Chapter 9
On the road again
So it was that Link found himself before the gates of Hyrule Castle as dusk fell. The Market was steadily clearing, the lamps would soon be lit, and the last commuters were on their way out of the city.
The small boy sighed. He could not leave the city until morning; even if he had wanted to, he could not reach the drawbridge that was the only way in or out of Castle Town before it closed, and it would not open again before dawn. That made no difference to him, though, as he did not wish to leave yet. He had no inclination to journey long into the night. Besides which, Impa had provided him with a not inconsiderable amount of rupees for buying supplies in the Market.
These thoughts did not help to comfort him in the cold of night, though. Malon and Talon were long gone, surely back safely at their ranch by now, and even if they were not he had no idea how to find them. He knew no one else in the city, and it was too late to ingratiate himself to someone he could stay with. He did not fancy spending his rupees in an inn before he had even started the next stage of his adventure.
Instead, he followed directions Zelda had given him. When he came to the Market, he turned left down one of the small side roads, and after several more turns he came to a courtyard. It was not well kept, like the courtyards of the castle. Flowerbeds lay untended, with a few choked blooms surrounded by multitudes of weeds. The flagstones that paved the courtyard were cracked and worn.
Link passed between ancient iron gates into the square and looked at the building it led to. It was here in the twilight, as the day ended, that he first saw the Temple of Time.
It was an impressive edifice. While it was not as grand or as large as the castle or the temple in Tarseth, it seemed somehow greater. It was less ornate perhaps, but its bluff stone seemed to denote a grandeur that went beyond the ordinary senses.
Link could not explain what he thought as he looked at it, for in itself the Temple was unimpressive, and yet he found himself overcome by its timelessness. He could almost tangibly feel how ancient it was, and how immovable. No mortal strength could hope to undo the magic that bound each stone to another, nor could the rigours of time ever wear that enchantment away.
Reverently, Link walked to the doorway. Oak doors remained open even late in the evening. Slightly awe-struck, the kokiri and his fairy crossed the threshold and entered the Temple.
It felt as if they were leaving normal existence behind, entering some kind of dream land and leaving the ordinary waking world. A strange resonance filled the air. There was an ethereal chanting, but as Link looked around, he could see no one singing, no voices or figures of any sort. He was alone.
He was in a large chamber, and black and white tiles led to and altar on the far side. The walls of the Temple were white and clean, unaffected by the eons that had passed since the walls had been built. High, crystal windows Nayru's Love reach in to the Temple as it rose over Castle Town. The walls were all uniform, except behind the altar. There was a large stone slab, beneath an image of the Triforce.
Link, moving to the altar to examine it more closely, saw that there were three indentations on its surface, beneath an engraving.
" 'Ye who hold the Sacred Keys, may enter the demesne of the gods,' " read Navi. The markings were entirely meaningless to Link. Considering the words, Link drew out the Kokiri's Emerald. Looking again at the altar, he carefully set the emerald in the left hand indentation. It was clearly made to go there.
"The other two spaces must be for the other Spiritual Stones," said Navi, thinking out loud. "If we can find them, we have to bring them here." Link agreed with his companion, and wondered if that was Zelda's eventual plan. He stepped away from the altar, turning his mind from the Stones.
It was late into the night when he emerged from the temple. No one had come to tell him to leave or to lock the doors, and so he had sat by the altar and contemplated his quest. His meeting with Zelda had made the whole thing seem so much bigger than it had been before. It had been arduous enough to travel across the expanse of Hyrule; the task that lay ahead of him was daunting to say the least.
He found himself surprisingly comfortable in the temple. Its quiet magic enabled him to put his thoughts in order. His resolve remained, his determination to stop Ganondorf, both to save Hyrule and to fulfil his promise to the Deku Tree. The immensity of the task was distressing, but he was not going to turn away from it.
He shivered. The night was not especially cold, but he did not relish the thought of sleeping in the street. He left the courtyard of the Temple and walked a little way towards the Market. Coming across a lane, he walked a little way down it and sat on the hard floor. Navi fluttered onto his knee and they sat together, thinking over the busy day, while Link drew his blanket from his pack and wrapped himself in it.
It was not comfortable, but Link was drowsy before he even sat down, so he did not mind especially. It had been a very long day. Leaving the inn and sneaking into the castle seemed such a long time ago, and in his mind's eye he could see the Princess, and also the man from the desert, Ganondorf. The images blurred together and Link did not know when he slipped from consciousness to sleep. It was almost as if his old dream was coming to life, the two key figures haunting him. Zelda was exhorting him to push on, and Ganondorf stood before him, petrifying and forbidding.
When Link jerked awake, it was already light, and the sounds of Hyrule Castle Town surrounded him. He shook the images and faces of his dreams away and stood up. After repacking his blanket and shouldering his pack, he moved to the end of the lane and looked, bleary eyed, at the busy street.
The bustle of the capital was the same as the last time he had been here, and Link allowed himself to be swept along in the crowd. He bought supplies in the Market, getting food he had never heard of before leaving the forest but that he now knew would keep him going for at least a week.
He also bought strange and exotic food he had never had before. He investigated a stall overseen by a goron, but the rocks and solid foods the gorons loved were not for Link. He could not help being slightly intimidated by the enormous vendor, as well. The goron was taller than the hylians and his stocky, boulder like appearance made him seem forbidding to someone as small as Link.
Walking back down the Royal Road towards the city walls, he passed a stall run by gerudo. At first Link was taken aback by these strange women with dark faces and strange clothes, but going closer he saw them smiling at him and could not help being intrigued by the food that they were selling. They had come from their home in the desert, because of the envoy to the Royal Family, and were taking the opportunity to sell their wares in Hyrule's first city. Link tried a plate of boiled leever, but the heavily spiced, rubbery meat was certainly not palatable to a kokiri. The two women on the stall laughed as Link's face fell while he gallantly tried to chew on their cuisine. He found himself forced to run to a stall a little further down the street and buy two bottles of milk to wash down the taste.
Regardless of this, there was a definite spring in his step as he crossed the drawbridge and left the city. He was in high spirits, and looking forward to covering a good distance before the evening. Zelda had given him instructions to search for the two Spiritual Stones, and he knew that first he had to go to Kakariko Village, in the foothills of the mountains that formed Hyrule's north eastern border. The Spiritual Stone of Fire was held by the gorons who lived in the mountains. It was not a long journey to seek out their capital on Death Mountain
Link reached the town of Cathon an hour before sunset. He spent the night in the hay loft of a farm on the outskirts of the town, and set off early in the morning, continuing to follow the road east. After he had been walking for two hours, a cart passed him travelling in the same direction, and the driver allowed him to jump on the back. The journey went much more quickly after that.
His journey progressed in this manner, travelling steadily east. He stayed in several villages and towns, and felt more buoyant than he had done on his previous journey. The vagueness of his destination and his need to seek out the princess had been replaced by a certain goal to reach for.
On the sixth day, he was again able to ride on a cart that was going in the same direction as he was. In the middle of the afternoon, the cart rattled over a large and busy stone bridge that crossed a wide, swift flowing river. The cart driver, a man called Tiron, explained that this was Troutbeck Bridge, and well known in local parts for the small town of the same name that huddled on the far side of the river. The village existed off the trade from the road and the waterways. People using the river would often stay there, and there were several inns. The driver told Link this was as far as he was able to take him, and they went into one of the inns.
It was clear Tiron was well known to people in the common room and he bought Link a pint of milk while he himself had some ale, both enjoying a refreshing drink after their long journey. Link talked with Tiron and other people in the inn and decided to stay the night there. The owner was delighted with the adventurous child and Link earned his keep playing his ocarina in the evening. His music entertained all the people staying at the inn, and Link enjoyed the change in his social scene.
The next day, Link felt well refreshed as he once more shouldered his pack and set out on foot. It was a cloudy, overcast day, and a haze was visible on the horizon. It did not look like normal weather, though. As the day progressed it slowly solidified into a vision of distant peaks. The mountain range began to grow at the furthest extent of Link's sight.
As the day wore on, the mountains grew larger and Link found himself mesmerised by their sheer size. Until now, Link had envisioned nothing taller than the hills he had passed through on his way to Tarseth. These colossuses reached into the sky, their tops lost amongst the clouds of the dreary day. In the early afternoon, the clouds dissipated and cleared away, and Din's Fire seemed to burst upon the crags. Link and Navi were both stunned by their enormity.
One mountain seemed to stand out from the rest. It stood a little separately to the wide spanning range, slightly isolated. It was not as tall as some of the more distant peaks, but it seemed to have a defined prominence. It was closer than the others. As they studied it, it seemed low clouds descended over it, obscuring its peak. The isolation of this mountain would have surprised them had Impa not forewarned them. This, then, was Death Mountain, home to the greatest habitation of gorons in Hyrule.
When night fell, they had no hope of finding real accommodation, and so they were forced to spend the night in the open. Link did not mind this, though, since they were not in farmland and the fields at the side of the road were not arrogated. The ground was soft and the grass was comfortable to sleep on. Wrapped in his blanket, he was able to sleep contentedly until Din's Fire broke over the tops of the mountains and woke him.
They looked closer in the morning light than they had done in the dusk of the previous evening, and Link's spirits were still high as he began walking once more. His temperament was quickly put to the test. The journey quickly became more difficult. Within a couple of hours, Link found himself in the foothills of the mountain.
Nestled at the bottom of the hills was a small village. The north side of the village clustered around a steep slope, which had stairs cut into it to make climbing easier. This was the start of the trail that wound up Death Mountain. It was a picturesque, idyllic sort of a village, clustered at the bottom of the tall crag.
Initially, it had been a camping place for traders, but slowly its population had grown and it had become a prosperous town. It was almost unique in Hyrule, for as many of the mountain dwelling gorons lived in the town as hylians, while most habitations belonged primarily to one race. Even in Castle Town the hylians outnumbered other Hyrulians five to one, and there were more gorons and zoras living there than any other hylian city.
Link entered the village on its western side, and his attention was immediately occupied by the windmill atop the hill on the other side of the town. It was dwarfed beside the mountain that loomed in the north, but was still impressive to Link.
As he walked amongst the neat little houses, he also noticed the three storey inn, in the centre of the village, and the milk bar close to it.
The houses of the towns' folk were not in normal streets, and had had to adapt to the contours of the steep hills that surrounded the village. The main street wound between two of the slopes with houses arrayed all along it. Beyond the milk bar, Link saw a house that looked bigger than the others. Moving towards it, he noticed a plaque on its wall, facing the road.
"'This house was home to the first Sheikah, Rohman,'" read Navi. "'He was bodyguard to Hyrule's king, Brennin. These heroes of ancient days now lie together in Kakariko's graveyard.'" This made some sense to Link; Impa had told him that Kakariko was an important place to the Sheikah, and that as well as a large goron population, it held more of the Shadow Folk than any other place in Hyrule.
Link's consideration of the plaque was distracted by a cry a little way from him. Glancing around, he immediately located the cause of the disturbance. Attached to another house was a pen, and seven or eight cuccos were clucking delightedly as they made a break for freedom through its open gate. A woman was circling them and flapping a tea towel, but the birds were clearly paying her no attention. Link could not help smiling as he watched her desperately try to coax them back towards their coop. The cuccos were beginning to disperse, and as soon as she went after them in one direction, all the others began dashing away behind her.
Running over, Link made a grab at one and caught it. It began to crow loudly and started to struggle but he held on gamely, moving towards the pen and throwing it back in.
It occurred to Link as he observed the scene that cuccos were not the cleverest animals: they were happily ignoring the lady, but seeing Link and the recapture of their comrade, they were clearly intrigued and came over to see what was happening. It was not hard for Link to catch two more and get them back in their pen before any of the birds started trying to get away again.
Turning, Link saw the woman flapping at another of the fowl, which continued to ignore her. A couple of moments later, Link had the last of the cuccos back in as well and had closed the gate.
Their apparent keeper had completely abandoned any attempt to help and was instead sneezing profusely. She was young, probably in her twenties, with shoulder length reddish brown hair, and she was not unattractive. Link waited politely until the fit seemed to be over and she had pulled out a handkerchief to blow her nose.
Eventually, she turned and saw Link. "Oh, thank you," she tried to say, though her voice was thick with her sneezing. "I get allergies, you see." Link smiled, though could not help considering that perhaps she was not the best person to look after cuccos if she was allergic to them.
She seemed to read his thoughts from his expression. "I don't usually look after them, they're my brother's." She sneezed again. "He asked me to look after them and collect their eggs, but as soon as I opened the gate they tried to get out. I did try to stop them but as soon as I touch them I start sneezing terribly, and I come out in goose bumps." She proved this point by relapsing into another fit of ferocious sneezes.
Unable to suppress his amusement at the cucco lady, Link giggled. She looked at him, and at first he thought she was offended, but then he saw her smiling.
"I suppose it is rather comical, really. Thank you for getting them back into their pen for me. Is there anything I can give you in thanks?"
"Actually, is there anywhere you could let me sleep tonight? I'm leaving tomorrow morning, I wouldn't impose upon you long."
She smiled. "Of course, I'd be delighted if you would stay with us. I live here with my brother, though he'll be away until later this evening. My name is Anju, by the way. And what is your name?"
"My name's Link," replied the boy, smiling happily. Anju led him into her house, blowing her nose again. She immediately insisted on giving him some food and set about boiling water and preparing vegetables to make some soup.
The house consisted of a large open plan room, with a kitchen against one wall and a staircase leading to another floor, where Link guessed there were bedrooms for Anju and her brother. In the centre of the room there was a dining table, and several chairs. Link seated himself at the table at his host's behest while she busied herself with the food.
As she worked she chattered to him, talking happily about life in Kakariko. Within a couple of minutes of coming in to the house she had stopped sneezing, and it was obvious that her allergies went almost as quickly as they came.
Link smiled appreciatively as he watched her bustling around. He had immediately warmed to her. She seemed a little odd, and it was clear that she was very scatter brained, as she was constantly forgetting what she was doing and kept distracting herself with different jobs. Every now and then she would give a sudden cry and run to the stove to stir at the soup she had forgotten.
After a couple of minutes, Anju removed the pot from the stove and poured out two bowls of onion and leek soup. As she put one of the bowls in front of Link, she looked at him, and a look of puzzlement came over her face as if she was considering him properly for the first time.
"How old are you, Link?"
This was an awkward question, which he had been asked numerous times on his way to Castle Town, and he did not know how best to answer it. He had no idea how old he really was, as there were no marked dates or calendars in the forest. The kokiri did not age, and while he was only young amongst his own people, he could not remember how many winters he had watched come and go. He could have been eight or twenty for all he knew. His time with Malon and Zelda had meant that he could at least give an age the people beyond the borders of the forest would expect him to be, though.
"I'm ten," he responded, averting his eyes. He knew it was a lie, and did not feel good about not properly answering someone who was being so kind to him.
"Where are your family? Why is one so young on his own in a strange place? I don't recognise you as someone from Kakariko, or any of the villages nearby, either."
Link opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again. Suddenly, "I'm on a quest from Princess Zelda to save Hyrule," did not seem especially believable. He had a feeling that telling Anju the exact reason for his arrival in Kakariko was not the best idea, especially not if he told her he was planning on climbing Death Mountain on his own. He was glad that Navi was remaining out of sight; she had slipped inside his pack before he began helping Anju with her cuccos.
"Where are your parents?" Anju asked again, and there was a hint in her voice that suggested she was questioning the veracity of her new friend.
Link hesitated again, but this time he had an answer. "They're dead," he said. This, at least, he could justify. It certainly was not the whole truth, but the kokiri were the children of the Deku Tree, and he was dead. The painful memory of the ancient guardian's passing obviously came through in his blunt words, because Anju's face softened as she saw the grimace in his reply.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you not having anyone to look after you?"
A flash of inspiration came to Link, and he invented what he considered a suitable answer. "My father told me that I've got an aunt who lives here. I've travelled here from Castle Town but now I don't know how to find her."
"What's this aunt's name? I know most people who live in this area; if she does live here I can probably take you to her now."
Link coloured, for he had no name to give. He knew Anju was attempting to be kind, but he did not know how much more of his story he could satisfactorily manufacture. He shook his head.
Mistaking his blush for feelings of awkwardness and unease about his family, Anju let the subject drop. Link was glad she did, as he did not think he would have been able to say anything further without giving himself away.
He started his soup with a lead feeling in his gut. The guilt at having to lie so much to someone so kind was more than unpleasant. He felt glad that he was not wearing his sword, which was wrapped in his pack, as that would have led to even more uncomfortable questions.
The soup was excellent, and the warming nourishment was very good after the day's journey. Anju sat at the table with her own bowl, and went back to her former expostulations about Kakariko and her life there. Still feeling guilty, Link was quite happy to allow her to talk.
After they had finished, Anju collected up their bowls and proceeded to tidy around the kitchen. She told Link about her brother, and that he had been to some of the other local villages today to do some trade. It was closer to evening than Link had realised, and after a little while he noticed the sky through the window begin to turn purple. The light in the room faded, and Anju lit lamps around the room. As it darkened, Link noticed that she was often glancing at the door, as if expecting it to open at any moment. She seemed to grow nervous.
It was an hour after dark when the door opened and a tall man appeared in its frame, a pack held in one hand. There was something strangely disproportionate about him; his torso seemed too narrow to support his very broad shoulders, and silhouetted against the dying light outside, his head appeared too small. His eyes surveyed the room as he entered and as they landed upon Link he paused.
Coming fully into the room he turned and shut the door. He dropped his pack against a wall, then folded his arms and regarded Link carefully, his brow furrowed. Anju smiled at him, but her expression was suddenly uneasy.
"Tursun, let me explain. This is Link, he helped me with the cuccos today and so I said-"
"So you invited him to eat our food and share our warmth, I am sure. I do not appreciate returning home to find strange children in my house," he said, cutting across his sister. His eyes never left Link's, and his voice was cold and humourless. "Who are you, child, and what are you doing in my home?"
Link opened his mouth to speak, but could not find a suitable response to this sudden aggression.
"Nothing to say for yourself, eh? What are you, then? A street urchin and vagrant, no doubt. Well, you've had your fill of other people's food and now you can just get out, you hear me." His tone was blunt and harsh, and it was obvious he was not used to being argued with.
"I'm sorry, I meant no offence," Link said, haltingly. The man laughed, a harsh bark with no mirth in it.
"I am sure you did not, but you have caused it anyway."
"Tursun," tried Anju, patiently. "He is only a boy and means no harm. Were it not for him, we would probably have no cuccos left in our pen."
For the first time since he had entered, Tursun looked away from Link and directed his gaze to his sister. He raised an eyebrow, and when he spoke the accusatory tone in his voice had not altered a whit. "Is that supposed to reassure me? To know that I leave you a simple task and you cannot carry even that out without the help of some good-for-nothing child?"
This was too much for Link. Insults against himself did not worry him, but this was entirely unfair behaviour towards Anju. He stood, and the scraping sound of his chair sliding back was loud in the tense room.
"There's no need for that. She was trying to get them back in their pen, it's hardly her fault they make her sneeze." The man's head snapped around to look at him so fast it looked painful, and the incredulity on his face was more than evident. He did not shout; his voice was a menacing whisper that held barely restrained violence.
"Boy, you worm your way into my house and eat my food and then have the gall to question the way I speak to my own sister?"
Now he was stood up, Link could not help being aware of how much taller than him Tursun was, and the man seemed to grow in stature as he gazed down at the little boy. Link held his ground though, refusing to back away from this bully.
"I'm sorry if that's the way it seems to you." He was no longer stuttering; anger at this unjust man fired his tongue. "If my presence here is so obviously displeasing to you, I will go. I am sorry to you, though," he said to Anju. "I hope I haven't caused you any inconvenience. Thank you for your hospitality, and I hope you will not remember me unkindly."
Anju smiled, but it was strained, and Link could see she was scared of her brother, and wished greatly to placate him.
Link picked up his pack and swung it to his shoulder, walking directly past Tursun and through the door. He closed it behind him and strode away from the house, seething with anger. He had gone twenty paces before he heard the sound of the door swinging open. It then slammed ferociously, and Link turned to see Tursun striding towards him.
"I shall teach you some manners, boy!" he yelled, breaking into a run towards the kokiri. Link knew about bullies, though, having suffered so long under Mido, and he was not about to come under the thrall of another. Tursun reached him and swung a fist, but Link was ready for it and ducked backwards.
The man may have been expecting only a child, who would be easily over powered by a fully grown man, but he quickly learned his mistake. Taking advantage of Tursun's imbalance from his missed blow, Link darted forwards and launched himself at his aggressor's midriff.
Tursun staggered backwards as Link's tiny fists pummelled his middle, but he quickly recovered himself and tried to swing for Link again. The kokiri was much too quick, though, and he darted out of reach once more.
Anger filled Tursun's vision and he jumped after his would-be victim. Link saw his moment immediately, darting forwards and to the side. As Tursun hurtled towards him, he grabbed the man's left leg around the ankle and pulled, hard. Tursun's momentum carried him on and he flew forwards, falling with a heavy thump to the floor. He rolled onto his back and made to get up, but he was too slow again.
As soon as Link had seen the bully trip, he had darted to his pack, which he had dropped when he heard the door open. Reaching inside, his hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword. In one smooth movement, he drew it from both sheath and pack. Before Tursun could try and stand, he found the sharp blade was at his throat. It was not a big weapon to the man, but it was more than enough to make him go very still and know not to make any sudden movements.
"You should be careful, Tursun," said Link, threateningly. He leaned close to the man, and now he could smell ale on the man's breath. It explained much; Anju had expected him before the sun went down, and had become increasingly apprehensive as she guessed that he had gone to the milk bar when he got back to Kakariko.
"You are a bully who expects those weaker than himself to simply fall in line. You should learn not to assume who may be weaker than you, though.
"Now go home. And I suggest you do not treat your sister poorly, for she does not deserve it." Link got up, and walked away from Tursun. He heard the man scramble to his feet and spit, but did not hear him move. He stopped, guessing that he was trying to decide whether to follow Link's advice or to have another go at the child. Calmly, he shifted his stance so he would be ready to move quickly, and twisted his wrist so his sword was evident at a distance, a silent warning.
"Go home, Tursun."
The man made a sound of disgust and then Link heard the sound of him turning and walking back towards his house. In the dark, Link started walking again.
Having nowhere to go now, he made for the nearest discernible landmark, the windmill. Navi emerged from his pack and fluttered to his shoulder.
"Well, that didn't go well," she murmured, sadly. Link snorted but did not say anything. The fey did not push the subject. She could feel through their bond that he was still angry, and confused by the unfair behaviour of a man he had never met before. She did not blame him for his feelings. No one would behave that way in the forest. Even Mido, who could be downright vindictive, would never treat a complete stranger with such utter contempt.
Navi sighed. She felt her own sadness. She knew Link thought he had taught Tursun a lesson and that he would just go back into his house, but Navi had a dark premonition that that was not the case. The fairy suspected Anju would receive the beating Tursun had meant for Link, and the young woman would not be able fend off her older brother. It was a discomforting and unpleasant thought.
Nonetheless, she could not help being impressed with her charge. He had dealt unflinchingly with the threat, and his words had belied greater courage and wisdom than his stature might account for. She could not help thinking that it put him in good stead for the dark road that lay before them.