Worlds Apart
Part II
By Miss Lydia

Chapter 7

The trees and bushes of Hyrule Field passed by in a blur. Lydia smiled, enjoying the feeling of the wind whipping through her long brown hair.

Epona thundered across the landscape, digging her massive hooves into the soft ground. The fact that she was now carrying two riders didn't affect her speed at all. Link had positioned himself in the horse's saddle, and Lydia sat close behind him. Gordon flew alongside the powerful animal as it ran.

Link looked over his shoulder at the sorceress. "Well, one good thing comes out of traveling this way."

"What's that?" Lydia asked.

"I'm not in danger of a certain sorceress I know dragging me through a tree."

"Watch it, or a certain sorceress you know may 'accidentally' do it again."

Link laughed heartily and turned his gaze back to the front. He directed his new horse toward the Kokiri Forest, where they would talk to the Deku Tree. Link sincerely hoped that the Tree knew something about the Zora's disappearance, or anything for that matter. The Hylian frowned as he continuously wished that they knew of Princess Zelda's whereabouts. She'd know what we should do next, he thought. She always knew what to do.

When the travelers reached the entrance to the forest, Epona stopped there, refusing to go inside. Link swung his leg over and climbed down to the ground. Lydia followed, but after catching her heel in the stirrup, she fell and landed hard on her back. Epona turned her head and neighed happily, but with a certain mocking tone.

Lydia lifted her head off the ground as Link bent over to pull her up. "Oh, you think that's funny, don't you?" she scoffed at the horse. "You just wait until I get my magic back,"

"Now, now....," Link scolded softly.

Lydia shrugged and started past the horse. As she walked by her head, Epona nudged her hard in the back, making her stagger forward slightly.

She whirled around and stared into the horse's dark eyes. "Hey, you!" she started, pointing a long finger.

"Easy," Link warned. "Epona is just trying to make the peace. That's her way of being friendly. She wants to be friends with you."

The sorceress smiled and stroked the horse's face. "Okay," she said to Epona, "but if you ever fall down, I'll laugh at you, too, okay?"

Epona tilted her head forward and used her lips to nip Lydia's nose.

"Ugh…," Lydia groaned, rubbing her nose with her sleeve. "Horse slobber."

"See?" Link asked, trying not to laugh. "Friends."

Gordon appeared behind her and glanced at the horse, then at Link. "Are you going to just leave her here?"

"Yeah," Link replied. "She'll be fine." He reached up and patted the Epona's neck.

Lydia turned slowly and started into the forest. The two boys followed close behind, hoping to find some good news at the other end of the tunnel.

That good news never came. As the trio set foot into the forest, Link stopped abruptly, then jumped back about three feet, pushing the sorcerers back into the tunnel. Just then, an overlarge Deku Baba snapped its jaws where they had been standing. It all happened so fast that the sorcerers almost didn't see it.

"Good Lord!" Gordon cried.

Link kept the two sorcerers in the tunnel, just out of the Deku Baba's reach. The enormous thing was repeatedly snapping its jaws, trying to eat the three travelers for lunch. This wasn't an ordinary Deku Baba, however. It was huge. When it rose to its full height, it towered over the adventurers, standing at about ten feet.

"For the love of Nayru!" Link bellowed. "Look at the size of this thing!"

Link drew his sword and edged forward, but had to quickly jump back into the tunnel to avoid the vicious jaws.

"Here!" Gordon shouted quickly. "If you want to do it that way, let me get you started."

He stepped out in front, inches from the snapping animal. He fiercely pointed his finger at its head. "Inferno Array!!"

Several balls of light appeared around the Deku Baba and exploded. The monster hissed loudly as a huge cloud of black smoke enveloped it, preventing it from seeing anything.

Link held his sword at his side and noiselessly charged into the ball of smoke, disappearing from view. Seconds later, a loud slashing sound cut through the smoke screen, and then there was silence. As the smoke slowly cleared, two figures came into view. The Deku Baba was on the ground, its stem slashed in two pieces. Link stood over it and slowly sheathed the Master Sword.

"That's a handy little spell," Link said to Gordon. "You'll have to use that more often."

"It doesn't do much damage, but it's good for –"

Gordon stopped short. Link watched as the sorcerers stared in horror in his direction.

A sharp hissing sound blasted from behind him. Link's sixth sense and quick reflexes kicked in just in time to enable him to roll out of the jaws of death once again.

The giant Deku Baba had regenerated and once again had the three travelers trapped in the tunnel. It was snapping at them furiously, desperate to get its revenge.

"Arrgghhh!" Lydia roared at it furiously. "You're supposed to die when you die!! Stupid monster!"

"Link," Gordon asked sharply, "where is the Deku Tree? "

Link pointed past the snapping plant, toward the other end of the forest. "The Tree is through that passage over there,"

"….Way over there…?" Lydia asked weakly.

"Okay then," her brother said, "we're going to have to make a break for it. Link, you kill it again, then we run for the Tree."

Link and Lydia nodded with determination as Gordon stepped forward again. "Inferno Array!"

Link ran into the smoke and slashed the plant. The sorcerers dashed out of the tunnel toward the back of the forest, followed closely by Link.

They bounded past the giant plant, only to get a nasty shock. This wasn't the only giant Deku Baba. Kokiri Forest was absolutely littered with them. The houses were surrounded by them and they covered the whole ground. The group fought to keep running, knowing that if they stopped now, they'd be plant food.

They didn't get far before getting attacked by another Deku Baba. Lydia drew her sword quickly, slashing its stem as she ran past. Gordon fired small spells in front of him, taking care of the monsters blocking the path. Link worked with his sword, cutting a path through the flurry of monsters. Behind them, the plants regenerated themselves quickly and reached for them.

Another giant Deku Baba bounded itself down on Lydia, and she wasn't quick enough to avoid it. The massive jaws clamped down around her waist, and the monster hoisted her off the ground, screaming. The sorceress swung her sword at the plant madly, but its stem was just out of her reach.

When Link stopped to cut her free, another plant grabbed his leg from behind, then lifted him about eight feet off the ground. The plant shook him violently until the Hylian lost his grip on his sword's hilt. The Master Sword went flying and the blade embedded itself in the soft ground farther down the path.

Gordon was also high off the ground. Two Deku Babas held each of his arms and tried to pull him apart. The massive plants didn't count on its victim's special defense, however.

"Digger Volt!!"

Lightning coursed through both of his arms and electrocuted the Deku Babas. Gordon dropped to the ground and charged toward the two giant plants that were chewing on his friend and sister. Suddenly, a third Deku Baba shot out of a nearby bush, striking him sharply in the back. The sorcerer fell to the ground senseless as the plant moved in for the kill.

Lydia swung her weapon up and embedded it far into the head of her captor. The monster hissed violently and shook the sorceress until she dropped her sword, as well.

Link swore loudly as he repeatedly stabbed at the monster with a small dagger he had hidden in his boot. The monster shrieked, then reared back and threw the Hylian as far as it could. Link landed hard on the roof of one of the nearby houses, and didn't get up again.

The Deku Baba that still held the sorceress hissed shrilly and threw Lydia farther down the path. She landed next to a group of monsters, and instinctively rolled several feet, out of their reach. When she jumped up again, she saw the Master Sword, embedded in the dirt behind her. She bounded back and yanked it out of the ground. She knew in an instant that it was way too heavy for her to use, but still she raised it threateningly at the hissing plants, ready to do whatever she could to protect her brother and her friend. The close by Deku Babas reared up to their full height of ten feet, and then shot down toward the sorceress.

Suddenly, there was a flash of magic above the forest, but it didn't come from Lydia. She looked up in time to see a cloaked figure drop down and land in front of her. Lydia couldn't see who this person was. The black cloak completely covered the figure, and the face was well hidden by an enormous hood.

The mysterious figure threw his hands out, and energy blasted out in all directions. The hissing Deku Babas disintegrated completely as the magic spread out to cover the entire forest. When it faded, all the houses had been left untouched by the spell. Only the monster plants had been destroyed.

"Whoa.....," was the only thing Lydia could say.

The cloaked figure turned to face the sorceress. Lydia again tried to see his face, but was again unsuccessful.

When Lydia managed to find her voice again, she said "Th...Thank you.... I..."

Just then, a white fairy flew out from inside the hood and hovered over the figure's head.

Lydia almost couldn't believe it. "Navi?? Bug, what are you...?"

Before the sorceress could say anything more to him or to Navi, the figure turned and leapt high into the air, followed by the fairy, and disappeared in a flash of yellow light.

Lydia stood in her place, still holding the Master Sword, trying to figure out what just happened. She snapped out of her trance when she noticed Gordon was slowly standing up, trying to regain his bearings. She dropped the sword and went to help him.

"What happened?" Gordon asked slowly. "Where'd all the monsters go?"

Before Lydia could answer, she saw Link sit up on the house's roof, painfully rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm not sure," she finally replied, "but I'll bet you guys won't believe me when I tell you."

"What happened?" Link asked again.

"What's complicated about this?" Lydia retorted. "You two were out cold, and I was surrounded by those plants. Just then, a guy in a cloak appeared from the sky and killed all of the plants. Before I could ask him questions, he flew off and disappeared."

"Could you see his face at all?" Gordon asked.

"Nah. Mr. Cloak had himself totally covered. And not only that, your bug Navi was with him."

"Navi was?" Link asked.

Lydia nodded her head.

"Well, if he ever appears again," Link said, "we'll have to stop him long enough to get a few simple answers."

"Maybe the Deku Tree knows who it was," Gordon suggested.

"Hey, yeah!" Lydia shouted. "We nearly got killed going to see this all-mighty tree of yours, so let's not waste any more time."

"I agree," Link concurred. "Let's get moving."

Lydia strayed off to regain her weapon as Link bent over and picked up the Master Sword. Lydia ran back to rejoin them, then the group headed down the path that would take them to the Great Deku Tree.

"No!" Link cried. "It can't be! I don't believe this!"

"Link!" Gordon shouted. "What's the matter?"

"The Great Deku Tree!"

"What about it??" Lydia asked sharply as she glanced at the monstrous tree.

"Can't you see? He's dead! The Great Deku Tree is dead! He wasn't dead before!"

Lydia looked back at the tree. Now that she thought about it, it really did look dead. The tree stood a good 100 feet in the air, and the trunk was easily 50 feet across. It looked like a magnificent thing, except for the fact that it was shades of brown and gray, and was half-rotted.

"The tree's dead?" Gordon repeated. "How old was it?"

Link shook his head angrily. "Age meant nothing to the Deku Tree. Someone did something to him! He was fine when I left the forest! He just told me I was supposed to start some kind of quest, and then he gave me the Spiritual Stone of the Forest and sent me away! And now...he's dead!"

"But who....?" Gordon wondered. "Do you think it was that cloaked guy Lydia saw?"

Lydia shook her head. "Why would the guy kill the Deku Tree, and then go and save our lives?" she wondered out loud. "It just doesn't fit together. I'm willing to bet anything that this is Ganondorf's doing."

The sorceress turned to Link. "What do you think?" she asked him.

Link didn't say anything. He only lowered his eyes to the ground and kept them there as his last steams of hope died along with the great Tree.

"Perhaps you're right," Gordon said to his sister. "I suppose I can't go accusing that guy when we don't know who he is. He did save us, after all, as you say."

Lydia looked at Link, and then up at the Deku Tree. ".... But what now?" she asked the boys. "The tree was the one to tell us where to go next. What to do next."

"We're at another dead end," Gordon sighed. "Without Princess Zelda, I just don't know what we should to next."

Link turned sharply and started back toward the forest. "Let's go," he said angrily. "There's nothing we can do here."

The sorcerers didn't say anything, but simply followed him. Lydia stole one last look at the Tree before they disappeared around the corner. How much more of this kind of thing can poor Link take? she wondered.

When the group reached the forest, they saw that a few of the monsters had regenerated themselves, and the rest were well on their way. The trio ignored them. The sorcerers silently followed Link, who seemed driven completely by anger. He turned into a nearby house and disappeared inside. The sorcerers followed.

Inside was a little Kokiri that looked a little different from the rest. He was sitting on a stump in the back. He had brownish-orange hair and a wide face. The Kokiri looked up when they entered. Link walked forward and the Kokiri seemed to recognize him.

Link nodded politely. "Mido," he said.

"Long time, Link," the Kokiri Mido replied. "I've been expecting to see you. You sure look...different."

"Seven years changes a lot of people. ...We came a few days ago."

"Yes I know. The girls from the house down the path told me so. And those must be the sorcerers," he said as he glanced past Link.

Lydia waved her hand and Gordon smiled.

"Yes," Link confirmed. "But there's something more important I need to talk to you about,"

Mido quietly sat down in a chair next to Link.

"When did the Deku Tree die?" Link asked solemnly.

Mido looked at the ground. "It's probably been two or three months since then. Once he died, all those baddies outside appeared. We have just hidden in our homes since then."

"They weren't always that large, though," Link added.

"They've only gotten gigantic in the last couple of days. The other Kokiri and I are now afraid to even approach the door of our houses. You three walk among them, I've seen you. You're either very brave or very stupid."

"I think it's a little bit of both," Lydia suggested.

Link glanced at her, then at Mido again. "Do you know what happened to the Tree?"

Mido slowly shook his head. "No one is sure. Somebody had to have killed him."

"Do you think it was Ganondorf?"

"I thought so at first. But the day he died, I saw a weird person start hanging around in the forest, as if he was waiting for someone or something."

Gordon stepped forward. "Was this person wearing.... a black cloak?"

Mido nodded. "Yes. A man in a black cloak. I'm thinking it was that person who killed the tree."

Gordon looked at the ground in deep thought. "But why would this person kill the tree, then save us...? And not only that...why was Navi with him?" he asked himself quietly.

Lydia crossed her arms. "I still think it was Ganondorf."

The Hylian looked at the Kokiri leader, then at Lydia. "We can't be sure right now. Without Princess Zelda's help, I just don't know what we are to do next."

Mido looked shocked. "Princess Zelda?? You've seen her??" he asked loudly.

Link, also shocked, turned around quickly. "No..we...," he started. He then bounded forward and stopped just in front of Mido, bending down to his level. "Do you know where she is?" he asked eagerly.

The Kokiri's face fell sadly. ".... Haven't you heard?" he asked quietly.

Link looked worried suddenly. "Heard...what...?" he asked timidly.

"Princess Zelda...is dead."

Nothing was said for several moments. Horrible silence seemed to settle over the entire land of Hyrule. Whatever life that was left in the entire land seemed gone. And in the Kokiri Forest, three adventurers stood dumbfounded and horrified, refusing to believe what their ears had just heard.

The young Hylian finally found his voice. "Zelda...dead?? That's not possible! There must be some mistake!!"

The two sorcerers jumped forward hopefully, but Mido only sadly shook his head.

"The princess of Hyrule is dead. She's been dead ever since the Evil King invaded Hyrule seven years ago."

"How??" Lydia shouted angrily. "How could Princess Zelda be dead?"

Mido looked at the upset sorceress. "Zelda would be the only thing that would prevent Ganondorf from taking over Hyrule. To achieve his goal, the Evil King killed the Princess."

"Did anyone actually see this happen?" Gordon asked.

"No. She disappeared right before the Evil King invaded, and the word spread that he had killed her. That's the only way he could have done this. If Zelda was still alive, she would have been able to stop him somehow."

Link absolutely trembled with anger and distress.

Gordon looked at the Hylian in thought. "Perhaps...when Link lifted the Master Sword... Ganondorf set on to achieve his goal...."

"It can't be true!" Lydia shouted shrilly. "Princess Zelda can't be dead! She just can't be!"

Without another word, the sorceress bolted out of the house and disappeared.

Lydia swallowed hard, trying not to cry. She looked at her brother, who was seated next to her under the tree. He had his eyes fixed on the stars above.

"She's.... really dead.... isn't she?" the sorceress asked timidly.

Gordon took his eyes off the sky and looked at his sister with a sign of hopelessness in his eyes. "That's the word," he confirmed sadly.

Lydia sighed loudly as a single tear worked its way down her cheek. She turned to look at their house. The windows where dark. Link had gone to bed early. What bothered Lydia so much was that Link hadn't spoken a single word since they left Mido's house. She had attempted to speak with him during the horse ride home, but she never could get him to talk.

"I'm so sad for Link," she said to her brother quietly.

Gordon turned his head to look at his sister.

"He has tried so hard to be brave and never give up hope," the sorceress continued, "but it's very obvious that something inside of him has given up. He's been trying to cover it up, but it shows that he's losing hope fast."

Gordon shook his head sadly. "There still must be something we can do."

"I don't see any way. Zelda was our only last lead, and she's dead. It seems she's been dead ever since we were sent back to Earth. That's why we heard her screams. It was Ganondorf. He killed her."

"It's all the more reason we need to find a way to defeat Ganon."

Lydia nodded in agreement. "Not only to avenge Zelda and everyone that has suffered, but also for Link."

"Yes," Gordon agreed. "He's been through so much. Everything that's happened to his homeland and to his friends...he's accepted everything so far and has still been brave."

"But it looks like Zelda was the last straw. The mighty Hero of Time may be giving up hope."

Gordon looked at his sister thoughtfully. "Something in your voice tells me that you don't really believe that."

Lydia looked at him and nodded slowly. "I don't believe Link will ever completely give up hope. Not someone like him. He is too courageous to give up hope, even when it looks this…well, hopeless. After a good night's rest, he'll be ready to go."

Gordon smiled slightly. "I admire that in him. I think you're right. Link will never give up. And that's why we need to help him in every way we can."

"No matter what happens," Lydia declared confidently. "We will defeat Ganondorf. We will save Hyrule. There's no stopping us now."