Chapter 14:

A young, free spirited girl ran gleefully through the rolling green hills and meadows of western Hyrule, with her friends close behind. The bountiful evergreen trees, lilac flowers, and cherry red ferns which painted the landscape seemed to dance with her as she played. The flowers wafted across the grasses, riding the winds, and filled her nose with sweet fragrances. Her pure white hair drank the sunlight, and she laughed with her friends and rolled in the brush and climbed trees and swam in the lakes, and she was as happy as a girl could be. She hoped these days would last forever.

"Come home, my sweet daughter…" a voice called from a small cabin across the meadow. "Come home, child…"

The voice was one the girl knew, but had not heard in a very long time. It made her feel warm and safe, yet very sad at the same time. "I can't come home, Mommy," she said. "You'll be mad at me."

"Come home, my sweet girl… there's still a place for you…"

"But I was a bad girl…"

"It doesn't matter what you've done… Please, come home…" the voice pleaded as it grew fainter. The little girl began to cry. Small, wet tears slid down her beautiful cheeks. "Don't cry… I will always love you…" But the little girl only cried harder. "There's still time… come home…"

The little girl brushed back her pure white hair and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm coming, Mommy!" she cried. She turned towards the voice and began to run, but as she did, the light from the sun lessened and the meadows grew darker. She stopped, afraid.

"Don't be afraid, child… You must brave the dark…"

"I… I can't, Mommy!"

"You can, sweet child… You must…"

The little girl took a few more steps, and the world grew darker still. With every step closer to the cabin, the sun sunk further into itself until all the light had gone from the world. The tears flowed freely from her eyes again, but she screwed up her courage and continued on. She came upon a lake, a lake she had swam hundreds of times, but now she was terrified of what lay beneath the surface. As she waded in, the winds blew back at her. Cold, uninviting winds that bit and snapped at her. She pressed on, knee deep in the water, but soon the lake began to dry and the water sank into the rocky, parched earth below, leaving only a dead canyon. She pressed on, and soon the flowers began to wither and die. They crumbled to dust and scattered to the winds, like ancient corpses on a forgotten battlefield.

Still the little girl rushed on, following the voice, but soon she came upon her friends. They were all dead and rotted. Pale flesh sloughed off their faces, and an angry, accusatory look was frozen on them forever. They pointed at her with fingers of bone, creaking and moaning, and she cried and ran past them.

Soon, she saw the cabin in the distance and gave a gasp of joy. She was close now. But then, she looked about and realized there was nothing left; the world was dead, and no beauty or warmth remained. "Mommy!" she cried. "What's happening?"

"It's the price we pay, darling…" the voice echoed. "We live in the world we create…"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

She awoke violently. She was lying on her back in a dank and dingy cave. It was dark, aside from a fire that burned on the far side of the room. Her eyes slowly adjusted and came into focus, but no coherency came with them. Confusion set in as she wondered where she was. The last remnants of the dream floated away with the realization that she was in a foreign place. Dimly, she could see a small basin of water and a stone chair next to where she lay. She tried to recall how she had gotten there, but her head ached from the effort.

She could feel a pillow beneath her head. She struggled to sit up, but she found she could barely move. Her body resisted her as she tried to roll over and look about. Pain tore through her when she craned her neck, and she tried to scream, but only muffled gasps escaped. She rolled her eyes down and realized that almost her entire body was wrapped and bandaged. She tried again to move, but it was futile. Her limbs were useless.

Groggily, she collected her thoughts and tried to make sense of her situation. What was the last thing she could recall? She had left her master for a very important mission… she was to capture the princess. She had led an army of monsters to Hyrule Castle and waged war, burning the city and scattering the citizenry. She had found Princess Zelda with ease. She attacked, but Zelda had been well guarded. She fought the blue-haired bodyguard, and the Chosen Hero in green. She was so close to the princess, but in the end… yes… she had failed. She had returned to her master in disgrace. His anger was terrible and unquenchable. He had punished her. Yes. That was where her memory grew vague. Her body had cried out in agony as flames consumed her, and the blows rained down, and her mind was lost to the pain. And now… now she was in a strange place with no bearings whatsoever. Yet she supposed she was alive, and that much alone surprised her.

She tried to call out again, but she only managed a weak croak. She cleared her throat, though it rattled her body with pain, and she yelled once more, and this time she found her voice a bit stronger.

"Help," she called weakly. "Help…"

No one came. One last time, she tried to sit up, but she was completely helpless. Why did he do this to me? she thought to herself. He should have just killed me. Why break me and make me useless, but keep me alive?

She absolutely hated the feeling of being completely helpless, but she resigned herself to it and decided to focus on regaining her voice. Her throat was parched and dry, yet she had no other option but to yell for help. She rested a moment, preparing herself. Then she lifted her head as high as she could, sucked in a long, deep breath, and screamed as loud as she could manage, "HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!" Feebly, she let her head fall back down onto the pillow beneath, already exhausted from the effort.

Just take me… she thought to herself. She wasn't sure whom she was asking.

She closed her eyes, expecting no one to come. But surprisingly, a moment later, she heard the sound of shuffling footsteps from somewhere close. She tried to peer through the darkness, but she saw nothing. Then, a door she hadn't seen outlined on the adjacent wall creaked open, and a beam of light spilled through. A head poked through the door. Scaly white, with deep black eyes and a long fin on the head. She realized she was looking at a Zora. He seemed almost as surprised to see her as she did him. He stared for a moment, and then his head disappeared and she heard him running away from the room.

"Hey!" she croaked. "Come back!"

In the middle of an ancient clearing, the peaceful slumber of the wood was interrupted by a magical whirlwind descending from the sky. It slowed as it approached ground level and gently deposited its passenger on the ground. Link landed lightly and took a few steps in, then stopped for a moment to soak in the atmosphere. Every time he visited the Sacred Grove, he was struck with a sense of belonging and heritage. The blood of the hero flowed strong in his veins, and he almost felt that he could remember all the visits that each hero had made over the eons. The crumbled structure felt like home, and the decaying guardian statues were old friends. There was an unseen yet strong energy to the place, and it filled him with the feeling that he could overcome any adversary, no matter how powerful.

When he was finished, he focused his attention on why he had come. Please, Goddesses, let it not be too late… he silently prayed. He bounded across the courtyard and past the guardians. The ancient iron doors swung open for him, and he crossed into the inner sanctum.

The Goddesses heard his prayers. There in the Pedestal of Time, right where he had last left it, rested the Blade of Evil's Bane. He sighed in relief and approached. When he gripped the pommel, a surge of power seemed to flow through him. He remembered then the power of the blade, and he couldn't help but smile. Perhaps this would even the odds against his numerous foes.

With a smooth upward motion, he drew the Master Sword from its resting place. The blade gleamed brightly in the rays of the yellow sun, shining far and wide through the shadows of the tree branches overhead. Link sheathed the sword in the ornate blue and gold scabbard and slung it over his back. His task completed, he turned and made his way out of the inner sanctum. Outside, he allowed himself one last glance at the enervated old temple, and then left the Sacred Grove. He wondered if he would ever be back.

The path back to Faron Woods was secluded and treacherous, and he found himself wishing he still had his second Clawshot on more than one occasion, but he had no choice but to keep moving forward. Along the way, he debated his next move. He knew he couldn't go back to Rauru yet; there was much to be done in Hyrule. When he emerged into the Faron Woods proper, he would be within a few leagues of his hometown, Ordon, but he knew that he couldn't waste any time on such a visit. His first priority was to find Zelda, make certain she was safe, and tell her of everything he had learned. He also needed knowledge of how the battle at Hyrule Castle had ended, and everything that had transpired in Hyrule since he was thrown into the Gerudo Desert. To that end, he supposed the obvious place to look for her was Hyrule Castle. Although, if the Hylian Guard had lost the battle with the monsters, he may well find Hyrule Castle Town a very different place than he had left it. Was it wise to possibly ride right into the mouth of the Gleeok? He would need to do some scouting before he got too close to the town and castle.

Finally, after a difficult trek, he emerged into Faron Woods. He surveyed his surroundings and spied a small caravan of traders were making their way south, towards Ordon Village. Their wagon rumbled and bumped down the dirt path as the horses drove at a steady pace. On the driver's seat of the carriage sat a man and a woman, talking in low voices. They didn't see Link emerge from the east; no one ever expected to see anyone in that area of the forest.

"Ho there, travelers," Link called. The woman gave a yelp, and the man jumped in his seat, accidentally jerking the reins upwards and bringing the horses to a screeching halt. Some merchandise under the tarp in the wagon were heard crashing, along with some muttered curses from the unseen travelers in the back of the caravan.

"Goddesses alive, boy, you scared the hell out of us," the man said, slightly angry.

"Sorry," Link said with an apologetic nod. "I just wanted to speak with you if you have a moment." The man eyed the two swords slung across Link's back suspiciously. Link noticed and quickly added, "I'm not a bandit. I just need to ask you a question. I won't come any closer if you don't trust me."

"Well then, out with it," the man said. "We want to reach Ordon before nightfall."

"Where have you come from? Can you tell me what news of Hyrule Castle?"

"Well… we came from way up north, but we steered wide around Hyrule Castle Town. Practically the entire place was ablaze, you could see it from miles back. I don't know what the hell happened there, but there was a battle to end all battles, that's for sure," the man confided.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Link responded. "I was there for the battle. But I've been away since then. How did the battle end?"

"You were there for the battle, but you didn't see the outcome?"

"That's right," Link said.

"And now, over a week later, you're climbing out of those haunted woods and asking how it went?"

"It's a long story." The man raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." The man crossed his arms. "It involves the Gerudo Desert and a giant talking rat named Degu."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Well… whatever," he said indignantly. "You don't wanna give me your story, that's your business. All I can tell you is what I heard. When we were riding around the eastern bend of Hyrule Field, a bunch of monsters snuck up on us from behind and attacked. We woulda been done for, but a bunch of Gorons came to our rescue."

"Gorons?" Link asked, surprised.

"That's right. I didn't think they ever came down off their mountain anymore, but there they were. They thrashed those monsters good and saved our lives. They must have been royalty, because they said they had stopped at Hyrule Castle to meet with the princess, but she wasn't there."

"Not there…" repeated Link, his concern growing. "What else did they say?"

"Well, apparently Hyrule won the fight against the beasts. Cost us a lot, though. Hundreds of dead soldiers, most of the town razed, structural damage to the castle. I don't know what the hell's going on but it sure ain't good."

"Certainly not," Link agreed. "One last thing; did the Gorons tell you where they were going?"

"Yep… Zora's Domain, to see the Zora Prince."

Yes… it must certainly be Patriarch Darbus, then, Link thought to himself. To the traveling merchant, he bowed and said, "Thank you very much for your answers. I'll be off then."

"If you're wise, you'll stay away from the castle," the man warned. "Our kingdom is doomed. The princess must have hid because she knows it. There's only one man who could save us now, and that's the Lord Commander of the Guard. But he's gone too."

"Maybe he'll come back," Link answered with a grin. "And hey, if you're going to Ordon, try the pumpkin pie… it's delicious."

He waved and left the caravan to continue their journey. He jogged north, sticking to the main path towards Hyrule Field. When he felt he was close enough to the mainland, he pulled out a horseshoe shaped whistle he had received as a gift years ago. He put it to his lips, blew, and prayed.

For an agonizing thirty seconds, nothing happened. Link began to grow worried. Could she have been slain when he left her at the battle in Castle Town? He blew the whistle again. This time, after a few moments, he heard the unmistakable sound of a horse whinny far off in the distance. Excited, he blew it one last time, and in a moment, Epona came trotting up the dirt path, looking healthy and rested.

"Epona!" he beamed. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright, girl." He stroked her mane as she nuzzled him. "I hope you're ready to ride," he said quietly. "We've got a long journey ahead of us." She neighed her approval, and he leapt into the saddle. "Zelda is not at the castle," he said as he slipped his boots into the stirrups. "I know she isn't dead, but I have no way of finding her, especially if she doesn't want to be found. For all I know, she could be hiding in Snowpeak." Epona neighed and stomped her hooves. "For now, our best option is most likely to regroup with the other royalty in Hyrule. We'll pool our resources, and form a plan of action. Ride now, Epona. Ride to Zora's Domain!"