Chapter 7. Things Get Worse, Things Get Better

"The Lost Woods!" Kobold exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"

"Hey, I've been there before," Link shrugged. "That's where all this started."

"But the Lost Woods? People go in there and they never come out! It's barely in this world!" He closed the book firmly. "Getting yourself killed or turned into a monster won't help the prince."

"I'm not going to get killed," Link rolled her eyes. "I told you, I've been there before, and I'm pretty good at tracking. I'll be fine."

Kobold shook his head. "I just don't know... You think you're indestructible, but no one is. Not even the ones we care about..." He was fiddling with his ring, probably unconsciously, but Link noticed.

She nodded. "I understand Kobold. I'll be careful. Maybe I can talk one of the Kokiri into showing me around."

"Maybe... Yeah, that might work."

"You don't need to worry about me."

"But I think I will anyway," Kobold smiled wryly. He looked down at his hands, still fiddling with his ring. "The last person I knew who went into the Lost Woods...never came back."

"Well, I will."

"Yes, I think you will." He smiled again, and this time it was a real one. "Good luck, and may the Goddesses smile on you."

"Thank you Kobold."

zzz

Zeld gritted his teeth and arched his back, choking on a scream.

"I know you know," Vaaltos said flatly. "If you tell me, this can stop."

"N– no..." Zeld choked. "I- I don't know anything."

"Tell me!"

Zeld clenched his teeth so hard he thought they might crack. He felt tears squeezing from his eyes, but he didn't care. He just wanted it to stop.

"You know," Vaaltos said, completely calm. "It'll hurt less if you scream."

"I...I still have some dignity..." Zeld managed to say.

"Dignity huh? Perhaps that will be next to go."

"N-no..."

zzz

"Hey," Tor said.

Zeld didn't even look at him.

"I brought you a clean cloth and some water."

"Thanks," Zeld muttered.

"Are you...all right?"

"I will be."

"Anything broken?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Any scars?"

"No. At least I doubt it. Almost everything he did to me was magic. Although he did steal all my accessories."

"Oh... Do you need anything else?"

"Some tweezers would be nice."

"He...didn't sand the table?"

"No."

"I've got some in my room. I'll be right back."

"Wait."

Tor stopped. "Yeah?"

"You live here?"

"Well...yeah." He looked down. "I have nowhere else to go."

"Why are you helping me? Won't you get in trouble?"

"Probably. But I'm not breaking my oath, not really. There are loopholes."

"Thanks Tor."

"You're welcome your Highness."

"Zeld."

"...Zeld."

zzz

Back in the Kokiri Forest. It was exactly the same as the last time Link had been there, although to be fair it had only been a few days. Still, with everything that had happened it felt like something should have changed.

"Hey lady!" a little boy exclaimed. "You're back!"

"Huh?" She looked at him. Blond hair, violin... "Oh it's you! From before."

"Yeah!" He smiled up at her. "You're okay! How did you make it out?"

"I just did." She frowned. "Didn't anyone else make it out?"

"No, nobody else has come out. Although I didn't see you come out either... How did you get out?"

"I was lucky...sort of. What's happened to the others?"

"Well they're lost aren't they? They're in the Lost Woods."

"I know, but... Will they just die? What'll happen?"

"I don't know." The boy looked down at his feet. "People don't normally go in there. And those that do just...don't come out."

"Have you ever been in there?" she frowned down at him.

"A few times, yes," he admitted.

"Have you ever seen what's left of those people?"

"There's Stalfos..."

"Stalfos?"

"Monsters. Gotta watch out for those."

"Right. Thanks." She rolled her eyes.

"You are going in there, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I kind of have to."

"But why?" He actually sounded worried.

"I'm looking for something."

"Like what?"

She looked at him. "Have you ever heard of the Black Rose Blade?"

Suddenly the boy's face darkened. He no longer looked like a little boy, but like a man, who just happened to be short. "Yes," he said. "I've heard of it."

"Well do you know where it is?"

"No," he said flatly. "I have no idea. Will you excuse me?" He turned and strode off toward the back of the village.

Link decided to ignore that exchange and go into the Lost Woods anyway. She scrambled up the ledges that led up to the entrance, almost losing her balance due to the weight of her pack. She'd brought enough food for five days, a couple changes of clothes, and a large hunting knife to mark her trail. Anything to avoid getting lost. Or to avoid dying if she did.

The Woods hadn't changed either. They were just as thick and innocently pretty as ever, although the light was different than she remembered. Of course, it was earlier in the day than the last time she'd been there.

Link had no idea where to begin. None. Wandering aimlessly in the Lost Woods was not a good idea by any means, but what else was she supposed to do? She'd never actually had any intention of asking for help, no matter what she'd told Kobold.

So she shouldered her pack and went off in what she thought was the same direction she'd gone before. Hey, it was better than standing around doing nothing.

As she walked down the path she couldn't help but notice the odd silence of the forest. There were no squirrels, no birds, or at least none that sang.

Once she thought she saw a flash of fur, off between the trees. And another time she was certain she heard the flapping of huge wings behind her, but when she turned there was nothing there.

Creepy...

And then, before she knew it, she was lost. She'd been marking her path, but...somehow, she was lost.

"I am so gonna die."

zzz

"I am so gonna die," Zeld muttered. It was the middle of the night, and, what with the darkness and all, he was getting depressed. The pain from earlier had faded to a dull ache, not enough to prevent sleep, but something else was keeping him awake.

At night he was guarded by ReDeads.

They stood, swaying slightly, occasionally shuffling a few paces, at random intervals throughout the room. They moaned every so on, in unison, in that almost predatory way that ReDead's had.

Nope, no sleep for Zeld.

zzz

Link awoke late the next morning. She'd expected to get up with the sun, but the thick trees kept the light from reaching her for hours. When she did wake up, she couldn't even tell what time it was because she couldn't see the sun clearly through the leaves.

And she was still lost.

She was also fairly surprised to be alive.

Luckily the forest, while creepy, was peaceful and cool. Link was relatively certain she was going in the same direction she'd been going last night, and she still had plenty of food and that chip of Gossip Stone, so she wasn't worrying. Too much.

Time passed slowly. She kept marking her path, though it was probably futile, in the hopes that she'd be able to follow her own trail back. She knew she wasn't going to die here. That would just be...too lame.

It was late afternoon when she finally came across another living being, and it wasn't at all what she'd expected.

There was a rustling in the bushes next to the path, and something vaguely humanoid stumbled onto the path. Link stared at the small figure as it walked in front of her, swaying slightly and barely managing to walk in a straight line. There was something oddly familiar about it, despite the fact that it was covered in dirt and twigs.

"Hey," Link said, starting forward. "Hey, don't I know you?"

The figure turned its head toward Link, staring blankly at something that was not there.

Link recognized that androgynous face.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "You're the king of the Gerudos!"

The king was still staring at nothing. He turned away from her and shuffled off toward the trees.

"No! Wait!" She ran forward and grabbed his arm. The king didn't even react, just stopped moving. "Are you okay?"

The king didn't move.

"Dumb question. Can you hear me at least?"

The king turned his face toward her and blinked slowly.

"Hey!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him slightly. "Snap out of it! You'll be okay! Where are we? What happened to the others?"

For the first time the king spoke, but it was in a strange high-pitched sing-song voice that didn't sound at all like she remembered. "All who come into the forest will be lost," he said, eyes still unfocused. "Everybody will become a Stalfos. Everybody...Stalfos."

Link blinked. She looked at the king. She released him.

Then she slapped him so hard across the face that he made a full rotation before crashing to the ground.

"Owwww..." the king moaned, sitting up. "What the hell was that?"

"That was me," Link said flatly. "Slapping some sense into you."

The king stared up at her. "You know, if I wasn't surrounded by crazy violent women everyday, I'd probably be upset by this."

"And if I hadn't just slapped you silly I'd probably be offended by that." She held out her hand. "Need help?"

"Thanks." He grabbed her hand and she pulled him to his feet. He swayed, and almost toppled backward.

"Woah!" Link caught him. "Are you okay?"

"I...I don't know." He put a hand to his head. "I...I feel..."

"It's okay," Link said firmly. "I'll get us out of here."

The king blinked at her. "Why are you helping me?"

"Here, put your arm around my shoulders."

He did, but would 't let the subject drop. "Answer the question."

"Because," she said simply, "you need help."

"You're a fool," he replied.

"So I've been told," she said calmly. "I've also been told that it's a sign of a true hero."

The king laughed. "Well, heroes aren't usually hired for their brains."

"What's your name anyway kid?"

"Doran. What's yours?"

"Link."

"Link!"

"Yeah, why?"

"Um, no reason."

They walked on, back the way Link had came. They talked on the way, Link trying to make sure Doran didn't lose consciousness.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen." He sounded tired.

"That's awfully young for a king."

"I've been king my whole life. Before I was born even. Just because I'm a boy."

"So you're a bit like Zeld?"

"The prince you mean? No. Not really. He'll be king someday, I've always been king. And at least he didn't grow up as alone as I did..."

"Alone?"

"Do you have any idea what's it's like the be the only one of your kind in your entire race? I've always been alone...isolated. My mom tried to keep it that way at first, though she did think it was for the best because of..." He looked up at Link. "How much to you know about Ganon?"

"Just that he was evil and defeated."

"Well back in his day there were these witches. They'd been alive for like four hundred years...though I'm not sure how that's possible. Anyway, they foresaw his birth, his power, and that he'd one day conquer Hyrule. So when he was born they took him away from his mother, killed her probably, and raised him to be the King of Evil. Like one of those self-fulfilling prophecies you hear about."

"Sounds more like Nature vs. Nurture to me."

"How do you mean?"

"The biggest difference between you and Ganon, except for you being prettier, is the way you were raised."

"I like to think it's the fact that I'm mostly sane," he sounded offended.

"Well, yeah, of course, but... You know what I mean..."

"I guess I do." He sighed. "Besides, the real biggest difference is that I'm weak."

"Weak?"

"Look at me!" he gestured to himself with his free hand. He was still wearing the puffy pink pants of a Gerudo warrior, though he seemed to have discarded the bikini top somewhere. "I let them do this to me! I went along with that loony plan to kidnap the prince, and even though I stood up for myself in the end...I still went along with it. What kind of king will I be if I can't even keep myself from getting wrapped up in a kidnapping plot?"

"Hey, you're still just a kid. At least you've learned from this, right?"

"Yeah...I guess I have." Doran smiled. "Thanks Link."

"My pleasure."

Link was actually starting to think she knew what she was doing, when they came to a branch in the path that she had never seen before.

She swore softly.

"You're lost aren't you?"

"Shut up Doran. I'll, we'll,be fine."

"I didn't say anything."

"Huh? Then who-"

A little blond boy, dressed in green and carrying a violin, stepped out from behind a tree. "Need help?"

Link stared for a moment before answering, "Yes please."

zzz

"Good afternoon," Vaaltos said pleasantly.

Zeld resisted the urge to reply with a curse and stared sullenly at the floor of his cage.

"I've been thinking. Perhaps I was a bit harsh on you?"

Zeld bit back the obvious response.

"So I brought this back." He held up Zeld's crown. "I'm not sure why I took it to begin with. Perhaps I wanted to demean you. Ah well, I don't really need it. Your other ornaments have already been scavenged by those of my servants capable of appreciating how much they're worth. You ought to thank me for retrieving this."

Zeld still said nothing.

"You know, I could toss out a cliched villain line like, 'you will pay for your insolence, boy,' but we both already know you will pay for that. Don't we?"

"You'll never get anything from me," Zeld said softly. "Even if I could help you, I wouldn't."

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe you." He turned and headed for the door, but just before he left, Tor appeared.

Vaaltos smiled. "There you are. Dismiss the Wolfos and keep guard for a while, will you?"

"Of course sir," Tor said, face blank.

"Ignore the prisoner. He's sulking."

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and he can have food now. No point starving him if I have better ways to get what I want."

"Yes sir."

Vaaltos left.

"How are you?" Tor asked immediately.

"I've been better," Zeld answered.

"I- I'm-"

"I know."

zzz

"I have a question," Doran said, still hanging from Link's shoulder.

"Yeah?" Link replied.

"What the hell?"

"I'm not sure myself."

"I can answer that," the little boy, whose name had turned out to be Fado, said. "Assuming I'm understanding the question correctly of course."

"I think it would be hard not to understand it," Link said wryly.

"Well, to make a long story very short, I'm taking you to the Black Rose Blade."

Link stared. "Really? But- but I thought you didn't know where it was?"

"I didn't. I knew it was somewhere in here though, and I knew what kind of power it possesses, so I decided to go and ask the person who did know where it is where it is."

"Um, okay. It took a day?"

"No, he told me to go make sure you were worthy of finding the sword."

"So you've been spying on me?"

"Yuh-huh."

"But-"

"You're really very lucky that kid there came along. If he...she? He? Whatever. If that kid there hadn't come along, I might never have found out what a good person you are."

"You were spying on me!"

"Yes."

"I was lost!"

"Damn lost."

"Why didn't you help me? And why haven't you help others?"

"Look," Fado snapped. "I don't actually know my way through here any better than anyone else. I know a few set paths and that's it. If I go somewhere I've never been before, I'd be as lost, and as dead, as you were back there."

"Then how did you find me?"

"You were on a path I know. It twists quite a bit, and fools even the best trackers, but...ya know...the whole not human thing."

"I...guess that makes sense." She paused. "So who was it that told you where the Black Rose Blade is?"

"The Great Deku Tree, of course."

"O...of course..."

"Here it is." Fado pushed aside some branches and Link and Doran found themselves looking at...

"A clearing," Link said flatly.

"With a rock in it!" Doran added cheerfully.

It was, in fact, a clearing with a rock in it. Granted, it had some of the greenest grass Link had ever seen, and the rock was in the exact center of the clearing and ridiculously large...But it was still just a clearing with a rock in it.

"It's under the rock," Fado rolled his eyes.

"Oh. You sure?"

"The Great Deku Tree was."

"Okay then."

Link pushed up her sleeves and approached the rock. It was really quite big, but Link was stronger than she looked.

She placed her hands just below the middle of the rock, braced her feet, and heaved.

The rock shifted slightly. Link heaved again and the rock shifted more. One more huge push, and the rock toppled over.

There was a hole underneath. Link swung her arms around and rubbed her shoulders, then hopped down the hole without a word.

Fado looked at Doran, who was sitting on the grass. "She always like that?"

"Crazy and reckless?" Doran shrugged. "I'm not sure, I just met her like ten minutes ago."

Fado looked at him. "Uh...it was like three hours ago dude. I've been following you, remember?"

Doran rubbed a finger in his ear. "What's that noise?"

"What noise?"

"That...high-pitched buzzing."

"There's no buzzing dude."

"So it's in my head?"

"Yeah."

"That's not good. It is?"

"No. No it's not."

"I don't think I've eaten in days... Izzat good?"

"No. Just...just no."

zzz

It was dark underground, but Link's eyes quickly adjusted. There was enough light coming from the hole that she could see a tunnel up ahead, paved with stone. There were roses carves around the entrance.

"That's subtle," Link muttered. She headed down the tunnel, and was somehow not surprised to see light up ahead.

She entered a room, not perfectly round, but close. The walls were glowing slightly, with a shimmering unstable light not unlike sunlight through leaves. In the middle of the room was a large rock with a flat top, and lying on top of that was a sheathed sword.

Link approached the rock, unable to suppress the thought that this all looked like a rather makeshift job, and lifted the sword off the rock.

It had a nice weight to it, and though the hilt was just a bit too large for her hands, she was used to using swords that were made for men. She gripped it carefully and drew the blade from the sheath.

Bright steel flashed in the shifting light. Black roses bloomed along the edge. The balance was better than anything Link had ever held.

"Woah." Link shifted her grip and grinned. "This will do nicely."

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Notes from the Author

Back from con! Whoo! Recovering from flu! Not whoo! Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Let's see if any of you actually care about Zeld...