I'm back again! Did ya miss me? Don't answer that. Anyway, I have the next chapter here for
you! And the peasants rejoice. I'll stop talking now and get on with the story. But first, please
be
sure to send in reviews and tell me what you think! Alright, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Legend of Zelda . . . . for now.
The Legend of Zelda
The Golden Land
Chapter Twelve
Return to Hyrule
LAST TIME:
Tetra turned back to the others. "It was worth a try," she said and shrugged.
LinkT nodded and stepped forward. "Great Triforce, if you cannot grant that wish, then
grant this one. We wish that the land of Hyrule be restored and raised again above the waves."
The
others nodded in agreement with the wish.
The Triforce began to glow brightly.
~It shall be done.~
NOW:
"What is going on?!" cried Linder. He and the rest of the Korok had recently returned to the
Forest Haven. Now the small wooden creatures were crouching low and hollering in panic.
Moments before the ground had begun to shake violently. Now, the Forest Haven did not have
earthquakes, and there were no active volcanoes around, so everyone was in a panic. Everyone,
except the Great Deku Tree. The ancient forest spirit let out a thoughtful hum.
Linder turned to the guardian of the forest. "Great Deku Tree? What is happening?"
"Huh?" the Deku Tree mumbled, snapping out of his reverie. "Oh. Yes. I am not entirely
sure, Linder. However, I have a guess."
"What is it?"another Korok, Drona, asked.
"Well," the Deku Tree began, clearing his wooden throat. "It appears that someone has
entered the Sacred Realm. I believe that they have used the Triforce to return the land of Hyrule.
The rumbling is the land and sea rearranging."
The Korok turned to see out from the Forest Haven. They watched in amazement as their
island seemed to raise further above the now turbulent waters.
* * * * * * *
Link and Aryll's grandmother hobbled through her house, bracing herself against the door.
The ground was shaking as it never had before. The villagers of Outset Island were running
around
in an uproar. Orca and Sturgeon were trying in vain to calm everyone and keep things in line.
"What is happening?" Grandmother called to someone as they passed by. All she got for an
answer was a panicked shrug.
Grandmother carefully made her way out of the house, towards the main part of the town.
The earth gave a particularly violent shake, and the elderly woman was thrown to the ground.
"What is happening to Link and Aryll?" Grandmother muttered to herself as she struggled to
stand again.
"Careful there, ma'am," came a voice from above. Grandmother soon found herself being
lifted to her feet by Orca. "You alright there?" he asked concerned.
Link's grandmother nodded. "I'm fine. But what is happening to my grandchildren?"
Orca shrugged his shoulders slightly as he supported the old lady and the ground continued
to shake. "I have no idea. But don't worry. I'm sure Link can take care of himself and Aryll."
Grandmother nodded slightly. "I suppose you're right."
"The ocean is shrinking!" came a cry from near the shore. Everyone turned to where Joel
was standing, pointing at the beach. Sure enough, the beach seemed to be growing in size. It had
already expanded out several dozen feet, much further than even low tide.
As the town watched, the water continued to retreat from the island, pulling further away
and down. Soon, a new island peeked through the surface of the water a ways away.
"Is the island growing, or is the water receding?" Sturgeon muttered to himself several feet
away. The entire village watched as the water continued to seep away, revealing strangely grass
covered land. Eventually, the water receded out of their field of vision. The villagers stood there
in
awe, gazing out at the massive land now spread out before them.
* * * * * * *
Aboard the pirate ship, things had gone completely crazy. The water had become suddenly
turbulent and the nearby island seemed to be shaking. And then, Dragon Roost Island seemed to
begin to grow. It rose higher and higher from the water, towering over the ship.
Mako was running across the unstable deck, when the ship gave a very sudden lurch and he
was thrown to the ground. When he picked himself back up, he realized that the ship was no
longer
rocking and was not moving at all.
"What in the world?" he cried as he ran over to the side railing. He flung himself onto it and
peered over the side of the ship. "What is going on!" he cried in surprise. The pirate ship was
now
lodged on a massive outcropping of rock that was peeking out of the water. The ship was no
longer
touching the sea at all. The land under the ship and Dragon Roost Island both continued to raise,
eventually revealing that the two were connected. The rock the ship was on was a sub-peak of
the
mountain that Dragon Roost now was.
By this time, all the pirates were watching over the side of te boat. The water continued to
recede, revealing foothills and, eventually, flat ground which sprawled out as far as the eye could
see.
"I wish Miss Tetra was here," Nudge muttered out loud. The rest of the crew nodded
silently.
* * * * * * *
~It is done.~
The group of adventurers standing before the Triforce turned to each other questioningly.
LinkT and LinkW exchanged glances and shrugged. Tetra scratched her head. "Um, okay. Can
you take us there now?"
~Of course,~ the Triforce replied.
"Wait a sec!" LinkT suddenly interrupted.
~Yes?~
"Uh, could you, maybe give us some horses when we get there. We can't travel by boat
anymore," the Hero of Time reasoned, scratching his head.
~As you wish. You will now be returned to Hyrule.~
LinkW was about to say something, but was cut off as a bright light radiate from the
Triforce, temporarily blinding him. The light did not really hurt his eyes, but he couldn't see past
it.
He also felt he feet gently leave the ground.
* * * * * * *
The Hero of Time felt his feet come to rest on firm ground again, as the bright light began to
fade and his vision returned. LinkT blinked several times and looked down at his feet. His boots
were now standing on damp grass. He looked back up and found the others all there, along with
several fully saddled horses. They were all looking around the area.
LinkT raised a hand to shield his eyes as he surveyed the grassy plain before them. Off in
the distance he could see Death Mountain framed against the horizon. The were indeed in Hyrule
again. They were in the Hyrule Field to be specific, somewhere south of where Lon Lon Ranch
would have been centuries before. They were just a little north of the entrance to Lake Hylia.
The Hero of Time was pulled from his thought as he was nudged on the shoulder from
behind. He turned to find himself looking at the muzzle of a horse. The horse had brown hair
with a
white mane and white on its forehead. The animal gazed at the Hero with its blue eyes. LinkT
blinked in surprise. "E-Epona?" he asked the horse uncertainly.
The horse whinnied in reply and nudged LinkT again with its muzzle. Link chuckled softly
and cracked a lopsided smile. He raised his hand and began to stroke the horse's soft hair.
"Epona,
old girl, what are you doing here?" he asked. In response he got a snort.
"You know that horse?" came a voice from behind. LinkT turned to find LinkW standing
there.
"Well, actually yes," the Hero of Time replied. "This is Epona. She was my horse back
before I was frozen in stone."
The Hero of Winds raised an eyebrow. "Back hundreds of years ago? But shouldn't she be
long dead or something?"
LinkT shrugged in response. Then both Links simultaneously muttered, "The Triforce," as
if that explained everything. Which it did.
The Links turned back to the others. "Alright!" LinkT called to get everyone's attention.
"We are going to need to ride north from here. We are a ways away from Hyrule Castle, which is
where you said you fought Ganon." LinkW nodded in confirmation. LinkT continued, "We are
going there, because that is where the Master Sword will be. Now mount up."
"Um, Link?"
LinkT turned to Tetra. "What?"
"We don't know how to ride horses."
LinkT blinked in surprise for a few seconds. "Okay," he said at last. "Well, um, it's not
that hard. I'll show you all how to do it real quick."
* * * * * * *
Two hours later, the Hero of Time had a massive headache. He gently massaged his
temples. So far, Saria and Aryll had more or less figured out how to ride their horses. All of the
animals seemed to adore the two girls. LinkW was currently chasing his horse in a circle. Makar
was hiding from a horse who seemed to think he would taste good. Medli was having a starring
contest with her horse. Neither had blinked for over an hour. Tetra and her horse were not
currently
on speaking terms.
LinkT pinched the bridge of his nose and looked back up at the group, hoping that things
would have changed in the last five seconds. They had. LinkW was no longer chasing his horse.
It
was chasing him.
Saria pulled her horse up next to LinkT and Epona. "Hey Link."
"Yes?" Link responded in an exasperated voice.
"How did you originally get Epona to like you?" the Forest Sage asked.
LinkT thought for a moment. "Actually, that gives me an idea." He turned back to the
other, put two fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. All the horses and people stopped and
looked at him. "New plan," the Hero of Time informed the others. He pulled the Ocarina of
Time
out and put it to his lips. "Play this tune to your horse on whatever instrument you have." He
then
proceeded to play a short, smooth melody.
Saria was able to repeat the melody to her horse in one try. Aryll got it in two, as did Medli.
LinkW got it soon after. Makar, it was decided, would ride with Medli, seeing as how he could
hardly control a horse on his own. Tetra had her arms folded and faced away from the horse.
LinkW, who was now seated on his horse, sighed. "Come on, Tetra. You have to try it."
The pirate girl shook her head. "I don't play any instrument."
LinkT shrugged. "You can just hum it or something. That's what Malon did, and she
taught me that song." The Hero of Time quickly pushed away the sad feeling that came with the
mention of Malon's name. She hadn't deserved to die.
Tetra glanced around nervously before turning to her horse. She hummed a bit, but you
couldn't tell what it was.
"Um, maybe you could sing it. Just say 'ah' repeatedly changing the pitch each time,"
LinkT suggested.
Tetra swallowed nervously. She again faced her horse. She chanted softly to the tune of the
song. When she was done, the horse trotted over to her and nuzzled her head. Tetra cracked a
slight
grin. Then she noticed everyone starring at her. She turned to glare at them. "What?" she
demanded.
LinkW tilted his head. "I didn't know you could sing."
"So what?" Tetra snapped at him.
"N-Nothing."
"Good."
LinkT scratched the side of his head. "Um, okay. Well, anyway, we should head out now.
Follow me." Everyone who was on the ground climbed onto their horses and the group began to
gallop northwards.
* * * * * * *
A torch sprang to life in a sea of pitch black. The torch illuminated the cold stones behind,
above, and below it. Seconds later, a second torch ignited. This one was on a different wall,
perpendicular to the first. Then a third and a fourth torch also came to life. The four torches cast
a
soft, ghostly glow around the dark, cold room. Only the area near the torched was actually
illuminated, the center of the room remained black.
However, in the center of the room, the torch light could be seen reflected along straight
edges and angles. Eventually, the form of a giant crystal could be made out. This particular
crystal
was nearly seven feet tall, and stretched most of the height of the room.
Several moments passed, with the only sound being the gentle cackle of the torches. Then,
with a sudden snapping sound, a large crack formed on the front of the crystal. Seconds later, a
second crack formed. Then a third. Soon, the entire crystal was riddled with cracks. Pieces
began
to chip and fall away, clattering against the stone floor.
With a final shattering sound, the crystal fell apart. Pieces scattered across the ground.
Light from the torches reflected off the pieces at strange and eerie angles.
Everything was still and silent for a minute. And then, a form began to stir in the middle of
the room.
you! And the peasants rejoice. I'll stop talking now and get on with the story. But first, please
be
sure to send in reviews and tell me what you think! Alright, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Legend of Zelda . . . . for now.
The Legend of Zelda
The Golden Land
Chapter Twelve
Return to Hyrule
LAST TIME:
Tetra turned back to the others. "It was worth a try," she said and shrugged.
LinkT nodded and stepped forward. "Great Triforce, if you cannot grant that wish, then
grant this one. We wish that the land of Hyrule be restored and raised again above the waves."
The
others nodded in agreement with the wish.
The Triforce began to glow brightly.
~It shall be done.~
NOW:
"What is going on?!" cried Linder. He and the rest of the Korok had recently returned to the
Forest Haven. Now the small wooden creatures were crouching low and hollering in panic.
Moments before the ground had begun to shake violently. Now, the Forest Haven did not have
earthquakes, and there were no active volcanoes around, so everyone was in a panic. Everyone,
except the Great Deku Tree. The ancient forest spirit let out a thoughtful hum.
Linder turned to the guardian of the forest. "Great Deku Tree? What is happening?"
"Huh?" the Deku Tree mumbled, snapping out of his reverie. "Oh. Yes. I am not entirely
sure, Linder. However, I have a guess."
"What is it?"another Korok, Drona, asked.
"Well," the Deku Tree began, clearing his wooden throat. "It appears that someone has
entered the Sacred Realm. I believe that they have used the Triforce to return the land of Hyrule.
The rumbling is the land and sea rearranging."
The Korok turned to see out from the Forest Haven. They watched in amazement as their
island seemed to raise further above the now turbulent waters.
* * * * * * *
Link and Aryll's grandmother hobbled through her house, bracing herself against the door.
The ground was shaking as it never had before. The villagers of Outset Island were running
around
in an uproar. Orca and Sturgeon were trying in vain to calm everyone and keep things in line.
"What is happening?" Grandmother called to someone as they passed by. All she got for an
answer was a panicked shrug.
Grandmother carefully made her way out of the house, towards the main part of the town.
The earth gave a particularly violent shake, and the elderly woman was thrown to the ground.
"What is happening to Link and Aryll?" Grandmother muttered to herself as she struggled to
stand again.
"Careful there, ma'am," came a voice from above. Grandmother soon found herself being
lifted to her feet by Orca. "You alright there?" he asked concerned.
Link's grandmother nodded. "I'm fine. But what is happening to my grandchildren?"
Orca shrugged his shoulders slightly as he supported the old lady and the ground continued
to shake. "I have no idea. But don't worry. I'm sure Link can take care of himself and Aryll."
Grandmother nodded slightly. "I suppose you're right."
"The ocean is shrinking!" came a cry from near the shore. Everyone turned to where Joel
was standing, pointing at the beach. Sure enough, the beach seemed to be growing in size. It had
already expanded out several dozen feet, much further than even low tide.
As the town watched, the water continued to retreat from the island, pulling further away
and down. Soon, a new island peeked through the surface of the water a ways away.
"Is the island growing, or is the water receding?" Sturgeon muttered to himself several feet
away. The entire village watched as the water continued to seep away, revealing strangely grass
covered land. Eventually, the water receded out of their field of vision. The villagers stood there
in
awe, gazing out at the massive land now spread out before them.
* * * * * * *
Aboard the pirate ship, things had gone completely crazy. The water had become suddenly
turbulent and the nearby island seemed to be shaking. And then, Dragon Roost Island seemed to
begin to grow. It rose higher and higher from the water, towering over the ship.
Mako was running across the unstable deck, when the ship gave a very sudden lurch and he
was thrown to the ground. When he picked himself back up, he realized that the ship was no
longer
rocking and was not moving at all.
"What in the world?" he cried as he ran over to the side railing. He flung himself onto it and
peered over the side of the ship. "What is going on!" he cried in surprise. The pirate ship was
now
lodged on a massive outcropping of rock that was peeking out of the water. The ship was no
longer
touching the sea at all. The land under the ship and Dragon Roost Island both continued to raise,
eventually revealing that the two were connected. The rock the ship was on was a sub-peak of
the
mountain that Dragon Roost now was.
By this time, all the pirates were watching over the side of te boat. The water continued to
recede, revealing foothills and, eventually, flat ground which sprawled out as far as the eye could
see.
"I wish Miss Tetra was here," Nudge muttered out loud. The rest of the crew nodded
silently.
* * * * * * *
~It is done.~
The group of adventurers standing before the Triforce turned to each other questioningly.
LinkT and LinkW exchanged glances and shrugged. Tetra scratched her head. "Um, okay. Can
you take us there now?"
~Of course,~ the Triforce replied.
"Wait a sec!" LinkT suddenly interrupted.
~Yes?~
"Uh, could you, maybe give us some horses when we get there. We can't travel by boat
anymore," the Hero of Time reasoned, scratching his head.
~As you wish. You will now be returned to Hyrule.~
LinkW was about to say something, but was cut off as a bright light radiate from the
Triforce, temporarily blinding him. The light did not really hurt his eyes, but he couldn't see past
it.
He also felt he feet gently leave the ground.
* * * * * * *
The Hero of Time felt his feet come to rest on firm ground again, as the bright light began to
fade and his vision returned. LinkT blinked several times and looked down at his feet. His boots
were now standing on damp grass. He looked back up and found the others all there, along with
several fully saddled horses. They were all looking around the area.
LinkT raised a hand to shield his eyes as he surveyed the grassy plain before them. Off in
the distance he could see Death Mountain framed against the horizon. The were indeed in Hyrule
again. They were in the Hyrule Field to be specific, somewhere south of where Lon Lon Ranch
would have been centuries before. They were just a little north of the entrance to Lake Hylia.
The Hero of Time was pulled from his thought as he was nudged on the shoulder from
behind. He turned to find himself looking at the muzzle of a horse. The horse had brown hair
with a
white mane and white on its forehead. The animal gazed at the Hero with its blue eyes. LinkT
blinked in surprise. "E-Epona?" he asked the horse uncertainly.
The horse whinnied in reply and nudged LinkT again with its muzzle. Link chuckled softly
and cracked a lopsided smile. He raised his hand and began to stroke the horse's soft hair.
"Epona,
old girl, what are you doing here?" he asked. In response he got a snort.
"You know that horse?" came a voice from behind. LinkT turned to find LinkW standing
there.
"Well, actually yes," the Hero of Time replied. "This is Epona. She was my horse back
before I was frozen in stone."
The Hero of Winds raised an eyebrow. "Back hundreds of years ago? But shouldn't she be
long dead or something?"
LinkT shrugged in response. Then both Links simultaneously muttered, "The Triforce," as
if that explained everything. Which it did.
The Links turned back to the others. "Alright!" LinkT called to get everyone's attention.
"We are going to need to ride north from here. We are a ways away from Hyrule Castle, which is
where you said you fought Ganon." LinkW nodded in confirmation. LinkT continued, "We are
going there, because that is where the Master Sword will be. Now mount up."
"Um, Link?"
LinkT turned to Tetra. "What?"
"We don't know how to ride horses."
LinkT blinked in surprise for a few seconds. "Okay," he said at last. "Well, um, it's not
that hard. I'll show you all how to do it real quick."
* * * * * * *
Two hours later, the Hero of Time had a massive headache. He gently massaged his
temples. So far, Saria and Aryll had more or less figured out how to ride their horses. All of the
animals seemed to adore the two girls. LinkW was currently chasing his horse in a circle. Makar
was hiding from a horse who seemed to think he would taste good. Medli was having a starring
contest with her horse. Neither had blinked for over an hour. Tetra and her horse were not
currently
on speaking terms.
LinkT pinched the bridge of his nose and looked back up at the group, hoping that things
would have changed in the last five seconds. They had. LinkW was no longer chasing his horse.
It
was chasing him.
Saria pulled her horse up next to LinkT and Epona. "Hey Link."
"Yes?" Link responded in an exasperated voice.
"How did you originally get Epona to like you?" the Forest Sage asked.
LinkT thought for a moment. "Actually, that gives me an idea." He turned back to the
other, put two fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. All the horses and people stopped and
looked at him. "New plan," the Hero of Time informed the others. He pulled the Ocarina of
Time
out and put it to his lips. "Play this tune to your horse on whatever instrument you have." He
then
proceeded to play a short, smooth melody.
Saria was able to repeat the melody to her horse in one try. Aryll got it in two, as did Medli.
LinkW got it soon after. Makar, it was decided, would ride with Medli, seeing as how he could
hardly control a horse on his own. Tetra had her arms folded and faced away from the horse.
LinkW, who was now seated on his horse, sighed. "Come on, Tetra. You have to try it."
The pirate girl shook her head. "I don't play any instrument."
LinkT shrugged. "You can just hum it or something. That's what Malon did, and she
taught me that song." The Hero of Time quickly pushed away the sad feeling that came with the
mention of Malon's name. She hadn't deserved to die.
Tetra glanced around nervously before turning to her horse. She hummed a bit, but you
couldn't tell what it was.
"Um, maybe you could sing it. Just say 'ah' repeatedly changing the pitch each time,"
LinkT suggested.
Tetra swallowed nervously. She again faced her horse. She chanted softly to the tune of the
song. When she was done, the horse trotted over to her and nuzzled her head. Tetra cracked a
slight
grin. Then she noticed everyone starring at her. She turned to glare at them. "What?" she
demanded.
LinkW tilted his head. "I didn't know you could sing."
"So what?" Tetra snapped at him.
"N-Nothing."
"Good."
LinkT scratched the side of his head. "Um, okay. Well, anyway, we should head out now.
Follow me." Everyone who was on the ground climbed onto their horses and the group began to
gallop northwards.
* * * * * * *
A torch sprang to life in a sea of pitch black. The torch illuminated the cold stones behind,
above, and below it. Seconds later, a second torch ignited. This one was on a different wall,
perpendicular to the first. Then a third and a fourth torch also came to life. The four torches cast
a
soft, ghostly glow around the dark, cold room. Only the area near the torched was actually
illuminated, the center of the room remained black.
However, in the center of the room, the torch light could be seen reflected along straight
edges and angles. Eventually, the form of a giant crystal could be made out. This particular
crystal
was nearly seven feet tall, and stretched most of the height of the room.
Several moments passed, with the only sound being the gentle cackle of the torches. Then,
with a sudden snapping sound, a large crack formed on the front of the crystal. Seconds later, a
second crack formed. Then a third. Soon, the entire crystal was riddled with cracks. Pieces
began
to chip and fall away, clattering against the stone floor.
With a final shattering sound, the crystal fell apart. Pieces scattered across the ground.
Light from the torches reflected off the pieces at strange and eerie angles.
Everything was still and silent for a minute. And then, a form began to stir in the middle of
the room.