Chapter Two
Link opened his eyes slowly and weakly to find himself back in the guest room. He rolled over to his side to face the balcony door. He saw that the sun had just peeked above the mountains of Hyrule and was shining over the green earth. He heard the door open and he heard someone come in. But he didn't turn around to face whoever it was.
"Link..." he heard a girl's voice say, "You awake yet? It's me, Zelda."
He turned himself over to face her, "I'm awake," she was halfway in the door, with her hand still on the knob and her eyes trailing about the room.
"I figure we should go to Kakariko Village right now," she said, " The 'thing' can happen any minute."
"Oh, the prophecy!" he pulled himself to the floor and scrambled on his tunic top, which he had token off the night before. He slipped his sword and shield on his back and then turned to go out the door, "I almost forgot."
They started walking down the hall, "Good thing I was here to remember. I couldn't sleep all night because I was trying to make sense of it. I just can't figure out what it means."
"I can't either," he said as he straightened himself when he saw Impa approach, "Hey...Impa. How you doing?" he could tell he didn't sound himself.
"Fine, thanks," she said, "And how are you, Zelda?"
Zelda shot her hands behind her back nad looked at the ground, "I guess I'm fine too."
"Good...that's great," she stood there. So did they, each waiting for the other to start to walk away so they could go along too. But they all stood there like lumps as if they were playing the silence game, "Ok, then...so...where you two headed?"
"Oh...just to Kakariko Village," said Link, sweating, "We figured we go there today."
Impa raised both eyebrows, "What for?" she put her hands firmly on her hips.
Zelda held her breath as Link told all the lies, "We heard there's an upgrade at the Shooting Gallery. We want to check it out."
Impa shook her head while she gazed at the ground, "Whatever you two. It's your day." She nodded at them and walked away.
Zelda looked up at Link, "You have good instincts to know not to tell anyone about the prophecy."
"It wasn't my instincts," he said, "I sort of read you when I saw you turn away when Impa was coming."
She smiled, "I felt your nervousness as you lied to her." She said, "I wouldn't have done any better."
Link smiled back, "Thank you. I've got the skills." He pounded on his chest and stuck his nose in the air.
Link and Zelda sat on the haystack next to cucoo coop as they watched the villager's normal activities proceed along. Not a single thing that has to do with fire except the gypsy, Voya, had sat on the grass with candles lit around her, and she was stuck in a trance. So really they both felt nothing was happening. And they thought nothing was going to happen. In fact, Link (not Zelda) thought the prophecy was wrong.
"But my prophecies are never wrong," she said, "There had to be something that will give us a clue to this."
"You know what, Zelda," he scolded, "have you ever took the time yet to think that maybe that dream was just a dream and not a prophecy."
"It's not," she said, "And that's why I'm still sitting here."
"Well you can't blame her," said a man that had just approached the coop. He had on dirty trousers and had a cigar in his mouth, "In fact she's luck she's even got prophecies. I'd give anything to have them."
Zelda smiled sadly and leaned back on the barn wall in which the haystack was up against, "I really wish I didn't have them. They scare me sometimes."
He shrugged as he took the cigar from his mouth and released a puff of smoke, "Could you two move out of the way? That little haystack is where I throw all my puffers."
"Puffers?" asked Link.
"Cigars! Cigars! Am I the only one who knows what puffers are?"
"My point exactly," said Zelda lifting herself from the ground, a little disgusted that she was sitting in a pile of cigars, "Come on, Link. If he wants to throw puffers in the haystack let him. Let's just go to the Shooting Gallery and shoot away."
He shrugged as he raised himself from the haystack too. He stepped over the fence and looked back at the man. He saw him fling the cigar in the stack. He watched as a small group of flames gather around where it was. The flames flickered for a while before fading away and turned the hay black.
"Hey, did you even smoother it before you threw it in there?"
"Of course," he said, "I'm not that dunce, unlike some others." And the man walked away with sheets of sweat gathering around his face.
Zelda pulled the string back as far as she could, with her one eye concentrating on the target, she pulled it back a little farther then let it go. An arrow shot from the bow and landed right in the bull's eye of the target. She then took up her last arrow and fitted it place. But Link stopped her.
"Just to let you know, Zelda," he said, "You're doing great."
"Thanks," she said as she raised the bow again and stared at the next target, which was smaller and it was tough to see the middle. She pulled on the string and tilted it slightly. Before she let it go, she held her breath so the bow wouldn't move. Then she felt her fingers let go. It whistled around to the target and (you guessed it) landed in the bull's eye. Link and the Gallery manager clapped for her.
"That was perfect," said the manager, "Five bull's eyes in five shots. She certainly beat you."
Link laughed, "And I have no idea where she learned it. Where did you learn it."
She smiled, "Oh I just followed some guy who always wears a skirt and I just learned."
The manager burst out laughing as Link blushed with embarrassment, " Oh, gosh, kid, you crack me up. I learned how to shoot from my great grandfather. And do you know who that person is?" they shook their heads no, "It was Barney Backhoe, Hyrule's greatest Bow Shooter."
"No way!" said Link, "Barney Backhoe is your great grandfather?"
"He sure is," he said, "He always told me, if I believe I could do something, I would be able to."
"And that's true," said Zelda as she slid the bow across the table, "My father has always told me the same thing. It's the only saying I ever believed in."
The manager smiled at them. Then, suddenly, he lost that smile and he began to sniff the air, "Hey, you kids smell that?" Link and Zelda stood there startled a moment before they too had their noses sniffing about in the air, "It smells like smoke. You think something's on fire?"
Zelda didn't answer. She only shot her face at Link, who had shot his face at her. They were both thinking the same thing. They both ran to the door and flew out to see the entire right side of the village of fire! Link looked around and caught his eye at the well.
"Zelda, the well," he shouted over the constant screaming of people, "We need to douse the flames with the water from the well!"
The both raced to the well. Link had gotten there first. But he soon stood there frozen when he plunged his hands in the empty well. There was no water in the well! But he didn't fear that, the thing was is that he saw something at the bottom of the well. He heard Zelda stop behind him.
"Get, back, Zelda," he said, "There's something in the well. Get back."
Zelda, with her eyes wide, began to slowly step backwards away from the well. She was terrified what Link had saw, and she was scared that it would jump out and attack him. But she kept walking back. Back...back into a strong aroma of smoke, with poisoned her lungs. She coughed wildly before she collapsed to the ground, her body helplessly falling.
Link turned around just in time to see a boy with brown hair and a pale face catch Zelda from falling. He stepped away from the well and ran over to the boy. The boy stared down at her while he stroked her cheek.
"I've finally found you," he said and he placed her more deeply into his arms, "I've been waiting thirteen years."
"Uh..." Link stuttered, "What are you saying?"
The boy looked up at him, "Who are you?"
"I'm Link," he said, "I'm that girl's friend. I came here with her today. And who are you?"
The boy didn't answer him. He was staring at something else now. He was staring at a dolphin-like figure that had just appeared before them.
"Ruto!" said Link as he ran up to her, "Ruto, what are you doing here?"
She smiled, "Don't be rude to your future fiancé."
Link calmed himself down, "I'm sorry. But really...why are you here."
"I've come to put out this fire," she said as she raised her right hand and from it appeared a small water ball. She faced a building and threw the ball at a group of flames. The flames hissed and grew weak. Then it disappeared into a round of ash, "Just leave, Link. I've got the village under control."
Link nodded as he looked around for the boy. But he wasn't there anymore. He looked towards the entrance and saw him carrying Zelda out of the village. He puffed over to him and jerked his shoulder.
"Where are you going?" he asked the boy.
The boy answered in a smooth, soft voice, "I'm taking her back to the castle. Doesn't she belong there?"
"Well of course," he said, "By why are you helping her. I've never seen you before around Hyrule."
"That's because I've never been to Hyrule," he said as he gave Zelda another bounce so he wouldn't drop her, "I've just got here yesterday," he didn't stop walking, "Come on, lets go to the castle."
Link stared down at the ground with a fierce look on her face. This boy seemed like he knew Zelda. But Link knew everyone that she was ever a friend with. So how was it that he didn't recognize this boy?
Link and the boy walked into the parlor where Impa was again sitting on the rocking, closing her eyes carefree at first, then she shot open her eyes and became curious when she saw the boy holding Zelda. She quickly rose herself from the chair and walked towards them.
"Oh, my goodness, what happened?" she said, "Is she hurt?" then she turned to the Link and quickly crossed her arms, "Link...can you explain this?"
He nervously smiled at her, took her by the arm, and gently led her out the door. When he was out, he slowly closed the door and turned to her, "First of all...I don't know who that boy is. He just appeared out of nowhere and caught her before she fell to the ground," he tried hard not to reveal the prophecy, "Kakariko Village was on fire and..."
"On fire!" she yelped, "Is everything all right?"
"Relax," he said, "Ruto took care of it...you know, the Water Sage? She put out the flames. Anyway, the boy that caught her and brought her here seems to know Zelda (but I've never seen him). As soon as he caught her, he said to her ' I've finally found you'. It was really weird if you ask me."
Impa stroked her chin, "Yes, I never have seen this boy before either. You think she knows him?"
He shrugged, "The only way to find that is to wake her up. Lets do so."
"Right," and they scampered back into the room where the boy had just laid Zelda on the ground, with a pillow under her head. Link ran over to her and began to shake her lightly, "Hey, Zelda. Wake up."
The boy stopped him, "Don't! If you shake her you'll only make her more tired when she wakes. And we can't have hr go back to sleep, ok?"
Link nodded slowly, "You sure no your first-aid."
"Thank you, mother has always studied it with me when I was about ten," he stroked Zelda's arm, "You're just as I thought you would have looked."
"I'm sorry...but what did you say?" Link asked.
"Nothing. We're going to have to do CPR on her. Why don't you be the one who kisses her?"
Link shrugged, "I guess I could." He tried to act like it was nothing, although he knew he wanted to.
The boy kneeled beside her and placed his hands over her bowel, "You do know how to do the kissing part, right?"
Link blushed, "Not really."
The boy smiled, "All's you have to do is plug her nose, blow two long breaths into her mouth, and come up until I say to do it again, understand?" Link nodded as he plugged her nose tightly.
"Do I go now?"
The boy placed his hands over the bowel again, about to push down, " Ok...now," Link pressed his mouth over hers and gave her two very long breaths. Then he arose, watched the boy push up and down on her body, and plugged her nose again.
"Does that hurt her?"
"No, concentrate and don't ask too many questions," he said, "Blow again," so Link leaned over her and blew into her mouth again and then arose and watched the boy press onto her again. Then after about a few times, Zelda opened her eyes again, "Good, you're awake, Zelda."
Link looked up at the boy before he rubbed her cheek, "You okay, Zelda?"
She struggled to get up, but the boy wouldn't let her. He only placed a hand on her chest and weighed her down, "Don't get up, you'll hurt yourself."
She swung her head towards him. Then her eyes grew wide as she stared at him. She then grabbed Link by his tunic and pulled him close to her and said, "It's him."
Link looked at her questioningly, "You know him?"
She nodded cautiously, "That's the boy from the prophecy," she said, "Wait a minute...did it...come true?"
He shrugged, "I guess it did," he said to her, "But he says he knows you."
"That's impossible. I've never seen him before."
"Neither have I," said a strong voice from behind the three. It was the king who had just walked in, he had seen the whole CPR thing but he tried to hide that, "What's your name, boy?"
The boy stood up from the ground and bowed to the king, "My name is Kohaku, your majesty."
The king turned pale, "Kohaku," he said as he leaned his head to the side, trying to remember the name, "I used to have a son by that name. Haven't seen him in thirteen years."
The boy smiled, "Was his name Kohaku Barrens?"
"Yes!" said the king excitedly, "You know him?"
"Yeah I know him," said the boy with a deceiving look on his face, " He's me."
Link opened his eyes slowly and weakly to find himself back in the guest room. He rolled over to his side to face the balcony door. He saw that the sun had just peeked above the mountains of Hyrule and was shining over the green earth. He heard the door open and he heard someone come in. But he didn't turn around to face whoever it was.
"Link..." he heard a girl's voice say, "You awake yet? It's me, Zelda."
He turned himself over to face her, "I'm awake," she was halfway in the door, with her hand still on the knob and her eyes trailing about the room.
"I figure we should go to Kakariko Village right now," she said, " The 'thing' can happen any minute."
"Oh, the prophecy!" he pulled himself to the floor and scrambled on his tunic top, which he had token off the night before. He slipped his sword and shield on his back and then turned to go out the door, "I almost forgot."
They started walking down the hall, "Good thing I was here to remember. I couldn't sleep all night because I was trying to make sense of it. I just can't figure out what it means."
"I can't either," he said as he straightened himself when he saw Impa approach, "Hey...Impa. How you doing?" he could tell he didn't sound himself.
"Fine, thanks," she said, "And how are you, Zelda?"
Zelda shot her hands behind her back nad looked at the ground, "I guess I'm fine too."
"Good...that's great," she stood there. So did they, each waiting for the other to start to walk away so they could go along too. But they all stood there like lumps as if they were playing the silence game, "Ok, then...so...where you two headed?"
"Oh...just to Kakariko Village," said Link, sweating, "We figured we go there today."
Impa raised both eyebrows, "What for?" she put her hands firmly on her hips.
Zelda held her breath as Link told all the lies, "We heard there's an upgrade at the Shooting Gallery. We want to check it out."
Impa shook her head while she gazed at the ground, "Whatever you two. It's your day." She nodded at them and walked away.
Zelda looked up at Link, "You have good instincts to know not to tell anyone about the prophecy."
"It wasn't my instincts," he said, "I sort of read you when I saw you turn away when Impa was coming."
She smiled, "I felt your nervousness as you lied to her." She said, "I wouldn't have done any better."
Link smiled back, "Thank you. I've got the skills." He pounded on his chest and stuck his nose in the air.
Link and Zelda sat on the haystack next to cucoo coop as they watched the villager's normal activities proceed along. Not a single thing that has to do with fire except the gypsy, Voya, had sat on the grass with candles lit around her, and she was stuck in a trance. So really they both felt nothing was happening. And they thought nothing was going to happen. In fact, Link (not Zelda) thought the prophecy was wrong.
"But my prophecies are never wrong," she said, "There had to be something that will give us a clue to this."
"You know what, Zelda," he scolded, "have you ever took the time yet to think that maybe that dream was just a dream and not a prophecy."
"It's not," she said, "And that's why I'm still sitting here."
"Well you can't blame her," said a man that had just approached the coop. He had on dirty trousers and had a cigar in his mouth, "In fact she's luck she's even got prophecies. I'd give anything to have them."
Zelda smiled sadly and leaned back on the barn wall in which the haystack was up against, "I really wish I didn't have them. They scare me sometimes."
He shrugged as he took the cigar from his mouth and released a puff of smoke, "Could you two move out of the way? That little haystack is where I throw all my puffers."
"Puffers?" asked Link.
"Cigars! Cigars! Am I the only one who knows what puffers are?"
"My point exactly," said Zelda lifting herself from the ground, a little disgusted that she was sitting in a pile of cigars, "Come on, Link. If he wants to throw puffers in the haystack let him. Let's just go to the Shooting Gallery and shoot away."
He shrugged as he raised himself from the haystack too. He stepped over the fence and looked back at the man. He saw him fling the cigar in the stack. He watched as a small group of flames gather around where it was. The flames flickered for a while before fading away and turned the hay black.
"Hey, did you even smoother it before you threw it in there?"
"Of course," he said, "I'm not that dunce, unlike some others." And the man walked away with sheets of sweat gathering around his face.
Zelda pulled the string back as far as she could, with her one eye concentrating on the target, she pulled it back a little farther then let it go. An arrow shot from the bow and landed right in the bull's eye of the target. She then took up her last arrow and fitted it place. But Link stopped her.
"Just to let you know, Zelda," he said, "You're doing great."
"Thanks," she said as she raised the bow again and stared at the next target, which was smaller and it was tough to see the middle. She pulled on the string and tilted it slightly. Before she let it go, she held her breath so the bow wouldn't move. Then she felt her fingers let go. It whistled around to the target and (you guessed it) landed in the bull's eye. Link and the Gallery manager clapped for her.
"That was perfect," said the manager, "Five bull's eyes in five shots. She certainly beat you."
Link laughed, "And I have no idea where she learned it. Where did you learn it."
She smiled, "Oh I just followed some guy who always wears a skirt and I just learned."
The manager burst out laughing as Link blushed with embarrassment, " Oh, gosh, kid, you crack me up. I learned how to shoot from my great grandfather. And do you know who that person is?" they shook their heads no, "It was Barney Backhoe, Hyrule's greatest Bow Shooter."
"No way!" said Link, "Barney Backhoe is your great grandfather?"
"He sure is," he said, "He always told me, if I believe I could do something, I would be able to."
"And that's true," said Zelda as she slid the bow across the table, "My father has always told me the same thing. It's the only saying I ever believed in."
The manager smiled at them. Then, suddenly, he lost that smile and he began to sniff the air, "Hey, you kids smell that?" Link and Zelda stood there startled a moment before they too had their noses sniffing about in the air, "It smells like smoke. You think something's on fire?"
Zelda didn't answer. She only shot her face at Link, who had shot his face at her. They were both thinking the same thing. They both ran to the door and flew out to see the entire right side of the village of fire! Link looked around and caught his eye at the well.
"Zelda, the well," he shouted over the constant screaming of people, "We need to douse the flames with the water from the well!"
The both raced to the well. Link had gotten there first. But he soon stood there frozen when he plunged his hands in the empty well. There was no water in the well! But he didn't fear that, the thing was is that he saw something at the bottom of the well. He heard Zelda stop behind him.
"Get, back, Zelda," he said, "There's something in the well. Get back."
Zelda, with her eyes wide, began to slowly step backwards away from the well. She was terrified what Link had saw, and she was scared that it would jump out and attack him. But she kept walking back. Back...back into a strong aroma of smoke, with poisoned her lungs. She coughed wildly before she collapsed to the ground, her body helplessly falling.
Link turned around just in time to see a boy with brown hair and a pale face catch Zelda from falling. He stepped away from the well and ran over to the boy. The boy stared down at her while he stroked her cheek.
"I've finally found you," he said and he placed her more deeply into his arms, "I've been waiting thirteen years."
"Uh..." Link stuttered, "What are you saying?"
The boy looked up at him, "Who are you?"
"I'm Link," he said, "I'm that girl's friend. I came here with her today. And who are you?"
The boy didn't answer him. He was staring at something else now. He was staring at a dolphin-like figure that had just appeared before them.
"Ruto!" said Link as he ran up to her, "Ruto, what are you doing here?"
She smiled, "Don't be rude to your future fiancé."
Link calmed himself down, "I'm sorry. But really...why are you here."
"I've come to put out this fire," she said as she raised her right hand and from it appeared a small water ball. She faced a building and threw the ball at a group of flames. The flames hissed and grew weak. Then it disappeared into a round of ash, "Just leave, Link. I've got the village under control."
Link nodded as he looked around for the boy. But he wasn't there anymore. He looked towards the entrance and saw him carrying Zelda out of the village. He puffed over to him and jerked his shoulder.
"Where are you going?" he asked the boy.
The boy answered in a smooth, soft voice, "I'm taking her back to the castle. Doesn't she belong there?"
"Well of course," he said, "By why are you helping her. I've never seen you before around Hyrule."
"That's because I've never been to Hyrule," he said as he gave Zelda another bounce so he wouldn't drop her, "I've just got here yesterday," he didn't stop walking, "Come on, lets go to the castle."
Link stared down at the ground with a fierce look on her face. This boy seemed like he knew Zelda. But Link knew everyone that she was ever a friend with. So how was it that he didn't recognize this boy?
Link and the boy walked into the parlor where Impa was again sitting on the rocking, closing her eyes carefree at first, then she shot open her eyes and became curious when she saw the boy holding Zelda. She quickly rose herself from the chair and walked towards them.
"Oh, my goodness, what happened?" she said, "Is she hurt?" then she turned to the Link and quickly crossed her arms, "Link...can you explain this?"
He nervously smiled at her, took her by the arm, and gently led her out the door. When he was out, he slowly closed the door and turned to her, "First of all...I don't know who that boy is. He just appeared out of nowhere and caught her before she fell to the ground," he tried hard not to reveal the prophecy, "Kakariko Village was on fire and..."
"On fire!" she yelped, "Is everything all right?"
"Relax," he said, "Ruto took care of it...you know, the Water Sage? She put out the flames. Anyway, the boy that caught her and brought her here seems to know Zelda (but I've never seen him). As soon as he caught her, he said to her ' I've finally found you'. It was really weird if you ask me."
Impa stroked her chin, "Yes, I never have seen this boy before either. You think she knows him?"
He shrugged, "The only way to find that is to wake her up. Lets do so."
"Right," and they scampered back into the room where the boy had just laid Zelda on the ground, with a pillow under her head. Link ran over to her and began to shake her lightly, "Hey, Zelda. Wake up."
The boy stopped him, "Don't! If you shake her you'll only make her more tired when she wakes. And we can't have hr go back to sleep, ok?"
Link nodded slowly, "You sure no your first-aid."
"Thank you, mother has always studied it with me when I was about ten," he stroked Zelda's arm, "You're just as I thought you would have looked."
"I'm sorry...but what did you say?" Link asked.
"Nothing. We're going to have to do CPR on her. Why don't you be the one who kisses her?"
Link shrugged, "I guess I could." He tried to act like it was nothing, although he knew he wanted to.
The boy kneeled beside her and placed his hands over her bowel, "You do know how to do the kissing part, right?"
Link blushed, "Not really."
The boy smiled, "All's you have to do is plug her nose, blow two long breaths into her mouth, and come up until I say to do it again, understand?" Link nodded as he plugged her nose tightly.
"Do I go now?"
The boy placed his hands over the bowel again, about to push down, " Ok...now," Link pressed his mouth over hers and gave her two very long breaths. Then he arose, watched the boy push up and down on her body, and plugged her nose again.
"Does that hurt her?"
"No, concentrate and don't ask too many questions," he said, "Blow again," so Link leaned over her and blew into her mouth again and then arose and watched the boy press onto her again. Then after about a few times, Zelda opened her eyes again, "Good, you're awake, Zelda."
Link looked up at the boy before he rubbed her cheek, "You okay, Zelda?"
She struggled to get up, but the boy wouldn't let her. He only placed a hand on her chest and weighed her down, "Don't get up, you'll hurt yourself."
She swung her head towards him. Then her eyes grew wide as she stared at him. She then grabbed Link by his tunic and pulled him close to her and said, "It's him."
Link looked at her questioningly, "You know him?"
She nodded cautiously, "That's the boy from the prophecy," she said, "Wait a minute...did it...come true?"
He shrugged, "I guess it did," he said to her, "But he says he knows you."
"That's impossible. I've never seen him before."
"Neither have I," said a strong voice from behind the three. It was the king who had just walked in, he had seen the whole CPR thing but he tried to hide that, "What's your name, boy?"
The boy stood up from the ground and bowed to the king, "My name is Kohaku, your majesty."
The king turned pale, "Kohaku," he said as he leaned his head to the side, trying to remember the name, "I used to have a son by that name. Haven't seen him in thirteen years."
The boy smiled, "Was his name Kohaku Barrens?"
"Yes!" said the king excitedly, "You know him?"
"Yeah I know him," said the boy with a deceiving look on his face, " He's me."