Chapter Two
It was with great anxiety that I followed the Sages to the castle courtyard. What I had just been informed of disturbed me greatly - Ganondorf, escaped? What worse fate could there be! Yet he was de-powered. Could we strike him soon? Could we beat him to the Triforce? My mind raced as so many scenarios flooded my thoughts.
I felt less apprehension than I might've; I was greatly cheered to know that I would have companions this time. Indeed, one of the worst aspects of my previous quest against Ganondorf was the tremendous loneliness; the dungeons I crawled seemed only larger when I had none to speak with. I was filled with a great anticipation. Who would be my companions be? How many? What would their skill sets be? I was also, I shamefully, fantastically elated and excited at the prospect of adventuring again. For while my war against evil was often terrible and draining, it was the greatest moment of my life when I slew Ganondorf. I found it tremendously rewarding to be a hero, to help the poor, the unfortunate, the weak; by my definition, a hero is one who defends those who cannot defend themselves. Further, I had found the years following my victory to be listless and unfulfilling; I wished, more than anything in the world, to be granted the opportunity to take up the mantle of hero again and battle evil.
Zelda, who'd lead the way, pushed opened a pair of pine doors, and the eight of us entered into sunlight.
We stood in one of the many stone courtyards in Hyrule castle. The other seven fanned out around in a circle around three people. A Goron, a Hyrulian, and a Zora stood, each with his back straight as a rod, hands tight at the side, chest thrust out - the classic stance of military attention. I approached, and the three saluted. I returned it, as was military custom.
I began inspecting the three, giving each a good long look, while the Sages looked on in silence. The first, the Goron, was tall - quite tall in fact. He nearly equaled Darunia in height. I also noticed that his arms were far more muscular than the average mountain dweller – again, much like Darunia. Strapped to his side was a large, fearsome looking axe. I moved on.
The second, the Hyrulian - I knew he was a Hyrulian and not a Hylian due to his rounded ears - wore the standard blue uniform of the Hylian army. He had an impressively large number of decorations on his chest; I scanned them quickly, and saw that, according to his medals, he had shown outstanding valor and courage in the midst of battle, had been wounded three times, and, most impressively, had saved the life of a fellow soldier at great risk to his life. There were still other medals on his chest, which I did not bother to read. Strapped to his waist was a short sword, and I saw that he carried no shield.
The last was a Zora. He was of average height, and had a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to his back. What caught my eye first, though, was the fact that he was wearing copious amounts of clothing - by the standards of a Zora. When they live in water, Zora tend to go naked. On land, they either go naked or wear only minimal amounts of clothing; perhaps shorts, and often shoes or boots of some kind. This one was wearing navy blue coat, long blue pants, and boots. While he still looked impressive in such clothing, I was certainly surprised by his appearance.
The Sages witnessed my inspection in silence. I turned to Zelda, and asked, "So tell me. What are their names? What can they do?"
She nodded and stepped forward. "The first," she said, indicating the Goron with a gesture, "is known as Laurete." I nodded - Gorons almost always have only one name. "He is an outstanding hand to hand fighter and is amongst the most honored of all Goron soldiers." 'Honored' was the Goron equivalent of 'decorated'. Instead of giving out medals and decorations, as we do, Gorons award 'honors' - the more valiant or heroic the action, the greater the honor bestowed.
"He is also my cousin," Darunia spoke up. "I can say without hesitation that he is the finest warrior I have ever had the opportunity to fight beside. I am proud to declare him my relative."
"High praise," I acknowledged. I turned to the Hyrulian. "And what of this one?"
"He," Zelda began, "is named Henry Ablauf. He is my kingdom's finest battle magician. As you can tell from the decorations on his chest, he has proven himself time and time again in the field." I raised my eyebrows.
"A magician, huh? Never fought alongside one before." I paused. "Ablauf. Isn't that a Gerudo name?"
"Yes, sir, General. I'm an eighth Gerudo." I was nonplussed by his addressing me as General. He was correct, of course; I'd been immediately promoted to the rank following my confrontation with Ganondorf. I'd often trained troops, and had even commanded soldiers in the field a few times. Still, I was rarely, if ever, addressed by my rank. Most called my by my name, and if the person used a moniker, it was usually 'Hero of Time'.
I showed no outward sign of my surprise, though, and moved on to the Zora. "And this last one. What about him?"
"His name is Rui Wan. He is a top shot with a bow and arrow, and an unparalleled hand-to-hand combatant. I'm sure you know how effective Zoran martial arts can be."
"Oh, certainly," I said appreciatively. More than once, I'd seen Zora fighters destroy an opponent with just his hands and feet. Truthfully though, I knew next to nothing about the technical aspects of unarmed fighting. I'd spent my lifetime warring and adventuring, but had always done so with a blade in my hand.
I put my hands on my hips and faced the trio.
"I want to begin by making one thing clear. This isn't a military operation. Our governments," - I jerked my thumb over my shoulder, indicating the Sages - "aren't even going to acknowledging what we're doing. Snapping salutes, addressing me as 'sir', walking in step...none of that stuff is going to help you. If you start worrying about military protocol, you're going to get killed. I had zero military training the first time I fought Ganondorf, and in my opinion, it saved my life. You can't get caught up in that if you're going to survive."
I began pacing. "The Sages have picked you three out, so I have little doubt you are all extremely capable. However, I must stress this: Our journey will be unlike anything you have ever taken part in before. In fact," and here I spread my hands wide, and gave an acknowledging nod, "the same is true for me. We're going to leave Hyrule altogether – the first ones to ever do so. Who knows what we'll find? Who can say what might happen?" I paused. "Which brings me to my last point."
I stopped pacing. "Whatever happens, I'm in charge. What I say goes." My voice was deadly serious. "If any one of you disobeys me, even once, then you're through. I don't care what I have to do; I will find some way to get rid of you. Hopefully it won't come to that."
Now I turned back to the Sages and approached Zelda. "Thank you for introducing me to my companions. When do we leave?"
"As soon as possible. We already have a ship prepared. The only thing left is for you to ready yourself. I would encourage you to take as many items and tools from your last adventure with you on this trip. In fact, it would perhaps be a good idea to divide up your weapons amongst your companions, as you see fit."
"An excellent idea. I keep nearly all my tools at my home. I'll go and collect them, and return tomorrow." I turned to leave when I felt her hand on my elbow.
"Before you go, give me the Master Sword and Ocarina of Time."
"Oh!" I exclaimed. In all the excitement they'd completely slipped my mind. "By all means," I said, unsheathing the Sword from my back and retrieving the Ocarina from a small pouch tied to my belt. I flipped the sword, so I might offer her the hilt. "What do you need them for?"
"First," she said, receiving the two, "a warning: any magical items you have will likely lose their power and potency the farther you travel from Hyrule. Magical items are tied to the land where the spells were cast. Do not rely on magic too much; the crystals, the Lens of Truth, even your Golden Gauntlets may fail you in your moment of need."
I understood the severity of her words, and nodded my comprehension.
"As for these two," she said, proffering the Sword and Ocarina, "I need them so that the Sages and I can enhance them. It will take all night, but by tomorrow these will be able to go anywhere in the world without losing magical ability."
I raised my eyebrows. "Quite useful. Though, couldn't you do it with all my magical items?" I queried.
She shook her head. "No. It is these items, and these two items alone, that we seven can affect. Because of their already vast inherent magical properties, they act as a lighting rod for magics. Your other items would simply not be able to store the magical forces necessary to be enhanced."
"I think I understand…"
"Now, quickly, be away; time is of the essence. Goodbye, Link."
"Goodbye, Zelda."
Many hours later, as the sky was beginning to redden, I reached to my home in Kokiri Forest. I moved with speed, with purpose; I didn't want to waste a moment. I rapidly scaled the ladder into my home and quickly made my way up to the highest room in the house.
In my mind, I thought over the items I'd want to take. Longshot. Lens of Truth. Golden Gauntlets. Biggoron's Sword. Megaton Hammer. Golden Scale. Fairy Bow. What would I give out, and to whom?
Laurete would want the Hammer, certainly. The Lens of Truth would go to Henry; I would probably do well to give him most of the magical items. I was uncertain what I might award the Zora with; as an unarmed combatant, he would have little use for any of my weapons. If it were within my power, I would want to grant him the ability to magically enhance his arrows. Unfortunately, the Fire, Ice, and Light Arrow spells were all gifts to me; I had no idea how to cast the spells myself. It did occur to me, though, that, since Zelda gave me Light Arrows, she would likely be able to grant them to the Zora, as well.
I clipped the Longshot to my belt; slipped the Golden Scale into my boot; slid the Golden Gauntlets onto my hands; strapped the Fairy Bow and a quiver to my back. I grabbed a large, thick bag, and began piling the other items I wished to take with me into it. The Hammer; the Lens (it was unbreakable, so I didn't bother slipping it into a protective case); the Biggoron's sword, sheathed; the Hover Boots. I did not take the Mirror Shield, nor the Iron Boots. The Mirror Shield was entirely decorative in purpose, and all but useless in battle, while the Iron Boots were redundant with a Zora in our group.
I went downstairs to my bedroom; in my closet were the Goron and Zora Tunics, which I tossed in the bag as well. Lastly, I opened the top drawer of my chest; inside was a small wooden box. I opened it, and removed the three crystals inside. Each crystal was about the size of my thumb, long and thin. One glowed red, one green, one blue. They were Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, and Nayru's Love – extremely helpful, extremely potent, and reusable, they were spells that could be accessed by anyone. I slipped them into a small pocket located on the side of my tunic.
Though I was now ready to depart, I knew that I wouldn't reach Hyrule Castle until the dead of night. I would wait until the next morning to ride back.
It was early morning when I entered the castle, carrying the bag over my shoulder. Zelda was at the front, waiting for me.
"Welcome. We have been awaiting your arrival." She turned, and I walked with her.
"We have a warship prepared," she spoke as we made our way through the stone halls. "It's located on the western border of the Gerudo lands. The crew is made up of roughly twenty of the best sailors we could find, from any of our kingdoms."
"How do we know that the crew is trustworthy?" I inquired. "This trip must be kept an absolute secret."
She threw me an amused look. "I'm the Seventh Sage. I have the Triforce of Wisdom. I know if someone is lying to me." I grinned.
"The ship is stocked with three months worth of food, and there are clothes available on the ship for each of you," she continued.
"How did you ever become aware of this land over the sea? Surely none from Hyrule have ever set foot there."
"Correct you are, for none ever have," she replied. "I know of it because I saw it in a dream." That was answer enough for me; Zelda routinely had visions and premonitions of what the future held. If it weren't for a dream she'd had as a ten year old, she would never have become suspicious of Ganondorf in the first place, and who knows what might've happened after?
"There are also several islands," she said, returning to her narrative, "we have discovered that you can make port at along the way. Ah, there's the door." She pointed down the hallway.
"Wait a minute." I stopped, let the bag fall to the ground. Something wasn't right with what she'd said. "What do you mean, you know of islands? No one has ever left Hyrule."
She continued walking ahead. "Of course people have," she called over her shoulder. "I've sent half a dozen ships out to explore what lies beyond our world."
"And why wasn't I ever told about this?" I demanded, angry. As the Hero of Time, I wasn't used to Zelda withholding information from me, especially about something as important as exploration outside of the known world.
She gripped the doorknob, stopped, and looked over her shoulder. "State secret, Link. I didn't tell anyone." She seemed surprised by my reaction. "What's wrong?"
I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it.
I'd never lied to myself about our relationship. I always knew, and could always tell, that despite how close we had grown, Zelda was simply not interested in me romantically. I'd always been very open and honest with her; there was little she didn't know about me. And despite my awareness of her romantic disinterest in me, I had always allowed myself to hope, just a little, that maybe a beautiful queen like her would go for a guy like me. This…secret keeping…was just one more reminder of how I might've been able to save her from evil, but could not win her heart.
"It's nothing," I said, sincerely apologetic, but still frowning. "You're absolutely right." She nodded, seeming to accept my apology, and continued through the door.
We emerged outside, into a stable. Nabooru and my three companions were there. I noted, with minor dissatisfaction, that the three snapped to attention when I entered.
Zelda turned to me. "We'll depart on horseback for Gerudo Valley. First, though, you should give out whatever tools you've collected."
I nodded. I opened the bag, reached in, and removed the Megaton Hammer. I heard Laurete gasp, quite loudly, when I held it in my hands. As I approached him, his eyes widened.
"The Hammer…!" he whispered. "Sir, I cannot…this is too much."
I smiled. "I find it too heavy to be effective in battle. I'm sure someone of your strength could put it to proper use. Wield it with pride." I handed it to him; he accepted it as though in a daze.
I next retrieved the Lens of Truth and handed it to Henry. "The Lens of Truth," he remarked as he received it. "I've heard much about it…a truly useful tool. Thank you, sir."
Lastly, I approached Rui Wan. "Well," I said, giving him an appraising look, "I am uncertain as to how I might aid you. I have a few other things, but I don't think they'd be of much use to you. The Hover Boots, the Biggoron's Sword…" He shook his head.
"No thank you, sir. My skill in weapons lies only with the bow, and Queen Zelda and Chancellor Nabooru were kind enough to grant me the power to cast Light and Ice upon my arrows. I need little else."
I gave him an appraising look. "Well, if you can fire Light and Ice arrows, then you obviously have magical ability. Perhaps you can accept this." I reached into my pocket and removed a crystal that glowed with blue light. "This crystal contains a spell known as 'Nayru's Love'. It is a spell that will protect you, for a short while, from any harm – though I must warn you that I find it quite draining, magically." I placed it in his hand. "To activate it, simply grip it and concentrate. It is quite easy to use."
"Thank you, sir." He snapped a salute.
I turned back to Henry. "Take this. This is crystal contains the spell 'Din's Fire'."
"Yes sir. I've heard of it. I know what it does."
"It works the same way. Use it whenever you feel you need to protect yourself."
I glanced over at Laurete. "Do you have any magical talents?" He shook his head. I was unsurprised; as a whole, Gorons rarely have any skill in the field of magic. "Then I suppose I'll keep this last crystal for myself…"
I turned to Zelda. "Well, I think I'll leave everything else here. The Boots and the Biggoron's Sword would just become dead weight, in my opinion. Though I'll take the two tunics."
As I removed the two articles of clothing from the bag, Nabooru spoke up. "I'll be leading you through Gerudo territory," she said. "I know paths we might take that will keep us out of sight. I would advise you against taking Epona, though, on the off chance someone might recognize the horse."
"I'll just take another horse from the stable." I nodded. "Let us be away."
----
Many hours later, I stood on the dock from which we would depart. Beyond the farthest western reaches of the Gerudo Empire, there is an ocean. I gazed out across the water; it stretched as far as the horizon, and beyond. I felt butterflies in my stomach, something I hadn't felt in years…not since I had last faced Ganondorf.
All of the Sages were present to send us off. Darunia was quietly speaking with Laurete, giving him a few last words of advice. Saria approached me, and I saw there were tears in her eyes.
"Good luck, Link," she said, and wiped her eyes. "Goddess, I'm going to miss you."
I knelt and hugged her tightly. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it." She let out a weak laugh.
"Isn't that what you said the day you left Kokiri Forest the first time? And it wasn't until seven years later we met again." I had little to say; there was too much truth in her words.
She separated from me. "Goddess, I've never been good at goodbyes. Just take care of yourself." She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"You've always been my best friend, Saria. I'll be sure to come back to you." I stood.
"Link," Darunia spoke as he approached, "I am proud to call you my Sworn Brother." He held out his hand. "I have utmost confidence that you will succeed." He gave me a hearty handshake.
I said my goodbyes to the others, and suddenly, it was time to go.
"Farewell!" Rauru intoned. "May the Goddesses bless your journey and smile upon you all, and may you find nothing but success on your quest. We place our fate in your capable hands."
The four of us waved goodbye one final time, and then turned and made our way up the walkway and onto the ship.
