C3: Footsteps to Follow

The air beneath the ground was heady and dank, vines crawled up the dimly lit walls and no sound was heard beside the soft flapping of Navi's wings, the gentle scuff of Link's boots, and the boys breathing. Soon the faint light from the surface was no longer enough, and the young hero halted, stymied. He was not afraid of the dark, but he was afraid of getting lost, his eyes fell on Navi and an idea occurred to him. Speaking softly, feeling it unwise to disturb the atmosphere, "Navi..? Can you glow?"

She turned to look at him, her expression one of incredulity, "I AM glowing, Link."

He gestured lamely, "Well...glow more, I mean. So I can see?"

Navi fluttered in the air, considering it, "I can try. But you should look away." Link was about to ask way and she snapped, "Just do it!" Confused, the Hylian child turned from her to look at the walls, wondering why she'd be so weird about this. While Navi was doing...whatever she was doing, he examined the vines, a familiar plant that he'd seen in many of the shadier places around the woods, they were much thicker here. Then there was a flash like the sun had just come down the hall and Navi said, "Got it!"

Gradually dimming blue light filled their surroundings as Link turned back to her, "See? Now you're not blind! You should learn to listen to me, you'll be doing it a lot!" The fairy's smug expression seemed somehow funny to her partner, and held back a laugh. She looked so pleased with herself that he didn't want to spoil it. So he simply thanked her and together they moved down, the hall slowly turning as they descended into the depths.

Then they stopped, a stone slab blocking their path. The two of them looked at it, stymied, neither of them could break rock. Link began to look around as Navi examined the obstacle. Minutes dragged by as they both found nothing. In her frustration, the small fairy kicked at the stone, which suddenly dropped into the floor with a boom that shook the floor. Link jumped and stumbled, and Navi tumbled through the air as they both were taken by surprise.

They exchanged looks, then Navi came back to Link and settled on his shoulder before they cautiously went through the doorway. Beyond was a massive room, so large that the light Navi was emitting didn't even reach the far wall as they went forward. The shuddering boom of the stone slab moving came once more from behind them, and they looked back to see that the door had sealed itself shut behind them, bars covering it and preventing them from passing through. Link's heart sank as Navi hissed out something he didn't understand, but knew was probably a curse.

Resigned, the young boy turned away from the door and stopped, staring at a softly glowing golden form before him. Whoever they were, they were bigger than any person Link had ever seen, twice the size of a Kokiri. They were sat upon the ground, legs crossed, something lain across their legs. The apparition looked up at him, "Here we are again, eh?" The golden shade stood up, holding that long object in one hand, "Seems like this never ends. Oh well." A stick came whirling at Link, who caught it reflexively.

Navi flew over to the stranger and looked at them more closely before flying back, "Link, that's a Hylian man! I don't know why, but he looks like you." Link stared at the man, Hylians actually got that big? Was he going to grow up to be a giant like that? Holding up the stick warily, the boy looked at the glowing man, who only smiled wryly.

"Hylian man, I guess that's accurate. But it's hardly a name. Just call meeeee..." The golden shade pondered it for a moment, "Ah! Of course, call me Kin! It's descriptive as well as short!" Kin laughed and looked at the boy before him, smiling softly, "Don't stress too much about me, Link. I'm not your enemy, even if I am here to fight you." The smile became a grin as Link's expression became one of shock, "It shouldn't be anything too difficult for you, the hard part comes later." He raised the sword in his left hand, "Fighting with swords is in our blood, after all."

Kin lunged forward, Link hopping to one side without thinking, stick raised as the flashing sword cut through the air where he had been. The glowing man laughed in satisfaction and twisted, blade arcing around to cut at the child. His target, however, ducked the slash, then struck out at Kin's wrist with the stick, landing a solid hit and jarring the sword out of the man's hand.

The two of them straightened and faced each other, the glowing shade smiling at the confused boy, "You really are the one. I have to say I'm impressed, even if I was going easy on you." Kin ruffled Link's hair, "That which you came for lies behind me in a chest." He chuckled, "Don't forget to hold It over your head, thats the thing to do when you get something from a chest." With a final laugh Kin dissipated into a swirl of golden particles that swept up and vanished.

More confused than ever, Link looked and did indeed see a chest where Kin had said it would be. Navi drifted back onto his shoulder, remaining silent as the boy walked around the box and opened the lock upon it's face. Heaving with his arms and shoulders, he pushed the lid up and open, then reached in and pulled out... a sword and shield! Somehow, without really thinking, he held the items up in triumph, then blushed and lowered them when Navi giggled.

It took Link the better part of twenty minutes to figure out how to wear the sword and shield upon his back. But with a great deal of help from the increasingly exasperated Navi, he managed it. Turning from side to side, he experimented with the range of movement allowed by the new armaments. Satisfied he looked at Navi, "How do we get out?" She grumbled at him instead of replying, so Link went back to the doorway they had entered through.

The bars were gone, and thankfully the door responded to the touch of Link's hand and dropped into the floor. Link stumbled more than a few times as he made his way up the passage and back to the Deku Tree's clearing, the weight from the sword and shield disrupting his balance. But he persevered, and soon he and Navi emerged into the soft light of the forest day. They turned to look at the forest guardian, who's eyes opened to regard them solemnly.

"Thou hast indeed proved thy worth, and thy destiny. Go now, Link, Navi. Hesitate no longer lest the world be lost to darkness forever." Link raised one hand in farewell to the being that had watched over him all his life, his voice stuck. Then he ran, holding back tears as he left the Great Deku tree behind. For all the wishes to leave, for change, sorrow filled Link as it finally came to pass. He refused to look up from the earth as he went to the place where the Lost Woods connected to the strange place called Hyrule.

Link stopped as he saw the last person he wanted to see. Saria stood before him, her green eyes sad, "So, you're leaving?" She didn't sound surprised, instead she sounded resigned, "I knew it would happen eventually, the Great Deku tree told me about you when he gave you to me." She bit her lip, obviously on the edge of tears, "Don't forget me, please."

Navi watched the two of them as they said their farewells, Link openly letting tears fall down his cheeks as he said goodbye to the Kokiri girl who had been his surrogate mother. The blue fairy remained silent and somewhat apart, allowing them to speak privately. After several minutes Link managed to steel himself and walk to the edge of the woods. Saria watched him and Navi as they crossed the threshold into Hyrule's great fields.