Chapter 4 Blue Fields
"I'm bored!" Cera grumped at Link. Link sighed loudly and made Cera land in his hat. Link was bored too but it couldn't be helped. The road was long and monotonous. Hills, trees and rock greeted them. It wasn't like Hyrule field where there were some fences to jump over if you got bored or Poes to shoot at. Link was in for one boring ride.
"I wonder if Soaran is going to let Navi go?" Link wondered out loud. Cera heard the pondering and laughed, loudly.
"Do you really think that he would let such a rarity go? Just because some punk kid from the street asked him to? I don't think so music boy." Link sighed quietly and pulled out his bow. "What are you doing?" Cera asked watching Link shuffle his items around.
"Your right about that. If he won't let Navi go, I suppose I'll have to do something for him to let her go." Cera then promptly smacked Link on top of his head.
"You really are thick skulled! Navi's probably being held prisoner! You don't just go up to a guy like that and say 'can I have the fairy? I'll do anything for you!' I thought you were smarter than that!" Link rubbed his newly formed bump on his head.
"We don't know what this guy is like! Soaran could be an O.K. guy for all we know." Link grumbled in reply.
'Although I don't think that's possible if he really kidnapped her in the first place. What would this guy want with Navi anyways?' Link thought to himself. As if echoing his thoughts, Cera spoke up.
"And how likely is that? Not very! I say we sneak into where this guy lives-"
'Which is probably a huge, threatening castle with lot's of guards.' Link thought to himself.
"-find Navi-"
'Among all the dangerous traps and guards.' Link added in his mind.
"-and free her before anything can happen."
'Like being found out and attacked for stealing.'
"Right, Link? Link?" Cera noticed that Link was barely paying attention to her. "HEY!" Link was bought out of his cheerful thoughts by an annoyed fairy.
"I just hope you're right about this plan. It could be a disaster." Link mumbled to himself. Cera caught the comment though and flew directly into Link's face.
"You mean you like my idea? You're going to try it my way? Yaaay!" Link's lips curled into a tight smile as he shook his head. "We'll have to try when it's dark out and when it's really late! You'll have no trouble at all sneaking into this place! I'm positive about it! Now let's see."
'Oh yeah, this is going to be a complete catastrophe' Link thought wryly as Cera laid out the plans with ease. It was midday as Link and company entered the City. Link had only seen big towns before but nothing like this! Tall buildings were everywhere. Link had never seen such a display of shops before. Why, there was even a great Goron bomb for sale!
"Stay inside my hood!" Link growled at Cera as the fairy tried to take a peek at the city beyond the hood. "You can't be seen." Link said under his breath. Cera pouted.
"It's not fair that you get to see the city while I suffocate in this miserable hat of yours." Cera growled softly so Link could hear. Link straightened his hat for Cera.
"That better?" Link whispered to the fairy. Cera didn't answer because they heard a voice shout.
"You there! The boy in the green tunic!" Link turned to who was seeking him out in the crowd. Link wasn't hard to miss with all the yellow and blue tunics in the area. Most people just stared at Link as he slowly trotted by on Epona but someone was trying to get his attention. Link saw a man wearing a blue tunic waving his arms around.
'What's this guy up to?' Link made his way through the crowd and neared the stranger. It was obvious that this guy was a blue supporter; you couldn't miss the blue tunic and sweatpants.
"Yes?" Link asked the man when he was close enough to him. The man then panted from the exertion he caused trying to get Link's attention. The man caught his breath and graced his features with a wide grin, making Link feel a little more than uncomfortable.
"You! I know you! You're that guy that saved the Deku Mayor from that Wolfos aren't you? You came riding in and pomp! That was the end of that Wolfos. I was there and watched the whole thing! The green boy!" Link looked slightly shocked and embarrassed at the same time.
"It-it was nothing really." Link stammered. The man in blue let out a whoop of joy. The first thing Link thought was uh oh! He had blonde hair that went well beyond his shoulders and baby brown eyes that screamed puppy. He was of a natural build that made Link moan because it was familiar; he could have been at the fight.
"Zirain, Taro! Get your butt's out here! Now you guys have to believe me!" Link looked in the direction of where the man was shouting and saw two men come out of an inn called The Neutralizer. Link was slightly surprised when he saw a man dressed in yellow and the other in red.
'Red? Juba never mentioned anyone wearing red before. Must not support anyone.' Link thought to himself as the men neared Epona. Link took the time to study their faces. The one in yellow, the one he thought could be Zirain, had deep black hair and even deeper cerulean eyes. The one in red he guessed was Taro and he was the only person he had seen so far with thick red hair. Not many people other than the Gerudo had red hair so Link was a little taken aback by it.
"What is it Derek?" Zirain asked. When his eyes set on Link, they flew open and shocked. "No way!"
"Looks like we owe you a free drink tonight." Taro laughed tartly. Link was a little unnerved by the whole crowds stares and shifted his weight from side to side.
"Um, hello." Link said an uncertain tone. "My name is Link." The young men were a little startled when Link said something of his own accord. Link looked back at the trio. "What?" Link asked nervously. Then, Zirain laughed.
"Well, I'll be. He can speak too! Wouldn't have expected it though after the tale this blabber mouth told." Zirain pointed to Derek. "Said you defeated THE Wolfos twice your size with a sword no less. That you dashed into the fray and saved the mayor Deku and whisked him off to safety on your horse before the Wolfos had time to react. Then you single handedly took on the beast yourself and won."
"Actually, it was three times my size. It would only be twice as big as Derek here." Link said seriously. Taro and Zirain watched as Link dismounted from his horse and almost burst out laughing when they saw Link's real height.
"No kidding! This is the savior of Deku Town? A scrawny, little runt like you?" Taro giggled between laughs. Link went on the defensive to that comment.
"Who are you calling a runt you lumbering ox!" Link growled at the young man in yellow. Link heard Cera moan in his hat and could almost hear her disapproval. Taro stopped for a moment when it computed that Link had called him a lumbering ox!
"Why you little-" Link dodged to the right and Taro slipped past him on the slippery cobblestones. "Whoa!" Link snorted in amusement when Taro went barreling into some cargo of mashed Zora seaweed. Taro's friends laughed at him as he emerged the crate looking like a drowned man in green.
"Nice look Taro!" Laughed Derek. "You look like the kid now. All covered in green!" Taro glared coolly at Derek.
"You have to admit that makes him look more like a lumbering ox than I though possible." Teased Zirain. Link hid a smile with his hand and tried not to laugh too loudly. Taro started to get the green slime off of him.
"Ha-ha, very funny! Now help me out of this you guys." Link moved aside so he could let Zirain and Derek help their friend. "Now I'm going to have to take a bath!"
"I bet thirty shards that he still smells like that tomorrow." Zirain said to Derek. Taro glared at his friend.
"No bet. I know that's what he's going to smell like tomorrow." They all laughed at that. Link thought that it was best if he left right then, seeing that they were all busy. Link walked up to Epona and started to mount her when he was suddenly tugged off the horse.
"And where do you think your going?" Zirain said in a good-natured laugh. Link was hanging from his belt being lifted up in the air by the red haired youth. Link was almost completely upside down and had to hang onto his hat.
"Leave the kid alone Zirain, I think we gave him enough trouble for one day. Besides, he could always take out that sword of his and kkkkk!" Derek made a motion with his hand around his neck, pretending to take it off. Zirain didn't take the threat seriously.
"I don't think so. The kid wouldn't really do it. He knows that I'm just curious about him. What say we use that pot money we won a while ago and rent this runt a room so he can tell us his story? It would be the least he could do." Taro made a startled croak and growled.
"I don't think that's a bad idea. What about you Taro?" Derek asked his friend. Taro pondered for a second in his quagmire state and growled loudly. "You did ask for it." Derek reminded him.
"Fine! But you owe me one Zirain!" Link was tired of being up in the air so he stripped himself of his belt and landed gracefully on all fours like a cat. Link brushed himself off while his newfound friends gaped openly.
"How did you do that?" Zirain said in awe of Link when he handed his belt back. Link brushed himself off and put his belt back on.
"That was nothing. You should try getting free of a forty-foot water monster's water tentacle when he's mad at you." The three boy's stared again at Link in shock. "What?" Link asked innocently.
"I take it back Zirain. You owe me nothing. Either this kids imagination is going to keep me up all night or we are in for one heck of a life story!" Taro said softly. Thankfully, Link was shown around Neutral for the rest of the day. The boy's he had met he found out were the famous Neutral Hero Trio. Taro was from the castle in yellow field and Derek was from the castle in blue field. Not a big surprise there but Link did find out a few things about the people. Yellow's all looked relatively the same; deep blue eyes and black hair was a common trait. Blue's had fine blonde hair and deep brown eyes. Link then asked about Zirain and got an earful!
"My parents were original residents of Neutral Town! They were the first settlers here besides the royals. Did you know that they were actually the prince and princess of blue and yellow?" Zirain asked suddenly. Link nodded. "Good. That makes my story easier to tell. Well, my parents were said to be outcasts of society too. My mother was supposedly a Gerudo and my father a Hylain warrior. Not a blue or yellow! A real Hylain! I think he was the last of the sentry sent here by the King of the Fields. Anyway, they followed and became good friends with the highnesses. Not that they knew mind you but still became friends just the same. To make a long story short-"
"You mean to make a short story longer." Taro teased Zirain.
"Oh hush! I'm trying to tell the boy what happened! They had me and stayed in town until Soaran took over." The trio went quiet at the mention of Soaran. "They disappeared when I was ten." They went on and on about their normal lives, their jobs and the girls they liked.
"Gross!" Link made a face when the conversation turned towards girls. The three youths had wolfish grins on their faces.
"One day you won't feel that way around girls. Enjoy the cooties while they last." Derek said with a dazed grin. "Girls grow up and then they become problems."
"Girls are always a problem." Zirain snickered to Link. "Especially to Derek! They all want to get their claws in him and never let go!"
"Hey! How would you like it if you were forced into an engagement?" Derek demanded at Zirain. Zirain looked a little sheepish and adverted his eyes.
"I know that I wouldn't like it." Taro added in as an afterthought.
"I know I don't" Link grumbled quietly. It wasn't quiet enough as all young men present turned to Link in horror. "What?" Link asked innocently again.
"You're engaged!?!" Taro demanded in a shrill voice. Link's shoulder's slumped and he took a deep breath.
"Ruto seems to think so." Instantly, there was pity from the other young men.
"Oh man! How did it happen?" Zirain asked sympathetically.
"You poor guy. What does she look like?" Taro asked just as sympathetic as Zirain.
"At your age? That's unheard of!" Derek squeaked in his defense. Link put his hands behind his head and sighed loudly.
"It happened when I was on a quest for Zelda. I was forced to find a princess in the middle of a large fish's belly in order to obtain a special stone from her. I went in, got the princess out, and she gave me the stone. I didn't know it was supposed to be a stupid engagement present!" Link grumbled. At this shortened version of Link's story into Zora's Domain, the three men began to laugh.
"You had us going there for a minute! I thought you were bloody serious!" Derek laughed. "Imagine! Griping about being engaged to a princess!"
"I am serious! She's a Zora princess!" Link growled at the trio. The trio laughed louder at this bit of 'storytelling' when Link saw what he was looking for. "What's that?" Link asked pointing to a large tower. Taro wiped the tears from his eyes. When he looked in the direction Link was pointing, he became serious.
"That my young imaginative friend is the Tower. Wizard Soaran's Tower to be exact." Link memorized the place they were in it might be useful later. Link was then shown the temple of the three goddesses. Link was too preoccupied with the tower to really notice the intricate carvings or the seven holes in the main room's shrine to the three goddesses. Later, Link and company made there way back to the inn and Link was set up for the night. Link was about to go find something to eat when Zirain sideswiped Link for his story.
"You've been making remarks all day that have got my curiosity peaked and the other guys are already waiting for you. Come on shrimp." Link was picked up by Zirain in the same manner he had been earlier that afternoon and was almost tossed into the room.
"So there you are! We thought you had skipped out on us." Taro said in a teasing tone. Link straightened up and brushed himself off. "So, start talking! You have a lot of questions to answer."
"Where should I start?" Link wondered out loud. Then Link's hat moved on it's own. The movement was noticed by all the people present. "Maybe it should start with this." Link took off his hat and let Cera fly out.
"Hmph! He does too have a fish out to marry him and she's a princess." Cera said growling at the young men. Stunned, the only word for it was stunned. No one moved, no one said a word and no one dared look away from the fairy.
"CERA! Ruto is a Zora! Not a fish!" The fairy floated onto Link's shoulder. Amused that she had the other youth's full and utmost attention, Cera continued on.
"Zora, fish, I've never seen one so what 's the difference. And how dare you leave me in that boring hat all day! I could have died from the heat! I don't know how your brains aren't baked!" In one fluent motion, Link took his hat in both his hands, flipped it over the fairy on his shoulder and closed it like a sack. "Hey! Let me out of here!" Cera's muffled yell came through the cloth of Link's hat.
"This is Cera, my not so polite partner at the moment. She's not coming out until she apologizes for calling the princess of the Zora's a fish." Link said loudly for Cera to hear. There was a moment of silence.
"Fine! I apologize! Just let me out!" Link opened the hat and Cera flew free back into the room. "Gah! Do me a favor and wash that thing will you?"
"A fairy!" Zirain squeaked. "You have an real, live fairy!" Zirain said louder. Link saw the amazed eyes and began to explain.
"Yes. My name is Link and I am what you would call a Field Hylain. I live with the Kokiri in the Lost Woods and I am searching for my friend Navi." After brief introductions, the young men started shooting questions at Link.
"So, you're a true Field Hylain?" Taro asked seriously. Link then remembered the Deku sprout's words and looked down at the floor.
"Not really, you see. I was brought to the Great Deku Tree as a baby and was sealed on the other side when the seal was put in place. I was raised as a Kokiri under the tree's care. I would have never thought otherwise if I hadn't been forced out of the forest by a terrible set of events. Anyway, I was told that this land is the actual place of my birth."
"So you're here looking for your parents and Navi is your connection to them?" Derek queried. Link shook his head.
"I didn't say that. I'm looking for my first fairy partner her name is Navi. After those events Navi and I simply went out separate way and I'm worried about her safety here." Link looked around the room and saw three disbelieving pairs of eyes. "You don't believe me do you?"
"We want to believe you." Zirain choked out. "It's just too incredible of a story to believe." Link shut his eyes and sighed.
"Then the next thing I'm going to tell you is going to blow your minds away." Link took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Those terrible events I went through revealed me to be the Hero of Time." Zirain, who had been standing up, thumped to the floor as his legs gave way.
"No possible way, there is no possible way that-that-" Link looked Zirain straight in the eyes and made his words very clear and concise so no meaning could be lost.
"I want it all to be a lie too. I have seen and done things that make that Wolfos I slew in Deku Town a walk in the woods." To that, the silence that followed was eerie and uncomfortable. Taro swallowed hard and coughed.
"Do you- do you have any proof of this?" Taro asked in a hesitant tone. Link turned to Derek and stared into his eyes when he replied.
"Yes I do. Derek saw the corpse of that Wolfos so he doesn't need and proof of what I can do. You two will probably want proof so just name off what you can believe a Hero of Time could do and if I can, I'll prove it." Taro and Zirain were silent for a moment.
"I've heard that the Hero of Time can change shapes, has mystical powers and-and can handle any type of weapon." Zirain managed to sputter out. Link grinned.
"Then you heard right. Tell me, a Zora, a Deku or a Goron?" Link asked the three teens. The uncertain trio stared at each other.
"Ooooo! A Zora! A Zora!" Cera squealed understanding what Link meant. "Come on!" Cera went up to the three boys and begged for the Zora option. They all exchanged glances and nervously agreed to the Zora choice. Link put away his bow and brought out his Zora mask.
"Watch carefully." Link warned. Link put his mask to his face and felt the magic change his body. After the flash of blue, Link was no longer Link the human but Link the Zora. Link heard a loud thump and saw Taro had fallen off of his chair and onto the floor. Taro looked slightly panicked and was breathing heavily.
"He's a Zora! He's really a Zora!" Taro let out in a petrified peep. Link took the mask back off again and was welcomed with a new petrified yelp from Taro. "I don't bloody believe it! He turned into a blue fined, water breather!" Link sat down on the bed and sighed.
"Now do you believe me?" Link asked the group. All three young men nodded dumbly.
"You always had a flare for the dramatic." Cera said landing on Link's shoulders. Link cast an annoyed scowl in her direction.
"You weren't even there for half of it. Don't presume you know everything." Link then noticed that it was now dark out. "I think it's time to go pay a visit to the tower. I think it best if you three stay here, I'm going to go see if your great wizard Soaran has kidnapped my friend Navi. I don't know if I'll be back or not…" Link trailed off when he saw their faces.
"Time to go." Cera said quietly. Link left three equally stunned teenagers in Zirain's rented room. Possibly never to see them again. "I hope we see those three again soon." Cera sadly sighed as Link mounted Epona.
"I do too Cera, I do too." Link rode off in the direction of where he remembered he had seen that large and ominous tower.
Neutral Tower.
"It looks bigger up close than it did on the street." Link gasped in awe. This tower was easily as big as the Deku tree, perhaps even bigger! Link slid off Epona and made his way to one of the outer walls.
"Link!" Hissed a voice. Link froze and the hair on the back of his neck went straight up. "Over here." Link scoured the dark buildings around him for the voice. He saw a hand wave and realized it was Derek! Link made his way over to the arm.
"What are you guys dong here!?!" Link demanded in a harsh whisper. Derek, Zirain and Taro looked at Link with huge grins.
"We may be employed by Soaran." Derek snickered. "But that doesn't mean we have to like him."
"Personally, I hate his guts." Zirain said quietly. Link's eyes got large in the moonlight.
"But why?" Link started to ask. It was beyond the mind of a ten year old in a nine year olds body of why someone would work for someone they didn't like.
"Because you ninny." Taro growled. "It keeps us close together! Our peoples don't exactly get along outside of Neutral City you know." Link stopped mid thought.
'They work for Soaran because they want to be together! It makes sense.' Link's mind still reeled though. 'Why are they here?' Link still couldn't figure out the answer though.
"That still doesn't explain why you guys are here. This could be very dangerous and I don't want you involved in all of this!" Link growled. Derek winced at Link's tone. Taro and Zirain however, smiled at Link.
"That's a hero for you! Always thinking of others before himself. Don't worry kid; we'll be just fine. It's not every lifetime that you can help out the Hero of Time." Taro said smiling. Angered beyond belief.
"And what makes you think I need your help? I've snuck into the Hyrule Castle to see Zelda, battled my way through temples more heavily guarded and still have my ears in tact." Link said in a low growl.
"There's no way that you can go over those walls." Zirain said in an equally low growl. "We are the Three Hero's of Neutral, these guards trust us. There's no way you can get in that place unless you're a master thief of the Gerudo!" Link took in a deep breath.
"Remind me to show you my Gerudo pass sometime. Besides, I have magic remember? I have a way to get past those guards without them batting an eyelash at me." Link pulled out the stone mask and put it on. The trio looked at Link but didn't really see Link. It was as if Link didn't matter that much that he should be considered a threat. Instead, the trio looked past Link and tried to figure out where he was.
"Link?" Link pulled out his hookshot and fired it to the building beside them. Link didn't pull in all the way and let himself hang upside down. Then, Link pulled off the mask and was visible again.
"Up here!" Link shocked the three teens so badly that Derek tripped and sat on his butt. Link came nose to nose with Zirain. "Now do you understand?" Zirain swallowed hard and backed off. "This isn't even half of what I can do to try and sneak in! I can run fast enough to get by the guards; I can use magic to grow larger than the Tower itself. Heck! I could set off a diversion outside and be out before they know what's happening."
"You're-" Taro started to say. When he actually thought about it, he shut his mouth. Taro had just seen this kid turn invisible, turn into a Zora and was now hanging upside down by a strange contraption he had never seen before.
"Bluffing?" Link finished for him. "I don't think so. You really shouldn't have doubts after what you have just seen. I don't need you to get into the castle." Link then noticed the crestfallen faces of the three and mentally kicked himself again. "Look, there is something I can get you to guys to do." At the sudden hope that they could actually do something for Link, the young teens visibly perked up. "This what I want you to do…" After Link explained what he wanted the trio to do and left them to their task, he crept past the guards like in Gerudo fortress and made his way past the outer walls with ease.
'That was too easy.' Link thought worried. 'Then again, not too many people or burglars would try to sneak into a wizards tower would they? I must be suicidal. I don't even know if Navi is here or not!' Link walked stealthily past that large courtyard and stood at the base of the tower.
"So far, so good." Link took out his hookshot and aimed it at the windowsill of one of the closer windows. Link shot up and hung onto the ledge. Before Link could pull himself up, a pair of guards passed the window. Link held his breath as he waited for them to walk by. Link heard footsteps thumping off into the distance and he breathed out a sigh of relief.
'Talk about speaking too soon.' Link climbed onto the windowsill and targeted the next one. 'It's a good thing they didn't have hookshots in mind when they build these fortresses.' Link made his way up the tall tower.
Link reasoned that Soaran would be at the very top since it was his tower. When Link hookshot to the last window of the tower, he climbed in quickly and shut the windows. Link couldn't see a thing after that. There wasn't a sound in the room, Link listened for the sound of breathing, moving clothes or even a beating set of fairy wings. Nothing.
"I think it's safe to assume that no ones in here." Link whispered to himself. Link noticed that there was an oil tower nearby so he lit it with a fire arrow. The lamp illuminated the large room and Link was given a big surprise.
'It's a nursery!' Link thought startled. There was a baby crib a little ways away from an old sooty fireplace. It was a large room the size of maybe half the tower's width. The room was littered with baby toys, books and blankets. Link made his way to the crib. 'I didn't know that Soaran had a kid.' Link peered inside the crib and found it…empty? Link took a closer inspection of the room. It was in a horrid mess! Dust had piled up after what looked like years of neglect. Any baby smell that could have been in the room had left a long time ago.
"Wow." Link said in awe. This place looked like it had been abandoned. Link then saw something familiar strewn out on the floor, it was another pendant! Link quickly shuffled to the opposite window overlooking the other courtyard and picked it up. It was smaller than the pendants that the Deku mayor had given him and was a lot smoother too. Link heard a noise from the door and quickly pocketed the item. Link cautiously made his way to the door and hid behind it, the noise sounded like it was of a person making a spell. Link waited for the door to open in anticipation. It never did. The murmur of magic stopped and the caster's boots were heard going down a stairway.
'Another close call.' Link thought in relief. 'This isn't where they're keeping Navi, then she has to be somewhere down below.' Link made his way to the window he had come in and hookshotted himself down to the next lowest window. Link then put on the stone mask quickly and saw Soaran for the first time.
"Bring me my book whelp!" No, not a nice person indeed and he looked just that way. A gray, grizzled bear marked his features, piercing eyes to match, a long flowing yellow and blue robe hid any other features could have made out. The servant he had yelled to, jumped at his master's bidding and went for the book he requested.
"Let me out of here!" Link froze at the tiny voice. It was Navi! Link scoured the room looking for his friend and saw a bottle, a black, bluish bottle that had a dim light in it. Soaran turned his voice to it and growled.
"Shut up you little pest! If it weren't for your restorative powers, I would not hesitate to crush you in that bottle!" Soaran went back to the current spelling book he had under his gaze.
'Stupid fairy! I shouldn't have wasted my time with it! I don't know how much time I have until that accursed prophesy is fulfilled.' Soaran thought to himself. 'I need one pendant. Just one. I would have gotten one of the royal's pendants if they had not disappeared along with the nursemaid.' Soaran growled. 'True, I had
learned that the baby's had been sealed in the room at the top of the tower. I am still no closer to getting it though.'
"humph! I would have had three instead of none if that blasted woman had not interfered." Soaran muttered to himself.
'The baby did die. I'm sure of that. That means its powers are still untapped and ripe for the using. I will have all the pendants of power! I just have to give the local inhabitants some -persuasion to make their leaders give up their treasure to me.'
"The Gerudo's are going to be the hardest." Mumbled the wizard. It was true. The thieves of the yellow feared none of the monsters that he had sent so far. It was easy for the Deku's, just one small Wolfos and they all cowered in fear. Well…maybe not a small Wolfos but still a Wolfos non-the-less.
'The Zora's are going to be the next to give up their pendants to me after the Deku. The Gorons right behind them and then the Gerudo.' With their amulets, he could break the seal put on the forest route and then he could find the other pendants! Then, Hyrule would be his.
"Blast it boy! What is taking so long!?!" Growled Soaran. The pathetic boy whimpered about not being able to find the book and the wizard growled again. "Fool! Do I have to do everything myself!?!" With that, Soaran left the room.
'Now's my chance!' Link lifted the window to sneak in the room quietly. The window was half way up when it got stuck. 'Oh no!' Link knew that he wouldn't be able to get through an opening that small and then went through his options. Link smiled when he found the answer to his problem and took off his stone mask. Link crept into the room and snuck up on the glass bottle containing Navi.
"Toora was WHAT!!?!!" Link was slightly shocked at the tone of voice that was used. It sounded as if Soaran had been shoved into a pit filled with seaweed and bottom kippers. Link hated seaweed and bottom kippers. Link quickly grabbed the bottle with the fairy in it and made his way back to the window.
"It's true. A boy in green came strolling in out of nowhere and defeated him. It's all over town sire." Link didn't recognize the voice and didn't want to it sounded just as hateful as Soarans. "I saw the mangy mutt's coat sir."
"Blast it all to hades!" Roared the wizard. Link panicked. They were coming back to the room and there was no way for Link to get back to the window in time. The door to the other room opened and Link just -simply disappeared. Soaran walked into his lab in a wretched mood. The Deku's weren't going to give him the pendant now that the threat was over. Soaran didn't have any other monsters to go sick on the Deku Town at the moment; he would just have to wait.
'Blast that green boy's worthless carcass! If I find out who he is…' Soaran looked around his lab. 'Something's wrong.' The wizard looked over his things and noticed nothing out of order. The window had been opened a slight crack but not enough for someone to get into. 'But not something.' That's when Soaran noticed an absence of a little angry voice. Soaran turned to find the little fairy's bottle gone.
"THEIF! THEIF! I've been robbed!" Soaran shrieked at the top of his voice. Blast it all! A servant of the dark destroyed by a child, another incantation turned away from the door and now a skilled robber! The day could not have been worse for the wizard of Neutral Town.
"I can't believe he did this to me!" Cera growled to herself for the third time. "I mean, he could get himself into real trouble! If he thinks that I'm going to stay here, he has another thing coming! Wait for me Link, I'm coming!"
"Hold it bug." Derek said affectionately to the small fairy. "Link told us to stay here and keep Epona out of trouble. If anyone steals her, it could mean another little detour to go find her later."
"That is if he had time later." Zirain added into the conversation. "Link doesn't know if he's going to have to make a quick exit or not. He wants to make sure he can leave at the drop of a hat and you flying around looking for him might slow him down."
"That doesn't mean I have to like it!" Cera huffed at Zirain indignantly. Taro was the only one actually doing the work. Taro stood holding onto Epona's harness to keep her quiet and watched for people in the night. Zirain and Derek leaned against the opposite walls of the alley trying to keep something hidden for Link.
"This might be a little easier if we didn't have to hide that light." Taro grumbled to the group. "Why did Link do that anyway? I didn't even recognize what he called it." Derek glanced over his shoulder to his companion holding Epona at bay.
"I think he called it Farora's win-" Just then, the light of the tiny green spectrum grew painfully bright. The three teens had to cover their eyes at the intensity of the light in the small dark alley and a small thump was heard. When they all looked back, a small Deku kid was where the light should have been clutching a glass bottle in its hands.
"That was close." Squeaked the Deku in a small voice. Derek, Zirain and Taro looked at the Deku with astonished eyes. "What?" Before anything else was said the bottle plunked as if something wanted out from the inside. The Deku kid looked appalled for a moment and busily hurried to take off the top. A muffled voice was heard from the inside.
"Let me out! Just wait until my friend comes to find me! You're going to be so sorry! He'll slice you to ribbons! Do you hear me Soaran!?! He'll cut you up into so many pieces that there won't be enough left to fit inside this bottle! Let me out!" The Deku let out a small giggle at the words being spoken. "Who's there!?! That's not Soaran!" There was a brief pause. "Hell-llo! Is someone out there? Please! Let me out of here! I've been kidnapped! Let me out!"
"Quiet Navi." Link said in his Deku voice. There was a longer pause in the bottle as Link fiddled with the cork. "Man. He really had this thing stuck in here good."
"Link? Link! Is that you! I'm so glad you came! You have to let me out of here! I want to go home!" Link finally got the top off of the bottle and Navi's soft blue light shimmered as she flew to her freedom.
"Hi Navi." Link said quietly in his Deku form. Navi stretched her stiff wings and let out a yawn.
"Thank you so much for coming to my rescue Link! I've been stuffed up in that bottle for little over a week. You don't sound like yourself Link have you got a cold or…" Navi trailed off when she saw the Deku kid holding the bottle she had just flew out of. "You're not Link! Where's Link? So help me, if this is another trick!" Link started laughing in his Deku form; it was a bubbly, high-pitched bunch of giggles that made everyone present grin. Except for Navi.
"I forgot you haven't seen me since my exploits in Termina. It's me Navi! Hold on a minute." Link took off his mask. Navi had never seen such powerful magic before! A dark green cloud of smoke started at the Deku's feet and swirled around it's body. There was a bright flash of light that made the fairy look away for a mere second. When Navi looked back, she was shocked to see Link holding a small mask in his hands.
"Link?" Navi asked with a quivering voice. Link put away the mask and smiled. Navi looked the boy up and down once before flying to his cheek and hugging herself to him. "Link! It was so terrible! Soaran came from out of nowhere and he, sniff-" Link's hand came up and stroked the small fairy's wings to help her calm down.
"It's alright now Navi. You're safe now. I won't let him near you again." Link said reassuring the
emotional fairy. There was a small sniffle from the present company. Needless to say, Link and Navi blushed.
"That was so beautiful!" Cera said floating in front of Taro. "Aw, look! You made me all weepy again!" Link looked to Navi and sighed.
"Navi, this is Cera, Derek, Zirain and Taro. Everyone, this is Navi." Link said introducing everyone. Suddenly, the alarm of the Tower was sounded. Link looked back to his companions and sighed. "I think that is our cue to go back to the inn." Link and company made their way back to the inn unnoticed by the current occupants.
'Good everyone's busy. Now if we can make it to our rooms.' Before Link could reach his room, Taro shuffled Link and his two fairy companions to his room. Derek and Zirain followed after him. As soon as the door was closed, the hero trio of Neutral let out a sigh of relief.
"I never expected to come back into this room in one piece." Taro said as he shut the door. "I wish I could have seen the look on old hog face when he realized his impenetrable fortress had been broken into."
"I thought for sure that we were going to have to come charging in and save you. Way to go Link!" Derek roughly slapped Link on the back before he sat on the chair opposite the bed.
"I never thought you would get away with it!" Zirain said pouncing on the bed next to Link. "You have the makings of a real thief! Not that I would know of course." Zirain winked at Link. "You may come in handy when breakfast rolls around." Link smiled at Navi and she fluttered to Link's already crowded hat.
"It wasn't that hard at all. I had a worse time trying to sneak around the Gerudo fortress back in the Fields." Navi rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Yeah but, you did get that Gerudo pass and the carpenters were sure happy when you freed them. Ummm Link?" Navi asked almost as if she was nervous. Link was accosted by the small fairy hovering in his face. "How did you do that? I've never seen that type of magic before."
"Tell you later. Right now, I want to get some sleep before anything else happens." Link said stifling a yawn. Link made his way to the door but was interrupted by Derek.
"What? You're going to sleep now? You can't leave us hanging like this! We want to know what happened." Link moaned and sighed. "You're not getting out of it this time."
"Can I get some sleep first?" Link asked stifling yet another yawn. Navi floated in front of his face again.
"What's with you? You can go for days on end without sleep." Navi said pointing a tiny finger under his nose. Link yawned again and blushed because he forgot to cover his mouth.
"Days yes, weeks no." Link said through the yawn. "And I didn't have a very good sleep last night either."
"Weeks?" Navi yelped in surprise. "I've only been missing for one! Don't tell lies Link." Link narrowed his eyes at her in a scowl.
"I'm not lying! I really haven't slept in about a month! I probably had 16 hours of sleep these past two months and you're calling me a liar? Erg! Let me sleep for an hour or so and I'll explain everything alright?" Navi could only nod in submission. Link was tired and she could see that. What really surprised Navi was the fact that he was tired.
'Link has gone through three weeks without sleep when we went and defeated Ganondorf. He should have had some rest in that week I was missing. What has he been doing?' Link tried to make his way over to the door when he was once again foiled by Derek.
"Oh no ya don't! You're sleeping where I can keep an eye on you. You're too important to be let off by yourself. You sleep in here tonight." Too tired to argue, Link was snatched up in Derek's arms and flopped on the bed.
"Thanks." Link mumbled before drifting off to dreamland. Link's breathing became long and deep, signaling that he was asleep. The three boys turned to the other and shot knowing stares to Link.
"By the great goddesses! What have we gotten ourselves into?" Taro asked in a harsh whisper. "The Hero of Time himself!"
"Keep it down." Growled Cera. Navi and Cera were perched over Link on the headboard protectively over Link. The three boys looked back to the fairies startled.
"Forgot that you were there." Zirain mumbled. "One of you should stay with Epona tonight and the other outside the inn to keep an eye out for trouble." The two fairies looked at the trio suspiciously.
"Don't worry, we'll protect the lad. He'll be safe with us. In fact, I don't think that any of us are going to leave this room tonight." Derek said reassuring the pair. The fairies nodded and went to the window, which Zirain opened for them.
"We'll be back before sunrise." Navi told the teens tartly. "Link had better be here and unharmed when we return." The fairy growled in a threat. Zirain raised his hands in defense and the fairies left.
"Good thinking. You didn't want the fairies to overhear about the tale I take it." Taro said shooting a glance at Link. Zirain nodded his head.
"Interesting isn't it? 'The Hero of Time will come on fire and light. Seeking things that are not of his knowledge to know and collecting the power points to unleash the beast. His shape will change, his power with magic and weapon true. To all that seek him will not know him and he will change the shape of the colors to save Hyrule. He will not choose his point but his point will choose him. That is the way it must be.'" Taro said as if quoting someone of great importance.
"I think we all know what it's meant by 'To all that seek him'. A child! He looks no older than ten years, eleven at the very best!" Zirain said fingering in Link direction. The other two youths nodded.
"Fire and light. That describes Epona and Cera exactly. I wonder though." Derek muttered to himself. Taro looked at Derek's insightful face.
"What's wrong?" When Derek thought like this, it was cause for alarm. Derek was the one that never pondered things in the group.
"Link says he's not interested in finding his family. Link was only interested in finding his other fairy companion. Now that he has her back, I wonder if he'll be willing to stop this war." Derek said shocking the two boys with his last thought.
"You can't be serious!" Taro said in a harsh whisper. "Link, stop a war! That's impossible! Even with all those magic tricks and weapons, Link can't stop a war by himself!"
"That's why he's going to need us. One of us is going to have to stick with him at all times. You know we were going to go looking for the young green lad to initiate him into our little circle. When one of us is in trouble…" Derek said letting their oath hang in the air.
"Right." Sighed Taro. "What do we do when Link finds out that he has to save Hyrule? We can't tell him outright that we want to help him find his family if he's not interested. We're going to have to think of something." Taro lowered his voice when Link rolled over in his sleep. "We can just expect him to do this."
"We'll ask him about his plans in the morning. If he doesn't have any, we'll take him you-know-where." Zirain said in a whisper. The boys both nodded.
"I can't do it." Zirain said slowly. I have to report tomorrow. Taro?" Taro nodded.
"That just leaves poor Derek with patrolling in the morning. Get some sleep. You have to get up early if you want to go with Taro and Link." Derek nodded and laid down near the fireplace. "You up for a game of kolpa?"
"You're on!" Taro said with a grin.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Link.
Kolpa by the way is a form of poker in Hyrule ^.~
"I'm bored!" Cera grumped at Link. Link sighed loudly and made Cera land in his hat. Link was bored too but it couldn't be helped. The road was long and monotonous. Hills, trees and rock greeted them. It wasn't like Hyrule field where there were some fences to jump over if you got bored or Poes to shoot at. Link was in for one boring ride.
"I wonder if Soaran is going to let Navi go?" Link wondered out loud. Cera heard the pondering and laughed, loudly.
"Do you really think that he would let such a rarity go? Just because some punk kid from the street asked him to? I don't think so music boy." Link sighed quietly and pulled out his bow. "What are you doing?" Cera asked watching Link shuffle his items around.
"Your right about that. If he won't let Navi go, I suppose I'll have to do something for him to let her go." Cera then promptly smacked Link on top of his head.
"You really are thick skulled! Navi's probably being held prisoner! You don't just go up to a guy like that and say 'can I have the fairy? I'll do anything for you!' I thought you were smarter than that!" Link rubbed his newly formed bump on his head.
"We don't know what this guy is like! Soaran could be an O.K. guy for all we know." Link grumbled in reply.
'Although I don't think that's possible if he really kidnapped her in the first place. What would this guy want with Navi anyways?' Link thought to himself. As if echoing his thoughts, Cera spoke up.
"And how likely is that? Not very! I say we sneak into where this guy lives-"
'Which is probably a huge, threatening castle with lot's of guards.' Link thought to himself.
"-find Navi-"
'Among all the dangerous traps and guards.' Link added in his mind.
"-and free her before anything can happen."
'Like being found out and attacked for stealing.'
"Right, Link? Link?" Cera noticed that Link was barely paying attention to her. "HEY!" Link was bought out of his cheerful thoughts by an annoyed fairy.
"I just hope you're right about this plan. It could be a disaster." Link mumbled to himself. Cera caught the comment though and flew directly into Link's face.
"You mean you like my idea? You're going to try it my way? Yaaay!" Link's lips curled into a tight smile as he shook his head. "We'll have to try when it's dark out and when it's really late! You'll have no trouble at all sneaking into this place! I'm positive about it! Now let's see."
'Oh yeah, this is going to be a complete catastrophe' Link thought wryly as Cera laid out the plans with ease. It was midday as Link and company entered the City. Link had only seen big towns before but nothing like this! Tall buildings were everywhere. Link had never seen such a display of shops before. Why, there was even a great Goron bomb for sale!
"Stay inside my hood!" Link growled at Cera as the fairy tried to take a peek at the city beyond the hood. "You can't be seen." Link said under his breath. Cera pouted.
"It's not fair that you get to see the city while I suffocate in this miserable hat of yours." Cera growled softly so Link could hear. Link straightened his hat for Cera.
"That better?" Link whispered to the fairy. Cera didn't answer because they heard a voice shout.
"You there! The boy in the green tunic!" Link turned to who was seeking him out in the crowd. Link wasn't hard to miss with all the yellow and blue tunics in the area. Most people just stared at Link as he slowly trotted by on Epona but someone was trying to get his attention. Link saw a man wearing a blue tunic waving his arms around.
'What's this guy up to?' Link made his way through the crowd and neared the stranger. It was obvious that this guy was a blue supporter; you couldn't miss the blue tunic and sweatpants.
"Yes?" Link asked the man when he was close enough to him. The man then panted from the exertion he caused trying to get Link's attention. The man caught his breath and graced his features with a wide grin, making Link feel a little more than uncomfortable.
"You! I know you! You're that guy that saved the Deku Mayor from that Wolfos aren't you? You came riding in and pomp! That was the end of that Wolfos. I was there and watched the whole thing! The green boy!" Link looked slightly shocked and embarrassed at the same time.
"It-it was nothing really." Link stammered. The man in blue let out a whoop of joy. The first thing Link thought was uh oh! He had blonde hair that went well beyond his shoulders and baby brown eyes that screamed puppy. He was of a natural build that made Link moan because it was familiar; he could have been at the fight.
"Zirain, Taro! Get your butt's out here! Now you guys have to believe me!" Link looked in the direction of where the man was shouting and saw two men come out of an inn called The Neutralizer. Link was slightly surprised when he saw a man dressed in yellow and the other in red.
'Red? Juba never mentioned anyone wearing red before. Must not support anyone.' Link thought to himself as the men neared Epona. Link took the time to study their faces. The one in yellow, the one he thought could be Zirain, had deep black hair and even deeper cerulean eyes. The one in red he guessed was Taro and he was the only person he had seen so far with thick red hair. Not many people other than the Gerudo had red hair so Link was a little taken aback by it.
"What is it Derek?" Zirain asked. When his eyes set on Link, they flew open and shocked. "No way!"
"Looks like we owe you a free drink tonight." Taro laughed tartly. Link was a little unnerved by the whole crowds stares and shifted his weight from side to side.
"Um, hello." Link said an uncertain tone. "My name is Link." The young men were a little startled when Link said something of his own accord. Link looked back at the trio. "What?" Link asked nervously. Then, Zirain laughed.
"Well, I'll be. He can speak too! Wouldn't have expected it though after the tale this blabber mouth told." Zirain pointed to Derek. "Said you defeated THE Wolfos twice your size with a sword no less. That you dashed into the fray and saved the mayor Deku and whisked him off to safety on your horse before the Wolfos had time to react. Then you single handedly took on the beast yourself and won."
"Actually, it was three times my size. It would only be twice as big as Derek here." Link said seriously. Taro and Zirain watched as Link dismounted from his horse and almost burst out laughing when they saw Link's real height.
"No kidding! This is the savior of Deku Town? A scrawny, little runt like you?" Taro giggled between laughs. Link went on the defensive to that comment.
"Who are you calling a runt you lumbering ox!" Link growled at the young man in yellow. Link heard Cera moan in his hat and could almost hear her disapproval. Taro stopped for a moment when it computed that Link had called him a lumbering ox!
"Why you little-" Link dodged to the right and Taro slipped past him on the slippery cobblestones. "Whoa!" Link snorted in amusement when Taro went barreling into some cargo of mashed Zora seaweed. Taro's friends laughed at him as he emerged the crate looking like a drowned man in green.
"Nice look Taro!" Laughed Derek. "You look like the kid now. All covered in green!" Taro glared coolly at Derek.
"You have to admit that makes him look more like a lumbering ox than I though possible." Teased Zirain. Link hid a smile with his hand and tried not to laugh too loudly. Taro started to get the green slime off of him.
"Ha-ha, very funny! Now help me out of this you guys." Link moved aside so he could let Zirain and Derek help their friend. "Now I'm going to have to take a bath!"
"I bet thirty shards that he still smells like that tomorrow." Zirain said to Derek. Taro glared at his friend.
"No bet. I know that's what he's going to smell like tomorrow." They all laughed at that. Link thought that it was best if he left right then, seeing that they were all busy. Link walked up to Epona and started to mount her when he was suddenly tugged off the horse.
"And where do you think your going?" Zirain said in a good-natured laugh. Link was hanging from his belt being lifted up in the air by the red haired youth. Link was almost completely upside down and had to hang onto his hat.
"Leave the kid alone Zirain, I think we gave him enough trouble for one day. Besides, he could always take out that sword of his and kkkkk!" Derek made a motion with his hand around his neck, pretending to take it off. Zirain didn't take the threat seriously.
"I don't think so. The kid wouldn't really do it. He knows that I'm just curious about him. What say we use that pot money we won a while ago and rent this runt a room so he can tell us his story? It would be the least he could do." Taro made a startled croak and growled.
"I don't think that's a bad idea. What about you Taro?" Derek asked his friend. Taro pondered for a second in his quagmire state and growled loudly. "You did ask for it." Derek reminded him.
"Fine! But you owe me one Zirain!" Link was tired of being up in the air so he stripped himself of his belt and landed gracefully on all fours like a cat. Link brushed himself off while his newfound friends gaped openly.
"How did you do that?" Zirain said in awe of Link when he handed his belt back. Link brushed himself off and put his belt back on.
"That was nothing. You should try getting free of a forty-foot water monster's water tentacle when he's mad at you." The three boy's stared again at Link in shock. "What?" Link asked innocently.
"I take it back Zirain. You owe me nothing. Either this kids imagination is going to keep me up all night or we are in for one heck of a life story!" Taro said softly. Thankfully, Link was shown around Neutral for the rest of the day. The boy's he had met he found out were the famous Neutral Hero Trio. Taro was from the castle in yellow field and Derek was from the castle in blue field. Not a big surprise there but Link did find out a few things about the people. Yellow's all looked relatively the same; deep blue eyes and black hair was a common trait. Blue's had fine blonde hair and deep brown eyes. Link then asked about Zirain and got an earful!
"My parents were original residents of Neutral Town! They were the first settlers here besides the royals. Did you know that they were actually the prince and princess of blue and yellow?" Zirain asked suddenly. Link nodded. "Good. That makes my story easier to tell. Well, my parents were said to be outcasts of society too. My mother was supposedly a Gerudo and my father a Hylain warrior. Not a blue or yellow! A real Hylain! I think he was the last of the sentry sent here by the King of the Fields. Anyway, they followed and became good friends with the highnesses. Not that they knew mind you but still became friends just the same. To make a long story short-"
"You mean to make a short story longer." Taro teased Zirain.
"Oh hush! I'm trying to tell the boy what happened! They had me and stayed in town until Soaran took over." The trio went quiet at the mention of Soaran. "They disappeared when I was ten." They went on and on about their normal lives, their jobs and the girls they liked.
"Gross!" Link made a face when the conversation turned towards girls. The three youths had wolfish grins on their faces.
"One day you won't feel that way around girls. Enjoy the cooties while they last." Derek said with a dazed grin. "Girls grow up and then they become problems."
"Girls are always a problem." Zirain snickered to Link. "Especially to Derek! They all want to get their claws in him and never let go!"
"Hey! How would you like it if you were forced into an engagement?" Derek demanded at Zirain. Zirain looked a little sheepish and adverted his eyes.
"I know that I wouldn't like it." Taro added in as an afterthought.
"I know I don't" Link grumbled quietly. It wasn't quiet enough as all young men present turned to Link in horror. "What?" Link asked innocently again.
"You're engaged!?!" Taro demanded in a shrill voice. Link's shoulder's slumped and he took a deep breath.
"Ruto seems to think so." Instantly, there was pity from the other young men.
"Oh man! How did it happen?" Zirain asked sympathetically.
"You poor guy. What does she look like?" Taro asked just as sympathetic as Zirain.
"At your age? That's unheard of!" Derek squeaked in his defense. Link put his hands behind his head and sighed loudly.
"It happened when I was on a quest for Zelda. I was forced to find a princess in the middle of a large fish's belly in order to obtain a special stone from her. I went in, got the princess out, and she gave me the stone. I didn't know it was supposed to be a stupid engagement present!" Link grumbled. At this shortened version of Link's story into Zora's Domain, the three men began to laugh.
"You had us going there for a minute! I thought you were bloody serious!" Derek laughed. "Imagine! Griping about being engaged to a princess!"
"I am serious! She's a Zora princess!" Link growled at the trio. The trio laughed louder at this bit of 'storytelling' when Link saw what he was looking for. "What's that?" Link asked pointing to a large tower. Taro wiped the tears from his eyes. When he looked in the direction Link was pointing, he became serious.
"That my young imaginative friend is the Tower. Wizard Soaran's Tower to be exact." Link memorized the place they were in it might be useful later. Link was then shown the temple of the three goddesses. Link was too preoccupied with the tower to really notice the intricate carvings or the seven holes in the main room's shrine to the three goddesses. Later, Link and company made there way back to the inn and Link was set up for the night. Link was about to go find something to eat when Zirain sideswiped Link for his story.
"You've been making remarks all day that have got my curiosity peaked and the other guys are already waiting for you. Come on shrimp." Link was picked up by Zirain in the same manner he had been earlier that afternoon and was almost tossed into the room.
"So there you are! We thought you had skipped out on us." Taro said in a teasing tone. Link straightened up and brushed himself off. "So, start talking! You have a lot of questions to answer."
"Where should I start?" Link wondered out loud. Then Link's hat moved on it's own. The movement was noticed by all the people present. "Maybe it should start with this." Link took off his hat and let Cera fly out.
"Hmph! He does too have a fish out to marry him and she's a princess." Cera said growling at the young men. Stunned, the only word for it was stunned. No one moved, no one said a word and no one dared look away from the fairy.
"CERA! Ruto is a Zora! Not a fish!" The fairy floated onto Link's shoulder. Amused that she had the other youth's full and utmost attention, Cera continued on.
"Zora, fish, I've never seen one so what 's the difference. And how dare you leave me in that boring hat all day! I could have died from the heat! I don't know how your brains aren't baked!" In one fluent motion, Link took his hat in both his hands, flipped it over the fairy on his shoulder and closed it like a sack. "Hey! Let me out of here!" Cera's muffled yell came through the cloth of Link's hat.
"This is Cera, my not so polite partner at the moment. She's not coming out until she apologizes for calling the princess of the Zora's a fish." Link said loudly for Cera to hear. There was a moment of silence.
"Fine! I apologize! Just let me out!" Link opened the hat and Cera flew free back into the room. "Gah! Do me a favor and wash that thing will you?"
"A fairy!" Zirain squeaked. "You have an real, live fairy!" Zirain said louder. Link saw the amazed eyes and began to explain.
"Yes. My name is Link and I am what you would call a Field Hylain. I live with the Kokiri in the Lost Woods and I am searching for my friend Navi." After brief introductions, the young men started shooting questions at Link.
"So, you're a true Field Hylain?" Taro asked seriously. Link then remembered the Deku sprout's words and looked down at the floor.
"Not really, you see. I was brought to the Great Deku Tree as a baby and was sealed on the other side when the seal was put in place. I was raised as a Kokiri under the tree's care. I would have never thought otherwise if I hadn't been forced out of the forest by a terrible set of events. Anyway, I was told that this land is the actual place of my birth."
"So you're here looking for your parents and Navi is your connection to them?" Derek queried. Link shook his head.
"I didn't say that. I'm looking for my first fairy partner her name is Navi. After those events Navi and I simply went out separate way and I'm worried about her safety here." Link looked around the room and saw three disbelieving pairs of eyes. "You don't believe me do you?"
"We want to believe you." Zirain choked out. "It's just too incredible of a story to believe." Link shut his eyes and sighed.
"Then the next thing I'm going to tell you is going to blow your minds away." Link took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Those terrible events I went through revealed me to be the Hero of Time." Zirain, who had been standing up, thumped to the floor as his legs gave way.
"No possible way, there is no possible way that-that-" Link looked Zirain straight in the eyes and made his words very clear and concise so no meaning could be lost.
"I want it all to be a lie too. I have seen and done things that make that Wolfos I slew in Deku Town a walk in the woods." To that, the silence that followed was eerie and uncomfortable. Taro swallowed hard and coughed.
"Do you- do you have any proof of this?" Taro asked in a hesitant tone. Link turned to Derek and stared into his eyes when he replied.
"Yes I do. Derek saw the corpse of that Wolfos so he doesn't need and proof of what I can do. You two will probably want proof so just name off what you can believe a Hero of Time could do and if I can, I'll prove it." Taro and Zirain were silent for a moment.
"I've heard that the Hero of Time can change shapes, has mystical powers and-and can handle any type of weapon." Zirain managed to sputter out. Link grinned.
"Then you heard right. Tell me, a Zora, a Deku or a Goron?" Link asked the three teens. The uncertain trio stared at each other.
"Ooooo! A Zora! A Zora!" Cera squealed understanding what Link meant. "Come on!" Cera went up to the three boys and begged for the Zora option. They all exchanged glances and nervously agreed to the Zora choice. Link put away his bow and brought out his Zora mask.
"Watch carefully." Link warned. Link put his mask to his face and felt the magic change his body. After the flash of blue, Link was no longer Link the human but Link the Zora. Link heard a loud thump and saw Taro had fallen off of his chair and onto the floor. Taro looked slightly panicked and was breathing heavily.
"He's a Zora! He's really a Zora!" Taro let out in a petrified peep. Link took the mask back off again and was welcomed with a new petrified yelp from Taro. "I don't bloody believe it! He turned into a blue fined, water breather!" Link sat down on the bed and sighed.
"Now do you believe me?" Link asked the group. All three young men nodded dumbly.
"You always had a flare for the dramatic." Cera said landing on Link's shoulders. Link cast an annoyed scowl in her direction.
"You weren't even there for half of it. Don't presume you know everything." Link then noticed that it was now dark out. "I think it's time to go pay a visit to the tower. I think it best if you three stay here, I'm going to go see if your great wizard Soaran has kidnapped my friend Navi. I don't know if I'll be back or not…" Link trailed off when he saw their faces.
"Time to go." Cera said quietly. Link left three equally stunned teenagers in Zirain's rented room. Possibly never to see them again. "I hope we see those three again soon." Cera sadly sighed as Link mounted Epona.
"I do too Cera, I do too." Link rode off in the direction of where he remembered he had seen that large and ominous tower.
Neutral Tower.
"It looks bigger up close than it did on the street." Link gasped in awe. This tower was easily as big as the Deku tree, perhaps even bigger! Link slid off Epona and made his way to one of the outer walls.
"Link!" Hissed a voice. Link froze and the hair on the back of his neck went straight up. "Over here." Link scoured the dark buildings around him for the voice. He saw a hand wave and realized it was Derek! Link made his way over to the arm.
"What are you guys dong here!?!" Link demanded in a harsh whisper. Derek, Zirain and Taro looked at Link with huge grins.
"We may be employed by Soaran." Derek snickered. "But that doesn't mean we have to like him."
"Personally, I hate his guts." Zirain said quietly. Link's eyes got large in the moonlight.
"But why?" Link started to ask. It was beyond the mind of a ten year old in a nine year olds body of why someone would work for someone they didn't like.
"Because you ninny." Taro growled. "It keeps us close together! Our peoples don't exactly get along outside of Neutral City you know." Link stopped mid thought.
'They work for Soaran because they want to be together! It makes sense.' Link's mind still reeled though. 'Why are they here?' Link still couldn't figure out the answer though.
"That still doesn't explain why you guys are here. This could be very dangerous and I don't want you involved in all of this!" Link growled. Derek winced at Link's tone. Taro and Zirain however, smiled at Link.
"That's a hero for you! Always thinking of others before himself. Don't worry kid; we'll be just fine. It's not every lifetime that you can help out the Hero of Time." Taro said smiling. Angered beyond belief.
"And what makes you think I need your help? I've snuck into the Hyrule Castle to see Zelda, battled my way through temples more heavily guarded and still have my ears in tact." Link said in a low growl.
"There's no way that you can go over those walls." Zirain said in an equally low growl. "We are the Three Hero's of Neutral, these guards trust us. There's no way you can get in that place unless you're a master thief of the Gerudo!" Link took in a deep breath.
"Remind me to show you my Gerudo pass sometime. Besides, I have magic remember? I have a way to get past those guards without them batting an eyelash at me." Link pulled out the stone mask and put it on. The trio looked at Link but didn't really see Link. It was as if Link didn't matter that much that he should be considered a threat. Instead, the trio looked past Link and tried to figure out where he was.
"Link?" Link pulled out his hookshot and fired it to the building beside them. Link didn't pull in all the way and let himself hang upside down. Then, Link pulled off the mask and was visible again.
"Up here!" Link shocked the three teens so badly that Derek tripped and sat on his butt. Link came nose to nose with Zirain. "Now do you understand?" Zirain swallowed hard and backed off. "This isn't even half of what I can do to try and sneak in! I can run fast enough to get by the guards; I can use magic to grow larger than the Tower itself. Heck! I could set off a diversion outside and be out before they know what's happening."
"You're-" Taro started to say. When he actually thought about it, he shut his mouth. Taro had just seen this kid turn invisible, turn into a Zora and was now hanging upside down by a strange contraption he had never seen before.
"Bluffing?" Link finished for him. "I don't think so. You really shouldn't have doubts after what you have just seen. I don't need you to get into the castle." Link then noticed the crestfallen faces of the three and mentally kicked himself again. "Look, there is something I can get you to guys to do." At the sudden hope that they could actually do something for Link, the young teens visibly perked up. "This what I want you to do…" After Link explained what he wanted the trio to do and left them to their task, he crept past the guards like in Gerudo fortress and made his way past the outer walls with ease.
'That was too easy.' Link thought worried. 'Then again, not too many people or burglars would try to sneak into a wizards tower would they? I must be suicidal. I don't even know if Navi is here or not!' Link walked stealthily past that large courtyard and stood at the base of the tower.
"So far, so good." Link took out his hookshot and aimed it at the windowsill of one of the closer windows. Link shot up and hung onto the ledge. Before Link could pull himself up, a pair of guards passed the window. Link held his breath as he waited for them to walk by. Link heard footsteps thumping off into the distance and he breathed out a sigh of relief.
'Talk about speaking too soon.' Link climbed onto the windowsill and targeted the next one. 'It's a good thing they didn't have hookshots in mind when they build these fortresses.' Link made his way up the tall tower.
Link reasoned that Soaran would be at the very top since it was his tower. When Link hookshot to the last window of the tower, he climbed in quickly and shut the windows. Link couldn't see a thing after that. There wasn't a sound in the room, Link listened for the sound of breathing, moving clothes or even a beating set of fairy wings. Nothing.
"I think it's safe to assume that no ones in here." Link whispered to himself. Link noticed that there was an oil tower nearby so he lit it with a fire arrow. The lamp illuminated the large room and Link was given a big surprise.
'It's a nursery!' Link thought startled. There was a baby crib a little ways away from an old sooty fireplace. It was a large room the size of maybe half the tower's width. The room was littered with baby toys, books and blankets. Link made his way to the crib. 'I didn't know that Soaran had a kid.' Link peered inside the crib and found it…empty? Link took a closer inspection of the room. It was in a horrid mess! Dust had piled up after what looked like years of neglect. Any baby smell that could have been in the room had left a long time ago.
"Wow." Link said in awe. This place looked like it had been abandoned. Link then saw something familiar strewn out on the floor, it was another pendant! Link quickly shuffled to the opposite window overlooking the other courtyard and picked it up. It was smaller than the pendants that the Deku mayor had given him and was a lot smoother too. Link heard a noise from the door and quickly pocketed the item. Link cautiously made his way to the door and hid behind it, the noise sounded like it was of a person making a spell. Link waited for the door to open in anticipation. It never did. The murmur of magic stopped and the caster's boots were heard going down a stairway.
'Another close call.' Link thought in relief. 'This isn't where they're keeping Navi, then she has to be somewhere down below.' Link made his way to the window he had come in and hookshotted himself down to the next lowest window. Link then put on the stone mask quickly and saw Soaran for the first time.
"Bring me my book whelp!" No, not a nice person indeed and he looked just that way. A gray, grizzled bear marked his features, piercing eyes to match, a long flowing yellow and blue robe hid any other features could have made out. The servant he had yelled to, jumped at his master's bidding and went for the book he requested.
"Let me out of here!" Link froze at the tiny voice. It was Navi! Link scoured the room looking for his friend and saw a bottle, a black, bluish bottle that had a dim light in it. Soaran turned his voice to it and growled.
"Shut up you little pest! If it weren't for your restorative powers, I would not hesitate to crush you in that bottle!" Soaran went back to the current spelling book he had under his gaze.
'Stupid fairy! I shouldn't have wasted my time with it! I don't know how much time I have until that accursed prophesy is fulfilled.' Soaran thought to himself. 'I need one pendant. Just one. I would have gotten one of the royal's pendants if they had not disappeared along with the nursemaid.' Soaran growled. 'True, I had
learned that the baby's had been sealed in the room at the top of the tower. I am still no closer to getting it though.'
"humph! I would have had three instead of none if that blasted woman had not interfered." Soaran muttered to himself.
'The baby did die. I'm sure of that. That means its powers are still untapped and ripe for the using. I will have all the pendants of power! I just have to give the local inhabitants some -persuasion to make their leaders give up their treasure to me.'
"The Gerudo's are going to be the hardest." Mumbled the wizard. It was true. The thieves of the yellow feared none of the monsters that he had sent so far. It was easy for the Deku's, just one small Wolfos and they all cowered in fear. Well…maybe not a small Wolfos but still a Wolfos non-the-less.
'The Zora's are going to be the next to give up their pendants to me after the Deku. The Gorons right behind them and then the Gerudo.' With their amulets, he could break the seal put on the forest route and then he could find the other pendants! Then, Hyrule would be his.
"Blast it boy! What is taking so long!?!" Growled Soaran. The pathetic boy whimpered about not being able to find the book and the wizard growled again. "Fool! Do I have to do everything myself!?!" With that, Soaran left the room.
'Now's my chance!' Link lifted the window to sneak in the room quietly. The window was half way up when it got stuck. 'Oh no!' Link knew that he wouldn't be able to get through an opening that small and then went through his options. Link smiled when he found the answer to his problem and took off his stone mask. Link crept into the room and snuck up on the glass bottle containing Navi.
"Toora was WHAT!!?!!" Link was slightly shocked at the tone of voice that was used. It sounded as if Soaran had been shoved into a pit filled with seaweed and bottom kippers. Link hated seaweed and bottom kippers. Link quickly grabbed the bottle with the fairy in it and made his way back to the window.
"It's true. A boy in green came strolling in out of nowhere and defeated him. It's all over town sire." Link didn't recognize the voice and didn't want to it sounded just as hateful as Soarans. "I saw the mangy mutt's coat sir."
"Blast it all to hades!" Roared the wizard. Link panicked. They were coming back to the room and there was no way for Link to get back to the window in time. The door to the other room opened and Link just -simply disappeared. Soaran walked into his lab in a wretched mood. The Deku's weren't going to give him the pendant now that the threat was over. Soaran didn't have any other monsters to go sick on the Deku Town at the moment; he would just have to wait.
'Blast that green boy's worthless carcass! If I find out who he is…' Soaran looked around his lab. 'Something's wrong.' The wizard looked over his things and noticed nothing out of order. The window had been opened a slight crack but not enough for someone to get into. 'But not something.' That's when Soaran noticed an absence of a little angry voice. Soaran turned to find the little fairy's bottle gone.
"THEIF! THEIF! I've been robbed!" Soaran shrieked at the top of his voice. Blast it all! A servant of the dark destroyed by a child, another incantation turned away from the door and now a skilled robber! The day could not have been worse for the wizard of Neutral Town.
"I can't believe he did this to me!" Cera growled to herself for the third time. "I mean, he could get himself into real trouble! If he thinks that I'm going to stay here, he has another thing coming! Wait for me Link, I'm coming!"
"Hold it bug." Derek said affectionately to the small fairy. "Link told us to stay here and keep Epona out of trouble. If anyone steals her, it could mean another little detour to go find her later."
"That is if he had time later." Zirain added into the conversation. "Link doesn't know if he's going to have to make a quick exit or not. He wants to make sure he can leave at the drop of a hat and you flying around looking for him might slow him down."
"That doesn't mean I have to like it!" Cera huffed at Zirain indignantly. Taro was the only one actually doing the work. Taro stood holding onto Epona's harness to keep her quiet and watched for people in the night. Zirain and Derek leaned against the opposite walls of the alley trying to keep something hidden for Link.
"This might be a little easier if we didn't have to hide that light." Taro grumbled to the group. "Why did Link do that anyway? I didn't even recognize what he called it." Derek glanced over his shoulder to his companion holding Epona at bay.
"I think he called it Farora's win-" Just then, the light of the tiny green spectrum grew painfully bright. The three teens had to cover their eyes at the intensity of the light in the small dark alley and a small thump was heard. When they all looked back, a small Deku kid was where the light should have been clutching a glass bottle in its hands.
"That was close." Squeaked the Deku in a small voice. Derek, Zirain and Taro looked at the Deku with astonished eyes. "What?" Before anything else was said the bottle plunked as if something wanted out from the inside. The Deku kid looked appalled for a moment and busily hurried to take off the top. A muffled voice was heard from the inside.
"Let me out! Just wait until my friend comes to find me! You're going to be so sorry! He'll slice you to ribbons! Do you hear me Soaran!?! He'll cut you up into so many pieces that there won't be enough left to fit inside this bottle! Let me out!" The Deku let out a small giggle at the words being spoken. "Who's there!?! That's not Soaran!" There was a brief pause. "Hell-llo! Is someone out there? Please! Let me out of here! I've been kidnapped! Let me out!"
"Quiet Navi." Link said in his Deku voice. There was a longer pause in the bottle as Link fiddled with the cork. "Man. He really had this thing stuck in here good."
"Link? Link! Is that you! I'm so glad you came! You have to let me out of here! I want to go home!" Link finally got the top off of the bottle and Navi's soft blue light shimmered as she flew to her freedom.
"Hi Navi." Link said quietly in his Deku form. Navi stretched her stiff wings and let out a yawn.
"Thank you so much for coming to my rescue Link! I've been stuffed up in that bottle for little over a week. You don't sound like yourself Link have you got a cold or…" Navi trailed off when she saw the Deku kid holding the bottle she had just flew out of. "You're not Link! Where's Link? So help me, if this is another trick!" Link started laughing in his Deku form; it was a bubbly, high-pitched bunch of giggles that made everyone present grin. Except for Navi.
"I forgot you haven't seen me since my exploits in Termina. It's me Navi! Hold on a minute." Link took off his mask. Navi had never seen such powerful magic before! A dark green cloud of smoke started at the Deku's feet and swirled around it's body. There was a bright flash of light that made the fairy look away for a mere second. When Navi looked back, she was shocked to see Link holding a small mask in his hands.
"Link?" Navi asked with a quivering voice. Link put away the mask and smiled. Navi looked the boy up and down once before flying to his cheek and hugging herself to him. "Link! It was so terrible! Soaran came from out of nowhere and he, sniff-" Link's hand came up and stroked the small fairy's wings to help her calm down.
"It's alright now Navi. You're safe now. I won't let him near you again." Link said reassuring the
emotional fairy. There was a small sniffle from the present company. Needless to say, Link and Navi blushed.
"That was so beautiful!" Cera said floating in front of Taro. "Aw, look! You made me all weepy again!" Link looked to Navi and sighed.
"Navi, this is Cera, Derek, Zirain and Taro. Everyone, this is Navi." Link said introducing everyone. Suddenly, the alarm of the Tower was sounded. Link looked back to his companions and sighed. "I think that is our cue to go back to the inn." Link and company made their way back to the inn unnoticed by the current occupants.
'Good everyone's busy. Now if we can make it to our rooms.' Before Link could reach his room, Taro shuffled Link and his two fairy companions to his room. Derek and Zirain followed after him. As soon as the door was closed, the hero trio of Neutral let out a sigh of relief.
"I never expected to come back into this room in one piece." Taro said as he shut the door. "I wish I could have seen the look on old hog face when he realized his impenetrable fortress had been broken into."
"I thought for sure that we were going to have to come charging in and save you. Way to go Link!" Derek roughly slapped Link on the back before he sat on the chair opposite the bed.
"I never thought you would get away with it!" Zirain said pouncing on the bed next to Link. "You have the makings of a real thief! Not that I would know of course." Zirain winked at Link. "You may come in handy when breakfast rolls around." Link smiled at Navi and she fluttered to Link's already crowded hat.
"It wasn't that hard at all. I had a worse time trying to sneak around the Gerudo fortress back in the Fields." Navi rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Yeah but, you did get that Gerudo pass and the carpenters were sure happy when you freed them. Ummm Link?" Navi asked almost as if she was nervous. Link was accosted by the small fairy hovering in his face. "How did you do that? I've never seen that type of magic before."
"Tell you later. Right now, I want to get some sleep before anything else happens." Link said stifling a yawn. Link made his way to the door but was interrupted by Derek.
"What? You're going to sleep now? You can't leave us hanging like this! We want to know what happened." Link moaned and sighed. "You're not getting out of it this time."
"Can I get some sleep first?" Link asked stifling yet another yawn. Navi floated in front of his face again.
"What's with you? You can go for days on end without sleep." Navi said pointing a tiny finger under his nose. Link yawned again and blushed because he forgot to cover his mouth.
"Days yes, weeks no." Link said through the yawn. "And I didn't have a very good sleep last night either."
"Weeks?" Navi yelped in surprise. "I've only been missing for one! Don't tell lies Link." Link narrowed his eyes at her in a scowl.
"I'm not lying! I really haven't slept in about a month! I probably had 16 hours of sleep these past two months and you're calling me a liar? Erg! Let me sleep for an hour or so and I'll explain everything alright?" Navi could only nod in submission. Link was tired and she could see that. What really surprised Navi was the fact that he was tired.
'Link has gone through three weeks without sleep when we went and defeated Ganondorf. He should have had some rest in that week I was missing. What has he been doing?' Link tried to make his way over to the door when he was once again foiled by Derek.
"Oh no ya don't! You're sleeping where I can keep an eye on you. You're too important to be let off by yourself. You sleep in here tonight." Too tired to argue, Link was snatched up in Derek's arms and flopped on the bed.
"Thanks." Link mumbled before drifting off to dreamland. Link's breathing became long and deep, signaling that he was asleep. The three boys turned to the other and shot knowing stares to Link.
"By the great goddesses! What have we gotten ourselves into?" Taro asked in a harsh whisper. "The Hero of Time himself!"
"Keep it down." Growled Cera. Navi and Cera were perched over Link on the headboard protectively over Link. The three boys looked back to the fairies startled.
"Forgot that you were there." Zirain mumbled. "One of you should stay with Epona tonight and the other outside the inn to keep an eye out for trouble." The two fairies looked at the trio suspiciously.
"Don't worry, we'll protect the lad. He'll be safe with us. In fact, I don't think that any of us are going to leave this room tonight." Derek said reassuring the pair. The fairies nodded and went to the window, which Zirain opened for them.
"We'll be back before sunrise." Navi told the teens tartly. "Link had better be here and unharmed when we return." The fairy growled in a threat. Zirain raised his hands in defense and the fairies left.
"Good thinking. You didn't want the fairies to overhear about the tale I take it." Taro said shooting a glance at Link. Zirain nodded his head.
"Interesting isn't it? 'The Hero of Time will come on fire and light. Seeking things that are not of his knowledge to know and collecting the power points to unleash the beast. His shape will change, his power with magic and weapon true. To all that seek him will not know him and he will change the shape of the colors to save Hyrule. He will not choose his point but his point will choose him. That is the way it must be.'" Taro said as if quoting someone of great importance.
"I think we all know what it's meant by 'To all that seek him'. A child! He looks no older than ten years, eleven at the very best!" Zirain said fingering in Link direction. The other two youths nodded.
"Fire and light. That describes Epona and Cera exactly. I wonder though." Derek muttered to himself. Taro looked at Derek's insightful face.
"What's wrong?" When Derek thought like this, it was cause for alarm. Derek was the one that never pondered things in the group.
"Link says he's not interested in finding his family. Link was only interested in finding his other fairy companion. Now that he has her back, I wonder if he'll be willing to stop this war." Derek said shocking the two boys with his last thought.
"You can't be serious!" Taro said in a harsh whisper. "Link, stop a war! That's impossible! Even with all those magic tricks and weapons, Link can't stop a war by himself!"
"That's why he's going to need us. One of us is going to have to stick with him at all times. You know we were going to go looking for the young green lad to initiate him into our little circle. When one of us is in trouble…" Derek said letting their oath hang in the air.
"Right." Sighed Taro. "What do we do when Link finds out that he has to save Hyrule? We can't tell him outright that we want to help him find his family if he's not interested. We're going to have to think of something." Taro lowered his voice when Link rolled over in his sleep. "We can just expect him to do this."
"We'll ask him about his plans in the morning. If he doesn't have any, we'll take him you-know-where." Zirain said in a whisper. The boys both nodded.
"I can't do it." Zirain said slowly. I have to report tomorrow. Taro?" Taro nodded.
"That just leaves poor Derek with patrolling in the morning. Get some sleep. You have to get up early if you want to go with Taro and Link." Derek nodded and laid down near the fireplace. "You up for a game of kolpa?"
"You're on!" Taro said with a grin.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Link.
Kolpa by the way is a form of poker in Hyrule ^.~