This will be the first time I will write a chapter about a temple, so your feedback is greatly appreciated. Also, this is the longest chapter to date. As another status update, I have written Deku exactly 37 times for this story! I really mean it this time when I will do my best to steer clear of the Woodfall region.
Ch X.
Woodfall Temple
Link was beginning to wonder when he would reach the temple when he almost fell into the poisonous water. He hadn't been paying attention to the path, and only a sharp warning from Tatl warned him of the danger of the acid lake. He wildly flailed his arms and managed to keep his balance.
"Hey, watch out! You need to pay more attention Link!", Tatl scolded. She would never have said it to anyone, but she had taken a liking to this strange but courageous boy. Link did not know this, however, and he grumbled thanks to her for warning him.
Link looked back towards where he had been walking and saw a wooden platform constructed on the other side of the small lake. Leading towards the platform were about half a dozen Deku Flowers. He was about to jump into one until he realized: he was still in his Deku form. He hadn't bothered taking the mask off when he had escaped Woodfall Palace, and he realized that he had almost forgotten about it. How had he changed so that he would not even realize that he wasn't himself?
He thought deeply about it for a few minutes until his partner asked if he was ok. He ultimately decided that no matter what mask he wore, or what species he changed into, he would always be the same person. He had been pondering some questions similar to this ever since he met Halvard, the Mask Salesman. He had been pondering about if Halvard sold his masks to give people a new identity, or for them to hide behind the mask. He had once completed a small quest of sorts for the Mask Salesman, and he had been told that his masks were sold to make people happy. Link decided not to dally on any more deep thoughts. He could decide how he felt later, but now he needed to save Woodfall.
After Link traveled through the Deku Flowers and reached the platform, he didn't see any indications of an opening to a temple.
"Where is the temple? Isn't it supposed to be here somewhere?", he inquired to his current fairy companion. Tatl frowned and realized that Link was right. She almost began to investigate more deeply until she remembered something.
"The Sonata of Awakening Link! The monkey said that we will need to play it to gain access to the temple!", she said.
Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time, which promptly turned into Deku Pipes. He played the Sonata of Awakening loudly and clearly so that whatever activated the temple would hear him, and almost immediately, the water around them started to ripple like crazy, emanating from the center of the lake. Suddenly, with a loud whoosh, an enormous stone building burst out of the water. Link was surprised, to say the least, but he knew that must be the temple he was looking for. He climbed into a nearby Deku Flower and flew over to the temple.
When he landed, he almost slipped on a patch of moss. This temple obviously must be under the water much of the time. Link looked at the large doors to the temple, took a deep breath, then climbed inside. Upon entering the temple, the first thing that he noticed was a large pink fairy that looked familiar. When Tatl saw the fairy, she gasped.
"That is a piece of a great fairy, I can feel it! Please help her!", she implored to Link. Link nodded in agreement, and continued into the temple, carefully putting the fragile fairy into one of his larger bottles. She didn't complain, but then again, she couldn't talk.
Link explored many shrines and rooms throughout the temple. Mixed throughout were monsters and strange puzzles. He also found more stray fairies, and carefully tucked them into his magic pouch. Each room had a mix of vines and moss growing in them, and Link got disoriented several times. Only Tatl's sharp mind(and tongue) kept them from getting lost. Of course, there were also monster attacks. In every dungeon or temple Link had been to(besides the Temple of Time of course.), he had fought monsters that had infested them. Link fought monsters such as Black Boes, Deku Babas, and even a Gekko that Tatl identified.
Link was by no means a novice warrior. During his quest to save Hyrule, he had to face off against all of Ganondorf's evil minions and monsters. He wielded the Master Sword itself to slay the Demon King! Even with being a highly skilled swordsman, Link still hated to take life, unless it was unnecessary. It was a trait that he shared with the Kokiri with whom he once shared a home. They only hunted when they needed to, and they always made sure to use every part of the animal that was killed. Link couldn't eat the monsters that he killed, but he made sure to take materials from them whenever he killed one.
Link was taking a break after a battle and was drinking a red potion. This particular battle had been grizzly, as Link slipped in a patch of moss during a battle with a Deku Baba, and had his leg badly bitten. He could feel the potions healing effects seeing into his would, and he could feel his leg closing up. He tiredly gazed at Tatl and said,
"It's been a while since I've slipped like that. Let's hope that I don't slip again, otherwise, there might not be a next time for me to heal. I've learned from my time as a fighter that I need to stay strong, no matter what.".
"It's ok", Tatl replied gently, "you can't always be perfect Link. Just keep on doing your best to save Termina… and Hyrule, your home."
Link smiled and nodded his head. He was ready to do his best to save the entire world. He looked around and saw a large chest pushed to the corner of the room. He had pulled off the Deku mask a few rooms ago, so the wooden chest was about half his height. He touched the latch of the chest, and, to his surprise, saw that there was no key. He opened the chest, and pulled out a bow that seemed to fit his hand perfectly! He could have sworn that he heard a jingle somewhere, but when he looked around, he didn't see anything that could make that sound. He focused back on the bow. It was made of yellowish wood, and sitting in the chest along with the bow was a small quiver filled with arrows.
Link recognized the bow. It had the same red and blue marking on it that his old bow had. Unfortunately, he couldn't use it for quite a while. It had a greater draw strength that Link's current young body did not have. He tied the quiver to his belt, and carefully put the bow into his magical pouch. Link finished putting his new bow away, then grinned at a determined Tatl.
"We have a Deku Princess to save.", he said.
Link hoped he had finally found the right room. For some reason, the "Bosses" as he called them, only seemed to be in the very last room of a temple that was the largest. He sighed, then fitted a key he found into the door. He had found it an hour ago or so on a ring of keys that he found in an abandoned pouch, and had been trying it on other doors along with the rest of the keys on the ring. This was the final door, and Link knew this must be the key to open it.
Link tightened his belt, loosened his sword in its sheath, and then finally entered the large door. Upon entering the circular room, the first thing for Link to notice was that the door slammed behind him. That wasn't a surprise, it happened almost anytime he fought a "Boss". The second thing, however, was of the enormous man sitting in the lotus position. The man was wearing a colorful mask and had tattooed his body with unknown symbols and swirls.
When the man seemed to notice Link, he sprang upright quickly, with a loud warcry. He grabbed a curved sword and a shield from behind him and got into a fighting stance. He bellowed a challenge, then lunged forward with blinding speed. He yelled in an unknown language as he lunged, but his sword scraped off of Link's Hero's Shield. Link countered the lunge with a slash of his sword, striking the man before he could pull his shield up to defend himself. To Link's surprise, the man did not bleed blood. Instead, he bled a viscous purple liquid, much like the water in the swamp!
Quickly, the man jumped back, and Link noticed how there was an enormous Deku Flower in the center of the room. He had used flowers like these to slay several enemies in Woodfall Temple, and he knew he might have to use it. While Link was thinking about the flower, the large man began to do something strange. He began swaying back and forth, swishing his sword in the air, and chanting in the same unfamiliar language.
Link didn't know what the man was doing, but he took this instant to strike. He spun in a circle, yelling "Hyatt!", and slashed large cuts into the man's legs. This made the man fall, and Link almost felt bad for hurting him. He had to remind himself that this was a monster that had poisoned the swamp, and had kidnapped the Deku Princess! Link made up his mind and stabbed downward. To his surprise, the man leaped up before he could stab his chest, and only got a small slash on his ribcage. He yelled in pain, then made a circular motion with his sword, and suddenly a large circle of flame surrounded them!
Link was caught off guard because of this maneuver, and he didn't pull up his shield fast enough. The curved sword sliced into Link's chest, leaving searing pain behind. Link gasped in agony, flame seeming to run through his chest, but he strove forward, lunging towards the man with his sword. Link was surprised when he heard Tatl say:
"Hey Link, I think I know a little about this guy! His name is Odolwa, and he used to be a guard at the temple until he must have been cursed!".
Link didn't know what to think. He had considered this man to be simply a monster made to curse the temple and the swamp surrounding it. But not that he knew that this man used to be a normal guard, who was still trying to do his duty, he felt sadness and pity towards him. "But Odolwa must be stopped", his other side was telling him, "If you don't kill him, he might kill the Deku Princess, the world will end, and an innocent monkey will be boiled alive!". Link did not like this part of him. He knew it would be for the greater good, but his two sides seemed to be fighting each other. This reminded himself of the Shadow version of himself that he had to conquer at the Water Temple in Hyrule. He began to wonder if he had conquered his darkest parts of himself at all.
Despite his inner turmoil, he knew what had to be done. Link began to fight more fiercely than ever despite the deep cut that flared with pain on his chest. A minute later, the tide had turned in his favor. Odolwa's legs were covered with so many cuts and slashes that he could no longer stand, and Link was staring into the mask on his face. His breathing was slowing, and Link knew he needed to strike the killing blow. He raised his sword with both hands and with pity in his heart, he cut the man's head off.
Link collapsed to the ground at the same time that Odolwa's body did. He was breathing hard, and he had suffered many other wounds during his battle. Tatl urged him to drink another red potion, and Link did without any complaint. He could feel its magic battling against the many cuts and bruises that he had gained during his fight. As soon as he felt strong enough, he sat up.
To his surprise, on a chain around Odolwa's neck was a Heart Container! He had found items like this during his travels, but much of the time, they were difficult to get. Nobody knew what they did, but there were legends about heroes who gathered these. It was said that some heroes could take dozens of fatal wounds before falling in battle. He had unfortunately stored most of his items at his old house in the Kokiri Forest, including his collection of heart containers. There were also heart pieces that, when connected, would form a new heart container! He gladly took the heart piece, and put its chain around his neck.
He also noticed that Oldolwa's mask was glowing a blue color, and seemed to call to him. Link picked it up, and suddenly his surroundings changed. He found himself on a small pillar, surrounded by thick fog. Out of the fog came a very strange, and very large creature. It had a red body, and a green beard and hair, but it looked like someone had squashed a head onto some legs and attached some arms to it. It pulled back its head and began bellowing. Link felt like he was being deafened, but he noticed that there seemed to be a tune coming from the bellowing.
"Wait...Listen, it seems to be saying something...Could that crying be its way of teaching us some sort of melody? Don't just stand there Link, Get your instrument! Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time and copied the tune, note by note. It sounded like a somber tune, filled with a serious undercurrent. Tatl said:
"Hey, think I can recognize that song! It's called the Oath to Order, and it is very sacred to the gods of Termina. I wonder if…"- but before she could continue, the giant let loose some more bellows. Tatl and Link listened carefully, but could not hear any other tune. That was until Tatl spoke up once again.
"Call us... That's what it's saying I think. But call who? Who are you?". Unfortunately, Tatl's questions were unanswered, and the world faded to black. Link reopened his eyes and saw the Oldolwa's mask in his hands once more.
He put the mask into his pouch and looked around the room. To his surprise, he saw that this wasn't the last room. He could see a room with a doorway of thick vines. Through this door, he could hear someone shouting.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Can you please help me?". Link ran over and saw through the vines a richly dressed female Deku. It was the Deku princess! He slashed through the vines covering the door and entered the room. Upon seeing Link, the Deku Princesses eyes lit up.
"Who are you?", she asked. Link gave his name to her and then she continued." Link, I am pleased to meet you. I'm the Deku Princess! Were you, by chance, asked by that monkey to come to save me?".
Link nodded to answer the question, silently observing her."Aha! Just as I suspected. You see, your body smells a little bit like a monkey. So...the monkey made it back fine after all. That's good. I was worried that when I didn't come home, my father would think that monkey had kidnapped me! I was worried that my father would even go so far as to punish the poor monkey!".
Link looked uncomfortable and shuffled his feet.
"Well, actually…", he said. Before he could even complete his sentence, the Deku Princess exclaimed in outrage: "...Don't tell me...Are you serious?! My father is doing that?! Yet another hasty decision, on my father's part! W-Well, we haven't any time to lose...Quickly, Mr. Link, could you please so you can take me to the Deku Palace?"
Link nodded. He didn't know why the Deku Princess couldn't get to the palace herself, but he didn't have time to argue. Tatl had told him after his battle with Odolwa that she could sense that the moon was getting very close. He grimaced when he realized that he needed to use the Deku mask once more. He sighed, then took the mask out of his pouch and put it on. Once more he felt the excruciating pain, but for some reason, he felt like it had lessened somehow. His body screamed by reflex, and after a second, he had become a Deku once more.
The Deku Princess looked alarmed but didn't question him about it. Link picked her up, and at Tatl's direction, made his way out of the Temple. He was surprised to see the water around the swamp completely clear of any purple poison but didn't spend time admiring it. He ran towards Woodfall Palace as fast as he could, with him carrying the Deku Princess who was urging him onward.
When he finally burst into the palace, Link was horrified to see that the monkey was dangling above the pot of boiling water, and the Deku's surrounding it were chanting for vengeance. As the Deku King was about to give the order to drop the monkey, however, the Deku Princess screamed:
"STOP!". With her scream, everything went silent. Link put her down, and she ran towards her father. It seemed like she was about to hug him when she leaped on him and began to jump on him.
"H-Huff-huh! Foolish father! WHAT are you doing?! Let that monkey go this instant!". With the Deku Princess's "prompting", the king ordered "Stop all punishment! Untie that monkey now!
A moment later, the monkey was freed, and the Deku King was looking embarrassed. The Deku Princess ignored her father and began speaking to the monkey and Link. "Oh, Mr. Monkey, I am truly sorry. Father does such rash things when he's worried about me. Why yes, thanks to Mr. Link here. I am very, truly grateful. As a symbol of our gratitude, our butler will prepare a little something for you. Please accept it. You'll find it in the shrine that will be to your right when you leave the palace. It seems our butler has taken somewhat of a liking to you, Mr. Link. I believe you'll find him waiting in the shrine that will be to your right when you leave the palace. I shall never forget what you have done for us!
Link nodded farewell, and left the palace quickly, knowing that he only had a few hours left. He was also very tired and needed a breath of fresh air to cool down after the long day. It was then that Tatl spoke to him.
"Hey Link, let's go get that reward that the Deku Princess was talking about!", she said. Link tiredly nodded. He made his way to the shrine and wandered inside. Later, he would remember fondly about his time with the Deku Butler. Link found out his name was Deri Deku the second, and Link had put on his Deku Mask. During his time in the shrine, Link played a game of tag with Deri, reminding him of playing tag with the forest fairies in the Kokiri Forest. Afterward, he gave Link a mask called the Mask of Scents.
When Link tried the mask on, he could swear that he could smell things that he couldn't before. It was painted a mellow pink, and had a large snout, reminding him of a pig. When he finally left and pulled off his Deku Mask, he was much more content, but even more tired. To his surprise, the Deku Mask disappeared from his hand! In a few moments, Link noticed something strange. A blue beaded necklace had appeared on his neck. Upon inspection, he saw that there were 24 beads. He also saw, carved into each bead, almost impossible to see, was the etching of a mask. When he touched the bead with the Deku Mask on it, it suddenly appeared in his hand! Tatl looked surprised and began to barrage him with questions, but Link had no answer. He touched the mask back to the necklace, and it suddenly vanished. Link was confused but happy that his new masks had a place to stay.
Back to the present, Link was standing in front of the Great Fairy's Fountain in Woodfall. He had used a mask to locate the Lost fairies in the temple called the Great Fairy Mask. He had received it from the first Great Fairy that he had healed.
Link walked into the cave and was not surprised to see that it looked exactly like the ones he had seen in his Hyrule. When he waded into the water, the lost fairies in his pocket flew out of his pocket and swirled faster and faster into a circle, until, with a blinding flash of light, another Great Fairy appeared!
"Oh, strong young one, I am the Great Fairy of Power! Thank you for returning my broken and shattered body to normal. As all good deeds need to be returned, I shall grant you prowess with a new sword technique! With this, you will infuse your spinning blade with light magic!", the Great Fairy said. After giving her short speech, she lifted her arms, and Link was suddenly engulfed by white light.
All of a sudden, Link felt like he knew how to infuse light magic into his blade. Since he had been granted the ability to use his magic power in this land by the Great Fairy in Clock Town, he could tap into his reserves of magic and use the power of light. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to infuse other magic into a person's sword. The power of light was the most common way of giving your sword some extra power.
When Link opened his eyes, he said:
"Thank you, Great Fairy. I am sure I will need to use this soon.". With Link's words, the Great Fairy looked concerned, but she could understand that he was tired.
"I shall also heal your wounds from your adventure.", she proclaimed. With this, she walked forward, and carefully placed her hand on Link's head. Link suddenly felt a rush of healing magic flowing through him, and his wounds healed quickly.
After his many wounds were dealt with, the Great Fairy winked at Link and sank into her fountain with a loud giggle. Link suddenly felt so tired. One thing about healing magic is that it draws on the target's energy. After a person is healed through magical means, they typically feel weaker or more tired. In Link's case, he felt like he hadn't slept in days, which was true. He hadn't slept in the dungeon once. He had been rushing to complete the temple and had lost track of time due to there being no windows or clocks in there.
Link sleepily stepped back out of the cave and looked around. He noticed that the moon was only a few hundred feet above the ground at most now! He hurriedly pulled out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Time. All at once, the world began to spin, and Link began to fall through the same white expanse filled with clocks. He noticed, with surprise, that all of his rupees and ammunition were falling out of his bag and quiver! He tried to grab them, but he was falling too quickly to catch any. All of a sudden, he saw only black.
Link opened his eyes sleepily to see clock town once more and sighed with relief when he saw that the moon was once more high in the sky. He closed his eyes, and much to Tatl's chagrin, he fell into a deep sleep.
