Chapter 2: Nocturne of Kinship

It's said that, some time ago, they had advanced techniques that were more powerful than anything anyone had seen. But that power put them at odds with the King at the time, and they were scattered across the land. -Rensa

Navi's eyes snapped open, they were sore and crusty from her tears of the night before. Her limbs felt heavy and as she remembered her counter with Leaf she felt the pain of it well up inside her, threatening to spill out. She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry and cry and cry until she shriveled into nothing. She couldn't though. As much as what Leaf had said cut her deep she also knew that if the Fairy Council was sending out its emissaries in search of the Hero of Hyrule then they were truly desperate.

She needed to do something, she needed to help, she needed them to know that she was still of value. With a great effort she sat up and pushed herself off the small bed. She stripped out of the clothes she'd fallen asleep in and began to wash. She took great care to cleanse her face and to clean and straighten her hair before she braided it tight and deliberate down her back. Despite the simplicity of her choice, her hair clearly displayed a soft sheen that she had long since stopped caring to preserve. Many of her people preferred much more elaborate styles, triple pony tails interwoven with vines but Navi was determined to present humility before her people. They were prideful and the act of taking her back would be a serious blow. Best to lessen it as much as possible.

Once she finished washing, Navi went to the small trunk in the corner of the room that contained the bulk of her possessions. She removed several books, maps, travel wear and blankets from the trunk before she found what she was looking for. At the very bottom, pressed flat as though they had not been touched in a very long time was a set of clothing and a small chest. Navi removed both. She set the chest on the ground and donned the clothing. First was a brilliantly white sleeveless tunic that left the upper part of Navi's back exposed to the air. It was embroidered in silver with winged spheres trailing long jagged lines that despite their random nature seemed to have a chaotic symmetry to them. Then a pair of earthy brown stockings that had the image of leaves pressed into the leather, they ended in irregular strokes along the leaf designs. Finally was a set of sandals of a soft blue that curved over her feet in two bands. Navi then opened the small chest to reveal a pair of enchanted items and a long dagger that were Navi's prized possessions. She had a pair of earrings crafted from crimson scales that had the power to protect the wearer from heat and a leather pouch which despite its small size could contain items of any size. She wore the earrings and strapped the pouch to her thigh and picked up the dagger. It had a wooden handle with a small ruby set into the handle. The blade was flawless but dull, it had not been used or serviced in a very long time. Navi strapped the blade horizontally along her back at waist level before she straightened up.

For the first time in a long while she wore her back free from obstruction. In the mirror she could see framed against her skin black lines forming the outline of wings. They were pressed so cleanly against her back that they could have been tattoos.

Smiling slightly Navi started towards the ladder before stopping. She turned back and retrieved from her discarded outfit the hooded emerald pinafore, pulling it on to hide her wings and should she need hide her face.

Navi climbed down into the stock room where she slung the Deku made fiddle over her shoulder. She didn't want to trust it to the magic pouch. Then she entered the bar to find Telma. Being midday, the bar was nearly empty and the tavern owner was taking advantage of the quiet to clean up after the crowd of the night before.

"Telma," she said and though her voice was quiet it carried over the space.

The landlady looked up at Navi and smiled. "Don't you look pretty lass, you finally meet a lad to your liking?"

Navi blushed but her blood being white her face seemed to grow paler. "No." she cast around for the words to explain. Realizing that she couldn't find them she simply said. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience Telma but I'm going to have to go away for a few days. I'm sure Gulley can fill in for me, he's quite skilled on that flute."

Straightening up properly Telma scrutinized Navi. "Does this have anything to do with that man who was in here yesterday? That brother of yours?"

Not wanting to lie Navi said "Yes, there's some old friends I need to talk to. I should be back within a week, maybe ten days." She knew if she had not returned by then it would be of little consequence. Hyrule would have greater problems than the absence of one minstrel.

"I can't talk you out of this Ciela?"

"No." Navi whispered.

"Fine, then I should give you something for the road." She disappeared into the store room and reappeared a few moments later with a small loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese and a water skin. She wrapped the bread and cheese in paper and handed them to Navi.

The fairy smiled at her and whispered "Thank you Telma." Just in case it was her last chance to say it.

Once outside she placed the supplies Telma had given her at the mouth of the pouch on her thigh. They vanished inside with a pop despite being far too big to be held in such a small container.

Navi was grateful for the supplies. It was going to be a long journey and she was unsure when she'd get a chance to restock once she passed by Kakariko Village. As she entered the Castle Town main street Navi glanced at a massive cathedral, three stories tall, made of white stone in its own little courtyard some distance from the town square. As had happened every time she passed saw it Navi felt drawn to it, to enter, pay her respects, pray for guidance but in the end she couldn't bring herself to approach the building. It was the site of too many memories.

She left Castle Town, crossing over the drawbridge that was the only entrance past the stern walls which protected the town. Outside the countryside stretched before her in a vast field. It was broken only by the image of a small ranch on the horizon.

Navi began walking towards it, as she moved the sun fell from its place in the sky, sinking low until it all but disappeared below the mountains. Navi reached the ranch just before the fall of night. It was not safe to traverse the Hylian countryside after dark. Creatures moved in the night which no living being would wish to meet.

A sign over Navi's destination proclaimed the place to be Lon Lon Ranch. It was surrounded by high walls on all sides and a steel gate. She reached it just as the gate was being drawn closed by a gangly man with a thick mustache. The look on his face as he saw her approach said that he was considering slamming the gate in her face but seemed to think better of the idea. He allowed her to cross the threshold before closing the entrance with a clang of steel on steel.

He walked back towards a large house just up the path but when they were halfway there he stopped. "You do have rupees?" he asked turning back to her.

Navi let out a sound of disgust at the demand for payment. "Of course. It's twenty for the night?"

"Forty." The man said gruffly.

"That's robbery." Said Navi annoyed.

"Can't keep letting folks stay the night for scraps. Gotta earn a livin'."

Navi sighed and reached into her pouch. She murmured "Two red rupees." And when she withdrew her hand two small crimson gems were lying on her palm.

He took them without speaking and led her to a small guest room in the corner of the house. It was not much but it would give Navi a night's rest.

She fell asleep quickly and rose early the next morning. The man whose name was Ingo was not thrilled to be awoken before dawn but he perked up when she said she wanted to rent a horse. She handed over a rupee of purple hue before mounting the steed the man provided and set out as the first rays of dawn shone over the great fields surrounding the ranch.

Navi kept the looming shadow of Hyrule's great volcano, Death Mountain, in front of her, riding quickly as was possible without exhausting her horse. The mountain grew closer and closer till she arrived at a rusty iron gate which stretched across the mouth of a wide fissure in the cliffs that made up the base of Death Mountain.

Navi dismounted and unlocked the gate before walking her horse into the small village that served as a rest point for those looking to climb Death Mountain. Kakariko Village had a unique appearance. It had been built into a gorge cut into the side of the mountain by a long dried river. Because of the limited space most of the buildings had been build five or six, even eight stories high, their backs supported by the edges of the cliffs. This was not the first village to bear the name Kakariko. The original which had been on the opposite side of the mountain had been obliterated by one of Death Mountain's most violent eruptions in decades some forty years previous. It was then decided to rebuild somewhere more sheltered from the rock that may fall from the active volcano.

Navi led her horse to the southern end of the village where a great spring commemorating the mountain's spiritual protector bubbled. She let the horse drink after the long journey while she refilled her water skin.

Afterwards she led the horse to a small stable also owned by Lon Lon Ranch which took care of their horses after rentals were complete. She checked the creature in with a blue haired lady who looked exhausted before Navi walked up the inclining path of the village towards the trail that traced the edge of Death Mountain.

Here she was met with resistance, a guard dressed in mail with a pike in hand stood at the beginning of Death Mountain Trail, in front of a heavy gate fifteen feet high across the entrance to the trail. When he saw Navi approaching he spoke. "Sorry miss you can't be going up the mountain today. With the quakes and small eruptions we've been having lately it's not safe for any but a Goron."

Gorons, the mountain people were large creatures whose skin was hard as stone. Molten rock falling from the sky was more of an inconvenience than a hazard to them, like bad weather.

Navi had committed herself to this path and had come too far to be turned back by a guard and a gate. She fixed the man with a steely glare and in that instant her eyes turned brilliantly gold. "I am an emissary of the Great Fairy who makes her home at the summit of Death Mountain. I am returning to her from Hyrule Castle with an urgent message. You will let me pass."

Whether it was because of the steel in her voice or the glow of her eyes the guard did not question her. Instead, he fumbled at his belt for a set of keys which he used to unlock the gate and pull it open wide enough for Navi to enter.

"B-be careful M-miss Fairy. The mountain isn't a s-safe place to be."

Navi nodded curtly at him before beginning her ascent of the volcano. She walked in silent calm for nearly an hour before something went wrong. As she moved her eyes glowed bright red, her senses suddenly on alert. She could feel danger closing in and quite suddenly the ground beneath her feet began to shake. Then her earrings gave an audible click as their power activated and Navi knew seconds before it struck what was coming. She dove to the side as a mass of molten rock the size of her head crashed into the ground where she had been standing just moments before.

Now that she was alert, Navi's eyes turned gold, tracking the shadows of falling rocks as she ran up the trail, desperately searching for shelter. Again and again she dove out of the way of falling debris just before it hit. She used her body to shield her violin case and the ancient instrument within, letting herself be sprayed with chips of molten rock in the process. Luckily her earrings protected her from the heat but they didn't stop the small projectiles from stinging violently each time they made contact.

Finally Navi found a cut in the mountain walls under an overhang. She shoved her violin in first before squeezing into the space after it. The rain of fire continued for another half hour at least before finally giving way. Dust hung in the air over the trail obscuring Navi's vision and making it difficult to breath. She pulled the waterskin from her pouch, and tipped some of the contents down her dry and dusty throat. She then switched the waterskin for a cloth and pressed it to her face hoping to screen out the worst of the dust and ash.

She couldn't be far from the summit Navi reasoned, with the distance she'd covered under fire. She walked through the dust cloud searching desperately for a sign of the Great Fairy's Fountain. Then she heard it, a great laugh like no human would be capable of producing. She was close to the fountain, and the Great Fairy.

Navi followed the sound till mercifully she found an entrance carved into the rock in the shape of a door. Before she entered she looked herself over. Her clothing was as emasculate as when she'd first put it on that morning. It's fairy design keeping it from becoming soiled by the dust. Navi made an effort to clean her face and wipe the dust from her hair before she walked inside. As she crossed the threshold the heat from the mountain seemed to die. The rock changed consistency from a soft and harsh brown stone to a hard blue rock that reflected the light of the cavern. Navi was about to approach the Fairy Fountain when she heard voices.

"Please," said a boy's voice, he sounded young.

"I'm sorry," said a second, female and much older. "There is nothing we can do."

"But if the protection breaks, if the seal is released," he seemed at a loss for words. Finally he croaked "They will all die."

"And that will be a great loss but there are bigger concerns. More hangs in the balance now than the lives of a single village."

The boy gave a strangled sob and Navi heard footsteps coming her way. She quickly pressed herself into the wall of the fountain and the boy too caught up in his own problems did not notice her as he ran past.

Once he was gone Navi walked into the Fountain, her feet splashing through the thin film of water that coated the floor. "Hello Emheralda."

In the center of the cavern was a woman of immense proportion. She was fifteen feet tall with violently pink hair that was tied back in three ornate pony tails. Her clothes where knitted together from vines that concealed most of her body. She was floating in midair, her legs crossed in front of her as though spread out on an enormous invisible couch. The expression on her face was one of shock.

"Navi?" she said the name as though speaking of a dead person.

"It's good to see you Emheralda. It has been ages."

"You shouldn't be here Navi. This place is sovereign territory of the Faerie Realm. This is a violation of your exile. The law says that I should execute you for this."

Navi smiled sadly. "I'm here to help Emheralda. I heard about the loss of the Dark Mirror."

"Navi, you were always my favorite pupil so I'll not report you for coming here but we are handling the problem. You aren't needed for this."

"Emheralda, look at Hyrule, its magic is running wild. Death Mountain crater is loose from its chains, the Zora's river is nearly dry. Whatever you're doing it's not working."

"Be that as it may Navi there is nothing you can bring to this fight that a hundred fairies could not in your place and the Fairy Council will never accept your assistance. You aren't a part of this."

"Emheralda," Navi said marshaling another argument but it seemed the Great Fairy had had enough.

She waved both her hands and a circle of light appeared around Navi's feet. Navi felt her muscles tense, her entire body frozen in place. "Please Navi, leave this place. If you do not I will have no choice but to bring you before the Council and even in this climate of chaos they would not hesitate to have you executed."

Navi gulped, her hopes dashed. "Very well." She said meekly. The circle of light vanished and Navi had no choice but to leave the fairy fountain.

The dust from the recent eruption had cleared somewhat and Navi could at last see down from the mountain to the fields and towns far below. She was about to begin her descent to go where, she wasn't sure, when she heard the sound of quiet sobbing. She looked around and saw a young boy with shoulder length lilac hair sitting on the edge of Death Mountain, his legs dangling over the abyss.

She approached and said "Are you alright?"

His sobs ceased immediately and as he turned to face her his hand whisked away his tears almost faster than her eyes could follow.

The boy got his feet quickly facing her with something like defiance in his eyes. "Nothing," he said shortly. "Do you need something?"

However Navi barely heard him for she was too busy examining his face. He was probably about seventeen with angular features more suited to someone older, his eye brows were sharp giving his expression a constant look of annoyance. However that is not what interested Navi. First and most obviously was a unique tattoo. Over his left eye was an ancient symbol that she knew well, it was itself an eye with three large eyelashes protruding from the top and a single tear falling from below. The lines that made up the eye curved the boy's eyelids and the lashes extended into his eyebrows while the tear dropped onto his cheek. The second thing she noticed was that his eyes were a subdued crimson color, like dried blood.

"You're Sheikah." She said in some surprise. The Sheikah were a race of warriors who wielded powerful shadow magic. They were tasked with protecting the Royal Family of Hyrule but after the great Hylian Civil War over two hundred years ago they had died out, the few survivors scattered to the wind.

After fast as blinking the youth had drawn a small dagger and pressed it to Navi's wrist at the place where Hylians had a major artery. "How do you know that name?" He asked his gaze searching for any sign of deceit.

Navi suddenly realized that she'd made a mistake in her surprise. The Sheikah had died out so long ago that not even the ancient legends remembered their name. The histories remembered them only as 'The Shadow Folk'.

Reacting on instinct Navi's eyes turned red, alerting her to the danger perhaps a few seconds too late. The youth who had been scanning her face gasped and took several steps back. "What are you?" he demanded.

"I'm…" Navi decided there was no point in lying. "I'm a fairy, I've lived long enough to meet others of your kind many years ago."

The youth looked confused. "I've seen Fairies. They're winged balls of light not…" he petered off, and looked Navi up and down.

Navi sighed, she had no desire to go into the biology of her people. She gestured to the Great Fairy Fountain. "She has the form of a Hylian. You don't question that."

"Yeah but…" he seemed to argue again.

Navi cut him off. "What you call fairies are the young of my kind. At a certain age we take a form similar to that of the Hylians." Having no desire to discuss it further Navi changed the subject. "What did ask of Emheralda?"

"Who?" he seemed genuinely confused.

"The Great Fairy, what did you want from her?"

"Oh, I um…" for the first time he didn't seem threatening. The dagger he had drawn fell to his side. "I-I wanted her to save my village?"

"Your village?" Asked Navi, the last Sheikah settlement had been devoid of its founders for many years when it was destroyed by Death Mountain's eruption. Then the truth dawned on her. "You're from Old Kakariko. The Sheikah rebuilt it after the great quake."

"Yeah," he said not bothering to ask how she knew this time. "Our magic is evaporating. First the spells that kept the village hidden and free from monsters and now…"

"The seal on the well." Navi whispered. During the Hylian Civil War a phantom comprised of shadow magic had been sealed beneath the Kakariko well by the village's guardian Impa. Navi remembered with a sense of horror what happened the first time it had escaped and what it had taken to contain it then.

The youth nodded. "If it gets loose it'll destroy the entire village. Our greatest spellcasters are doing their best to maintain the seal but they are just prolonging the inevitable. The magic is disappearing faster than they can apply countermeasures. I thought the Great Fairy of Magic would be able to help. That she could restore the seal but…"

"Emheralda has other things on her mind." Navi gritted her teeth. The Faerie Realm was the source of magic in Hyrule. It was bad enough that its distress had caused disruption to the magic of Hyrule leading to many natural problems however this was far worse. If the magic of the Shadow Folk was actively vanishing then the problems in the Faerie Realm were more serious then Navi had feared, then Leaf had made them out to be. The Dark Mirror was not merely stolen but it had been activated, spreading its foul Twilight over the landscape of Navi's homeland.

"Can you helped me?"

"Sorry?" Asked Navi shaken from thoughts of dark magic.

"Can you help restore the magic of my people?" the youth asked. The hope in his eyes was enough to break Navi's heart but she couldn't help him. To restore the Sheikah seal the Dark Mirror must be disabled and returned to its resting place. That would be a difficult task at the best of times but Navi had no way to enter the Faerie Realm without prosecution let alone conquer a being that had managed to kill six Great Fairies.

"I," said Navi about to tell the boy that she couldn't assist him when a thought occurred to her. The Fairies had been created as guides, to the forest children, to the Hylians, to the Hero. It was their oldest mandate. Acting under that mandate would supersede any other including her banishment. As the boy's fairy guide she would be able to defy her exile without repercussion.

"I may be able to assist." said Navi, "Would you accept my guidance as a servant of the realms?"

"Yes." said the boy without hesitation.

"Good. To help the Sheikah we need to target the problem at the source. There is a great evil in my homeland and its presence is disrupting the magic throughout Hyrule. If it can be defeated all the world's magic included that of the Shadow Folk will be restored. Are you prepared for that?"

The boy nodded. "If it means saving my people I'll do anything."

Suddenly realizing she did not know the boy's name she said. "I'm sorry, where are my manners, my name is Navi." She had considered giving him the false name Ciela but if they were returning to her home there would be no way to maintain the lie. "What's yours?"

"Kafei." said the youth, a look of determination on his face.

Navi turned back towards the Great Fairy Fountain. She would be permitted entry now. She could go home. But something Emheralda had said floated back to her. There is nothing you can bring to this fight that a hundred fairies could not in your place. If she was going to be of any use she needed something that no other fairy could provide. She knew where to get it to, if she had the daring and the courage to return to a place she had not seen since she was a child.

"Kafei, in Hyrule there is an ancient temple long forgotten where a sacred blade was enshrined eons ago. Its power will give us an edge once we reach the Faerie Realm."

Kafei nodded at this suggestion and the two descended from the mountain with a purpose, a quest and a plan.