"Hm, hm-hm. Hm, hm-hm. Hm, hm-hm, hm-hmm…" Linkle hummed happily to herself, strutting at the front of the party as they walked through the forest. The Master Sword, lacking a scabbard, was strapped to her back, alongside her other sword. She'd been in the best of spirits ever since she'd pulled the sword from the stone.
Dayto and the four others in his party, apparently eager to spend time with the Hero, had offered to escort them back to Kasuto.
"Are you going to kill the Headless Demon?" Dayto asked Linkle, excitedly following beside her.
"Absolutely!" Linkle declared.
"Wow!" Chabi, the tiny wizard, replied in amazement. "Hey, do you know any magic?"
"I can talk to animals," Linkle said.
"No, she can't," Link interjected, following behind her.
"Quiet. Yes, I can."
"What's the biggest thing you've hunted?" asked Nazbi, the man with the bow.
"Hmm." Linkle thought about it. "I've faced two Hinoxes."
Link let out a short laugh at that. The first time they fought a Hinox, they ended up fleeing. The second time they met one, it ended up being friendly, so they hadn't even fought it.
"I killed a pretty big Igneo Talus on the way to Rudania, too," Linkle added.
"That's pretty impressive," commented Nat, the woman with the claymore. "What else have you fought? Those were the big things, but have you ever had a particularly skilled opponent?"
"Oh, yeah! Many," Linkle replied. "Just before we came to Faron, my brother and I were in the Water Temple. We came across this secret treasure vault. It was guarded by some sort of spell that created dark reflections of ourselves, so we basically had to defeat our own evil twins in order to claim the treasure. They knew all our moves. It was quite a challenge."
Link nodded his head in agreement. That much was actually true. Fighting their darker selves had been one of their more difficult battles. They were used to fighting only monsters, who were not usually as intelligent.
Good thing we didn't have to fight the talking Hinox.
Endai, the man with the daggers, seemed to be the only one who wasn't interested in asking Linkle a million questions. He followed in the back of the party, constantly glancing about the forest cautiously.
"That sounds rather exciting!" Dayto declared. "And what secret treasure were these malicious doppelgangers protecting, might I ask?"
Linkle reached down to her side and took out her hookshot. "This," she said, holding it up.
"Hmm?" Chabi took the object into her hand, examining it. "What, this? A hookshot?" she asked. "Why's this so special?"
"It once belonged to a Zora Princess named Ruto," Linkle explained. "Her fiancé gave it to her."
"My, oh, my. How romantic!" Dayto said, snatching the hookshot out of the young girl's hands.
"Hey!" Chabi complained, fixing her oversized hat as it fell over her eyes.
"That's a rather odd gift," Nat pointed out. "Rather peculiar that it would have that kind of security, too. Does it do anything special?"
"Well-" Linkle began.
"Elle," Link interrupted. "Let's, perhaps, not bore them with the details, eh?" There was still a lot of uncertainty with their mission. They had shared the details with others so far, but only with people who may have been able to help directly, like the sages. He thought it best not to involve these other adventurers if it wasn't completely necessary.
"Alright, alright, fine," Linkle said, shooting him a significant look that seemed to say she understood what he meant.
"So, what are you all doing in these parts?" Link asked Dayto's party, hoping to change the subject before anyone thought he was acting weird. "Did you just come here for the Master Sword, or were you on another quest?"
"Well, Endai, Chabi, and I all met in Fural. We'd each come to Faron to help with the Lynel horde that had formed outside the city," Nat explained. "After that situation died down, we took some smaller quests hunting monsters in the forest, which is where we met Nazbi. Then Dayto showed up. He's the one who suggested we try to pull the sword from the stone."
"And what a wise decision it was!" Dayto declared proudly. "Because of our curiosity, we were blessed with the privilege of being the only other people present when the new Hero awakened! Truly this was Farore's will."
"It was pretty lucky," Nazbi agreed.
"Where are you headed after this?" Nat asked Link. "You going straight to the capital to speak with the queen?"
"The queen?" Link asked, realizing he hadn't yet thought about who would be replacing the late King Tychon.
"Yeah. Princess Zelda has probably been crowned queen by now, right?" Nat replied. "She'll want to meet your sister if she's the Hero."
"That's right!" Linkle declared proudly. "And that's a good idea. Now I'll finally get to go inside the castle!"
Link considered it. He was happy that his sister's lifelong dream had actually come true, but it now dawned on him that a lot of responsibility had suddenly been thrust upon her. Would the Royal Family expect her to slay this new demon on her own? She was only fifteen. Even the Hero of Twilight didn't have to begin his journey until he was seventeen.
Although, I'm sure Elle will remind me the Hero of the Minish was only twelve or thirteen when he began his journey.
Nevertheless, they had partially succeeded in the quest they'd been sent on by Sage Impa. They'd managed to collect the key from the Water Temple, and they knew who was in possession of the other key that had been in the Forest Temple previously. They'd also collected the Ocarina of Wind, which had been switched out for the Ocarina of Time, so that would surely be of some interest to the sages as well. Link and his sister were likely to be rewarded handsomely for the work they'd done, regardless of what would happen now that Linkle had become the Hero.
"If you are returning to the City of Hyrule, would you allow us to accompany you?" Dayto inquired. "As fellow adventurers, it would be nothing short of an honor to aid the new legendary Hero who has been sent to save these lands."
"Quit being so fucking dramatic, Dayto," Nazbi told him.
Chabi laughed, but caught herself. "Not that we wouldn't love to accompany you, of course!" she quickly added, giving Linkle a look of pure admiration.
"Sure, you can come with us," Linkle agreed, clearly enjoying her newfound popularity. "That's okay, right, brother?" she asked, requesting Link's approval.
Link considered it. Getting through the Lost Woods had been tough enough on the way in, and they'd luckily received help from a friendly giant and a group of Kokiri musicians. It would certainly be helpful to have an escort on the way out, not to mention on the way back to the capital. After all, the Hero always ran into trouble wherever they went, according to the stories.
That explains our miserable luck, at least.
"Couldn't hurt," Link agreed.
"Splendid!" Dayto clapped Link on the back, or rather on his shield.
"Do you have any other business in these forests?" Nat asked. "We finished everything we had to do. Checking out the Master Sword was our last stop."
"We're all set, too," Link replied. "We should stock up on supplies and spend the night in Kasuto, then head out at first light."
"We should go see the sage again before we leave," Linkle suggested.
"You guys met the sage, too?" Chabi asked.
"Yep. She's great!" Linkle replied. "It's funny that she looks your age, Chabi, but she's actually, like, hundreds of years old," she said with a giggle.
"Definitely one of the friendlier sages we've met," Link added.
"Sages?" Nazbi asked, emphasizing the plurality. "How many have you met?"
"Five." Linkle smiled proudly.
"Five?" several members of Dayto's party said at once, sounding surprised.
"Yeah. If you count the Sage of Light, who we only met very briefly on the road," Link confirmed.
"Shadow, Light, Time, Water, and Forest," Linkle elaborated, as if anticipating what their next question would have been.
"Ah. The Sage of Light. I heard he was killed by the Headless Demon during the Blood Moon," Dayto commented.
"May he rest in peace," Nat added.
"I wonder who the next Sage of Light will be," Chabi said, perhaps inappropriately.
"We'll find out soon," Linkle speculated. "If there's a living potential light sage, they may have awoken already by now."
"That's fast. What the hell took you so long to awaken?" Link joked.
"Yeah. The Hero of Twilight's been dead for seventy years. Where've you been?" Nazbi joined in.
"Well, there hasn't been a demon in Hyrule since Ganon was slain," Dayto pointed out. "It is only natural that Farore would wait until it was needed before revealing her new champion."
"Yeah, yeah. We were just playing around," Nazbi said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Hey, look!" Chabi pointed up ahead of them. There was a break in the trees that looked like it led to a more open area. "I think we're back."
"Great!" Linkle said. "Let's head back to the Forest Temple."
The sun was low in the sky when Link, Linkle, and Dayto's party returned to the forest maze town of Kasuto. Kokiri and fairies were out and about, some working, some playing, and some making music. Link wondered if the settlement had any defenses aside from hiding. The talking Hinox and his horde of Blins had apparently come and gone peacefully, but if they hadn't, would the Kokiri have been prepared to fight?
They have a god, a sage, and a great fairy. Perhaps that is enough.
Link also hoped to avoid spreading the news that Linkle had obtained the Master Sword. She carried it openly on her back, but Link was unsure if the average Kokiri was familiar enough with the weapon to recognize it. However, Link's hopes were short-lived.
"People of Kasuto!" Dayto announced, climbing atop a stump in the middle of the town center. "I am proud to announce the awakening of the new Hero!"
Link's eyes opened wide. "No, no!"
"The Master Sword has been claimed by none other than the beautiful and proud Linkle of Hateno!" Dayto finished his introduction, then stepped off of the stump, gesturing to it as a signal for Linkle to take his place.
This fucking guy…
"Wait, really?"
"The Hero has returned?"
"Someone pulled the sword from the stone?"
Immediately, a crowd began to gather. Dozens of Kokiri assembled in front of the stump. Other curious fairy children stuck their heads out from their treehouses. A swarm of fairies gathered overhead as well.
Linkle looked almost nervous at first, but a look of unbelievable pride and joy soon overtook her. She climbed on top of the stump and pulled out the Master Sword, raising it skyward.
"Ooooohhhhh…" came the collective response of the crowd.
"Amazing!"
"She did it!"
"We're saved!"
Many more of them spoke words in a language Link did not understand.
Link was happy for his sister, and the Kokiri townsfolk certainly weren't very threatening, but he knew having this kind of attention drawn to themselves was rarely a good thing. Hoping to end this before even more Kokiri showed up to block their way, he stood next to the stump and held out his hand to Linkle.
"Elle, come on. We should go."
Linkle nodded. She gave one last pose to her adoring crowd, then took her brother's hand and let him help her climb down from the stump.
Nat, Endai, and Nazbi seemed to get the idea. The three of them formed up in front of the siblings, moving forward and waving their arms before the crowd, clearing the way. Dayto and Chabi followed behind them. The crowd of Kokiri clapped and cheered as they left.
As a group, they made their way north through the maze, heading for the temple.
"That was great," Linkle said after they exited the maze. "Imagine how famous I'm gonna be after I slay the Headless Demon."
Nat chuckled. "Rather vain for a Hero, eh?"
"Right?" Link agreed. Then he turned to Dayto. "Hey. Next time, don't do that. Understand?" he told him.
Dayto looked surprised. "Oh, come off it. What did I do this time?"
"High-value targets are supposed to keep a low profile," Endai explained.
"Low profile? Nobody draws more attention to themselves than nobles and royals!" Dayto argued.
"Only when they have dozens of trained knights escorting them," Nat argued.
"Yeah, Dayto. Are you really that thick?" Chabi added.
"Okay, okay! Lady Linkle, I apologize," Dayto said sincerely.
"It's alright!" she replied. "But you should listen to my brother. He'll probably stab you again next time you do it," she added with a giggle.
Dayto laughed, but he nervously put a hand over his shoulder.
Their party didn't run into many other people on their way up the hill to the Forest Temple. The next Kokiri they saw were a few of the temple's druids tending to the plants growing outside the entrance.
"Excuse me," Link spoke up, hoping to do the talking before anyone else mentioned his sister had become the Hero. "We were here earlier. Is it alright if we speak with Saria again?"
The druid closest to the staircase nodded. "Sure thing, travelers. The sage is inside. You can go on in."
"Thank you."
After climbing the staircase, their party passed through the entrance room with the trees in it and through the first hallway. When they entered the great octagonal chamber inside the temple, Link immediately spotted Saria. She was in the center of the room, tending to some potted plants atop the altar surrounded by the four torches.
"Ah, she's right here," Nat pointed out as they descended the stairs.
"Hello, Sage Saria!" Linkle called out, waving. Link and a few others shushed her, but she ignored them and pulled out her hookshot. She aimed it at the vines growing over the domed ceiling and fired it, using the chain to swing towards Saria.
"She's an… interesting choice for the Hero, I'd say," Nazbi commented.
Dayto chuckled. "Oh, yes. She's certainly something," he said admiringly.
Link put a hand on Dayto's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He didn't say anything, however. He merely pushed himself past Dayto, continuing down the stairs to hurry after his sister.
"Saria! Guess what," Linkle said after landing on the floor and making her way across the red carpet leading to the altar.
The sage looked at her strangely. "Where did you get that?" Saria asked. However, she was not looking at the Master Sword. Instead, she was eying the hookshot in Linkle's hand.
"What, this?" the Hero responded, lifting the gadget in front of her. "I got it in the Water Temple. It was the other item Sage Impa sent us to get, along with your brother's sword. Why?"
Saria looked confused. "That belonged to my brother, too."
"Wait, what?" Link asked, catching up to his sister. "That exact hookshot? Are you certain?"
"Absolutely," Saria said, nodding in confirmation. "It's from Termina. They don't make hookshots like that anywhere in Hyrule."
Link tilted his head curiously, wondering if Termina was somewhere in Holodrum or Labrynna.
"So both of the keys we were sent to get belonged to your brother?" Linkle asked.
"Keys? You mean like the Hero of Twilight's bow?" Dayto asked, joining the conversation as he and his party caught up. "How fascinating! I have been curious about this matter since our fateful encounter with the dragon. Link, Linkle, wise sage - you must tell me more!"
The rest of his party had questioning looks on their faces, clearly wondering what everyone was talking about.
Link sighed. "I'll explain later. We don't really know much more than you do, honestly."
Linkle seemed to suddenly remember why she was there. "Oh! Sage Saria, look!" she said, pulling the Master Sword out from behind her back. She held it flat in both hands, lowering it down to eye level with Saria above the altar.
The sage looked more surprised to see the sword than she was to see her brother's hookshot. "Oh. You're the Hero, then?" She gave Linkle an encouraging smile, but Link could see some pain hiding behind it. "I hope the gods bring you good fortune."
"Thanks!" Linkle replied, apparently not noticing anything amiss.
"We just thought we'd inform you before we left the forest tomorrow morning," Link explained.
"I see. Well, you may stay here for the night if you wish," the sage offered. "We have plenty of spare beds."
"That would be great, thank you," Nat agreed.
"Also, if you'll be heading through the Lost Woods again tomorrow, you'll be better off with a guide." Saria pulled out her own ocarina and played a tune with it. After a few moments, fairies began to swarm into the room, hovering above her, twirling through the air as though dancing to her song.
When Saria took her lips off of her instrument, she turned her head upwards and spoke to the fairies in a language the Hylians couldn't understand. Raising her hand, she pointed to a few of them, who spoke back. She nodded her head in apparent agreement, then turned back to her Hylian guests.
"These fairies will show you the safest way through the woods tomorrow morning," the sage said, indicating the fairies who were now dancing by her head.
Linkle smiled brightly, amused by the pretty lights given off by the dancing fairies. "Thank you, sage. Your generosity is appreciated."
Saria gave her another pained smile. "You're welcome. And good luck to you. I'll have the fairies show you to your rooms."
"This way, humans!"
"Come along, now. Don't get lost!"
"Try to keep up!"
Saria had granted Link and his party seven fairies to help them navigate the Lost Woods. While the fairies seemed honest in their desire to help, they had a sort of playfulness about them that caused them to fly ahead of the party and pretend to almost lose them every now and then. Link found it tiresome more than anything.
Just as Link had experienced on his first trip through the Lost Woods, it wasn't all that scary during the day. It had only become a terrifying forest of nightmares once the sun had gone down. So long as they stuck with the fairies, they would avoid getting lost this time. It may have even been possible to make it out of the Lost Woods before the sun even set, assuming they made good enough time.
"Did you two run into anything strange the last time you were here?" Nazbi asked.
"Hmm. Well…" Link thought.
"We met a talking Hinox!" Linkle said excitedly.
"The Kokiri told us about that thing," Nat replied. "Did it really speak Hylian?"
"Yeah, it did," Link told her.
"Did you slay it?" Chabi asked, clutching her staff and looking up at Linkle excitedly.
"Well, no. It actually helped us," Link explained.
"Helped you?" Dayto questioned.
"Yep! It lifted us up above the trees so we could see which way to go," Linkle told them.
"I say! A talking Hinox is odd enough, but a friendly one? Now I've heard everything." Dayto threw his hand into the air, acting as though it were the craziest thing he'd ever heard.
"What about you lot?" Linkle asked. "What was the weirdest thing you saw in here?"
"We saw a Skull Kid," Nat replied.
"Really? Wow! What happened?" Linkle inquired, sounding excited.
"Well, at first, we just thought it was a Kokiri. A living one, that is," Dayto explained. "Then it turned around, and we saw its face."
"He was a creepy little bastard," Chabi said. "He tried to lure us somewhere, and when we refused to follow him, he got angry."
"It attacked us with some sort of magic instrument," Nazbi said.
"Then Nazbi loosed an arrow into its chest," Chabi went on. "It whined like a little kid and ran away."
"This way, humans!" two of the fairies said at the same time. All seven of them hovered in front of a pathway that seemed to curve north.
"What? That way will make us double back, won't it?" Link asked in confusion.
"Oh, humans."
"They always think they understand everything."
"Why don't we just walk in a straight line? Surely that'll get us there!"
The fairies let out a chorus of condescending laughter, fluttering away down the path.
Link and the others shared a look, shrugged, and followed after them.
They continued following the fairies for quite some time after that, trusting the wisdom of their guides as they twisted and turned their way through the woods. Eventually, Link noticed Endai whispering in Dayto's ear. Link realized he'd barely heard a word out of Endai the whole trip. Whatever he said to Dayto, it made the young man nod.
"Say, did I ever tell you all about the time I fought a hydra?" Dayto asked loudly.
The others turned back to look at him, but he continued before anyone had time to respond.
"Well, let's see. It was a few years ago, a bit after the last Blood Moon…"
"Just let him talk." Endai positioned himself in the middle of the group, speaking quietly. "Act natural. We're being followed."
"What?" Linkle asked in surprise.
"Shh!" Link shushed her. He waited for a moment to make sure Dayto was still speaking loud enough to conceal their voices. "What do you mean? Who's following us?"
"No idea, but they're good," Endai replied. "They're following a good distance behind us and making no noise. I only barely spotted them. There are at least two of them."
"Could it be monsters?" Linkle asked.
"There aren't too many monsters that would bother to be so stealthy," Nazbi pointed out. "It could be some Chameleofos, but they tend to lie in wait for an ambush. They don't usually stalk their prey like this."
"It's probably Children of Nayru, then," Nat said. "Anyone got any enemies we should know about?"
"What if they're after Linkle?" Chabi speculated. "There's a demon on the loose, right? Its followers might have been keeping watch on the Master Sword in case the Hero awakened."
Linkle tried to look over her shoulder, but Link put a hand on her back, trying to simultaneously reassure her and remind her not to act like they suspected anything. "Forget who it is, for now. Let's focus on getting away from them."
"Well, luckily we're in the Lost Woods. This should be the easiest place in the world to lose a tail," Nat pointed out.
"Yeah, if we wanna get lost ourselves," Nazbi replied.
"We could just make a run for it," Link suggested. "Tell the fairies to hurry up, and we run after them."
"Our pursuers may attack us if we run," Endai pointed out.
"Good. Sounds like we outnumber them. We're probably better off fighting," Nat said. "Everyone in?"
Link, Linkle, and the rest of Dayto's party raised no objections.
"Alright, then." Picking up her pace to a quick jog, Nat ran ahead to catch up with the fairies. As they fluttered over her head, she spoke quietly to them, explaining the situation and their plan.
"So, anyway, back to the hydra. Let's see, how many heads did it have? I think it began with three…" Dayto was still rambling to cover for the others, but Link fell back to put a hand on his shoulder.
"We're going to make a run for it," Link whispered to the other adventurer. "They might attack us, but only fight if you need to. Understand?"
Dayto laughed, clapping Link on the back. "Yes, old friend. I recall my antics with the Martelfos back in the Goron mines. I have no intention of repeating my past mistakes."
Link nodded, grateful that Dayto seemed to have actually learned something.
Without warning, the fairies leading them suddenly zipped away, curving around the bend and out of sight. Link and the others took that as their cue and ran after them without looking back.
With any luck, our pursuers will be caught off guard, and we'll lose them immediately.
Link knew it was an optimistic thought. He and his sister were rarely so lucky as to avoid conflict completely.
Perhaps if Farore is guiding Linkle, she'll want to look out for her Hero… or, perhaps she'll do the opposite, as some sort of 'trial.'
It was not at all easy to keep up with a group of fairies who were flying quickly through a forest that was cursed to be unnavigable. Having been at the back of the group with Dayto when they started running, Link nearly lost sight of the others several times, but he always managed to spot his sister or one of Dayto's party members at the last second.
Their path took them through giant hollowed out logs, thick bushes filled with thorns, running streams with sharp rocks lining the riverbed, and numerous other obstacles. It was painful and exhausting, but at least the likelihood of losing their pursuers seemed somewhat decent.
After their initial sprint, the party's pace slowed, but they continued moving relatively quickly for some time. They didn't come to a stop until Nat suggested it.
"Wait!" Nat called out to the fairies. The fairies obliged, hovering in midair as the adventurer removed the claymore from her back, letting the end of it drop to the ground.
"What's going on?" Endai asked when he and the others caught up to her.
"Nothing," she said, panting. "Just needed a breather. I think we lost 'em, anyway."
Endai checked behind them just as Link and Dayto arrived. "Did either of you see anyone?" Endai asked.
Link and Dayto shook their heads.
"I didn't either," Nazbi joined in.
"Yeah, I didn't see anything," Chabi said. "You sure we were really being followed?"
"Of course I am," Endai answered, as if the question had been ridiculous.
Nat nodded her head, evidently trusting her companion. "Well, like I said. I think we lost 'em."
"We should still keep moving, humans," one of the fairies insisted. "You wouldn't want to get caught out here when the sun goes down, would you?"
"Good point," Link said. "Just give us a moment to rest."
Despite their fear of being followed and a few odd encounters with diurnal forest monsters, Link and his traveling companions still managed to make it out of the Lost Woods before sunset. With the fairies to guide them, they had avoided getting lost even once, despite the arcane, unintuitive path the fairies had taken them on.
"Freedom at last!" Chabi raised her staff skyward in victory as the party arrived at Harker Lake. The area around them was still wooded, but the trees were far less dense, indicating they had made it to a different section of Faron Woods.
"Congratulations."
"We're glad you're safe."
"And glad our job is done."
The fairies flittered teasingly, dancing in the air above the lake.
"Thank you for your guidance, kind forest fairies," Dayto said, placing the tip of his sword to the ground and giving the fairies a bow.
The other Hylians echoed his sentiments, thanking the fairies for their help.
"You're welcome."
"You're on your own now."
"Don't get lost without us."
Their job complete, the fairies flew back into the Lost Woods, sprinkling fairy dust behind them as they flew.
"So, what is next for our daring Hero?" Dayto asked, turning to Linkle. "Shall we continue on to the capital and inform the Royal Family of your awakening?"
"That was the plan," Link agreed.
"Indeed!" Linkle said proudly, pulling out the Master Sword for good measure. "Maybe we can visit Sage Tarua and Sage Lucrezia again on the way back."
"Alright, then. We'll head south 'til we hit the road, then take the bridge west," Nat said.
"Better be quick. We're gonna want to find a good place to make camp for the night soon," Nazbi pointed out."
"None of that story was true, by the way," Dayto told everyone as they walked along the road. "I've never even seen a hydra."
"Well, obviously," Linkle replied. "Stal-hydras pop up now and then after the Blood Moon, but nobody's seen a living one in forever. They're probably extinct. Gleeoks are still around, though."
"The Hero is well learned, I see," Nazbi said, sounding impressed.
Link chuckled. "Elle is well learned in one extremely specific field, namely heroes and monsters."
"Isn't that two fields?" Nat pointed out.
"Whatever."
Linkle punched him half-heartedly in the shoulder, but she smiled. "That's two more things than you know." Noticing something in the distance, she raised her hand to point. "Hey, look! The bridge!"
"Ah, good," Link replied.
The Floria River flowed through much of Greater Faron Woods. It was one of the clearest geographical features that separated different sections of the gigantic forest. According to Link's map, they would be back in Pagos woods after crossing this bridge.
"Wait. Everyone stop," Endai ordered, to which the party came to a halt. "Who is that?"
Several figures were standing on the bridge. From their garb and their snowy white hair, it was clear they were Sheikah. One wore violet and white robes, while the other two had thin swords hanging from their belts. One held a map, and they appeared to be discussing something related to it.
"They're probably lost," Nat suggested.
"Very lost. I've barely seen any Sheikah since I've been in Faron," Chabi commented. "Should we go see what they're doing?"
"I suppose," Link decided. He knew to be cautious, but his party had theirs outnumbered.
The seven of them approached the bridge together. As they did, the Sheikah took notice of them. The two with swords on their belts moved to stand in front of the third one.
"Link. Linkle." Before any of the adventurers had spoken, the woman in the robes addressed the siblings by name.
Link stopped, as did the others. "Who are you and how do you know our names?" Link asked, surprised and very suspicious.
"I am a disciple of Sage Impa," the robed woman replied in accented Hylian, giving a slight bow. "I understand you and your sister have retrieved one of the items the sage wished for you to procure."
Before Linkle could respond, Link put a hand on her shoulder. "Where did you hear that?"
"Why, Sage Tarua informed us, of course," the Sheikah priestess explained. "We were told you would be traveling here next, so we have come to collect the item."
Linkle turned to Link. "Brother?" she asked quietly.
Link tried to think. Nothing about the woman's story didn't add up, but it still felt much too strange to encounter these people in the middle of the woods like this. "I see. Do you have our payment?"
The woman nodded, then turned to one of her guards. "Kare ni misetekudasai."
The guard reached into his pocket and pulled out a rupee wallet, holding it up for Link to see.
Link still hesitated. The Sheikah did not appear to be trying to scam them, unless the bag wasn't actually filled with rupees.
"Is everything alright, friends?" Dayto asked Link and Linkle.
The other guard took a few steps forward, his hand on the hilt of his weapon. Link, Endai, and Nat all pulled out their weapons in response. Linkle and Dayto were quick to join them, while Nazbi notched an arrow and Chabi gripped her staff.
"Halt!" the priestess shouted. "What is the meaning of this?"
"We'd appreciate it if your men with the swords would stay back," Nat told the Sheikah.
The robed woman nodded. "My apologies. We did not mean to frighten any of you." She put a hand on her companion's shoulder and spoke quietly to him.
The guard nodded and stepped back, removing his hand from his weapon. The adventurers cautiously lowered their weapons as well.
"Is that the Master Sword I see?" the robed woman asked.
Linkle glanced at her sword, then smiled warily. "Yes," she replied.
"Then the new Hero has awakened in the kingdom's hour of need." The priestess spoke very politely, but her tone of voice was completely devoid of emotion. She did not seem surprised to be in the presence of the newly-awakened Hero, nor did she sound particularly invested in the state of the kingdom when she spoke of its hour of need.
"In that case, we would be honored to escort you to the City of Hyrule," the robed woman told Linkle.
"That will not be necessary," Link said quickly. "The six of us will serve as her escort."
"Indeed!" Dayto agreed.
"Then we shall accompany you," the priestess decided. "An escort of nine would surely be better than an escort of six."
"I'm afraid we must decline," Link said defensively. He didn't like how insistent she seemed.
The face of the priestess remained mostly expressionless, but Link caught a hint of annoyance. "Very well," she said, her voice failing to completely conceal her disdain. "I suppose we will give you your reward in exchange for the item of interest, and then we shall be on our way."
Her guard held up the sack of rupees once more.
Linkle gave Link a look, and he could tell she was thinking the same thing he was. "If you don't mind, I would rather deliver the hookshot to Sage Impa in person," Linkle explained, declining the woman's offer.
"I can assure you, we shall deliver the item safely and promptly," the priestess replied.
Linkle shook her head. "It is my duty as the Hero to return this hookshot. I wish to do it properly."
The Sheikah woman stared at her for a moment, then exhaled dejectedly. She spoke a few words in the Sheikah tongue. Her guards nodded in response, then suddenly disappeared. Before Link had a chance to process what was happening, the priestess held her arm out as if she was gripping something.
Linkle made a choking sound as a shadowy hand appeared around her throat. It yanked her forward, pulling her towards the priestess. Her guards reappeared in a puff of smoke, blocking Linkle and the priestess from view.
"Hey!"
"What the fuck?"
"What are you doing?!"
The members of Dayto's party reacted with shock and confusion, drawing their weapons once more.
"Elle!" Link pulled out his sword. Without thinking, he charged past the two Sheikah men, shoving them out of his way.
Once he got past the smoke, he could see Linkle again. She was still a few feet away from the priestess. The young Hero managed to pull the Master Sword from her back, slashing in front of her as if trying to sever the invisible arm of the shadowy hand.
Evidently, it worked. The priestess shrieked in pain, pulling her arm back, causing the shadowy hand around Linkle's neck to disappear. Linkle fell to her knees, coughing as she rubbed her neck.
Link drew his boomerang as he caught up to his sister, throwing it with all his might at the Sheikah woman who'd attacked her. It curved off to the side, but quickly curved back inward, slicing the woman across the face just before she readied herself to cast another spell. The Sheikah priestess screamed in pain once more, pressing her hand over her bloodied eye. Before she had a chance to do anything else, Linkle pulled out her crossbow and loosed a bolt just as Link's boomerang returned to his hand. The crossbow bolt pierced the woman's heart. She looked down at it with her remaining good eye, but she did not react. She simply slumped over against the bridge's railing.
Link and Linkle shared a look, both of them horrified by the quick series of events that had just transpired. Looking behind them, they saw the fight with the other two Sheikah had finished as well. The woman's guards lay dead on the ground, as did Nazbi.
"Holy shit." Linkle ran back across the bridge, and Link followed her.
"What the hell happened?"
"Why did they attack us?"
"Who were those people?"
Even with the fight concluded, the panic and confusion had still not left them.
"Link, Linkle, Dayto." Endai took a step back from the group. His knives were sheathed now, but he kept a hand on one of them cautiously. "You said you would explain about these keys of yours," he said. "Explain."
"You already know basically everything we know," Link replied. "The Sheikah are looking for some keys to something, and so are some monsters who probably serve the Headless Demon. We don't know what they're for. The Sage of Shadow just hired us to get some of them for her. One of them is Linkle's hookshot. The other is Saria's brother's sword. There's also a bow that got stolen by the dragon in Eldin."
"So why did these Sheikah attack us?" Nat asked, kicking the corpse of one of the dead Sheikah for emphasis.
"We don't know!" Linkle shouted. "They attacked us, too, you know. That crazy lady tried to strangle me!"
"Now, hold on, everybody." Dayto stepped into the middle of the group, holding his hand up disarmingly. "I think it is quite clear that the Hero and her brother have done no wrong. For all we know, these Sheikah were lying about working for the Sage of Shadow. They may be demon worshippers sent to steal the keys before the other Sheikah get their hands on them."
"That's a good point," Link agreed, somewhat surprised.
"Well, how did they know you were here?" Endai asked.
"They already told us that," Chabi interrupted. "One of the other sages told them."
"Hmm. It's possible they were the ones following us in the Lost Woods, or they were working together, at least," Endai speculated. "They could've been spying on us this whole time, keeping an eye on the Master Sword, just waiting for someone to draw it." The Hylian man removed his hand from his dagger, putting it to his chin in thought. "They knew where you were, and what you had on you. They know where you're going next."
Link realized he was probably right. "Then there could be more of them between here and the capital."
"Only if we go the route they expect us to," Nat pointed out. "Going back this way would be the fastest, but you can get to the capital from any direction."
Linkle looked deep in thought. "What if we got to Akkala first?" she suggested. "We still need to get Saria's brother's sword from that Kokiri knight, Mila."
"That might work," Chabi agreed. "We could get the sword before the demon worshippers do, and we'd be going really far off the trail they're expecting us to take."
"What are we supposed to do? Fucking climb over Mount Floria?" Endai asked, apparently not liking the sound of the idea.
"No. We can head east to the coast and take a boat from Lurelin," Linkle suggested.
"Splendid!" Dayto said, clapping his hands together. "It's decided then."
"Now, hold on," Link said, raising a hand. "Look, we appreciate the help you've given us so far, but we barely know any of you. And that includes you, Dayto. You've all seen how dangerous it is to be around us. It isn't safe for you to come with us."
"We're not interested in being safe," Dayto replied with a proud smile. "We're adventurers, same as you."
"Yeah. It would be an honor to help the Hero," Chabi excitedly agreed.
"I still don't know much about what's going on, but I'll help, too, if you'll have me," Nat joined in.
"Well, not me," Endai said, shaking his head. "Nothing against any of you, but adventuring is just my job. I only came this far because I was curious to see the Master Sword. I'm not getting any further involved in a quest I wasn't hired for." Endai stepped over to one of the Sheikah corpses, took what he could from the man's pockets, then grabbed the body by the arm and dragged it towards the river.
"What the hell are you doing?" Nat asked.
"Getting rid of the evidence," Endai replied. "You think their friends are just gonna let this go if they find them like this? Last thing I need is a bunch of demon worshippers or the fucking Sheikah Cadre hunting me for revenge." Reaching the river's edge, he dumped the body into the water. It quickly disappeared in the rushing current.
Link couldn't fault the man for not wanting to get involved. As Endai went to work disposing of the other Sheikah bodies, Link turned to the others who had volunteered to help. "Well, thank you for sticking with us, then."
"Yeah, you're all heroes in my book!" Linkle said gratefully.
Nat nodded, then turned to Nazbi's body. "What should we do about him?" she asked solemnly.
"Did he have any family?" Linkle asked.
"I don't know," Dayto replied. "We only met him recently."
"He was a ranger. He spent a lot of time in the woods," Chabi pointed out. "Maybe we should bury him here."
"I suppose," Link agreed. "Then we should get moving as soon as we're finished. We still don't know how many others are out here looking for us."
After burying Nazbi and saying their parting words to Endai, the remaining party of Link, Linkle, Dayto, Nat, and Chabi turned back east and began their trek through the woods. They made the decision to stay off of the road in case they were being followed or there were others waiting to ambush them. On the one hand, this allowed them to cut through the forest, which served as a shortcut at times. On the other hand, sometimes the forest was dense and difficult to pass through, which slowed them down. And then there were the monsters, which were plentiful in the region.
It took the party two days to make it to Lake Floria, which served as the border between Faron and Ordona. They had to spend their nights making camp in the woods, which the others were more keen on than Link was. However, despite what may have been dire circumstances for them, Linkle was in high spirits. She still hadn't gotten over the fact that she was the Hero, which she seemed to realize all over again every few hours. Their quest to collect the keys and defeat the demon lord excited her to no end.
"See anyone?" Nat asked, standing at the treeline next to Link as he scouted out Floria Bridge from a safe distance.
"No. It looks clear. But there might be someone waiting on the other side, or up on those cliffs by the waterfalls," Link replied.
The last bridge they'd been ambushed on had been a small wooden bridge made to pass over a relatively narrow portion of the river. The bridge across Lake Floria was also made of wood, but it was nearly the size of the great bridge that spanned Lake Hylia. Even if there was no one on it at the moment, they had seen how some Sheikah have the ability to instantly change location using shadow magic, and simple archers could easily be lying in wait somewhere as well.
"We might as well cross," Linkle suggested. "I don't know if we'd be able to scale these cliffs and cross the lake. Besides, if anyone attacks us, we'll be ready."
"Ah, such bravery. Very fitting for our gracious Hero," Dayto said, paying Linkle another compliment.
"Quit talking like that," Chabi told him. She stepped out from the treeline, heading for the bridge. "Come on, everyone. Let's get going."
Link reluctantly followed with everyone else. They'd managed to stay safe so far, aside from a few monster encounters, but he still felt paranoid.
However, as they crossed the bridge together, Link encountered a different feeling. It was like he was remembering something, but he wasn't sure what. Furrowing his brow, he glanced around the area, trying to place the feeling.
"Brother?" Linkle asked when she noticed he'd stopped. "What's wrong? Do you see something?"
"No." Link shook his head. "Elle, have we ever… been here before?" he asked.
"What? To Faron, or Ordona?" his sister asked, sounding confused.
"Well, either," Link replied. He looked back the way they'd come from. The vague recollection of a figure being dragged across the bridge came to him in his mind's eye. "This bridge just feels… familiar."
Linkle shrugged. "I remember Father and Aron traveled to Ordona a couple times when we were little. I don't recall them ever bringing you, though."
"Me neither," Link said. "Huh. Strange."
"Hey! What's taking you so long?" Chabi called from the far end of the bridge.
Linkle gave Link a look, silently asking if he was fine to move on.
Link shrugged. "Eh. It's probably nothing." Together, he and Linkle crossed the bridge to the other side.
"Ta da!" Linkle hopped across the threshold when she reached the end of the bridge. "We have now officially been to six of Hyrule's nine provinces," she declared.
Link quickly counted in his head. "Yeah, I guess. We didn't really do anything in Lanayru, though," he pointed out.
"Well then maybe we should stop by and meet the Zora Royal Family on the way to Akkala," Linkle suggested. "They'd probably want to meet the Hero, too. And maybe they can tell us more about Princess Ruto. She's supposed to be King Ralis's half-sister, right?"
"Great idea!" Dayto agreed.
"That sounds like it would take a while, though," Nat said. "Shouldn't we be trying to defeat the Headless Demon as soon as we can?"
"And someone might steal that Kokiri's sword before we get it if we take too long," Chabi added.
"Yeah, I think going straight to Akkala would be best. Especially since it would put more distance between us and anyone who's following us," Link agreed.
"Alright, alright, fine," Linkle relented. "But, if we go anywhere near the Earth Temple when we're in Akkala, we are absolutely making time to meet the Sage of Earth."
Author's note:
The next chapter will be another Link chapter. I normally don't do two chapters in a row with the same POV character, but my Link chapters often end up way too long, and I had to split this one up. When I split a chapter like this, I usually try to move the second half to another slot, but that's harder to do at this point in the story since I'm a little more constrained by the chronology of the events. So, I hope you'll look forward to seeing what happens with Link and Linkle in the next chapter!