Nobody said anything as several long minutes ticked by, the three travelers gazing with wonder upon the restored temple. "Truly, these sigils of the Goddesses have great power!" Zelda said at last.
"Indeed." Ganondorf kept his thoughts to himself, dwelling on the sorceress sisters' last words. He didn't know much about his ancestor, other than that he had been a troublemaker, attacking Hyrule in order to control the very same kind of power that Zelda now held in her pack.
Zelda had not been told the tales of her people, and Link did not know much of the country at all. Ganondorf decided to keep silent about it unless one of the others brought it up. He doubted it would cause a rift between them…they were all on the same side this time, right?
"Where to next?" Link asked. "Any idea where any of the other Temples might be?"
Zelda rummaged around in the pack. "I think we should save Light for last; I think that one goes in the Temple of Time, and that's within the castle town walls. We don't really want to be seen there now…Let's see, that leaves Forest, Fire, Shadow, and Water." She thought for a moment. "I have no idea what Shadow alludes to, and I don't know of anyone who would build a temple in the Lost Woods, the biggest forest we have. The Fire one probably alludes to the Gorons on Death Mountain…and the Water one probably points to the Zora at the river's beginning."
"Death Mountain sounds tough," Link noted. He hefted his shield. "If we can get stuff out of the other temples, stuff that helps us along, we should probably start at the easier ones first and work our way up."
"It was relatively easy here because my people were able to help us," said Ganondorf. "You can bet the Zora and Gorons won't be happy to see the mark of the Triforce on our hands, if the Hylian King has them under his control. If there is a temple in the forest, and no people to guard it, maybe that should be our next target."
"You're right." Zelda nodded appreciatively. "Could we stay a night at the desert fortress? I've never been to the Lost Woods, but I've heard it's at least a half day's ride from the castle."
Ganondorf nodded. "Of course."
---
Early the next morning, the three Bearers set out for the forest on horseback, and reached the eaves of the wood just before noon. Ganondorf frowned at the dirt path, which ended where they stood. "Don't your people ever come here?"
Zelda shook her head. "I heard they did, long ago. But the rumor is that this forest is cursed. People who enter never leave."
Link groaned. "Now you tell us."
Ganondorf shot him a sharp look. "The Goddesses guided us here…there must be a way in. Besides, no path we take on this quest will be safe."
"I know that," Link shot back with a touch of impatience. "I just like to have an idea of what I'm dealing with ahead of time."
"Only one way to find out." Zelda squared her shoulders and strode in. The other two followed close behind.
Link stared around the forest in wonder and a little trepidation. He had grown up in a wooded area, but it was nothing like this. Even in the darkest areas, his home had an orderly feel about it, animals going about their business unless provoked, trees standing like pillars holding up the canopy. It was almost like a large, airy house with many different inhabitants, some more easy to live with than others.
If this forest were to be compared to a house, it could only be an abandoned one. Brambles grew at odd angles, tall grass with razor-sharp edges planted itself where it could most conveniently tear clothing and skin. The scurrying in the undergrowth made Link feel as if he were being watched, and the air felt oppressive.
"I can't breathe in this place," Ganondorf grumbled, as if he had read Link's mind. Zelda stopped to untangle her dress, which had become hooked in the bramble for the fifth time.
"Leave this place." A disembodied voice spoke, soft but very clear.
"Who's there?" Ganondorf demanded, summoning a small ball of fire. "Show yourself, or I'll burn this place down to expose you!"
They heard a strange noise, like branches rubbing together, but more hollow. In addition they could hear the clink of metal, similar to armor. Link put his hand on his sword hilt.
A figure emerged from the brush; at first Link thought he was very thin, then realized with a shock that an animated skeleton walked toward them. It spoke with the voice of a ghost, dry and with a faraway echo. "Leave, intruders, or face the same fate I did."
"We didn't come to disturb you." Zelda fought to keep her voice steady. "We're looking for the temple. If you could tell us where it is, we'll get out of your way."
But the skeleton had a one-track mind. It drew its rusty blade and advanced, the cries of other fleshless jaws echoing throughout the forest. "You do not belong here. You will return from whence you came, or suffer our same fate."
Ganondorf immolated the speaker in a wreath of fire; but they could see dozens of skeletons rising up from the ground, advancing quickly. Link cut down three in quick succession, but six more took their place.
"I smell magic," Ganondorf snarled as Link scattered dry bones throughout the brambles. "Something is here, controlling them." He scanned the area with senses granted to him by sorcery, searching for a particular shape in the haze. He picked up something, faint but unmistakable, and threw his fireball into the horde, running after it.
"Aha! Gotcha!" He held up a very small person, and then swatted at a large bug hovering around its face. Immediately the skeletons fell to the ground, nothing more than piles of bones.
"Lemme go!" their tormentor cried, in a high child's voice. Zelda and Link ran up to them, surprised to see a tiny person dressed in green, shaking his small fists at Ganondorf.
"It's a fairy!" Zelda exclaimed, pointing not to the child but the iridescent bug flying around his head. "I've never seen one before!" "What's wrong with you?" Link demanded. "Do you always attack people minding their own business?"
The little person pulled a pouting face. "No strangers are allowed in our forest! Not since the last time! They took our friends and we never saw them again!"
"We're not here to hurt you," Zelda said in a calm, soothing voice. "I don't know what happened in the past, but we mean you no harm."
"Hmph! You're Hylians. The ones that took our friends were Hylian too. But I've never seen anyone like you before," the boy added as an aside to Ganondorf.
"You wouldn't have; my people do not like the forest. Believe me, if this were not a grave situation, I would not be here," Ganondorf assured him. "Who are you? What are you?"
The boy waited to answer until Ganondorf set him down on the ground again. "I'm a Kokiri, duh. My name's Mako, and this is my fairy, Maddie."
"Did your fairy cast the magic that set the skeletons on us?" Link asked.
Mako shook his head. "We can control the Stalfos, if we really need to. The Stalfos were once people, but they got lost in the forest and became monsters. Letting us control them is how they pay us back for trespassing."
Ganondorf scowled down at him. "Twisted little thing, aren't you?"
Mako squared his shoulders and stared up at him, Maddie twittering around his head. "We are the guardians of the forest. And if you'd seen what we'd seen recently, you'd do the same thing."
"And what is that, exactly?" Zelda asked.
"Lots of things. Strangers came in and cut down trees, kidnapped Kokiri, and hunted the animals. Many years ago we had an agreement with the Hylians, that kept them out of our forest unless they had some special need, but they just barged in one day and started wrecking everything." He pouted like a small child. "They wouldn't even talk to our leader, the Great Deku Tree! They didn't believe he talked! If he couldn't talk, how could he tell such good stories?"
Link shook his head, trying to clear it. "Look, we'll get out of your way as soon as possible…we're actually trying to help. We need to bring something to the forest Temple…do you know where that is?"
The Kokiri sat down and thought. "I don't know where it might be…I heard we used to have one, years and years ago. It's probably overgrown by now."
"The last Temple we visited was in pretty bad shape," Link noted. "Yours probably is as well."
Mako jerked his head up upon sudden inspiration. "There's a place where nothing grows, near the mountain's edge," he said. "We never go there. That might be where the temple is."
"Good enough," said Ganondorf. "Just point us in the right direction."
Mako's mouth dropped open. "You really intend to go there?"
"Of course, you fool. I told you I would not be here if it weren't for a good reason."
"Hey!" Maddie sailed into the air and circled each of the three travelers. "Look, Mako! They have the sacred mark!"
Zelda instinctively hid her hand, then held it out in puzzlement. "Sacred? Not cursed?"
"What does it mean to you?" Link asked the Kokiri.
Mako shook his head. "Not much…other than you probably should see our leader. The mark is important…and a good thing. The Deku Tree could tell you more." He waved his hand, beckoning toward them as he ran off into the forest. "Follow me, I'll bring you to him!"
"No tricks now," Link warned.
The fairy-child led them over a long, long deer path that seemed to turn back and forth , with no set direction. Ganondorf glanced nervously over his shoulder, apprehensive that they were being led into a trap.
"Are we really going to see a talking tree?" Link asked Zelda dubiously.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I've never heard of such a thing…but this Kokiri is the only lead we've got on the Forest Temple."
Finally, Mako led them into a clearing, where they started in surprise upon seeing an entire town of the little fairy-people, who stared at them just as hard as they stared back.
"Are you from the Outside?" one of them barked.
"What of it?" Ganondorf demanded. Several of them scattered.
"They have the holy mark," Mako explained. "I'm taking them to see the Deku Tree."
This caused a lot of commotion, with packs of fairy-children running toward and congregating around them, yelling in shrill high voices. Ganondorf clapped his hands over his ears.
Finally, they came upon a hulking growth that had once been a proud tree. Its side had been gouged by axes, its branches had been singed off, and bark peeled off several angry-looking lesions. Yet the thing actually had a face carved in the trunk; a face that spoke as they approached.
"Eh? It has been years, but…I have seen two of you before." Its voice sounded raspy, like bark rubbing together. "Mmm, yes… but you travel together? I remember one friend and one foe, and never did the twain meet when I last saw them alive…"
"If you're going to speak nonsense," Ganondorf growled, but Zelda cut him off.
"We've come to restore the Forest Temple," she announced, and held up her hand. "One of the Kokiri brought us here when he saw the marks we bore. Does this mean something to you?"
"Ah, ah!" The tree's voice brightened considerably. "Yes, the Triforce mark! But…you travel willingly together?"
"Is there something wrong with that?" Link asked.
"Hmm, hmm…I sense no ill will from the Bearer of Power. Highly unusual…but then I remember so little. I both have and have not seen you before. A tree, you see, can be reborn again and again from its own seeds."
"Are you trying to tell us you're immortal?" Ganondorf demanded with a healthy dose of skepticism.
"Well, yes and no," the Deku Tree answered. "I remember some things of times past, but I am not quite the same, after all. In any case…you are Triforce bearers, and you wish to see the Forest Temple. It has been many years since I have heard of such a thing. Has something happened at Hyrule Castle?"
"My uncle has taken the throne," Zelda explained, trying to disguise the sadness and disgust in her voice. "He has banned any knowledge of the Triforce or Hyrule's history, even from me."
"My, my, a Bearer of Wisdom bereft of knowledge? That will never do…I will have to give you some of mine. The Forest Temple is located north north-west of here. I can keep the forest green using my own magic, but I have suffered so much over time that I cannot extend my energy that far. As you move, you will see the greenery die around you. Then you will know you are getting close."
"Thank you," Ganondorf said stiffly, then turned to leave.
"Wait a minute," said Link. "If he's the 'Bearer of Power' and Zelda's the 'Bearer of Wisdom', do I have a title too?"
"Goodness, yes," the tree exclaimed, dithering a little. Zelda wondered if the cuts in its side had damaged the water flow to its head. "The Bearer of Courage, of course. Three pieces of a whole."
"This whole?" Zelda held up her marked hand again.
"Yes, yes. The Triforce. You do not know this? Things must have gotten bad indeed…"
"Don't worry about it," Link assured the tree cheerfully. "We'll take care of it, now that we know where to find the next Temple."
"One final word of warning," the tree called after them as they started to walk away. "Er…two, actually. First, only those with pure hearts can navigate their way through the Lost Woods. Second, in hard times the Temple would become infested with monsters. I'm sure this is no exception."
"We'll keep that in mind," Ganondorf muttered.
"I'll bring you to the side of the village closest to where the temple should be," Mako volunteered. "But I won't go any further than that. It's gotten scary in that area."
Zelda smiled at him. "We'll manage. Thank you."
----
A few steps into the thicket, Link pulled Ganondorf's arm back. "Hey, we have to think of how we're going to do this."
Ganondorf scowled down at him. "What do you mean? We walk till there's no trees and there it is."
"No, there's more to it." Zelda gave the big man a worried look. "The tree said that 'only those pure of heart' can navigate through the Lost Woods. And, well, if you don't mind me sounding like an old man…Power corrupts. And your ancestor…"
Ganndorf rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, my ancestor, my ancestor. I'm not my ancestor. As long as I can provide for my people, I don't have any other ambitions. And the best way I can help them now is by helping you."
The two children exchanged glances, and he made an impatient huff. "Well, I think it's a little egotistical for any of us to assume they have a pure heart. But if you are convinced I'll get lost, then you can choose the path. And leave some breadcrumbs. Or something."
"All right then, who should lead?" Zelda asked.
Ganondorf pointed to Link. "Him. You're too indecisive."
Link led the way, on a steady march under the dark forest eaves. Zelda followed close behind, with Ganondorf bringing up the rear, glancing around uneasily. He hadn't liked any part of the forest since he'd entered, but there was a strange silence to this part, as if even animals didn't like to come here.
Out of the eerie silence came a faint tune, wafting in between the trees as the three attempted to navigate through what had once been a hedge maze. The bushes towered high above the stone walls they had once flanked, but large holes yawned in between the lower branches. Link and Zelda slipped through easily, with Ganondorf breaking much of the shrubbery in the process.
Link fell through the hedge with a splash, up to his neck in slimy green water. Ganondorf burst into laughter. "Eh, being the leader isn't always the best thing, is it?"
Scowling, Link heaved himself out of the water. "It would be a lot easier if I could see where we're going."
With much stumbling and grumbling, Ganondof scaled one of the crumbly stone walls. "Why get lost just because it's a maze? Better to go over."
Both children saw the truth in this and Link scrambled up as well, helping Zelda behind him.
The trees did not grow so thick here, and after turning round Ganondorf pointed ahead of them. "See there! A stone structure, covered with dead vines. That must be the Temple."
He took one step forward and fell straight into the ground below with a loud yell. Both heard a faint splash, and Link sniggered in spite of himself.
"Are you all right?" Zelda called.
"Yeah," came Ganondorf's irritated voice. "I fell into a…well, I don't really know what I fell into, it almost looks like it was once a bath or spring of some kind, but it's pretty scummy now. There's some light up ahead, I'm going to see if it comes out near the Temple. You two stay put."
"Okay," Zelda called, and listened to the man's grouchy cursing disappear off to the side.
"Hello," said a voice, and both Link and Zelda jerked their heads up to see a scarecrow-like person, the same size as a Kokiri but dressed in odds and ends of fabric and plant matter. "Want to play a game?"