Chapter 2 - To Begin Anew

...

For a few years now, Link had lived a rather peaceful and pleasant life. He had been granted permission to retire from his duties as the bodyguard of the princess after successfully fighting off the Calamity, as no more monsters bothered the kingdom. He felt grateful for that, despite sometimes yearning for more of an action-filled lifestyle, but the journey to save Hyrule had left its mark on him still, both mentally and physically. Nightmares and the pain from his broken body had not been unfamiliar to him in the months following his retirement, and sometimes he still experienced unwanted reminders of the past.

But as with all, time had worked its magic yet again to heal the body and mind of the loved hero. He had been given a plot of land overlooking the newly established Tarrey Town, and together with the building company of Hudson's, they had built a comfortable home for him. The house was nothing too grand, and neither from the exterior nor the interior could you tell the royal knight of Princess Zelda lived there – but Link had always preferred a simpler lifestyle. He rarely thought of himself as a knight of high honor, or as the hero of Hyrule. It often seemed as though he would rather not discuss the past at all.

Behind his modest house was a shelter with two open walls and a paddock growing lush, green grasses. Grazing within the wooden fences were three horses, two of them with dark coats and even darker manes, and one reddish brown with an almost white mane that seemed to glow in the sunlight. The two dark ones were dwarfed next to the red mare, Link's heart horse and trusted companion, Epona. She had stayed on his side ever since he found her wandering the woods near a stable all those years ago, and would for however more years to come. Together, they had faced the towering beast created from malice and bested the evil reincarnate in battle. To her, Link owed his life.

Just as always before, this morning Link was greeted with a warm and excited whinnying followed by the sound of hoofbeats on soft ground as he stepped out of the door and closed in on the paddock. He would start every morning by tending to the horses, even before taking care of his own needs. He had always been like that; one with nature, almost sharing a soul with the animals of this land.

Link greeted his mare by scratching her neck, and she rested her head on his shoulder as a sign of what must've been gratitude. Usually he spent his mornings in peace, but today he felt something different in the air, something he had not anticipated nor longed for – something ominous. Epona seemed to sense it as well, as she suddenly threw her head up in the air and let out a loud huff, her ears spinning nervously around looking for danger. Link realized he must be making the mare feel more concerned, so he took a deep breath and stroked her neck to calm her down.

"I know, girl," he softly muttered to the horse. The other two horses seemed to not notice the tension at all, and it worried Link more. If it was only something he and the mare could sense, it really only meant one thing…

"Let's hope it is nothing."

He tried his best to ignore the feeling haunting him in the back of his mind by continuing to feed the horses. Epona had calmed down slightly and was grazing again, but one of her ears being pointed towards Link told him enough. She was still anxiously listening, and waiting.

The feeling did not let go though, and Link couldn't help but be reminded of the Calamity and the lengths to which he and his trusted companion had been forced to go to destroy it. He had no doubt that Epona also carried with her mental scars, in addition to the countless physical ones she had all around her body, breaking the beautiful red coat with bald spots and white hairs. The poor horse had been through so much, yet her trust in Link had never wavered. Link could only hope that they would be able to spend the rest of their lives peacefully. In fact, that was the only thing he hoped for.

Yet as a sound of rushed hooves reached his ears, he knew he should not have expected anything less. He turned his head towards the sound just in time to see two figures on horses trotting around the hill and clearly heading to his direction. As they came closer, he could make out the shiny, lightweight armor of a messenger soldier the both of them were clad in. He sighed, turned to face them and lifted his hand up to shield his eyes from the rising sun.

"Sir Link!" One of them, a young man no older than twenty, exclaimed as they slowed the horses down to a halt next to his house and dismounted in a hurried manner, "We bring a message to you from the Princess Zelda of Hyrule." The other soldier, a woman not much older than the man, dug out a letter from her saddlebag and handed it towards Link with a bow. Link took the letter with a concerned face, eyeing the two messengers.

"What is it?" He asked in a monotonous voice, tearing open the purple seal of the royal family and pulling out the letter.

"The princess has summoned you to the castle, saying it is of utmost importance."

Link looked at them from under his brow, glanced at the letter and then the two fresh soldiers again.

"Thank you… What are your names again?"

Both of them straightened up and quickly looked at each other, "Lena and Clance, sir!"

Link nodded and tried to smile, but it came out dry, "Thank you, Lena and Clance. You may leave. Tell Zelda to expect me in a couple of days' time." The two thanked Link and took their leave almost as fast as they had come.

Link sat down on a tree stump, slowly opened the letter and took in every word.

...

A few hours later the deep, clear waters and rocky shores of Cephla Lake greeted Link and Epona, far beyond them looming the shadow of the great volcano of Eldin, Death Mountain. The lake was located in a valley between the volcano and the Lanayru mountain range, and so rather than long, shallow beaches it was circled by steep cliffs and unstable boulders and rocks which could send a careless traveler plummeting into the cold waters below. It was no wonder that multiple warning signs had been erected on the sides of the road where it snaked its way along the shore. To the south, the road was bordered by the high cliffs which housed the Great Spring of Lanayru, a huge source of fresh water that poured out from the mountains and supplied most of Hyrule – and of course, the home of the Zora. Multiple waterfalls and small rivers flowed on this side too, but the biggest rivers and lakes were located on the other side of the mountains.

Link took in a deep breath, trying to relax his anxious heart. He had always loved the contrast in landscape along this road, but right now he found it hard to enjoy the scenery. The letter had been full of troubling information straight from Zelda herself, most of which was strangely foreign to Link despite him being mostly familiar with the history and modern age of the kingdom. Zelda had mentioned a mysterious mirror shard she had found beneath Hyrule Castle, and Link had immediately felt his throat tighten and heartbeat quicken while reading about it. He had never heard of such a mirror, but to think that it would be a sign of anything good felt too optimistic to hold true. Even more than the mentions of the mirror, Link had been dreading to read the last words on the letter, wishing and hoping and praying that the day would never come again, yet from the first lines he had known where the writing was taking him.

Simply and shortly, yet jarringly obviously separated from the rest of the text to catch his attention and make a mark in his mind, it had read:

"And please, retrieve the sword".

Zelda need not put an explanation, as Link knew all too well what sword she meant. The line itself, the need for the Master Sword, the blade that seals the darkness, was enough to set Link's mind spiraling into said darkness. He had hoped to never have to draw her from the pedestal again, to never have to venture deep into Lost Woods for the sole purpose of putting his life on the line yet again, for the greater good. The implication of needing the aid of the Sword, even to have to have it with him "just in case", screamed danger in the back of his very soul. And now, for the third time in his lifetime, he was put in the situation in which he would have to come face to face with his biggest fears and deepest traumas.

Epona could sense Link's anxiety and hopelessness as well, and she had been uneasy throughout the whole ride so far. Clouds were gathering in the sky and the wind was slowly picking up, and that change in weather made the mare even more fiddly. A rustling bush or a bird flying by was enough to send her head and tail up towards the ever-greying sky and make her dance on the spot, kicking up dust from the dirt road. Link was not afraid of her bolting, even with loose reins, as she never did, and he seemed utterly unbothered by her nervous movements. Occassionally, his hands reached down to gently pet her strong, muscular neck, and for a moment she would exhale and relax under him.

Epona trusted Link completely as well, but she had always been a horse of strong mind despite her otherwise gentle nature, and that did match her exterior; she was a huge, muscular mare, still more strong than plain heavy. Not the usual choice for a knight, but the two of them had clicked like aligning pieces of a puzzle from the day one, and she had turned out to be quite a soldier as their bond grew. For her size, Epona was surprisingly fast and agile, yet could not compete against the horses bred for the knights in speed – but could beat them any day in raw, brute strength and willpower. Link often theorized her to be from a farm horse origin, and that surely could be close to the truth. However, he could never truly know, as only Epona knew what happened to her as a young filly.

Another couple of hours passed by at a steady trot until the duo came across a crossroad along the riverbank. To the east snaked the perilous road to Zora's Domain, the capital of the Zora, and to the west continued the way towards Eldin and – of course – Hyrule Castle. Link took the right turn to the west, slowing Epona down to a crisp walk on the widening path. Ahead of them, further north along the riverbank, he could make out the shapes of multiple tents and hear the sound of joyous chatter. More and more travellers and merchants of all the hyrulean races were passing them by, some on horseback, others driving a carriage or a cart pulled by one, some even walking alongside their donkeys which were carrying all of their precious wares. The marketplace ahead was an important gathering point for people from the Lanayru, Akkala and Eldin regions, as well as from Central Hyrule, to buy, sell and trade, as well as just mingle with new faces and old friends.

Link had little interest in such activities, especially now, but he stopped nevertheless to let Epona drink from the meandering river and to buy himself something to keep him going; a slice of dried meat, some apples and bread. Usually, he preferred to hunt and harvest his own food instead of buying it from vendors, but today he did not feel like spending time in the woods searching for something to eat. His mind was off, so he would likely not be able to find anything anyway, despite the years of practice on him.

After the short stop and some curious looks from the people at the marketplace, Link and Epona set to continue their trek again. The evening was setting in, slowly but surely, and it was still a good three-hour ride to their planned resting place, the Woodland Stable. The sun was still some ways from the horizon, peeking through the still gathering clouds from time to time and casting her golden rays on the two, but Link could smell a hint of rain in the late summer breeze and was in somewhat of a haste to get closer to a shelter before they would be caught in a downpour. Before, he used to love the rain and the storms, but after the years of taking his body too far over the edge time and time again, his right hand – the shield hand – had been getting numbing spikes of pain when it was cold and rainy. He no longer enjoyed the rainy days as in the past, as the pain made him want to chew his arm right off.

As the skies darkened above and the first, chilly droplets hit Link's face, he urged his steed to a brisk canter; a task the mare took on willingly. Her strong hind legs sent the horse and rider forward, and in a couple of strides they were sprinting along the dirt road, wet dust and small rocks being launched into the air behind them from Epona's plate-sized hooves. In only a few minutes the rain grew harder, and Link pulled up his worn hood and clicked his tongue which signaled the mare into a gallop with an excited snort. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit as the horse leapt over a forming puddle and threw her head up joyfully, in the next second pulling it down and arching her neck, bouncing for a few strides until continuing her headlong gallop. She loved the rain, Link knew, and seeing her frolicking like a filly even for a moment swept away some of his worries. He was glad to have an animal as his companion, for they lived in the moment. He hoped that, one day, he could do the same.

...

It didn't take long with the pace they were travelling for the huge, towering head of a horse made of wooden planks, leather and thick cloth to come into view, marking the proximity of the stable. As they reached the sheep paddocks framing the road that led up to it, he slowed Epona down to a walk and absent-mindedly patted her soaked neck, wiping droplets from his own brow with the other hand and shaking them off to fly towards the ground. The movement made his wrist and shoulder ache painfully, and a flash of pain hovered on his face for a second. For the next second, he let go of the reins and subconsciously rubbed his sore arm.

Dozens of sheep grazed within the fences, some seeking shelter from the rain under sturdy oaks, some standing under the open sky seemingly unbothered. A few lifted their heads as they noticed Link and Epona passing by, and let out curious bleats, however continuing their grazing soon after. Further ahead, a girl cladded in greyish garb, high boots and a straw hat was scrubbing the water trough furiously, grunting with effort and pausing to wipe her wet face from time to time. Link deduced her to be the stablehand, one in charge of taking care of the animals, and nodded a polite greeting as their eyes met. The girl raised a hand to do the same, and continued her work without a word.

The Woodland Stable was, despite its name, a lot more than a stable. The wide, round building supporting the giant horse head functioned as an inn for travellers to enjoy a soft bed and a warm meal, as well as some company, before heading back into the wilderness, with an opening in front for the front desk and a set of double doors right next to it. Link had visited this stable numerous times, and knew that inside he would find a warmly lit, open space with a few tables lying around, another desk for inside services and some small rooms with beds for those who wished to stay a night.

Beyond the inn lay the actual stable – a long, low building with a sloping roof and a dozen wooden double-doors leading from the outside straight to the separate stalls. A lot of them were already occupied, as was common for a stormy evening, with all kinds of curious faces examining the new arrival. Epona earned a few hearty snorts and head tosses as Link led her to an empty stall near the farther end, the mare settling down quickly next to a fresh bale of hay after vigorously shaking the excess water off of her. As Link set his worn saddle and bridle over the closed half-door and on the hook attached to it respectively, a soft whinny greeted him from the neighbouring stall, followed by the appearance of a slim white-grey head and warm eyes. He smiled back at the old gelding just as warmly, and reached out his hand to gently rub his head. The gelding closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, nickering softly.

"Good to see you again, old man," Link spoke quietly, "I'm off to see your master. Take good care of Epona for the night, would you?"

The horse seemed to almost nod, as if understanding, curiously looking at Link's back as he strode for the cover of the inn. The man paid only a swift glance at the empty market stalls on the other side of the road as he swung the doors of the inn open, hurrying inside.

Immediately, he was greeted by much-needed warmth, emanating both from the actual temperature and the delicious scent of a freshly made stew, thick with cream and cheese and fish. He paid no mind to the smell of wet cloth, mud and hay creeping through; it was the lesser evil in this situation.

At this hour, only a few faces could be seen in the common room, mostly consisting of hooded and exhausted travellers slurping down their supper before retiring for the night. Even as the stable dog barked a huffed alarm, their faces did not turn to see the newcomer, and for that Link felt oddly grateful.

The hurried patter of paws on the plank floor brought over a wet mess of black, tan and white hairs, its tail starting to wag intensively as it recognised Link. A few excited bounces, clearly slowed down by age, and it – she – was face to face with the kneeling man. Link almost toppled over from the combination of the happy dog and the weight of his saddle bags he had swung over his shoulder.

"Hello, girl. Long time no see, huh?" Link pet the dog, smiling. Each wag of her tail sent his worries a bit further away. At least some things stay the same.

"Seems like she still remembers you, pal," a male voice came from above and behind the counter, and made Link look at the source while trying to contain the wiggling ball of fur in front. "Small wonder though, you always had a connection."

Link's eyes met the deep brown gaze of a man in his fifties. He donned a dirty, greyish-green leather hat lined with dark linen, under which a thick, dark braid of hair sprouted along his wide back. A short stubble framed his face, and bushy brows were escaping from under his hat shadowing his eyes. Yet, his expression displayed a certain delight, the same one would show when seeing an old friend.

"Kiri," Link smiled, standing up from the floor, "it is good to see you again. How have you been?"

The older man chuckled, crossing his muscular arms loosely, "Same old, same old. Tending the stables, running the business, managing the customers… Busy days now, as the end of summer approaches."

"Any headaches on the customer front?" Link smiled crookedly.

"Heh, always a few, but nothing too grand. Good thing you brought your bags inside, though," Kiri nodded towards Link's saddlebags, "Wouldn't want them to get stolen again, would you?" The man's deep laugh made Link roll his eyes and groan, yet he could not help a chuckle escaping his throat.

"Oh for Din's sake, it has been years, Kiri!"

"Time only makes it funnier, lad, don't you know?" he grinned playfully, turning his attention to what must've been the reservation book with a few huffs. "What brings you here anyway, Link? Did you finally get tired of the country life?"

At that, Link lingered for a moment, bending to pet the dog loyally sitting at his feet to mask his hesitation. He would not want to tell the man the truth, for it would only worry him. In addition, there were too many unfamiliar faces and snoopy noses around to risk revealing his true destination, so he would have to settle on a lie – something he loathed doing.

"Not quite yet, Kiri," he finally answered, "Just visiting old friends here and there." Plausible enough.

"Well, I'm glad you do! It has been what, over a year? Since I've last seen your face 'round here."

"Something like that. Sorry for not visiting sooner."

"Ah, nonsense! Time has flown past like a hawk. So, I assume you won't be riding out at night. There's a room free for you, friend, the second on the left. Get cozy, I shall send Tai to fetch you a bowl of Rello's stew in no time. And –," Kiri lifted a hand to stop Link, who was already grabbing for his purse to pay, "It's on the house, friend. No objections!"

Link retrieved his hand from one of his pouches and returned the man's firm smile with a slightly awkward one, though nodding nevertheless. "You know me too well, old friend. As you wish."

He walked around the curved counter to the left side of the inn, where he found the room Kiri had assigned him. At the door, he stopped, suddenly turning around, "Oh, and thank you, Kiri."

The man simply waved his hand dismissively, another soaked lost soul wandering through the door grabbing his attention.

Link entered the room, setting down his possessions and promptly stripping out of his outer layer of clothes, flattening them neatly aside in an attempt to dry them before the morning. His handcrafted wooden hunting bow found its way next to them, along with his quiver filled with a dozen arrows. A sharp and glistening boning knife collided noisily with the floor, sliding out of its sheath. Link cursed under his breath, picked it up and set it onto the bed next to his pillow. Even in times of peace and safety, he dared not let go of old habits.

A young boy of ten brought the promised stew a moment later. Link knew he could have turned it down, as he still had the dried meat, apples and bread in his bag from earlier, but Kiri would not have liked that. The man would have stomped into the room, sat on the chair opposite of the bed and forced Link to gulp down every last drop before leaving, satisfied. He was almost a bear with his rough caring, that man.

Link chuckled inwardly at the memory, accepting the bowl from the boy and spooning its contents into his stomach in no time. Sleep came easy that night, despite the anxiety burning his insides.

...

The next morning greeted him with golden rays and the fresh smell of grass after rain. Numerous birds and squirrels were jumping in the brush and treetops around him, a woodpecker knocking for worms somewhere nearby, and a lone fox crying farther in the thicket. Epona held her ears forward as she eagerly stepped along the uphill path towards the Great Hyrule Forest – or as Link had learnt to call it, the Lost Woods. It was an apt name for the place, for a thick fog always lay over the forest, and only those with keen enough senses were able to navigate through it. In this world, that did not account for many.

Each beat of a large hoof took them closer to the forest's entrance, and the sacred sword which waited within. After a good night's rest, Epona had high spirits and seemed determined to increase the speed the steeper the hill became. Link, however, was feeling the opposite. With each passing second, he could feel the dark cloud looming at the back of his mind grow stronger and stormier, his anxious thoughts feeding it ever more. With each step, he felt his weight press into the saddle more, as if the gravity was pulling him with twice the force. He could feel Epona's frustration as instead of letting her go faster, he seemed to involuntarily shorten her step to a crawl.

Link had decided to leave early, before the other lodgers would wake and slow him down. As he had emerged from his room, the common room had been empty, and Kiri had been nowhere to be seen. He had let out a sigh of relief at that, then hurried out towards the stables, saddling the red mare quickly and riding for some half a mile until stopping shortly to fill his waterskin from the river. He did not want to risk tumbling into the innkeeper at the docks, even though he had felt quite rude leaving without a word. But, he would return through the same route, so he would have the chance to say his thanks to the man soon enough. After that, it had been just rigorous uphill riding until now, when the two had finally reached the highest point of the path.

Beyond them, the Great Forest welcomed them with open arms of thick, deep green. The hill descended a bit towards the entrance, marked by an old stone arch, revealing the vast sea of gently swaying treetops. Amongst them snaked the pale tendrils of the fog, rising and lowering like giant ghostly waves, in complete harmony with the trees yet seemingly swallowing and spitting them back out ever so often. And in the middle of this emerald sea stood its guardian, stretching towards the sky with a reach tenfold that of its children, its immensely thick trunk and wide branches throwing a shadow over the woods surrounding it. Yet its limbs did not support an army of ominously green leaves, but millions and millions of blooming flowers of gentle pink and white.

Link dismounted at the stone arch. "You wait here, girl. I'll be right back, alright?" he petted Epona's neck, leaving her untethered. The mare dove eagerly into the closest batch of tall grass, contently munching on her breakfast as her master stepped through the entrance.

A cold mist greeted him almost instantly, gathering around him, swirling and spectating as if questioning who disturbed its peace, whispering into his ear an invitation and an eviction at the same time. Link closed his eyes, and for a moment his nightmares came alive behind his lids; a dark mirror, a black shadow, a transformed Hyrule, her people mere husks of themselves, and her princess, stolen and locked away. A shiver ran up his spine like an icy spider, making him grit his teeth and furrow his brow in concentration. And then, blackness, as he drove the nightmares away.

For a moment, he listened. The fog around him lingered into his mind, spying on his consciousness. Its whispers grew louder and louder, almost agonizing, as it bounced around in his mind's quarters looking for something, anything, to make him its victim. Link stood still, his restless mind brewing images of failure, of getting lost, of succumbing to the fog, and never re-emerging from the trees again. He would be forgotten, the kingdom left without her protector, her only hope. Her people would succumb to the cold of the night just as he did in the fog, the starless sky giving them no escape. An era of darkness, and of fear.

Yet just as it had twice before, the mist slowly quieted down, slipping out of his head. As a sign of acceptance, it bowed its head at the Hero, retreating and revealing a path through it, leading him deep into the woods. Behind him, it swallowed up the path once again, embracing him in a chilly cradle. The world was not lost yet.

As the fog finally subsided and the dark of the forest gave way to a golden light and the shine of flowers, Link could finally ease his shallow breathing. Despite travelling through the Lost Woods before, it had never stopped making him nervous. Now, in front of him opened the secluded, sacred forest of the Koroks, the magical woodland race of playful yet secretive beings resembling tiny tree stumps. Their cheerful jingle and high-pitched voices could be heard from the edges of their home, and they only grew louder and more excited as they spotted the familiar face of their Hero.

"The Hero is here!"

"Everyone, he has come back to play with us!"

"Tell the Great Deku Tree! He will be so happy!"

A bunch of them greeted Link gleefully, beckoning him to follow to meet their Father. He, of course, knew the way, but decided to play along for his own good.

"Come on now, Mr. Hero! This way!"

Link strode behind the floating and bouncing Koroks through the serene woods into a small opening. There, a few dozen feet from him, stood the age-old guardian of the forest – The Great Deku Tree. His roots, some as thick as a house, reached down into the ground with twists and turns, creating hidden rooms and clever pathways around the trunk for the Koroks to dwell in. His low, slow breathing brought life to the woods, his exhales and inhales sending pulses of soft gusts among the trees like a vein carrying blood through the body. Above, birds of all kinds soared in the sky and raced around in the huge umbrella-like canopy, and below, numerous squirrels and mice ran from bush to bush, gathering nuts and seeds as they went. Everything seemed as if part of a single organism, the whole of the flora and fauna breathing, living, thinking as one.

Almost automatically, Link's gaze quietly fell from the sight around him to the one in front. Between him and the Deku Tree lay a triangular stone pedestal, halfway overgrown with moss and vines, and a short stairway leading up to it. In the middle, bathed in a natural spotlight from a hole in the canopy, rested the very thing Link had come all this way for. He gulped audibly, his eyes transfixing to the shining white blade with the all-so-familiar light blue glow emanating from it. Its hilt was of brilliant purple and blue, its shine blinding, yet it was the pull Link felt gripping his body which took him by surprise. He took one quivering step towards it. Not even during the Calamity had the sword begged for him like it did now. Another step, which forcefully turned into two. What horrors could make the blade so determined to reunite with him? He walked the last steps in a trance, staring at the blade with heavy breaths.

Mere two feet from the sword, he felt dwarfed by it. In his eyes, the white of the blade extended into heavens, bending over him to look him in the eyes.

"O' Hero of Hyrule…" a booming voice in the shape of wind reached him, awakening him from his paralysis. He looked upwards, and met the wooden gaze of the Deku Tree, his expression slowly changing from slumberous to hopeful with creaks of wood as he gazed at the small Hero.

"You are here… To retrieve the Master Sword… Once more…"

Link nodded with a hesitant frown.

"I can feel it… The winds are changing… The world is threatened once more…"

A moment of silence fell between them. Link was at a loss for words, but instead of awe like the last time, his heart was beating with fear. He felt his right hand go numb.

"Go on then, o' Chosen Hero… Pull the sword… And wield it… to cut through the cloud of Evil…"

Answering to the call of the sword, Link placed his hands carefully around the hilt, and breathed deep at the familiar feeling of cold metal and weathered leather in his palms – yet despite the familiarity, he had not longed to feel it again.

Exhaling half through his teeth, he pulled upwards. With a metallic ring, the blade slid free of its resting place, and its begging calls transformed into a content silence. In the sun's golden rays the blade gleamed ever brighter as Link lifted it skyward, bathing it in the freedom he had granted it. The forest around him sang, rejoicing in the return of their savior, in the reuniting of the Hero and the Sword.

The sword that would once again seal the Darkness.