Chapter 9

Zelda

Zelda had an absolutely splitting headache. Her heartbeat pounded loudly inside, and a sharp pain cut through her skull when she moved too much. Wait... where...? Recent events suddenly flooded Zelda's mind. Link had gotten up in the middle of the night, face blank and slack, eyes glossed over. She tried to wake him, yet nothing seemed to work. So she had followed him, afraid that he would be unable to protect himself in such a state. She followed his path as he tramped towards the Lost Woods. At the entrance, she had gripped his hand, sure that if she didn't they would be separated and lost.

Then they reached the center of the forest. It was so verdant and beautiful that she could not help but to drift from Link to study a curious plant that was glowing in the cool shadows. She had suddenly felt something watching her, and she turned around, screaming when she saw the monster in front of her.

It was a gargantuan boar, flaming tendrils of some substance, and a look of pure hatred in its beady eyes. Unfortunately, her flight response didn't seem to be working. On the other hand, Link awakened from his trance and yelled an insult at the beast. It charged away from her and she was soon vaguely aware of Link lifting her to a hiding spot and wrapping his jacket around her.

Seconds later, she heard a scream of agony, and somehow gained the ability to move again. She shakily came around the root, and cried out. Link was pinned against a root, bleeding profusely from the side, his arm and neck covered in black marks. Zelda searched frantically on the ground for some kind of weapon. She found a sharp rock, and threw it with a shout into its face.

It grunted and charged her. She had tried to avoid it, but was hit roughly, making her fly back. A sharp pain in her head, then she was awakened here. Still got a nasty headache, though.

Suddenly, Zelda was aware of whispers and giggles on both sides. A smooth material was placed on her head, and she heard a violin, ocarina and a pair of maracas playing a vibrant, happy song. Once the it finished, the pain was whisked away.

She opened her eyes to see what had happened, when her mouth dropped in shock. There were KOROKS. They hadn't been seen or heard from in several millennia. According to tales in near-indecipherable ancient Hylian, they were forest spirits who could only appear to those with pure hearts. And they were here. She could SEE them!

Zelda asked the Koroks where Link was, but they only giggled and grabbed at her, pulling her to a large amber crystal. She shook her head. "Where is Link?" One of the creatures with a few mushrooms on it's head chittered and pointed insistently at the rock. She took a closer look and gasped.

Link was floating inside, eyes closed, head lolling slightly. Vines and roots were curled around his limbs and torso. The black marks she had seen earlier had spread to his jaw, darkening skin and showing the pattern of his veins.

She reached out, tried to get to him, but the barrier easily blocked her. Her palms lay against the crystal's cool surface. "Link?" Zelda asked hoarsely. For a moment, nothing happened. Then her hands began to glow gold, and she could not pull them back. The light traveled from her hand to Link's body, causing it to briefly shine before a form tumbled from the amber.

But something was... off. The crystal had not shattered or broken in any other way. And what lay on the ground was... translucent. And, looking closer, she saw the form was not lying on the surface, but floating!

"Link?" she whispered. A soft groan sounded from... him. Link. It was really him. He got up, still slightly hovering above the ground.

He yelped when he caught a glimpse of her, then blinked and focused. "Z-zel?" He looked at his hands, and started. "Wh... Wha... what?!" Link examined his body, and seemed to realize that he no longer had a physical form. He slowly reached up, fisted his hair and began to make a heavy panting noise. "I-I can't... I can't BREATHE!"

"Link... Shh, it's oka-"

"N-NO. I c-can't-can't-can't b-b-breathe! I'm d-dead, aren't I?! I-I'm-I'm dead!" His eyes were wide and panicked. She tried to place a hand on his shoulder, but it went right through, and he flailed, backed away from her.

He was obviously having some sort of panic attack, seeing himself in a spirit-like state. Zelda didn't really know what to do to calm him down, so she just sat there and breathed quiet words of comfort. She watched him as his eyes flitted around in fear, his ghostly body shaking and twitching. His chest was hitching sporadically. Her words seemed to have no effect.

Finding another idea, she hummed the song her mother used to sing, soft and lilting.

Eventually Link calmed to a point where they could talk. "Wh-what happened?" he asked, voice quiet and shaky.

"I have no idea. You were trapped in that thing over there, then my hands started glowing, and here you are now! But I think your... body... is still in there," she replied.

"...Am I d-dead, then? Or... wh-what else could ha-ave happened? And y-your hands were... glo-owing?"

Before she could come up with an answer, a korok came up and started chirping excitedly. She could hear a few things of its language this time: "...tree ...speak... important!..." Link watched it carefully, seeming to understand all of what was said, before nodding and beginning to float outside. "Link? What... did it say?"

He looked at her, confused. "Y-you couldn't hear it?"

"I could hear something, but not much discernible as words."

"A'right. Um... He says th-that the Great Deku Tree is w-waiting to speak with us, and it's super important. Who tha-at is, I don't know... but he s-sounds, feels important." He glanced away, looking nervous. He looked up again. "Y-you believe me... right?

Zelda got up from her seat on the floor. "Yes. I trust you. Let's go meet this Great Deku Tree."

_/|||\_

The two followed the korok who had delivered the message to a short stump on one of the roots of what was, presumably, the Great Deku Tree. A face of wood twitched, and the ancient guardian spoke.

"Hero. Goddess child. I am glad to see you once more, even though you have not seen me before."

Zelda gaped slightly. "Um, I don't mean to be rude, but I think you may have the wrong person. How on earth could I be a- a Goddess?"

The tree smiled. "There are many things you don't know yet in this life, Your Grace. But, how do you think you were able to separate a spirit from body without causing death or harm otherwise?" She blinked.

...This life?

"I d-don't mean to o-offend either, Great Deku Tree, b-but... I'm no hero."

Zelda whipped her head around. "Link, honestly. There are probably few who don't think of you as a hero in some fashion. You're kind, selfless, brave, humble, and even more. Don't be so down on yourself, for Light's sake."

The poor boy looked completely baffled, and she could see a rosy hint to his scarily pale cheeks. "She is right, young one. You may not see yourself as a hero, but that ancient spirit's indominable will resides in you, though you have been through much."

Before Link could say something ridiculous again, Zelda said, "Great Deku Tree, I have some questions. Why was Link trapped inside that crystal? And... how?"

"I am the one who placed Link in the amber, Your Grace. Without my intervention, he would have died. That substance surrounding the beast has been called many things over the years, such as a curse and, oddly enough, gloom. But the most popular name for it is Malice." Zelda and Link flinched, a feeling of fearful recognition passing over the two.

The tree continued, "It possesses, corrodes, kills. It has done so to some of my forefathers. Link, while fighting that beast, was so infected by it, that if I had wasted even a second more, he would be gone from this world. The crystal keeps his body in stasis, keeps the Malice from reaching his heart."

The tree shook slightly, causing Zelda to stumble. "I am afraid it is my fault. I had not been careful enough with keeping up the borders of my forest. I am, however, indebted to you Link. Without you, my children would surely have died."

She spoke up. "Great Tree, is there anything we can do?"

The blossomed tree seemed to nod. "Sacred Light can reverse the effects of Malice. However, it is quite rare these days. You, Your Grace, have it. But you have yet to awaken your powers to a point where it would be possible to heal him. The Master Sword, that which called Link here, also has Sacred Light, but it can only be drawn by the Chosen Hero. Clearly, Link is unable to draw the sword right now."

Zelda visibly wilted, and she noticed Link look at her with concern out of her peripheral vision.

The guardian continued, "But there are also the emblems. From what I can see, the bonds of Power have already been loosed and taken advantage of, and Courage and Wisdom's seals on it are growing weak. The only way I can think of to save Link and prevent the world's downfall is to seek the spirit emblems. I believe it would be best to seek Courage. It is easy to access, though difficult to find, and the spirit will surely help Link. Along the way, Zelda should be able to increase her power, which will be helpful in getting to Wisdom, which is only found through struggle."

"But, Great Deku Tree, what are these emblems? And where could we possibly begin to look? Hyrule is massive!" Zelda exclaimed.

"I believe that Link has that information. Perhaps not consciously, but he knows where Courage hides."

Link looked a bit surprised. "I..."

"It's alright, Link. We'll be here for a short while to prepare." She paused. "If that's alright with you, Deku Tree," Zelda added hesitantly.

"Of course, Your Grace."