Chapter 6: The Imposter
Ashwin returned to the Kokiri village after his experience at the Temple of Farore. He still missed home, but now felt an obligation to finish the challenge the Great Deku Tree set out for him. He had to find the two others with the Triforce. He wondered about the nature of the Triforce that filled him with such bravery. Did the two others also feel this way? He was unable to track down the other Kokiri boy who had left the temple with the other Triforce. By the time he exited the structure, there was no sign of him. Ashwin got such a distant view of this boy that there was no hope of identifying him in the village. Nobody in the whole forest seemed to have the Triforce mark on their hands. Ashwin would go to sleep at the end of each day frustrated with another fruitless search.
He awoke one morning to the sound of a loud dispute going on outside. He had been sleeping in a treehouse with a few Kokiri boys he was starting to know quite well. The Kokiri built their homes up in the trees. Ashwin found himself alone in the house this morning. After donning his boots, sword, and shield, he exited the dwelling and climbed down a wooden ladder. He saw a congregation of Kokiri engaged in some kind of heated debate. They looked like a sea of green huddled together. As he approached them, they all looked surprised to see him. They all turned to stare at him. The loud discussion died down to a murmur.
"You've got some nerve coming back here!" One of the Kokiri blurted out, casting a pointing finger at Ashwin.
"What's going on?" Ashwin was taken aback.
"Give them back!" It was Ornus speaking now. "I saw you running off with the seeds of the Great Deku Tree!"
"I didn't take any seeds!" Ashwin was indignant. The crowd erupted in angry shouting. They had encircled him now. He struggled to make out anything any one of them was saying. Apparently several of the Kokiri were convinced they saw him run off with the seeds along the path leading North out of the village. He noticed Evie in the crowd looking downcast. It always made Ashwin feel awful to disappoint Evie. He tried desperately to protest, but he couldn't get a word in.
There was no time to feel sorry for himself. Ashwin, acting decisively, reached into a pocket inside his tunic and pulled out a pair of deku nuts. He shut his eyes tightly as he cast them against the ground. As they cracked open, they gave off a sudden blinding flash that Ashwin could feel right through his clenched eyelids. He opened his eyes to see the crowd rubbing their eyes or trying to feel about with their hands. He shoved his way through the blinded crowd and began to sprint.
Ashwin raced right out of the village heading North along the main trail. It must be some kind of imposter that took off with the seeds in question. If he could catch up to the perpetrator, he could get to the bottom of this.
As he distanced himself from the village, he reduced his pace. Eventually, he slowed to a brisk walk. He was far enough away that he had time to think. Who could have done this? With his round ears, Ashwin looked very unique in this place. How could he be mistaken for someone else? The Kokiri boy with the other Triforce was constantly on his mind. Could he have something to do with this? Why would they be so similar in appearance? Could this have something to do with the Triforce? Did it somehow create an image of him? A shadow of himself? And who is the third person with the Triforce? Is there a second Shadow Ashwin somewhere? As he continued on the trail, dozens of questions raced through his head, and very few answers.
Ashwin had never been this far from the Kokiri village, but the landscape was familiar to him. The dirt path weaved through the beautiful deku trees to the sound of crickets chirping and birds singing.
Up ahead, another traveller was coming down the dirt path towards Ashwin. What stood out immediately was that this man was an adult. Ashwin had not seen one yet in this world. For a moment, Ashwin wondered if he had somehow returned to his own world, but as the man approached, his pointed ears became visible. He was a Hylian, not from the forest. Something about Ashwin seemed to perplex him.
"Are you lost?" The man stopped walking as he passed. "You must be running in circles, I'm sure I passed you not too long ago."
"Which way did you see me going?" Ashwin gathered that this traveller must have seen Shadow Ashwin. He must be getting closer.
"I last saw you right where the trail splits up. You turned to head towards Zora's River."
"Thanks!" Ashwin ran off, continuing down the path.
By the time he reached Zora's river, he had spent the bulk of the morning on this hike and the noon-day sun was now beating down from overhead. The sound of the strong current of the river was refreshing. The trees became more scarce here and the terrain opened up. The great fields of Hyrule could be seen in the distance.
Ashwin was starting to tire, but he kept up a vigorous pace in an attempt to catch up to Shadow Ashwin. After following the river for quite some time there was still no sign of him. Just as frustration was beginning to set in, the monotony of the long trek was broken up in an instant. Before he could realize what was happening to him, something had come out of the water to grab Ashwin and pull him into the river. It had happened so quickly that Ashwin did not have a chance to take a deep breath. Under the cold water, he struggled frantically to break free from some sort of smooth bleach-white arms. As he slowly ran out of oxygen, everything went dark.