There was something about Jørn's words of warning that made Link feel more wary than before. He took the money from his wooden box, along with Daegal's whistle. He didn't know why he took the whistle with him. It seemed to comfort him somehow. A reminder that Daegal would be fine.
Link said his goodbyes to Jørn, but didn't speak to anyone else on his way to the Faron Woods. He didn't want to give anyone else the chance to try to stop him. For the first time that morning, Link noticed that it was a pretty day.
He was aware of his pursuer, following him up until the fencepost marking the entrance to Faron Woods.
"You can't come with me, Athol," he said to the air in front of him.
"I don't care, I'm coming," she replied.
Link turned abruptly, still striding a few steps backwards. "I thought you wanted me to leave you alone," he reminded her, raising a sand-colored eyebrow.
Athol shrugged. "I did. But I'm going to look for Daegal."
"I can take care of that myself," said Link, turning back around. "I know you love him and everything, but you're just going to slow me down. You'll get your brother back a lot faster if you let me do it."
"Not a chance!" Athol called to his quickening figure. They were straying further from the edge. Hillwind was out of sight. "I'm his sister, he'll listen to me!"
"Turn around!"
Athol didn't turn, but she stopped in her tracks.
"You think that just because you kissed me, I'll do whatever you say? I'm not your whore!"
The anger shooting through Link's head made him dizzy. He spun around once again, storming in Athol's direction. She didn't flinch, even when he was less than a foot away from her.
"Are you just doing this to irritate me?"
Athol hit him. She wasn't quite brave enough to strike his face, but she shoved him hard in the chest, enough to make him stumble back. "I'm doing it for my brother, you insensitive ass!"
Link quickly stepped back up, angry but somewhat impressed at Athol's violence.
"You may follow me until I deem it too dangerous," he said, massaging his sore shoulder.
Athol granted him a satisfied grin. "What do you consider to be too dangerous?"
"If we come across something that could gravely injure us, you're going back."
"Would it be discouraging if I told you that there's a possibility Daegal could gravely injure us? I'm not saying he'd do it on purpose, it's just that he gets kind of defensive when he's scared."
Link knew what she was talking about. He began walking again, but didn't slow his pace. Athol only slightly struggled to keep up. The biggest conflict Link had was deciding whether or not to tell Athol the whole story, including the role of the Triforce. But he didn't want to complicate things. It would be better to keep it a simple procedure; find Daegal and escort him back home. He'd deal with the Triforce later, with as little involvement as possible from anyone except Domhn.
"Does your father know you're here?" Link asked, fearing the answer. As much as Nichol respected Link, he didn't like the idea of bringing the craftsman's daughter into the woods and somehow losing her. He knew that Nichol would never allow her to go off alone, especially now since Daegal was missing.
"I told him I was with you. He trusts you," she answered. "And he knows very well I can take care of myself."
"That's true," Link muttered.
The trees they passed were all familiar. The nerves weren't starting to settle upon Link yet, but he knew they would come. Even if he had been rescuing any other townsperson, this wouldn't seem like such a big deal to him. The thought of Daegal in danger was nauseating. To Link, this felt like a matter of life or death. It really felt like he had to save the world.
"It'll take us days to search the entire forest," Athol said once the woods around them started to look unfamiliar. "How will we know if we're just going in circles? Everything looks the same. What are we even looking—"
"Athol, could you please shut up?" Link retorted. "I said you could come but I didn't say you could talk. I don't know what we're looking for. And I don't care how long we spend out here."
Athol didn't listen. "I'm just saying, there has to be an easier way to search. Maybe if I climbed a tree I'd be able to see further."
"You do that," said Link. He didn't stop to wait for her. Behind him, he heard Athol grab onto a tree branch and hoist one leg into the air. Link turned around to the absurd sight of her tangled skirt as she grappled with another branch. For a few seconds he waited for her to trip and fall. Eventually, he walked over to help.
"Let me," he offered. He held out his arms, and Athol, who thought he was helping her to keep her balance, grabbed on. Instead, Link lifted her out of the tree with ease.
"Hey!" she protested. She landed on the ground and huffed in anger.
Link started up the way she had come down. His shorter tunic made it a little easier, though not by much. But he was stronger than her, so he climbed higher off the ground.
"See anything?" Athol called up
"Not yet," he grumbled. He could still only see the forest floor. It was becoming more difficult to climb.
"Be careful," came Athol's voice again.
"Stop distracting me."
"Sorry."
If he fell now, he'd die. Link took one last survey of Faron Woods from that height, then called down to Athol.
"I can't see anything. I'm coming—"
Link stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a glimmer, but he couldn't quite make out what the source of it was. It stood tall among the tops of the trees, reflecting the early sunlight.
"What was that?"
Link made note of the direction the glimmer was coming from. He started on his way down.
Once both of his feet were on the ground again, he began walking in the direction of the mysterious light.
"Domhn said something about the Temple of Farore. I don't know for sure but I think I found it," he said to Athol. "It might not be much but it's something."
"You think Daegal will be at the temple?" Athol asked.
Link couldn't elaborate without mentioning the Triforce. "Maybe," he replied.
00000
By the end of that day, Athol complained of being hungry.
"Did you eat before you left?" Link asked.
"Yes, but that was hours ago."
"And you didn't think to bring any food with you?"
"You didn't either," Athol exclaimed. "We might have to spend the night out here and we have no supplies, no food, and no way of knowing where we are. Even when we do find Daegal, we'll wander around in the woods for days instead of finding our way back."
"If you'll stop whining, you can help me look for something to eat," Link snapped. "I tried to tell you it was a bad idea for you to come with me."
"Well I'm doing it for my brother," Athol replied. She began scavenging on the ground for berry bushes. "And I didn't want to stay in Hillwind. It would be too silent. And awkward. You know how sometimes people feel sorry for Daegal, and sometimes they just lose their patience? It would be difficult to see how relieved they are. They don't have to worry about him anymore, at least for a little while. And they'd start feeling sorry for me instead."
Athol plucked the last of the season's blueberries from their bushes by the handful. She filled her skirt pockets with them.
"People give me weird looks, too," offered Link, also searching.
"That's hard to believe. Everyone loves you."
Link looked up from the bushes. "Yeah, they love the idea of me. But they're afraid I'm not gonna turn out the way they want me to."
"They want you to be the mayor, once you're older. That's what my father says."
Link didn't answer. He had his reasons for not wanting to be mayor. All he had was popularity. And if the townspeople found out about his relationship with Daegal, they would scorn him. That's what he was afraid of, at least. A relationship with another boy was one thing. But there was no way anyone would understand his affections towards Daegal.
"I don't have the skills to be mayor," Link finally replied.
"You can't say something like that when you're on a rescue mission," said Athol. "It's not even a little bit true. Just look where you are. Everyone else probably volunteered because they were afraid of my father. You're here because Daegal's your best friend and you really care about him."
Link nodded. "Yeah, I do. So maybe we should eat quickly and start up again. Use up as much daylight as possible."
Athol emptied her pockets, and Link felt embarrassed because he hadn't found anything to contribute. Athol split the berries amongst them. She had collected a lot. They ate as fast as they could, then rose to their feet.
"The temple's this way," said Link.
"What if it's not the temple?" Athol asked.
"It's still something."
00000
Nightfall brought shadows and a chilly breeze that made the Faron Woods feel much less inviting. Link had slowed down slightly so that Athol could keep up in the dark."You sure we're still going the right way?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Link replied.
"Why don't you climb another tree, just to make sure," suggested Athol.
"Because it's dark and I won't be able to see anything. Maybe we should stop for the night, anyway. Let's find a spot that's not so open."
For the first time since leaving Hillwind, Link thought of the monsters that infested the forest's borders. The town never had to worry about them, because they were too far away, but Link had little perception of how far he'd gone from the edge of the woods. He felt uneasy. He was strong, but he'd never seen a real monster before.
Should've brought Jørn, he thought mirthlessly. Jørn had wrestled with the Gorons and outrun the Bulblins. A Faron bokoblin would be a simple matter for him.
Athol pointed. "What about that?" She had spotted a large fallen tree that had caught onto a boulder instead of hitting the ground, creating a sturdy lean-to. The space underneath could accommodate the both of them.
"That'll work," said Link. They made their way over in the little daylight there was left. Athol crawled in first, then Link after her. He set his pouch filled with the rupees and Daegal's whistle on the ground. The small flute stuck out of the drawstring bag.
"Isn't that the whistle Daegal made you?" Athol asked, grabbing for it.
Link stopped her hand. "We can't play it now, it'll make too much noise."
"So why did you bring it?"
Link shrugged. "I felt like I should. When we find him, maybe it'll calm him down."
Athol brought her knees to her chest, shivering. She was only wearing a dress, with no sweater or shawl. "I don't want to listen to an ominous forest while I fall asleep," she said. "At home I always read books or talk to Daegal. He tells me about what he did that day and it's always the same thing. He doesn't know many entertaining stories. I do, but he's not that great at listening."
"So tell me," offered Link. Though he didn't want to mention it, he also preferred not to listen to the rushing of the branches and the soft howling of the wind. The forest was more sinister at night, especially now. "What are your stories about?"
"My favorite is the one about the Zora queen. If you follow the Bay of Farore on a ship, you'll reach the Zora Lake. That's what my father says. There's a piece of land poking out into the lake, and that's the Zora tribe. The domain actually stretches along the coast, almost reaching the edge of the Faron Woods, but it's so filled with monsters that the Zoras were driven up the coastline to the peninsula. The Zora queen's name is Queen Damay, and she has a son, Prince Devi. They're fish people, and they know magic, but they're so far out of the way that nobody goes to see them unless they really need to."
"What kind of magic?" Link mumbled sleepily.
"I don't really know. But whatever it is, they don't share it with the rest of the kingdom."
"So it's not much of a story."
"Do you know any better ones?" Athol demanded.
"Probably. Have you ever heard of the Gorons?" Link asked.
"Of course I have. They're the boulder people. The Gorons are the boulder people, the Zoras are the fish people, and us Hillwinds are the farmers. The Alfs are dying, the Kakaris are criminals, and the other provinces are poor. That's about all there is to Hyrule."
"But you've forgotten one thing," said Link.
"What?"
"The Hylians at Castle Town. What are they?"
Athol thought for a moment. "Depends whether you're talking to Domhn or Jørn," she replied. "Domhn would say they're misrepresented. Jørn would say they're scum. I can't say I have an opinion either way. Domhn's the only person from Castle Town I've met that I can still remember. He's not so bad. He's better than not bad, he's our mayor. I actually can't see why Jørn hates him so much."
"He doesn't hate Domhn, he just hates the aristocracy," said Link. "And that's understandable, considering the life he lived. If the royal family had helped out a little, he would've been able to stay with his family back in Alfos. He doesn't even know if they're still alive. He's alone because of the aristocrats."
"He's got Liliah," Athol said, and Link wondered how Athol knew about Jørn and Liliah. She elaborated. "I saw them together one evening, down by the bay. He looked at her, and there was real love in his eyes, and then he kissed her. I kind of wish someone looked at me like that."
"It'll happen someday," said Link, who until a few days ago had never thought about love before. "It won't happen before it's supposed to. And when it's right, you'll feel it. It just kind of. . .happens."
"How would you know?"
Link shook his head and chuckled. "I don't. It's just good to think about."
"There's no one here for me. Nothing. I don't want to leave home but at the same time, I don't want to stay. I feel like I could do more if I was born in the provinces. I know that's crazy and horrible but I don't want to be stuck on the wrong side of the forest all my life."
"But this isn't your first night away from home."
"No," Athol agreed. "It's not. After I was born and my mother died, my father took us to Castle Town to see a doctor about Daegal's illness. I was a baby, so of course I don't remember anything. I think Daegal does, though. Sometimes he talks about what the doctors said, about how they didn't expect him to live past ten years old."
Daegal had never said anything to Link about doctors. He was probably terrified. Daegal hated being the center of attention.
"I just want to see more of the world, you know?"
Link didn't answer. He had fallen asleep, and Athol squeezed her eyes shut and tried to do the same. All the sounds of the forest were magnified. She tried to ignore the faraway screeching of unknown creatures, and the nagging feeling of homesickness.
00000
There was frost on the ground when they woke up, and the sky was still dawning. Link awoke shivering. He reached over to give Athol a shake. When her eyes opened, she still looked exhausted.
"It's early," he said. "But we should get going."
Athol brushed grass from her skirt and crawled out of their shelter. Her breath puffed in the chilly morning air.
"It'll warm up later in the day," Link promised. Athol only nodded, her lip shivering. He followed her into the early bits of light. Birds had begun to caw in the trees overhead, those that hadn't already migrated.
As the sun came up, the frost on the ground melted into dew that seeped into their shoes. They couldn't feel their fingers or chins, and the tips of their ears were hurting.
"We should go back, Link," Athol finally piped up. "What if Daegal's already found his way home? What if he's there and we're—"
"Athol, trust me. We need to get to that temple," Link replied, shaking his arms to warm them up. He hoped Athol wouldn't ask him why. She didn't. Athol didn't like to admit defeat, so she was silent, hugging her arms to herself.
"How far do you think it is?" she finally said, walking right next to Link, inches away from him.
"I don't know," came Link's reply. "A mile, maybe two. I couldn't really tell."
"That's not so bad," said Athol. Her words stuttered in the cold. Link wished there was some way he could make her warm without touching her. He pulled out Daegal's whistle, and with shaking hands, he brought it to his lips. He didn't have much control over his numb fingers, so he played the easiest song he knew, a marching song that the Dinns used to play whenever they were sent to war. The tune had been forgotten seemingly by everyone except the Hillwinds. It was cheery but dignified, and it kept Link and Athol moving for countless steps as the sun rose, until Athol squinted and ran up ahead of Link.
He put the instrument away. "What is it?" he called up.
Athol crouched down to pick something up from the ground. It glinted slightly, though it was caked with what looked like dirt or clay.
"This is my father's," Athol breathed incredulously. She held up a tiny carving knife. "Daegal must've brought it with him. We didn't even notice it was missing."
Link examined it, then looked down at the ground and gasped. Under his feet, and scattered around them, were thick locks of bushy red hair, shorn carelessly and discarded.
"Why would he do that?" Athol asked. "Why would he cut all his hair off?" She gingerly picked up a clump of it, then let it fall between her fingers.
Link didn't answer right away. He just stared at Daegal's hair, flitting about in the breeze. He was confused and worried, and felt a pit of dread and nausea form in his stomach. "We'll bring the knife," was all he said. He almost didn't want to move forward, but his feet dragged him in the direction of the temple. Athol followed. Both of them felt haunted.
The rest of the day was cloudy and dismal. The only sounds they heard were the cawing of crows and the creeping breath of the wind. It had warmed up a little, though not by much. The trees were beginning to grow more sparsely, creating larger clearings.
"We have to be more careful here," said Link quietly. He gripped the carving knife for security, even though it wouldn't do much damage. It was the only weapon they had against anything they might find.
"Do you think Daegal hurt himself?" Athol asked, and Link heard tears in her voice, which was rare.
"We're gonna find him," Link assured her. In her anxious state, Athol was beginning to look more like her brother when he was scared. Her arms were hugged to her chest as if she was trying to pull away from the world.
"I just have this feeling that we won't. Or that if we do find him, he'll be hurt, or dead." Athol gulped. "I shouldn't say that. I'm just so worried about him."
"I know." Link desperately tried to think of something happy to talk about. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?"
Athol looked at him with a confused expression, wondering where that question had come from. "I don't know." She paused. "What about you?"
"Anywhere."
Athol seemed to regain her wits when she considered his question.
"I want to see magic," she said simply. "And I want to see new technology. Stuff we don't have. So my first choice would be the Zora domain, but Castle Town would be more realistic. Growing up in Hillwind is okay but when I'm an adult I want to live in a city."
"Fair enough," Link replied.
Athol gave a worried shudder. "But Link, what do we do if he is dead?"
"No," he exclaimed loudly. "Don't say it. Don't even think it. It won't make anything easier. We'll find him. If he's okay, we'll bring him home. If not, we'll go get help. But right now, we're just gonna focus on getting to the—"
He stopped short.
"What?" Athol asked.
"Shh," Link silenced her. "Did you hear that?"
They listened for several seconds, and then Link heard it again. The cracking of twigs.
Link found that he had been gripping the carving knife tightly, and his hands were growing sweaty. His heart palpitated in his chest. It seemed to be making noise. He took Athol's arm in his other hand, ready to run to safety.
More crackling. Silence. Then a low, throaty growl, coming from behind tangles of thorns and brush.
"Get behind me," hissed Link. "On my count, you're going to run to that tree over there, and you're going to climb as fast as you can."
The growl came again. Louder.
"One. . .two. . ."
Link was panic-stricken by a sudden movement, and in a flash before his eyes, an ugly purple creature came pouncing out of the brush. In defense, Link lifted his arms and stumbled back, but the monster knocked him to the ground with incredible force. His head and back took the impact, stunning him. He dropped the carving knife. He thought he heard Athol screaming, so he choked out a command.
"Run!"
The monster's fingers were leathery and coarse around his neck, managing to pin him down with only one hand. In the other, it held a sharpened wooden club, though with its massive jaw, Link didn't see why it would need a weapon.
But once Athol started running to the tree that Link had indicated earlier, the creature lost interest in Link. It sprang to its feet and began charging after the smaller, slower prey.
Coming to his senses, Link fumbled for the carving knife, which had fallen out of reach. Then he, too, scrambled up in pursuit of the monster. His legs were shaking.
Athol had made it to her tree, which she was frantically trying to climb to get away from the thing. Her skirt didn't allow her much flexibility, and her limbs were shaking so badly with fear that she couldn't hold tightly to the branches. The monster quickly caught up with her, and with the same gnarled hand, grabbed her by the left ankle and tried to yank her down from the tree.
"No! Help me!"
All Link had was the little carving knife as a weapon. As soon as the grotesque thing heard Link's footsteps, it turned around, licking its rotten teeth with a slimy tongue.
Still charging, Link threw the knife overhand, aiming at the monster's face. He heard it whoosh through the air, then the monster's scream of agony. As it fell to the ground, so did Athol, crying and panting.
The creature didn't move. Link helped Athol up, then inspected it.
"Is it dead?" Athol asked, her voice trembling.
"Might be," answered Link. He peered at the injured monster. A Faron bokoblin. Purple and leathery, with ears like a bat's wings. Its nose was stuck in a permanent snarl, above an enormous jaw that Link's head could easily fit inside. Its shriveled fingers were still clasped tightly around the wooden club. Link gulped sickeningly as he observed his shot. The knife was embedded in the bokoblin's beady right eye. Bright green fluid leaked from the socket.
Athol grimaced. "Nice shot," she offered.
Link didn't answer. He snatched up the bokoblin's wooden club. "There are probably more around here. I'll bet it came from a nest."
Still dizzy from the fight, he took Athol's arm to lead her along.
"Just keep an eye out."
"Ha ha," she said in a mirthless, deadpan voice. The snarling growl of the bokoblin echoed in her head.
"Will you be all right?" Link asked.
Athol only nodded. Link looked into her eyes for some sign of how she really felt. They were hollow. She had given up trying to be optimistic, now that the danger of losing her brother was very real. She was scared, Link could tell.
"We'll keep going," he instructed. "It'll be okay."
He didn't know if it would be. And he wasn't good at consoling, especially Athol. Usually she didn't need consoling. Things like this didn't happen.
"You should know, Athol, that Daegal ran away with a piece of the Triforce."
Athol's face was unresponsive. "What?"
"Have you ever heard the stories of the Triforce?"
"My father may have mentioned it once or twice," she replied monotonously. "He's not really one for stories, though."
"I heard it for the first time the other day. When I came back from the woods with Daegal, we had found a golden crest buried in the ground. He seemed obsessed with it, so we brought it back with us, but I took it from him because I didn't like what it was doing to him." Link paused, embarrassed about the part that came next. "The night he ran off, he stole the crest. Domhn told me it was a piece of the Triforce. It belongs in the Temple of Farore. That's why we're going there. I thought you should know."
"What does Daegal want with the Triforce?"
"I don't know," admitted Link. "I'm hoping we'll find out once we get him back home."
00000
Deep in the Faron Woods, in a place that nobody had stumbled upon for decades, was the sacred grove in which stood the Temple of Farore. The temple stood mostly vacant, not a living soul inhabited it. But the spirit of the goddess still lingered. She was one of three, one of the creators of the land of Hyrule. Once, long ago, the inhabitants of Hyrule used to worship her and the other goddesses, Din and Nayru. Then the kingdom began to divide itself up into different territories. Everyone kept to themselves and often didn't leave their province. The Gorons stayed at their volcanoes in the Eldin province, and the Zoras kept hidden away in the lakes and marshes of the Lanayru province. The other inhabitants of Eldin formed individual provinces. And the Hillwinds, all the way on the other side of the kingdom, kept to themselves on their side of the Faron Woods.
Because of the division, each province worshiped their respective goddess. So Farore became only known to the Hillwinds, while Nayru was worshipped by the Zoras and Din by the Gorons and the Eldins. And recently, even the Hillwinds had stopped paying as much respects to her. Farore found that most of the time, she felt forgotten, which wasn't fair in the least. After all, she had created every living thing in the world. She wondered if the other goddesses felt the same way.
The sacred grove was silent and the light was fading. It would be dark soon. In the dim light, Farore's temple stood just as abandoned as ever, until two young figures approached the grove.
Link staggered back as soon as he set eyes on the temple. It was made of stone, built almost as tall as the tops of the trees. And it was close to crumbling. The entire grove was in ruins. Surrounding the temple were ancient statues of armored creatures that seemed to be protecting it, and more blocks of stone randomly placed about the grove, as if whoever built the temple hadn't quite finished it yet.
"So this is where the shard came from," he said, still a little in awe.
"Looks like no one's been here in years," Athol piped up, starting to regain her attitude. "Link, what good is this going to do us? There's nothing here."
Just as she spoke, a disembodied echo began to bounce through the air.
"I am here," it said.
Both Link and Athol froze as they tried to locate the voice. It sounded like a woman's voice, a motherly whisper. A hushing noise. The children felt as if they should've been afraid, but they weren't.
"Who's there?" Athol whispered back.
The voice did not return, but on the front steps of the temple, a blinding white light began to drown out the darkness. Link and Athol shielded their eyes until the light ebbed a bit, leaving behind the figure of a woman, glowing like a firefly. She stood much taller than Link or Athol, and her long flowing gown was green as fields. Link looked upon her face. She had a lullaby face, welcoming and motherly.
"You must be Farore," he said, and suddenly felt as though he should be kneeling.
The lady looked pleased. "They still know my name," she remarked.
Link and Athol noticed that the goddess Farore looked very much like a tree herself. With her gown of forest green, an elegant intertwinement of brown locks like moss, lichen and tree roots, and her towering height, the only thing that set her apart from the trees was her moon-pale skin that glowed warmly. A crown of what looked like stars was nestled in her root-like hair.
"And you are Link," she continued, completely sure of herself. "I knew you would be coming."
Link turned to stare at Athol, finally daring to take his eyes off the glorious being.
"You know what happened?" he asked.
"I know of your quest. You seek your friend, Daegal. He has run away with a Triforce shard. The Triforce of Power, to be exact," she replied. "Out of the three shards, Courage, Wisdom and Power, your friend has found the most dangerous one. You can tell much about a person by the shard they are drawn to."
Athol finally spoke. "You must know where he is. You're a goddess."
There was the recognition that Farore had been missing for years. "The Goddess of Courage," she agreed. "I cannot tell you where your brother is, Athol. But I will help you locate him, because his own fate, and that of the kingdom, depends on it."
"What does that mean?" Link asked. "The fate of the kingdom?"
"Is Daegal okay?" demanded Athol.
"Your brother is alive," Farore answered. "But you will not find him in this forest. He is beyond Faron territory. You must go first to the Eldin province of Kakariko."
Athol gasped.
"There, you will find a princess in hiding. She will be able to help you find Daegal. The journey to Kakariko is not dangerous, but once you enter the city, you will need to be vigilant. You must not allow anything to slow you down in your search for Daegal. It is imperative that you retrieve the Triforce of Power before Daegal obtains the rest of it. If he does, it will doom not only him, but the rest of Hyrule."
"How will it doom him?" asked Link.
Farore looked at him with apologetic sadness. "One shard has already enraptured your friend's mind. Some people are not able to resist the temptations of the Triforce shards. If Daegal retrieves the other two shards, its power will be unpredictable. You must take the Triforce of Power from Daegal at any cost. Then you will be able to bring him home. The shards have been split for a very long time. It is necessary that they stay that way."
"What if we can't take it from him?"
"Cross the Ordo Plain to the province of Kakariko," Farore instructed again. "The princess awaiting you will be able to help. I cannot offer you further assistance. I may be a goddess, but I am alone, forgotten in this sacred grove."
Before Link or Athol could protest, the blinding light returned, and in a flash, the Goddess of Courage was gone, leaving the grove darker than before.
After a long silence, Link handed the wooden club to Athol. "Sleep here for the night. Then tomorrow, take this for protection and head back home."
"What?" Athol exclaimed hotly.
"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous for you to come any further with me. I told you, I'd have you turn around when things got risky, and you should've turned back a long time ago. The further I go, the more dangerous it'll be for you. So stay here at the temple for the night and then start back to Hillwind in the morning."
Athol threw the club to the ground. "I'm not going anywhere. Especially not now. Daegal is alive, and he needs our help," she retorted.
"I don't know what to expect in Kakariko. No offense, but you're small, and you're a girl. You're not safe in a big city where I don't know my way around."
Athol's hands flew to her hips. "We can either go now or tomorrow. But either way, I'm going with you. I'd like to see you try to force me to go back home."
Link grumbled, defeated. "We should probably get some sleep. And this is a safe place. We'll start up again in the morning."
Athol smiled victoriously. "I've always wanted to go to the provinces," she said, settling down.