Chapter 3: Mysterious Occurrences
As Link rode across Hyrule Field and carefully avoided detection by the various monsters wandering the area, he was unable to take his mind off of Saria. For many years prior to his adventure as the Hero of Time, she was the only friend he had; the other Kokiri were either blandly polite to him or very nearly hostile towards him. Saria, by contrast, had practically raised him like a mother. Well, a mother who would look like a ten year old until the day she died. That train of thought led Link to another; how old was Saria, really? For all he knew, had she been a Hylian, she might very well be old enough to be his grandmother. Shaking off that confusing, and mildly disturbing, train of thought, he turned his thoughts back to the Kokiri Forest instead. He knew it was surely overrun with evil, as the rest of Hyrule had been; Ganondorf had infested the Kokiri settlement with monsters that kept the Kokiri trapped indoors until Link's intervention saved them. That none of them recognized him was a blow, though hardly surprising since the notion of 'growing up' was unknown to them, but that they regretted how they treated him in the past helped ease the pain.
Memories began returning to Link while he struggled to hold back tears. What's more, this wasn't even about Saria alone anymore, he knew. There were still five other sages out there, six if Zelda was counted, as she was the leader and Sage of Wisdom. Darunia, the Sage of Fire and leader of the Goron Tribe, came to mind as well. Link had never met someone as stalwart and loyal as him. Link had won Darunia's loyalty by irradiating the Dodongos that had infested the Dodongo's Cavern and cut off the Goron's food supply, and then again by saving the Gorons from being fed to the dragon Volvagia by Ganondorf. Darunia had vowed to fight Volvagia, despite lacking the Megaton Hammer with which the dragon had been vanquished once before long ago; though the act had nearly proven suicidal, Link could not help but admire Darunia's devotion to his people.
Impa, the last of the Sheikah Tribe and Zelda's attendant, was the Sage of Shadow. Of the Sages, Link knew her perhaps the least since she was duty minded and hardly the chatty sort. Her reputation, and Zelda's stories however, told him she was a woman of integrity with a heart the size of Hyrule itself. Rauru, the ancient Sage of Light, was also little known to Link, save for that Rauru had ensured Link rested safely as his body strengthened after his first attempt to draw the Master Sword had allowed Ganondorf to enter the Sacred Realm. All Link really knew about Rauru was that he owed the ancient Sage his life; and, that was enough.
Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit and the leader of the Gerudo tribe, had set Link on edge with her humorous flirting, which seemed less humorous when she made a telling comment about how pleased she was with his adult form. She led the Gerudo, Ganondorf's people, but saw Ganondorf for the monster he was immediately. This knowledge, however, did not stop Ganondorf from using his spells to turn her into his pawn after her abduction by the Gerudo witches Koume and Kotake. When Ganondorf had been exposed to Daphnes as the villain he was, Nabooru, along with Daruina and Ruto, petitioned for his execution. When they were denied, they were, to put it mildly, displeased.
Ruto, princess of the Zoras and Sage of Water, was the only Sage Link was reluctant to find. During his quest as the Hero of Time, Link had enlisted her "help" in acquiring the Zora's Sapphire, one of the keys to open the Door of Time and claim the Master Sword. What Link failed to understand was that the Zora's Sapphire was also the Zora's Engagement Ring. When Link met Ruto again as an adult in the dark future, she was quite determined to marry him and Link was quite determined to not let that happen. He had no idea if time had seen fit to assuage Ruto's delusions; the last time he saw her, she was too busy pointing in Ganondorf's general direction and scream "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" to take notice of Link, but he supposed he'd find out soon enough.
Since Saria was still his main focus for the time being, Link continued to ponder about her whereabouts and recall memories of his friendship with her. The notion that this new, enigmatic evil might have already killed her continued to creep into his mind and Link rode faster. Navi snapped him out of his trance and broke the silence minutes later.
"Hey, Link…"
"…Huh? Oh. Sorry," Link replied, shaking his head and almost not hearing his fairy partner's voice. "What's up?"
"I'm not sure I like that girl. I mean Kelli," Navi admitted.
"Why do you say that?" Link wondered, arching an eyebrow. "I mean, I'll admit she's rather mysterious, but that doesn't mean she's an enemy. Besides, you remember Sheik?" Navi hesitated before replying.
"Who could forget him...or her...or whatever; and it isn't that. Kelli's attitude back in the castle dungeon rather tested my nerves, especially when you mistakenly slammed into her in the corridor."
"Maybe, but now that I think about it again, we were both at fault for that. And don't forget Kelli's best friend is apparently missing. I'd be very upset too if I found a torn letter a close friend tried to send me, only to find that that same friend has mysteriously vanished. Heck, I've got a bunch of missing friends and I'm so worried about them I can barely see straight."
"I guess that's true," Navi gave in with a sigh. "Though I still think she could've been a little more tactful."
"Yeah, well, that's not a real reason to dislike her," Link countered. "Besides, we only just met her. Give her a chance, alright?"
"I guess." Link smiled warmly.
"That's better. Although…"
"Yes?"
"Well, I was remembering the past just now and Kelli's mention made me think of something I always thought to be unusual," Link explained, his voice taking on a meditative tone. "A long time ago, before the Deku Tree summoned me, Saria told me I reminded her of a friend she once had in the forest."
"I don't get your meaning."
Link elaborated and spoke of how Saria said that this child, like Link, had no guardian fairy and was ignored by the rest of the Kokiri. Mido had his way with the child as well with constant bullying, which was no surprise at all to Link. He had received the very same treatment in his own youth, although he mostly ignored it. Saria then told him her friend left the forest a year before, as the child was meant to leave someday, much like Link had been. It was this statement in particular that Link viewed as odd.
"All I'm saying is that I think Kelli was that very same child," he finished. "Didn't you see what she was wearing? It was a tunic and boots like those of the Kokiri, only slightly different colors."
"Hey, you're right. Though her tunic was more of a bluish green," Navi recalled. "And those boots…kind of a bright brownish orange."
"Exactly. The only question I have is if that child was Kelli, why had I never seen her before? Saria said her friend left a year before she told me this story and I lived in the forest from when I was a baby until I was ten."
"Yeah, that is strange. I think only she or Saria could answer that, though."
"Or perhaps Mido. Either way, I think it's best that we not mention this to Kelli yet," Link advised. "She seemed very reluctant to talk about the forest before and she's upset enough as it is."
"Agreed."
With that, Link continued guiding Epona towards the entrance to the Kokiri Forest. Even though Saria and the other Kokiri remained children until they died, that had no effect on his friendship with them. That sentiment, however, cut both ways. Link had not forgotten how most of them had treated him when he was a boy, and the Kokiri adopting him as their favorite big brother after he freed their home from Ganondorf had eased the pain, but had not put him in a forgiving mood. Saria, however, was an exception since she had always been his friend and she alone knew that the Boy with No Fairy and the stranger the Kokiri looked up to, both in admiration and quite literally, were one and the same. In fact, Link often felt like Saria was really an adult trapped inside of a child's body due to her maturity, though he resolved not to revisit the rather confusing question of her real age. However, he then was reminded once more of Mido, the self-proclaimed leader of the Kokiri. Not only did he shun Link, but he seemed to be jealous of him all the time as well for being better friends with Saria or having been summoned by the Great Deku Tree, the Guardian Spirit of the forest who had died due to a curse from Ganondorf. Link could only hope that now he was grown up, Mido would cease his old behavior if he ever recognized him.
Don't you have more important things to worry about like, oh, say, saving the kingdom? his common sense berated him, which it usually did given Link's penchant for charging into danger.
Well, he did. Besides, even if Mido could wrap his head around the concept of 'growing up,' that was best done after Hyrule was safe again.
Upon bringing Epona to a halt at the tunnel entrance of the Kokiri Forest, Link opened his mouth for a big, sleepy yawn. It had become rather late in the night and he had grown quite exhausted from the adventure in the castle dungeon. Link wouldn't be surprised if Epona was the same after how much she had traveled. Epona descended to the ground immediately after he dismounted her, confirming Link's assumption that she, too, needed a rest. Link then sat down next to her and shed his sheath and bandoleer.
"I think I'll rest a bit before…looking for…Saria…" he mused aloud, leaning himself against Epona's side and yawning once more.
"But Link, we—", Navi attempted to protest. Before she could finish, Link and Epona were already fast asleep and out like a light, Link's hat pulled over his eyes. Geez, those two really were bushed, Navi thought. I suppose I can let them sleep for the night. I'm rather tired myself. She then landed on Link's shoulder and eventually dozed off as well.
Meanwhile, Kakariko Village was enveloped in darkness, though, thankfully, the darkness of the night since the evil had yet to encroach upon the village, at the foot of Death Mountain, the highest point in Hyrule as well as a deadly volcano. Sitting against the tree nearest to the village entrance was Kelli. She had also become exhausted from the events in the castle dungeon. As she sat there, growing sleepier by the minute, her thoughts wandered from who was responsible for Hyrule's new perils, to Judo's whereabouts, to whether or not the village would remain safe if she fell asleep. Everyone else, including Daphnes, had also turned in for the night and now it was so quiet, one could hear a twig drop. The only signs of life that remained active were various nocturnal insects and birds, and even they weren't making much noise. After much pondering and growing boredom, Kelli's drooping eyelids finally gave in and closed several minutes later. However, her peaceful slumber and the night silence would not last long.
Something had begun moving through the village at a fairly quick pace. The first thing to stir Kelli even slightly was a faint ringing noise coming from somewhere behind her. Thinking it was only her imagination, she attempted to drift back to sleep. However, she didn't think so anymore once a series of shattering noises startled her enough to shock her to full wakefulness. Kelli immediately sprang up, although still half asleep, upon hearing the noise.
"Huh, wha…? Who's there?" she called out. There was no response. The area became virtually silent once more. Whoever or whatever had caused the incident had vanished, though Kelli felt as if she'd heard the ringing sound before in the past. However, as hard as she tried to, she was unable to place it. It reminds me of the noise that fairy of Link's makes, Kelli thought. What was her name? Navi? But it couldn't have been her. Maybe it was a monster trying to trick me? She decided the only thing to do was to report to Daphnes.
However, Daphnes had also been awakened by the disruption, and before Kelli could take more than a mere few steps, he was already rushing towards her.
"Kelli! Did you hear all that noise too?" he inquired as he came to a halt in front of her.
"Yeah," Kelli replied. "In fact, I was just about to go report it to you, your majesty."
"Good. What do you suppose that was? I certainly hope the monsters aren't coming back. I fear our defenses would do little to stop them."
"So do I, but somehow, I doubt that's the case," Kelli added, yawning again. "I heard some sort of ringing just before the shattering happened. I have no idea what it was, but I know I've heard it before."
"Hmm… Very strange. We'll have to continue looking into this in the morning. It's rather late to do so now, and I doubt anything could be found in this darkness anyway."
"Understood." Kelli headed for her tree once more after Daphnes walked off. However, just as she was about to sit down, a relatively faint whinny followed by a neigh echoed through the stairs at the entrance. Knowing that sound anywhere, Kelli bolted forward and raced through the village gate. After nearly losing her balance on the stairs, Kelli rushed towards Sunfire, who had been left outside of the village. While Kelli had worried her beloved steed could be attacked out there, she had no choice, as horses obviously could not climb stairs and the stables at the base of the stairs hadn't lasted long with the new evils roaming Hyrule Field. That, and there the fact that Sunfire could alert her of evil presences nearby. Much to Kelli's dismay, however, she found the horse struggling against three Armosaurs, all of which were armed with lances. One was hanging onto the horse's back while the other two were pulling on the reins and saddle. Kelli fretted for a moment over this, as her sword was at a disadvantage against lances, which could strike from beyond the reach of her blade. Still, all she could do was attack.
Thankful that the commotion was outside the village where it wouldn't awaken anyone and cause a panic, Kelli began with a jump attack and leaped through the air, landing her blade squarely in the closest foe's backside. It fell from the single blow much to Kelli's pleasure. However, the other two were not to be so easy. Almost immediately, Kelli noted the golden color of their eyes. They're even more intelligent than I had anticipated, she thought. They were working as a team to take down Sunfire and they timed their move so I'd be away.But…how could the enemy know me so well or even that I might have been here? Something is very wrong…
With no choice but to give it her all, Kelli charged forward to rescue her horse. Sunfire had managed to throw her unwanted passenger off her back and into the rocky wall next to the stairs, giving Kelli the opportunity to focus on the other Armosaur. She vaulted over the creature and struck its head, penetrating its helmet. After following up with a leaping spin attack, both creatures were struck and sprawled to the ground at the base of the stairs. Kelli finished with yet another leap and her blade pointing downward, driving it right into the first Armosaur's chest. The one Kelli had not been battling managed to scramble to its feet before she had a chance to finish it. Instead, Kelli merely sheathed her sword until the creature approached her. The Armosaur seemed perplexed by this act, but decided to take advantage of his defenseless foe. Kelli, knowing that timing was everything, fought down the instinct to draw her blade until the perfect moment when the Armosaur was nearly upon her. At the literal last second, her hand found the hilt and her sword leapt from its sheath. Her blade struck it down at what seemed to be lightning speed.
"Ha…ha…" Kelli panted, the exhaustion from the battle coupled with her need for some sleep making her ever so tired. "Maybe now things will stay quiet…"
Kelli's exhaustion caused her to slow her pace on the way back to the tree, but she was ever so relieved when she reached it. It didn't take long for her to fall fast asleep once more after sitting back down, and to begin dreaming. The first thing she saw were images of her wandering through a land that did not resemble Hyrule at all. Then she began to see visions of her childhood. A village appeared, one which very much resembled Kakariko. Kelli was walking towards the same area described as a special place in Judo's Letter, and with her was a light brown-haired boy who was several inches taller than her. When they finished climbing the ladder that led to the cliff where the windmill was, Kelli and the boy looked at the fence that stood in the very back.
The next vision showed Kelli and the same boy from before walking through a dim underground cave which cut into the earth for some leagues before opening into a huge chamber, like some sort of underground temple. A golden-orange hilted sword was resting in an old, cracked pedestal and a shield of the same colors hung upon the cave wall at the very end of the cave's tunnel. Kelli began to feel strange, and couldn't control herself. Something told her to draw the sword and take the shield and couldn't stop herself from doing so. A sun emblem appeared on the back of her hand, glowed a few times, and then vanished into thin air. Immediately after, Kelli and the boy were back in Kakariko and the boy was slowly moving away from her as they bid sad goodbyes for one reason or another. When the boy finally disappeared, Kelli immediately awoke with a start and breathed heavily. Tears formed in her eyes yet again and trickled down her cheeks.
"Judo… Oh, Judo…where could you be?" she sobbed, covering her hands with her face. "Why did all of this have to happen?" Kelli was not able to help but know that the dream she had really envisioned the time she ventured to a far off kingdom as well as when she and Judo found the sword and shield she carried. The two later parted ways and had not seen each other since.
Later the next morning, Link was roused from his slumber by several fierce shrieks. His eyes shot open and he beheld several bird-like creatures called Guays squawking as they attempted to drive their beaks into Navi. Two more were attempting to hold her down by the wings. A neigh turned Link's attention to more of them plowing into Epona. She neighed ferociously as she attempted to use her hooves to kick them away and swung her head about in anger. Navi's ringing noise kept repeating over and over as she tried to escape her persistent attackers. Link gasped at these events and attempted to spring to his feet.
"Oh cru—AHH!" he yelped as one Guay pierced him right in the gut. Link groaned at the pain, but still managed to draw the Great Fairy's Sword and slice it practically in half.
"Link! Help!" Navi squealed. She was struggling to break free from the Guays' grip on her wings. Link immediately whipped out his bow and loosed arrows at them, being careful not to mistakenly hit Navi or Epona. Soon, the birds attacking Navi were on the ground in pieces and she was free. However, Epona suddenly neighed loudly as one more of the creatures, which was significantly larger than the others, struck her hard in the shoulder, lodging itself in the mare's chest. Link plucked it by the neck, inwardly praying that he wasn't tearing one of Epona's muscles in the act, and stabbed it to death with his sword. He attempted to finish the remaining birds with his bow, only to have some escape without so much as a scratch.
"Geez…" Link groaned seconds later, clutching his aching gut once more. "Talk about desperate. Little bastards… Augh…"
"Yeah," Navi added. "That was odd though. I've never seen Guays behave that way. Don't they usually go after weaker prey? And, they seemed coordinated too with the way they tried to pin all of us down at once."
"Huh, now that I think about it, you're right. That is weird. Then again, every monster around here that we've met before seems to have changed."
"No doubt about that…"
"Oh well, now that I'm awake, we'd better get moving."
Link spent the next few minutes examining Epona's wound; if it proved debilitating to the mare, it could prove disastrous. Link was hardly a veterinarian, but the wound seemed shallow so Link rubbed some red potion over it and hoped for the best. With that, Link tossed some carrots on the ground for Epona and entered the tunnel into the Kokiri Forest. He had barely entered its sylvan folds, setting foot on the rope bridge overlooking a portion of the Lost Woods which lead to the village, and already he could see signs that something was amiss. A light fog hovered over the ground like in Castle Town, only this time it seemed to be flowing from somewhere as if blown on the wind or exhaled by some fell beast. Forest monsters such as Deku Baba plants and hole-snouted Deku Scrubs roamed the area below the bridge Link was standing on. Just as he was about to go through the log tunnel into the Kokiri village, a lightly armored skeleton wielding a sword and shield dropped from out of nowhere. Link had met these before. They were Stalfos, undead warriors who fought like the trained swordsman they very likely were in life. So far, Link had seen several types of monsters he was familiar with, the differently colored eyes marking each as having somehow become smarter and deadlier. Was it a result of magical experimentation, or maybe some new breeding technique, perhaps? The notion of what breeding Redeads and Stalfos looked like almost made Link lose his lunch, and almost made him lose his head when the Stalfos reminded the green clad hero of its presence. Whatever the reason for this was, Link drew his sword and engaged in battle anyway.
"I should've known I'd run into one of these boneheads here," Link mumbled to himself as he blocked the creature's attack and returned it with his own. From what Link recalled, the Stalfos's fighting style particularly favored jump attacks, which meant he would need to be cautious of its movements. However, due to the changes in intelligence and even appearance at times with the familiar monsters, Link was also aware that this Stalfos could fight differently if it desired. Unfortunately, the Stalfos's move after receiving a blow only shocked Link. It remained in its stance, drew back its sword, and launched what appeared to be a charged jump attack. Link managed to roll out of the creature's path, but the way it moved was very familiar. Upon scrambling to his feet, Link immediately snuck behind the Stalfos and delivered a spin attack, sending it clean over the side of the bridge. The bleached skull hit a sturdy stump below with an audible crack, and the Stalfos did not get back up.
"Link…" Navi spoke up seconds later after the two were sure the creature was finished. "That move the Stalfos made… We've seen it before."
"Yeah, but I can't put my finger on it," Link replied, scratching the back of his head. "Wait… It's the technique Kelli used in the castle dungeon!"
While Link and Navi mulled over this troubling discovery, Kelli and Daphnes had their own problem to solve. Having recently awoken from their sleep, they were questioning some of the Kakariko villagers and townsfolk about the previous night's incident. Although a lot of them wished they could have been more help, none of them were able to provide a good solid clue as to what could have really happened during that night. All they could uncover was that Kelli seemed to have been the only one to hear a ringing sound similar to that of Navi's and that the shattering noises were all that was heard by anyone else. Whenever their questioning was finished, all Kelli and Daphnes could do was ponder some more.
"Well, that certainly didn't work out as planned…" Daphnes concluded, heaving a sigh.
"Would it be alright if I looked for clues myself, sire?" Kelli replied.
"Ah yes, please do, Kelli. I may as well keep an eye out for anything suspicious as well."
"Understood."
With that, Kelli immediately began nosing around for anything that could have been shattered. A few different noises had been mixed together at the same time, so things like windows, clay pots, and other items of the like were potential candidates. She looked in all the places where she knew clay pots and windows were near one another, but found no broken pieces or shattered windows at any of the houses she approached. Suddenly, just as Kelli was about to investigate the buildings near the Death Mountain gate, she heard a sudden cry.
"Oh my!" a feminine voice blurted from afar.
"Lady Kelli!" another voice called. A soldier rushed towards the curious heroine as she was approaching the stairs leading towards the Death Mountain gate.
"What? What's going on?" Kelli quickly inquired.
"It's Lady Impa's house! There's broken clay and glass everywhere by the front door!" the soldier reported. "I think the house may have been ransacked!"
"Ah, then let me have a look." Kelli wasted no time rushing up the stairs leading straight to Impa's front door. Just as the soldier told her, the window had been broken as well as the clay pots that once sat below. However, one thing the soldier had not mentioned struck her as odd. What appeared to be a dirt impression was inscribed on the wall right below the window sill. There had been a struggle here alright, but it still didn't completely add up. Kelli pondered about what could have occurred, but nothing reasonable had come to mind. It looked as if someone had broken into the house, or at least made an attempt to do so, but to steal what? As far as Kelli knew, the most valuable thing in Impa's house has been Impa herself, and the evil had already abducted her. Did the enemy break into the house believing it held other things of use to them, or did they just ransack her home out of spite? She had no way of knowing either way.
"Do you think someone was trying to break in and steal something?" the soldier suggested.
"I don't know. All I can say is that somebody wanted in here pretty badly," Kelli replied. "I just wish I knew why. The only thing we can do now is report this to his majesty."
Kelli turned towards the door but, before she reached it, something caught her eye as she passed one of the broken windows. On one jagged tip of the glass still attached to the frame was a tiny piece of material that had become snagged on the glass and torn free. A piece of the intruder's clothing, perhaps? Whatever it was, it was so tiny that she had to squint in order to see it. When she delicately plucked it off and ran one fingertip over the fine, gauze like material, she knew what she was looking at.
It was a piece of a fairy's wing.
Apparently, the resemblance between Navi and that ringing sound she heard earlier was no coincidence at all. A fairy had been here, maybe during the break-in, and the fairy's entrance had been less-than-graceful.
With the evidence in hand, the young heroine sought out the king of Hyrule once more. Though many thoughts now clouded her mind, Kelli was worrying most about what this incident was and why it even occurred. Whoever the mysterious fairy was, he or she had to have been in Kakariko for a reason, as they are normally not found alone or outside of the Kokiri Forest since their Kokiri wards could not leave the woods. So, why was a fairy both without a Kokiri and far from the forest? The only question that really mattered, however, was why the fairy was in the house in the first place. Kelli soon spotted Daphnes making his way down the stairs in front of the well, which sat in the near center of the village. She quickly rushed to him and explained her findings; he was rather skeptical but once he saw the piece of fairy wing, and found a magnifier with whic to actually see it, he was forced to agree with Kelli's assessment.
"The evidence seems clear," Daphnes commented once Kelli finished. "But I don't see why a fairy would be here."
"Yeah," Kelli said. "That's my only stray piece to this puzzle."
"We're probably missing one important clue to this whole thing," Daphnes pondered. "We just need to find it. Of course, it doesn't help that all we know about this fairy is that he, or she, is a rather careless flier and had a torn wing."
"Don't worry, I'll keep investigating. Though right now, I seem to be at a dead end."
"Hm… Well, I'm sure something will turn up sooner or later. Right now though, we should get back to business."
"Of course." Kelli then wandered away, deciding it was best to now take the advice Daphnes had given her earlier and look for any clues to Judo's whereabouts. She started by approaching the boy's house near the Death Mountain gate, where his mother, Mira, still lived. Two other buildings were nearby, a house and a shop, though Kelli remembered exactly which house was Judo's once she laid eyes on it. It was the same basic beige stone house seen throughout the village, only with a roof made of blue tiles instead of orange or red. However, just by looking at it, Kelli could see it was empty. The windows were dark, the curtains were closed, and the door was boarded up. Was Mira missing too? Did she go with her son? The only way Kelli would answer these questions was by finding either Judo or his mother, or both.
Heaving a sigh of disappointment, Kelli returned to where she had spoken with Daphnes earlier and continued on from there to the opposite end of the village. Perhaps there was more than just the scene in front of Impa's house that everyone had somehow missed. Maybe there were answers in the graveyard. Villagers, including the grave keeper, Dampe, had reported strange occurrences in there once in awhile after all, such as strange noises or claiming to have seen monsters. And, if the fairy from the previous night did tear a wing, he or she might decide to hide somewhere nearby while it healed and the eerie, often deserted graveyard seemed like the perfect hideaway. As she approached the graveyard's entrance, Kelli was almost surprised to see Dampe himself standing on the path.
"Ah, hello Kelli. I was hoping you'd stop by here," Dampe greeted. His large body and deformed-looking face appeared to be rather frightening; his hunched back, slightly twisted body and corpse gray skin made him look too much like the corpses he buried for most peoples' tastes, but he was a far kinder man than his looks would suggest. As usual, Dampe carried a shovel in his hand for the Heart-Pounding Grave-Digging Tour he ran in the graveyard for extra income when business was slow.
"Oh? Is anything wrong?" Kelli inquired, raising one eyebrow.
"No, I just remembered something," Dampe replied. "I know you and his majesty already asked me about the shenanigans from last night, but I shouldn't have said I knew nothing."
"Why's that?"
"Because I might have a clue after all. I heard flapping noises while in my hut last night. It sounded like wings. Something must have flown into the graveyard."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"Hm… Well, thanks for letting me know."
"No problem." On that note, Dampe retreated back to the graveyard. Kelli continued walking around the village, trying to figure out how the grave keeper's clue could fit in into the puzzle of the break in at Impa's house. Had the mysterious fairy made the flapping noises, as Kelli suspected? Or was it something else? Furthermore, how many pairs of wings were there? If Dampe had been able to tell whether there was one flier or more than one, surely he would have said so. There was also the matter of exactly when the creature or creatures flew in. If it wasn't around the same time as the shattering and fairy noises, there was a chance the two could be completely unrelated. Lastly, it was even possible that the occurrence was connected to the incident with the monsters outside the village. She did spend over an hour searching for the rogue fairy but either she was wrong about where the fairy would hide or this fairy was a fast healer, for she came away empty handed and had no choice but to give up for the time being.
Out of boredom, Kelli soon decided to visit the area Judo had mentioned in his letter. It had always been a good place to meditate on a perplexing issue and this one certainly qualified. She climbed the stairs next to the graveyard's entrance, walked past the door of the windmill, and hoisted herself on top of the fence beside her. She had to leap to the other side to reach the ladder leading to the area, as a tall fence blocked the way. Kelli had a near miss, but landed safely on the other platform and rushed towards her destination. Much to her dismay, however, one of the castle soldiers stood in front of the ladder, blocking her path.
"Excuse me, you're kind of blocking the ladder," Kelli pointed out.
"Ah, Lady Kelli," the soldier greeted. "I apologize, but his majesty has ordered that everyone stay out of the area above due to the difficulty of seeing or hearing what goes on up there."
"But I'll be up there should any monsters appear."
"True, but then you might not notice anything happening below, plus his majesty may not be able to find you easily."
"Ah… Good point. I don't intend to be up there very long."
"I still advise against it. What's so important about going there anyway?"
"Well, if I must have a good reason…" Kelli produced Judo's Letter and held it in front of the soldier. His eyes scanned it in a matter of seconds.
"I see. Sir Judo wanted to meet you here," the soldier commented. "How unfortunate. He's been missing for awhile now."
"You know him?" Kelli replied, her voice hinting at her surprise.
"Not in person. He's well known, especially with the castle soldiers," the soldier explained. "Anyway, I think this letter is reason enough for you to go up for a little while. But be careful."
"Thank you. And of course."
Kelli was at the top of the ladder within seconds after the soldier stood aside. Upon reaching her destination, she began walking around the back of the windmill, eyeing the entire area with nostalgia and grief. She and Judo played up there many times when they were children. Well, technically she was still a child but fighting and killing Moblins for fifteen rupees a piece tended to make one grow up. The fence creating the border of the village, as well as demarking the frontier of Hyrule, was still intact, though in worse shape than before. One day, Kelli and Judo managed to climb over it and explore a little outside the kingdom. It was the same adventure that led to the underground cavern holding the sword and shield sheathed on Kelli's back. And then it led to the parting of the two friends. It wasn't long before these thoughts brought tears to Kelli's eyes once more.
Upon reaching the other side of the windmill, Kelli instantly sat down in the damp grass and watched the village from atop the cliff. She gazed down on the well once more, the very spot where Kelli and Judo first laid eyes on one another. Now it all seemed like it had all happened a lifetime ago, or not at all. Although Kelli knew she had to be more concerned about what was going on in Hyrule at the moment than Judo's whereabouts, she couldn't help but wonder. It'd been seven years since she had last seen Judo, the same time Link and Navi had been separated. Even though she knew she had to wait, Kelli felt as if she couldn't go much longer without seeing him again. However, with the troubles Hyrule now faced, she could only try hard not to dig too deep in her search for Judo just yet. Still, what the castle soldier at the bottom of the ladder had said echoed in Kelli's mind. Could that be a hint that Judo was a soldier himself? If so, why would he leave in such dangerous times?
"Oh Judo… Why?" Kelli sobbed. "If you can wield a weapon… Why aren't you here fighting for your kingdom?"
Or perhaps, Judo had no idea what was going on. Darker questions still flittered through Kelli's mind; seven years was a long time. Had he changed, for the worse, when the evil came to Hyrule and she was still away? Did he desert and abandon Hyrule in its darkest hour? Or, worse, did he join the enemy? Kelli nearly kicked herself for thinking such things but, that left one last dark question. Was he dead?
Again, Kelli tried to force these worries out of her head but her more pragmatic side whispered a reminder that, as a warrior, she had to be prepared for the worst. And, again, Judo being a coward, an enemy, or dead certainly qualified as 'the worst.'
The only way to know was to find him, she decided. Whatever the case, Kelli knew she would see him again someday. And when she did, she would apologize for seeking him out immediately after she returned to Hyrule from the kingdom shown in her dream. After all her thinking and pondering, Kelli knew there was only one thing she could do.
"I have no choice…" she decided, finally wiping her tears away. "With Judo missing and these monsters returning stronger than they were when I last fought them, Link needs to know everything. Especially if he's…the one…"
