Chapter 3 – Caitas Krane
"Now, I suppose the best person to talk to about locating a certain place would be Caitas Krane. He knows a lot about the geography of Hyrule and the borderlands. If anybody knows where the fortress of darkness is, its him."
Zelda and Link were making there way up the path towards the castle, and she was thinking out loud for him. It was high noon now and the sun was blazing hot so they were keeping to the side of the wall with some shade.
"And then do you agree that we should go there?"
"It depends just what he tells us I suppose. This could all just be nothing."
"I doubt it. This to me sound likes the start of yet another problem the two of us are going to have to deal with."
"What? We've only ever had one problem together and that was when we met, in the seven-year war against Ganon. What are you talking about, 'yet another problem'?"
"I er..."
"What?"
"Oh, its nothing its nothing. I didn't mean that."
Zelda eyed him suspiciously but then turned back to face the castle. As they walked over the drawbridge they both breathed a sigh of relief to be out of the heat and Zelda took down her head veil that she had put up. It was dark and cool inside the castle in comparison, and it took their eyes a while to adjust.
A short way along the main corridor, Zelda turned away and opened a door in the wall. Link followed her down into a spiral staircase and hurried after her. "What's down here?"
"Oh, this is what they call the hidden corridor sometimes. I don't know why though...Well," she laughed, "it is a bit hidden granted but..." Link caught up with her. "This is the archive. If you ever needed to know something about Hyrule its more than likely that you would be able to find what you needed to know down here. Its full of books, scrolls, maps and so on, all dating back from early Hyrule history to the present day." They had emerged at a corridor lit by torchlight at the bottom of the stairs. It was not a long corridor; it extended away from the base of the stairs to a far wall that had a door in it; and there were two more sets of door facing each other across the hall from opposite sides. It was made of white stone and reflected the yellow flicker of the many torches. "That far room there," said Zelda pointing to the far door, which was less lit than the other four. "Nobody has been in there for sixteen years. Rauru told me that Ganondorf opened it in the Civil War, and that was what drove him completely corrupt."
"What's inside?" Asked Link, slightly worried.
"Hundreds of scrolls, and they all say the same thing."
"What's that?"
"In a realm beyond sight; the sky shines gold, not blue. There the Triforce' might; makes mortal dreams come true."
"I see..." Zelda was walking to the nearest door on the left now, and he followed her.
"Caitas?" She called in.
"Yes, I'm here." A voice called back. Link entered the room behind Zelda and looked around; It was a large library. At the far end there were high up windows, letting light down into the basement. This meant that with the addition of torchlight, this room was actually surprisingly bright. There were rows and rows of bookcases, all filled with old books. Specks of dust flittered around in the light, and long shadows were cast between bookcases from the windows. The main colour in here was a rich brown, because of the colour of both the shelves and the mahogany floor.
A middle aged man emerged in front of them. He was wearing a long blue robe which stretched to his feet, and a peculiar flat brown hat. Link thought he looked very odd, but he presumed that down here people were not often with him so he needn't fuss about clothing. He bowed to Zelda, "Greetings your majesty. How may I be of service?" Then he noticed Link standing next to her, and bowed again, "Lord Link, it is an honour to meet you sire."
Link whispered to Zelda, "What does he mean, 'Lord Link'?"
She whispered back, "Oh come on, you're famous. How do you expect him to treat you?"
"I guess..." He looked back to Caitas and smiled. "Good to meet you Caitas."
Zelda got straight to the point now. "Caitas, we need to know about something I heard in my dreams, which I think it important."
"Tell me."
"Do you know anything about either the 'heart of evil', the 'fortress of darkness', or 'the shadows within'?"
Caitas looked at her strangely. "Come and sit down." He walked to a table beneath the windows and sat down. Link and Zelda did likewise. "What is this all about?"
Zelda tried her best to explain. She told him about her dream and what had been said, about a wave of death and how she was told to find and destroy the heart of evil. Which was apparently in both the fortress of darkness and the shadows within. He asked her who had said these things and so she told him.
"The Puppet Master?" He said surprised. "Who on earth is that?"
"How should I know? You're the scholar."
"Yes, yes I suppose I am, yes. Well I do know something about the fortress of darkness. Wait there." He stood up and disappeared into the dark recesses of the room and returned carrying two maps. He laid the first out on the table. "This is a conventional map of Greater Hyrule. It shows as far west as the desert lands, or 'Gerud' as it is sometimes called. You can see Lake Hylia in the southwest, the Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods in the east, and Death Mountain in the northeast, and Hylia in the north here. But this is not all of Hyrule."
He put the other map on the table. "This is the northern reach." This map had Hylia and Death Mountain at the bottom of the map, and it stretched a long way through a lot of distance. There was a great grassy plain behind the mountains north of Hylia that stretched a vast distance. This was called the 'Great North Plain'. Then there was a lake and some mountains further up, and then another plain even further north named 'The Northern Waste'. Then at the far north edge of the map was a great mountain range named the 'Mountains of Darkness'. Even on the map they were shaded in dark. "Here," said Caitas pointing to this northern mountain range, "Here is where I have heard tell is the Fortress of Darkness, a place of great evil and death. Only a precious few have ever journeyed into the mountains and seen it, but none have ever approached it. Or if they have, they have not returned."
"So it is real," whispered Link.
"Yes. If Zelda's dream is a true prophetic vision, then this is where you will find the 'Heart of Evil'."
"So are you saying that you think we should go there?"
"Do whatever you feel that you should. I will of course have to report this matter to the King, Zelda. But...I don't think that there is anything the entire army of Hylia could do." He sighed. "I am a learned man Zelda, and I understand much about dreams of this sort, and I know a lot about the two of you and what you are capable of. This is your task Zelda, and you should go with her Link of course. I will inform your father of the situation at dawn two days from now because I must conform to regulations. Tell him whatever you want for the moment. I would advise that the two of you head north and seek the fortress of darkness. Maybe you go to your doom..." This man was certainly not encouraging, but was at least honest. "You can do whatever you feel best. I'm merely an advisor."
"Thanks." Said Link, half earnestly, half sarcastically. "Come on Zelda."
"Yes, thanks Caitas." She smiled at him and then followed Link out of the door.
"Now, I suppose the best person to talk to about locating a certain place would be Caitas Krane. He knows a lot about the geography of Hyrule and the borderlands. If anybody knows where the fortress of darkness is, its him."
Zelda and Link were making there way up the path towards the castle, and she was thinking out loud for him. It was high noon now and the sun was blazing hot so they were keeping to the side of the wall with some shade.
"And then do you agree that we should go there?"
"It depends just what he tells us I suppose. This could all just be nothing."
"I doubt it. This to me sound likes the start of yet another problem the two of us are going to have to deal with."
"What? We've only ever had one problem together and that was when we met, in the seven-year war against Ganon. What are you talking about, 'yet another problem'?"
"I er..."
"What?"
"Oh, its nothing its nothing. I didn't mean that."
Zelda eyed him suspiciously but then turned back to face the castle. As they walked over the drawbridge they both breathed a sigh of relief to be out of the heat and Zelda took down her head veil that she had put up. It was dark and cool inside the castle in comparison, and it took their eyes a while to adjust.
A short way along the main corridor, Zelda turned away and opened a door in the wall. Link followed her down into a spiral staircase and hurried after her. "What's down here?"
"Oh, this is what they call the hidden corridor sometimes. I don't know why though...Well," she laughed, "it is a bit hidden granted but..." Link caught up with her. "This is the archive. If you ever needed to know something about Hyrule its more than likely that you would be able to find what you needed to know down here. Its full of books, scrolls, maps and so on, all dating back from early Hyrule history to the present day." They had emerged at a corridor lit by torchlight at the bottom of the stairs. It was not a long corridor; it extended away from the base of the stairs to a far wall that had a door in it; and there were two more sets of door facing each other across the hall from opposite sides. It was made of white stone and reflected the yellow flicker of the many torches. "That far room there," said Zelda pointing to the far door, which was less lit than the other four. "Nobody has been in there for sixteen years. Rauru told me that Ganondorf opened it in the Civil War, and that was what drove him completely corrupt."
"What's inside?" Asked Link, slightly worried.
"Hundreds of scrolls, and they all say the same thing."
"What's that?"
"In a realm beyond sight; the sky shines gold, not blue. There the Triforce' might; makes mortal dreams come true."
"I see..." Zelda was walking to the nearest door on the left now, and he followed her.
"Caitas?" She called in.
"Yes, I'm here." A voice called back. Link entered the room behind Zelda and looked around; It was a large library. At the far end there were high up windows, letting light down into the basement. This meant that with the addition of torchlight, this room was actually surprisingly bright. There were rows and rows of bookcases, all filled with old books. Specks of dust flittered around in the light, and long shadows were cast between bookcases from the windows. The main colour in here was a rich brown, because of the colour of both the shelves and the mahogany floor.
A middle aged man emerged in front of them. He was wearing a long blue robe which stretched to his feet, and a peculiar flat brown hat. Link thought he looked very odd, but he presumed that down here people were not often with him so he needn't fuss about clothing. He bowed to Zelda, "Greetings your majesty. How may I be of service?" Then he noticed Link standing next to her, and bowed again, "Lord Link, it is an honour to meet you sire."
Link whispered to Zelda, "What does he mean, 'Lord Link'?"
She whispered back, "Oh come on, you're famous. How do you expect him to treat you?"
"I guess..." He looked back to Caitas and smiled. "Good to meet you Caitas."
Zelda got straight to the point now. "Caitas, we need to know about something I heard in my dreams, which I think it important."
"Tell me."
"Do you know anything about either the 'heart of evil', the 'fortress of darkness', or 'the shadows within'?"
Caitas looked at her strangely. "Come and sit down." He walked to a table beneath the windows and sat down. Link and Zelda did likewise. "What is this all about?"
Zelda tried her best to explain. She told him about her dream and what had been said, about a wave of death and how she was told to find and destroy the heart of evil. Which was apparently in both the fortress of darkness and the shadows within. He asked her who had said these things and so she told him.
"The Puppet Master?" He said surprised. "Who on earth is that?"
"How should I know? You're the scholar."
"Yes, yes I suppose I am, yes. Well I do know something about the fortress of darkness. Wait there." He stood up and disappeared into the dark recesses of the room and returned carrying two maps. He laid the first out on the table. "This is a conventional map of Greater Hyrule. It shows as far west as the desert lands, or 'Gerud' as it is sometimes called. You can see Lake Hylia in the southwest, the Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods in the east, and Death Mountain in the northeast, and Hylia in the north here. But this is not all of Hyrule."
He put the other map on the table. "This is the northern reach." This map had Hylia and Death Mountain at the bottom of the map, and it stretched a long way through a lot of distance. There was a great grassy plain behind the mountains north of Hylia that stretched a vast distance. This was called the 'Great North Plain'. Then there was a lake and some mountains further up, and then another plain even further north named 'The Northern Waste'. Then at the far north edge of the map was a great mountain range named the 'Mountains of Darkness'. Even on the map they were shaded in dark. "Here," said Caitas pointing to this northern mountain range, "Here is where I have heard tell is the Fortress of Darkness, a place of great evil and death. Only a precious few have ever journeyed into the mountains and seen it, but none have ever approached it. Or if they have, they have not returned."
"So it is real," whispered Link.
"Yes. If Zelda's dream is a true prophetic vision, then this is where you will find the 'Heart of Evil'."
"So are you saying that you think we should go there?"
"Do whatever you feel that you should. I will of course have to report this matter to the King, Zelda. But...I don't think that there is anything the entire army of Hylia could do." He sighed. "I am a learned man Zelda, and I understand much about dreams of this sort, and I know a lot about the two of you and what you are capable of. This is your task Zelda, and you should go with her Link of course. I will inform your father of the situation at dawn two days from now because I must conform to regulations. Tell him whatever you want for the moment. I would advise that the two of you head north and seek the fortress of darkness. Maybe you go to your doom..." This man was certainly not encouraging, but was at least honest. "You can do whatever you feel best. I'm merely an advisor."
"Thanks." Said Link, half earnestly, half sarcastically. "Come on Zelda."
"Yes, thanks Caitas." She smiled at him and then followed Link out of the door.