~Chapter 5~
Ganondorf sent a ransom note for Cody. It reads:
If you ever want to see your uncle again, I suggest you meet me in the Haunted Wasteland tonight. Come alone. This is between you and me. If you fail to do so, your uncle will pay the price with his blood.
~Ganondorf: King of the Gerudo, Chosen of Din, Holder of the Triforce of Power.
Any leftover weakness from the poison is gone. All that remains is white-hot anger and confusion.
I can almost hear Conner's teeth grind. "King of the Gerudo," He scoffs. "He was unseated from that position 14 years ago. When he betrayed all of Hyrule."
"So what do we do?" Kyland, the younger Sheikah, asks.
"We send some Sheikah out to confront him." Jakob answers.
"I'm going," Conner says.
Jakob throws a worried glance at him. "Con, are you sure you want to risk–"
"I'm going," Conner interrupts. "This man ruined my life. I want to be there when his comes tumbling down too." I wonder what Ganondorf did to him. It must've been pretty bad judging by the hardness in Conner's eyes.
"Okay, so when do we go?" I ask.
The four of them turn to me, remembering that I'm in here too.
Conner's the first to speak. "No Link."
"You're not going," Sheik says.
"What do you mean I'm not going?" I say. "He asked specifically for me! If I don't go, he'll know something's wrong and he'll leave, and Cody will pay the consequences."
"He's got a point there," Kyland offers.
"But you could get killed," Jakob counters. "That's what we're trying to prevent."
My head is bursting with questions about the unfair turn my life has just taken. "Why is he even after me?" I say harshly. "I don't get any of this. Why did the princess show up in my dream? What does Ganondorf have against me? Why did my parents leave? Why am I Farore's Chosen? What in Hyrule does that even mean! I hate being so in the dark about this! What's so special about me?"
For some reason Conner looks at the ground guiltily. So does Sheik.
Jakob sighs. "Those are a lot of questions. I don't think I can answer them all." He glances cautiously over at Conner. "But Conner might be able to answer some."
Conner raises his eyebrow. His face betrays no emotion, but his eyes say, "Why are you bringing me into this?"
A whole conversation goes on between them through their eyes, and I lose track of it immediately. Somehow they're able to communicate their feelings with their expressionless faces. Must be some weird power that comes through being a Sheikah.
Finally, Conner sighs and nods towards the door. "Come on Link, let's go outside. I'll answer your questions."
~X~
We walk out into Kakariko Village, home of the secretive Sheikah race. Sheikah roam around the village, some nod at us as we walk. Conner nods back and leads us into a stable-like building. Inside are about 30 horses, including Epona. I grin and walk over to her.
"Hey girl," I say softly as I stroke her head. She neighs happily. I feel bad about leaving her while I was out, she must have been pretty confused.
"Let's go," Conner says from his perch on a gray horse.
"Where?" I mount Epona and follow him out of the stable.
He hesitates. "You'll see,"
Two guards intercept us at the gate. "Conner, isn't that kid supposed to stay in here?" One asks.
"Yeah, but Jakob gave me permission to let him out for a few hours. I'll be with him the whole time." Conner answers.
"Good enough for me," The other says. "Go ahead."
A few minutes later we're riding through Hyrule Field, towards the Lost Woods. The forest soothes my frayed nerves.
"Why are we going in here?" I ask.
"You'll see."
We continue to ride until we reach the ruins of the old Forest Temple. When I was younger, I used to love coming here and playing all day. Even at the age of 14 Sheik and I would run around the ruins playing tag.
"Why are we here? And don't you dare say that I'll see."
Conner laughs. "Your father loved this place when we were kids. I can't tell you how many hours we spent in this place, exploring every inch of the place." He laughs again. I like his laugh, it almost sounds familiar.
"You said you knew my father," I say hesitantly. "And Farore said that I would see him and my mom eventually." I take a deep breath. "Do you know where they are?"
Conner sighs deeply. "Yes. I do."
A tiny spark of hope flares up in my stomach. The possibility of seeing my parents again seems so real now that I'm talking to someone who can take me to them.
"Can you tell me where they are?"
He regards me with deeply sad eyes. "Link, I wish I could tell you, but I can't. I promised your parents I wouldn't tell anyone until the time was right... including you."
The spark is stomped out and my heart drops. Guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. "Why did they leave?"
Conner looks older suddenly. "Well, as you already know, they knew that Ganondorf was after you."
"Why is he after me anyway?"
"He thinks you're a reincarnation of the Hero of Light. And the Hero of Time. And every other hero in between."
"Um, excuse me?"
Conner takes a deep breath. "When Taylor was a guard at the castle, he was close friends with King Phillip. Phillip trusted him with translating scrolls written in ancient Hylian. Ganondorf was also chosen as a scribe, and ended up being your father's partner. After reading one of the scrolls about heroes of Hyrule, Ganondorf began to believe he was a reincarnation of the villains of the stories, Zelda a reincarnation of the princesses, and you as a reincarnation of the heroes. No one knows why. It's just like he suddenly went crazy. Taylor and Marni knew Ganondorf would primarily be looking for them, so they left to keep you safe."
I try to absorb all that. "So do you really think I am a reincarnation of all those heroes. Like the Hero of Time?"
He shrugs. "Well, you are Farore's Chosen. Many of the heroes of old were bearers of the Triforce of Courage, and they were usually the Chosen of Farore." He runs his hands through his hair. "All the evidence would say that you are the next chosen hero to save Hyrule."
I feel anger bubble up inside me. This is so unfair. All of the sudden the fate of Hyrule rests on me? I'm only an 18 year-old! Don't I have a say in this?
"I know this is hard," Conner says softly. "I'm really sorry."
"When do you think I'll be able to see my parents?"
Conner shrugs sadly. "I don't know. It's been a while since I've seen them myself."
I nod and we sit in silence.
"So about the meeting with Ganondorf..." I say after a few minutes.
"What about it?"
"No one will let me go, right?"
He shakes his head. "No. Too dangerous. You'll stay here with Sheik while Jakob, me and a few others go and get Cody."
"No way!" I exclaim. "This is my uncle we're talking about. I'm the one who got him in this situation, I need to get him out."
"Link, I understand you want to help, but it's just too dangerous. What would I tell your parents if Ganondorf killed you?"
I sigh and shake my head. "This is so unfair."
"I know. And I'm sorry." He coaxes his horse into walking. "Let's get back to Kakariko. Sheik and Jakob will be getting worried."
I urge Epona to follow him.
Well, at least Sheik will be just as stuck and miserable as me.
"Conner?" I call up to him.
He looks back over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"Thanks."
I can see the smile in his eyes. "You're welcome."