Chapter 3: Link Sylvanus
The next morning, Link awoke from a nightmare much the same as nights previous, except that Navi was there. In fact, it was she who woke him, demanding to know if he was alright, and asking about his dream. Somehow, perhaps because she had followed him into a place that didn't exist, he suspected that Navi had joined him in his dreams for real.
When he was awake, he explained to her all the details that he had noticed about the dream, over the past month. He might as well, if she had already seen even part of it. She hovered, restless, near his head, brows furrowed, her left arm clutched in her right.
"Is that what you dream every night? Who is the man on the black horse? And, that spell…."
Link gave a curt nod, peering up at the sky, where the moon was almost set. There was little point in returning to sleep. "Let's find some more food to put into storage, and have breakfast. I'll start the explanation then."
Navi opened her mouth, clearly intending to say more, but then nodded, silent, and followed him back through the ropes of the bridge, where they had slept, and onto the forest floor below.
Despite Mido's refusal to let him learn how to use a bow, Link had found that he was a good enough aim with the slingshot (with Navi's help), to bring down squirrels, at the very least. There were also plenty of roots and leaves that Saria had trained him to recognise. Some of these things would keep better than others—unless items in storage were unaffected by the passage of time. He made a note to ask Navi about this.
At last, they exited the Lost Woods, and built a small fire from the dry wood of some of the dead trees marking the entrance. The sun had started to rise, returning the endless army of monsters to their rest. As he cooked the food he had found, he considered how to begin. He didn't want Navi to dismiss his words, as Saria had. He needed to get across to her the true nature of the situation, and as fast as possible.
"Well, Link?" asked Navi, impatient, as she flew through the fire to hover a foot before his face. Apparently, faeries weren't just invulnerable to water—they also didn't burn. They were living kokiri boots. Link slapped his forehead at the thought that had just crossed his mind. He was glad that Navi couldn't read it.
He leant back, willing whatever food he hadn't finished into the storage room, and stamping out what remained of the fire he had used to cook. It hadn't been that big to begin with, and there was nothing nearby for it to burn, but he'd rather not set Hyrule Field ablaze.
He stared down at the ground, without seeing it. "It's a long story, as I said yesterday. But, here is the most important thing for you to know: I am not the Link whose partner you're supposed to be. I have no claim on your friendship, or partnership, or anything."
He decided to take her silence, and the fact that she landed upon his shoulder, as a sign that she was willing to listen. He set off through the dead trees, until he came to the wide-open plains of Hyrule Field. A path stretching before him would allow him to mindlessly wander forward, in what he hoped was the right direction, as he tried to explain to Navi.
"My name is Link Sylvanus, and I hail from Outset Island, at the southernmost reaches of the Great Sea. I'm seventeen years old. I've lived all my life on Outset Island, with my sister, Aryll, and my grandmother, who raised me after my parents were lost in a storm…."
He proceeded, as the day progressed, to lay out the story of how he had embarked upon his quest, initially intending only to rescue Aryll from the clutches of the Master of the Helmaroc King, before being drawn into the greater conflict. He talked about Ganon, the shadow on Forsaken Fortress, and the Helmaroc King. He told of collecting the three Pearls of the Goddesses, and making his way to the Land beneath the Waves.
He revealed Tetra's true identity, and recalled his adventures in the two temples. He summarised the gathering of the pieces of the Triforce of Courage. He mentioned his new title, the Hero of Winds. Then, came the journey, down, into the depths of Ganon's Tower, and the confrontation with Ganon that had never come. He related the acquisition of the gift of the goddesses, and how he had come to be here.
It was a very long story, even told in summary. The sun was high in the sky before he came to its end. "So, you see, I'm not the Link to whom you were meant to be bound. I have no right to be here."
He leant back, tilting his head towards the sun, thinking of the Deku Tree's creation myth.
There was a moment of silence, and then Navi laughed. She doesn't believe it, either, he thought, bowing his head, and turning aside.
"Oh, Link," she said, her voice filled with warmth and…sympathy? "It doesn't matter who you are. The Great Deku Tree sent me to find you, whether he knew it or not. You were the boy I woke from—oh, that was a nightmare, wasn't it? You were the one to recover the Kokiri Sword, to venture into the Great Deku Tree to break the curse. You were the one who impressed me with his wisdom and courage. Not some other Link. You. You're not evil, the way this Ganon you spoke of is, so I don't care who you are. A faerie bond is forever, Link. And, I'm glad that I was bonded to you. Don't think otherwise for a moment!"
"Navi…" he began. He considered telling her that what she had just said was sappy…but he had to admit, it reassured him, doubt or not. There was something too sweet for derision in Navi's little confession. Especially since nothing she had said could be disputed.
"Link Sylvanus…I want you to know…I believe you."
His head snapped over in her direction. It was the first time anyone had called him by that name since he'd found himself in Kokiri Forest. He stared at her, open-mouthed, and wide-eyed. Navi ruined the effect by giggling. "Now, part of it, I'll admit, is that I regret not giving you a chance when we first met. But, only a very small part! I hear your words, and they feel a coherent truth.
"You describe things that a kokiri couldn't know, and you did explain how you learnt how to fight with a sword. It makes sense. But, don't worry. You're here as a mission from the goddesses. They won't let anything bad happen to your world in your absence. And, I'm sure that Tetra is alright."
Link was still staring at her. He knew that he should be watching where he was going, but couldn't bring himself to look away. At last, he broke eye contact, looking down and away, blushing furiously.
"My friends call me 'Link'," he offered, and Navi nodded. "That's a hint, Navi."
She nodded again. "One fewer thing to remember, then. I'm glad we're friends!"
"But, what happens if Link, the other-Link, returns?" Link protested, cautiously scrutinising his companion. She huffed and crossed her arms protectively against her chest.
"Well, I suppose I'll help him on this quest. But, I won't tell him what you told me, as well—unless you want me to?—no, then I won't. I don't think I'd ever be able to connect with him the way I have you. I hope you don't leave yet. I know it's selfish, when you have that pirate princess, and your family, waiting for you…but, you're my friend, too!"
Something about this assurance set his mind at ease, freeing it to wander.
After that, Link walked with Navi for several more hours, with a companionable silence intermittently broken when Navi asked questions about his life, about Orca and Sturgeon, his grandmother and Aryll, the King of Red Lions. She would doubtless have asked about the Hero of Time, too, but Link's thoughts were still muddled all around the idea, and he'd shied away from mentioning the Legendary Hero, whose shield and sword he had borne.
A moment of indecisive panic came as sunset approached, and there were no buildings or other sanctuary in sight.
"We might not be able to wall ourselves in in a fortress, but if there were even any running water…!" Navi cried. "You might be skilled with weapons, after your quest, but stalchildren aren't that tough of opponents—it's only that they're an endless horde, and everyone tires. But, the undead have trouble with water, I've heard…maybe it's wrong, but maybe not…if there were a pond or something nearby, I would say that it was our best chance."
"I seem to have lost my skills with the bow and arrow," Link said, "so I'm not sure that I retained any of my other abilities, either, except for the knowledge of how to wield sword and shield. If you can find something that might work for shelter, that must be sufficient for our purposes, tonight. If I can be assured of not being surrounded, I think I could stay awake all night, fighting them."
"Oh, but Link, you mustn't!" Navi cried, fluttering anxiously by his head. Suddenly, her head jerked to the right, and Link followed her gaze. He saw nothing noteworthy.
"I think I hear water, in the distance…over there!" she cried, and flew off. Link dashed after her, hoping for the best.
As sunset loomed closer, they found themselves at the back of a pond. A rushing river, much shallower than it was upstream, flowed into the pond, supplying it with water. Link waded in, hoping that Navi was right.
He dragged his legs through the water as deep as he dared. The kokiri boots were still dry, no matter how wet his legs were above them. There was no chance of sleep, as deep as he was. He backed into a shallower area, sitting down in water that came up to his knees when standing, and to his neck when he sat. He leant against the deku shield for support, and closed his eyes….
He opened them the next morning, to find that he hadn't been attacked. The nightmare troubled him less than it had before, perhaps because he was on his way to fix the problem it warned him of. He felt, almost, refreshed.
Food was easier to find in the pond—there were edible plants that he had gathered on his walk the day before, and he was able to catch some fish, somehow, by impaling them with the Kokiri Sword. He'd never realised how self-sufficient he could be, given the opportunity.
They set off soon after dawn broke, Navi leaving his shoulder to fly ahead of him, as if trying to guide him. They were still on the path, with no hint of a nearby protection, when the sun began to set once more. Link resigned himself to fighting his way through the night, and drew sword and shield.
When it had been dark for an hour, he turned to Navi, a silent question in his raised brow.
Navi shrugged in response. "I don't know where they are. But, these trails must exist for some reason. Perhaps, they're enchanted to protect traders, and we're benefiting from those protections. I know that the stalchildren are out there, but if you don't believe me…let's try something. Why don't you take a few steps off the path?"
Link turned to Navi, another silent question in his eyes, but did as he was told. The moment his boots stepped off the beaten trail, a skeletal figure rose out of the ground before him. It was about the same height as he, and, as with a stalfos, made entirely of bones, with fiery red eyes. The bones were completely exposed to the elements, and the thing lacked even a weapon, instead lashing out at him with its bare hands.
Another one rose from the ground next it, and Link stepped back onto the path. Crowd though the two things would at the path, they were unable to step onto it. They whacked at an invisible wall barricading it off, barring them access, futilely lashing out at something they couldn't see.
Link thought of their name, "stalchildren", and felt something like pity. These creatures weren't frightening; they were sad. Were these real children, who had turned into stalfoi, or were they stalfoi with the outward semblance of a child? Was there even a difference?
"Link," Navi said, in a conversational tone that immediately roused his suspicion. "What direction are you facing in?"
He frowned, staring at the stalchildren lashing out. He hadn't realised it before, but the sense he'd had all his life, telling him exactly which direction he was facing, as if he were a strange sort of living compass, capable of identifying all compass points on a map… it was just gone. And, he hadn't even noticed. He didn't know in which direction he was facing. He wasn't sure that they were heading north, as they were meant to. He turned away from the frustrated stalchildren to look at Navi.
"I don't know…" he said. "And, I can't use weapons the way I used to be able to, either. How could I have lost knowledge itself?"
Navi tapped her finger against her chin, staring straight ahead. Her halo was blue, suggesting that she hadn't expected him to fight the stalchildren at all.
"I think…I think that the abilities you had as the Hero of Winds were temporary gifts of the goddesses. Perhaps, your reason for coming here was to learn these skills properly. It seems that you have no more knowledge or skill than the Link of this world—except for your skill with the sword, which you learnt the hard way. It complicates things rather, but I'm willing to teach you. I'll help you to learn what you need to know and how to survive. Don't worry! But, it's always good to know your limits!"
The stalchildren lashed at the road's barrier for fifteen more minutes before sinking back into the ground.
It struck Link that there was some sort of hole in her explanation, but he couldn't quite discern what it was. Perhaps, it was because he was so tired….
He awoke at dawn of the next day. Navi had managed to wake him before Ganon could hit him with a blast of light.
They set off after breakfast in a contemplative silence, Link turning over Navi's idea in his head. The main problem with her explanation—the one that loomed largest—was his unjustified belief that his skills had been handed to him, one way or another, from the Hero of Time. Tetra had said that the Hero was "the master of many weapons". And, sometimes, he'd thought that he was the Hero's reincarnation.
It wasn't impossible; even Ganon had thought it, at least as a possibility. Could a reincarnation gain and lose skills that way, or was it all wishful thinking on his part? He turned over the idea of whether he ought to tell Navi about the Legendary Hero. He'd left it out the first time, on account of the mess his mind was, the snarl in his normally clear thought processes.
And, of course, it was a spectacular idea—too spectacular to feel true. How would you broach such an idea? But, he might mention the Legendary Hero, and his tale: how he had defeated Ganon long before Link had been born. He might tell her the island legend. He didn't have to say how it pertained to him, precisely—he couldn't even decide that for himself!
He considered the idea for the entire day's journey, stopping only to forage, hunt, and watch out for those giant monsters he could see hiding in the grass. When he asked Navi what they were, she turned to him.
"What? Haven't you encountered them before? Those are peahats, of course!"
And, he took a second to stop in the middle of the path, and to stare at the giant monsters. They weren't the right colour—they were the right dark brown, but with diamonds of yellow around their bodies, and bright red tapering leaves like the petals of flowers on the top. And, according to Navi, a ring of spikes at the bottom, exposed when they took flight. He saw it for himself as they passed, a bit too close to, and one rose from the ground. The spikes looked very, very sharp, and very, very long—much sharper and longer than the ones that had pierced his legs, in Jalhalla's chamber. Navi fluttered over to the enemy, her eyes turning yellow as her halo did.
"Navi, let's go!" he called to her, as he ran. He knew that he didn't have enough experience, or even the right weapons, to take on that monstrosity. These were radically different from the little egg-shaped monsters that flew through the air via kargaroc feather. He didn't even have the boomerang, but he knew that it would take a stronger weapon than the boomerang to take those things out of the sky.
"It's fine! I'm fast! I'll join you when you're far enough away. In the meantime, I'll help you to track where the monster is!"
And, true to Navi's word, after he had been running for about two minutes, Navi sped over to his shoulder, landing on it heavily on account of the jostling of his gait. Link gave her a feeble, strained smile.
"Hey! I'm tough! Most monsters can't hurt me, remember?"
Link slowed down, stopping to take in slow, even breaths, trying to wind down after that little misadventure.
"I take it the peahats you know are a bit different?" Navi asked dryly.
He blushed, and turned away, nodding, but not bothering to explain further. Those things were nightmarish. He could still see the ring of spikes surrounding the base of the peahat (which had no glaring weakness, as fragile feathers holding it aloft, or a big blue-green eye). He shuddered. Still…it wasn't as bad as those walking corpses. He'd count his blessings.
They continued walking, and when Link saw more peahats nearby, he left the path to give them a wide enough berth. Someday, he hoped, he'd have the skill and equipment to handle them…but for now, flight was the only proper response.
The next day, he had decided to tell Navi about the Hero of Time. Perhaps, it was how she had taken the rest of the outlandish tale he had spun for her days ago, or perhaps it was the pent-up need to run his idea by someone, anyone, but he felt a pressing urge to reveal the tale, and his knowledge of the Legendary Hero, such as it was, to her.
Navi listened, attentive, raising a quizzical eyebrow, clearly wondering why he hadn't told her this with the rest of the tale, but she listened without judging.
"On Outset Island, when a boy turns seventeen, he is made to wear the clothes of a hero of long ago—the legendary Hero of Time. Later in the day, after a celebratory feast, he is given gifts (which is something done for birthdays, anyway), and the tale of the Hero of Time is told. Not much is known about the actual figure, but I've heard the island legend many times… most recently when Mesa turned seventeen."
Navi clearly remembered his explanation that Aryll had been kidnapped on his seventeenth birthday, because she didn't ask why he hadn't heard it more recently—on his own. She sat on his shoulder, hands gripping his kokiri tunic.
"I always felt…drawn…to the story. I did my best to memorise it, until I think I committed the entire thing to memory by force of will. Although…it turns out this is only one legend of the Hero, the one told on the island. The simplest version runs thus:
"'Long ago, there existed a prosperous kingdom wherein a sacred artefact was hidden. But, one day, an evil came and claimed the relic's power for himself. With its power, he spread darkness throughout the kingdom. The people believed that they were doomed, and could not withstand his evil…but, just when it seemed that they must give up all hope…a young boy clothed in green appeared, as if out of nowhere. The boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. Wielding the Blade of Evil's Bane, he sealed the dark evil away, and returned light to the land.
"'The boy's tale was passed down through the generations—until it became a legend. But, then…one day, the evil long considered vanquished by the Hero returned, eager to resume its dark designs. The people believed that the Hero would again come to save them…but he did not appear.
"'Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could turn only to the gods. In their final hour, as the evil one stood about to triumph, they left their futures in the hands of Fate. And, no one to this day knows what became of that lost kingdom.
"'Here on Outset Island, we honour its memory and the Legendary Hero by wearing the Hero's clothes for a day, and retelling what is remembered of the tale.'"
Link paused, shaking his head, and giving Navi a tense smile. He'd only managed to recite the legend by not thinking about what he was saying. The question of his own experiences (were they visions, or something more?) still ate away at him. He turned his head to look at Navi.
"And, that's all that's known on Outset. But, the King of Red Lions said that he was the erstwhile king of that very kingdom…and he told me that Ganon, whom I never fought, who almost killed me, was the very evil from the tale. And, my family (on my grandmother's side) descends from the Legendary Hero. Not that the King knew that. But, it's made quite a muddle of everything, in my mind. I can't decide what's relevant and what isn't. I don't know how my current situation ties in with the battle against Ganon that was imminent before my arrival here."
"The 'Blade of Evil's Bane'…the Master Sword…I have heard of it." There was an unusual current of reverence to Navi's tone when she spoke. "But, the rest—I know only what you have told me. I have never heard of a Hero of Time, or of a man named Ganon, except in your explanation. I haven't even heard of a King of Red Lions, or of the girl you call Zelda Atempor Tetra. But, it strikes me as strange, that there should be even one instance of correlation between our two realities."
She was staring straight ahead, her arms loose at her side. There was a strange sort of absence to her demeanour, as if she followed her thoughts, physically, to a realm unseen.
Link nodded. That Navi had heard of the Master Sword—but only that—struck him as strange. But, while he wanted her opinion on his rather odd theory, he found that he seemed to have pushed the limits of what he was comfortable confiding for the moment. All the same, he resolved not to be like the paranoid King, who hid even the most pertinent information from others, and kept his own counsel. It was still a relief, to have said what he had to Navi.
They arrived at the castle, at long last, in midmorning of the next day. The hills of Hyrule Field had hidden it from them (not to speak of the tall walls of Lon Lon Ranch, on their left). The path had curved around the ranch, with another path heading in that direction. They'd made good time, but had nevertheless been surprised when they saw the castle looming ahead.
Although, perhaps most of that surprise was on account of Link's recurring nightmare.
He knew the castle at once: the symbol of the Triforce painted yellow above the (lowered) drawbridge, flanked by two unlit torches, the narrow moat, the tall white walls. If it had been dark, and the moon hidden by clouds, it would have been identical.
Link sank to his knees, and his legs gave out under him. It was real. Goddesses Three, how could such a thing be real? How could he stand in a place he had seen only in his dreams?
Navi fluttered in his face, filling his field of vision, and he pressed his hands as hard as he could into the soft grass near the bridge. He stared at the grass, and then slowly, slowly, raised himself to his feet.
"It's the castle," he whispered. "The one from my dream…."
In his mind's eye, he saw the little girl, with her silly pink and white dress and headdress—the abject terror in her eyes, accompanied by some deep well of…something. The woman with white hair urged the horse on faster as they galloped out of sight. Link whirled around, to find Ganon atop a black stallion….
But, that was in his dreams. Ganon couldn't be here now. Link expelled a long breath of air, stood bent over for a few seconds, and then resolutely approached the drawbridge, walked over it, entered the thankfully unfamiliar area beyond.
A guard station lay to the right, where a guard complained of boredom, and urged Link to break the vases in the storeroom. Link broke a few of the vases, because something about that guard…it made him feel that if that boredom were to exceed a certain level, the man would do something drastic. The guard stood a little straighter, at least, when Link left. Link paid the man little more thought, walking down a path lined in grey bricks into a bustling market square.
Windfall had nothing on this place. The frenetic energy was almost too much for Link to even comprehend. He saw the market in glimpses, mostly—a man with a bag on his back, running back and forth, peddling wares to two unruly mobs of people. A child cuccoherd chased a cucco around the square. A man and woman danced around the well at the market's heart. Twin red-haired men under a tree gesticulated widely at each other, their stubborn faces set, as the blue-shirted one screeched at the red-shirted one for daring to mock him.
Link wandered through the market square in something of a daze, Navi clutching his shoulder tight, hearing snippets of conversations as he passed through. It was too much, living for over a month in the Kokiri Forest, spending several days alone with only Navi for company, on the road, and then coming to a busy town.
A black-haired woman in a pale blue dress gave him a friendly smile.
"Hello there, kid. Is this your first time at market?" Link's head was still spinning; he couldn't make a proper reply. She smiled down at him, but her smile was not-quite-patronising. Link noticed that he was standing near a flight of stairs, and that there was an old man, in a blue cylindrical hat resembling Mido's, and long blue robes.
"Well, you simply must visit the Temple of Time. It's our most famous landmark. And, according to some myths, it contains the door to the Sacred Realm! It's behind you, looming in the distance, there, in the northeast part of town!"
She pointed behind him, and he spun around, turning to look at the tall building, with its pyramidal spires, gothic architecture, those windows, set impossibly high into the walls. "Take that path across the square, and you'll find yourself in a courtyard with a row of gossip stones. From there, there's really no other path to take but the one to the Temple. You should go at least once!"
But, Link's mind had caught on the phrase "gossip stones". He was certain that he'd heard it somewhere, before.
"'Gossip stones'? What are those?"
The woman gave him another kindly smile. She was about Sue-Belle's age, if he could guess, and with a similar temperament. Otherwise, he might have made his excuses, and left. He did somehow have to find his way to the Great Deku Tree's "Princess of Destiny". But, he had been raised to be polite, and the mention of "gossip stones" felt similar to a forgotten itch. Now, that he remembered it, although he'd been able to resist before, he couldn't help but scratch it. It was a bit like that.
"Oh!" the woman said. "You must have come a long way, indeed! I thought that gossip stones were everywhere! They're those stones with the symbol of the sheikah eye on them—that creepy crying eye…and when you whack them, they bounce up and down in place, and give you the time. I've heard the sheikahs use them to spy on people…."
Now, Link was even more confused. "Sheikahs?" he repeated, bewildered. He was too far out of his depth. Navi either didn't know any better than he, or was content to let him find his own answers.
"The sheikahs fought in the Great Hyrulean War, decades ago, but they have since become quite elusive," said the old man, and Link almost started. Navi giggled, but smothered it with her fist. "They are the 'Shadow Folk', the shadows of the hylians, masters of disguise and subterfuge…the ideal spies and assassins.
"During the war, they swore allegiance to the king, and are now also the devoted protectors of the members of the Royal Family. With the long peace, no one has seen one in many years. Some people say they all died out, but I've heard that there is a sheikah woman living in the castle, though none have ever seen her outside of the castle to confirm this, of course!"
The man began to stroll away, and the woman gave another pleasant smile.
"He's a bit odd, but his mind is sharp. If he says something, I guarantee it's true. I think he did research into the sheikahs, years ago…he's a folklorist, or he was before he retired…. Well, let me know if you need anything, kid. I'll let you go on your way."
"Thank you…that was very informative."
It was too much information, he meant. He couldn't rightly make heads or tails of it all. Stones that spied and told the time? Assassin-spies who protected the Royal Family? What?
He was beginning to feel dizzy from all the bustle of the town square. He stumbled and almost fell, but righted himself, and began making his way to the path he could see at the edge of the market.
"Oh, hey! How are you? It's rare to see someone my own age, here. Or at all, really," said a girl with long red hair. She was about the same age as he appeared to be, wearing a white dress and a yellow scarf. Her hair was a dimmer red than Navi's, but still bright, and her eyes were a dark, river blue. He turned to her, wondering if he should make good his escape, or take a moment to catch his breath. The girl seemed determined to make the decision for him.
"I've never seen clothes like yours before. Where do you come from? Is it far from here? Is that a faerie with you? How did you get a faerie to follow you?"
When he tried to pull away, she followed him, not seeming to even realise that she was. He paused, leaning against a square pot with flowers—not yet in bloom, but approaching that stage—perfectly contained within. He wondered if she would follow him even to the keep.
"Hello," he said, thinking that he'd been perhaps a bit rude, even if the girl did seem a bit overbearing. "Er—I come from—from Kokiri Forest. It's several days' distance…at least, on foot. In the heart of Kokiri Forest is a society of forest people, who only resemble children. We each have a guardian faerie, who guides and protects us. I didn't have one, before, but now I do. But, that's why she's following me. She's my faerie partner."
He stopped. The girl's eyebrows had grown progressively closer together as he spoke; now they had reached their limits, almost meeting in the middle, with deep wrinkles above the bridge of her nose. He realised that she was utterly bewildered by his explanation, and opened his mouth to try to figure out how he could possibly break it down further, but she spoke first.
"Wha—what? A community of people living in the forest? They have faeries? I guess that means…you're a faerie boy from the forest…? That makes sense. It's nice to meet you. I'm the daughter of the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. My name's Malone, but you can call me 'Molly', if you want. Let's be friends! Oh—what's your name?"
Link glanced at Navi, silently asking for help, but she seemed to be fighting the urge to laugh. Maybe he was just hopeless around girls, but he was wishing that he could go back to fighting Gohma, please.
"Uh…Link," he said, remembering to omit his surname. He gave a bow to her, and Navi's suppressed laughter ceased. "This is my first time at market. I'm going to the castle keep, if I can find the way."
"Maybe I'll come with you," Malone said. "My father went to the keep to deliver some milk…and he hasn't returned yet. I don't trust him not to have fallen asleep somewhere—he's so irresponsible! I have to keep a constant eye on him! I can't go past the gate, but I guess the guard will let you through, right? Still, I can start you on the right path. Come on!"
She took off at a run along a dirt path that continued the brick main street of the Market. He followed her, hoping that she knew the way.
As he entered the quiet of the castle road, the bustle dwindled to nothing. He, Navi, and Malone, were almost immediately alone. He found himself breathing more easily, the tension leaving his body. Slowly, his breathing resumed its normal rate.
He looked around him, noticing the only tree, and the vines growing up the side of a cliff. Malone stopped before the vines, ducking her head to her right, around the corner. Link walked past her, to see another guard, with that same conical helmet, the chainmail vest, and blue tunic under it, clutching a spear. He'd already seen two guards that were dressed just the same as this one. Their eyes were hidden under the shadows of the helms, making them seem strangely inhuman. It served to make them more intimidating.
He considered walking over to the guard and explaining his situation, and straightaway dismissed it as folly. He'd have to sneak past somehow—maybe using the vines climbing up that cliff?
"This is as far as I can go—the guards know me, anyway. They'd never let me through—I hope you know what you're doing. But, Link, if you'll look for my dad, I'll give you this egg. Try to keep it warm as best you can. It'll hatch into a cucco soon…and you know how cuccos are around lazy sleeping people! Heehee!"
She reached out her hands to him, and suddenly a bird's nest was nestled in them, with an egg perched on top. Link took the egg, nest and all, from her hands, sending her a quizzical look.
"Just keep it as warm as you can. It should hatch tomorrow—if your journey takes that long. Keep an eye out for my Dad, and if he's asleep, the cucco will crow in his ear—he loves cuccos, but that always wakes him really fast!"
Link was at a loss for words. Who gives an egg to someone they've just met, or asks them to find their parents? But, he was going to the castle, anyway. He might as well look for the girl's father. He focused hard, and the egg he held in his hands vanished. He'd need to keep taking it out, and putting it back in, storage, if there were more cliffs that he needed to climb.
"Thank you?" he asked, and Malone giggled.
"Just find my father, faerie boy. You can keep the cucco."
She leant back against the wall, near the vines, but not in front of them, and began to sing, a little wordless melody. There was something peaceful and serene about the song, and Link wished that he could stay to listen.
Instead, he rubbed his hands together, and grabbed onto the vines, carefully climbing the wall. Malone didn't seem to be paying much attention. Maybe she was trying to be able to claim that she didn't know how he'd managed to scale the cliff; maybe she was too busy thinking about what her father might be doing; Link didn't know.
Link pulled himself onto the higher cliff, which the gate that the guard was watching connected to another cliff. The wall into which the iron gate was set was broad enough that he could have lain down along its width, so he could comfortably have walked across to the other side, except that there were guards there, both facing away from him at the moment. On his cliff was a rounded stone statue, engraved with a strange symbol. It rather resembled an eye with rays of light shooting from around it, and a teardrop falling from it. Wait a minute….
He walked over to the stone, considered hitting it, and changed his mind. Who knew how much noise that would make? He didn't need to know precisely what time it was. He could tell by the position of the sun in the sky that it was sometime in the afternoon. He'd missed lunch, but there was no help for that now.
He walked over onto the white stone "bridge", careful to make no noise, and launched himself off towards the path further ahead. He followed the road until it came to a fork. To his right was a dead end, blocked by a huge brown boulder, with a sign helpfully labeling the path as a dead end right in front of the boulder. It was almost enough to make him suspect that the path somehow wasn't a dead end at all—but there would be time to think about that later. Perhaps, after he'd acquired a bomb bag.
For now, he looked to the definitely-not-dead-end—the path to the left. The guards were facing in his direction, but he thought that he could climb the hill to his left whilst staying out of their sight. Those helmets must restrict their range of vision somewhat, too.
He crawled up the hill on his hands and knees, and stayed crouched over as he crept through the short grasses and trees on this hill. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the path that he hadn't had the chance to take curl around in a gentle bend. To his left, the guards at the edge of the bridge-walkway grew more and more distant, and at last, he dared to straighten up.
Even had he been confident in his ability to fight in his smaller body, he still wouldn't have wanted to fight the castle guards. These were, after all, good people, doing important jobs. It wasn't their fault that he was an anomalous case, an exception to the rules that they had been trained to follow. He needed to evade capture not only for his own sake, but for theirs, as well. As for Navi…well, he wasn't sure they'd even be able to capture her, but he thought he knew her well enough by now to guess that she would follow him to prison, if into prison they sent him. He was glad of her presence, and her current silence.
"Ohhh… now I'm lost. That girl from the ranch—Malone?—asked us to find her father. But, this place is like a grove. Where do you suppose he could be?" Navi asked, just then.
"Close to the keep, I'd guess," Link replied, waving his hand at the towering structure off to their right. There was another great gate joining two cliffs, and guarded by two castle soldiers. Link stayed far away from the road.
And then, Kaepora Gaebora dropped down, and he and Navi sighed at the same time. Well, he had been wondering what he'd do whilst waiting for the cucco egg to hatch. That should answer that question. He called the egg back into his hands, and sat down, heedless of decorum, as the owl cried,
"Hey, Link! Up here! In the tree! Hoot hoo!"
Link and Navi exchanged a look, and Link wondered if the owl would notice if he just fell asleep where he sat.
"Before you stands the great keep of Hyrule Castle, where centuries of kings and queens have reigned, and left their marks upon the face of the world, and changed history. If you explore the castle diligently, I am sure that you will have no problems finding the Princess of Destiny. Already, the warp of fate is being woven around you.
"The passage of time can seem very unimportant when traveling the land, but there are things that can only be done during, the day, and others only at night. For example, it would be very rude to drop in upon royalty in the middle of the night! When you come to a place at the wrong time of day, be patient, and wait for the proper time. Nor should you rush into anything hastily.
"Take a good look at your surroundings. The castle keep is surrounded by a moat filled with clear blue waters. These waters help to preserve the fresh milk that is delivered weekly to the castle. The guards who patrol the beautiful statues and topiary of the castle courtyard are also entrusted with the task of bringing the milk inside before it spoils. They watch the delivery door carefully—you wouldn't be able to enter the castle that way! What do you suppose that you should do instead? Perhaps, it will be clearer when you are closer!
"Hmmm…that was a lot for a child to remember. Do you want me to explain things to you again?"
"No!" Link hastened to say, and then he blushed furiously at his rudeness. "I mean, even if a little kid has little head for details, I have my guardian faerie to help me out! Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Kaepora Gaebora. I'm sorry we take up so much of your time…."
"It is a pleasure to meet such an impressive young man. Keep on the lookout for me—I'll see you again soon. If you don't need me for anything else, I think I'll say goodbye. Hoo hoot!"
He flew off before they could respond, as Link looked around him.
"…He could have flown us into the courtyard he was talking about so much, couldn't he?" he asked Navi, with a sigh, setting the egg on his crossed legs to rest his head in his hands.
"Maybe," Navi conceded. "But, it would have drawn the guards' attentions. Owls are thought to have all died, remember? And furthermore, they'd notice that he was carrying someone…no, the least conspicuous plan is to make our way forwards as we have been. Look! There's a wall over there with deep grooves in it that you should be able to climb. It overlooks the moat—maybe you can swim the moat, and climb out where the milk is delivered!"
It was as good of a plan as any. Link picked up the egg, keeping it in his hands until he stood before the cliff Navi had mentioned. He willed it back into his storage room, and set to climbing the ledge.
Here was another gossip stone. Alright, maybe they were ubiquitous. He still didn't recall seeing any before. There was no one nearby, so now, he glanced furtively back and forth, and raised a fist, slamming it down onto the stone, that wobbled wildly up and down, and then spoke, in a bland monotone.
"The current time is thirty-seven minutes past the twentieth hour."
The stone slowly settled into its previous position, leaving no sign that anyone had even touched it. Link took a moment to consider the question of whether he had just informed these mysterious "sheikahs" that he was here. If he had, did it really matter? He wasn't staying, long.
He climbed the steep slope of the cliff, and peered down into the moat.
Navi had been right. The cliff did directly overhang it. He backed up several steps, and then took a running leap, and dove in, swimming along the narrow channel until he saw a stone ledge. A hole cut through it allowed water to pass through. The ledge was necessarily low enough for Link to grab onto it, and to hoist himself up.
He climbed up a series of small, step-like slabs, until he could pull himself onto a brick floor, with grooves cut into it to facilitate moving the several crates marked with cow's heads that he saw placed willynilly around the grooved path. Lying there, his back to the moat, was a man with a red bandanna, wearing a red shirt under blue overalls. He had a bulbous nose, and a scraggly beard, and his skin was weathered, his hands calloused and worn. He mumbled in his sleep about a ranch, and Link turned to Navi, who nodded.
"We might as well get some sleep, too. He seems to be a deep sleeper. The cucco will wake us in the morning, if we've kept it out and warm enough. Maybe, it'll wake him, too."
Link sat down, leaning against a crate of milk, and retrieving the egg, still in its nest, clutching the nest in his hands, but careful not to destroy it. Navi landed on the egg, turning her head to look at Link.
"I'll do my best to keep it warm, too. Let's just get some rest. We can worry about food and the like in the morning. I wonder if the castle would notice if we took some of their milk."
Link sighed, and was about to fold his arms when he remembered the egg. He expelled a puff of air out of the corner of his mouth, but tilted his head back, trying to get some sleep. It was at least the twenty-third hour, perhaps closer to midnight. Navi was right. He did need sleep.
He awoke the next morning to the cucco's loud cry, which drove any and all thoughts of sleep from his mind. Navi was closest to the cucco in question, her arms clinging to the still-wet feathers of the bird. She had woken when the egg had started to hatch. Link was the next nearest, and he had thought the noise must have alerted every castle soldier he had seen. None came, however, and he began to relax, and to notice the man standing next to a crate of Lon Lon Milk. Link stood, and went over to the man.
"What? Is that your cucco what crowed just now? Eh, can't you quiet the thing a little…I'm trying to sleep, here!"
"Are you Malone's father, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch?" Link asked, right hand at his waist, as he peered up at the man.
"What's that, son? Yeah, I'm Tarlon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. I came here to the keep to deliver some milk…and I guess I fell asleep. Hooey, but that sure was a good nap!"
The man had been sleeping for over twenty-four hours straight, if Malone had come to Castle Town looking for him. Link was inclined to envy him.
"Malone sent us. She was concerned when you didn't return from making your trip."
The man stumbled back, his face twisted into a panicked expression. "What? Molly was lookin' for me? Oh, I'm gonna catch it from her, now! She's really gonna let me have it!"
He ran off, not giving the crates, or Link and Navi, a second thought. Why did he seem so frightened?
Link frowned, looking down at the ground. A pity. He was hoping to hand over the cucco to its rightful owner. Although…Malone had said that he could keep it. Just what did you feed them, anyway? He'd have to find someone knowledgeable about these things. He nodded to himself, making a mental note to stop at Lon Lon Ranch after he had delivered the Deku Tree's message.
Returning the cucco to the storage room for further examination, he set about pulling the crates towards the moat. He had caught sight of a small crawl hole behind Tarlon, when the man had run off. If he could make a high enough platform, perhaps he could jump across the narrow moat, and crawl through that hole. Certainly, he didn't want to try the door set into a wall near the grooved pathway. Not if what the owl had said was true.
He pushed the first crate off onto the hole that allowed the water of the moat to chill the milk, and then pushed another crate on top of it. He'd have to remember to scatter these crates when he left, or the soldiers would know how he'd gotten in. For now, he took the most straightforward approach.
Once he had pushed the second case as far as he trusted he could, without risking it toppling over and falling into the moat if he stood on it, he climbed onto the crate, and leapt across the channel. Easy.
Next, he crawled through the cramped corridor, into an area clearly used for nothing but storage. The water that flooded the moat fell in a tall waterfall to his right. There were barrels and crates lining the walls, and a door set into the wall, that probably led to whatever room held the other door—the one he had noticed in the wall near the pathway where the crates had been delivered. At least there were no guards in sight, but some could appear at any moment.
"Navi, fly ahead and look out for the guards for me, will you? I think we're in the castle courtyard…and Kaepora Gaebora said there were many guards patrolling it. See if you can't figure out a pattern to their behaviour."
Navi nodded, taking to the sky, until she floated high above whatever area lay beyond the wall lined by barrels and crates. She fluttered in the air out of sight for several minutes, before returning back to him.
"I saw several little areas filled with statues and hedges, so I think you're right about this being the courtyard. They're separated by tall walls, sometimes, and sometimes by tall hedges. There are never more than two guards in any area. They always patrol along noticeable paths, in the same direction. You'll want to sneak behind them.
"I counted five areas, and the last one has two high stone walls… and then there's an arch leading deeper into the courtyard. I think that might be the end of the courtyard area, but I didn't dare travel further away. Let's just get there, first. Maybe then, I'll scout ahead—if you want me to. I don't know; I have the feeling that there aren't any guards beyond that point…. It's just a feeling, but I trust my feelings. So, let's go! I'll guide you from the air. Follow my instructions!"
Link nodded , waiting for Navi to fly into the air, high above the first area, and waited until she called him to leave the safety of the hedge wall blocking his sight of the lone patrolling guard-—and thus also blocking that guard's sight of him.
Indeed, he never actually saw that guard, instead running past the man as quietly as he could, hiding between the high castle wall and a low decorative one (as tall as a full-grown man at its tallest point, but only a head or so taller than he at its sides).
It continued this way, with Navi slowly guiding him through the patrolled pathways, and Link never catching sight of the guards. She was doing a very good job. Almost, he wondered if she had just been making up the castle guards, but not only had Kaepora Gaebora mentioned them, but there was no reason to. She was just doing a wonderful job of leading him.
At last, he came to the far side of the last area, located in a corner of the castle, as it were, with two high walls at a right angle to each other. He saw for himself the arch leading through the wall as if a tunnel. He took a moment to weigh his options. He could send Navi forth into the unknown, and she would probably be safe, or he could take the risk, and enter the next area at the same time. Better safe than sorry, right?
"Navi, would you mind scouting ahead again? Am I tiring you out?"
Navi laughed. "Don't worry so much, Link. I'll be fine!" she chirped, and zipped through the tunnel, into whatever lay beyond. From here, all he could see was grass. It looked rather boring.
Navi flew back to him only half a minute or so later.
"It's empty," she said, bobbing up and down before his face. "There's nothing there but a girl looking through a window. I didn't look that thoroughly, but, well, the guards are rather easy to recognise, aren't they? Maybe, we should backtrack…try to find another way through the castle…."
"Maybe, the girl you saw would help us," Link said, sensibly. "And if the guards are going to catch us, I'd rather it be while we're trying to do something new, rather than backtracking. Come on, Navi. Take a rest."
Navi landed on his shoulder, drawing her legs up to her chest and resting her head on her arms. Link gave her a small smile, and walked through the long archway.
On the other side was a field of well-maintained grass, surrounded all around by a high stone wall. A channel of still water ran the length of three of the walls, and a bridge on the other side of the grassy field led to a dais. There were windows to the left and right, providing a view into the castle, but the girl Navi had earlier seen stood bent over the window on the wall facing him, her back turned to him. All he could see of her appearance was that she wore bright pink, and white. Even her hair was hidden under a curtainous headdress.
Link approached her with sudden misgiving. The only person he'd seen wear a headdress was the girl (in pink and white, no less!) in his dreams. He walked around the brightly-coloured flowers, already in bloom, without noticing them. They were clustered in the centre of the grassy area anyway, making them easy to avoid, as he trudged, suddenly lethargic, towards the girl at the window. A presentiment of doom seemed to weigh down his shoulders. Navi noticed, but didn't know how to react.
He walked across the bridge, climbed the steps, and approached the girl at the window. She still hadn't noticed his approach.
From this angle, she looked even more familiar. The bodice of her dress was pink, and the skirt, as much of it as he could see, was white. The curtainous veil of the headdress was white, but the top was pink. Maybe, there was also the symbol of the Triforce in gold in the middle of the forehead. Maybe her skirt had a design mimicking a banner that draped down the front, with who-knew-what symbolism. Perhaps, her blue eyes already brimmed with terror, but he doubted it. She looked too relaxed, her muscles too loose, as she leant over the windowsill.
"Uh…excuse me," he began, and he would have continued, but the girl whirled around, her hand flying to her mouth. She gasped when she saw him, and he tried his best not to notice the pink banner-like design that covered her skirt, the wide blue eyes, the headdress, with the mark of the Triforce in the centre. Instead, he stared at the teal sleeves that covered her arms. He hadn't noticed them before. If he kept his attention there, he could pretend that he didn't recognise her. Just until he recovered.
"Who—who are you?" she demanded, in a high-pitched, panicky voice. "How did you get past the guards?" He had the sense that she was about to call for them, and braced himself to run. But, this must be the princess. Why else would he have seen her in his dreams?
Instead of calling for the guards, she took several deep, ragged breaths. If he could judge from appearance alone, she was older than other-Link by a couple of years; she was perhaps twelve or thirteen years old. The fit of the bodice made it clear that she'd already started on the path to growing up, but her face was still childish, with softened angles that only hinted at how she would look as an adult. Her bright blue eyes seemed to scrutinise his appearance, as he stood there. They fell on Navi, and stopped.
"Is that…a faerie?" she asked, cocking her head, still staring at Navi. It was a rhetorical question; Link didn't answer. "Then, are you from the forest?"
He nodded, looking down at Navi, who sat in silence, drinking in the exchange. Faeries tended to do that—to not interrupt the flow of conversation. He'd rarely heard the incomprehensible chittering of faeries participate in conversations among the kokiri, except at the Know-It-All Brothers' house. Kokiris tended to treat them less as separate individuals, and more as extensions of themselves. They took them for granted. Link tried to think of a way to include Navi in the proceedings, but she seemed content to merely sit and listen. Well, she'd let him know if she had something to say.
"You are?" asked the girl, leaning forward, hands clasped before her, as if sharing a secret. The look in her eyes was very intent. Link scuffed his shoes, and turned away. He'd never dealt well with scrutiny. "Then…you wouldn't happen to have the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, would you? That green and shining stone?"
Link hesitated. Was he sure that this girl was the princess that the Great Deku Tree had sent him to see? He couldn't risk the man who had killed the Deku Tree discovering who had the stone. But…the girl was only a couple of years older than he. She didn't seem terribly evil, or threatening. He nodded, closing his eyes, as he called forth the Kokiri's Emerald into his hands. He gave her a moment to look at it, but as she spoke, he willed it back into his storage room.
"Yes, that's it!" the girl cried, laughing as she clapped her hands together, with a broad smile, that swift turned to a downcast expression, head bowed as she stared, unseeing, straight ahead, brow once more furrowed. "Oh, thank goodness! You see…I had a dream," she said, and even without the sudden crease in her brows, and that frown, the way her hands fell, limp, back to her sides, as if she had been drained of all energy and optimism, he would have paid attention, if only because of that commonality: I had a dream.
"In my dream, dark storm clouds billowed over the land of Hyrule…smothering it…. But then, a ray of light shot from the Forest, lit up the ground, and parted the clouds. The light turned into a figure holding a green and shining stone, followed by a faerie. I knew that this was a prophecy that someone would come from the forest. I thought you might be the one…."
"Oh!" she cried, rocking back, and straightening up, her hand once more at her mouth. "Please, forgive me…. I got carried away with my story, and I didn't even properly introduce myself!"
She relaxed again, hands at her side, as she inclined her head slightly. "I am Zelda Atempor, Princess of Hyrule. And, what is your name?"
She cocked her head, as if to visibly show that she was listening to him. But, he had stopped breathing. He turned, unthinking, to Navi. He swallowed, looking down at the ground. Zelda Atempor?
"Link…" Navi said. She sounded confused, and lost. He suspected that she understood no more than he. At least she knew what gave him pause. He tried to take some comfort in the knowledge that he was not alone in this.
"Uh, it's…it's Link," he said, with a voice he hoped sounded steadier to her than it did to him.
Zelda leant back against the wall. "Link, hmm…strange, it sounds somehow…familiar.… Just…Link?" Zelda asked, and for a moment he panicked, heart racing, as he tried to think of a good response. Navi must have felt the sudden increase in his heartrate, because she spoke for him.
"Kokiris don't have surnames. I'm Navi…I do have a surname, but it's not something I'm allowed to tell anyone. Sorry, Princess!"
"That…that's alright," the princess said, returning to her usual pose, hands at her sides, leaning back against the wall. "Alright, then…Link, and Navi. I'm going to entrust you with the secret myth passed down by the Royal Family! Please, promise that you won't tell anyone!"
Link and Navi exchanged glances, and Navi nodded. Link sighed, knowing that Zelda wouldn't be able to see through Navi's light. And, she wouldn't be able to understand Navi, either…it would just sound like gibber—wait! She had understood Navi, just now!
"Navi? How is it that I couldn't understand any faeries until you came along, but Zelda understood you right away?" he asked silently.
"Well, unlike the other faeries, I spent some time learning various human languages…among other things, I can make myself understood in any of them…the others only speak the faerie language. Alright, Zelda, I'll keep quiet," she said. Link frowned, but decided that Navi wasn't keeping secrets from him the way the King of Red Lions had.
"Me, too," he said, looking down at the ground, already listening hard. Zelda clasped her hands again.
"Alright, then. The legend passed down by the Royal Family says this…. The three goddesses of creation hid the Triforce containing the essence of the gods somewhere in Hyrule. The Triforce contains the power to grant the wish of whomever holds it in his hands. It's said that if a person with a righteous heart touches the Triforce, it will lead Hyrule to an age of prosperity and peace…but if someone with an evil heart touches the Triforce, the world will be consumed by evil. The ancient Sages, knowing and fearing this, built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from evil ones….
"That's right. The Temple of Time is the place you can enter the Sacred Realm from this world. But, the way is sealed with a stone wall called the Door of Time. In order to open the Door of Time, it's said that you need to collect the three Spiritual Stones protected by three different races with long-standing loyalty to the Hyrulean Crown. And, you need something else besides…the relic that the Royal Family keeps along with this legend: the Ocarina of Time!"
Link found it ominous, the way the word "time" seemed to be being bandied about as a possessive all over, all of a sudden. Temple of Time, Door of Time, Ocarina of Time…. A foreboding feeling crept over him, as if there were some obvious threat which he had overlooked.
"Oh!" Zelda said, returning his attention to her. "I almost forgot! I was spying through the window just now…."
And how do you forget that? Link asked silently, but bit his tongue to avoid making the sarcastic comment aloud. He'd fostered bad habits, hanging out with Tetra and the King of Red Lions. If he were stuck in this world for a while, he might as well relax a bit. He'd fulfilled the Deku Tree's request; he deserved it.
"The other symbol in my dream…the dark clouds…I believe that they symbolise—that man in there! Will you look through the window at him?"
Would he even still be there? They'd already been talking for some time. But, perhaps she'd seen something out of the corner of her eye. He gave a curt nod, and walked over to the window, peering into a corridor with a long red carpet, and two visible soldiers standing unnaturally erect, as if they were required to keep themselves constantly tense.
A figure appeared to Link's left, walking down the red carpet. A figure with bright red hair, and greenish skin, dressed in black armour, a harsh contrast softened slightly by the decorated woven gauntlets that he wore—a bright off-white, striking against that armour.
Link could feel his pulse accelerate—actually, he was pretty sure his heart skipped a few beats, before racing to catch up with itself. His breathing definitely stopped, as he realised when he began to feel light-headed.
He couldn't be here. He couldn't be here. He couldn't be here.
His mind repeated this over and over, as he stared at the man walking down the carpet, then stopping to kneel before someone out of sight.
"Navi!" he cried silently, as she sat there, as if frozen, on his shoulder. "Navi, tell me I'm seeing things! That can't be Ganon!"
"Oh, Link," Navi feebly muttered. "We—we'll just have to think about all this later. I don't know what to say…it seems too much to be a coincidence…."
"Do you see him?" Zelda asked in an urgent whisper, as if the man could hear her through the glass, which maybe he could. "Do you see the man with evil eyes? That is Ganondorf Dragmire, the leader of the Gerudos. He hails from the desert, far to the west. Although he swears fealty to my father, I am sure that he is not sincere…. But, there is nothing I can do against him…."
As Link watched, immobilised by the familiar creeping dread, "Ganondorf" turned his head to face Link, as if sensing that he was watched, and Link's left hand began to burn. The look on Ganondorf's face was full of disdain and contempt. And, that grin…Link'd seen that grin before, he was sure, when he was about to die, in the Forsaken Fortress.
He took a deep breath, breaking the eye contact as he turned to face Zelda.
"What's wrong?" she asked, voice laden with concern. "Did he see you? Well, don't worry. He has no idea what we're planning…yet!"
"Didn't you warn your father about that man? Anyone can see that he's holding your father in contempt; he's not taking his oath seriously. He's obviously evil." He might have spoken with the unjustified conviction of a child, but if this Ganondorf were anything like Ganon—and they bore a more than superficial resemblance to each other; clearly they had something in common—then this Ganondorf was bad news, too.
Zelda sighed, clasping her hands in front of her, over her lap. "I tried. But, my father…doesn't believe that this is a real prophecy. But maybe, if you came with me, as an ambassador from the forest—oh, but you'd need a surname…I've got it!" she said, all in a hurried rush that his recovering mind could barely follow. "You're a forest spirit, right? I'll call you 'Sylvanus', 'the woodland man'."
There was a strange expression on Zelda's face that he barely took any notice of. It was the look of someone who heard a joke that others missed, a private joke unknown to the other participant of a conversation. It did not seem to suit her.
If he had been less distracted, he might have seen, but as it was, he was trying to stay on his feet. And, catch his breath… and restart his heart, which might have stopped beating again.
Link's head hadn't had a chance to stop reeling, but now this? He'd be lucky if the whirling the world around him now seemed engaged in didn't cause him to pass out. He gripped hard onto the window ledge to his left. He was still closer to the window than she, and, despite the danger of Ganondorf, was glad of it.
"Hold—hold on!" he cried, even as, "'Sylvanus'?" he repeated to Navi, who clutched his shoulders as if they were all that was keeping her from falling into an abyss. He wished he had such support, himself.
"We'll talk about this later…with everything else," said Navi, but her voice seemed far away. Link nodded to her, ostensibly to himself.
He took a moment to gather his wits before speaking.
"I think it's a bad idea…. My people, the kokiris…we can't ordinarily leave Kokiri Forest. Otherwise, you'd have a real ambassador. And—and people don't tend to heed the word of children, or people who merely resemble children. If he won't listen to his own daughter, why a complete stranger?"
Zelda's shoulders sank. "Oh…I suppose you have a point…Sylvanus."
A smile flickered on her face, and Link, for the first time, wished that someone didn't call him by his family name. It just drove further bewilderment into his mind, and he was lost and confused enough as it was.
"Are you…are you alright?" Zelda asked, leaning over towards him, her hand outstretched, brow furrowed, and a tiny frown betraying her concern. "I'm sorry…maybe I'm going about all this too fast."
It was less anything she had done, and more the sequence of impossibilities that had assailed him in too short of time. Now, apparently, he had been made into Link Sylvanus again, if a different Link Sylvanus than before, by a girl who shared a name and slight resemblance with another girl he'd known as his former self, and now he also had been made aware of another Ganon—only this one was called "Ganondorf". It was too much.
"So, that's my name, now?" he asked stupidly, feeling his mind groping around at corners in the dark maze it had become.
"Well…yes. If you're willing to help me, you'll need a surname, anyway, to help seem more plausible as a messenger for the Royal Family. I have a plan, you see."
Link resolved not to think for a few minutes. His poor tortured mind needed its rest. He nodded.
Zelda's shoulders slumped again, and she turned to him. "Link…I'm scared. I'm afraid of what Ganondorf might be able to do. I feel certain that he will destroy Hyrule, and fear he will do it no matter what we do…He has such terrifying power!
"This is important! My father won't believe me, so we're alone on this. Ganondorf must be after nothing less than the Triforce of myth…the one that can grant wishes. He must have come to Hyrule to obtain it! And, he wants to conquer Hyrule—no, the entire world! And we are the only four who are aware—we have to stop him," she said, staring resolutely ahead, face set in a determined, even expression. "My father won't listen; he trusts Ganondorf. I think you're right. But, that means that this is all up to us. Please say you'll help me! Please!"
How could he refuse such a request? He well knew what the Ganon of his reality was capable of…if this "Ganondorf" could do even a quarter of that—and remembering his dream, he was sure there were entire catacombs of hidden evil lurking beneath the man's obsequious façade—then what choice did Link have? He might be signing up the other-Link for an extended quest, but he couldn't live this life as if the other-Link would return at any minute. For all he knew, the man would never return.
"Of course, I'll help you," he said, with a smile that was far too hollow. He hoped that she at least took some of his strength from it. Not since Tetra had he felt such a desire to protect someone from even the entire world, if need be. He didn't understand it.
The girl sighed in relief, sagging. "Oh, thank you!" she breathed. "Alright, then, Sylvanus!"
"Call me Link," Link interrupted, finally meeting her eyes. She cocked her head, and then nodded.
"It's a mark of great trust and respect—" she began.
"I'm sure. But, if we're in this together, I think it makes sense."
Zelda gave him another smile, despite the worry that creased her brows. It made her look very sweet and innocent, and oh-so-young.
"Alright, Link. Here's my plan! You go look for the two Spiritual Stones held by the races allied with the Royal Family. I'd go with you, but I can't leave the castle." Link nodded. That fit what everything he'd ever heard about women royalty. "Meanwhile, I will protect the Ocarina of Time with all my strength. He shall not have it! Let's get the Triforce before Ganondorf does, and defeat him!"
She spoke as if delivering an impassioned speech to a field of soldiers. Link definitely felt galvanised by her fervour. His back straightened, and he almost reached for the hilt of the Kokiri Sword, but stopped himself in time.
A black stick appeared in her hand, and a folded over sheaf of paper. She began writing on it, glancing at him occasionally.
"One more thing…take this note with you. If you need to prove to any of the soldiers that you're on official business, this should be enough to satisfy them. But, only the guards!"
She handed him the note, and he took it gingerly, sending it into his inventory without looking at it.
"My attendant will help you return to outside, without getting caught. Don't be afraid to talk to her. She knows almost everything that I've told you…I guess she's in this conspiracy, too. She'll help guide you, and figure out what to do next."
"Hmm…well, alright. As long as I can come back to visit," Link said. "I want to make sure that Ganon-dorf doesn't come after you. I want to be sure that you're safe. I'll check back with you periodically."
Staying away from her hadn't protected Tetra, no matter the mad notions of the King of Red Lions. He and this Zelda had no means of communicating across great distances. He nodded to himself at his own argument, proud of himself for barely pausing when hastily adding the unfamiliar "-dorf" to the more familiar name.
To his surprise, Zelda blushed, and turned her head away, hands clasped tight before her. What? Navi giggled.
"Come back any time, Link…however you came, before…."
He gave her an encouraging smile, not comfortable enough with a royal personage to lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Instead, he bowed to her, and turned around, tensing when he saw a figure in blue at the entrance of the courtyard. When had she come to be there?
And then, beyond the obvious reason to panic at someone appearing at your back, was the added knowledge that he recognised this figure, too. The woman from his dream. The one on the white horse, as Zelda Atempor clung to her sides, as they raced away from the castle, fleeing Ganondorf.
"It's alright, Link," Zelda said, at his back. "That's my attendant. She's trustworthy, if a bit intimidating."