C4: The World Beyond

Link stepped out upon the great plains of Hyrule, the rolling hills covered with grass as far as he could see, save for the rare tree or bush dotted about. In the farthest distance he could see what looked like spikes, clawing at the horizon like dark claws. On in particular rose above the others, a flat topped thing with some kind of ring around it. The boy had no real idea how far away that was, but all this open space was making him nervous and edgy. It was all so empty and quiet. He already missed the close protectiveness of the trees.

Navi herself didn't know what was bothering her companion. She had flown out to the fields dozens of times for the Great Deku tree, and she had long ago been told about the other locations within the bounds of Hyrule. She was unaware that neither Saria or the guardian of the forest had neglected to educate Link upon the nature of the world beyond the Lost Woods. So it was that she was entirely unsympathetic in her cajoling Link to, "Get a move on! We have a world to save, remember?"

The boy swallowed hard and steeled himself, nodding and taking a slow step forward. Some irrational part of him expected to be pulled up into that endless sky, a half baked idea that the trees somehow protected all those beneath their sheltering canopy. But, step after step, Link slowly adjusted to being out in all that open space. He was not entirely comfortable, but that wasn't going to stop him at this point. Feeling more certain of himself, he strode across the plains, towards those jagged shapes upon the horizon.

An irritated buzz came from his left and he looked at Navi, nonplussed. She had her arms crossed and was tapping one small foot on the air, "Where do you think you're going?" She pointed off to her right, "The closest town is THAT way." Link looked and became even more confused, it just looked like more of the same to him. How was HE supposed to know the difference? It wasn't like there was anything to tell him where to go, the fairy buzzed her wings at him again and he sighed, walking where Navi had indicated.

-x-

Hours later and Link began to feel like he wasn't getting anywhere at all. The plains seemed to go on forever, hill after scrubby grass covered hill with no end in sight. It felt like a nightmare he'd had once, where no matter how far or fast he ran, he never managed to move from where he started. To make matters worse, the sky was starting to get dark, and he knew that Stal children appeared at night. Of course, that was only an assumption based on memories from the Lost Woods, but he definitely did not want to be attacked by those disturbing creatures.

Panting, the boy crested yet another hill, and this time he actually saw something different. A small cloud of dark grey smoke twisted up through the air. Not even pausing to think about what smoke could mean aside from people, Link began to run towards the ashen wisp, desperate to see something other than grass. Navi trailed through the air behind him, wondering what had spooked the boy to make him run like that.

Eventually the two of them were within sight of the smoke's source, and Link saw a series of strangely shaped buildings. Instead of the shaped wood huts that the Kokiri dwelt inside, these seemed to be constructed from stones laid atop one another with tied down grass covering the top of them as a form of roof. Still, it was a welcome relief to see something new, and Link stumbled wearily into the sparse town. The sun was on the verge of setting, and no one was outside their homes, so he had no way of asking anyone where he should go next.

Link looked at Navi for something resembling help, "Hey, Navi?" The fairy turned to look at him, shifting her attention from the shifting clouds high above. The boy shifted uncomfortably, "Umm, where do I go?" He braced himself for another sharp remark from her, but the blue sprite was silent for a few moments before replying.

"Just knock on a door, I suppose. I don't know much about these people, I've just flown out here a couple times." Navi's gaze searched his face, "What's bothering you so much, Link? You've been acting so weird all day."

The young Hylian looked down at his boots, fidgeting a little, "I...I'm scared." Navi stopped flapping. "When we came out here...it was all so empty, and now here? What if these people don't like me? Or if they throw rocks at me? Or what if they're Stal-" Navi flitted forward and held his lips shut with both her tiny hands, a tremendous effort on her part, but Link got the point and shut up.

She waited a moment to make sure he'd stay quiet before letting go and hovering at his eye level, "Why didn't you say so sooner?" She sounded almost sympathetic beneath that exasperation, "Look, I'll go around here for a few minutes, then I'll come back and tell you if any of these places is somewhere we can sleep, okay?" Link nodded, "I'll do the talking for you if you get too scared, I promise. Now just wait here, I'll be right back." And with that she flew off to investigate the town.

Link watched her go and suddenly felt as if the darkening sky had gotten very oppressive, the air seemed heavier and he was very conscious of how alone he was. One hand drifted over his shoulder to the hilt of his sword, feeling somewhat comforted by the presence of both it and his shield. The wind whispered through the grass, carrying the bite of evening chill. Something about the cold touch of air made Link look up at the sky.

His sapphire blue eyes widened as he took in what he saw, and it struck him deep within his soul. At that moment the sky was clear of cloud or smoke, and Link could see the vast jeweled canopy of the night sky. Every star, every band of color, every glimmering bit of light upon that velvet darkness seemed to etch itself into his memory. And even as he stared, awestruck, at the sky, the moon rose like a vast crowning jewel amidst the shimmering blanket of stars. To put it simply, the boy was enthralled by what he saw.

When Navi returned she found Link still staring at the sky, so enraptured by the nighttime tapestry that he didn't even notice her sit on his shoulder. Silent minutes passsed before she poked him in the side of the head, "Hey, chosen one, Hyrule needs you down here." He jumped slightly and turned his gaze to her. "Come on Link, we'll have time to stargaze later. I found a place to sleep, then tomorrow we can get a move on." Before he could respond, Link's stomach made a very pointed complaint at the current situation.

The fairy fluttered her wings, "Oh, right, you need to eat more than I do." She thought about the dilemma, then sighed, "I'll get something for you, but don't think this will be a regular thing, alright? You're a big boy now, and you're going to need to learn to take care of yourself. I'll show you the place I found, then I'll get that food your stomach's begging for, okay?" Link nodded, this was going to be a long journey, but he was already grateful for Navi's sometimes waspish companionship.