Chapter three

A helping hand

The snow was getting thicker, whipping up around the houses in the village. I can't kill a wolfos with a Kokiri blade Link thought. He walked over to the blacksmiths and peeked through the window. He knocked on the door. He had often visited the blacksmiths to pick up tools for Talon, but today there was an air of hostility around the peaceful building. "Hello?" He called. There was no answer. "Hello?" he called again. The door opened slightly, it was barred and Link could see the frightened faces of the blacksmith's wife and children cowering from the door. "Who? We have no place for you farm boy! Leave here now!" Snarled the gruff voice of the blacksmith through the door. He tried to slam it but Link put his foot in the way. "I need a weapon! I'll kill the wolfos!" Link snapped.

"Get out of the door!" the blacksmith growled savagely.

"NO!" Link Snapped again

"I didn't want to have to do this boy!" He spat pushing the door open and pulling out a dagger.

"STOP!" called the blacksmith's wife running in front of him, "I know we are in fear of the Wolfos but that does not excuse you for what you are about to do to this poor child!" She turned to Link. "I'm sorry Link, you've come at a bad time please come back later." At that the door was closed in his face.

Link was angry but understood their situation. He sat on the low wall around the Kakariko well. He looked down to see the water frozen solid. Suddenly his silent thought was interrupted by a kindly woman's voice. "Are you ok? You'll catch your death of cold out here. Come inside!" she called. Link turned to see a woman's figure behind him. He reluctantly followed her in to the welcoming glow of the warm house.

She pushed a warm bowl of soup toward him. "Drink up, It'll warm you up!" she cooed.

"Thanks." he replied raising the bowl to his lips.

"What were you doing out there all alone in the cold?" she asked, shuffling over to the fire to keep warm. Link finished his mouthful and said, "I heard you guys were in trouble, with the Wolfos and all so I decided to come lend a hand."

"What exactly are you going to do?" she sniggered. Link looked up at her annoyed.

"I'm not just a child! I'm going to slay it!" he snapped. She went silent for a moment. "The only problem is I don't have a very good blade." He sighed resting his Kokiri dagger on the table. She turned and stared at the dagger for a while.

"Is that the Kokiri sword?" she asked. Link nodded and watched as she retired from the table and searched around in a wooden chest in the corner. "My father was killed in the war but when he was just a boy he used to go and play in the forest. Everyone told him it was too dangerous and forbade him from going in. But he still did. His grandfather gave him that dagger to protect him from the Wolfos in the forest." She paused pulling something from the chest. "One day he was exploring and he came across the Kokiri living there. He befriended a boy called Mido. He went back to play there every day until he was called up to fight. On his last day he gave that very dagger to Mido as a gift for his kindness." She rubbed the dust from the thing she had pulled from the chest. And threw it on the table in front of Link. "You do realize that dagger means a lot to me. I'll trade!" she said. Link looked down at the thing she put on the table; it was a broad sword, still sheathed much like the master sword in appearance but with an eye on the handle.

" Sure!" Link said taking the sword.

The woman picked up the dagger and said "Thank you, you have no idea what this means to me! I'll never forget this!" She looked at Link "Haven't you got a Wolfos to kill? His lair is behind the windmill." She said smiling contentedly.

"Whoops! I almost forgot that part!" He sniggered. "Thank you for your hospitality!"

"Your welcome. Just do me one favor? Don't get hurt out there, Hyrule needs more people like you!"

"I wont"! He called back to her as he headed up to the windmill.

The snow was falling more thickly than ever, the wind whipped it up swiftly like hurricanes and it stung the flesh like a thousand tiny creatures with razor-barbed teeth. This was indeed a difficult task just to reach the cave but the rewards would be sweet once inside, or so he thought.

Suddenly he saw a clearing before him, sheltered by the windmill, but there, in all its glory, the cave home of Yamato nestled in to the side of the hill leading up to death mountain. The entire interior was frozen solid with glistening scarlet ice crystals. This was it. No turning back. He was going in.