Escaping the town was easy enough with Don's help. He knew all the backroads and knew the guards' patrol patterns. They slipped out of the town and into the forest, off towards the Temple. They traveled in silence for a bit. Don was supposed to fill Link in on more details, but he didn't say anything until they were deep in the woods, following animal trails and brief patches of dirt paths.
"How much do you know about the 'Hero Tales'?" Don would ask as he ducked under a low hanging branch, glancing at Link.
"Uh, not much. I read the picture books when I was little, but after my parents died, I haven't really had time for childish things."
"That's unfortunate."
"Yeah, but, let's see...I think the version of the stories I read as a kid was the version that clumped all the Hero Tales as the actions of one person, simply called, 'The Hero'."
"I can see why you'd be resistant to the idea of the stories being real with that as your idea of the Heroes. However, there have been dozens of Heroes, each with a different title, journey, and sometimes, enemy."
"Sometimes?"
"Yeah, you know the reoccuring enemy of the stories?"
"The Beast?"
"Yeah. That's an enemy that reincarnates alongside the Hero, often the source of trouble for Hyrule. His last appearance in our World was about 400 years ago."
"In some of the Tales, The Beast turns into a giant Pig monster, a boar or something. The Goblins at the prison had pig-like faces, and didn't you mention seeing a Pig ghost or something with Fangor?"
"Yes, Fangor was a Hylian archaeologist from Ordon who was interested in ancient ruins (Hyrules covered in them y'know.) and I was one of several people he hired as an escort to a ruin he believed was deep in the Lost Woods. Even back then I was able to naviate the Lost Woods, so I easily lead him to the Temple. He called it 'Skyview Temple' based on some research of his. As we went into it, we found various markings and murals telling a story. He read them out loud as we went, but I wasn't paying much attention. It was just a job to me, until the shit hit the fan. I remember something about the Hero being mentioned. Apparently several different Heroes had been to the Temple throughout history, each time for a different reason, for a different threat. At the bottom of the Temple, we found its Vault, sealed with the Tri-Force symbol. As we approached, the symbol started to glow. I felt nervous and worried when this happened, but Fangor wouldn't listen. The closer he got to the door, the brighter it glowed. With what talent I have with magic, I could sense that the Tri-Force Seal was trying to warn us, to tell us to go away. Somehow the presence of Fangor was agitating the thing sealed within, and when he got close enough, the Seal broke. The Tri-Force symbol, just like the one on your hand suddenly appeared on Fangor's hand. I could hear a shattering sound as the Golden Tri-Force on the door broke, and the doors swung open. A Giant Pig-Phantom tore out of the door and headed straight to the screaming Fangor, diving into him. I don't know for sure, but I believe the Phantom was 'The Beast', and it either possessed Fangor, or merged with him."
"Merged?" Link suddenly interrupted, she'd been listening intently as they walked, letting Don fill her in on many details that she hadn't been aware of. "What do you mean? Is there an important difference between merging and possession?"
"Yeah, its a bit technical, but if The Beast simply possessed Fangor, then that would mean Fangor is just a victim, a vessel being used by The Beast to further its agenda. But if The Beast 'merged' with Fangor, it has several implications. The biggest is that Fangor isn't a victim, and that he's just as responsible for the atrocities he's commited as The Beast. If he was just possessed, then we would have to at least attempt to exorcise The Beast from him to save him. But if I'm right and they merged, then Fangor may have been destined to do what he did."
"Destined? Ugh, I hate destiny themes." Link growled in fustration. Destiny is annoying because it means you have little control over your fate.
"Hah, well, I think its like this. You have that birthmark, so you're supposedly destined to be a 'Hero', Fangor was always wearing gloves, so I don't know, but he may have also been Destined to be The Beast's vessel. Part of the 'Hero Cycle' as I understand it involves regular reincarnation of The Hero, The Beast, and The Goddess."
"Goddess?"
"Yeah, apparently The Goddess Hylia took mortal form and at some point started the Royal Family of Hyrule, and every now and then, one of them who has 'The Blood of the Goddess' will be a reincarnation of Hylia. Just like you're supposed to be a reincarnation of the Hero and I think Fangor's a reincarnation of The Beast."
"Wait, if the Goddess Hylia is currently a reincarnating mortal, doesn't that mean the religion Fangor's trying to use to justify himself is bunk?"
"Yes, it does. That's part of the reason Fangor's keeping the Goddess Temple hidden from the public, so no half-way intelligent person can go see the murals and put two and two together."
"Part? What's the other reason? Is it the thing we're heading there to get? The thingie behind the door with my picture on it?"
"Not you per se, but yes, that door."
"You said something about dungeon-diving last night, care to fill me in on how this works?"
"Well, from the research we've done about the details of the Hero tales, each Hero usually has to go into a couple ancient ruins, find a weapon or item that will be useful in his adventure and also find a special key to unlock the biggest door in the dungeon, where they'll have to fight some giant special monster to get whatever they went to that temple for."
"Giant monster?"
"Yes. The reason why each temple tends to have a monster or something protecting its biggest treasure varies from tale to tale. I don't know if Hylia's Temple will have a monster, but if it does, I think it will be because Fangor put the monster there, likely one of his experiments that we've learned he's sending all over Hyrule."
"Wait, if he's sending those experiments of his all over Hyrule, does that mean I'm supposed to go to other Temples and do more dungeon-diving for those Temples too?"
"Probably. Hylia's Temple is currently the only Temple we know about, but if the Hero pattern holds, as we go from place to place, we'll likely find a reason to go to each Temple and get whatever treasure they each contain."
"Lovely..."
"You shouldn't look so annoyed Link. The Temples have a purpose for the Hero, you get various tools to aid in your quest, and you'll get some serious combat experience fighting monsters and shit. You're also supposed to grow as a person or some such thing, but that might just be something added to the Tales for the kids."
"Goddesses I hope so, it's bad enough being dragged into any kind of fairy tale, let alone one with a kiddy moral or something."
"Haha, yeah." Don and Link laughed for a while over their situation before they traveled a bit longer in silence. "So, any questions about the tasks ahead of you?"
"Uh, not at the moment, I don't think so. I think I have everything down. I'm a 'Hero', my enemy, Fangor, is apparently 'The Beast', I've got to go into several ancient ruins to get weapons and stuff to grow stronger. Um...didn't you say something about the Goddess Hylia's reincarnations being important?"
"Oh yeah, usually the Goddess reincarnates into whoever happens to be the 'Princess Zelda' of the generation. We havent' had an opportunity to contact Princess Zelda in Hyrule castle yet, but we believe that she's the Goddess."
"Is that what you meant when you said I was 'close' when I sarcastically said I was Zelda's long lost sister?"
"Yes, as the Hero reincarnated, you are intrinsically tied to Zelda by fate. Normally the tales romantically tie the Hero to the Goddess but...uh..." Don started blushing and scratching his cheek as he left his implication unsaid.
"Ugh, no. I don't swing that way ("Damn."). But truth be told, I always had a fantasy that I was related to the Princess somehow, guess I was more right than I thought. What about the Tri-Force?"
"The Tri-Force? Well, I've already told you that Fangor currently has the Tri-Force of Power. You as the Hero are supposed to be tied to the Tri-Force of Courage, though, I don't think you have it yet. Zelda, the Goddess reincarnation, is usually tied to the Tri-Force of Wisdom. This is the standard pattern of the Tales, with one sole exception."
"Exception?"
"That mural I told you about, with the oldest known incarnation of the Hero depicts him having all three parts of the Tri-Force, making him potentially the strongest and most powerful incarnation. Every incarnation since then that I'm aware of only has the Courage one, meaning that none compare to the original."
"Lovely. Bet that Hero had no problem kicking the Beast's ass."
"Eh, I didn't get much time to examine the mural, but the battle it depicts on the mural is still pretty epic. The enemy in that mural also doesn't look like the usual Beast depictions, and I think might be the father or something of the Beast, making him way more powerful than the Beast."
"Oh, damn. Well, glad I don't have to fight that guy then."
"Yea-" Don was in the middle of agreeing with Link when a sudden slithering sound stopped him and Link in their paths. Looking ahead, they saw a couple Deku plants along the path. "Crap. Forgot about these things."
"Ew, are those Deku Baba?" Link asked, having never seen them before. She heard patrons at the Lon Lon Pub talk about them every now and then, carnivorous plants that attacked anything that came near. They had supposedly been wiped out years ago by a dedicated undertaking of Hyrule Kingdom 150 years ago, but they'd been reappearing over the past decade.
"Yeah, Fangor recreated them by growing plants with sprinkles of his blood."
"Okay, I'm getting seriously tired of how malignant this guy's blood seems to be. Does he ever run out of the stuff?"
"Eh, I think the Tri-Force of Power offers some degree of healing and regeneration. From what I've learned during my spying, he seems to be a thirsty guy. He's almost always drinking something, apparently replenishing his blood supply for the next experiment. But putting that aside, time for some Hero-ing. Go kill those plants."
"What? Why? can't we just go around or something?"
"No, these things are everywhere in the woods around the Temple. There's no real avoiding them. And besides, you can get useful stuff from them when you kill them."
"Useful? Okay then..." Link shrugged as she drew her sword and stepped forward. She inched towards the closest Deku Baba, who's eyeless head turned towards her, somehow sensing her. It seemed to ponder her warily, before suddenly leaping foward and snapping its jaws. Link had jumped back when it did, so it bit nothing but air. With a quick jab, Link stabbed at the thing, causing it to recoil and stand straight up, its mouth open in what looked like a silent scream of pain. Link quick stepped foward and swiped her blade at the base, near the root, cutting the thing off. It fell to the ground, where its head quickly withered into a tiny husk and the stem withered and solidified into what looked like a stick. "A stick?"
"Yep, some Deku turn into sticks for some reason. Not what I was talking about though, sticks are everywhere. Kill another, one of the small withered ones."
Link turned to look at the other Dekus, seeing one that was pretty much just a chattering mouth sticking out of the ground. Stepping closer, it was easy enough to just poke it with her blade until it shriveled up, revealing a couple nuts.
"Those are Deku Nuts. Those are useful because when you throw them, they make bright little flashes on impact. Kind of like my flashbang spell, but more subdued and limited." Don explained as he pulled a small pouch out of his pack. "Here, keep your nuts in this."
Link attached the pouch to her belt and put the half dozen Deku Nuts in it. She and Don then spent some time killing Deku Babas along their path to the Temple, collecting the Nuts and throwing aside the sticks. Link's pouch quickly filled out, so after a bit, they were just killed Deku Babas because they were in the way.
"What was that?" Link would ask, noticing movement in the branches above.
"What was what?" Don replied, looking where she was to see what she was talking about. The forest seemed to go quiet for a second, the Deku Babas around them stopped chattering, as what looked like a child in green stepped out from around a tree trunk in the branches above. As the child pushed a branch out of his way, Link saw the branch and leaves almost instantly wither to black and snap off, falling to the ground below as a scattering of dead leaves followed.
There were two things immediately obvious to Link and Don. One, they were looking at a Kokiri, a fabled Fairy Child. Two, something was very, very wrong with him. The child wore torn green clothes, covered in holes and dirt. His skin was an ashen black, as if his skin had been soaked in tar and then rubbed with coal. His hair, filled with twigs and covered in dirt, was still an odd white color. His eyes glowed a malevolent dark red, brimming with hate, and his mouth seemed sewed shut. Worst of all, around his neck, dangling from a string, was a dead fairy. Its muted yellow body no longer glowed, and what looked like honey leaked from its body out of the hole where the string went through its chest.
There mere sight of this abomination made Link sick to her stomach. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a nervous look on Don's face too as he drew a couple throwing knives discreetly out of his cloak. The Kokiri seemed to notice, sneering at the two silently before swiftly hopping away, leaping deftly from branch to branch in the direction of the Temple. Once she could see it no more, Link let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.
"The hell was that?!" Link asked, turning to Don, who was putting his knives back away.
"A Kokiri, but I think you got that."
"Uh, yeah, I noticed that."
"Well, judging by its...appearance, I figure that Fangor caught a Kokiri and...experimented on it. Oh Goddesses, to do that to a Kokiri, that's just messed up." Don rubbed his forehead.
"If Fangor turned that Kokiri into a 'monster', doesn't that mean its under his control? It headed towards the temple, isn't it going to warn the guards there about our coming?" Link was genuinely worried about what was about to happen. Part of the idea of them going to the temple was that there would be few guards and they wouldn't be alerted.
"Yeah, maybe." Don said with a shrug. "But the guy's mouth was sewed up (damn, that was creepy), so maybe he won't? I mean, he might be able to pantomime to the guys there, but most of Fangor's monsters are kind of mindless. Unless he's directly controlling them, they only operate on basic instinct and general instructions. I don't know what its planning to do, or why it didn't just attack us here and now. I guess we'll find out when we get there."
Link nodded, not liking the situation, but accepting that there was little she could do but trudge on to the Temple. She and Don continued towards the Temple, but noticed an odd effect from the Kokiri's presence. All the Deku Baba seemed to have retracted defensively, shivering as if scared. Link and Don had no more opposition as they traveled. It was disconcerting to say the least.
Eventually they approached the eastern side of the Temple. They had passed what looked like an extremely large dead tree, surrounded by numerous abandoned tree-homes. Don said it was the ancient home of the Kokiri, though it had been abandoned long before Fangor and his evil came around.
From behind some huge trees, Don and Link looked at the entrance to the temple, where five Goblins stood guard, looking slightly agitated. Don cast a small spell that carried their voices to him and Link so they could hear what they were talking about.
"-as that about?"
"Dunno, never seen that...thing leave the temple in the first place."
"Did you hear it 'chuckle' as it came back? It looked at us like it was gonna murder us!"
"Don't get your knickers in a twist over that corrupted freak. Its been driven mad by its transformation. Who knows why it does what it does. As long as it does its job and protects the vault, I don't care."
"What do you mean 'its job'?"
"The hypno-commands. You probably don't realize it, but you've got some commands too! Fangor can command everyone who recieves his blood. Remember orientation? When Fangor gave that whole speech about obedience? You don't realize it cuz it affects your subconscious, but you can never disobey the standing orders he gave then."
"What?! I...what? But I feel fine! I feel like I'm in control of myself!"
"The control works that way, it makes you feel like you want to do what you were told. Like, you probably don't even feel particularly upset about this do you?"
"...I don't think so...huh..."
"Mind control?" Link whispered to Don, nudging him as she asked.
"Uh, yeah, apparently. I didn't actually know that detail. So the goblins apparently get to keep their personalities, somewhat, while being subtly mind controlled into being happy slaves."
"I get the feeling that if Fangor succeeds in his plot to...take over the world, I think? He's gonna do that to everyone, make everyone happy to obey and serve him."
"Probably. Now, we need to take these guys out, stealth-like, and then sne-"
"HEY! THAT'S MY FOOD!" Don and Link had to suppress noises of surprise as a fight suddenly started between two of the Goblins. They seemed to be fighting over some piece of meat, two of them rolling around on the ground brawling while the others cheered and jeered.
"Oh, that makes things easier." Don mumbled as he grabbed Link and sneaked forward, hiding behind bushes and small boulders as he sneaked behind the cheering Goblins. Don and Link each snuck up behind one of the Goblins. Don did a quick two count with his fingers and the duo stabbed their weapons into the back of two Goblins. They each let out small cries of pain, attracting the attention of the others. Don leaped to the other standing Goblin, sweeping his dagger to slit his throat, leaving him to drop to his knees clutching his blood-spurting neck. Link meanwhile whipped out a Deku Nut and threw it at the ground in front of the two brawling Goblins, whose eyes followed it as they tried to untangle and get up. Like Don said, there was a bit of a flash of light and a loud pop, causing the two half-untangled Goblins to fall back on the ground all over each other, grabbing their eyes. Link then stepped forward and made two swift stabs of her sword, stabbing through the neck of one and into the chest of the other, causing them both to die quickly.
And it was quiet again. Don wiped his daggar clean as he approached Link, about to offer congratulations over how well things went when suddenly the girl dropped her sword, sprinting to the nearby bushes to retch out the contents of her stomach. Don stood there, waiting to come back. When she did, wiping her mouth as she approached and picked up her sword, Don decided not to say anything. He just nodded and lead the way into the Temple.
Before she went in, Link took a moment to look up at the Temple. It was a large, dark and twisted tree, that looked like it was growing out of a pit of some kind. To Link's right, on the north side of the tree/pit, was what looked like a stone temple, but it was overrun with various plants. Judging by the entrance in the side of the tree, the tree itself covered the temple entrance, and had been carved to become an extension of the temple or something. Along the walls of the tree were ancient stone bricks put into the surface to make a mural. Many bricks had fallen out, leaving the images somewhat difficult to make out, but one image in particular stuck out in her eyes. It was of a man with green clothes and hat, wielding a sword and shield against some tall, black monster with fire coming out of its head. Despite a few missing stone pieces and the fading of ages, Link felt an eerie feeling that she was looking at herself.
"Link, come on!"
"Coming!" Link hurried into the Temple after Don called to her. Back outside, at the edge of the forest, a small cloaked figure stepped out of hiding and followed them in.
Author's Commentary: Had to reorganize my notes, character files, planned history doc, outline, and more to properly do this chapter. I tend to work on this sporadically and inconsistently, so I have trouble keeping certain details consistent and correct. If anyone finds a contradiction somewhere in my chapters, feel free to message me so I can get the details straightened out. And goddamn, I'm getting sick of exposition. I know I need to lay out the framework, as well as give Link information SHE needs, but yeesh.