Chapter 2
The familiar magical smell of the path greeted Link as he walked out of the North Palace. It was about midday and he was already tired from his journey but part of him was eager to do whatever strange and mysterious thing he had been chosen for. The element of the unknown was exciting. He crossed the bridge connecting the island upon which the palace was situated to the prairie on the other side of the lake. He pulled out his map and took a look at his surroundings. Where to go first? He could remember the last time he had asked himself that question at the start of another quest. Impa had warned him not to go near the palace until he was ready. Ready? How on earth was he supposed to know when he was ready?
Link hadn't been paying attention and veered towards the edge of the path. He stopped just short of the edge. He smiled at himself for acting in this way. "Link, snap out of it buddy," he said to himself. "What, if you take one step off the path something's gonna come out and bite your leg off? Come on!" And just to prove it to himself he took several steps off the path. It was at that minute that he heard the sound of growling and rustling in the tall grass. For a moment he very nearly soiled himself.
Just then a Bot and a Bit emerged from the weeds. Link was so relieved he burst out laughing. "Ooh, I'm so scared!" he chuckled. "Don't let the big walking pile of mucus get me." He lunged at the Bit and stabbed it. Immediately its body vanished.
He then turned on the Bot which jumped out of the way of his sword. "Oh come on little buddy," whispered Link. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna run you through with this bad boy and send you to hell." Suddenly the Bot leapt forward and Link didn't get out of the way in quite enough time. It bit Link's shin. "Why you son of a…!" Link was furious and slashed it viciously. Like the Bit, the Bot's body disappeared and something quite familiar happened. The content of its stomach did not disappear with its body. A small blue jar lay on the ground. This was a new one on Link. He had slain creatures before who had swallowed things like rupies or small heart-shaped vials of red water but he had never seen this before. He took the lid off the pitcher and sniffed its contents. The clear liquid inside smelled just like the path. Link cautiously drank some. It tasted like water but to his disappointment it didn't quench his thirst one bit.
Link had to turn his full attention to his shin which was throbbing horribly. This seemingly harmless creature had fanged him pretty good. It managed to draw blood. Link had no idea how foolish he was to lay down his arms and sit down in the grass to attend to his leg. You'd think that with all his combat experience he'd have known better. Within moments he realized his mistake when he heard a very familiar snarl. Link stood up to find himself face to face with an angry Moblin.
Before Link could even react the Moblin kicked his sword away from him and attacked. Link was still holding his shield and used it to knock the spear out of the Moblin's hand. The enraged Moblin knocked Link over and jumped on top of him and started beating him in the face. Link pulled one hand free and aimed a punch at the creature's head which missed and hit the side of its neck. This infuriated the Moblin further. It sunk its teeth into Link's shoulder. Link turned every which way to find his sword but he couldn't spot it. His hand touched something long and cold nearby. It was the Moblin's spear. Without hesitation Link drove it into the Moblin's side. It too vanished.
There was no time to gather his wits. As soon as he picked up his sword he heard another snarl, then another, and another. A whole legion of Moblins seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and charged at Link. At this point Link did something he had never done before in his life. He ran. He wasn't mentally prepared to fight so he broke into a sprint and dove face-first onto the dirt road. Thankfully Impa had been correct about the road. It had been well enchanted by the sages of long ago for the protection of travelers and though the Moblins acted in an intimidating manner, none of them dared set foot on the path. After a few spear shakes and angry howls they departed. Link was all alone.
Link's whole body hurt all over. He couldn't even stand up for a few minutes. "What the hell was that!" he yelled out loud. Moblins had always been social creatures that traveled in packs but never before had he seen them act with that level of focus or aggression. It seemed as if Impa had been correct about something else. They certainly were seeking his life and doing so much more effectively than before.
The pain sort of snapped him back to reality. What was he doing? What the hell was he doing? A few weeks ago he had been head over heels for Princes Zelda; so much so that he was willing to risk the consequences of assaulting a head of state. Why all of the sudden had he so promptly taken leave of his senses? Why had he nearly forgotten about her and gone ga-ga over Sleeping Beauty? It seemed so wrong. Link felt so embarrassed.
Another thought plagued him. Would she wake up when he had completed his task? He had merely assumed so but he didn't know for sure. And what made him think she'd even give him the time of day if and when she did wake up? What if he was wrong about her? "This is nuts!" he said out loud. And yet… and yet that moment his dreams from his coma came back plain as day. He couldn't explain it but he KNEW. He just knew.
With great difficulty, Link picked himself up and went on his merry way. He walked due east until the sun set. He had no sleeping bag and nothing with which to make a fire. One day spent and he certainly didn't feel stronger.
Magic. He was supposed to be obsessing over magic, wasn't he? But he hadn't learned any spells. Perhaps he could at least somehow increase his endurance to magic.
"AITE!"
The night sky flared for a second.
"AITE!"
Link got the same result and felt far more worn out the second time.
"AITE!"
"AITE!"
"AITE!"
Link didn't even have the energy to speak. Casting the spell again was out of the question. But he had managed to cast it five times with no wand. That had to be good, right? Link lay down for a few minutes and recovered his strength. He told himself that he had to have become stronger from what he had just done. Right? Wrong. Twenty minutes later when he felt fully rested and attempted it again the spell was no stronger than before and took just as much out of him. Giving up, he curled into a ball and slept right there on the road.
Link dreamed about nothing all night but Zelda. The beauty he had seen on the altar was amazing enough but the presence he felt in his dreams was beyond compare. He felt so strong when he thought about her. Whenever it occurred to him that he was ready to conquer the universe for a complete stranger it didn't seem so foolish. If someone had passed by Link's sleeping form they would have seen him actually giggle in his sleep.
The moment he woke up he wished he hadn't. His injuries hadn't healed but he was used to that. An injury inflicted by a demon doesn't just heal on its own. It needs magic or it never goes away. Waking from a pleasant dream is always disappointing but this was just heart-wrenching. He looked around and guessed from the light that it was about 5:30 in the morning. The sky was a very deep blue but getting subtly lighter every minute.
Link took out his map and studied it. A few miles east of his position was a town. That was the good news. The bad news was that between him and the town was a large forest which he was quite certain was completely infested with demons. The path followed the northern edge of the woods. Even though it eventually reached the town it would take him very far out of his way. Link was no wimp and in peak condition wouldn't have hesitated to go through the woods. However, in his weakened state he was feeling a little uneasy about the idea. For one thing his injuries guaranteed him the loss of the Sting spell until he was healed. For another it was the shoulder of his sword arm that had been bitten.
Link gave himself no time whatsoever to consider his options. He jumped to his feet and forced himself to leave the path and walk towards the woods. For the first few minutes all was quiet. He encountered two Bots but all else was well. Then he heard it. The familiar snarl he so hated. A pack of Moblins had caught onto his trail. Out of the tall grasses they emerged ready for blood. Link was ready this time and had a strategy. He made it look as though he was running away. Whenever the fastest one caught up to him he would turn on it and attack. With its friends several meters behind, the speedy Moblin would have no chance and would be killed. Link did this until all five were dead. Link had so hoped to find some small healing vials or at least some rupees but once again found nothing but these small blue jars that seemed to have no effect. Thoroughly disappointed, he walked into the woods.
Link had walked but a few feet when he realized just what an evil place he had entered. The woods were as dark as night. Not one beam of sunlight entered through the tree branches. Link would have lost his way had he not been an experienced outdoorsman. He continually found moss growing on the north side of the trees which told him how to proceed eastward. The stench of Moblin was strong. Then it happened.
There had been no sound, no warning whatsoever. But all of the sudden Link felt a prick at the back of his neck. Within a fraction of a second he was in agony. He turned around to find himself face to face with a Deeler suspended by a strand of cobweb. Link had always been a little frightened of spiders but this one was the size of his head. He swung at it but the Deeler quickly climbed back up the thread. That fraction of a second when Link's attention was diverted was all that was needed to land him in serious trouble. A stealthy Moblin had managed to sneak up behind him undetected and threw a spear into his back.
The wound was deep and Link knew he was in grave peril immediately. The spearhead had not gone all the way in so Link yanked it out, losing a good deal of blood in the process. The Moblin hurled another spear but Link deflected it with his shield. However, as he went to attack the Moblin, the Deeler dropped down again right in front of him. As soon as he swung at it, another spear came flying his way and he barely had time to avoid it. For two witless creatures, these two comrades had certainly thought up a good strategy. It might have worked too, had Link not been so fast. On his next attempt at an attack he was far too quick for the Deeler to reach and he slew the Moblin. The Deeler, not wishing to fight any further, retreated.
Now Link was in serious danger. He was badly wounded and felt quite certain he was being watched by some unseen predatorial force. The urge to run was strong but he refused to play the part of the wounded prey running for its life. Besides, he wasn't sure he had the strength to run now. He walked in a daze for what seemed like hours. A horrible thought occurred to him. He hadn't been checking the tree moss! What if he was going in circles?
Just then a sound as sweet as the break of dawn came from the distance. It was the gentle buzz of fairy wings. Link had heard this sound many times before but he had never been quite so happy to hear it as he was now. Within a few moments the little fairy emerged, seemingly sprinkling a magic light all around her as she flew. Fairies are instinctive healers. As soon as she saw Link she swooped down to him and with one wave of her tiny wand he was healed completely.
"I can't thank you enough little friend," said Link as he sat up. "I didn't know there were any fairies native to the lands north of the mountains."
"There aren't," replied the fairy in her tiny squeaky voice. "There are forces in this world besides the evil that haunts you. A great good follows your every move as well. My people have been instructed by the Triforce to send some of our sisters into this land so that you might not fail. The waters of life which safeguarded you in the south do not exist here."
"So I noticed," replied Link. "I couldn't find any of those little heart vials that used to heal me up. Oh crap, that's going to be a real problem isn't it?"
"In this land a different sort of living water exists," replied the fairy. "That water which has the power to restore your magical force is frequently found here."
"You mean those little blue pitchers?" asked Link. "That's what they do?" The fairy nodded. "Oh that's just great. Those things are worthless to me. I can't do any magic. I never had mind for that sort of thing."
The fairy giggled and whistled towards the woods. Several other fairies emerged. "You have the ability within you," explained the fairy. "You have our blood in your veins which the generations cannot erase and we are completely magical beings. We will help to show you what is already yours."
The fairies formed a circle around Link and in their tiny voices chanted a spell in a language almost as ancient as the world itself. As they chanted over and over again a strange thing happened to Link. If you looked at him you would not discern any physical change but within him it felt as if an iron weight had fallen off of him and his soul seemed to take flight within him.
Finishing their chant, the fairies formed a group and nervously giggled like school girls as Link seemed to be trying to figure out if his own hands were really his.
"Now whatever inner potential to cast the most powerful spells that once lay dormant within you is brought to life," said one fairy. "You need but learn the proper words or rituals and you can cast any spell with great effectiveness. You will discover this 'magical endurance' you have spoken of too as you continue. We will be watching you. Farewell brother."
"Hey wait!"
It was no use. As quickly as the fairies had appeared they scattered into the woods and flew away leaving Link by himself. Link felt lonely but a wild thought occurred to him.
"AITE!"
Instantly the sky flashed, the earth shook, and the very treetops were singed. Some of the dry grass caught fire. True, the spell was still pretty useless but he had done it right this time. He felt no less tired than usual after casting it but when he drank from the blue jar that the Moblin had left, he felt rejuvenated.
Link finished his trek through the forest without further incident. Crossing the prairie again cost him a few bites on the ankle from Bots, though. Soon he found himself back on the path and before nightfall found himself reading a wooden sign with the simple words "WELCOME TO RAURU"
"Hello young fellow."
"Sorry, I know nothing."
"Hello."
"I am much to busy to talk to a stranger."
This was hardly the sort of reception Link had in mind. These townspeople really did seem pretty busy. What they were busy doing I can't say but they all scurried about the streets in quite a hurry, that's for sure. Link was at a loss for words. At least they weren't really unfriendly. He had been hoping for any advice, assistance, or lodging he could get but these people barely acknowledged his existence. But one old woman stared rather intently as he wandered the city streets. He didn't pay her too much mind at first.
As he wandered through Rauru he came to a building with no door which was strange enough. What was even stranger was that the man inside came to the doorway and beckoned Link inside.
"Ah, you are a foreign warrior, no?" asked the man in a thick accent. Link nodded. "Well I hate to see such a young man throw his life away needlessly. Many have ventured to the Island to the East seeking to destroy the darkness that seems to emanate from that horrible place but few return. The creatures there seem immune to swords attacks." Now you had better believe that this distressing piece of news caught Link's attention. He knew well that Eastern Island was his final destination and that he'd have to face these creatures eventually.
"You mean they're invincible?" asked Link.
"Well maybe, maybe not," replied the man. "Who can say? I hear rumors every now and then that a certain magic will harm them. They say if all else fails use fire."
"Who are you?" asked Link, completely bewildered.
"I am Baldwin," replied the man. "I am both the town wise man and the town drunk. I'm also the local chieftain. And I'm not sure but I think I'm the local dentist too. Whether wisdom or foolishness comes from my mouth, all seem to want to hear it." Baldwin laughed hysterically at his own remark. "You will excuse me young man but night falls and I have a dinner engagement. Lock up after me, will ya?" Once again Baldwin had a good chuckle for obviously the empty room had no door. There was nothing to steal anyway. Baldwin walked out and left leaving Link alone.
"What is this place?" wondered Link out loud.
"It's sort of a town hall," said a voice from the door. It was the old woman who had been staring at Link. "Sorry to startle you," she continued, "but it's rather hard not to notice that crest on your hand or the smell of magic crystals from your purse."
Link was shocked. "How did you…"
"You thought your quest was secret?" asked the old woman. "No. The sages who founded these villages long foretold your coming centuries before you were born; the one who would come to free this land from the darkness. I even know what those crystals are for. They go in the palace statues, don't they?"
Link was stunned. The woman smiled. "I am Ama, wife of the oracle of Rauru. My husband predicted that you would arrive this very evening and I and several of our friends have been waiting for you. Come with me."
Link wasn't sure quite why he trusted this woman but he did. She led him outside and towards the southern part of town. As they walked, they passed a white house whose sole resident, a young lady in a red dress, seemed to be waiting impatiently outside. She brightened up when she saw Ama.
"Ama! Is this him?" the girl asked. Ama nodded. The girl looked Link over. "You're hurt!" she said.
"It's not that bad," replied Link.
"Let me do something about that," replied the girl. She placed her hands on Link's head and muttered a few magic words under her breath and lo and behold, the wounds on Link's legs disappeared. It wasn't quite the warm, loving sort of healing sensation one gets from a fairy but Link was grateful. As Ama took Link through town, people with more practical things to say approached.
"Only the hammer can destroy a roadblock."
"Get candle in Parapa Palace. Go west."
"Find the Heart in Southern Papara."
Well any of that beat "Sorry I know nothing" any day even if Link didn't completely understand. Finally Ama led him to her house where her daughter gladly invited him in to talk with the old oracle. As Link descended the steps into the basement the smell of magic became quite intense. At the back of the room was a bearded old man in a red hood and robe. In the man's very presence the crest on Link's hand glowed brightly. The man spoke not a word but gazed into Link's eyes for nearly a minute. He seemed to be staring at Link's very soul.
Finally he spoke. "It may not necessarily be a good thing that your quest is known. You must use caution. Trust not the people of Saria or Darunia. Eyes of Ganon are everywhere. This is my gift to you, bearer of the crest of Elezaar. AFE!"
At the sound of this word the room flashed. The old man grinned. "Take your sword and try to cut me down," he said. "I dare you."
Link hesitated. For a moment, the man seemed less an oracle and more a crazy old fool but he complied. The sword grazed off the old man's arm harmlessly.
"That word I just used, memorize it now," ordered the Oracle. "The man who speaks it casts upon himself the Shield spell which makes his body firm and very difficult to injure."
"Who are you?" asked an amazed Link. But the old man smiled and did not answer.
"He is called Rauru," said a voice from behind Link. It was Ama's daughter. "All oracles are named after the sages the day they are born. All towns here have an oracle and you would be well advised to learn what you can from each."
Link turned back to Rauru. "I don't mean to sound greedy and I am very grateful, but is there anything else you can teach me so I don't get slaughtered out there?"
"I cannot help you anymore," replied Rauru. "Go now."
"Will you stay the night?" asked Ama's daughter. "We'd be honored to have you." Link nodded and followed her upstairs leaving old Rauru alone with his deep thoughts.
Link's dreams that night were once again occupied by Zelda and he was once again quite disappointed when he awoke. Vowing to set out early he hurried through breakfast but noticed Ama still watching him.
"I know you're not used to having a living legend in your house," joked Link, "But honestly, you're starting to creep me out a little."
"I worry for you," she replied. "I don't fear what the demons may do to you. You will rise to the occasion an overcome them all. I worry that you may be unable to conquer yourself. Within even your own heart I can sense some darkness. The prophecies have all said the same thing, that the hero must struggle against his own inner self but not one predicts the outcome."
Link rolled his eyes. "Um, look Ama, I know you're all old and wise and mystical and everything, but right now my problem isn't my shortcomings. My problem is these maniacs trying to kill me everywhere I go."
"You have no idea what your problem is," retorted Ama. She sighed and smiled. "But I would greatly underestimate you not to have good hope that you will see and you will overcome."
Link left Rauru with Ama's words echoing in his mind. My gosh it's irritating to have words echoing in your mind. Especially words that don't seem to make much sense. Well, one task yet remained before the palace.
It was explained to Link that the same magic heart icons that existed in South Hyrule could be found here in the north as well. Just touching one lowers someone's susceptibility to injury. The tough part was getting to it. Link now wished he had ignored Impa and taken some items with him. The only way to the region known as Parapa was through a dark cave. And here he was without a candle. I would say that the journey through the woods to get to the cave was fairly uneventful but something did happen that Link couldn't overlook. As he killed a stray Moblin that had wandered away from its pack he felt a surge of power. It wasn't his imagination, he actually felt stronger. Impa had been right. From that point on, Link periodically felt these spurts of power as he fought.
Link entered the gaping mouth of the cave and stepped into darkness. It really was like being swallowed. Aside from the dripping of water there was no sound. It was as if the sound of the forest died away the moment he entered. Link crept forward cautiously, feeling the wall as he went along. Though the cave was dark, it seemed there was a very subtle amount of light around him. This Link could not explain. Had he been a more educated fellow he might have realized that certain kinds of fungi actually glow in the dark.
One of the difficulties of traveling in the dark is that it is hard to tell how far you have traveled. Link estimated (and rather well I might add) that he had traveled about 900 yards. For the first time he noticed a sound other than that of dripping water. But it was so soft and faint. He supposed he could just be imaging…. FEET! He saw feet moving! Without any time to react, Link crouched down and, as luck would have it, sliced the Lowder that had come perilously close to biting him. Link traveled the duration of the cave on his hands and knees swinging his sword in front of him every few feet.
At long last he emerged from the cave and entered Parapa Desert. It seemed strange to him that this region was a desert at all. I suppose that the high peaks nearby to the south could have blocked clouds bearing precipitation but then again the ocean was nearby. It certainly didn't feel that warm.
Parapa Palace was a large speck on the horizon but Link knew to travel south first. All too quickly he learned that he was not out of danger. No, not in the least. The wind would blast very hard in intermittent spurts which sent rocks flying in his direction. Large sand creatures called Geldarms would also sometimes emerge from the sand. These creatures were plenty dangerous despite the fact that they had nothing to do with the Cult of Ganon. They were indigenous to the desert.
As Link headed south he spotted a most welcome sight. It was a road. He would have safe passage all the way to the heart icon. Or so he thought. For quite some time he was safe. The breeze coming off the ocean was most refreshing, there were no enemies, and there were even songbirds which had been too frightened to dwell elsewhere.
Link wasn't frightened at first when he noticed the path was divided by several steep water pits. No biggie. He would just jump over them. Then he heard it.
He had already jumped over a couple pits when he heard the sound of evil laughter. Looking behind him, Link saw an elf standing near the first precipice wrapped completely in black fabric. Only his eyes and the bridge of his nose remained uncovered.
"The Holy Legion of Ganon bids you hello," called out the man in a mocking voice. Holy Legion of Ganon? Link didn't like the sound of that one bit. He was certain this fellow was a member of the Cult. "I have long been expecting you," the man continued. "Most of our brethren expected you to be older. They almost feel guilty about murdering a mere child. I however have no such reservations."
"Hey! You gonna stand there mocking me or do you actually have the guts to come out here and face me!" screamed Link. One serious pet peeve Link had always had was people underestimating him because of his age.
The man chuckled at that remark. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Well I'm not here to give you satisfaction. DIE!"
With that the man muttered some magic words that Link couldn't make out and the sky flashed white for a moment. For a split second Link almost wanted to laugh at the man. All that had resulted from the spell was some bubbles drifting out of the water pits and into the air. They seemed harmless enough. For about two seconds.
When one of the bubbles touched the solid chasm wall it exploded sending chunks of rock flying. And now these bubbles were all over the place. "Oh crap!" yelled Link as he flung himself forward to avoid one bubble only to have to stop dead in his tracks and jump backwards to avoid another one. As he peeked over his shoulder, he noticed that the Cult member had disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. Link carefully dodged and leaped all over the place like a madman for a good fifty yards jumping over pits and bubbles until he reached the other side.
Link was too flabbergasted to be angry. Why any elf in their right mind would worship Ganon was beyond comprehension. The fiend had murdered thousands of innocent people for no reason. He hated elves! Why on earth would anyone betray their own race for him? Did they honesty think they could curry favor with him? Not a chance. The only explanation Link could come up with was that some people are too quick to ally themselves with that which they see as powerful.
The path ended all too soon and Link soon found himself in a small patch of forest. After his last experience he was ready for anything, which was good because in the few yards of forest he crossed he encountered Blue Moblins, Mobies, and Red and Blue Deelers, all of which attacked at once. These creatures certainly demonstrated remarkable teamwork but Link was ready for them. What he wasn't ready for were the Megmets which leapt at him the instant he emerged from the woods. For such small creatures, they were certainly heavy (as Link found out when one nearly crushed him). He took several nasty blows trying to fight them and nearly stepped on a Bot that he hadn't noticed.
With the enemies subdued eventually, Link had a chance to look at his surroundings which were quite impressive. Link was looking at his world's equivalent of Stonehenge. This place also reeked of magic. According to his instructions, the icon was supposed to be around here. Link's brief search however turned up something he certainly hadn't been seeking. It was a Goriya. Link had never seen a Goriya above ground before. These creatures hated sunlight and spent their lives underground. Apparently someone forgot to tell that to this particular Goriya.
Link easily blocked the large rodent's boomerang with his shield only to be hit in the back by another one. He hadn't even seen the second one leave the Goriya's hand. This was by far the most skilled Goriya he had ever met. Link tried to distract it by jumping over the boomerang and running straight at it hoping it would be hit by its own weapon in the confusion. No such luck. The creature caught the boomerang without even looking. Link jumped to the top of a stone and then leapt off just as suddenly as he had mounted, slashing at the Goriya on the way down. It worked, but not as well as he had hoped. Finally abandoning strategy, Link cast the Shield spell and, making no attempt to avoid the boomerangs, ran right up to the Goriya and stabbed it several times in the chest. It was a rather crude move from such a magnificent swordsman as Link but it worked. The Goriya dropped a blue jar from which Link drank and he instantly felt the cost of the spell on his body disappear.
Finding the icon required no further search. It was right out in the open. As Link grasped the wooden icon he felt his wounds heal and his strength skyrocket. All that remained was the palace.
Two days…
Two terrible days journey…
…took him straight to its front door.
End Chapter 2