The Downfall Timeline
Book 1
Chapter 4: Light, Love, & Tears
~Many years earlier~
Night, June 24, 596 GK
Eight days after the Gerudo invasion of Hyrule
Near The Forbidden Forest
In the lowlands of Central Hyrule - where the rolling grasslands of the north fall into the gentle farmlands of the south, before turning into the ominous forest of Faron - a lone hylian woman pleaded with her mount to keep its blistering pace, as half a dozen murderous raiders followed at their heels.
They caught sight of her when she first fled the tower – clutching her infant son in one arm and holding the horse's reigns with the other.
Their orders were to kill every rider – to not allow them to escape and warn the rest of the kingdom – but her horse was swift and they struggled to keep up with her.
For days, the desperate mother had moved and hidden herself skillfully – sheltering in small thickets during the day and only venturing out once complete darkness had fallen.
Twice, the bandits had passed her grove – searching the ground for any sign of her. When her little child would fuss or groan – unaccustomed to such uncomfortable surroundings – she would be forced to nurse him, to keep him silent.
She had a small dagger – pushed into her hands by her husband before she fled – but she was no warrior. These raiders would surely kill her if she ever confronted them.
Her only hope lay in reaching some kind of Hylian settlement - even their small militia groups would be enough to turn away her pursuers. But she was lost.
After this night's fall, she had dashed out of her hiding place and continued eastward, but the raiders quickly found her and were closing in with bows drawn.
Clouds blanketed the earth and denied her the assistance of starlight or moon to guide her way. Soon, a fierce storm blew in from the great sea, and ripples of lightning streaked across the sky.
In the sudden, painful flashes, she was able to make out the looming forms of the Dueling Peaks ahead of her. She must have ridden clear past Deya without seeing it in the darkness! How foolish! To her right, less than fifty yards away, rose the mighty oaks of the Forbidden Forest.
"There is nowhere to escape in that pass!" she thought frantically, "And it is certain death to shelter in the forbidden wood!"
But with the next flash came a hail of their arrows, and her magnificent stallion was hit. Screaming in pain, the beast stumbled and veered off of the road, toward the forest, before coming to a sudden halt and nearly collapsing.
Nothing could be done – certainly not with her attackers so close behind! They raced past her on the east road and quickly wheeled, turning back to run her down.
Panic took her mind and forced her to flee with her infant toward the trees.
Angry shouting – Run faster! Run FASTER!
Galloping hooves – Almost there! KEEP GOING!
The child screaming in terror – Cannot give up! Must get to safety!
And then it happened…
A hard blow into her side – like a brutal kick or a merciless punch – followed by a burning pain. Acting only on instinct, she threw a hand back and tore the arrow from her body – casting it upon the ground.
A terrible crash of thunder shattered the treetops above her as the desperate mother sprinted between the trunks and dove into the Forbidden Forest.
The Gerudo rode their horses right up to the wood's edge, firing more arrows into the darkness after her, but the beasts would not pass under the tree's boughs.
Cursing and screaming in their native tongue, the warriors tried to beckon them forward, but the storm above suddenly intensified, and a flurry of bolts struck the ground around them.
"I got a poison dart in her! Let's go!" bellowed one over the wind, and the team withdrew.
For several hours, the woman blindly groped her way through the darkness; holding her baby close in one arm, and stretching the other outward to search for low hanging branches or the trunks of trees in her path.
As she pushed toward the heart of the forest, a terrible cold began to climb upward from her side and a frightening numbness began to grip her torso. Her vision grew darker and her limbs slowly became heavier.
The awful realization came to her – she had been poisoned. Without a healer or herb-master… she was going to die, and soon.
Her little boy wailed and screamed in his terror – freezing cold from the rain and covering his little ears from the terrible sounds of the storm. She wanted to nurse him – to try and comfort him – but… if her blood were now poisoned… she could not risk it.
All she could do was push forward and pray that someone would find her.
Finally, staggering into a clearing at the base of a hill, she collapsed. Laying there in the cold mud, the urge to sleep and surrender to the inevitable steadily grew stronger.
Her husband was dead, her house and lands were taken and burned, she was lost in the wilderness, and now… she was dying. There was no hope.
Her own heartbeat became labored inside of her chest – aching and struggling against the weight of her ribs. Her senses (or what remained of them) grew clouded and weak. In her heart… she could feel the goddess calling to her.
But beyond it, echoing from that shapeless fog, the distant screams of her child rippled through to her mind.
More powerful than even the holy summons, Mother's Love willed the woman to remain conscious and re-open her eyes. She crawled to her swaddled child, who lay just out of reach, wailing and screaming in its terror.
Somehow, she reached him, but she could do little more than whisper to him and brush his cheek with one hand.
"...shhh... it's ok... my love... it's just the rain... don't be afraid."
The wind whipped and curled about the forest, causing the trees to groan and sway in the darkness. After a particularly deep and ominous rumble, she turned her eyes upward - toward the top of the hill.
Though her vision was still clouded, the flashes of lightning allowed her to make out the form of a massive oak tree standing upon the hill's curved peak. Its canopy stretched far above the rest of the forest and its roots plunged downward - to the base of the hill.
With each successive flash, she thought the monstrous tree carried the shape of a weathered old man - looking down at her.
Was it a trick of the light or was her mind just failing her? She did not know.
No longer able to lift herself, she remained there in the mud – valiantly struggling to shield her baby's face from the rain and whisper sweet comforts to him. Everything had turned numb and the voice of the Goddess steadily grew louder.
But she could not go. Her child would surely starve to death or be taken by some beast within the forest if she did not stay to protect him.
"Blessed goddess…" she plead in her heart, "I know my life is ended… but please, I beg you… don't take me until he is safe! Merciful Hylia… hear me!"
With a clamor of creaking and cracking, the gargantuan tree upon the hill seemed to turn slightly and bend downward to look at her.
"P-please..." she whimpered up to it, "p-please help... I cannot leave him... there is no one else..."
She did not care how ridiculous it was to see a tree moving. The only thing that mattered in this world, was the safety of her child.
"B-by F-farore…" she mumbled, "M-m-mother of… f-forest and… f-field… Matron… of my… house…"
The great tree just continued to stare down at the helpless woman and her infant, silent and cold.
As the last of her life slipped away, her lips faintly continued to plead "please... my love..." until her cheek sank to the mud and the darkness took her.
The little orphan continued to scream and tug at her icy fingers - confused and frightened by her silence. But soon, as if it happened upon command, the wind and the rain over the secluded grove stopped and the forest fell silent.
The devoted mother's body suddenly glowed with a soft blue light, before fading away – out of existence. Two delicate, green-clad hands carefully lifted the child and carried him to his new forest home.
Evening, July 17, 609 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Day 1
Five miles southeast of the Capitol City
The last knight of Hyrule fled as hard as his horse could carry him, away from the capitol. Whatever firm determination that the sword had given him quickly faded, and his mind began to race over everything that had happened.
"What am I to do? Where is Princess Zelda? Where do I take this boy? THE BOY!" he suddenly remembered.
The Lieutenant pulled his mount to a halt and quickly checked his surroundings. All about him was quiet, save the rumbling sounds of war back in the city - but that was far enough behind him now for a brief pause.
Dismounting, he pulled Link into his arms and gently lowered him to the ground. The boy had been very badly burned by the sorcerer's attack and many wounds now stood open upon his arms, chest, and face.
The man quickly checked the horse's tack, but the soldier's survival pack was missing; either forgotten during the rushed muster or lost during the battle.
"Goddess help me" he murmured as he tore ribbons of cloth from the edge of his own cape, and set to binding the boy's injuries. "By the Goddess… He doesn't have a chance without a healer."
Indeed, within only a few more minutes, the young hero began to turn pale and cold to the touch. The warrior did not know what else could be done. Without a healing potion or a skilled nurse… the child was likely to die.
"Here, take some water." He said softly, as he cradled Link's head and poured a small amount of water from his water skin into his mouth.
The boy didn't speak, but his eyelids opened slightly and he managed to drink a little.
"You cannot afford to stop! The kingdom is under attack and the people must be warned!" the knight's conscience began to argue.
"But, what about this boy?" he wondered, "Surely he will die if I do not help him!"
"No! In war sacrifices have to be made! You are the only one with knowledge of what has happened at the capitol! You have to leave him!"
The debate was fierce, but brief. Terrible as it was, the man had to leave Link here. There was no chance to save his life, and the horse could carry one rider much faster and for much farther.
"I'm very sorry son… good luck." He muttered softly, as he rose and turned back to his mount.
The Master Sword was still tucked carefully through two leather straps holding one of the saddlebags. As the soldier's eyes passed over it, he was caught by its faint, white glow.
In the city square, with the fierce battle and the sorcerer's bright lightning, he had ignored the light reflecting off of the blade; but here, in this sheltered grove, the magnificent sword seemed to ripple and glow with a light of its own.
"How can…" he began to say, but the sacred relic's faint music returned and filled his mind.
For several minutes, the great warrior stood motionless, staring at the sword – silent words passing between them. Slowly he turned, and looked back at the boy laying helpless on the ground.
"N-no," he whispered breathlessly, "She would be ashamed of me."
A few more seconds passed, and the man strode back and knelt beside the boy. The Master Sword's glow slowly dimmed and its spirit was satisfied.
"Come on lad! There's a small village not far from here. There may be a healer there for you." He offered, reaching down to lift the little hero up.
But his breathing had begun to grow raspy and weak. Link let out a shuddering moan and began to shake as the Lieutenant lifted his shoulders.
"P-Please... Zelda..." he faintly groaned.
"What?" asked the knight, "What about Zelda? Do you know where she is? Answer me boy!"
But the boy only drifted deeper into shock.
Navi, who had been hiding behind Link when he stood against Agahnim, was knocked away by the lightning attack. She recovered and got back into the air just in time to see the Lieutenant riding away with the boy and the Master Sword.
She quickly raced after them, but the soldier's horse was swift and her tiny wings could not keep up.
Eventually, she managed to find them several miles to the southeast, sheltering in a small thicket beside the Zora River. Landing on the horse's saddle, she meant to catch her breath, until she saw her charge's wounds.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" she screamed, streaking past past the knight's ear and landed on the little hero's chest. The man recoiled in surprise and nearly fell backward at the sudden appearance of the fairy.
"Who are YOU?!" He cried, but she ignored him and pressed her ear against Link's chest.
"Please... please... please be ok." She plead.
Very faintly, she could hear the boy's heartbeat; but it was weak, and becoming irregular now.
"You... know him?" mumbled the soldier. "Who is this boy?! How does he know Princess Zelda?!" he demanded, but the fairy was still ignoring him.
Her mind raced and her wings twitched fervently as she considered what had to be done.
When the boy suffered a sudden, jarring convulsion, her mind was instantly made up. Standing upon his chest, she reached out and delicately placed a hand on Link's chin.
The soft, elegant blue light that surrounded her form began to grow brighter.
"I, Navi, have sworn to protect you.
Take now my light,
that your wounds may be healed, and your life be preserved.
Live Link, Live,
and remember... my love."
Navi's light grew brighter and brighter until it became a brilliant white ball – illuminating the entire glade. The knight could only stare in bewildered awe at what he was seeing.
"Alfon, take them both to Lake Hylia," the fairy's voice echoed from far away, "Watch over him in my stead, I entreat thee..."
With a sudden, powerful flash, her light shattered, and she was gone.
For a few seconds, everything in the thicket seemed to remain motionless and silent; only the gentle sound of the flowing river nearby could be heard, until Link suddenly gasped and bolted upright. His wounds had closed and his color was restored.
"Navi!" he shouted, frantically looking around himself, but his voice only echoed off the nearby rocks and trees. Slowly, he reached up and placed a hand upon his chest - right where she had stood only a moment before.
He had felt her there, but now she was gone. As his eyes drew down to his healed hands, the icy pain of what had really happened began to creep into his heart. Tears slowly welled and both hands slowly clenched into tight fists.
"...NO!" he whimpered, "...don't go..."
For a long time, after the fairy disappeared, Knight-Lieutenant Alfon sat stunned upon the road. Link knew he was there, but did not pay any attention to him.
At the edge of memory, like a long-forgotten dream, Navi had come to the boy and knelt down to hold him in a tight embrace.
"You will be ok Link." She soothed, as her warm, brilliant light surrounded him.
She was tall now - as tall and large as a Hylian woman, and very beautiful.
"...Live, and remember my love..."
He wrapped his small arms around her tightly. She was warm and her skin felt soft against his cheek. The boy could smell the trees of the forest, and hear the leaves in the wind when he was close to her.
She smiled down at him and gently brushed her fingers over his hair - her silky wings wrapping around him like a blanket.
"This is what it's like to have a mother." Link thought to himself.
Her light grew brighter and the warmth of her love seemed to wash over him. He looked up and saw tears in her eyes as she smiled lovingly down at him.
And then… she was gone. The dream shattered and his eyes tore open to the cold wind upon his face.
Alfon had never seen a fairy before. He had long considered them to be a superstition of the country-folk and dismissed the stories of their magic ability to heal dying Hylians.
"It was beautiful and… terrible to watch." He would remember later.
But a harsh cry from the northwest brought the warrior back to his senses. Ganon's minions were searching for them and had very likely caught their scent.
"Come on," he barked as he got to his feet, "we need to reach the lake."
The boy said nothing. He remained sitting beside the road, staring at his hands.
He could still feel her warmth on his cheek and her delicate wings wrapped around his shoulders… but it was all fading rapidly in the cold morning air.
The knight pitied the child, but they could not spare the time to grieve. After quickly checking him over to make certain that he was fully healed, he lifted Link up and mounted his horse once again.
"All we can do is find Princess Zelda." He explained, before spurring the beast back to a gallop.
"Zelda..." the boy echoed with a murmur.