Chapter 28

The Phantom

The following day, Link and Sheik made their way through the Lost Woods, leaving the deserted kokiri village behind them. It was late morning when Link awoke. Sheik was already moving around, kicking the ashes in the fire and packing blankets. As he followed the sheikah into the tunnel that ran through the Goddesses' Hill, Link was impressed by his lithe, athletic movements. He moved with a grace that fitted the mystery of the sheikah.

Once he had picked up his pack from the twins' house, they made their way deeper into the woods, towards the Forest Temple.

"Have you visited the Forest Temple before?" Sheik asked as they picked their way between the trees.

"Once," answered Link. They fell silent. It was not uncomfortable, and it occurred to Link that both he and Sheik were not people to use too many words unnecessarily.

"Why do you only ever refer to Ganondorf as the Evil King?" asked Navi, after a few minutes.

"In that, I follow the way of my people. In sheikahn tradition, to call a person by their name is to give them respect, to acknowledge who they are. We have no respect for the Evil King, and he has not earned the right for us to call him by name. He is only ever known by that title."

"Doesn't it make it worse? Calling him the Evil King all the time makes him sound even more malevolent than just using his name. It makes him more impressive."

Sheik was a few steps ahead of them as she said this, but he paused for a moment and turned his head. He had one eyebrow raised and Link was sure the scarf covering his chin obscured a wry smile. "You must remember, it takes a great deal to impress a sheikah." He turned away again, and continued ahead of them.

Frowning at the enigmatic figure, Link followed behind him. They did not speak again, feeling the oppressive enchantment drawing closer around them. For Link, it stirred an elation within him, reminding him of his days with Saria. In the back of his mind, a steely resolve was forming, that he would not leave the Lost Woods until he had found her.

He was aware that they must be drawing nearer to the Sacred Forest Meadow, now. His mind full of his memories of the clearing and the Forest Temple on the far side, he almost didn't notice when Sheik halted and signalled for Link to do the same.

The sheikah moved forwards again, using the cover of the trees and clearly trying to be as silent as possible. Wondering what had caused his sudden apprehension, Link stayed behind him, steadily making his way forward.

When he could peer past the foliage, though, he frowned. He could see nothing in the clearing that looked alarming; it was empty. He glanced at Sheik, looking for some kind of affirmation or clue as to what they were waiting for.

"We are not alone," murmured the sheikah. "Stay here." He slipped away from the tree he had been crouching behind. Shifting his weight while trying not betray his own position, Link looked to see where he had gone. Evidently, his strange new friend was excellent at the stealth his people were famous for, and there was no sign of him. Link could not even see a leaf stirred by his departure.

A moment passed while Link strained to hear anything, from Sheik or whoever Sheik had become aware of. There was nothing for a long while, and then, over to Link's right, he heard a cry. It certainly wasn't Sheik calling, and it wasn't the growl of a moblin. Breaking from the tree cover, Link ran towards it, already half drawing his sword.

It quickly became obvious that he wouldn't be needing it, though. Sheik emerged from the trees, dragging a small figure in green behind him. The kokiri was flailing his tiny fist at his captor, but Sheik barely seemed to notice. He shoved their would-be stalker forwards, releasing the tight grip he had held on the boy's upper arm.

The child-like kokiri had a surly look, his jaw set to say he wasn't afraid even though he clearly was. With his freckles and dark eyes, Link could not help recognising his old bully instantaneously. Mido glared at him.

"Who are you?" Sheik asked. Mido didn't answer. The lithe man sighed. "We will not hurt you. I am Sheik, and this is-"

"Talamin," Link cut across. The look Sheik gave him was so fast he might have imagined it.

"My friend and fellow traveller," he continued without missing a beat. "We have journeyed here from the north."

"Why?" demanded Mido. Sheik raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, so you are interested in what I have to say? But I don't see why I should answer your question when you so decisively ignored my own."

Mido went back to glaring at Link. "You. You're dressed like a kokiri. Why?" He spat the word.

"We may dress how we wish. I dress like my people. Talamin dresses like those of the forest." There was a dangerous edge to Sheik's voice now. "More important than our clothes, though, is why you were following us."

"I promised my friend. I promised her I'd look after the temple and this meadow."

"Which friend?" asked Link, quickly. Too quickly, he thought, as Mido looked at him all the more suspiciously.

"Someone you wouldn't know, of course."

Sheik ignored his surly comment. "And why did she want you to look after the temple?" Mido turned his gaze to the mossy ground and became obstinately silent. The sheikah sank to his knees and took hold of the kokiri kindly. "We do not mean to hurt you or your friend. But I do not like people following me, especially as there are many who might well want to hurt myself and my companion. Perhaps we have that in common."

The suspicion in Mido's eyes was assuaged but had not disappeared completely. "Then why did you come here?"

"We wanted to help. We've already seen the things that have happened here. We think we might be able to put some of it right."

Immediately the suspicion disappeared as Mido's face filled with pain. "Nothing has been right here since the Deku Tree died."

"The Deku Tree? The forest guardian? He died?"

Mido nodded. "A long time ago. And then everything else started going wrong, too."

Sheik looked away. "The Evil King, when he first reached out his hand, I suppose."

"The Deku Tree shouldn't have died. It wasn't fair," mumbled Mido. Link wanted to say something but his throat felt constricted, he didn't trust that he could talk clearly without betraying the emotion he felt.

"Why not?" pressed Sheik.

"Someone should have been able to save him, but they couldn't. And then he was gone. Saria said without the Deku Tree lots of things would go wrong, and she was right."

"And Saria is your friend who is at the Forest Temple?" Mido nodded again. Sheik stood. "Then that is where we must go. We'll see her."

The kokiri looked up as if remembering himself. "No! I mean, you can't. I promised Saria. I promised I'd do whatever I could."

"You will be doing a great deal for Saria by letting us go to see her."

"No, you don't understand. Saria said there was someone who might have been able to help, but I made him go away and now I have to look after Saria and the Forest Temple." Link frowned at this. Surely, surely Mido couldn't mean what it sounded like?

"I'll tell you what," said Sheik in a placating voice, "why don't you and I stay here, and my friend will go into the Temple. I think he is the one Saria will want to talk to anyway." Mido looked at Link again.

"Are you sure? He doesn't say very much, does he?"

Sheik smiled, looking at Link shrewdly. "He says everything that needs to be said, when the time is right." Link looked away, awkwardly. "What about it, then? Will you go into the temple and find this Saria?"

"Yes," answered Link, and as he had suspected his voice sounded rough, hoarse.

"Mido, would you lead us there?" asked Sheik. Nodding again, Mido walked away from them and led them through the glade to the far side, up the steps Link remembered and into the first courtyard of the Forest Temple.

"Well, here it is," said Sheik, musingly. "It's very beautiful."

Link didn't reply, still not trusting his voice not to betray himself. He walked towards the old tree that stood beside the broken staircase.

"Wait," called Sheik. Link turned. The sheikah came towards him, pulling something from the pack at his shoulder.

"It's dangerous to go alone. Take this," he said, handing Link a bow and a quiver of arrows. Nodding his thanks, Link slung them over his shoulder where they wouldn't be in his way, and pulled himself into the lower branches. He swung himself quickly up to the level of the threshold and dropped onto the platform before it.

With some trepidation, Link entered the Forest Temple for the second time in his life.

He crossed the overgrown courtyard and passed into the second chamber of the temple. It was as he remembered it, with an oppressive sense of magic. On the far side stood the wide double doors that led to the cathedral-like chamber where he and Saria had found the Kokiri Sword. Even now, it hung at his waist.

Instead of crossing to the double doors, he turned to his left, the same door he had taken with his friend the first time he had been in the temple. He made his way to the courtyard and drank from the well, trying hard to stay calm. A strange panic was creeping over him, and he couldn't place what was making him feel uneasy.

Trying to order his thoughts, he sat and leant against one mossy wall, closing his eyes. He remembered sitting in the Sacred Forest Meadow, seven years earlier, when he had for the first time heard Zelda cry out to him in his dream. No such visions came to him now.

Breathing steadily, he felt himself calming, focussing on the familiarity of the forest magic rather than its menace. Slowly, his mind became hazy, and in the back of his mind he began to hear music. For a few moments, he smiled blearily, enjoying the lilting melody.

Then what he was hearing penetrated the haze, and he sat bolt upright. For a moment, he expected the music to stop, but it didn't. He looked around the courtyard, trying to find the source, but there was no one there. He knew the music though, he had recognised it easily.

Only Saria had ever played the ocarina in that way. Getting to his feet, he tried to trace where it could possibly be coming from. Slowly crossing the courtyard, he moved towards a door set into the wall of the temple.

The music seemed to be coming from the other side of the door. Hesitantly, he reached his hand out for the knob.

As soon as his hand rested on it, the music ceased abruptly. Link's sense of unease returned in full. He turned quickly and drew the Master Sword, but he was alone. A moment later, though, he found himself being lifted off the ground. A thick, gloved hand had gripped him round the neck and was choking him.

Shocked, Link dropped his sword and grappled uselessly with the large hand. Twisting, he saw golden eyes staring at him above an arrogant smile as Ganondorf choked the life from him. Fighting his panic, Link clutched at Ganondorf with his right hand, but with his left he scrabbled at his belt, got his hand around the hilt of the Kokiri Sword and pulled it free. Arcing his arm up, he drove the little sword into the side of the gerudo's neck.

Just as the sharp blade should have struck flesh and sinew, Ganondorf disappeared. Link found himself suspended a foot about the ground and immediately dropped like a stone. Link sprawled on his back, gasping for breath and struggling to understand what had happened. One moment he had been alone, but the next Ganondorf had definitely been there, Link could still feel the vice-like and very real grip on his neck. But just as suddenly, he had disappeared.

Sitting up, Link looked around. The courtyard was empty, the only sounds were the normal noises of the forest. Getting to his feet, Link retrieved the Master Sword from where it had fallen. "That's rule one then," he muttered to himself, "never drop your sword."

Turning, he reached for the door, and as he did, he realised the ocarina music had stopped. He gripped the handle and pulled the door open. Stepping through, he could not immediately discern anything inside but a dark, empty chamber. Leaving the door open so that light could get into the windowless room, Link moved forwards cautiously.

There was nothing inside, no ocarina and no Saria either. There were a few old pieces of furniture, and on one wall there was a painting of a dark castle atop a hill. A winding path led up to it. Shaking his head to try and clear it, Link went back to the courtyard. The magic of the temple was clearly playing tricks on him. He wasn't even certain what it was Sheik was expecting him to do in here.

He could think of one errand he wanted to undertake, though; something he hadn't mentioned to the Sheikah. Walking quickly, he climbed back up to the first floor entrance to the temple and went back to the strange, dark room at the centre. The eerie torches flickered, throwing strange shadows around the walls. Trying not to let the thick occult feeling of the room affect him, Link strode to the double doors and slipped through them.

Focused on his memories of the cathedral-sized room where he and Saria had found the Kokiri Sword, he stopped abruptly. The room showed that Sheik had been right: it was full of moblins. Breathing too fast, Link fought down panic. There must have been more than a hundred of the grotesque creatures, sprawled around on the floor. They all seemed to be asleep, one or another occasionally grunting or snuffling. Still Link stood motionless, his heart so loud in his ears that he was surprised the creatures did not awaken. The room was empty but for himself and the sleeping monsters.

For a long while, he stood as still as he could, hardly even breathing, but the creatures did not stir. Eventually, he took a careful step forwards but still there was no reaction from the snuffling beasts. Moving as quietly as possible, he navigated the sea of sleeping moblins, picking his way amongst and around them, until he reached the far side of the chamber. The raised dais remained as he remembered it, but the sleeping army around him detracted from the reverence he had felt previously. In the centre, though, there still stood the ancient chest, just as it had done for untold years.

Carefully, he pushed back the lid of the chest, before unhooking the Kokiri Sword in its scabbard and laying it reverently in its old resting place. Just as carefully, he lowered the chest's top back down and breathed out deeply, as if he had laid down a great weight.

For the first time since they had entered the Sacred Forest Meadow, Navi fluttered out from behind him. "Why did you put it back?" she asked quietly.

"Not in here," muttered Link, casting his eyes over their unpleasant company. Cautiously, he slipped back to the entrance of the chamber. Once he was through the double doors, he allowed himself to breathe properly, then spoke to Navi.

"Thank you for staying hidden when I talked to Mido."

"I could tell you didn't want that confrontation. I suppose I don't blame you."

"I put the sword back because it's not who I am any more. The kokiri haven't aged, but I have. I'm not one of them and I'm not their hero or their ambassador. So the sword isn't mine."

When she answered, her tone was gentle. "It was. You were meant to have it, and use it as you did."

Link shrugged, and ran his fingers gently ran along the hilt of the Master Sword. "I still have a blade, though. I don't know if I'm the Hero of Time that Sheik and Rauru keep going on about; I just know I want to stop Ganondorf." The steely resolve he felt as he said this was shaken by the rumble of insolent laughter that echoed around the dark chamber. Link stepped forwards to look for the source of the laughter, but before he could draw his sword he found himself once more lifted off the ground.

Again, he twisted and found himself staring into those malicious golden eyes. Ganondorf sneered, bunching the muscles in his arm, and then hurled Link a full twenty feet. The young man hit the floor heavily and rolled. He stood, with difficulty. His side ached where it had impacted on the steps of the central dais. Ganondorf advanced towards him. Not wanting to get close again, Link swung the bow Sheik had given him from his shoulder and snatched an arrow from the quiver.

Never before in his life had he used a bow and he didn't have a lot of time to learn. He pulled the shaft back to his cheek and released it, aiming straight at Ganondorf. He felt sure that in stories it would have flown perfectly and struck the gerudo in the neck or abdomen where his armour was weak. Instead it arced up without enough force to hurt anything and clattered pathetically to the floor, only a few feet in front of him.

Even so, it seemed to have done the job. Ganondorf had, again, disappeared.

"This is starting to wear thin," said Navi.

"I agree," said Link in an undertone. His entire body tensed, he moved forwards and retrieved his arrow. "I need to learn to use a bow."

"I agree," replied Navi. Link glared at the tiny fey. "The question is, what do we do now?"

Link didn't answer. His eye had been caught by the altar. He was still rubbing his ribs where he had landed on the steps near it. Going closer, he crouched down and ran a hand over it. Navi landed on the floor next to it.

"That looks like-"

"The pedestal in the Temple of Time," finished Link.