A Link to the Past

Chapter Forty One: The Cursed Path

"There is definitely some kind of magical coating on this shield." The old witch said after sprinkling some powder onto it. "And even if there wasn't, this is far better crafted than anything the guards in Hyrule are carrying around."

Link kind of figured that the shield he had gotten from Stalfos was magical, since it blocked both the Master Sword and the mist from the freezing rod, and this was verified when the powder she sprinkled onto the red and gold surface was burned up in purple flame upon contact. Now, the freezing rod was a whole separate matter; a dangerous tool that the young man was hesitant to even let anyone else touch for fear that it would go off and instantly freeze half the room. There wasn't much that Maple's grandmother was able to tell him about it, except for something she noticed about the blue diamond at the front, being that after he used it a few times on the trees outside, the old witch noticed that the magic coming from the jewel was getting harder to feel each time.

"So I can use it six or seven times, and then it takes hours to work again?" Link asked. "No wonder Stalfos was being so careful with it."

After that fight against the guards near the cistern drains, it had taken a while for him to reach the magic shop, since fatigue was catching up with the young man, and he needed to avoid any more encounters with the armored men. No, he had no idea what time it was when he finally got there, but all Link remembered was kissing Maple after she opened the door, and then nothing until waking up the next morning when the light from the rising sun hit his eyes through the window. The cloud cover prevented direct sunlight, so everything just got brighter, and then after kissing the brunette again it was time for breakfast. This whole ordeal with Agahnim and Ganondorf hadn't been going on for that long, but it seemed like forever since the young man was able to just sit down at a table and have a meal where he felt safe.

The old witch wasn't wealthy or anything, so they had a really simple breakfast of porridge and some kind of fruit that Link couldn't identify right away, but to him right now it was like he was having a feast in the castle of Hyrule. Aside from needing a place to rest, the only real business he had at the magic shop was learning about the shield and the freezing rod, but as he sat there holding Maple's hand after the meal was finished, the young man was certain that Agahnim and the crystals could wait a couple more hours. Each time he looked into the brunette's eyes, or touched her hand, or they kissed, it felt like he was falling for her more and more to the point where just thinking about Maple would make his heart start beating really fast.

There had been girls that he really liked before her, and had strong crushes on, including Princess Zelda at one point, but this was different. The two of them had saved each other's lives, fought against Ganondorf's monsters, and traveled between worlds, and… and it didn't hurt that she was so beautiful with her long dark hair and lovely smile… hard to believe that in the Dark World Maple had been a fire breathing monster while Link had been a bunny rabbit. His questions about their other forms aside, the young man genuinely wondered if this was what it was like to be in love with someone, even though they had only known each other for a couple of days. Maybe once all of the crystalized girl were rescued, and Agahnim and Ganondorf had been dealt with, maybe then he could figure all of that out… most importantly whether or not the brunette felt the same.

A crash of thunder outside reminded him that he couldn't stay there in the magic shop forever, even though the young man really wanted to right now, and… and now it was time to leave. Giving Maple another hug and a goodbye kiss, both of which lasted a lot longer than they probably should have, Link opened the door and waved to both of them one last time before stepping out into the rain. The shop door closing behind him felt like entering back into the world where there were quests and wizards, girls that needed rescuing and ancient enemies of his family that needed to be either killed or permanently trapped where they were. Now guided only by the vibrating crystals in his pocket, Link started walking, and thankfully the rain was lighter right now.

"Link, please try to be safe out there." Maple whispered while they were hugging. "I'll be waiting right here when you get back."

Those words comforted him, but the rain soaking through his clothes reminded him that the next crystal was probably guarded by something even more horrible than that armored… whatever it was down in the cisterns, and now the crystals were taking him… south? At first the young man hadn't noticed, but this was the same path he had used to reach the dunes while doing the challenge of courage for Sahasrahla, and… and it had only been a week since finding that old man hiding out in the village library, but after everything else that happened since then, it all felt like a lifetime ago. It was strange, but Link noticed that as the wet grass slowly turned into wet dirt, that he no longer felt like the same person who followed his uncle to the castle that night.

That Link had been a little boy who outside of his training with the guards, had never seen real combat, let alone to the death. His only ambition had been to learn everything he could from his uncle and one day succeed him as the Lord Sheriff of Hyrule, but then Agahnim came into their lives and changed all that. Since then the young man had seen nothing but combat, first saving Princess Zelda and facing the challenges to win the Master Sword, only to face the infinite horrors of the Dark World, all while avoiding the sworn enemies of his uncle and grandfather. Now Link was stronger, more confident, besting the worst monsters that Ganondorf could throw at him… and at the same time having foolish daydreams about marrying a girl that he had met in prison.

It wasn't until his foot slipped on some loose mud, exposing the dry and brightly colored sand underneath that Link realized he was almost at the edge of the dunes already, looking around to make sure he wasn't being followed as the exposed dry sand transitioned into more wet sand thanks to the rain. There was no one in sight, not that the guards of Hyrule ever came this far south, but instead of leading him right into the dunes like during the challenge of courage, the crystals changed direction. Now they were leading him on a northwest course, kind of skirting around the edge of the dunes until he reached the short mountain range that separated this dry area from the rest of the province.

Judging by how high the sun was, or at least its visible light behind the clouds, a couple of hours must've passed while Link reached the bottom of the short mountains and just kept walking along the very bottom where the exposed rock touched the wet sand like the beach of an ocean. However, there was nothing that he could see, frustrating the young man since as far as he knew there was nothing over in that area… well, to be fair he hadn't known about the buried ruins, either, so it was best to keep going. Then he saw it; the entrance to a mine, or at least the start of one, with thick and very old wooden beams braced against the walls and ceiling of the shaft, but again there wasn't much of a shaft to speak of.

DANGER

DO NOT ENTER

CURSED MINE

Well, that was disheartening, the young man thought as he struggled to make out the wording on the nearby wooden sign that looked just as old as the beams, but the warning made no sense. Aside from a stone boulder that looked like it had been cut away from right above and simply dropped in front of the entranceway, there wasn't really much of a shaft to speak of, just where whoever was mining way out there had tunneled a few meters into the mountain and just stopped… he could see the stop point beyond the boulder. No, the crystals must've been leading him somewhere else, Link thought as he started to walk by, but the crystals only vibrated when he faced the entrance to the so called cursed mine.

"You want me to go in there?" He asked, touching one of the crystals with his hand. "The mine? Are you telling me to enter the mine?"

He had hoped that one of the trapped girls would explain, but there was no response, at least none except the vibrations every time the young man faced that boulder. Well, he had done sillier things, so with a burst of strength from the glove, Link shoved… and shoved… rested, and then shoved again, each time moving the boulder just a little bit out of the way until there was finally enough room for him to squeeze past if he held his breath. It took a second but he was finally past the boulder, and into the three meter mine, but there was nothing there… like, nothing at all as he walked to the back wall and reached out to touch the rock and…

Suddenly there was intense light and noise, the familiar feeling of falling, and then he fell on his side, the blinding light and deafening noise fading away, leaving Link to just lay there catching his breath. Having traveled through these cracks between world several times now, one would thing that the young man would have gotten used to them by now, but no, each one was just as disorienting as the next and now it made sense why the owners had blocked off the entrance and abandoned their mine after making so little progress. They must've been terrified to see one of their own hammering at the rock wall one second and then him just being gone, leaving the survivors to think the place was cursed while their partner ended up in this place, and… and was that thunder? In the Dark World?

Yes, a flash of lightning turned the orange glow coming from behind him to white just for a second before the thunder followed, and when the young man got to his feet he could hear falling rain as he walked back out the equally short tunnel where there was no boulder. There was, however, the surprising sensation of water soaking through Link's shoes as soon as he stepped out of the cave, making him involuntarily move back away from the … swamp? The rain was so heavy that the young man had to wipe and then cover his eyes with his hand in order to see a part of the Dark World that he never would have guessed existed, with dark murky water everywhere, and plants sticking up out above the surface, and the sudden sensation of pain on the side of his face.

The impact had come suddenly, knocking Link off balance so that he fell to his hands and knees in the knee deep water a few more steps in, but even though it had caught him completely by surprise, the young man knew a punch when he felt it. Grabbing the hilt of the Master Sword, he turned toward his attacker while starting to get up, only to freeze when he saw who was standing there. Red robes, blue skin, and a nasty scar along his face that looked like it was just starting to heal, Link found it difficult to move or even breathe as he looked into those angry eyes even though his enemy's expression seemed calm.

"Hello again, boy. "Agahnim said, taking a step forward. "Did you miss me?"