*Sorry my dear readers for taking so long to post this chapter. I got caught up in a project with my fanfictions and all of my birthday one-shots so I got pulled away from this project for awhile. But fear not, I have a break in-between birthdays and I will do my best to update as quickly as possible. Please review and enjoy*
Chapter 3: Waking Up On The Surface
My head hurt; I felt like a rubber band was being stretched out on my head and it was trying to snap back into place at the same time. I brought my hand to my head which turned out to be a horrible decision; my shoulder cracked under the pressure. My whole body ached beyond my imagination. I just laid there for a moment, not even opening my eyes. There were little chirps all around me.
I finally opened my eyes and looked around. I slowly lifted myself up and I saw the most beautiful little birds. They hopped right next to me as if they were unafraid. But the moment I moved, they fluttered away. Their pretty colors reflected in the light of the sun, shining bright oranges and blues. I looked up at the sky; it seemed so far away unlike home but somehow, it was just like it. The sky was beaming with the light of the sun and even though it was farther away, the sun seemed warmer than it did in Skyloft.
"Skyloft! Link!" I suddenly remembered what happened. I remembered my flight around Skyloft with Link, and the terrible tornado that dragged me out of the sky and landed me here. But where was I? I didn't recognize this place. Could this be the surface that I heard legend about? Out of nowhere, an elderly woman walked toward me; she was very short but her rather large hood altered her appearance, making her taller. Her hair was braided and hung on either side of her neck, almost down to her waist. At the end of the braid, was a giant circle braid that swung back and forth in front of her. "Who are you?"
"Who I am is not what's important right now my dear. Are you hurt?" The old woman asked.
I felt my head again; it seemed fine and some of the pain went away so I hoped I didn't have a concussion. "I don't believe so."
"Come with me dear, I will make certain of it." She helped me to my feet. I still felt a little woozy but I knew it would pass with a nice glass of water and a few deep breaths. I followed her down the path and she led me to an old temple. Once inside, the kind old woman sat me down and tended to my head and my scraped knees.
She handed me a bottle of red liquid. "Here, drink this dear."
"What is it?"
"It's a potion. I made it myself; it will help you feel better in no time." She smiled warmly at me and handed me the bottle. I took it gratefully and sipped at it; it tasted sour but I choked it down. I felt the warmth spread through me and I instantly felt better. "How do you feel now?"
"I feel amazing. Thank you so much." I said.
"So can you tell me your name child?"
"It's Zelda."
"My Zelda, what a beautiful name. It suits a goddess reborn." She said.
I nearly spat the potion from my mouth. "A what?" I asked her.
She smiled and told the tale. Long ago, Skyloft and the surface were one kingdom. There was an evil, far greater than any the world has ever known; and they called him Demise. During the battle of good vs. evil, the Great Goddess Hylia, used every ounce of her power to seal Demise in a dormant state. In order to prevent the uprising of Demise, she selected a hero, one who would wield her Goddess Sword and defeat Demise. But that wasn't all; she also prophesized that she would be awaken within a young girl with goddess given abilities and she would be reborn within her.
"And you think I'm the goddess Hylia born again?"
She nodded her head. "I was certain the moment I laid eye on you dear Zelda. You are the goddess's reincarnation and it is up to you to help the chosen hero defeat Demise, once and for all." I couldn't wrap my head this; not two hours ago, I was just a normal girl.
"This can't be right. I'm not a goddess reborn, there's no way." I protested. "You must have me confused with someone else."
"I'm afraid not my dear. You're the only one who can do this. But at the present moment, you're not ready."
"I'll say."
"Fear not child. You may not be ready now but you will. And you will not be alone; the Chosen Hero of the Goddess will reveal himself in due time. And when he does, he will come after you. You must focus on your task, for your part must be done."
I sighed heavily; I suppose it could not be helped. This wise woman is very concerned about this Demise. As a student of the Knight Academy, I felt that it was my duty to answer the call when summoned. "Tell me what to do." I resolved.
"First, you must cleanse yourself in the temples of the three dragons. You must pray to each of them for guidance and wisdom, only they can help you on this journey now. Purifying yourself is the only way you can accept the memoires of the Goddess. After you have cleansed yourself in the temples of Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru, return to the Sealed Temple for your final task. Good luck my Goddess." The kind old woman bowed to me and wished me luck once more.
She told me that Faron Temple was just beyond the forest. I nodded, thanked her for help and left the temple. The birds were chirping wildly, they were everywhere. There was a clearing just behind the temple and I saw a strange creature studying a statue that resembled a loftwing. From the lessons in school, I identified the creature as a Goron; a mountain-dwelling creature with enough armor to break through the earth. I passed by him and he didn't even notice me. I walked through the gate to the forest and climbed the ledge to officially enter the forest.
When I entered the forest, I could see a magnificent, towering tree. It's leaves could easily have been as long as a loftwing's wingspan. There was a wall of ground all around me, I traveled through the valley and finally made it to a hill. As I reached the top, there was a deep drop into another valley. I crouched down and carefully jumped off the ledge. My feet stung a little after the impact of my jump but I took a deep breath and pressed on. As I looked around, the plant life was so invigorating, just looking at them filled me with hope and happiness.
I smiled to myself; the sun felt so warm and comforting, I wanted to lie there and soak it into my skin. I walked over to the circle of trees and picked a piece of their fruit. I didn't have time to sit leisurely and bask in the sun; I had to get moving. I took the fruit with me and pressed on. I bit into the fruit and dropped it on the ground; I heard a terrible cry from behind me.
I turned and saw two red monsters, bearing spiked clubs, and screeching at the top of their lungs. I froze with fear; one of them took a horn from his belt and blew it three times. Before I knew it, there were a dozen more coming. They jumped from the same ledge I had just come down from and ran towards me. There was another ledge just beyond the circle of trees; there was another place to climb but the monsters surrounded me and there was nowhere for me to go. I jumped down as fast as I could and ran for it. I didn't know where I was going; I just knew I needed to run.
I tripped over a big plant; I looked behind me and I saw a weird little creature. It bleeped at me and hid itself in the leaves I just tripped over. "Are you afraid of me?" I asked.
"You're not going to hurt me?"
"No of course not." I said. I tried to pat it reassuringly but the monsters found me. "Oh no!" I gasped. I started running but I realized that I jumped right back to the beginning of the forest.
"Wait!" It cried. I didn't realize that it had followed me. "It's the elder, kwi-kee!" All of a sudden, a gigantic creature that greatly resembled the one standing next to me jumped onto the trail in front of me.
"Machi? What's wrong?" The monsters shrieked again, and they jumped down and ran towards us.
"They found me." I said.
"Quickly, this way." The elder grabbed me and he took off with me. We ran through the forest. We reached a clearing and the elder held me close to his belly and he covered us under his leaves. When the screeching stopped, he got up and I could feel the sun on me again and I could smell the fresh air; everything was peaceful again.
"Thank you for your help." I thanked him.
"You're quite welcome. You know, a little thing like you shouldn't be running around these woods. They are filled with dangerous monsters, you could get hurt."
"Can you help me? It is of grave importance that I get to the Faron Temple. Can you tell me the best way to get there?"
"Are you crazy? Weren't you listening to anything I said? There are monsters everywhere and it's too dangerous to go anywhere alone. Sorry, but I will not." I sighed. If I was going to get to that temple, I needed to know the way. I watched where he was looking; it was beyond the great tree and then I noticed his belly. Of course; it was springy to the touch, perhaps if I bounced off of it, he could launch me to where I needed to go.
And so, I pushed him on his back, climbed on top of his wriggly belly and I jumped. The impact shot me right over the woods and I landed on the other side of the great tree. There was a stone archway with an overlook platform at the top. I quickly climbed up there before I was noticed by another monster. There was another ledge at the top. I used all of my strength to climb a nearby vine and I swung up to the ledge.
I pushed my way through the winding path and on the other side of a great ravine, I saw the temple. It was grander and bigger than I had pictured in my head and so I knew with absolute certainty that I was on the right path. But first, I had to figure out a way to get across the ravine. I looked at the edge of the ravine and saw a giant log. I decided to use it to climb my way up to the other side.
I struggled a little bit once I got up there but I made it. Just as I'd hoped, there was a way down from the upper ledge. I carefully made my way over to the entrance, looking around for any hidden monsters. The coast was clear; I dashed up the stairs and forced open the door. The Skyview Temple was bigger than I had anticipated. The ancient stone was withering away into dust, there were cobwebs everywhere but thankfully no spiders in sight. I fixed my hair and wandered down the winding stairs to my first door. Behind that door in the center of the room was another grand staircase. I walked up those stairs and I saw the door just on the other side. I turned back around and walked around the podium and walked through the door.
The next room was flooded but there were three doors that I could choose to go through. My instincts told me to go straight through; so I hopped on the floating log and jumped to the ledge. I scraped my knee a little bit but I brushed it off and pushed onward. I think I chose the right door; but I couldn't be entirely sure. There was a giant dome in the center of the room and there were doors everywhere. I didn't know what to do; how could I find my way through this maze? In that moment, warmth surrounded me and told me where I needed to go.
I finally made it to the end of the temple; the goddess's spring was so beautiful and breath-taking. I walked to the end of the room and stopped before the statue. I kneeled before it and began to pray.
"Great Goddess Hylia, guide me on this journey. Help me to complete this journey as you had intended. Guide your Chosen Hero as well and help him to make it through the trials that he will face." I sighed and opened my eyes. The goddess statue was just like the one we had on Skyloft; so magnificent and radiant that you just wanted to stare at it. I smiled to myself.
In a flash, a vision came to me in that instant. I saw the Chosen Hero but he was a dark silhouette and I couldn't make out his face. But I watched as he confronted a dark mass that was bigger than the Statue of the Goddess. I could feel a strange presence around me, like there was a raw power that held me in its grasp. And then, the memory was cut short.
"It's just the girl that matters now and she is just behind this door." A strange voice said.
"You'll never touch her." It was Link! He was talking to somebody.
"Link!" I started to call but suddenly, somebody burst through the water and pulled me off the platform. "Wait! Who are you?"
"No time to explain, you must get out of here now." She said. She pulled me through a secret passage way and it took us out of the temple. She pulled me up to the edge of the dark woods and she suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders. "Now, you must hurry back to the Sealed Temple and wait there until the shaman says it is safe. Now hurry."
"But wait, who are you?" She didn't wait to answer; she just took off and ran ahead. But I headed her warning and went back to the Sealed Temple. When I got back to the circle of trees, I jumped down the ledge and headed back for the entrance to the woods. When I finally reached the Sealed Temple again, the shaman quickly pulled me inside and shut the door.
I waited patiently in the alcove in the center of the temple until the shaman came over and told me the way was clear.
"Have you gotten any memories yet?" She asked.
"Yes, but then it was interrupted when I heard Link and some…stranger on the other side of the door."
"So you do know the Chosen Hero?" The shaman asked me.
"Yes. Link and I grew up together, we went to school together, and…we're the best of friends." I explained.
"I'm afraid your job is not done yet my dear. You must still visit the other temples and cleanse yourself." She was right; I still had a job to do and this was only the beginning.