I was revamping my story one day, in the very merry month of August…okay, so I suck at rhyming, but I tried, I really did.
Chapter 5 - The Sanctuary
They ran alongside of the moat, Link dragging Zelda along behind him, until they came to the small but steep hill at the far left hand side of the castle. He sputtered, struggling to breathe in the pouring rain, and both he and Zelda were soaked through. They ran right past the small stone with the piercing eye carved into its surface and jumped from the top of the hill onto the large, sloping plateau on either side of the path leading to the castle. They ran down the slope and towards the path, and Link stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, though he could barely hear himself think in the rain. Epona came trotting down the path, following them as they ran towards the marketplace.
When the grass had sloped far enough down that they could jump safely to the ground, Link grabbed Zelda around the waist and dropped down carefully, Zelda breathing in his ear but not screaming. He jumped on Epona's back and reached down to Zelda, pulling her up in front of him. She couldn't sit normally because of her dress, so she wrapped her arms around him and held on, her legs dangling over one side of Epona's flank. Link held Zelda with his right arm and the reins with his left, and he dug his heels into Epona's sides and slapped the reins on her back, clicking his tongue. She dashed off down the path, leaving only hoofprints in the thick mud.
The cobbled marketplace was filling up quickly with puddles, and they splashed through them as they headed towards the drawbridge and freedom. But Link saw almost too late that they were raising the drawbridge – water was streaming off in waterfalls, and the sky was beginning to darken. Was it night already? Well, they had planned to escape when it was dark; he only had time to dimly wonder before Epona was struggling to gallop on the tilting bridge, her hooves clattering uselessly on the wood. But the guards, apparently, could not lift the weight of the drawbridge plus a fully grown horse and two adult riders, all soaked to the bone; the bridge dropped quickly, and Link was still gasping in pain when Epona galloped across the bridge with water streaming off both sides. Link clutched his leg gingerly with his left hand and breathed slowly, forcing himself not to wince. Zelda hadn't noticed, though, and she laughed out loud. Link laughed with her, glad that she hadn't seen his pain.
The pain faded, and happiness filled his heart. They were free! They were out of the castle, and running free on the field! Link pulled gently on Epona's reins, and she slowed to a walk, then stopped. He shouted at Zelda's face, "We'll sleep here and head for the forest in the morning!" She nodded, and they dismounted, shivering. Link searched through his saddlebag, looking for the waterproof blanket he always carried with him; he also put what dry grain he could find into Epona's feedbag and strapped it over her nose, patting her side when she began chewing happily.
He laid the blanket out on the ground, frowning when he saw that it wasn't big enough to be folded around both of them. He turned to Zelda and wrapped it around her, shouting at her to get some rest. But she shook her head angrily, shouting back that she wouldn't leave him to sleep out in the rain.
They argued for several minutes, but in the end, his frustration and anger had reached breaking point, and he reached out with his magic and tweaked something in her brain, effectively sending her to sleep. After removing his horse's feedbag, he made Epona lay on the ground, and stowed Zelda next to Epona's belly, putting his horse blanket over both of them. He sat close by Epona's head, every once in a while reaching out to stroke the rain away from her eyes, and shivering violently.
He didn't dare allow his eyes to close until the sun began to rise over the horizon, and the rain had slowed to a minor drizzle. He stared at Zelda's face in the gathering light, and saw with some satisfaction that she was smiling. At least *her* dreams were pleasant. He rubbed his arms and forced the memories of his own dreams in recent weeks from his mind. Link shoved his fists into his eyes, and clicked his tongue softly, stroking Epona's face when she scrambled sleepily onto her hooves. He gently lifted Zelda into his arms, setting his jaw and trying to ignore how inhumanly light she was. Link touched a hand to her gaunt and too – thin face, his eyes hooding over as the ghostliness of her entire body hit him full force.
He forced his own thoughts to shut up and slung Zelda sideways over Epona's back, climbing into the saddle and shoving his booted feet into the stirrups. He squeezed Epona's sides with his knees, and she trotted a little more slowly than he normally would have gone – he didn't want Zelda to wake up until she had to. She had little enough escapes from her life these days, and he refused to deprive her of this one, especially when her dreams were so happy.
***
Zelda was lost in the corners of her mind, all of her memories flooding her brain, a whirlwind of images and sounds and smells and everything she had lost in the fog of the potion. She wandered among the fog, all of the memories looking like little windows through the white expanse, tiny little pieces of what she once was. She walked through the fog, watching as a million things flashed before her, and feeling her brain slowly fill up with information and feelings.
She felt as though she would explode, but it was better than feeling nothing.
She smiled.
***
She turned around, wide – eyed, when someone cleared their throat behind her. It was a boy, dressed in some odd green tunic. But something was missing…this was so familiar, but something was wrong…
Where was the ball of light?
Wait a second. Ball of light? Was she going crazy?
He smiled up at her, and she couldn't help but stare.
She knew this boy… she had no idea who he was… his name was imprinted into her mind… she didn't know what he called himself.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
His face fell into a frown that would soon become familiar…
***
"Impa? Where did you take him?"
"Out of the castle. Why?"
"Why can't he stay here? Why can't we be friends?"
"Your father wouldn't like that."
"But…Impa…couldn't you…"
"No, Zelda. I am sorry." The tall, armored woman bent down to wipe the tears from Zelda's face. She had worked all of her life to ensure that Zelda grew up not to be a spoiled brat, but a gracious, independent leader. But there were some times when her heart betrayed her, and she couldn't help but comfort the girl.
Some callouses were too thick for a young girl to bear…being alone was one.
She took Zelda's hand and tucked her in, allowing her to sleep in her courtyard, under the stars, as she liked to do so much lately.
Impa put her fingers to her mouth and whistled a familiar tune that soon sent the sobbing child to sleep…
***
"You're back!"
"How could I not come back?"
"Come, you must meet my father! Come on, Link, I'll race you! Oops, sorry, Captain Vespin. I didn't see you coming around the corner. This is Link, he's my best friend!"
Vespin smiled down at the two children, but a worried frown creased his face when he saw the ice in the boy's eyes, and how he was frowning. When the boy smiled, though, he felt as though nothing was wrong in the world, although the ice still remained. He waved them on, and watched them run down the hall, laughing.
He closed his eyes and sighed heavily.
***
"Impa? What's wrong with father?"
"Your father isn't feeling well, Zelda. He isn't himself."
"Is it because he's mad at the man with the tattoo who won't leave?"
"I think so, Zelda. I think so."
"Oh, well, he'll be all right when the man leaves, right Impa?"
"Of course, dear child."
Zelda narrowed her eyes suspiciously. It was the first time she could remember that Impa had not called her by her name.
"What's wrong, Impa?"
The woman shook her head sadly.
"I do not know yet, Zelda."
***
Zelda was lying on her bed, sobbing her heart out.
"Impa, he was my only friend. How could father think he would hurt me?"
Impa pulled the blankets around Zelda's shaking shoulders.
"Your father is not himself lately, Zelda. I can offer no other comfort."
Zelda stared at Impa through misty eyes. She scrubbed at them with one clenched hand.
"But…he can't be *dead*. No, he can't be. He just…"
Her sorrow overwhelmed her, and her cries were lost to the gathering darkness. Impa forced herself to leave Zelda's bedside, despite the girl's increased sobs and pleads for her to come back.
Her stony exterior beginning to crack, Impa was relieved when Zelda finally fell asleep, and her sobs were limited to uneven breathing.
***
"He's gone, Impa. He's got the Ocarina, I know it. We have to run faster."
"I know, child. But I think things will get worse before they will get better. Evil is only gathering. It has yet to fall over the land."
"I knew it was Ganondorf! I knew it all along! But father wouldn't listen…"
"He has not been himself for a long time. Now shush, Zelda. He might hear us."
***
What? Where had that come from?
"But now, when I look at you, I truly see the Hero of Time…"
What was this?
"Time's flow is like a river…its speed can be cruel…
"Friendship is a bond too strong for even time to break…"
"In the clear water, you may reflect upon yourself…"
"Link! Run!"
How…
"You must return here with the pure heart of a child…"
What the hell?
"He will come, Princess… I have finally found his weakness."
No…
"*You* are his weakness."
Laughter… light…
No…
The light faded away, and a pair of red eyes glared at Zelda from out of the darkness. An alien voice that was hers, but not hers, whispered to her.
"Liar…"
***
Link jumped when Zelda sat up, her eyes wide open, gasping for breath. So much for pleasant dreams. The princess started sliding off of Epona's back, and Link caught her in his arms, covering her mouth.
"Zelda, shh! It's me, it's Link, everything is fine! It was just a dream."
Her eyes rolled wildly, and she fought against him, wiggling and beating on his chest. She bit his hand, but he was wearing his gloves. He continued to hold her still – or try, anyway – and console her, until she finally calmed down. Her breathing was shaky, as was her entire body, but she could stand and walk properly. Link patted Epona and took out his child-sized Kokiri tunic, closing his eyes and looking away as he ripped a strip off of the bottom hem. He held the cloth lovingly in his hands before putting it away, and beckoned to Zelda, who walked over cautiously.
"What's that for? Where are we going?"
Link took her shoulder and turned her around, so her back was facing him. He quickly slung the cloth over her eyes, tying it skillfully at the back of her head.
"Can you see through that?"
She stretched her arms out blindly.
"No, of course not! Why are you blindfolding me?"
Link almost grinned. "Because, in case you should ever find your way into the forest, I can't risk you stumbling across the Kokiri."
She turned towards his voice.
"What? Link, you know I would never betray you."
"I know, but what if you were being followed? Anyway, we aren't, I know that for sure. The rain will have covered our tracks halfway across the field, and the drizzle will have washed away our scent, at least. If anyone *is* following us, they'll be so far back that even if they make it to the forest, they'll be attacked by the Stalfos and Lost Ones."
Zelda spun around wildly, waving her arms and nearly poking Link in the eye.
"Lost Ones? What are the Lost Ones?"
"Let's just say I plan for us *not* to find out. Now, you're going to have to trust me, all right? I'll lead you to the village."
He took her elbow, but she pulled away. His voice had a warning tone to it.
"It's either that or go back to Gaesry. Take your pick."
She sighed, grunted out something that sounded like, "Fine," and held out her arm, waiting for Link to take it. He did, and he led her through the first log, through the veil of darkness.
*** (A/N: Now, I know that in the game there's only a bridge, but we'll pretend that there's a whole bunch of other stuff. All right with you? Good. Continuing on…)
"OUCH! Link, that's about the billionth time you've walked me over a root, and I'd swear you're doing it on purpose if I could just *see*!"
Link managed not to chuckle and led the princess on, looking down every once in a while so that he could run her over tree roots.
"Oops, sorry, Zelda. I was kind of concentrating on where we were *going*…"
She gritted her teeth, and Link had to bite his sleeve to keep from laughing out loud.
"Sure you are. You know, I get the funny feeling we're going in circles."
He ran her over another root and, amazingly, she stepped right over it. He frowned and walked onwards.
"You know, I get the funny feeling you would have no idea whatsoever where we're going, because you're *blindfolded*!"
She tripped over another root, and she would have fallen if Link's hand hadn't been around her arm.
"LINK! I'm going to *kill* you if you run me over one more root. Now I know you're doing it on purpose."
She stuck her tongue out at him, or where she thought he was; she was looking to her right, but not exactly at him. He chuckled, and this time she heard him.
"Aha! I knew it, I was right! You are doing it on purpose!"
He counted in his mind. This was the third time they had passed the same huge stump. He turned sharply around a young sapling and walked in a straight line.
"Zelda, you might want to keep it down. There are Stalfos and Skullkids in here, and I don't fancy meeting any of them. My blade skills are a little rusty."
She clamped her mouth shut at that, and Link breathed a small sigh of relief. He was pretty sure they were being followed, despite all odds, and he didn't want whoever was behind them to find the village hidden deep within the forest.
But he had had enough when Zelda tripped over another root and began to shout, her voice echoing through the trees. He stopped them and ripped another strip from his precious tunic, threaded it through her mouth and tied it around her head. He tied her wrists to stop her from taking his eyes out, and unceremoniously slung her over her shoulder, amid muffled protests. He walked the rest of the way himself, though he didn't like how his boots sunk slightly in the mossy earth. It would leave tracks, though they would disappear in a few minutes, and he didn't want to leave behind any evidence that someone had been here.
But with all of that, he had a feeling that it wouldn't matter anyway. They were being followed, and whoever was behind them was either an excellent tracker or an animal that was following their scent through the forest.
He could take care of an animal – but he couldn't kill a person. This could prove very interesting in the end.
He walked through another log, and saw the bridge.
***
When a tall Hylian walked into the forest, carrying a bound woman who was kicking him, Mido was immediately suspicious. How had this stranger found his way into the village? Who was he, anyway? He nodded at the twin who had told him of their visitors – he couldn't tell which one – and ran to the other end of the small town, snarling when he saw that the Hylian had the audacity to try and dress like a Kokiri. He approached the tall man, who looked down at him. He seemed to recognize Mido, because his face darkened when he saw him. Mido stared up at the stranger and narrowed his eyes. Link had left the forest a long time ago… could it be?
No, he was dead. He was dead, he had been for seven years, and nothing could make somebody come back from the dead. Absolutely nothing. But this man looked almost like Link…same hair, same tunic, same boots…but his skin was darker from exposure to the sun, and his sword was much longer and more dangerous looking than the Kokiri sword, which Link had stolen on his way out.
No, this was not Link. But how had this grown man found his way into the forbidden forest?
The man ignored him, taking the woman from his shoulder and freeing her of her bonds. Mido was then treated to shouting so loud, he thought his ears would burst. The woman was obviously angry at the man, and it showed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't just tie me up and sling me over your shoulder like a sack of grain! I'm going to kill you, you *idiot*!"
She advanced on the man, holding her fingers like claws. Mido watched in mild interest as the man held her wrists, causing her to struggle.
"Relax, Zelda. Someone followed us. Now you stay here, with Saria and Mido. They'll take care of you until I get back."
"Where are you going?"
"Into the forest." The man's face was alight with dark pleasure. "It's time that the hunter became the hunted." With that, he abruptly turned and walked back through the hollow log, into the forest. Mido and Zelda, whoever *she* was, stared at each other. They both opened their mouths at exactly the same time.
"Who are you?"
They paused for a moment, then spoke in unison again.
"You first."
Mido fearlessly pulled on her dress, shocking her with his rudeness. He said, "What's with this thing you're wearing? What is it?"
She put her hands on her hips and glared down at him. She had decided she didn't like him already.
"It's called a dress, you little savage."
He didn't seem phased. Maybe he didn't know what the word 'savage' meant.
"Well, it seems pointless to me. You'd just get hot in that thing."
Zelda clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and counted to ten under her breath. She had been working to control the volatile temper that had surfaced in her since late childhood, and she was barely making any headway, much to her own dismay, and Impa's disproval.
Mido only stared as the redness slowly drained from the woman's face. A small crowd had gathered, all watching the newcomer; one Kokiri was even taking bets of small amounts of rupees on how long it would take for her to turn into a Stalfos. A short girl with green hair, boots, and tunic pushed through the crowd, tugging on Zelda's dress.
"Hey! Here, follow me. These guys are just confused." She took Zelda's hand and pulled her through the children, towards a house painted with white and pink lines and dots. She smiled up at the taller blonde princess. "My name's Saria. You can stay in my house if you want." Zelda was immediately confused.
"Okay, that one just blew over my head. Why would I stay in your house? The girl looked slightly insulted for a moment, until she elaborated.
"No, I mean, why would I stay *anywhere*? Link took me away from the castle, but we're going to go back soon, right?"
Zelda ducked through the doorway, and was relieved to find that the house was tall enough that she didn't need to stoop. Saria pointed to a bed. "You can sleep there. Sorry, I know it's a bit small, but it's all I have."
Zelda nodded gratefully. "Thank you very much, but surely we're not staying overnight?"
Saria shrugged. "Well, judging by Link's condition, not to mention your own, you might be staying here for a while."
"What do you mean by…oh." Zelda touched her own ribs, and
immediately felt nauseous when she realized how far the bones were sticking out
from her skin.
"Oh, Goddesses. I think I'm going to be sick."
Saria ushered her out the door, and Zelda kneeled down in front of one of the bushes, holding her stomach and heaving as Saria held her hair out of the way. Zelda sat back, her face taking on a grayish colour, and looked at Saria.
"I'm not sure if I can eat a lot of food, Saria."
She smiled. "Of course not. We'll work you up slowly, one day at a time. You'll have to start small."
Zelda smiled back, and they were silent for a moment, until loud shouts carried over to them from the forest. They turned as one to stare at the moving branches of trees, and Zelda stood up when she saw Link and Gaesry wrestling, far too close to the top of the waterfall cliff for her liking. Gaesry managed to punch Link under his ribs, where the dagger had been stuck, and Link cried out, the pain blinding him for a moment. Gaesry rolled over so that he was on top, and punched him again in the mouth, managing to cut his lip. He laughed out loud, but his laughter was quickly cut off when the rushing water enveloped he and Link, pushing them over the edge. Zelda ran to them, pushing past the staring Kokiri, and watched as they fell, seemingly in slow motion, into the much – too – shallow pool of water. She winced when Link's head hit a rock, hating Gaesry even more for having landed with Link on the bottom. She angrily marched up to them, heaving Gaesry off of Link with a bit of effort, and rescuing Link from underwater, where Gaesry's weight had pushed him. Zelda pulled on his shoulders, getting his head above water, and dragged him half onto the shore by his arms, where he lay completely vulnerable.
Gaesry apparently couldn't resist taking the bait, and he laughed, punching Link's infected leg, which was mostly out of the water. Link's eyes flew open, and he whimpered, trying to scramble away from Gaesry. Zelda stepped between them, offering her frail body as a barrier to the slight prince.
"Would you hit me, a woman, to get to a man who is already down, not to mention injured?" Though she hated using his own beliefs for her own advantage, she knew she had no choice. If he refused to strike her, Link would be all right; but if he didn't, it was quite likely that he would die. She hoped with all her heart Gaesry would give in to his mistaken idea that females were the weaker sex.
Luck was not on her side today. Her hope dispelled into thin air when Gaesry smiled. "Well, why not?" He lashed out, striking Zelda across the face, kicking her away when she crumpled onto the ground. At that, the Kokiri circled him. Mido spoke for them all.
"We don't care if you hit that guy, but nobody around here hits girls. It's against the rules."
A small girl with pigtails piped up. "Yeah, besides, that guy's hurt!"
The Kokiri murmured their assent, but Gaesry only laughed.
"You're just children! You couldn't hurt me."
Mido smirked at him. "Oh, yeah? Watch this."
The Kokiri jumped him, sending him crashing to the ground. One of them ran off and came back holding an armful of vines, and they all proceeded to bind him with the strong forest ropes. Several moments later, they stepped back, and Zelda laughed out loud. Gaesry was completely wrapped in vines, though not gagged, and he resembled a forkful of green spaghetti. He shook his head, trying to get some stray leaves out of his face and trying to wiggle out of the vines, but they were tied too tightly, and the Kokiri were perfectly willing to let him struggle. Finally, he turned to Zelda, speaking through gritted teeth.
"My sweet, will you not release your King – uh, your *Prince* from these bonds?"
Zelda joyfully shook her head. Gaesry turned a violent shade of red.
"What? You would dare disobey me? You're just a woman! Do as I say!"
Zelda laughed aloud, and the pigtailed girl stuck out her tongue at the indignant coward. His face darkened to an interesting shade of purple, almost matching his short, spiky, brown hair. His light tan – coloured eyes were wide and blazing.
"You fools! When I am King, I will punish you all! I will kill you for this!"
Zelda finally spoke down to the man who had been speaking down to her for the past few months.
"You can kill yourself trying. Or maybe I'll do it for you, hmm?" She went over to Link, drawing his sword from its case, and held it to Gaesry's throat. He immediately went still.
"What do you think, Gaesry? Oh, wait, I have a better name for you. Greasy. Time to die, Greasy."
The Kokiri were silenced now. They didn't want to see anybody killed, but at the same time, they didn't want to see the slimeball live. The only thing that stayed Zelda's hand was a soft, hoarse voice from behind her.
"Zelda. No."
She whirled around to face Link, who was trying to sit upright. Saria hurried to help him, and he stared up at Zelda through pain-filled eyes.
"Please, don't. I know he deserves it, but…you're not a killer." Silently, he added, 'not like me.' Zelda watched his face darken.
"Link, he tried to kill you, and me. He deserves to die."
"Zelda, you have a choice. Remember, there's always a choice."
She turned back to Gaesry, and again rested the sword at his throat. The hard lines of hatred on her face softened, but her gaze was resting somewhere beyond Gaesry's face. However, he was convinced she was feeling sorry for him, and so he put on the cutest puppy face he could muster, which was about as cute as a mess of bog slime. Again, Zelda didn't notice, nor did she care. Link's voice came into her mind, through their private mental link.
*Zelda. It's not worth the cost. Please, trust me. I know…*
*What? What do you know, Link? *
*I know that I don't want to see you become something like him. *
*What if I told you I don't care? *
*Then I'd know you were lying. Please, don't kill him. *
She closed her eyes and sighed. *Why do you heroes always have to do the right thing, huh? *
He smiled a bit, though she didn't see because she had her back to him. *It's in our code. *
She rolled her eyes and took the sword away from Gaesry's throat, allowing him to breathe normally once more. She handed it back to Link, hilt first, and he took it from her gently, so he wouldn't cut her accidentally. Gaesry wiggled around some more.
"Now, untie me!"
Zelda whirled on him, her eye fiery. He actually cowered under her fury.
"You *idiot*! You actually think you're in a position to make demands, after what you pulled? First you try to kill me, then you pretty much succeed with killing Link! Shut up, just shut UP!"
He shrugged his shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant, but not succeeding, not by a long shot. His face was pale, and he was shaking slightly. Some of the Kokiri were giggling at him behind their hands.
"Fine, then. Don't untie me. A simple no would suffice."
She set her jaw, then marched over to Link, nodding at Saria. She hoisted Link onto her withered shoulder, trying and failing to ignore his small grunts of pain. With Saria half – supporting Link on the left side, and Zelda staggering under his weight on the right, they slowly made their way to Saria's house, leaving Gaesry to wiggle around. The Kokiri whispered among themselves, loud enough for the jilted prince to hear.
"What're we gonna do with him?"
"I dunno. What do you think?"
"I think we should eat him. We haven't had anything but Deku Baba meat in a
long time." This was from Mido, naturally, and his grin told the rest of them
he was kidding. Gaesry, however, couldn't see Mido's face, and thought that
they were actually discussing whether to eat him or not.
"Hmm, I dunno, Mido. He looks kinda stringy to me."
"Yeah, not much meat on him."
"I'm sure we can work something out. I mean, as long as we
don't burn him, it's all good! I hear the ribs are especially tasty."
"Unless they're Zelda's, of course. Hers stick out a lot."
"No, we don't eat girls. They're too nice."
"Yeah, and the other guy, he's too sick to eat. Though he *does* have some nice meat on him."
"Nah, let's fatten that guy up. He's in prime condition, just a little thin."
"Yeah, we'll teach him to like veggies, then we'll teach him to like fire!"
"I call putting mushrooms in the sauce!"
They giggled together and walked away slowly, still in the odd group, whispering suggestions of how to cook him for a little while longer before breaking up and going back about their everyday business. Gaesry was panicking, and talking to himself.
"Fatten me up, huh? I'll show them! I won't eat a bite! No I won't…" At that point, his stomach rumbled loudly. He cleared his throat. "Now, repeat after me. I do not need food. I do not need food. I do not need food…" Again, his stomach rumbled, loud enough to make the nearest Kokiri stare at him, licking his lips with exaggerated motions before he turned back to his vigil in front of Mido's house.
Gaesry gulped, and stopped wiggling.
***
Saria actually looked deeply concerned, and she rushed about her house gathering up ingredients while Zelda put together the two beds Saria had in her house to make on bed for Link. She wrapped her arms around him and heaved, managing to get enough of his upper body on the bed so that he wouldn't slip off again. She pulled his legs up too, and, under Saria's direction, covered him with a thick blanket. He was shivering a bit, and Saria told her that it was from shock.
The Kokiri girl mixed various forest ingredients in a small wooden bowl, grinding leaves and things with a pestle and rushing out to the stream to get fresh water in another bowl. She rushed back in, mixing it all together and slapping it onto a clean bandage, which she put on Link's leg. He moaned under his breath, and Saria winced, turning to Zelda.
"Well, I think his leg is the only thing we have to worry about now. He's got a spearhead in there still, and we're either going to have to cut it out or leave it in." She looked at Link's face. "But I don't think we can leave it in his leg. The infection will get into his blood, and he'll die. We have to take it out, preferably now, while the painkillers I gave him are still working." Zelda nodded, but when Saria brandished a small dagger, Zelda took it from her.
"Please, let me do it." Saria cocked an eyebrow, and she opened her mouth, but Zelda cut her off. "Saria. This is something I need to do. Link was my best friend, and he's done so much for me. I have to return the favor."
Saria nodded silently, and helped Zelda slip off her white gloves. She took the knife in her right hand, and, afraid to open her eyes but not daring not to, peeled back the bandage, looking directly at the wound for the first time.
She winced, and looked away, feeling nauseous again, but she steeled herself and brandished the knife, cutting into the hard muscles of his leg and forcing her throat to be silent when blood welled up.
Saria had a small cloth, and she used it to wipe away the blood until it was super – saturated. When the cloth wouldn't absorb anything else, she ran outside for a moment, and came back with a chunk of moss. When Zelda stared at her, she smiled.
"I always keep some growing nearby. It makes great bandages."
Zelda nodded, piercing Link's skin deeper and deeper, right beside the spearhead, until she could wiggle it sideways and feel the end of the spear. Her stomach lurched violently, but she managed to choke out to Saria, "I've got it. Should I pull or cut?"
"Cut it out. If you pull it, he might get splinters."
Zelda nodded, but when she looked back down at the wound, it was too much for
her. She ran outside, sobbing and shaking. She stayed there until Saria came to
her to wash her hands in the river, which Zelda was staring at as she sat on the
ground.
"It's out, and I bandaged it with moss and more painkillers. It'll be a while until the bleeding stops, and then it could take some time before the wound heals over." Zelda nodded, and Saria noticed her sadness.
"Look, Zelda. Everybody quails at least once, and most throw up more than once. You did enough."
Zelda shook her head. "No. I didn't help enough, I could have done something more…"
Saria repeated, more firmly, "You did enough. Now come here, sit with him. If he wakes up, he'll want to talk to you."
Zelda looked up at Saria, who was standing beside her, with tears in her large, watery blue eyes.
"*If* he wakes up?"
Saria smiled. "When. When he wakes up. Forgive my mistake."
Zelda reluctantly got to her feet, making her way back to Saria's house in the fading light of day. She sat in the darkness on the floor beside Link's sickbed, leaning her back against the bed. It was a long time before she heard Saria's breathing slow down, showing she was asleep, and it was even longer before her mind grew too exhausted to stop her eyelids from sliding shut.
***
No matter how hard Link tried to sleep, the dull pain was always there. And no matter how much he tried to run away, his legs just wouldn't move.
His sleep was filled with nightmares…nightmares, memories, what was the difference? All he knew was that he wanted to wake up. Soon.
He was flying through air thick with smoke, filling his lungs with heavy gas, making him sink below the clouds. He saw the same old hole in the earth wall, bordered off by a fence; he tried to pull back, but it was useless. Link went headfirst into that hole, and past the door carved with the Eye of Truth, picking up speed as he went. He went flying past the guillotines, past the falling spikes, past everything that had haunted his dreams for far too long. He flew onwards, falling faster and faster, until he finally saw that circular platform. Link fell into it headfirst, his body crumpling and bouncing off of the huge drum and into the purple acid around it. He swum desperately, knowing already that it was too late.
He fell into a room with no roof, walls, or floor. Darkness took him, and his eyes glazed over. His own screams echoed in his ears, mingling with those of another…
His heart tore in two, and the man who had stolen his innocence laughed.
***
Light was beginning to steal over the treetops, but Zelda and Saria had been awake for a few hours, working by candlelight to change Link's bandages. They hadn't wanted to wake him from his sleep, but when he began thrashing, worry knotted Zelda's stomach. Saria finally agreed to wake him up when he screamed incomprehensible words into the thinning night air, and they both shook him, effectively snapping him out of his hallucinations. Now he sat in bed, his body racked with pain, refusing to close his eyes while they carefully rewrapped his leg. Zelda had wanted to give him more painkillers, but Link had refused, unwilling to hide from the pain his enemies had placed upon him. The princess argued with him, insisting that he had already been through enough, until Saria cut in.
"Zelda, he's right, he can't take any more painkillers. We have to wait for the first dose to wear off first, or else he might faint and never wake up. I've seen it before, and it happens especially with the herbs I gave him earlier – those are my strongest medicines. Too much of anything is unhealthy."
Link only winced when neither of them were working. It sure felt like the painkillers had worn off to him, but he wasn't about to let them know that. Maybe it was his 'dumb male pride,' as Zelda had called it, but he wanted to know he could get through this on his own, without the help of any medicines.
The sun was rising now, and light crept across the floor, lighting the faces of Saria and Zelda. He stared at the princess – he couldn't help it. Her eyes seemed to glow with their own life in the gathering light, and it caressed her skin, shining through her messy hair and changing her into a beautiful, wild child of the land. She looked up at him in that moment, and smiled, looking into his eyes. Right then, Link knew that he would be all right, just so long as she could still smile.
But he couldn't smile – the ice was still in his eyes, the depression still weighed on his heart. The memories still ruled over him, and there was nothing he could do about it. But he managed to twitch his cheek muscles, and she turned back to his leg, her fingers gently stretching his skin as she packed herbs into the deep cut, under Saria's patient direction. She finished, and wrapped it up with a soft strip of cloth, tying it neatly before moving to his shoulder, which still bore a long, deep line of red, with dried blood staining the skin around it.
She cleaned off the blood, gently swabbing his skin with a scrap of cloth and pressing herbs onto the cut before wrapping his shoulder in another bandage. However, when she reached towards the stab wound under his ribs, he stopped her.
"Zelda, no. I can do it myself."
She glared at him and placed her hands on her jutting hips, wincing slightly.
"Oh, please. You're just scared of taking your shirt off, you big baby."
Link smiled a bit and shook his head, placing his hand over the wound.
"It'll heal faster this way."
A soft blue light emanated from between his fingers, and his eyes rolled up into his head, his eyelids fluttering closed. He sagged back against the wall, and the last of his fading energy left him.
Zelda rushed forward, but breathed a sigh when she saw that he was merely sleeping. She snickered, and Saria giggled. But when Zelda lifted Link's hand, she saw that the wound, instead of sealing up, had opened farther and was bleeding again. The princess rolled her eyes and pulled up his shirt, so that the fabric wouldn't get caught in the wound while she sealed it.
She placed her hand on his raw skin, and he shivered; her hand was cold. But Zelda's hands warmed up when she called upon her reserve of magic, and soft tendrils of purple light sneaked into Link's skin, pulling the wound closed and fusing the exposed skin together. A few moments later, nothing was left but a tiny white scar to show for what he had suffered. Saria pulled on Zelda's dress.
"Zelda? Why didn't you just do that for the other cuts?"
Zelda stared out the open doorway, into the gathering light. She saw that the dancing white spirits had awoken, and were once again bouncing through the air.
"Because I would've wasted my energy and ended up asleep all day, just like hero boy over there. I have no intention of sleeping while evil is poisoning this forest."
With that, she pulled Link's shirt back down and marched out into the sunlight, blinking against her temporary blindness, and went to wash up.
All were ignorant of the silent shadow that had begun to circle the sky again, for the first time in countless years.
It, like everything else, had no choice.
***
Over the next month, Zelda and Link slowly healed from their injuries. Link's deep cuts were reduced to little more than white lines on his skin, and Zelda's body became healthy and curved. Her ribs retracted into her chest and stomach, and her entire body gained a layer of healthy fat and muscle. They both kept active, despite Link's protests about Zelda learning to use a sword. They sparred with each other using Deku Sticks, and it was no fluke that Zelda landed many more hits on Link than vice versa. Link was just plain unwilling to hurt her, although the Deku Sticks barely left a welt, no matter how hard they contacted the skin.
Zelda laughed as she scored another hit, having slapped Link hard just above his hip. He winced and leapt back, blocking her swipes and correcting key points, without lashing out at her.
"Zelda, you can't swing so wide. I can easily get in under your blade and kill you."
"Then why don't you?"
"Uh…um…Zelda! If you're going to thrust, feint first, with less force, so that you work up some speed and confuse me at the same time."
He had been forced to avoid many questions of the same kind from Zelda during all of their training sessions, but he was sure that so far she hadn't really cared – until after they were finished, and were cooling down beside the waterfall pool. Zelda turned to Link, unwilling to let him dodge the question again.
"Link, why won't you hit me when we're sparring? I learn better from mistakes than I do from just having information spoon fed to me. Everybody does."
Link looked uncomfortably into the water, gazing at their distorted reflections.
"Come on, Link. This isn't one of those, 'I'm a man, you're a woman,' things, is it? You know how much I hate those things."
Link sighed. "Yeah, Zelda, it's one of those things." She started to protest, but he cut her off. "Look, princess, I don't want to hurt you. I *can't* hurt you. That son of a - "
"Gaesry?"
"He doesn't deserve to have a name."
"Whatever. Keep talking."
Link trailed a finger through the water, piecing together his words before he spoke them.
"Zelda…here's how I see it. He put you through enough. He starved you, beat you down, basically tortured you…I don't want to add to that. I mean, you're basically recovered, physically," He glanced at her, and saw her smile sadly. "But I can't bring myself to hurt you. I don't want to teach you to hate men."
She narrowed her eyes, and a muscle in her jaw twitched. She turned her gaze to the water, watching their reflection, as Link was doing.
"Link, the only man I hate is Gaesry. I *know* that it's unfair to judge all men by the actions of one. What, you think I'll hate you if you hurt me?"
Link nodded grudgingly. Zelda sighed, exasperated.
"Oh, please. You actually think that I'd get angry at you for hitting me, during a spar? Getting hit is an important part of fighting. I have to learn to block hits, and I won't learn unless I *get* hit."
Link combed his fingers through his hair. "All right, all right. I won't go as easy on you. But you have to promise me you'll eat more, and that you'll hit Gaesry every time he insults you. Hit him straight across the face."
Zelda snickered. "Well, as much as I'd like to, I don't think I will. He's just looking for a reaction, and I'm not about to give him what he wants. But I will eat more."
Link smiled. "Fine."
Zelda smiled back. "Fine."
They grabbed their Deku Sticks as one, and ran back towards the sparring area they had claimed, by the Know – It – All Bros. house. The Kokiri who had studied a bit of swordplay acted as referee, when he was around, which wasn't too often – Deku Sticks tended to go flying out of their hands as they tried to hit each other.
They began to fight again, and this time Link didn't hold back. He jabbed his stick into Zelda's stomach, and she fell onto the ground, winded. Link rushed to her, alarmed, and cruel laughter filled their ears.
Gaesry was leaning on the unsteady fence, watching their little duel. After a few days of being tied up day and night, Zelda had convinced the Kokiri to let him go, after Link threatened him with death if he even tried to hurt Zelda. He had pretty much avoided them, but when they all ate together in the evenings, he brushed by her, whispering cruel things in her ear. Link had seen this, but he had also seen the grim look of determination on her face whenever he drew near. He knew not to interfere, though he had to fight every instinct in order to restrain himself. This was their battle, and although he felt that it would soon come to a breaking point, he had held himself back.
Even so, his anger boiled under the surface as he helped Zelda to her feet. He stepped towards the prince.
"Get out of here, Gaesry. You're not welcome."
He only laughed harder. Zelda clenched her fists.
"Leave me alone. You waste your time trying to hurt my pride."
He wiped away tears of hilarity before speaking. "Oh, please, princess. I do not see why you even *try* to learn to wield a weapon. You are just a weak female, after all. What good can *you* do?"
Link could hear Zelda grinding her teeth from where he stood, and he reached for his sword, drawing it with the sweet sound of screaming death.
"I warn you, Gaesry. I won't let you hurt her any longer."
Zelda felt a rush of confidence at his words, and she wielded her Deku Stick with renewed determination. Gaesry looked a bit uncomfortable, but he would not leave.
"Oh, and I suppose she needs you to protect her, eh? If you weren't around, what would she do?"
He hopped the fence, his confidence returning, and circled them. As he passed behind them, he stretched out a hand and touched Zelda's hair. She felt it, and tightened her grip on her stick until her knuckles were white. Gaesry was still talking.
"Oh, you may think you're safe, princess, but it's only hero boy here standing between you and me."
Link whirled his sword threateningly. Gaesry glanced at him, trying to give the appearance of being unconcerned.
"Please, hero boy, let me talk with the princess here. Maybe you can let her defend herself for once?"
Zelda's temper had been boiling over while he taunted them, and now it reached the breaking point. She lashed out, striking him across the face with her Deku Stick, leaving a long red welt over his right eye and down his cheek. He dashed away, his eye watering in pain. When he thought he was a safe distance away, he called back to them over his shoulder.
"Now you've done it, you stupid woman. I'll get you for this. I swear it, I will."
He ran away, tripping over shrubs and rocks in his haste. Link turned to Zelda, struggling to keep a straight face as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Nicely hit. I'm glad to see you've taken me up on that offer."
She shrugged off his hand, and perched on the fence, so she could look him straight in the eye.
"Link, stop kidding around. I'm worried. He said he'd try to hurt me."
Link held out his hand to her. "It's all right, Zelda. I'm here for you, if you need me."
She shook her head. "No, Link. I can't rely on you any more. What if you're not there, and I'm in trouble? I have to learn to defend myself, now more than ever."
Link was about to protest, until he saw the fiery determination burning bright in her eyes, and the set firmness about her mouth. He sighed, and smiled a bit.
"All right, then. Let's fight."
He turned to get his stick, and she smacked him across the back with her stick, laughing and jumping down from the fence. Link winced and sheathed his sword, retrieving his stick and chasing after her, yelling, "Get back here, you! That was an unfair hit!"
***
Neither hide nor hair of Gaesry was seen for the next two days. Despite Link's hopes that he had gotten lost in the forest and attacked by the Skullkids, or – even better – a duo of Stalfos, she slept no easier those nights than she had during the rest of the time she had spent in the forest. When she woke up on the second Gaesry – free day, she felt a certain chill in the air, a threat that hung about this place like an enveloping mist. She wrapped her blanket around herself in the predawn light, and climbed the ladder that lead into the tree house next door.
Link was sitting on the chopped off end of the tree his house had been built on with his eyes closed, facing out the door. When the gentle peach light behind his eyes flickered, he opened them, seeing Zelda entering his house, wrapped in a thin blanket and shivering slightly. He closed his eyes again and centered himself, feeling the prickling of his skin when she walked close by, sensing the electrical fields of their bodies colliding. When Zelda touched his shoulder with her cold hand, he didn't jump, but he pulled away, his closed eyes turning towards his crossed legs, allowing his hair to drop around his face and his eyelids to slid shut, and the familiar old blanket of depression shaded his mind.
The princess felt a static shock numb her hand, and she instinctively backed away from him, sinking to the ground in shock. Dizziness overcame her senses, and she only knew that she was no longer quite awake. It was strange – she could feel herself sitting on the floor of Link's house, her back against the rough wall; but she could also see *beyond*. The world she saw was one and the same, she knew that for sure – but it seemed to her as though she saw into another dimension, because what she saw couldn't have possibly been real.
The light of the sun crept into Link's little house, dashing light across his skin and slowly warming his chilled bones. But she half – imagined, in her crazed stupor, that he was not quite human. He seemed to possess some sort of otherworldliness, like he was a god of some kind, just visiting the earth below for a vacation of sorts, or to check up on how the world was progressing. It seemed that he was displeased by what he saw, and she could sense that he felt…something…she couldn't quite put a word to it.
Wait. That was it. He was helpless. He was helpless, and he hated himself for it. He was helpless to turn away…
She shook her head with a muffled little scream, not wanting to see any more. The foggy veil of half – sleep lifted, and the strange vision faded – Link fell back into himself, became human again; *her* Link, not that other one who sat, slumped in depression and helplessness. But there was something else, too…
Zelda shook her head as the last tendrils of sleep fell away, and went to Link again. She touched his shoulder, but he did not acknowledge her – he simply got up, walking as if possessed out to the tiny balcony. He stood for a moment, blinking heavily, before he sat down, with his legs hanging over the ladder, watching the sleeping village start to wake. He felt Zelda's hand on his shoulder, and her breath whispering in his ear.
"Link. What is it? Can you sense it, too?"
He narrowed his eyes, and gazed out over the small settlement, his sharp eyes sweeping over the land with the thoroughness of a hunting hawk. He closed his eyes, and shook his head slowly.
"I feel it. An evil has settled here. I don't know why I haven't sensed it before…"
"I didn't sense it either. But now, you can almost see it…"
"I know. Zelda…the time has come. Tomorrow, we have to leave."
Zelda let the silence stretch between them. She sat behind him and slightly to his right, staring up at the sky, which was slowly changing into the clouded blue that was so familiar to her. Finally, after what seemed hours later, but was only moments, she opened her lips.
"Link…I've spent most of my life thinking you were dead. Now you're back…you're here, and I don't want to be left alone again. Please, don't send me back to that place…"
Link's mind immediately turned to the castle, and he frowned, making sure Zelda could not see him. He forced his heart to ice over, but he could not look at her.
"Zelda, you know you have to go back. You have a duty to your people. You have to lead them."
"They can survive without me for a time."
"We left during the crescent moon, and the moon is almost a scythe again. You've been away for far too long."
"Oh, I've been away? I've only been gone for a month! I thought you were dead for…for years! What gives *you* the right to say that *I* have to go back?"
Link sat silently, but she still ranted on, unable to see the wound opening in his soul from her words, and the guilt festering there.
"You left me there, Link. You left me in that hellhole, alone, and I thought – no, I *knew* - that you were never coming back. And now you are back, Link. I won't let you disappear again."
Link let out a small, "Hmm." A tear trickled from Zelda's eye, but she wiped it roughly away.
"How could you, Link? You call yourself a hero, and yet you abandon your land for years, and now you come back, and tell *me* not to do the same thing? Heroes don't just disappear when they want to. They're constantly on the watch, ready to defend the innocents and those who can't fight. Isn't that in your stupid code, too?"
Tears were now flowing unchecked from her eyes. Link couldn't look at her, knowing that every word she said was true. He mentally retorted.
(But, Zelda, I only disappeared to protect you…if I had come for you, your father would have killed me, and then you would have been left on your own. But I never really left you, not really…you just didn't know it.)
Zelda's sobbing died down. She hiccupped between sobs, and managed to squeeze out, "What did you say?"
Link's head whipped around, and he stared at her intensely. She let out another watery hiccup. He narrowed his eyes at her, and spoke in a dangerously quiet voice.
"What? What are you talking about?"
She sobbed, "You said something. I didn't quite catch it, but…"
He was almost sure of it. Was their link strengthening again? Maybe, but he had to test it, just to be sure.
(Zelda? Zelda, can you hear me?)
She squeezed her eyes shut.
(Link…)
She sobbed again, and all at once, Link's mind was forcibly ripped open. He was traveling back in time, now, back to that rainy day in the market…then to the man with the orange hair…then to what he had done after. Yes, he was a self – proclaimed teacher, he had helped families at odds to settle their differences…but he was something else too. He had another duty that he kept to himself, that he had never told anyone of, that no one even knew existed.
He was a protector. He watched over…something…
It was Zelda who was forcing him to relive these memories. He tried to push her out, but she was too strong. He opened his eyes, and saw her body through a misty haze. He gritted his teeth, his anger building.
(GET OUT!)
She shook her head from side to side, and Link got up, moving as slowly as cold molasses. He gripped her shoulders in his strong fingers, and shook her.
(GET OUT! NOW!)
But she would not leave his aching head alone. A blind rage filled him, and he forcibly pushed her out of his mind.
(*OUT*!)
He fell backwards, landing ungracefully on his behind on the small wooden balcony. Link shook his head, stunned, and looked at Zelda, his anger quickly fading. But when he saw what he had done, he felt that he had never been more sober in his life.
"Zelda…"
She was holding a hand to her mouth, and when she took it away to gaze at her fingers, they were coated in blood. Link had punched her mouth, and she was only grateful that no teeth were knocked out. Her lip was split, and bleeding profusely. She looked at him with pain – blurred eyes, and he backed away in shock.
"Goddesses…Zelda…"
He reached out slowly to her face, and she froze; but at the last second, he pulled away from her and leapt backwards over the short railing, sprinting away as fast as he could. She called after him, blood flying from her lips and spattering the grass.
"Link…LINK! WAIT!"
But it was too late. He had left, headed for Goddesses knew where, and she was stuck with nothing to do but wait for the bleeding to stop. On second thought, she didn't want to wait. She carefully climbed the ladder, stopping to detangle her dress every now and again, and walked over to Saria's house, hoping the girl was awake and well – rested.
***
"Go away, Saria."
Link was sitting in the branches of the Deku Tree, staring into the distance. Saria gasped.
"Link, get down from there! What do you think you're doing?"
He his face from her, but his voice echoed around the still meadow.
"Leave me alone."
Saria crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head defiantly. The Deku Tree was silent again - it had refused to speak to anyone since Link had returned to the forest. Saria approached the tree cautiously, calling up to Link softly.
"Link, you have to come down. Zelda - "
"Don't talk to me about Zelda! I don't want to talk! Why can't you just leave me be?"
Saria sat down on the grass, staring up at the darkened patch in the leaves indicating where Link was resting.
"Link, Zelda told me everything."
The leaves rattled on their twigs. Link clenched his fists, fighting to control his voice.
"What did she tell you? Did she tell you that I hit her? Did she tell you that I'm a worthless idiot, just like Gaesry? Did she tell you that, Saria? Answer me!"
Saria shook her head, speaking as softly as she could while still making sure Link could hear her.
"No, Link. She told me you're going away. And I have this feeling...I've felt it before, somehow. You're going away, Link - you're leaving, and you're never coming back. At least, when you come back, if you do, it won't be you any more."
Link plucked a leaf, and held it to his face, watching his breath move it back and forth. His anger had subsided, and now he was filled with sorrow.
"Saria, no. I'll come back, just like I am now. I promise."
The Kokiri's voice was sharp. "Take that back, Link. Don't you dare promise anyone anything. Don't promise me you'll come back, because you always keep your promises."
Link was puzzled. "What's wrong with me coming back, after I wander around for a while?"
Saria's voice was still uncharacteristically hard.
"No, Link. You have to leave. You can never come back, not ever. You don't have a choice - you have to stay away from here."
Link leapt down from the tree, landing as silently as a cat. He went to Saria, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She was staring at the earthen wall behind him that kept the Deku Tree safe from the evil things in the forest.
"Saria, what are you talking about? There's always a choice."
She still would not look at him.
"No, Link. You can't choose to live as you have. You must leave, as soon
as you can. It's the only way that the rest of us can survive."
Link crouched down in front of her, and fear gripped him when he saw how blank and distant her eyes were. He shook her gently.
"Saria, what do you mean? How can I make a difference? I'm just...me. I'm nobody."
The small woman laughed at him, laughed long and loud, before she answered. In that moment, Link knew that this was not Saria.
"Oh, please. You know very well who you are. Leave tomorrow, or this entire world will suffer the consequences. Do you understand?"
Link was still stubborn.
"I'll leave when I please. Who are you? You aren't Saria. Are you a Metamorphical?"
She laughed quietly. "So, you have heard of the ancient tales? No, I am not. I am something far more, and yet something much, much worse."
Her voice was changing now, too. It was deepening, becoming more gravelly. And Link thought, for an instant, that he recognized that voice. Her pupils shrunk, then expanded so slowly that shivers crawled up Link's spine. He shook her again, but whatever had taken her was not finished.
"Heed my words, Hero. You and your friends will cease to exist if you have not left this forest by dawn tomorrow. This is all I can say."
The shadow left Saria's eyes, floating up into the leaves of the Deku Tree. It did not reemerge. She shook her head, and jumped backwards from Link.
"Ah! What just happened? How..."
Link smiled a bit, though his eyes were troubled, and shallow lines creased his face.
"Never mind, Saria. Please, leave me. I have to think things over."
She squinted up into his face, realization dawning on her.
"Link, something happened. What is it, what's wrong?"
The taller man shook his head.
"No, Saria. This is for me to puzzle over, and to do that I need peace. Go tell Zelda to prepare to leave at any time."
Saria nodded quietly, smiled at him one last time, and turned to go. Before she had taken ten steps, she was running back as he knelt on the ground, throwing herself in his arms and burying her face in his shirt.
"Link, I don't want you to go! You're my best friend!"
Link looked out dry - eyed over the top of her head. When he spoke, his voice was just a touch warmer than before.
"It's all right, Saria. It'll turn out all right in the end. You just wait and see."
She sobbed louder, making him sigh.
"Saria, I need you to look after the forest for me, and the Kokiri. Don't hesitate to attack any outsiders who look like soldiers, all right?"
She nodded silently, and wiped her face on his shirt. His voice was soft.
"Thank you, Saria. This means a lot to me."
She stepped away, and he stood up again. She turned and walked towards the vine - draped corridor between here and the forest. Link called after her.
"Saria!"
She turned to look him in the eye one last time.
"You're my best friend, too."
She turned away, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. Saria managed to hold back her bitter tears until she reached her house, but when she finally stepped inside, she sobbed wildly and threw herself on the bed, wrapping herself in the softest and warmest blanket she could find. She stayed inside her house all day, and no one came looking for her.
Behind Link's back, he heard a rustling noise. He whirled, glaring into the branches, and saw a frozen shadow there. His anger escalated. Why could no one leave him alone?
"Okay, Mido, you can come down now, and then you can *leave*! Why can't you Kokiri just leave me in peace?"
The shadow was still frozen, as if hoping it wouldn't be noticed. Link pointed at it, and shouted angrily, "Yeah, you. Now clear off!"
The shadow quivered, and turned its head towards the forest. Link squinted, almost able to make out the silhouette's outline, enough to determine it was indeed humanoid. But then he realized that the shadow was far too large for a Kokiri...
"Hey, you! Get back here! Who are you?"
The shadow panicked, and with a great leap, bounded over the earthen wall and disappeared into the forest. Link gave chase, digging his sword into the roots and dirt, trying to scale the wall. However, he was only about a meter (A/N: That's three feet, guys) above the ground before he slid back to the clean grass and landed hard on his tailbone, slightly winding him.
He got up after a few moments of resting, and climbed the Deku Tree again, sitting in its branches, knowing and not caring that while he sat between those leaves, every one of his thoughts was accessible by the tree's great brain. He thought dark things, and wondered over what the future might hold - most of all, he wondered about Zelda, and if she would ever be able to forgive him.
Probably not.
It was miserable and rained in spurts on that last day in Kokiri Forest.
***
Zelda had been gathering enough supplies for her and Link during the course of the day, and all the Kokiri had asked in payment was the telling of a story. This was why, around nightfall, she was sitting with many small bodies on either side of her, forming a rough circle. A fire warmed their stretched - out legs and feet, making the stars overhead dimmer than usual. Zelda rubbed her arms self - consciously, still unused to feeling all of the soft tissue beneath her fingers.
"Well, what story do you want to hear?"
Immediately, suggestions were thrown out.
"What about the story about the King who turned into a stalfos?"
"Nah, that one's old. Let's hear the story about the Deku Tree getting cursed."
"That one's too sad. What about the one with the witches who used to live really deep in the forest?"
"What about a true story, Zelda?"
Saria emerged out of the darkness, taking the empty spot two Kokiri moved aside to create. Zelda smiled back.
"What do you mean, a true story?"
"Well, it sounds like you've had a pretty exciting life. Tell us a story from *your* life, one we haven't heard before."
The rest of them murmured in agreement, even Mido. Zelda searched her memories, trying to find an appropriate one. She immediately thought of Link being 'executed' and her life after, but she skipped that, trying to recall her first happy memory. Then she knew. There was one happy memory, through the fog that potion had settled on her mind.
She looked into the eager faces of the beings that were destined to be children forever, and smiled, looking off into the distance above the dancing flames.
"All right. I have a story for you."
Zelda gazed into their eyes.
"Do any of you know what an angel is?"
Saria's smile widened a bit - she obviously knew, but the rest shook their heads, muttering. Apparently Saria didn't want to explain, so Zelda cleared her throat softly.
"An angel, my Kokiri friends, is the most beautiful thing you could possibly imagine."
There were some indignant gasps. Zelda smiled, and held up her hands peacefully.
"I speak only the truth. I know this because I have seen an angel. That's what I'm going to tell you about - when I met the angel."
She paused, letting her words sink in. Saria fell onto her back and closed her eyes, willing to listen and visualize in her head. Several Kokiri followed suit, but most were far too engrossed in the idea of angels.
A girl with pigtails piped up. "What's an angel look like, Zelda?"
Zelda blushed a bit, thankful that the fire gave the appearance that she was just warm, not embarrassed.
"An angel. Well, my angel is a man. He's tall, and handsome..." Several of the girls tittered at that. "And he'll die to save me. He's the best thing that ever happened to me."
Mido raised one cynical eyebrow. "Who is he?"
Zelda sighed. "I'm not quite sure, Mido. But when he's around, I can never be sad, even if he hurts me. See, he can get pretty angry sometimes, when I'm being dumb or when people won't leave him be. But he never hurts me on purpose, and he thinks I don't know this, but I do."
Something moved deep in the shadows, but Zelda pretended not to see it. One of the twins cried out, "What's his name? I want to meet him."
Zelda smiled, thinking, *You already have.* But she did not dare say it aloud.
"His name? Oh, he's never told me his real name. And he's never around when I want him to be there - he's only there when I really need him to help me out. If he wants to be left alone, and his head is clear enough, he can hide where no one will find him for days at a time."
The shadow moved a step closer, unseen by the Kokiri, as all eyes were on Zelda. Except maybe Saria's, but she would know not to say anything.
"Why would he want to be left alone?"
"Well, he has things he needs to sort out sometimes. He gets angry and guilty when he accidentally hurts me, and he has to go think things over and realize that the only thing *really* hurting me is that he's gone."
The shadow was looming over Saria. The Kokiri in question smiled up at it and closed her eyes.
"How good of an angel can he be if he's gone all the time?"
The shadow stiffened, and began to draw away. Zelda quickly spoke, countering Mido's statement.
"He may be gone sometimes, but he has his reasons, even if he doesn't tell me most of them. Besides, he always comes back." She looked into the darkness over Saria's small body, and spoke softly, half to herself. "He always comes back, because he always keeps his promises."
The shadow gazed into her eyes, and the edge of it brushed the firelight. Tanned skin was thrown into relief, alone with one ice - blue eye that was beginning to melt.
The youngest Know - It - All Brother threw in his piece.
"So, when did you meet this angel?"
She was still speaking almost too softly to hear. The Kokiri leaned forward, ears straining.
"A long time ago. He watched over me for a year, but then he had to go. But he came back, just when I needed him the most - he always comes back. Well, that was when he was a little younger, and not as sad or strong or protective of me. I think the first time I really saw him - the angel part of him, I mean - was when he came back after six years of being apart, and saved me from death at the hands of an evil prince."
She smiled as the Kokiri all gasped, and started firing questions at her. The half - shadow still remained.
( Link, please...don't leave me again. )
Link, still immersed in shadows, nodded silently. He turned and left her with the Kokiri, all of whom were still asking about the evil prince.
Mido butted in. "One question, Zelda. You know that guy you're travelling with? Is he your angel?"
Zelda stared off in the direction Link had left.
"I think so, Mido. I think so."
Later, after the story was over, and the Kokiri had all been told every little detail about the evil prince, Mido came up to her. The others were putting out the fire and retiring to bed around him.
"Zelda? That guy - your angel - is he really Link?"
She nodded, but Mido sighed, sounding frustrated.
"No, no, that's not what I mean! I mean...is he *our* Link? Is he Mr. No - Fairy?"
Zelda kneeled on the ground, realizing that she could no longer hide Link's true identity, as he had asked her to.
"Yes. That's Link. He left the forest, and he grew up in the world outside."
Mido stood in silence for a moment, digesting this information.
"And what about that evil prince you told us about? That's Gaesry, right?"
Zelda nodded again.
"Yes, that's him. I told you, it's a true story."
"And you're leaving tomorrow, right?"
Her words rested on a deep sigh.
"Yes, Mido. We're leaving the forest tomorrow, at dawn."
He nodded, stroking his chin with his short, thin fingers, considering.
"Well, then, I have something I need to say to Link. Could you tell him for me?"
Zelda narrowed her eyes. "That depends. What do you need to say?"
Mido smiled. "Relax, Zelda. Just tell him that...that I was an idiot. I only teased him because he was bigger than me, and I was jealous. I've always been small," he confided, looking down at himself. "And I've thought it over, and when I thought he was dead, I always wanted to take it back. Now I have the chance, and I think to pass it up would be dumb."
She nodded. "All right. I'll tell him." Zelda got up to leave, but Mido tugged on her dress, which had been washed in the waterfall pool with some soap made of a bulbous forest plant.
"Hey, wait! D'you...d'you really think that Link is an angel?"
She stared into his eyes, which were, for once, totally serious. Zelda kept her face completely blank as she answered.
"Mido, Link is an angel if there is any such thing. He might get a little mad sometimes..." - Mido grunted, "That's an understatement," - "But he always tries to do the right thing, even if he isn't sure what choice he should make. And anyone who does that, no matter who they are and what they've done, is an angel."
Mido nodded, and went to bed, with much to mull over during the night. Zelda followed suit, stepping inside the doorway of Saria's house, where Saria had retreated sometime during the story when she started falling asleep. Zelda wished that candles weren't in such short supply in the forest. Saria's fairy must've been asleep, because even he wasn't giving off the slightest glow. She felt her way over to her bed, humming softly to herself.
However, she stood stock - still when a knife pressed into her throat and an arm wrapped around her, covering her mouth. An unpleasant stench assaulted her nostrils, a smell she knew from long months of pain. It was Gaesry, his cruel, soft laughter in her ear. He began to wrestle her out the doorway, moving her along despite her kicking and muffled screaming.
Though he was indeed shorter than her, she only outshone him by a few inches. Besides, all of the time he had spent running around lost in the forest had done wonders for his physique. Added to that was the fact that Zelda was still much weaker than she should have been, and not fully recovered from her starvation. As a result, she was practically helpless against the crazed prince. All she could do was struggle and strain away from the knife at her throat as he forced her out the door and into the night.
When she was out in the open air, she suddenly grew calm. Adrenaline flowed through her, but she was strangely clear - headed. She began thinking to herself as Gaesry manhandled her towards the hollow log at the west end of the village.
( Well, isn't this nice. I'll get lost in the forest, probably turn into a stalfos or something equally unpleasant. Well, at least Gaesry will turn into a stalfos too. Unless he already is one...) She looked down at the hand over her mouth. ( Nope, he's still got skin on him. Oh well. Where's Link when I need him? )
( Right here, princess.)
Link dropped down from the cliff face by the north entrance to the Lost Woods, landing silently on all fours - silent enough that Gaesry was unaware of his presence. Link stalked them, slowly reaching over his right shoulder for his sword.
However, Gaesry was not as stupid as he appeared to be. He pushed Zelda away from him, whirling and throwing the small knife almost in one movement. Link threw himself face down on the forest floor, and felt the knife fly over him, whirling in a small, deadly circle. It landed in the waterfall pool with a small splash, and Link drew his sword, charging Gaesry from where he was on the ground and yelling at the top of his lungs.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Gaesry let out a small sound that was reminiscent of a squeak, but his blood was roused and he was half - crazed from wandering the woods. He turned to meet Link, stretching out his hands and holding the taller man away from him, turning Link's left wrist so the sword was pointing in the opposite direction.
Link, seeing that Gaesry was unarmed, wrenched himself free and threw away his blade. The prince used this moment of distraction to land a hit, punching his mouth and splitting his lip. Meanwhile, Link's blade landed at Zelda's feet, and she picked it up, holding it before her and bending her knees, ready to spring.
Gaesry and Link were wrestling, each one giving no mercy as they each attempted to land the other on the ground. The prince made no sounds except an occasional grunt, but Link was yelling, unconsciously drawing his lips back and widening his eyes, an ancient primeval technique to scare away smaller animals. Gaesry, however, would not give. They stood in place, neither giving a pace, their bodies shaking in strain. For a moment, Link thought he had finally met his match, until Gaesry's arms went limp and he fell backwards, his eyes rolling up into his head.
Link looked up and met Zelda's gaze, blood and sweat running in rivulets down his face. She held his sword, with a slightly shocked expression on her face, like she had not meant to do what she had just done. Link saw that his sword was stained with blood - human blood. He glanced down at Gaesry, and saw that he was moaning, rolling on the ground; there was a deep cut in his side. Link glanced up at Zelda again, anger in his face; she had no doubt that he would not let this rest. He kneeled down beside Gaesry and reached out to tear strips from the other man's shirt.
However, the prince was far too fearful and more interested in self - preservation than being healed by his enemy. He rolled away, whimpering, and ran into the woods, casting a glance over his shoulder every now and then to assure he was not being followed. Link stood there, Zelda behind him, looking over his shoulder, and they both watched him go.
Once he was through the hollow log and did not reemerge for several seconds, Link broke the sudden, uncomfortable silence. He turned to Zelda, angry once again.
"What did you do that for? I could have taken him!"
She was angry too. "No, Link. He was trying to kill you, but you were holding back. He's dangerous. He deserves to die."
Link paced around her, throwing his hands and his gaze into the air.
"Oh, come *on,* Zelda! Haven't you learned yet? Nobody deserves to die, not even the Evil King himself!"
She spun slowly on one heel, following his movements.
"Link, during the time you were gone, I came to realize something. *Everyone* deserves to die. That's what we were put on this damn planet for! To die!"
Link whirled on her, and she was actually afraid. His anger had escalated to rage, and she knew she had touched a nerve. He jabbed her chest with his index finger.
"No, Zelda. That's what you might think, but your brain was muddled for so long it's going to take longer than a month for you to get back to normal! I refuse to believe you could say something like that." He looked around, sniffing the air. "Something's been possessing people around here. First Saria, now you...it even got me this morning, for Goddesses' sake."
She narrowed her eyes. "I *knew* there was something strange about you, but I couldn't quite place it..."
He turned on her again, circling her like a predator closing in for the kill.
"But that's beside the point. He'll die, now that you've cut him open! What the hell did you do that for?"
In a fit of rage, she stabbed her finger at her own mouth, which was still bearing lively bruises.
"What the hell did you do *this* for?"
That silenced him in a matter of seconds. He turned from her, his gaze dropping to the ground, and he began shouldering his way back into the shadows, pushing aside the beasts and demons that linger there in order to dwell in the heart of the darkness. She ran after him, and the evil things leapt out of her way.
"Link, wait! Link...don't leave me! Please, Link, I take it back!"
He murmured, quietly enough that she could hear, "I can't take anything back. I made a promise not to take anything back. And I always keep my promises, right?"
He laughed wildly, and the light of insanity was in his eyes.
"Go to the wars, kill the bad things, save the people, live a long life and *die.* Is that what I'm meant for, Zelda? Can you imagine me doing something like that?"
She grabbed at his shirt, but he pushed her away. It was then that she realized they were in the forest, heading for where Link had left Epona.
"No, Link, I can't. You're meant for something else. Even you know it."
He was singing to himself now (A/N: think Gollum style). "Go to wars, kill bad things, save people, then die, all alone..."
(A/N: ***CHEESE ALERT! CHEESE ALERT!*** It's just a little mushy, but some people don't like that stuff, so...)
"NO!"
Link stopped short, and Zelda ran into him, panting and out of breath.
"No, Link. You won't die alone. I'll be right there."
He turned to her, and the madness was gone. She hoped to the Goddesses she would never have to see it again. Instead, there was sorrow so deep she felt she could drown in it.
"But what if you die first? What the hell am I supposed to do if you die first?"
She wrapped her arms around him, but he crushed her body to his, laying his head on her shoulder like a lost young foal.
"What the hell am I supposed to do, Zelda?"
She stroked the back of his head, hoping it would comfort him somehow. He sobbed, pressing his eyes against her shoulder. Zelda kept her amazement to herself, and felt his tears on her shoulder.
"I don't understand, Zelda. Maybe I went crazy during those years...maybe I've always been crazy. Yeah, Navi said I was always crazy..."
She didn't know who Navi was; perhaps she was some old friend of his? She just kept listening and stroking his hair, ignoring the nervousness in her that her old friend, a hardened warrior, could cry over something as trivial as this. But what *was* this, anyway? She wasn't quite sure.
"Zelda, I just can't do this...I can't do this for much longer...I'm falling apart at the seams! Even I can feel it, and I don't know what to do about it! I've got all these secrets, and nowhere to write them down, no one to share them with..."
She smiled sadly, and thought to herself, *Not as many secrets as I've buried in my long years, Link. I have a graveyard full of secrets; I almost envy you.*
As if he had read her mind, he choked out, "I feel like I'm living in a graveyard, the one back in Kakariko; and all the graves are the enemies I've killed and the secrets I've buried with them. Then there's that damn cave..."
He shuddered, and held her closer, shifting her legs into uncomfortable positions that were starting to cramp up. She winced and held the muscles in place until the cramps loosed themselves, paying more attention to Link's tears than herself.
"Oh, Zelda, those years without you weren't any easier on me than they were on you. I had nobody to talk to but Epona and the treasure hunter on the roof, and I haven't seen him since I escaped Kakariko..."
His hands clutched at her back, trapping some of her long, golden hair. She was too shocked and amazed to feel the pain from her hair being pulled. He rocked against her, sobbing more loudly, spilling everything he had ever wanted to say to her in that one moment of weakness.
"Please, Zelda...I don't want to take you back, but I have to. I want you to come, but I can't risk you. "
She whispered softly into his ear, "You can take me with you, Link. I'll come. I can take care of myself."
He whispered back, "But what if you can't? What if I have to explain to Hyrule that it's my fault they have to be ruled by a greedy, conceited prince?"
"You won't, because I'll be fine."
"Zelda..."
"Link. Trust me."
"I trust you, and I trust my horse, and...and nothing else."
"I trust you, Link. I trust you with my life."
He murmured in her ear, "I love you, Zelda."
She froze slightly, and opened her eyes, but then relaxed when he added, "You're my best friend."
Zelda had the feeling he was implying something, like the words had a double meaning, but if so, she had completely missed it. She stroked his hair again, liking the feel of it beneath her fingers.
"I love you too, Link. You're my only friend."
He sniffed loudly, and she pulled away silently. He stared into her eyes for another second, stealing this moment and stowing the memory into the back of his head. But then he wiped his eyes and turned away from her, placing his fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly, feeling the mask slide back over his face. The shrill sound pierced the forest, and before it had even faded, Epona was appearing from behind an ancient moss - covered elm.
She trotted up to Link, whickering softly, and he stroked her soft neck, allowing the horse to roughly nudge his shoulder. Despite herself, Zelda couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Sometimes she thought that Epona knew Link better than she did! But then again, when she thought about it, the horse probably did. Link was more prone to speak his mind to creatures that couldn't understand him or answer him further than an animal noise than he was to people, who could laugh at him and reject him. She sighed, smiling to herself, and slowly approached Epona, stretching out a cautious hand to run her fingers through the mare's thick white mane.
The mare snuffled at her hair, and snorted loudly, but allowed them both to mount without complaint, stomping her feet a bit impatiently. Link clucked his tongue and squeezed her sides lightly with his heels, and she slowly began trudging north. Zelda found herself eager to be on the road again. She wrapped her arms around Link to keep from falling off of Epona's broad back, and gazed around her in a giddy way.
"Where are we headed, Link?"
"Well, first I'm going to drop *you* off at the castle. Then Epona and I'll - "
"WHAT!?"
Link winced as Zelda's indignant scream echoed in his sensitive ear. He sighed quietly to himself and rolled his eyes.
(Here we go again...)
"I heard that, you idiot! And I will *not* be left behind, while you run around and save the world!" Link silently added, "Again," but shielded his thoughts from Zelda.
"I don't care if I am a damn princess, I've spent most of my life wishing I wasn't one! Hell, after I got to know *you*, I spent my time running around saving kittens from trees, wishing I was *you*!"
Link raised an eyebrow in silence, letting his hips roll as Epona stepped over a high root. That was a new one.
"Aaron can do fine for eleven more months, while I'm off adventuring with *you*. And that's final."
Link chuckled quietly. "Well, Zelda, you may not want to be a princess, but you sure as hell act like one."
"I don't care! I'm coming, whether you like it or not! I'm sick of doing nothing but sitting around on my butt all day in itchy dresses and corsets that make you feel like you'll burst whenever you take a breath! And besides that, there's..."
Link drifted off, letting his mind wander as Zelda ranted at him about the hardships of being a princess. Every once in a while he jumped when she took a fresh breath of air, but other than that, the half - blocked out sound of her voice was actually kind of soothing. Besides, the moon was shining through the thick leaves, throwing patches of pale relief onto the black and white world, making him dreamily think of his bed back in the village. Maybe he should've slept before they left, but it was a bit too late for that now...
He let his head droop and breathed softly, and Zelda's complaints fell onto deaf ears.
(A/N: That was for you, Chaotic! Ah, falling asleep in Math…Ha! Sorry, guys, continuing on.)
***
When Link came to again, his vision was jerking around. He opened his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. When he rubbed them, the darkness still remained, and it was almost as though it was a physical thing, pressing in on his eyes. He panicked and threw out his arms, but his left hand was caught in a small - palmed, long - fingered hand that stretched out of nowhere. Link tried to free his arm, but the other persisted, hanging on gamely and pulling him into a sitting position. He felt his cheek stinging from where the person had been continually slapping him to wake him up.
"What? Who are you? What the hell are you doing?"
A voice that belonged to no one answered him.
"Link, what the hell are *you* doing? It's me! Sheik!"
Link groaned, having forgotten that Zelda could still become her slightly annoying Sheikah counterpart in this alternate future - the one that only he *realized* was alternate. He sighed and rubbed his face tiredly.
"Man, Sheik, did you have to hit me so hard?"
"Well, you weren't waking up. Look over there, to your right."
Link turned his gaze that way, but his night vision was only beginning to return.
"I don't see anything. How long was I out for?"
"Long enough. See that stuff glittering in the moonlight?"
If Link squinted, he could almost see a small glimmer through the beasts of darkness.
"Sort of. What is it?"
"Blood."
Link's thoughts immediately turned to Zelda, until his panicked brain realized that if Sheik was here, so was she, though she was not aware of it.
"Whose?"
"A gang of stalfos jumped you - you fell asleep on Epona. I'm not quite sure how I got here...last thing I remember, I was looking for you in the marketplace, and it was raining, but that seems like it was so long ago now..."
Link sensed danger, and quickly averted Sheik's questions.
"Well, time does seem to pass strangely sometimes."
Sheik shook his head in frustration, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to remember.
"Yes, I agree, but it's like there's this big blank spot..."
Then Sheik looked up, and snapped his fingers, smiling.
"I know. I must have fallen asleep again. How long was *I* out?"
Link resisted the urge to casually reply, "A few years," and instead asked, "What do you mean, you must've fallen asleep *again*?"
"Well, Impa tells me that I'm narcoleptic, and that makes sense. I was pretty stressed out for some reason or another when it all went black again last time."
(A/N: Narcoleptic people fall into a coma - like sleep when they get stressed out, and don't wake up for days or weeks or something. But I'm pretty sure that the more often they fall asleep, the longer it takes them to wake up, and eventually they just die. Correct me if I'm wrong.)
"Narcoleptic, huh? I always thought you looked a little zoned out all the time."
He laughed, and Sheik shoved him over on his side. When he inhaled again, the sharp, metallic stench of blood choked him. Link choked out, "What happened?"
Sheik's laughter abruptly died. He paced back and forth, thinking.
"Well, I just remember waking up...I was sitting behind you on Epona. She was screaming up a storm, so I hopped off and dragged you with me. I left you here and chased after the stalfos - they stole this."
He handed Link two necklaces that he couldn't quite see in the darkness.
"Are they yours, Link?"
Link shook his head. "No, I don't wear pendants. What are these?"
He reverently reached out and touched the pendants. His eyes had almost adjusted, and he could barely make out a tint of colour in them from the light shining through. One of them was a green or sky blue, depending on how you looked at it, and the other was sort of purple, but kind of dark blue as well. They were in the shapes of crescent moons, hanging sideways on the simple fishing wire they were strung on. Link instinctively reached out for the blue - green one, and his fingers were about to brush the surface when a huge *something* jumped on him and knocked him over, forcing him to crumple to the ground. He cried out, and tried to shove off the heavy mass, which was huge and oddly furry.
Sheik watched in amazement, his eyes wide, as a huge panther crushed Link, neatly sweeping the necklaces from his fist with its tail as it passed. His shadow eyes saw the huge cat turn on him, baring its teeth. He raised his hands, palms outward, and tried to calm it.
"Whoa, there, kitty. We didn't mean any harm..."
A low, purring, rather rustic voice answered him.
"Kitty? Who you callin' kitty? Looks to me like you're smaller than me, by a looooong shot!"
Sheik glanced around, but never turned his back to the big cat. It sat back on his haunches, staring at him, its tail waving back and forth in the air. The Sheikah saw the white gleam of the cat's teeth as it opened its mouth.
"What you lookin' at, kiddo? It's me!"
He stared at it, and sputtered out a few incomprehensible syllables.
"Thank you! Yes, I am a talking panther, name's Furona, if you want to know, which you probably don't - most don't, even though I haven't seen nobody 'round these parts in a looooong time, a *long* time."
Link was clutching his ribs, too winded to speak. Sheik gulped hurriedly and made a quick bow.
"Uh, I'm...I'm Sheik of the Sheikah, and this here is Link of...of..."
He looked over at Link and mouthed, *What tribe are you from*? Of course, Sheik had forgotten that Link didn't have Sheikah eyes, which could see in the dark - besides, he was still trying to catch his breath. But when Sheik stuttered for a few moments, he seemed to sense trouble and jumped in with a wheezy voice.
"Link of the Hylians."
"Well then, Link o' the Hylians and Sheik o' the Sheikah – was your momma a little on the uncreative side? No offense, no offense – I must offer my thanks for gettin' those skeleton things down and out. They stole those pendants, y'see."
Sheik replied, seeing that Link was still attempting to catch his breath.
"It was no trouble, Furona. If I may ask…where are we?"
"Forest o' the Lost, kiddo – some call it the Forest o' the Night, but you can call me a lion's auntie as long as you don't cross me."
"Furona, could you possibly lead us out of here?"
"Sure, sure, boy. You just hang onto my tail, I'll getcha outta here. You'd best be gettin' back to yore own world, you can't last long in here. C'mon, child, let's get goin'."
"All right. Thank you."
"No problem. C'mon, now. Hold on to the tail, and follow me."
Link staggered upright, taking deep breaths of forest – scented air, and grabbed onto Furona's tail. Sheik, however, kept his hands at his sides. She sniffed at him.
"It's just a tail, kiddo. Won't hurt you none."
"It's all right, Furona. I can see in the dark. I'm a Sheikah."
She snorted.
"Oh, you one o' them Shadow Riders? Well, all right, then. But come on, we can't dawdle. We gotta move, and we gotta move fast. More dangerous things than the walking dead live here, and we'd better stay far, far away from that crowd. C'mon, now."
They followed her through shadows, brush and dead leaves, questioning her about the forest although her answers were curt and veiled. Sheik managed to find out that they were either in another world or in an undiscovered part of the forest, because Furona described some creatures he had never even dreamed existed. When her tongue had loosened up after about half an hour, he found out that she was living here with a tribe of her fellows, though she refused to reveal more than that. When he suggested they go to meet her tribe, she laughed at him.
"Oh, you know better than that, Shadow Rider. My tribe'd chase you out sooner than welcome y'. They're not receptive to strange folks comin' around."
"Are they all like you, Furona? Panthers?"
"You know I'm not gonna answer that, Sheikah boy."
He was about to probe deeper when she suddenly stopped. If Sheik squinted, he could see a few specks of bright yellow light on the distant horizon. Link stood beside him, breathing normally. Sheik turned back to Furona.
"What – "
He gasped softly. She had vanished, gone as if she had never been there. All that was left of her were the two necklaces they had seen before, along with another one that was a fiery red – yellow, but otherwise identical. The only thing different about each was the colour and the runes enscribed on their unbreakable surfaces.
Furona's voice echoed out of the dark leaves.
"You take those an' go, you two. You'd best run. Some evil's comin' this way. Take whichever one you want, but choose wisely."
Sheik called back, in no particular direction, "There are three here, and only two of us!"
The mysterious panther's voice was strained.
"You'll meet another one of y' on your journey. Now go! RUN!"
Sheik swept up the three necklaces with one hand and began sprinting towards the far away specks of light, leaping over fallen logs and pushing aside leaves. Link ran after him, his footsteps heavy and breathing laboured. Just as Link was slowing down, bent over and clutching his side, they burst out of the thick leaves and into the blinding light of day.
When their eyes gradually adjusted, they looked around. Link blew his bangs out of his eyes, slightly disappointed.
All that was before them was the flattest stretch of land either of them had ever seen, covered in long, swaying, golden plants. There was a dusty path before them, and Sheik stepped onto it, but Link sat down on the ground, panting.
"I'm not…in shape…any more. Got to…rest."
Sheik nodded and kept looking around, scouting the way ahead as Link caught his breath again. When Link stood up a few minutes later, Sheik had determined that the field was endless. He could see nothing on the horizon but the long golden tendrils, and the blue sky offered the only relief from the dry earth. Heat waves shimmered in the air, but when Sheik squinted, he thought he could see what appeared to be a small outcropping of trees to what he guessed was the northwest, if they were emerging onto the field from the east.
Sheik held up the three necklaces, and saw that they were glowing slightly, emitting small amounts of light. He handed the one Link had reached out for, the green one, to Link, and the light quickly faded.
Link grunted. "Must be magic. They were probably all made by the same person, who put the same magic into all three of them."
"Probably. Where do you want to go?"
"We have to find Epona."
"Do you think she'd be anywhere near those trees way over there?"
"Could be."
Link strung the necklace around his neck, dropping it under his white cotton shirt. Sheik pulled his necklace over his head and adjusted the veil over his mouth to hide it from sight. He pocketed the red one, and gazed off into the distance.
"Looks like a few days' walk at least."
"We'd better get going then, huh?"
Sheik nodded, and Link led the way, tramping along the dusty path. Sheik followed him, content to walk in silence.
And so they left the darkness, searching, ever searching, for the light.
***
Yet another chappie revamped. From now on, the revamps will not be nearly as intense as the previous ones – they will basically be the same text, but with small details added here and there. At least, that's what I'm planning. Could turn out different, you never know.
-Shawshank
