Worlds Apart
Part II
By Miss Lydia

Chapter 3

Lydia didn't open her eyes again until the light had faded completely. When she did, she recognized a very familiar room. She remembered the walls she saw as the walls of the Temple of Time. She winced as she tried to shift her weight off of something she was painfully laying on top of (which happened to be the Pedestal of Time), but was having a lot of trouble moving.

"....What the hell...?" she grumbled to herself.

She heard a groan and looked around. She saw Link, who was also on the ground, except he was stretched out right on top of her, and lying on top of him was Gordon.

That was the last straw. "Honestly!!" she shouted with anger in her voice. "Now you're both on me! Can't you two travel without landing on me??"

She'd never seen anyone jump up that fast in her entire life.

After apologies--and punches from a rather angry Lydia--went around, the group walked slowly together out into the first room of the Temple of Time. The three spiritual stones were still shining from their hollows on the altar.

"You're right, Link," Lydia said. "It looks the same so far."

"I just hope to Din that the rest of Hyrule is still okay," he replied.

Gordon shook his head doubtfully. "I wouldn't be so sure," he whispered.

Link continued forward as Lydia hung back near Gordon. She watched Link step out of the temple as she asked "Why are you thinking so negatively? It won't help in any –"

Just then, they heard Link cry out in surprise. Without thinking, Gordon and Lydia dashed the rest of the way out of the temple and caught up to Link, who was standing just outside.

It was very obvious why Link reacted that way. Lydia and Gordon followed Link's lead, staring around them, gawking in horror. The part of Hyrule that was stretched out before them was the most horrible thing they'd ever seen. The beautiful blue sky was replaced by a stormy brown mess. The peaceful cloud around Death Mountain was now a ring of red fire. Crows flew around in the dark sky, continuously cawing a dreadful death call. The wind howled through the area like a sick wolf.

Link dropped to his knees in shock. He began to mumble quietly to himself. Lydia couldn't really make it out, but somewhere in the middle she heard him say "Oh....my....God...." and "....that horrible bastard...". Things of that nature.

Gordon dropped down beside him and tried to comfort him a little. Lydia had never felt more sorry for someone before. If I returned to my hometown and saw it like this, she thought, I'd be babbling on the ground, too.

"This is horrible...." she finally said.

Gordon looked up at her with a pitiful look in his eyes that agreed with her. He looked almost ready to cry. Link looked like he was even closer to tears than Gordon was. She decided that she had to say something, but had a hard time choosing the right thing.

"Well," she finally spoke, "maybe all of Hyrule isn't like this. Maybe the rest of Hyrule is still okay.....".

Link slowly looked up at her and gave her a sorry look that basically said "I know you don't really think that", and then he looked at the ground again.

It's true, thought Lydia, I really don't think that the rest of Hyrule is okay.

After some strength finally returned to Link's legs, the three of them walked slowly out of the Temple of Time's courtyard, toward the Market. As soon as they entered the market, Lydia immediately regretted not just flying away while keeping Link's eyes covered. The market was even worse than the temple courtyard. The people were gone. All of the houses and shops were either boarded up or completely gutted out and ruined. The only life in the market were of the several Redeads skulking around, if one can even call that life. The only sound in the once bustling and musical market was now howling wind and the Redead's groans.

Link fell to the ground again. This was almost too much to bear, even for someone as brave as he was.

"Gordon," Lydia said quickly, "let's improve the scenery a little bit."

"Right," he replied in agreement. He seemed to know exactly what she meant.

They dropped their bags next to Link and each picked a Redead.

Lydia aimed her fingers at the closest one. "Assha Dist!" It groaned loudly and disintegrated.

Gordon followed her lead. "Hell Blast!" The targeted Redead quivered, fell, and disappeared.

"Assha Dist!"

"Hell Blast!"

"Assha Dist!"

"Hell Blast!"

Eventually, all the Redeads where gone. Lydia dusted her hands off and spotted the fountain in the middle of the market. Gordon, who had taken his place next to Link again, watched her curiously as she approached it. She stood next to it and snapped her fingers. "Aqua Create." Clear blue water materialized in the fountain. It didn't flow like it used to. It just sat in the bottom, but it added some blue to the scene.

Gordon appeared next to her and asked "What did you do that for?"

"I just wanted to add a little color, for Link's sake," she replied.

Just then, the blueness of the water she created slowly faded until it was a muddy puddle in the bottom of the fountain.

She scoffed. "So much for that idea," she said quietly. "Anything remotely nice looking around here will disappear, it looks like."

"Yeah, the evil energy in this area is horribly high."

Lydia quickly raised her finger to her lips. "Sshh! Link will hear you! Keep it down. You don't need to make him any more upset."

Gordon glanced back at Link, who was still on the ground. He appeared to be shivering slightly. "Don't worry," he said, "I don't think Link can hear anything right now...."

Lydia shook her head sadly. "I feel so bad. Let's be sure to be extra nice to him, okay?"

"Naturally, if we can ever snap him out of that trance he's in."

"He'll come around. We need to get him out of here first. Having to look at this market is making him worse, if anything."

Gordon nodded, and suddenly had a thought. "Oh," he whispered, "what about Hyrule Castle? Do you think...?"

Lydia shook her head doubtfully. "I don't know. Listen, why don't you cruise over there and look it over? I'll stay with Link."

"Check. Ray Wing!" Gordon took off north, where Hyrule Castle was supposedly standing.

Lydia slowly made her way back to where Link had settled. She knelt down by him and put her hand on his shoulder, but he didn't say anything. He didn't even move. He just sat there in utter horror.

"Listen," she said quietly, "I'll make Ganondorf pay for this. I'll find him and I'll—(she growled and put her hands out, making a strangling motion)—I'll make him pay! .......Okay?"

The only response she got was a weak nod. Lydia sighed and looked up in time to see Gordon flying back. As he landed a little distance away, Lydia got up and jogged over there.

"...How is it.....?" she asked him nervously.

Gordon looked up at her with fear in his eyes. "Whatever you do," he replied, "do NOT let Link go in there."

"That bad, huh? Geez.... What's it like?"

"From the looks of things, Ganondorf moved in and remodeled the place."

Lydia winced at the thought of it.

"The castle as we remember it," he continued, "is totally gone. In its place is a really nasty looking disaster of a castle. Here's the freaky part. It's floating over a lake of magma, yet. And the whole surrounding area is in ruins."

"Ssshh! Sshh!" she whispered loudly. "He can hear you!"

"Sorry, sorry...."

It was too late, however. Link suddenly broke the eerie silence of the dead market. He raised his fists high in the air and started to scream toward the sky.

"Damn you, Ganondorf!!" he shrieked, and with newfound strength, he fiercely jumped to his feet and began to sprint at top speed toward Ganon's Castle. As he flew past Lydia and Gordon, he screamed "I'll kill you with my bare hands!!"

Lydia wasted no time. She jumped behind Link as he ran past, grabbing his waist. Her heels skidded through the dirt as she tried to stop him, but was only pulled along for the ride. She let go and ran ahead. She jumped in front of him and held her hands out.

"Link, stop! Don't get crazy!"

He quickly side-stepped her and ran past with tears in his eyes, still screeching at the top of his voice.

Lydia got mad and ran past again. She caught up again as Link ran through what used to be the Hyrule Castle gates. This time, when she got in front of him, she recoiled her arm and slapped him square across the face, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. Gordon stopped, too, just behind him. The sound of the strike echoed off the stone walls around them.

Link blinked a few times and then slowly rubbed his sore cheek.

"Thanks...," he muttered quietly. "I really needed that."

Lydia lowered her arm and her eyes. "I'm really sorry," she apologized. "But trying to face Ganon now will only get you killed. I'm sorry, I really didn't want to smack you like that."

"No, really, it's okay. I just lost my head – I needed a good slap."

"It's all right. I understand why you lost your temper back there."

Link looked at his feet. "Hyrule....my home...it's...destroyed. I've never felt so terrible and angry before."

Gordon stepped in front. "We know," he said, "this is upsetting for all of us, but most of all for you."

"And like I said," said Lydia, "I'll get to Ganondorf and make him pay for this. Just not now."

Link nodded. "Of course not now. We don't know anything of what's going on or what kind of action to take. After all, Ganondorf has the Triforce of Power now."

Lydia tried to brighten the mood a little. "Hey," she said, "don't worry! Remember, Link, we're the team of unbeatable, bone-crushing heroes, right?"

Link smiled weakly. "Yeah, that's right."

A chilly wind began to blow through the area that made Gordon shiver. "Let's get out of here," he said. "I don't know if I can stand this place anymore."

"I agree," Lydia replied. "And Link needs to see something more pleasant than this awfulness."

She took hold of Link's arm and gently turned him around. Together, the trio started back toward the ruined market, only to find a nasty surprise waiting there.

Lydia and Gordon looked around, totally spellbound. Link stood with some newfound courage and said, "Um....correct me if I'm wrong, but.... Didn't you two kill those things?"

All the Redeads were back, standing in their previous positions, scattered across the market ruins.

"We...We DID! Where did they come from so fast?" Lydia screeched.

"As I said before," said Gordon, "the evil energy here is unusually high. They probably regenerated after we left."

Standing behind them, Link shuddered gently.

Lydia stepped forward. "We don't have time for this," she barked. "I'll take 'em out with one shot."

As she stepped forward, she didn't even notice Link pull out his Ocarina and raise it. She stopped and turned as she heard Link play a short melody. A beam of yellow light surrounded him. When it disappeared, all the Redeads were suddenly covered in white magic something-or-other and stopped moving completely.

"What was that?" she asked Link.

Link put the Ocarina away and said, "The Sun's Song. Now the Redeads are frozen and we can just walk past them. You said yourself that we don't have time to mess with them."

"True that, true that. But....you know....I've been waiting a while to give this Sorcerer's Rune a test run."

Link understood. "Go for it."

"All right!" she squealed. She turned and walked into the center of the market, closing her eyes to concentrate. The Sorcerer's Rune started to sparkle.

"Lord of Darkness and the Four Worlds, I call upon you!
Grant me all the power you possess!"

The Sorcerer's Rune shone brightly as she shouted the spell.

"Assha..DIST!"

Instead of only killing one Redead, the spell spread out and killed all of them in the square.

Lydia turned around and flashed a victory sign.

"Victory!" she shouted. "That felt good. Amazing what you can do with an ordinary spell if you just amplify it!"

"I feel so inadequate," Gordon said suddenly.

Lydia laughed. "Don't worry, man," she said, "I'll let you take care of the next batch of critters, okay?"

"No, you won't," he replied with a smile. "I know you better than that."

"Well," Link broke in, "let's not wait around for more Redeads to kill. Can we get out of here now?"

"At least when we do," Gordon said, "you can kill something alive. I'm sure it's boring for you to kill something that's already dead."

Lydia laughed softly. "It kinda is, now that you mention it."

"Let's go," Link repeated. "This place is giving me a near-lethal case of the jitters."

After they'd weaved through the mess that used to be Hyrule Market, the group found themselves at the entrance to Hyrule Field. The drawbridge was broken and now sitting half-submerged in the castle moat. They all jumped across and stood in the field. Looking around, Lydia felt tears welling up. Except this time, they were tears of joy. She looked aside and saw that Link was feeling the same way.

The blue sky made a re-appearance and the grass was still green. Lon Lon Ranch still stood in the distance and appeared to be in one piece. The sun was high in the sky, casting light on all of Hyrule. Hyrule Field was just as they had left it, not a ruined, disgusting mess, like the market.

Lydia jumped up and down excitedly while clinging to Link's arm. "Look! Look everybody!" she shouted happily. "I was right! Not all of Hyrule is ruined!"

"Yeah!" Gordon agreed. "I'm glad to see something familiar!"

Lydia pointed toward the south end of the field. "Look that way, Link! There's my crater!"

He did as he was told and looked where she was pointing. Sure enough, her Dragon Slave crater was still there. It was partially eroded, but it was still there. He loudly let go a sigh of relief.

"Well," Gordon said, "the field looks okay. But what about the rest of Hyrule? Like the mountain and the lake and the valley and the –"

"Quiet, Gordon," Lydia said coldly. "We'll worry about that later. Don't ruin the moment."

"Sorry."

"I agree with you," Link said to her, "but we should at least see if Kakariko is still where it used to be. We need to sleep somewhere. It's probably getting late."

Almost as if on cue, the sky began to turn orange as the sun began to set.

Lydia smiled. "Well, at least the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west. That's a good sign."

"Let's go to Kakariko," said Gordon.

"Ray Wing!"

After being so discouraged about the state of the market and castle area, seeing Kakariko again lifted everyone's spirits. Even Link seemed totally back to normal. Kakariko, like the field, looked exactly the same. And what pleased everyone the most was seeing people that they recognized from the old Hyrule Market.

"Looks like they retreated here when the market was ruined," Link suggested as they landed by the tree.

"Yeah, there are a lot more people than there used to be," said Gordon.

"What about that traveler that lent us his house?" Lydia asked. "We need to talk to him about where we can stay while we're here. Do you see him anywhere?"

"No....," Link replied, "but I don't think we ever will."

Slightly confused, Lydia followed Link's gaze until her eyes fell upon the traveler's house they had stayed in seven years before. Nailed across the door was a wooden sign.

ABANDONED

"I say we claim it!" Link suddenly suggested.

"Of course we should, " Lydia agreed.

"Doesn't look like he'll be using it anymore," Gordon added.

All three of them approached the abandoned house. Link ripped the wooden sign off of the door and broke it over his knee. Lydia walked past and opened the door, which creaked loudly with age.

The inside of the house was very musty and dark, like one that hadn't been lived in for several years. It was the same as they remembered it, just a lot more dusty.

Lydia raised her arms into a stretch. "Well," she said, "I'm beat. I'm gonna dust off one of these pillows and get some sleep."

"That's a good idea," Gordon said. "I think I will, too."

"Tomorrow, we can go around and check out the state of the other parts of Hyrule," Link yawned.

Lydia looked at him and said, "Are you sure you're ready to do that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you completely lost control in the market. I had to hit you, remember? What if another piece of Hyrule is like that?"

"Don't worry, I'll control myself next time. I just wasn't ready for what we saw outside the temple. If you were me, you'd be the same way, right?"

Lydia nodded and glanced toward Gordon. He had already dusted off the sheets of one of the beds and was crawling in. She turned back to Link and said, "I just hope we don't see anything like that again."

"We'd better not, or I'll pitch one hell of a fit," he replied.

"If any other parts of Hyrule are as horribly destroyed as the market," growled Lydia, "I'll shove a fireball right up Ganon's—"

Gordon's pillow suddenly flew out of nowhere and hit Lydia in the head. "Hey, you two," Gordon said drowsily. "Didn't you say we need sleep? Then sleep already."

Lydia bent down and threw his pillow back at him before making her way to her own bed. She dusted off the sheets and pillows and climbed in herself. Link shut the windows and curtains to block out any remaining light before getting into his own bed. Lydia rolled over with the knowledge that sleep wouldn't come easily tonight. There was way too much this-and-that to think about. What's Ganondorf up to, she thought. Why would he do all this? What should we do about it? The man now has the powers of the goddesses of Hyrule, since he has the Triforce of Power. Will we be able to defeat him? I wonder if Link feels any better about all this. Maybe he's just faking that he feels better. For his sake, we'd better not see anything else as horrible as that market.

With those silent questions imprinting themselves in her brain, Lydia slowly drifted off into a light sleep.