IV
But, as Link moved farther away from the castle and the land he had lived in for the past four years, he found his thoughts straying away from Zelda and onto the quest at hand. Back to normal, he cynically thought to himself. His normal life consisted of battling monsters and finding magical powers, not worrying about relationships. Still, he had a job to do, and he needed to concentrate on it. The Outcast Village was the only town that could help him cross the Goronian Mountains. Unfortunately, Link was certain they would be unhappy to see him. The Outcast Village was a town recently formed from Ganon's malformed underlings. Although there were many who still wanted to try to revive Ganon, most were tired of the fighting and wished to live peacefully. However, no town would accept them after the terror that they created. Thus, they formed their own village near Midoru swamp. Moblins, Wizrobes, Goriyas, Darknuts, and other nightmares of Hyrule attempted to eke out a living and hoped that they would one day be accepted by Hyrule. However, they may not accept Link. Many have probably seen their colleagues struck down under Link's sword, and some may even bear their own wounds. They may not be enemies of Hyrule anymore, but they would undoubtedly still hate Link.

And he could feel it. After spending a day in Ruto town, he arrived in the monsters' village late the next evening. He could feel the stares on his back as he rode through the town, searching for a place to spend the night. He didn't know if their stares were due to the fact that they seldom saw Hylians, or because they recognized him. Perhaps it was not the best idea to wear his green tunic and cap. But nothing terrible happened to him before he found a rather unpleasant looking inn. The Goriya in charge didn't seem too happy to have such a customer, but he relented after Link offered to pay much more than the standard fare. At least the Goriya gave him some information on who to talk to regarding a mountain crossing. It wasn't as specific as Link wanted, but he could work out the details later. In any case, all he wanted to do was get away from the constant stares. Yet he was only in his room for a few minutes when he heard some low mumblings from outside his door. He had time to draw his sword and shield when the door crashed down, revealing a rather angry mob.

A Darknut, one of Ganon's top soldiers, was in front, dressed in his full armor. Link could see a half dozen other outcasts behind him, and there were certainly more. He was prepared for the worst when he heard shouts and screams coming from the hallway. A blue wave of energy crashed into the Darknut from behind, stunning but not injuring him. Behind the confused Darknut stood a wizrobe, holding a staff. The mage spoke, loudly enough for all to hear. "What are you doing? This man is a guest of our lands, and you attack him? The Hylian War is over. This man defeated our former leader. Now is the time for peace, not vengeance. We have tried to keep the peace, despite the fact that the Hylians do not trust us. Will they come to accept us if we murder one of theirs?"

There was silence. The mob, so intent on destroying Link, started to look around and mutter amongst themselves. The Darknut was not entirely convinced, however. "This man is a murderer. He killed many of us in the war. Now he has come here, wanting more death on his hands."

The Wizrobe became very angry at this, and fixed his cold stare directly on the soldier. "Who told you this?" The Darknut was finally humbled under that menacing stare. He mumbled an incomprehensible response. The mage ignored him and turned his attention to Link. "Why have you come to our humble town, good sir?" Link figured an honest answer would be best, and told him of his need to cross the mountains. The Wizrobe nodded and spoke up, once again for everyone to hear. "Tomorrow, I personally will organize a team to guide you through the peaks. We hope, when you return to your castle, that you will remember this act of kindness and not this ruthless mob." Link nodded, recognizing this speech was being made for political reasons. As such, he was not surprised when the mage continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sefia, the mayor of our humble village. If you need anything else, I am at your service." After waiting for the mob to disburse, he too left, leaving Link alone to recollect his thoughts.

It was certainly good fortune for him if this was true. A team of guides was more than he expected. Sefia seemed like a trustworthy man. In this case, lying would not raise him and his village up in the political atmosphere, so there was no reason not to trust him. And there obviously wasn't, as Link was greeted the next morning by a band of Goriyas and their pet Tektikes. The giant spiders, Link was told, were used to ferret around the mountains, finding safe passages for the others to follow. They were experts at finding their way around these seemingly impassable cliffs. It was a long and agonizing trip, made worse by the fact that his guides urged him to cross quickly. Apparently, only a few teams were talented at this, and Sefia preferred only having one team out at a time. However, one group had left a few days earlier, and had not yet returned. No one knew if the other customer would ask them to stay for a few days in order to lead him back, so Link's team had to move as quickly as possible. And they did, as Link had passed through the Goronians in only three days. They were only a few miles away from their target, the town of Garamonde. To Link's relief, they accepted him in, and the next morning his guides departed. The first part of his quest was over, and he was starting to feel confident about his mission.