~Chapter Ten~
Pain.
That's my firs thought. Excruciating pain. The kind of hurt that seems to take up your soul and mind, consuming you. It's like fire, ripping through my abdomen in an inferno. Hot and wild and bright. I scream. But the sound doesn't seem to make it out of my mouth.
Someone puts a damp cloth on my forehead. It takes me a moment to realize they're saying something.
"...W–what are we gonna d–do?" It's Zelda. She's crying so hard she's stuttering. "He's d–dying, there m–must be something we can d–do!" I want to reach up and wipe her tears away, tell her I'm fine. But I know I'm not. I can barely breathe.
"I don't know if there is," This time the voice belongs to my father. His voice catches at the end. "If the Great Fairies couldn't heal him, I don't know who could..." He takes a deep shaky breath. "I'm... I'm going to send for Marni... I want her to see him before..." He can't finish the sentence. I hear the dull thud of his boots and a door creaks open, then slams shut.
Another pair of boots walks over to Zelda.
"Does he feel hot?" Aiden asks quietly.
"Burning." A tinkling voice I recognize as Navi replies just as softly.
He takes my wrist and checks my pulse. "At least his heart is still beating." He says weekly. Zelda lets a small sob escape. Aiden sighs. "He's still got a chance, Zel. He's not gone yet. Ganondorf would've executed me if Link hadn't gotten me out. He saved me. I owe him my life. And I promise, I won't stop until I find a way to help him. I swear it."
"Neither will I." Navi adds in a small but determined voice. "I'm the first fairy to have a partner in 300 years. I'm not going to let him die so easily."
A hot tear falls on my cheek, quickly followed by another. Zelda sobs quietly.
I want to say something to the them, but my lips feel like lead. Even though my eyes are closed, the word spins and churns around me. Within seconds I've lost consciousness again.
~X~
I let my eyes drift open, exposing me to my pleasantly warm surroundings. I lay in a small, lush green grove. The air sparkles with fairy lights, and I can hear a playful song on an Ocarina. It feels peaceful.
At first I think this is a dream, but the light breeze on my face and the feel of the grass tickling my arms is too real. I must be awake. And to my surprise the throbbing in my abdomen is gone. I run my hand across where the wound should be, but feel no pain.
"Hello, Link."
I sit up straight and face the familiar voice. Farore stands in the entrance to the meadow, graceful as always. She smiles warmly.
"Welcome to the Sacred Forest Meadow."
I keep my hand over my stomach, amazed that I've suddenly been healed. "The Sacred Forest Meadow? I've never heard of it."
She laughs. "I did not expect you too, considering we are currently in the Era of the Hero of Time, thousands of years before your time." I lift my eyebrows in surprise and she smiles. "In your time, this place is called the Sacred Grove, hidden deep within the Ancient Lost Woods."
"The Ancient Lost Woods?" I say. "Where the Kokiri once lived?"
Years ago a childlike race called the Kokiri lived right next to the Ancient Lost Woods, for which the Lost Woods near Ordon are named after. They were the only ones who could explore the woods, thanks to their fairies who helped them travel the woods without them turning into Stalfos. If I remember right, The Hero of Time was raised as a Kokiri after his parents died in the Hyrulean Civil War.
However, the Kokiri are long gone now. They disappeared hundreds of years ago. No one knows why. And we may never know, since the Ancient Woods expanded around the Kokiri Village. Now no one can enter the village, since traveling through the woods without a guide is suicide. The fairies won't help you unless you're their partner, so the only other ones who could guide you through the woods are the Skull Kids and Stalfos. And you don't want either of them helping you out.
But legend has it that the Hero of Light traveled through the Ancient Lost Woods using a Skull Kid as his guide. Which is suicide in itself, since Skull Children would much rather use their puppets to kill you than you help you. But he somehow convinced the Skull Kid to help him and was the first to enter the Kokiri's lost village in centuries. Only it was no longer a village, but the sacred resting place of the Master Sword, the greatest sword in the history of Hyrule. I don't know if it's true, but it makes for a cool story.
"Yes, the very same." Farore says. "I have brought you here for two reasons: To heal you and to educate you. I am sure you have noticed your wound has healed."
"Yes," I say, rubbing the spot where Ganondorf's sword sliced me. "How? My father said that even the Great Fairies couldn't heal me."
She laughs. "I am a goddess. Much more powerful than the Fairies. We are the ones who gave them their powers. Healing you was a simple task."
"Oh," I say. "Thank you."
"Now, my next step is to give you my knowledge, and to expose you to your role as my Chosen." She waves her hand. The meadow flickers, and the shimmering fairy lights disappear. The trees thin a bit, exposing a towering temple about a mile away. The ruins of what looks like a cathedral surround the now ancient meadow. And standing right in front of me, gleaming in the sunlight, is a sword embedded in a pedestal. My jaw hits the forest floor when I recognize it from countless drawings. It's the Master Sword. The real honest to goodness Master Sword, the weapon used by countless heroes of old to save Hyrule. I can understand why it's called the Sword of Evil's Bane, this is the most beautiful sword I've ever seen.
"Behold young hero, the Sword of Evil's Bane." Farore's voice echos around me. "Your sword."
I laugh, my eyes never leaving the sword. "My sword?"
"You are my Chosen, the single mortal in Hyrule that I trust to serve me." Farore says with a hint of amusement. "You are the chosen hero to save Hyrule. Did you think I would leave you to fight the Gerudo King and his army without a weapon to match him?"
"I couldn't take it," I say. It's too powerful. How could I fight with this? It's a work of art.
"The Master Sword answers to you and you alone. You are the only one who can wield it. You always have been." Her subtle words have another meaning.
It scares me to admit it, but I know it's true. I can tell now that I'm standing in front the Master Sword. My sword. It's familiar, like a song I heard years ago. An old friend. I've fought with this sword before.
"So it's really true then," I say quietly. "I am the reincarnation of all those old heroes."
"Yes, Link. But in order for you to truly fit the role of the sword's master, I must give you a few gifts." My hand begins to burn again, in the same place it did the last time Farore spoke to me. "The first being a new set of clothing. There has yet to be one of my heroes that has not taken up their green garb. I think it suits you."
I look down at my cloths in surprise. I no longer have on my normal Ordon clothing. Instead I wear a green tunic, tan pants and sturdy brown boots. A long green hat sits on top of my head. The heroes of old are always described as having green clothing.
They're comfortable. Another old friend.
"And now, I bestow upon you my piece of the Triforce. The Triforce of Courage."
The burning on my hand intensifies and I rip my new glove on my right hand off to find the Triforce glowing golden against my hand, the bottom right triangle burning the brightest. The piece of the Triforce that represents courage. Then the heat is gone and the Triforce fades a bit, but it doesn't disappear completely. It almost looks like a birthmark.
I look at it in astonishment, my mouth slightly agape. I don't know why being a Triforce Holder comes as such a shock. It's not like it's that much of a surprise. But still, I've just become one of the holders of the most powerful item in all of Hyrule. No pressure.
"Though you may not believe it Link, you are capable of great things." Farore says. "You are destined to save this world, as you have before. Like you said yourself, you are made of more than you think. And in your quest to keep Hyrule pure of evil the Master Sword will be your greatest asset. But you will need to find it first."
"But I don't need to find it, I'm standing right in front of it." I motion to the sword in front of me.
"This is a mere illusion of the past, as before. Except instead of the Era of the Hero of Time we are now in the Twilight Era. The Master Sword has long since been removed from the Sacred Grove. In order to find its current resting place, you must travel through the Ancient Lost Woods and enter the hidden Sacred Grove. You will find clues to the sword's whereabouts there."
"Why can't you just tell me where the sword is, you must know, being a goddess after all." I would really rather not travel through the Ancient Lost Woods and have a run-in with a Skull Kid...
"I cannot, I'm afraid." Farore answers, though she doesn't seem sorry at all. "This is your first test to prove you have what it takes to be a hero."
"Oh and I guess Dark Link was just a little fun and games beforehand?" I ask bitterly.
Farore laughs softly. "Find the grove, Link. Claim the Sword of Evil's Bane and vanquish the darkness over this land. We will meet again soon."
"Wait," I call out. "What do I do after I find the sword?" But I can already sense that Farore's presence is gone.
"And how do I get back to my own time period?" I ask under my breath.
Suddenly, I hear a tinkling of a girl's laugh. At first, I think it's Navi, but it doesn't quite sound like her. I turn around to face the laughing girl, but find myself staring into the eyes of a majestic, proud looking wolf. The laughing I heard probably was made by the strange, imp-like creature perched on top of him. I let out a strangled yelp of surprise and trip backwards over the Master Sword, which burns brightly with the arrival of the odd pair.
They look kind of familiar...
"Wow, here it is Link," The imp says. "The Master Sword. Come on, go get it. It'll turn you back into yourself again."
Before I can ask the imp how she knows my name or cry out in fear from being so close to that wolf, the world fades around me, taking with it my glimpse into the events of the past.
~X~
I shoot straight up in my bed, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. My hand automatically flies to my stomach to search for my wound. But just like the dream, I've been healed. And by the little light given by the moon I can see that I still have on the green clothing Farore gave me. Guess it wasn't a dream.
And I also remember what she said to me. About the Master Sword. I need to find my father and Cody.
I swing my legs over end of the bed and stand up. Well, more like I stand up, sway slightly, and then plop heavily down on the bed again. I shake my head to clear it of the sudden dizziness. That was almost worse than Kakariko Village. Once I regain my balance I stumble blindly through the room in the darkness trying to get to the door. It isn't until I have my hand on the handle of my bedroom door that I realize something that should have been obvious. I'm home, in my little bedroom in Ordon. Why am I back here?
And as the darkness seeps through my cloths and chills my bones, I wonder why I'm alone. Where is everyone?
I throw open the door and run carefully down the stairs to the kitchen. I stare longingly at the pantry as I run to the main door. But now is not the time for food, sadly. I reach the door, open it, and stare in horror at the scene outside my house.
Right in front of my eyes Ordon, my hometown, burns in an inferno as flames devour every surface. Ordon is burning.