A/N: Are you excited? I'm excited! As a quick note, I'm hoping to get the next chapter out by Halloween? Why? You'll see. But I have a one-shot for another fandom I'll be posting first. Hopefully between that and school and work, I'll have enough time to post the next one. Until then, enjoy!


Three Boys


Link kept traveling even as the sun set and continued his journey throughout the entire night. He only occasionally paused for a short rest, or to avoid the roaming bands of monsters that plagued the field. Not once did he encounter a stalchild, something that he felt should have been concerning. Instead, squads of larger, armored skeletons occasionally marched by in rigid rows, their burning red eyes searching for anything that moved in the darkness. Once, he caught sight of a poe, the spirit's lantern illuminating grass and dirt as it slowly meandered over the fields and across the dilapidated paths.

And throughout it all, Link was not sure he was headed the right way. For a time, he followed the river, passing the bridge towards Kakariko, and the ravine that lead back towards Zora's Domain. But eventually, he ran out of river to follow, and had to take his own, guessed path. He turned his back to the water and followed as straight of a line as he could.

Soon the sun began to creep up the sky, lighting up the world he'd failed to protect. At this time, he quit seeing stalfos marching around, and instead occasionally caught sight of a roving band of lizalfos. These groups were much less rigid than the stalfos, wandering around as they pleased, occasionally taking a moment to stretch out in the sunlight. But they still kept an eye out for any movement, just as the stalfos had before.

Eventually, he came across a broken-down stone wall. He took a moment to rest against it and thought back to when he first traveled towards the castle and realized that he recognized it. Almost immediately, he turned left and dashed ahead.

Soon, Link caught sight of a speckling of trees in the distance, standing tall in front two cliffs with an opening, a familiar sight. Link dashed forward to close the remaining space and ran between the two walls, familiarity returning as he grew closer and closer, until he reached an oversized, hollowed-out log. A log that led back to the Kokiri Forest.

At once, he was relieved. Even if everything was wrong, even if he had messed up horribly, at least he was home.

But as soon as he entered the forest, he realized something was off. There was no sound of laughter. No sound of play. Even the birds had long gone silent. Kokiri Forest sounded as dead as could be.

Almost, at least.

Link made a wide berth around a large deku baba plant that had sprouted up, something that he had never seen in this part of the woods. Something that he was certain the Kokiri never would have allowed. That the Deku Tree would not have allowed.

But the Deku Tree was dead, and no longer held domain over the forest.

A few mad scrubs poked their heads out as he passed by, but none attacked him. None saw the need to attack him.

This was very wrong. Everything was still here, but everything was wrong.

He began to walk towards one of the Kokiri homes but thought better of it. He wasn't ready to see their fates. No, he feared what he might find, so he turned away and instead headed for the familiar entrance to the Lost Woods.

For a time, he was accompanied by only the rustle of leaves in the wind. First, he made his way to his old hollowed out stump. Home. The place he had left so long ago, apparently, yet it still felt like yesterday.

From the outside, it was almost just as he remembered it. The grass around it had grown taller, perhaps, but otherwise it hadn't changed a bit.

The inside, however, was a mess. All his belongs had been haphazardly scattered, including the leaves and twigs that made up his bed. His blanket was gone entirely, as were any of the nuts and other goods he had left behind, all taken by someone in the time he'd been gone.

He wasn't sure how long seven years was exactly, but it really had been a long time, hadn't it?

Fingers brushed over the floor, leaving traces in the dirt. He allowed himself a few more minutes to reminisce on the old times, to miss his home, before he forced himself to stand up and move on. After all, he had work to do, and the sooner he woke the sage, the sooner he could try to heal his curse.

Stepping back outside, he began to walk away. However, a rustling in the undergrowth made him stop sharply. He grew still, listening. The sound raced sharply to his left but remained hidden. Slowly, he reached down to wrap his hand around the hookshot's handle and brought it up against his chest.

The rustling stopped. But then a whistle sounded, and a dart shot through the air, embedding itself into Link's shoulder.

He let out a yelp and retaliated by shooting the hookshot in the general direction the sound came from. The spike shot out, flying through the air and embedding itself in a tree with a loud "thunk." Link pressed the button to retract it, but it dragged him forward instead, straight towards the bushes his assailant had attacked from.

The hookshot drove him right into the tree, smacking against it. He scrambled back to his feet and wrenched the hookshot free from the trunk, then whirled around to face his assailant.

"...Wait, Skully?"

Sure enough, his attacker was the skull kid he had known for so long. Skull Kid was staring him down, a dart loaded up in his flute. But as Link spoke his name, he hesitated, staring him down. Dozens of expressions crossed his face as he processed that simple question.

"...Link?"

Link's face lit up as realization crossed Skull Kid's face.

"Yeah, it's me! I'm back!"

The older skull kid continued to stare at him for a moment in disbelief. Link was back. He was really back after all this time. And yet…

Surprisingly, his expression soured. Though he dropped his weapon, he clenched his hands into fists. Then he began to yell.

"It took you long enough! Where have you been?!"

"I-" Link started to reply, but Skull Kid kept going, having only begun to vent his anger.

"I don't want to hear it! Where have you been? You just quit talking to us all of a sudden, and then you suddenly contact Saria once and she disappears! And then all the bad things start happening to the forest and everyone else has to clean up the mess while you're off doing whatever and ignoring us! And now you come back and want to pretend like everything is ok. But it's not. You abandoned us! You-"

He cut off, lowering his voice. "You abandoned Saria. You… You abandoned… You abandoned me. Didn't my friendship mean more to you than that?"

Link flinched at the accusations hurled at him. His voice came out falteringly. "Skull Kid… Skully I… I didn't leave by choice. It's just… I couldn't come back. Not right away."

Skull Kid's eyes flickered dangerously as he crossed his arms. "And why should I believe that?"

Link hesitated. How was he supposed to answer when he barely knew the answer himself? Well, he did the best thing he could think of: shared what little he knew.

"Ganondorf took me. He did something to me, and I… I wasn't in control of myself, apparently."

"Apparently?"

"I don't remember! I don't remember anything except being attacked and then I woke up and a strange man was talking to me and he gave me a sword and the sword hurt me and… and… and he said I was being controlled."

Skull Kid let out a huff and lowered his arms. "No offense, Link, but I find that a little hard to believe. I mean… this Ganondorf - whoever that is - 'took control of you?' That just sounds like a bad story."

"It's true!" Link cried out before continuing in a more hesitant voice, "I mean… it's what I was told, at least." He paused for a moment before an idea came to him. He grabbed hold of the collar on his tunic before pulling it down to expose the nasty web of cracks on his chance. "Look at this, does this look normal to you?"

For a moment, Skull Kid turned his head away, stubbornly refusing to look. But curiosity got the better of him, and he finally turned his head to look, only for him to recoil, eyes flickering. He hesitated before shifting forward to get a better look, even taking a sniff of the wound.

"Well… That sure isn't normal… but…" He let out a sigh before standing up straight, his aggression finally dissipating. "I… I'm still not sure I believe you but… I guess I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

Link's shoulders slumped in relief. Oh, thank the goddesses. "I'm so glad to see you, Skully. Everything's been terrible. The old man told me I did bad things, and then the guy in blue told me I had to come straight here, and the Castle Town was terrible and there were redeads everywhere… And then the forest was all bad too and… I just want things to go back to normal…"

Skull Kid stared for a moment, tilting his head. "Well… we could just hang out if you want. Play music together just like we used to. Would that be nice?"

For a moment, Link perked up. But it passed just as quickly. "I want to, I really do, but… I can't. I have to… to finish what I started. Look at the forest, it's all messed up because I wasn't good enough. I have to find the forest temple and wake the sage, so that they can stop Ganondorf."

"You're being silly, Link," Skull Kid replied, reaching forward to put a hand on his shoulder. "The forest isn't like this because of you, it grew wild without the Deku Tree."

"But I'm the one that couldn't save the Deku Tree!" Link wailed in response. "I couldn't do it because I'm not strong enough and because I'm a monster and I just-"

Skull Kid cut him off with a light shove. "That's silly. You're not a monster, Link, you're a Spirit. Big difference."

Link stared for a moment. "I…" He shook his head. "But everyone thinks I'm a monster! Even Navi secretly did!"

"Well if everyone thinks you're a monster then don't worry about them. Just give them your best prank! And if they get mad and can't appreciate you, then just forget them all and come back to the forest. It'll be just like old times! Well… almost. Close enough."

Link slumped. "I already said I can't. Not until I fix this, at least." While speaking, he gestured to his chest.

Skull Kid stared at Link for a moment, frustrated. "Fine. We'll go find this 'sage' or whatever, together, and make them make you better. Then we can go back to having fun all day. Deal?"

"I don't know if I can - I don't know if they'll be able to heal me by themselves but… it's worth a try." He considered for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Skull Kid's beak twisted into a grin. "Great, then let's go!" He spun around, only to pause. "Just… one question. Where's this Forest Temple?"

Link's eyes flickered. "That's… A good question. He never told me… But... maybe that's where Saria is?"

"Why would Saria be there?"

"Um… well, you see… Apparently Saria is the sage. Did I forget to say that?"

Skull Kid crossed his arms. "You did. How do you forget something that important?" He paused for a moment. "But but buuut! I think I know where to start looking."

Link considered for a moment. "The place in the forest where Saria always hung around?"

"That's right! Now come on! It's been forever since I saw Saria!" With that, the skull kid spun on his heel and began to bound away, leaving Link to try and keep up.

They raced through the forest for what felt like forever, taking familiar twists and turns that Link realized he still knew by heart. A left at the clearing where deku scrubs practiced their sharp shooting, then a dash through the twisting maze of trees that would leave most lost. But not Link. The forest was home. The forest still welcomed him just like it had when he'd first become a skull kid. The forest didn't judge him for who or what he was. The forest would always show him the way.

For a moment, he felt like he could just leave his cares in the darkness, abandon all his burdens, and breathe easy.

But the heavy sword and shield on his back reminded him of who he was. Reminded him of what he had to do. It brought him back down to earth and reminded him of what he had to do.

At some point, Skull Kid slowed down to talk to Link. "By the way, where is Navi?"

Link flinched and hesitated before answering. "I… I don't know. I don't know if she's alive or if she's okay or anything."

Skull Kid seemed to consider this for a moment. "Oh well, that's too bad. She was kind of annoying, but she seemed cool enough." He shook his head, seemingly unconcerned now that he had his answer, then bounded off again. "Come on, we're getting close!"

"Skully, look out!"

In his haste to get moving again, Skull Kid had failed to watch where he was going. As he raced ahead towards a huge fallen log, he ran face-first into a lone figure standing in the woods, knocking them over.

"Hey, watch it!" the person called out, trying to untangle himself from Skull Kid. After a moment of pushing and shoving, the two were separated, Skull Kid sitting up with an amused grin, looking rather disheveled with his hat hanging lopsided. The other was a Kokiri in a sleeveless one-piece article of clothing, a short scabbard attached to a belt around his hilt.

The Kokiri stood up, dusted himself off, and crossed his arms, scowling at the two. Only then did Link get a good look at his face and realize that he recognized him.

"You're that… that Mido guy!"

"Oh, is that his name?" Skull Kid asked, adjusting his hat. "I'd forgotten." He stood back up with a chuckle and moved back to stand beside Link.

Mido seemed quite displeased by Skull Kid's response, as he gave him a sharp glare. "And what, may I ask, are you two doing here?"

"Don't worry, I got this," Skull Kid whispered, before speaking louder. "Oh, it's nothing! We just have to find the Forest Temple! Oh, and, uh… Saria too, since she's there, apparently."

The Kokiri blinked a couple times, shocked by the blunt response, before his gaze hardened. "Oh yeah? Well, Saria told me not to let anyone through. Anyone! And that includes you."

"But we have to go," Link insisted. Then an idea clicked in his head. "Look I'll even get her permission. Hold on." And then he began to rummage through his bag, fishing out the ocarina Saria gave him.

Only… it wasn't the ocarina Saria gave him. Instead, the ocarina in his bag was a brilliant blue, a silver band with a Triforce insignia wrapped around the mouthpiece.

He stared at it blankly for a long moment. "That's not my ocarina…"

Skull Kid looked over the instrument for a moment, brushing his fingers over the smooth surface. "It sure isn't. You sure you don't have it in there?" Without waiting for an answer, he began to rummage through the bag, only to turn up empty handed.

"Nope, not there. You could still try that one though? It looks fancy!"

Link hesitated for a moment longer, trying to recall where the ocarina came from. Unfortunately, he could only draw blanks. The loss of Saria's ocarina was also a mystery, and the more he tried to think about either of those things, the more his head buzzed and grew fuzzy.

He groaned, shaking his head to clear it, then turned his attention back to the mysterious blue ocarina.

"Well… it's worth a try."

He brought the instrument up to his mouth with trembling hands and slowly blew a couple notes into the instrument. Then, a bit more confident, he began to play Saria's song, letting out strong, upbeat notes that contrasted the anxious pit in his stomach.

What would Saria say to him? Would she be angry that he had disappeared for so long? Or perhaps frustrated? Had she noticed his disappearance while she was holed away wherever she was?

Would she even be able to answer him? What if she didn't have her ocarina anymore? Or perhaps this ocarina couldn't connect. It wasn't from the forest after all. On, this was a stupid idea, he should have tried something else. He should have-

"...Link? Is that you?"

Link let out a small gasp as Saria's voice filled his head. "Yeah- Yeah it's me!"

Skull Kid reached over to grab Mido's hand and put it on the ocarina, then added his own.

"Hey, what are you-" Mido started, only to be cut off by Saria's voice.

"Mido? Are you there too?"

"S-Saria?!"

Skull Kid let out a giggle. "Not just Mido either."

The trio heard Saria let out a relieved breath. "Oh, you don't know how glad I am to hear that you're all okay." Her words then addressed Link. "Especially you, Link. It's been so long… but I knew I would hear from you again!"

"Where are you now?" Skull Kid asked. "Link said he has to go to the Forest Temple, I think?" To this, Link nodded.

"Y-yeah!" Mido nervously added in. "Everyone's been worried about you! I told them not to, but they do! You know how it is."

Saria giggled. "Well, thanks for keeping an eye out for them for me, Mido. I'm actually in the Forest Temple right now! I heard the spirit of the forest calling for help, and Link said I should try going to the Forest Temple if I wanted to help, so I went to check it out… But it's full of evil monsters, so it's taking a lot longer than expected. I'm sorry for making everyone worry!"

Both Skull Kid and Mido glanced up to Link, who stared back in confusion. "I… said that?"

Saria hummed in response. "That's right. Don't you remember? I suppose it has been a while..."

"No, I don't…" Link mumbled. The light of his eyes dimmed and flickered uncertainly, and he lowered his free hand to his side.

Saria hummed in thought. "Well… if I remember correctly, you did seem rather distressed when we last talked… maybe you forgot with all the stress you were under?"

"Maybe…"

"Where are you right now anyways? Oh wait, you must be somewhere in the forest if Skull Kid and Mido are with you. I've been trying to clear out the temple, but it seems like monsters are cropping up faster than I can clear them out. If you have to come anyway, why not help out?"

"But Saria," Mido protested, "you told me not to let anyone in."

Saria let out a lighthearted chuckle, a familiar laugh that Link hadn't realized he missed so much. "That's true! But if you three come help, I should be able to clear this out, and then we can all go back to the Kokiri Forest together. Maybe clearing out the temple will be enough to drive out the monsters there too. If not, we can deal with that and make everyone safe again. Wouldn't that be great?"

"You bet it would!" Skull Kid said before anyone else could speak. "It's been so boring since you left. There's no one to try and stop me from pulling off my master pranks, and there's no one to prank since all the Kokiri are hiding. Well, no one that's not going to try and kill me afterwards." And then he snorted, another laugh that Link had missed so much.

She laughed even at that, despite everything. "Don't push it Skully. Do you guys know where to go? Oh, of course you do, Link is with you. But… just in case, you know the clearing I liked to spend time in? The Sacred Grove? That's where you need to go. The Forest Temple is just behind it; if you use magic to get up on the ledge, you can't miss it!"

Mido took a deep breath. "Alright… well… if you think it's really okay, I'll go for you Saria. We'll see you soon."

With that, both Mido and Skull Kid pulled their hands away from the ocarina. Link held his hands there for just a moment longer, mumbling "see you soon," back to Saria before stowing the instrument away again. Then he looked up to see Skull Kid and Mido had already collected themselves, standing a few feet away waiting for Link.

"Well?" Mido said. "Let's get going then."

He began to walk, Skull Kid following just behind with Link bringing up the rear, though Skull Kid soon bounded ahead, being the one who knew the way the best. A few minutes passed in silence, though the silence was cut off when a fairy poked their head out from under Mido's cap.

"Are we sure about this?" the fairy asked. "How do we know we're not walking into a trap? The Deku Tree used to tell us to avoid the Forest Temple - it's dangerous ruins left behind from when the Hylians tried to tame the forest. And Saria said it was full of monsters… And how do we know we were really talking to Saria, or that Saria wasn't forced to tell us that?"

To that, Mido smiled and laughed. "It's okay, Ren. It can't be that bad. Besides, if Saria needs us, I can't just leave her there alone. And I can't just leave it to these two, can I?"

"Hey!" Skull Kid yelped. "I am - we are perfectly capable of handling things. You can go home if you want."

"No way!" Mido responded. "How 'bout we make it a competition then, to see who can defeat the most monsters and find Saria first?"

"Oh, you're on!"

Link followed behind the two forest residents slowly, listening to them bicker without making any input. Though he was just as determined as they were, his mind was occupied elsewhere. He let Saria's conversation repeat in his head. Though it had gone well, something still bothered him. Something that he couldn't piece together in his mind, that only gave him a headache the more he thought about it.

When did he tell Saria to go to the Forest Temple?

The remainder of the trio's journey continued the same way, with Skull Kid and Mido in the lead, bickering in semi-friendly tones, and Link silently bringing up the rear, lost in thought. But all things come to an end, and the relative peace was shattered when they neared the destination.

"Stop!" Mido's fairy called out. "Everyone stop, right now!"

Moved by the genuine distress in Ren's voice, Mido slowed to a stop, prompting Link and Skull Kid to stop as well.

"What's wrong?" Mido asked.

Skull Kid spoke next. "Yeah. What's the hold up?"

"Don't you feel it?" The fairy asked. As Link got a closer look, he realized the fairy was trembling.

"Feel what?"

"There's evil about," Ren said. "Evil monsters, here! Powerful ones! We should turn back, before they kill us all!"

Mido reached a hand up to press it comfortingly against the fairy. "I don't feel it, but I'll take your word for it. But we have to press on. Saria is past here, and she could be in trouble. Besides, we promised her we'd to try to be braver, remember?"

"I know," Ren mumbled. "But…"

"It'll be fine," Mido said. "Worst case scenario, we sneak around them. Alright?"

The fairy let out a whimper but said nothing more, turning his attention back to the path ahead.

Still, as they moved forward, all three boys reached for some sort of weapon. Link elected to grab hold of his hookshot, holding it close to his chest as he stepped forward. Mido grabbed hold of his short sword, and Skull Kid reached for his flute, loading up a handmade dart inside.

Link stepped forward first, looking around the rock cautiously. At the far end of the straight path stood a bored looking, bulldog-faced monster. It was at least twice Link's height, muscular, and lightly armored, holding a long spear in one hand.

Its attention shifted, catching sight of Link's eyes gleaming in the filtering sunlight. Link quickly ducked back around the corner, pressing up against the wall. Several tense seconds passed as the monster's heavy footsteps came closer and closer, until it reached the path the boys were situated in. It turned its head to look down the path they were on, noted their presence, and let out a bloodcurdling howl.

Mido screamed.

Ren screamed.

Skull Kid screamed.

Link screamed, held his weapon up, and shot it in a panic.

The spike shot through the air, whizzing past the other two boys as the chain rattled behind it, and buried itself in the monster's exposed chest. The moblin's howl cut off with a pained cry. But the wound was not enough to stop it; it stood its ground, glaring at its attacker.

Link tried to pull retract the hookshot, but the spike was stuck, pulling him forward until he let go of the weapon, sending it flying in through the air so that the handle hit hard, driving the weapon deeper into the moblin's chest.

Letting out an enraged scream, the moblin wrenched the spike free tossing it aside, leaving a bloody, gaping wound in his chest. Despite the severe - if not mortal - wound, the monster seemed to shrug it off. It hoisted its spear - a weapon nearly as tall as it was - and rushed forward with a battle cry, forcing the trio to retreat and dive out of the way.

On the positive side of things, no one was trampled. The monster also had kept running and taken time to come to a stop. On the negative side, it was now turning around and preparing to charge again.

"C'mon c'mon this way!" Skull Kid yelled, taking off back towards the rock walls. He skid to a stop right at the intersection, turning back towards the others. Link and Mido wasted no time chasing after him, though Link made a slight adjustment to his path to scoop up the hookshot as he ran by. As a result, Mido arrived first. Skull Kid brought his hands down to create a step for the Kokiri, hoisting him up.

Hearing the thundering steps of the monster chasing behind him, quickly closing the gap, Link pushed himself to run faster. As soon as he reached Skull Kid, the boy did the same for him as he had for Mido, then vanished in a flurry of leaves, reappearing at the top. Everyone held tight to the stone as the monster crashed into its side, shaking it dangerously despite its size.

Unwilling to wait and see if it could climb, Link sprang to his feet and began to leap from rock to rock, crossing the field with ease. Skull Kid and Mido got the idea and followed afterwards, the trio only resting when they had put a good distance between them.

They sat down on a rock near the center of the maze, resting for a moment. Link took the opportunity to begin picking away the bits of flesh that had stuck to his hookshot, planning to wipe and wash it clean later.

"What was that?" Mido huffed looking back in the direction they'd come from.

"A moblin," Ren responded. "They're a species of beast-like monsters. The Deku Tree said they were driven out of Hyrule years ago but… Well, they must be trying to get into the Forest Temple. Or else guarding it. This is dangerous, we should go back."

"We should," Mido started, "but we can't. We gotta go help Saria. What if she has to fight one of those things by herself?"

"Saria's got some of the strongest forest magic I've ever seen," Skull Kid said. Ren opened his mouth to say something, but Skull Kid held his hand up to stop him. "But! But we have to go in there anyways. Or at least, Link does, and I'm not letting him go alone. You're free to leave if you want though."

"I'm not going anywhere," Mido insisted. "Come on, before that thing alerts any others that might be in the area.

Skull Kid nodded and stood up, only to stop and suck in a breath, raising a finger to point in the distance. "Um… easier said than done. Look."

Link and Mido followed the skull kid's arm, Mido squinting as he peered into the distance. Ahead, there was a set of steps leading up to a path between two steep walls. And at the end was another moblin, this one much bigger than the first and wielding a huge club. As they grew closer, hopping from stone to stone, they realized that he was standing at attention. Watching. Waiting.

"That other one's howling must have alerted him to our presence," Ren muttered, once again shaking. "How are we supposed to get around that?" The fairy dipped back under Mido's hat, not waiting for an answer.

"You gotta have something to deal with it in that bag of yours," Skull Kid mumbled half to himself, half to Link, his hands diving into Link's bag. He pulled out the boomerang, the slingshot - which he paused to hand to Mido, saying, "you need it more than I do," - before finally finding something that interested him. Carefully, he tugged out a smaller bag, peeking inside. "Oooh, this looks promising." Reaching one hand in, he retrieved a single bomb.

He turned back to the stairs. "Cover for me guys, I got this."

Before either of them could stop him, Skull Kid dashed off ahead with the unlit bomb in hand. Link took a short second to put up the boomerang and bomb bag before chasing after him, not waiting to see if Mido would follow.

"Skully! Wait!"

But Skull Kid did not wait. Instead, he dashed forward, rushing silently towards the moblin. Unwilling to let him rush in alone, Link rushed after him, shouting a battle cry to catch the moblin's attention. It stood up straight as soon as it caught sight of Link, rolling its shoulders, and took its club in both hands. But it waited, unmoving, for Link to come closer. Once he was close, it swung with the club, narrowly missing Link as he sprang out of the way. It shifted, muscles rippling as it swung its club to the side, attempting to smash Link against the wall.

Fortunately, it only managed to clip Link on the edge, sending him sprawling to the ground a few feet away. It stepped forward a single, menacing step. Link rolled to the side to avoid being smashed into the ground from another strike that landed hard enough to shake the ground around them.

During this distraction, Skull Kid took the opportunity to dive behind the moblin, lighting the bomb's fuse along the way. He rolled it near the moblin's feet before dashing back the way he came. Seconds later, the explosion went off near the moblin's left leg, sending dirt, stone, and bits of shrapnel flying out around it.

The moblin let out a pained, angry howl, dropping to one knee.

But it was only down for a moment. Shifting to use its club to support itself, the moblin pushed itself back to its feet and stood at the ready once again, though it favored its uninjured leg.

Skull Kid retreated back out of reach, but Link stayed in, reaching for his hookshot again. But as he tried to take aim, he failed to doge the club in time. Fortunately, the blow sent him flying diagonally, instead of smashing him into the ground or the walls. But it was still a powerful, painful hit, and before he knew what was happening, he was sailing through the air in an arc, hitting the walls a few feet away from where Skull Kid had retreated to before dropping with a heavy thud.

The moblin, now angered, began to advance on the two.

Link groaned and slowly pushed himself to his feet, his vision blurred. He felt Skull Kid grab him and pull him backwards, but they couldn't cover ground as fast as the moblin, and it was quickly gaining on them.

"Get up! Come on!"

Finally Link shook himself out of his stupor and managed to climb to his feet and began to run with Skull Kid, but then he stopped. He took one look up at the moblin and clenched his fists, then realized he had dropped the hookshot when he'd been hit. In a desperate attempt to fight back, he reached back for the master sword, tightening his grip on the hilt even as waves of pain washed over his body, rooting him to the spot. He let out a pained scream but kept his grip.

Skull Kid turned back, realizing Link had stopped. He took one quick look back towards Mido, who had drawn his sword but was still petrified at the top of the stairs, and then dashed back towards Link, grabbing one of his hands.

"Don't just stand there! It'll squash you!"

Whether it was the words or the action, something finally got through to Link. Though it was with great effort, he finally moved, letting Skull kid drag him back.

The pain finally began to subside, lessening to a dull throb. As soon as he felt he could move, Link pulled his hand free and ran back towards the beast. Skull Kid stared after him in shock, but did not stay still for long, instead dashing ahead and under the beast's legs in an attempt to distract it.

"Hey you big lug! Look at me! Over here!"

But the moblin found Link's sword much more interesting.

Link ducked to avoid another swing of the club, raising his sword to jab at the monster's hand as it swung by. He managed to get a thin slice with the tip, but nothing more than a minor cut.

This, at least, was finally enough to will Mido into action. The Kokiri charged forward with a battle cry, rushing for the monster's legs.

He didn't even manage to get close.

The moblin brought its club down with enough force to make the ground shake beneath them, knocking all three off their feet.

Link began to climb back to his feet, only to realize with alarm that the moblin had shifted so that it stood over him, poised and ready to strike. He flinched and braced as the club came rushing down.

"Do something!" he heard an oddly familiar voice cry out.

The blow never connected.

"Move!" a second voice called.

Link turned his head to look back and saw that the moblin's arm had been bound in a chain. It strained to pull forward as a figure behind it dug their heels into the ground.

"Get the hookshot!" Sheik called out. "Aim for the throat!"

Link scrambled the rest of the way to his feet and ran, moving just in time. The moblin finally overpowered Sheik, swinging it's arm out, taking both Sheik and the chain with it. He landed about a dozen feet away, though he managed to roll and avoid the brunt of the force.

Sheik took a second to recover before calling out a command again. "Everyone attacks at once! It can't focus on all of us!"

Mido took the cue to dash in once again, aiming for the legs. Skull Kid vanished in a swirl of leaves, reappearing on top of the beast where he clung to the top of its head like a nuisance. The moblin let out an angry roar swinging its head wildly.

Sheik brandished a pair of knives and dashed in again, springing to and fro nimbly to deliver small slashes in the monster's flesh.

Link turned back and ran off to grab hold of the hookshot again, then turned back just barely out of range and took aim

The moblin swatted at its head and hit skull kid hard, dazing him enough to make him lose his grip.

It kicked, punting Mido like a ball. He sailed through the air and landed with a crunch and a pained cry and did not get back up.

The beast swung at Sheik with its club; he just barely managed to roll out of the way, but lost his footing in the rebound, leaving him open to a follow up attack.

Link let loose the hookshot with a yell. The spike flew through the air, whizzing as it climbed higher and higher and embedded itself deep in the jugular.

At first, it seemed like the attack had only done minor damage. The moblin froze, but still stood.

Sheik got to his feet, dashed over to Link, and yanked on the chain to wrench the spike free.

The moblin slowly brought a hand up to its neck as blood began to flow freely, quickly dribbling down its neck. It tried to cry out, but the sound came out garbled. It sank to its knees, then pitched forward, falling with a heavy thud. As a pool of blood began to spread out around it, bright blue flames burst from the body, filling the area around it with smoke. When it subsided, a normal-sized moblin remained in its place

Link retracted the hookshot, staring at the down beast with a mixture of shock, horror, and relief. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, looking up to see Sheik standing next to him looking down.

"Good job," the man said. "That was a tough battle. How do you feel, Link?"

"Like…" Link started, trying to choose his words. But then the pain of being battered around hit him, and he slumped. "I need a few minutes." Before Sheik could say anything, Link dropped to the ground on his back.

"Shouldn't you help your friends first?" Sheik suggested.

Link stared up at him for a moment, silent. "Nah, sleep first." And before Sheik could protest, Link's eyes dimmed as he let himself fall unconscious.

"...they're okay?"

"They'll be fine. ...just… to recover…"

As Link tried to regain consciousness, he was aware of two things: the dull ache that spread through his whole body, and the two voices that he swore were familiar. But as he tried to move, his head swam, and he let the darkness of rest overtake him once more.

"Hey, Link, wake up already!"

Link groaned, rolled over onto his stomach, clenched his hands into fists, and began to sit up before his vision began to return. After a few seconds, he could make out Skull Kid staring at him a few feet away.

"How long was I out?" Link asked.

"Long enough," Skull Kid replied, offering out a hand. Link gave him his and allowed Skull Kid to help him to his feet. "You're the last one to wake up, actually."

After a second of consideration, Link took a second to look Skull Kid over. His left arm was held close to his chest and had been wrapped in cloth bandages. He could see stains of sap and uneven bits were the wood had been shattered and was still poking up. Otherwise he couldn't see any injuries, though it was possible they were under his clothing.

He took a second to look himself over. At first, he seemed uninjured, though perhaps a bit sore. But as he checked on the cracks in his chest, he realized that a few of them had worsened, spreading out further with fresh tainted sap leaking out, sticking to his clothes. Surprisingly, that part didn't hurt, something that he wasn't sure he should be thankful for.

He turned his head to the side to glance at Mido and get an idea of how well he was doing.

Mido probably looked the worst out of the three of them, his hair matted, and with one arm wrapped heavily in bandages, traces of blood smeared on his face. He was awake and alert, but certainly did not look well.

Link walked over to the boy at a slight limp, Skull Kid following behind. Mido raised a hand to greet them but winced from the movement and said nothing.

"How is everyone feeling?"

Link turned back and caught sight of Sheik approaching, pulling a bottle of red liquid out from a bag hung around his hip.

"Here," he said, holding it out to Link. "Everyone drink up. This should help you feel better. I only have one, so you'll have to share."

Link took a hold of the bottle, peeking inside. Skull Kid gave it a skeptical look, then crossed his arms.

"Why should we trust anything coming from you?" he grumbled.

Sheik blinked once, apparently caught off guard by his hostility. "I'm sorry?"

"You're an adult," Skull Kid said matter-of-factly, as if that was the only explanation needed.

Realization hit the sheikah at once. "Ah, of course." He crouched, lowering himself to Skull Kid's eye-level. "I know that might worry you, but please understand that I'm trying to help. I was a kid once too, you know."

Skull Kid stared at the man for a long moment. Then in a sudden movement, he stepped forward to try and stop on Sheik's toes. Unfortunately for him, Sheik seemed to be anticipating an attack and rolled out of the way.

He raised his hands up defensively. "Very well. I won't force you to do anything, of course." He paused for a moment before turning his attention back to Link and addressing him. "When you get a moment… I'd like to speak with you. I'll be waiting ahead."

With that, Sheik turned and began to walk towards the far side of the clearing, leaving the three forest dwellers alone.

Link spent a moment longer staring at the potion before giving in and taking a couple sips. Almost immediately, the dull ache went away, and he felt energy return to his body. After just a few sips, he passed it over to Mido.

The Kokiri stared at it skeptically for a moment, sniffing at it before speaking to Ren. "Hey… do you think this is ok?"

"It's probably good for you," Ren replied. "I've heard of Hylians making medicines that speed up your healing process and rejuvenate your energy. I bet that's what this is."

Link didn't stick around to find out if Mido or Skull Kid drank. His curiosity led him to follow Sheik further into the clearing, where the man had taken a seat on an old, gnarled stump, his eyes closed. Saria's stump.

As Link came to a stop in front of Sheik, he was reminded of the last time he had been here. Skull Kid had been upset he was leaving, and he and Saria had reassured him. In some ways, it felt like it was so long ago now, and at others, it felt like it had only just happened.

And yet here they were, everything still here, yet so different. And it would probably never be the same.

Sheik opened his eyes and caught sight of Link's forlorn glance. He let out a quiet hum.

"Thinking about your friends? About easier times?"

Linked stared for a moment before nodding slowly. "...Kind of, yeah…"

"Mm…"

The man stood up and dusted himself off, turning to look at the ledge above them.

"I understand. The flow of time is always cruel… Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it…" He trailed off, giving Link a moment to dwell on the thought while he reached into a bag at his hip. A moment later, he pulled out a harp, carefully plucking a few strings.

"A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days… Sometimes you might look back and think about something differently, but the memories stay the same."

He paused, his fingers hovering over the strings, and though Link could only see his eyes, he could tell Sheik had a thoughtful look on his face. "I need to teach you a song. With it and that ocarina you have, you'll have the power to wake the forest sage."

Getting the idea, Link reached for his ocarina. Sheik began to slowly pluck the notes, allowing Link a moment to play the note before continuing to the next one, then playing it all at once. Then again and again, until Link was able to play without hearing it first. While they performed, Skull Kid and Mido came over to see what was happening. The duet of ocarina and harp rang out over the silent clearing, playing a majestic minuet that personified the way time marched on though the forest: always growing, always changing. And yet, still the same.

Once he was satisfied with Link's performance, Sheik returned his harp to the bag. "You learn fast, Link. We should be thankful for that." He dusted his hands off, then took a step back. "I should get going. You have a sage to awaken, and I have other duties to attend to."

Link took a step forward. "But…"

Sheik took a few more steps back, slowly reaching into his bag. "Good luck, Link. I'll be waiting." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he pulled something out of his bag and tossed it onto the ground. There was a bright flash of light that blinded the three boys. And by the time they could see again, Sheik was gone.

For a moment, the group was left in an uncomfortable silence. Mido was the first to speak up.

"So… are we going or not?"

Link gave him a small nod. "We should, are you okay?"

"Oh, that stuff the guy gave me worked great. I'm pretty sure I've stopped bleeding now" He flashed Link a thumbs up.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Ren mumbled before slipping back under Mido's cap.

Skull Kid crossed his arms. "Feh, I still say we can't trust him. But… I guess we gotta go anyways. At least he smelled nice."

He paused, glancing up to the ledge above them. "Up there, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he leaped into the air, disappearing in a flurry of wind and leaves, and reappeared on top.

"C'mon guys! I'm not going to wait forever!"

"Give me a second," Mido mumbled. "I'm not so good at magic." He took a deep breath, and slowly, he seemed to fade away, reappearing up on the ledge.

That left just Link. After a quick look revealed a branch hanging above the ledge, he looked into his bag for the hookshot, but paused, remembering how he had managed to use magic before.

Why not show how much he had improved?

He took a moment to focus, trying to draw in on that feeling he felt before, feeling of magic flowing through him, oozing up to coat him in a thick layer of power, drawing magic from the twisted trees of the Lost Woods.

But something went wrong.

As soon as he felt like he had tapped into his power, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, followed by a flare of a burning sensation. He cried out, dropping to his knees and grabbing hold of his chest.

Behave.

Give in to your desire.

I can give you back your power.

He let out a gasp, his head swimming and throbbing as he tried to discern the voice in his head.

"Link!"

He looked up to see Skull Kid looking down at him with concern. The boy jumped down from the ledge and stooped to eye-level. He put a hand on Link's shoulder and shook him gently.

"Hey, hey Link, answer me! Are you okay?"

Slowly, as he stared at Skull Kid, Link's head began to clear, his vision fuzzy for a moment. Slowly, the pain subsided.

"Link?"

"I tried to use magic," he mumbled. "It… hurt."

Skull Kid gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It's okay, come on, you don't have to use magic for now. We can figure out what happened later, okay?"

Link nodded slowly, carefully climbing to his feet. This time, he used the hookshot as he had originally planned. The spike dug deep into the tree's wood, allowing him to pull himself up as the chain retracted. From the top, he was able to wrench the spike free.

Skull Kid appeared beside him seconds later, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Are we sure about this?" He asked. "Last chance to back out."

Link nodded. "I have to do this. For me and for everyone else."

Mido also nodded. "We have to help Saria."

Skull Kid let out a hum. "Thought so."

With that, he leaped forward, racing in ahead of the other two.

"Wait for me!" Mido rushed ahead.

Link followed slowly, filled with determination.

The excursion into the Forest Temple had begun.