The Quest Truly Begins


Falling. Burning. Haze. Pain. Link was vaguely aware of his movement, but everything passed by in a blur. It felt almost like he was outside his body, watching. And yet, the actions were his own. The more he tried to concentrate, however, the more his head hurt. He watched his hands raise the bow.

Who was he fighting again? That phantom was so near, he felt like he should be afraid. But instead, all he felt was a warm sense of security.

...

A fairy lay limp on the ground, pierced through by an arrow. Had... had he done that? He was vaguely aware that he was sore, and for just a second, he remembered that Mido had knocked him to the ground. Why had he knocked him to the ground?

He's just jealous of how close you are to Saria, a voice whispered to him as it picked at his memories. He sees you as a lesser being. Doesn't that make you angry?

His hurt and anger channeled into the struggle against Mido.

...

He stumbled down the stairs, knocking fallen items out of the way. Useless items. He needed nothing but a bow and his fists. The golden glint of a medallion tried to steer him towards it, but the voice guided him away.

We don't need that anymore, it said. It was only hindering your power.

Link was tired. His body felt drained. Had he used magic recently? Had he overdrawn his magic, perhaps?

The voice told him he was fine. He told him he was fine. So, he was fine. He continued out into the hall.

...

A pain shot up his arm. He slowly turned his head to look at the knife that had hit him in the arm. After a second, he wrenched it free. staring at the purple, tainted sap - no, not tainted. It wasn't tainted, it held traces of the master's magic.

He glanced up and felt a twinge of rage as his targets escaped to the upper levels.

They were fighting. The other skull kid refused to let him by, interrupting his shots and doing everything in his power to stop him. Why was he fighting this one? He held no ill will towards the boy.

But he is helping the sages, the voice whispered to him. And he knew that the voice was right. And he knew that the voice did not lie. And he knew that the voice cared for him, and only wanted him to be happy.

The voice helped him call for magic far beyond what he should have been capable of, vines ensnaring and entangling the other spirit at his command.

Until they quit listening to him, at least.

The fairy girl. She'd called for the vines. He tried to shoot, but she formed a thorny wall on this side.

So, he struck from behind instead.

Vines twisted around his arms. Vines wrapped around his legs, snaking up as the girl tried to hold him, even as her power waned.

Pull yourself together, the voice demanded. Free yourself from this prison. Rejoice! You have triumphed here.

Link did not feel triumphant though. In fact, he felt… hurt. Shocked. Afraid. Disturbed. He had hurt his friend. He had hurt his friends. Why? What was he doing?

They weren't your friends, the voice reminded him. And he almost listened.

But before he could argue further, the man in blue stepped in front of him. He stared with a hint of curiosity, then struggled as hands full of light reached out to touch him, sending painful waves of energy down to his very soul. The voice screamed at him in anger.

And then… he was alone in the darkness.


Soft voices spoke in hushed tones nearby, their voices drowned out by the sound of rushing water. Link's head felt fuzzy, his thoughts clouded by a haze. In some ways, he wondered if he was dreaming. Slowly, as his vision and hearing flickered back, he managed to work out that he was back in a familiar place: The Sacred Realm.

How had he gotten here, again?

As he tried to think about it, his mind was met with more of that haze. Everything seemed off. At first, he thought it was perhaps because of how exhausted he felt. But then he realized it wasn't just his thoughts that were off; even his vision seemed to be tinted an odd, blue color, refracted at the corners.

Slowly and cautiously, he reached a hand out - when had he stood up? But before he could extend it all the way, he was met with resistance. Something blue, and nearly opaque, blocked him.

Alarmed, he reached a hand back behind him, and realized he was blocked there, too. Then to the sides. He whipped around. He was trapped. Trapped in a small, cold, crystalline prison. Why was he trapped? What was happening? The more he tried to think about it, the more that mental barrier pushed back, making his head hurt even more. Why couldn't he remember? Why? Why? What was he forgetting?

He let out a pained, frustrated scream and turned again, slamming a fist against the barrier.

And saw a form stumble back away from the crystal. A form that he was almost certain was Saria, based on their build.

And then he remembered where he'd been.

And then he remembered what he'd done.

The memories of the fight in the Forest Temple came flooding back all at once. The arrow. The fallen fairy, struck down defending her Kokiri with her life, never standing a chance against his weapon. Skull Kid, being strangled by his vines. At least he survived, though. And Saria.

Saria.

He stabbed Saria.

He… did he kill Saria?

Shaking now, he looked down to his hands. Darkness poked at the corners of his vision, threatening to engulf it. Visions of blood danced on his hands. Fingers scrapped against his prison. He wasn't just remembering Saria now; other things were rushing back all at once. The sword, trying to drive him away, threatening to break apart his body.

But he acted without care for what happened to him.

The man in the dark armor, following him into the Sacred Realm. Watching with glee as he… as he…

He stumbled back and fell, letting out an alarmed cry.

"Rauru, please let him out," he heard Saria say, her voice barely audible through the walls.

Rauru's response was harder to make out. "...sorry… can't do that… danger to you… if your spirit dies now…"

Link wasn't focusing on their voices anymore; he was too alarmed by the blood on his hands. The blood on his tunic, the blood filling up his prison, threatening to swallow him up. There had once been six sages. But now there was one. There had once been six sages, but now five of them were dead. Five of them were dead, because he killed the others. The voice. Ganondorf's voice, told him he'd be a hero, striking them down. He'd save so many people. They were the true evil, driving the world apart. Ganondorf intended to bring everything together.

The voice had sounded so calm and caring then, promising him heroism and love if he just did these things for him.

Instead it turned him into a monster.

No, everyone already knew he was a monster, it just tapped into his nature, didn't it?

Monsters hurt people. And if he hurt people, that proved he was a monster.

Now, the voice was silent, leaving him to dwell on his thoughts without an answer.

A shadow of movement flickered in front of him. Someone was approaching the crystalline prison again. His breath hitched as he shrank back, pulling his legs closer to his body. Watching, he saw a hand press up against the wall, then pull back hesitantly, fingertips lingering just a second longer.

"He looks scared," he heard Saria say.

"It could be a trap," Rauru replied.

"Did he ever act like this during his possession?" Saria pressed.

"Well… No. Not that I saw at least, but…"

"Then let him out! You said you had the flow of magic under control, didn't you?"

"It's not that simple. Just… Saria, will you come back for a moment?"

The shadow in front of him hesitated before retreating, leaving him alone with his thoughts once again as Saria and Rauru began to speak to each other in hushed voices.

He remembered striking down Saria. But she was here. Was she alive? Or was this all some cruel trick? Why had Rauru ever let him out? Why would anyone trust him now, after all he'd done?

The light of his eyes flickered out as he tried to will the world away, drowning in his turmoiled thoughts.

"Rauru, what is going on in here?"

Hesitantly, Link looked up and to the side, noticing a hand on the prison once again, a larger figure standing beside it.

He heard a grumble from Rauru. "I know this isn't ideal, Sheik, but I felt caution is warranted. Saria has lost her physical form. If he were to strike her down again -"

Sheik cut him off. "I get it. But look at him. He's frightened. He probably doesn't know why you're doing this to him, if you were able to cut off his memories again. Or if he does, he probably needs comfort! And here you are treating him like a… Like a… like a monster!"

Sheik seemed… almost different from when Link could last remember talking to him. For a moment, it was almost enough to pull him from his troubled thoughts. Almost.

Each time he'd met with Sheik, he'd had this mysterious air about him, like he was keeping everything at an arm's length. Like perhaps he didn't trust Link. And knowing what he knew now, he couldn't blame him.

But here he was, his voice filled with an anger Link hadn't expected to hear as he addressed Rauru.

"Sheik, please, I understand where you're coming from. But you have to remember, you haven't seen what he's capable of!"

The hand pulled away from the crystal. "Haven't seen what he's capable of? Rauru, I just watched Ganondorf turn him on his friends. I had to hold Saria as she was dying and send her spirit back here, because she couldn't do it herself. And I've seen what the monsters in Ganondorf's army can do; I've had to watch my people suffer for seven years while watching a distance. Don't tell me I don't know what he's capable of."

"Then you have to understand where I'm coming from, right?"

"Of course, I do, but that still doesn't change the fact that you can't put your faith in him to save us all, and then turn around and treat him like a monster for doing things under someone else's control."

A long, uncomfortable silence filled the air, no one willing to budge at first. But finally, Rauru let out a long sigh. "Very well, Sheik. I don't like it, but you're in… well, I'll defer to your judgement. But first. Saria, have you finished channeling that spell I asked you to do?"

"Just… give me a second…" He saw one of the shadows move. A moment passed before he saw a bright flash of light from outside. Then the light faded away to nothing. More talking, this time in low voices that he couldn't hear. Then, as he strained to make out the sound, he realized that the crystal prison was beginning to grow more translucent, allowing him to see the forms of Rauru, Sheik, and Saria. Suddenly, the wall supporting him from behind was gone, leaving him to fall down and back a few feet into the shallow water with a yelp.

Slowly, he sat back up. Now that he could clearly see the outside world, Link felt much smaller. Three faces stared at him, their expressions differing wildly. While Saria's brow was knit with concern, Rauru's face was conflicted, perhaps even distrustful. Sheik, on the other hand, was unreadable.

Saria began to take a step forward, but froze when Link flinched, her frown growing stronger. Rauru held out a hand in front of her. "Hold steady," he warned. He didn't finish the warning, but Link believed he could pick up on the unspoken words. Don't approach him. He's dangerous. He's a monster. He hurt people. He hurt her. Only monsters hurt people. Only a monster would hurt her.

Carefully, he began to scoot back, wilting under Rauru's scrutinizing gaze. He wanted to apologize, to say he was so, so sorry. But when he opened his mouth, he couldn't bring himself to say it. So, he closed it again, trying to form a sentence. But only two words came out of his mouth.

"You… knew…?"

Slowly, almost mechanically, he reached back for the sword on his back, gritting his teeth as it delivered a painful judgement. The Master Sword… Rauru had called it a destroyer of evil before. He should have known. The swords rejection should have been his first hint that something was wrong. That he was wrong. Bad. Evil.

It was disheartening, watching everyone tense as he reached for the weapon, ready to fight him if they had to. But instead of turning the blade on them, like they probably expected, he flung it way, sending it clattering on the ground at Rauru's feet.

He rose back to his feet, ignoring the look Saria gave him, and turned away.

But where was he supposed to go. They were all standing on a single pillar that dropped away into the abyss below, with no other land in sight. There was nowhere to escape to. All he could do is face the sages he'd caused so much trouble for.

It wasn't the trouble causing that hurt, of course. Pranks were just in his blood. But pranks were just light fun. People didn't get killed by pranks.

"Link?"

Sheik's voice was surprisingly gentle. A few seconds passed before Link felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He shrugged it away and took a few steps forward, but he could still feel the trio's gazes drilling holes in the back of his head.

Why him? Why did he have to do all this? None of this would have happened if he had never left the forest. Why had he listened to the Deku Tree? Sure, the Deku tree cared about him, and all the spirits of the forest, but in the end, the world wasn't his problem! He should have delivered the stone and gone on with his life. But now?

Now he'd ruined everything.

He didn't realize he was shaking until he felt Sheik's hand again.

"I… I'm not sure if I was able to suppress his memories this time," Rauru said softly. "Ganondorf's magic, well… It dug deeper than I realized."

Sheik pulled his hand away. "In the fight, Link, you were… well, he was using so much magic. Burning through the power with no care for how much power your body could handle. I… I thought for sure he was going to burn your magic away into nothing but…"

Link felt a hand on his shoulder again. Sheik walked around the side, so that he was standing in front of Link, and then stooped down so that he was on Link's eye-level. The skull kid, however, tilted his head down so that he didn't have to look Sheik in the eye.

"Link," Sheik started in a soft, yet firm voice, "I know you're probably scared and confused right now. But I need to know what you remember. It would really help me out. Help us all out. Even you. Do you remember anything about the Forest Temple? What about before that?"

At first, Link did not answer. He wasn't sure he wanted to answer. But finally, he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "I remember… I tried… tried to fight him. But he was too strong, he hit me with something and… the voice was so kind, so understanding. He knew how much it hurt, when everyone thinks you're a monster. He told me he could help me make things better if I… if I just listened. And so I… I…"

He trailed off, finally looking up with flickering eyes, stealing a look at Saria before asking, "I… I am a monster, aren't I?"

Sheik placed his other hand on Link's other shoulder. "Oh… Link… I don't think you're a monster. You're a kid that got used in a terrible, terrible way. None of this is your fault. You, me, Rauru and Saria, all of us are victims of a conflict far beyond our mortal understanding. You shouldn't have to bear this burden alone."

Link dropped his gaze again. "I just… I want to go home... I don't want to be a monster. I don't want to hurt people!" He pulled away suddenly, stumbling a few steps back. "I-If I go back, I'm just gonna - I - I… I hurt… I'm gonna hurt… my friends…"

Sheik rushed forward to catch Link as the boy collapsed, his breath hitching. He felt the man tilt his head up, but he couldn't see the look he was giving Rauru.

"I know this is hard, Link. If anyone else could do this. If anyone else could wake the sages, if anyone else could bear this burden, I'd let you leave in a heartbeat. I'd even take your place, if I could. But I can't. I have a role to play, and you have yours. Rauru has his role and Saria hers. The whole world is depending on you now. I know things are hard. But you can and will be a hero, Link, so long as you stay brave."

"But… I am a monster…" Link insisted. "Everyone thinks so… you're just being nice. Even Navi thought so. I'm… I'm just… I hurt people."

Sheik let out a long breath. "Okay, let me try approaching this a different way. Fine. You're a monster. Are you happy?" When Link said nothing, he continued. "You're not, are you? Because you don't want to be a monster. You don't want to hurt people. You don't have to be a monster, Link. You can choose to make things right."

Link still refused to speak. Sheik let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his bangs. "Look, I hate to put it this way, Link, but… if you want to live, you don't really have a choice."

That, at least, got Link to look up from his sulking. It was hard for Sheik to read his emotions; a skull kid could not project the same range of emotion as humans could. But he could only guess that Link must have felt so hurt and conflicted at the moment.

So, he continued with his explanation. "That curse that's inside you, Rauru told you about it, right? It doesn't care for your wellbeing and will burn your magic away to nothing if it thinks that will help further Ganondorf's goals. The only way we know to dispel it is to have the sages do so. But it's a powerful magic, Link, more powerful than Rauru or Saria - or both of them combined - can handle. We need more of the sages. If nothing else, you'll have to awaken them before you can go home. After this, I promise I'll do whatever I can to make things right, okay?"

Link stared at sheik for a moment, his eyes wavering. If… If Sheik was telling the truth, if there really was no other way.

He let out a sigh and nodded slowly before lowering his head again.

Satisfied, Sheik stood, turning his attention to the two sages. "Saria, I believe you have something for Link?"

Saria forced a smile, not wanting to appear upset, and nodded quickly. "Right." She stepped forward, cupping something in her hands before handing it out to Link. "After Rauru explained the situation, he told me to make you this. He said it should help… repress the curse, until we come up with a more permanent solution."

Link turned to look at Saria, then drifted his attention to her outstretched hands. In them, she held a medallion, this one a brilliant green. A pinwheel design adorned the front, reminiscent of windy forest magic.

"This is for you, take it."

Hesitantly, Link reached a hand out, placing it on the cold metal object. For a moment, he felt himself transported back to the forest, transported back to better days, his memories influenced by the magical item.

And then the horrors of more recent memories came flooding back, and he took a couple quick steps back. "Saria, I-"

Her face fell for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and took a couple steps forward. "You don't have to say anything. It's okay, Link. I know this isn't what you or I ever wanted but… I suppose divine destiny had plans for us." Her expression faltered again as she reached out to grab Link's hand, pushing the medallion into his palm with a small, gentle force.

"We may not live in the same world anymore but… I can at least help you from here. Ganondorf can't get to you from here, but when you leave… Well, Rauru said if you take this, it will strengthen the seal until… well, until we have enough strength to do something more permanent."

Link stared at the medallion for a moment longer before sighing and placing it into his pocket. "...Will it still be there when I wake up?"

"If Saria created it correctly, yes," Rauru answered.

Sheik moved away, hesitating before picking up the Master Sword. He began to hand it to Link, but instead sheathed it for him. "I'm glad everything worked well here, but I really must take leave. I'll be heading up Death Mountain ahead of you, Link. The second Temple is up there, and besides that… I'm worried about the Gorons, they stopped sending reports to Kakariko about a month ago, and that doesn't bode well."

As Link turned to look at Sheik, the man's form began to fade and become transparent, his spirit returning to the physical world.

"I suppose we should send you off too," Rauru said, moving his arms behind his back. "Link… I will admit that I'm… concerned… about our current arrangement. But I have nothing better to offer. Just… be more careful, please. Hyrule's future depends on you keeping in control of yourself."

Link looked down, wringing his hands together nervously. There was an unspoken meaning to Rauru's words. At least, he thought there was. And it stung, knowing what Rauru thought of him. But could he blame him? He was right…

"I… I understand," he mumbled, not looking up.

This seemed to be enough to satisfy Rauru, at least. He held a hand up. "You need to head to Death Mountain next. I expect to see you again after you've awoken the next sage."

Link said nothing in response. Soon, his vision was filled by a blinding white light, and the Sacred Realm faded away.


Link startled awake with a gasp, sitting up ramrod straight. A few seconds of disorientation followed, but soon he realized he'd come to in the big chamber in the Forest Temple, Skull Kid watching him anxiously from a bit of a distance. The forest spirit stared at him for a moment, scrutinizing him, before relaxing and approaching.

"...Link, are you back to normal?"

Link opened his mouth to reply but paused and hesitated before looking himself over. The unnatural wound beneath his tunic was still there, but the pain he'd felt before had subsided for the most part, leaving only a dull throb. His arm ached, with purple tinged sap oozing out to close up a wound. And there were a few spots here and there where bark had been scraped away in a fight. Otherwise, though, he felt fine and in control of himself, something that made him let out a sigh of relief.

"I… I think so," he replied, turning his head to get a better look at the room. It was much worse for wear than when he last remembered being here. Holes scattered the floor and bits of debris laid about, creating an absolute chaotic mess.

He didn't care about the mess, though. But what did matter was the unmoving form he caught a glimpse of as he turned his gaze. Lying about a dozen feet away or so was Saria's body. And sitting next to her was Mido, the Kokiri sniffling as his fairy tried to comfort him.

Slowly, Link climbed to his feet, ignoring the aches and sluggishness of his physically, mentally, and magically exhausted body as he stumbled in the direction of the two.

But before he could get too close, Mido's head whipped up, a tearful, angry glare on his face. The Kokiri reached for his sword, holding it in Link's general direction. "Stay back!" he cried out. "Don't come any closer!"

Link stopped and shrank back, holding his hands up defensively before letting them drop to his side. He took a single step back, letting out a quiet whine.

Mido's gaze dropped back to Saria. "The Deku Tree… the Deku Tree could have made her better. The Deku Tree always healed up us Kokiri when we got hurt this bad. But he can't. Because… because he died. And you were there when he died. Why do bad things always happen around you?"

"I-" Link croaked before shutting his mouth again, unwilling to defend himself.

"Hey, hold on!"

In a flash of green and orange, Skull Kid was standing beside Link. "I was there too! And that was not our fault!"

For just a second, Mido hesitated. But then his gaze hardened again. "Just like all the bad things that happened because of your pranks over the years weren't your fault?"

"That's-"

"No, don't even try to say it," Mido growled. "I. Don't. Care." He glared for a few seconds longer, but soon his expression turned distraught again.

"Just… both of you. Go away. I have… I have to figure out what to do here. What I'm going to have to tell everyone about Saria. By the goddesses, grant me the wisdom and courage to deal with this..."

Skull Kid opened his mouth to say something more, but before he could, Link turned and darted away, racing back up the steps and down the hallway with Skully shouting behind him, returning to the forecourt. There, he paused, looking up at the patches of night-sky that peeked through tree branches.

Alone, Link's thoughts once again drifted to the newly resurfaced memories, plagued by visions of blood and death. The voice had told him it was okay to kill, even though they hadn't attacked first. The voice had told him he was doing good, saving people by killing the sages, saving people by ravaging Castle Town. If Rauru hadn't stopped him, hadn't caught him, he'd probably still be at Ganondorf's side, killing whoever his whims desired.

And what scared him was that even now, he could still feel that cold feeling crawling up his spine, hear the voice as the quietest whisper, telling him to come back.

"Link, wait!"

Link whipped around, catching sight of Skull Kid running down the steps towards him with his bag in hand. Wasn't his medallion in there?

Hesitantly, he reached into his pocket and found Saria's medallion something tucked away inside. He pulled it out to inspect it. Although the color was not visible in the dark of night, he could still feel the pinwheel-shaped design on one side.

As he looked back to Skull Kid, he noted that his friend was hesitant to approach at first, hanging back anxiously. Just looking at his uncertain expression made Link hurt. But when he made no other move, Skull Kid relaxed and closed the distance between them.

"Here," he said, holding out the bag. "Sheik said to make sure you kept this with you, if you were going to keep the medallion in it."

Wordlessly, Link took the bag, his fingers wrapping around the torn strap. He nodded to Skull Kid as thanks, and then turned away and began to walk.

"Hey, where are you going?" Skull Kid asked, bounding up to walk beside his friend. Link stopped, letting Skull Kid go ahead, but he just stopped too and turned back to face Link.

"I'm going… away," Link finally replied, when it became obvious that Skull Kid wasn't going to let him go without an answer. "I have… things I need to fix."

Skull Kid's demeanor changed a bit, but he forced a grin regardless. "Hey, well, I can at least go with you to the edge of the forest, right?"

Link hesitated. "I'd really rather be alone."

"Is this about Saria?" Skull Kid asked.

"...Maybe…"

"Well, I'd trust an adult about as far as I could throw one, but Sheik seemed at least certain that Saria was okay, and he helped rescue you so… I guess that means there's nothing to worry about, right?"

Link stared at Skull Kid for a moment, unable to give him an answer. Then he began to walk again, though this time he didn't try to shake Skull Kid. It didn't mean he was going to speak either though, and most of their trip through the forest went by in silence.

"Did Sheik, leave, by the way?" Link eventually asked, realizing now how desperate he was for any sort of distraction from his thoughts.

"Oh, he and- he, um, he left just a minute or two before you woke up," Skull Kid replied. "Said he had things to take care of."

"Oh, I see," Link mumbled in response.

After that, things settled back into the awkward silence, the two focusing on not tripping over roots and shrubs in the darkness. Far in the distance, a wolfos let out a howl, and closer by, the bushes rustled as a racoon rushed by in the darkness. Normally, he welcomed the feeling of forest magic in the air – it made him feel safe. It felt like, if he were to take the time to learn, he'd be able to shape it in the air, calling upon it to create plant life. But at the moment, it just felt oppressive, like it was squeezing him on all sides. Was this an effect of the seal?

Soon, they reached the short, stable path to the Kokiri Forest. At the border of the wild Lost Woods and the once-tame Kokiri Forest, Link faltered again. This was Saria's home. What right did he have to enter it after what he did to her?

"Hey, something seems weird here, don't you think?" Skull Kid said, shaking him out of his thoughts.

As Link peered in the darkness, he realized Skull Kid had a point. A few fairies flitted about in the field, where earlier today nothing but deku baba plants and Mad Scrubs had dotted the landscape

A couple of the fairies stopped to look at Link and Skull Kid as they went about their business, but none of them seemed all that concerned. One of the braver ones dared to approach them though.

"You two are… from the Lost Woods, right?"

Both of the boys nodded in turn. Skull Kid, however, was the one willing to speak up.

"Yeah, We are. Um… What's going on here?"

"Oh, I suppose you might not have heard yet. Of course you haven't; it's been hours at most. There's wonderous news in the Kokiri Forest! For the sapling of a new Deku Tree has finally sprouted! Whatever magic had been holding him back must have been expelled. What a joyous occasion!"

Link and Skull Kid paused to share a look with each other, and Link couldn't help but wonder if this was somehow the result of defeating the phantom in the temple.

"That's great!" Skull Kid called out. "That means the forest should get a bit more stable, right?"

"Well… eventually," the fairy agreed. "It will take some time before his strength has fully returned, but already he's driven away the Mad Scrubs that had been terrorizing the Kokiri. In the meantime, he's going to need an attendant. Have either of you, by chance, seen Saria? She was one of the previous Deku Tree's primary confidants, and if she were to come back, that would speed things along considerably.

Link's expression quickly darkened. He looked away from the expectant fairy. "Sorry, I, um… I haven't… I didn't… sorry." And before she could ask any more questions, he dashed past her, heading for the edge of the forest where he'd entered from earlier in the day.

As he reached the forest's edge, he slowed to a stop again. For the second time, he was leaving the forest. But this time, he wasn't full of hope and excitement at the prospect of adventure. Instead, he felt empty. Defeated. Scared. Disgusted with himself. And a plethora of other negative emotions. Last time, he knew he had Saria and Skull Kid to come back to. Would anyone want him to come back now?

"Stop running off like that!"

Link turned back, tilting his head up to look at Skully as he bounded towards him, appearing as two glowing orange orbs bouncing in the moonlight.

"You're just going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"No, I…" Well, he had been planning to, whether he meant it or not. He opened his mouth to say something more, but Skull Kid reached a finger up to shush him.

"Well, don't say it. Because this isn't goodbye."

Link tilted his head slightly, prompting Skull Kid to explain.

"It's not goodbye, because I've decided to go with you! Isn't that great?"

For a moment, Link stared in confusion, then he dropped his gaze, downcast."

"You can't, you'll just be putting yourself in danger."

"And you're not?" Skull Kid countered. "Come on, my mind is already made up!"

Link sighed and slumped. "But what if… what if I hurt you?"

"Oh, don't worry, you already did that." Skull Kid adjusted a glove a bit to gesture to a sap-covered puncture just above the wrist. And now that Link looked at him, he realized that there were several little cracks in his bark, a result of being squeezed by the vines.

"Aren't you… aren't you mad?" Link asked, shrinking back just a little.

"Nah," Skull Kid replied, pulling the glove up before giving link a dismissive wave. "You weren't acting like yourself. Besides, it doesn't hurt that bad. Now come on, are we going or not?"

Link looked to Skull Kid, then to the forest exit. He had a feeling Skull Kid was playing down his injuries. And he really, really feared for his friend's safety. But on the other hand, he was kind of afraid to be alone now. Finally, he sighed. "Okay, if you're really certain…"

Before he could say anything else, he felt a hand grab his wrist and let out a help. Already Skull Kid was racing for the tree line.

"Come in then, let's go before someone comes looking then!"

Link, trying not to feel defeated already, let Skull Kid lead him away, the two disappearing into the night, headed towards Hyrule field.


A/N: A quick thanks to everyone that provided feedback on the last chapter. I've been excited for everything post-Forest Temple since I started writing. HOAH will return sometime in late January or early February for the Fire Temple arc. I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to it!