After departing from the Water Temple, Link and Linkle spent the next few days traveling. The road continued south from the Bridge of Hylia, crossing the border into the Faron Province. The siblings enjoyed a brief journey through the plains before entering Faron Woods, the first of many forests they were to travel through on their way to their destination. With nearly half the province covered in dense woods, this was not unexpected.
Upon coming to a crossroads where the road south would take them to Faron's capital of Fural and the road east would take them to Pagos Woods, the siblings continued east.
For Linkle, the presence of so many gigantic trees gave her the perfect opportunity to test out her new hookshot. They would turn it in to the Impa family for the reward later, but for the time being, Linkle was going to have her fun.
"Wee!" the young girl cried out, swinging from a branch among the leafy canopy that grew overhead. She'd found that, after shooting the hook into something immobile, she could retract the chain in order to pull herself towards the object she'd hooked into. At first, she would simply end up pulling herself directly into the trees when she tried this. However, with practice, she soon became rather adept at dislodging the hook at the right time, allowing her to swing herself fluidly through the air.
Link was feeling sick to his stomach just watching her. Between her Pegasus Boots and this new device of hers, Linkle had no shortage of options for high mobility. Link, meanwhile, did not even have a horse to ride. They'd decided to leave Arion behind back in Gatepost, since neither the Water Temple nor the Lost Woods would be a great place to bring a mount.
While his sister played with her new toy, Link examined his own recent acquisitions. He hadn't gotten much use out of his magic boomerang yet, but he knew it would come in handy someday once he got better with it. He also carried the apparently unenchanted Ocarina of Time, which certainly did not provide much utility. Taking it out of his pocket, Link tried to play a few notes, but he had no talent with it.
Who comes up with instruments like these?
"Slow down, Elle," Link called out, noticing she was trying out another ill-advised stunt.
"Never!" Linkle called back, attempting an unnecessary backflip on her next swing. She managed it, but didn't quite stick the landing, losing her balance and falling flat on her rear. "Ow," she complained.
Link let out a chuckle. "Serves you right."
Linkle stood back up, dusting herself off. She laughed lightly, but it sounded a little forced, like she was more upset about something than she wanted to let on.
"You're doing fine, Elle," Link told her when he caught up with her. "I'm impressed you can use that thing so well already. Just be careful with it."
Linkle nodded. "Thanks," she said before continuing down the road.
Link sighed inwardly. Ever since their duel with their dark doubles, they hadn't exactly addressed the things they'd said, or the things their doppelgangers had said. Of course, Link had been uncomfortable discussing those sorts of things before. He might've expected that having them out in the open would've made it easier, but it didn't.
Well, might as well…
"Elle," Link said, trying to keep his voice serious, but not in a way that would come across as concerning. "About all that stuff back in the temple… I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."
Linkle idly examined her hookshot as she walked, avoiding eye contact, suddenly very bashful. "It's not you," she said after a moment.
"I complain all the time about being out in the wilds like this," Link reminded her. "And I… I guess I'm pretty hard on you sometimes. But, like I said. I am happy to be here. As long as I'm with you. And I really do think you might be the Hero."
Linkle stopped. She examined her left hand, likely checking to see if the Triforce of Courage had magically appeared on it. Failing that, she finally looked Link in the eye. Link was surprised to see tears in her eyes, but she was grinning. "You are so annoying," she said playfully.
"Look who's talking."
Linkle chuckled and they continued forward, but Linkle's face soon got serious again. "Why didn't you tell me you blamed yourself for everything?" Her question was somewhat vague, but it was very clear what she was talking about.
Link scratched the back of his head nervously. "I don't know," he said. "Why would I? It's not like it's something that just comes up in conversation."
"Yeah, but…" Linkle made a strained expression and rubbed her forehead, like she was struggling to find the right words. "You can't, though," she said eventually. "Like… each and every one of them was just… sickness, accident, animal, jumping… I… I wish I could've saved them, too, but… what could you have done?"
"I know, I know," Link insisted. "It's not like I think it all the time or anything. I just… feel that way sometimes."
Linkle stared at him for a short while, which made Link try to avoid eye contact. "Well," she said. "That dark-you was fucking wrong. You've kept me safe for years, and I know you'll keep doing it forever."
Link stopped walking, temporarily frozen by what his sister had said. Linkle didn't notice for a moment, but stopped and turned around when she did. Both of them had basically already shared these sentiments with each other a few days prior, but saying it in the heat of battle in order to pass a magical trial was one thing. This was different.
"What?" Linkle asked after a noticeable pause.
"I will," Link said in agreement.
There was another pause. Linkle smiled lightly, and the two of them nodded to each other. Without another word, they continued onward.
"This is it, brother. The creepiest place in Hyrule." Linkle stood at the edge of the road, facing the woods to the north. They had just crossed the bridge over the Floria River, and according to the map, only the Lost Woods remained between them and Kokiri Forest.
Link raised an eyebrow, casting his gaze upward. "Maybe it's scarier at night," he remarked. It was early in the morning, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.
Linkle wagged a finger at him, smiling smugly. "Don't be fooled by how it looks from here, brother. Once we delve into the Lost Woods, we'll be in a nightmarish land filled with monsters." Reaching into her tunic, she pulled out the compass she wore on her necklace. Opening it up, she revealed that the needle was rotating erratically. "See this? We're not even past the treeline yet, and already my compass has stopped working. It's so difficult to navigate; so easy to get turned around and lost. Sometimes a thick fog rolls in, making it even harder to see. I hear you might even walk through a portal to another realm without even knowing it. And all who die wandering the Lost Woods are doomed to spend eternity searching for an exit as a lifeless Stalfos!"
Link chuckled. Linkle's description of the place sounded hellish, but she looked so excited as she described it to him. It reminded him of when he used to see her telling stories to the younger kids back in Hateno. She almost always told tales of heroes and monsters, but spooky ghost stories were some of her favorites, too.
"Very well, dear sister," Link said dramatically. "Shall we venture forth in search of glory?"
"We shall!" Linkle pounded her fist against her hand, stepping forward in a pose.
"Alright. Sounds good." Heading in first, Link stepped off of the road and walked past the treeline. Linkle rushed to catch up to him.
Like many in Hyrule, Link had grown up hearing stories of the Lost Woods, so Linkle's words were not all that new to him. He suspected much of the forest's reputation was exaggerated, but having seen Linkle's compass for himself, he knew the stories weren't all fake.
"So, we need to find a fairy or listen for the music of the Kokiri, right?" Link asked, thinking back to other tales he'd heard about how to get through the Lost Woods alive.
"Yep!" Linkle said cheerfully, skipping through a pile of fallen leaves beside him. "Fairies are very good at navigating here. Something about their connection with nature, I think. And the Kokiri often play music near the edge of their forest to help lost travelers find a way out."
"I hope they play loudly, then."
Given the reputation of the forest, the first few hours of their journey were relatively uneventful. Like most places in Hyrule, Link suspected the worst of the monsters residing there wouldn't come out until nightfall, so traveling during the day like this was probably quite favorable to them. Nevertheless, the siblings remained alert, knowing plenty of monsters were diurnal.
"I wonder if playing music ourselves will help us find a fairy," Linkle said, thinking aloud.
"What? How would that help?" Link asked, pulling the ocarina out of his pocket and wondering why it would be relevant.
"You know. Fairies like music and stuff," Linkle replied. "And then- Wait! Shush."
Link flinched when the back of his sister's hand hit his chest, stopping him from moving forward. He was a bit annoyed at being shushed when Linkle was the one who'd been talking, but he stopped to listen regardless.
"You hear that?" Linkle asked.
Somewhere in the distance, there was a heavy boom, like the footsteps of a giant.
"Yes," Link whispered back.
Both of them remained still. Every few moments, they would hear it again.
"It's getting closer," Link realized. "What is it?"
Linkle drew her weapon. "Could be anything," Linkle said excitedly. "Maybe a titanic Orhat beetle, or a massive amalgamation of Chus."
Suddenly, in addition to the giant footsteps in the distance, Link could hear rustling coming from the trees and bushes ahead of them. "Elle, we should hide," he said hurriedly.
Linkle glanced around, still holding her sword and shield at the ready. "But we-"
However, it was too late. The next second, a horde of Bokoblins poured into the clearing. They were marching together, holding spears and swords. One of them pushed another in the shoulder, causing the little monster to stumble into the others. Many of them laughed playfully, although the one that got shoved growled in anger. After a moment, they took notice of the two Hylians in the clearing, stopping in their tracks and looking at the two of them in surprise.
When about eight Bokoblins had lined up, two much taller bulldog-faced Moblins appeared behind them, one carrying a club and the other carrying a spear. They stopped in their tracks as well upon spotting the Hylians.
Link stepped between the monsters and his sister. "Elle," he said, speaking very slowly and not taking his eyes off the Blins. "Sheathe your weapon. Let's back away slowly."
Linkle did not have time to comply. One of the Moblins lifted an arm, pointed to the siblings, and roared. All his little minions joined in, raised their weapons, and charged forward, moving quickly to surround them.
"Fuck," Link swore, pulling out his own sword and shield in a panic.
"Wait."
A single command spoken by a booming voice from behind the Blins caused them all to freeze in their path, except for one. While the others remained in place with their weapons held up, one of the Bokoblins carrying a spear continued forward, rapidly stabbing at the Hylian siblings. Between the two of them, Link and Linkle were easily able to block the little one's attacks. Link was more concerned about what had made the others stop.
The booming footsteps had not only gotten louder, but now the trees behind the Blins shook with every giant, unseen footstep. This continued until the source of the footsteps came into view.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the forest giant was a Hinox. Link estimated it to be over forty feet tall, which was larger than any other Hinox he'd seen. The monster had bluish skin and a pot belly, yet its arms and legs were somewhat spindly.
Who was it that spoke?
While fending off the single Bokoblin attacker, Link looked over the Hinox, expecting to find it was carrying someone or letting someone ride on its back, but he found no one. He was beginning to think that he had simply misinterpreted some random monster growl as the Hylian word 'wait.'
When the Hinox got close enough, the monsters who were standing in the way moved to the side. The giant monster then knelt down, reaching towards the Hylians.
"Elle, get out of the way!"
"Brother, look out!"
Link and Linkle crashed into each other, each attempting to push the other out of the Hinox's reach. However, as they untangled themselves and got their bearings again, they saw that the Hinox had not been reaching for them. Instead, it took their Bokoblin attacker in its grip. The larger monster then slowly lifted the smaller one a few feet into the air before tossing it to the side, almost casually. The little Bokoblin screamed as it was flung into the trees, disappearing from sight.
"My apologies," the Hinox spoke again, remaining in a kneeling position as he turned his attention back to the Hylians. His voice was deep and his speech was accented, but he was unmistakably speaking in the Hylian tongue.
Link stood there, mouth agape. His instincts to run had been blocked off by his shock and curiosity.
It can talk?!
Link knew Hinoxes as some of the dumbest monsters out there, and yet, here one was, talking.
"Hmm." The Hinox muttered a contemplative noise, tilting his head curiously and bringing his hand to his chin. "Were you entering the forest, or leaving it?" he asked.
Link could not answer. As his initial shock began to wear off, he realized he was still within grabbing distance of a giant cyclopean monster. He checked on Linkle out of the corner of his eye. She did not answer the monster's question either. She merely smiled in wonder at the sight before her.
The Hinox may have furrowed his brow, although it was hard to tell. "...Hmm. Perhaps you are not from around here?"
Link figured the monster was trying to understand why they were not responding, and the creature had apparently decided that they did not speak Hylian.
"I see. No matter. I just need to see your swords." As the Hinox spoke, he once again reached out with his long, spindly arm.
"Ahh!" Link cried out in terror, falling backwards onto the ground, but he managed to thrust his sword outwards, as if to ward off the giant monster with it.
However, the Hinox did not seem the least bit deterred. Instead, he pinched Link's sword between his thumb and forefinger, pried it from Link's grip with little effort, then lifted it up in front of his great big eye, examining it.
"Hmm. No, this isn't it," he decided after a moment. Done with the sword, he reached out again and handed it back to Link. The young Hylian was too scared to take it, so it merely fell to the ground at his feet.
The Hinox then moved his hand over to Linkle. Holding out her hands with her palms up, she presented her sword to the Hinox on her own, as if offering it to him. The giant repeated his actions, taking Linkle's sword and bringing it up to his eye for examination. "This isn't it, either," he concluded before handing it right back to Linkle.
"Are you looking for the Master Sword?" Linkle asked.
What the hell are you doing?
Link was furious at his sister's lack of caution. Speaking to this surprisingly coherent monster, and perhaps even revealing their intentions, could only make the already unfavorable situation even worse.
"Ah! So you can speak!" the Hinox declared.
"So can you," Linkle replied. "That's amazing!" She turned to the Hinox's Blin minions, who stood on either side of him with their weapons raised. "Can they?"
"They all have some experience, but none are that fluent. Except, perhaps, Odiun," the Hinox said. "Say hello," he continued, encouraging one of the Moblins to speak.
"Fuck off," the creature replied.
"Although he is rather uncivilized," the Hinox added.
"Wow," Linkle said. "So, are you looking for the Master Sword?" she went on, repeating her previous question.
"Sister." Link stepped closer and placed a hand firmly on her shoulder, trying to signal her to stop talking.
"Hmm? No, that is not my objective," the Hinox answered, tapping his finger against his chin. "Although, if you were carrying the Master Sword, I would want to know that, too."
"We're not," Link assured him.
"But we will be!" Linkle interjected, thrusting her fist into the air enthusiastically.
"Sister."
"What?" She did not seem to find it dangerous to reveal any information to this monster. "Oh, by the way!" she went on, turning back to the Hinox. "Can you tell us how to get to Kokiri Forest?"
Link sighed.
"Sure, we just came from there," the Hinox replied. For the first time, Linkle gave the monster a suspicious look, but the Hinox merely chuckled. "Rest assured, tiny one. I did not hurt any of the fairy children. Here, let me lift you up above the trees so you can see their town."
"Elle, don't!" Link insisted.
"It's fine, brother." Linkle leaned in close and whispered into his ear. "If he tries anything, I'll shoot him in that big eye of his."
Link didn't like it, but he figured that if the Hinox intended to harm them, he wouldn't need to trick them into climbing into his hand to do so. "Alright."
The Hinox lowered his hands to the ground, placing them together side by side. Link and Linkle stepped onto his palms, and he slowly raised them into the air. The siblings stumbled a bit from the movement, but they held onto each other until they were above the treeline.
"Wow!" Linkle proclaimed. "This place is messed up."
Link agreed. Mixed in with the beautiful foliage, he could see many gigantic, old, decaying trees that had no business standing upright anymore. In addition to those, he could see swamps filled with murky water, massive overgrown vines with thorns that wrapped around trees as if to strangle them, and mysterious mist billowing forth from certain areas as if being exhaled by some unseen monster. The only reason the forest did not look impassibly terrifying was because it was still day time, but the sun appeared further along in the sky than Link thought it would be. He wondered if his sense of time had been thrown off by the forest's mysterious properties.
However, far to the north, the woods looked far more inviting. The trees were greener, except for those that bloomed with gorgeous cherry blossoms, and open fields of grass could be seen in some clearings.
"There!" Linkle pointed. "That's Kokiri Forest!"
Link took a moment to scan the area, trying to find the best path. It wasn't easy, since there really wasn't a good path. However, there were less densely forested areas, and paths that avoided the swamps and mysterious mists. "I think I see where we should go," Link said, pulling a map from his bag and drawing out his intended path.
"I see it, too," Linkle said. "We can keep going until we reach that spot, then head west for a bit, turn north again…"
"Are you almost done up there?" the booming voice of the Hinox below them asked. "My arms are getting tired, you know."
"Just a moment!" Link called back, finishing up his map. "Alright, you can bring us down."
The Hinox lowered his hands back down to the ground, and the Hylian siblings stepped off of his palms. "That was amazing!" Linkle told him. "Thank you so much. We might even be able to get through without a fairy now."
"Yes," Link said. It felt extremely odd to be speaking with a monster, let alone thanking one for a favor. However, he had to admit, the Hinox may have saved them a great deal of grief, or even their lives. "Thank you for your assistance."
"You're welcome," the Hinox replied. "Good luck with your quest for the Master Sword. My companions and I will be off now." The booming footsteps resumed as he departed, shaking the ground around him.
The Moblins and Bokoblins waited for a few moments, still glaring angrily at the Hylians, as if upset that their boss wouldn't let them kill the humans they'd stumbled across. However, the Moblins eventually grunted and lowered their weapons, signaling for the Bokoblins to follow them. They all left in the direction the Hinox had gone.
Link stood between Linkle and the group of monsters until they'd disappeared into the trees, then finally lowered his guard. "That was… strange," Link said.
"I know!" Linkle leapt into the air with excitement. "A Hinox that talks? I've never heard of that before. The other adventurers are gonna be amazed! Ugh, if only we could've fought with it!"
Link still wasn't sure what to make of everything that had just happened, but nevertheless, they had their path forward now. Also, they apparently did not have much time to get to their destination before nightfall. "Let's go, Elle," Link said, taking the map back out. "This way."
"We've gotta be near the exit now," Link said, frantically poring over the map. "Hold the torch steady, Elle."
"I am, I am!" Elle replied, her arms shaking from the cold despite the fire at the end of the stick she was holding.
"Okay. Okay. So, after that tree with the thorn bushes wrapped all over it, we turned right, so we were going north." Link moved his finger over the map as he retraced their steps.
"No, we went right, then right, so we were going east," Linkle insisted.
"No, that was the fallen tower that looked like a big gravestone," Link corrected her.
"No it wasn't."
"Yes it was."
"No it wasn't!"
"Okay, stop!" Link rubbed his hands against his face. The sun had set hours ago, although telling time was difficult in the Lost Woods. They'd already run into many different monsters as they wandered through the forest, and none of them had been as friendly as the Hinox. With the number of Stalfos they'd seen, one would think the Blood Moon had occurred just last night. "Is your compass still not working?"
Linkle reached down the front of her tunic and pulled out her golden necklace, opening up the compass. "Still not working," she confirmed, holding it out to show how the needle spun around randomly. "What should we do, brother?"
Both of them paused as they heard a howl in the distance. Whether it was a wolf or a Wolfos, they had no way to know.
"Okay, okay, so…" Link thought hard. If they'd managed to find a fairy fountain anywhere along the way, it would've been so much easier. They'd inspected every suspicious tree or cave they'd come across, but none had led to a fairy's home. The only other thing he could think of was the Kokiri music that would guide them the rest of the way. He was fairly certain they were close, and yet he heard no music. "Okay. Maybe if I just…" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the supposed Ocarina of Time.
"You think the Kokiri will hear it?" Linkle asked, guessing his intentions.
"Worth a shot, right?" he replied. "Unless the Wolfos hear it and come for us first." He laughed bitterly at the thought, then pressed the strange instrument to his lips and began to play. The sound came out shoddy, as it always did when Link tried to play it, but he moved his fingers onto different holes in an attempt to produce some sort of tune.
There was a pause as the siblings listened for any sort of response. The Lost Woods had been eerily quiet at times, and full of horrifying sounds at others. Aside from the wolf howls, it had been somewhat quiet a moment ago. However, as soon as Link finished playing, a strong wind suddenly blew threw the forest. The rustling of the trees was noisy, but Link was pretty sure there was no distant music to be heard either way.
"You gotta do it louder," Linkle insisted, swiping the ocarina out of Link's hand. Before Link could complain, she put the ocarina to her lips and blew.
"Agh." Link covered his ears. The piercing sound was certainly louder. That may have helped the Kokiri hear them, but it would mean nothing if the sound was indistinguishable from some sort of monster's shriek. "Give me that," Link demanded, taking the ocarina back.
Another gust of wind had picked up, so Link waited a moment before giving it another try. This time, he tried to play it a little louder as Linkle had suggested, but not as loud as she'd played it. Additionally, even though he didn't know how to play any real songs, he chose a couple of notes that seemed somewhat melodic when strung together, repeating them several times.
"Wait," Linkle said, holding up her hand.
"What?" Link lowered the instrument.
"Hear that?"
"No."
"Listen."
Link perked his head up, listening for something other than the rustling of trees. After a moment, he heard it. From somewhere in the distance, he could hear the faint sounds of other instruments, repeating the tune he'd just played. "Oh, thank the gods," he said with relief.
"You did it, brother!" Linkle turned in place, pointing towards the music, which seemed to be the last direction Link would've expected to be the correct way. "It's coming from over there."
"Then let's get the hell out of this place."
Both siblings took off in a sprint. Linkle used her Pegasus Boots to speed ahead of Link, but she periodically stopped in order to avoid running into a tree or to allow her brother to catch up. For some reason, Link felt like everything in the woods was chasing them, and he dared not look behind him for fear of what he might see. However, the music got louder and louder as they ran towards it, and the tune gave him hope.
Eventually, the siblings came to the entrance of a tunnel, which was actually a hollowed out, overturned log. Without hesitation, they ran straight into it. Had Link been less stressed, he might have taken a moment to think before doing so, but he did not care to weigh the risks at the moment. It was dark inside the tunnel, but they could see a light at the end of it. The light got brighter as the music got louder.
"Freedom!" Linkle cried as she made it to the end. Whether because she tripped or because she was exhausted, she plummeted to the ground and rolled forward. Link arrived a moment after she did, collapsing to his knees beside her.
The music abruptly stopped. Link was frightened for a moment, wondering if perhaps they'd been tricked by a monster or some sort of illusion. However, looking up, he saw four young children standing around them, all of them wearing green clothing similar to Linkle's. They each held an instrument as well - a flute, a harp, a tambourine, and a hand drum. Four tiny glowing fairies hovered above the Kokiri musicians, lighting the evening air like fireflies.
"Greetings, travelers!" the Kokiri with the flute said, holding out his arms. "I'm glad to see you made it through the Lost Woods in one piece."
Link breathed heavily for a moment before responding. "So am I."
"It's awfully late, though," the girl with the tambourine said. "Would you like us to take you somewhere you can rest?"
Linkle hesitated, catching her breath. "Can we see your sage?"
Kokiri Forest was an odd place. There were no ordinary buildings; at least none that resembled those built by Hylians. Many of the Kokiri buildings were built high up in the trees, looking more like a child's tree fort than a real house. The larger buildings, however, were carved directly from gigantic, hollowed-out trees.
As it was night time, it was quite dark, but a number of fairies and bioluminescent insects fluttered gently through the air, and glass jars filled with lightning bugs had been hung on various trees to function as something like street lamps. Despite how late into the evening it was, a number of Kokiri were still out and about. Some sat on their porches and waved at Link and his party as they passed, while others played instruments or danced around a fire.
Once they got a little further into the village, three of the Kokiri who'd met Link and Linkle at the edge of the forest split off from the group to head home for the night, while one of them volunteered to take the siblings the rest of the way.
Linkle squealed in excitement. She was starry-eyed, taking in her surroundings with childlike wonder. "This is so amazing," she said, waving back at a Kokiri who'd leaned out of his treehouse to wave at her.
"Thanks! That's kind of you," their Kokiri guide said, apparently appreciative of Linkle paying compliments to his hometown.
"We appreciate the help," Link told him, intending to thank the Kokiri for both leading them out of the Lost Woods and for volunteering to guide them through the town to the sage's temple. "I'm Link, by the way. And this is my sister, Linkle."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Remi," the Kokiri boy replied. He spoke as if he were a very well-mannered child, and he appeared to be no more than nine or ten years of age. However, Link knew that was about the age when the Kokiri ceased aging, so Remi could very well have been much older than them. "The ones you met just now were my sisters and my brother, too," Remi went on.
"Neat," Linkle said. Remi's words had confirmed something she'd read in that book back in the capital. The Kokiri indeed had a concept of siblings. That would make it easier to ask the Sage of Forest about her brother, who was supposedly the owner of one of the keys they were looking for.
After a few minutes of walking through the trees, the three of them stepped into a clearing. It was a wide area with trees surrounding it, and it became a bit easier to see under the light of the moon. The clearing may have been a field, but much of the space was taken up by what appeared to be an expansive hedge maze, with several wooden Kokiri buildings sticking up above the hedges in various places.
"Oooh," Linkle said, clearly impressed by what she saw.
"Um. What's this?" Link asked.
Remi laughed, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "Uh, yeah. Welcome to Kasuto. The maze was already like this when we moved here from the other forest," he explained. "The Great Fairy made it, actually. She lives in the very center. It may seem confusing at first, but you get used to it. It's actually really helpful for hiding from monsters. That just came in handy recently, actually."
"I see," Link replied. "So, where's the Forest Temple?"
Remi pointed towards the maze. "It's on the other side of the maze."
Linkle squealed. "Can we go see the Great Fairy on the way?"
Link rolled his eyes. "Elle, I'm exhausted. And we still have to see the sage."
"It's not like we're in a rush," Linkle argued. "The sage might be asleep right now anyway."
"So might the Great Fairy," Link countered.
"If you're feeling tired, the Great Fairy may be able to help you with that," Remi suggested.
The little fairy hovering over Remi's shoulder shook in a way that resembled a nod. "It's true," the fairy spoke. "The Great Fairy can make anyone feel good as new!"
"Aww," Linkle swooned, clamping her hands together near her cheek, evidently finding the fairy adorable. "See, brother? We should see her. Maybe she'll even be willing to enchant us or our equipment, too. Great Fairies do that stuff for heroes all the time."
Link sighed. "Alright, fine." He turned to the Kokiri boy. "Remi, would you kindly lead us to the Great Fairy?"
"No, don't lead us," Linkle said excitedly. "It's a maze. I wanna figure it out." With that, she took off for the maze's entrance, apparently nowhere near as tired as Link was.
Link winced, mildly embarrassed by his sister's behavior. "It's not dangerous in there, is it? Is she gonna get lost?"
Remi laughed. "Don't worry. There's usually very little danger within our borders. And the fairies can see everything from above, so we can always find her if she gets lost."
His fairy companion nodded in agreement.
"Okay, good. Well, I'll let you lead the way, then." Link gestured towards the maze's entrance.
The maze was not as bad as Link had expected it to be. It somewhat reminded him of certain parts of the capital, where the buildings were all pretty close together and the roads were quite narrow. It had a very different feel to it, though. It was as though they were simultaneously in a civilized town and in a forest in the middle of the wilds. Everything around them was wood and greenery, and leaves crinkled beneath their feet with every step.
"So, do you get a lot of visitors here?" Link asked, trying to make conversation with the fairy child guiding him.
"More than you might think, actually," Remi replied. "The Lost Woods are not safe or easy to navigate, but we get a lot of adventurers like you. They come here to try to pull the Master Sword out of the stone. Is that what you're here for?"
"Sort of," Link answered. "My sister really wants to try it. But we're here to see the sage, mostly."
"People come here for that sometimes, too. Many in Faron and Ordona still worship the forest gods. We also hold festivals that many humans and Gorons attend," the Kokiri boy went on.
As they walked through the hedge maze together, Link and Remi passed by several other Kokiri, many of whom greeted them kindly the same way the ones outside the maze had. Eventually, as they neared the center, they happened across Linkle. She was in an open, grassy area, surrounded by Kokiri. The fairy children appeared to be captivated by her weapons and her boots, which she was in the middle of proudly showing off to them.
"Ooooohhhh…"
"How fast can you run in those?"
"Faster than a horse!" Linkle replied, running in place for a second as if to demonstrate. Her smile showed she was enjoying the attention immensely.
"Look at you," Link said as he and Remi approached her. "You're finally the biggest kid around."
Linkle stuck her tongue out at him and put her crossbow back in its holster.
"The Great Fairy is just through here," Remi told them, gesturing towards an opening in the hedge maze. "Why don't you run along now, kids," he said to Linkle's admirers. The children surrounding her heeded his words, giggling to themselves as they ran off.
Those were kids?
They didn't look too different from Remi, but after a moment, Link realized none of the children had fairies with them like Remi did.
Oh, right. I think that's supposed to be a sign of adulthood.
"This maze was so fun," Linkle said as they continued the way Remi had indicated. "We need to explore more places like this. I bet the Fire Temple would've been great."
Link thought back to the incomprehensible maze that was the Water Temple. He most certainly did not share her feelings on the matter.
I hope we don't have to deal with anything like that ever again…
The path Remi took them down led to a shrine in the middle of a small, circular grove. The shrine was very noticeable because it was the first thing Link had seen in the village that was made out of stone rather than wood. However, it wasn't much more than a small platform with a semicircle of columns behind it supporting a half-dome room. In the middle of the stone platform was a square hole carved into it, with the tip of a wooden ladder sticking out.
"It's down there?" Link asked.
"Yep." Remi nodded in confirmation. "Elmtera's fairy fountain is just down that ladder."
"Sweet. Thanks!" Linkle immediately climbed down onto the ladder and disappeared into the hole.
"Yes, thanks for the help," Link told him.
"I'll be in the area for a bit longer this evening, so you can come find me after you speak with the Great Fairy if you need anything. Enjoy your stay." Remi waved goodbye as Link climbed into the hole to join his sister.
At the bottom of the ladder, Link found himself in a hallway. The architecture of the place reminded him of a temple. He was expecting it to be dark, but there were so many fairies floating around, it was actually quite brightly lit. The hallway was not very long, and he could see it opened up into a larger room further in, where Linkle was standing. Before he could take a step forward, several of the fairies flew by to greet him.
"Hello."
"Hello."
"Hi there."
Link smiled nervously. "Um. Hello." He walked forward slowly, trying to avoid walking into any of the tiny creatures as they fluttered around him.
Linkle turned around when he got close. "Brother, look!"
The room at the end of the hall was spacious and had a high ceiling, but most of the space was taken up by a large fountain. The fountain had a few stone steps leading up to it, being raised up like an altar. The walls behind and around the sides of the fountain were gently curved, allowing water to continuously flow down into the fountain. Link could see slits near the ceiling where the water was flowing in from, although he did not understand what the source of the water could have been.
"So this is a fairy fountain," Link said aloud, watching more of the fairies hover by.
"Mhmm." Linkle nodded. "But where's the Great Fairy?"
As she spoke, there was a splash near the back of the fountain, and a woman emerged from the water. She floated straight up into the air, where she continued to hover despite lacking wings. The woman appeared quite tall, perhaps a full four meters. She wore a dress woven from leaves, vines, and white and yellow flowers. Her hair was a pinkish-purple, styled into three long braids that hung down past her waist. One look was all it took for Link to realize the Great Fairy was exceptionally beautiful, and the alluring look in her eyes was especially striking. Oddly enough, she looked a lot like that Great Fairy mask Linkle had tried on in that strange mask shop back in the capital.
Perhaps it was based on her likeness.
Linkle gasped when the Great Fairy appeared, looking up at her in awe.
"Greetings, Hylians." When she spoke, the Great Fairy's voice had a pleasant, melodic quality to it, and it echoed slightly within the underground temple. "I am Elmtera. Welcome to my fountain."
"Greetings, Great Fairy," Linkle said excitedly. "We are traveling adventurers on a quest from the Sage of Shadow. Any aid you might be able to provide to us would be most appreciated."
"The Sage of Shadow?" As Elmtera spoke, she came closer and rotated her position in the air, now appearing as if she were lying on her stomach while she floated above the water. "I do not know this sage."
"Do you know anything about a sword owned by the Sage of Forest's brother?" Link asked, hoping she would be more likely to help them if she knew what kind of help they were looking for.
Elmtera laughed in a rather pleasant manner. "Saria has a great many brothers," the Great Fairy said, rotating in the air until she was floating upside down. "But, if you're looking for the same sword the Hinox was after, I know which one you mean."
"You do?" Linkle asked, appearing surprised and happy to hear this.
Link was not as surprised. The Hinox had mentioned he'd been looking for a sword other than the Master Sword. It stood to reason that he was after the same one they were. "Is it here?" Link asked.
"I'm afraid not, child," Elmtera replied, rolling over onto her stomach again. "Saria can tell you more about it. For now, why don't you take a moment to relax for a bit? You both appear to have been under considerable stress lately. Am I wrong?"
Link couldn't deny that. Between the Lost Woods and the Water Temple, their travels had been even more dangerous than usual recently.
"Why don't you come bathe in my fountain? I believe you'll find it quite relaxing," Elmtera offered.
"Okay!" Linkle readily accepted the offer, kicking off her Pegasus Boots and pulling her tunic over her head. She then climbed the steps and dipped her foot into the water.
Link rolled his eyes.
Leave it to Elle to disrobe so quickly in front of a deity in her own temple…
"Ooh!" Linkle looked over her shoulder at her brother. "It's nice and warm. Like a Goron hot spring."
Link raised an eyebrow. The water did not have steam rising from it like the hot springs in Eldin had, but perhaps she was merely exaggerating. Either way, Link took off his boots and began to disrobe as well. "We're grateful for your hospitality," he said to Elmtera, hoping to demonstrate a little more politeness than his sister had.
When Link put his foot in the water, Linkle was already sitting down with the water up to her neck, relaxing against the side of the fountain. The water was certainly pleasant, and Link allowed himself to sink down into it beside his sister.
"Rest, weary travelers," Elmtera said in her beautiful melodic voice. She lowered herself down behind the siblings, lightly draping an arm over each of them. "You've surely traveled far, and done so much. You deserve a moment of respite."
Link's eyelids nearly fell shut. His drowsiness was quickly catching up to him. The Great Fairy's touch was so comforting for some reason. The closest thing he could compare it to was how his mother used to hug him.
Linkle had her eyes closed and was smiling pleasantly, appearing as if she felt the same way.
"Rest…" came Elmtera's soothing voice once more.
That was all it took before Link allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.
Link did not recognize his surroundings. He was clearly still somewhere in the woods, but he was inside of a temple. The building was in disrepair and it was almost completely overgrown with vegetation, but much of it still stood. It reminded Link of the Temple of Time, as well as the Light Temple, only in much worse condition.
Link also did not know why he was so low to the ground. As he stepped forward, he realized he was on all fours. Not only that, his hands were not hands. He had paws of some sort, covered in white and black fur. An iron cuff was clamped around his left wrist, with a few links of a broken chain hanging off of it.
However, Link still moved forward. Looking up, he saw he was approaching a large stone door, bearing the mark of the Triforce and the Royal Family's wingcrest symbol. The door was flanked by two giant statues, both of which wielded stone weapons and were covered in glowing blue designs. As Link crawled forward, the statues groaned, lifting their weapons and banging them against the floor. Link feared they meant to attack him, but they did not move from their spot. Instead, the door before him opened, sliding upwards to reveal a stone staircase.
"Go now to the sacred place, beast…" the statues said in unison, their words emitting from mouthless, motionless faces. "We yield passage to the Sacred Grove…" With that, the statues flashed with a brilliant blue light. Shortly after, the lights coming from the statues faded completely, returning them to an inert state.
Link proceeded forward in a dreamlike fashion without being in control of his own body. He crawled across the floor, passing through the doorway that had just opened. As he stepped onto the stairs, Link heard the sound of a girl yawning.
Linkle?
He suddenly realized there was someone riding on his back, as if he were a horse. However, unable to do anything about it for some reason, he proceeded up the staircase. At the top, there was an archway that led outside, and Link crawled through it.
He had arrived in a small grove, surrounded on all sides by trees and broken temple columns. A thin layer of fog hovered over the ground, and the only light came from a few faint rays of sunlight breaking through the tree branches above him. On the far end of the grove, Link could see a small, square dais, upon which sat a sword lodged in a stone.
The Master Sword?!
Wordlessly, the beast-Link continued forward, crawling right up to the sacred sword. When he stepped onto the dais to examine the weapon, it began to glow with a brilliant white light. Link watched it curiously for a moment, but suddenly, it flashed with an angry bright light. Link felt a weight lifted from his back as whoever was riding him was knocked backward. Link's whole body tensed up and he glared at the sword, growling at it like an animal sensing hostility. Then, he felt the light enter him. The feeling was indescribable, and he was soon blinded by the light.
A moment later, the light died down. Link found himself standing on two feet now. Not only that, but he had human hands as well, which were both resting on the hilt of the sword. He felt the blade calling to him. For some reason, he knew that if he tried to pull it out, he'd be able to. And so, he did. With barely any effort, he pulled the sword upward, and it slid out of the stone as if it hadn't even been stuck to begin with.
Link raised the sword into the air with his left hand, staring at it in awe. The sword glowed faintly, and as it did, the fog covering the sacred grove began to part, blown away by an audible wind. The grove was soon bathed in warm sunlight, as if the clouds or the trees above them had parted.
"The sword accepted you as its master…" came the voice of the girl who'd been riding on his back earlier.
Link took a few practice swings with the Master Sword. It felt perfect, as if the sword had been crafted specially for him and he'd been training with it for his entire life.
He heard movement from behind him, and suddenly, an odd gremlin creature popped up in front of him. Short in stature, the gremlin girl hovered a few feet above the ground. She had flaming orange hair and her body appeared to be covered in black and white fur, although her arms and a few other places on her body were streaked with runic tattoos that glowed cyan. The gremlin girl wore an oversized, ornate helmet of some sort, although it was cracked and broken, revealing only one of her large, red and yellow, cat-like eyes.
The impish girl looked at Link with a devilish grin and held out her hand. An odd object hovered above her palm. The object looked like some sort of strange arrowhead, colored black with orange markings. "This thing is the embodiment of the evil magic that Zant cast on you," she said.
Zant?
Link recognized the name. Of course he would have. Anyone in Hyrule would've known the name of Zant, the Usurper King. He had invaded the kingdom a hundred years prior with an army from the Twilight Realm.
Why would Zant have cast evil magic on me?
However, as he thought about the question, the world suddenly shifted. The floating imp girl in front of him was replaced by his sister, sporting an equally smug grin. No longer in a sacred grove, he was back in the Great Fairy's fountain, lying in the water while his sister stood above him, still dripping wet.
"Morning, brother," Linkle said. "Gods, I feel refreshed! This fountain is amazing, isn't it?"
Link stood up, trying to get his bearings after having been snapped back to reality so suddenly. "Morning?" he asked, looking at his hands. He expected his fingers to have pruned, but they hadn't. "Were we really in the water all night?"
"You were," Elmtera replied. She was further in the fountain, half-submerged in the water with her back to them, washing her hair. "I hope you were not in any hurry. You both seemed like you needed some real rest."
Link couldn't deny that he felt well-rested, probably more so than he'd felt ever since they'd left home. "Huh. Yeah, I feel great, actually. You have our thanks, Great Fairy," he said to Elmtera as he climbed out of the water.
"Yeah, thanks!" Linkle repeated, following behind him. "But we have to go speak with the Sage of Forest now."
"By all means." Elmtera turned to face them. "You are both welcome back any time. And give my best to Saria."
"We will," Linkle agreed as she and her brother redressed and gathered their gear. "Bye!"
"Good day, Great Fairy," Link added, saying his goodbyes as well.
Together, the siblings headed down the hall and climbed back up the ladder.