A/N: I do not own the Legend of Zelda or Nintendo. Also, apologies in advance if this is bad. More about this is explained in the second A/N.
Ocarina of Time Link's Perspective.
Chapter Five
The Hero Who Was Forgotten
The two Heroes spent their entire journey to the forest talking about their adventures and comparing their hardships. The Hero of Twilight had restricted himself from saying too much. He had simply stated that he used to be a rancher and still was, but it was difficult to locate where he used to work since he had been shut into the Temple of Time for a very long time. He had also stated that he wasn't sure how long it had been since he combated some monsters and purged some dungeons.
Link understood that same feeling. After being sealed in the Temple of Time for seven years, he knew how confusing it was to suddenly exit and see a completely different Hyrule. But that raised several questions in his mind: who was this other Link; why was he locked inside the Temple of Time; why hadn't Rauru mentioned this person; was he an unknown Hero; was he good or evil, or was he merely an illusion; how many years had he been shut inside the Temple of Time; and why did the goddesses do that to him?
Link had far too many questions swimming in his mind. He wanted them out, but there really wasn't a way to get them to leave. He needed answers to his inquiries.
What really bothered Link wasn't the fact that the Hero of Twilight refused to talk, but instead why he wore his own Master Sword. Hadn't Rauru said something about that sword being a key to traverse time and that only those who pulled it from the Pedestal of Time could be known as the Hero of Time? In which case, was this Hero also a Hero of Time? And hadn't it been forged by the ancient Sages as a key to enter the Sacred Realm? Were there really two keys, or did this other Link's sword have no power whatsoever?
Fortunately, it appeared as if Link's question didn't need to be answered for him to be satisfied. He looked forward and squealed in delight, changing his pace from a fast walk to a full-on sprint.
In front of him were two tall trees that rose up out of Hyrule's boundaries. What should have been no more than a natural wall had been split in half, allowing another path. Grass sprouted on top of the wall. The wall formed a path that branched off to the left. It hadn't changed a bit.
Finally, Link could see his old home. He was so excited to return that he completely disregarded his new companion, and even his fairy. He dashed past them both, heading for the forest as fast as he could.
The Hero of Twilight blinked in surprise and chased after the fleeing Hylian. Navi landed on his shoulder to save herself the struggle of catching up with her friend. She disappeared in the folds of his clothes, enjoying the ride. She was also excited to see her old home, but she was too tired to chase after her escaping companion.
Link entered the hollow tree in the wall and sprinted across the bridge, listening to his feet thud on the planks. The bridge was still in good condition and didn't even creak from his new weight. Link dashed into the main part of the forest, ecstatic to return.
The Hero of Twilight entered the hollow log as well and tripped over himself as he heard a noise he wasn't expecting.
"CUCCKOOOO!"
He hit the planks, knees scraping the old wood. He shot to his feet, looking around, bewildered. Even Navi was surprised. She floated up and swept the visible forest before returning to the Hero of Twilight. "Was that from you?" she asked.
Link spun in a circle. "I…" he trailed off. Where had that noise come from?
Navi fluttered back after him and softly landed on his shoulder. "Let's go back to Link," she said.
The Hero of Twilight agreed and dashed into the other end of the hollow log. He entered the main part of the forest: the village of the Kokiri. He almost ran straight into his fellow Hero, who had stopped dead in his tracks and was looking around. Blood dripped off his left arm and chest. Teeth marks were fresh on his body. His weapons were drawn and he was glaring forward.
Navi landed on Link's shoulder. "Hey, Link! What happened to you?"
Link regarded her. "Navi…" he whispered. He turned back to face what was before him. "What…what happened here? What happened to my home?"
The Hero of Twilight scanned their environment to see what Link was talking about.
He had to admit the Kokiri's Forest looked nice. To his left was a house made from a tree, like his own. It was hut-shaped, but was definitely a hollow tree. There was no door on it, but that was alright. A circle of rocks was right beside it: a spot he would go dig later in search of secrets.
To his right was a hill that led to another house that looked similar to the first. A fence formed a maze near the home, but the Hero of Twilight couldn't see much of it. In front of him, beyond the hill but still on the right were two houses. If he squinted, he could barely make out a third home that was off the ground, like his own. To the left, in front of him, was another building, across a stream of water. It was twice as large as the other houses, so it had to be something else. Further beyond that was another path that probably led somewhere good.
The first house he had seen also had a path behind it, with ivy leading up a natural wall. One of the homes on the right, the one with a bunch of weeds in front of it, had a path carved onto the side—spiraling up the structure—which would lead him to two bridges that had their own vantage points.
All in all, the place seemed ideal. Except for the fact that there were monsters everywhere.
There was one in front of them: a creature the Hero of Twilight had never seen before. A Deku Baba was on the hill near the fence. A bunch of their buddies were wherever there was room. Even the tempting path in front of them was blocked by a Deku Baba.
"What happened to my home?!" Link demanded. He ran forward to slay a monster, but the Hero of Twilight seized him by the arm and dragged him back. "What are you doing? Let go!"
The Hero of Twilight shook his head. "You need to calm down. Are these monsters really the most important thing you need to engage here?"
Link's face paled. "My friends…"
The Hylian Hero released him.
Link dashed into the nearest building and halted. He was accompanied by the Hero of Twilight, who noticed the same thing that the Hero of Time had.
The room was extremely tiny and had a white oval rug. Four chests waited on the rug, but they were all open. On the left of the room was a small table, and on the right were some unbreakable pots. At the far end of the room was a raised stage with some stairs leading up to it. A bed was right beside that. Two boys waited, one on the bed and one on the stairs. Both had strawberry-blonde hair that covered their eyes, and they wore the same outfit as Link, but in different variations.
Relief flashed across Link's face, and he ran over to the one on the stairs. Before he could open his mouth, the little boy spoke.
"Why is that fairy following you around? You're not one of us!"
Those words were like bricks to Link. The agony on his face was clearly visible, but the little boy didn't seem to notice. Closing his open mouth, Link turned to the other boy.
"I see," the other boy said. "You didn't have any problem entering the forest, mister…"
Mister? Link wondered, bewildered. Then he remembered: he was an adult.
So why were all of his friends all still children?
"Did the meanies out there bother you much?" the child on the bed asked. "Before the Great Deku Tree died, you wouldn't see things like that around here…. Since it's dangerous outside, I always stay inside my house, but I'm bored to death in here!"
"I…see…" Link turned around and walked out, almost pushing the Hero of Twilight out of his way. The other Link backed out and waited.
The Hero of Time raised his head and dashed up the hill, kicking a Deku Baba in the face on his way and stepping on the other monster, which was a weird-looking bush with orange leaves, a cracking wooden face, and evil yellowish-orange eyes: a Mad Scrub. He entered the next house, where the Hero of Twilight joined him. Link stared at the three kids inside and approached the first one.
"Hello…" he started.
"Since the Great Deku Tree withered…more meanies have been appearing in the forest… I'm scared!" the young boy said. He resembled the two in the last house, and the two others in this house looked like him as well.
Link ran to the one waiting on his left, momentarily disregarding the one on his right.
"Where is Saria?" he asked.
"Where's Saria? Do you know Saria, mister? That's weird… Where has Mido gone during such an emergency?"
Link forced himself to turn to the other boy.
"An evil wind is blowing from the direction of the Forest Temple," the young boy said. "Saria left, saying, 'I have to do something about it!'"
"Where is the Forest Temple?" Link asked.
"The Forest Temple is located in the Sacred Forest Meadow in the far side of the Lost Woods."
Link dashed back out, accompanied by a severely confused Hero of Twilight. He charged into the house with the weeds out front. The house also had a white rug, but instead of chests, there were little hearts. A blonde girl with a green headband and sleeveless tunic was standing in the center of the rug. She took note of Link right away and courageously asked him a question.
"Have you been traveling around much, mister?"
"Yes…" he answered.
"Have you ever met a boy named Link?"
I am Link! Link wanted to scream.
"Should I have?" he asked instead, trying to control his raging emotions.
"Mido said that the Great Deku Tree withered because that boy did something wrong to it… Only Saria defended Link—until she left."
Saria…Saria believed in me? Link wondered. No one…but Saria…defended me?
"Maybe we misunderstood…" the girl concluded.
Link spun around, emotions shattering. He charged out, tailed by the Hero of Twilight. Link ran straight past the raised house, ignoring it entirely, and went to the next, final house.
The Hero of Twilight could see that this was emotionally tearing apart the other Hero. He needed to stop him before he completely ruined his mind. He reached forward and tried to seize the Hero of Time, but he was too slow. Link had already escaped to the inside of the house, and was now talking to a young girl waiting on a bunch of cut logs. "Is Saria alright?" he asked her, deciding he needed some other news other than confusion.
"Saria went to the temple and hasn't come back…"
"Haven't I seen you somewhere before, mister?" asked another blonde girl in front of a stage.
The Hero of Twilight extended his hand, trying to catch his friend, but he still didn't. The Hero of Time shoved him aside and sprinted into the open air.
"Link!" the Hero of Twilight called, pursuing him. "Link!"
Navi fluttered out of her resting place and landed on Link's shoulder. "Link…" she began. "Are you…alright?"
Link stopped. He drew his sword and the Hero of Twilight feared the worst.
The Hero of Time spun around and yelled loudly, heading for a Mad Scrub. It spat a seed at him, but he easily reflected it and then jumped into the air, crushing it with his blade while it was stunned by its own attack. He whirled around and sprinted up the hill near the entrance and sliced the Deku Baba in half at the stem. Navi assisted him as he combated his monsters, but even she was worried about him.
"Link!" she called.
The Hero of Time didn't respond. He went after another Mad Scrub.
"Link!" the Hero of Twilight shouted.
Still nothing. Link was too angry and too distressed to listen. His eyes had narrowed and all of his battle cries were pure murder. He wanted his home to be cleansed. These monsters were in his way. They needed to die.
"Link!" Navi shouted again.
The Hero of Time prepared to run and challenge another Deku Baba.
"HEY! LISTEN, LINK!"
Link stopped in his tracks. He began shaking, as if enraged by the distractions.
The Hero of Twilight walked around to Link's front to talk to him and convince him that he needed to calm down. He ceased walking the moment he saw Link's face.
Link sank to his knees and dropped his sword, head in his hands. He began sobbing, tears dripping on the ground.
The Hero of Twilight averted his gaze. He understood. He had felt devastated when Ilia had brushed him aside, and even more so when she had seemed to remember him, only to then display she didn't. It had killed him inside, and he knew that Link was suffering a similar agony.
Navi fluttered onto Link's knees and looked up at him. "I don't know why they haven't aged and you have…but you can't allow yourself this hopelessness, Link… Please. I'm still here. Link's still here. You have us. Please stop this…"
The Hero of Twilight sat down on the ground and waited. He couldn't say anything. He had simply been mentioned, but he didn't belong in this conversation. These two had known each other for a very long time, and he had known them for less than a day. He couldn't join this discussion unless asked to. He would have to hold his tongue.
"I'm fine with being a Hero…" Link said, voice breaking. "But…no. No, I'm really not. Hyrule is in shambles. Zelda is either missing or dead. No one remembers me. They think I betrayed them. I've had my years stolen away from me, and all that remains of this world is chaos. My home is overrun with monsters and…and…" He took his head out of his hands and cupped them, reaching out to Navi, who jumped into them. "And I've no one to blame but myself!"
"That's not true, Link," Navi protested. "You know it! You heard Rauru; you opened the Sacred Realm in the name of peace, but Ganon used your innocence and your pure intentions to control everything."
"It's all my fault…"
"Link, can you even hear yourself?" the Hero of Twilight asked, unable to remain silent anymore. "You can blame yourself all you like but it's not getting you anywhere! As a Hero, you have to know that you possess the ability to fix what you, and those around you, have broken. You are not permitted to complain about the negative circumstances; doing so would mean that you have surrendered to hopelessness, and Hyrule will never be saved. The world cries out for people like us, and we have no choice but to defend it!"
Link glared at the Hero of Twilight. "Has your hometown ever decided that they don't like you and forgotten about you?!"
"No. However, my betrothed, whom I have spent all sixteen years of my life with, has no idea who I am anymore."
Link's expression softened slightly, transitioning to a mild form of confusion. "Your beloved doesn't know you?"
"She was attacked by monsters right before my eyes. After that, I've no idea what happened to her. I encountered her later and she didn't know me."
"Even so…"
"If you would like to compete with me because of hardships, then I'm sorry; I will not challenge you. We've both received our share of struggles…both of us must live in obscurity. Our lives as Heroes will remain unknown simply because we are not permitted to brag about them."
Link looked down at his feet.
The Hero of Twilight stood up. "I want to help you; I do not wish to antagonize you in any manner, but I…this world…we need you to be a Hero who is strong. Can you do that for us all?"
Link was silent. After a few agonizing moments, he finally sighed. He looked up at his fellow Hero and said, "I want to save my friend, Saria. Will you assist me?"
The Hero of Twilight extended his hand, which Link accepted. He was pulled to his feet by his fellow Hero. Link dusted himself off. He cast a sorrowful look at his homeland before he began to walk back to the first house.
The Hero of Twilight feared that Link would enter the building, but he didn't. Instead, Link climbed up on the wall behind it and turned to the ivy. "Follow me," he commanded. He gripped the ivy and pulled himself to the top, turning around and offering his hand to the Hero of Twilight.
The other Hero also scaled the ivy, accepting Link's hand. Link spun around and charged over to a Mad Scrub, which he utterly defeated within the minute. He turned back to his Hylian companion.
"These are the Lost Woods," he said. "We need to go through here to reach the Sacred Forest Meadow. After that, we should see Saria."
The Hero of Twilight nodded and followed Link inside the woods.
"CUCCKOOOO!"
Both Heroes flinched and looked around, searching for the noise.
"Was that a Cucco?" Link asked.
"That's the second time we've heard that noise," Navi said. "I'm not sure where it's coming from, but it only calls out here, in the Lost Woods."
The Hero of Twilight nodded. He looked around. "What's up with this place?"
The woods were truly interesting. They appeared similar to the Sacred Grove, but there were no blocked paths. Instead, there were four paths to choose from. Each looked exactly identical: a fallen, hollow log that was big enough to ride a horse through. They were fenced in by a massive wall, encased in a natural box. The sky above them was easily seen, not blotted out by the trees still standing on top of the wall. Ivy and grass were visible on the top, but there was no way to reach it.
"Do you remember how to get through this place?" Navi asked.
"Yes," Link replied. He turned to the right and entered the hollow log. He was relieved to see that the scenery had largely remained the same. There was still a small fence bordering a steep drop to another spot. A ladder lead down to the other area, which was covered in tall grass. A tree had been cut down and had fallen adjacent to its stump. Another tree grew close to the wall near the ladder, a target sign hanging from one branch. On the top, it had been cut, and a small bush that Link knew used to be a Deku Scrub was on to the cut part.
To his left was the path that he now needed to take: another hollow log that would lead him deeper into the forest. Link rested his hand on the wall, gazing longingly into the darkness that clouded the log.
"It's still the same," he said quietly.
"Yes," Navi agreed. "Are you alright, Link?"
"Yes." He felt like talking to his Skull Kid friends so he jumped over the fence and landed on the ground. He looked around and noticed all the similarities. He spotted the two Skull Kids glaring at him. They looked exactly the same: orange, straw, witch-like hats with belts of rings banding them graced their solid black heads; their mouths were beak-like, and their outfits were also made of straw; they wore green vests and pants that were made of grass. In their hands they held flutes.
Link stood on the stump and raised his Ocarina to his lips, inviting them to play a song with him. He was surprised to find darts in his waist and chest. Link staggered off the stump and raised his weapons to defend himself. More darts came flying at him, shot from the flutes of the Skull Kids.
Link leapt back. "Hey!" he protested. "We were friends once! Do you not remember me either?"
Pain raced up his leg, and the front of his tights were stained red. In a few moments, the blood would be gone, but until then, he had this stinging pain to overcome.
"I don't want to fight you!" he declared, spinning around and climbing up the ladder. He watched the Kids disappear from a safe distance. Link groaned. He plucked out a dart and threw it into the dirt. "Ow."
"Link…" Navi started.
"I guess even they don't like me anymore, huh, Navi?"
"Link…"
Link sighed. "Let's go find Saria." He turned to leave, the blood vanishing from his enchanted clothes. He never made it far because Navi zipped out of hiding and rapidly bounced up and down in front of him.
"Link! Where's Link?!"
Link hesitated. "I don't know," he replied. "Why?"
"Link! He doesn't have a fairy!"
Link's face paled. He had completely forgotten about that. He had just encountered the Skull Kids, who were children who wandered into the Lost Woods and got lost because they didn't have fairies to guide them through it. When adults got lost, they became Stalfos. If the same thing were to happen to the Hero of Twilight…
Link spun in a circle, searching for his missing Hylian companion. He leaned over the balcony, looking down. He ran forward into the darkness of the log.
Before him were three other choices: two more hollow fallen logs off to his sides and a concrete doorway directly in front of him. A boulder the same size he was stood right beside the arch. He was still inside the natural "box" that the Lost Woods formed at every turn.
The Hero of Twilight was nowhere to be found. Link whirled around and ran back the way he had come from. "Link!" he called.
"Link!" Navi echoed.
Link entered another hole and darkness clouded his vision. He blinked to find himself standing outside the Woods. Stunned, he turned around to run back inside. A noise stopped him.
"CUCCKOOOO!"
"Link!" he shouted, sprinting back into the blackness of the Lost Woods
"Link!" Navi copied.
The Hero of Time ran straight forward, still calling, only to end up back outside. He turned a circle, looking around in case his friend had run out here. There was no trace of the missing Hylian. "LINK!"
"I hope he isn't lost," Navi whispered. She flew around for a moment before returning to her friend. "He's not here, Link…"
Link reentered the Lost Woods and ran back to the right. "LINK!" he shouted urgently.
There was still no response. Link took a wrong turn and once again ended up back outside, severely confused. He stopped in his tracks and looked at the Woods entrance. Where had the Hero of Twilight disappeared off to? How was Link ever going to find him? The Lost Woods were so vast, and there were sections of it he couldn't even access because Navi wouldn't allow him to find them. Her fairy senses prohibited him from getting lost. He could wander in circles, but she would never let him end up anywhere but the Kokiri Village.
But the Hero of Twilight didn't have her. He was all alone. He had no one to tell him where to go, or why he needed to go there. He wouldn't return to the Kokiri Village. He would remain in those Woods until he died and became a Stalfos.
"Please don't be lost…" Link whispered, walking back into the Woods.
"We need to go," Navi responded. She wasn't happy that they couldn't search for the Hero of Twilight either, but they had a mission. Maybe, just maybe, the other Hylian would find his way out alone.
But it was unlikely.
. . . . .
A/N: My apologies if the Hero of Time seems like a weakling in this chapter. Really, I had no intention of making him a wimp…because wimps in stories aren't something I enjoy. So, this should be the only chapter he really breaks down in. But it's only because he is technically a child in the body of an adult (the reverse of Detective Conan, haha!) that I made him react the way he did. So again, I'm sorry for the wimpishness and I'll try not to let that happen again.
