Chapter 15 - The Note
Aaron gave no further complaint as he trudged into the tent to stay for the remainder of the night. Perhaps he was far too tired to argue further or maybe he realized it would be fruitless to go against Link's will when his mind was set. In any case, Aaron left for the remainder of the night, and Link prepared himself mentally for the long, sleepless night that lie before him. It would be easier once they started moving again. Perhaps, while he was actually doing something, he could ignore his depraved state of being, at least somewhat. While he sat here with nothing else to do, his eyes would beg for sleep and his will would surely be tested.
Link popped a couple of the remaining berries into his mouth as he walked to the other side of the tent. It was there that he left a pail of water to be used to put out the flame. It was a fairly large bucket and the water was filled to the brim, so Link had to strain his muscles somewhat to lift it and carry it back over to the fire.
In one fluent motion, Link launched the bucket forward and held it back abruptly, causing the water to lunge out of the bucket and onto the flame. The water hit the ground with an audible splash, but the aftermath was not quite what Link had in mind. The water had spilled out slightly off-line, and about half of the flame still burned strong.
"Curse my luck." Link muttered with a frown.
Perhaps a bit rougher than he had intended, Link bent down and grabbed a thick stick on the ground and doused it in the remaining fire to produce a makeshift torch for the journey back to the lake to grab more water. The torch in one hand and the bucket in the other, he began to walk swiftly in the direction which he knew the lake to be. The flame would surely eat through the stick in a short amount of time, so the journey would have to be quick.
Epona raised her head slightly as Link passed by. She had been in deep sleep on the ground next to the tent but instead of returning to sleep, she neighed softly at Link's passing, and began to shuffle her feet in an attempt to stand up and follow her rider.
"Shh, quiet Epona." Link said in a hushed voice as he passed her by. "I'll be right back, stay here."
Epona complied and Link hurried off away from the camp. Perhaps this was a good thing, Link began to think with an ounce of disdain. This ordeal would provide a good ten or fifteen minutes during which he didn't need to struggle to stay awake.
It did not take long to find the lake. The orange torchlight reflected brilliantly in the lake's calm water as Link carefully dipped the pail into the lake and filled it up once more. The journey back to the camp was equally uneventful. The stick he had been using as a torch was being rapidly consumed by the flame, and Link had to douse it in his pail of water before he got back to the camp because his hand would have been the next to burn had he not. This was not a great loss at all for Link however, as the campfire alone produced all the light he needed to get back to the camp. The torch was truly only needed to find his way to the lake, not back.
In a matter of minutes, Link had returned to camp and was ready to put out the flame once and for all. He held the bucket with both hands at his side, ready to dump it on the flame, but that is when he saw it. It was a subtle, innocent distinction, something that had been right in front of his face for the past few days and Link had failed to notice until now.
Link carefully set the bucket down and walked doubtfully over to Midna, who was in her slumber next to the tent. Indeed, his eyes did not deceive him from the distance; jutting out subtly from the interior of her black robe was the corner of a piece of parchment. How this major bit of evidence had eluded him for so long was beyond Link, but instead of pondering about that, Link reached down curiously and grabbed the parchment.
It turned out to be a note of some kind, scrawled neatly upon the parchment in bold, black ink. The note had been left unsigned, but it was painfully obvious who the author of this note was.
My Dearest Hero,
I do hope that my return pleases you as much as I. I have very much enjoyed our time together, and I pleasantly await the grand times that lie before us. But in the event that you do not celebrate as I do, I come prepared with a gift of pardoning. You see, I have graciously returned your precious imp. This is a great act of kindness and sacrifice, and I hope you enjoy it.
You may have noticed that she is not the way that she once was. All good things don't come free, as they say; it was a necessary precaution that I took, please understand. She is incurable in her current state by current medical practices. Fear not though, I possess the key to her revival. Heed my words, Hero, you may be convinced into thinking that there is a common cure for the state into which she had fallen. I am here to say that is a lie. The condition she has been thrown into, though similar to an ancient curse, is unique and has never been seen before. You need me Hero, all other cures will not revive her.
I am a man of mercy. I will gladly reveal to you the cure to her condition. All I ask in return is that you come ask me in person. I look forward to our encounter, Hero. Do not make me come find you.
Link read the note three times, and he got angrier with each time he did so. The note was simply impossible to read without feeling the strong desire to throw something. The condescension was utterly unnerving. But then again, Ganondorf was never known to be a pleasant guy.
However difficult to read, the note had certainly answered some questions, yet raised many more. One thing was sure though, Aaron was right. Ganondorf had tweaked the curse which he laid on Midna to foil any attempt to revive her using the spell which Aaron had described. With no way to revive her, she might as well be dead now. Any assemblance of a plan that Link had in his head was completely shot now. Ganondorf definitely knew how to play all the angles, that much was sure.
Link carefully folded the note back up and walked to the front of the tent. After a moment's hesitation, Link opened the entrance flap to the tent and took a peek inside. Both figures were completely still, but that much was to be expected. Taking a deep breath, Link reached down and prodded the larger of the two figures roughly with his fingers.
Thankfully, it did not take much for Aaron to respond. "Hmm?" He said groggily as he turned onto his back. Either he was a very light sleeper or he hadn't fallen asleep yet, and it was most likely the latter.
"Get up." Link said in a hushed undertone. "I need to take to you."
Link took a step away from the tent and waited for Aaron to emerge. He did so in a matter of seconds, rubbing his eyes lightly and trying to shield them from the bright light from the flame.
"What's going on?" Aaron asked quietly after a few minutes adjusting to the light. "Did somebody find us?"
"No, it's nothing like that." Link replied. "I just found something."
"Well, can't it wait until the morning?" Aaron asked with a noticeable frown.
"I can't, this is not something I want Colin overhearing." Link responded.
"Oh, go on then." Arron replied with a sigh. "What is it?"
Link reached into his pocket and pulled out the note. "I found this on Midna just now. Ganondorf must have planted it there and I didn't notice it until now."
Link held out the note to Aaron, who took it and immediately started reading. Link could just see the understanding beginning to form in Aaron's eyes as he skimmed through the note. "This…" Aaron said after a few minutes. "This is bad."
"I know." Link nodded.
"I mean, this changes everything." Aaron said as he handed the note back to Link. "He did change the spell; he did make it so that we can't revive her."
"I know." Link repeated.
"And who knows what he'll do if you turn up at his doorstep asking for the cure…" Aaron said with a sigh.
Link nodded again looked down to his feet.
"I'm sorry, Link." Aaron said remorsefully. "I should have told you from the start, I-"
"I already forgave you for that." Link said with a frown. "Stop apologizing and let's look ahead."
"Right." Aaron said a nod. "Well, what do you reckon we do now?"
Link thought about that for a minute. Indeed, he had been asking that same question in his head over and over again from the minute he first laid eyes on the note. "Well, we should finish our journey back to the castle, first and foremost. At the very least, we can ask the Princess about it; see if she has any insight. And after that…" Link paused. "Well, I want to get Midna back, no matter what it takes."
"Are you suggesting that we prance up to Ganondorf, ask for his cure, and merrily be on our way?" Aaron asked with a frown. "How naïve can you get?"
"It doesn't have to be on his terms." Link replied softly. "Perhaps we can get the cure without him ever knowing we were there."
"A heist?" Aaron asked with a grin as he started rubbing his hands together. "Now that's more like it!"
"What can you tell me about where he is hiding out?" Link asked quietly.
"Well, he was using the Yeti Mansion near the Zora's Domain as his headquarters before I ran away." Aaron replied. "I figured he probably changed that since I left so that his lair would still remain a secret, but after reading this note, I'm starting to have second thoughts. It sounds as if he is unwilling to move, even though his hideout's location may be up in the air."
"He's at the Mansion? Hmm…this could be a good thing." Link said, thinking of all the nooks and crannies available in the mansion. It could be easy to find hiding places there. "Would he keep records of the spells he has cast?"
"I doubt it." Aaron replied with a frown. "But he does have a bookcase were he keeps all of his spellbooks. It's on the ground floor, in the study. And he tends to scribble notes into these books fairly often."
"So he may have written the spell down?" Link asked.
"No guarantees." Aaron replied with a frown. "But yeah, there's a chance. That would be our best shot, anyway."
"Would we be able to create a counter-curse if we find this curse?" Link continued.
"Should be able to." Aaron replied. "I don't know, that stuff isn't really my strong suit. If anyone can, Zelda will be able to do it, though. We'll have to ask her when we get to the castle."
Link nodded and took a moment to think. It was risky but it was their only lead at this point. And they would still have to find a way to get into the mansion, because the front door is the only entrance and Ganondorf, in all likelihood, stationed some sort of guard there. And after that, there would be the tricky business of sneaking across the mansion undetected.
"Hey, Link?"
Link came back to reality from his momentary haze and focused back on Aaron. "Huh?"
"I don't mean to sound mean or anything," Aaron said slightly hesitantly. "But you know that we can't pull anything like this off if we are still, uh…looking after your friends."
"Oh." Link said with a slight nod. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I got a plan for them for the short term. We'll have more than enough time away to do something like this, if we do end up paying Ganondorf a visit."
Aaron grinned lightly and dropped his gaze. After a moment or two of silence, he said, "I'm gonna go back to sleep now, if that is all…?"
"Oh, yeah." Link said a nod. "Yeah, that's it, thanks."
Aaron nodded and disappeared once more into the depths of the tent. Link, with a soft sigh, reread the note one final time before he folded it up and put it in his pocket. He had managed to kill a nice chunk of his restless night, but the majority of it still lay before him. And now that it was to truly begin, the silence quickly became deafening.
Link grabbed the bucket of water once more and prepared again to dump it over the still-burning flame. For a second time, he emptied its contents over the flame in one fluent motion, and this time, he hit his target. The light was expelled immediately, and the darkness was unleashed.
"Link! Link, get up!"
Link awoke with a start. His eyes snapped open but he had to immediately close them again because of the blinding mid-morning light. And as he sat upright and began to rub them gently, he suddenly realized all had gone wrong. Again, Link opened his eyes and looked around. The sun was almost completely above the horizon by now, and Link's back was throbbing after falling asleep on the rugged turf. "Ugh." Link said with a sigh. "Really wish I hadn't done that…"
His memory of the previous night was very hazy, but he did remember staying awake for a good deal of time. Exactly when it was that he fell asleep was uncertain, but he could only assume that it must have been not too long ago because his eyes burned like hell from lack of sleep.
Aaron smirked slightly as he reached down and offered Link a hand up. "Come on, then. We need to get moving."
"We're late." Link pointed out as grabbed Aaron's hand and let himself be tugged up to his feet. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"
"I figured if anyone needed a little time to sleep in, it was you." Aaron replied. "We already packed up and everything, and had breakfast too. You'll have to eat on the go."
Link looked around and indeed, everything had been cleared out. Colin and Epona stood nearby with Midna strapped to Epona's back. The tent had been condensed neatly and also lay strapped to Epona's back. They had even taken care to cover up the campsite. Of course, there were still traces that they were here, most notably the uneven ground where they tried to cover the campfire's remains with dirt. But from a distance, their prior presence would not be noticeable.
"Yeah, not a problem." Link muttered distractedly as he and Aaron caught up with Colin and Epona. And immediately, the group was on the move again.
Link's eyes simply pleaded for sleep as they trudged along but he would not give himself that luxury. Each step was a struggle, but as time wore along, he became so numb that he could not feel that struggle anymore. Not surprisingly, breakfast had turned out to be fruit again, and Link took pleasure in eating to distract himself from thinking about sleep.
Their pace today was not quite as fast as it had been the day before but they still made good time, and Link had no doubts that they would reach the castle by nightfall. By early evening in fact, they entered the narrow pass that connected South Hyrule Field with the entrance to the Castle Town. Getting there definitely would not be a problem now, but figuring out how to get in could turn out to be tricky.
"Hey Link?" Aaron whispered quietly. Link and Aaron walked next to each other, while Colin walked beside Epona a few paces ahead of them.
"What?" Link replied.
"I hope you thought of a way for us to smuggle you into the castle." Aaron said cautiously. "Because you know that they won't be very keen to let you enter, not after what you've admitted to."
Luckily, he had. "Yeah, I got a plan and I'm pretty sure it'll work." Link said. "I've got a full black robe that I'll put on before we enter the city walls. I've got only one person that I know of inside those walls whom I can trust. Her name is Telma and she owns a bar. We'll head over there and grab a bite to eat, which be very gratifying but will not be the primary reason we go there." Link then bent closer to Aaron and lowered his voice to a barely-audible level, to make absolutely sure Colin didn't overhear him. "This is who can look after Colin for a while."
"I see." Aaron nodded.
"I'll stay in the bar after dinner." Link continued. "But you will need to pull a few strings to make sure I get in. You will go to the castle; the guards won't recognize you and Zelda can vouch for you and let you in. Once you're alone with her, you will tell her the plan."
"Which is?" Aaron asked.
"You and Zelda will leave the castle, and you will both wear similar black robes." Link replied. "It doesn't matter whether you tell anyone or not, but what does matter is that you bring along with you a dummy. Someone who you have convinced to walk out of the castle with you in a black robe, but who will not return with you."
"Ah." Aaron replied as he realized exactly what Link was planning. "So he'll leave and you'll take his spot? Clever."
"To not cause alarm to the stationed guards, yes." Link nodded. "This way, no one will question my presence."
"But she's the princess!" Aaron replied with a grin. "Surely no one will question you if you're walking with the princess, no matter how suspicious you may appear?"
"Probably not, but all the same, I would like to make absolutely sure with this one." Link replied. "If she were caught escorting me, I would be locked away in a cell for the rest of my life and I don't even know what will become of her…exiled or something, probably."
"Too true." Aaron said lightly. "And Midna?"
"I'll have to smuggle her in under my robes." Link replied.
Aaron nodded, and even after a few minutes of thought, he could not think of any gaping holes in the plan. Trouble may come when they try to find a place to sleep, for they cannot simply take a free room in the castle. By all accounts, Link and Aaron will never be in the castle; they would certainly arouse suspicion to themselves if they were caught in a supposedly-free room. But no matter, they would leap that hurdle when that time came.
For now though, the group had arrived at the stables outside of the entrance to the castle. Link had Epona roped up to one of the free spots in the stables and he gradually removed everything that burdened her. He removed the loose-fitting body-length black robe from the small knapsack he had taken with him and put it on over top of his tunic. The robe was fabricated without sleeves for his arms, so he would be able to carry Midna inside the robe without drawing suspicion.
Colin was watching Link curiously but he did not put into words the question that his eyes so dearly asked. And after a few more minutes of Link adjusting his robes slightly, he drew the hood of his robe over top of his entire head and said, "Alright, let's go."
No longer the Hero of Twilight, Link became just another face in the crowd.