Link looked around in astonishment as he took in the familiar visage of The Lost Woods, noting that nothing had changed since the last time he was here, with the multiple fairy lights, encompassing trees that loomed above the massive stone walls that Link knew formed a practical maze, each section accessible to each other by massive tunnels, shaped from giant log's, laid out in a disorienting order that could lead unwary travelers in circles. This clearing with the two logs positioned like two stages was especially familiar. Though that wasn't the only thing of note that was currently on Link's mind. He was back in Hyrule. Actually back in Hyrule. While adventuring in Termina it didn't take long for it to occur to Link that he may not be able to find Navi there. What were the odds of her being in Termina in the first place? After all, Termina existed in a totally different dimension from Hyrule, where Link and Navi had parted ways. Maybe now he actually had a true chance of finding her again.
"Hee hee hee, well well well, what do we have here?!" Said a mischievous voice, Link turning to the Skull Kid currently standing on a log a few yards away. "Long time no see, fairy child."
Link suppressed a shutter at the familiar tone, his most recent experience with these wandering spirits of lost children having not left a good impression.
"Yeah, hi Skull Kid," Link greeted with the humbleness he could muster. "I see you decided to wear the mask I gave you again. I thought you would be rather fed up with masks, what with what happened in Termina."
"Termi…what now?" Asked the Skull Kid before tapping his flute to his mask. "You talking about the loser you gave this awesome thing to?"
"Uh, are you not him?" Link asked.
"Nuh uh," said the Skull Kid, shaking his head. "That great buffoon left the forest some time ago. Something about wanting to see other places and making new friends." He struck a pose that really showed off the mask. "But he left this bad boy behind, so it works in my favor, at least."
Linked blink in slight bewilderment, though, by all accounts, he should have seen that coming. After all, Skull Kid, or at least the Skull Kid he had actually faced, was literally a world away so how could he be here? True, he could travel between Hyrule and Termina at will before, but Link suspected that that was probably due to Majora's Mask's many capabilities more than anything Skull Kid could do on his own. If that was the case, did that mean that Skull Kid was forever trapped there? Well, Link just traveled between worlds without the aid of a cursed mask, so it at least wasn't implausible Skull Kid could return eventually.
Not that it matters at the moment.
"I beg your pardon," said Link sincerely, readjusted his grip on Ruto, who was whimpering and trembling in his arms, apparently not yet realizing that they were all right now. "You Skull Kids all look alike."
"What, you think so?" Inquired Skull Kid. "I always thought I was more handsome compared to that guy."
That was when he finally seemed to notice the little creature Link held in his arms. "Oh, what have you got there? Looks tasty. If I get a cooking fire going you and I can both…"
The Skull Kid backflipped just in time to avoid getting struck by an arrow, which impacted the log he had been standing on with a loud twang. A high pitched giggling resounded through the clearing as the Skull Kid vanished into thin air, their kind never the type to willingly engage in combat, unless it was with adults. Link lowered his bow, an annoyed scowl on his face. He had taken enough nonsense from Skull Kids already and was in no mood to tolerate any more. Causing global destruction is one thing, suggesting that they eat his girlfriend was where Link really drew the line.
Speaking of which…
"Ruto?" Link inquired, reasserting his gentle grip on her as he stowed away his bow.
She didn't respond, just continued to whimper pitifully against him, her eyes still clenched shut in terror.
"Come on, Ruto, there's no need to be scared anymore," Link reassured, gently stroking her back in an attempt to console her. "You're okay, we're okay."
Finally his words seemed to register to her, one dark eye peeling open after another to take in their current surroundings. Ruto's fearful trembling finally ceased when she beheld, not the dark gloom of the void they had been plummeting through moments prior, but a forest. Though this forest was obviously different from were her and Link had been reunited and had encountered that Mad Scrub. For starters she didn't recall seeing any stone walls there before, nothing but open trees, nor were there the twinkling forms of dancing fairies like there were here.
Ruto's eyes widened in astonishment once she fully beheld the fairies, their beautiful twinkling lights that danced in her vision almost hypnotic. She had heard tale's about how the forests of Hyrule were practically brimming with the luminous fairy folk, but seeing this with her own eyes was an experience she could find no comparison for. The little dancing sparkles of light seemed so tranquil, so beautiful, so mesmerizing…
"Hey, you okay?"
Link's sudden question snapped Ruto out of the partial stupor the fairies dancing lights had almost lulled her into, shaking her head to clear her mind as she peered up at him with a reassuring smile, "I'm fine, Link. It's just…the fairies…it's a lot to take in."
Link looked around at the frolicking lights himself. He had lived the majority of his life in The Kokiri Forest so was well accustomed to twinkling of fairies and was far from bamboozled by them, but, if he thought about it from an outside perspective, they would seem an unusual sight. Especially considering that, while he was traversing Hyrule, he often noticed how scarce fairies were outside of the forest.
He recalled only coming across them every so often, especially if he stumbled upon a fairy fountain.
"Link, where are we?" Ruto asked anxiously.
Link looked back down to her and smiled. "This is The Lost Woods, Ruto."
So she had wound up in The Lost Woods, as she had speculated before.
"I have always heard that The Lost Woods was known for leading those who try to traverse its depths astray until they wind up back at the entrance, but I never thought the process would be so…" she trembled as she recalled plummeting through darkness. "Horrifying."
Link grew confused at her statement. "Ruto, what are you talking about?"
"That hollow tree we passed through,"Ruto recounted, shivering again at the memory. "It was one of those false paths that The Lost Woods is famous for, wasn't it?"
So that was it. Ruto thought what they had just went through was The Lost Woods capability to redirect travelers to the entrance, the fabled location notorious for that feature, as she had said. This revealed to Link that Ruto had somehow arrived at the conclusion that the forest where they had been reunited was in fact The Lost Woods. Link really needed to explain to her the full extent of what really happened, where they had been, and how they were here now.
"Ruto, there's something I need to tell you," he said, Ruto looking up at him upon hearing the urgency in his voice.
For an unchecked amount of time Link explained to Ruto about the true nature of the place where he had found her. About how, in fact, they hadn't been in The Lost Woods all this time, weren't in Hyrule in general, but a land called Termina, which existed in a plane of existence parallel to Hyrule. To say she was surprised would be an understatement, her glistening charcoal eyes wide with overwhelming astonishment.
"Another world?" Ruto inquired in astonishment. "Termina exists in another world?"
"Yes, it does Ruto," Link confirmed. "That tree we passed through, I passed through a similar tree not too long ago. That's how I wound up in Termina myself."
Ruto was totally baffled.
She had seen a lot during her time as a Sage, mystical, or otherwise, but had never imagined anything of this scale. To think, Link actually traveled to a parallel world, albeit unknowingly. But that left one thing unexplained.
"But…how did I wind up there?" She asked in astonishment.
"I don't know, Ruto," Link admitted. "You told me once that Rauru said that tampering with your soul could have unforeseen consequences, maybe that's how. Or…"
Ruto blinked at Link's sudden pause. "Or?"
Link lifted her up to eye level and gave her a loving smile. "Or maybe this detached piece of you was drawn to me because of our mutual affection for each other, crossing the boundless expanses of existence just to be with me again."
Ruto's eyes welled up at that possibility, as well as Link's beautiful words. Even now she didn't expect such an elegant explanation from him, especially considering his age. Then again, both their ages betrayed their outward appearance, at least in mentality.
Link was just about to go into more detail about how he wound up in Termina, as well as his endeavor's while there, but before he could begin Ruto suddenly rumbled slightly, an audible growl clearly heard, no doubt from her stomach. The sudden declaration of hunger from Ruto's body startled them both, then Ruto noticeably blushed, her pearlescent cheeks tinted slightly pink.
"I…guess I am a bit famished," she said with as much dignity as she could afford.
Link only gave her a supportive smile, not begrudging his girlfriend for her hunger in the slightest. He suspected it wouldn't be long before her body demanded sustenance, after all, she hadn't had anything to eat since practically the moment of her rebirth. But that, again, brought up his current lack of required edibles in regards to her. As Ruto had explained earlier, Zora's are strictly carnivorous, and Link lacked any form of meat to offer her. He would have to rectify that, one way or the other.
The first step was to relocate, for, last time Link checked, The Lost Woods was relatively barren of wild game to hunt, not counting some Wolfos, and Link highly doubted Ruto would find a slain Wolfos carcass very appetizing. But if there was one thing Link was very familiar with it was the terrain of Hyrule. In a way it was fortunate they had managed to find the way back. It could be seen as winding up back at square one from certain perspectives, especially in regards to Link's quest to find Navi, but, as said before, but at least here Link was well aware of where they could go to find something for Ruto to sate her hunger on.
He had on location in mind that had everything necessary for a Zora in abundance.
A plan laid out, Link stood up and draped Ruto around his shoulders, who used her tail to get a sturdy grip on his neck once more. "We'd best find you something to eat, Ruto."
A combination of trust in the boy she loves and the thought of fresh fish made Ruto's mouth water in anticipation, unable to deny her hunger any longer, "You know where we can get some fish around here, Link?"
She knew of Link's origins in the Kokiri Forest so hoped he knew of a place where they could find something suitable for her to eat.
"Well, not around here, per say," said Link, rummaging through his belongings. "But I know of somewhere else that should be brimming with exactly what you need."
At first Ruto didn't know what he might be referring to but then she remembered the supposed shortcut said to be located in The Lost Woods and her thoughts were directed to Zora's Domain.
"Link, you don't mean Zora's Domain, do you?" She inquired worriedly. "I told you, returning to that place is not an option, not with my other self there."
"No, no, no, not Zora's Domain. I fully agree with you there," exclaimed Link, drawing the Ocarina of Time from his tunic. "Besides, other than the fact that there would be two of you if I brought you there I think the other Zora's might be a bit suspicious if I suddenly showed up toting a baby Zora. Last time I checked, Zora's were pretty attached to their babies and it might not portray the best of images if I were to show up with you there."
Ruto was relieved to hear that, even more so now, for she actually hadn't considered his reasoning. Her identity aside, if Link were to show up at the Domain with a baby Zora someone might come to some rather unpleasant reasons of how he obtained her. It wasn't like the true reason for her existence and reason for being in Link's company were all that believable in the first place. Ruto could only imagine how her father would react if the reason why Link was caring for a baby Zora was explained to him in full detail. Whether he believed it or not, it would end badly either way.
"Good," said Ruto with relief, only for her stomach to growl again, reminding her that he had still promised to take her somewhere where she could get food. "So where are we going?"
"You'll see," said Link with a knowing smile, placing the ocarina to his lips.
He played the song known as The Serenade of Water, and both Link and Ruto disappeared in a wave of sparkling blue embers that quickly flew skyward…
…Leave Epona grazing in the clearing.
$Proofread by DragonRand100 of AO3.
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