The Downfall Timeline
Book 1
Chapter 23: The Temple of the Forest
Before Dawn, January 31, 610 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Day 199
The Ruined Kokiri Village
Link quickly leapt to his feet and now stood with his sword ready inside the abandoned Kokiri hut. Epona stamped her hooves and whinnied loudly, but the menacing creature did not withdraw. It just stood there, slightly hunched forward, with one hand resting on the frame of the doorway.
The squire slowly crouched, still keeping his eyes locked on the intruder, and pushed what remained of his firewood onto the coals of his campfire. Gradually, the crackling of new flames filled the room and the fire's light grew stronger.
Its gaze shifted from the green glad warrior to the fire; its raspy breathing intensifying.
In the brighter light, Link could see that its form made it much closer to a man than an animal. It was only a little smaller than he was, with two thin arms and legs, and a small nose just below those luminous, yellow eyes.
Its body was covered in a deep black, ash-like substance, that cracked and flaked as it moved. He actually began to wonder if he was looking at some poor creature that had been burned by the fire; when it drew a deep, rattling breath.
"I... remember... good... fires." it croaked, still staring at the campfire, "Before... bad... fire."
Link still gripped his weapon tightly, but relaxed his stance a little.
"Who are you?" he asked, surprised that the creature could speak.
Epona stopped whinnying, but kept a nervous eye on the creature.
"The... stream... poisoned... after-" the intruder began again, but its voice grew even raspier and it began to cough after the first few words. Small puffs of crushed ash escaped its lips as it tried, pitifully, to clear its throat.
The longer the boy studied the creature, the more pity he felt for it. It had a frightening appearance, but it had not attacked him and it seemed to be a victim of the Moblins' fire. Very slowly, he un-slung his waterskin and looped its strap over the end of an un-lit torch.
The creature's eyes drifted back to him as he slowly held his last drinking water out to it.
"Here, there is enough left for one good drink. Go ahead, take it." he said, as the poor soul reached out with shaking hands and took the skin.
It was very careful to move slowly as it took the water from Link, but after grasping the skin and retreating back several paces, it quickly removed the stopper and poured the water into its mouth.
Gasping and gulping, the wretched creature seemed desperate for every last drop - even twisting the skin for every possible ounce. When the skin was empty, it dropped the leather pouch onto the floor and sank to its knees, giving out a small sigh of relief.
Its breathing seemed to clear and the menacing glow of its eyes diminished.
"I... remember... you... Link." It began again, with a much more familiar voice. "The Great Deku Tree wanted us to watch over you... but you left us."
The stranger tilted his head and looked longingly at the sword in Link's hand. "You took our only weapon... and left us."
The squire's mouth dropped open in shock, "Mido?" he gasped.
The ruined Kokiri remained still, resting on both of his knees in front of the campfire.
"They killed so many before we knew what was happening..." he began, " We could not fight them, so we ran. Some into the houses, some into the forest. I... I... tried to hide but... the fire caught up to me."
Mido began to shudder with the flood of memories. Link sheathed his sword and knelt beside him. Gently, he tried to rest his hand on his brother's shoulder, but his 'flesh' seemed to be made of ashes - just like the burned leaves that covered the bones outside - which crumbled and flaked apart at his touch.
The boy quickly pulled his hand back, but a small hollow had already formed as bits of ash fell onto the floor.
The darkened Kokiri didn't seem to notice, and continued his painful tale, "They... burned everything... everything we had... but they were late. They had to leave before the Hylians came. That was when she found us."
Link's ears twitched, "Who? Who found you?" he asked gently.
"The lady of the forest..." his brother murmured, still staring into the fire, "She lives in the old temple in the Lost Woods. She took us there... kept us alive... told me to bring the others..."
The squire's heart suddenly beat faster with the thrill that others had survived.
"Who escaped?" he asked urgently, but Mido didn't seem to hear him.
The young hero desperately tried to think of what he could say that would bring his friend out of his miserable stupor.
"Mido..." he began again, speaking very softly, "It's ok... I've come back to help you."
The burned Kokiri grimaced, "Help? You can't help us." he grumbled.
"Yes, Yes, I can!" insisted Link, "We have a new town by Lake Hylia, there's plenty of good water there, we can all-" but the boy was cut off.
"The children of the forest... can never leave the forest!" growled Mido, his hands clenching and the ominous glow in his eyes returning.
"But Mido, I've left the forest, and see? I'm ok!" Link tried optimistically.
"You?" snorted the creature, turning a menacing eye toward Link, "What do you have to do with anything?"
At Lake Hylia
Alfon ground his teeth, but remained silent; he could not let the women know that his arm was still throbbing in great pain. He had to prove that he was fit to leave the care of the nurses.
The man stood at the Lake's edge with Captain Corin a few paces away, and Princess Zelda, Impa, Telma, and the Matron of the Infirmary watching. Marshal and Captain were both armed with wooden swords and shields.
The Lord's task, was to disarm the Captain and prove that he was capable of combat after his treatments. A few months before, this would have been an easy battle, but Corin had trained hard with his men and shed his undisciplined body. Now he was a skilled swordsman again.
The two tensed, weapons ready as Impa stepped forward.
"Soldiers ready?" she asked.
Both men nodded.
"Soldiers... begin!" she cried as she stepped back.
The two clashed fiercely, striking, blocking, and turning about the ring. With each contact, the marshal's arm burned and throbbed harder, but he pushed his way through the pain and kept fighting. After a few minutes, several other spectators gathered and began cheering to each of the men.
Zelda's heart was pounding at the spectacle. She desperately wanted Alfon to win, but she was fearful that he might not be fit for the mission to save Link. If he left prematurely… it could kill him.
After several minutes of vicious combat, the elder captain charged straight at the knight and held their swords locked together.
"The knee, my lord." He barely whispered over the shouting crowd.
The marshal darted a glance down and saw that Corin had placed his right leg too far forward. With a great heave, he threw his comrade onto his back heel, hooked his right leg with his sword, and flipped the captain onto his back.
A mixture of loud cheers and heavy groans rolled up and down the training pit as Alfon lowered the point of his sword to Corin's neck.
"I yield, my lord... you have me." gasped the man with a grin.
The Marshal's arm was burning with great pain, but he forced a smile as he helped the captain back to his feet.
"You fought well Corin! I am proud of you!" he proclaimed loudly.
Princess Zelda clapped her hands and smiled brightly with excitement, "His is strong enough!" she thought happily to herself.
As the two men approached however, Impa frowned.
"That was quite a match Marshal, Captain." she began as both men nodded to her, "A disappointing end though. Any trained soldier knows not to throw his leg so far forward."
Corin's smile quickly faltered as he darted nervous glances between the minister and his commander.
Not wanting to betray the marshal, he turned his face to a downcast look and replied, "A lesson I won't soon forget, my lady."
The princess did not know what the three were talking about, but she could sense the tension building between them.
"Impa, be kind. The men fought very well I think." she said softly.
Alfon and Corin both bowed low to her as the regent inclined her head. "As you wish, your grace."
While Telma embraced her knight and whispered loving things into his ear, Zelda turned to the Matron.
"I believe Lord Alfon has proven himself, but you are chieftain over these matters. What do you say?" she asked.
The old nurse narrowed her eyes and studied the recovered warrior carefully. She doubted that he had fully healed... but he was needed for an urgent mission and had just completed nearly twenty minutes of combat without faltering.
"If the need is great, your highness, I believe his Lordship is strong enough." She answered.
Alfon beamed broadly as a sudden look of worry came over Telma.
"With Your Highness' leave, I will depart at once!" he declared.
"Oh Alfon... must you so soon?" Telma whimpered softly as Zelda motioned for him to depart.
"Go and be well Marshal! Bring Link home swiftly." she answered.
Within an hour, the great knight was again arrayed in his brilliant plate armor and dashed up the Lake road toward Central Hyrule. Corin followed closely behind, offering to escort the Marshal as far as the forest's edge.
Morning, January 31, 610 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Day 199
The Ruined Kokiri Village
Mido, Link, and Epona sheltered in the ruins of the old home until daylight began to glow in the eastern sky. Despite all of the squire's efforts, he could not convince his brother to leave the forest. The shadowy Kokiri kept making strange comments about Link being different - that he was always meant to leave the forest.
Soon, the forest dweller began to insist that they accompany him to the Temple.
"The lady has commanded me to bring all the Kokiri to her... she may want to meet you as well." he croaked as his voice grew dry again.
Link had never met, or even heard of any "lady of the forest" when he lived in the village, but he did know that there was an ancient temple hidden within the Lost Woods. The Great Deku Tree had forbidden the Kokiri from visiting it as it was a 'sacred place.'
"Is... Saria there?" he timidly asked – afraid to be told that she had been killed.
He had pressed Mido earlier to tell him if any other Kokiri had escaped, but the chief had not given him any names. He stared blankly at Link for a moment, his bright yellow eyes seemed unfocused and lost in thought.
"Saria?" he echoed, "Yes, she's there."
A great thrill of excitement shot through the boy: She was alive! His best friend, the only Kokiri that ever really accepted him, was alive!
"Let's go then!" he shouted as he quickly began gathering his gear.
"You won't need that." Mido mumbled as he waved his hand toward Link's sword, "The lady will keep us safe."
The squire froze and rested his hand on the sword's grip. He had carried this sword for several months now and had counted on it to save his life on three separate occasions.
"It's no trouble, I am used to carrying it now." he replied confidently.
The ashen creature responded with a little sneer, but didn't argue any further.
They traveled into the forest at a fast pace. Link riding Epona, and Mido sprawled on all fours, skittering across the ground like an insect. The squire was downcast at how much his old friend had changed. He didn't seem like a Kokiri at all anymore - more like some strange sort of animal or creature.
"What happened to you?" he asked during their journey, "I mean... other than getting burned."
Mido stopped briefly to give him a bitter glare, "The spirits of the forest are tied to the forest. Whatever becomes of the forest, becomes the spirits." he answered.
The boy was puzzled. If the Kokiri were connected to the forest in such an intimate way then... why had he not changed as well? A small twinge of fear bit at his stomach: Had Saria changed too? Somehow that would have made everything much worse for him - if his failure to stop the moblins from burning the forest had somehow disfigured his friend and left her skittering around the ground like a spider.
They traveled for hours, deeper and deeper into the Lost Woods. After mid-day, the three entered a small glade where the canopy opened above them and the bright sunlight poured in.
A great stone structure, like a large mansion, stood in the heart of the forest before them. Its walls and stone pillars were encased in ivy and large vines, but small designs in the grey stonework still peeked out here and there. A pair of great stone doors on iron hinges stood at the center of the structure, facing the forest path.
Mido quickly shuffled over to it and began to push one half of the door open.
"Leave the horse." he croaked back to Link as he dismounted.
The boy gently brushed Epona's muzzle and patted her neck, "It will be ok girl. Just stay here and wait for me." he soothed, then turned to head toward the temple.
The red filly nickered and bit at the shoulder of his tunic. She did not trust this place. While the sun was bright, there was something dark and ominous about this forsaken mansion and the ashen creature that led them here.
Link patted her head again and brought a dried apple out from his pack.
"Here, take this and wait for me." he said, then climbed the steps to the temple door.
"Come on," hissed Mido from the shadows inside, "The Lady is expecting you."