A Link to the Past

Chapter Twenty Eight: The Break Between Worlds

Even though the flames quickly spread throughout the grove, the flames themselves were having trouble advancing through the darkened tree line, making escape from them easy. However, the smoke had no trouble at all following Link as he carried the still unconscious Maple through the forest, with the low hanging branches and shrubs making it all the more difficult for him to keep going without tripping or being knocked over. Eventually, the strength from his glove wore off, making it impossible for the young man to carry the red monster much farther, but thankfully by this time she had woken up. Now the flames were far behind, with the smoke almost gone completely, but he had lost track of what direction they were going, and… and they were pretty well lost.

"I wish you would've told me you could breathe fire." Link said, lifting up another branch so they could pass through. "That might've helped when Daira was beating me in the dungeon."

"It only happens when I sneeze." Maple explained, almost tripping over a small shrub. "The first time it happened I burned down half the houses in the village… it's why they locked me up in the first place."

Now that he had a chance to think about it, the young man remembered seeing a lot of destroyed buildings when he had first been brought into the Village of Outcasts, but honestly he thought that the place was just run down. Still, as frightening as it was to have almost been burned to death by the red monster, it was good to have this knowledge so that next time one of the monsters from this Dark World attacked them, he could just tickle her nose. Of course, that meant they would have to encounter someone, and this part of the dark forest was so overgrown that the young man doubted anyone had traveled through there any time recently aside from the two of them.

No trails, no sun visible through the tree canopy, nothing for them to find their way, except… except maybe the crystal Link had just recovered from Mothula could point them in the right direction just like the one retrieved from Daira. So the young man took the now cooled crystal out of his pocket and unwrapped it from his hat, and just like before the whole world stopped moving, leaving him in darkness while the girl trapped inside spoke into his mind. Again, this was not Princess Zelda, but another of the captured noble girls who Agahnim used in that strange ritual, meaning that there were still five more of them out there somewhere, including the Princess.

Thank you for saving me… I was afraid that I would be that awful monster's prisoner forever, and now maybe I can help you. Mothula didn't stop talking the whole time I was with him, and I learned that this world was once a Golden Land where something called the Triforce was hidden away. He said that Ganondorf found his way into the Golden Land and discovered the Triforce, but he wasn't able to find his way back.

"Then it really is the same Ganondorf who fought my grandfather." Link replied. "I thought maybe I misheard him, but… but how can he still be alive after all this time, and… and what does the Triforce do?"

I don't know any more about the Triforce, I'm afraid, but Mothula also told me that the wizard found a way to travel back and forth from this world to ours. He arrived here some time after Ganondorf, but his powers are different somehow, and he found the way out. Mothula tried to impress me by showing me the one way out he was familiar with, but unlike everyone else in this Dark World, he had no desire to leave. He actually liked it here, making those ridiculous mummies he called art.

"Can you show us this way out?" The young man asked, suddenly filled with the hope of escape. "Is it nearby?"

I can guide you to the break between the worlds, but you must give me your word that you will return and try your best to rescue the other captive girls, and then I will guide you to another entry point in Hyrule. Mothula said that the wizard's ritual will make the breaks between worlds larger until Ganondorf is able to pass through, and he said if that happens then our world will suffer the same fate that caused the Golden Land to become the Dark World… whatever that is. Will you give me your word?

As much as Link wanted to get back to Hyrule and forget he ever even saw this awful place, there was no way he could allow the other trapped girls to remain in their crystal prisons, so yes he gave his word and the darkness retreated to reveal Maple and the dark forest once again. This time the crystal hummed, vibrating once the young man turned it in the right direction, leading him and he red monster deeper into the forest. Checking the direction a couple times just to make sure, Link grumbled while stepping over hedges and ducking down under branches so far that he was almost crawling, tempted once again to just tickle Maple's nose and have her start burning everything.

"Link, wait, don't leave me behind." She called, catching up when he stopped and taking his hand again. "I don't like this forest, it's dark and creepy… I can't believe that I ever thought I could be a great hero like Blind."

"Maple, it's all right." The young man replied, now having more difficulty getting through the branches with only one free hand. "Everything's going to be fine, I just… I just hope the break between world's isn't much farther or we won't be able to get through the…

Suddenly his words were stopped, the whole dark forest erupted with white light that blinded him, howling wind that hurt Link's ears, and a strange falling sensation that he had only experienced once before. Still feeling Maple's hand clutching tightly onto his as they spun around, the whole experience was over as quickly as it began, but everything was still so bright when the young man felt himself hitting solid ground. The red monster's hand fell from his as he rolled across the dirt, coming to a stop against one of the trees and… and was he still inside the dark forest? Everything was so bright as he rubbed his eyes, but instead of black and orange, the light assaulting his eyes was gray and green.

There was water, too, falling down onto the young man's body in heavy drops as it passed through the thick canopy of leaves above, and then a crack of thunder just as Link opened his eyes to see something that made him gasp. The thick coat of fur was gone from his hands, replaced by skin and fingernails, and there were no elongated ears or buck-teeth to be found when he reached up to feel around his head. He had become a normal person again, meaning that maybe the girl in the crystal had been right and led them back to Hyrule, although these thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of a girl's startled scream.

Looking around for the source, the young man saw that the red monster was facing away from him, only her simple dress visible from being on her hands and knees facing away from him next to a small pool of water. Like he had just done, Maple was feeling around on her arms and around her head, gasping with everything that was felt, and then it was Link's turn to gasp when she suddenly stood up and turned around to face him. Gone were the red skin and monstrous features like claws and fangs, replaced by long black hair, smooth skin, and a smile that momentarily made the young man forget about Agahnim, Ganondorf, and everything else… this young woman was… she was so beautiful.

"I'm me again! I'm me again! I'm not a monster!" Maple yelled excitedly, sprinting over and throwing her arms around him. "This must be Hyrule, we did it!"

Aside from her method of speech and the way she pronounced certain words, physically everything about this young woman was so different from the red monster that she had been in the Dark World, and Link only had a moment to wonder why he had become a cute little bunny rabbit while she became a fire breathing nightmare, before he felt her kiss him on the cheek. The young woman was looking at him now, taking both his hands while exclaiming that he had been changed back, too, only to let go of him just long enough to come in for another hug. This time Link put his arms around her as well, both happy to be back in Hyrule as well as realizing that he had just rescued one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, and she might have been going to kiss his cheek again, but the young man turned his head to look at her at just the right time.

It wasn't like he had never kissed a girl before, but somehow this felt different even though it only lasted a second, and now the two of them were just standing there while the rain passing through the forest canopy slowly drenched them. This was an awkward moment and Link wasn't sure what to do or say, but then Maple leaned forward and kissed him again, saving him the trouble of having to make the first move. Yes, there was still Agahnim, and Ganondorf, and the crystal girls, but the young man figured that after everything he had been through he deserved a bit of a break, and what better way to spend that break than kissing a beautiful girl in the middle of…

"Wait a second, where are we?" He asked once the kiss ended. "Is this the Lost Woods?"

"I don't know, it might be." The young woman replied, looking around a bit. "As far as I know, things in both worlds are in roughly the same place, uh… why? Is that important? Are we in danger? We should go to my grandmother's shop, we'll be safe there."

She had started pulling on his hand to follow her in leaving the forest, but this time Link had to refuse. Yes, absolutely would he help the young woman to get home, but ending up in the Lost Woods was an even bigger stroke of luck on top of actually managing to find the break between worlds. Regardless of everything that had happened to him from Agahnim, Ganondorf, Daira, and Mothula, that didn't change the fact that the young man had successfully completed the challenges of wisdom, courage, and power, meaning that he was still worthy to claim the Master Sword… and according to Princess Zelda, the legendary weapon was hidden right there in the Lost Woods.

But where? The lush green forest was just as big and confusing as the other one in the Dark World, so would they be able to find it in time? Or at all?