Zelda's evacuation order took around three days to circulate through the kingdom, by which time, those of us at the ranch who were making preparations to transfer to Kakariko began to see the first refugees passing by the ranch.
It was also decided that, out of the Sages, Rauru, Ruto, and Saria would leave so that the people would have someone to follow. Rauru and a squadron of ten Hylian knights would escort the majority of the refugees into the territory of Labrynna, while Saria and Ruto would bring five to take the rest through the Lost Woods; Saria, being from the area, knew her way through the woods, and was a good choice to lead the people through there.
It was a fateful day when everyone at the ranch began to leave, and those who would be fleeing the kingdom bade goodbye to Link and Zelda. The first to say her goodbyes to Link was Saria, his childhood friend. She jumped into his arms and hugged him for well over a minute, neither speaking nor crying. I knew, though, that the parting would be hard for her. As they let go of each other, Link said to her, "Be strong. You'll have to lead the people through the woods. I'll try to see you as soon as I can." Only then did the young Kokiri shed any tears, nodding her acknowledgement to her new responsibility.
Another of Link's old friends, Malon, was next. With a sisterly embrace, she cautioned him, "Keep your head down, Link. Beat Ganon for me." Link grinned sadly at that and nodded in affirmation.
Then Rauru strode up to us, regarding not only Link, but also Zelda and I. "You carry all of Hyrule on your shoulders, my young heroes," he said to us. "May you have victory in the end."
"We will," Zelda replied, any doubts gone, replaced by quiet confidence. Link nodded in emphasis, and I gave the older man a crisp salute, as a soldier being sent to battle by his general.
The last goodbye came from Ruto. First she came up to Zelda and me. As she looked us both in the eye, she said, "Thank you – both of you. You always believed in getting Link back. I'm glad I could be there when you did it." She and Zelda hugged tightly, and then she and I shook hands.
Then she walked over to Link. They wrapped each other in their arms, tears coming from both of their eyes. I never heard what was said between them, so softly and tenderly was it spoken. But Zelda and I both saw the long, passionate kiss they shared as they parted. For a moment, a part of me wished I could've had a relationship like theirs. As such, I dearly hoped – for both of their sake – that Link, at least, would survive the coming war.
Before any of us knew it, those of us who would be standing our ground were marching out the gate of the ranch, bound for Kakariko, and – hopefully – victory.
…
The march to Kakariko took about as long as the march from the ranch to the western valley. All the while, the eastern part of the great plateau loomed over us, the deep cleft that led to the village clearly visible. When we started to enter this valley, I realized that the eastern plateau was barely a third the altitude of the western one, and the ground of the eastern valley was smoother and greener. But it sloped gradually uphill, making for a difficult climb to wherever we chose to hold the enemy.
At the end of the valley stood the village itself. Kakariko was a small town of maybe a hundred and fifty dwellings (larger, of course, than any video game could have led me to believe), set at varying heights into the plateau, on terraces planted with green turf. At one end of the town stood a large windmill. Off to one side was a grassy trail that led someplace unknown. At the other side was a rockier trail that led towards the large, volcanic mountain I'd seen on my first journey out of Hyrule Castle; I assumed this was Death Mountain.
As I surveyed the layout of the village, the lay of the path leading up to it, and speculated on the lay of the trail that led up to the mountain, I grinned. The ranch had been a superb defensive position, but this village was unparalleled. There were so many places to bottleneck an army that I firmly believed that a small group of soldiers with big shields and long spears, backed up by a company of archers, could stop a legion in its tracks.
Zelda and Link were riding next to me as we entered. I leaned over and told Zelda, "This place is amazing!"
She and Link both smiled and nodded. Link replied to me, "It feels so different now that the people have packed up. I always hoped to live here once I grew old. It's usually so…What in the green world?" He said this last, stiffening in his saddle as he looked back, a look of total shock coming over him. Fearing that Ganon's forces may have caught our rearmost troops on the march, I reluctantly turned around.
What I saw was nowhere near as intimidating. Just a small, freckled boy – probably a Kokiri, judging by his size and dress – running alongside the marching column, his reddish-brown hair bobbing with each stride under his bright green cap. He carried what appeared to be a dagger – which to him would have qualified as a short sword – and a slingshot.
As Link dismounted, the child ran directly up to him. "Link," he panted, "I've come to join the army."
Apparently, Link knew the boy. "What're you doing here, Mido?" he asked incredulously. "You should be following Saria with the rest of the Kokiri."
In response, the lad drew himself up to his full height (a rather useless display, since he obviously was so terribly small) and declared, "If you defeated Ganon once, and if you are going to do it again now, I should do my part too."
Now completely worried, Link said to him, "Mido, you've never fought before. I won't let you get yourself killed."
But Mido, it seemed, wasn't going to be swayed. He stood there, rooted to the turf, and seemed to dare one of us to send him back the way he'd come.
Link shrugged and stood up to lead Epona to the village stables. As he passed me, he whispered, "We've got to keep him out of the battle line." Just as shocked as Link was, I could give no answer, save a nod.
