To the Castle
A dusty breeze swept across the ruined remains of Castle Town, creating an eerie whistling as it raced through alleyways and burnt-out buildings. Link's footsteps clacked across broken stone as he, Skull Kid, and Navi crept along the edges of the market square, keeping to the shadows.
His injured arm hung limp at his side, still aching horribly. He hadn't had time to recover properly; only two and a half days passed since they left the Spirit Temple, eyes on Ganondorf's castle. Certainly, not enough time for him to heal, even with a little help from Navi's healing magic. At least it had dulled to a bad ache, rather than pure agony.
The dying rays of sunlight painted the stones red. A single, shambling redead shuffled through the town square, unaware of the forest spirits watching from the shadows.
"It used to be so lively," Navi sighed, her expression forlorn. "Some of the people escaped, but others..." She trailed off, looking away from the redead.
Link nodded solemnly. As far as he could tell, now that he'd traveled across all of Hyrule, nothing had fared as poorly as Castle Town.
"That over there is where I got your mask" He nodded to Skully and pointed to a burnt-out building. Despite its condition, some of the garish colors could still be seen beneath the choking dirt.
Link expected Skull Kid to laugh or say something. Anything. But as he turned back, Skull Kid's somber expression made him falter. He'd been more subdued than Link was used to for the whole trip here. At the time, Link had left him be, figuring that he'd talk to him when he was ready. But that weird funk still had not left him.
"Skully? What's wrong?"
Skull Kid didn't answer at first. And when he finally did, his voice was hardly more than a whisper. "There's still time to turn back. F-forget this stupid ruined kingdom. You don't have to keep putting yourself in danger."
Link shook his head. "Skully, there's nowhere else to go. Ganondorf already cursed the forest once. He's going to destroy everything if we don't stop him."
"But what if we can't?" Skull Kid argued, pointing to Link's burnt arm, then to his injury from the Shadow Temple. "We've already had so many close calls. And it could be so much worse." He looked away, but Link still caught the flicker of fear that crossed his face. "Besides, if we go somewhere he can't reach us and pretend nothing bad is happening, then maybe you'll feel better and things can go back to the way they were before."
Surprise caused Link to pause. It wasn't like Skull Kid to get this worried. He shook his head again. "I… can't just forget like that. Even if I could try, I'd always be reminded." He brought a hand up to brush the crack on his chest.
"Well, that… It's worked for me before!" Skull Kid's eyes darted back and forth as if looking for an out.
"What's gotten into you?" Navi cut in. "You've been behaving weirdly for a while. We'd like to help you, Skully, but we can't if you don't tell us what's wrong."
Skull Kid took a step back, his eye lights going out as he hugged himself. Finally, he blurted "I could have lost you! If things had gone just a little differently… you would have left me forever. It's not fair. You're the only friend I have left! You're not supposed to leave me!"
Oh.
"Skull Kid, I don't want to leave you," Link replied. "I made a promise and I want to keep it. But I can't just back out of this either."
"That's what they all say. But now Saria is gone and my other old friends hate me and the other skull kids just don't understand!"
Something about this situation was vaguely familiar. Skull Kid reacted similarly when he first left the first time. Maybe…
"Skull Kid, these old friends of yours, what happened with them?"
Skully shrank in on himself, suddenly going very quiet. "I… I don't want to talk about it. It's in the past. It doesn't matter. It's not like I'll ever see them again.
Link reached towards his friend, but he shied away, so he let his hand drop. "Skully, I want to help. But I don't know how. I can't if you won't talk."
Silence stretched as long as the shadows between them, with Skull Kid refusing to speak. Until, finally, he spoke in a quiet, cracking voice. "I can't see them again because I have no way to get back to them. Even if I did, it wouldn't matter. They said they'd kill me if I didn't leave."
" What?" Navi's spluttered word came out before Link could vocalize. "What kind of friend says that?"
Skull Kid let out a long sigh. "A long time ago, I accidentally left the forest. In the new place, I made some friends. But the four of them, they went away… and I got mad — I'm still mad — and I took it out on people that got to be happy when I didn't. And so when they came back they told me to leave and threatened to tear me apart if I didn't."
He paused, his body rattling. "Maybe I could have survived. We skull kids can withstand a lot. But I was so scared, I just ran. B-but I try not to think about it. If I don't think about it, if I pretend it never happened, it's so much better! I'm fine. I'm fine!" The corners of his beak twisted into an unconvincing grin.
Navi shook her head. "You're clearly not fine. This is what you saw in the Water Temple, isn't it? Your old friends?"
Link nodded in agreement. But said nothing.
"...Yeah." Skull Kid looked up, still forcing a cheerful expression. "But really, I'm fine. Don't worry about me! You can be fine too if we run away. So come on, please."
Link understood where he was coming from. He really did. But then he looked down to his hand, to the Triforce insignia etched into its back, and his resolve strengthened. He held it up so Skull Kid could see.
"I'm sorry. I have to do this. I have to. I was given this for a reason, and I have to see it through." He hesitated. "I... understand if you don't want to come with. This is my battle. Not yours. And… I don't want you to get hurt, either."
Now Skull Kid hesitated clear despair on his face, before vigorously shaking his head. His expression turned determined. "No. I'm going where you go. I refuse to lose you. I don't like it, but if we have to fight this Ganondorf guy, then I'm with you to the end." He turned away, pointing towards the castle. "So let's get going already!"
He took a leaping step forward, only for Navi to dart down to meet him, shaking her head. "Not yet. We move out just before dawn."
"What? Why?"
"Many of Ganondorf's monsters are strengthened at night, without the power of the sun to repel them. Besides, it gives us more time to plan."
"What's there to plan?" Skull Kid argued. "We go in, we kick butt, we win. Then we dance on the defeated enemy."
Navi blinked, then shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "It's not that simple. We don't know what we're getting into there. We need to have some sort of plan to deal with whatever we find."
"We can't plan for what we don't know." Link pointed out.
"I know, but we can plan for what we do know. We know that we'll need the Sages' power to get into the castle. And we have reason to suspect we'll need their power to reach Ganondorf, too."
"So I should have the medallions at the ready?"
Navi nodded. "Exactly." Her attention shifted to Link's hand, and she let out a sigh. "I wish we had time for you to figure out how to use the Triforce's magic. It would be useful in the coming fight. But time is the one thing we don't have."
Link shook his head. "I've done well enough without it. I'll just have to manage."
"Yeah," Skull Kid chimed in, more cheerful than he had been earlier — though Link wondered how much of it was genuine. "Link here can do anything."
"Mmm." Navi turned to look back at the castle, a dark blemish against the dying light. "I sure hope you're right. For all our sakes."
At some point, Link dozed off, dreaming of happier times under a canopy of leaves, with nothing to do but dance and play. He awoke to the feeling of someone prodding his side, still feeling a lingering longing for those bygone days.
Slowly sitting up, Link caught sight of Skull Kid beside him before tilting his head upward. The moon and stars still shone brightly, washing their surroundings in pale light. It wasn't dawn yet.
Link opened his mouth to question this, but quickly shut it when Skully shook his head.
"Navi says it's time to move," Skull Kid whispered, raising a hand to his beak in a shushing gesture. Then he turned to peek over a pile of rubble gesturing for Link to follow along.
He rolled over so that he could crawl up beside Skull Kid, snagging a peek of the market square.
Once empty, a squadron of stalfos now gathered at the center, standing at attention. It was hard to tell how many there were in the darkness, but Link could make out at least nine. To either side, two huge, hulking wolfos hunkered down, eyes wild as they scraped restlessly at the ground, as well as four armored lizalfos. One stalfos stood in front of the group, jaw unhinged to let out a raspy, hissing voice.
"The last piece of the Triforce approaches. Lord Ganondorf can feel it. Spread out. Find the bearer and capture them and any they may be traveling with. Ganondorf wants them all back alive."
The other stalfos rattled. The wolfos growled, then they turned and spread out, some remaining around the square while others headed for the fallen drawbridge.
Link shuddered, suppressing the urge to rattle. This could get ugly. Ducking back down, he crawled back to his gear and scooped it up as quickly as he could. "We head for the castle. Now." His voice came near silent as he carefully climbed to his feet. Ducking low, he crept along the edge of the building.
Progress felt agonizingly slow. Every few seconds he had to pause to look over the rubble, checking for nearby guards. But slowly, they made their way around the edges of the square, past guard after guard. Ahead, the shadow of the cliffs surrounding the path to the castle drenched the marketplace exit in darkness. So close, they were so close...
A low growling behind them made Link stop in his tracks. A glance behind his shoulder rewarded him with the visage of a crouching, growling wolfos. Slowly he turned, continuing to back towards the castle step by step. Inch by inch.
"Hehe, nice doggy." Skull Kid held his hands up defensively, only to stumble and let out a startled yelp as he bumped into something from behind. Link bumped into something himself, just a second later.
Slowly he looked up, only to see a skeletal face staring back down at him.
He stumbled away with a startled cry as the stalfos drew its weapon, leaving himself, Skully, and the hidden Navi surrounded by the two stalfos and the wolfos.
"Hey-hey this is all just a big misunderstanding!" Skull Kid's voice came out in a panicked ramble. "We're on your side. We were just searching over here for troublemakers, that's all! You'll be happy to know that there's nothing here."
By now, more of the stalfos had peeled off from their searches, joining the ragged group surrounding the two skull kids. Link nodded vigorously along to Skull Kid's story, desperate for their enemies to believe him.
"What do you think?" One of the stalfos said in that grating, hissing voice.
"It's possible..." another answered. "Though I've never seen any monsters like them in the castle."
"We've been busy wrecking the forest," Skully replied. "We only just got back to the castle."
The stalfos hesitated, looking amongst themselves. Link's eye's flickered, and he allowed himself to hope. Maybe this crazy story would work.
The next second, there was a sword at his throat as one of the stalfos jabbed an accusatory finger at him. No, at his hand. "He bears the mark!"
A half-dozen blades flashed in the moonlight, and Link felt the beginnings of panic. Then he saw Skull Kid give him the tiniest of nods.
"Hee hee, you'll have to try harder than that to catch us!" Skull Kid sprang backwards, and at once Link felt a rush of wind at his side. He did the same, vanishing and reappearing a few feet from his spot, just a few strides outside of the surrounding circle.
As soon as his feet hit the ground, Link took off at a sprint. There was no longer any point in sneaking.
"This is bad. Bad bad bad!" Skull kid caught up to him a second later, wildly looking over his shoulder. The soldiers were on their trail now, charging after them. The wolfos that had first spotted them let out a howl, dashing forward to take the lead, gaining fast.
Link's hands went for the master sword. He winced as pain shot up his injured arm, but forced himself to pull the blade free; he had no choice.
At the last second, he spun around and swung out, striking the wolfos and leaving a deep, bloody gash that made it veer off course with a loud yelp. Then he was running again, side by side with Skull Kid.
Ahead, he could see the path toward the castle. If they hurried, maybe they could get inside and lose their pursuers.
So focused on what was ahead, he didn't see the other wolfos until it knocked Skull Kid off his feet, sending his weapon - the broken spear from the Spirit Temple - tumbling away.
Link skidded to a stop a few feet down the path, spinning to race back toward Skull Kid with his sword drawn. The wolfos had his friend pinned to the ground, bared fangs inches from his face as he struggled and writhed.
"Link!" Clear panic-tinged Skull Kid's voice.
"I'm coming!" With a heave, Link swung his sword, catching the wolfos in its shoulder and neck, blood welling up and spilling over the ground.
The wolfos reared back, giving Skull Kid just enough of an opening to scramble free. He dashed to pick up his spear, but by now, two of the lizalfos had caught up.
One leaped up, driving its blade into the ground where Link had been a second prior. The sound of rushing footsteps alerted him that the rest of their pursuers were not far behind. Link forced himself not to panic; they couldn't afford to take this fight, but they had no choice.
He felt Skull Kid inch closer so that they were back to back, then tense. "Scatter! Lose them in the buildings."
"What?" Link held his sword up in front of himself defensively, buying them precious few seconds.
"You heard me! We're faster than most of these guys and can get in smaller spaces. We'll lose them, then meet back up. Navi can find me later if needed."
Without waiting for an answer, Skully jabbed at one of the lizalfos, grazing its side, then darted away. Link had no choice but to dash off in a different direction, the pounding footsteps of the lizalfos following him as he ducked into an ally.
He could hear the lizalfo's screeching cry as he weaved and vaulted over rubble. A broken window presented an opportunity; he dove, landing in a dusty living space. But he had no time to dwell on the overturned furnishings or the scattered skeletal remains. A set of stairs tucked into a corner offered him a reprieve. He scrambled up to a small second floor, equally disheveled.
A screech from below and the sound of shuffling and clattering told him the lizalfos had arrived. It hadn't climbed the stairs yet, but it was only a matter of time. He needed to keep moving.
As quietly as he could, he crept across the floor to a window on the other side, freezing every time a floorboard creaked. He could still hear the shuffling below, but he swore it was closer.
This window wasn't broken. He also had no idea how to open it. Pressing his hands, then his face, against the glass, he could see the rooftop of another building just above him, with only the tiniest gap between. It was too high to jump, but maybe...
He backed up, braced himself, then charged. A loud shattering noise followed as he fell through the window. Then he felt a familiar rush of wind before landing flat on his stomach on the other rooftop.
From below, he heard a commotion. Stalfos rushed towards the broken window, and he could hear the lizalfos from inside. He backed away from the edge of the rooftop, praying no one could see him. His vision blacked out as he put out his eyes, pressing himself up against the shingles.
The commotion below continued for some time but eventually spread out. He let out a sigh of relief. For the moment, he was safe.
Now he just needed to find—
A distant scream. A familiar scream.
Navi poked her head out from his cap. "Was that...?"
Skully!
Link sprang to his feet in an instant. The cry came again, somewhere in the distance.
"I'll scout ahead," Navi called, darting out of sight.
Link stumbled forward, dashing down the incline and jumping to the next roof. It wasn't clear where the cry had come from, but he did his best to follow the voice.
"Link!"
"I'm coming!" He cried, jumping to the next roof. "Hold on!"
He heard another cry, but it cut off suddenly.
"Skully!" Fear ate at his vision as he stopped at the edge of the next roof. Something went wrong. But he still didn't know where to go.
"Link!" A distant bobbing light And the tiniest, barely audible voice alerted Link to Navi's location. "This way, hurry!"
He leaped from the building, biting back a pained yelp as he rolled against the ground. Then he was on his feet again, racing down alleys and over broken stone. He would reach Skully, he had to.
A moment later, he found himself back in the marketplace square. But this time, it was deserted. Deserted, save for a discarded spear and a distressed fairy.
No longer concerned about another attack, Link bounded across the square to Navi's side. "Where is he?"
"They're headed for the castle," Navi replied. "If you hurry, you might be able to catch them."
Link didn't need to hear anything else. He scooped up Skull Kid's spear in one fluid motion, then raced across the open ground for the path ahead.
The night was deathly silent now, save for the pounding of his footsteps and the whistle of the wind. The first hints of dawn light poked over the horizon, choked by the dusty air.
Cliffs stretched up on either side of the path, the castle's ebony spires looming ominously ahead. The path towards the castle wound back and forth, little more than dirt and jagged stone.
Just ahead, he could make out the bleached white bones of stalfos, and the unconscious lump of orange and green and brown draped over one of their shoulder blades.
"Skully!" The outburst came before he had time to think about it. The entire group of stalfos stopped to look back. Then, in unison, they turned to race towards him. All, save for the one holding Skull Kid, who continued up the path.
Mentally cursing himself for ruining the element of surprise, Link pulled the Master Sword from his back. Within a few bounds, he and the stalfos had reached each other. Link met them as a whirlwind of fury, swinging the Master Sword in wide arcs and ignoring the painful protest of his injured arm. Blade met resistance as it struck bone again and again, breaking free pieces and spitting some of the smaller, weaker ones.
Link spun about, ducking under blows and toppling stalfos as he dodged between their stomping legs. He needed to get past this group. Needed to catch up to the one fleeing.
Something struck him in the head. His vision blacked out briefly and he tumbled, sprawled on the ground with a boot on his chest and a sword pointed between his eyes.
He froze, bony hands grabbing him by both arms and hauling him up and off his feet. He yelled and kicked kicked and struggled wildly, but more hands grabbed him and held him in place.
His sword fell in the scuffle. Well out of his grasp — not that he could grab anything right now anyways. He fought the urge to panic. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't let this happen. But what was he supposed to do?
He felt his hand grow warm, and a sense of peace washed over him. He couldn't give up, to start; there was always something he could do. He focused on that comforting feeling. That had to be the power of the Triforce. He just needed to figure out how to bring it out.
He focused deep inside, feeling for his magic. If he could use it to warp, he had to be able to use it for other things, right?
The slightest of breezes rustled his clothes. His eyes snapped to full brightness. Mentally, he pulled at that breeze, yanked at it, and tugged it close. Then, all at once, he pushed it away with concussive force.
Wind whipped violently around him, spinning and swirling and tearing at the earth. The hands holding him down were ripped away, peeling tiny bits of outer bark as they went, but at the center of it all, he was unharmed. Unmoved, saved for the whipping of his clothes as he climbed to his feet.
The Master Sword lifted in the gale, swirling around him. He reached out and caught it with his injured hand, pulling it close and out of the influence of the storm.
And then, exhaustion hit, all at once, the wind dropped sharply to nothingness, leaving him surrounded by dozens of scattered bones. He had no clue if the stalfos were still alive - or as alive as a living skeleton could be. And he had no desire to find out. Spinning around, he took off towards the castle.
Skully, and the stalfos that took him, were nowhere to be seen.
"Navi?" he called out hesitantly.
"Over here." The fairies' voice was distant, sounding exhausted. But he was able to follow it.
Navi fluttered over a giant chasm so deep, Link couldn't see the bottom. The ground dropped sharply on either side. And on the other side, Ganondorf's ebony castle stretched high into the sky.
"Link I'm sorry." Navi turned to face him, clearly distressed. "They got away, they've already taken him into the castle."
No.
No.
"Skully!" Link shouted his name as if it would make him appear. It echoed through the chasm, calling back to him. But nothing else happened.
Despair crept into Link's chest, numbness spreading through his body. all of that, and he'd still failed. Skull Kid was now in Ganondorf's clutches, along with Sheik.
How was he supposed to save anyone if he couldn't protect the person he cared the most about? Why had he ever let Skull Kid come with him?
"...Link. Link!"
It took him several seconds to realize Navi was calling to him.
"I messed up," Link croaked. Pain spread through his chest as he held his hand up to his old wound, hands digging into the darkened, dried resin. A voice whispered in his ears as his vision narrowed. He repeated its words. "I shouldn't have let him run off alone. I shouldn't have let him come. I-"
"Link!" Navi snapped, cutting him off before continuing in a gentler tone. "You and I both know by now that you wouldn't have been able to stop Skull Kid. Listen, there's reason to believe that Skull Kid will be okay... for the moment at least. Ganondorf wants your piece of the Triforce. Skull Kid is more valuable alive than dead."
Her words stung, but she had a point. Link shuddered, his body letting out an uncontrolled rattle as his hands slipped down to worry at the hem of his tunic. "Y-you're right," he mumbled. "I have to keep going. I can't let this stop me, not after coming so far." Worry still clouded his mind, but he forced himself to focus.
Navi gave him a genuine smile. "That's the spirit. Now come on, let's get you into that castle."
Link's attention turned to the entrance, far across the gap. He tilted his head up, taking in the menacing, jagged structure of the castle. Thorn-sharp spires gave off the illusion of fangs, and the castle gate loomed like a gaping maw. Then his attention turned back to the gorge. "I don't think I can warp that far. Not right now, at least."
"That's alright," Navi replied. "You wouldn't be able to anyways. I already tested it while trying to follow the stalfos that took Skull Kid. There's a magical barrier surrounding the castle."
Link's face fell. "Then how am I supposed to get there?"
"Take the medallions, and set them out in front of you. We're going to call for the sage's power."
Was it really that simple? One by one, Link pulled each medallion out, arranging them in a loose circle on the ground. Light, fire, water, shadow, spirit. His hands lingered on forest, doubt creeping into his mind once again. Before, the medallions had kept him in control of himself, before he'd been purified in the Water Temple. What if he wasn't as pure as everyone thought? What if that was why he failed to save Sheik? To save Skull Kid?
He forced the thought away. He had to stay courageous. The golden glow on his hand provided some comfort as he set the last medallion in place.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, one by one, each medallion lit up. With the light came a specter of each sage. Rauru, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru. Saria. His gaze lingered on her face.
She gave him an encouraging smile. Then turned away, raising her hands in unison with the other sages. light coalesced in front of him, slowly forming a bridge that shimmered with iridescence.
"What is…" he struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. Clearly, it was some form of powerful magic, but he struggled to wrap his hand around it.
"Grab the medallions and go," said Rauru, shaking him out of his thoughts. "Hurry, we cannot hold this for long, but you may still need our power as you climb the tower."
Link nodded, scooping up the artifacts. He took one experimental step onto the bridge, checking for sturdiness. When he didn't fall into the gorge, he rushed across and into the gaping castle entrance.
Hang on Skully, Sheik. I'm coming.
Ganondorf had not slept for days.
The itching in his hand kept him awake. The last piece of the Triforce drew closer with every passing minute, he was certain of it. He'd tried distracting himself with music, playing on an organ near the top of his tower, before the burning sensation became too much to bare.
To his side, the princess — still hiding her true identity behind those Sheikah garbs — sat in her crystalline prison, legs crossed and eyes closed. But he knew she was still awake, feeling the same pull of the Triforce.
Dawn light filtered through stained glass. He lounged against the organ, sending a long, unpleasant mix of notes through the pipes. The Triforce holder couldn't come soon enough.
"Let go of me you stupid bones! I'll bite you! don't test me!"
The unfamiliar voice snapped Ganondorf to attention. Seconds later, he heard a hissed string of curses in the rattling tones of a stalfos, followed by a pealing cackle cut off with a yelp.
Seconds later, a disheveled stalfos entered the room, dragging a writhing, growling, child-sized monster. The stalfos threw the child down in front of Ganondorf, placing a boot on its stomach to hold it in place. Two other stalfos followed weapons drawn and pointed at the child.
"What is this?" Ganondorf stood, jabbing a hand at the monster. It wore ragged orange and green clothes and seemed to be made of wood, with glowing amber eyes and a beak. Something about it was vaguely familiar as if he'd seen something similar in the past.
"We found this one with the Triforce holder. The remainder of my troops were working to apprehend him while I brought this one here."
"Really now?" Ganondorf leaned forward, a wicked grin on his face, then approached.
The child froze deathly still. But when Ganondorf drew close, it twisted and writhed, gaunt arms reaching for his legs and beak snapping in the air with an audible clack.
"Come down here and face me, coward!" the child crowed. "Or are you too afraid to fight me?"
Ganondorf stepped back, letting out a hearty laugh. "A feisty creature, you are. It's a shame I don't have any creatures like you in my army." Dark magic swirled at his fingertips. "...I could fix that. It could be fun, watching the hero despair as he faces his traveling companion in a battle to the death."
He flicked his fingers, and the magic vanished. "But I won't. Not yet, at least. I think I have a more valuable use for you..." Ganondorf raised his head to address the stalfos. "Bind its hands and feet, and take it over by the princess. We'll see whether your troops bring the hero back, or if he comes of his own accord. Either way, he'll be at our mercy, I'm certain."
Turning away as the stalfos moved to restrain the child further, Ganondorf laughed and returned to the organ. Behind him, he heard screeching and scuffling, but no signs that the child had successfully broken free. He laughed again, bringing his hands down to play a menacing minor chord.
"Soon, hero. Soon, you will bring me the last piece of the Triforce. And then, the kingdom will be mine!"
