They endured the next day with little trouble. The notorious desert faded
away after a half hour of travel. Soon after this, a forest sprung up
around them, and before they realized what had happened, they were in the
middle of a hunter's dream. An elk of immense size galloped past, and on
its tail was a hunter on horseback, holding up a spear in anticipation.
Micah hid behind a tree, remembering his encounter with the little girl and
thinking of how much worse it would be with this skilled huntsman. But the
dream soon passed, and they were able to move on.
It was a little before noon. At first, when the desert and the "sky" disappeared, Micah had felt thankful for a sky that didn't hurt to look at, but now, the black sky made him depressed. He trudged along and hung his head, while Belle looked around.
"Hey!" she cried. "Look where we are!"
Micah looked up and nearly fell backwards. The Sword of Illusion's fortress, which had been a distant destination for days, now towered before him. It was breathtakingly enormous.
"I wonder who lives in there," said Belle, as she fluttered ahead to the gate. Then she stopped. "Hey, Micah! Look at this!"
Micah hurried to where Belle bounced around excitedly. There was a tablet of stone before them, which was, suitably, many feet tall. Even so, the writing on it was faded and nearly illegible.
"It doesn't look like Hylian," said Micah. "I can't read it."
"No, but I can," said Belle. She flew close to the worn stone. "'Ye... who... seeks... the... sacred... sword... Take... heed... of this... warning... If thou... are not... the One... then a horrible... spell... shall... be... cast... upon... thy... head.' That's what it says."
Micah gave Belle a strange look. "So you fairies have your own little language, huh?" he said.
"Itcaia vio ovlernyea," said Belle. "Of course we do."
Micah shook his head. He stepped forward, but Belle shrieked, "Don't! What if you aren't the One?"
"That's a risk I passed many trials to take," Micah said, grimly. He continued on, through the gate, down the inner path, and up the steps to the great door.
Belle shivered. "Of all the Kokiri in the forest..." she muttered. She hurried to catch up to him.
The door slammed shut behind them. The main room was huge, and entirely empty. Micah walked forward, his footsteps echoing eerily in the emptiness. He looked at the walls around him. They were all bare. Belle fluttered up behind him.
"Listen," she said.
Micah stood quietly, and listened. The air that, at first, seemed completely quiet carried a low, monotonous stream of hissing. It almost sounded like a crowd of people talking in a very low voice.
"A lot of people have been in here before," Belle said quietly. "The curse has befallen many." She suddenly became tense. She looked over all the walls, frantically shouting, "How are we going to keep going? There are no doors!"
"No," said Micah, holding up the Lens of Truth. "There are."
He walked forward, coming close to the opposite wall, solid and flat. There were no niches or markings of any kind. Yet Micah kept walking forward.
"Ah, Micah, I wouldn't..." Belle started. He was walking straight into a wall!
Then, before Belle's eyes, he passed right through. Belle floated in shock.
"Come on, Belle," came his voice, through the wall. "Don't be afraid."
Hesitantly, Belle crept closer. The wall was inches from her face.
"Keep going," said Micah.
Belle came closer, and touched the wall with her bottom wing. She didn't feel anything. Suddenly, Micah grabbed her wing and dragged her through. She flapped her wings in fury.
"What was that for?!" she cried.
"You took too long," said Micah with a shrug. He walked on.
The next room wasn't quite as large. It was a long hallway, and the floor was missing for almost the entire way. Or rather, seemingly so, for when Micah examined the void with his lens, he saw a path, twisting and turning, all the way across.
Holding the lens in front of him, Micah stepped onto the path. Belle watched from behind. Micah took another step.
He took a few more steps, and soon he was a good distance from the floor. "Oh, wow," said Belle. "You should see what this looks like."
Micah lowered the lens and looked at his feet. His heart quickened when he saw the endless abyss below his feet, and nearly lost his footing.
"Um, ok, maybe it's best if you don't see what it looks like," Belle said quickly. "You'd better keep going."
"That's easy for you to say," Micah grumbled, holding up the lens. "You've got wings, so you don't have to walk on thin air."
Belle flew close to him. "That's why we're called helper fairies, not doer fairies," she remarked. Micah said nothing, concentrating on the path before him.
He finally made it to the opposite end. He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that he wouldn't have to take the same path on his way out. He threw open the door... solid metal covered with rivets and stains, and not the least bit welcoming... and stepped into the next room.
He gasped as he was bathed in complete darkness. He turned to leave, but the door behind him had melted away. Micah whipped out the Lens of Truth, but it revealed nothing.
The incessant whispers slowly grew louder. Micah felt closeness, even though the room was clearly as large as the ones before it. A whiff of air touched his neck. He spun, but saw nothing. His heartbeat quickened, and he began to feel the dampness of sweat. The whispers continued to grow louder. Soon, they formed an eerie, patterned rhythm, growing louder, and softer, and louder again. It took a while for Micah to realize that the sea of whispers was forming a single voice, which was speaking to him.
"O foolish one who seeks the Sword," they said. "Though you clearly hold the Lens of Truth, these next trials will require skill and perseverance that cannot be aided by any earthly treasure. Only when you have passed these trials will you be granted the honor of joining our chorus by pulling the Sword... Let them begin!"
Micah unsheathed his sword. The chorus laughed, and its voice faded in the darkness.
Silence. Micah looked over his shoulder warily, turned, and looked back, in quick motions, like a rabbit, tensely anticipating its imminent doom. Soon he became aware of a growing murmur in the darkness, quite unlike the supernatural chorus.
A snarl from behind! Micah turned, and for a moment, saw glowing eyes, before they disappeared again. He could hear his heart pounding. As he listened, he could make a distinction between growls... there was more than one creature.
A roar sounded, and Micah felt a whoosh of airflow roughly over his head. He yelled, held up his sword, but in the same instant it was stolen from him, taken by an unseen beast coming from his left. Both threats disappeared again. Micah didn't dare move, even if it meant to remain weaponless. He held his shield out in front of him, but the wooden board strapped to his arm seemed pathetically useless.
The stalking creatures continued to murmur. In Micah's racing mind, he thought that he could now hear at least six creatures, each one darting out occasionally. He turned as if on a pivot, turning to face the creature currently rushing out to taunt him.
A beast darted forward and roared, so close to Micah's ears that it hurt. Micah held out his flimsy shield, expecting the worst, but the creature darted away again. By now he knew what they were doing.
The creatures were testing him... seeing how much he could take, before his own fear overtook his sanity. Micah swallowed hard, determined to keep his cool.
The growls grew fainter. Micah could hear the creatures slowly back away. When they were all a great distance away, they stopped, and simultaneously roared. With a sickening sensation, Micah knew that the creatures could sense that he was on to them.
They charged. In the darkness, Micah could count not six, but eight sets of glowing eyes, all racing toward him at frightening speeds. He squeezed his eyes shut, shutting out the evil eyes, and trying to ignore the unearthly roars.
Just before the beasts collided with him, they disappeared, and in their wake was a spider web so great, that it caught Micah well within its center. Micah could now see a new set of eyes, containing eight shimmering orbs. Instead of vicious roars, he heard a bubbling dribble, coming from the slavering, many jawed mouth of a giant spider. Coming toward him.
Micah struggled wildly, but his fight only tightened the web's grip on him. The spider inched toward him, and as it did, a flash of light appeared between the spider and Micah, revealing the arachnid's hideous features. Its long, hairy legs drew its huge, black body closer, closer to its prey.
Soon, it was standing above Micah. Its dripping jaws widened, intent on Micah's head. He closed his eyes and his mouth. The jaws snapped.
It was a little before noon. At first, when the desert and the "sky" disappeared, Micah had felt thankful for a sky that didn't hurt to look at, but now, the black sky made him depressed. He trudged along and hung his head, while Belle looked around.
"Hey!" she cried. "Look where we are!"
Micah looked up and nearly fell backwards. The Sword of Illusion's fortress, which had been a distant destination for days, now towered before him. It was breathtakingly enormous.
"I wonder who lives in there," said Belle, as she fluttered ahead to the gate. Then she stopped. "Hey, Micah! Look at this!"
Micah hurried to where Belle bounced around excitedly. There was a tablet of stone before them, which was, suitably, many feet tall. Even so, the writing on it was faded and nearly illegible.
"It doesn't look like Hylian," said Micah. "I can't read it."
"No, but I can," said Belle. She flew close to the worn stone. "'Ye... who... seeks... the... sacred... sword... Take... heed... of this... warning... If thou... are not... the One... then a horrible... spell... shall... be... cast... upon... thy... head.' That's what it says."
Micah gave Belle a strange look. "So you fairies have your own little language, huh?" he said.
"Itcaia vio ovlernyea," said Belle. "Of course we do."
Micah shook his head. He stepped forward, but Belle shrieked, "Don't! What if you aren't the One?"
"That's a risk I passed many trials to take," Micah said, grimly. He continued on, through the gate, down the inner path, and up the steps to the great door.
Belle shivered. "Of all the Kokiri in the forest..." she muttered. She hurried to catch up to him.
The door slammed shut behind them. The main room was huge, and entirely empty. Micah walked forward, his footsteps echoing eerily in the emptiness. He looked at the walls around him. They were all bare. Belle fluttered up behind him.
"Listen," she said.
Micah stood quietly, and listened. The air that, at first, seemed completely quiet carried a low, monotonous stream of hissing. It almost sounded like a crowd of people talking in a very low voice.
"A lot of people have been in here before," Belle said quietly. "The curse has befallen many." She suddenly became tense. She looked over all the walls, frantically shouting, "How are we going to keep going? There are no doors!"
"No," said Micah, holding up the Lens of Truth. "There are."
He walked forward, coming close to the opposite wall, solid and flat. There were no niches or markings of any kind. Yet Micah kept walking forward.
"Ah, Micah, I wouldn't..." Belle started. He was walking straight into a wall!
Then, before Belle's eyes, he passed right through. Belle floated in shock.
"Come on, Belle," came his voice, through the wall. "Don't be afraid."
Hesitantly, Belle crept closer. The wall was inches from her face.
"Keep going," said Micah.
Belle came closer, and touched the wall with her bottom wing. She didn't feel anything. Suddenly, Micah grabbed her wing and dragged her through. She flapped her wings in fury.
"What was that for?!" she cried.
"You took too long," said Micah with a shrug. He walked on.
The next room wasn't quite as large. It was a long hallway, and the floor was missing for almost the entire way. Or rather, seemingly so, for when Micah examined the void with his lens, he saw a path, twisting and turning, all the way across.
Holding the lens in front of him, Micah stepped onto the path. Belle watched from behind. Micah took another step.
He took a few more steps, and soon he was a good distance from the floor. "Oh, wow," said Belle. "You should see what this looks like."
Micah lowered the lens and looked at his feet. His heart quickened when he saw the endless abyss below his feet, and nearly lost his footing.
"Um, ok, maybe it's best if you don't see what it looks like," Belle said quickly. "You'd better keep going."
"That's easy for you to say," Micah grumbled, holding up the lens. "You've got wings, so you don't have to walk on thin air."
Belle flew close to him. "That's why we're called helper fairies, not doer fairies," she remarked. Micah said nothing, concentrating on the path before him.
He finally made it to the opposite end. He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that he wouldn't have to take the same path on his way out. He threw open the door... solid metal covered with rivets and stains, and not the least bit welcoming... and stepped into the next room.
He gasped as he was bathed in complete darkness. He turned to leave, but the door behind him had melted away. Micah whipped out the Lens of Truth, but it revealed nothing.
The incessant whispers slowly grew louder. Micah felt closeness, even though the room was clearly as large as the ones before it. A whiff of air touched his neck. He spun, but saw nothing. His heartbeat quickened, and he began to feel the dampness of sweat. The whispers continued to grow louder. Soon, they formed an eerie, patterned rhythm, growing louder, and softer, and louder again. It took a while for Micah to realize that the sea of whispers was forming a single voice, which was speaking to him.
"O foolish one who seeks the Sword," they said. "Though you clearly hold the Lens of Truth, these next trials will require skill and perseverance that cannot be aided by any earthly treasure. Only when you have passed these trials will you be granted the honor of joining our chorus by pulling the Sword... Let them begin!"
Micah unsheathed his sword. The chorus laughed, and its voice faded in the darkness.
Silence. Micah looked over his shoulder warily, turned, and looked back, in quick motions, like a rabbit, tensely anticipating its imminent doom. Soon he became aware of a growing murmur in the darkness, quite unlike the supernatural chorus.
A snarl from behind! Micah turned, and for a moment, saw glowing eyes, before they disappeared again. He could hear his heart pounding. As he listened, he could make a distinction between growls... there was more than one creature.
A roar sounded, and Micah felt a whoosh of airflow roughly over his head. He yelled, held up his sword, but in the same instant it was stolen from him, taken by an unseen beast coming from his left. Both threats disappeared again. Micah didn't dare move, even if it meant to remain weaponless. He held his shield out in front of him, but the wooden board strapped to his arm seemed pathetically useless.
The stalking creatures continued to murmur. In Micah's racing mind, he thought that he could now hear at least six creatures, each one darting out occasionally. He turned as if on a pivot, turning to face the creature currently rushing out to taunt him.
A beast darted forward and roared, so close to Micah's ears that it hurt. Micah held out his flimsy shield, expecting the worst, but the creature darted away again. By now he knew what they were doing.
The creatures were testing him... seeing how much he could take, before his own fear overtook his sanity. Micah swallowed hard, determined to keep his cool.
The growls grew fainter. Micah could hear the creatures slowly back away. When they were all a great distance away, they stopped, and simultaneously roared. With a sickening sensation, Micah knew that the creatures could sense that he was on to them.
They charged. In the darkness, Micah could count not six, but eight sets of glowing eyes, all racing toward him at frightening speeds. He squeezed his eyes shut, shutting out the evil eyes, and trying to ignore the unearthly roars.
Just before the beasts collided with him, they disappeared, and in their wake was a spider web so great, that it caught Micah well within its center. Micah could now see a new set of eyes, containing eight shimmering orbs. Instead of vicious roars, he heard a bubbling dribble, coming from the slavering, many jawed mouth of a giant spider. Coming toward him.
Micah struggled wildly, but his fight only tightened the web's grip on him. The spider inched toward him, and as it did, a flash of light appeared between the spider and Micah, revealing the arachnid's hideous features. Its long, hairy legs drew its huge, black body closer, closer to its prey.
Soon, it was standing above Micah. Its dripping jaws widened, intent on Micah's head. He closed his eyes and his mouth. The jaws snapped.
