Prince Ganondorf attacked the Kokiri, he murdered his mother, Princess Castilla, again at King Aarondorf's bidding, though I'm told he didn't have to be bid too strongly. He made it look as if the act was done by your father, but not so strongly as to be believed with an absolute certainty. The Gerudo were not ready for a war with the Hyleans and Sheikahs.
"To postpone that war, King Aarondorf and Prince Ganondorf denied any involvement or blessing of the attack on the Kokiri, and affirmed your father's title amongst the Gerudo! By doing this, he made it impossible for your father to take the Hylean army against the Gerudo in retaliation.
"Your father's title was quickly affirmed by King Darunia of the Gorons as well; King Darunia and your father were 'sworn-brothers' as you and King Darunia are. This makes you a Goron Noble, as it did your father.
"The Zoras were less cooperative with this turn of events. Your father was obliged to attack them; he dealt them a humiliating defeat in battle without inflicting very many casualties against them. King Neptune the twelfth abdicated in favour of his youngest brother, King Zora the sixteenth; and your father's title was affirmed throughout the land.
"Your father led the King's army in battle from then on, and provided other wise counsel when asked. He was also given what is now called Lon-Lon Ranch. He married Junia, the older sister of Romani, Malon's mother. Romani's husband was Talon, the King's Groomsman. The King made Talon Arliss' liege, to run the ranch when Arliss was away. Arliss also hired a young boy, Ingovard to be his squire. You've already met both Talon and Ingo. Talon was not nearly as lazy, nor Ingo as arrogant and grasping, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
"Right before his death, The Duke knew that Ganondorf was plotting against the Kokiri and the Hyleans again. This was the time when the King of the Hyleans was trying to end the many wars throughout the realm. Your father knew of Ganondorf's treachery for a certainty. But he didn't know what Ganondorf planned to do, and he couldn't act without solid proof to show the King. He, Weldo, Sarchan, and the Helfdanes set out to find the proof, and perhaps also to kill Ganondorf if that proof was found. He also made provisions with the Great Deku Tree in case he failed. The Deku Tree agreed to take in his wife and infant child, and hide them as Kokiri should he fall in battle or ambush to Ganondorf. At the same time, Ganondorf was plotting revenge against your father. Ganondorf and the evil witches Kotake and Koume met your father, Weldo, and Sarchan on the field south of Lon-Lon ranch. Your father sent the Helfdanes and I to rescue your mother and you, knowing that there would also be a party sent to sack his house at Lon-Lon. We almost arrived too late. The ranch was already in flames, and your mother was badly hurt. She had herself killed twelve Gerudo, and protected you from harm.
"We helped take your mother to the Kokiri Forest and tried to nurse her back to health. It was no use, though. She only awoke long enough to tell us your name, and bid us to care for you. The Great Deku Tree decided that your origins must be kept secret from all, even from you. He believed if Ganondorf found out you were alive, he would never rest until he had killed you, and all who protected you. For it was already well known that the Hero of Time would be of noble birth in both the Kokiri Forest and in Hyrule. You were to be raised as you were, as an orphan and refugee, but of unknown common birth. You were to be trained in the art of war directly, and the art of governance and diplomacy subtly, that even you wouldn't realize at the time what you were learning.
"This worked, but only too well. According to the legends, Saria was promised as the life-mate of the Great Warlord of the Kokiri. The Hero of Time was promised to marry the Princess of the Hyleans once the quest had been won, making him King of Hyrule. Mido is Warlord now, if he still lives. But, Saria is your life-mate, and Zelda, if she lives, is still a maiden. I don't know what the future holds there. What I do know is that we must get the hookshot from Kakariko, and then find out what happened to your father's sword! For without his sword, as well as the Master Sword, you stand little chance against Ganondorf, or his minions guarding the temples!"
"What is the importance of my father's sword?" asked Link. "The Master Sword is supposed to kill all that is evil, even I can feel that it is no ordinary sword. Can a normal sword, even if two handed, carry more power?"
Link's fairy replied, "Your father's sword is the core of the other blade of legend, the answer to the riddle of the Sword of Ages. The truth of this legend has even been lost to Rauru, or perhaps he believes this sword lost for all time. Otherwise, he surely would have told you to find it.
"The legend foretelling of this time describes how Ganondorf will fall: 'The Beast will be felled in this time with the Sword of Ages. It will then be bound for a one and a half thousand years less an unguarded moment by the Guardian to the Gates of Time.'
"The 'guardian' is the Master Sword. Many also think the Master Sword is also the Sword of Ages. But this cannot be. The Sword of Ages is described as 'passed from father to son, noble to noble, double forged by hands of living stone, whitened by the purity of Din's Fire, and quenched in healing waters.'
"The Master Sword was made at the same time as the original Sages built the Temple of Time. But all the Sages together forged that blade themselves, and only once! Only one of the Sages was a Goron, the only race that could be said to have hands of living stone. And, the Master Sword was never part of an inheritance; it was always for the Hero of Time alone, whomever the Sword recognized as such. Your father's sword is different.
"Do you remember the large Goron who ignored us when we received Din's Fire from the Great Fairy atop Death Mountain? When your Father was your age now, he bought his two-handed sword from that Goron! For that Goron, Biggoron, was one of the finest forgers and crafters of swords ever known. Biggoron once charged, and was gratefully paid, one ton of the finest marble for even a small sword. Your father, though, was Sworn Brother of Darunia, as you are now. He ended a quarrel between Darunia and Biggoron, which had lasted for dozens of years. In gratitude, Biggoron charged your father one pound of Dodongo granite! He also pledged that 'should this sword fail you in battle, my life, and those of my children shall fail me!'
"When news reached the Gorons of your father's death, all were saddened. None believed that your father's sword had failed him. But Biggoron was struck with fear and sadness anyway. He said 'Until the Duke of Hyrule, the wild Darunia's sworn brother assureth me otherwise, I am as if dead, and will remain so forever!' If Biggoron still lives, and if we find your father's sword, he should reforge it for us! We will then need the Great Fairy to heat and quench the sword. But the only chance we have of finding your father's sword is to raise his spirit from the dead. You didn't know the Song of Time when last we visited your father's tomb. Nor did you have the power and authority to use it. Now, you have both! Hopefully, your father will be able to help us."
Link asked Navi, "But what of Talon and Ingovard? How did they survive the sacking of Lon-Lon Ranch if they were my father's liegemen? And if they were not traitors to him, wouldn't they serve me too? Surely they would be of some help?"
Navi answered. "As for Talon and Ingovard, they were both in Hyrule Castle on Arliss' orders. Romani was pregnant with Malon, and the labour was a difficult one. Ingovard, as a boy of eight years, ended up midwifing for Romani. Malon was born healthy, but Romani seemed doomed before the day started. No one could have saved her, yet Ingovard did. She died in childbirth with a son some years later. Talon was never grateful to Ingovard for preserving Romani's life then, and blamed him for her dying later on. Ingo in turn resented this, and mistakenly blamed Talon for the loss of your mother and you, believing both of you dead.
"Talon was not a mean or vengeful man. He kept Ingo on as a stableman. But Talon was naturally careless and lazy. As Malon came of age, she helped keep her father out of trouble.
"Ingo poured his life into running that ranch. The indifference shown to him by Talon, and the loneliness he felt with his burden ate at and poisoned his heart. When we last visited Lon-Lon ranch, he was bitter but saveable. I don't know what we'll find when we go there again.
"And that may be soon, indeed! Before we leave Dampé the gravekeeper, who owns the hookshot, we will also find out what happened to your father's sword. We may have to travel the entire realm to find it, if it can be found. With the time we have, we will have to have a horse to do that. Only Lon-Lon ranch and the Gerudo ever raised horses of any quality in this realm. As the Gerudo wouldn't be likely to sell you a horse, and walking is out of the question, you will have to visit Lon-Lon Ranch."
With that, Link re-shouldered his equipment, and they finished the walk into Kakariko village.